Chapter 123 – The Fourth Spirit Spring
On the lid of the brass cauldron that was one meter in diameter, there were indistinct engravings of birds and animals. They should be organisms of the distant past. The decorative design fluctuated with a strange beauty, whirling and rotating, floating above the cauldron and letting out strange “chi, chi” sounds.
The pill cauldron that Ye Qingyu was located in was copper in colour, flickering and glimmering with the light.
His entire body was stuffed in the pill cauldron.
The space inside the pill cauldron was exceedingly spacious, but there was a pale yellow liquid within the inside of the cauldron. Everything below Ye Qingyu’s head was immersed in this body of liquid. There was a sensation similar to that of being prepared inside a medicinal wine.
It was unknown as to just what exactly the pale yellow liquid was. The liquid seemed to emit a faint fragrance. If one examined carefully, the yellow water seemed to be composed of all kinds of different ingredients with the discernible smell of Spirit herbs and precious medicines contained within.
“Haha, I understand now. It seems like the outside world has been misled. The reason that you were in the spotlight during the [Boundary Canyon Battlefield], was not because you had a treasure on your body, but because of the [Holy Body of the Dragon’s Blood].” The voice of the black-robed man that came from outside the cauldron held a hard to disguise excitement. “But this is even better. For me, to refine a holy body of the Human Race into a [Human Pill] is absolutely much better than whatever treasure, hahaha…”
Ye Qingyu struggled for a moment.
His body quivered, but it was hard to break through the strange energy constraining him.
But it caused the pale yellow liquid to splash about, with some entering his mouth that caused him to choke…
“Haha, don’t hurry. It needs a total of nine days for the pill to be created. If your will is determined enough, then you can last for another six or seven days at least. Haha.” The voice of the black-robed man seemed incomparably sinister. “Don’t fear, the [Hundred Grass Divine Liquid] within the cauldron is made from forty-nine different types of Spirit herbs. It absolutely could be counted as a rare treasure. Did you know that for a normal person to obtain even a drop of this divine liquid they have to pay a huge price? Right now, I am submerging your entire body inside. This can be counted as your good fortune, hahaha!”
Very quickly, Ye Qingyu was able to sense the inner temperature of the cauldron beginning to rise.
The yellow [Hundred Grass Divine Liquid] began to emit a pale golden radiance, escaping from the gap at the top of the cauldron.
The medicinal fragrance inside the cauldron became more and more concentrated.
Ye Qingyu could not move in the slightest.
But when he swallowed in the fragrance emitting from the [Hundred Grass Divine Liquid] he would have a feeling where he felt peaceful and at ease. The injuries inside his body were recovering at a noticeable speed. The hidden injuries in his flesh and bones began to disappear and the inner yuan that was in disarray gradually began to stabilize.
Ye Qingyu’s heart moved.
He did not resist anymore, silently practicing the nameless breathing technique, breathing in and out. He began absorbing the medicinal power of the [Hundred Grass Divine Liquid] of his own initiative.
He would first treat his injury, then think of a way to escape.
The yellow lid of the cauldron rotated, whirling and spinning like a golden disk. The patterns of the birds and beasts already had no way to be seen. The golden dense mist did not have a way of surging out of the cauldron through the lid anymore. Instead, the steam rotated along with the lid, vaguely turning into a chaotic state. As more and more gathered below the lid of the cauldron, it once again condensed and returned to within the cauldron.
Perhaps it was because his mood was good, but the black-robed man said many things.
“I originally came to Deer City for another matter. Who would have guessed that matter would not succeed, but instead I would discover an unexpected harvest like you…” The black-robed man could not disguise his excited countenance.
With his age and experience, to lose his composure and become so excited, one was able to determine just how valuable the [Human Pill of Dragon Blood] was
“Haha, do you feel your entire body is in a great state right now, and that your injuries are very quickly recovering?”
“This is because the [Hundred Grass Divine Liquid] is healing your injuries and changing the composition of your body. Haha, did you know, to distill and create this [Hundred Grass Divine Liquid], I have spent an entire hundred years of time. I’ve gone over mountains and rivers to gather the needed ingredients for this medicinal formula. Originally, it was intended to extend my life, but this time it will benefit a little brat. Haha!”
“I guess what you’re doing right now is that you’re doing your best to absorb the [Hundred Grass Divine Liquid] to recover from your injuries and raise your strength? You want to escape from the cauldron, is that correct?”
“Don’t dream. The [Cloud Top Cauldron] is something that I obtained fifty years ago from the excavating lands within an ancient relic. The wonders are endless. There has never been anything that is able to escape from the copper cauldron. Just give up. It is only through relying on the [Cloud Top Cauldron] that I received the outstanding title of the [Pill King of Azure Phoenix]. “
The black-robed man seemed as if he had suddenly transformed into a chattering machine, incessantly speaking.
Ye Qingyu was immediately taken aback.
“[Pill King of Azure Phoenix]? You are the Elder Chen that brought the expedition party from Azure Phoenix Academy to White Deer Academy?” Ye Qingyu opened his mouth and asked his question.
The black-robed figure voice suddenly halted in his monologue.
After a short while, he abruptly began laughing crazily. “What does it matter if you know, as you are very quickly going to become a dead person. That’s right, I am the Chen Moyun of Azure Phoenix Academy. Since you now know my name, then you can give up honestly, and die as a ghost that understands everything. This can be counted as your fortune.”
Ye Qingyu did not say anything.
The [Pill King of Azure Phoenix], Chen Moyun, really was a famous and glorious title.
It was said that this person not only possessed great strength but he was also a high class pill master. It was said that his skills in refining pills had reached perfection and he had a vast circle of friends. He held great prestige amongst the ten academies. Many experts of the Bitter Sea stage had once begged him to refine pills for them. Within the Azure Phoenix Academy, his status was even higher than those that possessed greater strength than him.
The reputation of this person was extremely high.
Who would have thought, that he would perform such a deed here.
Hon Kong had once reminded Ye Qingyu, that if he decided to go to Azure Phoenix Academy, he must be wary of Elder Chen. It seems like Hon Kong should have discovered something about Elder Chen. Ye Qingyu had rejected the offer to go to Azure Phoenix Academy, and originally thought he would have no interaction with this person. Who would have thought that this Chen Moyun would be so malicious and crafty, to have sneakily followed his tracks.
At this time, countless thoughts flashed by in Ye Qingyu’s mind.
But very quickly, he understood that now was not the time to ponder such matters. Immediately he concentrated, not paying attention to outside matters anymore. Activating the nameless breathing technique, he did his best to recover from his wounds.
Time passed by quickly.
In the blink of an eye, one day and one night had already passed.
The temperature of the copper cauldron became extremely high.
The [Hundred Grass Divine Liquid] had completely boiled, gurgling and surging. The golden stream it emitted became more and concentrated. Within the space of the cauldron, nothing could be seen anymore.
The clothes on Ye Qingyu had already been completely dissolved. He was naked as he was bathed in this boiling divine liquid.
Thankfully, with the toughness of his current physical body, it was not too big a problem to resist against this kind of temperature.
And at this time, Ye Qingyu’s wounds had already fully recovered.
He attempted to break past the seal of the cauldron and escape out of the pill cauldron, but he was not successful.
The seal of the pill cauldron was far more terrifying than what Ye Qingyu had imagined.
“What can I do? Could it really be that I will die here?”
Ye Qingyu’s brain quickly flickered.
“No matter what, I must live on.” At this moment, Ye Qingyu thought of very many people. Familiar face after familiar face flashed by in his mind.
He thought of his parents long asleep in the ground. He thought of the last words of his father, telling him to go to the royal court of Snow Country to take back something that belong to him. He thought back to the death of his parents, that the truth had not yet been discovered behind their deaths. He thought back to the deathly pale face of the little loli Song Xiaojun and the smile of the sword immortal Wang Jianru. He thought of Yan Fan and the sentries that had charged forward without any complaints…
His originally hesitant heart, in this process, slowly became more and more determined.
Even if not for himself, but for the people who died for him, for the people who would miss him, he must live on.
Ye Qingyu’s heart gradually became clear.
He did not think muddled thoughts anymore, concentrating fully. Using the nameless breathing technique, he continued to absorb the medicinal power of the [Hundred Grass Divine Liquid], transforming it into yuan qi that nourished him. His inner yuan, under the medicinal power of the liquid and the cauldron, incessantly continued to rise…
In the blink of an eye, another day had passed.
In total, Ye Qingyu had been cooking within the cauldron for a total of two days and two nights.
A little more than a quarter of the [Hundred Grass Divine Liquid] in the pill cauldron had already been absorbed by him.
Within the dantian world in his body, clouds and mist was surging. The fourth [Yuan Qi Kindling] had already reached a state of completion. Ye Qingyu borrowed the power of the [Hundred Grass Divine Liquid] within the cauldron to open the fourth Spirit spring…
Time passed second by second.
Ye Qingyu’s consciousness, completely became immersed within the world in his dantian.
He did not know just how much time had passed.
Boom!
A yuan qi spring, in a split second soared through the skies from the yellow sands in his dantian world. Like a jade dragon water pillar, it snaked through the air. Ultimately, it transformed into a large swathe of yuan qi rain that crashed down, nourishing the desert thousands of meters around it.
The fourth Spirit spring.
Success!
This was far sooner than the time Ye Qingyu had originally estimated.
After careful consideration, this should be due to the [Cloud Top Cauldron] as well as the [Hundred Grass Divine Liquid]— especially the latter. The liquid contained a large quantity of the essence of herbs and medicines. It was absorbed by Ye Qingyu into his body and transformed into yuan qi energy. Therefore, in such a short amount of time, he was able to reach the requirements to excavate the fourth Spirit spring.
Entering the stage of the four Spirit spring had raised Ye Qingyu’s power to an entirely different level.
An extremely powerful feeling coalesced around Ye Qingyu.
He once again tried to break free from the restraints of the pill cauldron.
But he once again dejectedly found that the constraint was still effective. He still could not break apart the seal of the [Cloud Top Cauldron]. But his body was at least able to move a little. He was no longer in a state where he could not move and was in a meditative stance.
Ye Qingyu did not panic.
At this time, he activated the Bronze book, [Fiendgod Titled Chart]
Every time he excavated a Spirit spring, the [Fiendgod Titled Chart] would appear and completely absorb the inner yuan. After purifying it, the Bronze book would return it. And after this process, new contents and pages would be unlocked in the ancient Bronze book. New techniques or objects would be provided.
The [Four Moves of the Golden Armoured King] as well as the [Four Moves of the Unmatched General] were obtained by Ye Qingyu from the Bronze book.
This time, the reaction of the Bronze book was no different.