If you don't give up, I'd like to be your adoptive father.

Chapter 1016 Ancestor Hongjun
Meng Qi commented on Ying Zheng: He had an extremely strong desire for control, wanting to master everything within his sight and in his mind, and to achieve perfection.

This assessment is extremely accurate.

During his reign as emperor, Qin Shi Huang launched numerous "scientific research" projects.

There were so many that Xiaoyu couldn't possibly understand all the research projects.

He couldn't even manage to read through all the general outlines.

Currently, in addition to reading about the secrets of Pangu and learning about various strange tales in the Three Realms, she is also broadening her knowledge and experience.

So I read Taoist scriptures, including the "Three Million Volumes of Earthly Fiends and Dragon Veins," to change things up.

She had never seen the "Hongjun Red Pill" that supposedly killed the Three Pure Ones.

However, she had also read related stories in "The Complete Collection of Investiture of the Gods".

Above the Three Pure Ones, there is another teacher named "Hongjun Ancestor".

Hongjun Laozu is the true ancestor; he was the first "transmitter of the Dharma" in the Pangu world.

He once sent a message throughout the Three Realms, publicly announcing that as long as one has the ability to reach the Zixiao Palace in the "Outer Heavens," one can directly listen to Hongjun recount the voice of the Great Dao.

If you really think about it, the Three Pure Ones should address Hongjun as "Master".

In the later stages of the Investiture of the Gods, even the Tongtian Sect Leader was possessed by a calamity, and he set up the "Ten Thousand Immortals Formation," insisting on fighting several saints.

The battle was so fierce that the heavens and earth were in chaos, blurring the lines between the celestial realm, the human realm, and the underworld, almost plunging the world back into the state of earth, water, wind, and fire.

Hongjun Laozu appeared and poured three red "elixirs" from his gourd, giving them to his three disciples.

Without the slightest hesitation, the Three Pure Ones ate what their teacher gave them.

Then the Grandmaster Hongjun told them: This elixir has profound power in its refinement, and each of you three must work on it individually. If you change your mind first, the elixir will be released from your abdomen and you will die instantly.

The reason this event was known to later generations and recorded in Emperor Qin Shi Huang's "The Secret Version of the Investiture of the Gods" is because Hongjun Laozu did not descend secretly to administer the medicine.

Hongjun descended in public and was welcomed into the thatched hut by the saints. Among those present were the two Western Saints and many Golden Immortals from the three religions.

He also publicly administered the medicine, publicly discussed the effects of the poison pill, and threatened the three Dao Ancestors.

Of course, those who overheard knew what was good and bad, and did not spread this shocking secret.

Even in the Qin Dynasty's secret chamber, the "Investiture of the Gods" story has several versions.

The secrets concerning sages and immortals are all hidden in the inner chamber.

When Ying Zheng was still alive, even ordinary celestial masters could not see him.

Now, Xiaoyu can look at whatever she wants.

She was quite afraid that Lei Junzi wanted to discuss the "Hongjun Red Pill" with her, so she was reluctant and dared not say anything.

—Damn it, the Dao Ancestor has already taken control of the Heavenly Dao. If people talk about his shameful deeds behind his back, he will definitely hear it. What will he think when he hears it?
That's practically courting death.

If she didn't see any significant benefit, she would leave without saying another word to him.

She could kill a saint with medicine and control a demon immortal. It wasn't that she was disrespectful to the Dao Ancestor; it was purely because her Dao heart was firm and she couldn't refuse academic research related to the Great Dao.

Yes, this is purely an academic discussion.

"Fellow Daoist Lei Junzi, weren't you going to research methods for training Dao soldiers? Why are you trying to control demon immortals? Are you planning to build a team entirely composed of demon immortals?"

Lei Junzi didn't want to discuss her secrets with her "enemy," but the Hideout Room was now under her control.

"Demons are not to be trusted; I must grasp their weaknesses. Of course, there are no demon immortals or Dao soldiers now, but Dao soldiers can also grow. If there are those with extraordinary talent and powerful bloodlines, they may be able to become immortals."

We can't wait until they actually become immortals and lose control before we start thinking about controlling them, can we?

Xiao Yu nodded in agreement and said, "We must indeed take precautions. How far have you progressed in your research on 'poison pills'?"
I also have considerable knowledge of poison pills, so perhaps I can help you find relevant information directly.

Lei Junzi said vaguely, "This humble Taoist doesn't know to what extent the Human Emperor's research has progressed. Let's first look at the secret documents he left behind!"

"Very well! Fellow Daoist, please follow me."

Xiao Yu led him to fly into the "high sky," where, with the power of the Celestial Master and the authority of the Grand Tutor's Seal, she performed the "Two Realms Separation Technique," opening the door to another world within the Hidden Chamber World.

Similar to the human realm and the middle realm.

The human realm, the middle realm, and the heavenly realm are all located within a single large spacetime of the Pangu world, only differing in dimension.

The inner room doesn't look much different from the outer room below.

It also serves as a bookshelf and warehouse, arranged orderly on the ground.

Each fist-sized gem shimmered with a hazy glow.

For Qi cultivators or martial artists who "generate electricity in an empty room," this amount of light is more than enough to browse through documents.

Xiao Yu followed Lei Junzi to the "Ying Zheng Scientific Research Data Area".

It took me quite a while to find the bookshelf where "Qi Dan" was located among thousands of entries.

There are no sensitive words such as "saint's poison" or "Hongjun Red Pill".

The elixir described in the book is called "Qi Dan".

The bookshelves were filled with books, a total of three thousand documents, and two hundred related items.

Some bottles and jars even appeared to contain concocted "poison pills".

This is also a common practice in the archives, which not only store textual and pictorial archives, but also physical objects for reference.

Generally, as long as the experimental archives of relevant scientific research projects are all moved to the outside world, the experimental research can be restarted in a very short time.

"This is it, Master Yu. Thank you for your trouble. I will search for the rest myself."

Lei Junzi's face lit up with joy, and he bowed to thank Master Yu.

Xiao Yu smiled and said, "Take your time, fellow Daoist. If you encounter any difficulties, I'll be right here."

After saying that, she picked up a jade slip and quickly flipped through it.

Inside the room, the most abundant items were paper and books.

Bamboo slips and jade bamboo slips are next in importance.

Books made of thin metal sheets came next, and there were even stone tablets.

The number of spirit jades is the smallest.

Spirit jade is valuable; the Human Emperor could certainly afford to produce several thousand or tens of thousands of pieces of spirit jade.

Even the Human Emperor couldn't afford to use millions of books made entirely of spirit jade.

"Does Master Yu also train Dao soldiers?" Lei Junzi's expression was somewhat unnatural.

Xiao Yu said, "I'm only interested in the poison pills that control immortals."

Hehe, back when I was exterminating demons in the Xisha region, I only regretted that the poison pills I had weren't potent enough to kill the demons.

"Now that's great! Once I master the 'Qi Elixir Technique,' and combine it with my stealth secret method, I can infiltrate a Taoist sect and easily take down everyone."

Lei Junzi's face is thin and dark.

—You infiltrated my Shenxiao Sect, stole the Immortal Apricot and the secret manual, and you still want to overthrow us all?
"Master Yu has misunderstood. This kind of poison pill cannot be used secretly; it can only be forced upon the demon immortals themselves."

"Is that so?" Xiaoyu quickly read through the bamboo slip in her hand and said thoughtfully, "It really is so. The poison pill is not made from poison."

The book in her hand, written on bamboo slips, was titled "An Overview of the Five Elements Qi Elixir".

The specific method for refining the Five Elements Qi Elixir was not mentioned above. Even the basic principles were not explained in great detail.

Xiao Yu felt that the theory of Qi Dan was somewhat similar to the Primordial Seed of the Eight-Nine Mysterious Techniques.

After a quick glance, I immediately understood the basics of the Five Elements Qi Pill: it extracts one's own primordial Qi and materializes it into a pill.

After this pill is digested and absorbed by someone else, it will merge with that person's vital energy. However, that person will not be able to completely refine this external energy.

Because it is alive, because it is controlled by another person, because that other person's realm is higher than its own.

Low-energy gas cannot digest and absorb high-energy "vital energy".

Xiaoyu put down "An Overview of the Five Elements Qi Elixir" and purposefully browsed through more than a dozen books related to the Five Elements Qi Elixir, gradually gaining a deeper understanding of the "Sage's Poison".

According to the speculations of the "immortal scientists," the "red pill" that Hongjun gave to the Three Pure Ones was formed from his own "chaotic immortal energy."

The underlying principle is so simple that any martial artist at the True Essence Realm can understand it.

True Essence Realm martial artists can absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth from the outside world, drawing it into their bodies and refining it into their own True Qi. True Qi is completely under their control and can form the foundation for achieving Dao.

What if the wisp of spiritual energy you absorb has its own will, yet is still controlled by others?

This is also why Lei Junzi said that poison pills should not be administered secretly.

The "poisonous gas" in the poison pill undergoes a process of absorption, refinement, and integration into one's own foundation.

Under normal circumstances, even a martial artist at the True Essence Realm can detect abnormal spiritual will within "natural spiritual energy".

Or rather, the spiritual energy possessing the spirit and will of others is instinctively resisted by other martial artists, who will not refine it into their bodies.

Only when a knife is held to their neck will they voluntarily swallow and refine poison pills.

Of course, while the principle is simple, the process of replicating "Hongjun Red Pill" is extremely complex and ingenious.

Otherwise, the "immortal researcher" wouldn't have left behind more than three thousand research manuscripts.

Seeing that Yu Fengxian insisted on studying the poison pill, Lei Junzi was wary and worried that she would pester him to talk about the secrets of the poison pill.

After all, he came here with a purpose and had already grasped the basic theory of poison pills.

He went directly into the "inner room" to browse through "Advanced Research Theory".

She was new to this field and had no basic knowledge of it. Directly reading advanced theoretical research would surely be very difficult for her.

She couldn't understand it herself, but seeing that he was an expert, she had no choice but to ask him for advice under the guise of discussing the Dao.
He has no desire to teach her!

Even if the poison pills cannot be secretly administered, she was taught how to refine them. Who knows if they might be used on the disciples of the Divine Firmament Sect in the future?

Even if he didn't attack the Shenxiao Sect, harming other immortals would still be a grave sin for him.

With this in mind, he deliberately avoided her, and when he was looking through the documents, he didn't face her directly.

Don't give her any chance to get close to you.

Half a day passed, and she was both very quiet and very active.

She didn't speak, didn't disturb him, and remained quiet. But she kept moving, rummaging through the bookshelf, taking out a book, quickly flipping through the pages, and in less than fifteen minutes, switching to another book.

Now they've even started gathering energy to condense a pill—releasing their magical power to condense a pill of energy in their palm.

"Master Yu, you've already begun condensing the poison pill?"

He was so filled with doubt and uncertainty that he couldn't help but ask.

"We'll research and experiment at the same time, just giving it a try," Xiaoyu said with a smile, holding a fiery red pill in her palm.

"Is it a success?" Lei Junzi swallowed hard, a deep-seated hope hidden in his eyes: a hope that had not come true.

Xiaoyu shook her head and said, "It's all show and no substance."

Lei Junzi secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

—I thought you had just started learning about the Art of War Poison Pill, and you've already successfully condensed it in just half a day.

Xiaoyu then sighed and said, "It's barely enough to deal with Qi cultivators who haven't yet become immortals."

An immortal possessing a golden core is probably immune to poison.

Lei Junzi's expression froze. "Master Yu hasn't tried it yet, has he?"

Xiao Yu stared at him, her eyes sparkling, "Why don't you give it a try, fellow Daoist?"

"Master Yu is joking. How can you test such a poisonous pill so casually?"

Lei Junzi held the book, turned his head away, and ignored her.

Xiaoyu gently clenched her hands, and the "Fire Pill" in her hands transformed into a wisp of immortal energy, returning to her body.

"Fellow Daoist Lei Junzi, have you ever heard of anyone still researching this kind of poison pill?"

Lei Junzi said, "Even Ying Zheng is studying it, so it wouldn't be surprising if some immortal secretly replicated it."

Xiaoyu then asked, "Have you seen the research materials of other immortals?"

Doesn't it seem strange when you compare this document to the one here?

Lei Junzi put down the bamboo scroll and asked in confusion, "What's strange? Does Master Yu think there's something wrong?"

Xiaoyu pointed to the bookshelf and said, "I feel that the research files here are too superficial."

It's as if the immortals are deliberately fooling the emperor, without taking it seriously.

Or perhaps they studied it carefully and deliberately wrote random notes.

"You say these secret texts are shallow in content?"

Lei Junzi stared wide-eyed, her eyes filled with suspicion, doubting that she was faking it.

Xiaoyu nodded and said, "I've read two or three hundred books, and it feels like the immortal who recorded the documents is just scratching the surface, unwilling to delve deeper."

Since you know that Emperor Zheng secretly researched poison pills, have you received any rumors that the immortals are deceiving him and don't want him to obtain the poison pills that control immortals?

"You've flipped through two or three hundred books. Did you read every single one carefully and understand it completely?" Lei Junzi asked in surprise.

Xiaoyu said, "The content is simple and easy to understand, so it can be read quickly. But while you can read quickly and see a lot, the gains gradually decrease."

Many secret manuals are repetitive and verbose.

A set of Five Elements Qi Elixirs, starting with the Fire Elixir and moving on to the Water Elixir, explaining each of the five elements one by one.

There's absolutely no need to go through all that fancy stuff about the five elements' mutual generation and restraint; it's just a way to fool people.

If this is truly a deception, it is definitely a deception of the imperial government.

If the researchers intend to mislead the emperor, we probably won't learn the method of refining poison pills capable of controlling true immortals here.

Lei Junzi's emotions were boiling: Damn it, I only thought the Five Elements Qi Elixir was explained too profoundly and too simply, and you actually think it's so simple it's verbose?
"I feel it's alright. Master Yu, if you feel you haven't gained anything, would you like to leave?"

Xiaoyu hesitated for a moment, "Let's take another look."

Lei Junzi subtly curled his lip, inwardly disdainful: They're all reluctant to leave, yet they claim the Five Elements Qi Elixir technique is simple and easy to understand; there's no point in learning more from it.

If you really didn't gain anything, would you still stay here?

"Whoosh~~"

A sliver of light rushed in from afar, a ball the size of a candle flame stretched into a line.

She arrived in front of Xiaoyu in a flash, reached out and grabbed a talisman, which quickly burned to ashes.

Ying Banli's somewhat anxious voice came out, "Master Yu, something has happened in the Qinling Mountains, and the City God is urgently looking for you."

"Fellow Daoist, please continue. When you leave, please be sure to find me at the Imperial Observatory so we can exchange our insights on poison pills," Xiao Yu said.

"You're not coming back?" Lei Junzi asked in surprise.

"Sigh, it's like chicken ribs, tasteless to eat but a pity to throw away. I will definitely go back to the Hidden Guard Room, but I will not come to the Qi Pill Area."

(End of this chapter)