Chapter Thirty-Five: Remarkable Advancement in Cultivation

The sudden appearance of Hao Guobin, with such formidable strength, made Xu Cheng’s scalp tingle as he wondered just how many powerful beings might have perished among the monks of the Great Zen Monastery. The thought alone was enough to send shivers down his spine.

As the saying goes, a wise man does not stand under a perilous wall. So Xu Cheng decided to refine all one hundred and ten pills he had, aiming to break through to the Golden Core realm. If he succeeded, he would at least have some measure of security upon entering the Great Zen Monastery.

“Chrysanthemum, this will be your final round of capturing spirits. When it’s over, we’ll set out together!” Xu Cheng called out, then quickly sat cross-legged to begin his cultivation.

At this moment, Cen Ningyue changed her mind and, after conferring with Chrysanthemum, decided to act together—perhaps due to Hao Guobin’s influence, for a single lapse could see her soul utterly destroyed.

What an unexpected windfall.

He swallowed the black pills one after another, and the Netherwood Technique of the Yellow Springs was instantly mastered. He then used various wood-elemental spells to complete the wood elemental imprint.

Nethermetal Technique of the Yellow Springs.

Netherearth Technique of the Yellow Springs.

Netherthunder Technique of the Yellow Springs.

Nethermarsh Technique of the Yellow Springs.

Nethermysteries Technique of the Yellow Springs.

…

Fifteen days passed in this way, and at last Xu Cheng managed to condense the nine Imprints of the Yellow Springs.

Upon the Water and Earth Imprints stood the dark figure of a Black Tortoise; on the Metal and Thunder Imprints, a black tiger; and on the Marsh and Nethermysteries Imprints, a qilin.

Each of the nine imprints occupied a distinct direction, swallowing and exhaling the boundless heavenly radiance, blending it with the aura of the Yellow Springs and refining it into black jade liquid.

By now, the jade-like energy within Xu Cheng surged like a vast ocean. Yet, there remained an indescribable barrier separating him from the Golden Core stage. Worse still, the one hundred and ten black pills acquired from Hao Guobin had been completely consumed.

Opening his eyes, Xu Cheng was delighted to see that all around Chrysanthemum and the others, the hills teemed with ghosts and spirits.

“Chrysanthemum, have you finished counting these spirits?” Xu Cheng leapt to her side.

“It’s all done, Lord Right Envoy,” Chrysanthemum replied respectfully.

“Very good! Is there anyone among them who could be made a spirit warden?” Xu Cheng inquired.

“None at all,” Chrysanthemum replied, a hint of sorrow in her voice. After days of hard work capturing spirits, not a single one was qualified to become a warden.

The chains of Netherflame scattered outward. With the presence of the Nethermetal Imprint, the black chains were no longer merely forged of fire, but blazed with black flames atop dark metal, their power soaring to a new level.

This newfound strength, however, brought unintended consequences: many spirits were instantly annihilated the moment Xu Cheng’s chains ensnared them.

Chrysanthemum’s face twitched in pain at the sight—such a waste!

The effect of the Netherflame Chains was astonishingly strong, more than Xu Cheng had expected. Thankfully, he reacted swiftly and diminished the spell’s power; otherwise, not a single spirit would have remained. With a sudden gesture, he opened the Gates of the Yellow Springs and collected the remaining twelve hundred spirits within.

Only eighty-nine pieces of Nether Essence Pills—those black pills—remained. Xu Cheng had only just learned their proper name after comparing them with the Yellow Springs Token these past days. Yet Chrysanthemum, Cen Ningyue, and Niu Dazhuang were each so pained they could scarcely breathe.

They dared not complain openly about their superior’s blunder.

“What’s with those faces?” Xu Cheng’s heart softened at their miserable expressions. “You three worked hard to capture these spirits. Take these eighty-one Nether Essence Pills as your reward!”

At the mention of their reward, a rare smile broke through Cen Ningyue’s frown.

Leaving them to divide the pills as they wished, Xu Cheng slipped away to the back mountain. Swallowing another Nether Essence Pill, he tried again to pierce the barrier to the Golden Core, but to no avail—the pill only transformed into more black jade liquid, doing nothing to bridge the gap.

If only Demon Elder Qiong were here, at least he could offer some guidance on breaking through.

Just as Xu Cheng was about to resume his cultivation, a cloud of mist suddenly enveloped him.

The Netherflame Chains split into six strands, piercing through the mist and revealing a figure he recognized. As he braced to withdraw the spell, the person vanished, reappearing beside him in an instant.

As they drew close and recognized one another, both exclaimed in surprise.

“Yan Mengdie!”

“Xu Cheng!”

They spoke almost in unison.

“Why is it you?” Once again, their thoughts aligned perfectly.

Since they had recognized each other, Xu Cheng withdrew the Netherflame Chains and waited for her to speak first.

But Yan Mengdie waited for him, and silence fell between them.

“Xu Cheng, what are you doing in Qingzhou territory?” Yan Mengdie finally broke the silence.

“Ahem, naturally, I’m here to capture spirits. And you? What brings you here?”

Uncertain if revealing his role as a Yellow Springs Envoy would help or harm him, he chose only to mention his spirit-hunting.

“The Martial Emperor of Great Xia must have lost his mind, relentlessly targeting our immortal beast bloodline. I was fleeing his men! They only gave up once I crossed into Qingzhou territory!” Half of Yan Mengdie’s face was flushed with anger, making her quite striking—though the other half was twisted and fearsome.

“But one thing is rather amusing: the Martial Emperor arranged a marriage between Marquis Wu Wenhou and his youngest daughter, Xia Qingman. On the wedding night, Xia Qingman escaped! Perhaps that’s what sent the emperor into a rage.” A sudden grin replaced her anger.

“Maybe the marquis has too many wives and concubines!” Xu Cheng’s quip made Yan Mengdie laugh outright. Gazing at her right profile—ignoring the left—he thought her truly a beauty who could topple a kingdom.

“You little priest! Still, it’s odd—Marquis Wu Wenhou isn’t chasing after his runaway bride, but they’re all after me. There’s something strange about it! Is Qingzhou really safe? And what about that other scoundrel?” Yan Mengdie looked Xu Cheng up and down, noticing not a scratch on him and sensing he was somehow different from before.

“I’m not what I once was now. I’m a Yellow Springs Envoy. I wonder if the Xuantiandao Sect would still accept me.” For some reason, Xu Cheng felt the urge to reveal his identity—perhaps because Yan Mengdie was herself descended from immortal beasts.

As he spoke, he released the spell of Minor Dog-Earth Creation, revealing his skeletal form.

“A Yellow Springs Envoy!” Yan Mengdie’s eyes widened in shock, then flickered with memory. She hadn’t expected the once-simple priest to have transformed so.

“No wonder you’re unharmed here. In fact, being a Yellow Springs Envoy isn’t such a big deal—it’s well known. The problem was that the last envoy acted with utter disregard for rules, stole many of the Daoist sects’ secret techniques, and was hunted by all the sects. When they couldn’t kill him, they sealed him underground!” Yan Mengdie’s words left Xu Cheng indignant—so Demon Elder Qiong was hunted for this reason, and had lied to him about outsiders being untrustworthy.

“But you’re the only Yellow Springs Envoy in all these years. If you appear as a skeleton, the Daoists will mistake you for him, and if they join forces to seal you underground, you’ll be in real trouble!” Yan Mengdie continued.

Xu Cheng reflected and realized she was right—he’d suffer greatly if mistaken for Demon Elder Qiong and sealed away.

“Since you can’t leave for now, why not help me subdue these spirits?” Xu Cheng suggested after a moment’s thought.

“Very well, but we must be cautious. I’ve heard that someone powerful lurks in Qingzhou city—three Primordial Spirit experts from the Supreme Dao entered and never returned!” Yan Mengdie’s information network was truly impressive.

Xu Cheng felt secretly relieved he hadn’t headed straight for Qingzhou city; otherwise, no matter how tenacious he was, some sinister trick might have left him wishing for death.