Chapter 325: Punishing the Heart

Inside a massive cave with crimson stone walls.

Scorching magma gurgled out, gathering in a stone pit beneath a giant Pill Furnace...

That Pill Furnace was entirely black, over a zhang tall, and shaped like a gourd with two levels; where the two levels connected, complex spring mechanisms were slid and embedded.

At this spot, the scorching magma had already burned the bottom of the Pill Furnace bright red.

Duan Rong and Yin Cong stood on two wooden ladders, guarding the two medicine-adding ports on the second level of the Pill Furnace.

Meanwhile, Pan Yong, Chen Hu, and Tang Zhu surrounded the three medicine-adding ports on the first level.

Shang Xiangyu stood beside the Pill Furnace, gazing into the furnace with a grave expression through a circle of transparent Water Jade the size of a human head embedded in the furnace's belly...

The inside of the Pill Furnace was a sheet of fiery red, and the red light shone through the Water Jade onto Shang Xiangyu's face, as if it had been painted with a layer of fresh blood.

Shang Xiangyu's eyes suddenly shifted, and he said in a deep voice, "Number one medicine-adding port. Earth Emperor Essence!"

Hearing this, Pan Yong immediately picked up a white Porcelain Bottle, removed the stopper, and then, using his right hand covered in a beast-skin glove, opened the black iron lid of the medicine-adding port—which was hot enough to burn—and poured the liquid from the white Porcelain Bottle into it all at once.

After adding the medicine, Pan Yong immediately locked the lid of the medicine-adding port shut.

At this moment, the red light reflecting on the face of Shang Xiangyu, who was standing before the Water Jade, suddenly dissipated quite a bit.

Through that circle of Water Jade, one could see that the inside of the Pill Furnace was filled with white mist.

After waiting for the white mist to fill the space for a breath, Shang Xiangyu said, "Number four medicine-adding port, Heaven Heart Flower! Number five medicine-adding port, Snow See Grass!"

Hearing this, Tang Zhu and Chen Hu each picked out a bundle of herbs from the herb piles behind them and handed them to Duan Rong and Yin Cong, who were standing on the ladders.

Pan Yong did not pay attention to Chen Hu's side. But when Tang Zhu picked out the herbs, Pan Yong clearly glanced over; he was afraid Tang Zhu would pick the wrong ones.

The bundle of Snow See Grass in Duan Rong's hand was entirely snow-white, but the roots were black, making it extremely easy to identify; it was impossible for Tang Zhu to have picked the wrong one.

Duan Rong used his hand, covered in a beast-skin glove, to open the scorching lid and tossed the bundle of herbs into the furnace.

Following Shang Xiangyu's commands, the five of them guarded the five medicine-adding ports, each adding their medicine.

Duan Rong soon realized that he and Yin Cong, guarding the two medicine-adding ports on the second level of the Pill Furnace, were generally adding unprocessed herbs.

Meanwhile, Pan Yong, Chen Hu, and Tang Zhu, guarding the three medicine-adding ports on the first level, were mostly adding processed medicines from those bottles and jars.

As time passed, the temperature of the Pill Furnace grew higher and higher; the herbs Duan Rong added through the medicine-adding port were instantly ignited, steamed by the heat, and floated in the upper layer of the Pill Furnace, slowly turning into fly ash as they tumbled with the circulation of the heat...

After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn had passed, the medicine piled densely around the Pill Furnace was nearly gone.

Shang Xiangyu stood beside the Pill Furnace, his gaze fixed tightly on the inside of the furnace through the Water Jade.

One could see the thin layer of medicine juice at the bottom of the furnace churning, giving off layers of faint, eerie fluorescence...

As the color of that fluorescence suddenly changed, Shang Xiangyu shouted, "Number one medicine-adding port! Jade Dragon Saliva!"

Pan Yong picked up a brown Porcelain Bottle and poured the medicine inside into the furnace all at once.

With the addition of the Jade Dragon Saliva, the color of the medicine juice inside the Pill Furnace changed once again.

Shang Xiangyu's expression eased slightly; he wiped the fine sweat from his forehead, straightened his waist, looked at Pan Yong, and said, "Go crush the Black Blood Fruit."

Pan Yong immediately walked to a spot not far behind him and took a fruit glowing with a dim red light out of a large stone pot.

Pan Yong placed that Black Blood Fruit into a medicine mortar, picked up a stone pestle, and slowly ground the Black Blood Fruit to a pulp.

Pan Yong finished grinding and had just straightened his body.

Shang Xiangyu asked, "Is it ready?"

"It is ready."

Shang Xiangyu leaned toward the Water Jade, stared carefully at the medicine juice at the bottom of the furnace, and suddenly said, "Add it in!"

Holding the medicine mortar, Pan Yong used a small wooden spoon to add the crushed berries inside into the Pill Furnace.

As the Black Blood Fruit was added, the medicine juice at the bottom of the furnace immediately began to churn violently, and wisps of visible, light-like threads rose from the bottom of the furnace...

The moment those light threads rose, a look of sudden joy appeared on Shang Xiangyu's face. The medicinal power of the Black Blood Fruit had been extracted!

Once those light threads filled the furnace, Shang Xiangyu shouted sternly, "Add all the remaining medicine!"

Chen Hu and Tang Zhu first handed the remaining few bundles of herbs behind them to Duan Rong and Yin Cong on the ladders, then picked up the remaining few bottles of medicine at their feet, preparing to add them into the Pill Furnace.

Just at this moment, the Pill Furnace suddenly began to tremble.

At first it was a slight shake, but it instantly became rapid and violent, like a winnowing sieve...

"What is this?!" Shang Xiangyu was filled with astonishment, his hair tingling as if struck by electricity.

"Bang!"

Just then, a loud sound was heard, like a mountain collapsing and the earth splitting.

The Pill Furnace tipped over, and the upper and lower levels broke apart!

Violent Heaven and Earth Qi surged instantly, and the few people surrounding the Pill Furnace were all blown away like fallen leaves.

The furnace had actually exploded!

The moment the furnace exploded, Duan Rong felt a violent aura slam into him, sending him tumbling backward.

In just an instant, blood spilled from his mouth and nose.

Duan Rong wanted to stabilize his posture in mid-air, but he discovered that the True Qi in his dantian had been thrown into such chaotic disarray by the violent aura that had suddenly struck him that he could not circulate it at all...

Duan Rong was left to let his body fly backward like a fallen leaf...

The lower level of the Pill Furnace tipped over, but the upper level was blown away directly.

Chen Hu was in mid-air when he saw a massive black shadow flying toward him; it was the second level of the Pill Furnace that had been blown off.

Chen Hu's expression was cold; just as he was about to adjust his posture to dodge, he discovered that the True Qi in his dantian was in chaotic disarray, wandering aimlessly within his dantian.

Chen Hu was suddenly terrified; with his True Qi in disarray, if he were hit by the flying Pill Furnace, he would either die or be severely injured.

Chen Hu suddenly caught a glimpse of a figure not far to his side in mid-air; it was Tang Zhu, dressed in plain-colored clothing.

Tang Zhu was beautiful, and Chen Hu had always had some interest in her; the two of them would occasionally exchange flirtatious glances.

But at this moment, Chen Hu did not hesitate at all; his right hand reached to his waist and pulled out the Nine-Section Steel Whip wrapped around it.

In mid-air, a flash of the whip appeared, and Chen Hu wrapped the tip of the whip around Tang Zhu's waist not far away.

Tang Zhu was in mid-air, and seeing that she had been suddenly entangled by Chen Hu, she actually thought Chen Hu was going to save her.

She turned her head and gave Chen Hu a charming smile, but the next moment, Chen Hu suddenly gave a flick, using the Nine-Section Whip to wrap around Tang Zhu and fling her toward the Pill Furnace that was smashing toward him.

Tang Zhu's charming smile was still frozen on her face when she realized she was crashing into the shadow of a massive Pill Furnace. The event happened so suddenly that she had no time to react at all, and with a puff, her face was already pressed against the edge of the furnace wall.

A sizzling sound rang out; half of her face was actually branded onto the red-hot Pill Furnace, and a wisp of white smoke rose up.

The moment the scream rang out, Chen Hu had already let go of the Nine-Section Whip.

Tang Zhu had crashed into the Pill Furnace from the side, already knocking the furnace slightly away from him; at this moment, borrowing the force of the flick, in an instant, Chen Hu and the Pill Furnace brushed past each other and landed.

Only a bang was heard, and that massive Pill Furnace had already smashed Tang Zhu onto the ground.

From Tang Zhu's waist down, she had already been smashed into a pulp, and flesh and blood were sizzling and emitting bursts of white smoke under the hot furnace...

Chen Hu watched with an expressionless face, a layer of cold sweat seeping from his forehead.

Tang Zhu was not far from Chen Hu; she crawled toward Chen Hu, her lower limbs a mass of mangled flesh...

Tang Zhu raised her head; half of her face was already ruined, and her eyeball hung down, trailing a few strands of flesh. In her other eye, a beam of extremely resentful and fierce light shot out. "Chen Hu, why did you harm me like this?..."

That voice was as shrill as an evil ghost.

Chen Hu's face turned pale, and he took two steps back, his lips trembling as he said: "You... don't come over..."

The place where the two had landed was already at the edge of the stone wall; as soon as Chen Hu retreated, his back pressed against the stone wall, and Tang Zhu had already crawled to his feet.

"Why... harm me?"

Tang Zhu's half-ruined face and shrill voice had already scared Chen Hu out of his wits.

Tang Zhu's terrifying appearance was simply more frightening than a real evil ghost.

Just as Chen Hu was in a panic, Tang Zhu suddenly reached out and grabbed Chen Hu's foot.

The moment Tang Zhu grabbed his foot, Chen Hu's soul flew out of his body, his face turning ashen; he wanted to shake off Tang Zhu's hand, but he suddenly stumbled and fell.

Tang Zhu's hand was full of rotten flesh and bloodstains, clutching an empty shoe, yet she lay there without moving.

Chen Hu fell to the ground, so scared that his whole body went limp; he kicked his legs and arms, retreating a distance, and looked at the Tang Zhu lying there with a terrified expression...

Tang Zhu was already dead, but Chen Hu still lay on the ground, unable to get up; his eyes stared fixedly at Tang Zhu, fearing she might move again...

Just a moment ago, in a trance, he truly felt that he was being haunted by an evil ghost from hell...

Meanwhile, the other few people had all landed in a sorry state.

Only Shang Xiangyu was a Martial Artist at the Great Perfection of the Qi Refining Realm, and he was not affected by the violent Heaven and Earth Qi that had instantly run rampant.

At this moment, he stood before the overturned Pill Furnace like a statue, his expression ashen, muttering: "The furnace exploded?... How could it be like this? Why would it explode?..."

Pan Yong crawled up from the corner of the cave, covered in dust, and walked slowly behind Shang Xiangyu.

He glanced at Shang Xiangyu's lonely back and the overturned Pill Furnace not far away; he saw that the inside of the furnace was pitch black, and standing here, he could smell a thick, burnt odor.

Seeing Shang Xiangyu standing before the furnace for a long time, as if petrified, Pan Yong's eyes moved, and he walked slowly forward, saying: "Master Shang..."

Just as Pan Yong spoke, Shang Xiangyu turned his head to look at him; his eyes were bloodshot, his face twisted, and he muttered in a near-manic state: "The medicinal power of the Black Blood Fruit had clearly been extracted, so why did the furnace still explode? Why?"

Seeing Shang Xiangyu's appearance, Pan Yong felt a shock in his heart; just as he wanted to retreat, he was suddenly grabbed by the throat by Shang Xiangyu.

Shang Xiangyu gripped Pan Yong's throat tightly, lifting him until both his feet were off the ground.

Shang Xiangyu's face was twisted, and he looked at Pan Yong with manic eyes, saying: "Was it you? You were the one who tampered with it! Was it?"

Pan Yong waved his hands repeatedly, but Shang Xiangyu's hand was like an iron hoop; he found it difficult to breathe, so how could he speak?

The moment Duan Rong landed, he took the Medicine Pill that Shen Ping had left behind, sat cross-legged, and began to regulate his breathing.

At this time, Duan Rong noticed the commotion over here and suddenly opened his eyes; a touch of gravity flashed in his eyes, and he walked slowly to a large rock closest to the cave entrance—if Shang Xiangyu strangled Pan Yong to death, he would leave immediately.

Just at this moment, the mania in Shang Xiangyu's eyes slowly faded, and he suddenly released his hand that was gripping Pan Yong's throat.

Pan Yong had a lingering fear in his eyes and hid the dagger in his hand back into his sleeve; he had almost made a move, but he truly lacked the courage to stab the dagger in his hand toward the Great Perfection of the Qi Refining Realm, Shang Xiangyu.

Pan Yong's throat was bruised and purple; he gasped for air and said in a hoarse voice: "Master Shang, the processing of the herbs and the refining of the medicine were all personally guided by you. How could this disciple have tampered with anything?"

"How would this disciple dare to tamper with anything?"

As Pan Yong spoke, he actually prostrated himself on the ground and began to weep bitterly.

Seeing Shang Xiangyu let go of Pan Yong, Duan Rong walked a few more steps into the cave and sat cross-legged in the corner again to regulate his breathing.

At this time, the violent Heaven and Earth Qi in the air had dissipated, and Duan Rong began to gather and circulate the chaotic True Qi in his dantian again.

Shang Xiangyu looked at Pan Yong prostrated on the ground and let out a heavy sigh; he glanced at the overturned Pill Furnace beside him with a dim and listless expression, then walked out of the cave without saying a word.

Pan Yong prostrated for a long time before slowly raising his head, only to find that Shang Xiangyu had already left; he crawled up, wiped the tear stains from his face, and his expression instantly turned cold.

At this time, Chen Hu finally recovered from his terror; he pulled his Nine-Section Whip out from the pulp of flesh under the Pill Furnace, and with a slight shake, he shook off the bits of flesh and blood on it.

Then, he wrapped the Nine-Section Whip directly around his waist.

At this moment, Duan Rong finally finished regulating his breathing and stood up.

Pan Yong crawled up from the ground, and Yin Cong came over from behind, saying hesitantly: "Senior Brother, what should we do?"

Pan Yong glared at Yin Cong and said: "How would I know?"

After Pan Yong finished speaking, he actually put his hands behind his back and walked out of the cave.

The moment Pan Yong went out, Duan Rong also walked out slowly.

Yin Cong looked at Tang Zhu's mangled corpse, then at the pale-faced Chen Hu and the overturned Pill Furnace, and also hurried out of the cave, catching up to Duan Rong's back, saying: "Duan Rong, wait for me."

Chen Hu stood there and glanced at the shoe that had been clutched in Tang Zhu's hand; in the end, he lacked the courage to put it back on. He spat viciously onto Tang Zhu's corpse and was the last to walk out of the cave.

Duan Rong and Yin Cong were walking on the pitch-black mountain path when Yin Cong suddenly whispered: "Duan Rong, did you see it? Tang Zhu was killed by Chen Hu. This kid is really ruthless."

Duan Rong said: "I didn't see it!"

In fact, Duan Rong had seen it very clearly. His position was even clearer than where Yin Cong had been looking.

Yin Cong said: "But I saw it..."

Just as Yin Cong was speaking, a figure suddenly flashed out from the dense forest nearby, saying coldly: "What did you see?"

That was Chen Hu's voice.

In the darkness, Yin Cong's eyes were filled with terror, and he trembled as he said, "I... I didn't see anything..."

Chen Hu said in a hoarse voice, "Junior Sister Tang died because she collided with the exploding Pill Furnace! Do you understand?"

As Chen Hu spoke, he unexpectedly grabbed Yin Cong by the lapels. "Did you remember that?"

Yin Cong's lips quivered, and he said, "Senior Brother, what are you doing?"

In the darkness, Yin Cong saw Chen Hu's two eyeballs shooting out a fierce light, and he suddenly said, "Duan Rong, save me..."

Duan Rong sighed and suddenly said, "Senior Brother Chen, have you made enough trouble?"

Chen Hu let go of Yin Cong's lapels, stared at Duan Rong in the darkness, and said, "I don't care what kind of background you have. I'll give you a piece of advice: mind your own business less, and you'll live a little longer."

Duan Rong looked at the dark shadow before him with an expressionless face and coldly said, "Senior Brother Chen, do you really think anyone cares about Junior Sister Tang's death? I think it is you, Senior Brother Chen, who are troubling yourself over nothing."

Just a moment ago, everyone had witnessed Tang Zhu's death, yet they had all walked out of the cave without even asking a single question. That had already made the point clear.

After Duan Rong finished speaking, he stepped on the mountain rock and jumped down to the edge of the cliff. Yin Cong immediately followed him.

In the darkness, Chen Hu watched Duan Rong's dark shadow disappear, and a muscle somewhere on his right cheek twitched uncontrollably.

That remark from Duan Rong was truly heart-piercing.

(End of this chapter)