Chapter 294: Complete Legacy! (1/2)
Chapter 294: Complete Legacy!
Meng Hao looked at his Master silently for a moment. Then, he quietly said, “At first, I came because I wanted to get rid of the poison. After I joined the Sect, I stayed because of the Dao of alchemy!”
Pill Demon gazed at Meng Hao for a long moment. Finally, a look of contentment appeared on his face, and he smiled.
Slowly, he said, “From your first day in the Sect, Master felt the aura of the Resurrection Lily. Later, when I saw you, I understood the situation. There are three ways that you can dispel the poison. One is for it to merge with you, after which, you will no longer be you. The second is for you to devour it, then it won’t be it!
“As for the third… it is to use your own Dao of alchemy to dispel the poison yourself. Karma exists within Heaven and Earth. The Resurrection Lily in your body is the cause of the Karma. Other than you, no one else can dispel it. The reason is because no one else is you. The fact that no one else can dispel the poison but you, is the result of the Karma.
“On this path, the first is the passive, the second is the active, and the third is the most active method, that of using your Dao of alchemy. I presume you understand the meaning of my words.”
Meng Hao was silent. The poison had been within him since the State of Zhao, pestering him all the way until now. He had been unable to dispel it for that entire time. When he first joined the Violet Fate Sect, he’d had no understanding of the Dao of alchemy. However, thanks to his constant cultivation, he had gained more enlightenment regarding the poison, as well as some bit of hope. Hearing Master’s words now, though, caused him to sigh in his heart.
“This poison is nothing,” said Pill Demon. “With your skill in the Dao of alchemy, you’ll be able to dispel it sooner or later. Master can see that the Resurrection Lily has somehow been suppressed. Strange. Right now it’s as if it’s asleep. However, the power of suppression seems to be gradually weakening….”
Meng Hao’s eyes glittered. Calmly, he said, “Master, if I must dispel the poison myself, then, can I ask, in your experience, have you ever known someone else to successfully do so in the past?”
“One person,” replied Pill Demon. “He lived by the Milky Way Sea, and his name was Reverend Silverlamp. His Cultivation base was unfathomable. He came to me seven hundred years ago, looking for a method to dispel his poison. I said the same thing to him that I told you. Three hundred years later he returned to me to repay my kindness. He had successfully dispelled the poison.”
Meng Hao was thoughtful for a moment, then gave a slight smile. “If that person could dispel the poison, then I will definitely be able to use my Dao of alchemy to do the same.”
His voice low, expression somber, Pill Demon continued, “If Master forcefully assisted you in dispelling the poison, it would harm the cycle of Karma. That would not benefit you at all. However, under my tutelage, your Dao of alchemy will eventually reach the point where you can dispel it yourself! The poison of the Resurrection Lily gave you the power of nature talent. If in the future you dispel the poison, then you will be able to assimilate its full power. In that case, you can turn one of the most ultimate poisons under Heaven, into a rarely seen treasure!
“Such a treasure will enable you to open up your path to the Heavens. Having this poison within you might seem like a disaster, but one aspect of the disaster is unprecedented good fortune!” He suddenly changed the subject. “After the three kowtows, you became my Legacy Apprentice. Therefore, Master has three gifts for you.” He raised his arm and flicked his wide sleeve. Immediately, everything around them swirled into a riot of colors.
“The first gift is a batch of Outlander Pills. The name comes from the expression ‘a night of outlandish tales.’ A pill such as this has never before appeared in the Southern Domain. I created it during alchemic enlightenment three years ago.
“This batch contains three pills in total. Consuming one pill will cause the Resurrection Lily to slumber for one hundred years, will increase your longevity by one hundred years, and will allow you to make progress in your Cultivation base; if you face any sort of blockage, it can help you to break through. These three pills will help you, my apprentice, to reach the Nascent Soul stage with no problems!
“In total, it will also give you three hundred years of extra time to dispel your poison. If you have not succeeded after three hundred years, then I will concoct another batch of pills for you, and will continue to do so until the day you dispel the poison.”
The words entered Meng Hao’s ears and sank all the way to his heart. He looked at his Master, and could feel the sincerity in his words, as well as a kindness and love.
Three years ago, Grandmaster Pill Demon had concocted pills during alchemic enlightenment, just for him. Meng Hao clasped hands and bowed deeply.
“Many thanks, Master!”
“Master’s second gift for you is a legacy technique of the East Pill Division. The name is Spirit Summoning Incantation. It can be used to refine a pill up to six times, although, with sufficient latent talent and Cultivation base, the limit of six can be broken! Again, this is a legacy technique of the East Pill Division. To date, I have only ever passed it on to two people. You, and your former Elder Brother Liu Rufeng.” With that, Pill Demon reached up and pushed down onto Meng Hao’s forehead.
Instantly, Meng Hao’s body trembled, and an icy coldness swept through him. A long passage of text appeared in his mind; it seemed abstruse and profound, but after scanning over it, Meng Hao seemed to have gained complete enlightenment.
“This is a legacy technique which may not be passed on to anyone other than a Legacy Apprentice. There is no complicated process to understand how to employ it; as long as you master the fundamentals, you can use it. Later, you must pass it on to another, and so it will go from generation to generation.” A profound look gleamed in Pill Demon’s eyes.
“The last of my three gifts is a precious treasured item of the East Pill Division. The East Pill Everburning Flame!” He flicked his right sleeve again, and the mountainside split open. A rumbling sound filled the air as a massive fissure appeared.
Within was a flight of steps that seemed to descend down into the depths of the earth. Pill Demon and Meng Hao, Master and apprentice, walked downward. They walked for a very, very long time.
Eventually, they were deep down in the earth beneath the Violet Fate Sect. Meng Hao’s mind trembled as he looked ahead. In front of him was an enormous limestone cavern.
Within the cavern were three enormous, half-burned black joss sticks. Strands of black smoke emanated up from them to swirl and float about. In addition to the smoke floating around the cavern, greenish flames also burned everywhere.
Above the three joss sticks floated a black pill furnace, approximately three meters tall. It seemed as if it were being supported by the smoke and fueled by the flames.
Pill Demon looked at the pill furnace, and his eyes shone as if he were recalling some memory. It was a complicated expression which lasted for only a moment before he sighed lightly.
“This incense is not of this world. The smoke never disperses and the incense never ceases burning; this is the East Pill Division’s Everburning Flame! It has been burning for more than twenty thousand years…. It is a legacy which cannot be extinguished. Instill it into your heart, and it can become an alchemic flame!
“After you reach Core Formation, fuse this flame into your Violet Core, and it will ignite. Thereafter, whenever you concoct medicinal pills, you will not need to use Earthly fire. This is your personal alchemic fire, with which you can refine all objects in Heaven and Earth. In the entire East Pill Division, only you and I are qualified to use this legacy fire.
“The Everburning flame is always here, as am I.” This last line was uttered by Pill Demon in a murmur, making it difficult for Meng Hao to hear clearly. As he spoke, Pill Demon was staring at the joss sticks, the smoke and the flame, and it seemed as if he wasn’t even speaking to Meng Hao.
After a moment, he looked toward Meng Hao. “You will stay here in secluded meditation. When you have assimilated the will of the fire into your heart, then you may emerge.” With that, he turned and slowly strode up the stairs, eventually disappearing.