The road is vague

Chapter 73: Misty Legend
The old friend Wei Cang mentioned was a fat man with broad shoulders and a thick waist, and a harmless smile.

He didn't care that it was winter, and he was holding a palm-leaf fan in his hand, fanning himself slowly.

But his fatness is different from Lu Shun's. Although this man looks round, he is actually strong and powerful inside, while Lu Shun is fat and has a big heart.

There were more than ten unsold items placed in front of the fat monk.

On the way here just now, Li Mo had learned from Wei Cang that this person's name was Xue Tai, and he was one of the most powerful Foundation Establishment cultivators in the sect. His Taoist cultivation was unfathomable. Not only had he repeatedly made remarkable achievements in the battles with the cultivators of Lu State, he was now one of the so-called Heavenly Stem Captains of the Guardian Hall, and he would most likely be promoted to a Golden Core cultivator in the sect in the future.

"Haha, Senior Brother Xue, this junior fellow of mine wants to buy those Piaomiao Demon Pills in your hand."

The fat man holding the palm-leaf fan looked at Li Mo immediately after hearing this.

Li Mo did not dare to be arrogant and bowed to him respectfully.

Then Li Mo looked at an inconspicuous wooden box on the other party's stall, in which were more than twenty Piaomiao Demon Pills neatly placed!

He was immediately delighted and opened his spiritual eyes to carefully identify it.

What disappointed him a little was that these ethereal demon pills were only at the Qi training stage level, and there was not a single one of a higher level.

"Senior Xue, I wonder how you plan to sell these Qi training-level demon pills?"

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Xue smiled and put the palm-leaf fan behind her.

"Wei Cang and I are old friends. Since you are his junior fellow apprentice, you can just call me Senior Brother Xue. Otherwise, wouldn't I be taking advantage of my good friend for nothing?"

Li Mo and Wei Cang couldn't help but smile awkwardly when they heard this.

Seeing this, Xue Tai continued, "As for these... well, the Piaomiao Demon Pill, then three hundred spirit stones each."

"this!"

Li Mo was shocked and couldn't believe it.

"Senior Brother Xue, these are just Qi training stage demon pills, why are they priced so high?"

You have to know that the two Piaomiao Demon Pills he bought before were only ten spirit stones. After all, for most people, it is not a loss if they can exchange such useless things for some spirit stones.

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Xue explained with a smile.

"Junior Brother Li, think about it. A demon pill in the Qi training stage. Have you ever heard of a demon beast producing a demon pill in the Qi training stage? I haven't heard of it, so I have a reason to sell it at a high price."

Seeing the other party's response, Li Mo didn't know how to respond for a moment.

In the end, he could only sigh, clasp his fists and prepare to leave.

However, at this time, Xue Tai became anxious.

"Wait a minute, Junior Brother Li. Actually, this price is negotiable."

Li Mo stopped when he heard that.

Xue Tai secretly breathed a sigh of relief and continued to smile.

"In fact, over the years, Xue has discovered quite a few of these ethereal demon pills in the storage bags of Lu cultivators. At first, Xue thought he had struck it rich, as Lu was plagued by demonic beasts. Later, he learned that these demon pills were no ordinary ones and could not be used as the main ingredient in refining elixirs to improve cultivation. Instead, they had to be refined into Yang Shou Dan using the main cultivation techniques of the Lu Shou Dan School."

He showed a meaningful look.

"So these demon pills are useless to other sects and can only be sold to the Shoudan Sect of Lu State."

Mrs. Xue looked Li Mo up and down with an interested look.

"Since Junior Brother Li wants to purchase the Piaomiao Demon Pill, he must have a way to refine it into the Yang Shou Pill. I wonder if what I said is correct?"

Li Mo was stunned.

This was the first time he heard of the so-called Shoudan Sect.

Piaomiao Yaodan can actually refine the so-called Yangshoudan?
However, the Taoism that the State of Lu pursues is the way to immortality. It makes sense that there is a sect that can refine the Yangshou Pill. Needless to say, this kind of elixir must be priced sky-high. It’s just that no one knows what restrictions there are for swallowing and refining the Yangshou Pill.

Upon hearing this, Wei Cang, who was standing by, couldn't help but look at Li Mo with a fiery look in his eyes.

If this junior brother really has a secret channel to refine the Yangshou Pill, this is no small matter!
Li Mo looked helpless.

"Brother Xue, you've misunderstood. To be honest, I'm an alchemist. I mastered a secret alchemy technique called the Thunder Refining Method. After accidentally coming across the Piaomiao Demon Pill, I discovered through numerous experiments that this demon pill can actually be refined into a magical elixir with the miraculous effect of lightning protection. While my Thunder Refining Method is highly effective in refining low-level elixirs, it constantly causes me to endure the pain of lightning backlash. Therefore, I naturally want to do my best to refine the Lightning Protection Pill."

Li Mojiu's response, one true and one false.

Wei Cang knew that Li Mo was an alchemist.

Wei Cang saw Xue Tai looking at him and nodded with disappointment.

"Master did praise Junior Brother Li, saying that his alchemy skills are extraordinary."

Upon seeing this, Xue Tai was stunned for a moment, then also revealed a hint of disappointment.

He originally thought that Li Mo collected Piaomiao Demon Pills because he had mastered secret channels and made friends with a defected disciple of Shoudan Sect. He didn't expect it was because of this, and he was immediately disappointed.

But he soon thought of something else.

"If that's the case, why does Junior Brother Li call this pill the Piaomiao Demon Pill?"

Xue Tai's eyes were slightly curious.

"When I was fighting in Zhongshan State, I secretly investigated. The monks in Lu State seemed to call this pill the Beastman Pill, and some also called it the Demonman Pill."

"This……"

Li Mo looked embarrassed.

"Because the disciple who brought this pill back didn't know its name, I just gave it a private name based on my spiritual observations to distinguish it from ordinary demon pills. I also want to ask Brother Xue if he knows the specific origin of this pill?"

"I see."

Xue Tai shook his head.

"I don't think many people in Lu have come into contact with this kind of demon pill. It seems to only exist in some special groups, so the origin of this pill has not been investigated. However, if you are interested, you can take advantage of the truce between the two countries and go to the Shoudan Sect to investigate. They will definitely know."

Say it.

Xue Tai sighed again.

"Piaomiao Demon Pill, I thought it was related to the legendary Piaomiao Realm from ancient times... That's right, if there really is a connection, it's impossible that the cultivators of Lu Country knew about it, and we cultivators of Daqian Country wouldn't know about it."

Hearing Mrs. Xue's muttering, Li Mo's eyelids twitched.

Misty world?
Isn’t the name of this world Shanhai Realm?
Although he was confused, purchasing the Piaomiao Demon Pill was the most important thing now, so Li Mo could only patiently continue asking.

"I wonder how Senior Brother Xue plans to sell these Misty Demon Pills?"

Mrs. Xue sat back in her chair, pulled out her palm-leaf fan and pointed.

"These Piaomiao Demon Pills are worth two hundred spirit stones. Take them away as a whole."

"Thank you, Brother Xue."

Li Mo quickly took out two hundred spirit stones and, after receiving the other party's approval, packed more than twenty Piaomiao Demon Pills into his storage bag. A huge weight lifted from his heart. He was about to leave to search for the Foundation Establishment Pill and ask Wei Cang about the Piaomiao Realm when he heard Xue Tai's request to stay.

"Junior Brother Li, wait a moment."

Xue Tai slapped his storage bag and took out six more Piaomiao Demon Pills.

"There are six more Foundation Establishment Stage ones here, each worth a hundred spirit stones. Do you want any?"

Li Mo's eyelids twitched when he saw this!
But he still hesitated a little.

Although he still had a lot of spirit stones on him at the moment, he was saving them to buy foundation-building pills. However, these ethereal demon pills for the foundation-building period would probably be sold out if he missed this opportunity.

Xue Tai naturally didn't know that the reason Li Mo hesitated was because he planned to buy the Foundation Establishment Pill.

But this made him completely give up, and he confirmed that it was unlikely that Li Mo had a secret channel to refine the Yangshou Pill.

Otherwise, let alone a hundred spirit stones, he probably wouldn't hesitate even if it was a thousand spirit stones.

Li Mo hesitated for a long time, and finally gritted his teeth.

"Okay, I want it!"

So he took out another 600 spirit stones and bought these six Piaomiao Demon Pills for the Foundation Establishment Period.

This time he spent eight hundred spirit stones in one go. He calculated that even if the remaining one thousand six hundred spirit stones were not enough to cover the cost of buying two more foundation-building pills, it would not be too much of a difference. He could consider borrowing some from Senior Brother Wei Cang first.

There is no rush for this matter. Let’s see if there is anyone selling Foundation Establishment Pills here first.

Thinking this in his heart, after Li Mo and Wei Cang left Xue Tai's stall, Wei Cang couldn't help but sigh.

"Just now, even I couldn't help but imagine that Junior Brother might really have the secret channel to refine the Yang Shou Pill."

Li Mo looked helpless.

"Brother, let alone Lu State, I haven't even left Muzhou. How could there be any secret channels? I have never even heard of the Yangshou Pill before."

"Right."

Wei Cang sighed and said no more.

However, Li Mo could sense his anxiety and guessed that this third senior brother might also be facing the problem of insufficient lifespan, which would make it difficult for him to advance to the Golden Core Stage.

In this case, he naturally would not continue this topic.

"By the way, Senior Brother, what did Xue Tai say just now about the Ancient Misty Realm? What's going on?"

"The Misty World."

Wei Cang looked at the items sold at the nearby stalls with a thoughtful look on his face.

"A few ancient texts record that in ancient times, cultivators from the Mountain and Sea Realm had large-scale exchanges with the Misty Realm. Later, this world seemed to mysteriously disappear. Some people speculate that the great wars and decline of the ancient cultivators might be related to this so-called Misty Realm. I'm not sure about the specifics."

"Brother, what you mean is... a world similar to the Mountain and Sea Realm just disappeared like that?"

Li Mo was stunned and puzzled.

"Well, it disappeared."

Seeing Wei Cang so calm, Li Mo was extremely shocked.

Could it be that this ethereal dream, or the ethereal box, is not the shadow of the mountain and sea world, but the so-called ethereal world?
But something doesn't seem right.

He could clearly feel some of the order of heaven and earth in the world of mountains and seas in his ethereal dreams.

That kind of yin-yang symmetrical beauty is definitely not a manifestation of another world.

Moreover, from the results of his previous practice of "Wu Nian Jue", comparing the Piao Miao Box with the Mountain and Sea Realm, and then discovering that unnameable thing, it can be regarded as further confirmation of his guess.

The ethereal dreamland was not another world, but the shadow of the Mountain and Sea Realm, or at least within the shadow of the Mountain and Sea Realm...

Li Mo himself was a little confused.

"Brother, what do you think other worlds are like?"

"I don't know about that. I only know that in many other worlds, humans are not the dominant race, but the ultimate goal of all living beings' cultivation is to ascend to the immortal realm, such as those demons and monsters, in order to comprehend the great Dao, live as long as the heavens, and achieve immortality."

Speaking of this, Wei Cang revealed a hint of longing.

After the two of them wandered around the hall for a while, Li Mo finally saw someone selling Foundation Establishment Pills, but only one.

He stopped immediately.

"How much is this Foundation Establishment Pill?"

The many items in the hall made Li Mo feel dazzled, but the item he desired most was undoubtedly the Foundation Establishment Pill.

The stall owner was an old woman who looked like a dead tree. It was obvious that her energy was beginning to fade away and her life span was almost over.

She raised her eyelids and glanced at Li Mo.

"Nine hundred spirit stones, no bargaining."

Li Mo licked his lips. Although the price was a bit expensive, it was still within an acceptable range.

Wei Cang standing by looked surprised.

"Junior brother, why are you preparing the foundation-building pill so early? This can't be used as a magic pill to improve your cultivation."

But he was not surprised that Li Mo could afford the Foundation Establishment Pill.

Although the two of them had not had much contact, he knew that Li Mo was an alchemist with profound attainments. In addition, he had just sold two ghost-faced insect mothers, so it was obvious that he was quite wealthy.

"People without thought, he must worry about."

Li Mo's words startled Wei Cang, and then his eyes dimmed a little, and he actually sighed.

"What my junior brother said is absolutely true."

Li Mo gritted his teeth and immediately spent nine hundred spirit stones to buy this foundation-building pill.

"Let's go?"

"Ah."

The two continued to wander around the hall, but Li Mo never found the second foundation-building pill, and Wei Cang also didn't find the pill he needed.

As the two walked and talked, Li Mo learned that Wei Cang had faced a difficult choice: to forge a set of flying swords and magic tools needed for the martial arts, or to buy an elixir that was temporarily useless but would help break through the bottleneck in the future?

He finally chose the former.

The consequence is that he is now stuck at the bottleneck of advancing from the middle stage of foundation building to the late stage. It has been nearly twenty years, but he has never encountered any elixir that can help him break through the bottleneck.

(End of this chapter)