209: A new life emerges from the ashes!

Three hours passed.

The nine marvels undying medicine reverted to its previous half-dead state; its aura was even weaker than before Young Friend Li's treatment, flickering like a candle in the wind, ready to be extinguished at any moment.

Over half a day later, Lu Yuan withdrew his finger and dissipated the Law of Time.

At this moment, the nine marvels undying medicine had withered leaves and decaying branches, exuding a thick Death Qi. Where was there even a hint of its previous miraculous appearance?

The entire venue was deathly silent.

The Elders who had been loudly praising Li Changsheng earlier now looked at one another with extremely colorful expressions.

Facts spoke louder than words.

Under a hundredfold time acceleration, the so-called cured divine medicine had only maintained its prosperity for less than a few months before completely reverting to its original form, and even worsening.

For an undying divine medicine with a long Lifespan, these short few months were not even worth a snap of the fingers.

Had Lu Yuan not exposed it in time, the Yaochi Holy Land might have truly believed the divine medicine was healed and neglected its care. By the time the divine medicine completely withered a few months later, it would have been truly beyond saving.

"This—how is this possible?" Li Changsheng's face was pale as he pointed at the withered divine medicine, his fingers trembling. He suddenly looked at Lu Yuan, his eyes bloodshot. "It's you! It must be you! You tampered with the time acceleration! You're targeting me!"

He could not accept this result.

Lu Yuan didn't even spare a glance at Li Changsheng's hysteria. Such disregard was more hurtful than any rebuttal.

He looked directly at the Yaochi Holy Mother and asked, "May I ask the Holy Mother, when this nine marvels undying medicine was brought back to the Jade Pool, was its root system entangled with thick Death Qi? Or rather, was this medicine brought back from a forbidden land where all things had withered?"

A hint of emotion finally surfaced on the Yaochi Holy Mother's originally calm face.

She gave Lu Yuan a deep look and nodded. "Fellow Daoist Lu is absolutely correct. This medicine was found tens of thousands of years ago by an ancestor of our Yaochi Holy Land from a place of absolute death on the edge of the Primal Ancient Mine.

"Not a blade of grass grew there, and all vitality was extinguished; only this single divine medicine stood alone within it.

"This matter is a top secret of our Jade Pool, and it's impossible for outsiders to know. Fellow Daoist Lu truly has a Wisdom Eye as sharp as a torch."

Having received confirmation, Lu Yuan nodded slightly and spoke eloquently, "That explains it. Although the nine marvels undying medicine has 'undying' in its name, the world assumes 'undying' represents the ultimate vitality. Little do they know that things turn into their opposites when they reach the extreme, and luck turns for the better after reaching rock bottom.

"This medicine was born in a place of deathly silence, using Death Qi as nourishment to nurture a sliver of vitality within extreme death. This is the true essence of being undying."

"What it needs is not Wood Spiritual Qi or so-called Life Essence. To this medicine, those things are like poison. What it needs is Taiyin Qi and pure Death Qi—using Yin to nourish death, and using death to head toward life."

Lu Yuan's voice echoed in the hall, deafening and thought-provoking.

Li Changsheng opened his mouth to argue, but found he couldn't find a single point to refute.

Because every word Lu Yuan spoke seemed to point directly to the Origin of the Great Dao, making him feel a sense of inexplicable guilt.

"Absurd! Simply absurd!" Li Changsheng maintained the last bit of his dignity and shouted, "I have never heard of using Death Qi to save a divine medicine! This is killing the medicine! Holy Mother, you must not listen to his heretical talk!"

Lin Miaoyin also couldn't help but speak, her expression anxious, "Yes, Holy Mother, this nine marvels undying medicine is already in its twilight years. If we infuse it with the Power of Deathly Silence, I fear it will collapse instantly. Then our Jade Pool will completely lose this sect-protecting divine treasure."

The other Elders also voiced their discouragement. After all, using Death Qi to save something was far too shocking and completely contradicted the common sense of the cultivation world.

The Yaochi Holy Mother's eyes flickered as she weighed her options.

On one side was conventional knowledge and the opposition of the Elders; on the other was Lu Yuan's certain, confident gaze and his previous accurate judgment.

A moment later, she took a deep breath and made a decision.

"One should not doubt those they employ. Since Young Friend Li's method has been proven ineffective, why not let Fellow Daoist Lu give it a try?" The Yaochi Holy Mother looked at Lu Yuan with a hint of expectation. "Fellow Daoist Lu, please proceed. I will take responsibility for all consequences."

"The Holy Mother is wise."

Lu Yuan smiled faintly and no longer hesitated.

He took a step forward and arrived directly above the nine marvels undying medicine.

With a thought, the Taiyin Law and Law of Death within his body operated simultaneously.

"Boom!"

In an instant, the temperature on the entire Spiritual Island plummeted.

In his left hand, the phantom of a crescent moon as black as ink appeared, emitting a Taiyin Cold Air that froze the Soul. In his right hand, grey mist surged; it was the Law of Death purified to the extreme, as if even a single touch would cause one's Lifespan to wither and turn them into fly ash.

"Go."

Lu Yuan pressed his palms together. Under his control, the two completely different powers of Taiyin and Death actually fused perfectly, transforming into a grey-black pillar of light that poured directly into the roots of the nine marvels undying medicine.

The scene was extremely terrifying.

Under the wash of this Death Qi, the already withered divine medicine's leaves instantly turned pitch black, as if they had been charred. The last remaining trace of green also completely disappeared.

A thick scent of decay spread out.

"It's over! It's all over!"

Seeing this, Li Changsheng was wild with joy, but he put on a look of deep distress and shouted, "Stop! You're destroying the divine medicine! Look, the vitality is severed! It's completely severed!"

Lin Miaoyin and the other Elders also changed their expressions. They summoned their Magic Treasures, wanting to step forward and stop him. "Fellow Daoist Lu, stop at once!"

"All of you, stand down!"

The Yaochi Holy Mother gave a light shout. A Void Immortal Realm pressure filled the area, forcibly suppressing the agitated crowd.

Although her heart was also tight, she chose to trust her intuition and Lu Yuan, the number one person below the Void Immortal level. After all, a great reputation is not earned for nothing.

Lu Yuan turned a deaf ear to the noise from the outside world.

He knew very well that this was a necessary process.

To find life in death—without completely severing that superficial vitality, how could true undying divinity be nurtured?

However, if this process were to evolve naturally, it might take several months or even years.

"I don't have the time to wait that long with you all."

Lu Yuan's eyes narrowed as he once again invoked the Law of Time.

"Time Acceleration."

Buzz!

Space distorted once more.

The flow of time enveloping the nine marvels undying medicine instantly soared to a hundredfold, even climbing toward two hundredfold.

At the same time, the Law of Death and Taiyin Law in his hands did not stop; instead, he increased the intensity of the output.

A continuous stream of Death Qi was forcibly poured into the divine medicine's body.

In the Domain of time acceleration, one breath outside was several days inside.

Everyone's hearts were in their throats.

Just as Li Changsheng was preparing to mock him again, a sudden change occurred.

A tiny crack suddenly split open on the pitch-black withered branches.