126 - A Farewell to Mr. Luo

Bai Fan was both shocked and speechless after listening. A distaste for men so strong that others shouldn't even dress like them? What a peculiar quirk. Moreover, she was crafting spiritual pills all by herself. Was the Heavenly Dao Alliance really so short of people? Yet before Bai Fan could ponder further, the other party urged her to begin alchemy. "Stop standing there in a daze. There's a pill furnace beside you. Let's start." With those words, she tossed a prescription to Bai Fan and then retreated into another alchemy room, with a little child trailing behind. Only this little child stayed back, cautiously asking Bai Fan a question. "Alchemist Bai, do you need any help?" Bai Fan contemplated for a moment, flipping through several pill recipes. They were all for healing, not particularly difficult, but the volume was massive—tens of thousands of spiritual pills in just seven days. Looking up at the mighty pill furnace before her, towering as high as Bai Fan herself, she noted the roaring flame inside, sourced from the earth's fire below, capable of burning for a long time with just a couple of mysterious wood tossed in. "Do you know spiritual herbs?" The little child nodded. Bai Fan handed the recipes over after flipping through them. "Gather these herbs for me. Five thousand sets." "Understood." With that, the child started flying towards the walls, lined with tiny drawers labeled with the names of spiritual herbs in white paint. The child flitted around the vast hall, swiftly gathering batch after batch for Bai Fan. Bai Fan opened the pill furnace, placing the herbs in one by one. There was no need to exert her spiritual power; she only needed to bolster the flames as required, making the pill-crafting experience uniquely satisfying. Her heart was filled with joy; she could finally indulge in crafting without worrying about exhausting her spiritual energy. Furnace after furnace yielded spiritual pills. Although she repeatedly crafted the same type, variations would occur each time, offering insights and allowing her to improve her technique, thereby elevating the pill quality by several grades. Elated by her achievements, Bai Fan grew more engrossed in her task. At times, she remained unaware of others coming in to collect pills, but thankfully, the little child would handle the distribution. One such visitor, curious about Bai Fan, stopped to chat with the little child. "Who is this? I haven't seen her before. Where's Shui Miao Yuan Jun?" "This is Alchemist Bai, a newcomer. Yuan Jun is still inside crafting." "Oh, I see. But this Alchemist Bai isn’t any less attractive than Yuan Jun. Could she be Yuan Jun’s chosen partner?" Upon hearing this, the little child glared fiercely with wide eyes. "Speak no more nonsense. Yuan Jun is still crafting inside. Hurry along and stop prying into Yuan Jun’s private life." The member chuckled and left, casting another glance at Bai Fan, pondering if she was not Yuan Jun’s partner, he might be interested. Amidst her alchemical fervor, Bai Fan remained blissfully unaware of the attention. The little child offered her tea, which Bai Fan swiftly drank before diving back into her work. For seven sleepless days, Bai Fan dedicated herself to her task. Only after completing all the spiritual pills did she feel a sense of mental fatigue from monitoring changes within the furnace with her consciousness. Upon relaxing, exhaustion washed over her. With the pills packed away, Bai Fan couldn't resist resting her head beside them and dozing off. At that moment, the inner alchemy room’s door opened. Shui Miao Yuan Jun emerged, her face showing no signs of fatigue despite crafting the exceedingly complex Nine-Turn Resurrection Pill—capable of reviving anyone with merely a breath remaining—a feat unmatched worldwide. A little girl carried the freshly crafted Nine-Turn Resurrection Pill. The first thing Shui Miao Yuan Jun saw upon stepping out was the napping Bai Fan, causing her brow to furrow. She inquired of the little child, "Has she completed making the pills?" The little child presented Bai Fan’s batch with deference. "Alchemist Bai's work is complete. Please have a look, Yuan Jun." A flick of Shui Miao Yuan Jun’s slender fingers brought the bag of pills to her palm. Upon inspecting their quality, she appeared visibly pleased. She handed the pills back to the little child, calmly stating, "Since the task is done, let her rest. Arrange standard lodgings for tonight, and when she wakes tomorrow, have her deliver these pills to the southern continent." "Yes." Once Shui Miao Yuan Jun departed, the little child dutifully cleaned the alchemy room, akin to a diligent house-helper. Meanwhile, Bai Fan remained in dreamland, and far away at the southern continent’s border, Ming Zhu gazed bewildered at the battlefield with countless casualties. Her southward journey had inadvertently brought her here. The battlefield was strewn with corpses from both the demon clan and human cultivators. Among the fallen were disciples from various sects, and if Bai Fan were present, she might have recognized some from the Xuanming sect, even Wang Li and others who were once with her in the Hall of Justice. This protracted battle had turned the sky dark with ominous clouds, yet many powerful entities remained absent. The sight reminded Ming Zhu of the calamity a millennium ago, during the great conflict when all clans united against a common threat, and mighty figures emerged. Lost in these past memories, Ming Zhu didn’t notice a group of demons approaching her from afar. Grotesque and black-skinned, with corrosive drool that killed any living plant it touched, leaving it grey and lifeless, their appearance prompted a guttural growl from one. The roar snapped Ming Zhu out of her reverie. Turning to face the charging demons, her initial shock shifted to disdain. "Just a few little pests. Your grandmother here once escaped from the hand of a transformation deity." Gone was the gentle, demure lady in pink. Her expression twisted into a bloodlust with bright red eyes, grinning terrifyingly as if a big sister eyeing a small child. She leaned forward into a pounce, vanishing with a whooshing sound. In an instant, she appeared before the demons. Her pink sleeve revealed a translucent skeletal hand with razor-sharp fingers, which she used to pierce the demon's chest and crush its crimson heart with one grip. "Roar!" A furious roar came from the remaining demons as they frantically pursued her. With a dismissive snort, Ming Zhu leapt and with one spinning kick, decapitated one demon. This fearsome display caused the remaining demons to recoil, realizing she was not someone to be trifled with. They hurriedly turned to flee, but Ming Zhu, adamant about eradicating them, pursued. Regardless of the clan, demons were to be eradicated for their heinous deeds. A cultivator corrupted by demonic qi would soon become a mindless husk, the lowest of demons, with no thoughts save for mindless violence. Even their souls would be tainted, denied the cycle of reincarnation, and bound for the abyss to become part of the demon clan. Most cultivators, upon sensing corruption, would be engulfed in despair. Thankfully, the Heavenly Dao Alliance provided exorcism water, offering hope for survival to those infected. After dispatching the demons, Ming Zhu slowly flew to the battlefield's center. Suddenly, a massive rift tore open in the distant sky, spewing demonic qi that instantaneously corrupted numerous cultivators. Amidst cries of panic and retreat... "What’s happening?" "Everyone retreat quickly." "It's the Abyssal Rift of the Demon Clan." Ming Zhu stood firm, unfazed, having long since died and blessed with a unique constitution immune to demonic qi. The ominous energy swirled around her, attempting to invade her body, but a red glow enveloped her, denying any entry. Then a deafening wail shook the entire southern continent, so powerful even Sheng Ji in Loulan City felt the ground tremble, rising in alarm. "It’s the Heavenly Demon." A pair of gigantic claws emerged from the rift, tearing it wider in an instant. The twilight sky turned blood red as a horned head began to squeeze through, followed by a grotesque visage pushing further out. Its nostrils were adorned with circular rings, and its eyes glowed an emerald green. Fearsome tusks parted slightly, and a scarlet tongue lashed out like a whip. Bulging muscles on its arms revealed black veins coursing beneath the skin. A roar erupted. The sound perforated Ming Zhu's eardrums, causing blood to trickle down from her ears. Wiping her nose, she found herself bleeding there too, and she grimaced, her face twisted with mockery. "If the Great Lord were here, you pitiful heavenly demon wouldn't dare to act so presumptuously. These transformation deities of this realm are like that old turtle, hiding away and refusing to emerge, waiting for who knows what." Wiping the blood from her nostrils, she suddenly felt aggrieved, "Ye He, I loathe this creature." With that, she twisted a section of bone from her finger, her expression a pained one of reluctance. Clutching the bone in her palm, she clasped her hands together, beginning to chant in an ancient, cryptic language, deep and resonant. The bone in Ming Zhu's hand began to glow with increasing intensity until it burst into an array of dazzling, hypnotic lights. Behind her, a colossal figure started to take shape, towering as high as the heavenly demon. Its features were indistinct, as if hailing from an ancient, forgotten kingdom, and its divine presence quickly drove away the surrounding demonic aura. Initially believing their doom was imminent, the cultivators fled desperately. But when the divine light dispersed the demonic miasma, they turned back, eyes drawn to Ming Zhu. Standing alone in front of the heavenly demon, the pink-clad girl no longer seemed so fragile. Behind her loomed a godlike figure, striking fear into the demon. The deity's pristine jade hand slowly lifted and then pressed down towards the heavenly demon. Just as the heavenly demon was on the verge of breaking free, it was forcibly slammed back into the rift. A roar of frustration echoed as the rift slowly closed, leaving a dissatisfied howl reverberating from within.