Chapter 127: The Sixth-Rank Immortal Formula
Du Yuejiao, still worried about her master, realized she had been in a daze these past few days, now understanding that the Emerald Beauty was behind it. As she got dressed, she couldn’t help but ask, “What was in that box the Emerald Beauty brought?”
Shi Hao said, “Just some ingredients I need for my next breakthrough.”
He had a pretty good idea where the Emerald Beauty had obtained the “matricide’s heart.”
But he couldn’t tell Du Yuejiao.
He didn’t want too many people to know his true face.
Revealing it to Xuan Feng Huanzhi, Yue Yaotai, and Sha Lingshan, who already knew about the Demon Empress, was unavoidable.
But he didn’t want others to know too much.
So, before leaving the pavilion, he changed his appearance using the Evil Shadow Disguise Technique.
Of course, since the Evil Shadow Disguise Technique was a secret of the Evil Lotus Sect, Dragon Girl, Huan Tingting, and the others would recognize the disguise, although they wouldn’t know his true face.
He left the pavilion and saw Xu Xiaoyan talking with Huan Tingting.
“Young Master,” Dragon Girl greeted him.
Huan Tingting also approached respectfully.
Du Yuejiao glared at Xu Xiaoyan, thinking, Why is she here?
Shi Hao, worried they might start fighting, waved his hand, dismissing Dragon Girl and Huan Tingting. He looked at the two girls and said, “Let’s put the past behind us. We’re all on the same side now. We need to get along.”
Du Yuejiao and Xu Xiaoyan both glared at him.
Du Yuejiao’s expression said, I will never get along with other women.
Xu Xiaoyan’s expression said, What do I care?
Shi Hao quickly said, “The three of us are the only dual cultivators of Daoist and demonic arts in history. Although the energies within you are currently balanced, they still need to be adjusted. Otherwise, there could be serious consequences, from demonic affliction to… well, death.”
The two girls were startled. Xu Xiaoyan exclaimed, “Don’t tell me we have to… do that again?”
Shi Hao lied, “Of course.”
In his experience, once their foundations were stabilized, there shouldn’t be any problems, as long as they didn’t forcefully circulate their energies in opposite directions.
But he wasn’t going to tell them that.
He said seriously, “Dual cultivation is not that simple. There will be complications. What happened last night… I had no other choice. I wouldn’t have done that if there had been another way.”
Since dual cultivation was unprecedented, it was natural for them to believe it was a difficult and dangerous path.
Shi Hao said, “Even I need to cultivate in seclusion for the next few days to stabilize my breakthrough. Little Emerald actually tried to kill me last night, flooding my body with demonic fire, hoping to make me explode. After I stabilize my cultivation, I’ll help you two.”
He took their hands, “I don’t want anything to happen to either of you. Please, try to get along.”
Du Yuejiao snorted and turned away, refusing to look at Xu Xiaoyan.
Xu Xiaoyan bit her lip and muttered, “Why should I get along with a Chongxian Sect prude?”
Du Yuejiao’s eyebrow twitched, about to retort, when Shi Hao suddenly groaned, clutching his chest. The two girls, startled, rushed to his side, “What’s wrong?”
Shi Hao feigned pain, “My energies are in turmoil. I need to cultivate in seclusion. But I was worried about you two, so I delayed it. If you keep arguing, I won’t be able to focus…”
Du Yuejiao said quickly, “We’re not arguing! You’re in pain. Go and cultivate!”
Xu Xiaoyan looked at him skeptically but didn’t expose him, simply saying, “Yeah, we’re not arguing.”
Shi Hao slowly exhaled, as if trying to calm his breathing.
Relieved that his ruse had worked, he called for Dragon Girl and Huan Tingting, instructing them to fulfill any requests from Du Yuejiao and Xu Xiaoyan during his seclusion.
They obeyed. Du Yuejiao, however, wanted to check on her master, so a carriage was prepared, and she returned to the Chongxian Sect’s Dàxīng City temple.
After she left, Xu Xiaoyan glanced at Shi Hao, “She’s from the Chongxian Sect, and this is a demonic sect’s stronghold. Do you really trust her?”
Shi Hao said, “Don’t worry, she won’t betray me.” After everything they had been through, he was willing to trust Yuejiao.
And even if she did betray him, she would tell her master first, so he still had Zhuo Mulan as insurance.
“Speaking of which,” Xu Xiaoyan said, hands on her hips, “Why did you make it seem like we were rivals vying for your affection?”
Shi Hao chuckled, “Things just… happened.”
Before he could finish, Xu Xiaoyan punched him in the chest.
Shi Hao looked at her, puzzled. Although her punch hadn’t been very strong, it was still unexpected.
Then, he remembered something and clutched his chest, feigning pain, “Ouch, that hurts!”
Xu Xiaoyan said, rolling her eyes, “I knew you were faking it.”
Shi Hao smiled, “My body doesn’t hurt, but my heart does.”
“I’ll make your heart hurt even more!” Xu Xiaoyan leaped into the air, her foot aiming for him.
Shi Hao quickly dodged and ran…
In a secluded room, now used as an alchemy chamber, Shi Hao channeled his Mysterious Charm Technique, using the Daoist Threefold Fire method to generate a pure demonic flame.
The flame shot towards the bottom of the alchemy furnace.
The garden outside was quiet, the maidservants dismissed, Dragon Girl and Huan Tingting guarding the entrance. Xu Xiaoyan was nowhere to be seen.
Shi Hao wasn’t using charcoal.
In this world, the Daoist Threefold Fire wasn’t actual fire but a type of true energy that could control flames. Therefore, charcoal was still needed as fuel.
However, Shi Hao was using the Threefold Fire method to channel the demonic fire generated by the Mysterious Charm Technique, filtering it with the icy energy of the Immortal Ice Technique before directing it towards the furnace.
The last time he had used this method to refine a ninth-rank Immortal Formula, he had only been eighth-rank. Now, at the peak of the seventh rank, after generating the pure demonic flame, he used the Gathering Essence Flowing Pearl Technique to project it outwards, creating a steady fire beneath the furnace.
He placed the Molting Snake Reverse Scale inside the furnace.
The scale, the hardest part of the Molting Snake’s body, was impervious to fire.
This step alone took him half an hour. The scale, tossed and turned by the flames, glowed red-hot but remained intact.
Then, carefully channeling his true energy, he placed the Tri-colored Qilin Grass on top of the scale.
This step was crucial. Any mistake, and the precious ingredient would be wasted.
The Tri-colored Qilin Grass melted under the intense heat, forming colorful droplets that dripped onto the scale.
The scale, its concave side facing upwards, collected the droplets, the flames contained beneath it.
The scale was now coated in a colorful liquid.
Shi Hao placed the Carriage Horse Mushroom on top.
The mushroom, bouncing on the liquid surface, tried to escape, but Shi Hao intensified the flames, creating a barrier around the scale.
He closed the furnace lid and focused his divine sense inwards, monitoring the process.
The flames within the furnace intensified, the Carriage Horse Mushroom slowly melting, merging with the liquid from the Tri-colored Qilin Grass.
Shi Hao’s concentration was absolute. This step also couldn’t tolerate any mistakes.
Using charcoal to control the flames would make it difficult to maintain the perfect temperature for a prolonged period. But now, although his internal energy was constantly being depleted, the process was flawless.
The Carriage Horse Mushroom and the Tri-colored Qilin Grass fully merged, forming a clear, viscous liquid that coated the scale.
He opened the furnace and added the supplementary ingredients.
The liquid on the scale became cloudy as the herbs dissolved.
Finally, he added the Illusory Sea Spirit Fruit. Its outer layer peeled away, leaving only the hard core, which rolled on the scale, absorbing the medicinal essence.
After another half an hour, the scale, now charred black, along with the ashes of the other ingredients, sank to the bottom of the furnace.
A single, colorful elixir, radiating a faint light, floated above the flames.
Before the flames died down, Shi Hao took a jade box and tossed it towards the furnace.
The elixir jumped and landed inside the box, rolling around.
He took the box, moved away from the furnace, and looked inside. The shimmering elixir, like the Carriage Horse Mushroom before it, spun in place.
He sighed in relief and wiped the sweat from his brow… The process had been exhausting.
He opened the door and looked outside. It was dark, the full moon hanging in the sky.
He left the alchemy room and meditated in the waterside gazebo, calming his mind and restoring his energy.
After resting for a while, he went to another room where the Heroic Deeds Blade, the blood of the Undying Child, and the matricide’s heart had been placed.
The blood, contained in a crystal-clear glass vial, should have been dark and coagulated by now, if it were ordinary blood.
But this blood was still bright red, a disturbingly vibrant crimson, radiating a sinister aura, like the Heroic Deeds Blade.
The matricide’s heart, in a wooden box, looked like an ordinary heart… although Shi Hao hadn’t seen many hearts.
He had killed before, but who would bother examining a dead person’s heart?
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