Chapter 658: Who Gave Her the Nerve (5K4)

Ye Lan looked toward the side table.

Although she had been blowing up furnaces the whole time, in truth she kept a clear count of how many portions of medicinal ingredients she had prepared in total, and how many she herself had used.

And now, apart from those she had used up, only a single portion of these ingredients was missing.

This showed that Shen Yi had picked up that thin booklet, casually flipped through a few pill formulas, and on his very first attempt refined such a flawless pill.

This was not something a mere smattering of knowledge could accomplish.

Pills meant for seventh-rank Taiyi Zhenxian were not considered high-grade on the Fifth Peak, otherwise they would not have been recorded in the introductory volume.

But the problem was, Shen Yi was not a disciple of the Alchemy Peak, had never studied the precious inheritances left behind by their Master and the others, and could not be judged by the standards here.

This single bottle of pills alone was enough to earn him an evaluation of outstanding natural talent in alchemy!

Just then, Ye Lan saw Shen Yi reach his hand toward the second thin booklet — it was the lower volume of the Four Images Pill Codex.

For some reason, her usually calm and unruffled heart suddenly panicked for a moment.

"Don't."

Ye Lan instinctively stretched out her palm and pressed down firmly on the back of Shen Yi's hand. Under his puzzled gaze, she bit her lip, then finally shook her head: "If you're interested, once we get back, if there's a chance I'll copy it out for you. Don't learn it on the mountain."

Such astonishing talent in the Dao of Alchemy — of course she did not wish to see it wasted.

But the timing was not right!

The matter of her accepting a disciple on her Master's behalf was already liable to cause misunderstandings on the Sixth Peak, making them think she had come back to seize power.

If the junior brother she took on also happened to excel in the Dao of Alchemy, then even if she were willing to offer an explanation, she would be unable to clear herself no matter what she said — others simply would not believe her.

Ye Lan was nominally still the Peak Master, and with her fifth-rank cultivation backing her, she naturally did not fear petty villains playing tricks in the dark.

But Shen Yi was different. Setting aside whether the Dragon-Tiger Dao Fruit could protect him, if it were exposed — a Puti Sect Arhat seeking to take a master under Shenxu Laozu — the matter would be impossible to explain.

Thinking of the worst case, those martial uncles and senior uncles — which of them did not have a few acquaintances in the Puti Sect? A little probing, and Shen Yi's affairs would instead be spread into the Puti Sect, backfiring and bringing great disaster!

One had to know that every peak had its corresponding resource allocation, abundant enough to support an entire lineage.

Wealth moves the human heart — how could those people be so willing to give it up?

"……"

Shen Yi's expression was calm as he met the gaze of the Miss before him. At such close distance, the worry in her eyes was plain for all to see.

After a moment, he suddenly smiled.

Although Ye Lan had always said she did not wish to fight, nor wished to seize anything, if that were truly the case, when she had once known she herself had no talent for alchemy, why bother opening those two introductory volumes?

Even if she did not care about those cultivation resources, did not care about this mountain, she still cared about that small courtyard on the mountain, and the statue of the Ancestral Master enshrined within it.

If that were so, why pretend to be so carefree.

The two shared the same goal — she wished to hold onto that small courtyard, while Shen Yi wanted the Grand Void Dao Fruit.

To achieve this aim, there was really only one condition.

That was to make Ye Lan's Ancestral Master a true Ancestral Master Peak Master, not an empty shell.

Of all the things Shen Yi was most wary of on this trip to Shenxu Mountain, it was the great disaster Ye Lan had once mentioned.

But now, having personally witnessed the current state of the Fifth Peak, he already had a rough guess.

All the peaks flourished, only the Alchemy Peak was withered and desolate.

What kind of matter could it be, that required a group of alchemists to bear the brunt, while the rest of the disciples remained completely unharmed?

If it were an outside enemy, would a dignified Daluo Immortal not dare to strike back in revenge?

There were only two possible outcomes — either the enemy had already been dealt with, or that person was someone even a Daluo Immortal could not afford to offend.

But if it were the latter, how would the Alchemy Peak dare to keep the statue of Ye Lan's Ancestral Master, and on what grounds would Ye Lan dare to wander the world?

It did not look as though the eight peaks shared a common hatred either.

All these factors stacked together — the answer was actually already quite obvious.

Compared to an outside enemy, an internal calamity was more likely.

"What's there to be afraid of looking."

Shen Yi broke free of Ye Lan's grip, casually picked up that thin booklet, turned, and left the Alchemy Workshop.

"……"

Ye Lan stared at the young man's departing back, lost in a daze.

A young cultivator who had fought his way out of a poor, remote backwater, and had earned the recognition of the Land God, Meng Xiuwen, and others — someone who handled matters cleanly and decisively, who bore enormous trouble without a change of expression.

A person like that was certainly no fool.

He surely knew what this matter implied, yet could still so casually take away that pill book.

Ever since her sect had undergone that incident — nearly wiped out — Ye Lan had not felt this… sensation of someone standing beside her in a long time.

That's right. What was there to fear.

It was Shenxu that owed the Fifth Peak, not the Fifth Peak that wronged Shenxu!

Even without fighting for any Peak Master position, the pill books in the Scripture Pavilion were left behind by her Master and fellow disciples. Shen Yi was her junior brother — on what grounds could he not read them!

"On what grounds should I not."

Ye Lan suddenly clenched her fist, glanced back at the several medicine racks, and with a petulant sweep of her hand gathered all the heavenly materials and earthly treasures atop them into her storage magic treasure, before striding out of the Alchemy Workshop.

The two left the Alchemy Workshop one after the other.

And those duty disciples who a moment ago had seemed to be dozing off immediately gathered together, took out jade slips, and began transmitting messages.

Soon, the young man from the small courtyard of the Alchemy Peak earlier hurried over.

"Martial Uncle Liu!"

The duty disciples guarded the Alchemy Workshop the two had just used, and ushered the young man inside.

"She was refining pills?"

"Send someone to ask our Ancestral Master Ye what pills she needs — whatever it is, send it all to her. Get this plague-god sent away as soon as possible. Just looking at her is irritating."

Liu Ruifeng let out a snort of derision. If that surnamed Ye had such ability, back then the Fifth Peak wouldn't have needed her father to act as its caretaker.

Oh, that's not right.

If Ye Lan knew how to refine pills, back then she would most likely have died cleanly along with her ill-fated master, saving a great deal of trouble.

"This disciple obeys." Several disciples on duty cupped their fists.

Nowadays the entire Fifth Peak is managed by Martial Uncle Ruifeng. If one really had to discuss it, he is the proper, legitimate Peak Master of the Alchemy Peak.

If not for his realm still being trapped at the Sixth-Grade Heavenly Immortal realm, long unable to pluck the Dao Fruit, Ancestral Deng Shibo Mu Yang would have long since put this matter on the agenda.

The crowd all surged into the Alchemy Workshop.

Upon seeing that pitch-black pill furnace, even these ordinary disciples couldn't help but laugh.

"Heh."

Liu Ruifeng rubbed two fingers along the furnace's rim, looked at the black ash on his fingertips, and a look of contempt welled up in his eyes. The worry in his heart finally faded by a few degrees.

With this kind of ability, anyone with a shred of self-respect shouldn't have come back to the Fifth Peak to embarrass themselves.

"Enough…"

Liu Ruifeng waved his hand, just about to dismiss the few people, when the corner of his eye caught sight of another pill furnace.

He furrowed his brow tightly, walked over slowly, and lowered his gaze to look inside.

This furnace was clean as if it had never been used. Inside the furnace there wasn't even the slightest wisp of medicinal mist or residue. But upon seeing the lingering trace of spiritual mist within, Liu Ruifeng's eyelid suddenly twitched violently twice.

He carefully sniffed that faint pill fragrance, and in the next instant, his entire face darkened.

To be able to refine a Seventh-Grade Immortal Pill to this extent… the one who came harbors no good intentions.

That vile woman truly returned harboring a malicious heart.

Wanting to stir up trouble by relying on a single pill refiner — surnamed Ye, you're dreaming!

"Go, keep an eye on that newly arrived youth for me. Every detail, report it all!"

Liu Ruifeng gritted his teeth in anger, spun around swiftly, and shot toward the Sixth Peak.

This matter must be reported to father immediately!

……

Divine Void Mountain, Alchemy Peak.

Within the Scripture Pavilion.

A group of disciples appeared to be flipping through alchemy texts, but in truth their gazes all unanimously fell upon that figure in the corner.

A handsome youth in ink-black robes leaned against the wall, his slender five fingers rapidly turning the pages. Every time he finished a book, he would close his eyes and meditate for a long while.

His expression shifted slightly.

When he opened his eyes, he would walk back to the bookshelf and take another alchemy text.

"What is he doing?"

Several disciples on duty exchanged glances. Although Martial Uncle Liu had said every detail must be reported, they truly couldn't make sense of the situation before them.

This newly arrived "Martial Uncle" didn't seem to be studying the Dao of Alchemy at all. Those alchemy texts, condensed with the essence of predecessors and obscure beyond words, couldn't last even a quarter-hour in his hands before being swapped out.

To say this person was casually flipping through them for fun, yet that meditative appearance of his did look rather genuine.

"Perhaps he's searching for something."

A disciple suddenly realized. The Fifth Peak was, after all, Ancestral Master Ye Lan's former sect. Perhaps there were some precious pill recipes left behind that only Ancestral Master Ye Lan would know of.

This person was putting on such an act precisely to conceal his true purpose.

Thinking of this, this disciple hurriedly tiptoed over, gathered up all the alchemy texts Shen Yi had previously flipped through, intending to take them back and report to Martial Uncle Liu.

However, as time passed, he finally discovered something off.

This person's act of flipping through books held no secrecy whatsoever — he simply took them one right after another. If one really had to follow him and collect them all… might as well just move the entire Scripture Pavilion to the Sixth Peak.

"Playing tricks." The disciple on duty gritted his teeth hatefully and left four characters in his small notebook.

"……"

Somewhere in the Scripture Pavilion, two people stood side by side.

One was the Third Peak Master, called Martial Uncle Qianfeng, and the other was that beautiful woman from earlier.

The two stood within the Scripture Pavilion just like this, yet seemed utterly silent and invisible, completely unnoticed by those around them.

"Junior Sister Jinxue, what do you think she came back for this time?"

Daoist Qianfeng silently watched that ink-robed youth, but his thoughts were not actually on him.

"I don't know. I only know that if this person keeps flipping through books, Yan Shidi Uncle Mu Yang is certainly going to be unable to sit still."

Daoist Jinxue smiled helplessly. This young man's cultivation was merely Taiyi Zhenxian; his every move was most likely under Ye Lan's direction.

Such behavior, rather than studying the Dao of Alchemy, was more like provocation.

What puzzled her was precisely this.

What is the point of Lan'er provoking Yan Shidi Uncle Mu Yang? Could it be that her cultivation has advanced, and she plans to anger Uncle Mu Yang into making a move — not competing in the Dao of Alchemy, but in magical combat?

Setting aside whether Yan Shidi Uncle Mu Yang, who has presided over two peaks for many years, would fall for such a crude provocation tactic.

How could the gap between an ordinary Dao Fruit and a Great-Grade Dao Fruit be so easily crossed?

Unless Lan'er has already comprehended the Grand Void Sword Fruit and stepped into the Fourth-Grade realm, she would have the capital to fight Yan Shidi Uncle Mu Yang.

"Regardless, the Alchemy Peak must continue to operate normally."

"The Tribulation Pills Master requires — not a single one can be missing."

Daoist Qianfeng let out a light breath. Among the eight peaks, only the Alchemy Peak cannot afford any problems.

If something truly goes wrong, the ones to suffer would be us disciples who inherited the Grand Void Dao Fruit.

Divine Void, Divine Void — the most terrifying part is that word "Void."

It can represent the spirit roaming the Grand Void, directly inquiring into the Great Dao, or it can become sinking into delusion and illusion, unable to transcend.

The next moment, Daoist Qianfeng produced a jade slip and raised an eyebrow. "Tsk, the Eight Peaks Council — couldn't sit still after all."

As his words fell, the two exchanged a glance, and their figures slowly dissolved on the spot.

"……"

Meanwhile, Shen Yi, who had been tucked in a corner, finally lifted his gaze and cast a glance toward that empty spot.

He didn't care about the messy affairs of Divine Void Mountain — he only sought the Grand Void Dao Fruit.

It's just alchemy, how hard could it be.

【Remaining Demon Longevity: Two Tribulations】

Shen Yi withdrew his gaze, looked at the demon-lifespan remaining on the panel, and couldn't help but rub his brow.

Tsk, really tough…

After mastering the introductory volume of the Four Symbols Alchemy Tome, the ancient texts in the Scripture Pavilion were finally no longer an unreadable heavenly scripture.

But being able to read them was one thing — to truly master this roomful of books was, for Shen Yi, honestly a bit too much to ask.

Faced with these obscure works, his claim of "knowing a little" had truly become reality.

The upside, though, was that he'd learned a great pile of miscellaneous pill recipes.

Not to mention anything else — as long as there were enough heavenly materials and earthly treasures, at the very least he could now help the East Dragon King regrow a physical body without issue, and might even be able to break through to Taiyi Zhenxian.

As for Senior Xuanqing, that was a bit harder — after all, Blood Rebirth still required a drop of blood, yet the man didn't even have ash left, only a wooden shell remaining.

"A little more."

With no choice, he could only urge Lady Qinghua to push the progress along.

……

Apart from Divine Void Mountain, atop the highest mountain peak.

No longer a shabby little courtyard like Alchemy Peak's, but a grand, imposing great hall.

In the somewhat dim hall, there were only eight chairs.

At this moment, a figure sat properly on each chair.

Among them, however, was a young, pretty Miss who looked far too immature — somewhat out of place beside the others.

Apart from her face, the aura lingering about her ranked at the bottom among the eight.

But setting alchemy aside, even disciples who disliked this Miss the most would not dare look down on her in terms of realm and strength.

Being able to take her place among these seven ancestors as a third-generation disciple already said everything.

Without having plucked a Dao Fruit, let alone being the disciple of Alchemy Peak's ancestor — even a biological daughter — she wouldn't dream of sitting in that seat.

"Uncle Mu Yang, everyone's here. Whatever you want to say, you may speak."

At the head seat, an old man whose face had already taken on a decayed look — alive or dead hard to tell — slowly opened his eyes.

Don't be fooled by his appearance — the instant he opened his eyes, nearly everyone felt a thick pressure bearing down on them.

"……"

Hearing this, a middle-aged man with a long beard and proper features carrying a touch of scholarly elegance slowly lifted his gaze and cast his eyes toward the Miss opposite.

"To answer Zhu Shixiong, Uncle Mu Yang merely thought of the bond between fellow disciples of the Eight Peaks, and didn't wish to make things too ugly."

"Therefore, I've called everyone here today so we can sit together, shut the door, and ask a few questions."

Hearing this, the other Peak Masters all looked away, too lazy to involve themselves in this mess.

"I want to ask."

Daoist Uncle Mu Yang slowly rose to his feet, his gaze shifting from looking level at the Miss to looking down at her: "Since you left, why did you have to come back? Stirring up panic, rumors flying everywhere — is it so you can have every disciple gossip behind our backs, saying the ancestors are at odds like wild dogs fighting over scraps, making Divine Void Mountain lose all face?"

His voice grew deeper and harsher: "Is this what you've been pursuing?"

Under such questioning, Ye Lan fell into thought. After a moment, she lifted her head slightly: "What rumors?"

Hearing this, a cold smile crept onto Daoist Uncle Mu Yang's face: "Playing dumb. In just two days, throughout the Eight Peaks — including third-generation disciples — everyone's been talking, saying you mean to come back and retake control of the Fifth Peak."

"Do you dare say this wasn't done deliberately by you?"

Ye Lan listened quietly, her tone still flat: "Retake control? So I've already been expelled from Divine Void Mountain?"

"You—" Daoist Uncle Mu Yang froze for a beat, then knit his brows tightly: "Don't be so sharp-tongued. Back then it was your own inability to manage Alchemy Peak — you can't blame anyone else."

At these words, the other Peak Masters slowly turned their gazes toward Ye Lan.

Master Jinxue, who sat closest to her, gently patted her shoulder: "Lan'er, you know how important Alchemy Peak is."

"So…"

Ye Lan finally rose to her feet, her gaze level with Uncle Mu Yang's: "What exactly did I do? Because I can't refine pills, I can't even return to the sect; because I can't refine pills, the courtyard my Master left behind now belongs to someone else; because I can't refine pills…"

"Even my Master's statue has to be replaced with one of you Uncle-Deng Shibo Mu Yang."

"So tell me — can you refine pills?"

Ye Lan's voice stayed calm, as if she were merely asking an ordinary question — until that last line, which made Daoist Uncle Mu Yang's lips twitch sharply twice.

She quietly stepped forward, walking to the center of the hall, a little closer to Uncle Mu Yang: "After what happened back then, did a single one of you consider my feelings, offer me a word of comfort, or leave me time to recruit disciples and revive Alchemy Peak?"

"No. You all couldn't wait to seal the mountain gates and bury the scandal at home."

Before her words had even faded, that half-dead old man's gaze suddenly turned sharp: "Enough!"

"Heh."

Ye Lan stepped forward again, stopping about a zhang-plus from Uncle Mu Yang: "You can't refine pills either, yet everything you did, I could have done too… In just three days, you sent people to take over the entire Alchemy Peak. All my fellow disciples perished, and I wasn't even given the right to mourn for three days."

"……"

Daoist Uncle Mu Yang forcibly shifted his gaze toward the old man at the head seat and laughed coldly: "Lan'er's wings have truly hardened now — she won't even listen to you, Zhu Shixiong."

"I indeed can't refine pills, but my son Ruifeng is now the only person on the entire Fifth Peak capable of refining Tribulation Pills."

"I'd like to ask — he has taken on the duty of Peak Master, yet here we have someone who enjoys the name of Peak Master, and now even wants to take back the Peak Master's authority. Is that fair?"

At these words, the other Peak Masters fell silent in unison.

Ye Lan closed her eyes and softly exhaled a breath. "You're wrong. I never wanted those things. Before, I only wanted that courtyard, and my Master's Ancestral Statue. He is the true Ancestor of Dan Peak—his life's work became the ten thousand volumes of alchemy texts in the Scripture Pavilion. To enjoy a little worship from his disciples—is that really too much to ask?"

Hearing this, Daoist Uncle Mu Yang's expression suddenly brightened.

He had never expected this junior to actually back down—was she planning to hand over the Peak Master position completely?

But very quickly, he sensed something was off. "Before? So what do you mean now? Of the conditions you just raised, I can agree to most of them. That courtyard—no one else will touch it. Zhu Shixiong-Brother's Ancestral Statue can stay in the courtyard, but disciples cannot be allowed to worship it. Divine Void Mountain can no longer remember your Master. You're this old now, you should know better—understand…"

"…"

Ye Lan shook her head, cutting off his words.

On her pretty face, for the first time since stepping into this great hall, a smile appeared. "Right now, I only want to remind you of one thing."

"What thing?" Daoist Uncle Mu Yang narrowed his eyes slightly.

"What I want to say is—the rumor you mentioned earlier is actually not a rumor. It's true."

Ye Lan withdrew her smile, finished speaking word by word, her gaze quietly sweeping over everyone present. Then, without lingering, she walked straight out of the great hall.

If it's not a rumor, then she truly intends to take back the Peak Master's authority and regain control of the Fifth Peak!

Everyone stared at her departing back, their expressions suddenly turning strange.

Back then, when facing Yan Shidi Uncle Mu Yang's actions, Ye Lan had been like an innocent child who knew nothing of the world, able only to leave Divine Void Mountain in dejected sorrow.

Now that she had returned, where did she get so much confidence? Who exactly gave her that confidence?

(End of Chapter)