Dao Equaling the Heavens
Chapter 374 - 10: Spiritual Essence Pill, People in the Underworld_2

Chapter 374: Chapter 10: Spiritual Essence Pill, People in the Underworld_2

"Bringing a child?"

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Three days later, at the City Lord Mansion.

A mysterious man clad in a black robe, whose form resembled that of a young man, suddenly appeared in front of the City Lord Mansion’s gate. His attire of hiding his head but revealing his tail was quickly noticed by the Cultivator guarding Taiyi City.

Clothed for night during the day, if not a thief, then a bandit.

In an instant, the Array activated and countless flying swords hovered, targeting the robed youth.

Behind the mask, two Divine Souls communicated.

"Master, are you sure there won’t be any problems?"

"My disciple, trust me, the unknown breeds great terror. As long as they do not know my trump cards, they wouldn’t dare act rashly."

A Golden Core Cultivator wearing a dark black uniform and holding a sword landed, and after detecting no aura from the other party, greeted respectfully with clasped hands, "Esteemed senior, may I know your business here?"

The person in the black robe spoke in a hoarse voice, "This old one needs to meet with Venerable Wen, we have an appointment."

"Just a moment."

The Golden Core Cultivator sent a message into the City Lord Mansion and soon received a reply. He waved his hand to halt the Array and also signaled the armed Cultivators to lower their Magic Treasures and clear the path.

"Venerable Wen has been waiting for quite some time."

Following the lead of the Golden Core Cultivator, the youth entered the once unreachable City Lord Mansion, passing through the gate only to see a city within a city.

Green mountains, academies, forest gardens, disciples.

The whole City Lord Mansion was a unique sect, and Taiyi City was a branch of the Liuyun Sect. All the third-class sects in the world belonged to some Major Sect, either as extensions or sub-branches.

Unable to contain his curiosity, the youth looked everywhere, touching here and glimpsing there, causing some young female disciples to cover their faces and giggle.

"Which sect does this little junior brother belong to, dressing all in pitch black? Is he planning to rob the rich to aid the poor?"

The leading Golden Core Cultivator called out, "And which sect do you disciples belong to? State your names."

As soon as he finished speaking, the group of female disciples scattered in all directions.

From then on, the youth no longer acted recklessly, letting the Residual Soul control his body, thus regaining the posture of a great power.

Master and disciple rehearsed in their minds.

"Later, when we meet that junior Venerable Wen, have him shed some extra blood to earn you a Nine-Level Dao Foundation."

"Master, isn’t it bad to go back on one’s word?"

"All this is for you, my disciple. The opening of Immortal Land is imminent. If you don’t bring some assets, and a real problem arises, not even I at my peak could save you."

"Immortal Land is so dangerous, maybe we shouldn’t go."

"Rebellious disciple, do you know that in places like this, I would have broken my head trying to enter in my youth. When the Heavenly Court still existed, this land was used to cultivate Immortality Pills. Everyone below The Three Pure Ones relied on this to prolong their lives. Otherwise, what difference would there be between a Heavenly Official and ordinary Cultivators? Even King Yan would have to die when summoned."

"What about an Earth Official?"

"He too must die, everything eventually does."

Near a certain courtyard, the man in black stopped, the Golden Core Cultivator had already opened the gate, looking puzzled at the suddenly stationary ’honored guest.’

With a heavy heart, the Residual Soul spoke, "Disciple, only by becoming a Saint can one escape death, and only by becoming a Great Saint can one become immortal. When confronting any Saint, large or small, it’s best to kneel, for you cannot defeat Them. How great was Qingcang’s talent, yet he was still utterly devoured by Jianmu."

"I understand, Master."

The youth nodded, then stepped through the gate, walking past a peach tree, and far in the distance inside the red-tiled pavilion sitting room, he saw a man in white scholar’s robes.

Venerable Lan Yongning, a divine figure whom he wouldn’t have even had the qualifications to hear about three years ago.

As his foot half-crossed the threshold, a person absent from his Divine Thought appeared. The Cloth Daoist was sitting next to the white-robed scholar, the two conversing, paying no attention to the approaching youth.

Taiyi City Lord, though unable to join in their conversation, listened with great interest.

Their casual words were the kind he had heard years ago from many mouths, mentioning individuals who were now renowned great powers.

Not to mention the brief mention of Hee Huan, Murong Suyue, and Huasheng Venerable—all influential figures; one a current Demon Sect Venerable, one an Artifact Refining Grandmaster, and another the Huasheng Venerable.

Not to forget the Three Pure Daoist, Chi Yu Zi, and Xiao Yunyi, who all stood at the very top, the de facto rulers of the Human Race.

"...When I saw Lu Chan turn back again initially, I thought she was going to declare her feelings. Now it seems I underestimated her, incapable of discerning the difference between admiration and love. I see that many younger members in the sect fall in love because of admiration."

"So her realm has greatly advanced, naturally, her understanding of her true heart is different."

"Brother Gu, did you really have no thoughts back then? Speaking of age, you were the youngest at that time, not even thirty."

"Gu would secretly rejoice."

Gu Wen responded so honestly that Lan Yongning was momentarily stunned, then burst into hearty laughter, "Rejoicing in secret, Brother Gu, you are also a common man. Compared to Three Pure Daoist, you hardly seem like one who could become a Saint."

Three Pure Daoist was the purest seeker of the Dao that Lan Yongning had ever seen, whereas Gu Wen was the most worldly prodigy he had encountered, yet, in the end, it was the most mundane person who became unparalleled in the world.

Having said this, the two ceased their idle chatter and turned their gazes toward the young boy.

When Gu Wen’s gaze fell upon him, the previously mighty aura vanished completely, and the residual soul tried to keep up, only to kneel down at the next moment.

The boy respectfully kowtowed three times to Gu Wen, saying, "Youngster Wang Li, pays respects to the Saint Lord."

The inside residual soul was completely dumbfounded as he had never received such grand respects.

Gu Wen was puzzled, and Lan Yongning clapped his hands, asking, "Whose disciple is this, so intelligent?"

His own disciples weren’t this bright, not to mention paying respects to Junior Master Gu when they met him; instead, they would go and get jealous of others, only to be slapped to the ground.

"You may rise," Gu Wen couldn’t help but laugh and cry, lightly lifting his palm, and the boy was forcibly lifted up by a surge of power.

The black robe fell away, revealing the young man from a few days ago, with a handsome face, appearing about fourteen or fifteen years old.

"Brother Lan, it’s your turn to speak."

Lan Yongning then called out the residual soul, and after a discussion between them, the latter honestly produced a pill recipe, not daring to inflate the price.

"Brother Gu, take a look."

"I am not versed in the Alchemy Dao."

Gu Wen still briefly glanced at it, the words ’Spiritual Essence Pill’ caught his eye, along with detailed effects and methods of refinement.

The residual soul controlling the young man’s body, his voice hoarse, said, "This old man also knows a place where a Pill Furnace of the Heavenly Court is kept."

Lan Yongning asked, "What do you want?"

"Help my disciple enter the Immortal Land, a Dao Realm protective magic treasure, and a protector."

"The protector is not possible, nobody will serve you for no reason. The first two are possible, but how can you prove that the Pill Furnace is worth that much? There’s no physical evidence."

"If I had the physical item, I wouldn’t have mentioned it. It was taken by a Demi Immortal."

The two were at an impasse, Lan Yongning pondered deeply, and the residual soul continued, "The Pill Furnace is not the key, the important thing is the residue of the Immortality Pill on the inner walls of the furnace; the Spiritual Essence Pill needs a bit of the medicinal nature of the Immortality Pill."

Lan Yongning frowned, thus having to agree, "I can agree to your terms, but how am I to find the Demi Immortal who took the Pill Furnace?"

"The old one has a strand of that person’s aura."

The young man opened his mouth, and a faint, barely discernible green vapor drifted out, Lan Yongning handed it over to Gu Wen.

Once Gu Wen’s Divine Thought touched it, an image of an old, dried-up, scrawny little old man tearing off his own facial skin appeared in his mind.

"Brother Lan, this might force you into betraying your master."

Lan Yongning looked puzzled, then realizing, speculated, "Was it Grandmaster Xuan Yue who took the Pill Furnace? No, it can’t be, has he been alive for over eight hundred years since the Life Span Tribulation?"

"He might still be alive, perhaps relying on the medicinal residue inside."

Gu Wen stroked his chin, his eyes turning a shade colder.

Initially, the other party had helped him, but later turned against him because of the Life Span Tribulation. It wasn’t a deep-seated enmity between them, but since there was a causation involved, a price had to be paid.

Like Chi Yu Zi’s sister, that already Immortal Golden Core Saint, she also needed to die.

"We will discuss this later, I want to know now, who are you?"

Gu Wen focused on the strand of residual soul within the young man, his gaze gradually stripping away its shell, seeing through its essence.

A residual soul of the Heavenly Court, but after tens of thousands of years, could it be a minor character capable of survival?

The crystal-clear ginseng, enlightened in the Immortal Land, might be able to recognize it, at least guessing one from among the Three Pure Ones and Four Imperials.

Then Gu Wen saw a strand of Dull Energy, the true nature of the residual soul was not from the Heavenly Court, but astonishingly from the underworld.