Chapter 198 - 179: Sharing the Burden

Chapter 198: Chapter 179: Sharing the Burden

Its profound black color shimmered with a hidden luster.

It had the texture of fine jade, feeling cool and smooth in his hand.

When he examined it closely with his Divine Soul, he could feel an incredibly powerful Qi Mechanism sealed within. It was like holding a deadly weapon that he could unleash at any moment.

Chen Qingyang understood that this was a Protective Magical Artifact. It was just like the Bronze Sword that Master Yun Ci had given Leng Yueru, capable of unleashing world-shaking power when needed—enough to instantly kill any Cultivator below the Foundation Establishment realm.

’What a treasure! This is truly a treasure!’

’If I could just ambush a High Tier Essence Condensation Cultivator with this, the Immortal Seedling I’d get would probably be enough for my Breaking Realm. But after that incident with Master Yun Ci, and with all the secrets I’m hiding... one wrong move could expose everything.’

After thinking it over and over, he concluded that he couldn’t carry this thing on his person, no matter what.

But it was a gift from his master, and failing to handle it properly would undoubtedly arouse suspicion. As Chen Qingyang hesitated, he saw Li Sheng stepping out of another Alchemy Room.

"Greetings, Senior Brother Chen!" Seeing Chen Qingyang’s gaze fall upon him, Li Sheng quickly bowed in salute.

"No need for formalities. Was your last batch of Elixirs a success?"

Even though he was outside the Alchemy Room, Chen Qingyang could clearly sense the surging Qi Mechanism from within.

"Yes, but it was just a single Tier One Qi Gathering Pill. I was about to take it to Senior Brother Zhang." The Elixirs he usually refined were either for his own use or for Zhang Ping and Hong’Er.

"It’s fine. The path of Cultivation is long, and you’ll have many more days of Alchemy ahead of you. Just remember to take it one step at a time."

Li Sheng replied, "I understand, Senior Brother Chen."

Chen Qingyang then pointed to the building behind him. "Clear out a space in this Alchemy Room and set up an altar for me."

He then took out the Talisman. "This is a gift from my master. It must be placed on the altar and worshipped with burning incense every day, without the slightest neglect. If I’m too busy, you will perform this rite of respect for me."

’This way, even Master Jing Yuan won’t be able to say anything about it. And by placing it in Li Sheng’s room, even if he can see something, it will only be Li Sheng performing Alchemy. At the very least, the Master will know nothing of my discussions with Xu Baoling.’

Of course, Li Sheng was unaware of Chen Qingyang’s intricate thoughts. He merely assumed his senior brother was showing deep respect for his master and immediately accepted the Talisman with both hands. "Rest assured, Senior Brother Chen. I will wipe it clean every day and burn three sticks of incense before it. I will remember your instructions."

Chen Qingyang was quite satisfied with this. He nodded and said, "Good. In a moment, take all the Spirit Stones. The three of you will go to the Merit Tower and purchase some Alchemy Raw Materials for me. The more, the better."

These days, he was only responsible for Alchemy; the raw materials were already being managed by others. They were temporarily stored in the Alchemy Room, and Hong’Er kept the accounts for everything. The time he saved could be used for Cultivation.

"Yes, Disciple will attend to it now."

After giving his instructions, Li Sheng hurried off. Chen Qingyang had already refined most of the Elixirs he needed to deliver to Fulu Workshop this month, so he didn’t make any more. Recalling the clues about the Great Soul Scripture he had found in the Sumeru Secret Realm, he left Cyan Bamboo Peak and began to wander through the Tai Xu Sect.

The Sect was enormous, with no fewer than a hundred peaks. Each main peak was connected to numerous smaller peaks of varying sizes. Combined with the overgrown ravines and unique terrain, it stretched for more than a hundred miles, encompassing mountains and rivers of all kinds.

The moonlight was beautiful, the river of stars quiet and vast.

Chen Qingyang stood atop a deserted peak, his gaze fixed on the heavens. As the stars glittered in the sky, the Star Sand pattern reappeared in his eyes. A myriad of star formations filled his vision, with the Star of the Southern Dipper shining especially bright.

The Sumeru Illusion Realm was on Cyan Bamboo Peak. Using Cyan Bamboo Peak as a reference point, he faced the Star of the Southern Dipper, drew a straight line between the two, and flew along that path.

He had only taken a few steps, but his Conscious Fish had already flown a hundred miles, easily reaching the familiar area.

The mountain range stretched on endlessly, its silhouette winding and twisting. A Golden Summit in the distance emanated a blazing light that spread across the horizon, illuminating it like daytime.

Chen Qingyang steadied himself, then headed toward the Golden Summit.

In a way, he had very few interests and never did anything without a purpose. Thus, he had no desire to tour this Immortal Secret Realm. Of all the many peaks in the Tai Xu Sect, he had only ever been to Cyan Bamboo Peak and Four Golden Peaks.

Using Wind Control Flight, he felt the pull of an Array as he neared the Golden Summit. This was the case for nearly every main peak’s Golden Summit in the Tai Xu Sect; one could not fly over them and had to ascend on foot.

Chen Qingyang descended and saw a massive boulder standing at the mountain gate, upon which were inscribed two characters in powerful, elegant strokes: Xu Ling.

’So this is Xu Lingfeng.’ The Peak Master of this peak was Purple Sun True Monarch, the current Temple Master of Nine True Temple. According to the Southern Dipper Star Formation, Xu Lingfeng should also have a Secret Realm, and within that Secret Realm, there should be clues to the Great Soul Scripture.

’Unfortunately, I don’t know a single person on Xu Lingfeng, or else I could ask around a bit. The famous Tai Hao Sword Institute is located at the foot of Xu Lingfeng, but back then, I only came here with Li Qianxue before we parted ways, so I’m not familiar with the place either.’

’It seems that if I want to investigate further, I’ll either have to find someone familiar with Xu Lingfeng to ask, or wait for an opportunity to visit Nine True Temple.’

’As the one who presided over this Secret Realm back then, he should know a thing or two.’

With a plan in mind, Chen Qingyang turned back, searching until he found the side of Cyan Bamboo Peak that directly faced Xu Lingfeng. Back then, it was from this side of the Secret Realm that he had emerged before chasing someone to the foot of Xu Lingfeng.

Chen Qingyang still had a mental image of the terrain there, so he continued to search with his Conscious Fish at the center of his focus. A Secret Technique of this magnitude was bound to have some anomaly in its Qi Mechanism.

He had always been extremely patient when searching for things. He remained calm and unhurried, never giving up even as the sun rose and set.

After searching nearly the entire terrain on this side of Cyan Bamboo Peak, his Conscious Fish finally discovered a pillar that looked like it was carved from white jade, hidden in a secluded valley.

The object was extremely well-hidden. It was deep within the valley and covered by a dense forest of bamboo. It would be nearly impossible to spot even if one flew past using the Wind Control Skill.

The pillar was engraved with runic patterns, identical to the ones he had seen in the Secret Realm. The frustrating part was that, apart from this pillar, he couldn’t sense the light screen.

’Without the light screen, how can I pass through to the other side?’

’Sumeru, Sumeru... a single drop of water can contain three thousand worlds. It seems I was too naive. Such a profound art... unless one has studied Arrays to a certain degree, how could they possibly fathom its Profound Secret? After searching for half a day, my only discovery is this pillar before me.’

Chen Qingyang still wasn’t ready to give up, so he pressed his Conscious Fish against the pillar. ’Since I can’t perceive the Profound Secret, I might as well try to merge with it.’

Having had this kind of experience before, the Conscious Fish knew what to do. It lay motionless, pressed against the pillar.

The Qi Mechanism within the pillar was immense and highly unusual, making it difficult to merge with. Fortunately, Chen Qingyang had enough patience, and enough time.

For the next four or five months, the Conscious Fish remained motionless on the pillar. As for Chen Qingyang himself, he spent his time either on Alchemy or Cultivation, gradually growing accustomed to his status as an Inner Sect Disciple.

Once Tai Xu Sect Disciples reached this stage, they had to begin accepting assignments from the Sect and completing various tasks. Because Chen Qingyang had only just entered the Inner Sect, he hadn’t been given any assignments yet, just like Liu Tao when she had first broken through.

It was about a year later that the trip to Nine True Mountain occurred.

「Four Golden Peaks, another year, another snowy night.」

Chen Qingyang carried ten Elixirs in his robes. He wore Vermilion and Purple Attire, a White Jade Crown on his head, and his long hair had been meticulously styled by Xu Baoling. He cut a dashing figure, with a hint of coldness about him.

He hadn’t seen Liu Tao for over half a year. The Elixirs he’d given her were surely used up by now, so this was the perfect time to visit. He also hadn’t told her about his Cultivation breakthrough.

Pausing briefly at the door, Chen Qingyang gently pushed it open. A wave of warm air washed over him. Inside, Liu Tao was sitting in front of a Pill Furnace, performing Alchemy.

The scene was as familiar as ever. Chen Qingyang waited quietly behind the round table until she finished refining her current batch of Elixirs. He had never seen her refine this type of Elixir before; he waited from morning until evening.

When she finally noticed Chen Qingyang, she walked over, holding the Elixir in her hand.

Today, she was also dressed in pink robes, the long hem trailing behind her as she walked barefoot on the floor. Having just finished her Alchemy, her cheeks were slightly flushed, and a fine sheen of sweat covered her forehead. She was panting softly as she spoke. "Look, I can refine this kind of Elixir now too."

Chen Qingyang glanced at it and recognized it as a Tier One Earth Root Biogenic Pill.

"This Pill Formula... did Master Yun Ci give it to you?"

But Liu Tao didn’t answer his question. "You haven’t even told me what you think of my Elixir."

Resigned, he had to take a closer look.

The Elixir’s surface was pitted and uneven, and its luster was rather dim. It could barely be considered Tier One. "Senior Sister, you must have only recently started refining this type of Elixir, right?"

Hearing the implication in his words, Liu Tao deflated. She pouted slightly, annoyed. "I’ve spent a full three months on this. Not like you. If you spent three months on it, you’d probably be refining Tier Two and Three versions already."

To be honest, Chen Qingyang hadn’t been studying the Alchemy Dao very hard lately. He only performed Alchemy for the Spirit Stones, and had even set aside the Nameless Elixir for the time being to focus all his efforts on Cultivation.

"I don’t think you should be discouraged, Senior Sister. To achieve this much in three months shows you’ve made significant progress in the Alchemy Dao. Where did you get this Pill Formula?"

He had circled back to the same question.

Only then did Liu Tao answer. "This kind of Pill Formula is extremely rare on my Four Golden Peaks; I could only ask my master for it. She thought I wanted it to help her other disciples achieve their breakthroughs, but who would have known I just wanted to lighten your burden?"

As she spoke, her tone took on a hint of complaint.

She was always like this. After doing something nice for Chen Qingyang, she hoped for his constant acknowledgement in return.

Chen Qingyang took out the ten Elixirs. "It’s good for you to study other Elixirs, Senior Sister, but I don’t think you need to work on this Earth Root Biochemical Pill anymore. Why not start directly with the Mingtang Pill? I can supply you with all the Elixirs needed to nourish the Earth Root Acupoint."

Liu Tao took his Elixirs and compared them to her own. "I was just afraid of you getting tired, that’s why I wanted to learn Alchemy. You have to provide for your master, and for me..."

How could she know that Chen Qingyang could refine ten of these Elixirs in just two batches?

"...I also want to rely on Alchemy to improve my own skills. Your agreement with your master is for a hundred years. I was thinking that someday within that century, I’ll be able to share your burden."

Since she had put it that way, Chen Qingyang didn’t try to persuade her further. This idea of Liu Tao’s wasn’t a new one; she had harbored it for a long time.

Just as the two were catching up and chatting idly, Chen Qingyang suddenly felt something—his Conscious Fish had moved.