Immortal Spirit Jade Marrow

Qin Nanxin's injuries were extremely bad, so bad that she was already on the verge of death, and her Divine Sense was so weak that it was almost dissipating. If Li Fan hadn't casually killed that demon god and remembered to scan the area with his blind eyes before leaving, he would have almost not discovered that she was still alive.

When Li Fan found her, he almost didn't recognize her. At a glance, he saw that she had been hit by several Sword Qi, which broke through her qi and defenses, leaving her bloodied and mangled. She had even been pierced through the throat by a sword and almost lost her life.

Roughly estimated, Qin Nanxin must have lost the sword duel first. Later, it's unclear what secret technique she used to force herself to move, but she was then struck squarely by the demon god's punch. Finally, she was sent flying, and without her true qi protecting her, she crashed onto the rocks like a rag doll. Her bones and muscles were shattered, her internal organs were almost reduced to dust, and her meridians were utterly destroyed by the sword's power and malevolent energy. Her Qian Yuan Divine Nascent Soul was cracked and broken, and her Divine Sense was extremely weak. In this state, even physical dissolution was probably impossible.

Therefore, although he had already spotted the fleeing Sword Light of the two North Star Guard assassins, Li Fan abandoned the pursuit and immediately picked up Qin Nanxin, flying to the Ink Bamboo Mountain Grotto-Heaven for help. The Gao Ming abbot was currently being held up by the Daoist Lord of Hengshan at Lou Guan Tower, so he could only seek help from the second Gao Ming physician.

Of course, the Ink Bamboo Mountain Grotto-Heaven was also attacked. The smell was too strong. Li Fan smelled a sea salt scent from afar, clearly indicating that it was a monster from the sea, probably the Ling King's shrimp soldiers and crab generals, who had come around from the east again.

Not only Yao the Supervisor, but also the four swordsmiths who oversaw the forging of swords —Qin Jianshi, Chen Fushi, Liu Zhens, and Du Gongshi— came out to help. The five of them activated the Ink Bamboo Mountain Grotto-Heaven Array, and the Sword Light of the Black Sword swept around like a searchlight, forcing the demons to stay away.

However, this group of demons actually consisted of only a dozen or so Nascent Soul Stage demon generals, but even just their appearance was enough to keep everyone occupied and prevent them from making any rash moves. At this moment, these demons also put on a show, releasing magical treasures, setting up magic arrays, donning armor and wielding weapons, and posing as if they were about to attack the cave.

But Li Fan had no time to waste with them. He was burning with murderous intent and was about to explode. He simply couldn't tolerate it.

He immediately ate another Three Flowers to replenish his energy, then charged straight forward with the Tai Sha Sword Rainbow, cutting into the demon horde and wreaking havoc. He killed three demons on the spot, leaving the group of monsters stunned and instinctively fleeing in panic.

Seeing the demons scatter like birds and beasts, Li Fan didn't linger in the fight. Seizing the opportunity, he turned and rushed straight into the cave.

Yao Xuanzhou recognized Tai Sha Sword Rainbow and immediately presided over the formation to open a passage for him to enter.

"Abbot! Nan Xin saved my disciple from Ink Bamboo Mountain, please save her life too!"

As expected, the second Gao Ming healer, Yin Yezi, was also watching the spectacle beside Yao Xuanzhou. He circled around Li Fan and then probed into Qin Nanxin's wound to examine her meridians.

Yao Xuanzhou couldn't immediately recall who Nan Xin was, but seeing the man's mangled flesh and on the verge of death, he didn't waste any more words. He took out the Green Gourd and summoned the scholar who had been lodging inside.

"She's injured so badly she needs to soak in Immortal Spirit Jade Marrow, but she can't go to the secret realm for treatment in this condition. I have a jar of jade marrow in my room; take it for now. Please lead the way, fellow Daoist."

"Thank you, Abbot! Thank you, fellow Daoist!"

Li Fan thanked Yao Xuanzhou and immediately followed, carrying the gourd and the scholar's spirit, flying into an Immortal Pavilion, probably Yao Xuanzhou's cave dwelling.

Under the scholar's guidance, Li Fan found a jar of jade marrow the size of a wine jar, fed Qin Nanxin three mouthfuls, and then poured the rest directly into the large alchemy furnace used for steaming pills in the Daoist temple, put Qin Nanxin in to soak, and also threw away a lot of holy medicines for healing, such as the Qiankun Yiqi Pill and the Donghua Changchun Pill, as a last resort.

But the fellow Daoist gestured and indicated that this amount was far from enough, and after examining the patient for a while, Physician Xuantian also issued three consecutive pronouncements.

"It's hopeless, just wait to die, don't waste your resources."

Li Fan rolled his eyes, knowing that talking to Xuan Tian about love, romance, Dao Companion was pointless; Xuan Tian wouldn't understand or care at all. So, he tried to explain it to him in a way that Xuan Tian could easily understand.

"Qin Baichuan dotes on her. Look, he even came personally a couple of days ago to deliver a talisman book and a cicada-patterned dress, so that I might have a chance to save her life in the future."

Xuan Tian was shocked. "Hiss... You dare to recklessly take on Emei's karma at a time like this! I'll first call back her primordial spirit, and if that doesn't work, I'll seal it to prevent her soul from being scattered! What are you still standing there for! Throw in more jade marrow, elixirs, and spiritual herbs! We absolutely cannot owe them a favor!"

Then, with a flash of silver leaf, it entered the Divine Court to help Qin Nanxin stabilize his primordial spirit.

So Li Fan sent the Blood Infant over to serve the Xuan Tian Doctor, and set up a Qi-gathering array outside, asking the Scholar Daoist to sit in the array and help watch over it. Then, remembering that the Mountain Lord often used things like Jade Marrow and Divine Nascent Soul, he flew to the Mountain Lord's residence to ask the Mountain Lord's Flower Slave Maid for help.

As soon as he landed in the yard, Li Fan immediately noticed a string of gourds growing from the potted plant. Then, those gourds suddenly turned their faces and smiled at him, which startled him and dampened his spirits a little.

"Damn, it grew so fast!"

"It's still early; it's just the physical body. The primordial spirit needs time to recuperate," a maidservant said, carrying a teapot to water the gourd-headed disciples. "What brings you here tonight, Master?"

"Oh, um... this lady..."

"The Grand Master will simply call himself a Flower Slave."

The three flower maids of the mountain lord were just peach blossoms that had casually been planted in the courtyard and had come to be spirits; they had never been given any names. Li Fan only remembered that they had once given him magical treasures. The older sister had already gone to hold the mountain lord's head, and the other one who held the twin swords was also gone. Only the flower maid in front of him was left in the room, watering the immortal soup while the gourd-headed girls made Pleasure laughter.

Li Fan quickly closed his eyes to calm himself down and said, "Is this Immortal Spirit Jade Marrow? I have a fellow Daoist who is seriously injured. Could you lend me some to save him?"

The maid hesitated, "I've already shared what I have with my fellow disciples. I'm afraid what's left won't be enough to save people. I can't carry much by myself. Why don't I lead the way for the Grand Master and we can go and gather some together?"

"That would be best, thank you very much, sister... Oh, fellow disciples, please rest assured and recover. Qingyue takes her leave."

So Li Fan bid farewell to the gourd-headed men and then followed the maid to the mountain lord's residence.

There is also an altar for the Thousand-Faced Immortal here, which leads directly to the secret realm. This immortal statue has not been sealed. A black humanoid Celestial Devil Statue stands on the altar, with an oil lamp lit in front of it.

The maid took a small medicine bottle from a box in front of the shrine, and poured out a little pomegranate-colored liquid, which looked like a crystal-clear red pearl and seemed very familiar.

"This is Taotie Saliva. To obtain Immortal Spirit Jade Marrow, just one drop is enough. However, the Mountain Lord has gone to Kunlun to cultivate, so the Grand Master should use it sparingly."

The maid carefully poured a drop of the Taotie Saliva onto the lamplight. The flame flickered and suddenly turned red, the light and shadow distorting. The projection of the immortal statue was also distorted and cast crookedly onto the wall of the secret chamber. The light and space were inexplicably twisted, revealing a dark and distorted rift.

The maid walked to the crevice, her long hair billowing as if swept by the wind, her features beginning to distort. Her body remained human, but her head and neck were twisted and elongated, forming a long, pinkish-white strip, somewhat like a thick vine.

Li Fan thought he was under an illusion, so he couldn't help but blink and try to see with his Divine Sense. However, his Divine Sense fell entirely into the deep, dark crevice, as if he were directly exploring the Void Abyss, and he couldn't detect anything.

"Hurry, Master! Once the oil lamp goes out, we won't be able to get back."

The maid with the vine-like headdress beckoned to Li Fan, then turned and entered the door, her Divine Sense vanishing from this world in an instant.

Li Fan followed the maid and stepped into the dark, twisted crevice. A gust of foul wind rushed towards him; the smell was indescribable, a mixture of sweet and pungent odors. Li Fan felt his Divine Sense was completely empty, unable to see anything, as if he had truly become blind. Fortunately, the maid was leading the way. With the naked eye, he could see that her head was still a white strip like a tentacle, her skin emitting a faint glow, clearly visible in the darkness. This allowed him to follow her through the passageway.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, and seemingly losing track of time, Li Fan finally emerged from a cave and saw a maid leading the way, pointing to the ground beneath her feet.

"The mountain lord is probably full by now, Master, keep your voice down and don't disturb it."

Isn't the Mountain Lord in Kunlun? And it's kind of disgusting to look at you if you can change your head back...

Li Fan stepped forward and peered out, only to find that outside the cave they had emerged from was a barren wasteland, filled with purplish-black stones, all of which were condensed with malevolent energy. Beneath their feet was a deep abyss, hundreds of feet deep, at the bottom of which lay a black-haired monster with six bright red stripes on its back, lying among a pile of bones.

Li Fan felt as if his Divine Sense was sealed, unable to see anything. He could only focus his eyesight, but even from this distance, he couldn't make out the details. He only vaguely felt that the thing resembled a four-legged animal like a cow or sheep, and the red markings on its back looked like eyes—no, weren't they eyes?

Could it be the Taotie?

Then the maid raised her index finger to seal her lips, making a shushing gesture to Li Fan, before leaping off the cliff. Her toes swayed on the rock face, and she drifted down like a feather.

Li Fan also noticed that the gravity in this world was extremely strong, which put a significant strain on his current Dao body. Moreover, there was no Taiji Qi and very little baleful energy; he could only feel a little bit of it when he was close to the black rocks.

So Li Fan imitated the maid's way of walking, stepping on the rock face and running down the cliff, falling into the deep pit.

As Li Fan rushed down the cliff, he could see clearly that the Taotie was about seven or eight zhang tall and about twenty zhang long. In terms of size, it was at least a great demon god. At this moment, it was curled up in a pile of the bones of some kind of giant beast, lying down to sleep. Blood tears were dripping from the corners of its six eyes on its side, staining its black fur crimson.

The maid in front leaped around for a while, then suddenly stretched out her arms, her hands transforming into a pair of pterosaur-like bony wings, and glided up from the cliff.

Only then did Li Fan realize that the area below the cliff was not flat land, but a purplish-black desert filled with fragmented crystals of malevolent energy, emitting a dense storm of malevolent energy and whipping up hurricanes of malevolent energy.

Li Fan then took advantage of the shifting wind to transform into a nine-headed Guiche, spreading his four-zhang wingspan. He followed the maid with vine-like heads and fleshy wings, gliding through the valley's winds and circling as they approached the ferocious beasts below.

It was at this moment that Li Fan suddenly realized what was happening.

Human bones were scattered around the Taotie.

Or rather, a humanoid skeleton, an unprecedented giant, the gluttonous creature curled up in the abdomen of that skeleton, like a fetus in a pregnant woman's womb, and the giant skeleton lying on its side, its legs covered by the desert, its head and shoulders embedded in the mountain rocks, only its abdomen and chest, its menacing ribs and spine exposed.

Their target was also this enormous skeleton!

The maidservant folded her wings and suddenly began a high-speed dive, heading straight for the pile of bones behind the Taotie. Her feet transformed into eagle claws, and she swept past, picking up a piece of bone fragment from the giant's spine. Then she flew up quickly, as if fleeing into the sky. Amber-colored liquid could be clearly seen seeping out from the cross-section of the bone fragment.

Digging in, Immortal Spirit Jade Marrow...

Li Fan knew he didn't have time to complain to him now. Looking at the three pairs of blood-red eyes on the Taotie's back, he gritted his teeth, folded his wings, swooped down, grabbed a section of spine buried in the sand, and fled!

Thinking that this Heavenly Treasure was not only needed to treat Qin Nanxin, but also to revive his fellow disciples from Moshan, and to repay the loan from Yao Xuanzhou, and that many other surviving Moshan disciples might also need treatment, he deliberately took more than he needed.

To Li Fan's surprise, that large section of the spine was actually connected by muscles! He flapped his wings with all his might, kicking up a huge cloud of sand and dust, which knocked over the surrounding skeleton!

Wow! You always come up with something new for me!

Li Fan quickly pecked and tore off a piece of rib. When he turned his head, he saw that the Taotie had stood up, and half of its chest cavity had suddenly been torn open, revealing a huge mouth full of fangs!

"Caw--!" Li Fan soared into the air, but at the same time, a sharp pain shot through his shoulder as he discovered that one of the Guiche's heads had been bitten off!

But eating one wasn't enough! The gluttonous beast charged wildly down the cliff, closing in rapidly! Then it leaped into the air!

"Holy crap!"

Although Li Fan dodged, he still got hit on the head! And what happened?! He was clearly far away! He shouldn't have been pounced on!

But there was no time to think; the gluttonous beast didn't even chew it before it came again!

Li Fan weakly resisted, trying to grab the Taotie's eyes, but it was completely useless except for losing another head.

The maid was even more decisive, throwing away the broken bones in her hand and flying desperately towards the cliff.

Li Fan was also in dire straits and had no choice but to flee at all costs.

The Taotie was thrashing about behind, leaping and bounding like a goat on the high cliff, gnawing at the head of the Guiche one head at a time.

Fortunately, the Guiche had many heads, and it survived being bitten by six of them. In the end, Li Fan managed to escape and ascend to heaven, diving into the Thousand-Faced Immortal's rift and dragging back a long string of vertebrae.

The Taotie seemed to still remember the Thousand-Faced Immortal. It lingered at the entrance for a while, still wanting more, before leaping back down the cliff like a leaping goat.

The maid, seemingly exhausted, transformed into human form and squatted face-to-face with Li Fan in the cave, panting for a while. Neither of them had the strength to stand up.

Li Fan couldn't help but ask, "... Is that really the Mountain Lord?"

"Yes, it is the true form of the Mountain Lord, but it has become uncontrollable, so it is being kept here and nurtured by celestial beings."

The maid stared blankly at the spine that Li Fan had pulled back.

"A celestial being from beyond the heavens?"

"Celestial Immortals... I don't know what they are. I only heard the Mountain Lord say that every day when the sun rises, these corpses are exposed to sunlight, and their bones will grow flesh and they will be resurrected. The daylight hours in this world are short, and one day is not enough for these Celestial Immortals to be resurrected. So the Taotie are kept here so that they have meat to eat every day, so they won't starve to death, nor will they become too fat."

Li Fan rubbed his neck, the ripped-off Guiche head still throbbing painfully. "Won't these 'come back to life' if we take them back?"

"It's alright, it takes a long time for the head to grow back. But since you've harvested so much this time, you'll have to help me split my bones and extract the marrow."

The marrow of celestial beings transforms very quickly. Exposed to the sun daily, they only have a short time to collect Immortal Spirit Jade Marrow for medicinal purposes. Over time, this marrow will develop into granulation tissue and blood foam, making it only good for drinking.

"... Oh yeah, it can even be used as a snack with drinks, it's truly a treasure trove from head to toe..."

So Li Fan didn't delay any longer, and carried the spine and the maid back to the Taiji Realm to work on making the Immortal Spirit Jade Marrow.

These celestial bones are truly tough. All the Taiji True Qi was absorbed when it hit them, and the Tai Sha Sword Embryo would destroy the bone marrow inside. Li Fan had no choice but to roll up his sleeves and use the Zanma Knife left by the mountain lord to chop through these vertebrae one by one after a long time, and then take them out to sunbathe.

According to Hua Nu, once the amber-colored bone marrow is dried to a pale green, it can be immediately bottled in a pre-mixed medicinal wine. The longer the sealed Immortal Spirit Jade Marrow is kept, the more potent the medicinal effects will be. However, the bones of the celestial beings also need time to grow, so the yield has always been low. The mountain lord also likes to treat people to wine, and the aged wine he had treasured for many years was recently used to revive the disciples of Mo Shan.

However, Qin Nanxin was only at the Golden Core stage, so these newly brewed Immortal Spirit Jade Marrow were enough for her.

So Li Fan brought over some medicinal wine to check on Qin Nanxin's condition.

Xuan Tian said he had bad news and good news.

Li Fan said, "Go ahead and tell me. I've been forced to stay calm, and I'm fully prepared. At worst, I'll just go on a killing spree with a blank expression."

So Xuantian said,

"She can be saved. This girl has been honing her skills at the Golden Core Realm for many years. She has a solid foundation and profound cultivation. I only gave her a few pointers and used the Blood Infant to help her a little. She was able to re-condense the Qian Yuan Divine Nascent Soul. She truly deserves to be called the Dao Child of Emei."

As long as her primordial spirit can be preserved, there is still a chance for her to dissolve her body. Moreover, with so many elixirs Heavenly Treasure to help her, saving her life is not a problem. However, she is too badly injured. Her meridians are destroyed, her foundation is ruined, and she has problems with breathing and exerting force. Normally speaking, her path of cultivation is cut off from now on.

However, the karmic debt owed to Emei can be settled at this point.

Normally speaking? What about abnormally?

"Well, actually, I happen to know that the Qin Family of Emei's ultimate technique, the Heavenly Silkworm Skill, has a fatal flaw: every time it is refined to a certain degree, the practitioner must abandon the technique and start over. This is the best opportunity to break this technique. Now, we also have the Cangsong thief Cangsong's Cicada Molting Immortal Robe here, so this girl can just cultivate the Heavenly Silkworm Divine Skill."

This might actually be a blessing in disguise. Not only could it reshape the body and soul and rebuild cultivation, but there's also a chance to break through to the Nascent Soul Realm in one fell swoop and even master the first stage of the Heavenly Silkworm Transformation!

That's not bad... So what's the bad news?

"I don't know the Heavenly Silkworm Skill, and she's never learned it either. Do you know it?"

Li Fan certainly wouldn't... but wouldn't sending her back to the Qin Family of Emei be enough?

"Oh right, you didn't know? News just came from Yuntai Peak late last night. I heard that last night, not only was there fighting here at Ink Bamboo Mountain, but someone also made a move in the north, launching a surprise attack on Emei and taking over the Golden Summit!"