Dao Equaling the Heavens
Chapter 381 - 13 Chi Yu Zi_2

Chapter 381: Chapter 13 Chi Yu Zi_2

Golden faced, speechless, a pair of red eyes flickered like flowing fire in the dark night. A stature nine zhang high, every inch of muscle coiled like a dragon, the joints sharply defined, the tips of the fingers and claws like fangs, capable of grasping ten wild bulls with a single palm.

Between the fingers and claws, a dull crimson residue lingered, it was unclear whether it was stained or naturally so.

A sweeping aura of slaughter enveloped the area, causing Xie Yunnan’s hair to wildly flutter. She squinted slightly and, subconsciously, she stepped back twice, her anxiety subsiding gradually after a few moments.

Chi Venerable, a god of slaughter who had maintained divine skills for eight hundred years.

"Where is the devil?"

A chilly bone-piercing divine sense surged into her ears.

Xie Yunnan shivered subconsciously and bowed her head to reply, "The junior just concluded the Tianxuan Conference yesterday and haven’t had the time to investigate yet. This is also the first time the junior has handled such matters and many deficiencies remain, I still need to seek guidance from my senior."

The Divine General paused for a moment then telepathically said, "A few days ago, I annihilated a den of devils, intentionally letting a green corpse and a Blood Demon escape to Wenkui Continent. They are gravely injured and need a large amount of pills and spirit stones to heal."

"You can lay in wait at Taiyi City, anyone who purchases a large quantity of pills is suspicious."

"At your command."

"Come forward."

The Divine General stretched out his fang-like sharp fingers, suspended in the air ten steps away from Xie Yunnan. She stepped forward, and his fingers gently tapped the top of her skull.

Buzz!

A beam of golden light fell straight through her spine, leaving a golden pattern on the skin of Xie Yunnan’s back.

She took two steps back, feeling a power that was not her own clinging to her skin and connecting with the mana within her body.

This must be some kind of protective measure.

"Thank you, senior."

"Go and investigate, if you encounter danger, I will protect you completely."

The Divine General nodded slightly, then slowly sank into the water.

Xie Yunnan moved away from the pond, inexplicably relieved.

She had many things she wanted to say to Chi Venerable and many questions she wanted to ask. But the overwhelming pressure made it difficult for her to even stand.

As a direct disciple of the Sword Master from Broken Sword Mountain, Xie Yunnan was no stranger to great powers, but Chi Venerable was definitely the most formidable among them.

Returning to Taiyi City, Xie Yunnan openly arranged for Sword Sect disciples to travel as a cover to visit the storefronts and residences of various factions in mundane realms.

Wenkui Continent has three thousand two hundred sects, among which there is only one first-class sect, Liuyun Sect, twelve second-class sects, and one hundred fifty third-class sects; the rest are considered inferior. There are also countless unrecorded establishments set up in villages as Taoist temples, monasteries, academies, martial arts schools, and so on.

Xie Yunnan could only focus on monitoring the second and third-class sects first, but after half a month, there were no movements.

She had to seek Chi Venerable again and asked, "Senior, can the treatment of those two devils be delayed?"

"It cannot be delayed. If you can’t find them, it means they’re using some method to obtain the pills."

Feeling a deep pressure, Xie Yunnan returned to Taiyi City and discreetly directed her junior brothers and sisters, under the pretext of gaining experience, to investigate the inferior sects.

----------------

On the other side, at Liuyun Sect.

Gu Wen was explaining the Alchemy Dao to Lan Yongning, and in just a month, their roles had reversed.

He earnestly taught, "Brother Lan, the so-called innate pill is actually misleading. In practice, one should not focus on the act, as all acts are acquired."

This statement overturned all the fundamentals of the Alchemy Dao that Lan Yongning had been teaching Gu Wen during this period. Lan Yongning wanted to speak but stopped himself. However, after Gu Wen showed him a bout of creating pills out of thin air, he could only recite in his heart: Even a Little Saint is still a saint.

Gu Wen’s incredible growth had been evident since their time in the Immortal Land, but his rapid advancement to being an Alchemy Master within a month still seemed miraculous to Lan Yongning.

Even reversing their roles, taking his pill-making skills, which had been stuck at a junior level for many years, up a notch.

Lan Yongning asked, "If that’s the case, then isn’t there no grand Dao in alchemy?"

Such a question would make any alchemist jump, but in fact, up to this point, no one had achieved immortality through alchemy.

The year the Lord Emperor stepped briefly into the Immortal Realm with the aid of a Longevity Pill, his foundation was not in the Alchemy Dao, nor was he a traditional Alchemist who primarily consumed pills.

Gu Wen shook his head in response, "All things can embody the Great Dao, but the Dao you speak of, I’m afraid, needs to be pioneered by later generations."

"Becoming an Immortal is as difficult as ascending to the heavens, and becoming an Immortal through Alchemy is perhaps even more challenging."

Lan Yongning held no hope for the path of becoming an Immortal through Alchemy. Alchemists were popular among cultivators, and an Alchemy Grandmaster was revered wherever he went.

But becoming an Immortal was always a solitary path, and once Alchemists detached from the group, they could only serve as an auxiliary means.

At that moment, two streams of light flew into the hall, landing in the hands of Gu Wen and Lan Yongning.

Both opened their messages simultaneously. Gu Wen saw a communication from the Sanqing Taoist Sect, and a familiar name caught his eye.

Chi Yu Zi.

His thoughts stirred, remembering the tipsy, flushed smile of an old friend, whose stature was five and a half feet, with a heart bold as a hero.

[Chi Yu Zi is trapped in the calamity of her lifespan, her body inherently flawed by the Heavenly Defect, facing imminent death. If she wishes to prolong her life, she must realize the state of a Demi Immortal and possess an unyielding Dao Heart.]

Her lifespan of eight hundred years was now coming to an end.

Gu Wen’s expression remained unchanged as he faced the news of his old friend’s impending doom, showing little change, while Lan Yongning, upon reading his own message, deeply furrowed his brow.

"What has happened?"

"A message from Taiyi City, Kuang Zhili discovered that the orders for Pills within the Wenkui Continent have surged recently. Those minor Daoist temples in the countryside have consumed fifty percent of the pills, and they are still purchasing more."

Lan Yongning handed the letter to Gu Wen, who, with a glance, understood the problem.

The continent covered ten million square kilometers, Wenkui Continent being twice that size, divided into ninety-seven cities, three thousand prefectures, and thirty thousand counties.

Clusters of minor sects, none numbering more than a hundred members, were scattered throughout the area. They were vast in number but could not have consumed such large quantities of Pills. Cultivation was never about the strength in numbers, the mana reserve of a True Monarch was more than that of ten thousand Qi Cultivators.

"I suspect that a devil is seeking a breakthrough, or perhaps preparing something. But there are too many of these minor sects, hasty action would only scare away the big fish. I must report this to the Daoist Sect, to avoid further troubles."

Lan Yongning made a move to leave, but Gu Wen, flipping through the letter and not looking up, said, "Perhaps the Daoist Sect already knows. The Sword Sect disciple who traveled with me before was specially dispatched by the Daoist Sect and Broken Sword Mountain to capture devils in your Wenkui Continent, Brother Lan, you should be careful not to get captured."

"Daoist Sect’s special dispatch? No wonder Fellow Daoist Xiao is not around, instead letting a disciple accompany you."

Realization dawned on Lan Yongning, and his brows relaxed.

Since the Daoist Sect was aware of the issue, he needn’t worry unnecessarily.

He then took note of Gu Wen’s message, curiously asking, "Is this from the Qingcang Immortal to Brother Gu?"

"It’s from Venerable Yun Miao, he said that Chi Yu Zi is deeply mired in calamity, urging me not to seek her out."

Gu Wen casually passed the letter to Lan Yongning, who just glanced at it, his previously smoothed brows furrowing deeper than before.

He had heard of Chi Yu Zi’s predicament many years ago, but due to their distant relationship, he had never given it much thought.

"The heart is the most unpredictable, if she cannot overcome this, the Human Race will lose a great power. Brother Gu, do you have a solution?"

"There is temporarily none before seeing her, unless she has suffered a foundational breach like you."

Gu Wen shook his head; though he was a Little Saint, he was not omniscient.

Just like a mathematics doctorate cannot provide the correct answer without seeing the problem.

He rose and walked toward the exit of the hall. Lan Yongning hesitated, then realizing what the other intended, quickly blocked the way, "Brother Gu, are you going to meet Fellow Daoist Chi Yu Zi?"

Gu Wen noncommittally nodded, "Naturally, how else could I assist her in solving the problem?"

"No, meeting her would disturb her mental state. The letter clearly states she is overcoming her perception of life and death, your visit would only disrupt her understanding of the unyielding Dao Heart."

Lan Yongning stood firmly in front of Gu Wen, persuading, "Moreover, she still has ten years of lifespan left, there’s no rush in these few days."

"It’s true that these few days don’t matter, but whether she realizes the unyielding Dao Heart or not, it doesn’t affect my visit to her."

Gu Wen smiled faintly, stepping past Lan Yongning, and with a burst of rosy light enveloping him, his gaze penetrated a thousand miles, resting upon a tranquil pond.

In a world of towering figures, only a five-foot woman was curled up, sleeping with her knees to her chin.

"Be it a Glazed Heart or an unyielding Dao Heart. If she fails to become an Immortal, I will personally bestow upon her the title of Immortal."