Chapter 190 Tan Tianzong

Chapter 190 Tan Tianzong

Chapter 190 Tan Tianzong

By the evening of the next day, the two men could no longer wait and walked towards the stream mouth.

As per custom, Cheng Xinzhan hid a soul in the bamboo body and left it outside.

The mist was not clear in the twilight, but the chill made people shiver. The ghosts in the mist rushed over, circling around the two of them, sniffing at them like dogs.

The two men remained calm, and the rare treasures on their bodies transformed their auras into those of demons, and they walked swaggeringly into the Mengdong River.

The further you go in, the more you notice that the cold fog that originally blended into the darkness gradually began to turn blue and shiny.

When we had completely passed through the green fog, we discovered that the cliffs on both sides were hung with green lanterns. The entire Lost Soul Gorge was a dismal green. It turned out that the cold fog was turned green by the lanterns.

Under the light of the green lamp, you can clearly see that this is a world completely different from the outside world.

The Mengdong River in the middle was freezing cold, but it also had many dark-colored plants and strange-looking insects, fish, snakes and frogs. The stone walls on both sides were also covered with lush vegetation, but under the light of the green lanterns, they were either green or black, making them even more eerie.

The houses outside are built from the ground up, from low to high, and then extend in all directions. Here, it is the opposite, digging into the mountain from the stone walls on both sides, and then stacking up.

So in the dark grass and trees, you can see countless steps and caves on the mountain walls on both sides, forming an appearance like an ant nest on the stone wall.

The stream water gurgled between the two walls, and the sound of the water echoed on the stone walls on both sides. After being reflected by countless caves and plants, it formed a huge echo that seemed to summon souls. It did not look like a natural formation, but rather some kind of magical formation.

The caves, green lights, flowing water, and ghost voices together create a gloomy and eerie atmosphere.

Cheng Xinzhan and Shen Zhaoming stood in the huge crack like ants. The crack was huge at the bottom, hundreds of feet wide, and went deep into it for who knows how many miles. There were no lanterns there, and it was a deep black. Some people said that this led to the underworld.

The crack became narrower as one went up, and there were fewer caves on the stone wall, but some palaces and pavilions began to appear on the stone wall, and the highest of these palaces and pavilions only reached the middle of the crack. And at a higher position of those palaces and pavilions, in the middle of the top of the crack, at the end of the sight, a huge building ship was vaguely visible floating in the air.

In the Lost Soul Gorge, the height of one's residence on the stone wall also represents one's status. Those below the second realm live in caves, those at the third realm can live in palaces on the cliffs, and the boat on the top is only for the gorge master Bai Wuchang to live in.

According to their memories, the two of them went directly to the palace where Qin Tianzong was.

Qin Tianzong is very old. Although he has reached the Golden Elixir level, his life span is coming to an end. In the memories of these two demons, this elder has not taken action for many years. Moreover, this elder seems to have become obsessed with alchemy recently. In recent years, he has often forced lower-level disciples to search for gold, stone, and plants for him.

The two came to the entrance of the palace, where there seemed to be a suspended bridge, and on the bridge sat a fierce ghost with a green face and fangs.

The two saluted and said in unison,

"Disciple Luo Hongyan/Lu Rongsheng, requesting to see Elder Tan."

"What's the matter!"

The fierce ghost opened his mouth as big as a winnowing basket and shouted angrily.

Shen Zhaoming took a step forward and said, "I was out and found an abandoned mine by chance. I picked up several kilograms of gold minerals. I heard that Elder Tan is obsessed with alchemy, so I came here to present them to Elder Tan."

Upon hearing this, the fierce ghost immediately stood up, put his ghost face close to Shen Zhaoming, and looked at him carefully for a long time before saying,

"Just wait here!"

Two people said yes.

Then, the fierce ghost turned and entered the cave.

Not long after, the ghost came out and led the two people inside. The palace was very large, and the exposed eaves were only a part of it. It was very deep inside. After walking for a long time, the fierce ghost pointed to a long corridor and let the two people go through it by themselves. The fierce ghost himself returned to the palace gate to guard it.

The two were walking in a long corridor. This should be the deepest part of the mountain. It was very quiet. This reminded Cheng Xinzhan of the long path he walked in the Fengyin Hall of Longhu Mountain.

At the end of the corridor, there was a circular door. When the two people approached, the door opened automatically. When the two people walked in, the door closed automatically again.

This was a circular cave, in the middle of which stood a large tripod taller than a person. The sound of water could be heard from the tripod, and it was also emitting a faint green light. Next to the tripod was a high platform, on which sat a man whose hair and nails had all fallen off, and whose skin was covered in gray spots. The green light from the tripod shone on his face, making him look scarier than the fierce ghost outside the temple.

The big cauldron also attracted Cheng Xinzhan's attention. He didn't expect that this old monster used the water refining method to make the elixir.

"What gold essence do you have to offer?"

The old man looked over and his voice sounded hoarse, like two pieces of rusty iron rubbing against each other.

"Elder Qin, I don't know what these things are. Please take a closer look."

Shen Zhaoming took out a few dazzling gold and stones from his arms.

Qin Tianzong looked over, his cloudy eyes lit up, and without any movement, he suddenly disappeared from the platform and came in front of the two people.

He spread his hands, and the refined gold in Shen Zhaoming's hand flew over automatically. He moved it with his hands, muttering something,

"Mysterious Ice Saltpeter, Red Water Flowing Sand, and Mud Dragon Soil Paste. Not bad, not bad. Didn't Gui Nu say you had several kilograms? This is only a few kilograms. Take them all out."

Shen Zhaoming smiled apologetically, "Elder Qin, I have brought all the things here, and I will definitely present them to you, but I would also like to ask for some rewards."

"Ok?"

Qin Tianzong's eyes moved away from the gold ore in his hand and looked at Shen Zhaoming. His voice became much colder.

"What the ghost slave told me was that you were going to give the golden essence to me, not sell it to me. Did you lie to the ghost slave, or did the ghost slave lie to me?"

The two men's faces changed. This old guy was actually so greedy and unreasonable.

Shen Zhaoming's smile was even more forced.
"Elder Qin, I didn't explain it clearly to Master Mengui. I sincerely want to offer you the golden essence, but I am not well off recently, so I would like to ask you to give me some magic weapons."

Qin Tianzong turned his hand and collected the golden essence. He looked at the two people. The spiritual energy in the cave surged, as if two invisible big hands grabbed the two people and lifted them up.

"You only said you wanted to make an offering. I never said I would give you a reward. Do you understand?" The two were hung in the air, and Shen Zhaoming still wanted to struggle, "Then I won't make an offering for now. I beg the elder to let us go."

The next moment, Shen Zhaoming was strangled by the throat by an invisible hand, his face turned purple and he could not utter a word.

"You can come and go as you please in this place? Today, leave all the gold essence behind and you can get out alive. Otherwise, you will be trapped in my medicine cauldron as a living trap!"

Qin Tianzong said with a gloomy face.

"The disciple is willing to give, the disciple is willing to give."

Cheng Xinzhan said hurriedly.

With two "puff-puff" sounds, the two men were released and fell to the ground.

Shen Zhaoming was obviously unwilling to accept it, but he was forcing himself to do it, and slowly took things out of his body.

"If you don't hurry up, I'll chop off both of your hands."

Tan Tianzong said.

Shen Zhaoming trembled and moved faster.

When a small pile had formed on the ground, Shen Zhaoming said, "Elder Qin, they are all here."

Qin Tianzong smiled, and the wrinkles on his face blossomed like chrysanthemums. With a wave of his hand, all the golden essences disappeared. Then, he looked at Shen Zhaoming.
"Didn't you say you found an abandoned mine? How come you found so many things in such a mine?"

Shen Zhaoming frowned and said, "Elder Qin, they are all here."

"Hey!"

Qin Tianzong laughed and said, "I don't believe it. Let me search it."

Shen Zhaoming seemed to have reached the limit of his patience, his five fingers gripping the ground with veins bulging, "Elder Qin, you can't do this to us, I have already taken out all the golden essence, you should let us go. We came to you to present gifts to you, it's not that no one saw us, if we disappear alive in your cave like this, people will definitely know!"

“Hahahaha—cough cough—!”

Tan Tianzong laughed loudly, then started coughing violently. After a while, he said,
"It's not like I don't know you two. You have no foundation in the sect, and I, haha, I'm going to die! I don't have many years left to live!"

The old monster's expression suddenly changed from laughing to gloomy, and he stared at Shen Zhaoming.

"So, even if someone else guessed something, who would embarrass an old man like me who is about to die for you?"

Shen Zhaoming's expression changed again and again.

At this time, Qin Tianzong had already dragged his feet and slowly walked up to the two of them.

"Do you want to continue taking out all the things on your body, or do you want me to do it myself?"

Qin Tianzong's words were very clear. He wanted everything, not just the gold essence.

Shen Zhaoming had a sad and angry expression on his face, and had to continue taking things out, taking out the things he had taken from the two demons one by one.

"And you."

Qin Tianzong looked at Cheng Xinzhan again.

Cheng Xinzhan smiled flatteringly and said,

"Elder Qin, I have some common stuff on me, which is not worthy of your attention. However, I once got a book of alchemy secrets in my early years. I have never told anyone about this secret."

Qin Tianzong was a little impatient when he heard the first half of the sentence, but when he heard the second half, his eyes suddenly lit up. He was originally standing in front of Shen Zhaoming, but when he heard this, he came to stand in front of Cheng Xinzhan, almost approaching him, and smiled like a ghost.
"Oh? You still have the secret technique of alchemy?"

Cheng Xinzhan nodded stiffly, "I am stupid and ignorant. I have a treasure but I can't comprehend this secret technique, which has caused the wonderful method to be covered in dust. This secret method always mentions words like "Yin Ding" and "Shui Lian", and I don't understand what they mean. I think that Elder Tan is a master of alchemy, and there is a tripod in the cave. I think Elder Tan will be able to comprehend this secret technique. I am willing to offer the wonderful method, and I only ask Elder Tan to let my brother and I leave with our own magic weapons."

"Hahaha--"

Qin Tianzong started laughing again. Cheng Xinzhan's words "Grandmaster of Alchemy" really made him happy. He was also surprised to hear the words "Yin Ding" and "Shui Lian". He was so happy that he said,
"It seems that you did not lie to me. You really do not have any pure gold on you. Well, as long as your alchemy secret method can satisfy me, I will allow you to take these scraps and leave."

Then Cheng Xinzhan took out something from his bosom. It was something that looked like a jade talisman, only the size of a palm, and emitting precious light.

Qin Tianzong reached out to take it. The jade talisman was covered with tiny characters. The few slightly larger characters on the top of the jade talisman gave him a shock.
"Essentials of Water-Refining Yin-Ding".

He went to read the main text, and saw that it began like this:

"The stomach is in the western palace, and the Yin Ding controls the inside and outside. It absorbs hundreds of grains into Kan water, and swallows the six qi to transform into Li essence. It rinses and swallows the nine springs, stirs the Huachi with its tongue, draws the water of the Tianhe River into the Youque, and uses the true fire of the heart and lungs to cook it. When Kan and Li copulate, the true essence in the Ding will evaporate, like mist and dew irrigating the five internal organs. This is called water refining to return to the innate."

Qin Tianzong's right hand holding the jade talisman was shaking violently, and he quickly supported his right hand with his left hand. His heart was filled with shock and fear. How could this be some secret alchemy technique? This was clearly the supreme method of inner alchemy to cultivate the stomach!

God will not abandon me! God will not abandon me!
Qin Tianzong roared in his heart. With such a secret method, when he could refine the Yin Ding in his stomach sac, he would no longer need to take the hundred grains and six qi. He could just devour the blood of living people in large quantities, and then use the Yin Ding to refine it and turn it into innate essence. Wouldn't it be just around the corner for him to prolong his life and break through the realm?
He fantasized as if he had already seen the day when he would succeed in his practice, and joy rippled across his old face that looked like a chrysanthemum.

Suddenly, his smile froze.

He slowly moved the jade talisman away and looked down at his stomach. There, three inches below his navel, a solid red-gold sword light had pierced through his lower abdomen. The scorching heat and sharp sword intent were burning his golden elixir, as if it would crush and evaporate it in the next moment.

"Don't move. If you don't move, you won't die."

Cheng Xinzhan raised his head and looked at him.

(End of this chapter)