The Petrified Immortal Elixir

The people of Stone Stronghold had long finished packing. The younger ones looked forward to their future lives, while the older ones felt somewhat nostalgic as they gazed over everything in Stone Stronghold.

But for the younger generation to have a better future, they had no choice but to leave this place.

"You've finally arrived. These young people could barely wait any longer." Fifth Master Zhang greeted Jiang Yun cheerfully.

After Fifth Master Zhang spoke for a while about Purple Mountain, everyone was ready as well.

The party of several hundred was carried into the air by Imperial Dragon Qi. Jiang Yun had Xia Weier escort them to Mysterious Moon Cave—no, it should now be called the Source Heaven Sect.

He remained behind. At Jiang Yun's instruction, the people of Stone Stronghold did not take the stone implements with them, leaving them in the stronghold instead.

Jiang Yun gathered all the stone implements within Stone Stronghold, took out the Sealing Banner, and sealed this small oasis to prevent passing cultivators from discovering it and causing trouble.

Stone stools, stone locks, stone rollers, stone millstones, and all manner of other stone objects lay scattered about.

Jiang Yun began with the stone stools. He cut open more than ten in a row, but nothing appeared.

That was not surprising. Not every stone implement contained a divine treasure.

Only when he split open another stone stool did a blazing divine radiance burst forth from within, dazzling and brilliant. A sacred aura washed over him, and the resplendent light was too intense to look at directly.

A halo the size of a soybean appeared. Though tiny, it shone as brilliantly as the sun, and even a direct glance made one's eyes sting.

It was a grain of Divine Source.

Like light made manifest, it floated in the air without ever falling, exceptionally mystical. It seemed like the very origin of heaven and earth, making one unable to resist drawing close.

Jiang Yun still had one stored in his Source Pearl, far larger than this one, so he was not particularly astonished. He put away the tiny grain of Divine Source.

The material of the stone stool was stone suffused with a dense aura of Primordial Beginning. Jiang Yun stored it away as well; it could be used in the future to awaken the bloodline of the Silver-Blood Twin Emperors.

After he put those things away, only a tuft of red hair remained on the ground. It was bewitchingly vivid, as though soaked in blood, and gave off waves of chilling aura that were deeply unsettling.

It was Jiang Yun's first time seeing such a thing. Though curious, he had no desire to study it further, so he incinerated it from a distance.

This red hair was a trace left behind by Source Gods and Source Ghosts, or by Source Heavenly Masters who had encountered misfortune.

They fed on rare Divine Source treasures. The pressure was too great, so they were always shedding hair.

The appearance of the red hair did not disturb Jiang Yun's state of mind. He was now a heartless stone-cutting machine.

One stone implement after another was cut open. At last, he found something again: another Divine Source Bean. Jiang Yun restored the stone implement; there should originally have been a basin-sized piece of Divine Source inside it.

His heart ached. They had eaten such a massive piece, so what was the point of leaving behind a soybean-sized grain of Divine Source?

He cut out a stone fruit from another stone stool. Its essence had long since drained away, making it impossible to tell what rare treasure it had once been.

Inside one stone implement was an unusual plant that had already petrified.

It was very likely an Immortal Elixir. Letting it be ruined like this was truly extravagant waste.

Yet Immortal Elixirs had extraordinary origins. They were suspected to be transformations of Immortal Kings who had fallen during the Chaotic Ancient Era. They could heal wounds and improve one's aptitude, but their most important function was actually allowing cultivators whose lifespans were nearing their end to regain new life and live another Lifetime.

Every plant was a unique existence with mysterious origins. He did not know whether it could be revived.

Jiang Yun carefully put it away and stored it in Source Space.

Next, he cut out a petrified sapling. He had no idea what heaven-defying divine object it had been. Was it a Moon Laurel Tree, a Huangzhong Plum, or a World Tree sapling? As he examined it, Jiang Yun's imagination ran wild.

Perhaps once he reached the Immortal Realm, these divine medicines could all come back to life.

Another stone implement contained a stone pearl as large as a bowl. It somewhat resembled a dragon pearl and was likely an Earth Life Fruit, also known as a False Dragon Pearl.

Jiang Yun had seen it in the Dao Venerable Alchemy Chapter. It was an unparalleled rare treasure no worse than an Immortal Elixir, something encountered only once every tens of thousands of years.

At last, he uncovered a rare treasure that was no longer some incomplete remnant.

A faint fragrance wafted out. It was a pool of divine liquid, and faint nine-colored divine clouds appeared in the void. Breathing in the scent made Jiang Yun feel as though he had been cleansed. This pool of divine liquid seemed scarcely inferior to the essence of an Immortal Elixir.

Taking out a crystal-clear jade bottle, Jiang Yun carefully collected it, unwilling to waste even the slightest drop.

Next, he obtained a purple Stone Gall. Formed within divine stone, it could brighten the eyes and nurture spiritual perception.

If one's spiritual perception reached great accomplishment and attained perfection, it could become a Heavenly Eye. Source Heavenly Masters throughout the ages had all developed the strongest Heavenly Eyes, capable of seeing through illusion and gazing directly upon the Source.

Jiang Yun did not have the time to wait for it to mature. He directly took it out. Although its effects would be somewhat weaker, it could still provide assistance.

In the end, he also harvested a Human Origin Fruit. Pink in color and somewhat resembling a peach, it gave off waves of fragrance, but it could not be consumed directly.

It had to be refined into a precious pill. It could extend one's lifespan by a hundred years and was worth hundreds of thousands of Source in the eyes of those near the end of their lives.

Although the Golden Cores Jiang Yun refined could also extend one's lifespan, they required divine medicine essence. Such essence was exceedingly precious; every drop used meant one drop less.

Finally, he found the head of a Primordial King Clan member inside a stone implement and buried it right where it was.

After sorting through his gains, Jiang Yun could only sigh. Although the most precious treasures had all been ruined, the Source Gods and Source Ghosts had truly wasted them beyond measure.

At least two Immortal Elixirs!!!

With lingering regret, Jiang Yun walked outside Stone Stronghold. Not far away on the horizon stood a solitary mountain several thousand meters tall.

Purple Mountain possessed an extraordinary bearing. It towered majestically like a purple sword thrust into the clouds, its surface marked by countless blade and axe scars, covered in the imprints of time.

With Purple Mountain at its center, there were nine desolate mountain ridges in total spread across every direction.

Even someone like Jiang Yun, who knew nothing of terrain, could sense the extraordinary nature of this place.

Nine dragons guarded a single pearl, containing the ultimate mysteries of heaven and earth's transformations. None but a Great Emperor could bear it.

Its two masters had been the strongest Heavenly Emperor of the Primordial Era and the supreme Great Emperor who had swept across the golden age.

Both had been figures on the level of Heavenly Emperors, adding even more mystery to Purple Mountain.

After circling Purple Mountain several times, Jiang Yun returned. It was not yet time to enter; there were still some things he had not prepared.

He returned to the Source Heaven Sect's grounds.

Stone Stronghold had never had many people. With the cultivators' help, the houses had already been built. Jiang Yun arrived at the mountain peak where the people of Stone Stronghold had relocated.

He quietly found Fifth Master Zhang. He did not want anyone else to know about his plan to enter Purple Mountain.

"Fifth Master, I want to enter Purple Mountain and retrieve the Source Heavenly Book."

Fifth Master Zhang's expression tightened. "Sect Master, you truly must not take such a risk. You could lose your life."

"My ancestors once produced a Great Emperor. Naturally, I have confidence in entering Purple Mountain." Jiang Yun smiled mysteriously.

Fifth Master Zhang still wanted to refuse. "Our founding ancestor was a Source Heavenly Master and was on good terms with the Yaochi Holy Maiden. Even after our ancestor glimpsed Purple Mountain's secret, he did not dare involve Jade Pool's fairy."