Chapter 514: I am somewhat looking forward to this Hunyuan Cauldron of yours

The deep red, agate-like fire spirit diamond lay quietly in Luo Chen's hand.

Inside it, a drop of liquid resembling blood flowed slowly.

At a glance, it looked like a living thing.

Viewed as a whole, it did not look like a mineral crystal, but rather more like amber.

This kind of material was actually not suitable for refining magic treasures, because it contained impurities.

Yet, as if guided by some mysterious force, Luo Chen tucked this fire spirit diamond into his pocket.

It was a feeling close to intuition.

"This is a good thing!"

Luo Chen closed the box and swept his gaze over the Cangwu Mountain treasury once more.

Messy, disorganized, and scattered about at random.

Among them were some treasures that even with Luo Chen's extensive knowledge, he could not identify the specific origins of.

However, he still dared not take anything too precious.

Master Youquan's tolerance for him was high!

But that was only established on the premise that he did not touch her bottom line.

If he really took something he shouldn't, and she pursued the matter, neither side would look good.

Walking out of the treasury, Luo Chen estimated the materials inside his storage ring.

"Geng metal, black sinking wood... a whole host of materials have been gathered for years, and now even the fire spirit diamonds are complete."

"The matter of refining my natal magic treasure can finally be put on the agenda."

"However!"

"With my artifact refining methods, it would take at least a dozen years just to refine a prototype of the magic treasure according to the method provided by Qingdan Valley."

"It is too long; I cannot wait."

"Fortunately, there is a shortcut right before my eyes."

Luo Chen's mouth curled upward slightly. After leaving the treasury, he turned in a different direction and walked toward the deep underground of the Duozhen Hall.

He walked all the way down.

Passing by the third basement level, his footsteps paused.

Luo Chen looked toward the entrance, but in the end, he sighed and did not step inside.

This level held Haoranzhi and the others.

Given his current situation, it would be truly awkward if he were to meet them.

Therefore, it was better not to see them.

He continued downward.

Finally, he arrived at the fourth basement level.

Upon arriving here, a gaze like thunder pierced straight toward him.

The owner of the gaze was a giant who stood at least three meters tall even while sitting cross-legged.

Silver-white electric arcs flickered over his body from time to time.

The Thunder Prison Divine Peng!

A powerful existence at the mid-stage of Nascent Soul!

It was rumored that he possessed an extremely pure ancient Lei Peng bloodline.

He was in seclusion here, and also incidentally suppressing the Cangwu Mountain prison.

Luo Chen felt a chill in his heart and bowed respectfully, "Greetings, Lord Leiyu!"

"You've come again. Did you bring the token?"

"I brought it."

Luo Chen took out a cyan feather.

The Thunder Prison Divine Peng, who had been stern just a moment ago, showed a look of gentleness upon seeing this feather.

"Go in, but don't stay too long."

Luo Chen nodded, passed by him, and walked slowly toward the gloomy dungeon on the fourth basement level.

As he passed the other, Luo Chen felt a constant sense of threatening danger.

The threat posed by this Thunder Prison Divine Peng was far above that of Master Youquan, He Qingzi, and the others, and even Han Zhan and Ao Xiao, whom he had seen before, were far inferior.

Over these past two years, through constant contact with the Feather Clan here, Luo Chen's understanding of Cangwu Mountain had deepened.

As one of the few Grade 5 spirit veins in the Eastern Wasteland, it was rumored that Cangwu Mountain did not originally belong to Sovereign Qixia.

It was forcibly seized from a Soul Transformation ancient demon a thousand years ago after Sovereign Qixia rose to power.

After it was seized, Cangwu Mountain became the Feather Clan's holy land within the million-strong mountains of the wilderness!

However!

Cangwu Mountain did not accept just any flying bird demon.

Sovereign Qixia had an eccentric personality and an exceptionally high standard.

She never looked at the level of cultivation when accepting subordinates, only at the concentration of their bloodline.

Only flying birds of rare species that possessed powerful bloodlines would be accepted into her sect.

This resulted in Cangwu Mountain being a holy land comparable to those of humans, yet having very few disciples.

Though few in number, their quality was not poor.

Luo Chen hadn't seen the other Nascent Soul demons, but Qing Shuang, Master Youquan, and Leiyu, whom he had seen, were all formidable combatants.

"Speaking of which, if I had obtained a drop of Thunder Prison Divine Peng essence blood early on to cultivate the 'Heavenly Peng Transformation', would my combat strength be a few points higher?"

A sudden thought popped up.

In an instant, it was slashed away by Luo Chen's heart-sword.

He smiled and walked alone through the gloomy corridor.

Suddenly, a light appeared.

It was a cyan glow.

Luo Chen focused his gaze and saw a three-inch-tall tiny person locked in a prison cell, with chains of magic power piercing through his body, leaving him unable to move.

Opposite the tiny person sat a silent, black tiny person.

Such a bizarre scene would have been incredibly shocking to Luo Chen in the past.

But now, he was long since accustomed to it.

As Luo Chen watched, the three-inch tiny person struggled to open his eyes and looked over.

"It's little friend Luo Chen!"

Luo Chen looked at him with pity and greeted him softly.

"Senior Han, have you been well lately?"

Han Zhan looked at the restrictions on his body and revealed a bitter smile.

"I'm afraid it couldn't be any worse!"

Luo Chen sighed.

The other's current situation was indeed the most miserable among all the prisoners.

His physical body had been blasted apart, his storage bag and the Demon-Locking Pagoda had all been taken away, leaving only this life-bound puppet incarnation by his side.

And the reason Master Youquan and the others didn't kill his Nascent Soul was naturally very simple.

It was to use him as a consumable material for refining the Transformation Pill.

In other words, Han Zhan was now just a spare medicinal ingredient.

A once-majestic Nascent Soul True Person who enjoyed the reverence of thousands, now reduced to a spare ingredient—who wouldn't feel miserable?

Han Zhan looked at Luo Chen, his gaze shifting forward.

"Are you going to seek fellow Daoist Tian Yezi?"

"Yes, I need to collect medicine."

Han Zhan was silent for a moment.

The reason he was a spare ingredient was because the primary material currently used by Cangwu Mountain was the god-body-possessing Tian Yezi.

But how long could Tian Yezi hold out?

Once Tian Yezi was completely exhausted, it would likely be his turn!

A sigh echoed faintly.

"Little friend, do you know that what you are doing now is heinous and rebellious? If the human powerhouses find out, your end will only be a thousand or ten thousand times worse than mine."

"Junior... is helpless!"

Luo Chen sighed long and hard, losing the interest to continue chatting with Han Zhan, and continued walking forward along the corridor.

Watching his lonely back, the tiny person formed by Han Zhan's Nascent Soul had eyes that darted nimbly, revealing a look of deep thought.

Judging by his appearance, he was not as painful as he had previously shown.

"Senior Tian Yezi, sorry to disturb you!"

"Hmph, take it!"

In the quiet dungeon, a pale-faced Tian Yezi opened his mouth and spat out a drop of essence blood containing unimaginable magic power, which flew toward Luo Chen.

Luo Chen hurriedly took out a jade bottle and collected this drop of essence blood.

This was not just simple essence blood.

Inside it also contained a trace of the Nascent Soul's origin.

This was the primary material needed for refining the Transformation Pill!

This was not the first time Luo Chen had come to collect materials.

The previous few times, Master Youquan had brought him personally, and it was Master Youquan who personally used methods to make Tian Yezi suffer immense pain before cutting out this trace of Nascent Soul origin.

After a few times, Tian Yezi himself stopped struggling and would proactively cut the essence blood from his body when the time came, waiting for Luo Chen to collect it.

The two had always had very little interaction.

It was usually just: collect the materials and then part ways.

But this time, Luo Chen's footsteps paused.

"Why haven't you rolled away yet?" Tian Yezi glared at Luo Chen. "You little person, are you here to watch my joke?"

Luo Chen shook his head and said calmly, "I can understand Senior's pain. Don't you understand my situation, Senior?"

Tian Yezi snorted coldly, "Some things, there are things one must do, and things one must not do. You are just making a choice to follow your heart, yielding to the demonic power of the beasts."

Luo Chen did not get angry, remaining calm.

"Isn't Senior the same?"

"Hmm?"

"Otherwise, why not guard your heart every time and not let the Nascent Soul power leak out?"

"I'm not a fool; why would I torture myself?"

"Senior is right, and Luo is not a fool either!"

Tian Yezi was stunned, then gave a cold sneer.

"What is the point of your sophistry with me? Could it be that you just want me to give you a pleasant look every time we meet?"

Knowing the other was in a bad mood.

After all, Han Zhan was only a newly promoted Nascent Soul, unlike Tian Yezi, who had already enjoyed hundreds of years of Nascent Soul treatment.

The gap in the other's heart was the greatest.

Luo Chen didn't beat around the bush and stated his purpose directly.

"Junior wants to refine a natal magic treasure of the cauldron type, but my strength is lacking, so I would like to ask Senior for help. After all, you are a renowned artifact refining master in the thirty-six domains of the Eastern Wasteland; even someone as strong as Hu Yanzhuo is merely your disciple. If I have your help, my natal magic treasure will surely be perfect."

"Your abacus is quite loud, wanting to refine a good cauldron just to serve the demon race wholeheartedly!"

"Don't put it so harshly; it's just struggling to survive." Luo Chen changed the subject. "If Senior agrees to help, I can ask Deputy Hall Master Master Youquan to bestow spiritual medicine to repair the damage to your Nascent Soul and keep your cultivation from falling."

Tian Yezi's heart stirred, then he frowned.

"What does this count as? Raising me well, feeding me until I'm plump, then cutting my flesh, drinking my blood, and slicing my Nascent Soul. You're treating me like a meat pig! Luo Chen, you little brat, you are bullying me too much!"

The more he spoke, the more urgent he became!

Later on, he roared, his voice like demonic sounds piercing the ears.

It was fortunate that he couldn't mobilize his Nascent Soul-level magic power, otherwise, this roar alone would have killed Luo Chen.

Luo Chen's face changed slightly.

He took a deep breath and said calmly, "As long as the green hills remain, there's no need to worry about firewood. A year ago, the three human powerhouses attacked Cangwu Mountain; you should have sensed it, Senior!"

"Living, living in a maintained state, is the most important thing!"

This time, Tian Yezi was silent.

Luo Chen did not urge him.

Only the cyan feather in his hand flickered with a faint light, signifying that the time for this prison visit was up.

"I hope Senior will think about it seriously. Next time I come, I will bring the blueprints for the Hunyuan Cauldron."

Luo Chen bowed respectfully and retreated from the prison calmly.

Tian Yezi lowered his head, not replying to him, not knowing what he was thinking in his heart.

When he came out, Luo Chen greeted the Thunder Prison Divine Peng, but this time the other didn't pay much attention to him.

Luo Chen didn't mind and walked upward.

Before long, he exited the side hall.

Just as he intended to bypass the main hall and return, a familiar tall figure blocked his path.

"You want Tian Yezi to refine your natal magic treasure?"

It was Master Youquan.

Luo Chen knew that any small action of his in Cangwu Mountain couldn't be hidden from her.

He didn't intend to cover it up either.

He said naturally, "My Minister Cauldron is, after all, a natal magic treasure of someone else, and it is incompatible with me. Moreover, it is incomplete. It might barely be usable for refining Grade 2 or Grade 3 pills. But if I were to use it to refine the Grade 4 Transformation Pill, the result would inevitably be failure."

Luo Chen's expression turned serious, "Hall Master Master Youquan, you surely don't want the Transformation Pill to fail to be refined, right!"

Master Youquan stared at him seriously and asked back, "Are other complete magic treasure pill-refining utensils not good enough? I have quite a few in my hands, and even one that is half-true-artifact grade. If you refine it, the effect should be even better, right?"

To this, Luo Chen shook his head slowly.

"One's own is the best!"

Master Youquan was a bit unconvinced.

With a wave of her wing, a cyan pill furnace landed on the ground with a clang.

"Qingyuan Cauldron!"

"Obtained from a Nascent Soul pill-refining master in the Eastern Wasteland. He also once refined pills for my Cangwu Mountain. Unfortunately, he had too many ulterior motives and was personally killed by Sovereign Qixia. The grade of this cauldron has already exceeded that of a high-grade magic treasure, and it is only one step away from being a true artifact."

"You should take it and try!"

Luo Chen was stunned.

When he heard the name of the pill cauldron, he almost didn't react.

Qingyuan Cauldron!

Wasn't this the name of a magic treasure cauldron recorded in the "Detailed Explanation of Pill Dao by Qing Yuanzi" that he had obtained from Mi Shuhua?

In that pill explanation, Qing Yuanzi mentioned that if he succeeded in forming his core, he would choose the Qingyuan Cauldron as his natal magic treasure in the future.

Now...

"Could it be that the owner of this cauldron was that Qing Yuanzi?"

"A loose cultivator, Nascent Soul stage... Good heavens, how lucky was this person to be able to cultivate to such a realm, and yet how unlucky to have been personally killed by Sovereign Qixia."

As thoughts surged in his mind, Luo Chen had no intention of guessing too much.

He directly took the Qingyuan Cauldron.

Fine!

Since you insist, I'll give it a try!

Anyway, it's not my savings that are being wasted.

Luo Chen couldn't be bothered to argue, set a date for opening the furnace to refine pills, and bid farewell to return.

Half a month later, Luo Chen, having processed all the materials, opened the furnace to refine pills in the Duozhen Hall.

This time, there were no other low-grade flying birds watching.

Only Qing Shuang, Master Youquan, and the odd-jobber He Qingzi were present.

The half-true-artifact Qingyuan Cauldron landed.

The withered-prosperous true fire ignited in an instant.

Luo Chen flicked his finger, and the essence blood containing Tian Yezi's Nascent Soul power was the first to fall into the cauldron, followed by the addition of various auxiliary materials.

During this process, Luo Chen's wrists turned constantly, his fingers dancing nimbly like embroidery, casting one pill-refining technique after another.

Under his control, the medicinal materials in the cauldron began to slowly quench, purify, and fuse.

Master Youquan watched this scene with slight nervousness.

Sovereign Qixia didn't care about the development of the Cangwu Mountain holy land, and Qing Shuang only cared about her personal cultivation, but she couldn't!

There were too few powerhouses in the Duozhen Hall.

It was far from meeting the standards of a Soul Transformation holy land.

If she could refine the Transformation Pill, she could select seedlings from the Grade 3 demon beasts and cultivate them.

Given time, she would surely be able to cultivate a large number of Nascent Soul-level demon cultivators.

By then, Cangwu Mountain would grow and prosper, and Sovereign Qixia would likely be very pleased.

She actually knew some pill-refining techniques herself, but it was limited to the introductory stage.

This path relied too much on talent and practical experience.

Master Youquan simply didn't have that much time to refine pills over and over again to improve her proficiency.

And human pill-refining masters at the Nascent Soul stage were not easy to control.

Luo Chen was the most suitable candidate in her mind.

"I hope he doesn't pull any tricks!"

Just as Master Youquan muttered in her heart, time passed slowly.

In the blink of an eye, five days passed.

In the Duozhen Hall, a burnt smell suddenly emerged.

Master Youquan's face changed slightly, "It failed just like that?"

She had observed very carefully; from beginning to end, Luo Chen hadn't played any tricks but had been refining the pills earnestly.

With her limited knowledge of pill dao, she could clearly see that every time he cast a pill technique, Luo Chen had achieved perfection.

Even so, it still failed?

She found it hard to accept.

Luo Chen felt a bit of regret, but his state of mind was very peaceful.

"Failure is to be expected; how could it succeed on the first try?"

He cast a spell, and a pitch-black liquid flew out of the Qingyuan Cauldron.

Grabbing it in his hand, Luo Chen carefully observed and analyzed it.

After a while, he gave the reason for the failure.

"The Nascent Soul power is too powerful!"

"Even if it's only a trace, it's very difficult for me to master. Especially since I have to ensure that the nature of this power remains intact, it's even more difficult."

"Moreover, this Qingyuan Cauldron is of too high a grade and is a wood-attribute magic treasure, which is incompatible with me. I haven't been able to familiarize myself with it in half a month."

"In addition, in the processing of the medicinal materials..."

One reason after another was stated, making Master Youquan's face look increasingly ugly.

Flying around the Qingyuan Cauldron twice, Master Youquan finally landed her feet on the edge of the giant cauldron.

"In the end, you just want to borrow the power of my Cangwu Mountain to refine your natal magic treasure, right!"

Under the other's direct gaze, Luo Chen nodded firmly.

"To refine a Grade 4 pill across levels, I must have a natal pill cauldron of my own. I hope the Hall Master will grant this!"

Master Youquan stared fixedly at Luo Chen, "You said it's incompatible, but the Hunyuan Cauldron you mentioned is a Five-Elements magic treasure. You are currently cultivating the fire system; is that compatible?"

Luo Chen smiled freely, "The Hall Master should know better than I do that my Nascent Soul is essentially still a Five-Elements Nascent Soul. My current cultivation is just borrowing a false path to cultivate the truth, using a false fire-system Heavenly Spirit Root to cultivate. The natal magic treasure that best suits me is still one that possesses all five elements."

The "Heavenly Phoenix Nirvana Scripture" was just that perverted!

Without changing the essence of the Nascent Soul, it simulated a single fire-system Heavenly Spirit Root, thereby increasing cultivation speed by several or even a dozen times.

As the one who gave this scripture, she surely knew better than anyone.

Silence was the theme of the moment.

Finally, a cold female voice broke the awkwardness.

"It's just a natal magic treasure; Master Youquan, you should just grant it to him!"

Master Youquan took a deep breath and snorted coldly, "Troublesome!"

Seeing this, Luo Chen couldn't help but reveal a look of joy.

"In that case, thank you, Senior Qing Shuang and Hall Master Master Youquan, for your grace!"

Troublesome, it was indeed very troublesome.

Asking Tian Yezi to help refine a magic treasure meant restoring a certain amount of his strength.

In this way, there would be many variables.

However, the Transformation Pill was the top priority in Master Youquan's plan, and now that there was an opportunity, she was certainly unwilling to give it up.

Therefore, she had no choice but to ask Qing Shuang to help her monitor Tian Yezi.

In the prison, under the gaze of Luo Chen and Qing Shuang, Tian Yezi silently took the blueprints for the Hunyuan Cauldron.

After a brief glance, he said coldly, "No need to look, I have refined this Hunyuan Cauldron before. Just prepare enough materials."

Having said that, he looked at Luo Chen.

"The things you promised?"

Qing Shuang flicked her hand, and a medicine bottle landed on the ground in front of Tian Yezi.

Tian Yezi silently picked it up.

"Luo Chen, they are really good to you!"

Luo Chen acted as if he didn't hear the sarcasm in his words and began to take things out of his storage ring.

The most basic Grade 1 and Grade 2 minerals, followed by the five major Grade 3 primary materials: Geng metal, black sinking wood, cold marrow, fire spirit diamond, and tracing mud.

There were many of them, with almost every type having more than ten portions!

Tian Yezi checked them slightly and revealed a look of satisfaction.

"You are quite well-prepared!"

Luo Chen smiled slightly, "Of course, when it involves a natal magic treasure, how can I not be well-prepared? I have some other good things here that can be added, please check them as well, Senior."

A large box of Profound Heaven Crystals!

Tian Yezi was somewhat surprised, "There are so many, comparable to the entire savings of a Golden Core sect."

An ice-cold jade bottle.

Tian Yezi opened it and sniffed, his eyebrows raised, "Grade 4 Ice Soul Cold Marrow, obtained from the Ice Fortress?"

Luo Chen nodded, and then, under the gaze of the two, solemnly took out a pure white flower that resembled a camellia from the Thunder Accumulation Treasure Ring.

The moment it appeared, a streak of incomparably pure lightning power emerged in the gloomy prison.

Electricity danced like lightning snakes, baring fangs and brandishing claws.

Tian Yezi's expression changed slightly.

Qing Shuang also revealed a look of interest.

Not only that, a powerful aura came from the corridor.

The Thunder Prison Divine Peng appeared abruptly beside Luo Chen, his eyes burning as he looked at the white flower.

"Millennium Lei Ying!"

Tian Yezi glanced at the Thunder Prison Divine Peng, then looked at Luo Chen and stroked his beard, saying:

"I am somewhat looking forward to this Hunyuan Cauldron of yours."

(End of chapter)