Chapter 231: Blood Rain Marks the Fall of an Immortal; Great Medicine Brews Within the Tripod

With his True Spirit gone, Lv Wen, this person of the Taiyi Realm, was thoroughly extinguished.

Within the void, a strange, mournful music immediately began to resound.

As the mournful music rose, heaven and earth grieved.

Within a radius of ten thousand miles, a bloody rain poured down in torrents, scattering far and wide.

Large swathes of bloody rain fell, splashing onto the ground and tracing out patterns of a thousand different forms.

It was as if plum blossoms were in full bloom, hauntingly beautiful.

Anyone who saw it would feel a sense of sorrow.

Such sorrow did not seem to come from heaven and earth, but rather from the depths of one's own heart.

"Good fellow, it seems the classics did not exaggerate; the fall of a Taiyi Realm expert truly carries such immense momentum."

Fang Longye broke free from this immersion of sorrow and, watching the gradually dissipating bloody rain, could not help but exclaim.

In truth, this was not the first time he had seen celestial beings trigger celestial phenomena upon their death.

After all, even a minor Loose Immortal is no longer a mere mortal of flesh and blood; they can already resonate with the laws of heaven and earth, and their every movement holds its own mysteries.

When those in the Immortal Realm fall, they naturally produce strange phenomena.

But those phenomena are merely a sense of mourning that condenses but does not disperse. At most, the corpse resonates with the surroundings, giving rise to some phantoms that permeate the vicinity.

Even for a Golden Immortal, it would not go so far as to directly trigger changes in celestial phenomena and bring down such a torrential bloody rain.

But the Taiyi Realm is different from the Golden Immortal. Those of the Taiyi Realm have already branded their own imprints into the Void Dao Sea; it can be said that their Dao and their body are one.

If not for the 'Map of Mountains and Rivers' suppressing the void, the massive phenomena caused by the fall of a Taiyi Realm expert would likely not be limited to this region and would definitely be far greater in scale than it is now.

Perhaps it could even cause the entire heaven and earth to respond, drawing the gaze of all celestial beings.

After all, in the eyes of ordinary celestial beings, the Taiyi Realm is already a figure whose lifespan is equal to heaven, who is immortal and indestructible, and who can roam the universe at will.

Even in the eyes of super-factions like the Dao and Brahma sects, the Taiyi Realm is definitely a stable, upper-middle-tier figure.

Fang Longye had learned of this in the classics, but he had thought there were exaggerations involved; now it seems his skepticism was too strong.

……

Just as Fang Longye extinguished Lv Wen's True Spirit, Yang Chan felt a sudden lightness in her heart.

A vast, immeasurable power suddenly descended upon her. This power was unstained by dust, and the rhythm of time and space echoed within it.

Yet only she herself could perceive it; others could not see it.

It was Merit descending from heaven, falling in sheets of purple and blue, as if it were raining.

Merit was like rain, and auspicious signs arose of their own accord.

Yang Chan raised her eyes to look at the void above, seeing that Merit and Luck were pouring down from above like rain.

Wherever that purple and blue reached, the Aura became dense, rosy clouds condensed, the spiritual mansion became clear and bright, and the mysterious map hung high.

As the saying goes, the Phoenix Clan's chime and the whale-bell play the vast music of the heavens; the luan-bird incense burner and the dragon tripod brew the auspicious clouds of the earth.

There were also flowers scattering across the ground, bringing fortune to the eight seas.

"So that is how it is~"

Is this the opportunity I sensed? Yang Chan murmured to herself in her heart.

This time, Merit descended from heaven.

One part came from the billions of living beings she saved from the ravages of the Plague Poison; this portion was equivalent to Human Dao Merit.

The second part came from the extinction of Lv Wen; as a Plague Demon inclined toward the Dao of the End, killing him naturally manifested the Merit of heaven and earth.

"It comes just in time!" Yang Chan thought to herself.

She saw the Merit like rain washing her primordial spirit's auspicious clouds clean, and the many gray Auras lingering upon them immediately collapsed and dissipated.

This was the Calamity Qi she had been forced to absorb when she neutralized Lv Wen's final strike just now.

And the newly born Merit.

Gathers and disperses in the heart, capable of transforming all things.

It carries its own auspiciousness, causing disasters to retreat.

Coupled with the fact that she primarily cultivates the path of Merit and Creation, she naturally had secret methods to utilize it to help her dissolve this kind of Calamity Qi.

Of course, the most critical point was—

Following the extinction of Lv Wen, Yang Chan seemed to have experienced all these events and achieved a great awakening, quickly touching the threshold of the Taiyi Realm.

She had a premonition that as long as she went back and underwent a proper period of seclusion to digest what she had gained, she would be able to cross this threshold and become a person of the Taiyi Realm.

In other words, the opportunity she sensed descending from heaven this time was actually her chance to ascend to the Taiyi Realm.

"It seems the harvest is not small!"

Fang Longye's two eyes were bright and spirited as he sized up the Yang Chan before him.

He saw that behind him, Dragon Qi soared into the sky, spreading left and right, hanging like an immortal map; the water rippled, reflecting the sky, and a divine dragon roamed within, responding to heaven and earth.

Clearly, devouring and refining Lv Wen's True Spirit had been of great benefit to him.

Fang Longye felt the changes in the Aura radiating from Yang Chan and understood most of it.

He could not gain deep insight into Yang Chan, but based on his own senses, he could discover that she was surrounded by auspicious energy, with purple and blue swirling, Golden Flowers and necklaces scattering far and wide—a scene of bright and beautiful auspiciousness.

It was nothing else but the appearance of Merit descending.

"And also—"

Fang Longye's gaze was deep and focused as he reached out to reveal a Mysterious Yellow Treasure Pearl; the pearl was illusory, like a dream or a bubble.

Because he was the one who dealt the final blow to extinguish Lv Wen's True Spirit, he also had Merit and Luck fall upon him. However, he did not absorb it directly, but instead condensed it into a treasure pearl the moment the Merit descended.

Fang Longye estimated that it should be about twenty percent of what Yang Chan had obtained.

Of course, he was not certain.

After all, with his current realm, he could not perceive Yang Chan with absolute precision. This estimate was entirely based on the experience he had gained from browsing through various classics.

"Fine!" Fang Longye weighed the merit pearl in his hand, flicked his finger, and struck it into Yang Chan's auspicious clouds.

Yang Chan's beautiful eyes opened slightly, she glanced at him, said nothing more, but her gaze shifted, she nodded in thanks, and returned to her meditation.

It was only a bit of merit; Fang Longye truly did not care much for it. Being able to gain Yang Chan's favor was far more valuable to him than simply refining this merit.

Furthermore, this merit was not meant for him to begin with. Yang Chan only found it inconvenient to go back on her word, which was why she let him help on her behalf.

"Hmm~ I should also properly digest what I have gained!" Fang Longye withdrew his gaze from Yang Chan and chuckled softly.

Although he had already devoured and refined the True Spirit of Lv Wen, he had not yet had the time to properly contemplate the mysteries and information fed back from it.

He acted as soon as he thought of it; with the Map of Mountains and Rivers in his possession, he did not fear anyone disturbing him.

He immediately sat cross-legged in the void and immersed his mind.

The surroundings fell into silence for a moment.

Only the Great Witch Li Yuan, who was suppressed to the side, remained, holding his battle axe high, motionless.

"You pair of dogs! At a time like this, what are you contemplating? Let me go first!"

"Kill me or carve me up, give me a straight answer! What is the meaning of hanging me up like this?"

Li Yuan remained motionless, like a sculpture, but in his heart, he was roaring and complaining incessantly. This was not Yang Chan's fault; it was truly because her cultivation realm was insufficient. Although she could drive the Map of Mountains and Rivers to suppress those in the Taiyi Realm, she could only imprison them and could not control their thoughts and consciousness.

If her strength were sufficient, under the Map of Mountains and Rivers, even his thoughts and consciousness would be suppressed, becoming a void of Chaos, no longer clear.

Therefore, one could not tell if this Great Witch Li Yuan was lucky or unlucky.

It was unknown how much time had passed.

Fang Longye opened his eyes and looked around; the valley was deep and golden, the stones colored with a heavy hue.

The sunset was growing late, and colorful clouds spread across the sky.

It was indescribably beautiful, yet reflected on the chaotic battlefield, it carried a sense of sorrow.

"So the Taiyi Realm is like this~" Fang Longye murmured in his heart while scanning his surroundings.

"It seems that being able to grind away the True Spirit of a Taiyi Realm expert with the body of a Golden Immortal is entirely due to this supreme treasure, the 'Map of Mountains and Rivers'!"

After some contemplation, the gains were immense.

Through the mysteries fed back from refining Lv Wen's True Spirit, Fang Longye understood quite a few things and gained a certain understanding of the Taiyi Realm.

For instance—

He only now learned that upon reaching Taiyi, the True Spirit can be moved into the Void Dao Sea at critical moments.

This is because once one becomes a Taiyi Loose Immortal, one can form a True Spirit projection in the Void Dao Sea through an imprint branded there.

A cultivator's True Spirit can freely swap positions with the True Spirit projection.

And as long as the True Spirit is not destroyed, a Taiyi expert is not truly dead. One only needs to spend a certain price to be resurrected and return through the imprint left in the Void Dao Sea.

This was also the reason why the merit that descended earlier had not fallen before he extinguished Lv Wen's True Spirit.

It can be said that this is an important means for the Taiyi Realm to preserve its life.

It is also the reason why, in the eyes of immortals and gods below the Taiyi Realm, the Taiyi Realm is nearly immortal and indestructible.

As for why Lv Wen's True Spirit did not escape into that unknowable Void Dao Sea? It was entirely the effect of the supreme treasure, the 'Map of Mountains and Rivers'.

The 'Map of Mountains and Rivers' not only weakened him to the strength of a Golden Immortal but also struck down and imprisoned his True Spirit, making it impossible for him to connect to the Void Dao Sea.

It was precisely because of this that Yang Chan was able to kill him during the battle. Otherwise, even if she belonged to the peak of the Golden Immortal realm, possessed boundless divine abilities, and had many methods, she could not have defeated a Taiyi expert on her own.

It can be said that reaching Taiyi is like entering another world.

Without the intervention of an external object strong enough to exceed limits, a Golden Immortal, relying solely on themselves, could never be a match for a Taiyi Loose Immortal.

This is completely different from the realms below Taiyi.

A True Immortal can still defeat those in higher realms without relying on powerful Spirit Treasures, merely by relying on their own divine abilities. But a Golden Immortal has no such possibility.

Without the intervention of powerful external objects, relying solely on oneself, a Golden Immortal defeating a higher realm is a myth that cannot be achieved.

And because of this~ for cultivators with ordinary backgrounds, the Golden Immortal realm is often a rather awkward stage.

Below, although one can achieve endless lifespan and live as long as heaven and earth, one still faces the situation of being successfully defeated by some geniuses who merely unleash their divine abilities.

Above, without powerful Spirit Treasures in hand, one can never be a match for the Taiyi Realm; whenever a Taiyi Loose Immortal appears, one must be respectful.

In short, the Taiyi Realm is truly a very mysterious realm.

For those with aspirations toward the Daluo realm, the Golden Immortal is only a starting point; only upon reaching the Taiyi Realm can one dare to say that one has embarked on the path of seeking the Dao.

"What are you thinking about?"

Just as Fang Longye was lost in thought, Yang Chan's voice interrupted his contemplation.

"It seems the Immortal has gained quite a lot this time!"

Fang Longye collected his thoughts and turned to look at Yang Chan, whose mind had returned. He saw that she was full of spirit, and her eyes revealed an unconcealable joy.

"Not much, not little, just enough for me to accumulate the resources to advance to Taiyi."

In her joy, Yang Chan could not maintain her reserve, and a trace of pride appeared on her face.

"It seems I must accelerate the progress of winning over this little rich woman!" Fang Longye thought to himself.

Otherwise, with the gap in cultivation realms, some methods would no longer be usable.

More importantly, the higher one stands, the further one sees.

Who knows if, after Yang Chan's cultivation realm improves, she will see through the love of the human world and no longer be dazzled and confused by sweet talk?

In any case, he could not guarantee that she would continue to develop according to his memories of his past life and become a love-struck Three Holy Mother.

Fang Longye was plotting in his heart, but Yang Chan returned to the initial question and said: "Brother Fang, are you not worried that the Plague Emperor will blame you for the matter of Lv Wen?"

"That is not the case~" Fang Longye came back to his senses and waved his hand with a smile.

Through the memories fed back from Lv Wen's True Spirit, Fang Longye knew that although he claimed to be a disciple under Lv Yue and even changed his own name to "Lv Wen,"

Lv Yue had never acknowledged his worship; the 'Na Gou Plague World Scripture' was entirely obtained by him breaking into a Cave Abode of Lv Yue's from a past life.

Furthermore, he had now cultivated quite a few Demon Dharma methods, already counting as half a person of the Demon path.

No matter how one looked at it, it was impossible for Lv Yue to care about him. After all, although the Pestilence Dao was a heterodox and bizarre path, it only leaned toward being demonic, rather than being the true Demon path.

Even if there were calculations from the Plague Ancestor, Lv Yue, involved, as an old veteran who had repeatedly encountered Calamity, he likely would not dare to harbor any thoughts of revenge against him.

"There is no need to worry~ Today's matter had nothing to do with Brother Fang to begin with, so it should naturally be borne by me. If Brother Fang is sought out for trouble by him, just come find me!"

Yang Chan patted her chest and promised.

Eh? Seeing her expression of such firm resolve, Fang Longye could perceive the sincerity she revealed; she was not deceiving anyone.

He could not help but feel a bit strange: how had this Yang Chan changed her nature? Was she no longer always thinking of entrapping people? Looking at her more closely, he only felt that she had undergone an indescribable change.

"Brother Fang! Stop daydreaming! It is time to go see what exactly is being refined in this Lv Wen cauldron~"

Yang Chan flicked her skirt and leaped, arriving beside the large cauldron that had appeared earlier along with Lv Wen.

Seeing her smiling and beckoning, Fang Longye secretly shook his head; it seemed he had overthought things.

He immediately cast aside his distracting thoughts, stepped on cloud light, and with a leap, also arrived beside the large cauldron.

Looking at this large cauldron suspended in mid-air, his expression was complex. Having refined the True Spirit of Lv Wen, he naturally knew what was being nurtured inside.

It was just that he hoped Yang Chan would not fly into a rage after finding out.

Perhaps the Dharma power infused by Lv Wen after appearing earlier had indeed made the heat sufficient, and the object being refined in the cauldron had reached the time to take form.

As time passed, the large cauldron hummed incessantly, and the ferocious dragon shapes biting the cauldron ears swayed, their scales trembling.

Every instant, golden light shot out; clearly, the object being nurtured in the cauldron was trending toward taking form, manifesting an extraordinary luster.

The void for a thousand miles around seemed to be imbued with the bronze-like color of the large cauldron, becoming hazy, archaic, dim, and mysterious.

After another while, only a soft sound was heard from the cauldron, and the large cauldron before them suddenly manifested endless green Qi.

The green Qi rose a thousand zhang, suddenly turned, and descended to transform into a tree; the precious tree stood tall, with flowers blooming and fragrant.

Clusters of flowers crowded the branches, some already in full bloom, some still in bud, some light red, some deep red, all delicate and tender; when the wind blew, they trembled, and fragrance permeated the air.

In a trance, this area changed completely, filled with fragrance, revealing the creation of nature, incomparably holy.

"It seems that the object being refined in this cauldron should be a pill of Great Medicine!" Yang Chan looked at the strange phenomenon before her, sniffed with her nose, and finding it full of fresh fragrance, could not help but smile.

"I wonder what kind of Great Medicine it is that made the previous Lv Wen treat it as so critical?"

(End of this chapter)