158: Chapter 158 Eighth-Grade Pills

Day after day, time slipped through their fingers silently like flowing water, and in the blink of an eye, another year had hurriedly passed.

On Purple Bamboo Peak, the clouds and mist still lingered as always, but among the emerald green bamboo leaves, there seemed to be a few more hints of an indescribable loneliness.

The wind passed through the bamboo forest, rustling like a low voice narrating some unknown secret of the heart.

Deep within the secret chamber, the light was dim, with only a few night-luminescent pearls embedded in the walls emitting a faint glow, illuminating the entire space as hazily as a dream.

The air was filled with a faint fragrance of herbs mixed with an intermittent chill, making one shiver involuntarily.

Chen Zilong, Liu Mei, Ye Qingxi, and Jin Mei stood quietly around the white jade bed, their gazes focused on the small white fox curled into a ball.

Its fur should have originally been as white as snow, but now it appeared somewhat dull and lusterless, as if covered by an invisible layer of dust.

Ye Qingxi stood at the very front, her expression complex, containing both relief and an irrepressible sense of guilt.

In this past year, she had not only broken through to the Nascent Soul Realm in her cultivation,

But more importantly, she had reclaimed her own life.

Yet whenever she saw the little fox that Tu Shan Xiaoxiao had transformed into, her heart felt as if it were being violently gripped by something, making it hard to breathe.

Jin Mei stood by her side, her head slightly lowered, her fingers unconsciously twisting the corner of her clothes.

After officially leaving the Hehuan Sect, she had joined Liu Mei's tutelage and become the fourth true inheritance disciple of Purple Bamboo Peak.

Her cultivation progressing to the Mid-stage Golden Core should have been something to be happy about, but at this moment, she couldn't smile at all.

Chen Zilong stood at the foot of the bed, motionless, as if he had turned into a stone statue.

His gaze was fixed intently on the little fox, his lips pressed white, and traces of undried tears remained at the corners of his eyes.

He remembered the look Tu Shan Xiaoxiao gave him at the end, so gentle and yet so resolute.

"Why... why did it turn out like this..." he murmured to himself, his voice so hoarse it was almost inaudible.

Clearly, everything was moving in a good direction—Ye Qingxi had awakened, Jin Mei had found a home, and even his own cultivation had broken through.

But it just had to be Tu Shan Xiaoxiao, this silly girl who had used everything to save him, who ended up in such a state.

Liu Mei sighed softly and reached out to pat Chen Zilong's shoulder, but she stopped mid-air.

She knew that at this moment, any comfort would be hollow.

Just then, two streaks of light appeared silently in the secret chamber, without warning, like ghosts.

The light dissipated, revealing the figures of Tushan Yaoyao and Nangong Taiyi.

Tushan Yaoyao was dressed in plain clothes, her face haggard, and the fine lines at the corners of her eyes were much deeper than a year ago.

She walked quickly to the white jade bed and reached out a trembling hand, wanting to stroke the little fox, but she abruptly pulled back just before touching it, as if afraid of disturbing its slumber.

Nangong Taiyi stood behind her, his brow furrowed and his gaze solemn.

He looked around at everyone present, finally resting his gaze on Liu Mei.

"Junior sister, junior brother, is there a way?" Liu Mei asked urgently, her voice carrying a trace of imperceptible trembling.

Nangong Taiyi took a deep breath, as if having made a certain decision:

"I have carefully studied that secret technique of the Hehuan Sect. Xiaoxiao... she sacrificed all of her Primal Yin and cultivation, and was then struck by the backlash of the secret technique. Her physical body is already... dead."

The word "dead" was like a heavy hammer, smashing violently against everyone's hearts.

Jin Mei couldn't help but gasp, subconsciously covering her mouth.

"Then... is there still hope?" Chen Zilong suddenly looked up, a spark of hope igniting in his eyes.

Nangong Taiyi remained silent for a moment before slowly speaking:

"There is only one way—an eighth-grade high-level pill, the nirvana blood fusion pill."

"Eighth-grade?!"

Everyone exclaimed in unison, their voices echoing in the small secret chamber, sounding exceptionally piercing.

Chen Zilong's face instantly turned deathly pale.

An eighth-grade pill meant that an Eighth-Grade Alchemist was required to refine it.

But in this Xuantian Sect—no, it should be said in the entire Heaven Territory—not a single Eighth-Grade Alchemist could be found.

This world was divided into nine continents: Heaven, Earth, Profound, Yellow, Universe, Space, Flood, Desolation, and the Central Region.

In the Heaven Territory where the Xuantian Sect was located, the highest-grade alchemist was only seventh-grade.

As for Eighth-Grade Alchemists, they only existed in the distant Central Region, in that holy land every alchemist dreamed of—the Pill Mansion.

According to the trajectory of the original story, the original Chen Zilong was killed by Ye Wushuang during this period.

Afterward, Ye Wushuang ascended to the position of the Xuantian Sect's Saint Son, and only after reaching the Deity Transformation Realm did he dare to travel to the Central Region to make a name for himself.

Chen Zilong clenched his fists so tightly that his nails sank deep into his palms, completely unaware of the blood seeping out.

He stared fixedly at Nangong Taiyi, his voice low:

"May I ask, how much longer can Xiaoxiao hold on?"

Nangong Taiyi took out a crystal-clear ice coffin from his sleeve, and a cold chill immediately filled the secret chamber, making everyone shiver.

"This is the ice soul coffin,"

He said solemnly, "As long as Xiaoxiao's body is placed inside, it can preserve her for a thousand years without decaying."

Chen Zilong closed his eyes and took a deep breath of the cold air.

When he opened his eyes again, his gaze had become incredibly determined:

"Alright, please preserve Xiaoxiao's body well. I will go to the Pill Mansion in the Central Region and I must refine the nirvana blood fusion pill."

For a moment, the secret chamber was silent, with only the cold air from the ice soul coffin flowing through the air, making a slight sizzling sound.

Everyone's gaze was focused on Chen Zilong.

Ye Qingxi bit her lower lip, her expression complex.

Jin Mei's mouth was slightly open, as if she wanted to say something but didn't dare.

Liu Mei's brow furrowed even tighter, her eyes full of worry.

"Good, good, good!"

Nangong Taiyi said 'good' three times in a row, a gratified smile finally appearing on his face. "Xiaoxiao truly has a keen eye for heroes! Truly the man my daughter took a fancy to!"

Tushan Yaoyao also turned her head, looking at Chen Zilong with tearful eyes, and nodded gently.

The group discussed a few more details before leaving the secret chamber one by one.

Chen Zilong was the last to leave; he stood at the entrance of the secret chamber for a long time, looked back deeply at the tiny white fox in the ice soul coffin, and then turned to depart.

Returning to the main hall of Purple Bamboo Peak, sunlight spilled in through the carved wooden windows, casting dappled shadows on the floor.

But this place, so familiar in the past, now felt like it held an indescribable oppression.

"Long'er, have you really decided to go to the Central Region?"

Liu Mei spoke first, her voice filled with worry. "The Central Region is a place of mixed influences where various forces are intricately intertwined; it is not as relatively peaceful as our Heaven Territory."

Chen Zilong nodded, his gaze as firm as iron:

"I must go. For Xiaoxiao's sake, let alone the Central Region, I would even brave a mountain of blades or a sea of fire."

"I'll go with you." Ye Qingxi stepped forward, her tone resolute.

However, Chen Zilong shook his head:

"No, Qingxi, you are the Eldest Senior Sister of Purple Bamboo Peak; this place needs you to oversee it."

"Furthermore, Meier will soon return to the Chen family to take over the family business. Everything on Purple Bamboo Peak can only rely on you now."

Ye Qingxi opened her mouth, seemingly wanting to argue further.

But seeing Chen Zilong's determined gaze, she ultimately swallowed her words.

She only gave a soft "mm," a flash of disappointment passing through her eyes.

"Then when do you plan to set out?" Liu Mei asked again.

Chen Zilong pondered for a moment:

"I'll leave after I've said my goodbyes to everyone, probably in three days."

Liu Mei sighed softly and stepped forward to straighten his collar:

"In that case, prepare well these next few days."

"As your master, I also want to see if the disciple I've taught can establish a foothold in the Central Region."

At this point, she forced a slight smile, trying to lighten the atmosphere.

Chen Zilong held her hand and also smiled. "You're married to me now, yet you still keep calling yourself 'master.' Is that appropriate?"

"Why wouldn't it be?"

Liu Mei raised an eyebrow, feigning seriousness. "Even if I've married you, I will forever be your master."

That night, the candles burned brightly in the sleeping palace of Purple Bamboo Peak.

Chen Zilong, Liu Mei, and Ye Qingxi sat embracing one another, leaning on each other as if trying to merge into one another's flesh and blood.

Outside the window, the moonlight was like water, quietly spilling over Purple Bamboo Peak, enveloping the entire mountain in a silver glow.

Liu Mei leaned against Chen Zilong's shoulder, her fingertips unconsciously twining around a lock of his hair:

"This trip to the Central Region is a long journey with unpredictable dangers; you must be careful in everything."

"I know."

Chen Zilong responded softly, his other hand gently holding Ye Qingxi's hand. "You two must also be well on Purple Bamboo Peak. Wait for my return, and our family will be reunited."

Ye Qingxi buried her head in the crook of his neck, her voice muffled:

"You must return safely. Otherwise... otherwise I'll go find you, regardless of Purple Bamboo Peak or anything else."

Chen Zilong felt a warmth in his heart, yet also a sense of sorrow.

How could he not want to stay forever with his loved ones?

But for everything Tu Shan Xiaoxiao had sacrificed for him, he could not fail to repay her.

That night, the three of them slept in each other's arms, warming and comforting one another.

Outside the window, the night wind brushed through the bamboo forest, making a rustling sound as if playing a prelude to their parting.