Chapter 184: Fetal Medicine Refined, Star Monarch Seeks Talisman

Sanyin Temple, backyard.

"Sigh."

Old Master Chen let out a sigh.

It wasn't because of the changes in Ma Laodao; the way of incense offerings is not rare among cultivators in this realm. Some cultivators and spirits accept incense offerings to increase their cultivation, and it is even said there are secret methods to extend one's life through incense.

Even within the Profound Sects and Side Door sects, there are many methods of using incense to offer to Dharma Artifacts, Gu insects, or wandering ghosts, which can enhance their spirituality and power in certain aspects.

The way of incense is not an evil path, but it is strange and fickle, making it hard to distinguish good from bad. If one runs into some Side Door cultivators or spirits swindling incense, that's one thing, but if one encounters the little trinkets dropped by big shots of the Spirit Sect like the 'Life and Death Qi Huang Divine Monarch', then one's life and death become unpredictable—eaten clean, not even leaving behind bone shards, in the literal sense.

This Due Star Monarch has his roots in a Primordial Spirit True Monarch of Longhu Mountain, so theoretically, there shouldn't be any major problems.

Even if there were some problems, it certainly wouldn't be the True Monarch's problem.

For a Miscellaneous Cultivator and Corpse Dao cultivator like Ma Laodao, following the Star Monarch is actually a good thing; didn't you see his lame leg get healed?

Two placenta-based concoctions.

It's just that Old Master Chen should go to the Fuhu Altar in Xishan Prefecture less often in the future.

Or perhaps he shouldn't go at all; if he goes too often, he fears Ahu might misunderstand.

"I'm being wronged."

Deep in the quiet of the night.

There are still two Nourishing Qi Green Ganoderma Pills.

Chen Ci pulled at his hair, but actually, it wasn't necessarily certain; he had also stayed at Due Palace for a few days and was perfectly fine. As for those He Mountain Outer Transmission disciples in the various counties of Xishan Prefecture, who knows if the Star Monarch even looks at them? Does one really think a Primordial Spirit True Monarch of Longhu Mountain wants every crooked melon and cracked date?

A jar of corpse water.

What Chen Ci is somewhat worried about is that those cheap fellow disciples of his in Xishan Prefecture are not as loyal to He Mountain as he, the He Mountain Light, is. If they were converted by this Star Monarch and defected to another sect, then someone would definitely have to take the blame for this.

Two human bones.

Old Master Chen shook his head like a rattle-drum, then let out another heavy sigh.

He mustn't scare himself.

Don't look at how cultivators have vigorous vitality and can recover from most injuries; they cannot have lingering, crippling wounds. If one wants to be cured, nothing but a Treasure Pill that can regenerate the crippled and fill the missing will do. Being able to serve as a chicken or dog under a Primordial Spirit True Monarch is an opportunity that ordinary Side Door Miscellaneous Cultivators couldn't snatch even if they wanted to. Even if there is a price to pay, Ma Laodao wouldn't have any grievances against Chen Ci.

That Longhu Mountain cultivator is truly harmful, speaking only half a sentence and leaving your Old Master Chen to guess, guess, guess. Now look at the mess.

Who will take the blame?

"What does this have to do with me? What is my cultivation level? What is my status? I won't take the blame, I won't."

Sigh.

Pill room.

Such a huge pot—how could the people at Fuhu Altar above be willing to take the blame? They might just plot against a loyal subject. Poor He Mountain Light, having failed to achieve his ambition before even starting, might suffer an unjust grievance just because he spoke a word too many out of concern for his sect.

Since he should go to Fuhu Altar less in the future, and this Nourishing Qi Green Ganoderma Pill is the first high-quality Spirit Pill Old Master Chen has ever refined—not some cheap goods like the Yellow Sprout Pill—its final destination can only be to assist Old Master Chen in his cultivation.

As the leader of the He Mountain Sect in Xishan Prefecture, Fuhu Altar should be able to shoulder the blame, right?

Chen Ci sat upright before the small cauldron, with some ordinary Qi-supplementing medicinal herbs laid out to the side, the kind that isn't worth much money.

"Do not hide illness from the physician."

After a moment of silence, Chen Ci did some mental preparation and encouraged himself: "Longevity is difficult; as a Side Door cultivator, we can lower our bottom line a little more."

At least Old Master Chen doesn't eat people to practice, nor does he kill people to refine techniques; he is already a moral model among the Side Door, what more do they want from him?

A mere medicinal primer, just refine it.

Seeing this, Chen Ci exhaled a breath of turbid air and began to carefully decoct the medicinal primer for the Nourishing Qi Green Ganoderma Pill, following the pill formula in the Sanyin Qi Consumption Method.

The meaning of a medicinal primer is to guide the medicine to the meridians, allowing the efficacy of the pill to reach the designated meridians and internal organs, acting as a guide. Some can also enhance efficacy, detoxify, or provide protection. Different pill formulas require different primers, and the effects vary. Without the correct primer, the efficacy of the Spirit Pill might not only be discounted but could even have adverse effects on the cultivator.

In some pill formulas, the primer is even called a 'Fetal Medicine', meaning the foundational medicine of the Spirit Pill; in short, it is very important.

Chen Ci first placed some Qi-supplementing herbs into the small cauldron, added mountain spring water, and began to decoct. When the heat was just right, he added the Sanyin medicine and waited quietly for the primer to take form.

Refining this primer does not require the assistance of pill techniques; it is somewhat like boiling traditional medicine in the mundane world, only with stricter requirements for the order and quantity of the herbs. Furthermore, while refining the medicine, one must recite the Sanyin Scripture, which is the opening outline of the Sanyin secret method.

As Chen Ci closed his eyes and recited, before long, the pill room was filled with a strange, foul stench. Anything related to corpses never smells very good.

Chen Ci could only frown and endure it.

After about half an hour, the foul stench in the room suddenly began to fade and disappear, leaving only a faint odor, roughly equivalent to the lingering smell of certain specialty foods. Chen Ci opened his eyes and lifted the cauldron lid; the various herbs inside had inexplicably disappeared, leaving only a layer of semi-viscous, grayish-black medicinal liquid that had been decocted, amounting to about a bowl when poured out.

"Chicken soup... no, the traditional medicine is here!"

Chen Ci sniffed it; the smell was a bit strange, but not nauseating. He had already prepared himself mentally, the Spirit Pill and the primer were both ready, what was there to be squeamish about?

As a minor Side Door cultivator, he didn't have the right to be squeamish.

One Nourishing Qi Green Ganoderma Pill, one bowl of Sanyin medicinal primer—just do it.

Ugh~

As the Spirit Pill went down, Chen Ci forcibly suppressed his nausea, closed his eyes, focused his mind, and began to consume Qi and practice the technique, circulating his Nether Yin True Qi.

A wave of yin coldness suddenly rose in his abdomen, chilling him to the bone, and began to invade his entire body along with the Nether Yin True Qi. The color on Chen Ci's face visibly receded, replaced by a layer of pale blue-white.

Five Aggregates Yin Demon Art (Fragmentary): 43/100 (Consuming this Spirit Pill, one pill can equal two months of effort)

Three hours later, Chen Ci slowly opened his eyes, felt the restless but clearly improved Nether Yin True Qi within his body, and felt a bit emotional—it just goes to show that Han Tianzun's path is viable.

Although the True Qi obtained might have an unstable foundation.

Although one might be unable to subdue the True Qi throughout the body when establishing the Dao Foundation.

But just ask yourself, isn't it fast!

Chen Ci was just about to stand up when he inexplicably felt a sense of stiffness. Looking down, he saw his Daoist robe was covered in a layer of white frost, with cold, forest-like energy and what seemed like ice mist swirling. He simply shook his sleeves, took out a Soul Fixing Talisman to dispel the evil energy of the corpse pill, and only then stood up and left the pill room to get some air.

"Hoo~"

Chen Ci watched the night sky for a while, hands behind his back, silent. How to put it? Once the Nourishing Qi Green Ganoderma Pill was taken, he was likely no different from other Side Door cultivators, and his mindset had completely opened up.

The road to Longevity is difficult. A major Side Door sect like the He Mountain Sect hasn't produced a Primordial Spirit True Monarch in over three thousand years. A minor Qi-refining cultivator like Old Master Chen naturally doesn't have much room to pick and choose. As for proper Spirit Pills and Treasure Pills, the disciples of the major Profound Sects don't even have enough to eat, so how could it ever be his turn? Even if he diligently practiced the Small Heavens Qi Absorption Pill Method, being self-sufficient with pill formulas and materials would be enough to give Chen Ci a hard time.

Corpse Ganoderma is truly something that can't be brought to the table and can't be sold for a good price. If it had any use at all—for instance, if Longhu Mountain or some merchant guild were willing to acquire it—the Ma Family Village would never have taken it out to trade for Yellow Sprout Pills. In the sinking market of the cultivation world, only resources that major sect cultivators look down upon can give minor Side Door cultivators a chance to pick up scraps.

"Ten Nourishing Qi Green Ganoderma Pills are enough to open one aperture of Nether Yin True Qi; that's not bad at all."

"The main thing is that the Small Heavens Qi Absorption Pill Method is still only at the introductory level. The current production costs for Yellow Sprout Pills and Green Ganoderma Pills are still a bit high. Once I get through this period, it will be fine. Once the Soul Fixing Talisman Method and Wugui Fushen Fa make further progress, I will have completely secured my footing in the He Mountain Sect."

Chen Ci nodded and paced the courtyard for a long while before turning back to the quiet room to regulate his Nether Yin True Qi. He still had one Nourishing Qi Green Ganoderma Pill in his hand; he would rest for the night and take it tomorrow.

Chen Ci had not expected that after swallowing the second Nourishing Qi Green Ganoderma Pill, his Five Yin Demon Magic would actually break through an aperture, pushing his Nether Yin True Qi cultivation a step further.

Five Yin Demon Magic (Fragmentary): 44/100 (Five practices a day, one level of progress every six hundred days; consuming this Spirit Pill, one pill is worth two months of effort)

This is the good fruit of daily bitter cultivation and perseverance.

Ever since he switched to cultivating the Five Yin Demon Magic, regardless of whether he could feel progress, Chen Ci insisted on practicing Nether Yin True Qi every night without fail. He did not slack off in the slightest just because he had mastered the Five Ghosts Possession Method and could advance rapidly by consuming Qi and practicing the method in the state of a Yin Demon body. Through long accumulation, plus the few nourishing Qi pills he had swallowed earlier, he finally made a breakthrough under the effect of the two Nourishing Qi Green Ganoderma Pills.

"It's not easy."

Chen Ci felt the True Qi cultivation within his body grow thicker by a fraction, and after a long silence, he sighed in a low voice.

He used the Sanyin Qi Absorption Method as his foundation and the Outer Transmission of the side sects as his base. He had finally seized the opportunity to switch to cultivating Nether Yin True Qi, but the difficulty of cultivating Superior Grade True Qi far exceeded his imagination. Even if it was just a breakthrough of one aperture, the hardship and suffering involved far exceeded what outsiders could imagine.

Although it was only the work of one aperture and he was still taking the shortcut of Han Tianzun, no matter what, Master Chen had finally taken a step forward on the long road to Longevity. It was a joyous and congratulatory occasion.

"It's clearly a happy event, so why does Master feel like crying?"

Chen Ci felt a bit sentimental. The wind tonight was a bit boisterous, and there was sand in his eyes. After all, this kind of hardship would likely not be finished until he attained an Upper Grade Dao Foundation or a Perfected Dao Foundation.

"Let me warm and nourish the True Qi a bit more. By the way, why hasn't the next batch of pill materials from Ma Family Village been delivered yet?"

Chen Ci hummed. He would endure the bitterness of pill refining first; once he established his Dao Foundation, the good days would come.

As for the proper path of cultivating the Five Yin Demon Magic... sigh, it is too hard to grind. Besides having a long road ahead, there is only a long road ahead.

Two days later.

Chen Ci was in the quiet room, carefully polishing his Nether Yin True Qi and removing the toxicity and aftereffects brought by the Nourishing Qi Green Ganoderma Pill. With his current pill method and pill materials, he could produce a furnace of Nourishing Qi Green Ganoderma Pills in about three months. During this period, by properly regulating his True Qi foundation, he could surely minimize the problems of consuming such side-sect Spirit Pills.

But before the people from Ma Family Village could deliver the pill materials, Ma Laodao suddenly paid a visit, which made Chen Ci feel a bit surprised.

This fellow—cough, this Ma Daoyou, what is he doing running to my Sanyin Temple?

But surprise aside, he still had to see him. Chen Ci thought for a moment and had Qingfeng lead him to the main hall to serve tea, then suppressed the True Qi around his body and rose to head forward.

"Temple Master Chen, please forgive this old Daoist for coming uninvited."

Seeing Chen Ci emerge from the back, Ma Laodao stood up and bowed gently. His demeanor and behavior increasingly carried the air of a long-serving Temple Keeper; if someone else came, they would never believe this person had previously been a practitioner of the Corpse Dao.

"Ma Daoyou, there is no need for such courtesy."

Chen Ci raised his hand to return the bow. Just as he was about to speak, a strange look flashed in his eyes. He paused for a moment, then chuckled and said, "Daoist, please have some tea."

How did this old Daoist's True Qi cultivation grow so fast?

One must know that in Chen Ci's memory, this Ma Laodao's True Qi cultivation was only at about ten apertures. A few days ago, when he went to Due Palace, he felt that his True Qi cultivation seemed to have improved, but it was not obvious; rather, the recovery of his lame leg surprised him more.

But meeting him again today, this old Daoist's True Qi cultivation had already broken through twenty apertures, and his aura was quite stable.

How many days had it been? Three days? Five days?

If it were three years ago, Chen Ci, who only had a Five Yin Evil Qi Bag for protection, might not have been a match for this Ma Laodao today.

So, the path of incense and fire indeed has its unique aspects, but as for the gains and losses, that is hard to say.

The two exchanged a few polite words, and Ma Laodao got straight to the point: "This old Daoist came today to entrust Temple Master Chen with a matter: please give me a few Soul Fixing Talismans. They are of great use."

A few Soul Fixing Talismans?

Chen Ci's heart stirred. This was a small matter. Just as he was about to agree, he heard Ma Laodao say candidly, "However, this old Daoist has no extra assets and may not be able to give you, Temple Master Chen, much silver."

No money?

Chen Ci frowned slightly. He sized up Ma Laodao for a few moments, pondered for a while, and said, "It's just a few Soul Fixing Talismans; I will give them to you, Daoist. Are three enough?"

After speaking, Chen Ci took three Soul Fixing Talismans from his sleeve and handed them over. Although these Soul Fixing Talismans sold for a high price, the cost was not very high; the main profit was just the labor fee. It was only a few Soul Fixing Talismans, and since the other party was candid, Master Chen naturally had to follow his heart.

One must look at the face of the deity if not the face of the Dao.

"Thank you, Temple Master!"

Ma Laodao took the three Soul Fixing Talismans, but a look of apology appeared on his face. He said in a low voice, "This should be enough for now, but in a few days, it might not be enough. This old Daoist might have to trouble the Temple Master again."

"Huh?"

Chen Ci laughed in astonishment, but he was not angry. He just waved his hand and said gently, "Ma Daoyou, you are joking. My Sanyin Temple is small and poor. How about this: starting next month, your salary at Due Palace will be changed back to five Soul Fixing Talismans and ten Nourishing Life Pills. Is that acceptable?"

Good heavens, no wonder this fellow said he wanted to exchange all his salary for Nourishing Life Pills; it turns out he wants to eat well at Sanyin Temple, right? He's got something going on.

"This old Daoist needs these Nourishing Life Pills, and I also need the Soul Fixing Talismans, but the quantity is not enough. Can Temple Master Chen give me a few more?"

Ma Laodao spoke directly without concealment. At first listen, it sounded like he was provoking Master Chen, but his tone was gentle and candid, and he didn't seem like he was here to cause trouble. He hesitated for a moment before explaining, "This old Daoist truly has no extra assets, but this request for talismans is a decree from the Star Lord. Could you please accommodate me, Temple Master Chen? This old Daoist would be truly grateful."

(End of chapter)