137: Medicinal materials available

He carefully cradled the Spirit Medicine retrieved from the Shadow Council, which had almost been corrupted—especially the "hao yang cleansing spirit flower," with its restrained brilliance—as if he were holding the last hope of the Jing City.

Wei Zheng had been waiting for a long time. Upon seeing Li Dong return safely, he first breathed a sigh of relief, but when he saw the medicinal materials, especially the "hao yang cleansing spirit flower," his eyes went wide.

"Is... is this the 'hao yang cleansing spirit flower'? It truly lives up to its reputation!" His voice trembled slightly, and he reached out, wanting to touch it but afraid to do so.

Li Dong handed over the jade box: "Everything is here. There isn't much 'nine nether soul-suppressing grass,' but having some is better than having none. Arrange the personnel as soon as possible; the Jing City cannot wait too long for that 'Qian Yuan Cleansing Spirit Pill.'"

"Understood!" Wei Zheng solemnly accepted the jade box. "I have already gathered the Empire's top Alchemists. They have been studying the incomplete Pill Formula you provided day and night, just waiting for these main ingredients!"

He paused, then added: "Are... are you alright? That old fellow, Bone Scythe..."

"Just a minor injury, it's nothing." Li Dong waved his hand. "That old thing won't be jumping around for much longer."

He also handed the communication jade talisman he had searched from Bone Scythe to Wei Zheng. "Study this and see if you can dig up some of the Shadow Council's secrets."

After sending off the medicinal materials, Li Dong did not rest immediately. The faint, lingering evil energy above the Jing City still weighed on his heart like a giant boulder.

He found a quiet room and sat cross-legged. The consecutive battles, especially the life-and-death struggle against Bone Scythe and the trace of "Ancient Forbidden Power" he had encountered in the ancient Spirit Medicine garden, had given his Spiritual Domain new insights under the pressure.

He attempted to reverse-analyze the "spiritual essence" he had absorbed and refined. These items, originally sinister tools used by the Shadow Council to control "vessels" and erode human hearts, were now being slowly transformed within his body by a wondrous power.

"This thing... can actually be used like this?" Li Dong felt the newborn, extremely pure power within his body—let's call it the "Source of Purification."

This power seemed to be more than a notch stronger in effect than when he simply invoked his Spiritual Domain for purification.

With a thought, a wisp of the "Source of Purification" quietly extended and merged into the Jing City's ley lines.

In an instant, Li Dong seemed to hear a faint groan from the Dragon Vein; within that groan, the pain seemed to have lessened significantly.

"It works!"

Just as he was fully operating the "Source of Purification," attempting to comb through the Dragon Vein at a deeper level, his Perfect Dao Body suddenly trembled slightly.

A vast and ancient will, coming from the deepest part of the Dragon Vein, resonated with his Perfect Dao Body in an unprecedented way.

Fragmented images and blurred thoughts flooded into his mind like a tide.

"Ancient... Forbidden... Awakening..."

Li Dong opened his eyes abruptly; the resonance had come and gone quickly.

"That power... is it not just energy?" He muttered to himself, "It's more like a... 'presence'?"

This thought sent a chill down his spine. If the so-called "Ancient Forbidden Power" was a conscious presence, then the Shadow Council's schemes were likely even more terrifying than he had imagined.

And his own Perfect Dao Body seemed to have some inexplicable connection to the awakening of this "presence."

"Tsk, it's getting more and more troublesome." Li Dong rubbed his temples, feeling as if he had poked a massive hornet's nest.

While he was pondering, Wei Zheng came looking for him in a hurry.

"Lord Li, there is... there is a problem!" Wei Zheng's face was filled with anxiety.

"Did the Alchemy fail?" Li Dong's heart skipped a beat.

"That hasn't happened." Wei Zheng wiped away some sweat. "It's just that the Alchemists say those main ingredients, especially the 'hao yang cleansing spirit flower' and the 'nine nether soul-suppressing grass,' although rich in Spiritual Qi, have internal medicinal properties that have become somewhat impure due to the previous pollution and forced purification."

"They are difficult to fuse perfectly with each other. Even with the Pill Formula and the insights you provided, which played a big role, it... it just lacks that final bit of refinement. If we force the Fusion, I'm afraid it will ruin these precious medicinal materials!"

"Impure medicinal properties?" Li Dong stood up. "Take me to see."

In the secret Alchemy room of the Demon Suppression Division, the atmosphere was heavy.

Several old Alchemists with white hair and beards were surrounding a massive bronze Pill Furnace, their brows furrowed in worry.

Beneath the Pill Furnace, the Spirit Fire blazed, yet from within the furnace came occasional faint explosions, clearly caused by the conflict of medicinal powers.

"Lord Li is here!" Wei Zheng led Li Dong inside.

The head Alchemist sighed: "Lord Li, we are incompetent. The yang-masculine power of the 'hao yang cleansing spirit flower' and the yin-condensed Qi of the 'nine nether soul-suppressing grass' are inherently mutually generative and restrictive, but now they both bear traces of evil energy corruption and forced purification."

"Their medicinal properties have become extremely strange, and it is truly..."

Li Dong did not speak; he walked straight to the Pill Furnace and quietly unfurled his Spiritual Domain, instantly enveloping the entire furnace.

The spiritual fluctuations of the various medicinal materials inside were presented clearly in his perception, down to the finest detail.

"So that's it." He saw where the problem lay.

After being tormented by the evil energy, the internal spiritual structures of those medicinal materials had indeed undergone some subtle distortions, like a piece of iron wire that was originally straight but had been bent haphazardly.

Although it could still be used, it would be difficult to piece them together seamlessly.

"Great Masters, please take a step back." The Alchemists were confused but did as they were told.

Li Dong extended his hands, pressing them against the sides of the Pill Furnace in the air. Spiritual Resonance activated!

He did not use brute force to fuse the medicinal properties; instead, using his own pure spiritual power as a guide, he carefully probed into the impure medicinal properties.

Like an experienced tuner, he smoothed out the "noise" bit by bit, guiding them to transform in the direction required by the Pill Formula.

This was an extremely mentally exhausting process.

The Alchemists watched with bated breath, seeing beads of sweat gradually seep from Li Dong's forehead and his face turn slightly pale, but his hands remained as steady as a rock.

Inside the Pill Furnace, the medicinal powers that had originally been manic and restless miraculously began to calm down, starting to fuse in an orderly fashion.

"This... what exquisite control!" An old Alchemist watched in astonishment.

Time ticked by, and after an unknown amount of time, when the last trace of impure medicinal property was successfully guided and transformed, a refreshing fragrance suddenly erupted from within the Pill Furnace!

It was a success!

Wei Zheng and the Alchemists let out a cheer almost simultaneously.

Li Dong withdrew his hands and exhaled a long breath of stale air. Open the furnace!

As the lid opened, three Medicinal Pills the size of dragon eyes, pure white throughout and radiating a clean, gentle halo, lay quietly at the bottom of the furnace.

"Qian Yuan Cleansing Spirit Pill!" The old Alchemist's hands trembled as he picked up the Medicinal Pills with a jade tray.

"Although there are only three, this aura... I have spent my whole life in Alchemy and have never seen such pure Medicinal Pills!"

Li Dong picked up one; the Medicinal Pill felt warm and smooth in his hand, and an aura of life that was pure to the extreme rushed towards him, reducing his fatigue from the past few days.

"Finally... it's done." A glimmer of hope rose in his heart.

These three Medicinal Pills might be the key to purifying the Jing City Dragon Vein and even turning the tide of the entire battle.

But he also knew that the Shadow Council would never let it rest. A larger storm might be brewing.

"Lord Wei," Li Dong looked at Wei Zheng, "The Medicinal Pill is finished. Next, it's up to us."

He didn't think those guys from the Shadow Council would just watch him "clean up" the Jing City.