Nether Corpse Cold Flame
Just as Song Wen was preparing to refine the Man-Snake corpse, Zhou Siyi's voice rang out from outside the cave abode.
"Junior Brother Wu, Elder Rong told me you've returned from the secret realm, so I came to see you."
Upon hearing this, Song Wen locked the Man-Snake back in the snake pit and opened the cave abode's protective barrier.
"Junior Brother Wu, were you unharmed in the Azure Tide Secret Realm?"
As soon as Zhou Siyi entered the cave abode, she asked anxiously, her gaze sweeping over Song Wen.
"Thank you for your concern, Senior Sister Zhou. I am not injured."
Zhou Siyi said, "Junior Brother Wu, you have always been cautious in your actions. You must have had your own reasons for entering the Azure Tide Secret Realm. But this time, entering the secret realm was really a bit reckless. You only have the cultivation of the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage, which is far inferior to those cultivators at the Foundation Establishment Peak Stage. In the future, you must think twice before acting."
Song Wen said, "Thank you for your concern, Senior Sister. I understand."
Zhou Siyi's expression suddenly became very serious, her face full of earnestness.
"Junior Brother Wu, we cultivators are generally wary of others, which is a good thing. But the kindness you have shown me goes beyond simply saving my life. I have absolutely no intention of harming you, and never will; you are someone you can trust. If you ever have to make another important decision in the future, I hope you will inform me."
Song Wen nodded in agreement, "Okay!"
"Really?"
"Absolutely true."
Zhou Siyi beamed with joy.
"Did you encounter anything interesting in the secret realm? Tell me about it."
Song Wen remained silent for a long time.
"Nothing interesting happened. My cultivation level is low, so I didn't dare to compete for treasures. I wandered around in a safe area for more than twenty days, and then I came out."
Zhou Siyi's smile faded, and her expression turned somewhat resentful.
"You just said you would trust me. Elder Rong told me that you encountered the White Tiger when you left the secret realm."
Five days later.
Song Wen arrived at the Profound-Class Pill Chamber.
As soon as I entered the Alchemy Chamber, I saw Zuo Shuiyun and Wei Ding walking towards me.
Back then, Wei Ding was demoted from a steward elder to an honorary elder and banished to the 'Spirit Flame Forbidden Land' to guard the Earthcore Smelting Flame.
Wei Ding was no longer of any use, Zuo Shuiyun turned her back on him, and the two broke off their relationship.
However, recently, Zuo Shuiyun was on duty and was also dispatched to the 'Spirit Flame Forbidden Land' to assist Wei Ding in guarding the Earthcore Smelting Flame, and the two got entangled together again.
The Earthcore Smelting Flame is sealed deep beneath Pill Peak, with only one passage leading to the sealed area.
This passage is equipped with several restrictions; without a pass token, even a cultivator at the Peak Golden Core Stage would find it difficult to enter.
Therefore, guarding the Earthcore Smelting Flame is an extremely leisurely job.
All you need to do is check the seal on the Earthcore Smelting Flame every few hours to see if it has loosened.
Correspondingly, this is a low-paying job with meager pay.
Song Wen's status is no longer what it used to be.
Zuo Shuiyun's attitude towards Song Wen underwent a complete 180-degree change.
She initially looked down on Song Wen.
When Song Wen first entered the sect, Song Wen was treated with condescension and sarcasm.
While the two were carrying out the Cheng Family's Blood Demon mission together, only Song Wen knew that Zuo Shuiyun had secretly subdued the Blood Demon.
The fact that others knew about her secret, which was something that was considered shameful by others, made Zuo Shuiyun very uncomfortable.
Therefore, she once plotted to frame Song Wen by reporting Song Wen illegally selling elixirs, but it didn't cause Song Wen any trouble.
After Song Wen the Elder of the Pavilion, his status was vastly different from hers, and he was no longer someone she could easily offend.
Therefore, she threw herself at Song Wen and flattered him.
Unfortunately, Song Wen showed her no kindness whatsoever.
Song Wen had no intention of associating with beasts.
"Junior Brother Wu, what brings you to the Alchemy Chamber today? Is there something important that you need? Is there anything I can do to help you?"
Zuo Shuiyun took small, quick steps and walked up to Song Wen with a charming smile on her face.
Song Wen said, "It's just a small matter, no need to trouble Senior Sister Zuo."
"Then you go ahead with your work, junior brother. If you need anything, just let me know via the Message Jade Slip, and I will not refuse."
"Thank you, Senior Sister Zuo."
After saying that, Song Wen continued walking into the Alchemy Chamber.
As Song Wendao passed by Wei Ding, Song Wen said...
"Elder Wei, it's been many years. How have you been?"
Wei Ding was far less worldly-wise than Zuo Shuiyun in his conduct.
Song Wen took the initiative to greet him, and he merely nodded Song Wen in response.
He had also heard that Song Wen was now working for the First Supreme Lord.
In his eyes, Song Wen was just lucky to have climbed the Nascent Soul ladder by becoming a Nascent Soul Grand Elder.
Once Song Wen has lost his usefulness to the First Supreme Lord, he will surely decline and never regain his former glory.
Song Wen didn't care about Wei Ding's slightly arrogant response. He walked inside and his figure quickly disappeared into the Alchemy Chamber.
"Elder Wei, Wu Sheng is now a favorite of the Peak Master and the Supreme Elder. You should be more polite to him," Zuo Shuiyun said.
Wei Ding said with a disdainful tone.
"It's just temporary glory; he'll lose his usefulness sooner or later. Knowing too many secrets isn't a good thing. Who knows what a miserable end awaits him then."
"People still have to rely on themselves. For us Alchemists, the foundation upon which we make our living is alchemy. Only by mastering alchemy can we gain a foothold in the sect and in the Cultivation World."
"Elder Wei, you are right."
Zuo Shuiyun readily agreed, but no one knew what she truly thought.
Song Wen sought out Huo Ding and asked him for advice on the extraction method of a Yellowglow Grass ".
Yellowglow Grass is an auxiliary ingredient in the Golden Core Pill Elixir, but Song Wen never used it.
Huo Ding has an exceptional talent for Alchemy and is dedicated to his studies. His alchemy skills have improved by leaps and bounds. If it weren't for the limitations imposed by his cultivation level, he would probably have been able to refine all second-tier pills by now.
Before arriving at the Alchemy Chamber, Song Wen had already communicated with Huo Ding beforehand using Message Jade Slip.
Huo Ding was quite enthusiastic about Song Wen's arrival and demonstrated the extraction process of Yellowglow Grass to Song Wen in person.
"Thank you for your explanation, Elder Huo."
"Elder Wu, there's no need to thank me. It was Master's order."
"I will forever remember the kindness of Peak Master."
After bidding farewell to Huo Ding, Song Wen arrived at the Sutra Repository.
He was searching for texts about green flames.
After half an hour, Song Wen finally found the record of green flames among the vast sea of ancient books.
This fire is called 'Nether Corpse Cold Flame', a kind of sinister and icy Spirit Flame.
For Devil Cultivators such as those practicing the Corpse Path and the Ghost Dao, this fire has immeasurable value.
It can be used not only against enemies, but also to help them create Corpse Puppets and vengeful ghosts.
With the addition of the Jade Radiance Flame obtained from Feng Qi, Song Wen now possessed two Spirit Flames, one righteous and one evil.
However, refining Spirit Flames requires a Golden Core stage cultivation level, Song Wen is currently unable to do.
After leaving the scripture library, Song Wen returned to his cave abode.
For the next period of time, Song Wen spent his time in ascetic training, corpse refining, and practicing alchemy.