Chapter 94 The Realm of the Heart

Yun Bai rushed into the depths of the State Religion like a whirlwind.

Inside the small space, the lights were blazing. Supervisor Zhou Shengtai was standing before a massive, holographic city defense map that displayed the red dots of riots across Chu Prefecture in real-time, his brows knitted tightly into a " river" shape.

Several deacons nearby were reporting the situation in various locations with rapid speed, the atmosphere heavy and busy.

"Brother Zhou!" Yun Bai lunged in front of Supervisor Zhou Shengtai, his voice turned sharp from extreme urgency. "My sister, Yun Qian! She is in critical condition! I urgently need a soul-stabilizing pill to save her life! I beg you! Is there any stock left in the State Religion warehouse?! I beg you!"

His body trembled slightly from agitation and fear.

Hearing this, Supervisor Zhou Shengtai turned around abruptly. Seeing Yun Bai in such a disheveled state, covered in blood and sweat, he furrowed his brows even tighter, a flash of gravity appearing in his eyes. "A soul-stabilizing pill? What happened to your sister?"

But he did not ask further, immediately realizing the severity of the situation. "Wait a moment! I will check right away!"

He strode to a glowing communication Formation Plate beside the console, his fingers operating it as if flying.

Light swirled across the Formation Plate, displaying complex runes and a directory.

A moment later, Supervisor Zhou Shengtai suddenly lifted his head, his expression becoming extremely ugly. He shook his head with a heavy tone. "Yun Bai, all of the State Religion's storage warehouses in the Northwest region are empty. There is not a single soul-stabilizing pill left."

Yun Bai's heart sank to the bottom in an instant, as if he had fallen into an ice cellar.

But he still would not give up, his voice hoarse. "The Holy City! What about the Holy City's main warehouse?!"

"I have already urgently contacted the Holy City's main warehouse!" Supervisor Zhou Shengtai spoke rapidly, carrying deep helplessness. "But the war at the border is tight. The Demon Race has used some kind of strange mental attack weapon, causing the demand for soul-stabilizing pills to skyrocket. The Holy City is also working at full capacity to refine and supply the front lines. The fastest... the fastest it will take is one or two days to allocate one over here."

"One or two days?!" Yun Bai's voice suddenly rose, filled with despair. "No! Absolutely not! She cannot wait! She has at most... at most only six hours left!"

Six hours, like a heavy mountain pressing on his chest, making him almost suffocate.

Supervisor Zhou Shengtai looked at the near-collapsing despair in Yun Bai's eyes, his own face showing an extremely troubled expression.

He furrowed his brows tightly, his fingers tapping the table unconsciously.

A few breaths later, his eyes lit up. "Follow me! There is one more place... perhaps... there is still a glimmer of hope!"

Supervisor Zhou Shengtai led Yun Bai to a side hall of the State Religion.

On the ground, a Formation with a diameter of about a zhang, inscribed with countless complex spatial runes, was emitting a faint spiritual light.

"Stand steady!" Supervisor Zhou Shengtai gave a low shout, quickly forming hand seals, and injected his own surging spiritual power into the Formation eye.

Hum—!

Blinding white light instantly filled the entire compartment! A strong sense of dizziness washed over him.

This feeling was very familiar to Yun Bai, exactly the same as the feeling of entering the Black Tower.

When the light dissipated, the two of them were already in a strange space, completely different from Chu Prefecture.

Beneath their feet were streets paved with warm white jade slabs, and on both sides were shops and pavilions of various styles, antique and elegant, with the air emitting pure Spiritual Qi.

The pedestrians were dressed in various attires, but most had extraordinary bearings and calm gaits, forming a sharp contrast with the chaos and panic of the outside world, revealing a tranquility and transcendence that did not seem of the mortal world.

Supervisor Zhou Shengtai was clearly extremely familiar with this place. He did not stop at all, leading Yun Bai to walk quickly through the clean streets.

Supervisor Zhou Shengtai simply explained, "This is the Heart Realm Grotto-heaven of my Human Race. It is an important location for my Human Race's core Cultivate, trading, and communication."

However, Yun Bai had no heart to pay attention to where he was at this moment. He gave an "oh" and did not ask further.

The two finally stopped in front of a Medicinal Pill shop that looked quite old and even a bit crooked.

On the black signboard with gold characters, four large words were written in a flamboyant, calligraphic style— "Drunkard Pill Shop".

"The owner of this shop, Senior Jiu, is the creator of the 'soul-stabilizing pill'. Your request is truly urgent, so I think he might have some stock here," Supervisor Zhou Shengtai said.

The creator of the soul-stabilizing pill? Hearing this, hope ignited in Yun Bai's heart.

Before they even entered the door, they heard a burst of intense arguing from inside.

"...Senior Jiu! Grandpa Jiu! I beg you! Please have mercy and help me refine this furnace of 'Meridian-Continuing Muscle-Regenerating Pill'! My son was injured by Devilish Qi at the border, and if he isn't treated, his Meridians will be completely ruined!" A middle-aged fat man wearing luxurious brocade robes, yet with his face covered in tears and snot and having no image to speak of, was desperately pulling on the sleeve of an old man slumped over the counter, begging bitterly.

The old man called "Senior Jiu" had messy hair like a chicken coop, a face flushed red, and his whole body exuded a strong smell of alcohol.

He waved his hand impatiently, trying to shake off the fat man's entanglement, muttering drunkenly, "Scram... scram! Don't... don't you see this old man is busy tasting... tasting this jar of 'Drunken Immortal Brew'? If you want to refine... refine it yourself! Don't... don't disturb this old man's refined interest!"

The fat man appeared as if he had been struck by a hurricane, flying backward dozens of zhang.

Supervisor Zhou Shengtai frowned slightly, but still stepped forward, respectfully cupping his hands in greeting to the drunken old man. "Senior Jiu, sorry to disturb you. Junior Zhou Shengtai would like to ask if you still have any Grade 4 'soul-stabilizing pills' for sale in this shop?" He specifically emphasized the three words "soul-stabilizing pill".

The old drunkard barely lifted his heavy eyelids, his turbid gaze glancing at Supervisor Zhou Shengtai, then sweeping over the anxious-looking Yun Bai behind him. He let out a loud burp and muttered unclearly, "Soul... soul-stabilizing pill? Hmm... seems... seems there is... one last one... pressed at the bottom of the box... hasn't been moved in many years..."

Yun Bai's heart instantly began to beat wildly! It was as if a drowning person had grabbed the last piece of driftwood!

He stepped forward impatiently, his voice trembling with excitement. "Senior! How much?! I will buy it! I want it right now!"

"How... how much?" The old drunkard extended four fingers with blurry, drunken eyes and shook them. "Four... four million... Low-Grade Spirit Stones... absolutely... absolutely no credit..."

Although Yun Bai was mentally prepared, his heart still sank upon hearing this number.

A soul-stabilizing pill refined on the spot would cost over 1 million. Combined with an equally expensive box used to preserve the Medicinal Pill's efficacy, the price usually exceeded 3 million.

But this price of 4 million was much higher than the internal exchange price of the State Religion.

Supervisor Zhou Shengtai's expression darkened, and he quickly spoke up. "Senior Jiu! This young brother's situation is extremely urgent, concerning the life of his closest relative! Could you please show some leniency, out of respect for my master Huang Shouren and Great Elder Xu Antong? Could the price..."

"Xu... Xu Antong? Huang... Huang Shouren?" The old drunkard seemed to sober up a little bit. His turbid eyes squinted, and he let out another burp, waving his hand impatiently. "Fine... fine! For the sake of those two old guys... three... three million! Firm price! One... one Spirit Stone less... and... and it's off the table! This... this is the only one left, take... take it or leave it!" After speaking, he buried his head in his arms again, as if he would fall asleep at any moment.

3 million! This was still a huge sum of money. But compared to the previous 4 million, it was already a huge hope.

"Can it not be any less?" Yun Bai said, unwilling to give up.

"No, no way! If you can't afford it, then, then get out! Hiccup, hiccup." The old man completely lost his patience and waved his hand at the two of them.

Yun Bai felt a huge force strike him. He didn't even have time to struggle before he found himself flying into mid-air, then crashing heavily onto the ground.