Chapter 595: Chong Mai True Pill

As Zhaang Ye flew at top speed, a fiery red streak of light appeared on the horizon. The newcomer was none other than the Flower King.

The Flower King had comprehended the Fire Realm. Protected by his blazing flames, he had no fear of the Thousand-Mile God-Eroding Flower’s deadly poison and was flying at full speed. When he saw the little jade-green person in Zhaang Ye’s hand and noticed Zhaang Ye accelerating, he bellowed, “Zhaang Ye, hold on! I have something to discuss with you!”

The Flower King projected his voice with Innate True Qi, sending it across hundreds of miles to reach Zhaang Ye’s ears in an instant. But Zhaang Ye paid him no mind, instead speeding up even more.

The Flower King’s expression flickered as he continued to shout, “Zhaang Ye, you must have noticed by now! As soon as your companions entered the Sword Monarch Ruins, their cultivation soared. That’s because they already knew about the treasures here. They obtained Elixirs and Spirit Elixirs, which is why their cultivation rose so quickly. I happen to know of a Sword Monarch treasure. Give me the Fire Origin, Water Origin, and Wood Origin, and I’ll tell you where to find it!”

Zhaang Ye continued to fly at top speed. The Flower King’s words sparked a thought, and a realization dawned on him. ‘No wonder Taishu Gang, Jade Fox, Ba Xiongfei, and the others raised their cultivation so quickly! The Sword Monarch Ruins is a training ground for the Purple Spirit Domain, so people have been here long before. Those talented experts who entered the ruins in the past must have told their successors where the treasures and Spirit Elixirs grow, allowing them to easily find everything and improve their cultivation!’

While he thought this, his speed only increased. Within moments, he had left the Flower King far behind, vanishing over the horizon like a streak of light.

Watching Zhaang Ye disappear, the Flower King’s face contorted in a savage snarl as he threw a punch at the empty air. “Damn it! That brat Zhaang Ye is absolutely infuriating! He must die!”

After roaring a few more times, the Flower King forced himself to calm down. He pondered for a moment, and his eyes lit up as a plan formed. ‘Since the Sword Monarch Ruins contains the Fire, Water, and Wood Origins, there must be other Origin Powers as well. I can get there first—I’ll rush to the Land of Earth. If Zhaang Ye shows up to capture the Earth Origin, I’ll kill him on the spot!’

A sinister chuckle escaped the Flower King’s lips at the thought. With a flick of his wide sleeve, he vanished into thin air.

At the foot of a barren volcano, Zhaang Ye sat cross-legged, his palms firmly suppressing the little jade-green person. The Gold Spirit stood nearby, emitting a dense Gold Essence aura that cut off the little person’s wood-attribute energy.

The little jade-green person struggled frantically, shrieking, “Damned human! I’ll die before I submit to you! Don’t even think about forcing me into a Soul Contract!”

There are two ways to sign a Soul Contract. The first is through mutual consent, which allows for a quick and successful signing. The other is to use overwhelming power to subjugate the other party and sign the contract by force. This method, however, carries a high risk of erasing the target’s soul, turning them into a mindless Puppet.

The little jade-green person had cultivated for ten thousand years, and its Soul Power was exceptionally potent. Since it refused to sign a Soul Contract, even Zhaang Ye, despite his immense strength, was unable to subdue it for the moment.

Green light flickered around the little jade-green person as it desperately resisted Zhaang Ye’s suppression. It shouted at the Gold Spirit, “Gold Origin, you’re one of us! Why are you helping a human?”

The Gold Spirit had only recently gained consciousness and could barely speak. Hearing the little jade-green person’s question, it didn’t know how to answer and looked helplessly at the Fire Spirit. After all, it was only because of the Fire Spirit’s threats and coercion that it had dazedly signed the Soul Contract with Zhaang Ye in the first place.

The Fire Spirit giggled. “The Gold Spirit isn’t much of a talker, so I’ll answer for it. We’ve already signed a Soul Contract with our Master, so of course we have to help him.”

The little jade-green person cried out in astonishment, “How could you sign a contract with a human?!”

The Fire Spirit didn’t answer its question. Instead, it stared at the little jade-green person and said, “You have two paths before you. The first is to obediently sign the Soul Contract with our Master. The second is, if you refuse, I will slowly drain your power, erase your soul, and turn you into a mindless Puppet. Choose.”

The little jade-green person seethed with rage. The green light around its body pulsed violently as it gathered an immense power. It shrieked, “I’ll take you all down with me!”

Zhaang Ye felt a terrifying power stirring restlessly inside the little jade-green person, ready to erupt at any moment. Alarmed, he immediately used his full strength to suppress it, desperately holding the power in check.

WHOOSH!

While Zhaang Ye was desperately trying to contain the energy, the Fire Spirit suddenly shot out its hand and pressed it squarely on the little jade-green person’s head. The little person’s power was wood-attribute, while the Fire Spirit’s was fire-attribute; the Fire Spirit was its natural counter. The moment the Fire Spirit made its move, the power inside the little person’s body instantly receded, suppressed once more.

Seeing the little jade-green person’s pained expression, Zhaang Ye spoke up. “Sign the contract with me, and when the time is right, I will release you and grant you your freedom. If you resist to the very end, my only choice will be to erase your soul and turn you into a Puppet.”

A flicker of terror crossed the little jade-green person’s face.

Zhaang Ye smiled faintly and continued, “The Sword Monarch Ruins is just a tiny little place. If you sign the contract, I can take you away from here, to a much wider world. Beyond these ruins lie endless wonders and countless sights to see. Don’t you want to go out and experience it for yourself?”

The little jade-green person fell silent for a moment. It knew that if it didn’t yield now, Zhaang Ye would move to forcibly erase its soul. Left with no other choice, it finally said, “I am willing to sign the Soul Contract with you. But you must remember your promise. When the time comes, you have to release me and grant me my freedom.”

Now that the little jade-green person had agreed to sign the Soul Contract, the rest was easy. Zhaang Ye flicked out a drop of his own blood and, using it as a conduit, left his mark upon the little person’s soul.

The little jade-green person was the manifestation of the Wood Origin. After signing the Soul Contract, Zhaang Ye gave it a name: Wood Spirit.

Only after the contract was signed did Zhaang Ye realize how incredibly weak he was. The deadly poison from Ye Dao was still ravaging his body. He commanded the new Wood Spirit to neutralize the poison, then took out a Top-grade Yuan Gathering Pill and two Top-grade Essence Stones and began to recover.

With the help of the Elixir and Essence Stones, Zhaang Ye fully healed his injuries in just one day.

Once his injuries were healed, Zhaang Ye took out the Storage Pouches he had seized and began to slowly take inventory of their contents. As he sorted through everything, his face lit up with a wide grin.

The Essence Stones he had plundered numbered in the tens of thousands, including over ten thousand Top-grade Essence Stones. Besides this small mountain of Essence Stones, Zhaang Ye also reaped a harvest of over two hundred bottles of Gathering Essence Pills. More than thirty of these were Top-grade Yuan Gathering Pills, and there was even one bottle of Top Grade Yuan Gathering Pills.

Besides the Essence Stones and Elixirs, Zhaang Ye also found a batch of Barbaric Beast Cores. There were over two thousand of them in total, including several cores from top-grade Barbaric Beasts.

Zhaang Ye made a quick mental calculation. ‘Just these resources alone are enough for me to cultivate to the True Dao Sixth Layer! If everything goes smoothly, I might even reach the True Dao Sixth Layer Middle Stage!’

“Huh?”

The Fire Spirit suddenly let out a small cry of surprise. With a wave of its hand, a thumb-sized Jade Bottle flew into its palm. The Fire Spirit opened it, revealing an elixir the size of a longan fruit hovering inside. As soon as the bottle was opened, a peculiar fragrance filled the air.

Zhaang Ye took a deep breath of the fragrant air. “What kind of Elixir is this?”

The Fire Spirit thought for a moment before replying, “This should be a Chong Mai True Pill. It’s made from dozens of different Spirit Elixirs. Taking this pill allows one to rapidly advance their cultivation.”

Zhaang Ye’s eyes widened. “What a treasure! By how much?”

“It can raise your cultivation by one small tier,” the Fire Spirit said. “However, this Elixir forcibly expands the Meridians, and its Medicinal Power is incredibly violent. If you can’t withstand it, your Meridians will shatter, and you’ll be crippled for life.”

Zhaang Ye was taken aback. “What are the chances of success?”

“Ten percent,” the Fire Spirit said. “The chance of success is only ten percent. The chance of failure is ninety percent. That’s why it’s also called the Nine Deaths and One Life Pill. Master, your foundation is extremely solid. If you just cultivate for another month or two, you’ll be able to break through to the Peak of True Dao Fourth Layer naturally. You don’t need to take such a risky Elixir.”

Zhaang Ye pondered for a moment, then slowly shook his head. “I would also prefer to cultivate step-by-step and let nature take its course. But the Sword Monarch Ruins are fraught with peril. The Flower King, Shui Daimai, and Qi Qingle are all formidable enemies. Now that I have some of the Five Elements Origins, they definitely won’t let me off the hook. The only way I can make it out of the Sword Monarch Ruins alive is by becoming as strong as I can, as fast as I can. Fire Spirit, give me the Elixir.”

Resignedly, the Fire Spirit handed the Elixir to Zhaang Ye.

Zhaang Ye examined the Elixir and chuckled. “Don’t worry. My body has been tempered by several different Ancient Powers, making it far tougher than that of an ordinary expert. My Meridians are much more resilient, too. A normal person taking this Elixir might only have a ten percent chance of advancing, but for me, I have at least a seventy percent chance of reaching the Peak of True Dao Fourth Layer.”

WHOOSH!

Zhaang Ye tossed the Chong Mai True Pill into his mouth. It instantly dissolved into a liquid that surged into his Meridians, where an immense power erupted.

‘What ferocious Medicinal Power!’

But Zhaang Ye was prepared. The moment the violent Medicinal Power appeared, his Celestial River Righteous Qi was already circulating frantically. The vast stream of Celestial River Righteous Qi flowed along a profound route through his body, beginning to refine the Medicinal Power of the Chong Mai True Pill.