Longevity: Starting as a menial servant in the Green Wood Sect

Chapter 110 Cleansing the Marrow

The extreme coldness slid down my throat and into my stomach, like swallowing a razor blade made from millennia-old ice.

Gu An sat cross-legged in the secret chamber on the third basement floor of Hai Ling Pavilion, the white jade bottle in his hand already empty. The moment that drop of priceless "Frosty Marrow Spirit Milk" entered his stomach, it did not transform into a warm current like ordinary spiritual liquid, but instead instantly erupted with a terrifying chill capable of freezing the soul.

Click click click —

A thick layer of white frost visibly formed on Gu An's eyebrows, hair, and even his exposed skin. The temperature inside the stone chamber plummeted, and even the previously withered dragon whisker grass seemed to sense this chilling aura, its leaves unfurling slightly.

But Gu An felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave.

The chilling aura was extremely domineering, spreading wildly along his meridians. Wherever it passed, blood froze and spiritual energy was frozen. His internal organs seemed to turn into hard, solid blocks of ice, and even his heartbeat became extremely slow, as if it would stop completely at any moment.

However, just as this chill was about to freeze Gu An completely into an ice sculpture.

hold head high-!

Deep within his dantian, the dragon soul essence that Gu An had been suppressing relentlessly was finally enraged by this "invading" extreme cold energy.

It sensed a threat.

For the extremely yang and vigorous dragon energy, this yin and cold substance is a natural mortal enemy.

The golden dragon energy, which had been curled up, suddenly expanded and let out a silent roar. A burst of extremely hot golden flames erupted from Gu An's dantian without warning, flowing backward along his meridians and crashing head-on into the raging cold current.

boom!

Gu An's body jolted violently, and he opened his mouth to exhale a stream of red and white mist.

That was blood clots that had been instantly vaporized by the high temperature.

pain!

Indescribable, excruciating pain.

If the past was a desolate wasteland of ice and snow, then the present is a purgatory of ice and fire.

Gu An felt as if his body had become a cruel battlefield. To his left was an extremely cold glacier, and to his right was an erupting volcano. Two completely opposite forces were colliding and fighting wildly in his meridians, using them as ropes for a tug-of-war, pulling them arbitrarily.

Sizzle sizzle—

Fine beads of blood began to seep from his skin, but they were immediately frozen into red ice crystals, which were then melted and evaporated by the high temperature inside his body.

"Ugh————"

Gu An clenched his teeth so tightly they were almost broken. His face, half of which was ulcerated, twitched violently, making him look like a monstrous demon.

But he did not faint, nor did he give up.

This is exactly the result he wanted!

"Canghai Longmu—Share this!"

Gu An roared in his heart, forcibly mobilizing his already somewhat scattered divine sense, and controlling the mutated dark blue spiritual power within his body, like a tough chain, forcefully inserting it into the battlefield of ice and fire.

Water produces wood, and wood produces fire.

But he wasn't repairing ordinary wood; it was the Canghai Dragon Wood!

What he needed to do was not to fuel the fire, but to use the inclusiveness of "water" to forcibly crush this extremely cold "chilling marrow" power, and then feed it to that unruly "dragon" little by little!

This is an extremely crazy and dangerous process.

The slightest carelessness could result in severed meridians and even death from body explosion.

But Gu An is a gambler, and even more so a madman who is an expert in anatomy and fusion.

He viewed his meridians as intricate conduits and spiritual energy as a scalpel.

"melt!"

Gu An formed hand seals, his fingertips creating afterimages.

The spiritual power of the Azure Dragon Wood within his body transformed into countless tiny vortexes, forcibly drawing in the scattered cold air and then enveloping it layer by layer around the dragon energy.

At first, the dragon energy was still resisting fiercely, trying to burn through these restraints.

However, the Frost Marrow Spirit Milk was, after all, a second-tier top-grade spiritual material, containing a continuous stream of extreme cold power. Under Gu An's reckless guidance, that cold energy was like layers of thick ice armor, constantly covering, melting, and permeating.

Gradually, the raging golden flames began to subside.

It wasn't extinguished, but rather "cooled down".

Like a piece of red-hot pig iron thrown into a deep pool, after countless quenchings and forgings, it finally sheds its fiery temper and becomes introverted and profound.

Time slowly passed amidst the agonizing torment.

I don't know how much time passed.

The chill in the stone chamber began to dissipate, and the frost on Gu An's body evaporated as water vapor.

call----

Gu An slowly exhaled a breath of stale air.

This breath was no longer as scorching or icy as before, but instead took on a strange grayish-blue hue, condensing and lingering in the air for a long time before slowly disappearing.

He opened his eyes.

Deep within the previously murky, lifeless pupils, a thin, water-like membrane had appeared. Beneath that membrane, a fleeting golden vertical pupil could be vaguely seen.

"It's done."

Gu An lowered his head and looked at his hands.

On his originally withered skin, covered with scars and poison spots, a layer of extremely faint, almost transparent watery sheen appeared.

This layer of water is not still, but flowing slowly, like a living skin.

Gu An stretched out his finger and gently traced a line on his arm.

Ding.

A clear, metallic clang rang out.

That seemingly soft, watery sheen was actually as hard as iron!

A glint flashed in Gu An's eyes, and with a thought, the spiritual power of the Azure Dragon Wood within his body instantly surged into this layer of watery light.

Buzz—

In an instant, the transparent water film changed.

Countless fine and intricate patterns emerged from the water film, layered upon layer, tightly arranged. Their shapes—clearly—were those of tiny dragon scales!

However, these dragon scales are not physical entities, but rather formed by the fusion of highly compressed water-evil energy and dragon energy.

【Dragon Scale Water Film】

This is the first accompanying divine power derived from the "Azure Sea Dragon Wood Technique" after it devoured the Cold Marrow Spirit Milk and successfully suppressed the dragon energy.

Not only does it possess astonishing defensive power, capable of withstanding a full-force attack from a magic weapon of the same rank, but more importantly, Gu An took a deep breath and concealed his aura.

As he moved, the water film covered with dragon scale patterns quickly smoothed out, becoming transparent and invisible again, and adhering tightly to his skin.

At this moment, the dragon energy fluctuations within Gu An's body, which were originally as dazzling as the blazing sun, completely disappeared!

It was as if it was perfectly locked deep inside the body by this water film, without the slightest leakage.

Even when Gu An used his divine sense to investigate, he could only sense a cold and damp aura of water, and could not detect the presence of any dragon's might at all.

"nice one----"

Gu An stroked his arm, a satisfied smile curving his lips.

With this "dragon scale water film," his biggest hidden danger was finally eliminated.

As long as he doesn't actively unleash his dragon might, even if he stands in front of the young master who cultivates the "Dragon Transformation Technique," the other party will absolutely not be able to tell that he has the true dragon origin hidden within him!

This is the real talisman!

"and----"

Gu An clenched his fist, feeling the surging spiritual energy within his body, which was several times more powerful than before.

Qi Refining Level 6!

With the help of the immense medicinal power of the Cold Marrow Spirit Milk, he not only suppressed the dragon energy, but also broke through the bottleneck and recovered to the sixth level of Qi Refining.

Although it is still far from its heyday, it already has the means to protect itself in the outer district of this city that never sleeps.

"It's time to go out."

Gu An stood up, his bones cracking like popping beans.

He glanced at the few dragon whisker grass plants in the spirit field that had regained their vitality and whose leaves had turned golden and radiant again, and a hint of mockery flashed in his eyes.

That young master probably never dreamed that the auxiliary medicine he used to "transform into a dragon" would instead become the "catalyst" for his own transformation.

.

Gu An straightened his robes, reverting to his hunched and dull appearance, and pushed open the door to the stone chamber.

The backyard of Hailing Pavilion.

Liu Fu was pacing anxiously in the yard, his fat face covered in sweat.

These past few days have felt like an eternity to him, terrified that the strange man with the rotten face will mess things up.

Just as he couldn't resist the urge to force his way in,

Zha zha zha————

The heavy stone door slowly opened.

A rich aroma of herbs wafted over.

Gu An came out carrying a tattered bamboo basket, his steps faltering. His face was even paler than when he went in, as if he had just recovered from a serious illness, and he could barely stand.

"Master Gu? How is he?" Liu Fu rushed over and asked anxiously.

Gu An didn't speak, but turned to the side and pointed to the stone chamber behind him.

Liu Fu peeked out and immediately gasped in shock.

In that spiritual field, more than a dozen Golden-Veined Dragon Beard Grasses swayed in the wind, each leaf shimmering with a faint golden light, full of vitality, showing no trace of withering. They were even growing better than before!

"He's alive! He's really alive!"

Liu Fu was so excited that his fat jiggled. He grabbed Gu An's hand and exclaimed, "Master Gu! You're amazing! You're like a second parent to me!"

Gu An withdrew his hand without showing any emotion, his voice hoarse and weak: "I have done my mission well. It's just that I've exhausted myself these past few days, and I'm afraid I'll need to rest for a while."

"Of course! Of course!"

Liu Fu looked at Gu An as if he were a golden Buddha, and quickly pulled a heavy storage bag from his robes and stuffed it into Gu An's hands. "This is the reward you promised before. I also took the liberty of adding twenty spirit stones as a nutritional allowance for you, Master! Please go back and rest. The doors of Hai Ling Pavilion are always open for you!"

Gu An took the storage bag and scanned it with his divine sense.

Fifty spirit stones.

Although it wasn't much, it was a huge sum of money for him now.

More importantly, his identity is now completely secure.

"Thank you, steward."

Gu An cupped his hands in greeting, and without lingering, dragged his weary body away from Hailing Pavilion.

After leaving Hailing Pavilion, Gu An did not go straight back to Rat Alley.

After circling around a few times to make sure no one was following him, he slipped into a pharmacy called "Baicaotang".

With the spirit stones in hand, it's time to put some things on the agenda.

"Shopkeeper, please dispense the medicine."

Gu An slapped a pre-written prescription onto the counter.

The prescription listed more than a dozen medicinal herbs, most of which were auxiliary medicines for warming and nourishing qi and blood and regulating meridians, and were not particularly precious. However, among these herbs was a rare medicinal herb called "Spirit-Awakening Flower".

This is a drug specifically designed to stimulate the soul and awaken deep memories; it is commonly used to treat amnesia.

But Gu An knew that this thing had a miraculous effect on Shen Wan's weakness caused by the sealing of her family bloodline.

After buying the medicine, Gu An went to the general store and bought some high-grade talismans and cinnabar.

After doing all this, he took advantage of the night to return to the dark stone chamber in Rat Alley.

Push open the door.

A faint medicinal fragrance mixed with a musty smell wafted over.

Shen Wan was sitting at the stone table, holding the jade slip left by Gu An in her hand, seemingly lost in thought.

Hearing the door open, she abruptly looked up.

When she saw Gu An's face, which was still badly bruised but whose eyes had become noticeably deeper and more reserved, a hint of surprise flashed in her usually indifferent eyes.

"You... broke through?"

As a descendant of a Foundation Establishment family, Shen Wan naturally possessed exceptional insight. She keenly sensed that Gu An's aura had changed.

The restless, almost explosive feeling disappeared, replaced by a deep, ocean-like composure.

"By sheer luck."

Gu An closed the door, cast a protective spell, and tossed the medicine packet on the table. "This is for you. Take it according to the prescription; it should help you get back on your feet."

Shen Wan looked at the packet of medicine but didn't immediately take it.

Her gaze fell on Gu An's sleeve. There was a speck of dark red soil there, the "Crimson Blood Mud" found only in the top-grade spirit fields of the Sea Spirit Pavilion.

"You went to Hailing Pavilion?" Shen Wan asked.

"Yeah, I found a job." Gu An sat down, poured himself a glass of water, and said, "I helped them revive a few dragon beard grass plants."

"Dragon's Beard Grass?"

Upon hearing these three words, Shen Wan's expression suddenly changed.

She abruptly stood up, the movement aggravating her injuries and causing her to groan softly. Ignoring the pain, she stared intently at Gu An: "What kind of dragon whisker grass?"

"Golden patterns, five hundred years old." Gu An frowned slightly at her reaction. "What? Is there a problem?"

Shen Wan's breathing became rapid.

She reached out, her hand trembling, and grabbed the withered dragon beard grass remnant that Gu An had brought back as a sample, which he had placed on the table.

She held it to her nose and sniffed it, then pinched off a little juice with her fingernail and tasted it.

The next moment, her face turned ashen.

"This thing—is not for cultivation."

Shen Wan looked up at Gu An, her eyes filled with complex emotions, her voice tinged with barely concealed fear, "This is for 'awakening'."

"Wake up?" Gu An put down his water glass, his eyes sharpening.

"A forbidden technique was recorded in our Shen family's ancient books."

Shen Wan took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. "In ancient times, some demons or humans with special bloodlines would purify themselves by devouring other bloodlines of the same origin in pursuit of ultimate power. This ritual was called 'Returning to the Origin.'"

"The Golden-Veined Dragon's Beard Grass, because it needs to absorb the aura of a dragon during its growth process, is the best 'catalyst'."

"It's not used to stabilize one's cultivation; it's used to—break the shackles of one's bloodline and forcibly devour another, more advanced bloodline!"

At this point, Shen Wan stared intently into Gu An's eyes and said, enunciating each word clearly, "That young master has grand ambitions. He doesn't just want to reach the Foundation Establishment stage; he wants to transform himself into—a true dragon!"

"Moreover, once this ritual is initiated, it requires a living creature with extremely pure dragon blood as a sacrifice."

"Gu An, although the dragon energy on your body has been suppressed, if you get too close—it will be like a torch in the dark."

A deathly silence fell over the stone chamber.

Gu An sat there, his fingers lightly tapping the table.

Shen Wan's words confirmed his previous guesses, and were even more serious than he had thought.

That young master is a madman.

A madman who would devour his own kind for power.

"I know."

After a long silence, Gu An finally spoke, his voice so calm it was frightening, "That's why I need to stay close to him."

"Are you crazy?" Shen Wan looked at him in disbelief.

"The most dangerous place is the safest place."

Gu An raised his hand, a thought forming in his mind.

A thin film of water appeared on his skin, through which the fine dragon scale patterns were faintly visible.

"Moreover, I am no longer that rogue cultivator who can be slaughtered at will."