50: News about the Wuqi Chaoyuan Tree and Yuancixuan Mine

“This is the core of the five qi gathering tree… inside… it seems there’s also a tree seed.”

Within the emerald green light cluster, dense Five Elements Evil Qi intertwined with vitality, exactly like the aura of the five qi gathering tree.

Inside, a finger-sized brown seed was clearly wrapped.

A hint of surprise appeared on Gu Changsheng’s face.

“The Spirit Plant Record once stated that Heaven And Earth Treasure possesses its own true spirit.

Once it suffers a destructive blow, it will constrict its vitality, condense its tree core, and produce a viable seed… Indeed, the ancients did not deceive me.”

With the item in hand, Gu Changsheng no longer lingered, transforming into a streak of light and fleeing the battlefield.

On Lake Heart Island.

Yan Qing was soaked in blood, his muscles trembling, the Li Huo Flying Sword in his hand almost slipping free.

Before him, five corpses of Daoist children lay scattered, all decapitated with a single sword strike.

Thud—

Yan Qing collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath with difficulty.

At this moment, he was in extremely poor condition, his body covered in dozens of wounds, the deepest one extending from his spine to his lower abdomen, almost cutting him in half.

Looking into the distance, streaks of light occasionally flashed across the sky.

These were Spirit Building Stage cultivators from various Sects, frantically slaughtering and plundering.

‘How could this be… my Five Viscera Temple… actually suffer such a calamity…’

Suddenly, a familiar figure appeared before him.

‘It’s Xin Huo Pulse Master!’

‘Pulse Master, save me! I am a Disciple of the Xin Huo Pulse!’

Hope surged in Yan Qing’s heart.

However, before he could speak, the words that reached his ears sent shivers down his spine.

“Haha, there’s still a living Daoist child here, perfect for extracting a live heart. It's excellent for refining a Xin Huo Pill…”

Xin Huo Pulse Master laughed wildly.

Black Qi surged, transforming into a terrifying large hand that grabbed towards Yan Qing’s heart.

Yan Qing’s eyes were filled with terror.

However, he could only watch, not even having the strength to dodge.

Despair spread in his heart.

Am I going to die… At this moment, the Li Huo Flying Sword that had fallen to the ground let out a soft hum, and a Dragon phantom appeared on its blade.

The next moment.

Clang, clang—

A Dragon Sword Qi streaked across the Void Realm, flashing past in an instant.

Xin Huo Pulse Master’s sneer froze on his face, a line of blood appeared at his neck, followed by a torrent of blood, and his head rolled to the ground with a gurgle.

“Master…”

How could Yan Qing not understand? This was a contingency left by Gu Changsheng.

Immediately, two lines of clear tears streamed down his cheeks, dripping onto the ground.

Looking at Xin Huo Pulse Master’s corpse, hope rekindled in his eyes.

He wanted to live!

Yan Qing hunched over, clutching the blood-soaked earth, and laboriously crawled to Xin Huo Pulse Master’s side, reaching out to grope around.

Soon, he pulled out bottle after bottle of Medicinal Pills.

Five Viscera Pills, Essence Replenishing Pills, Qi Refining Pills… Yan Qing poured out a handful of Liver Wood Pills and swallowed them.

A rich vitality spread in his abdomen, and visibly, the wounds all over his body stopped bleeding, and his flesh gradually healed.

This pill was one of the Five Viscera Pills, refined by using Daoist children who cultivated the Liver Wood Chapter of the Five Viscera Temple as a medicinal primer, extracting their livers while alive. Besides increasing cultivation, it also had healing effects.

Suddenly, among a pile of miscellaneous items, a green jade box caught Yan Qing’s attention.

Opening it, a red-skinned, infant-like fruit came into view.

“This is… the greater five viscera pill!”

As a Disciple of the Five Viscera Temple, he had naturally heard of the Sect’s supreme Medicinal Pill—the greater five viscera pill.

Of course, he had never dared to hope that he would one day obtain it.

Now, it was right before his eyes.

Immediately, Yan Qing’s eyes burned with fervor, and something called ambition grew wildly in his heart… On his way back, Gu Changsheng occasionally sensed something.

“Hmm? That protective Sword Qi was activated…”

That day, Gu Changsheng had sealed a Sword Qi in the Li Huo Flying Sword using Dragon blood combined with a beast-spotting technique.

Its power was enough to rival a full-strength attack from a Foundation Building Realm Cultivator.

With a prepared mind against an unprepared one, even a Spirit Building Stage cultivator would suffer a bitter defeat.

“Oh well, it’s just a convenient Disciple anyway…”

To Gu Changsheng, this was merely a small interlude, not worth dwelling on in the slightest… Bang, bang, bang—

A Spirit Building Stage cultivator’s body exploded, turning into a sky full of blood mist.

“A mere Spirit Building Stage cultivator, daring to covet the essence of the tree core…”

Carefree Scholar Guan Ping grabbed with his palm, and a streak of emerald green light from the blood mist fell into his palm, gradually merging into the square mirror.

Visibly, the tree core essence returned to the size of a stone basin.

“Ninety-five percent…”

Guan Ping silently calculated.

“This amount is enough to refine the Profound Cave Pill and should not affect Revered Master’s Alchemy.”

After a search, he successively killed over a dozen Spirit Building Stage cultivators to retrieve most of the scattered tree core essence.

The remaining half a percent was truly nowhere to be found.

“It’s time to go back…”

Three days later, the news of the Five Viscera Temple’s destruction spread, shocking the entire Great Shang cultivation world.

“What?!

The Five Viscera Temple, a Sect that stood for a thousand years, was actually destroyed.

How could it be so fast? Not a whisper of it was heard before…”

“Alas, the Yellow Turban Army is truly ruthless, even uniting with the White Bone Temple, Shadow Gate, Poison Dragon Island, and five other Sects to besiege and kill the Five Viscera Temple’s Grand Elder Lu Pingsheng.

How could the Five Viscera Temple not be destroyed then?

Now, from Grand Elder Lu Pingsheng down to the Contemplation Realm Daoist children, almost none survived.

A few scattered survivors fled and are being hunted like stray dogs by the five major Sects.”

“Not only that, I heard that a Great Shang Royal Enshriner also died this time… Alas, the Five Viscera Temple has always been close to the Great Shang Dynasty.

Now that the Five Viscera Temple is destroyed, the Great Shang Dynasty is like an arm cut off, becoming even more precarious…”

Ten days later, the Yellow Turban Army’s Celestial Revered Master Zhang Liang emerged from seclusion, slaying the Great Shang’s First Royal Enshriner Su Shentong on the battlefield and completely seizing Ding Province.

On the same day, it was announced to the world that the Great Shang Cave Profound Ancestors Yin Tianxu had long since passed away.

This news spread like a storm across the nine provinces of Great Shang, its impact far exceeding the previous destruction of the Five Viscera Temple.

In less than three days, rebellions broke out successively across the nine provinces.

In an instant, the Great Shang’s territorial map disintegrated, and the only prefecture it controlled was Jing Province, where the capital was located.

Chaoge City.

Second-floor private room of Xianheng Teahouse.

“Leaving Lake Heart Island that day, I never expected such earth-shattering changes in the world’s situation… Thankfully, none of it affects me.”

Gu Changsheng picked up the blue porcelain teacup and took a sip.

These days, he had lived in seclusion, quietly selling paintings and cultivating by eating meat in Chenping County.

If not for the news of the yuan magnetic profound ore vein, he would not have entered Chaoge City.

Fortunately, Chenping County was a county under Jing Province, not far from Chaoge.

‘That masked young man that day actually sent a message saying he had news of a yuan magnetic profound ore vein. I wonder if it’s true or false…’

Just as Gu Changsheng was about to add another pot of tea, his peripheral vision caught sight of a handsome young man coming up the stairs.

His figure and demeanor were identical to that of the masked young man that day.

“After many days apart, Fellow Daoist, I hope you are well.

Unlike this old Daoist, who is now a stray dog, a rat scurrying across the street…”

“Daoist Dan Chenzi, you exaggerate.

Although the Five Viscera Temple is destroyed, this is Chaoge, within the Great Shang’s sphere of influence. Those hostile Sects of the Five Viscera Temple would never dare to come here.

In fact, many Daoist Revered Masters and children from the Five Viscera Temple have fled to Chaoge.

If you gather your fellow Disciples, it would also be a considerable force.

It’s not impossible to restore the Five Viscera Temple’s Dao in the future.”

Hearing this, Gu Changsheng waved his hand and went straight to the point: “Fellow Daoist, let’s not joke.

Let’s get straight to it.

If this old Daoist wants to obtain the intelligence regarding the yuan magnetic profound ore vein from you, what price must I pay?”

Gu Changsheng’s eyes burned, staring intently at the young man before him.