Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
“Up ahead is the Chuan Zhong Tang Family,” the disciples of the Xiaoyao Sect whispered to each other.
Led by Elder Gu, everyone flew on their swords for three days and finally arrived.
Xu Xiaofei looked down and saw a magnificent fortress rising from the vast plains of Chuan. The fortress was bustling with people, resembling a city. It was said to be one of the most impregnable places in the cultivation world, and the Tang family, as a prestigious clan with a history spanning thousands of years, had accumulated considerable depth.
The Tang family had already received news of the Xiaoyao Sect's arrival, and several beams of Dun Guang flew out from the fortress to greet them.
Leading the group was an elder from the Tang family, whose imposing appearance Xu Xiaofei did not recognize. After exchanging names, the elders engaged in polite conversation as they flew towards the Tang family, while the remaining disciples followed in small groups, chatting among themselves.
“Xu Brother, I didn't expect you to come too!” A young disciple from the Tang family, Tang Huaiying, affectionately hooked his arm around Xu Xiaofei’s shoulder. “I was thinking that even though I couldn’t participate in the Discussion Conference, I could find you privately to spar. I didn’t expect something to happen suddenly, preventing me from going to Huashan. I also didn’t expect you to come! Once everything is settled, we can have our match.”
“Hahaha! It’s a deal; whoever loses treats!” Xu Xiaofei replied. “I also regret not being able to go to Huashan, but Qi Shijie promised me she would bring back a list of winners.”
The list published by the Discussion Conference not only contained the names, sects, and specialties of the top three in each group but also displayed images of their matches when infused with spiritual energy.
Tang Huaiying said enviously, “That list isn’t cheap; your senior sister treats you well. By the way,” he suddenly lowered his voice, “has your Chu Sister mentioned me?”
Xu Xiaofei was already one of the most prominent figures in the Xiaoyao Sect; anyone he casually mentioned would be his senior brothers or sisters.
“She has mentioned you,” Xu Xiaofei nodded affirmatively.
Tang Huaiying was delighted: “What did she say about me?”
“She said she has never seen someone so foolishly clueless, only writing some overly sentimental letters and not visiting the Xiaoyao Sect often. If you don’t go see her soon, she might just cook that fat messenger chicken of yours and eat it.”
“She... she actually said that?” Tang Huaiying's face turned red upon hearing this, and he stuttered, “Once this matter is over, I will go see her. But that chicken... my black chicken is not for eating.”
“Ah? You really believe that?”
Tang Huaiying was taken aback as Xu Xiaofei laughed: “You better come; just don’t forget. Anyway, according to tradition, you need to bring tea over. Just stay at my sect for a while.”
Xu Xiaofei got acquainted with him because he had visited the Xiaoyao Sect half a year ago to deliver freshly roasted Ganlu tea from his master to an elder at the Xiaoyao Sect with whom they had a good relationship, sharing some with others as well.
Tang Huaiying said, "I should find an excuse to go to the Xiaoyao Sect. You don't know, my master, who has me deliver tea every year, has stopped roasting tea."
"Why?"
Tang Huaiying glanced around and whispered, "According to my master, he only roasted tea for a senior he admired. That senior refused this year and will no longer accept it, which left him very disappointed, so he announced he would stop."
Xu Xiaofei couldn't help but be curious: "Your master holds a significant position in the Tang family. Who has such influence?"
"He's also from the Tang family; by generation, he should be my uncle. He has been in seclusion for many years, so you may have never heard of his name. However, back in the day, he was quite a talented individual and placed second in the Discussion Conference Youth Group," Tang Huaiying lowered her voice further, "Can you guess who came in first back then?"
"Who?" Xu Xiaofei laughed, "How am I supposed to guess? I only know it wasn't you or me!"
Tang Huaiying decided not to keep him in suspense: "It was the current leader of the Demon Sect—Shen Jinglan!"
Xu Xiaofei was taken aback, but Tang Huaiying looked excited and continued without pause: "This notorious demon has no rivals beneath him. Recently at the Azure Cloud City Lord's Mansion... Did you hear about it? Oh, you were there too; I even greeted you! He single-handedly faced off against Southern Ming, Yunqi, Yuhua, and Bixia four Elders!” The more she spoke, the more she yearned, “This demon hails from the Shattered Star Sect, and back then he was also a remarkable swordsman. Oh, I really want to see his matches at the Discussion Conference! Although my Tang family's predecessor only placed second, losing to someone like him means he must be incredibly formidable. At least my master has admired him for many years, so it can't be false."
Xu Xiaofei couldn't help but chuckle: "The last two sentences are indeed true. Don't scare me; when I heard your tone, I thought you were going to defect from the Tang family and join the Demon Sect!"
"No, no, not at all. There are rumors that this demon is gravely ill and has little time left. Once he dies, how much longer can the Demon Sect last? It will eventually be wiped out. I wouldn't think that way." Tang Huaiying quickly defended herself, "Ahem, of course, the key point is that the Demon Sect acts against righteousness and commits many evils. How could we associate with them?"
Xu Xiaofei smiled but remained silent.
The members of the Xiaoyao Sect first went to pay their respects to the head of the Tang family and were then led into a separate courtyard to settle down. It was getting late; the elders had decided to rest for the night before going to rescue people.
That night, Xu Xiaofei stayed at the Tang family.
As soon as his head touched the pillow, he quickly fell asleep. Suddenly, he woke up inexplicably.
He didn't know what time it was.
He only knew that it was very late at night.
Everything was silent; only a faint sound of Flute Music drifted from afar.
Xu Xiaofei lay on the bed, listening to the Flute Music in a daze. Who was playing the flute? Why did this Flute Music evoke a sense of familiarity?
Just as she was about to get up and search for its source, the Flute Music ceased, fading away without a trace, just as it had come.
In the southwestern border, within the territory of the Miao People.
Inside a Stilted Bamboo House, a middle-aged man lay on the bed, breathing shallowly. His eyes were already clouded, and his skin was covered with numerous large brown spots, emitting a foul odor—he seemed not merely on the brink of death but rather as if he had been dead for a long time.
The sorrowful cries of women could be heard from outside.
The dying man's eyes twitched, and a faint "gurgling" sound came from his throat, as if he wanted to say something, but that sentence would never be heard again.
With a flick of his sleeve, the image reflected on the Water Surface vanished.
This was the Water Mirror Technique, capable of projecting scenes occurring elsewhere right before one's eyes.
The vessel holding water was an ancient Bronze Basin, adorned with a snake-shaped relief around its rim. The Bronze Basin sat in the center of the room on a table, where two people had just been gazing down at the Water Surface.
"He is begging you to save him," one of them spoke—it was the Left Guardian of the Evil Sect, Spirit Sword Destiny. "Is there truly no hope?"
The other person was a head shorter than him, appearing to be a boy around thirteen or fourteen years old, yet more slender than his peers. His skin was pale as if he had never seen sunlight; he wore a deep blue robe embroidered with golden threads that shimmered like stars with every movement. When he reached out to wipe away the image from the water mirror, a hand emerged from beneath his robe—long fingers with dark blue and purple tips, clearly indicating they were highly toxic.
"There is no hope," the Blue-Robed Youth said in a faint voice that seemed weak and ethereal. "It has been nine years and two months so far. Every three months, I have removed the dead energy from his body, but the corpse energy has accumulated and cannot be completely eliminated. It is already remarkable that he has lasted this long."
"Less than ten years... that is indeed too short," Spirit Sword Destiny replied.
The person observing in the water mirror was from the Miao People within the territory of Spirit Serpent Palace. He had been bitten by a poisonous scorpion and brought to Spirit Serpent Palace to seek help from High Priest Bai Fei for treatment but had already passed away. Spirit Sword Destiny had witnessed it all.
"I have heard that Spirit Serpent Palace possesses secret methods for resurrection; may I see it with my own eyes?" he requested. Bai Fei also had intentions to save him and used his abilities to "revive" him.
However, this was not true resurrection—just as Bai Fei stated, if he were turned into a Puppet, his mind would be muddled and unaware, yet he could exist for another hundred years; if he were to move freely like an ordinary person and think clearly, ten years would be the limit.
At that time, the forcibly retained Flesh would inevitably decay, and the soul that remained in this world could only return to the underworld.
This method is certainly a form of dark magic!
The Spirit Serpent Palace, while receiving offerings from the Miao People and protecting the area, has never been considered a legitimate sect. Spirit Sword Destiny does not care about that, but... where can one find a true method to heal the leader?
"Ten years is indeed not long; this is still due to my improved methods, using precious materials to delay until now," Bai Fei said.
"Let's talk about the pill formula you recently obtained," Spirit Sword Destiny said. "How certain are you? Is it real or fake? Does it truly have the miraculous effects you mentioned?"
"The formula is genuine; follow me," Bai Fei replied.
He led the way ahead, and soon they entered underground. In the vast Alchemy Hall, a thick green miasma lingered. The Spirit Serpent Palace excels in the art of poison alchemy.
"I have seen the High Priest," someone greeted them.
Bai Fei nodded and guided Spirit Sword Destiny deeper into the hall. Surrounding the hall were various Alchemy Rooms responsible for the initial processing of different Alchemy materials.
"I have already begun crafting the batch of precious materials you requested," Bai Fei said. "Some were lost due to failures, but there is still enough for now."
Spirit Sword Destiny glanced around and nodded. "I have always trusted your Alchemy skills and credibility. But how long will it take to see results?"
Bai Fei passed by a bubbling square cauldron, checked the flame color, sniffed the aroma, and instructed someone to adjust the heat before saying, "I have studied this carefully and cannot be mistaken. I unexpectedly discovered this formula in our palace's treasury; it consists of two stages. The first stage is the Earthly Extreme Pill, which can transform and restore Flesh. The second stage is the Extreme Dan, which allows one to ascend during daylight. Although the formula for Extreme Dan is incomplete, the Earthly Extreme Pill is intact and should be able to be refined. If all precious materials are available, at most forty-nine attempts will yield a successful pill."
"Regarding the list you sent," Spirit Sword Destiny said, "there are several exceptionally rare items, but I have done my best to find them for you. However, there is one item that I not only do not know what it is but have never even heard of."
"The Seven Treasures Lotus Heart, right?" Bai Fei said. "I also do not know what it is. The 'seven treasures' might refer to the Seven Treasures Spirit Mushroom, while 'lotus' could refer to Moliang Huang. However, both are legendary items that are extremely rare; even if obtained, they can only be used to refine treasures and must never be used for Alchemy. Anyone who consumes them will surely perish in flames, let alone taking both together."
"There may be a way to process them so they can be used in medicine."
Bai Fei nodded. "Perhaps, but I currently do not have Moliang Huang or Seven Treasures Spirit Mushroom—neither can you find them quickly; even if you do find them, it would take a long time to figure out how to refine them. I'm afraid your leader won't wait that long. Fortunately..."
"You found alternative spiritual materials? The cultivators captured by Spirit Serpent Palace are perhaps meant for this purpose?" Spirit Sword Destiny guessed.
"You guessed correctly," Bai Fei said. "According to the formula for Earthly Extreme Pill, Seven Treasures Lotus Heart can be roughly replaced with Blood Crystal, which requires at least ten cultivators' essence blood to condense into form; however, the efficacy of the pill will be reduced by more than half."
"Well, if it can be refined, at least it will help in an emergency," Spirit Sword Destiny said. "However, although the cultivators you have detained came to you willingly, poking around in front of the Spirit Serpent Palace, you shouldn't actually use them to refine Blood Crystals. I will arrange to send people over as soon as possible. If the Evil Sect handles it, it will be cleaner."
"Alright. Once you send the people over, I will start the refining process. I need at least ten cultivators at the Foundation Establishment stage," Bai Fei said. "I have been considering this, which is why I have delayed taking action against them. However, we cannot just let them go. The Tang family will likely come looking for them soon, and we must establish some ground rules: their people must not set foot here again and must not interfere with the operations of the Spirit Serpent Palace."
"That is only natural," Spirit Sword Destiny replied. "You called me here for this purpose, didn't you?"
To refine the Earthly Extreme Pill promised by Bai Fei, the Evil Sect had continuously sent a massive amount of precious materials. Now that the Spirit Serpent Palace was about to be confronted by the Tang family, Spirit Sword Destiny had no choice but to come and help maintain order.
As soon as he received the message, he rushed over from the Branch.
As for the Sect Leader, he did not come; he had already set off for the Huashan Conference.
The Alchemy methods of the Spirit Serpent Palace were unique and had previously refined many pills for the Evil Sect. However, Spirit Sword Destiny knew that this young High Priest Bai Fei still held some reservations about the Evil Sect. This time, he only brought himself and declined to bring his subordinates along. But since he needed assistance, he had to lower his head.
Xu Xiaofei... Spirit Sword Destiny suddenly thought of this name.
He had a premonition that he would see this guy again soon.
Comment 0 Comment Count