Chapter 492: Chapter 492: The Time Has Come

The streets of Immortal Arrival City were bustling.

The Pill Shop was a flurry of activity, and Wei An greeted a few familiar faces.

Qin Wen was chatting with some men from the Demon Hunting Team about their haul from the mountains.

"The Shopkeeper will have fewer Pills available for a while..."

Qin Wen said suddenly.

The men were startled.

"What?"

"But we worked our asses off to save up enough Spirit Stones..."

Qin Wen lowered his voice. "The Shopkeeper is Breaking Realm. It might take a long time, so he won’t be able to restock the Pills. It can’t be helped."

"If you’re still interested, I suggest you hurry."

The men breathed a sigh of relief.

"Cultivation is what matters most. Of course, of course..."

"That Pill I had my eye on—Brother Qin, please hold it for me. I’ll get the rest of the Spirit Stones together and bring them by tomorrow at the latest."

After seeing the men off, Qin Wen turned to greet an herb gatherer who had just walked up.

"Any good herbs today?"

Wei An had been offering high prices recently, nearly ten percent above market value, so all the herb gatherers coming in and out of the mountains were willing to try their luck here first.

The herb gatherer was covered in mud. With a rough hand, he pinched out a thin vine with a well-developed root system that looked like a long worm.

"It’s been raining in the mountains. Snakes are everywhere, and herbs are hard to find..."

Qin Wen’s eyes lit up when he saw it. He guided the man into the shop.

"Looks like your luck isn’t so bad after all, my friend. Please, come in and let our clerk take a look."

"Wei An, a customer!"

「Soon after.」

The herb gatherer left the shop with a smile on his face.

In the following days, certain rumors began to spread through Immortal Arrival City.

For instance, the dwindling supply of High Tier Pills for sale, and the shop’s further price increases for purchasing herbs and ores.

The many merchant guilds in the city that dealt in Pills breathed a collective sigh of relief.

Wei An and the others had too many High Tier Pills on hand. If not for the limited total volume of Pills coming out of the shop, they would have long since become the leaders of the industry in the city.

There would be none of the cutthroat competition seen today.

Meanwhile, the men of the Demon Hunting Team were eagerly preparing for action, starting to enter and exit Celestial Barrier Mountain with much greater frequency.

Their methods became much more aggressive.

Outsiders had no idea what was happening and could only speculate in secret.

...

Bai Mo had set a series of developments in motion in Immortal Arrival City.

After sending several letters, he went to find Li Wuji, who had come to preside over Mi Mountain.

"The day is near. I must burn incense, bathe, and prepare for the alchemy."

"It will take a year at the least, two at the most. During this time, I’ll be leaving everything in the prison to you, Senior Brother."

Li Wuji was filled with emotion upon hearing this.

An alchemy undertaking of this scale, lasting for years, was usually something done at a major sect or for some large-scale event, presided over by an Alchemy Dao Grandmaster.

This junior brother of his, a rising star among the disciples, already seemed to have reached such a level.

"Junior Brother, just go and do what you must."

Li Wuji said, "I was just about to use the Evil Qi from the black jail to temper myself. By the time you’re finished, I’ll probably have to start preparing for Core Formation as well."

Bai Mo was taken aback.

"Senior Brother, you..."

Li Wuji’s expression was calm.

"Mm. My Body Refinement has been progressing daily. I’ve vaguely perceived the innate defect within my body. The day I overcome it will be the day I step into Core Formation."

With his foundation, he should have reached Core Formation long ago, but he was held back by his physical constitution.

Now that he could see his fetters, it was time to resolve this long-standing issue.

After making arrangements with his senior brother, Bai Mo burned incense and bathed. Ah Er cleaned itself up as well.

On the appointed day, the man and the beast arrived at the altar.

A tall Pill Furnace stood upon the square altar, something Bai Mo had spent a hefty five thousand Spirit Stones to purchase.

The corpse of a half-pig, half-wolf Demon Beast lay before the furnace. Bright yellow flags were planted at the four corners.

The area was surrounded by forest. Ah Er’s giant wild boar roamed the vicinity, and no foolish beast dared to linger.

「Before dawn.」

Ah Er, who had been sitting cross-legged, opened its eyes and secretly glanced at Bai Mo.

Bai Mo had been sitting motionlessly for two days, not making a single unnecessary movement. This inspired a sense of solemnity in Ah Er.

The great sun rose from the horizon, and the first ray of sunlight struck Bai Mo.

Amid the warm glow, Bai Mo’s eyes shot open, a white light flashing within them.

"The time has come! Light the furnace!"

Ah Er quickly jumped up, ran to the four corners, picked up the flags, and waved them one by one.

It only dared to stop when winds came from all four directions.

A light breeze brushed his face, and Bai Mo relaxed.

Being able to summon the winds of the four directions proved that the masters on Divine Dao Mountain had calculated correctly. Today was indeed an auspicious time.

FWOOSH!

He took out a piece of Fire Essence and struck it, and the firewood piled at the bottom of the furnace immediately ignited.

The earth qi that Bai Mo had communed with days earlier was drawn forth, conducting to the bottom of the furnace and roiling with the flames.

When the Pill Furnace was glowing red-hot, Bai Mo took a sharp blade and sliced open the neck of the Demon Beast before it.

A torrent of demonic blood flowed out, emitting a coppery stench, as Bai Mo guided it into the Pill Furnace.

The demonic blood flowed steadily for a full quarter of an hour, filling the Pill Furnace halfway.

Scorched by the flames, the blood in the Pill Furnace began to boil. A thick vital energy emerged from it, and crimson smoke rose from the furnace.

When it reached a rolling boil, Bai Mo whispered to Ah Er beside him:

"Add the Demon Beast’s Blood Bone."

Ah Er moved at his command, taking out a bone chopper, a carving knife, and other tools to cut open the Demon Beast’s hide.

It removed the flesh and bones piece by piece and tossed them into the furnace.

It had even specifically learned the art of butchery for this day, and had become quite good at it.

Bai Mo focused his mind, using his Divine Thought to stir the Blood Bone in the furnace. A pervasive, coppery smell spread out.

The giant wild boar was drawn by the scent and stood watching from the woods, not daring to approach.

At a certain moment, it was suddenly struck with fear, its hooves pawing the ground before it turned and ran far away.

In Mi Mountain, Li Wuji sensed something. He went outside and leaped onto the mountainside, looking in Bai Mo’s direction.

The sky was layered with clouds, but the area directly above Bai Mo was clear and blue.

"Has it begun?"

He murmured, and after watching for a moment, he returned to his spot before the black jail. He sat down cross-legged and began to temper himself with the Evil Qi from within.

The Suanni Ancestor’s suppression had worn away a considerable portion of Mi Mountain’s Evil Qi, so he had to get closer.

A giant eyeball quietly opened from above, looking down at Li Wuji at the jail’s entrance.

The Great Suanni shifted its body, silently moving aside just a little to release more Evil Qi.

After it was done, it looked up toward the back of Mi Mountain, yawned, and fell into a deep sleep.

’Kids these days, always making a fuss...’

Something strange was happening overhead. The sky was cloudless for miles.

Bai Mo, of course, had noticed.

The flags at the four corners of the altar were special items he had purchased from Divine Dao Mountain.

Their function was to ’Summon the Four-Season Wind.’

They needed to experience all four seasons to be able to gather the seasonal winds and invoke the aid of auspicious timing.

Ah Er busied itself for a long time, finally finishing the dismemberment of the Demon Beast. All the Blood Bone was thrown into the furnace, leaving only a complete hide.

It rolled up the hide and stored it away carefully.

It was a good hide. After being tanned, it would be quite valuable, whether for its own use or for sale.

Bai Mo took out several herbs and tossed them into the furnace. They dissolved the instant they touched the bloody water.

A flash of green appeared in the furnace, only to be instantly overwhelmed by the deep red. The stench rising from it grew even more unbearably putrid.

This first step, refining the vital energy from the Demon Beast’s physique, was a massive undertaking in itself.

Bai Mo estimated it would take two months.

All he wanted were the Divine Techniques hidden within the Demon Beast’s corpse. Everything else would be discarded.

At Bai Mo’s instruction, Ah Er began to frequently move about, fetching herbs and a skimming net.

The vital blood energy from the furnace made its eyes stream with tears, but with great difficulty, it finally completed its task.

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