Qi Yuan, Origin Sect

Following the direction in his memory, Lin Xiao arrived at a location behind the former Spring Return Valley. He looked at the ground, which was just as flat and covered with rubble, and his face twitched. Daoist Yi Yi of Origin Sect, who was behind him, glanced at Lin Xiao and asked gently, "Sect Guest Lin, what is here?" There was nothing here, except that through a tiny crevice between two mountain rocks, one could descend three hundred zhang underground to a wondrous cave. Inside the cave was a pond, and within the pond grew a peculiar lotus.

This was the place where Lin Xiao's eighteen years of life held the most beautiful memories. This was a secret world that belonged entirely to him and Yao'er.

But the green peak had collapsed, the cave was gone, and the lotus in the pond had likely been plundered by those demonic cultivators. Looking at the flat ground before him with a somber expression, Lin Xiao gently shook his head and said faintly, "It's nothing. There's nothing here anymore." He looked up, forcing himself to cheer up a little, and asked with a wry smile, "When are we going to Qi Yuan Star?"

Yi Yi looked at Lin Xiao with some concern and nodded, "We don't know where Blood God Ancestor and those demonic cultivators went. They didn't use the only Interstellar Teleportation Array here, and we don't know how they left. The Sect Master has already dispatched our fellow disciples to investigate the whereabouts of those demonic followers. It should be..." Yi Yi shook his head. If the traces of demonic cultivators were so easy to find, the cultivation world would have long ago eradicated them all. He sighed softly, "It will take some time to find them, so we will return to Qi Yuan Star shortly."

"Oh!" Lin Xiao responded faintly, looking around expressionlessly, his face a mask of bewilderment.

The so-called Interstellar Teleportation Array was located in a large mountain tens of thousands of li north of Spring Return Valley, where Lin Xiao had been rushed by the Black Tortoise Ring. This mountain was a hundred li in circumference, with cliffs thousands of zhang high on all sides, completely deterring any mortal from entering. Within the mountain was a vast valley, paved with precious Purple Corundum, upon which a circular array diagram with a diameter of over a thousand zhang was inscribed. Hundreds of fist-sized high-grade Spirit Stones were embedded in the diagram. This was the only Interstellar Teleportation Array connecting the planet of the Great Luo Pill Dao to the outside world.

Several cultivators of Origin Sect's Yi generation protected Lin Xiao in the center. The group walked into the teleportation array. As Origin Sect disciples activated the array, a seven-colored stream of light shot into the sky. Lin Xiao felt immense pressure all around him, his vision went black, and he immediately lost consciousness. This was because he had not channeled his internal true essence to protect his body. As soon as the teleportation array activated, the immense pressure caused him to faint. Fortunately, several Origin Sect cultivators were prepared. Seeing that something was wrong, they immediately placed a palm on Lin Xiao, injecting a stream of pure true essence into his body, helping him withstand the crushing force that could flatten steel into thin sheets.

The bodies of the group jolted violently, and flashes of light flickered before their eyes. After an unknown period, their vision suddenly brightened, and they found themselves atop a beautiful mountain with clear waters and picturesque scenery.

This mountain must have been tens of thousands of zhang high. Vast white clouds drifted only around its waist, and several enormous eagles soared gracefully above the clouds. Several very large immortal cranes were carrying lingzhi mushrooms, slowly flying through the azure sky. The mountaintop was as flat as a whetstone, as if someone had sliced off the top, leaving behind a vast expanse of tens of thousands of mu of open space.

Dozens of giant teleportation arrays were set up on this mountaintop. Currently, the arrays were constantly flashing with multicolored lights. Cultivators were continuously entering the teleportation arrays, and others were flying out on sword light, creating a scene of bustling activity. Along the edge of the flat ground, rows of two-story wooden buildings had been constructed. Countless banners hung from the buildings, displaying characters such as 'Wine,' 'Tea,' 'Pills,' 'Artifacts,' and 'Talismans.' Cultivators were entering and exiting each building, creating a bustling marketplace scene.

After Lin Xiao's group, Yi Xing and Yi Xin, along with hundreds of Origin Sect cultivators, also emerged from the teleportation array. Yi Xing glanced at the row of small buildings and said with a wry smile, "The Great Luo Pill Dao has actually been destroyed like this! What a pity, what a shame. The pills in this market probably won't last half a month before they run out of stock." Yi Xing sighed, looking somewhat powerlessly at Lin Xiao, who was still unconscious in Yi Yi's arms.

Yi Xin quickly glanced at Yi Xing and then calmly instructed a female disciple behind her, "Go, issue my decree. From today onwards, all pill prices are doubled!"

Yi Xing did not look at Yi Xin, but simply nodded lightly. He then summoned a white cloud, stepped onto it, and flew towards the distance. The disciples of Origin Sect followed, some riding clouds, some flying on swords, and others piloting magical artifacts. When Yi Xing and his group appeared, dozens of busy teleportation arrays suddenly stopped transmitting. This was because all the Origin Sect disciples responsible for the teleportation arrays bowed in greeting to Yi Xing and the others. Only after they had flown more than ten li away did the teleportation arrays begin to flash with multicolored lights again.

Unlike the Great Luo Pill Dao, Origin Sect was an absolute behemoth in the cultivation world.

The entire Qi Yuan Star and the thirteen inhabited planets surrounding it were all within Origin Sect's sphere of influence. Origin Sect's mountain gate was on Qi Yuan Star, and its branches were stationed on the other thirteen planets. A total of fourteen planets, with a population of over thirty billion ordinary people, were all ruled by a dynasty supported by Origin Sect, the Qi Dynasty. From the monarch down to the lowliest soldier in the army, everyone was a nominal disciple of Origin Sect. Moreover, half of the common people served Origin Sect directly or indirectly.

Origin Sect had over a million direct disciples. It was only with such a vast base of disciples that Origin Sect could open its gates wide more than seven years ago and recruit over twenty thousand new disciples in a single intake. Only Origin Sect, with such a massive population base and immense power, could undertake such a grand endeavor. Only Origin Sect would send out three thousand elite disciples to the Great Luo Pill Dao upon receiving their message, to investigate a demon that had caused a celestial anomaly, causing even Blood God Ancestor to flee in haste.

This was Origin Sect, one of the top three sects in the cultivation world.

However, even the other two sects that were considered its peers, Azure Nether Palace and Hidden Source Hall, admitted that their ability to stand alongside Origin Sect was merely due to Origin Sect's excessive modesty and the respect given to them by fellow cultivators in the cultivation world. At least in terms of the number of disciples, the combined disciples of Azure Nether Palace and Hidden Source Hall did not even amount to a fraction of Origin Sect's numbers.

This was Origin Sect, Origin Sect whose power was astonishingly vast, Origin Sect that occupied Qi Yuan Star, said to be the origin of the cultivation world.

Above the vast sea of clouds, dozens of white clouds carrying thousands of streams of colorful light drifted by. Occasionally, majestic spirit peaks emerged from the sea of clouds. From the thousands of colorful lights, dozens or hundreds of them would break off and head towards these peaks. In the end, only Origin Sect elders like Yi Xing and Yi Xin remained, treading on clouds and continuing to fly forward.

Origin Sect's mountain gate and its foundational territory were vast, encompassing an area of over fifty thousand li. This included famous locations such as Three Manor Houses, Three Academies, Three Prefectures, Three Caves, as well as Eighteen Spirit Peaks, Ninety-Nine Spirit Waters, and a total of one thousand and seventy-two spirit mountains, large and small. Origin Sect disciples were stationed in these places, while the residences of the Sect Master and elders like Yi Xing were concentrated in one of the Three Caves, Qi Yuan Cave.

Qi Yuan Cave, the Origin Sect's most important core area, was located halfway up the thirty-seven thousand zhang high Sky-Supporting Cliff. Surrounded by peculiar peaks and beautiful waters, it was a blessed land with exceptional scenery. Furthermore, Qi Yuan Cave possessed a very unique spiritual vein. In an era when spiritual energy was rapidly dissipating in the cultivation world, although the spiritual energy in Qi Yuan Cave was also slowly dissipating, it was still more than ten times denser than the outside world. This resulted in the Origin Sect having a far greater number of cultivators with profound cultivation than other sects, firmly establishing its peak position in the cultivation world.

Thirty li northwest of Sky-Supporting Cliff, there was a hot spring gushing from the earth's core. The spring water was imbued with spiritual energy, forming a small lake about fifty zhang in diameter on the ground. Visible white spiritual energy emanated from the lake in wisps, nourishing the vegetation within a radius of ten li, making it exceptionally lush. Beside the lake was a bamboo grove, and within the grove stood a simple dwelling. Lin Xiao was arranged in this dwelling. After all, he was merely an externally hired sect guest of Origin Sect, not a direct elder. He was not qualified to enjoy Qi Yuan Cave.

However, even the spiritual energy concentration near this spiritual spring was several times denser than that of Spring Return Valley. Cultivating here would save a considerable amount of Spirit Stones.

In the current cultivation world, for there to be such a place abundant in spiritual energy, Origin Sect's fortune was enviably prosperous!

When Lin Xiao woke up on the jade couch in the dwelling, he smelled a faint, elegant fragrance. Being knowledgeable about herbs, he easily identified it as the scent of Calming Spirit Grass. Calming Spirit Grass functions to clear the mind, calm the spirit, and expel inner demons. Origin Sect's arrangement was very thoughtful. Knowing that Lin Xiao's mental state had been severely depleted these past two days and he was even a bit unstable, they had lit a furnace of the rare Calming Spirit Grass to nourish and restore his spirit. Especially since Lin Xiao detected a faint scent of Thousand-Year Sandalwood mixed with the aroma of Calming Spirit Grass, which made it even more precious.

He stiffly straightened his body and surveyed the furnishings in the dwelling.

The inner walls of the dwelling were assembled from green bamboo strips. The natural patterns on the bamboo strips formed a large ink wash landscape painting, fresh, natural, and full of charm. Inside the dwelling was a jade couch, the one Lin Xiao was currently on. The material of the jade couch was over ten thousand years old warm jade, which also had the miraculous effect of concentrating the spirit and calming the mind. In the corner of the dwelling stood a crane-shaped purple-gold incense burner, from which wisps of milky white incense smoke were slowly rising from the crane's mouth. Opposite the jade couch, under the window, was a purple sandalwood long table. On it rested a five-stringed guqin. Beside it was a palm-sized green toad-shaped incense burner with three incense sticks inserted, but not lit. The floor of the dwelling was covered with bamboo leaves. These bamboo leaves seemed to have been refined using some artifact-refining technique. Although they appeared as individual leaves, they were seamlessly integrated. Lin Xiao rubbed them with his foot a few times, but the bamboo leaves remained perfectly still.

Turning his head, on the wall behind the jade couch hung Lin Xiao's Crimson Dragon Sword. Next to the Crimson Dragon Sword, on a bamboo peg, hung another short sword in a sharkskin scabbard. Lin Xiao casually drew out the short sword and swung it gently. Although purely decorative, the short sword gleamed with brilliance and exuded a chilling aura. In the hands of an ordinary person, this would be an unparalleled treasure of immeasurable value.

He casually put the short sword back into its scabbard, took down the Crimson Dragon Sword, and hung it at his waist. He stood up slowly.

His internal organs, compressed by the teleportation array, still ached slightly, but there was a faint medicinal taste in his mouth. It seemed the people of Origin Sect had given Lin Xiao some pills. Lin Xiao walked around the dwelling a few times. The medicinal effect gradually spread, and the slight discomfort in his body subsided.

He stood in the room, lost in thought for a while, looking left and right, unsure of what to do next. He saw the guqin and casually walked to the long table, lightly strumming a string.

"Ding dong, ding dong," the guqin produced a clear and melodious sound. Immediately, a timid voice came from outside the dwelling: "Sect Guest Lin, are you awake?"

The door of the dwelling was cautiously pushed open, and half of a fair, small face peeked through the gap. It was an extremely elegant and lovely young girl's face, with a clean, melon-seed shaped face. Her hair was styled in a neat three-bun updo, with a thin braid hanging down by her face, making her appear even more cute and playful. She had a small, upturned nose, rosy lips shaped like a rhombus, and large, expressive eyes that held a hint of shyness and even a bit of fear. This little girl was exceptionally endearing.

Lin Xiao looked blankly at the little girl outside the door and said faintly, "Senior Yi Xing, does he have any instructions for me?"

As soon as he spoke, Lin Xiao himself was startled. His vocal cords seemed to have been severely damaged. The voice he produced was as hoarse as two stones rubbing against each other, incredibly unpleasant, even carrying a hint of ferocity and menace. The little girl outside the door, upon hearing Lin Xiao's voice, let out a startled "Ah!" and quickly shut the door.

Lin Xiao stared blankly, closed his eyes, and examined his body with his divine sense. He found that all other injuries had healed, only his vocal cords, being too delicate and intricate, had been burned and damaged by the heavenly fire true essence. Although the wound had healed, a small scar remained, causing his voice to be so unpleasant. Lin Xiao turned his head to look at the tightly shut door and gently shook his head, "The Three-One Bone-Regenerating Pill can heal this injury, but refining the Three-One Bone-Regenerating Pill requires cultivation at the late Nascent Soul stage."

He coughed lightly and walked slowly to the door. Just as he was about to open it, the little girl outside cautiously pushed the door open a crack again, her large eyes peeking through the gap, gazing at Lin Xiao. Lin Xiao looked down at the portion of the girl's face exposed through the door gap and said faintly, "My voice... has encountered some problems. Don't be afraid. Senior Yi Xing, does he have any instructions?"

The large eyes outside blinked vigorously. The little girl seemed to sense that Lin Xiao was not a ferocious person. She then cautiously pushed the door open and tiptoed in. Her hands clasped tightly in front of her, the little girl lowered her head and bowed deeply to Lin Xiao, saying softly, "Your servant Qingchu greets Sect Guest Lin."

"You are Qingchu?" Lin Xiao tilted his head, thinking for a long time, and then asked blankly, "Which two characters are they?"

The little girl, who was barely over four feet tall, lowered her head another three inches. Her head was so low that it was almost shorter than Lin Xiao's waist. Qingchu said in a small voice, as faint as a mosquito's hum, "Qing from green grass, Chu from hoe. Qingchu used to help Uncle Li in the herb garden organize the herbs, and I memorized the 'Hundred Herbs Scripture,' so I was specially assigned to serve the Sect Guest." The more Qingchu spoke, the more her waist bent. By the end, Lin Xiao feared her head might touch the ground.

"Alright, lift your head. Don't be so formal in the future," Lin Xiao said in a deep voice. "Judging by your appearance, you must be thirteen or fourteen years old. I'm not much older than you."

He lifted his head, and Lin Xiao remembered Shen Xiaobai, whom he had saved from Shen Family Fortress back then. Shen Xiaobai seemed to have been about Qingchu's size at that time. He said softly, "You can call me Brother Lin. Sect Guest..." Lin Xiao suddenly began to cough violently. He muttered to himself with a hint of desolation, "I'd rather not be this Sect Guest."

Qingchu slowly straightened her waist. She twisted her fingers together fiercely, still keeping her head lowered, and said softly, "The one who brought you, Brother Lin, was Patriarch Yi Yi. He said... he said that Brother Lin should recuperate well and do whatever he likes. Patriarch Yi Yi said that they will be gathering the seniors of the righteous sects to jointly slay demons. Brother Lin's cultivation is not enough, so... you don't need to participate. Please stay on Qi Yuan Star and rest well."

Not enough cultivation? Lin Xiao's body trembled slightly. He looked inward at his dantian. The pea-sized purple Golden Core in his dantian was slowly rotating. The Black Tortoise Ring hovered above the Golden Core, continuously absorbing the true essence converted by the Golden Core, leaving not a single trace for Lin Xiao. The Black Tortoise Ring had changed its appearance. The originally smooth ring body was now covered with tortoise shell-like patterns, and a Black Tortoise head had emerged from the ring, opening its large mouth as if preparing to bite something.

"Oh, I understand," Lin Xiao said, not saying much more. Of course, he understood that this was Origin Sect's goodwill. They were also afraid that if he died, the Great Luo Pill Dao would truly be annihilated. Given Origin Sect's relationship with the Great Luo Pill Dao, Origin Sect had an obligation to help the Great Luo Pill Dao restore its mountain gate.

A flicker of life appeared in Lin Xiao's eyes. Yes, restore the mountain gate!

Find fellow disciples who had reincarnated, and especially find Yao'er! Then, refine the Reincarnation Pill and the Dream Return Pill to help them recover their memories and cultivation from this life!

He was the only surviving disciple of the Great Luo Pill Dao, and he had the obligation to rebuild the Great Luo Pill Dao! Especially, he had to bring Yao'er back to his side!

This was the vow Lin Xiao, an eighteen-year-old young man, made on this day!

To refine the Reincarnation Pill and Dream Return Pill, a large quantity of precious medicinal ingredients is required! The Great Luo Pill Dao's stock of medicinal ingredients was plundered by demonic cultivators, so I must rely on the Origin Sect to provide various raw materials! However, the Origin Sect won't provide these incredibly precious medicinal ingredients for free; I must make contributions to the Origin Sect!

Refining the Reincarnation Pill and Dream Return Pill also requires extremely profound cultivation! Therefore, I must cultivate diligently! Whether it takes a hundred years, two hundred years, a thousand years, two thousand years, or even ten thousand years, twenty thousand years! I must reach the cultivation realm required to refine these two types of pills!

No matter how many generations the elders and fellow disciples of the Great Luo Pill Dao have reincarnated, no matter how many times Yao'er has reincarnated, I must find them and help them recover their memories and cultivation from this life!

Lin Xiao placed a heavy burden upon himself. He suddenly found new motivation and hope!

Two wisps of extremely fine purple essence light shot out from Lin Xiao's eyes. He, who was previously lifeless like a mummy, suddenly invigorated his spirit, clenched his fists tightly, and let out a great roar. Rings of invisible energy waves surged out from within him, causing the simple dwelling to creak and groan. Qingchu also couldn't withstand the invisible pressure emanating from Lin Xiao, and was pushed back stumbling.

Qingchu struggled to keep her balance. She flailed her arms, trying to grab the jade couch or the long desk to steady herself. In her panic, she suddenly raised her head, and Lin Xiao got a clear look at her face.

No wonder this little girl was so careful and cautious in her speech and actions. No wonder she always lowered her head when speaking to Lin Xiao!

Her right cheek was incredibly beautiful and cute, clearly the face of a budding little beauty. However, on her left cheek, there was a palm-sized patch of blue birthmark, which made her face appear as hideous as a yaksha.

Qingchu looked up and saw Lin Xiao staring intently at her, his gaze filled with a hint of astonishment. Being sensitive, she immediately covered her face with her hands, staring blankly at Lin Xiao. Large tears streamed down her face.

Looking at Qingchu, who was silently weeping, Lin Xiao's heart suddenly ached slightly. He seemed to see Shen Xiaobai, curled up in his arms and trembling, and Yao'er, looking at the roasted chicken in his hand with a pitiable, hungry gaze. He even felt that the Qingchu before him was as pitiful and endearing as the puppy he had in his childhood.

He walked gently to Qingchu's side and forcibly pulled away the small hands covering her face, his fingers lightly tracing the blue birthmark.

The birthmark felt cold to the touch, and a faint chill seemed to emanate from within her cheek.

Qingchu looked at Lin Xiao in panic. She wanted to cover her face with her small hands but dared not offend Lin Xiao. She waved her hands around for a moment, then suddenly burst into tears, squatting down slowly and covering her head with her hands, crying heartbrokenly.

"It's just a trace of cold poison from the womb, it's very easy to treat," Lin Xiao slowly squatted down in front of Qingchu, gently patting her head. He said calmly, "I am a doctor who prescribes medicine and treats illnesses for others. Your face might seem difficult to treat in the eyes of others, but for me, it's nothing difficult."

Yes, nothing difficult.

Who else could be more skilled in medicine and alchemy than Lin Xiao, who had the entire Great Luo Pill Scripture stored in his mind? (To be continued)