Chapter 244: Qiu Weifeng
The old man had a sturdy figure, clad in gray armor, with his white hair messily scattered behind him like a pile of stacked dead branches.
His gaze swept over the entrance to the Water-Fire Secret Realm, and his voice immediately rang out: “Chu Qidao, come in. With your cultivation, do you think you can hide from my eyes?”
“Disciple Chu Qidao pays respects to the Grand Elder.”
Chu Qidao’s figure appeared, his long robe fluttering in the wind, a faint smile on his face at this moment.
“No need for that. You are our sect leader, while I am merely a decrepit old thing on the verge of death.”
Qiu Weifeng shook his head slightly, then asked: “Which lineage’s disciple is Su Yan from?”
“From the Guizang Valley lineage, apprenticed under Gu Sanqian’s disciple.”
Qiu Weifeng frowned slightly and mused: “That kid Gu Sanqian…”
He had a deep impression of Gu Sanqian’s lineage—one sect with three prodigies, all with the potential to break through to the Golden Body Realm.
Unfortunately, Wang Xuanxing wanted too much and dragged himself to death in the Dan Qiao Realm. Even the sect sought life-extending spirit herbs for him, but in the end, he could not take that step.
Poison Dragon Daoist Tai Lingyue had a chance, but he left for the west and might not return.
“In my Beast King Sect’s generations past, how prestigious we were, yet now only this old immortal remains.”
Qiu Weifeng sighed: “Ninth Level of Dharma Aspect. You’ve reached the eighth level now, right?”
Chu Qidao nodded: “Peak of the Eighth Level of Dharma Aspect, but still a bit short of breaking through to the ninth level.”
“Fusion of Myriad Laws can forge the Golden Body—it cannot be rushed.”
Qiu Weifeng said: “Your Water-Fire Tenglong is only a fourth-order Calamity Beast now, its inner core not yet perfected, and its divine soul not at its peak. Continue tempering it. The old ancestor can hold on for a while longer.”
The Water-Fire Scaled Lion’s massive figure floated behind the Floating Mountain, its enormous body larger than a mountain range, its eyes red and black intermingled, falling upon Chu Qidao.
Its hoarse voice transmitted: “If I return to concealment, I can give my origin to the Water-Fire Tenglong without issue. It won’t take long for you and the Water-Fire Tenglong to both break through to the fifth order, but I’m afraid the Demonic Path won’t give us the chance.”
Qiu Weifeng’s eyes turned cold, killing intent fully revealed: “Do they really think I’m afraid of them? If not for the Undying Mountain Secret Realm trap, my Beast King Sect’s Martial Saints alone would be enough to sweep clean the Demonic Sect disciples in the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains.”
There is a Great Tomb in the mountains, hiding an immortal who does not die.
The legend of the Undying Mountain Secret Realm had circulated in the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains for an unknown tens of thousands of years.
It was originally just a legend, but unexpectedly, one day the Undying Immortal Mountain directly appeared in the depths of the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains.
Lingnan was shaken—not just Lingnan Prefecture, but nearly all eleven prefectures of the Dali Dynasty, countless tribes without end in the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains, and myriad old demonic titans from the Demonic Path all surged into the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains.
That year, the battles truly blackened the skies and darkened the earth. Some fought over the treasures of the Undying Immortal Mountain with utmost ruthlessness.
The Beast King Sect was originally in Lingnan Prefecture, the undisputed overlord.
The Lion King Martial Saint led the team straight to the Undying Immortal Mountain.
But unexpectedly, after several chaotic battles, the Undying Immortal Mountain erupted with myriad rays of rosy light, drawing everyone inside.
Survivors were few and far between. Even the Dali Dynasty’s emperor Li Tian, gathering the power of three Land Immortals—Great Evolution Daoist Gate’s Lu Yu Daoist and Longevity Pavilion’s white-clothed Sword Demon Liu Ruo—came seeking the Undying Immortal Mountain.
Yet unexpectedly, despite their combined bombardment and searching for several months, they found not a single trace.
After that battle, Lingnan Prefecture weakened.
Sects like the Nine Peaks Sect, Sword One Sect, Three Flames Divine Palace, and others gradually rose from that time.
“Elder Qiu, these are not the old days.”
Chu Qidao shook his head slightly: “The Demonic Path is stirring. Just to probe our depths, chaos will erupt at the Hundred Peaks Barrier, likely forcing the elder to act.”
A Golden Body Realm battle is not something to be taken lightly.
Sometimes a hair’s breadth difference is enough to set up a killing trap.
Thus, whether the Beast King Sect or the Demonic Sects, all scheme to force the other to reveal themselves first and probe their depths.
“Delay.”
Qiu Weifeng narrowed his eyes: “Delay until you can break through, delay until that kid grows up.”
Chu Qidao narrowed his eyes slightly: “That kid seems to be gathering materials for Seed Aperture Pills.”
“Then find an opportunity to give him more.”
……
Su Yan emerged from the Water-Fire Secret Realm, riding the Six-Winged Blood Centipede back to his Ten Thousand Insect Peak.
As soon as he landed, he saw two Cloud Piercing Sparrows perched on the eaves of his cave dwelling courtyard.
“Whoosh.”
The Cloud Piercing Sparrows flew over. Su Yan reached out to catch one and retrieved the message from its body.
“Reply upon emergence from seclusion—Xia Wan’er, Lan Yunyue.”
Su Yan took out Qi and Blood Pills, fed them to the two Cloud Piercing Sparrows, then said: “Notify your masters.”
The two Cloud Piercing Sparrows ate the Qi and Blood Pills and immediately took flight, heading outward.
Not long after, Xia Wan’er and Lan Yunyue arrived hand in hand.
Upon meeting, Su Yan was immediately given a white-eyed glare by Xia Wan’er.
“Breaking through quietly—Junior Brother, you are truly impressive.”
Both of them were still at half-step Dan Qiao cultivation, while Su Yan’s aura was long since as deep as an abyss, vastly different.
“If you two want to break through, wouldn’t it also be effortless?”
Lan Yunyue shook her head slightly: “True essence accumulation is still insufficient. Breaking through rashly would likely yield less than a four-revolutions golden core.”
“Qi Yufei broke through, but couldn’t even form a three-revolutions golden core. He was too hasty.”
Su Yan raised his gaze slightly and asked curiously: “Among the Tiger Ranking, who has broken through?”
“Yuan Yi broke through, but no one knows how many revolutions his core formation achieved. Given his Greedy Wolf physique and years of accumulation, probably at least four or five revolutions. Zhao Mingcheng and Suo Yunyi are still holding back, but not for long.”
Among Tiger Ranking Disciples, there were no few at half-step Dan Qiao or Spirit Merging Stage Perfection.
After emerging from the Blood Flood Dragon Secret Realm, all had gained many benefits and naturally broke through one after another.
Not everyone was like Su Yan and the others, insisting on nine-revolutions core formation to pave the road first.
For some, just finding the path was hardship enough, so they broke through first and sought further progress later.
“In this way, it won’t be long before the Tiger Ranking heats up again.”
Su Yan smiled: “Enough of this. How many materials for Seed Aperture Pills have you gathered?”
“Excluding Spiritual Aperture Illuminating Fruits, enough materials for two furnaces.”
Xia Wan’er released all the medicinal herbs from her storage ring, arranging them neatly by size.
For the breakthrough, Xia Wan’er had mobilized all her connections this month. Many items were traded from familiar senior brothers and senior sisters.
Lan Yunyue then released materials for three furnaces of Seed Aperture Pills: “I have one more furnace than Junior Sister Xia.”
“Five furnaces.”
Su Yan nodded slightly: “You two watch over the mountain peak. I’ll go refine the Seed Aperture Pills.”
Su Yan entered the great hall without any concealment, took out the alchemy furnace, and the Flame Armored Scorpion appeared at his side.
The Flame Armored Scorpion had stayed with him in the Water-Fire Secret Realm for a full month. Under constant tempering, its demonic fire had long since advanced to a higher level.
Su Yan merely gave a slight order, and the Flame Armored Scorpion spat demonic fire that enveloped the entire alchemy furnace.
“The materials from Xia Wan’er and Lan Yunyue can make five furnaces, plus Old Ancestor Bai Cang’s materials. Might as well refine eight furnaces at once.”
Su Yan added the medicinal herbs one by one, his mind and body gradually immersing in pill refining.
Fully three days and three nights passed, with pill fragrance continuously surging from the great hall.
Xia Wan’er and Lan Yunyue were both dumbfounded by the spectacle.
If one burst of pill fragrance meant one furnace of Seed Aperture Pills successfully formed.
Then the eight repeated bursts of pill fragrance truly scared them.
“Senior Sister Lan, do you think Junior Brother Su is really human?”
Xia Wan’er’s expression was subtle, just short of calling him a monster.
Lan Yunyue sighed: “This must be why he is so formidable.”
As the two spoke, the great hall’s main door was pushed open.
Su Yan strode out, dividing two jade bottles from his hand that landed before the two.
“Senior Sister Xia, three pills. Senior Sister Lan, four pills. The extra one was bought in Nantian Prefecture City.”
The two were stunned. Xia Wan’er beamed with a flower-like smile: “Rare that you remembered. Many thanks.”
“Many thanks, Junior Brother.”
The three continued chatting, but Xia Wan’er and Lan Yunyue were already eager to leave.
These were their guarantees for solidifying their foundation and breaking through to the Dan Qiao Realm.
They had already waited a month. If they delayed further, when the great war truly came, it would be awkward if they were still True Intent Realm martial artists.
Once the two left, Su Yan immediately began sorting through his gains.
Eight furnaces refined, averaging four pills per furnace, a total of thirty-two pills. He gave seven to the two, leaving twenty-five for himself.
“Twenty-five minor acupoints. I wonder to what extent my physical body can endure.”
Su Yan sat cross-legged before the hall and swallowed the pills into his body.
Powerful medicinal potency instantly surged into his meridians like a raging flood.
He raised his gaze slightly, revealing a hint of surprise, thinking to himself: “It doesn’t hurt much. That means my physical body is already strong enough.”
Su Yan swallowed pill after pill. On his meridians, acupoints like small dantians were continuously opened, true essence surging, wanting to break through the central dantian and help Su Yan achieve the second level of Dan Qiao.
But he felt no temptation, continuing to swallow Seed Aperture Pills.
Two pills, three pills, four pills, five pills…
The pain intensified continuously. Even with his hardened physical body, Su Yan’s face was flushed red, veins bulging, the meridians in his body as if sliced by millions of sharp blades.
Acupoints kept increasing, and the difficulty of opening the next one grew ever harder.
Su Yan had now swallowed 18 Seed Aperture Pills. Taking so many in such a short time, all successfully seeding acupoints— the pressure in his body was unimaginably terrifying.
Boom.
Dragon roars and tiger howls resounded in his body. Su Yan abruptly opened his eyes, feeling his senses sharpened, perception increasingly keen, the true essence in his body continuously compressed by him.
Su Yan fully stretched his body, then said: “Seven left. Not convenient to take them short-term. I can go out instead.”
Su Yan did as he said. After a brief rest, his figure turned into a rainbow and headed straight for the Sect Affairs Pavilion.
He released five of the seven Seed Aperture Pills. As long as one provided news of the Ghostlight Spiritual Flame, Netherworld Centipede King, or Blazing Purple Scorpion, they could obtain one Seed Aperture Pill.
If one could capture the fire seed alive, they would directly receive two Seed Aperture Pills from the reward.
Once this news spread, all Beast King Sect disciples were drawn in.
These were third-order pills—countless people wanted them.
Find!
Everyone had this thought—they must find clues to the above three items.
Time passed in a flash, over ten days. Su Yan sat steadily, waiting to see who had more clues.
“Senior Brother, I want to exchange for the Ghostlight Spiritual Flame.”
On Ten Thousand Insect Peak, a disciple quietly came to the mountain to seek an audience.
Upon meeting, the sallow-faced disciple immediately pulled out a small box.
Icy breath emanated from the box. Su Yan’s eyes lit up as he beckoned the box over with a hand.
Arrays covered the entire box, with cold breath constantly seeping out.
Su Yan directly opened the box. Instantly, a white flame shot skyward, trying to escape.
He pointed a finger, and the Flame Armored Scorpion appeared directly. Its tail hook nailed down, instantly piercing the flame, then nibbling it clean bit by bit.
“Not bad, it is the Ghostlight Spiritual Flame.”
Su Yan gave two Seed Aperture Pills to this disciple and ordered the Black Horned Giant Eagle to send him down the mountain.
He stood with hands behind his back: “Now only the Netherworld Centipede King and Blazing Purple Scorpion remain.”
Materials could circulate, but feral beasts were not so easy to find.
After waiting another seven days, Xia Wan’er broke through first. Her core formation process lasted a full three days, no one knowing how many revolutions she achieved.
Everyone only knew that with such phenomenon and spiritual energy gathering, her golden core quality likely was not inferior to Yuan Yi’s.
Lan Yunyue followed closely. Not many days later, she also joined the breakthrough ranks.
The entire mountain peak was wreathed in roiling clouds and mist, immortal qi wafting. Lan Yunyue continuously drew in spiritual energy, condensing her Dan Qiao. This lasted several full days before gradually calming.
With everyone breaking through one after another, Su Yan tempered his body on one hand, grinding his internal true essence as tough as steel, while on the other waiting for news of the two third-order feral beasts.
Suddenly one day, a piece of news rapidly spread through the Beast King Sect.
The Beast King Sect’s Mountain Guard launched a major extermination of Demonic Cult remnants, uprooting nearly all colluding forces.
Yuan Ye’s provided list missed none, but this also let Yan Ying’s people know they had been targeted.
They went all in, forming a Heavenly Fate Cult force centered on three mysterious Dharma Aspect True Persons.
“Dragon Ranking Disciples, Tiger Ranking Disciples, heed the order. Demonic Path demon persons wreak havoc, gathering rogue cultivator martial artists and bandit cultivators to form the Heavenly Fate Cult assembled in Lishan County territory. All disciples proceed immediately to strike and kill the Demonic Path demon persons.”
The token directly transmitted the message—this was no mere reminder, but a disciple mission.
Tiger Ranking Disciples and Dragon Ranking Disciples enjoyed the most sect resources. In this situation, naturally they were all to go out and contribute to the sect.
“Three Dharma Aspect True Persons.”
Su Yan narrowed his eyes slightly, riding the Six-Winged Blood Centipede straight to the Nine Tablet Spirit Platform.
By now, disciples had already assembled here. The leaders were two Su Yan knew: Hu Yangming and Gu Sanqian.
Seeing Su Yan arrive, the two immediately smiled.
Everyone stood in formation. Su Yan saw that Yuan Yi, Suo Yunyi, Zhao Mingcheng, Qi Yufei, and many other disciples had come, plus numerous inner disciples from the Tiger Ranking not yet in Dan Qiao.
In just moments, hundreds of people had already gathered.
Three black shadows slashed across the sky above the Nine Tablet Spirit Platform. A Cloud Beast Boat hovered over everyone’s heads, with the Mountain Guard already aboard.
Gu Sanqian stepped forward and said gravely: “Lishan County has fallen, tens of thousands of commoners suffered calamity. Heavenly Fate Cult followers are already ravaging surrounding counties. You go forth—if you encounter that Heavenly Fate Cult or Demonic Path demon persons, leave none alive. Understood?”
