Inquiry about immortality

Chapter 2401 Germination

"Hoohoo!"

Inside the room, Zhuque stared at the jade basin in front of her, puffed out her cheeks, and blew air into the basin.

The basin was filled with water, and a seed lay at the bottom. It was the very seed that it had snatched from Qin Sang years ago and brought from Qingyang to this place, but it showed no signs of sprouting.

The jade basin did not contain clear water; instead, it emitted a strange fragrance, as if various medicinal aromas had been blended together. It was unknown how many spiritual herbs had been used to refine this basin of spiritual liquid.

The seeds had been soaking in the spiritual liquid for quite some time, but their outer shells were completely encased in iron, showing no reaction whatsoever.

'Pat! Pat!'

The Vermilion Bird hopped and skipped around the jade basin, looking somewhat impatient, constantly muttering, "Why hasn't it sprouted yet? Why hasn't it sprouted yet?"

At that moment, the room's protective barrier was activated, and Zhuque, without even looking up, said, "Come in!"

Wu Tuxian pushed open the door and entered. "These are the spiritual herbs we just acquired. Please take a look, Divine Bird Lord."

As he spoke, he presented a treasure box.

The treasure box opened on its own, and three orbs of spiritual light flew out. Inside the light were three spiritual herbs, a bunch of spiritual fruits that looked like grapes, a plump white ginseng, and a few emerald green leaves.

'call! '

The Vermilion Bird breathed out a mouthful of fire, which enveloped the three spiritual herbs, and began to refine their medicinal power on the spot.

While refining the elixir, he kept muttering, "How can there be so little? How dare you try to fool this divine bird lord!"

Wu Tuxian's face fell. "How dare this old servant deceive Lord Divine Bird? It's just that Lord Divine Bird needs so many spiritual herbs urgently, and this old servant has tried every possible method, and my meager resources are almost exhausted..."

"So what if I empty you out? At worst, I'll just make sure that kid Qingfeng makes up for it. He has plenty of treasures! As long as you help me accomplish this, that kid Qingfeng will have to obey me obediently. He won't dare to go west if I tell him to go east. Do you think I'll be short of benefits?"

Zhuque gritted her teeth at the thought of Qin Sang.

Last time it sent a message, it asked Qin Sang to send some treasures so it could exchange them for medicine, but it didn't expect that the Qin family wouldn't reply at all.

Fortunately, Wu Tu Xian was detained; otherwise, it would have had to condescend to go out and snatch it itself.

Wu Tuxian's face grew even more bitter. Although he didn't know who this divine bird was or what his relationship was with the master, he felt that this divine bird was always boasting and not very reliable.

He dared not have any expectations, only hoping that the Lord would see his hard work and give him some compensation.

At this moment, the Vermilion Bird opened its mouth and sucked the flames back in. The three spiritual herbs were refined into three clumps of spiritual liquid, all of which lost their original color and became colorless and transparent, just like the water in the basin.

'Snapped! '

The three drops of spiritual liquid fell into the basin and immediately blended in, making the fragrance in the room even stronger.

Wu Tuxian felt his mouth water and secretly regretted that so many spiritual herbs were only used to stimulate the growth of a single seed. If they could be refined into a pill and he could refine it himself, his cultivation level would be raised by one level.

Even after adding three more medicinal herbs, the seeds in the pot still showed no signs of life.

"Sprout! Sprout! You've eaten so many of my treasures, if you don't sprout soon, I'll cook you up and eat you!"

Zhuque lay by the pot, muttering to herself, growing angrier and angrier until she finally burst out cursing, "Bad seed! Bad seed! Bad seed!"

Wu Tuxian didn't dare to breathe loudly. This divine bird was capricious and loved to take his anger out on the innocent.

"Broken seed!"

"Dead Seed!"

"I'm firing you right now... huh?"

Zhuque's eyes suddenly widened, almost diving into the pot, staring intently at the seeds.

Wu Tuxian was secretly astonished, "They say you can't amount to anything without being scolded, even seeds can be scolded?"

One end of the seed cracked open, and a hint of green peeked out from the crack. Then the crack widened and a tiny sprout emerged.

It hadn't sprouted for so long, but now it has, and it's growing incredibly fast. In the blink of an eye, the sprout has grown to nearly half an inch, and then it began to differentiate, with the tip spreading out to become two tender leaves.

"Ha ha ha ha……"

The Vermilion Bird was overjoyed, spread its wings, and danced around the jade basin. "It wasn't in vain that I, the divine bird, have held you and slept with you every day all these years. Grow up! Grow up!"

Seemingly frightened by the Vermilion Bird's laughter, its growth suddenly slowed down after sprouting two tender leaves, and it stopped growing before the two pointed leaves could even float to the surface.

Suzaku's laughter abruptly stopped, his face showing displeasure.

Wu Tuxian's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. What kind of seed was this? The water in the basin seemed full, but the medicinal power had been almost completely absorbed. This was a full basin of spiritual liquid refined from rare and precious materials, yet it had only grown two tender leaves!

Zhuque circled the jade basin three times, carefully examining the unknown spiritual plant, muttering something under his breath, and suddenly opened his mouth and blew a breath.

Ripples spread across the water's surface, and two tender leaves stirred, suddenly tilting slightly in the same direction, but not in the direction the Vermilion Bird blew.

"what?"

The tender leaves quickly straightened up again. The Vermilion Bird looked south, scratched its little head with its wing, and looked puzzled, unable to understand why the leaves would lean in that direction.

"get out!"

Zhuque showed no politeness and chased away Wu Tuxian, saying, "You don't need to look for those spiritual herbs anymore. You just stay outside the door and don't go anywhere!"

“This old servant obeys,” Wu Tuxian bowed and withdrew, but was suddenly stopped by Zhuque.

"No one is allowed to tell anyone about this, not even that brat Qingfeng!"

"This……"

Wu Tuxian hesitated, bound by the restrictions, and dared not hide any secrets from Qin Sang.

"You old servant, you're quite loyal. I'm not trying to harm him; this divine bird is waiting to give him a big surprise!" The Vermilion Bird's eyes gleamed, a wicked smile playing on its lips, as if it were looking forward to something.

……

Amidst ink-wash landscapes.

Following the direction from which the fluctuations came, the three forces raced swiftly upstream along the Mo River.

The tremors grew increasingly violent. Qin Sang and Mo Yan, hiding inside Mo Feng's belly, could clearly feel the unusual vibrations. Rushing over immediately was the right thing to do; it was an obvious sign, and there was no reason to miss it.

"I'm afraid a fierce battle is inevitable next. What is your cultivation level now, fellow Daoist?" Qin Sang asked.

They must fight against overwhelming odds and seize the opportunity in front of ten top experts. They must go all out, and Mo Yan's unstable cultivation level is the biggest variable.

"Mid-stage Refinement Void Realm," Mo Yan said. "However, when it comes to combat, I can temporarily raise my cultivation to its peak and maintain it for a period of time."

Qin Sang suddenly realized, and was not surprised at all. Mo Yan could not have revealed all the details to him back then; he had indeed kept something in reserve.

As they got closer to the source of the tremors, the vibrations of a battle suddenly emanated from ahead.

"It's not them..."

Mo Feng gave chase, and Qin Sang and Mo Yan discovered that it wasn't the Five Immortals fighting the Plague God, but rather that the Five Immortals had encountered other enemies.

A black beast!

Mo Feng's vision quickly expanded, and he could vaguely see that the five immortals were besieging a dragon in the sky above the Mo River!

Clearly, this is also a black dragon. Its horns and scales are just like those of a real dragon, making it majestic and imposing. Moreover, its eyes are blank.

"Fellow Daoist, could you please add the finishing touch?"

Qin Sang asked, "If there are dragons and phoenixes here, there must be other divine beasts as well. Mo Yan has collected them all. With the beasts under my command, what is there to fear?"

“It should be possible, but I can only control one. Subduing this Black Phoenix is ​​already close to my limit,” Mo Yan shattered Qin Sang’s illusions.

As they spoke, Mo Long was already at his last gasp and was killed by the combined efforts of the five immortals, his body turning into a shower of ink rain.

This delay brought the three forces even closer together.

Finally, as they approached the source of the tremor, Mo Yan controlled Mo Feng and cautiously moved closer, only to find that all ten experts from both sides were suspended in mid-air.

One side was on the left bank of the Mo River, and the other side was on the right bank. They were wary of each other, but neither side took a step forward.

Ahead lay towering mountains, with a sheer cliff blocking their path.

'Crash...'

A dark waterfall cascades down the mountain, like a black ribbon falling from the sky, turning into an ink river on the ground.

To the naked eye, this cliff does not depict individual rocks. Like a true ink painting, it uses only a few strokes to represent the undulations and occasionally adds a few ancient pines. More than 90% of it is blank space, yet it still manages to express the cliff's towering height and perilous nature.

On one side of the waterfall, there is a large blank space that looks rather empty and abrupt.

“If this mountain were created by my hand, there should be a stone inscription there,” Mo Yan said, pointing to the blank space.

"You mean Ink Mark?"

Qin Sang thought of the scattered strokes of the brush; could they have flown down from here?

Mo Yan nodded, gazing at the mountain wall. This mountain was the source of the tremors. Because there was too much blank space on the cliff, it was not very clear, but the waterfall with splashing water could give some clues.

It's as if a suppressed force is about to break through the mountain!

'Whew!'

Thump! Thump!

The mountain was shaking.

Just then, a torrent suddenly shot out from the waterfall, and the demons looked closely and saw that it was a strange and ferocious beast.

It resembles a tiger, with wings growing from its ribs, and has an exceptionally fierce appearance.

“This… seems to be the ancient mythical beast Qiongqi,” Mo Yan exclaimed in surprise.

Qiongqi exists only in legends among the demon race. It is said that Qiongqi was an ancient ferocious beast that killed countless people. Dragons and phoenixes were merely Qiongqi's food. However, it cannot be determined whether those records are true or false. Many demon cultivators suspect that they are just fabricated legends. Even if there was once a Qiongqi race, it should have been extinct long ago.

This monster looks remarkably like the legendary Qiongqi, perhaps it simply possesses Qiongqi's bloodline, but this is a world of ink painting, and cannot be judged by ordinary standards.

This Qiongqi, which seemed to have stepped out of a painting, let out a roar and pounced on the three elders who were closest to it.

The five immortals hesitated for a moment and chose to wait and see.

The Plague God said, "Don't kill it yet..."

The three elders intertwined, forming the Three Talents Formation, which perfectly surrounded Qiongqi in the middle. The green vine on the arm of the elder in the brocade robe flicked up and instantly turned into a vine net. Each of the three elders held one end and covered Qiongqi.

Qiongqi's claws were like knives, and several flashes of cold light broke the green vines. However, the vines repaired themselves even faster. With the three elders working together, capturing Qiongqi was not difficult.

Gu Lao and Zhang Li Wen Jun flew over, trying to find something out from Qiong Qi. Suddenly, there was a splash of water, and another torrent shot out.

"Nine Infants? Xiang Liu?"

Mo Yan stared at the dark, nine-headed serpent, unable to discern its true nature, but without a doubt, it was an ancient mythical beast.

The nine-headed serpent had its sights set on the Five Immortals, but before it could make a move, the Five Immortals took the initiative to come forward.

Each side faced an ancient beast. They were numerous and powerful, and the ancient beasts could not cause any trouble. However, they had an ominous premonition.

Soon, their premonition came true.

‘Wow! ’

Another ancient beast bursts out of the waterfall.

Then came the fourth, the fifth...

One after another, the ink beasts rushed out, and without exception, they were all ancient beasts rarely seen in the world. It was as if a seal had been broken, and the ink beasts that had been suppressed here broke out of the seal.

What's even more terrifying is that they are unable to communicate, and once they set their sights on an opponent, they will fight to the death.

Not knowing how many more ink beasts there would be, the Five Immortals and the Plague King dared not consider capturing them alive again. In fact, they had not been able to find anything out about Qiongqi, so they attacked without mercy.

Only Qin Sang and Mo Yan were the most relaxed. They hid inside the Mo Feng's body at the bottom of the river, and no Mo beasts came to bother them.

As they watched the battle, they observed the cliff face and noticed that the tremors were continuous. The mountain was like a beating heart, each tremor more violent than the last. If this continued, there would eventually be a limit, and then the truth would come to light.

The five immortals and the five demons were also waiting for that moment, so none of them used the ink beast to attack the other, and for the time being, they were at peace.

……

Reed marshes.

The demon saint's subordinates led their demon soldiers to form a formation, and the large hole they created was still expanding, having already swallowed up a small part of the reed marshland.

Although they didn't know what was below, the demon cultivators still rushed to jump down.

Below, however, was pitch black, and the demons could only smell the stench of filth, which made them want to vomit.

This place seemed endless and unfathomable. They didn't feel like they had passed through any restrictions or formations. Just as the demons were feeling uneasy, someone with sharp eyes saw a faint light shining from the depths of the darkness.

"what is that?"

Exclamations rose and fell, and then streaks of light shot out from the crowd, displaying a speed that other demon cultivators could not match.

These were undoubtedly top experts. To the surprise of the demons, one of their companions was among them. Having spent so much time together, they had no idea of ​​their companions' true cultivation level!

These unusual signs made the demons increasingly uneasy.

Suddenly, a streak of light shot out from the depths of the darkness.

No, not just one, but hundreds and thousands of streams of light erupted almost simultaneously, while the demons heard a series of panicked cries.

"It's those demon soldiers!"

After the great formation was activated, the demon soldiers disappeared along with the demon saint's subordinates, and now they have been thrown out again.

It seems that Crimson Meteor Mountain and Moonlit Tundra were not so ruthless as to kill all the demon soldiers.

These demon soldiers are merely 'array devices' used to set up formations; they may not know the truth, but they can certainly see something. Thinking this, the demons rushed towards the demon soldiers, the fastest already reaching above the flowing light.

A strong wind blew by, and several streaks of light dissipated, from which dozens of figures tumbled out and fell in front of a boy in blue, staggering about.

"Tell me, what did you encounter down there? What did Crimson Meteor Mountain and Moonlit Tundra do?"

The blue-clad youth's gloomy gaze swept over the group of demon soldiers, who all shuddered and immediately came to their senses, their faces filled with fear. They hurriedly prostrated themselves and reported to the youth in a cacophony of voices.

"get out!"

Extracting useful information, the blue-clad youth's expression hardened slightly. After a moment's contemplation, he walked against the light. (End of Chapter)