Chapter 490

Chan Ying knew her sect's possessions like the back of her hand, so she roughly guessed Yunhe's purpose for coming.

Although the Furnace Immortal Sect is a Yuan Ying sect with a mid-Yuan Ying cultivator in residence, the things that would interest a Yuan Ying cultivator are few, and the "Black Shed Bone" is one of the most important among them.

"Correct."

Yunhe had no reservations either, nodding in reply.

Upon hearing that, Chan Ying's expression showed "as expected," then quickly turned somewhat embarrassed.

"How so?" Yunhe asked, noticing the change in her expression.

Chan Ying made a salute, "What Fellow Daoist Yun needs, our Furnace Immortal Sect will certainly provide, only."

Yunhe, with his hands behind his back hovering in the air, silently looked at her, showing no unusual reaction to her words, waiting for Chan Ying to finish speaking.

Seeing Yunhe unmoved, Chan Ying felt somewhat helpless in her heart, but could do nothing else, so she continued:

"However, it might disappoint Fellow Daoist Yun; our sect's 'Black Shed Bone' has already been booked by Daoist Xuan Dan of the Grand Mystery Orthodox One Sect."

"Daoist Xuan Dan?"

Though the Vermilion Bird, Phoenix, Luan Bird, and Peacock, as true spirits, cannot strictly be considered a single category, they do have some connections, especially the Phoenix, Luan Bird, and Peacock; the Vermilion Bird is relatively distant from the three, yet not entirely without relation.

Yunhe involuntarily narrowed his eyes.

As one of the sect's more emblematic treasures, the Furnace Immortal Sect, which controls the production of the "Black Shed Bone," certainly could not have only one piece.

Chan Ying's expression also turned cold.

Moreover, within the Vermilion Bird Secret Realm there might also be items related to the method of breaking into the Void Refinement stage, or even treasures for breaking into Void Refinement, which he must also contend for.

Therefore.

Moreover, this Daoist Xuan Dan is the finest alchemist of the Grand Mystery Orthodox One Sect, said to have successfully refined a batch of Fourth Level late-stage elixir!

Yet no one expected that, for a single "Black Shed Bone," he would not only adopt an overbearing posture ready to fight at any cost, but also treat the Dao Alliance's threats as nothing.

One of them, the Fu Shan Daoist Yunhe had met before, they had together stormed the Abyss Clan's Holy Mountain, ruining the Abyss Clan's schemes, though the Fu Shan Daoist paid the heavy price of his flesh being destroyed, and is now presumed to be in seclusion recovering.

"However, Fellow Daoist Chan, don't tell me your sect actually has a 'Black Shed Bone'."

Even in the Southern Border, the reputations of Yun the Old Devil and the Five Elements Sword Ancestor are not small.

Moreover, the Formless Sword Lord is merely missing, not fallen.

Chan Ying's breath hitched slightly.

Frankly speaking, whether the Furnace Immortal Sect is close to the Dao Alliance or not makes little difference to him; although due to the Formless Sword Lord's disappearance, Yunhe faintly shows a trend toward becoming the head of the Implement Alliance, that is merely a trend, and the Implement Alliance is still currently led by the Formless Sword Sect.

And Chan Ying's bringing up the Grand Mystery Orthodox One Sect and Daoist Xuan Dan is also meant to convey a message.

As for why Daoist Xuan Dan needs the "Black Shed Bone," the reason is simple: since this material can absorb the spiritual energy of refining materials, it can naturally also absorb the spiritual energy of elixir ingredients, serving as an auxiliary aid in refining certain special elixirs, and its effect is still quite good.

Yunhe flicked his sleeve and said lightly, "Since Fellow Daoist Xuan Dan has booked it, I cannot very well take what someone else needs."

Even if it is not as he imagined, refining this treasure would still give his strength a certain boost.

Little did he know.

When it comes to his own cultivation base, his worries would be much fewer.

Therefore, he must refine this treasure before entering the secret realm.

As the nearly universally recognized leader of the orthodox path, the Grand Mystery Orthodox One Sect, besides having a late-Yuan Ying cultivator, Daoist Xuan Xu, in residence, also simultaneously possesses three mid-Yuan Ying cultivators!

The Red Phoenix Clan sought him out for his Ice Phoenix twin wings, but Yunhe felt that if he could refine the five-colored peacock's feathers into a magical treasure, perhaps it could also play some role at a critical moment.

Normally, Yunhe would naturally speak kindly, after all they are both Yuan Ying cultivators; as long as the other does not provoke him, he would not actively break relations.

But before she finished speaking, Yunhe spoke again:

Yunhe also had no intention of taking over the Implement Alliance; he simply lacked the energy, and when he first joined the Implement Alliance, it was purely because he had first encountered the Formless Sword Lord, feeling that the pressure within the Implement Alliance would be lesser.

Chan Ying's smile changed, her expression gradually turning solemn as she stared at Yunhe and asked, "Fellow Daoist, what do you mean by that?"

But this time is different.

"Nothing much." Yunhe's eyes narrowed slightly, "Today I only need one 'Black Shed Bone'!"

Upon hearing that, Chan Ying's smile blossomed like a flower, "Fellow Daoist Yun's words are quite right."

Besides the Fu Shan Daoist, there are two other mid-Yuan Ying cultivators: Daoist Xuan Dan and Daoist Jiu Huo!

"Fellow Daoist, could it be that you intend to become an enemy of our Furnace Immortal Sect and the Dao Alliance?"

It's merely that, though the Five Elements Sword Ancestor is heard to be strong in strength, having risen from obscurity, he conducts himself with order and principle; as long as one does not provoke him, he will not bear grudges over minor matters.

Moreover, the Vermilion Bird Secret Realm is inherently extremely dangerous; increasing one's own means by a bit would then grant a bit more survival capability and also a bit more opportunity to seize additional treasures.

For the "Black Shed Bone," he intends to refine a magical treasure, which could very well give him considerable aid in the soon-to-open Vermilion Bird Secret Realm, especially after he obtained some information from the Red Phoenix Clan's patriarch.

"It is not that I wish to be an enemy of your sect; I truly do need this 'Black Shed Bone,' otherwise"

As the human cultivator alliance rapidly absorbs many sects in the Southern Border, the Furnace Immortal Sect where Chan Ying resides has already drawn near to the Dao Alliance where the Grand Mystery Orthodox One Sect is located.

Precisely because of such an alchemist's assistance, the Grand Mystery Orthodox One Sect can firmly maintain its leadership position.

Yunhe swept his divine sense and immediately confirmed that there was only this one Yuan Ying cultivator in the Furnace Immortal Sect; he let out a cold snort, a sword qi coiling around his palm, "Relying solely on Fellow Daoist's fire-poison cauldron, I doubt it can stop me!"

Although the materials for Fourth Level late-stage elixir are hard to gather and the refinement difficulty is indeed extremely high, Daoist Xuan Dan cannot be called a Fourth Level late-stage alchemist, but refining Fourth Level mid-stage elixir should be quite feasible for him.

At the same time, Yunhe no longer fears the Dao Alliance as he once did; even facing Daoist Xuan Xu, he is confident he could flee if he cannot win, and the Grand Mystery Orthodox One Sect cannot afford the consequences of failing to intercept him.

The "Black Shed Bone" thus became something he was determined to obtain.

For this purpose, the Furnace Immortal Sect, with only a single mid-Yuan Ying cultivator in residence, has not yet reached the point where he needs to be greatly wary.

Chan Ying drew a deep breath, "I have long heard that Fellow Daoist Yun's Dao and laws are profound and his sword technique superb; today I fear I must seek instruction!"

"Good!"

Yunhe uttered a word that rang like a strike on the ground, and instantly a terrifying surge of power emanated from him, causing all the cultivators of the Lu Xian Sect below to turn pale.

They had also heard the earlier conversation between Mao Ying and Yunhe, thus knowing that this comer was the Five Elements Sword Ancestor, capable of rivaling a late Nascent Soul great cultivator; now sensing Yunhe's formidable power, they all fell silent like chilled cicadas, terrified.

Go!

Yunhe flicked his finger, and a sword qi shot forth instantly; the sharp aura instantly filled the sky over the Lu Xian Sect.

Feiying let out a cold snort, gave a flick of her fair wrist, and the pearl tied to her wrist instantly transformed into a scarlet-red cauldron.

A murky scarlet vapor spread, accompanied by a fishy-sour stench, and the cauldron actually transformed into a creature clad in black armor, with five pairs of slender legs, resembling a spider but with an inverted spike at the tip of its abdomen!

Spiritual treasure!

Feiying's this fire-poison cauldron is actually a spiritual treasure!

And this creature, which resembles both a spider and a scorpion, is actually one of the most important spirit insects of the Furnace Immortal Sect, the Poison Refining Insect!

Moreover, the "Black Shed Bone" treasure is actually the molt of this insect; it can aid in refining artifacts and in refining pills, especially poison pills.

The Poison Refining Insect transformed from Feiying's fire-poison cauldron is enormous, a hundred zhang in size, baring fangs and claws, its whip-like tail lashing, resembling a special hard metal, especially the spike at the tip of its tail, which faintly glows silver intertwined with scarlet threads, clearly harboring terrifying fire poison.

Ding!!

The Poison Refining Insect's tail whipped against the sword qi shot out by Yunhe, immediately producing a clear crisp sound; the sword qi was repelled, faintly showing signs of dissipating.

Yunhe's expression remained unchanged; after all, it was merely a sword qi, and even he could not possibly defeat a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator with just this single sword qi.

He formed a seal with one hand and softly shouted, "Scatter!"

Hum—

That sword qi, which looked about to disperse, trembled slightly, then with a "bang" scattered outward, turning into dozens of finer sword threads, faster, shooting from all directions toward the Poison Refining Insect.

Seeing this, Feiying's face grew solemn; she felt her mouth slightly dry, "Sword refined into silk."

"Swift!"

Not daring to slight it in the slightest, Feiying gave a delicate shout, and a richer fishy-sour red vapor surged from the Poison Refining Insect's body, intercepting the paths of the incoming sword threads.

One red, one silver—two streams of power collided, wildly consuming each other.

At the same time, a cold glint flashed in Feiying's eyes as she formed seals with both hands.

Swish—

The Poison Refining Insect's tail lashed out suddenly, its speed making it hard to react!

Moreover, the stinger on its tail was coated with a thick layer of red thread, shooting straight at Yunhe.

Yunhe still did not move; he merely lifted his hand slightly, and an earthen-colored small shield instantly appeared before him.

With the infusion of power, the small shield rapidly expanded.

Bang!!

The stinger collided with the shield.

The shield remained unmoving; its surface faintly flowed with a special spiritual light, flashing and vanishing.

The stinger seemed to strike an immensely thick city wall, spreading out violently.

Seeing this, Feiying first startled, then turned into a look of helplessness and, indeed, as expected.

After failing to land a blow, the Poison Refining Insect wanted to retreat, but Yunhe was no longer so easy to deal with.

His eyes flashed.

A five-colored flying sword shot from his sleeve, without any intention to turn back, directly pursuing the long tail flicked out by the Poison Refining Insect.

Five Elements sword qi suddenly appeared, its sharp intent seeming to cleave everything around.

And Feiying, sensing the Five Elements Heavenly Thunder Sword, showed a hint of alarm, hastily forming seals to drive the fire-poison cauldron.

Boom!!

However, the Poison Refining Insect's tail retraction speed ultimately could not match that of the Five Elements Heavenly Thunder Sword; after a dull thud, a notch neither big nor small split open on its tail, though it did not inflict irreparable damage on the insect or its tail.

"Huh."

Yunhe let out a soft "huh," the Poison Refining Insect's hardness exceeding his expectations somewhat.

Thus, he curled his finger again.

Two more flying swords shot from his sleeve.

And after three "bang" sounds, the three Five Elements Heavenly Thunder Swords instantly turned into a sky-full of sword threads, densely filling the air like continuous fine rain.

Seeing this, the Poison Refining Insect trembled slightly, reverted to that scarlet cauldron, and swiftly flew back into Feiying's hand.

At the same time, Feiying, her face full of helplessness yet tinged with admiration, cupped her hands toward Yunhe and said, "I am convinced; I hope Daoist Yun will show mercy."

Yunhe raised his hand; all the sword threads instantly froze, quickly returning to three flying swords, amidst the vast sword qi one could faintly see a phoenix dancing.

"Daoist Fei's fire-poison cauldron is indeed extraordinary, truly living up to being your famed magical treasure."

"Even if it were even more extraordinary, what could it do against Daoist Yun?"

She activated her power, the cauldron shrank back to the size of a bead, which she stored away; after a brief, solemn and serious contemplation, she smiled.

"The Furnace Immortal Sect and Daoist Yun have no major grudge; you urgently need the Black Shed Bone, so I am willing to part with a cherished piece to give to you."

"Oh?" Yunhe responded with a half-smile.

Feiying gave a bitter laugh, no longer speaking directly, but transmitted via divine sense:

"It's not that I refuse to give it; I also have my own difficulties. If we do not have a bout, the Furnace Immortal Sect would likely be in trouble, so I had no choice but to resort to this; I hope Daoist Yun will not blame me."

Otherwise, even though she and Yunhe are both mid-Nascent Soul cultivators, she would absolutely not wish to clash with Yunhe.

"Trouble?" Yunhe glanced at her face, saw her demeanor, likely not feigning, and then said, "It seems the Dao Alliance's conduct is becoming ever more overbearing."

Feiying let out a faint sigh.

If it were at the founding of the Human Cultivator Alliance, the Dao Alliance would naturally not act this way.

But as the Human Cultivator Alliance grew stronger, and the Dao Alliance being the strongest faction within it, even if the Tai Xuan Zhengyi Sect did not wish to act thus, its subordinate sects would more or less push it to do so.

Of course, it is also possible that the Tai Xuan Zhengyi Sect itself intends this.

Suddenly, Feiying tentatively said, "Speaking of which, the Furnace Immortal Sect is renowned for cauldrons and poison cauldrons; it ought to be counted among the 'Vessel' sects, after all."

But alas, the ones who first approached them were cultivators of the Dao Alliance.

Yunhe naturally understood her meaning, but did not respond.

Seeing Yunhe remain noncommittal, Feiying sighed again, waved her hand, and a wooden box flew from her storage bag; she said, "This is the Black Shed Bone; please accept it, Daoist."

Yunhe didn't hesitate either; after scanning with his divine sense and confirming there was no mistake, he put it into his storage bag.

He immediately turned and fled without looking back.

However, just as Yingying was somewhat disappointed and preparing to leave, a light-hearted sentence drifted from afar.

"This time the 'Vermilion Bird Secret Realm' will surely cause a great upheaval in the Eastern Border; Fellow Daoist Ying, you might as well wait a bit longer, see the outcome before deciding—it's not too late."

Hearing this, Yingying's face lit up with joy.

(End of chapter)