Chapter 880: What You Lack Comes to You

Poison…

He Pingsheng thought of a possibility!

Long ago, he had entered the Dao hall of the Emperor of the Netherworld, and within that hall lay an extremely advanced source of toxicity.

Later, Nan Qiqi had given that source of toxicity to He Pingsheng.

Now that he thought about it, that source of toxicity must have been brought back by the Emperor of the Netherworld from the Western Extreme Continent.

Poison!

The Ten True Poisons!

This thing still held great appeal for He Pingsheng.

After all, he was a master of poison.

Moreover, as his cultivation base advanced, his body refinement technique had stalled, and the primary reason was the lack of a corresponding high-grade source of toxicity.

For instance, now, when He Pingsheng cultivates his body, he can use seventh-rank poison sacs.

But the problem is, each seventh-rank poison sac means he must slay a Body Integration cultivator who is also a venomous beast.

A Divine Emperor.

Not to mention the karmic retribution such an act would invite, the key issue is that such beings are hard to find.

Even if he found a few, it would be far from enough.

Opened two hundred years from now?

Should he go?

Regardless of whether he should go or not, securing the Golden Bitter Token first was essential.

"Good!" He Pingsheng took the Golden Bitter Token and said, "Thank you… This matter between us is now fully settled!"

Hearing He Pingsheng say this, the Divine Thunder Demon Emperor exhaled in relief.

That was exactly what he wanted.

"Fellow Daoist, take care!" The Divine Thunder Demon Emperor bowed to He Pingsheng. "I won't keep you—I must also pack up and leave this place!"

"Someone new should become Demon Emperor here soon. I hope you get along well!"

"Huh?" He Pingsheng asked, "Are you leaving?"

"No need," the Divine Thunder Demon Emperor said. "He Pingsheng isn't the type to slaughter to the last. Since our grudges and karmic debts are now canceled, you be your own Demon Emperor, and I'll remain a free cultivator—we can coexist just fine."

"It's none of your business!" the Divine Thunder Demon Emperor said. "First, because of what that Tian Yuan beast did, my foundation here no longer exists!"

"Since my foundation is gone, it's better I leave voluntarily than be driven out by some Mahayana Emperor."

"Second, this Lei Huang Continent is far more complex than you see—endless covert struggles, conflicts between the Qilin Clan and our other divine races, countless others!"

"In short, I can't stay here anymore."

"No need to see me off!"

Since the Divine Thunder Demon Emperor said so, He Pingsheng had no grounds to object. He bowed politely and departed.

…

"Boss, this woman is an outsider—I've already kept her steady. She's still at the Jiaoyisuo!"

In the Tai Xu Alchemy Shop, Hu Chen wore a sly grin.

He Pingsheng frowned: "An outsider? How do you know she's an outsider?"

"She's definitely an outsider!" Hu Chen said. "Think about it—she came seeking pills. Instead of coming straight to our alchemy shop, she rushed to the Jiaoyisuo. Isn't that the mark of an outsider?"

"Who who knows the Imperial City inside out would go to the Jiaoyisuo?"

He Pingsheng nodded. "That does make sense."

It turned out a Mahayana Emperor had suddenly appeared at the Shanquan Jiaoyisuo.

This female Mahayana Emperor carried a heavenly treasure He Pingsheng and Hu Chen desperately needed: the Ten-Thousand-Year Crimson Spirit Tangerine.

She had brought out the Ten-Thousand-Year Crimson Spirit Tangerine, seeking to exchange it for an eighth-rank elixir: the Soul-Returning Pill.

Hu Chen wanted to keep the Ten-Thousand-Year Crimson Spirit Tangerine, but he had no Soul-Returning Pill—and worse, he'd never even heard of such a thing. So he detained the woman at the Jiaoyisuo and rushed here to fetch He Pingsheng.

"I'll go with you."

He Pingsheng stepped forward immediately and arrived at the Jiaoyisuo's entrance.

The two soon entered a private chamber.

"Honored guest, apologies for the wait… I've brought you a master alchemist!"

Hu Chen stepped forward with a wide smile.

Oddly enough, though his grin was sly, his service to guests at the Jiaoyisuo was perfectly calibrated.

He Pingsheng looked up and saw a woman in green robes seated at the head of the chamber.

Her expression was solemn, radiating a chill aura.

She was beautiful, but cold and distant—an ice maiden who kept all at arm's length.

Simultaneously, He Pingsheng's spiritual sense swept lightly over her, revealing her cultivation level.

Mahayana Emperor, seventh layer!

Such a level was terrifying.

"Disciple He Pingsheng, greetings, Elder!" He Pingsheng bowed respectfully.

The woman nodded. "Sit. I am Bing Xuan. You may call me Elder Bing Xuan."

"Yes!" He Pingsheng said. "Elder Bing Xuan."

"Can you brew eighth-rank elixirs?" Bing Xuan asked He Pingsheng.

He Pingsheng nodded. "My spiritual sense is naturally strong—I can brew elixirs beyond my level. If you have the materials ready, I can brew you the Soul-Returning Pill!"

"But forgive me for saying so—if you wish to summon back a soul, the Soul-Returning Pill must be of supreme quality."

"Do you… have the materials?"

The Soul-Returning Pill was an extraordinarily potent elixir.

A supreme eighth-rank pill that, when ingested by one who had lost their soul, forcibly dragged that soul back from the Six Realms, restoring life.

That was how potent it was.

But its ingredients were all yin-ming substances, extremely difficult to gather.

"No."

The woman shook her head, then slapped a dried, shriveled red tangerine onto the table.

Though shriveled, it was wreathed in icy mist, its rank reaching eighth tier.

It was precisely the Ten-Thousand-Year Crimson Spirit Tangerine He Pingsheng had long desired.

"I provide no materials. Just give me one pill."

"Take this!"

He Pingsheng smiled. "I'm sorry—I don't have it."

"Don't have it?" Bing Xuan's brow furrowed. "Fine. You're an alchemist. Tell me—do you know where to find it?"

"If you know, tell me. I'll reward you handsomely."

He Pingsheng still shook his head. "I don't know where to find it."

"The main and auxiliary ingredients for this pill are all heavenly treasures from yin-ming realms—nearly impossible to gather."

"That's why this elixir is exceedingly rare."

This pill differed from the Ten-Combination Pill He Pingsheng brewed earlier to restore Qiao Hui Zhu's soul.

The Ten-Combination Pill merely fused soul and body.

The Soul-Returning Pill pulled the soul directly from the Six Realms.

The difference was immense.

Moreover, though the Soul-Returning Pill was eighth-rank, it could only be used on cultivators below Soul Transformation.

"If you don't have it!" the woman rose, displeased. "Why waste my time?"

He Pingsheng reached out and placed his hand over the Ten-Thousand-Year Crimson Spirit Tangerine. "Elder, don't rush. I may be able to help you greatly. Sit down. Let's talk slowly."