96: Creation Blue Lotus

Wang Ning trembled as he stepped over the threshold, the scent of sawdust mixed with rust stinging his nostrils.

The main hall's wooden beam was broken in two, and his mother lay lifeless on the ground, still holding the nearly finished cloth shoes, which by their style were clearly new ones she was making for him.

“Father?”

Wang Ning entered the room and saw his father, his hands a greyish-blue, holding a kindling knife, half-leaning against the wall.

His back, which once could lift him above his shoulders, was now hunched like a drawn bow, his skin clinging tightly to his bones, and his eye sockets were two dark hollows, as if a pair of eyes were still staring at the doorway, waiting for him to call out, “Father, I’m home.”

“Little sister?”

With a last shred of hope, Wang Ning frantically rushed into the bedroom, only to see Wang Yue on the bed, equally devoid of Life Qi.

His little sister, who was once small and adorable in his memory, had indeed grown a lot, but now she was like a withered flower, weakly sprawled on the bed.

A metallic taste suddenly welled up in his throat, and Wang Ning knelt on the ground, his fingertips digging into the cracks of the bluestone slab; blood seeped from under his fingernails, yet he was oblivious.

The wind poured in through the window, stirring the note in Wang Yue’s hand. The ink was still wet, and it clearly read, “Brother, save me…”

Wang Ning could no longer hold on, collapsing weakly to the ground, tears from his eyes striking the earth, stirring up faint dust.

“Why? Why?”

“It was only a little bit short!”

Wang Ning hated; he hated why he hadn’t returned a little earlier, hated these demons running rampant among Mortals, and even more, hated why this world couldn't tolerate a Mortal who wanted to protect his parents and sister.

In a haze, Wang Ning suddenly remembered the oil-paper package his mother had given him the day he left home, containing ten vegetable buns, with instructions to eat them if he got hungry on the way.

He remembered his father’s rough hand patting his shoulder, saying, “If anyone bullies you, just come back.”

And he remembered even more, his little sister with a tear-streaked face, crying and chasing after him, unwilling to let him go.

Now he had returned, but his mother and the others… At this moment, the shadow of the old locust tree pierced through the broken window, and Wang Ning suddenly burst into tears, his cries filled with desolation and pain. He touched the Storage Pouch at his waist, which contained all his savings from these past years.

Originally, Wang Ning had planned everything: first, to buy a courtyard in Green Cloud City, then to hire some Mortals so his parents could enjoy their twilight years.

Wang Ning had even envisioned his little sister’s adoring gaze.

But now, the Storage Pouch in his palm felt scorching hot, so hot that he wanted to burn down the entire mountain.

As the night deepened, Wang Ning crafted a coffin for everyone in the village.

“Father, Mother, little sister…”

“Wait for me, I will avenge you!”

Wang Ning held his little sister’s hand one last time, but the wrinkles in her hand were embedded with unspoken worries, like dull knives, carving numerous bloody holes in his heart.

It was hard to imagine what kind of pain they had endured before death.

Wang Ning clenched his fists tightly, drops of blood falling onto the soil, spreading a blackness deeper than the night.

He took one last look at his loved ones, then buried them.

After an unknown amount of time, when the first ray of morning light shone down, it stirred his fluttering green robe and his head full of white hair.

And the young man whose eyes once held the stars and the sea now had only a light colder than the abyss in his gaze.

He finally understood that the sharpest sword in this world was never a Magical Artifact, but the loved ones a person desperately wanted to protect but could no longer protect.

The old locust tree rustled at the village entrance, as if still murmuring that unfinished “Come back.”

But beneath the tree, the figure who would smile and shout “Father, Mother, I’m home!” would never be awaited again; only mountains of fire remained, wrapped in unburnt hatred, gradually congealing into frost in the morning light… Meanwhile, on the other side.

The first thing Li Xiangyun did upon his return was to immediately seek out Li Xingyan without delay.

At this time, Li Xingyan had just finished Cultivating. Opening his door, he saw Li Xiangyun standing at the entrance.

“Greetings, Old Ancestor.”

“Do you have something to discuss?”

Li Xingyan asked, puzzled.

Li Xiangyun walked straight in and said, “I have something to discuss with your teacher.”

“Speak, what do you need from this Old Ancestor?” Fire Old emerged from the ring and said after Li Xingyan closed the door.

“Hehe.” Seeing Fire Old appear, Li Xiangyun immediately changed his expression and said, “Junior recently acquired two treasures and would like to ask you to take a look.”

“Oh?” Fire Old’s eyes lit up, and he showed a hint of interest, saying, “Bring them out!”

Li Xingyan on the side was also a bit curious, after all, anything that could be called a treasure by a Golden Core True Person was exciting to think about.

Hearing this, Li Xiangyun first took out the Azure Lotus Treasure Cauldron.

In an instant, a mysterious aura permeated the air, and a dazzling green light flashed, revealing the treasure cauldron that seemed to be composed of Azure Lotuses.

“Oh!?” Fire Old exclaimed, circling the Azure Lotus Treasure Cauldron once, then said with some surprise, “It’s actually the remains of the Creation Azure Lotus. I didn’t expect it to be refined into a Magic Treasure; what a waste of heavenly Materials.”

“The remains of the Creation Azure Lotus?” Li Xiangyun was a bit puzzled.

He had only heard of snakes shedding their skin, but never of Spirit Medicine shedding its shell.

Fire Old explained, “The Creation Azure Lotus is a seventh-grade Spirit Medicine. Every few thousand years, it undergoes a transformation.”

“Each transformation elevates its grade by one, until it becomes a Chaos Azure Lotus.”

“And this Azure Lotus Treasure Cauldron, judging by its quality, should be the remains produced during the Creation Azure Lotus’s first transformation.”

“Then what is the use of these remains?” Li Xiangyun asked.

After all, if it was just a Magic Treasure, although precious, it wouldn’t be worth Li Xiangyun cherishing it so much.

What truly caught Li Xiangyun’s attention was the mysterious aura within this Azure Lotus Treasure Cauldron.

“Not just useful, it’s extremely useful!”

Fire Old said happily, “You little rascal, I don’t know what great fortune you stumbled upon to encounter such a heavy treasure.”

“Although this Azure Lotus Treasure Cauldron is a remnant, it is still the remnant of a seventh-grade Spirit Medicine.”

“It not only possesses the Creation Power of the Creation Azure Lotus itself but also contains the profound mystery of its life and death transformation.”

“This Old Ancestor happens to know an ancient Pill Formula that uses the remains of the Creation Azure Lotus as the main Materials. The Azure Lotus Pill refined from it can not only increase Cultivation but also improve a Cultivator’s Aptitude and bone structure.”

“Most importantly, it is extremely beneficial for your Cultivation of The Dao Intent of Life and Death.”

Li Xiangyun was a bit surprised; the last time he knew of a method to improve Cultivation Aptitude was the System’s Eternal Evergreen Pill.

However, he also noticed that Fire Old said “improve” and not “enhance.” This suggested that either there was some kind of restriction, or the effect was limited.

Just then, Li Xingyan, on the side, hesitated and asked, “Teacher, these remains have already been refined into a treasure cauldron; doesn’t that have an impact?”

Fire Old pondered for a moment and said, “There is still an impact, but the person who refined this treasure cauldron back then was quite knowledgeable.”

“He didn’t add anything else to it but simply refined it, preserving its medicinal properties.”