Spring Return Valley, Yellow Grade pill chamber.
All the senior elders of the Great Luo Pill Dao who had entered death seclusion gathered here. There were over fifty elders of the Pill generation, nine of the Qi generation, five of the Ling generation, and two of the Xiao generation. This was already the entirety of the Great Luo Pill Dao's remaining essence. Today, they would join forces to activate a Yellow Grade pill furnace and use this high-grade furnace, embedded with countless profound formations that could greatly condense medicinal potency and improve both the success rate and pill yield, to refine the vast quantity of spirit herbs Jiang Zizai had delivered.
If their strength had not truly been lacking, they would even have wanted to jointly activate a Mystic Grade, Earth Grade, or even Heaven Grade pill furnace. Yet with the Nascent Soul Stage cultivation of the two Xiao-generation elders, even combined with the efforts of all the other elders, they could only barely activate a Yellow Grade pill furnace. This was already their limit.
The old Daoists each took their positions around a pill furnace nine zhang tall, its entire body emanating faint gleams of light. They closed their eyes and regulated their breathing, striving to bring the true essence within their bodies into its finest state. Xiao Chen and Xiao Yun, the highest-ranking elders of the Great Luo Pill Dao, wore moon-white Daoist robes and carried fly-whisks as they briskly circled the furnace. Their feet moved in profound steps, their fly-whisks continuously pointing out streams of pure true essence to activate the formations contained within the pill furnace. Gradually, fist-sized runes flickered in and out of sight across the furnace's surface, while faint sounds of wind and fire drifted from within.
Xiao Chen called out in a long voice, "A Yellow Grade pill furnace has one furnace and nine cauldrons, allowing it to refine nine different kinds of pills at once. Once the furnace opens, quickly place the prepared medicines into the pill cauldrons. Danling, you and your group need only channel true essence into the furnace and control its fire. Qi You, each of you will control the condensation of medicinal potency within one pill cauldron. Ling Kong, you and your group must be ready at all times to take over and control the changes in the spirit formations within the furnace."
After assigning the tasks one by one, Xiao Chen and Xiao Yun shouted together. Their hands formed seals, which they slowly raised upward from their lower abdomens. "Buzzz~~~" As their gestures shifted, the lid of the Yellow Grade pill furnace slowly rose to a full three zhang and six chi. A milky-white, almost transparent flame erupted from within, and the temperature in the pill chamber soared in a straight line. Light flashed chaotically over the chamber's four walls as countless restrictive formations activated at once, firmly confining the heatwave within the chamber. "Crash!" Half the Pill-generation elders were only at the Golden Core Stage. Caught unprepared, their robes, beards, eyebrows, and hair all burst into flames, filling the chamber with an unpleasant scorched stench.
Daoist Danling shouted gravely, "Junior brothers, why have you not quickly activated your protective talismans?"
The faces of Daoist Danling and the Pill-generation elders were full of alarm. Those Pill-generation disciples whose robes and hair were burning hurriedly slapped their belts and activated the protective talismans they wore. Shafts of dim light tightly wrapped around their bodies, finally cutting off the heatwave outside. As Daoist Danling continuously injected true essence into the pill furnace from afar to control the changes in its flames, he muttered in shock, "I thought refining pills with a Universe Grade furnace was already extraordinary, and did not think a Yellow Grade furnace could be so formidable. Who would have thought that a Yellow Grade pill furnace and those four grades of Cosmos, Universe, Primordial, and Chaos furnaces were simply not the same thing! Mm, so hot!" Even Daoist Danling, who had formed a Nascent Soul, could not withstand the assault of the heatwave and hurriedly activated a talisman.
The nine Qi-generation old Daoists rose into the air at the same time. They rushed above the pill furnace and took their positions according to the Nine Palaces, casting incantations to send batch after batch of pre-mixed herbs into the pill cauldrons. These herbs were all spirit medicines over a thousand years old, their potency incomparably rich. Once steamed by the furnace flames, their medicinal fragrance spread in all directions. The dense medicinal vapors even formed a purple cloud canopy above the pill furnace. Before the pills had even begun to be refined, the leaking Spiritual Energy was nearly condensing into the shapes of dragons and tigers.
Xiao Yun and Xiao Chen felt immense delight in their hearts. They exchanged a glance, then nodded and smiled together. Their breaking out of death seclusion had not been in vain. How many years had it been since they had seen such a magnificent sight? The Great Luo Pill Dao's Yellow Grade pill furnace had not been activated for nearly a thousand years, had it? Vaguely, they seemed to see the grand scene from when the Great Luo Pill Dao stood at its peak, when high-grade furnaces of Heaven, Earth, Mystic, and Yellow grades refined countless spirit pills and even Immortal Pills day and night! Of course, they had only heard of such prosperity from figures of their grandmaster generation.
Taking a deep breath, Xiao Yun and Xiao Chen saw that the nine disciples of the Qi generation had already placed the herbs into the pill cauldrons. They simultaneously formed hand seals, rapidly firing out dozens of spirit incantations. The heavy furnace lid slowly descended with faint howls of wind, bringing with it a brilliant blaze that forced the hazy purple cloud canopy into the pill furnace. The medicinal fragrance filling the pill chamber instantly vanished. Furnace fire surged, purple and crimson light shot skyward from within the furnace, and the restrictive formations on all four walls activated again and again. Clouds of rosy mist and streams of auspicious radiance filled the surroundings, while a seven-colored glow spread across everyone's faces. The sounds of wind and fire within the furnace grew more intense, like raging ocean tides rolling in fury, shaking the very souls of those present.
Simply opening the furnace and closing its lid had exhausted all of Xiao Yun and Xiao Chen's true essence. The two old Daoists staggered back several steps and dropped onto the meditation cushions on the floor. Weakly, they waved toward the five Ling-generation disciples. The five Ling-generation elders in moon-green Daoist robes slowly rose without a word. Taking positions around the furnace according to the Five Elements, they formed spirit incantations with their hands, ready at any time to deal with all manner of unknown changes that might arise within the furnace. The Yellow Grade pill furnace had not been used for too long. No one knew whether something might go wrong.
Fortunately, everything appeared to be proceeding smoothly. After Xiao Chen and Xiao Yun swallowed over a dozen pills to replenish their true essence and spent less than half an hour circulating their cultivation to regulate their breath, they had fully recovered their true essence and vigor. No adverse changes had yet appeared in the furnace. The pill refinement was proceeding very smoothly. Of the precious medicines within the pill cauldrons, nearly half had already had all their medicinal potency condensed out, forming fist-sized spheres of liquid that rolled about within the cauldrons. Spirit formations in the furnace activated, threads of seven-colored light sweeping over the liquid spheres and continuously tempering out their impurities. All impurities were transferred from the pill cauldrons by the spirit formations, then burned by the furnace fire into colorless, odorless smoke that drifted away.
The colorless, odorless smoke formed from those impurities gradually spread, covering the entire pill chamber.
None of the elders of the Great Luo Pill Dao's Pill, Qi, Ling, and Xiao generations noticed the colorless, odorless smoke. They focused their minds and calmed their breaths, devoting all their attention to tending the pill furnace, fearing only that they might ruin the spirit herbs within.
Outside the pill chamber, a group of Great Luo Pill Dao disciples led by Hua Feng'er stood solemnly on guard. Their cultivation was inferior to that of the elders inside, but they had strength in numbers. If Daoist Danling and the others lacked the strength to continue and some accident occurred, these disciples could step in and hold on for a while. It had been too long since anyone had used a Yellow Grade pill furnace, and no one knew how great its consumption would be. Hua Feng'er and the others served as reserves. When the elders' true essence ran dry, they would enter the pill chamber and fill the gaps left by the elders.
With a light cough, Old Daoist Jiang arrived with five disciples, following the path toward them. Hua Feng'er and several older disciples hurriedly led their fellow disciples in repeatedly bowing to Old Daoist Jiang. He lazily waved a hand and smiled. "Elders, have you already begun refining pills? Mm, I wonder if this old Daoist may enter and have a look?"
Hua Feng'er revealed a troubled expression and hesitantly looked toward several senior brothers beside her.
A steady, powerful voice came from within the pill chamber. "If True Person Jiang is interested, then please enter the pill chamber. True Person Jiang has seen much and knows much, and surely has insights of his own regarding the art of pill refinement. It would be perfect for us to exchange pointers."
Old Daoist Jiang smiled faintly and winked at Hua Feng'er and the others. He said calmly, "You remain here and properly seek instruction from the fellow disciples of the Great Luo Pill Dao." With that, he flicked his wide sleeve and strolled into the pill chamber. Rosy light flowed at the chamber entrance as Xiao Chen inside released the restrictions and opened a passage for him.
As soon as the restrictions opened, a milky-white heatwave rushed out with a whoosh, surging dozens of zhang away. Caught unprepared, Hua Feng'er and the others had their hair and robes burst into flames. The Daoists cried out in fright and hurriedly retreated, each casting restrictions to protect their entire bodies. Fortunately, the restrictions at the pill chamber entrance opened only slightly before immediately closing again. The firewave vanished after no more than the snap of a finger. Yet in that extremely brief instant, even the ground outside the pill chamber had melted into a thin layer, the sand, stones, and paving slabs fused together.
The Daoists outside looked at one another. Only now did they understand why Daoist Danling and the other elders had made them reserve support, yet would not allow them into the pill chamber. The power of a Yellow Grade pill furnace truly could not be underestimated. Old Daoist Jiang's five disciples also wore shocked expressions. They exchanged glances and shook their heads together.
Old Daoist Jiang entered the pill chamber and immediately cupped his hands in a round of square bows toward everyone. He smiled slowly. "Jiang Zizai greets you all, fellow Daoists."
Xiao Chen and Xiao Yun smiled and nodded at Old Daoist Jiang, then pointed at a meditation cushion beside them. Old Daoist Jiang did not stand on ceremony. He walked to Xiao Chen's side, sat cross-legged on the cushion, and smiled as he looked at the furnace. "This is your sect's Yellow Grade pill furnace, I presume? Its presence is truly astonishing. The spirit pills it refines must surely be excellent as well."
Xiao Chen smiled calmly and nodded with a trace of pride. "It is indeed a Yellow Grade pill furnace. This furnace~~~"
Xiao Chen was just about to introduce the benefits of the Yellow Grade pill furnace when thirteen Pill-generation Daoists beside him groaned at the same time. One of them shouted, "The pill furnace consumes far too much true essence. We can no longer endure it." The true essence of all thirteen Golden Core Stage Daoists had been drained dry by the furnace. Their bodies were now completely empty, and even the golden cores in their dantians had become dim and lusterless. They slapped both hands against the ground, their bodies floating lightly backward several zhang. Then they sat cross-legged and took out large handfuls of true essence-replenishing spirit pills to swallow.
Old Daoist Jiang's brows twitched. He said decisively, "You should focus on refining pills. This old Daoist will not disturb you." Sitting cross-legged, he formed a lotus hand seal before his dantian and fixed his eyes on the pill furnace. True enough, he did not say another word.
Xiao Chen and Xiao Yun exchanged a glance and immediately ordered the five Ling-generation elders to fill the gaps left by the thirteen Pill-generation elders, continuing to channel true essence into the furnace. The furnace fire, which had just stalled and seemed to have lost most of its Spiritual Energy, immediately became nimble and pure once more. Threads of fiery qi leaked from the furnace and condensed into fist-sized red lotus blossoms that spun around the furnace.
Old Daoist Jiang could not help slowly nodding. He spoke in a measured voice. "Merely from your sect's fire-controlling technique, one can see that the Great Luo Pill Dao lives up to its reputation. This old Daoist has also seen several Rogue Cultivators refine pills, but they only knew how to scorch everything with fierce fire. How could they possess the fine methods of your sect? This time, this old Daoist truly found the right people."
Xiao Yun smiled faintly and humbly said, "The art of controlling fire is merely a minor technique."
Old Daoist Jiang shook his head noncommittally and said calmly, "A minor technique? Not necessarily. Any technique with great use is a fine technique."
Xiao Chen and Xiao Yun said no more. They only directed their disciples and carefully tended the furnace fire, striving to refine pills of the highest quality possible. These nine cauldrons of spirit pills were merely for practice, to familiarize themselves with the Yellow Grade pill furnace. The true main event lay in those several ten-thousand-year spirit herbs. If they could not use those ten-thousand-year spirit herbs to refine some supreme-grade pills, Xiao Chen, Xiao Yun, and the others would feel deeply guilty themselves. Ten-thousand-year spirit herbs! Even several thousand years ago, they had been treasures people would fight until their heads cracked for, let alone now.
Thus, all the Great Luo Pill Dao elders carefully served this Yellow Grade pill furnace, with no mind to spare for matters outside it. Ordinarily, they would never permit outsiders to be present while refining pills, for the safety of both themselves and the pills. Yet toward Demon Subduing True Man Jiang Zizai, they clearly held no such wariness. Jiang Zizai's reputation was simply too resounding, too righteous and aboveboard, making it impossible for anyone to feel guarded against him.
Very quickly, eighteen days passed in a blur.
After eighteen consecutive days of intense expenditure, a trace of weariness appeared on the faces of senior elders such as Xiao Chen and Xiao Yun. The power consumed by the Yellow Grade pill furnace had truly exceeded their current cultivation levels. Daoist Danling, Dan Fusheng, and the other Pill-generation elders had each grown visibly thinner, clearly suffering grave damage to their vital energy. Had they not been supported by vast quantities of spirit pills, Daoist Danling and the others would long since have lacked even the strength to move.
Yet every Great Luo Pill Dao elder bore a trace of fervor on their faces. Strands of violet-gold pill qi slowly rose from the pill furnace, forming a canopy-like cloud above it. Within the clouds, a dragon and phoenix could vaguely be seen twisting and soaring lightly. Violet-gold pill qi! According to the records of the Great Luo Pill Scripture, this was pill qi possessed only by Mystic Grade spirit pills! Could they have used a Yellow Grade pill furnace to refine Mystic Grade spirit pills? This was truly an exhilarating joyous event!
How many years had it been since the Great Luo Pill Dao refined pills above the Universe Grade? With every increase in pill grade, a pill's efficacy increased tenfold, even a hundredfold. The nine cauldrons of pills they were refining were all foundational and cultivation-aiding medicines. If they could refine even one cauldron of Mystic Grade foundational spirit pills~~~
Daoist Danling grinned from ear to ear. Mystic Grade foundational spirit pills! Their effects in cleansing the sinews and washing the marrow must surely be outrageously powerful, right? Mm, perhaps if they found a few disciples with decent talent and deliberately nurtured them, it might not be impossible to produce another two monsters like Lin Xiao! The only troublesome matter was whether these Mystic Grade foundational spirit pills should be handed over to Jiang Zizai.
At that thought, Daoist Danling felt a little pained and turned to glance at Jiang Zizai. He happened to see Jiang Zizai take out a fist-sized black jade bottle from his sleeve and carefully turn it over in his hand. The black jade bottle was extremely thin and nearly transparent, revealing a little less than half a bottle of liquid within. Strands of mist spiraled upward from the liquid. Jiang Zizai sensed Daoist Danling's gaze and immediately looked up, smiling amiably at him as if casually asking, "Sect Master Danling, are the pills about to emerge?"
Daoist Danling nodded lightly and smiled. "We are currently nurturing the pills with civil and martial fire. In about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the pills will be complete."
"Oh!" Jiang Zizai nodded lightly and smiled. "Since the pills are about to be completed, this old Daoist has studied the various procedures and spirit incantations after pill completion as well. Therefore, there is no need to expend everyone's strength any further." He formed a strange hand seal and smiled at Daoist Danling.
Daoist Danling detected a faintly malicious undertone in Jiang Zizai's words. Frowning, he asked, "What does Senior mean by this?"
Daoist Danling's voice was slightly louder, and all the Great Luo Pill Dao elders in the pill chamber looked over at once.
Jiang Zizai sat cross-legged and stretched lazily, smiling. "This old Daoist means that I can handle what remains. You may all rest."
Having said that, Jiang Zizai casually crushed the black jade bottle in his hand. A faint blue smoke immediately poured forth from it, filling the entire pill chamber in an instant.
Xiao Chen and the others immediately held their breaths, but the blue smoke entered their bodies through their skin. A strange, fragrant scent slowly spread from their five viscera and six bowels. Everyone felt refreshed in body and spirit, as though their vigor had suddenly recovered to its peak. The true essence in their bodies, which had been somewhat depleted, was also rapidly recovering.
"This is!" Old Daoist Xiao Chen looked at Jiang Zizai in astonishment.
"This is Soothe Spirit Incense refined from Blue Dream Grass and Heavenly Dragon Saliva, a supreme spirit medicine for replenishing vital energy." Xiao Yun took a deep breath and sighed. "Soothe Spirit Incense—this is already an Earth Grade spirit medicine, is it not? And with this rich, sweet fragrance, it is a supreme product nourished by ten-thousand-year agate for nearly a thousand years. True Person Jiang, you have been most thoughtful!"
Upon hearing that it was Soothe Spirit Incense, this peerless spirit medicine that greatly replenished vital energy, the tense expressions on Daoist Danling and the others' faces immediately relaxed. Carefully savoring the enormous spiritual power contained in the blue smoke, they could not help nodding repeatedly. That was right, it was indeed supreme Soothe Spirit Incense. So Old Daoist Jiang meant well and truly wanted them to rest. Mm, it was only that Jiang Zizai's tone just now had truly made it difficult not to suspect his intentions.
Daoist Danling looked at Old Daoist Jiang and made a slightly embarrassed Daoist bow. Old Daoist Jiang's cultivation was profound, so their earlier caution and vigilance surely could not have escaped his notice. Had their petty caution not wounded the belly of a gentleman?
Old Daoist Jiang smiled faintly and rose with leisurely ease. "It is not that I have been thoughtful. You truly should rest. Mm, but before killing you, this old Daoist wishes to ask where your Great Luo Pill Scripture is." Old Daoist Jiang smiled at the Great Luo Pill Dao elders in the chamber, nodding seriously. "I want the Great Luo Pill Scripture. Hand it over, and you may preserve your souls for reincarnation. Refuse, and your souls will scatter and your spirits will dissipate!"
The expressions of the many old Daoists in the pill chamber changed drastically. Daoist Danling cried out in shock, "True Person Jiang, have you gone mad?"
Old Daoist Jiang gently shook his head and said blandly, "I am neither mad nor foolish. I am speaking the truth. Hand over the Great Luo Pill Scripture, and all 3,475 members of your Great Luo Pill Dao may retain a portion of their souls and reincarnate. If you do not hand over the Great Luo Pill Scripture~~~ you naturally know how many methods the cultivation world has for dealing with souls." Old Daoist Jiang gazed gently at Daoist Danling and smiled. "Someone wants every one of you dead, dead to the last. But this old Daoist has always liked to leave others a thread of life. Therefore, hand over the Great Luo Pill Scripture, and you may keep your souls to reincarnate!"
The many Great Luo Pill Dao elders suddenly gathered together, led by Xiao Chen and Xiao Yun, arranging themselves into a profound formation. Xiao Chen sneered. "Jiang Zizai, with only your own strength, are you not going too far in saying this?"
Jiang Zizai looked at the Great Luo Pill Dao elders lined up in formation, a mocking sneer appearing on his face. "Do you know why I allowed you to form your formation?"
Xiao Chen and Xiao Yun looked at each other and shook their heads together.
Daoist Danling said calmly, "Surely it is not because True Person Jiang has suddenly become merciful?"
Jiang Zizai nodded and smiled. "Indeed, it is not because I have suddenly become merciful. Though Soothe Spirit Incense is a supreme spirit medicine, if it is used together with Essence Dissipating Mist, then unless one is a cultivator nearing ascension, anyone who has not prepared in advance by wearing a Ten Thousand Year Poisonous Flood Dragon Pearl need only wait the time it takes to drink a cup of tea before their true essence disperses, their Nascent Soul collapses, and their lifetime of cultivation goes flowing away like water~~~ Essence Dissipating Mist! This is also a Heaven Grade Pill Poison secretly refined by the Great Luo Pill Dao. I trust you are all well aware of its power."
The faces of the Great Luo Pill Dao elders turned deathly pale, and they cried out in horror together. Instinctively, they tried to summon their true essence. Sure enough, they felt as though their bodies were bamboo hats riddled with countless holes, their true essence pouring out in torrents. Whether golden core or Nascent Soul, everything within them was like a snowman beneath the sun, rapidly melting away.
"Essence Dissipating Mist!" Xiao Chen's face was drained of all color as he shouted, "This Heaven Grade Pill Poison vanished more than three thousand years ago! Not even a trace remains in the Great Luo Pill Dao's medicine vault! Where did you obtain such a vicious medicine?"
"Vicious?" Jiang Zizai shrugged and said indifferently, "Since I could obtain seven spirit herbs with ten thousand years of maturity, why could I not obtain Essence Dissipating Mist, which existed only three thousand years ago? With the addition of this Soothe Spirit Incense, mm, I have caught all the elders of your Great Luo Pill Dao in one net. With only those few disciples beneath your sect who have just formed golden cores, hm! The destruction of the Great Luo Pill Dao today is certain. There are merely two ways to die. With one, you can still reincarnate after death. With the other, your souls scatter and spirits dissipate~~~ No, no, you will be refined into magical treasures and never be reborn for eternity! Which will you choose?"
As he mocked the Great Luo Pill Dao elders, Jiang Zizai lightly cast spirit incantations, opening the lid of the Yellow Grade pill furnace and calmly collecting the violet-light-flickering pills that shot out from within. As he gathered the spirit pills, he smiled. "They truly are fine pills! Fine pills! If I obtain the Great Luo Pill Scripture, then when this ancestor establishes a sect in the Hanging Sea in the future, I will have a foundation. Mm, with so many spirit pills, together with those pills stored by your Great Luo Pill Dao, nurturing a group of capable disciples in a short time should not be difficult, should it?"
"Ancestor?" Daoist Danling sharply noticed that Jiang Zizai's form of self-address had changed.
"Oh! I forgot to explain to you all! This ancestor has been discourteous!" Jiang Zizai narrowed his eyes and smiled. His face remained the same, yet it suddenly carried a dense sinister aura. The vertical eye between his brows turned a blood-red so chilling it made hearts tremble, with strands of bloody light faintly shooting several chi from it. "This ancestor was once known as the Blood God Ancestor. Hehehehe, but junior ones like you have surely forgotten this ancestor's illustrious name!"
He let out a long sigh toward the heavens and said blandly, "As for this old Daoist—no, this ancestor—is merely a primordial spirit incarnation of the main body. Alas, this old Daoist—no, this ancestor—has pretended to be a good man for so many years, even hypocritically killing so many junior members of the demonic path. It is truly shameful."
His tone shifted, and Jiang Zizai suddenly laughed. "Yet if not for that, how could this ancestor have caught all of you in one net so easily? Every herb I brought had been infused with a thread of Essence Dissipating Mist. Your Great Luo Pill Dao elders once used this thing to plot against this ancestor. Now that this ancestor has used it upon you, it is retribution!"
In just a few sentences, Jiang Zizai had collected all nine types of spirit pills. The Great Luo Pill Dao elders, meanwhile, had already collapsed onto the ground with ashen faces, their bodies trembling without cease. Their cultivation had flowed away like water, leaving them ordinary mortals.
Xiao Chen stared blankly at Jiang Zizai and asked in a low voice, "Since you are a senior of the demonic path, why did you make the Great Luo Pill Dao your first target?"
Jiang Zizai smiled faintly and sighed. "Who told the cultivation world's Spiritual Energy to be so thin nowadays? This ancestor wishes to obtain a group of disciples capable of fighting and killing as soon as possible, so naturally I require a great quantity of spirit pills!"
Xiao Yun smiled bitterly. "Are you not afraid that the righteous sects will rise as one and attack you?"
Jiang Zizai curled his lips disdainfully and smiled lightly. "The one they will rise as one to attack is the Blood God Ancestor, not Demon Subduing True Man Jiang Zizai! Since this identity could deceive all of you, I trust the Origin Sect and the others will be deceived as well. This ancestor slaughtered thirteen forebears of your Great Luo Pill Dao in those years and found quite a few Pill Poisons that had already been lost from the world on them. There is much to be done with them!"
Xiao Chen, Xiao Yun, and the others exchanged hopeless looks, then lowered their heads weakly together.
Jiang Zizai narrowed his eyes and said in a gloomy voice, "Hand over the Great Luo Pill Scripture. For the sake of the fact that one of your ancestors, Elder Lan, once saved Yin Sanniang's life, I will let all of you retain your souls for reincarnation."
Xiao Chen and Xiao Yun turned back to look at their disciples. Every disciple wore an expression of resolute determination. They would rather have their souls scatter and spirits dissipate than hand the Great Luo Pill Scripture over to Jiang Zizai.
The Great Luo Pill Dao was a sect that refined pills to save lives. Even if Daoist Danling and some elders had picked up certain merchant-like habits, they still possessed the pride of true healers in their bones. Hand over the Great Luo Pill Scripture, preserve their souls for reincarnation, and allow it to become Jiang Zizai's aid in bringing calamity to the cultivation world? No healer with compassion in their heart would ever do such a thing.
So what if their souls were destroyed?
Our lives have limits, while the Dao has none. To pursue the boundless with the limited was already an immensely difficult undertaking. Even if their souls scattered today, they could not betray their own true hearts.
The Great Luo Pill Dao elders all sat cross-legged, calm smiles upon their faces as they quietly chanted a general cultivation formula passed down from some unknown senior cultivator. Their ashen faces now became utterly clear and serene. At this critical line between life and death, they instead broke through the obstacles in their hearts one after another. Their states of mind advanced by leaps and bounds, reaching the flawless, complete Mahayana Realm.
"Heh~~~" Jiang Zizai stared dumbfoundedly at the Great Luo Pill Dao elders, his mouth hanging wide open. "Forget it, you truly are~~~"
With a flick of his sleeve, a sheet of bloody flame flew from Jiang Zizai's sleeve and swept over the bodies of the Great Luo Pill Dao elders. "Your cultivation has already been destroyed. In your next lives, be ordinary people. The cultivation world belongs to this ancestor. If you fall into this ancestor's hands again, you will not be allowed to live!"
Wherever the bloody flames passed, dozens of Great Luo Pill Dao elders from the Pill, Qi, Ling, and Xiao generations turned into drifting ashes.
Jiang Zizai silently watched the place where everyone had vanished and sighed in a low voice. "Forget it. This primordial spirit incarnation has grown accustomed to being a good man and become softhearted. Sanniang~~~ Sanniang~~~ For your sake, this Blood God has left souls behind for the first time after killing someone!"
With a sweep of his sleeve, a sheet of bloody light flew out. The restrictions in the pill chamber shook violently, then suddenly shattered one after another. Jiang Zizai walked slowly out of the chamber, only to see several hundred Great Luo Pill Dao disciples sprawled limply outside. A faint, indistinct strange fragrance drifted through the air. Hua Feng'er leaned weakly against the railing of a flower bed before the entrance, glaring angrily at Jiang Zizai's five disciples as she shouted, "Ethereal Floating Incense! This is the Ethereal Floating Incense secretly refined by our Great Luo Pill Dao. Where did you get it?"
Jiang Zizai pointed a finger. A beam of bloody light pierced Hua Feng'er's brow, and an extremely thin strand of spirit light flew out from between her brows toward the sky, vanishing without a trace. Hua Feng'er's body rapidly withered. Her cultivation and life-bound blood essence had all been absorbed completely by Jiang Zizai. Jiang Zizai followed the same pattern, slaughtering the several hundred Great Luo Pill Dao disciples outside one by one. Then he turned toward the direction of Spring Return Valley's mountain gate. "Those two juniors of the Yin Specter Sect should have already opened Spring Return Valley's mountain-protecting grand formation, should they not?"
Intense light flashed in the sky. The mountain-protecting grand formation at Spring Return Valley's gate opened wide, and a powerful streak of bloody light charged into Spring Return Valley along with countless streams of black smoke and sinister qi.
Apart from Danxia and Lin Xiao, all those with profound cultivation in Spring Return Valley had been slaughtered. No one noticed the abnormality outside. Before even a single warning bell could ring, Spring Return Valley had already been occupied by nearly ten thousand demonic cultivators!
The handsome Blood God Ancestor floated in the air with his hands behind his back, his sinister voice echoing throughout the valley.
"Search the entire valley and find the Great Luo Pill Scripture! Kill everyone!"
After issuing that cruel order, Jiang Zizai rose on a streak of bloody light and arrived before the Blood God Ancestor.
The "two men" stared at one another for a while. Streams of bloody light flowed between the eyes of the "two men" for a long time. Finally, the Blood God Ancestor gloomily altered his command. "Destroy their bodies. Let their souls go!"
Jiang Zizai nodded lightly, standing behind the Blood God Ancestor with his hands clasped behind his back.
"Boom!" The mountain peak directly south of Spring Return Valley was completely overturned by the demonic cultivators using mountain-shifting restrictions. The peak instantly shattered into countless fragments, while all the objects in its many cave residences and stone chambers were moved out one by one by the restrictions.
Immediately afterward, the many peaks within Spring Return Valley snapped and collapsed one after another. The demonic cultivators laughed madly, wantonly displaying their most prized spells and creating the greatest commotion they could.
The many Great Luo Pill Dao disciples in green, blue, and white robes fled in all directions in terror, but how could they escape the divine abilities of these demonic cultivators? They died miserably on the spot one after another.
A raging blaze rose up, its flames gradually swallowing Pill Qi Lingxiao Hall.
In the end, the entire Spring Return Valley was shrouded in flames.
Before you continue