Becoming a Medicinal Catalyst

Xu Yan could feel an immensely powerful force in Golden Light Daoist's withered fingers. They clamped tightly around his arm, leaving him unable to move.

This old monster's lamp is nearly out of oil, yet he still has such strength!

Xu Yan's heart tightened, and shock flashed through his eyes.

Although he had followed Golden Light Daoist for three years, he had rarely seen the old monster act. Most of what he knew of the legendary methods of immortals came from tales passed from mouth to mouth among mortals.

While these thoughts flashed through Xu Yan's mind, the two of them had already reached the Medicine Cauldron.

By now, the sounds coming from the Medicine Cauldron had grown louder, like water at a rolling boil.

Streams of crimson vapor rose from the Medicine Cauldron, gradually spreading through the ruined temple.

"Gurgle, gurgle..."

The spiritual medicine churned inside the Medicine Cauldron, and a red lump the size of an infant's fist came into Xu Yan's view.

"This is...!"

Xu Yan shuddered violently, his eyes filled with disbelief.

Sensing Xu Yan's body tense, Golden Light Daoist tightened his withered fingers another notch.

Perhaps because the spiritual medicine was nearly ready, Golden Light Daoist seemed considerably more animated. A rare trace of color returned to his previously lifeless, ashen face.

After casting a satisfied glance at the spiritual medicine in the Medicine Cauldron, he spoke, a sinister glint in his aged eyes. "I know what you're thinking. That's right. I've been cooking a three-year-old child's heart and liver in this Medicine Cauldron!"

Watching Xu Yan tremble all over, Golden Light Daoist continued with a cruel smile on his face.

"Those who cultivate immortality defy Heaven itself. So long as something serves my purpose, I will stop at nothing. This child's heart and liver are an important catalyst in my healing medicine. Without them, its potency would be greatly diminished. Indeed, I went to considerable trouble before finally finding a three-year-old child with a Spiritual Root."

"Cough, cough... pfft!" As he grew excited, Golden Light Daoist inadvertently aggravated his injuries and coughed up a mouthful of black blood.

The instant the black blood struck the ground, it turned into a clump of ice shards. Bone-piercing cold radiated from it, causing the temperature throughout the ruined temple to plunge.

At this sight, Xu Yan stared in a daze, thinking that the methods of immortals truly were mysterious and unpredictable.

After spitting out the black blood, Golden Light Daoist seemed much more at ease. He gave Xu Yan a long look, then lightly flicked his left hand, sending the Three-Leaf Soul-Returning Herb drifting into the Medicine Cauldron.

Feeling Golden Light Daoist's gaze upon him, Xu Yan immediately grew uneasy. Had Golden Light Daoist not still been holding him tightly, he would have backed away.

Golden Light Daoist paid no heed to Xu Yan's thoughts. He merely fixed his gaze on the Medicine Cauldron, a sinister chill gleaming in his aged eyes.

As soon as the Three-Leaf Soul-Returning Herb entered the Medicine Cauldron, it rapidly dissolved into a pool of green liquid. Amid the churning spiritual medicine, it gradually blended with the other ingredients.

As the Three-Leaf Soul-Returning Herb merged into the mixture, the bloody stench inside the Medicine Cauldron vanished, replaced by an intoxicating fragrance.

The instant that fragrance appeared, Golden Light Daoist drew a deep, rapturous breath. A rare smile spread across his deeply wrinkled face.

To Xu Yan, however, that smile looked utterly sinister, making his scalp prickle. Still, he forced himself to rally and put on a delighted expression. "Congratulations on completing your spiritual medicine, Patriarch."

Hearing Xu Yan's flattery, Golden Light Daoist turned to look at him, cruelty written across his face. "Good boy, this spiritual medicine isn't finished yet. To complete it, I still need to take something from you."

With that, Golden Light Daoist gave Xu Yan a meaningful look.

Golden Light Daoist's words sent cold sweat pouring from Xu Yan. At that moment, a terrifying thought arose in his mind.

This is bad! The old monster has his sights set on me!

The thought only flashed through Xu Yan's mind before he forced himself to calm down.

Orphaned from an early age, he had long since tempered his heart to remain steady in the face of danger. Only by going along with the old monster's wishes would he have a better chance of escaping alive.

With that thought, Xu Yan adopted a respectful expression. "I have only these three things on me. Which one do you need, Patriarch?"

As he spoke, Xu Yan took three items from inside his tattered clothes: half a piece of torn animal hide, a bead that glowed green, and a small sword no larger than a fish's intestine.

The green bead and the Fish Intestine Short Sword had both been left to Xu Yan by his father before his death. His father had been an ordinary fisherman. He had discovered the two objects inside a fish while gutting it and, finding them unusual, had kept them as treasures before passing them to Xu Yan on his deathbed.

Seeing Xu Yan produce three items in an instant, Golden Light Daoist's eyes filled with mockery. These external possessions were not what he wanted.

But when he got a clear look at the objects before him, his aged face suddenly changed slightly.

"Did Iron Bull give you this animal hide?!"

Golden Light Daoist stared at Xu Yan after speaking, his expression shifting darkly.

"Yes, Patriarch. Brother Iron Bull did give me this animal hide," Xu Yan hurriedly answered.

The Iron Bull they spoke of had been one of Golden Light Daoist's attendant boys. One night six months earlier, he had quietly slipped the animal hide to Xu Yan, then disappeared.

With a beckoning gesture from Golden Light Daoist, the torn half-piece of animal hide flew into his hand. He fixed Xu Yan with a venomous, snake-like stare. "You cultivated the technique on this animal-hide scroll!"

Golden Light Daoist infused his voice with all his magical power. In Xu Yan's ears, it struck like a thunderclap.

Xu Yan jolted at the sound and hurriedly dropped to his knees, prostrating himself on the ground.

It was true: he had secretly learned the technique on the animal hide. After six months of cultivation, he had only managed to draw a single wisp of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi into his body. He did not even know whether he had succeeded in cultivating. As far as he could tell, apart from being a little stronger, he was no different from an ordinary mortal.

As for the legendary methods of immortals, he knew none at all.

"Keh keh keh..."

Seeing Xu Yan's reaction, Golden Light Daoist suddenly burst into wild laughter, as though something had occurred to him.

"Heaven has treated me well! To think that a little beggar I snatched up at random would possess a Spiritual Root! Hahaha! Using all his blood essence as a medicinal catalyst will more than make up for the Soul-Returning Grass's insufficient potency. Not only will it completely heal my injuries, it will even advance my cultivation! Hahaha..."

After speaking, Golden Light Daoist stared fixedly at Xu Yan as though gazing upon a peerless treasure.

Golden Light Daoist's words struck Xu Yan like a thunderbolt from a clear sky. He had never imagined that the old monster before him intended to drain all his blood essence to refine the spiritual medicine!

At that thought, Xu Yan sprang to his feet and dashed toward the temple's exit. However slim his chances of escape, he would never simply sit and wait for death!