Reward

Chapter 45: Reward

The Myriad Demon Sect, Underworld Spring Branch, towering peak.

The Underworld Spring Branch had only seven grandmasters, including its branch leader, Xu Qing. Those seven grandmasters taught only their direct disciples. The registered and outer disciples, meanwhile, were occasionally taught by the grandmasters' own disciples.

Compared with other demon branches, which could call on dozens of grandmasters at the drop of a hat, the Underworld Spring Branch was desolate and run-down to the extreme, always in danger of being expelled from the Seventy-Two Branches of Myriad Demon.

It was said that several hundred years ago, the Underworld Spring Branch had shaken the entire Southern Li Land and ranked among the very strongest of the Seventy-Two Branches of Myriad Demon. But after a great upheaval, countless powerful members of the Demon Race had fallen or passed away, and even the branch's most treasured immortal arts had lost their line of transmission. From then on, the branch had declined.

Of the Underworld Spring Branch's three immortal arts—the Nether-Passing Art, the Nine-Turn Soul-Severing Great Law, and the Yellow Springs Pill-Washing Art—only the Yellow Springs Pill-Washing Art had been passed down. Its requirements were incredibly strict, however, and hardly any of the seven grandmasters had succeeded in cultivating it. They could only practice the Netherfire Alchemy, adapted from it, leaving the entire Underworld Spring Branch with virtually no true inheritance.

The only one who still knew how to use the Yellow Springs Pill-Washing Art was Chen Lin's nominal master, Hong Qianlie. This gave Hong Qianlie a somewhat special status in the Underworld Spring Branch, and even throughout the Myriad Demon Sect. After all, ordinary Demon Cultivators would never offend an alchemy master lightly. They might need to beg him for pills and medicine someday.

In the cultivation palace where Hong Qianlie resided, an attendant disciple led Chen Lin into a room to wait.

The room was a vast alchemy chamber. In its center stood a bronze-colored pill furnace, nearly a zhang tall. Huge chains pierced through the room and suspended it in midair, and strange arrays of runes were engraved across its surface. It looked extraordinary. Apart from that, the only furnishings were meditation cushions.

"Not bad. In just half a month, you've cultivated the immortal art I bestowed upon you to the first level. It seems you haven't been slacking off."

A strange voice suddenly sounded behind him.

Chen Lin's body stiffened. He slowly turned around, his eyes filling with respect. Lowering his head, he bowed slightly. "Master."

The speaker wore a stately, dark purple robe. He was gaunt, with a pale complexion and somewhat cloudy eyes. Naturally, he was Chen Lin's nominal master, Hong Qianlie.

"Very good. You're very good. It seems you have a real talent for cultivation, and you haven't let down my expectations. Not bad."

Hong Qianlie glanced at Chen Lin, and a trace of satisfaction appeared on his face. The gloom and indifference in his expression eased a little.

"Thank you for your praise, Master."

Hong Qianlie waved a hand and walked over to the pill furnace. He abruptly slapped its bronze body. A hazy azure light burst across its surface, and the runes began to dance, as if they had come alive.

"Rise!"

Hong Qianlie gave a low shout. The furnace lid shot into the air and hung there, while a streak of azure light flew out of the furnace. Hong Qianlie swept his sleeve, drawing it into his palm.

"Bang!"

The lid fell back into place. A flash of light passed over the furnace, and it settled into stillness once more.

"This is your reward."

Hong Qianlie glanced at the pill in his palm. A flash of reluctance crossed his eyes before he tossed it to Chen Lin.

Chen Lin's eyes flickered, but he caught it carefully, daring not be careless. Looking down, he saw a pill surrounded by an azure glow, about the size of a goose egg. Natural-looking patterns faintly marked its surface, making it seem extraordinary.

Suddenly, Hong Qianlie broke into a violent fit of coughing. His expression twisted with pain, and his face grew even paler. Chen Lin's heart stirred, but he still put on a worried expression and hurried forward two steps. "Master, you..."

Hong Qianlie waved a hand, cutting Chen Lin off. "I'm fine... The pill in your hand is called the Soul-Cleansing Demon Pill. It's recorded in the Nine-Turn Soul-Severing Great Law. I made it by communicating with the Yellow Springs Netherworld and washing it in Yellow Springs water. It can cleanse the soul and will benefit you greatly. Take it as soon as you return."

Chen Lin was stunned. A pill recorded in the Nine-Turn Soul-Severing Great Law? Hadn't he heard that the Underworld Spring Branch had lost the art's line of transmission long ago?

Though he wondered this, Chen Lin still showed his gratitude. He took a jade box from his Storage Bag and carefully placed the pill inside.

"Mm. Take this waist token too. Consider it another reward." Hong Qianlie nodded and casually tossed Chen Lin a token that looked neither silver nor something else. "With this token, you can enter and leave the Myriad Demon Sect's Earth Fire Cavern to cultivate whenever you like. Remember, only you may use it."

Chen Lin caught the token, pleasantly surprised. He carefully put it away and bowed. "Thank you, Master."

The Earth Fire Cavern was a special place in the Myriad Demon Sect. It had alchemy chambers built inside mountain caves, where they connected to the earth's fire below.

Ordinary disciples cultivating the Hundred Refinement Art needed to draw pill fire into their bodies. The best way was to cultivate in the alchemy chambers of the Earth Fire Cavern. But those chambers had to be rented with Spirit Stones. Three days inside cost ten Spirit Stones—an exorbitant price that ordinary disciples could hardly afford.

Chen Lin cultivated the Dao Heaven and could draw upon the Essence of Li Fire, which was several times more powerful than earth fire. He had no need for earth fire. What truly delighted him was the chance to use the alchemy chambers to learn the art of alchemy.

"All right. If there's nothing else, you may leave. I'm going into seclusion to refine pills."

Hong Qianlie waved a hand, signaling that Chen Lin could go.

Chen Lin bowed respectfully and said, "Yes." Then, guided by an attendant disciple, he left the palace.

Only after Chen Lin had departed did Hong Qianlie murmur to himself, "I don't have much time left. This little fellow's soul is still too weak. He needs to cultivate the Nine-Nine Extreme Transformation to at least the third level..."

Suddenly, a compassionate look appeared on Hong Qianlie's face, and his voice changed into another, smooth and rounded one. "Donor Hong, if that young friend had truly cultivated the Nine-Turn Soul-Severing Great Law, I might still fear him a little. But as things stand, you have no chance of winning. I advise you to take refuge in the Buddha. I'll teach you Buddhist scriptures and ensure your soul-flame never goes out."

"Hmph! Take refuge in Buddhism and lose my true self?" Hong Qianlie's face changed again. He gave a cold laugh, his voice sinister. "The Nine-Turn Soul-Severing Great Law may be incomplete, but I'm a genius beyond compare. The Nine-Nine Extreme Transformation I spent centuries of painstaking research deriving may not be much inferior to it. Old monk, we've fought for centuries. It's time to settle this."

......

Two days later, on a mountain path several hundred li from the Myriad Demon Sect, a young man and a young woman walked side by side.

"Shameless exhibitionist!" "Disgusting exhibitionist!" "Lewd exhibitionist!" "Filthy exhibitionist!" "Perverted exhibitionist!"...

Chen Lin trudged along with his head drooping. He had lost count of how many times Yang Qianqian had called him that.

Every time she said it, Yang Qianqian would grit her teeth, her eyes blazing with humiliation. Anyone who didn't know the truth would have thought that this pretty young girl had been thoroughly taken advantage of by Chen Lin.

"Hey, hey, little girl. How many times do I have to tell you? What happened that day was purely an accident. It really wasn't what you think... Please don't let your filthy thoughts slander my pure heart, all right?"

Unable to endure Yang Qianqian's endless nagging any longer, Chen Lin rolled his eyes and enunciated each word. "Besides, ordinary people don't even get the chance to look. If you want to see this young master's sexy naked body again, I'll have to charge you Spirit Stones next time."

As a modern man who had crossed into this world, Chen Lin's skin wasn't especially thick. But in Yang Qianqian's eyes, it was as thick as a city wall.

"You...!"

Yang Qianqian was so furious she could barely breathe. She glared at his hateful face, fire blazing in her eyes. She had always been eccentric and sharp-tongued, usually the one who made others suffer. But over the past half month, Chen Lin had made her lose her composure time and again.

"Heh-heh, all right, little girl. We'll reach Silent Spirit City in about half a day. Let's hurry and try to get there by nightfall. You don't want to spend the night in the wilderness, do you?"

Before Yang Qianqian could blow up, Chen Lin chuckled and picked up his pace, darting ahead in the blink of an eye.

"Shameless, rotten monster! Just you wait until you fall into my hands..." Once she had calmed down and the furious blush on her face had faded a little, Yang Qianqian stomped her foot, made a few fierce gestures at Chen Lin's retreating figure, and chased after him.