Day and night tour

Chapter 491 The golden cicada escapes from its shell
As soon as Zhou Xuan saw the "Dan Demon Child" open his eyes, he tried to activate his "Divine Speed ​​Armor" to dodge, while inwardly looking down on the White Deer Taoist.

The old white deer was very decisive—the pill demon committed suicide!
This wasn't suicide; it was feigning death.

As the ink on the Swift Traveler's Vest talisman spread,

Zhou Xuan had already flashed dozens of feet away, but when he looked back at the Dan Yao child carefully—the child's whole body was still petrified, and his eyes were the color of blue stone, showing no sign of opening at all.

"Huh? Did I just see things wrong? Am I being too sensitive?"

Zhou Xuan muttered a couple of sentences to himself, then walked towards the Pill Demon Child, his hand touching the golden heart once more.

This time, he saw the boy's eyes again. They suddenly opened, revealing a pair of snow-white eyes without pupils.

Having learned from his previous experience, Zhou Xuan didn't rush to dodge this time. Instead, he held the golden heart in his hand while keeping an eye on the Pill Demon.

After its heart was removed, the demon not only opened its eyes, but also had dense golden runes appear on its stone body, and its face regained its fleshy appearance.

"what."

Zhou Xuan became puzzled again—was this Pill Demon Child dead or alive?
If he were alive, why would he have been petrified?

If he were dead, then why is he now opening his eyes and regaining his flesh and blood?

After pondering for a long time, he decided to ignore the Pill Demon Child for the time being.

He grasped the golden heart, and his spirit immediately traveled to the painter, Yun Ziliang, and the others.

Upon seeing Zhou Xuan, the painter quickly said, "Master, when you were retrieving the elixir from the cauldron, did you have some kind of enlightenment that made you suddenly freeze?"

"Huh?" Zhou Xuan looked at the painter and asked, "When I took the pill, what was the reaction of the pill demon's corpse?"

"No, it's already a stone statue, how could it react?"

Zhou Xuan turned his head again and asked Li Changxun, "Li Shanzu, what was the reaction of that pill demon?"

"No response."

Li Changxun said the same thing.

"Is that so?" Zhou Xuan turned back again to look at the pill demon in the cauldron. This time, he also found that the pill demon's whole body was petrified, unlike its flesh and blood recovery state not long ago.

"The painter didn't see the anomaly, nor did Li Shanzu, who had a higher level of incense offerings, see the Pill Demon open its eyes and its flesh and blood recover. Only I saw it... Why is that?"

Zhou Xuan stared at the painter, then looked at Li Changxun, making the two of them feel uneasy.

However, the White Deer Alchemist urged from the side, "Master, the golden heart in your hand is the result of this alchemy. However, there is a layer of golden bone shell on the surface. You need to break through this bone shell to reveal the real golden core."

"Only when you break through this layer of seal can the grade of this pill be finalized."

As he spoke, he rubbed his hands together, eager to see the elixir inside the bone shell.

Zhou Xuan did not rush to break the seal, but asked, "Old White Deer, let me ask you, where did you get the claim that the Pill Demon committed suicide?"

"Of course, it's recorded in ancient books."

The White Deer Alchemist couldn't understand it either. He had already taken the elixir, so why bother with the elixir demon that had committed suicide? It was now just a piece of blue stone, devoid of any spirit—its greatest use was simply to be taken home as a decorative item.

Zhou Xuan thought differently. He asked again, "Where did the records in the ancient books come from?"

"Of course, it was deduced by the former Celestial Master."

"In the results of the deduction, are there any records of other deaths caused by the use of elixirs?" Zhou Xuan asked.

"No, it's just a deduction, and the results aren't very detailed. It's only because I, Old White Deer, have such a broad knowledge and excellent memory that I learned about the suicide of the Pill Demon."

As Bai Lu Fangshi finished speaking, he glanced at Li Changxun with a smug look.

Zhou Xuan then fell into thought.

The demon opened its eyes, its flesh and blood recovered... and then... the demon showed signs of suicide.

He pieced together these clues and began to ponder them carefully.

The more Zhou Xuan thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong.

A very bold idea began to sprout in his mind.

"Perhaps, that demon pill did not commit suicide, but faked its death."

Zhou Xuan immediately thought of a phrase – “the cicada shedding its shell”.

"Perhaps the Pill Demon is the Golden Cicada, and the pill in my hand is just a cicada shell."

"Perhaps, this pill demon wants everyone to believe that it is dead, and then uses this pill in my hand to deceive the world, and at the same time deceive me."

"His opening of his eyes and restoration of his physical form is the flaw that reveals his feigned death."

Having thought of this, Zhou Xuan remained calm and composed.

What truly holds considerable value is the petrified body of the demon, while the golden heart in his hand becomes merely an accessory.

What Zhou Xuan had to do was to hide the truth and then use the golden heart in his hand when offering the pill to Heaven and Earth.

Having figured these points out, Zhou Xuan raised the golden heart high in his hand and addressed the two figures not far away.

"Master of the Longevity Cult, Monk of the Crippled Heaven, tonight is not only the day I, Zhou Xuan, rebuild Mingjiang, but also the day the heavens test whether I am a qualified alchemist."

Now that I have refined the elixir and obtained it, I invite you two celestial deities to come forward and examine it. See if my elixir, Zhou Xuan's, is properly refined.”

As soon as Zhou Xuan finished speaking, the Longevity Sect Master replied with a smile, "Lord Zhou, this pill of yours was taken from the Pill Demon. It must be one of the best pills in the world."
However, to ensure quality, I request that Lord Zhou break the outer shell of the elixir and allow it to see the light of day.

The monk Tiancan also bowed towards Baiyujing and said, "In terms of alchemy, both the sect leader and I are laymen. However, today Lord Zhou's alchemy has attracted the attention of the important figures in Baiyujing. Once you break the seal on the pill, whether the medicine is good or bad will naturally be known by others."

"If that's the case, then I will break the seal."

The moment the words "Break the Seal" were uttered, they attracted everyone's attention. Even the Taoist priest and the butcher couldn't help but fly forward, wanting to see what quality this pill was.

Meanwhile, Mr. Yan and Qingyang Yu, who were in the Sky Dome Stone House, were also focused on waiting for the pill to break its seal.

"I hope it's a good medicine. My future, Qingyang Yu's, rests on this little pill."

Qingyangyu silently began to pray.

of course,

The people paying attention to this pill were far more than just these individuals; the entire Heavenly Fire Clan of the Sky had begun to focus on this "unsealing ceremony."

Zhou Xuan only saw pairs of eyes appearing among the layers of clouds in the sky.

The sky began to look strange.

Without much thought, he knew these eyes belonged to the "Skyfire Clan".

This scene reminded Zhou Xuan of the illusion he had seen when he first obtained the opportunity to refine elixirs.

In that illusion, Zhou Xuan saw a pill furnace on the earth, and countless working people were being refined by the furnace, turning into wisps of white vapor.
In the sky, there were countless bleeding holes, as if the eyes that were originally embedded in the sky had been gouged out.

The illusion was like a prophecy, and at this moment, Zhou Xuan suddenly understood what the prophecy referred to.

"The fact that pills can gouge out the eyes of the Heavenly Fire Clan means that my plan to use the power of pills to replace the source of the Jing Kingdom's incense offerings is feasible?"

Thinking of this, Zhou Xuan summoned Bone Fang and began to break the seal on the pill.

The bone tooth traced a snow-white arc in the air before crashing into the pill.

Perhaps fearing to damage the elixir, the trajectory of the bone tooth deviated slightly from that of the elixir. When the tooth and the elixir were about to cross paths, the bone tooth suddenly swung its tail and slammed the end hard against the seal.

"Snapped!"

With a single blow, the golden shell of the pill was cracked in dozens of places. Then, the shell turned into several pieces of stone skin, which fell off and revealed the pill's true form—it was actually a hand.

The palm is severed at the wrist, with five long, slender fingers. From the perspective of the "hand" alone, this severed palm has a breathtaking beauty. But it is broken, and the five fingers are still twisting... which makes it look somewhat horrifying.

"Is this the elixir?" The painter who was closest to the pill leaned forward. Before the elixir was made, he had thought about many shapes for it—pill-shaped, gold-shaped, or even silver-shaped.

But... what's the shape of a human hand?
"It doesn't look very respectable, but the smell is so nice."

The painter smelled a strange fragrance, so strong that he almost lost control and wanted to grab the severed hand and gnaw on its flesh piece by piece.

Not only him, but everyone around him also involuntarily swallowed, their rationality seemingly slipping away.

Meanwhile, the Jade Palace above the sky emitted eerie laughter, the source of which remained a mystery.

After the laughter subsided, the majestic city of Baiyujing suddenly began to shake, and a speck of light was shaken off the city walls.

The light spots continued to fall, and after falling for countless feet, they finally stopped in front of Zhou Xuan.

Only then did everyone realize that the point of light was not a point of light, but a white jade plaque.

The white jade plaque reads: Master of the Divine Elixir of the Jade Capital.

The leader of the Longevity Cult and the crippled monk both showed expressions of envy upon seeing the jade pendant.

The Crippled Monk asked the Eternal Life Cult Leader, "Master, since I ascended to the heavens, I have always heard the name of the Jade Palace, but I have never been inside. What is the Jade Palace like?"

"I have never been there either. I was invited to the birthday banquet of Bai Yuchan in Baiyujing two hundred years ago, but as you know, it is still extremely difficult for outsiders like us to enter the capital."

"I am only worthy to celebrate Bai Yuchanxian's birthday outside the city. I have never been to see what it is like inside the city."

The leader of the Longevity Cult sighed.

He had never entered Baiyujing, but had only glimpsed it from the outside. This was a fascinating story he often boasted about after becoming a god.

Now, Zhou Xuan—this young man who has only been in the seven-incense-burning stage—has already received an identity jade token issued by Baiyujing. How could he not be envious?

"Bai Yujing has never issued a plaque to a mortal."

After letting out a long sigh, the Longevity Cult Leader finally suppressed his jealousy and envy, clasped his hands together and bowed deeply to Zhou Xuan: "Longevity Cult Leader, congratulations to Zhou Xuan, the Grand Master of Mingjiang Prefecture, on his promotion."

The crippled monk followed suit, bowing and saying, "Congratulations, Master, on becoming the Divine Pill Master of Baiyujing."

The white jade plaque is engraved with "Divine Elixir Master", but the Heavenly Crippled Monk and the Longevity Cult Leader are not of high enough status in the heavens to dare to call him "Master" directly, so they use "Master" instead.

"Master Shendan."

Zhou Xuan ignored the crippled monk and the leader of the Longevity Cult, and instead reached out and took the plaque.

But the moment he took the token, the silhouette of the great city of Baiyujing slowly faded in the sky until it disappeared.

……

Inside the Sky Dome Stone House, Mr. Yan was completely bewildered, but Qing Yangyu was beaming with joy, constantly stuffing fat worms into her mouth.

"Palace Master, is it because Zhou Xuan...Master Zhou's pills were not refined well?"

"If his elixir was not refined well, why would Baiyujing issue a plaque acknowledging Master Zhou as a Jingguo official in Yujing?"

Qingyangyu said, her mouth full of juice.

"But... since Master Zhou's pills are so well-made... why doesn't Bai Yujing keep them for himself?"

"There's a story behind this. Zhou Xuan wanted to use this pill to exchange with Heaven and Earth for the resurrection of his friend. I reported his request, and Bai Yujing, valuing talent, agreed to give this first pill to 'Heaven and Earth.'"

"Now that Bai Yujing has finished inspecting Zhou Xuan, this extremely valuable person and commodity, and confirmed that he is indeed the genius alchemist who can solve the 'Heavenly Fire Clan's pill crisis,' he naturally issued the token and then turned and left."

After hearing Qing Yangyu's explanation, Mr. Yan finally understood. He then cupped his hands and said, "Congratulations, Palace Master! Congratulations! Zhou Xuanzhen has become a Divine Pill Master. You are probably about to be promoted as well."

"A promotion is inevitable."

Qing Yangyu looked again at the "Severed Palm Pill" in Zhou Xuan's hand and said, "This pill emits a strange fragrance. It is a Source Energy Pill. The 'Heaven and Earth' are also weakening and desperately need Source Energy Pills to restore strength and spirit."

“Our Heavenly Fire Clan’s fire has not faded. Even if we take this pill, it won’t be of much use to us. This is the second reason why Bai Yujing left quietly.”

Upon hearing this, Mr. Yan asked Qing Yangyu, "Palace Master, is this Origin Power Pill a Qi Pill or a Human Pill?"

"Qi Pill," Qing Yangyu said.

“That’s not right,” Mr. Yan said. “Palace Master, Master Zhou put human desires and emotions into the alchemy furnace.”

Human willpower is the raw material for refining the Qi Elixir, while the seven emotions and six desires are the raw material for refining the Human Elixir. Both of these materials were put into the alchemy furnace, so why was only the Qi Elixir produced, and not the Human Elixir?

Qingyangyu glanced at Mr. Yan and said, "Inputting raw materials does not necessarily produce pills. The art of alchemy also follows the principle of the relationship between ruler and subject. The subject exerts effort, but the world belongs to the ruler. Whatever the ruler's surname is, that's what the world belongs to."

"But the Palace Master..."

"Stop babbling on. Do you know more about pills than I do?" Qing Yangyu grabbed the pill gourd, pulled out the stopper, and gulped down several mouthfuls.

The gourd filled with elixirs was a symbol of authority, and Mr. Yan obediently shut his mouth.

"I'm tired after watching a good show all night."

Qingyangyu chewed up the pill, picked up the palace lantern, and left the stone house.

Mr. Yan thought to himself, "No, there must be human pills, there must be."

……

Mingjiang Mansion, Xie Jia'ao,
Zhou Xuan held the "Severed Palm Pill" in his hands, feeling an extremely abundant power within it.

Even without taking it, just touching it felt like a warm stream flowing from the pill, then through his pores and into his body.

The whole process was very comfortable.

"Old White Deer, what kind of pill is this?"

"This is... a pill of the source energy type."

The White Deer Taoist said.

"What is source power?" Zhou Xuan asked.

The White Deer Taoist said, "The incense of the Well Kingdom is a kind of source power! The Heavenly Fire Clan of the Sky also has their own source power, and the world of the Well Kingdom also has its own source power."

"Is that the power of origin?" Zhou Xuan asked.

“That’s right,” said the White Deer Alchemist. “There are many kinds of Origin Power Pills, and they are rare in alchemy. A Origin Power Pill like the one that Master has is absolutely unique.”

Zhou Xuan was somewhat puzzled and asked, "Old White Deer, what is it about this Origin Power Pill that makes it so unique?"

"It's...big!"

The White Deer Alchemist raised his fingertip and said, "See this tip of my little finger? The largest Origin Energy Pill I've ever seen was about this size, while the pill you refined is the size of a palm, and the Origin Energy it contains is incredibly concentrated."

"Really? That pill is quite precious, isn't it?" Zhou Xuan said to himself.

Bai Lu Fangshi nearly jumped up as if someone had stepped on his tail, shrieking, "That's extremely precious! Otherwise, why would Bai Yujing give you a token?"

"This brand is very powerful?"

"It's more than just impressive. This old man is not very talented, but I have been refining pills for Tianqiong for many years. During this time, I have refined so many good pills and bad pills, but I have never been summoned by Bai Yujing, let alone seen the token they issued."

The White Deer Alchemist then said, "With this plaque, you will be the alchemist of Baiyujing. Not to mention other branches, even those in the capital will have to give you seven points of face and treat you with utmost respect."

Zhou Xuan nodded and said, "Alright, I understand. Now, we just need to wait for the 'Heaven and Earth' sect's pill collector to come and collect the pill."

"However, the price of this pill needs to be raised."

Zhou Xuan originally intended to use this pill to save Mu Hua's life—however, since this pill, as the White Deer Alchemist said, was extremely well-made, he couldn't just use it to bring Mu Hua back.

When Zhou Xuan mentioned raising the price, he also glanced at the corpse of the pill demon inside the alchemy furnace.

Only he himself knew—the best elixir might not be the "Source Energy Pill" in his hand, but rather the Pill Demon itself…

(End of this chapter)