The Eternal Saint of Alchemy

"Not for now."

After returning to Medicine King Valley, Xiao Fan couldn't sleep all night.

He sat at his desk in the room, carefully observing the roots and stems of the black lotus by candlelight.

On the roots, fine, spiderweb-like white lines emitted a faint, cold light under the firelight.

He extended a finger and pressed it on the root, silently circulating the Qiankun Refining God Technique and probing his divine sense into it.

It was like a needle piercing into ice.

It was a cold and bitter feeling, as if I had touched some ancient barrier.

Xiao Fan frowned, but instead of retreating, he advanced and increased the output of his divine sense.

"Buzz—" A deep sound rang out.

Within his sea of ​​consciousness, the illusory image of the Creation Cauldron of Heaven and Earth trembled, emitting a dazzling golden light.

The golden light followed his divine sense and entered the black lotus root. The white patterns on the black lotus root immediately lit up, like a lit candle emitting a faint blue light.

Just then, a message suddenly appeared in his mind.

There is a mountain there.

This is a black mountain peak, devoid of any vegetation.

At the summit of the mountain stands a nine-story stone tower, its surface covered with densely packed runes, identical to those on the stone pillars in the underground caves.

At the base of the tower, the outline of a coffin can be vaguely seen, surrounded by countless black lotus roots.

The image flashed by in an instant.

Xiao Fan hurriedly stopped, sweat beading on his forehead, his face filled with horror. He looked down at the roots; the white patterns on them had faded, leaving them lifeless.

"Where is the mountain?"

He gathered up the roots, pushed open the door, and went out. The night breeze was cool, the moonlight in the valley was like water, and the outline of the Qingyun Mountains in the distance undulated like ink.

"Brother Xiao, what's wrong with you?"

Han Fei peeked out from the room next door and rubbed his eyes.

Xiao Fan said, "I can't sleep."

Han Fei asked in surprise, "What did you discover?"

"Yes." He nodded. Xiao Fan looked at the dark mountain in the distance. "There's something so big beneath this black lotus."

The next morning, Xiao Fan greeted Su He and Yin Beishan, and then headed south with Han Fei.

Before leaving, he left Su He a bottle of special potion: "Uncle, every seven days, drip this potion onto the tree roots in Luoxia Valley. It can suppress the spread of the poisonous fog. I'll come back to clean up the mess after I've investigated thoroughly."

Su He grabbed the bottle of pills and nodded earnestly: "Fan'er, take care."

Xiao Fan leaped onto his horse and looked towards Qingyun Mountain. The valley was shrouded in mist, revealing nothing unusual.

However, he knew what the coffin underground was waiting for.

Five days later, Xiao Fan arrived at the Imperial Capital, Dan Tower.

Master Gu Yuan was counting medicinal herbs in the lobby on the first floor when he saw Xiao Fan, who looked travel-worn, and his eyes widened immediately: "Why are you here again? Isn't the matter in the north over yet?"

"There's something going on." Xiao Fan briefly explained the black lotus's roots and the situation in the underground cave.

As Master Gu Yuan listened, his expression grew increasingly solemn. "Is this the aura of the Supreme Pill Saint? Is it real?"

"I saw it," Xiao Fan said. "In addition, last night I used my divine sense to explore the tree roots and saw a black mountain. On the top of the mountain stood a nine-story stone pagoda, and there was also a coffin at the foot of the pagoda."

Gu Yuan thought for a moment and said, "The tower master is on the ninth floor. Go up there yourself."

Xiao Fan hurried upstairs.

Jiang Yuan sat on a futon with a chessboard in front of him and a black chess piece in his hand, seemingly pondering his next move.

"Tower Master," he said. Xiao Fan didn't beat around the bush and said directly, "There is a coffin buried at the foot of Qingyun Mountain. The seal in this coffin is related to the legacy of the Taixu Pill Saint."

"Explain in detail," Jiang Yuanji said calmly, placing a piece on the board and raising his head.

Xiao Fan recounted everything he had seen and heard, from the black lotus poisonous mist in Sunset Valley to the stone pillar runes in the underground cave, and the scene he witnessed last night when his divine sense probed into the cave.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yuanji closed his eyes for a long time before slowly saying, "Black Lotus Seal, Nine-Layered Stone Pagoda, Void Qi—young man, do you know who, besides the Void Pill Saint, could rival these ancient alchemists?"

Xiao Fan was taken aback: "Who?"

"The Moon Venerable..." Jiang Yuanji opened his eyes, his gaze unfathomable. "He and the Grand Void Pill Saint are fellow disciples, but they reached this point because of their different views on the Dao of Alchemy."

The Taixu lineage advocates using the spiritual energy of heaven and earth as material, and the divine soul as a furnace, to refine the inner elixir of heaven and earth. The Taiyin path emphasizes using all things as a catalyst, transforming them into fire, to refine the Yin-Yang elixir.

"This black lotus seal."

"The cultivation method practiced by the Taiyin Pill Master is similar in effect to that of Cold Poison and Gu Poison. The Ice Silk Poison that you mentioned is a unique technique of the Taiyin lineage."

Jiang Yuanji pondered for a moment and said, "If the remains of Taiyin Danzun are indeed sealed in the coffin, then Medicine King Valley will be held responsible."

Xiao Fan's heart sank to the bottom: "Is Taiyin Danzun a friend or an enemy?"

Jiang Yuanji shook his head and said, "Those were people from more than 10,000 years ago. The grudges from back then have long since vanished."

However, whatever Taiyin Danzun left behind, good or bad, could turn the entire cultivation world upside down. The seal you found is relatively stable, but there's no guarantee that someone won't try to open it.

"Could it be that Yin Tianyuan's investigation into the Black Lotus is related to the power of Taiyin?"

Jiang Yuanji looked up at him and said, "You're quite clever. Figure it out yourself."

Xiao Fan took a deep breath and placed the black lotus root in his hand on the table: "Tower Master. The black lotus roots outside the Ice Sea Ruins and the roots of Qingyun Mountain are from the same source. Perhaps Yin Tianyuan knows something else that I don't know."

Jiang Yuanji stared at him for a long time, then suddenly laughed and said, "Go, I won't let you down. This time, take Gu Yuan with you."

"Elder Gu?" Xiao Fan was slightly taken aback.

"He's getting on in years, it's time for him to get some exercise." Jiang Yuanji placed another piece. "Besides, the Taiyin lineage has unpredictable methods, and you alone cannot handle them."

"Thank you, Tower Master," Xiao Fan said, clasping his hands in thanks.

When Master Gu Yuan heard that he was going to the Northern Region with Xiao Fan, he was so angry that his beard almost fell off. In the end, he packed his bags and left with Xiao Fan.

Before leaving, Xiao Fan returned to Donglin City. Yun Ruoxi was sitting in the courtyard reading a book when she saw him rush in. She put down her book and asked, "Leaving again?"

Xiao Fan stepped forward and nodded slightly: "I found some clues in the Northern Region, which will probably take about half a month."

Yun Ruoxi didn't ask any more questions. She got up to help him pack his luggage and stuffed a few bottles of ordinary pills into his storage bag: "You said half a month last time, but it's been more than two months since you left."