Chapter 3
Inside the alchemy room, Daoist Danxi observed everything with his divine sense.
A dark glint flashed in his eyes, and a chilling aura emanated from his body.
She was testing herself.
They repeatedly provoke others, attempting to find their bottom line.
I had entered her sea of consciousness and rummaged through some of her memories.
She met Yun Zheng in the Western Continent, lying that she was a rogue cultivator who had offended the Devouring Spirit Sect and lost her foothold there. So she followed Yun Zheng to the Heavenly Profound Sect. In reality, she came from the Nine Nether Sect and had intricate connections with the Devouring Spirit Sect.
Killing her would be an easy task.
However, there is one thing that needs to be clarified.
"This place is very nice."
Jiang Liuya arrived at the original tree.
Every plant and tree on Lingcui Mountain is extraordinary.
The tree before me is called the Spirit Pivot Tree. Its trunk coils like a writhing dragon, and its branches stretch out freely in all directions. The foliage is lush and layered. The leaves are oval-shaped with finely serrated edges, shimmering with a vibrant green luster under the sunlight.
The Spirit Pivot Wood gathers the purest spiritual energy of heaven and earth, acting like a natural spirit-gathering array. Simply cultivating here is already highly beneficial. Moreover, it possesses a unique fragrance that has an irresistible attraction for insects. For Gu cultivators, the Spirit Pivot Wood is undoubtedly the perfect place to cultivate Gu worms.
Originally, the tree was teeming with all sorts of insects. These insects fed on the leaves and thrived under the nourishment of the Spirit Pivot Tree. However, Jiang Liuya possessed a Gu King, and ordinary insects dared not approach her under its oppressive aura.
By this time, the swarm of insects had already dispersed. One green beetle, however, was belatedly aware that its companions had scattered, and was somewhat puzzled. Suddenly, it sensed a powerful pressure, and immediately leaped into the air, tumbling several times before crashing to the ground.
Jiang Liuya took out several exquisite jade boxes from her Qiankun bag, inside which were carefully selected Gu worm larvae. These larvae became excited immediately upon contact with the Spirit Pivot Wood, wriggling on the branches and leaves. Resin slowly seeped from the trunk, like glistening amber, emitting a strong and unique fragrance. They greedily sucked up the resin, which was like nectar to them.
In a few days, they will evolve into spirit gu.
"No matter what you want to do, these evil creatures are not allowed to appear on Lingcui Peak." Daoist Danxi suddenly appeared and said coldly, his voice filled with unquestionable authority.
Upon hearing his warning, Jiang Liuya initially smiled playfully and teased, "These Gu worms are as obedient and adorable as the spiritual plants that Daoist Lord raises. They are all living beings, so what is the difference between them? Since the spiritual plants can enjoy the nourishment of the spiritual energy of heaven and earth here, so can these Gu worms."
Upon hearing this, a sharp killing intent flashed in Danxi Daojun's eyes. He immediately unleashed a burst of spiritual energy, which struck several young Gu worms like lightning. Under the impact of the spiritual energy, the young Gu worms instantly turned into dust and dissipated into the air.
Daoist Danxi snorted coldly and said, "How can these evil creatures be compared with spiritual herbs!"
Jiang Liuya watched helplessly as the young Gu she had painstakingly nurtured was destroyed in an instant, and the anger in her heart erupted like a volcano.
Her eyes suddenly turned sharp, and she gritted her teeth, saying, "Good and evil are defined by you orthodox cultivators! But what wrong have my Gu worms done? They are simple and pure. As long as they are fed spiritual energy, they are obedient and docile, much more reliable than humans! They are just following their master's orders. It all depends on how the person controlling them acts!"
Daoist Danxi's face was cold and stern: "This is sophistry. How many people have you killed and how much evil have you committed with these evil objects?"
Two flames blazed in Jiang Liuya's eyes: "None of the people I killed died in vain! I killed them because they deserved to die! It was all the evil they sowed, and the evil fruit they reaped!"
As she was speaking, her spiritual power went berserk, the surrounding airflow became turbulent, and spiritual energy surged and collided everywhere like a raging tide.
However, these violent spiritual energies had no effect on Daoist Danxi. He stood still, his posture as upright as a pine tree, with a faint spiritual energy shield around him, easily blocking the out-of-control spiritual energy.
Gradually, Jiang Liuya calmed down and suppressed her out-of-control spiritual power.
Jiang Liuya turned her head to look at the Spirit Pivot Tree, her chin slightly raised, revealing an arrogant expression.
She slowly said, "There are three thousand great paths, and the Gu path is just one of them. I raise Gu to explore my own path of cultivation. What's wrong with that? Heaven is unfair. Gu cultivators face nine deaths and one life for every advancement. Righteous cultivators, on the other hand, can easily gain the favor of Heaven. Just like a genius cultivator like a Dao Lord, the stronger their spiritual root, the more spiritual energy they can seize. As the spiritual energy in this world gradually becomes scarce, the more you seize, the less other living beings have. But who has ever criticized you? It's just a game of survival of the fittest!"
She paused, then slowly turned her head, her gaze piercing as she looked at Daoist Danxi: "In this world, the strong are respected. The difference in strength between me and the Immortal Lord is vast. Even if you argue until the heavens break, it's still my fault. The so-called righteous and evil are merely because the righteous cultivators are currently stronger. What if one day, Gu cultivators rise to power?"
Danxi Daojun turned around, flicked his sleeve, and said in a low voice, "That day will never come."
Immediately, a surge of spiritual energy struck. Jiang Liuya felt a flash of light before her eyes, and a strand of hair drifted down.
So, this is her true face? She doesn't seem so bad after all.
Beneath the facade of hypocrisy and cunning lies an untamed, stubborn, and tenacious vitality.
Daoist Danxi rarely empathizes with others. He prefers to communicate with plants and trees rather than people.
He is a genius who appears only once in a millennium. He entered the immortal sect at a young age, and the path of cultivation was very smooth for him.
He reached the Foundation Establishment stage at fourteen, the Golden Core stage at twenty-two, and the Nascent Soul stage at forty-six. Before he was even a hundred years old, he had already reached the Deity Transformation stage.
He found it difficult to understand the hardships of cultivation and the difficulties of advancement for ordinary cultivators.
A bluish light emanated from the Dan Yuan point, and a green spiritual vine appeared and disappeared.
This is his natal magical artifact—the Thunderstrike Jade Vine.
The thousand-year-old spiritual tree encountered a lightning tribulation, turning into petrified wood, yet retaining a tenacious vitality. Over the years, a tiny sprout actually grew from the wood and stone. Daoist Danxi nurtured it with the power of the wood spirit, causing it to grow into a jade-like vine, which became the Thunderstruck Jade Vine.
This Thunderstruck Jade Vine inherits the immense power of the lightning tribulation and can grow freely according to the will of the wood spirit.
It's a truly rich and vibrant life.
The next day, Jiang Liuya waited outside the alchemy room early. When she saw Daoist Danxi arrive, she quickly went up to him.
"Daoist Lord, I was wrong yesterday. On this Lingcui Mountain, I must naturally obey your words. Things that you dislike will not appear again," Jiang Liuya said confidently.
Daoist Danxi did not answer. He slowly prepared the materials needed for today's alchemy, and then entered the alchemy room.
Jiang Liuya followed him all the way, and although she thought she would be stopped at the door, she was able to enter the alchemy room without any problems.
Daoist Danxi did not stop them, seemingly having changed his strategy.
The alchemy chamber was very spacious, with crystals embedded in the walls, emitting a soft glow that illuminated the entire space. In the very center stood a massive alchemy furnace. The furnace was a dark gold color, its surface covered with densely packed, profound, and difficult-to-understand runes that shimmered with an eerie light. Below the furnace was a ring of arrays burning with ghostly blue flames, the flames flickering and radiating a scorching yet mysterious aura.
Around the alchemy furnace, there were exquisite jade shelves, on which various precious alchemy materials were displayed.
Jiang Liuya secretly observed everything, her heart filled with admiration. The alchemy room of a Nascent Soul cultivator was indeed extraordinary.
Daoist Danxi walked to the alchemy furnace and began to concentrate on refining pills. With a gentle wave of his hands, a pure wood spirit surged from his body, transforming into fine spiritual threads that coiled around the array surrounding the furnace. The dark blue flames instantly became gentle and obedient, as if they had come to life.
When refining elixirs, one needs to be quiet and avoid being disturbed. Jiang Liuya wisely kept quiet.
With a flick of his finger, Daoist Danxi sent a spiritual herb gently into the alchemy furnace, carried by spiritual energy. Under the precise control of the azure flame, its medicinal power gradually released, transforming into a golden liquid. A moment later, he flicked his finger repeatedly, and one spiritual herb after another entered the furnace. As time passed, the medicinal power within the furnace grew increasingly concentrated. Accompanied by the masterful manipulation of the azure flame, the medicinal power continuously sublimated through fusion.
Immediately afterward, Daoist Danxi formed hand seals, performing a series of gestures that transformed spiritual energy into green runes, which were then poured into the alchemy furnace. The medicinal properties of the various herbs began to blend perfectly together. A vast and pure medicinal power formed within the furnace. Moments later, a pale golden light shot into the sky from the furnace.
This kind of radiance only appears when a divine-grade elixir is successfully made.
Jiang Liuya sat cross-legged to the side, quietly watching the entire alchemy process.
Before we knew it, two hours had passed.
"Daojun, your alchemy skills are truly divine and unparalleled! You can produce divine-grade pills with just a casual flick of your wrist!"
Seeing that he remained expressionless, Jiang Liuya, always wanting to provoke some reaction from him, continued, "Such methods are truly divine. To witness the Daoist Lord refining pills today is an eye-opening experience, a truly fortunate occasion..."
"No talking in the alchemy room." With a flick of his index finger, Daoist Danxi sent a pill flying to Jiang Liuya as if it had eyes, and it entered her stomach without warning.
Jiang Liuya felt a tightness in her throat, opened her mouth to speak, but found herself unable to utter a word. She was startled and immediately realized that she had taken a silencing pill.
"How long will this take?" she mouthed, her eyes filled with anxiety.
Danxi Daojun glanced at her, a hint of smugness in his expression, and said, "Not long. A regular Silence-Suppressing Pill lasts a month. The one I refined is more potent, so it only lasts a year."
This was probably the longest thing that Daoist Danxi had ever said to her, but this was not the time to be moved.
A year? Jiang Liuya groaned inwardly; that would be suffocating!
However, at least he was no longer confined, and he could freely enter and leave the alchemy room. This Danxi Daojun truly lived up to his reputation as a Nascent Soul stage expert, possessing an air of effortless control over everything.
Jiang Liuya had already secretly observed the furnishings of the alchemy room. On the left wall, against the wall, was a row of jade shelves displaying various exquisite jade bottles, which looked like all sorts of pills. Divine-grade pills naturally wouldn't be here; like the previous one, once completed, it went directly into Danxi Daojun's Qiankun bag.
It's just a silencing pill; finding an antidote shouldn't be too difficult, right?
So she began searching through them one by one. She opened each bottle, smelled it carefully, but couldn't find any pills that matched her medicinal properties.
On the other side, various jade slips were displayed on a jade shelf. Jiang Liuya picked up a few at random and examined them with her divine sense; they were indeed all pill formulas.
If we can find the prescription, that would also be helpful.
She began to peruse the jade slips one by one, trying to find a way to lift the ban.
After searching, they only found the recipe for the Silence-Suppressing Pill, but did not record the method for preparing the antidote.
The method for making the Silence Pill: Take three Ice Grass plants, one Netherworld Flower, and one mace of Spirit Rhinoceros Powder... Indeed, they are all spiritual herbs with bitter and cold properties.
Since that's the case, we can use fire-attribute medicinal materials that counteract its properties to neutralize its medicinal effects. Jiang Liuya seemed to have some ideas for solving the problem.
The medicinal herbs on the jade shelf were arranged according to their properties. She quickly found some warm and spicy herbs, such as Crimson Sun Fruit and Flame Dragon Grass. These herbs had similar properties, so fusing them together was not difficult.
Since I'm just idling around anyway, I might as well tinker with Daoist Danxi's alchemy furnace.
Jiang Liuya found several small alchemy furnaces in a corner of the alchemy room, their owners apparently having not used them for a long time. She immediately took a liking to an antique furnace with cloud and flame patterns. The furnace body was engraved with blue cloud patterns, while the bottom featured red flame designs; the two contrasting patterns complemented each other perfectly.
"Perfect timing! I possess both water and fire spiritual roots. You and I are destined for each other; it's you I'll choose," Jiang Liuya thought to herself.
Jiang Liuya hadn't refined pills for many years. She tentatively added some other medicinal herbs, carefully controlling the flames beneath the furnace. The flames flickered, sometimes bright, sometimes weak, and she focused intently on adjusting their size and temperature. The first attempt didn't go smoothly; a sudden loud bang echoed from the furnace, and a plume of black smoke billowed out—the herbs had exploded under the intense heat.
She then adjusted the refining steps and the control of the flame. For the second refining, she was even more cautious, strictly controlling the furnace fire at each step, waiting for the medicinal properties to be fully released before proceeding to the next. At this time, the medicinal materials in the furnace exhibited an anomaly again. This time, although there was no explosion, the refined pill turned into a black, pasty mass.
After repeated failures, Jiang Liuya summarized her previous experiences and lessons learned, and repeatedly scrutinized and adjusted every step of the refining process.
Several days later. This time, Jiang Liuya first placed the Crimson Sun Fruit and Flame Dragon Grass into the alchemy furnace, slowly roasting them with a gentle flame to gradually release their medicinal properties. Then, she added some auxiliary herbs, adjusting the size and temperature of the flame to allow the various herbs' medicinal powers to fully blend. As time passed, a faint red light began to emanate from the furnace, and a warm, pungent medicinal fragrance filled the air. She formed hand seals and channeled spiritual energy into the furnace. A soft, red light emanated from within the furnace—the pill was complete!
As she approached, she saw a round, plump red pill gently rolling inside the furnace.
Jiang Liuya eagerly put the pill into her mouth, feeling a warm current flow through her body, and the tightness in her throat instantly disappeared. She opened her mouth and actually made a sound: "It really works!"
"You have a great talent for alchemy." Danxi Daojun was fully aware of her actions these past few days.
From initially deducing the antidote from the prescription, to clumsily experimenting, to finally successfully refining the antidote for the Silence-Suppressing Pill, it wasn't difficult, but it required a high level of comprehension.
She was surprised to receive praise from Daoist Danxi. She opened her mouth, but for a moment she didn't know how to respond.
"I used to study alchemy, so I'm not entirely ignorant about it. But that was a long time ago..." Jiang Liuya recalled the past with a hint of nostalgia.
"Of course, these clumsy techniques cannot be compared with those of a Daoist master; they are merely showing off one's limited skills before an expert!"
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