Taking the Elixir

Qinlu No. 8 is a slow-fire Pill Furnace, and Li Shaojun, who does not know how to refine inner elixirs, can only use some angelica and ginseng to make up the difference.

Where are your fans?

What kind of powder?

"Soul-Guiding Powder and Soul-Stealing Powder!"

"It's right here. Why do you add this stuff to your alchemy?"

Li Shaojun originally wanted to see how Zhang Xuezhou would refine the Longevity Pill before getting rid of Venerable Lei, but he didn't expect that Zhang Xuezhou didn't treat Venerable Lei like a human being at all.

The exorcism powder made from filth was mixed with water by Zhang Xuezhou into a medicinal paste. Li Shaojun saw Zhang Xuezhou casually throw some mild medicinal herbs into the Pill Furnace, and then start a fire to continuously boil it.

This method of mixing internal and external elixirs is no different from adding stones to rice. If Li Shaojun saw anyone swallow it, he would have to call them a hero.

"What's this?"

"The Elixir of Longevity!"

"Longevity Pill? You're even talking about Longevity Pills now? You... wait, you didn't actually get your hands on the real thing, did you?"

An unpleasant odor continued to billow out, and Li Shaojun saw Zhang Xuezhou flip his hand and take out a pale golden pill.

Zhang Xuezhou reached out and grabbed the pill; it had already been crushed into powder.

Li Shaojun asked twice before belatedly realizing what was going on.

There's a reason why Zhang Xuezhou was so calm and able to keep Venerable Lei hanging; anyone with genuine elixirs wouldn't panic.

"Wow, Mr. Dong, you really went all out! Where did you get this?"

Li Shaojun watched as the pills, which were rapidly being locked in place and were about to be produced, felt a sharp pain in his liver.

He previously felt that it was not worth the risk for Venerable Lei, but now he felt that Zhang Xuezhou paid a higher price, and it was not worth wasting a longevity pill on Venerable Lei.

"Do you still have any medicine on you? Give me two to try," Li Shaojun pleaded.

"What are you trying to do with your lifespan when you're already living like this?" Zhang Xuezhou retorted. "What good would it do you to extend your life by a hundred years? You're just thinking about useless things!"

"How dare you talk like that? Do you think I'm destined to die young?"

Li Shaojun muttered a couple of rebuttals, but ultimately gave up and stopped asking for it.

Zhang Xuezhou's words were harsh yet realistic: if Li Shaojun couldn't break free from "Bai," many things would lose their meaning.

"The Western Lands are far away, Venerable Lei is practically the only great cultivator you can ally with," Zhang Xuezhou reminded him. "His flying skills are far beyond what yours can match. Venerable Lei can accomplish many things you simply cannot. With his assistance, your search for 'Bai' will be much easier, and you might even have the chance to escape with 'Bai'!"

"I want to know who 'Bai' has offended," Li Shaojun asked in a low voice.

Zhang Xuezhou didn't hide anything from the two leaders of the Western Sect: "Knowing about them won't help you; you can't target them directly, but you can seize an opportunity!"

What opportunity?

"It's an opportunity for them to squeeze 'White' to the limit. 'White' should lack the ability to control you in that situation, but he needs you. Perhaps you can get what you want then!"

"Disaster!"

Li Shaojun had never been to the West, let alone met the two Western Sect, making it extremely difficult for him to make good use of them.

"Then just wait to die!"

He whispered something, and Zhang Xuezhou's reply was even more straightforward.

What should I do?

Li Shaojun looked at Zhang Xuezhou, who was about to pull out the medicine drawer, and asked in a low voice, already having a vague sense of unease in his heart.

"You and 'Bai' are connected by energy, so you should be able to sense his condition," Zhang Xuezhou said. "The period before he is on the verge of death is the best time to make your move!"

"What will Venerable Lei do then?"

"You pinpoint the location, and he'll be responsible for stealing it as quickly as possible, just like he obtained the Spirit Silk Jade Lotus Root. If we fail to refine the Longevity Golden Pill, and we give him the confidence to succeed, he should be able to cooperate!"

"So what will you be doing then?"

Li Shaojun asked in doubt.

Zhang Xuezhou Zhang Xuezhou n't do things that don't benefit him. If he's asked to work on a feasibility plan, Zhang Xuezhou must have gotten involved.

Li Shaojun was quite certain that Zhang Xuezhou would be serious and responsible for the success of this plan, but Li Shaojun felt that Zhang Xuezhou must have other motives, and they were likely to be pawns.

"What's it to you?" Zhang Xuezhou complained. "If I don't help, you beg me to, and if I do help, you suspect I have ulterior motives. How am I supposed to cooperate with you!"

"I won't ask you anymore!"

Li Shaojun reluctantly agreed.

He knew the answer in his heart, and knew he couldn't get a share of the profits, but Li Shaojun was helpless.

Compared to the benefits Zhang Xuezhou gained amidst the chaos, his primary concern was indeed saving his life.

If 'White' can be weakened to the extreme, he should have a high probability of turning the tables.

Regardless of how much he gained for free, Li Shaojun would be content as long as he could be freed from his restraints and escape death.

As for anything else, Li Shaojun had neither the means nor the desire to ask for it.

Even though he knew Zhang Xuezhou was using him as a pawn, Li Shaojun still had to beg Zhang Xuezhou for help. He even had to maintain his relationship with Venerable Lei and outsource all these things for Zhang Xuezhou.

"Dongfang Shuo's mind is incredibly intricate and cunning; his schemes and plots far surpass mine!"

Li Shaojun silently repeated to himself that his first meeting with Zhang Xuezhou and the others had been extremely bad, but he was glad that they hadn't become enemies along the way; otherwise, he wouldn't have had enough lives to survive.

"The miracle cure has been developed!"

A stench filled the air; the longevity pills Zhang Xuezhou had added had turned into four blood-red pills.

Li Shaojun blinked, quickly suppressing the random thoughts in his mind, and began to cooperate with Zhang Xuezhou to deceive Venerable Lei.

He stroked his beard, took another deep sniff of the fishy smell, and even as his internal organs churned, he still maintained a professional smile.

"This alchemy attempt was quite successful, much better than the last one!" Li Shaojun praised loudly.

"It seems the formula improvement was successful," Zhang Xuezhou said.

"Imperfect, imperfect. This elixir has the effect of prolonging life, but its medicinal properties are dispersed and difficult to condense. The formula still needs careful adjustment!"

Li Shaojun reached into his waistband and took out a brocade box from his pouch to hold the pills.

Looking at the longevity pills that Zhang Xuezhou had deliberately divided into four portions, and then thinking about the foul-smelling external pills he had refined, he felt that he had committed sins for half his life, and in the end, he couldn't even escape them.

With a smile on his face, he held the pill, pushed open the Alchemy Chamber that was locked from the inside, and then strode out.

"Xiao Lei, come here for a second!"

As Li Shaojun reached out to greet Venerable Lei, he blew two breaths onto the pill.

If Zhang Xuezhou hadn't secretly added anything, this pill would have caused no problems other than nausea and abdominal discomfort, and might even have extended one's lifespan by five years.

"The elixir is complete. Although it has flaws, its life-extending effect is undeniable." Li Shaojun pursed his lips as if to swallow it, saying, "You've been busy for over a month. I can share two of these elixirs with you. If you're willing to cooperate with us in the future to adjust the elixir as needed, I can still give you a share once it's finished!"

"Can it really extend lifespan?" Venerable Lei exclaimed in surprise.

"One pill can extend one's life by about five or six years," Li Shaojun nodded and said. "Dongfang Shuo is too young to perceive it, but you and I are nearing our end, so we will surely sense it!"

I'll give it a try!

Venerable Lei's old face lit up with joy.

He had eaten many fruits with strange tastes and smells in the past, and he didn't care at all about the fishy stench of the elixir.

After swallowing a pill, Venerable Lei's eyes lit up, and his face gradually relaxed.

At the same time, he frowned, feeling as if his stomach was churning and being cut by knives. In an instant, cyan Demon Power spread throughout his body, and purple Law Power adorned his body.

Leizhenzi attained sainthood through his physical body, while Venerable Lei was slightly inferior. However, his physical body was not bad, and poisons and external objects could hardly harm Venerable Lei's body.

As blue muscles continued to appear on his body, the various discomforts in his body gradually subsided, allowing him to continuously withstand the impact of this longevity pill on his body.