208: Chapter 27 Purifying Spirit and Soothing Soul Powder

The moment the teleportation array activated, Chen Zilong felt as if he had been tossed into a high-speed, silver-glinting drum washing machine.

The world spun, and his internal organs felt as if they were about to be squeezed out through his throat.

Moreover, the wounds on his back and waist left by the Xuan Yin Sect spies' sneak attack throbbed with such intense pain under the violent spatial tearing that his vision went dark, and he nearly fainted.

The sound of howling wind filled his ears, sounding like the screeching of countless spatial fragments rubbing together, causing the cracks deep within his primordial spirit to tremble along with them.

"Damn it... those Xuan Yin Sect bastards..."

Gritting his teeth, he cursed the ancestors of those three spies in his heart.

He would remember this debt.

Once his injuries healed, he would definitely find an opportunity to take it back with interest.

He didn't know how much time had passed; it could have been a moment or a century.

Just as he felt he was about to be torn to pieces by the spatial turbulence, his feet hit solid ground, and the deadly tearing sensation suddenly vanished.

"Thud!"

He stumbled, nearly unable to stand, and knelt on one knee, gasping for breath with cold sweat covering his forehead.

Looking up, he saw an unfamiliar white jade plaza surrounded by massive stone pillars carved with patterns of auspicious clouds and cranes. The air was filled with a spiritual energy that was much denser and purer than that of the Southern Border, mixed with the faint, strange medicinal fragrance of various pills.

This was Lingxiao City, a famous city for cultivators in the eastern part of the Central Region.

He wasn't the only one in the plaza; other cultivators were emerging from the teleportation array one after another, most of them pale and unstable, clearly suffering from the effects of ultra-long-distance teleportation.

Several cultivators wearing uniform green Daoist robes with cloud patterns embroidered on their sleeves were maintaining order and guiding everyone to leave the teleportation area.

Chen Zilong forced himself to stand up and quietly checked his condition.

His injuries had worsened, especially the wound on his waist that had been grazed by the Yin Fiend Sword Qi, even though it had been treated in time.

During the teleportation process, it seemed to have been further eroded by spatial power, showing a faint tendency to deteriorate.

His primordial spirit was even more exhausted.

He quickly swallowed two pills, barely suppressing his churning blood and the piercing pain.

He blended into the crowd, keeping his head down as he quickly left the teleportation plaza.

The most important thing now was to find a safe place to heal and then inquire about the specific route and method to reach Pill City.

As a major transit city, Lingxiao City certainly had more convenient ways to reach Pill City, perhaps through specialized cloud boats or smaller teleportation arrays.

Walking on the streets of Lingxiao City, Chen Zilong truly felt the prosperity and heritage of the Central Region's core area.

The streets were wide enough for eight horse-drawn carriages to pass side-by-side, paved with smooth green jade slabs, and lined with rows of shops with increasingly grand signs.

"Wanbao Pavilion," "Danding Pavilion," "Spirit Beast Hall," "Immortal Talisman Abode"...

The cultivators entering and exiting generally had powerful auras; Golden Cores were as common as dogs, Nascent Souls were everywhere, and the aura of a Nascent Soul Cultivator could be felt from time to time.

The spiritual energy and medicinal fragrance in the air refreshed his spirit, and even his injuries seemed to ease slightly.

"As expected of a place near Pill City..."

Chen Zilong thought to himself.

The culture of alchemy flourished here; perhaps he could find some pills or clues that were exceptionally effective for repairing the primordial spirit.

However, despite his current wealth, he didn't dare to show it off easily, especially in his heavily injured state, which made it easier for others to target him.

He found an inn that looked clean but was in a relatively secluded location and checked in, setting up a warning Restriction as usual.

He then began to gather information while healing, using the inn's attendants and public information channels within the city.

The information was quickly compiled.

Lingxiao City indeed had giant cloud boats that traveled to Pill City on a regular basis, operated by several large merchant associations; they were extremely fast and very safe.

However, the tickets were expensive and required advance booking, with the next available flight being in seven days.

Besides that, there were also temporary teams formed by cultivators who rented fast flying magical treasures to travel; the costs were more flexible, but safety and reliability were uncertain.

Chen Zilong weighed his options and decided to take a formal cloud boat.

Although it was more expensive, it was hassle-free and relatively safe.

What he needed most now was stability and time to recover from his injuries.

However, just the day before he planned to book the cloud boat ticket, trouble arrived unexpectedly.

Chen Zilong thought that since he was in a place where alchemy flourished, he might as well visit some large pill shops to see if there were any suitable pills or ancient texts regarding primordial spirit injuries.

He concealed his aura, disguised himself as an ordinary Golden Core rogue cultivator, and walked into a well-known shop in the central area of Lingxiao City called "Baicao Pill Pavilion."

The pavilion was spacious and bright, filled with the scent of medicinal herbs.

Behind the counters stood several alchemists or apprentices with steady auras, and the surrounding shelves were filled with various jade bottles and wooden boxes labeled with pill names and effects.

There were many cultivators looking at pills, but most were quiet, speaking in low voices.

Chen Zilong's gaze swept over the pill sections labeled "Spirit Nourishing," "Soul Condensing," and "Soul Stabilizing," carefully reading the descriptions.

The quality of these pills was good, but most were only effective for ordinary divine sense depletion or minor primordial spirit tremors; for an injury like his, where the foundation of the primordial spirit was damaged with law-based cracks, the effects would likely be limited.

He felt slightly disappointed.

Just as he was about to leave, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted an inconspicuous corner inside the pavilion with several old-looking wooden shelves.

What was placed on them were not finished pills, but some damaged jade slips, ancient beast-skin books, and even some strange-looking medicinal ingredients or mineral fragments of unknown use.

A small sign stood next to them, reading: "Ancient fragments, miscellaneous curios, no returns, find your own fortune."

Chen Zilong's heart stirred, and he walked over.

He remembered that the jade slip he had previously obtained from Tian Yin, which recorded the statements of the Void Pill Master, had been found among such "miscellaneous items."

Perhaps he could find something useful here as well.

He casually flipped through the damaged jade slips.

Most recorded incomplete low-level pill recipes or alchemy insights, which were of little value.

But when he picked up a dark-colored black bone fragment with scorch marks on the edges, his movements paused slightly.

The bone fragment, made from the bone of some unknown demon beast, was ice-cold to the touch and was inscribed with several lines of small characters in extremely ancient runes.

Chen Zilong identified them, and the general meaning was:

"...When the primordial spirit is wounded, it is like a mirror developing cracks; ordinary pills are like using mud to mend a mirror, possessing only the appearance of a fix. One must use a 'soul source' item as a catalyst, supplemented by the 'Spirit Purifying' method, and proceed slowly to allow the cracks to heal and the origin to remain undamaged..."

Following that was a vague description of the properties of 'soul source' items, as well as an incomplete recipe for 'spirit purifying soul calming powder,' with several main ingredients listed, though the supplementary herbs and refining techniques were mostly missing.

Chen Zilong's heart jolted!

This description was so similar to the condition of his primordial spirit injury!

Ordinary pills could indeed only provide temporary stability and could not cure the cracks.

The 'soul source' item and 'Spirit Purifying' method mentioned on this bone fragment...

Though the details were vague, they pointed him in a possible direction!

And that 'spirit purifying soul calming powder,' even if incomplete, was of immense value!

He suppressed the excitement in his heart and looked calmly at a white-haired old man dozing behind the counter.

"Shopkeeper, how much for this bone fragment?"

The old man opened his bleary eyes, glanced at the black bone fragment, and yawned.

"Oh, that one... it's been sitting there for decades, and no one can understand it. If you want it, just give me fifty mid-grade spirit stones and take it away."

Fifty mid-grade spirit stones were a drop in the bucket for the current Chen Zilong.

He paid the money readily and carefully put away the bone fragment.

This might be his greatest harvest before arriving at Pill City.

However, just as he turned to leave the pill pavilion, a slightly surprised and seemingly uncertain voice came from behind him.

"Chen... Fellow Daoist Chen?"