The Path to Immortality: Starting with an Analysis of Basic Concepts

Chapter 447 Huaiyu Sells Pills (Please Subscribe)

The "official road" is like the roots of an old tree, winding through the Blackwater Mountains and dividing them into large and small fragments.

Huaiyu Town is located at a certain point where the roots of the official road are intertwined.

Its official road has branches and roots numbering over a hundred.

"Xiaoxi Village" is built on a tiny branch point.

Fang Cheng proceeded cautiously, taking almost half a day before finally stepping onto the main black stone road, which could accommodate a carriage, from a side path.

Once on the wide-open official road, he appeared much more relaxed, no longer concerned that moving his qi and blood would attract the attention of strange creatures. He moved his qi and blood, running as fast as a sharp sword.

Along the way, he encountered many martial artists heading to towns, but they all kept a certain distance from each other and no one spoke to them; they just kept on their way.

Upon sensing the aura of the "Rising Sun" realm martial artist from Fangcheng, passersby retreated to the side, humbly bowing their heads in farewell.

A short while later.

An orange-red light appeared in Fang Cheng's eyes. As he got closer, at the end of the Black Stone Road, between two mountains, a huge orange-red light barrier appeared, stretching as far as the eye could see.

"Huaiyu Town, we've finally arrived—"

His eyes lit up with joy, he let out a soft sigh, hesitated for a moment, then concealed his inner energy and, disguised as an ordinary villager, slowly walked towards "Huaiyu Town".

As we get closer to the town.

From the main road of Huaiyu Town, one can see a dense network of smaller paths branching out. Some of these paths are deserted, while others have a few scattered individuals walking about.

Finally, they converged in front of a massive black stone archway that was ten zhang tall.

Fang Cheng followed behind in line to enter the town. He looked up at the archway. He didn't recognize the two twisted characters engraved on the archway, but he knew that they were the two characters "Huaiyu" engraved by a "talisman master" who could borrow the power of heaven and earth.

Its function is simple and can distinguish the supernatural.

When it was Fang Cheng's turn, he paid a blood fee and stepped into the archway. In the past, he hadn't felt anything when he came and went, but now that he had broken through to the "Rising Sun" realm, he vaguely sensed an invisible fluctuation sweeping over him.

"Is this the power of a talisman master?!"

Fang Cheng sighed inwardly and stepped over the barrier.

at the same time.

Zhu Yu, who was far away in Black Wind Mountain searching for medicine and visiting friends, suddenly received a message from the "Eye of True Sight" blocking him.

Have we arrived at Huaiyu Town yet?

His mind stirred slightly, and he raised his hand to lightly touch his brow. The scene before him distorted for a moment, and the world suddenly brightened as if it were daytime.

He squinted uncomfortably and followed Fang Cheng's gaze to look at him.

A bright orange sun hangs high in the sky.

Below is an ancient town with people moving about, while outside the town are clearly divided fields, some planted with grains and others with medicinal herbs.

Other fields were planted with all sorts of strange and unusual things; judging from the eerie black aura emanating from them, they were clearly medicinal herbs.

Fang Cheng glanced at it only once before striding towards the town. After passing through several rounds of checks by the guards, he was finally allowed to enter the town.

It was not the prosperous scene Zhu Yu had imagined.

Huaiyu Town has hundreds of times more people than Xiaoxi Village, but those who come and go often appear either in a hurry or terrified, quickly leaving.

"It seems that Huaiyu Town is not as peaceful as it appears on the surface—"

Zhu Yu's thoughts flashed through her mind.

At this time.

Suddenly, my gaze fell on the orange-red light in the center of the town.

There was a pause of ten or so breaths.

My gaze shifted to another street.

"You're smart—"

Zhu Yu chuckled, then suddenly turned to look outside the sedan chair. He reached out and grabbed, and a crystal-clear white bone hand flew in through the window and landed in his hand.

A cold mist hung in the air, and upon closer inspection, one could see fluids flowing within the skeleton.

"Second-order monster remains".

"Not bad, not bad. The materials are indeed suitable for refining the 'Taiyin Pill' from the 'Taiyin Ancient Formula' to enhance cultivation—"

Zhu Yu glanced at it a few times, then casually put it aside.

Looking at the piles of second-tier spiritual materials—some bones, some plants, some stones—beside him, his smile deepened.

To be honest, the resources in the "Ghost Realm" are truly abundant.

Second-tier spiritual items, which are extremely precious in the "Heavenly Dao Sect," are not exactly everywhere in the "Ghost Realm," but they are not far off.

However, it seems to be due to the restrictions of the "Ghost Realm" rules.

Although the second-tier spiritual materials produced in the "Ghost Realm" have a rich spiritual aura, they show no sign of developing spiritual intelligence. In fact, compared to the second-tier spiritual materials from the "Heavenly Dao Sect," their spiritual aura appears even more clumsy.

For example, the second-tier spiritual objects he sought out.

If one does not perceive the astonishing spiritual energy contained within it, it can be considered an ordinary spiritual object.

And according to his observations.

Second-tier spiritual items can help monsters recover from injuries faster and gather more ghostly energy, but they cannot directly increase the monsters' strength.

Perhaps that's why.

That's why there are so many spiritual materials in the Blackwater Mountains.

Even many ordinary black-level monsters have one or two of these items on their person.

For Zhu Yu, this was nothing short of a waste of resources and a squandering of wealth.

"Unfortunately, the monster cannot be killed..."

Zhu Yu sighed with dissatisfaction, then came back to his senses, spending some time exploring the surrounding "spiritual objects" and some time checking Fang Cheng's movements.

Upon seeing this, he was speechless.

"That's way too cautious..."

In his view, Fang Cheng rented a house and dressed up as an old man with white hair, wearing a black robe that covered his face. Anyone who saw him would know that he was up to no good.

Then he hid and wandered around until he arrived at the west gate of Huaiyu Town.

Just outside the west gate.

A chaotic, makeshift shack-like settlement came into view.

Without stopping, Fangcheng entered the residential area. He could see that the residents walking there were noticeably thinner and darker-skinned than the people in the town, and they looked like they had suffered a lot.

The residents glanced at him upon his arrival and then went about their own business.

Fang Cheng was clearly not here for the first time. He turned into the depths of the residential area with ease, and after walking through several dirty streets, a relatively clean, dimly lit alley appeared before him.

Stalls were set up on both sides of the path.

Whether it was the people walking around or the stall owners, they were all either covered in black robes like him or wearing masks, and they all gave off an attitude of "keep away."

"black market."

Zhu Yu learned about this place from the thoughts swirling in Fang Cheng's mind.

It is said to have been founded by the mayor of Huaiyu Town and a prominent family in the town. Here, one can purchase not only talismans that the town's headquarters never sells to outsiders, but also martial arts techniques, magical artifacts, elixirs, and more.

Anything that can be found in Huaiyu Town can be sold here.

Even things that don't exist in "Huaiyu Town" can sometimes be found here.

It's just the price.

It is more than twice as high as the outside world.

Fang Cheng didn't rush to sell the "Yin Shui Dan". Instead, he looked for stalls selling pills, patiently examining each one and asking about the prices.

It wasn't until he reached the end of the street that he confirmed something.

"Essence" is expensive, extremely expensive.

Given his status as a "Rising Sun" realm martial artist, once the certification is completed, the annual offering will increase from 300 "blood coins" to 3,000 "blood coins" per year.

But that's his annual offering.

However, it was only enough to buy three "Blood Coagulation Pills" that could enhance the cultivation and strength of martial artists at the "Ascension to the Sun" realm.

"The elixirs are too expensive..."

Fang Cheng was both surprised and delighted. He was surprised because the pills were more valuable than he had imagined, and delighted because the thirteen "Yin Water Pills" in his hand were worth at least ten thousand "blood coins".

He hesitated for a moment, glanced back at the bustling stalls, gritted his teeth, and turned to walk towards the adjacent street.

The street is short and very clean and tidy.

There were no stalls inside, only dimly lit shops.

Fang Cheng arrived at the largest shop, looked up at the two characters "Wandan Pavilion" written on its signboard, took a deep breath, pulled up his hood, and stepped inside.

Compared to the outside.

The candlelight flickered inside the shop, making the overall lighting even dimmer.

The faint fragrance of grass and trees calmed Fang Cheng's turbulent emotions a little. He glanced around and saw only a few figures moving about.

At this time.

Light footsteps approached from the side. Fang Cheng turned his head and saw a young man in blue robes walking over. The young man bowed and politely asked, "Esteemed guest, I am a servant at the 'Ten Thousand Pills Pavilion.' Whether you wish to purchase pills or sell spiritual items, please tell me directly."

"Peak of Qi and Blood..."

Sensing the cultivation level of the servant in the green robe, Fang Cheng secretly marveled at the extravagance of the "Ten Thousand Pills Pavilion." After a moment of silence, a somewhat hoarse voice rang out.

Does the "Wandan Pavilion" accept elixirs?

The servant was taken aback for a moment, then his smile remained unchanged as he said, "I'll accept it, but I need to verify the efficacy of the pills first. Please follow me, sir."

Led by him, we arrived at a room.

The servant went up and knocked on the door, and an old voice came from inside.

"Come in."

The servant pushed open the door, and in the small room, an elderly man with a fair complexion, no beard, and gray hair sat leisurely in a chair, drinking tea and reading a book.

"We are offering a cow as a sacrifice. The customer wishes to sell the pills. Could you please take a look and assess them?"

The servant greeted him respectfully, explained his purpose, bowed, and withdrew.

"Selling pills."

Niu Gongfeng looked Fang Cheng up and down, but couldn't smell any elixir fragrance on him. He knew that Fang Cheng had probably obtained the elixir through murder and robbery, and he didn't know its effects, so he didn't dare to take it rashly. That's why he came to examine the elixir.

Thinking of this, his expression immediately turned much colder, and he said, "Take it out and let me see it."

"this..."

Fang Cheng hesitated for a moment.

Seeing his appearance, Niu Gongfeng felt even more disgusted and said irritably, "The headquarters of the 'Wan Dan Pavilion' is located in 'Huangyang City.' Let alone your junk, even a 'Manifestation Pill' wouldn't be rare to us."

"Take it or leave it. If you don't want to, turn right at the door..."

Upon hearing this...

Fang Cheng was pleased rather than angry. He immediately took out a "Yin Water Pill" from his pouch, released the seal on his blood and qi, and handed it over, politely saying, "Please trouble Niu Gong to appraise its value..."

Niu Gongfeng reached out and took it. Upon looking at it, he was immediately stunned. Coming to his senses, his brows gradually furrowed. He examined it several times, then sniffed it. He looked up at Fang Cheng, hesitated for a moment, and said politely, "If my inspection is correct, the elixir is indeed of the second grade."

"The effects seem rather mysterious; may I scrape off some powder to examine?"

17

"Second rank?... "

""

Fang Cheng rolled his eyes, noted it down, and waved his hand, saying, "Please feel free to taste it, Ox Offering."

Thank you.

Niu Gongfeng thanked him, took out a jade knife, carefully scraped off a little powder and put it in his mouth. He closed his eyes and concentrated, his brows furrowing and relaxing intermittently.

A few breaths later.

Niu Gongfeng opened his eyes and praised, "Indeed, it's a 'Manifestation Pill,' a rare type of cold poison." He then looked at Fang Cheng and said with a smile, "This is a 'Manifestation Pill.' After refining it, it can imbue one's blood and qi with the characteristics of cold poison. Would you be willing to sell it to the 'Ten Thousand Pill Pavilion'?"

Before he could reply, she immediately quoted a price: "Thirty thousand 'blood money' per piece."

"Thirty thousand!..."

Fang Cheng's breathing immediately became much heavier.

One coin is worth 30,000 "blood money", and thirteen coins would be worth 360,000 "blood money".

And he takes 10%, which is 36,000 "blood money"!

"hiss..."

Fang Cheng gasped inwardly. He hadn't earned that much in his decades of guarding the area. Regaining his composure, he nodded without hesitation, "Sell!"

"6

"good.."

Niu Gongfeng's smile deepened. Just as he was about to issue the receipt, he saw the man he regarded as a murderer pull out a cloth bag from his pocket.

"I have a few more left; I'll sell them to the Noble Pill Pavilion as well..."

Upon seeing the thirteen "Yin Water Pills," Niu Gongfeng's face twitched, and he gave Fang Cheng, who was beaming with excitement, a strange look.

"This guy's probably disposing of stolen goods for the 'fire thieves'..."

"I wonder which unfortunate town was plundered by the 'fire thieves'."

"Fire thief".

They typically live in the wild, plundering towns and stealing "sunlight" for survival, hence their name.

No matter how infamous the "fire thief" was, when faced with thirteen "Yin Water Pills" that could imbue a martial artist's blood with the properties of cold poison, Niu Gongfeng could not bring himself to refuse and immediately issued a receipt.

The time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

Fang Cheng, his steps unsteady, clutched his chest as he walked out of the "Wandan Pavilion." A gust of cold wind jolted him awake, and he quickly looked around, tightened his hood, and hurried away.

And shortly after he left.

With a broad smile, Niu Gongfeng carried a box into the backyard and said to the white-haired, ruddy-faced old man tending the flowers and plants, "Shopkeeper, look what good things I've received."

The white-haired old man stood up, dusted off his hands, and asked in surprise, "What good thing is it that makes you so happy?"

The ox offering didn't waste any words, stating directly, "The 'Manifestation Pill'." He paused, then added, "Thirteen 'Manifestation Pills'."

Its characteristic is cold poison.

The white-haired old man was stunned for a moment, and his figure suddenly disappeared. Niu Gongfeng was completely unaware. When he came to his senses, he saw the old man holding a "Yin Water Pill" and examining it.

Niu Gongfeng said enviously, "The shopkeeper must be about to break through to the 'Radiant Sun Realm'."

The white-haired old man put down the pills, tucked them into his sleeve, and shook his head with a smile, saying, "It's not that easy." He then asked curiously, "Thirteen 'Manifestation Pills,' which alchemist was responsible? Could it be Grand Alchemist Chang from the Garrison Command?"

Niu Gongfeng shook his head, hesitated for a moment, and said, "It should be 'Fire Thief'." He then explained the purpose of Fangcheng's pill sales, emphasizing that it was purchased at a price of "30,000" per pill.

"The fire thief..."

The white-haired old man shook his head. Even if the "fire thief" was stupid, he would not sell the "manifestation pill" for a low price. He guessed that the person had stolen it from somewhere. Otherwise, why would he sell a manifestation pill worth 100,000 "blood money" for only 30,000 "blood money"?

But that was none of his business. He smiled and said to the ox offering, "Thank you for your hard work, Ox Offering. One of these thirteen 'Manifestation Pills' belongs to you. Whether you choose 'blood money' or the pill itself is your choice."

"Thank you, shopkeeper."

Niu Gongfeng's face lit up with joy, and without a second thought, he chose the elixir.

"Manifestation Pill" is available but not for sale.

If it's really for sale, it could be worth 110,000 to 120,000.

On the other side...

Unaware that he was selling the pills at a low price, Fang Cheng felt that someone was eyeing his money bag, and he changed inns several times in a few days.

Wait until you feel settled.

I just went out to buy what Zhu Yu needs.

At this time.

Blackwater Mountains.

Two children, seemingly straight out of a New Year's painting, carried a black sedan chair to a strange hill with jagged rocks, barren and devoid of vegetation.