Poor Taoist Qiu Chuji

Chapter 389 Draining the Elixir of Immortality from Demon Mountain

After being 'cleaned', the Mountain God Seal flew into Qiu Chuji's hand. As his fingertips touched it, messages were transmitted to him.

Qiu Chuji released the outer defenses of his primordial spirit, letting these messages in and manifesting them in his shallow consciousness.

The sun disappeared from the sky for seven whole days.

When it reappeared, its dazzling light had become somewhat pale.

Then, many mysterious wandering monsters appeared in the sky and on the earth. They were extremely polluting, and their pollution was constant, whether they were alive or dead. Only a very few methods could completely eliminate this pollution.

The mountain god peered into the mortal realm and could only see the faint projection of the celestial palace above the clouds, flickering between light and shadow. Occasionally, bursts of brilliant light would erupt, causing violent fluctuations in the primordial energy of the entire world.

After that, every night, the stars would dim, and every now and then, a large number of shooting stars would streak across the sky.

Qiu Chuji noticed this scene and knew very well that in the world of mythology, such a scene meant not only the demise of a large number of star deities, but also that many of them had fallen to the mortal world and abandoned their divine status.

Such a large-scale extinction of gods and stars, and their descent into the mortal realm, must be a great calamity that has befallen heaven and earth. That is why those who were originally high above are now the first to bear the brunt and face direct pressure.

It seemed like a long time had passed, yet it also seemed like a short time. The decrees issued by the Heavenly Court became increasingly strange, even evil.

Finally, almost all the decrees instructed the mountain god of 'Houlang Mountain' to do everything in his power to attract monsters from the surrounding area, and even to allow these monsters to kill and devour the original creatures of this land. Whether they were ordinary wild animals or humans, the most intelligent of all beings, they could be killed at will.

The mountain god of Houlang Mountain obeyed the decree, and then, polluted by the flesh and breath of the monsters, the mountain god changed. He became bloodthirsty, brutal, and insane, but he also became powerful because of it.

Originally just an unknown ninth-rank minor deity in the mortal realm, he gained overall strength comparable to a great immortal after being corrupted.

This rapid increase in power allowed the mountain god to loosen his remaining rationality, and he began to actively attract and plunder more lives and monsters to gather within the mountain.

Countless years passed, and suddenly a bronze cauldron fell from the heavens, crashing down on the energy condensation hub of Houlang Mountain. It acted as a seal, immobilizing the mountain god and trapping him in place. At the same time, it was refining all the mixed, chaotic, and powerful energy in the entire mountain, including the mountain god's primordial spirit and life.

The scene ends here. Qiu Chuji releases the Mountain God Seal from his hand. As if it had completed its final mission, the Mountain God Seal quickly dims, weathers, and dissipates.

Qiu Chuji gazed at the bronze cauldron amidst the crisscrossing lava not far away, knowing that part of the answer lay within that bronze cauldron.

But, could this be dangerous?

Throughout the mountains, the clones and various monsters were still fighting, both sides showing great potential.

The ability to create clones from thoughts means that as long as thoughts continue and primordial energy remains, an endless stream of soldiers can be created.

As for those monsters, their birth or death is merely a cycle of reincarnation and rebirth within this mountainous region. Apart from consuming some of their primordial energy, they actually consume nothing else.

“Something’s not quite right!” Qiu Chuji felt a contradiction ever since he arrived at Houlang Mountain.

After reading the information recorded in the Mountain God's Seal, this sense of contradiction became even stronger.

At that moment, I suddenly realized.

“That’s not right! The mythological world centered on the story of the Lotus Lantern contains five worlds that serve as ‘trials’. This was arranged by Yang Jian, the Great Luo Immortal, who is above all the heavens. Logically speaking, these five worlds should revolve around discussing whether the Heavenly Laws should be changed and how they should be changed.”

"In the first world, mythical beings unrestrainedly expressed their love, and the impact and destruction on all living things in the world were presented, which was in line with the theme. The second world, the Dream of the Red Chamber world, had already started to go astray. The part about love was much thinner. On the contrary, I gained great benefits by refining the Heaven-Mending Stone. My primordial spirit and physical body were greatly improved."

"This third world... seems to have completely deviated from the theme, giving me the feeling of...."

"It seems that it wasn't meant to test Chenxiang or remind Yang Jian, but rather to convey some kind of message to me?"

Qiu Chuji was not keen to admit this feeling, because without evidence, such inferences were like those of a narcissist, who naturally placed himself at the center of everything and at the starting point of all things, like an ignorant child.

However, the feeling conveyed by the two worlds before and after did indeed make Qiu Chuji make some connections.

Perhaps it's all a smokescreen?
Was it all because of that little bit of vinegar that you made dumplings?
Qiu Chuji thought of the message that Yang Jian had conveyed through agarwood from the heavens.

That reminder seemed to be echoing the experiences that had preceded and followed it.

"It seems I have no choice but to open this cauldron!" With a determined look, Qiu Chuji's thoughts raced, and more mental clones were created.

These clones began to tear apart the battlefield, clearing the path to the bronze cauldron.

After paying the 'price' of creating thousands of thought clones, a passage was finally cleared out.

An exceptionally strong, tall, and sturdy thought clone, created by Qiu Chuji, stood before the bronze cauldron and reached out to touch its lid.

scoff!

It sounded like boiling oil being poured into ice water.

The powerful thought clone was broken down and restored into basic primordial energy, which was then sucked in through the air vents on the cauldron.

More thoughts multiplied and rushed forward in unison, intending to work together to push open the lid of the cauldron.

But they all lead to the same result.

The moment they touched the bronze cauldron, their vital energy was drained and they became nourishment.

Ten clones, a hundred clones, a thousand clones... surrounding them didn't cause any qualitative change.

This is a gap that cannot be bridged by sheer numbers.

This cauldron has a natural restraint on energy bodies.

Qiu Chuji covered his body with a thick layer of the Qi of Creation, then took a step forward, and his true form appeared on the left side of the bronze cauldron.

Using the force of overlapping waves, a palm strike was launched, but instead of releasing concrete energy, it stirred up the wind, which transformed into an invisible hand, aiming to lift the lid of the cauldron.

A strong resistance appeared; there was an extremely stubborn suction force between the lid and the body of the cauldron. Qiu Chuji had to repeatedly push his palms and increase his output until a swirling storm condensed in his palm.

Snapped!
Finally... the critical point was broken, and the lid of the cauldron was lifted.

A rich, sweet, yet dreamlike and enchanting fragrance of elixir transformed into black, colorful clouds and floated out from inside the cauldron.

Qiu Chuji astutely avoided the fragrance, but still managed to extract a trace, incorporating it into his body to experience the medicinal components.

After all, this bronze cauldron is so strange, and the elixir inside is made from the fusion of the flesh and blood of the mountain god and all spirits here. How can we know what the effects of the elixir it contains are?

If you don't try, the unknown will always remain unknown.

The medicinal power in the fragrance was relatively weak, and only a wisp was carefully extracted. With Qiu Chuji's current physical strength, he should have no problem withstanding it.

Even if, hypothetically, the medicine's effects are too much to bear, a trace of its power can be used to remove and clean up the internal organs that process it before it spreads, thus physically interrupting the erosion.

The spread of the medicinal fragrance drove the monsters throughout the mountain into an even more twisted madness.

They fought for every breath, battling each other without hesitation or mercy. But this battle was inherently distorted and deformed.

This is different from the various creatures in nature that fight for nutrients.

These monsters may appear to be different individuals, but in reality they are all one entity.

Between communities, the struggle for the fragrance of the medicine is like a fight between the left and right hands to decide which gets more nutrients.

"Hmm... what is this?" Qiu Chuji was analyzing the faint medicinal fragrance. When he sensed the feedback from this fragrance, his eyes widened, and he rarely showed such open surprise.

Twisted, insane, evil, dark... these are the surface messages conveyed by the medicinal fragrance.

But going a step further, deeper still, at the very core of the medicinal fragrance, there is another aspect that cannot be ignored: 'immortality'.

"They're actually trying to make an elixir of immortality!"

“Those monsters possess the characteristic of immortality!” Qiu Chuji immediately pieced together a complete logical chain in his mind.

This world has undergone a great change, and for some reason, some monsters with immortality have been created.

By gathering a large number of monsters and transforming and extracting them in a certain way, more 'immortality' can be condensed, thus refining an elixir of immortality that can lead to becoming a Golden Immortal.

In the Three Realms, many immortal medicines, herbs, pills, and fruits are known as the elixir of immortality.

But whether it's the peaches of immortality, the ginseng fruit, or Laozi's elixir, their effects are mostly to extend lifespan by a certain number of years and to directly break through barriers, transforming mortals into immortals.

They are 'fake' elixirs of immortality.

Because longevity is not the same as immortality.

Even if it takes ten million years, a hundred million years... they will eventually come to an end.

True immortals are immortal and eternal, their existence extending to the very end of time, with no end in sight.

Amidst this distorted, malevolent medicinal fragrance, Qiu Chuji sensed an extremely faint, almost imperceptible, 'immortality'.

It is a constant substance, neither increasing nor decreasing.

By accommodating it, one can theoretically pave the way to immortality with the help of this substance.

Qiu Chuji was instantly captivated!

He couldn't help but be excited, after all, he already possessed the characteristics of a Great Luo Immortal. If he could become an immortal Golden Immortal, then he would be only one step away from becoming a true Great Luo Golden Immortal.

A Great Immortal!
Whether they are powerful or weak, they have all stood at the pinnacle of the heavens, transforming from pawns into players.

The immortality of these beings allows them to roam freely.

Even if they are seemingly destroyed or sealed away, they can still gradually recover and return to their peak in some place in time, within the body of some living being.

If we extend the timeframe to millions of years, it might not be a bad way for bored immortals to fight each other, then disappear and reincarnate, retracing their steps...

It can be said that the Great Luo Golden Immortal is the ultimate goal of cultivation.

As for the so-called saints and primordial golden immortals above that, according to Nezha, no one can verify whether this level is a realm of cultivation or a manifestation of the Dao in the world.

After all, in some unverified speculations, all the confirmed 'saints', 'creators', and 'Great Old Ones' in the myriad worlds may very well be one and the same. They may be different manifestations of a certain concept in different civilizations, stories, and beliefs.

To put it simply, the three Daoist ancestors, Daode, Yuanshi, and Lingbao, were originally one, and the so-called One Qi transforming into the Three Pure Ones all originated from the Dao.

The so-called different lineages and traditions are distinctions artificially created by different practitioners under their own will.

Just like the distinction between sword energies on Mount Hua, there's no need to be so clear about it, but sometimes what you believe isn't important; what matters is choosing sides.

If the Dao Ancestor is like this, then the supreme beings in the concepts of other civilizations are probably no different.

The most compelling evidence for this theory is that when it was proposed, it was neither opposed by sages nor recognized.

Despite his wildly pounding heart, Qiu Chuji forced himself to suppress his physical reluctance and expel the medicinal fragrance from his body.

Immortality is very tempting because it is a fast track to becoming a Golden Immortal, and it is even more significant for Qiu Chuji.

But it is also extremely dangerous.

In the message conveyed by the Mountain God's Seal, the stars dimmed, and the celestial beings fell like a meteor shower.

If they weren't fighting over immortality, then it was this thing that caused their disagreement.

Qiu Chuji had already sensed that the 'immortality' in the medicinal fragrance was completely intertwined with that twisted, mad, and evil nature, and should be inseparable. Therefore, to accommodate immortality, one must also bear the risk of madness and twistedness.

The aroma of the medicine had completely dissipated, and a dark purple mineral crystal, resembling a purplish-black crystal, had condensed at the bottom of the alchemy furnace.

The allure of evil is released from this crystal.

Qiu Chuji's physical body instinctively craved this thing.

If it weren't for the layer of Creation Qi covering his body, he probably would have already reached out uncontrollably, taken the thing out, and stuffed it into his mouth without a care.

"I wonder if, if I take it into the small world and use the status of an innate demon god, I can 'cleanse' it clean," Qiu Chuji couldn't help but think.

Although I know the chances are slim, once the thought comes to mind, I can't shake it off.

Flames appeared in the sky.

A giant fireball ripped through the sky and then fell from the heavens!

Boom!

The earth trembled, and black and red flame lotuses burned and bloomed in the air.

Qiu Chuji took a step back, and his front was now blocked by a crowd of people.

Sensing the scorching heat in the air, Qiu Chuji caught a whiff of a familiar face.

"You audacious fiend, how dare you disrupt the alchemy field and steal the elixir of immortality!"

"Surrender now, or I will capture you and plant an immortal flesh lotus in your soul!" A fierce and arrogant boy's voice rang out, and his figure appeared in the flames.

(End of this chapter)