Deep in the night, at the Ancestral Mountain of the Monster Race.
Within the Hall of Deliberation, the great demon Yu Zhi, clad in a crimson dress, gazed coldly at the two kneeling figures before her. One was Sun Tingxuan, the former patriarch of Medicine King Valley, and the other was Su Zhe, the chief steward of Medicine King Valley. Both were drenched in sweat, kneeling silently. The woman seated on the stone chair was the cunning and formidable great demon Yu Zhi, one of the most terrifying figures in the entire Monster Race.
"Sun Tingxuan."
Yu Zhi smiled faintly. "You have now betrayed Medicine King Valley. Have you considered what you will do next?"
"I... I..."
Sun Tingxuan stammered, unable to articulate a coherent thought.
Su Zhe frowned. "Fellow Daoist Sun and I are like drifting duckweed, with no one to rely on. We implore Lord Yu Zhi to show us a way forward."
Even his address had changed, no longer referring to her as "Patriarch."
Su Zhe was bewildered by Sun Tingxuan's hesitation. Could a person be this foolish? They had been captured by Lin Zhujie and brought to the Ancestral Mountain of the Monster Race. Besides joining the Monster Race, what other recourse did they have?
"Hmph..."
Yu Zhi chuckled softly. "Our Monster Race is blessed with an abundance of talent. While you two are both of the Upper Five Realms, forgive my bluntness, you cannot fight, nor can you strategize. What use would it be for our Monster Race to keep you, other than to have two more mouths consuming heaven and earth's fortune?"
Sun Tingxuan spoke gravely, "I am deeply skilled in the art of alchemy. If Lord Yu Zhi grants me sufficient medicinal ingredients, I can continuously refine immortal elixirs for the Monster Race. I can even establish a sect within the Monster Race, taking disciples from among the younger generation and teaching them the methods of alchemy. This way, the Monster Race will have an inexhaustible supply of elixirs."
"Hmm."
Yu Zhi nodded. "This proposal is somewhat interesting."
Saying this, she tilted her head slightly and called out, "Where is Lord Long Zheng?"
A figure in a blue long dress descended from the wind, holding a green umbrella. It was Long Zheng, a twelfth-realm sword cultivator. A smile played in her beautiful eyes. "Long Zheng obeys. Please instruct me, Lord Yu Zhi."
"Select a few cave dwellings on the mountainside of the Ancestral Mountain and convert them into alchemy furnaces. From this moment on, Sun Tingxuan shall be the Chief Alchemist of our Monster Race's Ancestral Mountain. He is permitted to prioritize selecting young demons with alchemy aptitude among the younger generation of the Ancestral Mountain as his disciples." She narrowed her eyes and smiled. "Lord Long Zheng, you are to guard the alchemy rooms and Sun Tingxuan well. Ensure no mishaps occur."
"Understood!"
Long Zheng nodded with a smile.
Sun Tingxuan already felt a chill down his spine. One Lin Zhujie had left, only to be replaced by a twelfth-realm demon sword cultivator of the Flood Dragon lineage. What was said to be protection was, in truth, surveillance. With a twelfth-realm sword cultivator watching him, Sun Tingxuan would likely never leave the Ancestral Mountain of the Monster Race in this lifetime, destined to be an alchemy grandmaster here forever. However, this was still far better than perishing.
"Su Zhe."
Yu Zhi's gaze fell upon the intelligent one.
Su Zhe furrowed his brow and respectfully said, "Please instruct me, Lord Yu Zhi."
"You are a Heavenly Origin martial practitioner."
Yu Zhi smiled faintly. "Our Monster Race is critically short of martial practitioners. Furthermore, in recent times, an increasing number of human cultivators from the mountains have surrendered to our Monster Race, becoming part of our world. However, they are ultimately not of the same kin. Therefore, the task of governing these human mountain cultivators must be entrusted to someone. I intend to establish a cultivator army composed of human cultivators within the Monster Race, to coordinate with the demon army in attacks and battles. It shall be called the Auxiliary Defense Legion. As you are a Heavenly Origin martial practitioner, you will serve as the commander of this approximately ten-thousand-strong demonic army. Are you willing?"
"Yes!"
Su Zhe knelt on one knee and said solemnly and respectfully, "Su Zhe will dedicate himself wholeheartedly until his dying breath!"
"..."
Yu Zhi pursed her red lips, rose, and floated away, her expression openly displaying her disdain. She deeply disliked soft-hearted mountain cultivators like Sun Tingxuan and Su Zhe. Moreover, what right did Su Zhe have to utter words like "dedicate himself wholeheartedly"? It was an insult to the deceased sage among the Seventy-Two Sages of the Military Temple.
She ascended on the wind, gazing at the mountains, rivers, and moon of the Monster Race's world, her thoughts racing. Yu Zhi had always been grateful for the trust and weighty responsibility bestowed upon her by the Demon Ancestor. Therefore, she considered herself one who truly offered counsel and dedicated herself to the Monster Race, deserving of the title "bone and marrow." As for the human world, the true "bone and marrow" were people like Lin Zhao, Chen Xi, Lin Ruo, Lin Wanhua, and Su Qingjiu. It was precisely because of the existence of this group that the Four Northern Tribes could not advance unopposed to the south. As for Su Zhe and Sun Tingxuan, they were beyond consideration; what connection did they have with the phrase "dedicate himself wholeheartedly"?
At this thought, Yu Zhi looked towards the direction of the Snow Region Heavenly Lake, filled with both hatred and anger. Hatred stemmed from the fact that Lin Baiyi still held his position there; his strategies were unfathomable, preventing the four armies of the Monster Race stationed at Pan Yun Mountain from daring to act rashly. Anger arose because such a person was human. If only he were a demon.
She could not help but let out a soft sigh. Appreciation was appreciation, but when the great tide of conflict surged, one had to fight. Perhaps he would die by her hand once more. After all, the advantage in this crushing wave was ours!
...
Deep in the night, at Qing Lan Sect, Ning Zhou.
A golden auspicious light shot up into the sky, its aura rippling and cleansing the entire land of Ning Zhou. The heavens and earth seemed to resonate, a phenomenon indicating the appearance of a thirteenth-realm great cultivator in the mortal realm. The ancestor of Qing Lan Sect, Xiao Chen, had finally overcome the tribulation of life and death, becoming another thirteenth-realm great cultivator in the mortal world.
"Congratulations, Father!"
Xiao Muhan stood guard outside, watching Xiao Chen emerge from the secret chamber, radiating a resplendent glow. His heart was filled with both surprise and joy.
"Hmm."
Xiao Chen also nodded with a smile. His demeanor was now full of vigor, far from the sickly appearance of a few days prior. This thirteenth-realm cultivation was quite stable. He looked up at the sky. Upon entering the thirteenth realm, his heart lake had echoed with various resonances, and he had also perceived some events occurring in the Upper Realm. He immediately frowned. "The Lower Realm is restless, and the Upper Realm is equally so!"
"Father, what do you mean?"
"It's hard to say."
Xiao Chen smiled. "Han'er, I finally understand why there are so few great cultivators in the human world. They are constantly going to fill the void in the Upper Realm. It would be a miracle if there weren't fewer. Many of our human sages are renowned throughout the land, but once they ascend to the Upper Realm, they vanish into the rolling tide in an instant. Why are the positions of many sages in the Martial Temple of the Military Ancestral Hall vacant? It is merely because they sacrificed themselves for heaven, earth, and humanity."
"Father..."
Xiao Muhan's face turned slightly pale. "If that is the case, Father also has a choice. Why not avoid ascending to the Upper Realm? Stay in the mortal world. Your son is willing to pay any price, like Fu Su Changcheng, to ask the great cultivators of the Ink Ancestral Hall to build a pavilion for you, even if it means confining yourself to the mortal world. It would be better than going to your death."
"Han'er, that is not how it should be said."
Xiao Chen smiled. "Lin Wanhua guards Fu Su Changcheng, and she is one of the most crucial pieces in the human world's defense against the Four Northern Tribes. Her remaining in Jian Ge and confining herself is naturally justified. As for your father, what right do I have to speak of confinement? I must go when I must. Do not worry. Your father's thirteenth realm is certainly stronger than Zhao Jingyu. I may not necessarily die upon reaching the Upper Realm."
"Alright."
Xiao Muhan respectfully said, "I will obey Father's wishes."
"Hmm."
Xiao Chen said, "Let's go. Play a few more games of chess with Father. Tomorrow... I must make a trip to the Snow Region Heavenly Lake. I will be ascending, carrying the treasures entrusted by Lin Zhao."
"Yes!"
...
In the early morning, at the mountain peak villa, Tian Ran Ju.
After a brief sleep, Lin Zhao, his strength fully replenished, leaped from his bed with a whoosh. He floated down from the second floor in front of the gourd vine. Upon a closer inspection, his face lit up with joy. On the gourd vine, the red, orange, and yellow gourds had all fully matured. The patterns on the surface of the gourd walls were as warm and lustrous as jade, and the stem portions had already begun to wither.
"Have they fully matured?" Lin Zhao asked.
"Yes."
Beside him, Liu Liying smiled. "Young Master, they are just short of naturally falling, but there is no need to wait until then. The spiritual energy within the first three gourds is already abundant, and their internal structures and fundamental profundities have fully developed. If we were to wait for them to fall naturally, much of the spiritual energy would be lost."
"Hmm!"
Lin Zhao nodded, in complete agreement, but still proceeded with caution. "Then I shall... harvest them?"
"Go ahead and harvest them."
Liu Liying's pear-shaped dimples deepened into a smile.
Lin Zhao carefully summoned his flying sword, Hao Ran. With a "swish," it sliced through the air, and the red gourd fell into his hand. He placed it aside with great care, then harvested the orange and yellow gourds. As the three immortal gourds lay side-by-side before him, his heart was filled with boundless joy. After spending a considerable amount of Jin Zi Qian, there was finally a harvest!
Next came the process of drying, opening, and hollowing out the gourds. Lin Zhao had hollowed out wild gourds in the mountains when he was young, so he was quite adept at it. Moreover, he was now at the Nascent Soul realm, but he still proceeded with utmost caution. He called Gu Lingyu, Su Shanjun, and Tang Guangjun to consult together. They finally confirmed the position of the opening, and after hollowing them out, it was time for lunch.
At this moment, the three immortal gourds emitted a resplendent glow. Their grades were almost identical. Lin Zhao favored the second, orange gourd the most, as it looked the most appealing. After all, orange gear in games looked the most dazzling, even more pleasing to the eye than the red radiance of divine artifacts. This was one of the reasons he had chosen the orange gourd.
He picked up the orange gourd and waved his hand, and its attributes floated before his eyes, though somewhat blurry.
[Immortal Gourd] (Immortal Grade)
Details: Immortal Treasure
...
"Hoo..."
He took a deep breath. Currently, he knew nothing about the profundities of the immortal gourds, but it was alright. After refining it in the afternoon, he would understand more and know how to use the immortal gourd. Just as he was filled with ambition, a clear voice echoed from the mountainside: "Xiao Chen of Qing Luan Sect pays his respects to the mountain peak villa. I wonder if Mountain Master Lin has prepared good wine?"
"Haha, they've arrived!"
Lin Zhao smiled heartily. "Tang Guangjun, quickly invite Elder Xiao Chen up the mountain!"