"I, the unfilial disciple Zhou Lie, can no longer serve my teacher, so I am leaving..."

According to insiders, Zhou Lie suddenly had a feeling and sat cross-legged on the withered flower. His mind began to become blurry and he mumbled something, and then he passed away.

Upon hearing the news, Mr. Chen was shocked and leaned back in his chair, feeling more tired than ever before.

His figure runs through Zhou Lie's life, and Zhou Lie's influence on him is also profound.

They are master and apprentice, but also like parent and child.

He watched Zhou Lie grow up, from his hard training as a child to his teenage years, to his marriage as a young man, the joy of having children, the calmness of middle age, the sadness of losing his wife and son, and his lonely departure in his old age.

One hundred and five years is an insignificant period of time for an immortal, but he felt it was very long.

He seemed to have spent his whole life in this experience, feeling deeply the ruthlessness and transience of the world.

"Little Zhou Lie..."

Luzhu lowered her head and wiped her tears. Chen Sheng treated Zhou Lie as his own son, and so did she. They had no children, and Zhou Lie filled this gap.

Today, Zhou Lie passed away, and the sadness in her heart was no less shallow than that of Chen Sheng.

"It's nothing. I'm here."

Mr. Chen felt sad, but seeing Luzhu crying so sadly, he had to go forward to comfort her.

He is always there and will never be lost for those who care about him.

Until, he is still here, but the people he cares about are no longer here, and he has to bear it all alone.

"Yeah, you're here."

Luzhu threw herself into Chen Sheng's arms and felt very warm. This was a good man, extremely powerful, but always taking care of her in the smallest details.

There is a tiger in my heart sniffing the roses.

This is part of her understanding of Mr. Chen.

Zhou Lie was buried on a small hill next to the medicine house. Chen Sheng could see him by flying over there.

In front of the tombstone, Luzhu was burning incense and Chen Sheng was burning paper, muttering something in a low voice.

Not far from the two of them, there were many people standing, including the alchemist from the medicine house and Zhou Lie’s relatives.

However, these people were tactful and did not disturb the two.

Even the people in the Zhou family could understand that the relationship between them and Zhou Lie could not compare to that between these two.

After the whole process was completed, the funeral ended and the crowd dispersed.

"Teacher, I'm watching you here."

At night, Chen Sheng was in the Longxing Hall, holding a candle. He could see the graves on the hill at a glance. He felt more at ease in his heart and gradually walked out of his sadness.

The influence of Zhou Lie's faction in the pharmacy began to wane. As for a new candidate to succeed him, several old men secretly recommended him, but they were suppressed by Chen Sheng.

The fact is, this is not an urgent matter.

He needs to sort out his feelings and will not consider this matter at least in the next few years.

Next.

The medicine house was running smoothly. With Mr. Chen in office, there wasn't too much noise. The elders in the medicine house and the factions all worked in harmony.

This day.

An old man came to the medicine house and made great contributions to the medicine house.

When he was in office, Yaolu had already developed very well, laying a solid foundation for Chen Sheng, which led to his subsequent rapid development.

"Mr. Shen."

Chen Sheng was a little surprised, but he also gave him enough respect. This man had done him a great favor by allowing him to inherit the position of Elder of Yaolu rightfully, and he had also given him inspiration when he was refining the Golden Elixir.

After entering the inner gate, the two discussed the knowledge of alchemy many times and could be regarded as fellow travelers.

"It's been a long time."

Mr. Shen was very kind and his appearance had not changed much. His hair was neatly combed and his clothes were clean, but he looked much older.

"Yes, we have always communicated in the form of letters."

Chen Sheng felt a little strange in his heart. This person had left the outer sect ninety-eight years ago and had been working in the inner sect ever since.

Why did you come back today? "I wanted to come back to the medicine house to take a look."

Mr. Shen's words were calm and indifferent, but his eyes looking towards the medicine house revealed a hint of reminiscence.

His feelings for Yaolu were no less than Chen Sheng's. He also spent most of his life here before transferring to the inner gate.

"This is to test the performance of the younger generation."

Mr. Chen said with a smile.

He has worked diligently and attentively over the years and has done nothing wrong.

"ha……"

Mr. Shen also laughed. For other heirs, they might need the affirmation of their predecessors to consolidate their power.

But Mr. Chen didn't need it. This young man's power was already at its peak, and he could call the shots in the outer sect.

Even though he became a powerful elder in the inner sect, he was not qualified to act arrogantly.

There is equality between the two.

Whether in terms of alchemy rank or status, he, as a senior, does not have the slightest advantage.

“There are a lot more buildings.”

Walking in the medicine house, Mr. Shen saw many unfamiliar buildings, which were no longer in their original layout.

"It was renovated before and expanded to thirty-six, with a Taoist Hall and an open-air square."

Mr. Chen explained that the bottom floor of Yaolu had experienced explosive growth. As a center of power, for better management, it had to be expanded to accommodate more talents.

“It’s different.”

Elder Shen sighed, feeling that everything was unfamiliar, and said, "As the saying goes, things change and people change. Now even things have changed, and nothing can be retained."

In this world, nothing remains unchanged. Everything is changing and becoming unrecognizable.

Then it completely disappeared without a trace, turned into dust, and dissipated between heaven and earth.

"Mr. Shen, why are you so desolate?"

Mr. Chen always felt that something was wrong. Mr. Shen’s sudden arrival and his bleak mood both revealed that something had happened.

"I am dying..."

Mr. Shen looked at Mr. Chen and spoke in a very calm tone.

"How come he died so fast? Is there a hidden disease that can prolong his life?"

Mr. Chen frowned and estimated in his mind that it was indeed almost right.

Elder Shen has been gone for almost a hundred years. Even though he was still young when he left, this period of time is too long for someone in the Foundation Establishment Stage.

He felt a little reluctant, as this should be the last senior with whom he had a close relationship in the outer sect.

"I can't prolong my life. I've already taken a lot of life-extending drugs."

Old Shen shook his head. He was also a top-notch second-level alchemist who was best at maintaining health and had no shortage of resources for cultivation.

As early as thirty years ago, he took many life-extending drugs, and this year is his final year.

"Is there anything you want to explain?"

Mr. Chen asked.

Old Master Shen came out of the Medicine House and made great contributions to the Medicine House. If any descendants or disciples want to return, he will take care of them.

"No."

Old Shen still shook his head. He devoted himself to cultivation and used power as a tool. He entered the inner gate to seek the golden elixir, but he failed in the end and no longer had any hope.

Chen Sheng sighed. Master Shen was a pure cultivator, but he didn't even allow a junior like him to have a chance to show his respect.

When Mr. Shen left, he left behind his second-level alchemist inheritance.

In the same year, Mr. Chen received the news that Mr. Shen had passed away, and all his elders in the outer sect had died.

…

Mr. Chen sat on a small stone bench in the courtyard, holding a star box in his hand and analyzing the restrictions on it.

Nearly a hundred years have passed, and he is still about 20% away from completely solving it.

As the characters faded away, he thought more and more, he thought of the Youhe River in the Xilong River secret realm, he thought of the Star Box, and he thought of Luzhu.

But the more thoughts you have about this kind of thing, the more troubles you will have.

Clang! Chen Sheng was so annoyed that he stood up, took out his iron sword, and immediately practiced the Star-Severing Sword Technique in the courtyard, facing the stars.

He swung his sword, the sword light flashed, and his spirit poured out, bringing about an emptiness of spirit, but the distracting thoughts in his mind were reduced by a few.

Comfortable!

Chen Sheng was fascinated by this kind of clear and ethereal state of mind. As he practiced Taoism for a long time, he felt depressed by the many human ties, but he was reluctant to give them up and could only hold on.

Tonight I will slash at the stars, sword after sword.

The swords never cease, and every sword is a vent.

The courtyard was filled with sword energy, and the brilliant light illuminated the night. Chen Sheng's figure was nowhere to be seen, only a ball of light and shadow, as if time had been distorted and moved to another world.

The stars twisted, and thirty years rolled by, like sword wind and sword rain, extremely sharp, crippling and destroying many people and things.

Chen Sheng cut the stars every night, but the thoughts of separation and longing were never eliminated. They only decreased, and then suddenly increased again, maintaining a balance.

In the third year, Mu Rufeng, an old inner sect elder who had a close relationship with Chen Sheng, passed away.

In the seventh year, Taoist Dafeng, who had been buying elixirs from the medicine house, no longer appeared. According to a letter from his grown-up disciple, he passed away in meditation.

In the fifteenth year, Cheng Yushu, He Zhi, Qi Luo and other old men from Yaolu left one after another, and all the capable old generation under Chen Sheng's command died out.

The years from fifteen to twenty-six were a period of peace.

Unfortunately, by the twenty-seventh year, a gap began to appear between the five major immortal sects in the border areas.

That year, the earth dragon turned over and brought out a buried underground palace. The immortal cultivators from the five major immortal sects entered, saw many treasures, and fought fiercely.

Among them, a scroll of scriptures was torn into pieces, and the five major immortal sects each picked up a few pages.

No one took it seriously at the time.

What follows is how powerful this scripture is, as it explains a higher level of realm and contains earth-shaking clues.

From then on, the killing spree surrounding the scriptures swept across the border areas.

"The Law Enforcement Hall wants 6,000 Blood Nourishing Pills."

"Yuwu Palace wants five thousand top-grade Qi Condensation Pills, five thousand Blood Nourishing Pills, and one thousand Spirit Devouring Pills."

"The inner sect's three Feng Fengs want four thousand rejuvenation pills."

"Outer sect Qinghai Peak, one thousand top-grade Qi Condensation Pills."

"The Medicine Refining Hall needs thousands of first-grade spiritual herbs of various colors. The more the better."

…

"Think of this place as a wishing well. You can get whatever you want."

Chen Sheng sat in a side hall, looking through the documents sent by various clans. The more he read, the more he wanted to curse. Since the war broke out, the consumption of elixirs in the medicine house had reached a terrifying level.

At this time, there should have been mutual compromise and assistance from all parties.

Mr. Chen wanted to take over, but the demands of the major sects were too outrageous and they asked for too much.

The alchemist in the medicine house worked day and night to make elixirs, but was still unable to meet the demand.

Generally speaking, these Taoist sects overreported, not for personal gain, but because the war was intense and the supply of elixirs was inevitably insufficient, so in order to ensure the normal supply of their own elixirs, they simply reported more.

What made him depressed was the Yuwu Hall. When the war broke out, the various parties did not have enough resources for cultivation, so they used the elixirs from the Medicine House to exchange for them to make up for the shortage. They really treated the Medicine House as a small treasury.

What's excessive is the inner sect's Taoist lineage. You guys won't go to the Medicine Refining Hall, why are you running to the outer sect?

When he turned around, he was almost angry to death. The Medicine Refining Hall shamelessly sent Qiu Feng to him and asked for spiritual herbs.

"The consumption is too great. If it continues like this, it will cost us our entire family."

Despite the scolding, Chen Sheng still had to make adjustments as appropriate. Without the support of elixirs, the chances of casualties among his own cultivators would increase. If this increased, the other decreased, they would eventually be defeated.

Therefore, when the two sides are evenly matched, war is a test of wealth and who can afford it.

After Chen Sheng reduced the amount of Dao veins that could provide elixirs by half, he began to divide the shares and asked the alchemists of the Thirty-Six Palaces to cooperate in refining.

Which alchemist is suitable, what is his specialty, which one is suitable for coordinating things, and what is his personality like.

In addition, one must calculate clearly how much is stored in the treasury, the existing output and scale of spiritual herbs, and the loss and use.

Only by knowing these by heart can you fully unleash the power of this behemoth, Yaolu, without any contradictions.

"Youye, Shangqu come here for a moment."

After the five older generations of Yaolu left, new people took over and Monk Youye Qu became the new stewards.

Both of them rose to prominence in the Forum. One is careless, strong-willed and brave, while the other is cautious, rational and good at thinking. Both are very popular.

"Elder, I have something to tell you."

After a while, Shang Qu and You Ye came over.

Both men are in their prime, and although they have slightly different physical shapes, they both have a high spirit and are very pleasing to the eye.

"Distribute the shares according to the above records, and you can make other arrangements for the rest."

Mr. Chen took out two pieces of paper with various arrangements recorded on them. They were to be carried out by Youye and Shangqu. They were allowed to do as they pleased in some places with large operating space, which could be considered a kind of training.

"yes."

The two of them picked up the task list and put it close to their bodies. They were already very familiar with it.

"Elder, I found a policy paper you wrote today. It is so wonderful."

Shang Qu paused for a moment and took out a strategy from his arms. It was written on the spur of the moment after Chen Sheng, the lobbyist of Qingping Valley, dragged him to Guangxiu Xianzong and caused a war.

Back then, this strategy was verified by the Qingping Valley incident and was a feasible operation.

"Logistics and medicine supply? Do you have any ideas?"

Mr. Chen said calmly.

"This war may be an opportunity for my Yaolu. As long as we grasp it properly, we will flourish in all directions of the border area and control countless spiritual herbs."

A warm light flashed in Shang Qu's eyes. The ambition in his heart had never diminished for a moment, and he always maintained an attitude of pursuing things.

This is true for alchemy and the development of Yaolu.

"I don't agree. At least at this stage of the fight, it's not time for us to take risks."

Youye held an opposing opinion, just like when the two of them fought in the Lundao Hall, he was against rough and bloody fighting.

The alchemists of Yaolu go to the battlefield in person and build fortresses and camps. Although this can help expand territory and achieve great achievements, it also involves bloodshed.

He disagreed with alchemists going to the battlefield. They were not good at fighting and it would be better for them to just quietly make pills in the back.

"The risks are equal to the benefits. You are too cowardly."

Shang Qu is still the same temper. Although both of them hold high positions, they still don't get along with each other and often start arguing over a disagreement.

This is because of personality and way of doing things, there is no high or low.

"This matter... is not urgent."

Mr. Chen pondered and put the proposal aside.

The alchemist in Yaolu is indeed precious, so it is better to wait and see first.

"Then...wait a little longer."

Seeing this, Shang Qu said nothing more and retreated with You Ye.

"If Zhou Huang were still here..."

Mr. Chen looked at the two figures, thought of Zhou Huang, and felt regretful.

This is his follower, who is now able to stand on his own. If he had not died young, how impressive he would have been.

(End of this chapter)