Free Web NovelChapter 115: Chapter 115: An Idea
The Mountain God spoke frankly.
But after some consideration, Liu Tong and the others decided not to take the risk. freewebnoveℓ.com
"This guy is too strong. We can’t gauge his true depth!"
"Without the Talismans to restrain him, we’d have no way to control him. I won’t make such a deal."
Liu Tong’s reasoning was simple: he prioritized stability.
With the support of the others, the decision was made.
Only a small handful of them were unwilling to accept it.
If they could bring this Azure Qi back to the sect—forget offering it up, even keeping it for personal use would be incredibly beneficial.
Bai Mo and the other Alchemy Cultivators paid no mind to these miscellaneous matters. They worked methodically, not making a single mistake.
This actually improved their impressions of one another.
To reach such a level required not only a calm mind but also extremely high manual skill.
This was the only way to overcome the deviations caused by bad habits formed early in their training.
Qin Yu was bored. He would occasionally wander out to watch the others harvest the mature medicinal herbs.
"Don’t those guys know how to have any fun?"
"This is so mind-numbingly dull. Good thing I never got into the Alchemy Dao."
Qin Yu said with a yawn.
He was extremely talented with fire techniques, and it wasn’t as if no one had ever suggested he study the Alchemy Dao.
But his mother had taken a good look at him, and after careful consideration, she had refused.
The person harvesting the Wood Mushroom next to him was the senior brother who had brought Qin Yu up the mountain; the two were quite close.
"Heh, Junior Brother, if you don’t have their temperament, it just means you’re dedicated to the path of cultivation, and there’s nothing wrong with that."
His words were quite reasonable.
"But, Junior Brother, you’ve hardly cultivated at all since you got here."
"When you return to the sect, if you haven’t made any progress in your cultivation, you won’t be able to answer to the sect or your family..."
Hearing this, Qin Yu’s expression shifted several times, and he let out a frustrated sigh. freewebnσvel.cѳm
"I know, I know. I’ll go stay in Immortal Arrival City for a while. I’ll definitely be able to catch up then."
"Senior Brother, when you get back to the sect, remember to cover for me a little..."
"Alright!" his senior brother agreed at once.
If Qin Yu were going somewhere else, he might have insisted on following.
But Immortal Arrival City? Word was that the Outer Sect’s Eldest Senior Brother, Shui Ziming, was there now.
So there was no need for him to tag along.
As the two were talking, they suddenly heard several cries of alarm.
They hurried back to see a crowd of Cultivators gathered around the Sky-Blue Great Flower, all looking up.
At this moment, the evergreen plant was finally showing signs of withering.
The firm petals that once angled toward the sky now looked limp.
Its surface was wrinkling at a speed visible to the naked eye, looking as if it might decay and fall apart at any moment.
Bai Mo and the others had been guiding the essence, but this sudden change instantly broke their concentration.
A frighteningly vast life force was pouring down from its top, flowing along the roots and into the ground.
Bai Mo’s Spiritual Qi was hit by this torrent of life force and collapsed on contact, unable to offer the slightest resistance.
It was Liu Tong who acted decisively, severing a petal with his sword and saving the essence that was more than halfway through the guiding process.
He snapped his head around, his sharp gaze landing on the Mountain God.
"Didn’t you say the other day that there were eight days left?"
"It’s only been three days!"
The Mountain God looked up, gazing at the pistil at the very top.
"A sixty-year accumulation of terrestrial qi... how many days do you think it takes to drain away completely?"
He took a step forward, instantly shattering the last remnants of the already weakened Nether Spring.
However, the parts of the Mountain God’s physical body that touched the Nether Spring decayed and collapsed as if necrotic.
He let out a grunt, ignoring it completely.
"I’ll make that offer one more time. Find me a treasure that can replenish my qi and blood, and I will intercept a portion of the Azure Qi for you."
"With this flower’s reserves, even a fraction of its Azure Qi is an unimaginable amount for you!"
the Mountain God said softly.
Liu Tong was noncommittal.
"Let’s talk again in a couple of days. We’ll wait and see."
The Mountain God snorted coldly. He bent his knees and channeled his strength. With a sonic BOOM, his heavy body leaped easily to the top of the flower.
Liu Tong’s body trembled slightly as his sword hummed, slicing away the bewitching sound that had attached itself to his mind.
’He really is treacherous!’
Only then did he turn to look at Bai Mo.
"Junior Brother, are you alright?"
Bai Mo shook his head.
"My Spiritual Qi was just jostled a bit. It’s nothing serious."
"But, Senior Brother, the life force of this Sky-Blue Great Flower is just too immense."
"It’s truly staggering!"
The surrounding Alchemy Cultivators, still shaken, nodded in agreement.
"Indeed, indeed."
"If we could bathe in and absorb this life force, it wouldn’t be hard to defy the heavens and change our fate!"
"I bet even my great ancestor could climb out of his grave..."
"Hmm?" All eyes turned to the speaker.
The Cultivator who had spoken out of turn came to his senses, looking deeply embarrassed.
"My apologies, my apologies..."
The wealthy-looking youths, however, seemed to have noticed something. They narrowed their eyes and asked:
"Who is your ancestor?"
"Wu Lingxing, the Witch Ancestor!"
The youths nodded. "That explains it."
There seemed to be a story there, but now was not the time to delve into it.
The crowd continued their chatter, but having spent so much time with Bai Mo, Liu Tong knew his personality.
"Junior Brother Bai, do you have an idea?"
Bai Mo wouldn’t sigh with amazement for no reason if he didn’t have some idea in mind.
Bai Mo took the opening and said, "It’s like this. For several days now, we’ve been working all over this Sky-Blue Great Flower..."
"I happened to recall a passage from a bamboo slip."
"A bamboo slip?! What bamboo slip?" a Cultivator asked, confused.
One of the wealthy-looking youths spoke up. "The original medium on which the technique was recorded was a bamboo slip."
"When our master took us to learn it, he brought out the bamboo slip."
HISS! Someone immediately cried out in indignation.
"The one I read was just a hand-copied version, and my damn master was the one who wrote it! His handwriting was atrocious..."
"Junior Brother Bai, what did you do to deserve that?!"
Liu Tong coughed. "It was the Eldest Senior Brother."
"Oh, then never mind."
Liu Tong looked at Bai Mo. "Junior Brother Bai, please continue."
Bai Mo pondered for a moment before speaking:
"According to the bamboo slip, there was once a highly skilled and respected elder."
"He used this very technique on a medicinal plant in the next field that was absorbing and expelling terrestrial qi. He made it so the plant only expelled and didn’t absorb, and for that, he was severely beaten..."
This story was written in the cautionary records at the end of the bamboo slip, meant as a warning to later generations.
Hearing Bai Mo’s words, Liu Tong gave him a strange look.
"Junior Brother Bai, you’re quite the rebel..."
He continued, "I understand what you’re getting at, Junior Brother, but that requires an extremely profound level of mastery."
"Has anyone here dabbled in it?"
Everyone shook their heads. The wealthy-looking youths added:
"At our age, how could we possibly have such attainment?"
Only one person, a thin young man, stepped forward timidly.
"I know a little."
Liu Tong frowned.
"Have you ever practiced it?"
The thin youth said awkwardly, "Yes, but I’ve only ever extracted medicinal power from low-level herbs... to fertilize fields."
Liu Tong’s eyelid twitched.
’Well now,’ he thought. ’Could the benefits of this method really be that great? Great enough to make someone expose their private affairs like this.’
The wealthy-looking youths, however, were whispering excitedly among themselves.
"Ah! It’s him! I heard his senior brother treats him poorly. Could it be...?"
Liu Tong shot the youths a glare and, without a second thought, rejected the idea outright.
"Having only one person do this is too risky. The life force is immense; it could easily overwhelm and crush someone..."
"Ahem!" Bai Mo spoke up softly.
"Senior Brother, actually, I also know a little."
"Junior Brother Bai, you can’t be serious..."
"I really do," Bai Mo said quickly.
"I’ve been working on this for days, how could I not have made some progress? Don’t you trust me, Senior Brother?"
Watching the vast torrent of life force, Bai Mo was truly tempted.
A Loose Cultivator from Immortal Arrival City—when had he ever seen such a spectacle?
He absolutely refused to leave without scooping up a ladleful!
