Dominator Emperor

Chapter 189: Chapter 188: Old Ghost’s Little Shop (Part 2)

All of this was recorded in the Medicine God’s Treasure Manual, and now, all of these Pill Formulas were in his mind! At this moment, one Ancient Pill Formula after another surfaced in Li Qiye’s mind as he went through them again and again, attempting to create a recipe for this incredibly ancient formula from all the medicinal ingredients available here.

Time ticked by. Before he knew it, Li Qiye’s forehead was covered in sweat. Large, soybean-sized beads rolled down his cheeks.

Chen Baojiao was visibly moved and wanted to wipe his sweat, but Li Shuangyan quickly pulled her back, gently shaking her head to indicate that she shouldn’t disturb him.

Before long, Li Qiye was completely soaked in sweat, as if he had just been fished out of water. His breathing became increasingly rapid and labored.

At this point, both Li Shuangyan and Chen Baojiao couldn’t help but worry for Li Qiye. They were afraid he would suffer a Misfire and descend into madness.

Countless medicinal ingredients were being endlessly paired in Li Qiye’s mind. In a distant, bygone era, he and the Medicine God had personally tasted a hundred herbs and put countless Pill Formulas to the test. In their understanding of pharmacology and their exploration of pill concoction, he and the Medicine God had ventured further than anyone else.

Today, he was exerting all his effort to formulate a recipe for this legendary Ancient Pill Formula—a formula that was absolutely peerless. Since the dawn of time, exceedingly few people even knew of its existence.

"Damn it—" After an unknown amount of time, Li Qiye cried out and fell to the ground, sitting with a THUMP.

"Young Master, are you alright?" Li Shuangyan and Chen Baojiao were alarmed. They rushed to surround Li Qiye and asked with trepidation.

Li Qiye let out a long breath, as if he had been suffocating. He then gave a slight wave of his hand, which finally allowed Li Shuangyan and Chen Baojiao to relax. They hurriedly wiped the sweat from him.

After a while, Li Qiye stood up. He looked at the Old Ghost and said, "I can try to work out the combinations for this Pill Formula, but only the initial matching of the ingredients. The actual Alchemy has nothing to do with me. You know this formula better than I do. No one can say for sure if it’s real or fake, so whether a pill can actually be created remains a mystery. I can only guarantee that the pharmacological combinations will be sound!"

"That is acceptable." The Old Ghost stared at Li Qiye for a long time before finally giving a slow, stiff nod.

After being tended to by Li Shuangyan and Chen Baojiao, Li Qiye’s vigor returned, along with his usual calm and collected demeanor. He looked at the Old Ghost and said, "However, you should know that a Celestial Sacrificial Pig is not nearly enough for this exchange."

"The Celestial Sacrificial Pig will be an added bonus," the Old Ghost said slowly. "You name your terms. You can take anything you want from here!"

When the Old Ghost spoke these words, Li Shuangyan and Chen Baojiao were both stunned. Just the items in the courtyard alone were world-shocking treasures. Which of these Immortal Grass Treasures wasn’t priceless? The Old Ghost’s words meant their Young Master could take anything here!

Li Qiye narrowed his eyes and looked at the Old Ghost, finally speaking calmly, "For us to talk about treasures would be too crass. I don’t want any treasures. I want only one thing! For you to owe me a favor!"

Hearing Li Qiye’s words, the green light in the Old Ghost’s eyes flashed. He stared at Li Qiye without a word.

After a long moment, the Old Ghost stared at Li Qiye and finally said slowly, "If you succeed, I will owe you a favor!"

Li Shuangyan and Chen Baojiao glanced at each other, deeply moved. There were World-shocking Treasures here, yet their Young Master wanted not a treasure, but a favor from the Old Ghost. To anyone else, this would be an unbelievable decision. A mere favor—how could that possibly compare to a World-shocking Treasure? Trading a World-shocking Treasure for a favor... anyone else would think he had gone mad.

But they knew their Young Master was by no means mad. He was more farsighted than anyone, more visionary than anyone!

"Blood-Eyed Golden Snake. Pluck out its eyes, draw the blood, and add six drops..." Li Qiye said solemnly, staring at the dark, viscous concoction in the iron pot.

The moment Li Qiye finished speaking, the Old Ghost’s large hand shot out and pulled a snake as thick as a man’s arm from a medicinal jar. The snake was a brilliant gold, as if cast from the purest metal. It had a pair of blood-red eyes. As it coiled, a crimson light flashed from its eyes, sharp as two Divine Blades. The mere touch of this light sent a bone-deep chill through Li Shuangyan and Chen Baojiao.

This sent a jolt through their minds. This snake was no ordinary creature; it was a powerful Insect King!

The Old Ghost grabbed the snake and knocked it unconscious with a single slap. He plucked out its eyes, drew the blood, and dripped six drops into the concoction in the pot. The dark brew roiled ceaselessly. As the six drops of eye-blood fell in, it began to SIZZLE and emit a bloody mist. But in the blink of an eye, the mist was sucked back into the brew, as if some monster within the dark liquid had opened its mouth and swallowed it whole.

"Silver Cold Flood Dragon! Take its horn, grind it to powder, add three qian. Quickly!" Li Qiye shouted the moment he saw the concoction absorb the blood mist.

The Old Ghost moved like a bolt of lightning, instantly pulling a hundred-zhang-long Flood Dragon from a medicinal jar. The moment he pulled it out, Li Shuangyan and Chen Baojiao were aghast. This was a Flood Dragon of over a million years old—a Great Successor! Even Saint Venerables and Saint Emperors would have to give it a wide berth. And yet, the Old Ghost crushed it to death with one hand, removed its horn, ground it into powder, and immediately sprinkled three qian into the brew.

"ROOOAR—" As soon as the Dragon Horn powder was added, the dark concoction suddenly grew violent. It thrashed about inside the pot like an enraged dragon, even surging upward as if a tyrannical dragon were trying to burst free. But no matter how berserk it became, it could not escape the iron pot!

It was only then that Li Shuangyan and Chen Baojiao realized that the unremarkable iron pot before them was actually a Supreme Treasure.

The dark brew grew ever more frenzied until it reached a fever pitch, striking the inside of the pot with the speed of lightning!

"Heavenly Extreme Black Magnetic Water! Now!" Li Qiye roared the instant he saw the dark brew reach its frenzied peak.

The Old Ghost instantly produced the wondrous water from a jar and sprinkled it into the iron pot. The moment it was added, the water acted like a magnet, immediately pinning the concoction firmly against the pot’s surface...

The atmosphere in the room grew increasingly tense. Li Qiye stared unblinkingly at the changes in the brew, not allowing the slightest detail to escape his notice.

The moment the time was right, he would immediately have the Old Ghost add the next ingredient. The Old Ghost moved like lightning. At Li Qiye’s command, he would act without the slightest hesitation, and both his timing and the amount he added were flawless.

Li Qiye watched the changes in the concoction, grasping the timing as he called out the names of the ingredients one by one. The Old Ghost’s movements were incredibly swift, adding each ingredient Li Qiye required into the iron pot.

As the concoction continued to change, Li Qiye’s expression grew increasingly grave. Even his breathing became labored. He clenched his fists, looking tense. Before he knew it, large, soybean-sized beads of sweat were rolling down his forehead.

In fact, Li Qiye wasn’t the only one on edge. Even a figure as unfathomable as the Old Ghost had grown tense, his eyes glued to the changes in the iron pot’s brew!

Li Shuangyan and Chen Baojiao were infected by the tension as well. They grew nervous, their hearts leaping into their throats, and they couldn’t help but clench their delicate fists.

It was, in fact, the first time they had ever seen their Young Master so tense. No matter how many dangers, ferocious beasts, or great storms they had faced in the past, their Young Master had always been perfectly at ease, handling everything with composure. This time, however, was different; he was exceptionally tense.

This made them realize that the concoction in this pot was absolutely extraordinary. As for just *how* extraordinary, they had no way of knowing.

One ingredient after another was tossed into the iron pot. The brew within was a kaleidoscope of transformations—at one moment forming a dragon, the next a phoenix, then turning to fire, then becoming ice...

As more and more ingredients were added, the brew became increasingly violent, as if it were a living thing, a creature of unparalleled power. With every new addition, the once-dark concoction seemed to sense its impending doom and grew even more frenzied, smashing against the iron pot. But no matter how violently it raged, it could not escape.

In that moment, Li Shuangyan and Chen Baojiao finally understood. The dark substance that had been in the iron pot was no mere brew. It was a treasure, or perhaps a peerless, worldly-rare, and incomparably powerful living creature! As for what it was exactly, they had no idea.

The addition of ingredients was nearing its end. At this point, it wasn’t just Li Qiye; even the Old Ghost had become incredibly tense. Sweat even appeared on the forehead of this zombie-like man, a testament to the extreme tension he felt.

"Locking Yin Water!" Li Qiye finally shouted. The last ingredient. In that instant, his own heart was in his throat.

BOOM—! When the last of the Locking Yin Water was added to the pot, the brew seemed to launch a final counterattack. It slammed against the bottom of the pot with peerless might. The resulting blow unleashed an aura of absolute power. Chen Baojiao and Li Shuangyan trembled; the aura was too strong, like a Virtuous Paragon striking the heavens. It was an invincible attack that made them feel as if the entire world was shaking.

But even such a peerless strike was unable to breach the iron pot.

BOOM—BOOM—BOOM—! The brew struck the iron pot again and again, but each impact was weaker than the last. In the end, it no longer possessed that peerless might and slowly grew feeble.

At last, the concoction settled motionlessly at the bottom of the pot. It finally began to change. The once-dark brew slowly clarified, gradually turning a rich amber color.

At that moment, the only sound in the room was the softest of breathing—and soon, even that stopped. Li Qiye, the Old Ghost, Li Shuangyan, and Chen Baojiao all held their breath, their eyes fixed on the iron pot.

Li Shuangyan and Chen Baojiao didn’t know whether the process had been a success, but they knew that this was the final, critical moment.