Oil-Wax Immortal Ascension Method

Ren Qing sorted through nature's gifts. Killing and looting really was the fastest road to fortune!

At the same time, he considered Medicine Dissolution. After all, the prerequisite for using Frog Immortal Lord to nourish himself was completing the final Metamorphosis Immortal Art corpse dissolution within a short time.

"This Daoist relied on Medicine Dissolution to ascend to immortality in his previous life, so naturally I understand it better than anyone."

"Four ginseng roots paired with the Metamorphosis Immortal Art should barely suffice to revive the dead and regrow white bones, but what is still lacking is a deadly poison to sever life at the start. Only by going from death to life can it be called corpse dissolution."

"Mm."

Ren Qing narrowed his eyes, vaguely sensing a flash of divine consciousness sweep through the street.

Clearly, they were Demon Cultivators who had noticed Yan Jing's death. Yet the coffin shop was shrouded by the Sunrise Diagram; their divine consciousness detected nothing unusual and vanished in an instant.

Ren Qing lowered his head to inspect the storage pouch and found very few traces of refinement. Its inner space had not been formed after the fact.

"What material was this storage pouch originally made from?"

Dou Sangu waited at the side. Now, he had only one thought left: serve this master well. "Reporting to Immortal Elder, it came from a True Immortal of the Immortal Ascension Sect named Lord Food. The stomachs and intestines of his disciples can contain other objects."

Ren Qing raised a brow at Dou Sangu. "You still have the nerve to engage in this business of killing people to refine treasures?"

Dou Sangu hurriedly waved his hands in explanation. "Immortal Elder misunderstands. The storage pouch was not obtained by killing anyone. Lord Food's followers' stomachs and intestines are regenerative. They only need to cut off a portion to refine storage pouches, and it does not harm their foundation."

"Come to think of it, the Immortal Ascension Sect has quite a few similar 'legitimate businesses.' Three Rivers Prefecture has them too. If Immortal Elder offers a price, they can remove them on the spot."

Ren Qing clicked his tongue inwardly. It seemed the Immortal Ascension Sect also knew it was a blessed land and heavenly grotto.

He had no interest in the storage pouch. Compared to Frog Immortal Lord's stomach-space, it was like a witch before a giant. Still, the things Yan Jing had collected were genuinely useful.

It was clear Yan Jing had been a capable person in life. Every step he took after entering cultivation had been recorded.

Demonic creatures possessed innate divine abilities. They barely needed to cultivate to nurture divine consciousness; eating people could even increase their cultivation. By passing the imperial examinations, they could attain Enlightenment and Transformation.

"But thinking about it carefully, any immortal ascension method that demands things like a hundred days of Foundation Establishment or strengthening the foundation and cultivating the essence would probably see one turned into Demon Cultivators' food the moment one entered the door."

Unease suddenly rose in Ren Qing's heart. Was there a possibility—

There were no righteous sects in this world at all?

Impossible.

Ren Qing dismissed the thought. It had to be that the region where this Daoist was located had a problem. So long as he upheld his original heart and cultivated orthodox Daoist methods, he would surely become the leader of the righteous path.

Suddenly.

Another flicker of divine consciousness swept past, only to return empty-handed as well.

Seeing the Immortal Elder's expression shift between light and dark, Dou Sangu tactfully lit the stove.

"Dou Sangu, tell me. What are you skilled at?"

Dou Sangu's spirits lifted. Despite the discomfort in both body and soul, he forcibly squeezed out a brilliant smile. "Reporting to Immortal Elder, this disciple's innate divine ability is called 'Calamity Ward.' It can seek fortune and avoid disaster."

"Oh? Seek fortune and avoid disaster."

Dou Sangu knew his own value better than anyone, and hurriedly added, "This disciple can sense the treasure-light emitted by spiritual materials of heaven and earth, and can also sense impending misfortune. That is how, in merely thirty years, I went from a wild demon to the peak of Enlightenment."

Enlightenment was equivalent to entering an immortal ascension method, while a demon's Transformation corresponded to a human becoming immortal.

Ren Qing had not expected a mere rat demon's innate divine ability to be practically essential for killing and looting. Ahem, a pity this Daoist's Dao heart was kind and good; he could not bear the sight of blood.

No wonder Dou Sangu had managed to find the coffin shop. Ordinary Demon Cultivators could not be underestimated.

Dou Sangu cautiously added, "This disciple has spent many years searching the mountains for great medicines, and is also quite proficient in alchemy, especially the Internal Refinement Method."

"The Internal Refinement Method?"

Ren Qing was intrigued. A pillow had arrived just as he grew sleepy.

He had originally been considering obtaining it from heterodox cultivators.

"Immortal Elder, though the Internal Refinement Method is rather crude, its advantage is that one can refine pills at any time."

Dou Sangu gestured as he pulled up a handful of weeds. After chewing them for a long while, he swallowed them. His stomach and intestines visibly wriggled, and after a bout of rumination, he spat out a grass pill.

"Each furnace of the Internal Refinement Method yields only one pill, but it inevitably wastes some medicinal potency."

Ren Qing's peripheral vision swept over the forty Black Rat Dao Children coming and going. If the Mouse Divine General could master it, would that not create an alchemy assembly line?

Dou Sangu did not dare conceal anything, explaining the secrets of the Internal Refinement Method with gestures and demonstrations.

Ren Qing silently committed it to memory. The Internal Refinement Method truly was easy to grasp. He would not need to ruminate if he ate the pills himself; he simply did not know whether he could refine the pills needed for Medicine Dissolution.

"Dou Sangu, how much do you know about the Regional Examination?"

He spoke to interrupt him, his gaze settling on the Transformation Pill Formula Yan Jing had collected.

The main ingredient was people, and the supplementary ingredients were still people. Who knew how many ordinary mortals would die in a single Regional Examination alone.

"Reporting to Immortal Elder, Regional Examinations are generally held together with the Immortal Ascension Assembly. We would... no, they would refine Immortal Ascension Sect disciples into Transformation Pills."

As Dou Sangu spoke, he watched Ren Qing's reaction at every moment. He had not even entered his service yet, but he had already surpassed all the Dao Children and begun to fathom the Immortal Elder's intentions.

"Mm."

Seeing Ren Qing's robe hem had been dampened, Dou Sangu hurriedly brought over a cattail mat.

Then, seeing Ren Qing clear his throat, he had tea presented before the Black Rat Dao Children could move.

Ren Qing's eyes narrowed slightly. He had previously been considering the style of his Daoist robe. Now, it seemed an administrative jacket might suit him better.

"Why does the Immortal Ascension Sect's Immortal Ascension Assembly not deliberately avoid towns densely populated with people?"

"This disciple does not know."

As Dou Sangu answered, he cleared the weeds from the medicinal field.

Ren Qing toyed with the feather-shaped artifact. He later found an artifact-refining method in the storage pouch as well, but Demon Cultivators' methods of refinement leaned more toward refining their own feathers, scales, and horns into artifacts, which outsiders found difficult to wield.

The divisions for such items were magical artifacts and magical treasures. Usually, once a magical artifact had been nurtured for a long time and developed spirituality, it counted as a magical treasure.

Ren Qing glanced at the cave dwelling at the bottom of the well. Then what exactly were his two disciples?

He roughly finished skimming through Yan Jing's books and records. There were also three incomplete immortal ascension methods within; the wording in two had been reversed, making truth and falsehood impossible to discern.

The relatively complete immortal ascension method was one he knew all too well.

It was called the "Oil-Wax Immortal," precisely the Daoist lineage inherited from Daoist Beisu—the immortal ascension method that Ren Qing had once been tempted by. After winding around and around, it had somehow fallen into his hands.

A thought stirred in Ren Qing's mind. In his previous life, he truly had read a great number of methods whose authenticity he could not determine.

The Oil-Wax Immortal Ascension Method seemed to have some feasibility. Perhaps it would suit the Black Rat Dao Children.

"Dou Sangu, since you sincerely wish to become my disciple, this Daoist will permit it."

Dou Sangu was overjoyed, trembling all over in excitement as he repeatedly knocked his head against the ground.

He knew his own condition too well. Dispersing all his cultivation had already injured his body and soul, and then he had suffered Yan Jing's collateral damage. If nothing unexpected happened, his cultivation would likely never advance another inch.

"Dou Sangu, form cannot exist without spirit, nor can it generate itself; spirit cannot take shape without form, nor can it form itself."

Hearing Ren Qing mutter softly, Dou Sangu thought he was about to receive instruction.

Just then.

A glimmer of brightness suddenly appeared on the horizon. Morning rays pierced the heavy clouds; even the unbroken rainy weather could not completely conceal them, and their variegated light spread outward.

Ren Qing faced the morning glow, not yet having time to tell Dou Sangu to wait a moment.

Yet Dou Sangu had already taken the initiative to say, "Immortal Elder's matters are more important. Even if this disciple must wait bitterly for a hundred years, I will not harbor the slightest resentment."

Ren Qing appreciated Dou Sangu even more, but his expression soon changed.

This rat's words were fawning and flattering, and could easily wear away one's Dao heart. Fortunately, this Daoist's realm was profound enough to detect it early. By rights, he absolutely could not be kept, but considering this rat's aptitude was passable and he was needed at present—

Ren Qing raised his eyes toward midair. In only a brief moment, at least a dozen streams of divine consciousness had flashed past. Were these demons and Outer Dao cultivators paying far too much attention to this Daoist?

Dou Sangu trembled with fear at Ren Qing's appearance. When had he offended the Immortal Elder?

He recalled some muttering he had accidentally overheard from the Black Rat Dao Children.

They said something about the Immortal Elder being very petty?