Netherworld Painted Skin Scroll

Chapter 408 You're Not Worthy of Becoming an Infant

Li Wuxiang was not surprised at all that the old Taoist priest would do this, and neither would his five disciples who were still in the stone cave furnace!

As soon as he activated the cauldron, the entire cave floor trembled slightly. The old Taoist shouted a few more words, and Deng Yuan and Kong Youxin, who were resting, were immediately awakened.

Deng Yuan had done this kind of thing many times before. Dragging his broken leg, he jumped up and ran into the main cave to check. Seeing that his master had activated the furnace in the stone cave, his face lit up with joy, and he shouted, "Master, it's done!?"

"It's done!" the old Taoist priest replied with a loud laugh.

"What about my senior brothers? I'll go find them—"

The old Taoist priest waved the small banner in his hand, and billowing black smoke poured out from it, transforming into thirty-six ghostly figures that surrounded him: "No need to look anymore, he's inside!"

Deng was taken aback for a moment, then burst into laughter: "Haha! Master, this time I've done a lot of work and contributed a lot, but there are fewer people. Shouldn't I get a bigger share?!"

"Of course! I'll talk about it after I've mastered it!" the old Taoist replied, then stepped aside, revealing Li Wuxiang to his sight. "What did he just say? Yin marrow earth energy? What is that? Can his cultivation level draw upon earth energy?"

The old man stopped pretending at this moment and fully revealed his cultivation as a half-step low-level beggar-version rogue cultivator at the Nascent Soul stage. He waved the small banner in one hand, causing black smoke to billow and ghostly shadows to appear around him. With the other hand, he made a hand seal, causing smoke to rise and red light to shoot into the sky from the furnace in the stone cave. When he looked at Li Wuxiang, his eyes were extremely sharp, without any trace of his previous deep and gloomy appearance. Instead, he appeared extremely crazy.

Li Wuxiang immediately saw the killing intent in his crazed eyes.

The old man knew Zhou Xiang could manipulate the earth's veins, so he didn't know the extent of Zhou Xiang's power, nor how much effort it would take to refine the magic on his body. Therefore, he wanted to eliminate another risk—himself—first! He was afraid that Zhou Xiang might take advantage of the chaos to launch a sneak attack on him!
Taking his life would be too easy, but then no one would be able to refine the magic on Zhou Xiang's body. Li Wuxiang immediately lowered his voice and said, "I don't know what his cultivation level is, he only mentioned the earth's energy—don't speak so loudly! Shh!"

The old Taoist priest was taken aback by his shushing.

"You killed Zhou Xiang, but I'm the one who rescued Kong Youxin! I'm the one who rescued her in a moment!"

As he said this, Kong Youxin walked to the entrance of the main cave in a daze. When she saw the scene inside, she opened her mouth, seemingly unaware of what had happened.

But the old Taoist priest immediately understood and shouted at Deng Yuan, "Don't let her ruin things!"

Deng Yuan immediately turned to look at Kong Youxin, and Kong Youxin immediately turned to look behind her—then Deng Yuan chopped her in the neck and she fainted again.

The old Taoist then looked at Li Wuxiang again, but the murderous intent in his eyes gradually faded—Li Xiao didn't want Kong Youxin to know that he was the one who harmed Zhou Xiang, and he even wanted to "rescue" her, which showed that he had taken a liking to this woman. This was not surprising; such a beautiful woman was rare. Although her cultivation was not high, she was both foolish and pure. In addition, she had saved his life. If she was properly trained in the future, she would be a good helper and a good Daoist partner.

He sneered, "What, you're retiring from the martial world after you've done this?"

"I already told you when I spoke to you that I'm still young. Once I get the elixirs and magical treasures, I'll hide away and cultivate. Why would I bother with a deadly business?"

The old Taoist chuckled inwardly—this might not be entirely true. But saying it was a sign of weakness, a fear born from witnessing his own abilities. He feared him, and the old Taoist didn't want to waste his energy fighting a Golden Core cultivator at this crucial moment. So he chuckled aloud, "I was right before, you're very insightful in your actions and thoughts! Then go wait outside!"

Under his watchful gaze, Li Wuxiang walked outside, picked Kong Youxin up from the ground, and placed her back against the wall. Worried that she might wake up again soon, Li Wuxiang applied another layer of sedative to her, ensuring she could sleep peacefully.

Just then, a loud noise suddenly came from the stone furnace, like hot water in a large pot boiling violently, making the stone lid bounce and bang, as if it was about to be overturned!
The old Taoist priest shouted, "Deng Yuan! Protector!"

He then sat cross-legged on the ground and raised his hand to arrange a row of pills in front of him.

The Zhou Xiang below was actually able to activate the Yin Marrow Earth Vein!

He certainly didn't know what Yin Marrow Earth Vein was, but he knew that the cultivators of the Five Mountains True Form Sect were best at dealing with the earth's energy, and his stone cave furnace was also refined with earth fire. He was afraid that there would be a fierce battle between him and Zhou Xiang!

As the stone lid clattered, the crimson flames within the cauldron gradually transformed into a kaleidoscope of colors, as if a rainbow had been forged within. The old Taoist knew this was because Zhou Xiang's protective spells had been fully activated, and were now battling the elixir fire within his cauldron.

He first picked up a bottle of pills in front of him, tilted his head back and poured it into his mouth. The medicinal power immediately burst forth in his body. Then, with a flick of his hand, the stone lid was instantly suppressed. Afterward, the entire cave resounded with another rumble, and the stalactites hanging from the cave ceiling fell like raindrops. However, the two rings of runes around the cauldron shone even brighter. With three clangs, the color of the runes changed from red to yellow, and a ring of cracks appeared around them, as if the ground had been shattered.

The old Taoist priest tilted his head back and poured a bottle of pills into his mouth, then pointed and shouted, "Rise! Rise! Rise!!"

The cracks around the furnace cauldron widened, and then the huge, curved stone cauldron actually detached from the ground and hung in mid-air.

The stone cauldron was bursting with multicolored light, all from Zhou Xiang's magic being refined by the furnace fire, seemingly about to burst the furnace. But the old Taoist smiled coldly, and with a bang, he struck a spot with both hands, producing a loud crash. The stone cauldron seemed to shrink from the force of his blow, becoming only the height of two people.

In that instant, the radiant light in the furnace suddenly dimmed. Although it still displayed a variety of colors, it had turned into a thin mist-like glow.

Seeing this, Li Wuxiang knew that it was because the old Taoist had dug the stone cauldron out of the ground. Zhou Xiang was unable to come into contact with the mountain and earth energy, and the external spiritual energy was blocked by the cauldron, so he was powerless to resist inside.

By this time, he had a deeper understanding of the "strength" and "weakness" of the six Xuanjiao cultivators.

Zhou Xiang doesn't seem to be a Nascent Soul cultivator... oh, he's more like a Void Realm cultivator. Judging from his demeanor, he's at most on par with Wu Meng from Coffin City, so he could be considered a Golden Core cultivator.

However, a Golden Core cultivator from the Taiyi Sect would never be trapped in this old Taoist's furnace. He could unleash his inner energy and launch a flying sword, piercing the thing in a single strike. But Zhou Xiang cultivated the techniques of the Five Sacred Mountains True Form Sect. Having passed the Qi Refining stage, he began to stray from the right path upon reaching the Spirit Refining stage. He no longer focused on strengthening his physical body, but instead began refining the myriad spirits within his skin, allowing it to more easily absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and communicate with the Great Emperor's true spirit.

At this moment, he was trapped in this cauldron again, unable to absorb any spiritual energy from the outside. He was being whittled down again and again, and it seemed that he really couldn't do anything about the old man Shi Ye's magic weapon. If he really was a descendant of the Great Emperor Zhou Er, and was really refined here today, I wonder how unwilling and resentful he would be after death!

Seeing this, the old Taoist burst into wild laughter, swallowing two more bottles of pills as he turned to look at Deng Yuan, who was guarding the cave entrance: "Hahahaha, disciple, your master is almost done! Go! Go to the cave entrance to protect the Dharma!"

Deng Yuan was standing at the entrance of the main cave, his expression shifting even more dramatically than the old Taoist priest's. Hearing his words, he paused for a moment, then immediately understood—

Master's pressure has been greatly reduced, and he will be able to focus on other things in a little while!
He immediately stepped back and walked out of the cave.

At this moment, Li Wuxiang was also walking out of the cave. Zhou Xiang's magical abilities should have been largely depleted, and the North Cave was essentially used up. But this blessed land still had the South Cave. The master and disciple in the South Cave were Sun Ji, a Golden Core female cultivator, and her disciple Feng Yuxing. They must have heard the commotion here. These two weren't exactly good people either; should they be used as well?
But just as he was about to step into the stone corridor leading to the cave entrance, Deng Yuan darted out from behind him, blocking his way. This leap must have aggravated his leg injury; he first hissed in pain, then bent down in front of Li Wuxiang to check if the splint had shifted before straightening up and asking, "Fellow Daoist, where are you going?"

"It's too noisy inside the cave, I'm going out for some fresh air."

Deng Yuan laughed immediately: "My master is at a critical moment, so it's best if we don't go out. After we finish refining, won't you still want some pills? You can go to the furnace to collect them soon."

Li Wuxiang looked behind him: "Have you finished refining the medicine on Zhou Xiang's body?"

Deng Yuan crossed his arms and looked at him, blocking the entrance to the cave without saying a word.

In terms of cultivation, he knew he was no match for Li Xiao. However, his master was still in the cave. He hadn't expected his master to become so powerful after plundering so many things these past few days—Li Xiao probably hadn't expected this either before witnessing his master start the furnace.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have overestimated himself by trying to get a share of the pie, and he wouldn't have tried to leave when things turned bad!
Then Li Wuxiang said, "Alright, then I'll wait."

Then he turned and walked towards the main cave entrance. Deng Yuan followed behind him, feeling extremely pleased. If his master was full this time, he could drink his fill too. Afterwards, his master would become a big shot in the Taiyi Sect, and he would become a big shot there as well. It's just that Li Xiao was really unlucky. His cultivation was higher than his, and his mind was sharper, but he just couldn't understand one thing—we were all going to become swordsmen, could we really leave someone who knew about today's events alive? This guy was truly blinded by wealth.

Li Wuxiang walked into the main cave and stood down, with Deng Yuan standing behind him. He wasn't afraid of Li Wuxiang attacking him at all—the Golden Core realm was high, but compared to the Qi Refining realm, it didn't offer the Yin or Yang spirits. He only needed to withstand two or three moves before his master would intervene; what was there to fear?

The old Taoist priest was still frantically channeling his power to refine away the layers of magic on Zhou Xiang's body within the cauldron. The stone cauldron hummed and spun, and Li Wuxiang felt as if a thousand air conditioners were working simultaneously in the cave, creating an extremely noisy environment.

He stood and watched for a while—this was also to observe Zhou Xiang's true strength. What disappointed him, yet also relieved, was that, aside from those spells, Zhou Xiang seemed to have no real means of fighting against the furnace, not even the immortal remains he had previously retrieved!
How can he be so weak? That can't be right. Wasn't Wu Meng a Refining Spirit cultivator back then?

How should we evaluate this person? Perhaps he simply didn't know how to use it. Aside from using the immortal's remains to block the heavenly tribulation, he genuinely didn't know how to activate it. And this alchemy furnace fire wasn't truly a heavenly tribulation. Perhaps the stronger the immortal's remains, the higher the cultivation level required of the user. So why did you even bother showing them off in the first place?

It's also possible they simply don't want to use it. It's not the final moment yet, and they don't want to use the important treasure they're sending to the Blood God Cult to save their own lives. That would be a lack of discretion.

Li Wuxiang watched for a moment, and seeing that the seven-colored light in the cauldron was fading, he asked, "Fellow Daoist, are all the spells on his body about to be refined away?"

At this moment, the old Taoist was handling the alchemy furnace with ease, feeling no pressure at all. When he turned to look at Li Wuxiang, a smile reappeared on his face: "Oh? Fellow Daoist? You called me Fellow Daoist before, and I didn't mind your formality. Now that I'm about to finish refining it and become a swordsman, aren't you going to call me Master?"

Deng Yuan's heart skipped a beat when he heard the old Taoist's words—Master wants to take this person in? Absolutely not! This person is much stronger than me. If he also becomes Master's disciple, wouldn't I have to do it myself every time we need to catch fish?
He immediately exclaimed, "Master! This person's background is unknown!"

The old Taoist laughed again: "Look, your junior brother said I don't know your background. Li Xiao, I'm still a little short of completely refining all the magic in your body. Why don't you take some time to tell me about your background—is there anything about you that I can trust to use you?"

Li Wuxiang chuckled, "We're both Golden Core cultivators, but you haven't even gone to the Taiyi Sect yet. Old Daoist, are you already trying to kick me while I'm down?"

The old Taoist priest burst into laughter: "Golden Core?! I was only one step away from the Nascent Soul realm, and now—ha!"

He turned towards the alchemy furnace, opened his mouth, and inhaled sharply! The two rings of runes beside the furnace instantly changed from gold to bright white, and billowing seven-colored smoke gathered from the furnace into his mouth and was swallowed into his stomach, making the old Taoist's body shine so brightly that it was almost transparent, as if he were no longer in the human realm!

The old Taoist's body rose from the ground without wind, and he let out a wild laugh: "Having refined these techniques, I am about to reach the Nascent Soul stage! Li Xiao, when I reach the Nascent Soul stage, a Nascent Soul tribulation will descend upon this place. Can you, with only a Golden Core, withstand the aftershocks of this heavenly tribulation?!"

"I think you're a useful person. If you call me 'Master,' I'll take you both into my furnace in a moment to avoid the heavenly tribulation! If you don't agree, I'm afraid you'll be reduced to dust by the tribulation lightning before I even lift a finger!"

The old man's getting cocky... no, he really is getting cocky.

Li Wuxiang could indeed feel the surging thunderclouds in the sky.

But how should I put it? If he hadn't specifically investigated, he would have thought there was going to be a thunderstorm tonight—was the tribulation of a rogue cultivator's Nascent Soul stage really that weak? Was it just a token gesture?
"So, are you almost done with it?" Li Wuxiang asked.

"Haha, he's already—"

The old Taoist priest's gaze suddenly sharpened as he looked at Li Wuxiang's hand.

Hearing this from behind, Deng Yuan grew anxious: "Master, stop wasting your breath on him! Take him in!"

But then the old Taoist priest suddenly landed on the ground: "What...what is this?! A flying sword?! Who exactly are you?!"

A small sword hovered in Li Wuxiang's palm. The old Taoist saw the sword clearly—it was three and a half inches long and half an inch thick, its blade tempered to almost transparent, like a beam of mysterious light!
"You're a Golden Core Swordsman!!" The old Taoist's eyes widened suddenly. He waved his small banner, and the stone cauldron fell back into the pit with a thud. He no longer cared about refining Zhou Xiang in the cauldron. A chill ran from the base of his tail to the top of his head, and his whole body went numb. He raised his hand and swept the remaining two bottles of pills into his mouth, then tilted his head back and poured them all in. Instantly, three small points of light shot up above his head. At first, they looked like three slightly brighter specks of dust, but after spinning twice, they gradually grew larger and became tiny sparks.

Suddenly, thunder roared in the sky outside the cave, and bolts of lightning rolled through the clouds.

"A Golden Core Swordsman... So what if I'm a Golden Core Swordsman!? Watch me become—"

Li Wuxiang flicked his index finger, and the small sword transformed into a stream of light, circling once above the old Taoist's head before returning to his palm—the three radiances that were about to coalesce above Dao Shiye's head dissipated. These three tiny things, upon dissipating, burst forth with a crimson flame, scorching the entire grotto before turning into wisps of black smoke and dissipating.

The old Taoist priest's meridians were in disarray and his true energy was reversed. Before he could finish speaking, he spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed to the ground, unable to move.

But now his heart felt like a stampede of horses and a raging torrent—where was my Three Peaks?! All because of that one sword strike?!
"You've never even heard of Li Wuxiang, yet you dare to claim the Nascent Soul stage?" Li Wuxiang sneered, looking at him. "The methods I used in Coffin City, you think you're worthy of using them?"

"You...you...you are...you are Li Wuxiang!?"

"Dao Ancestor Immortal! Save me!" Deng Yuan knelt down behind Li Wuxiang with a thud, burying his head and kowtowing wildly. "I also wholeheartedly pursue the Dao, and I originally wanted to be a swordsman! But I was captured here by this old man and had no choice but to do his evil deeds! Divine Lord, save me from this sea of ​​suffering!"

(End of this chapter)