86: Go

The medicinal power was as warm as water, slowly flowing through his limbs and bones, repairing and nourishing his damaged Meridians little by little.

Qi Yunxiao's consciousness awoke from a state of Chaos and darkness.

He suddenly opened his eyes, panting heavily.

“I'm still alive?”

He subconsciously murmured, his voice hoarse and dry.

Memories surged like a tide: the narrow alley where he was ambushed, the roar of the Heavenly Thunder Pearl, and finally, the blood-tinged, life-claiming ghostly claw…

He shuddered, abruptly sitting up, his first reaction being to check the Storage Pouch on his chest.

The Storage Pouch was still there!

Qi Yunxiao let out a long sigh of relief, feeling as if all his strength had been drained, and he slumped down.

Then, he began to survey his surroundings.

This was the summit of a mountain shrouded in clouds and mist.

Underfoot was lush green grass, and in the distance lay a surging sea of clouds.

The air was filled with the fresh scent of grass and trees, refreshing and invigorating.

Not far away, a figure sat cross-legged with his back to him.

The person wore pristine white robes, unsullied by dust, and his ink-black long hair was simply tied up with a jade hairpin, his posture as straight as a pine.

In front of him, an ancient bronze Pill Furnace floated.

The white-robed Cultivator was single-handedly forming hand seals, with specks of spiritual light occasionally entering the flames beneath the Pill Furnace from his fingertips, his movements flowing like water, carrying an indescribable Dao rhythm.

An extremely rich Pill fragrance was slowly emanating from the seams of the Pill Furnace.

Qi Yunxiao merely took a light breath and felt his mind clear, his body's originally sluggish Qi becoming more active, and even his cultivation Bottleneck seemed to loosen slightly.

He was horrified in his Heart-Nature.

What grade of Medicinal Pill was this? Just smelling the diffused medicinal fragrance had such miraculous effects!

Looking at the white-robed Cultivator again, though only seeing his back, he exuded an aura of profound stability, as if merged with this Heaven and Earth, inspiring involuntary awe.

Qi Yunxiao immediately understood that he must have been saved by this Senior.

He quickly tidied his tattered clothes, stumbled to his feet, and respectfully walked forward.

“Senior, was it you who saved this Junior?” He bowed, his voice filled with gratitude and trepidation.

The white-robed Cultivator's movements did not stop; he continued to methodically control the furnace fire, merely giving a faint hum in response.

A moment later, his hand seal changed, and the flames beneath the Pill Furnace abruptly extinguished.

With a soft “ding,” the furnace lid sprang open on its own.

A Pill fragrance ten times richer than before instantly burst forth, transforming into a visible white wave of Qi that rushed towards them.

When Qi Yunxiao was hit by this Pill fragrance, he felt all thirty-six thousand pores in his body open up, and the residual medicinal power of the life-saving Medicinal Pill was completely activated, his internal injuries healing at an incredible speed.

He stared at the Pill Furnace in shock, his eyes filled with fervor.

At this moment, the white-robed Cultivator slowly turned around and opened his eyes.

What kind of eyes were they? As deep as the starry sky, as calm as an ancient well, as if they could see through everything in the world.

Paired with that handsome and unparalleled face, as if naturally formed, it caused Qi Yunxiao to lose himself for a moment.

“I happened to pass by and saw that you weren't meant to die, so I saved you casually.” The white-robed male's voice was flat, as if he had only done a trivial matter. “This is a desolate mountain a hundred miles outside the capital. You don't need to worry.”

Qi Yunxiao regained his senses, his face flushed with gratitude, and he bowed deeply again.

“Thank you, Senior, for saving my life! This Junior, Qi Yunxiao, will never forget it!”

The white-robed male nodded slightly, his gaze returning to the Pill Furnace, and he flicked his finger.

Three Medicinal Pills, the size of Dragon eyes, perfectly round, and emitting a shimmering treasure light, flew out of the furnace and landed in the jade bottle in his palm.

“Alas, the heat was still a bit off; it barely counts as a High Grade,” he seemed to shake his head with some dissatisfaction, casually putting away the jade bottle.

When Qi Yunxiao heard this, his eyelids twitched violently.

Such a Divine Pill, in the Senior's mouth, was merely “barely a High Grade”?

He suddenly thought of something, and an unprecedented light burst forth in his eyes, his tone becoming urgent.

“Senior! You… are you an Alchemy Great Master?”

The white-robed male glanced at him, calmly replying, “I merely understand a thing or two. For this batch of Medicinal Pills, the main ingredients used were several thousand-year-old Spiritual Plants. Unfortunately, the auxiliary Spirit Medicine were not old enough, affecting the quality, so the finished product is just passable.”

“Several… several thousand-year-old Spiritual Plants?!”

Qi Yunxiao felt his mind buzz, and he was completely stunned.

He had almost lost his life for a mere few hundred-year-old Blood Coagulation Grass and Earth Dragon Root.

Yet, this Senior in front of him was using several thousand-year-old Spiritual Plants for Alchemy, and still looked dissatisfied, as if the “finished product was just passable.”

This was a heaven-sent Opportunity!

Miss Xin Ruyin's illness could be cured!

His breathing became heavy, his fists clenched, and his body trembled slightly from excitement.

“Senior!” Qi Yunxiao's voice trembled slightly. He took a step forward, staring intently at the white-robed male. “Senior, do you… do you still have unused thousand-year-old Spiritual Plants? This Junior… this Junior is willing to exchange them for treasures of equal value!”

This white-robed Cultivator was naturally Lin Feng. Seeing that Qi Yunxiao had finally taken the bait, this act he had orchestrated was not in vain.

He replied with feigned calm, “Thousand-year-old Spiritual Plants, I naturally still have some here.”

He said unhurriedly, “But what do you have to exchange with me?”

When Qi Yunxiao saw that he had not directly refused, a surge of ecstasy immediately welled up in his Heart-Nature.

There was hope!

He unhesitatingly took out an item from his Storage Pouch: a set of Formation tools consisting of six Formation Flags and a core Formation Plate.

The Formation Flags were entirely black, while the Formation Plate displayed a five-colored flowing light. As soon as it appeared, an profound Formation fluctuation emanated from it.

“Senior, please look!”

Qi Yunxiao held the Formation Plate with both hands, his expression extremely solemn, his eyes filled with strong confidence.

“This Formation is called the [Five Elements Inversion Array], created by a good friend of this Junior! Although this Formation is not yet completely finished, its power is already extraordinary!”

He took a deep breath, introducing it with an impassioned tone, “Once this Formation is set up, it can invert the Five Elements, and those within the Formation will be trapped in an illusionary space! If the complete version of the Formation is fully activated, it is enough to trap and kill a Core Formation Cultivator within it, and a Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator entering the Formation will surely die!”

Lin Feng looked at the set of Formations, and in his Heart-Nature, he actually quite approved.

Xin Ruyin's Formation talent was truly astonishing and brilliant.

He himself had a complete and optimized version of the [Five Elements Inversion Array] exchanged from the System, whose power was only stronger, not weaker, than what Qi Yunxiao described. He had once used this Formation to trap and kill a Core Formation Cultivator in the battle against the Chen family.

He naturally knew the true value of this set of Formations.

However, the act had to be complete.

Lin Feng merely glanced indifferently at the Formation Plate, then withdrew his gaze, even showing a hint of boredom on his face.

“Oh? Five Elements Inversion Array?”

He gently shook his head, his tone carrying a hint of disdain.

“The idea is good, but unfortunately, it's ultimately just an incomplete item. If it were a complete grand Formation, perhaps it would be somewhat interesting.”

“A half-finished product is of no value to me.”

He waved his hand, seemingly a bit impatient.

“If you don't have other treasures of equal value, you should leave on your own.”

After speaking, Lin Feng actually closed his eyes, acting as if he was too lazy to say more, seemingly preparing to enter meditation and adjust his breathing.

“Senior… Senior!”

Qi Yunxiao was completely anxious.

He hadn't expected his most prized possession to be so worthless in the eyes of this Senior.

The other party's calm and indifferent attitude didn't seem feigned; he genuinely looked down on it.

Seeing this only hope about to be shattered, in his desperation, he no longer cared about anything else and blurted out.

“Senior, wait! This Spirit Medicine… this Spirit Medicine is not for this Junior's own needs, but to treat and save the life of my friend who created this Formation!”

His voice was earnest, almost tearful.

“As long as Senior is willing to bestow the Spirit Medicine and save my friend's life, once she recovers, she will surely be able to complete this Formation! At that time, this Junior will definitely present the complete [Five Elements Inversion Array] with both hands!”

Seeing Lin Feng still with his eyes closed and unmoved, Qi Yunxiao steeled his Heart-Nature and gritted his teeth, “Moreover! My friend has extraordinary talent, and the grand Formations she created are by no means just this one!”

“There are several other Formations, all of which are no less powerful than the [Five Elements Inversion Array]!”

“If Senior doesn't believe it, you can follow this Junior to my residence to see for yourself! Although my friend suffers from a chronic illness, her Formation attainments will absolutely not disappoint Senior!”

Qi Yunxiao threw out all his chips in one breath, looking at Lin Feng nervously, his palms covered in sweat.

He had said everything he could, even actively inviting the other party to his residence.

But in his opinion, this Senior's cultivation was unfathomable, his Heart-Nature noble and pure, and he had just saved his life, so he would certainly not harbor any ill intentions towards an ant like himself.

After his words fell, the mountaintop fell into a brief silence.

Just as Qi Yunxiao felt his Heart-Nature about to leap out of his throat, the white-robed Cultivator finally slowly opened his eyes.

“Oh?”

In Lin Feng's eyes, a hint of almost imperceptible interest seemed to flash.

“A prodigy who can create several grand Formations…”

He pondered for a moment, as if weighing the pros and cons, and finally, under Qi Yunxiao's extremely hopeful gaze, he faintly nodded.

“Very well.”

“Then I shall go with you and see what kind of person this friend of yours is.”

Qi Yunxiao felt a huge surge of joy explode from the bottom of his Heart-Nature, making his head spin, almost causing him to lose his balance.

“Thank… thank you, Senior! Thank you, Senior!” He thanked him incoherently, his face flushed with excitement.

“I… I will lead the way for Senior now! Our residence is at…”

He was about to say the location, then activate his Qi to prepare for sword flight.

But Lin Feng raised his hand to interrupt him.

With a flick of his sleeve, a delicate flying boat, about three zhang long, entirely crafted from an unknown green jade, appeared out of thin air.

On the flying boat, spiritual light flowed, runes flickered, and its design was elegant and luxurious; one could tell at a glance that it was no ordinary item.

“Take this.”

Lin Feng's figure flickered, and he lightly landed on the deck of the flying boat.

He looked down at Qi Yunxiao, who was still frozen in place, his tone calm.

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Haha, today's three chapters were a broken promise.

Four chapters tomorrow! I hope everyone will support me more~