Imitating the Supreme Lord to Refine a Stone Monkey

Imitating the Supreme Lord to Refine a Stone Monkey

Ye Fan's injuries were not difficult to treat. The Ancient Desolate Saint Body possessed exceptionally powerful vitality, and Jiang Yifei's compensation included quite a few precious healing medicines.

Five days later, Ye Fan awoke from his recuperation and saw Qin Sheng tempering divine patterns, molding them into the shape of another object.

He was no stranger to this kind of cultivation. It was the process of sacrificing an "artifact," and Ye Fan himself was currently refining his own "artifact."

Yet after watching for a while, he became deeply puzzled.

"Immortal Qin, what kind of artifact are you trying to refine?"

Qin Sheng's divine patterns had been tempered into a fist-sized rectangular object, gleaming with brilliant divine light. Ye Fan truly could not tell what it was.

Could it be some unique secret artifact?

Qin Sheng smiled and carefully controlled his "artifact," splitting it into two halves.

The rectangular object was made up of two parts. One was a lid, while the other was the hollow main body.

"This is..." Ye Fan felt an overwhelming sense of déjà vu.

"A coffin," Qin Sheng gave the answer.

"Huh?"

Ye Fan was petrified, disbelief written all over his face.

"You can use a coffin as an artifact?"

"Why not?"

Qin Sheng countered, "Have you forgotten how we got here? What did you think of that coffin?"

Ye Fan recalled the Nine Dragons Pulling a Coffin and had to admit that it was indeed terrifying. He felt that even a demon emperor's weapon might not surpass it.

"But using a coffin as an artifact... doesn't that still seem too strange?"

"An artifact is something that will accompany you for your entire life. You cannot be careless with it. You must choose the object that suits you best and that you love most," Qin Sheng said.

"Only then can it blend perfectly with you, with artifact and heart becoming one. If someone likes swords but is forced to forge a hammer, he definitely will not go far in the future."

I understand the reasoning, but why did you like coffins?!

"What artifact are you forging?"

Ye Fan answered, "A cauldron. A round cauldron with three legs and two handles."

"The Dao gave birth to One, One gave birth to Two, Two gave birth to Three. Three gave birth to all things. Your artifact is quite good, and it suits you very well. It will surely weave the traces of the Dao in the future."

Qin Sheng approved of Ye Fan's choice, then continued.

"The power of a cauldron is indeed immense, but that is your path. My path is the coffin."

Ye Fan did not understand. "Forge a coffin to bury all enemies and pursue ultimate offense?"

Looking at the small coffin before him, Qin Sheng gave a mysterious smile.

"This coffin of mine does not merely bury enemies. More importantly... it buries myself."

Ye Fan understood even less.

"The mortal world stretches endlessly, while time is like a blade, every stroke cutting down a genius."

Qin Sheng said, "Even the greatest heroes grow old. Throughout all of history, no one has been seen to attain immortality."

"This coffin will bury one version of me after another. Those are the selves that died away with time. Their deaths will bring me rebirth."

"Seeking life within the coffin, returning to life from the brink of death?"

"You can understand it that way."

Forging a coffin had been Qin Sheng's decision from the moment he first stepped onto the path of cultivation on Earth.

When he first considered what artifact he should forge, this answer had surfaced in his heart.

Across the myriad heavens and worlds, one Qin Sheng after another constantly died. He would prepare a humble coffin to bury himself, giving countless versions of himself a final home.

Death was not the end. Instead, it would make Qin Sheng stronger.

Reviving amid ruin, rising amid annihilation!

Do not think coffins were inauspicious. That was merely the view of mortals. In the Shrouding the Heavens world, they were instead a splendid symbol.

It was a destination, tranquility, an end, and also a beginning.

Before ancient history, at the source of time, what had buried that sickly man?

The Shrouding the Heavens trilogy?

It was the Coffin trilogy!

Qin Sheng forged a coffin not only because it suited his path, but because it was also the correct answer for this version of the world.

Thinking that he had already reached the end, he could not help softly humming.

"Yezi, don't overthink it. Everyone has their own ideas. Just hold firm to your convictions," Qin Sheng said with a smile.

Ye Fan nodded, then asked, "You have cultivated for so many years. Why haven't you forged a true artifact yet?"

"The scripture I cultivated on Earth was rather ordinary. It did not contain the method of merging the four realms into one and focusing on sacrificing a single artifact. I only completed that part of the scripture after arriving in Beidou."

Qin Sheng said, "Right now, I am re-sacrificing this artifact in pursuit of perfection."

In the four realms of the Sea of Bitterness, Life Spring, Divine Bridge, and Other Shore, cultivators could each refine an artifact. But they could also abandon three and focus solely on one.

Only such an artifact could be the strongest and possess the greatest potential.

Once it reached completion, it could break ten thousand techniques with a single artifact.

However, the method of "merging four artifacts into one" was only recorded in Emperor Scriptures. Qin Sheng had never known it before.

Only after obtaining the Heaven Devouring Demonic Art did he have the opportunity to cultivate in this manner.

"As for a true artifact..." Qin Sheng shook his head.

"I still haven't found suitable materials. Yezi, take my advice: you absolutely cannot be careless when choosing the material that will bear an artifact's divine form."

An artifact of divine patterns was its spirit.

An artifact of metal and stone was its body.

Only when spirit and body merged did it become a true artifact.

"What are the best materials?" Ye Fan asked.

"Immortal Metal, Mother Qi of All Things, immortal treasures nurtured within Primal Chaos Stones, and the like. These are sacred objects exclusive to great emperors. They are difficult to find in the Eastern Wilderness, and no one has ever been heard of possessing them."

Ye Fan laughed heartily. "Immortal Qin, don't worry. If I ever come across Immortal Metal in the future, I'll definitely save some for you."

In truth, even he did not believe he would encounter such an opportunity. After all, I am just an ordinary Sacred Physique.

"Then I'll be waiting," Qin Sheng said with a bright smile.

"Immortal Qin, what are your plans after this?"

"Cultivate first."

Qin Sheng wore a mysterious expression. "After some time, I'll take you to pull off something big."

Ye Fan was both expectant and worried.

"Will it be dangerous? My cultivation is far inferior to yours. I might hold you back, so why don't you go alone?"

"It's fine. That route carries little risk and great profit. It's very reliable."

What a joke. Ye Fan was the insurance Qin Sheng had prepared. How could he possibly leave him behind?

Qin Sheng had left the Shaking Light Holy Land this time not merely to take part in the attack on Qing Emperor's Tomb. He had other matters to attend to as well.

Half a month later, Qin Sheng's heart stirred.

In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms World, he had more or less brought an end to the chaotic era. The essence belonging to the Three Kingdoms Qin Sheng flowed into his body.

"I'll be going out for a while," Qin Sheng said.

Ye Fan was puzzled. They were cultivating in the wilderness, so what was there to avoid?

Still, Ye Fan knew that Qin Sheng had secrets. After all, being able to cultivate to the Other Shore Realm on Earth was itself unbelievable.

But he would not investigate, much less covet them.

After moving far away from Ye Fan, Qin Sheng circulated the demonic art and digested this influx of essence.

The demonic art's phenomenon became increasingly astonishing, and its devouring power grew ever more terrifying. If Qin Sheng had not deliberately controlled it, the trees, birds, and beasts around him would have been drained dry of all vitality.

Every time the Heaven Devouring Demonic Art devoured essence, it rose to another level. This did not necessarily refer to an increase in cultivation; it also included transformations of the self and greater comprehension of heaven and earth.

Acquired essence continuously formed, nourishing the divine treasury of the kidneys and strengthening its deity.

Qin Sheng's kidneys were getting better and better.

For a Dao Palace cultivator, each session of deep cultivation could not be completed in merely a day or two, much less for Qin Sheng, who had gained considerable insight.

By the time he had digested the gains received from the Three Kingdoms Qin Sheng, another half month had passed.

When he returned to that forest, Qin Sheng froze.

Ye Fan had disappeared again!

He examined the surroundings and found traces of a fight. Well... the kind of fight where one side had been completely crushed. Ye Fan had most likely been captured.

Qin Sheng was speechless. Why did it seem like the entire world was against Yezi?

"Let me think. After dealing with the trouble from the Jiang Family knights, the danger Ye Fan would face at this point in time... Oh, so it was him."

Qin Sheng knew who had made a move against Ye Fan. He identified the direction and flew through the air.

A day later, Qin Sheng arrived before a cliff, where a stone cave lay in its wall.

Ye Fan was inside. Apart from him, there was also a lifeless old man.

The old man was surnamed Han. He was an elder of Spirit Ruins Paradise and, with little lifespan remaining, coveted the divine fruit Ye Fan had eaten.

But Ye Fan had already eaten the fruit, so after racking his brains, Elder Han came up with an idea.

Using Ye Fan as the main ingredient and supplementing him with other spiritual medicines, he would refine a Human Pill.

There were far too many idea kings in Shrouding the Heavens.

In Qin Sheng's senses, Ye Fan was currently being refined inside a pill furnace.

"Poor kid."

Qin Sheng walked into the stone cave. Dao patterns covered the place, concealing its aura. It would be difficult for someone in the Sea of Reincarnation Secret Realm to discover it.

But Qin Sheng was in the Dao Palace Secret Realm.

Elder Han's hair was disheveled. He shielded the pill furnace and stared at Qin Sheng.

"Who are you?"

"Swoosh!"

Qin Sheng glanced at the old undead. Divine light burst from his eyes and pierced through Elder Han before he could react.

"I don't feel like answering that question."

Elder Han breathed his last. An elder of Spirit Ruins Paradise had died just like that.

"I feel like Superman right now," Qin Sheng remarked.

Then he walked over, patted the pill furnace, and called out.

"Yezi, are you dead yet?"

Ye Fan's weak voice sounded from within. "Not yet. My eyes just hurt a little."

Qin Sheng smiled. "That's a good thing. It means you're about to cultivate Fiery Golden Eyes. You've gotten to experience the Great Sage's ordeal, Yezi. This is an auspicious sign!"

"Get me out first," Ye Fan said, on the verge of tears. Why was he always so unlucky?

Qin Sheng inspected the pill furnace but did not lift its lid. Instead, he sat down cross-legged, drew up the Fire Fiend from beneath the earth, and continued refining the pill.

Elder Han's unfinished work, let me complete it!

The reason Elder Han had opened a cave dwelling here was that the place contained Fire Fiend with divine energy, making it extremely suitable for pill refinement.

"Ah!"

Ye Fan cried out, "Immortal Qin, what's happening? The temperature inside the furnace is getting higher and higher!"

"Oh, nothing. I drew out more Fire Fiend, so you might feel a little hot," Qin Sheng said.

"But don't worry. It will be over soon."

Qin Sheng activated his divine power and increased the flames. Burn, burn, burn!

Let Ye Fan suffer a little more. Let Elder Han bear the infamy!

Elder Han definitely would not object anyway. If you don't believe it, ask him.

"Ow! What are you doing?!" Ye Fan shouted.

"Master Ye, don't talk. Cultivate properly. This is a rare opportunity."

"Feel the spiritual energy contained within the Fire Fiend. Use it to break through the seals on your body, then circulate the Dao Scripture."

Qin Sheng smiled. "The Great Sage could be refined, and so can the Sacred Physique. I think you're no worse than a monkey."

"You pervert!"

Ye Fan understood Qin Sheng's intent, so he began following his guidance.

What good spiritual medicines could Elder Han, a mere Divine Bridge cultivator, have gathered? Yet Ye Fan was only in the Sea of Bitterness, and these spiritual medicines truly benefited him.

Absorbing all kinds of spiritual medicines through pill refinement was far more effective than consuming them normally.

After a while, the sound of ocean waves came from within the furnace. Golden light blossomed, accompanied by thunderous rumbles.

Qin Sheng nodded. "Not bad. This is clearly the phenomenon of a top-grade pill taking shape. What a peerless divine pill that could shake heaven and make ghosts weep!"

There was absolutely nothing wrong with that statement. Ye Fan was definitely the finest "pill" Qin Sheng had ever refined.

Even if he refined pills only this once in his life, he was destined to become a legend in the history of alchemy.

When people asked in ten thousand or a hundred thousand years what achievements Qin Sheng had in alchemy, he could slap his chest and say that he had refined a future Heavenly Emperor!

The record was verifiable!

Well, Elder Han deserved one percent of the credit, while Qin Sheng deserved ninety-nine percent.

Elder Han, did you have any objections to this distribution of credit?

Your silence meant consent.

"Immortal Qin, I've realized that you definitely have some special fetish. You writers are all the biggest perverts!" Ye Fan accused.

Qin Sheng silently increased the flames and let out a long sigh.

"In ancient times, the Supreme Lord refined a stone monkey. Today, Immortal Qin refines a Sacred Physique."

"Laojun and I truly are two towering peaks in the path of alchemy, reflecting each other's brilliance!"

(End of Chapter)