Just like that, Mu Qiuhan began refining pills as if no one else was present.
Her fire control technique was skilled. From time to time, a wisp of wood spiritual energy could be seen released by her, mixed in, wrapping the pill cauldron and helping the pills take shape.
Such a scene was usually only seen when refining high-grade pills.
Refining high-grade pills was not easy; it often required two cultivators, one with fire spiritual roots and one with wood, to participate together. This was partly to increase the success rate of pill formation, and partly because the addition of wood spiritual energy helped improve the quality of the pills.
Shang Ningye had previously participated in the sect’s Warm Herb Grand Ceremony and had assisted an elder with fire spiritual roots in refining high-grade pills. So, she was not unfamiliar with such a scene.
However, the series of actions Mu Qiuhan was performing before her eyes still filled Shang Ningye with shock.
It wasn’t that the Taiqing Immortal Sect had no disciples with both wood and fire spiritual roots, but since her master, Perfected Dao You, had passed away, no one within the sect had been able to merge these two types of spiritual energy so seamlessly when refining pills for many years.
Recalling the scene when she refined the Quiescence Pill with Mu Qiuhan on the cliff top not long ago, a sense of emotion couldn’t help but rise in Shang Ningye’s heart.
The person before her, in every movement and gesture, unintentionally brought her a completely unfamiliar feeling, an experience difficult to describe with words.
Perhaps saying ‘great changes have taken place, and people have changed too’ wouldn’t be an exaggeration.
So, Dream Floating Life not only affected those who entered to cultivate but could also bring that influence to people around them.
Shang Ningye glanced again at the person who was completely engrossed in the pill cauldron. She didn’t want to disturb Mu Qiuhan, so she quietly entered the inner room.
Chuxue also quietly left with her.
Entering the range of the formation Perfected Dao You had set up before her death, Chuxue made sure the people outside could no longer hear anything here, and then spoke, “Xiao Ye, take out that magic artifact from just now and let me see it again.”
Shang Ningye took out the pitch-black object as requested and placed it on the wooden table before them.
Chuxue leaned closer and examined it carefully for a long time.
Afterward, feeling it wasn’t enough, it sniffed the magic artifact from top to bottom. Only then did it speak with some hesitation, “I think this thing looks like something belonging to demons.”
Shang Ningye hummed in agreement.
Though her voice was light, her tone sounded somewhat heavy.
“This isn’t a magic artifact from the immortal sects, nor is it from the Yao Realm. Thinking about it, it can only belong to demons.”
“Where did you get this thing?”
Hearing this, Shang Ningye was silent for a moment.
After thinking for a while, she said cautiously, “Do you remember I told you before, about half a month ago we encountered a group of demonesses? Perhaps it was taken from them at that time?”
Chuxue seemed somewhat confused after hearing this.
Not to mention it, even Shang Ningye herself felt this explanation didn’t hold up.
The female demon lord who took Elder Xuan Kong that day looked very powerful. Elder Xuan Kong, even at his peak cultivation, probably wouldn’t be able to win easily against her.
Mu Qiuhan was only at the Nascent Soul stage of cultivation at that time. Could she have silently taken such a high-grade magic artifact from that demon lord without anyone knowing?
Shang Ningye couldn’t provide a reasonable explanation, so she could only temporarily suppress the doubts in her heart and instead started discussing entering the mountains with Chuxue.
About half an hour later, a rich pill fragrance gradually overflowed from the pill cauldron, quickly filling the entire room.
Mu Qiuhan retracted her spiritual fire.
Lifting the lid of the pill cauldron, several perfectly round pills lay quietly inside.
She wrapped the still hot pills with spiritual energy and took them out.
Just as she was about to toss them into her storage ring, a rustling sound came from not far away.
Looking up, it turned out to be the spirit beast, having smelled the pill fragrance, coming out of the inner room.
Chuxue stared at the pills in Mu Qiuhan’s palm, its expression somewhat strange.
This person’s pill refining technique was already superb. Not only were there many pills formed, but faint pill patterns could also be seen on them.
This was a mark found only on high-grade, high-level pills.
Yet, for some reason, she never mentioned refining healing medicine for Xiao Ye.
Mu Qiuhan saw it staring at her palm and misunderstood.
She separated one pill from her palm and tossed it to the spirit beast.
Chuxue paused for a moment, then quickly leaped up and steadily caught the pill.
Mu Qiuhan saw it had taken the pill but neither swallowed it nor left, and lightly frowned.
“Hm?”
She thought the spirit beast was being greedy and was about to scold it, when she saw a figure reflected on the large water mirror inside the room.
That person wore a dark green robe with a golden belt neatly tied around their waist.
It was Yu Ji.
At this moment, she was tapping the Rainbow Bridge on Jade Dragon Abyss with a magic artifact, and the water mirror simultaneously emitted “ding ding” sounds.
Seeing this, Chuxue angrily bit down hard and crushed the pill it was holding in its mouth, saying, “Here they come again!”
It originally didn’t want to pay attention to Yu Ji, but saw Shang Ningye walk out of the inner room.
Chuxue quickly went forward and blocked her path.
“You’re not allowed to go!”
Seeing Shang Ningye try to go around it, Chuxue simply transformed into a huge white beast, lying its entire body on the ground and completely blocking the doorway.
Seeing this, Shang Ningye had a rather helpless expression.
“Even if we’re not going, we should at least tell them, so we don’t delay everyone’s plans.”
Chuxue still grumbled and refused to move aside.
Mu Qiuhan, who had been silent all this time, spoke up now. Her words were directed at the spirit beast.
“If you insist on leaving her here alone, what will you do if those two demons come at the same time?”
Hearing this, Chuxue was speechless for a moment.
After that, it bared its fangs and replied with a nonchalant expression, “At worst, we’ll all perish together and go accompany the founder!”
Mu Qiuhan glanced at it.
“You aren’t afraid of death, of course, but have you asked for her opinion?”
Seeing Mu Qiuhan’s disapproving expression, Chuxue felt a bit irritated.
“Then what do you think we should do? That group of people are ruthless exploiters. Rather than dealing with them, I think confronting demons directly would be more straightforward.”
“Besides,” it paused, its pupils staring intently at Mu Qiuhan.
“Someone among them has the ingredient for Snow Artemesia. If Xiao Ye encounters that group, she will definitely not end well; it’s more dangerous than running into demons!”
Hearing this, Mu Qiuhan said calmly, “Did I say I would go with them?”
“You…” Chuxue was getting anxious.
“Didn’t you just say she shouldn’t be left here? How have you changed your mind now?”
“If we don’t stay here, does that mean there’s nowhere else to go?”
Seeing both the person and the beast staring at her with confused looks, Mu Qiuhan explained, “Right now, with the Immortal-Demon War underway and the demons seeking revenge for the previous conflict, this place is naturally not suitable for us to stay long.”
“Although the two of you have been at the Taiqing Immortal Sect year-round and are nominally members of the immortal sect, ultimately, both of you were born into the Yao Clan. Why not go to the Yao Realm for a while to lie low?”
“Besides,” she glanced at Shang Ningye and then slowly said, “Don’t you still need Golden Lingjiao to refine your antidote?”
“Go to the Yao Realm now?” Chuxue asked, surprised.
Shang Ningye was also a bit confused. “The demon army has already occupied the main peak and completely surrounded Longxuan Mountain. How could we possibly get out?”
Mu Qiuhan curled her lips into a slight smile. “Doesn’t Jade Dragon Peak’s back mountain have an area that borders the Yao Realm?”
Shang Ningye hadn’t replied yet when Chuxue interjected, “That’s true, but that area is the territory of the Monster Saint Bai Zhan. There are also many high-grade monster beasts there, making it very difficult for us to pass through.”
“What if we have this?”
Mu Qiuhan took out a bracelet carved with a twin lotus pattern from her storage ring and dangled it before Shang Ningye.
Shang Ningye’s eyes instantly widened.
“It’s Master’s Five Elements Bracelet! How did you get it?!”
This magic artifact had gone missing the year before Perfected Dao You’s passing. It was said to have been stolen by people from the Yao Clan.
How could it be in Mu Qiuhan’s hands?
Hearing this, Mu Qiuhan raised an eyebrow.
She hadn’t expected this thing could be related to Perfected Dao You.
Her expression held a hint of amusement. “This is women’s jewelry. How could it be Perfected Dao You’s? Are you sure you saw clearly?”
Shang Ningye frowned. “I’ve certainly seen Master’s things.”
Hearing her speak with such certainty, Mu Qiuhan handed the bracelet over.
“Have a look. This thing was made by people from the Yao Clan; you should be able to tell the difference.”
Seeing Shang Ningye stare intently at the pattern on the bracelet in her hand, Mu Qiuhan said, “Did you notice it too? This twin lotus pattern is the totem of the Yao Realm’s sacred land.”
“I estimate this thing must belong to the previous, or perhaps the one before the previous, Monster King.”
Shang Ningye looked carefully at the bracelet. It was indeed made by people from the Yao Clan.
She felt that what Mu Qiuhan said must be true.
Although she had seen this magic artifact with Perfected Dao You before, she had never examined it so closely and had never known its origin.
As for the lotus pattern, she had only just thought the pattern was exceptionally beautiful and seemed familiar, but she couldn’t recall where she had seen it.
If Mu Qiuhan hadn’t mentioned it at this moment, she would never have remembered that she had once had the fortune to follow Master to attend the funeral of the one before the previous Monster King, and there were such patterns on that Monster King’s coffin.
As for whether that was the totem of the Yao Realm’s sacred land, Shang Ningye didn’t know.
Only people from the royal family could enter the Yao Realm’s sacred land. She also didn’t know how Mu Qiuhan knew about it.
Seeing Shang Ningye keep silent, Mu Qiuhan knew she had already believed her.
She took the bracelet back and put it away, then continued the previous topic.
“With this thing in hand, passing through that Monster Saint Bai Zhan’s territory shouldn’t be a difficult matter.”
Who knew that just as the conversation reached this point, Chuxue suddenly spoke up, “I’m not going there.”
