Chapter 659: Cultivating the Immortal Medicine, the Elixir of Undeath; Bidding Farewell to My Master, Entering the Tribulation

When He Lu Qilang drank the Immortal Wine, a flame-like fluid surged from his throat down into his belly.

That sip of wine pulsed with potent medicinal power, then a flood of spiritual energy erupted like a mountain torrent, surging upward and overflowing from his throat.

He Lu Qilang quickly clenched his teeth and pressed his palm over his mouth, trying to suppress the wine's qi.

Yet some of the wine's qi still spewed from his mouth—it was a divine radiance, like flowing, brilliant mist and aurora, radiating dazzling light!

He Lu Qilang felt that sip of Immortal Wine transform into rolling primordial qi, vibrant and teeming with life, nourishing his flesh and blood in ways beyond words. His dantian instantly filled with spiritual energy, which then spilled outward, surging through his meridians like a runaway flood.

The true qi in his dantian overflowed his qi sea; even a slight tremor seemed ready to burst forth from his acupoints.

Even some of his body's most hidden, sealed acupoints trembled, as if his body could no longer contain such potent medicinal power, forcing the divine radiance to seep into unopened hidden acupoints and hide there.

These acupoints, besides being buried deep within his body, also concealed themselves in the empty space around him, even upon his soul.

Among them was the Xuanguan acupoint Qian Yan Shixiong Chen had once opened!

At this moment, several Shaoying disciples stared in stunned silence at the divine radiance He Lu Qilang had exhaled—the mist and aurora lingered long in the air, flowing and coalescing into a divine tree seemingly woven from nine-colored light.

This divine tree resonated with the heavens and earth. The vast, indescribable Jianmu tree, suspended in the clouds, seemed to sense something and dropped a single thread of green radiance.

That thread of green radiance fell from the ninth heaven, startling many cultivators within the sea of clouds. It landed upon the floating mountain where Yan Shu's cave was located, settling into the courtyard of the small observatory where everyone stood. The green radiance flickered and merged with the divine radiance, stabilizing the misty jade tree on the verge of dissolving.

Then it dispersed into mist and sank into the ground, vanishing quickly. Beneath the courtyard's soil, something seemed to be gestating.

Yan Shu's expression turned peculiar as he pinched his fingers in calculation: "Huh… I'm going to grow a spirit plant in my courtyard! If I'd known the essence of the Immortal Tree could resonate with Jianmu the Zangshan Laozu, I'd have gone to my younger brother and plucked a branch to plant!"

"Foolish!"

A vast, overwhelming spiritual sense suddenly descended upon the floating mountain—its essence was so high that only Yan Shu sensed it.

Hearing those words, he quickly bowed: "Greetings, Jianmu Zangshan Laozu!"

Jianmu Zangshan Laozu sighed softly: "I never expected to sense the aura of an old friend today! Back when the Earth Immortal Realm was still called Honghuang, I, the Immortal Tree, the Everlasting Vine, the Peach Zangshan Laozu Root, the Ginseng Fruit Tree, and several other old friends could not meet face to face, but we still exchanged words through the flowers and grasses scattered across Honghuang."

"Now, we are truly separated by heaven and earth…"

The Zangshan Laozu sighed again, then said: "I missed my old friend's aura, so I sacrificed a thread of Jia Wood essence, transforming it into a spirit plant to keep me company. But don't you dare be clever and ask Dao Chen Zhu for a branch of the Immortal Tree to plant on me!"

"My old friend was struck by heavenly retribution, tainted by Gui Xu qi, the Dao of Destruction. This world no longer permits the existence of Immortal Medicines! Even it can only remain half-dead, half-alive from the backlash…"

"Unless taken to the Immortal Realm, this state is already the result of Western Kunlun Mirror's utmost protection!"

"For this, Western Kunlun Mirror specially sent it to Dao Chen Zhu, hoping to use Dao Chen Zhu to suppress that sliver of destructive qi!"

"With two sacred treasures guarding it, and resting in the only place in Gui Xu capable of containing it, it survives in this half-dead, half-alive state. But your old ancestor suffered the great calamity of Honghuang's shattering and was once tainted by the Nine Heavens' demons—I'm now extremely weak and cannot withstand the torment of destructive qi!"

"If you bring that thing back, I'll have no choice but to kill my own kin!" Jianmu Zangshan Laozu's tone carried clear warning.

Yan Shu shuddered and hurriedly said: "I would never dare!"

But Jianmu Zangshan Laozu's words had revealed much—not only had he mentioned Western Kunlun Mirror, he even knew about Dao Chen Zhu, the sacred treasure preserved by Qian Yan Shixiong's younger brother.

Yan Shu looked up, startled: "Zangshan Laozu, how do you know the Immortal Tree is connected to Western Kunlun Mirror?"

"Hehe…" Jianmu Zangshan Laozu chuckled twice: "Tao Tao Hongjing now controls a portion of the Wheel of Rebirth and has become a Wheel Walker—do you think I wouldn't know?"

"If I hadn't concealed your cultivation fluctuations, do you think your sudden surges in power would have escaped your sect master's eyes? Our Daoist sect holds authority over part of the Wheel of Rebirth. One of the Three Celestial Masters of Yuanshi Dao must be a Wheel Walker. And the main hall of Taishang Dao's Taiqing Sect is directly within the Wheel of Rebirth. The one who holds the authority over the Wheel of Rebirth for Lingbao Dao? That's me!"

"I know Western Kunlun Mirror and the others well. Remember to visit me often, help me complete a few tasks, and I'll reward you handsomely! Also—the Shaoying Sword was lost in the Wheel of Rebirth. You must find a way to retrieve it."

Yan Shu hurriedly replied: "I will do my utmost!"

"Good. With Dao Chen Zhu creating the burial soil within Gui Xu, the things I buried beneath the tree roots finally have a place to rest! No need to worry that after a nap, some demon will escape and cause trouble in your Shaoying again."

Jianmu Zangshan Laozu's tone grew cheerful: "The Dragon Clan also has deep roots. The Ancestral Dragon was one of the Five Ancient Emperors, equal in fame to your human Ying Emperor, both rebelling against the Divine Emperor. There remains a bond of incense and fire—thus Taishang left a single lineage of the Dragon Clan in the Earth Immortal Realm."

"You may scold them, but don't truly attack Long Gong. Otherwise, they'll summon the Ancestral Dragon's Dragon Pearl—and then I'll have to step in again! I'm too weak now to withstand even a few blows from it."

"Besides, with the Heavenly Court watching, you can't touch them. Killing a few young and old ones to keep them subdued for a few millennia is enough!"

With that, Jianmu Zangshan Laozu yawned and added: "When you have time, pour some of your wine over the spirit plant I planted. When it grows, it'll become a treasure for your Shaoying."

Yan Shu instinctively clutched the gourd at his waist and asked, startled: "Zangshan Laozu, isn't the Immortal Tree tainted by destructive qi? Doesn't it harm your true body?"

Jianmu Zangshan Laozu laughed, amused by his stinginess: "You think I'm short of your sip of wine? Your 'younger brother' is the one who received the Nine-Turn Elixir Scripture from Taishang Dao. He used the pool water beneath the Immortal Tree, combined with Langxuan Jade Fruit, Muhe, and other spirit herbs from the Western Western Kunlun, to brew this wine. It looks like brewing, but it's actually alchemy—he's already refined away the destructive qi, leaving behind a trace of Immortal medicinal power."

"Of course, compared to true Immortal Medicine that grants eternal life, it's still far inferior!" Jianmu Zangshan Laozu added, fearing he'd overpraised Qian Yan Shixiong Chen.

"Still, it's a 'minor Immortal Medicine'! One flask extends life by nine thousand years and has the wondrous effect of transforming yin into yang for those below the Nascent Soul stage! He meant to give you a gift!"

"This flask removes one of the six tribulations you must overcome to achieve Daoist Yangshen—it's equivalent to a fourth-transformation spirit pill!"

Here, Jianmu Zangshan Laozu chuckled: "But his brewing method resembles the Reversion Elixir technique. This flask of Immortal Wine must have retained the dregs from this batch's essence—using Chi Shui and Immortal Tree fruit to brew a second batch! That second batch is the one that truly dissolves the destructive qi from the Immortal Tree's body—the real minor Immortal Medicine!"

"I'm interested in that second batch. But it requires at least a thousand years of brewing to use time to wear away the destructive qi his insufficient power cannot remove!"

"A thousand years? That's short! If you can get me that second batch of Yu Yu Changsheng Wine, I'll produce one Jianmu Flower Fruit—and let your Shaoying gain a great advantage!"

Yan Shu sighed: "This is Qian Yan Shixiong's wine—I must ask him before I can answer you, Zangshan Laozu."

"My Jianmu Spirit Fruit is no less valuable than the Immortal Medicine's fruit!" Jianmu Zangshan Laozu insisted. "Exchange it for the Yu Yu Changsheng Wine—he won't lose out!"

After speaking a few words, Jianmu Zangshan Laozu's spiritual sense quietly departed, leaving Yan Shu alone, shaking his head as he lifted the blue jade gourd and sighed: "Younger brother… I thought this was just a fine wine… I never imagined…"

"Sigh… I owe my younger brother another huge favor—this one's hard to repay."

"Heh…" He glanced at He Lu Qilang, who sat in meditation, refining the Immortal Wine, and smiled: "But you've gotten lucky—you chose the best treasure in my courtyard."

Yan Shu had once refined this Immortal Wine himself and felt his lifespan extend and his soul transform into yang, but after Jianmu Zangshan Laozu's explanation, he realized the Immortal Medicine's most extraordinary trait was its extreme gentleness—even mortals without any cultivation could consume it.

Most of its medicinal power lay dormant within the body's acupoints, hidden in the most secret places—even the user couldn't sense it.

Thus, even a mortal who consumed the Immortal Medicine could achieve eternal life, but this immortality was extremely subtle, accompanied by transformation. As years passed, the body would slowly become an Immortal Body. The medicinal power could no longer be extracted—it would only slowly release during future cultivation. Even if a demonic master captured a mortal who had taken the Immortal Medicine, he could extract at most one ten-thousandth of its power, making it utterly worthless.

Such miraculous subtlety is why it's called the Immortal Medicine!

At this moment, He Lu Qilang had already refined over half the spiritual energy in his dantian.

His meridians, acupoints, and even parts of his organs slowly emitted divine radiance, glowing with spiritual light. Faintly visible was a swaying immortal lotus blooming in his chest and abdomen, its seed pod resembling a heart with seven apertures, concealing jade-like lotus seeds.

In his dantian, a ginseng had taken root; even beneath his third eye, within his purple palace, a divine light curled like a baby…

Luonan, a male disciple of Shaoying's inner sect, exclaimed in shock: "Human Great Medicine!"

Humanity is the most spiritual of all beings; within the human body naturally germinate certain wondrous spirit medicines.

For example, when a cultivator first enters the Dao, the golden saliva and jade fluid they swallow is a minor human medicine. Even this single minor medicine can refine the body's essence and qi, allowing humans to cultivate true qi a hundred times purer than beasts at the outset.

Later, there are the three yang fires on the shoulders, the metal qi in the lungs, the true fire in the heart, the true water in the kidneys, the wood qi in the liver, and even the hidden essence, the spirit's wisdom—these minor human medicines assist cultivators in attaining various spiritual arts and crossing critical thresholds on their path.

The reason demons and beasts crave human flesh is to steal these medicines. Many human cultivation methods require certain minor human medicines to pass key stages—thus, even if demons obtain the scriptures, they cannot cultivate properly.

So the Yellow Immortal seeks a blessing, stealing the "Hengha" medicine from the human throat and nose.

The Fox Immortal devours human hearts and livers, stealing the heartfire and liver wood!

The Human Great Medicine, however, gathers the essence of heaven and earth, cultivating the minor medicines into a transformative force—hence it is called Great Medicine.

Great Medicine is cultivated from minor medicines, absorbing heaven and earth's essence. Each cultivator's Great Medicine differs, and thousands have been passed down, but most arose from random chance. Only a few hundred have verifiable origins, each a secret transmission of their sect.

Human Great Medicine is crucial for Core Formation. Many cultivation methods achieve higher-grade cores because they cultivated Great Medicine.

One Human Great Medicine can raise one grade of Core quality. Yet He Lu Qilang, after drinking just one cup of wine, cultivated three Great Medicines!

The lotus in his chest and abdomen likely formed from the five viscera's elemental essence, nourished by golden saliva and jade fluid—this is an Essence Great Medicine. The ginseng in his dantian is probably formed from true qi—a True Qi Great Medicine. The infant in his third eye may be a portion of his primordial spirit cultivated through wisdom, Dao heart, and spiritual sense—a Spiritual Sense Medicine.

These Great Medicines are not yet mature, but already formed into shapes, they now draw upon He Lu Qilang's essence to grow. When he forms his Core, each one refined will be a great opportunity.

"He Lu Qilang will surely form a first-grade Core!" How could these Shaoying inner sect disciples not be stunned?

Even in Shaoying, a first-grade Core guarantees becoming a True Heir!

They all believed they could form upper-grade Cores, but a first-grade Core was exceedingly rare—few had full confidence. Seeing He Lu Qilang, after merely drinking one cup from Yan Shu's gourd, had already secured a first-grade Core, their gazes burned with longing toward Yan Shu's waist.

Yan Shu sighed helplessly: "We Shaoying cultivate the sword. If you think drinking this wine will effortlessly grant you a first-grade Core, even if you cultivate a thousand Great Medicines, you still won't be able to strike the one sword at Core Formation that fears neither life nor death!"

"And if you become obsessed with this wine, you'll never cultivate your own Great Medicine!"

These words struck the disciples, and they immediately bowed: "Thank you, Elder Yan, for your guidance! Shaoying disciples slay demons and eradicate evil, cultivating a single sword qi—we will never covet spirit medicines!"

Yan Shu glanced at He Lu Qilang, who was slowly awakening, waved his sleeve, and lifted him before he could bow, ignoring his thanks: "Hurry up and leave. The sight of you irritates me…"

Then he drove everyone out—telling them to depart quickly!

Watching them leave, Yan Shu sighed: "In my youth, I battled humans and demons hundreds of times, teetering on the brink of death, forging a single piece of divine iron in my chest."

"I trained my sword art diligently, cultivated a single sword qi, then, upholding the righteous path, studied Confucian texts, and performed acts of chivalry, nurturing a single righteous heartfire. Only after countless hammerings and temperings did I forge these three Great Medicines into a sword embryo, finally striking the sword that formed my Core!"

"I never imagined this brat could so easily cultivate three Great Medicines—how infuriating!"

He turned and asked: "Ning, what do you think?"

Ning Ning Qingchen had quietly descended the snowy mountain and arrived at the observatory. Hearing this, she smiled: "I had it harder than you, Brother. I worshipped the moon for decades before I cultivated a thread of lunar radiance in my eyes."

"Then I was accompanied by Feng Shi, listened to Qian Yan Shixiong's teachings, received his primordial Primordial Taiji energy, and gradually cultivated a trace of primordial yin-yang. Only after Qian Yan Shixiong foresaw my destiny and had me ascend Jianmu to condense the storm and calamity energy did I finally cultivate the Ice Soul energy and achieve a first-grade core…"

Yan Shu handed her the gourd and smiled: "Qian Yan Shixiong gave me this wine—let me share a cup with you to solidify your Core?"

Ning Ning Qingchen shook her head with a smile: "Qian Yan Shixiong told me this wine is meant only for those nearing Daoist Yangshen. My foundation still seeks purity—drinking this now would hinder me. When I achieve Yin Shen, he's already buried a bottle of Daughter Red on the Taiyin Star in Gui Xu—perfect for me!"

"Sī also has the same arrangement—her bottle still rests in the shrine, receiving worship, accumulating devotional power to become a ritual wine, destined for the Great Luotian Grand Rite, to drink with the gods!"

Yan Shu laughed: "Good Qian Yan Shixiong—everyone gets a share. I thought he brewed this specially for me because he knew I loved wine!"

Saying this, he walked to the spot where the divine radiance had fallen, poured a cup of wine from the gourd, and spilled it on the ground.

The wine instantly seeped into the earth, and from deep below came the sound of drinking—startling Yan Shu.

Most of the wine had been absorbed by Jianmu's roots beneath the earth; Jianmu Zangshan Laozu lazily exuded a thread of primordial Jia Wood qi, blending with the remaining wine to nourish the spirit seed.

The seed finally sprouted—a tiny tree, entirely jade-like, entwined with five-colored mist and aurora, emerged from the ground, growing rapidly until it reached Yan Shu's calves, emitting a faint, soothing fragrance that calmed the spirit. The tree breathed spiritual energy, astonishingly wondrous; the mist entwined in its leaves was medicinal, brimming with vitality!

Yan Shu covered the gourd's mouth and shook his head helplessly at the tree: "Zangshan Laozu, why must you do this?"

A sharp aura emanated from beneath the floating mountain, carrying a warning—Yan Shu fell silent.

The group heading to the Eastern Sea, after leaving Yan Shu's observatory, exchanged greetings and returned to their quarters to pack and prepare for departure.

Han Xiang returned to her master's cave and saw Jia Wu Yue True Person. She bowed low. Jia Wu Yue True Person stepped forward, gently lifting her up, sighing: "Why must you do this?"

"You know I've never liked her disposition. When I first saw you sisters, I saw you biting your lip as you practiced swordplay, your eyes resolute—I chose you at once. Your sister, meanwhile, flattered me endlessly, and I disliked her. It wasn't that you stole her place—it was my choice!"

"Though I am a woman, I've always favored the resolute. Those clinging, weak, beauty-dependent women—though most women in the world are like that—I simply dislike them!"

Jia Wu Yue True Person said: "I despise dependence on others. Even my sect master—if he tries to manipulate me, I'll draw my sword and challenge him!"

"I'm not asking you to take my sister—I'm asking you to discipline her!"

Han Xiang pleaded: "When my father was defeated by the Changming Sect, all of Qiongquan bowed to them. As the eldest daughter, I should have upheld our family's legacy—but my Master saw potential in me, rescued me from that sect, and brought me into Shaoying, where I came under his guidance."

"My younger sister was once spoiled, but her nature was good. These years, while sustaining Qiongquan under Changming's shadow, she absorbed their corrupt ways and developed many delusions."

"I can't help thinking—if she had gone to Shaoying back then, and I had stayed in Qiongquan, she would have been guided by our elders and never sunk to this! That's why many of our fellow disciples dislike her—but I cannot abandon her! I don't ask you to protect her—only to watch over her, and keep her from straying further!"

"Human nature is shaped by teaching, not born with the Dao-heart. We are blood kin—of course we must guide her onto the righteous path. How can we ignore her because of a momentary misstep and let her continue down this wrong road?"

True Person Jia Wu Yue, hearing this, softened her expression and patted Han Xiang's hand. "Though Han Fei has sought favor with Long Gong, she was trapped in Changming's corrupt domain—what else could she do? She has no true evil deeds. Her nature is merely weak—barely worthy of Shaoying's notice—and no more arrogant than many self-indulgent daughters from fringe clans on Yunhai!"

"Don't worry—I will teach her well. Shaoying has several sword arts for subduing demons. I'll petition the Sect Master for one and pass it to her—let her descend into the Earth Abyss to slay demonic cultivators. You've returned! I guarantee you'll get back a sister who is decisive, ruthless, and self-reliant! If she truly reforms her heart, I'll even ask several of my junior sisters to take her as their disciple!"

Han Xiang finally laid down her last worry, bowed deeply, and kowtowed: "Master, I'm off!"

"Go quickly—and return quickly!"

True Person Jia Wu Yue watched her disciple vanish into the clouds, then shot a blade of light skyward toward Shaoying Palace and shouted: "Sect Master, if my disciple fails on this journey, I will not let you off!"

"I'll go first and cut down those dragon whelps in Dulong Gorge to vent my rage. When I return, if you still give me no explanation, I'll seize the Dew-Collecting Plate fragments from those venomous dragons and head straight to the Eastern Sea myself!"