Imitating Taishang to Refine the Stone Monkey

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

Five days later, Ye Fan awoke from his recuperation and saw Qin Sheng tempering Divine Marks, shaping them into the form of other objects.

This kind of cultivation was not unfamiliar to him. It was precisely the ritual refinement of a "weapon." Ye Fan himself was currently refining his own "weapon."

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

"Qin Immortal, what kind of weapon are you refining?"

Qin Sheng's Divine Marks had been tempered into a fist-sized rectangular block, resplendent with divine light. Ye Fan truly could not tell what it was.

Could it be some exclusive secret weapon?

Qin Sheng smiled and carefully controlled his "weapon," separating it into two halves.

It turned out that the rectangular block consisted of two parts. One was a lid, while the other was the main rectangular body, hollow inside.

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

"A coffin," Qin Sheng gave the answer.

"Huh?"

Ye Fan froze, disbelief written all over his face.

"You can use a coffin as a weapon?"

"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 Weapon might not surpass it.

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

"A weapon is something that will accompany you throughout your life. You cannot be careless with it. You must choose something most suitable for yourself, and something you like best," Qin Sheng said.

"Only then can it blend perfectly with you, weapon and heart becoming one. If someone likes swords but is forced to forge a hammer, then they will absolutely find it difficult to go far in the future."

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

"What weapon are you forging?"

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

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

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

"A cauldron's might is indeed great, but that is your path. My path is the coffin."

Ye Fan did not understand. "Forge a coffin, bury all enemies, and pursue the ultimate offensive power?"

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

"My coffin does not merely bury enemies. More importantly... it buries myself."

Ye Fan understood even less.

"The mortal world stretches ten thousand zhang, while the years are like blades, each slash cutting down heaven-chosen geniuses."

Qin Sheng said, "Even heroes greater than heaven will grow old. Since ancient times, no one has been seen to attain Longevity."

"This coffin will bury one Qin Sheng after another. Those are the versions of me that passed away through the years. Their deaths will bring me rebirth."

"Seeking life within a coffin, returning to life at the extreme of death?"

"You can understand it that way."

Forging a coffin was a decision Qin Sheng had made when he had first embarked upon the path of cultivation on Earth.

When he had first considered what weapon to forge, this answer had surfaced in his heart.

Throughout the Myriad Heavens and Ten Thousand Worlds, Qin Shengs died one after another. He would prepare a humble coffin to bury himself, giving countless versions of himself a resting place.

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

Reviving amid ruin, rising amid annihilation!

Do not think coffins inauspicious. That was merely the view of ordinary people. In the Shrouding the Heavens World, they were instead an excellent omen.

It was a resting place, tranquility, an ending, and also a beginning.

Had one not seen that before ancient history, at the source of time, what had buried that sick man?

The Shrouding the Heavens Trilogy?

The Coffin Trilogy!

Qin Sheng forging a coffin not only suited his own path, but also matched the correct answer for this era.

At the thought that he had already arrived at the ending, he could not help softly humming.

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

Ye Fan nodded and asked again, "You have cultivated for so many years. Why have you not yet forged a True Weapon?"

"The scripture I cultivated on Earth was rather ordinary. It did not contain a method for combining four realms into one and exclusively refining a single weapon. Only after arriving in Beidou did I complete that part of the scripture."

Qin Sheng said, "Right now, I am refining this weapon anew in pursuit of perfection."

Cultivators could each refine a weapon in the four realms of Sea of Bitterness, Life Spring, Divine Bridge, and Other Shore, but they could also abandon three and focus on one.

Only such a weapon would be the most powerful and possess the greatest potential.

Once it reached great completion, it would be enough for One Weapon Shatters Ten Thousand Techniques.

However, the method of "Four Weapons as 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 chance to cultivate in this manner.

"As for a True Weapon..." Qin Sheng shook his head.

"I have yet to find suitable materials. Yezi, take my advice: you absolutely cannot be careless about the material that bears the Divine Form of a weapon."

A Divine-Pattern Weapon was the weapon's spirit.

A Metal-and-Stone Weapon was the weapon's body.

Only when spirit and body merged could it be called a True Weapon.

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

"Immortal Metal, Mother Qi of All Things, immortal treasures nurtured within Primal Chaos Stones, and so on. These are Sacred Artifacts exclusive to Great Emperors. They are difficult to find in the Eastern Wilderness. I have never heard of anyone possessing them."

Ye Fan laughed. "Immortal, don't worry. If I encounter Immortal Metal in the future, I will definitely save a portion for you."

In truth, even he did not think he would receive such a fortuitous opportunity. After all, I am just an ordinary Sacred Physique.

"Then I'll be waiting." Qin Sheng smiled brightly.

"Immortal, what do you plan to do afterward?"

"You should cultivate first."

Qin Sheng wore a mysterious expression. "After a while, I'll take you on a big score."

Ye Fan was both expectant and worried.

"Will it be dangerous? My cultivation is far below yours, and I might hold you back. Why not go alone?"

"It's fine. That path carries little risk and great profit. It's extremely reliable."

What a joke. Ye Fan was the insurance Qin Sheng had prepared. How could he possibly not bring him along?

This time, Qin Sheng had left the Shaking Light Holy Land not merely to participate in the attack on Emperor Qing's Tomb. He had other matters to handle as well.

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

In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms World, he had basically ended the chaotic age. The essence belonging to Three Kingdoms Qin Sheng flowed into his body.

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

Ye Fan was puzzled. They were cultivating in the middle of desolate mountains and wilderness. What was there to avoid?

However, Ye Fan also knew that Qin Sheng had secrets. After all, being able to cultivate to the Other Shore Realm on Earth was already 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 Origin.

The Demonic Art's phenomenon became increasingly astonishing, and its devouring power grew ever more terrifying. Had Qin Sheng not deliberately controlled it, the trees, birds, and beasts around him would have had their life force directly drained away.

Every time the Heaven Devouring Demonic Art devoured Origin, it rose to a new level. This did not necessarily mean an increase in cultivation, but also included transformations of oneself and enlightenment toward heaven and earth.

Acquired Essence continuously formed, nourishing the Kidney Divine Treasury and strengthening its deity.

Qin Sheng's kidneys became better and better.

Every deep cultivation session for a Dao Palace cultivator took more than a day or two to complete, much less when Qin Sheng had gained so many insights.

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

When he returned to that mountain forest, Qin Sheng was stunned.

Ye Fan had disappeared again!

He examined the surroundings and found traces of battle. Mm... the kind of battle where one side had been utterly crushed. Ye Fan had probably been captured.

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

"Let me think. After the trouble with the Jiang Family knights was resolved, the danger Ye Fan would face around this time... oh, so it was him."

Qin Sheng knew who had attacked Ye Fan. He identified the direction and flew through the air.

A day later, Qin Sheng arrived before a cliff, where there was a stone cave in the cliff face.

Ye Fan was inside. Besides him, there was also an old man steeped in the aura of decay.

The old man's surname was Han. He was an elder of Spirit Ruins Paradise, and because his lifespan was nearly exhausted, he coveted the Divine Fruit Ye Fan had eaten.

However, Ye Fan had already eaten the fruit, so after much deep thought, Elder Han came up with an idea.

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

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

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

"Poor kid."

Qin Sheng walked into the stone cave. It was covered in Dao Patterns that concealed its aura, making it difficult for those in the Sea of Reincarnation Secret Realm to discover.

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?"

"Whoosh!"

Qin Sheng glanced at that Old Immortal. Divine light burst from his eyes and pierced Elder Han at a speed he could not react to.

"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 now," Qin Sheng sighed.

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

"Yezi, are you dead yet?"

Ye Fan's weak voice rang out. "Not yet. My eyes just hurt a little."

Qin Sheng laughed. "That's a good thing. It means you're about to refine Fiery Golden Eyes. You've gotten to experience what the Great Saint went through, Yezi. This is an auspicious sign!"

"Get me out already." Ye Fan felt like crying. Why was he always so unlucky?

Qin Sheng examined the pill furnace. Rather than lifting its lid, he sat cross-legged and drew up the Fire Fiend from underground, continuing the pill refinement.

Let me complete Elder Han's unfinished work!

The reason Elder Han had opened a cave residence here was because this place contained Fire Fiend with divine power, making it highly suitable for refining pills.

"Ah!"

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

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

"But don't worry, it'll 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!

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

"Hey, what the hell are you doing?!" Ye Fan shouted.

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

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

Qin Sheng smiled. "The Great Saint could be refined, so the Sacred Physique can be refined too. I think you are no worse than Monkey."

"You pervert!"

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

What good spiritual medicines could an Elder Han at the Divine Bridge Realm gather? 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 methods was far more effective than consuming them normally.

After a while, the sound of ocean waves came from inside the furnace, accompanied by blooming golden light and rumbling noises.

Qin Sheng nodded. "Not bad. This is clearly a phenomenon of a top-grade pill taking shape. A peerless divine pill from a furnace that startles heaven and makes 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 one time in his life, he was destined to become a legend in the history of alchemy.

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

The record was there for all to see!

Mm, 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?

Silence meant consent.

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

Qin Sheng silently increased the flames and sighed deeply.

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

"Laojun and I are truly two towering peaks in alchemy, illuminating one another!"