Chapter 434: What Are the Side Effects?

"Strange, why do I feel a bit uneasy today, and my eyelids are twitching wildly…"

At the bottom of the Heaven-Reaching River, in a rather secluded water palace adorned with coral and aquatic plants yet unable to hide its exotic luxury, Inspiration King sits cross‑legged on a white jade couch.

Its massive body is draped in a brocade robe, its huge head covered with Scales, resembling a carp yet bearing a ferocious look; at the moment it presses its bald forehead with a Scale‑covered claw, muttering lowly.

It tries to wield demonic power, snapping its fingers to calculate the heavenly secrets, but the river surface seems shrouded by an invisible thin mist, yielding nothing—only a sense of Chaos.

"Perhaps my cultivation has become too eager lately? Or perhaps the Bodhisattva over there… has given some response?"

It shakes its head, suppressing the inexplicable unease, and consoles itself, "Never mind, if I can't calculate it, then it doesn't matter."

"When I have a few more years of consumption, I will thoroughly refine the innate Qi still lingering in children's bodies... Hmph, once my divine powers are fully realized, I'll find a chance, ride the sea tides, and slip back to the Southern Sea Purple Bamboo Grove unnoticed by gods or ghosts!"

Thinking of this, a hint of a personified "triumphant" smile appears on its strange face, as if it already envisions its glorious retirement and a "beautiful" future back under the Bodhisattva's seat.

"By then, I will still be that good fish with 'wisdom roots' who loves listening to the Bodhisattva's sutras and is deeply influenced by the Dharma! Who could know that beneath this Heaven-Reaching River I have done such a 'great deed'? Hehe…"

The more it imagines, the more delightful it becomes, and it plans to rise and head to a secret chamber deep within the water palace to sit in meditation and refine the recent "supplement" harvest.

At that moment, an extremely subtle yet unusually alluring strange fragrance, like a filament, threads through layers of water waves and seals, silently slipping into its nostrils!

"Hm?" Inspiration King stops abruptly, its huge nostrils flaring twice, a flash of startled doubt crossing its murky fish eyes.

"What is this scent? Such a clear, crisp, fragrant pill aroma! Compared to the mundane children's blood‑flesh essence, it's incomparably purer and noble—how many times!"

It immediately follows the source of the fragrance, releasing its spiritual sense to search carefully.

Soon, its gaze locks onto the outer part of the water palace, a corner near the riverbed's rocky wall.

There, a solid black rock formation, long eroded by currents, combined with the magical shock when it first opened the water palace, seems to have left some barely perceptible fine cracks.

And at this moment, that intoxicating fragrance continuously seeps out from those cracks!

"Oh? Could it be... that behind this rock wall lies some ancient relic or an ancient cave dwelling?"

Inspiration King's interest is fully piqued, greed overriding the earlier unease.

It shifts its massive form, which moves unusually agilely in the water, trailing a string of bubbles, and in an instant swims to the rock wall.

It extends a Scale‑covered claw and gently taps those cracks—

Crack... Sizzle!

The seemingly solid rock wall, under its tap, cracks like a crisp biscuit; the fissures instantly widen and spread, and then a massive slab of rock shatters completely, swept away by a rapid undercurrent, revealing a pitch‑black opening behind!

Beyond the opening, it truly is a cave dwelling sealed by rock layers for countless ages!

At the mouth, a faint, almost dissipated seal of spiritual light blocks the river water from flowing in.

Seeing this, Inspiration King rejoices, quickly casts a water‑repelling spell, completely draining the flow at the opening to prevent the interior from flooding. Eagerly, it crouches low and darts into the cave dwelling.

The interior of the cave isn't large, and its furnishings are rather simple. In the center stands a three‑legged bronze Dan Furnace about half a human tall; its fire has long been extinguished, yet the furnace body remains warm.

Next to it lies an old meditation cushion, several scattered Jade Bottles and a medicine pestle that have completely lost their spiritual aura, and in a corner a pile of drug residue turned into stubborn stones.

The entire cave exudes an atmosphere of age‑sealed dust, but stronger still is the almost tangible, soul‑shaking pill fragrance!

Upon entering the cave, the scent rushes forth like it has found an outlet, overwhelming Inspiration King from all sides!

It feels its demonic power enlivened, drifting as if about to become immortal, as if in the next instant it could shed its demon body and ascend on the spot!

This feeling is ten thousand times more pleasant than any number of boys and girls it has devoured!

"Treasure! Truly a world‑shaking great treasure!" Inspiration King is so excited that its fish whiskers tremble, and it dashes—three steps in the time of two—toward the bronze Dan Furnace.

It cautiously leans forward, peering into the interior of the Dan Furnace.

In the very center of the furnace's bottom lies a dragon‑eye‑sized pill, its whole body suffused with pure Golden Light!

On the pill's surface, nine unmistakably clear, enigmatic patterns—seemingly embodying profound Daoist principles—wander slowly like living beings!

"This... this this this..." Inspiration King widens its fish eyes, its breathing becoming rapid:

"Could it be... the legendary Nine‑turn Golden Core?! One pill that can instantly make one an immortal and grant a lifespan equal to the heavens?!"

The immense surprise overwhelms the last shred of its reason.

It extends its claw, eager to snatch the Golden Core.

However, the instant its claw touches the Dan Furnace's rim, a faint "buzz" sounds, and the furnace surface suddenly flashes a Golden Light membrane that briskly bounces its claw back!

Immediately thereafter, on the smooth inner wall of the Dan Furnace, rippling like water, rows of archaic characters appear:

【This pill was crafted by this humble Daoist over a thousand years, gathering celestial star essence, earth‑vein spirit marrow, nine‑orifice lingzhi, ten‑thousand‑year void green... totaling three hundred sixty‑five innate spiritual ingredients, combined with his own true fire of destiny, painstakingly refined through nine turns. Named the 'Nine‑turn Transformative Pill', consuming it can instantly achieve the Dao of an immortal, shedding mortal flesh, forging supreme immortal foundation, roaming the three realms, shining alongside the sun and moon...】

The text continues to appear, and further on seems a long rambling about the pill's effects, the hardships of its refinement, and notes for those destined to receive it.

In this moment Inspiration King is burning with impatience; there's no patience left to read this "nonsense".

Seeing the treasure within reach yet blocked by a seal, its ferocity erupts, caring little for anything else, it gathers all its demonic power, channels it into its claw, and again lunges fiercely at the Golden Core inside the Dan Furnace!

"Give it to me!"

This time, the golden light membrane merely flickered once before being forcefully shattered by its Frenzy‑driven demonic power!

Its claw snatches out the dazzling Golden Light, pattern‑wandering 'Nine‑turn Golden Core'!

The Golden Core feels warm and smooth in its grasp, its fragrance piercing the spirit; Inspiration King can no longer restrain itself, ignoring the still‑displayed characters on the furnace wall, it opens its large, sharp‑toothed mouth, tilts its head, and gulps the Golden Core whole!

Glug.

The Golden Core enters its belly, and an indescribable, world‑shaking vast power erupts within its body!

Inspiration King feels so comfortable it nearly moans aloud, sensing total ease, its demonic power skyrocketing wildly, even its spirit soaring!

Feeling triumphant, it looks at the Dan Furnace still displaying the rambling text and sneers:

"Why the chatter? It would have been better to let me eat this treasure outright! What are these tests and parting words for? They merely waste this King's time!"

"Now it is mine! Once I digest this Golden Core, I will truly be a practitioner of the immortal path, ha ha... huh?"

Its maniacal laugh abruptly stops.

Because a corner of its eye catches the final few lines of tiny characters on the furnace wall, something... seems off?

"Hm? What is a side effect?!"

【... However, this pill has a side effect... after taking the pill, the taker's original memories, temperament, and karma will completely dissipate, replaced by the lifelong cultivation insights and memories that this humble Daoist pre‑sealed within the pill...】

Inspiration King stood dumbfounded on the spot, as if a bolt of nine‑heaven thunder had struck his forehead.

"Damn… this damn thing is a body‑snatching!!!"

The once‑soaring, overwhelming medicinal power inside its body now seemed to have turned into countless tiny hooks and locks, crazily pulling, devouring, and covering its very soul origin and memory fragments! A cold‑to‑the‑bone sense of replacement and annihilation arrived with crystal clarity!

"No—!!!"