Free Web NovelChapter 388: Chapter 371: What a Great Tonic
Sanmao also began to grow listless, collapsing to the ground with a thud. The flame on its head even showed signs of going out.
Its large eyes stared pitifully at Wang Meng. "Master... I want to sleep..."
Wang Meng pulled Sanmao to him, shielding it with his Divine Sense. "Sanmao, do you remember the cultivation method I taught you? Sit with me!"
Wang Meng gritted his teeth. ’If I let up now, it’ll all be over.’
’I can’t die here!’
As his Divine Sense emerged, the Celestial Fire Cauldron burst with radiant light. Its color deepened from golden-yellow to a brilliant emerald, overflowing with abundant vitality. Even just standing beside the cauldron, one could feel the vibrant energy.
The middle-aged cultivator was stunned. ’...What’s going on?’
’Could he actually be refining a Longevity Pill???’
If this weren’t his own Life Artifact, he would have suspected he was hallucinating.
’No, I can’t miss such a great opportunity. I have to stabilize the medicinal properties!’
The middle-aged cultivator acted decisively, tipping open his Qiankun Bag and dumping out piles of medicinal ingredients. His hands trembled slightly. Just then, the emerald light dimmed, threatening to revert to its golden-yellow hue.
Wang Meng’s Divine Sense was just a single wisp, and protecting both himself and Sanmao consumed it instantly. Fortunately, a second wisp emerged right behind it. That brief lapse had nearly cost them both their lives.
Lying in Wang Meng’s embrace, Sanmao looked as if it had shrunk, its body beginning to shrivel.
Wang Meng might not have noticed, but his own body was also aging. Without him realizing it, his vitality was draining away.
The Celestial Fire Cauldron was not only emerald green all over, but its aperture now emitted a five-colored light. Yu Zimo was practically in a frenzy. He had originally thought these "ingredients" were merely decent, but who would have imagined this Five Elements Body was so resilient to refining? A little whelp below the Fifty Layers realm had actually produced an effect that not even those at Minor Perfection could match. Yu Zimo had never even dreamed of seeing such pure and profound Five Elements Power.
’Kid, you have to hold on! You absolutely must hold on! You’re my only hope!’
Yu Zimo opened his Qiankun Bag. The Five Elements Longevity Pill was undoubtedly the most difficult pill to concoct. Yu Zimo had never truly thought it possible, but now, a blessing had fallen right into his lap!
Wang Meng could feel that his Sea of Heart wasn’t greatly affected, but his body was failing. Sanmao was at its limit, too. Every time his Godhood tried to unleash its power, it was ruthlessly suppressed by the Heaven and Earth Spirit Locking Array. The tiny bit of power that managed to seep through was only just enough to keep them from being overwhelmed by illusions.
Just then, a pile of things suddenly fell from the void within the furnace cauldron, knocking Sanmao flat. Some of it was sticky and gooey, and he had no idea what it was, but a particularly fragrant aroma instantly filled the entire Celestial Fire Cauldron.
This Life Artifact contained its own world; its internal volume was massive, easily large enough to hold several dozen more people.
A goopy substance flowed into the mouths of both Wang Meng and Sanmao. Wang Meng’s first instinct was to spit it out, but the stuff melted the moment it touched his tongue, sending a warm current through his body. As for the near-death Sanmao, the moment it sensed food, it snapped awake as if experiencing a final burst of life.
Of course, this wasn’t a true final burst of life. Perhaps it sensed it was about to kick the bucket and figured it should eat as much as it could. It opened its massive maw and began devouring everything that fell, whether it was soft or hard.
Wang Meng immediately realized that the things suddenly dropping from above were all rare Spiritual Medicines.
Outside the Celestial Fire Cauldron, Yu Zimo was like a man possessed, muttering to himself, ’Fifty Spark Spirit Grass, one hundred drops of Rejuvenating Dew, fifteen Luotu Earth Spirit Stones... Hahaha, I’m a true genius! To search high and low for something, only to have it fall right into my lap. Once I successfully concoct the Five Elements Longevity Pill, Sect Leader Brother, you will pay the price for expelling me back then!’
Yu Zimo cackled. He had been preparing for this all along, even joining forces with the Extreme Dao Alliance, all for the sake of refining the near-impossible Five Elements Longevity Pill. If he were to rely solely on natural treasures, there would be no hope of succeeding with this pill. That’s why he began researching Life Pills, only to be expelled by his Sect Leader Brother. ’On what grounds?’
’Just because his cultivation was higher than mine! When it comes to alchemy, who could possibly compare to me!’
’Once I consume this Five Elements Longevity Pill, not only will my lifespan extend by a hundred years, but my cultivation will also soar!’
He had always assumed he would need to prepare masters at the Minor Perfection realm or above, each with a corresponding Five Elements Attribute. Who would have thought that fortune truly favors the prepared? The heavens had actually delivered such a miraculous boy to him.
These Spiritual Medicine ingredients were all materials for the Five Elements Longevity Pill. As an Alchemist with the backing of the Extreme Dao Alliance, Yu Zimo had an incredibly rich inventory. When the Celestial Fire Cauldron’s faint emerald glow began to flare up again, Yu Zimo grew even more excited and frantically started adding more medicinal materials.
’Natural treasures? So what if they’re used up? I can always find more. For a Cultivator, as long as you have time, you can obtain anything. If I can refine a single Five Elements Longevity Pill, what else is there to care about!’
’Most importantly, my Celestial Fire Cauldron will also be upgraded during this refining process. In the future, alchemy will be even easier, and my success rate will be higher.’
The more Yu Zimo laughed, the happier he became. He figured the kid inside must have been reduced to ash by now, but he was no longer needed. The Celestial Fire Cauldron had already condensed the Demon Power. Now, as long as he continuously infused it with Immortal Grass to maintain the Five Elements Balance, the Five Elements Longevity Pill was guaranteed to reach Great Success.
Yu Zimo’s Pill Flame had already reached Level 10. He injected the purple flame, making the fire within his Life Artifact burn even more fiercely.
Within the Celestial Fire Cauldron, a crimson light suddenly flared. It was the Pill Flame. Having dabbled in alchemy before, Wang Meng wasn’t concerned. All he knew was that eating these things was somehow allowing his Five Elements Technique to keep running.
It was the same for Sanmao. With its eyes squeezed shut, it was frantically eating and drinking. As long as there was food, it was happy, and it was growing more and more energetic!
Wang Meng truly had no idea what the person who trapped them was planning. ’...Has he had a change of heart?’
’Obviously, that’s impossible. This is most likely meant to supplement the medicinal potency, but this is far too generous, isn’t it?’
The Heaven-Reaching Pill God Sect’s level of alchemy was ranked in the top three within the Star Alliance. And this Yu Zimo was a heaven-sent prodigy. After forging his Life Artifact, the Celestial Fire Cauldron, he became even more focused on alchemy. His ultimate goal was to concoct an Immortal Pill and achieve immortality with a single dose. To accomplish this and upgrade his Celestial Fire Cauldron became his sole objective. He became unscrupulous, turning to refining Cultivators into pills, and was eventually discovered and expelled from the Heaven-Reaching Pill God Sect.
Yu Zimo knew it was just blatant jealousy—jealousy of his Life Artifact. ’One day,’ he thought, ’I will use the power of my Life Artifact to become the first immortal in five hundred years!’
A Life Artifact was a gift bestowed upon a Cultivator by the Laws of Heaven and Earth, but they were also incredibly difficult to upgrade. The Celestial Fire Cauldron was a rare type of Furnace Cauldron whose primary function was alchemy. Ordinary refining was useless for it; only by concocting powerful Pills could the cauldron’s level be raised. The stronger the Pill, the better. Furthermore, once it reached a certain level, the Celestial Fire Cauldron’s abilities would also evolve. It was a case of killing two birds with one stone.
One could only imagine Yu Zimo’s excitement. Not only would he obtain the Five Elements Longevity Pill, but his Life Artifact would also be upgraded. It was like a dream come true.
But then, the Celestial Fire Cauldron’s light began to dim again. Yu Zimo’s heart skipped a beat. They say the path to great things is fraught with hardship, and he knew it wouldn’t be this easy. The Five Elements Longevity Pill was a heaven-defying object; it wouldn’t appear without a struggle. But he was Yu Zimo. His obsession with refining this pill was absolute, and he had made the most thorough preparations imaginable!
He unhesitatingly dumped in medicinal ingredients he had spent fifty years collecting. After emptying one Qiankun Bag, Yu Zimo twisted a ring on his finger. This Space Ring contained his true hidden treasures.
’I absolutely cannot let this opportunity slip away!’
As soon as the space opened, a dense, fragrant Spiritual Qi wafted out. It had to be said, this was far, far better than the Dragon Transformation Pool.
The reason Yu Zimo was being hunted and forced into hiding was that when he betrayed his sect and fled, he had ransacked the Heaven-Reaching Pill God Sect’s Treasure Vault. Although he was discovered before he could clean it out completely, his haul had been incredibly bountiful.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t be hiding in this godforsaken Five Elements Desert Space.
Wave after wave of Jade Dew, shimmering with intense Elemental Power, poured into the Celestial Fire Cauldron. Even Yu Zimo felt a pang of regret at the expense, but it had to be said, he was a man destined for great things. He never hesitated when it was time to make a move, and he was utterly ruthless.
He floated beside the Celestial Fire Cauldron, enveloping the Life Artifact in waves of his Elemental Power. He was going to nourish the Celestial Fire Cauldron with his own power to increase the rate of success.
This was a Cultivation Technique that only the Heaven-Reaching Pill God Sect possessed. Its highest realm was the unity of man and cauldron. Regardless of his morality, Yu Zimo’s alchemy skills were truly sublime. Although he had not yet reached the state of man-cauldron unity, he could still use his own Elemental Power to supplement the Celestial Fire Cauldron.
The Celestial Fire Cauldron’s glow was restored.
Inside the Celestial Fire Cauldron, Sanmao stared eagerly into the dark space above its head, looking for all the world like it was waiting for another miracle to fall from the sky.
Wang Meng, on the other hand, closed his eyes to meditate and circulate his energy. He had also been eating indiscriminately. What his Five Elements Body needed most was Five Elements Spiritual Medicine; simple Dragon Transformation Pills and Spiritual Liquid were fine for ordinary people, but for Wang Meng, they were fundamentally insufficient.
But this time, it was truly an eye-opening experience. The more Wang Meng ate, the more astounded he became. He had learned a thing or two from Zhou Feng, but what he knew was child’s play compared to this. One of the items he consumed tasted like Dragon Saliva, a legendary substance said to be the ultimate expression of the Water of the Five Elements. Wang Meng... almost felt a little guilty.
RUMBLE...
And Sanmao was not disappointed. Another pile of treasures came tumbling down. Ever since leaving the Sea of Fire to follow Wang Meng, poor little Sanmao had never once eaten its fill, always enduring a life of constant hunger. Gazing at the natural treasures burying it, Sanmao was so excited it cried. It opened its massive maw and began to stuff itself silly. A well-fed Sanmao was impervious to all evil; in the face of food, everything else was fleeting and unimportant.
Sanmao ate with great joy. ’I’m finally living the good life with Master!’
Wang Meng’s table manners weren’t much better than Sanmao’s. He wasn’t quite as ferocious, though; after all, there were some Spirit Stone-like objects that Wang Meng couldn’t gnaw through. Sanmao, however, couldn’t care less. If it could chew it, it chewed. If not, it swallowed it whole. In any case, nothing could go to waste.
In Sanmao’s own words, a Sanmao that wasted food was a Twomao!
A continuous stream of Five Elements Primordial Power filled Wang Meng’s Sea of Fate. Wang Meng had always felt that advancing his Five Elements Body was difficult. Fortunately, he hadn’t been in a hurry to advance before, allowing him to maintain his level of Elemental Power while honing his magic. But when it came time to actually push his cultivation forward, he discovered a multitude of problems. Now, Wang Meng finally understood the root cause. ’Damn it, this Five Elements Body is a bottomless pit! It doesn’t just need a massive supplement of the Five Elements, it needs far, far more than an ordinary person!’
’And from the looks of it, it’s only going to need more in the future.’
’Opportunities like this are rare.’ Wang Meng’s Five Elements Technique circulated frantically, one circulation after another. He knew his situation perfectly well. This was a moment of success or be refined into a pill. Either he would digest all these Spiritual Medicines and shatter the cauldron, or he would be refined into an Immortal Pill.
The Celestial Fire Cauldron was a sealed environment. The Elemental Power couldn’t disperse, remaining trapped inside. This inadvertently helped Wang Meng, creating a rich Five Elements Space, the likes of which he had never experienced before.
The space was overflowing with Five Elements Primordial Qi.
(Author’s Note: Last three days of October! Please, I’m begging for your monthly votes! If you have any left, please toss them my way. It’s an emergency, an internal one and an external one!) (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian.com to vote with recommendation tickets and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
