Translator: CinderTL
Ye Bing's condition was even worse than Song Wen had anticipated.
Her Dantian was severely damaged, forcing her to refrain from freely circulating her Spiritual Power lest she exacerbate the injury and further impair her cultivation.
Song Wen activated the Ten Directions Illusionary Domain Formation he had obtained from Zhong Jun, concealing their auras and traces before speaking.
"Fellow Daoist Ye Bing, shouldn't you hand over the Pill Formula for the Void Union Primordial Breakthrough Pill now?"
Ye Bing raised her gaze, her eyes fixed on Song Wen.
"Fellow Daoist, you're truly impatient and utterly lacking in chivalry."
Song Wen looked down at Ye Bing, his gaze sweeping over her exquisite features and graceful figure. His tone dripped with amusement as he said, "You should be grateful I haven't simply killed you outright."
"Very well, I'll give you the Pill Formula."
Ye Bing flipped her hand, producing a blank jade slip. After inscribing some information onto it, she tossed it to Song Wen.
Song Wen caught the jade slip and examined it carefully.
The Pill Formula was remarkably detailed, meticulously describing each Spirit Herb involved, including its properties, appearance, and age. It also outlined every step of the pill refinement process, from purifying the herbs to controlling the heat.
For a moment, Song Wen felt as if he could concoct the Void Union Primordial Breakthrough Pill right then and there, provided he had all the necessary Spirit Herbs.
This wasn't merely a Pill Formula; it was a comprehensive guide to pill refinement.
"Where did you obtain this Pill Formula?" Song Wen asked skeptically. "Are you sure there are no errors in it?"
He suspected Ye Bing might have tampered with certain details of the formula.
Given Song Wen's mastery of Pill Refinement Technique, he could only confirm the formula's general accuracy. He lacked the expertise to verify the finer points.
"This Pill Formula comes directly from Ancestor Jiang Guyun of the Jiang Family," Ye Bing declared firmly. "There are absolutely no errors."
Song Wen glanced at Ye Bing without further questioning. Instead, he retrieved a Storage Ring from his chest—Xiao Ying's Storage Ring.
Using his divine sense to probe the ring, Song Wen extracted a slender jade box.
When the box was opened, it revealed a three-foot-long Spirit Wood.
The wood stood straight and upright, about as thick as an infant's arm. Its emerald-green bark was inscribed with silver arcane patterns, radiating potent Spiritual Qi.
This was the Five Viscera Spirit Wood, a primary ingredient for refining the Void Union Primordial Breakthrough Pill.
"Fellow Daoist," Song Wen said, "Xiao Ying's Storage Ring contained only this Five Viscera Spirit Wood and a few insignificant auxiliary herbs. None of the other Spirit Herbs listed in the Pill Formula were present. How do you explain this?"
Song Wen reasoned that if Xiao Ying possessed the Five Viscera Spirit Wood, she must have intended to refine the Void Union Primordial Breakthrough Pill. Yet her Storage Ring contained only this primary ingredient, lacking all the other necessary herbs. This seemed highly illogical.
"It seems you still don't trust me, fellow daoist," Ye Bing said, shaking her head slightly. "I stole this Five Viscera Spirit Wood from the Ye Family under duress from Xiao Ying. She wasn't seeking it to refine the Void Union Primordial Breakthrough Pill, but rather to cleanse the accumulated toxins in her body."
"Cleanse accumulated toxins?" Song Wen asked, his face etched with skepticism.
The Five Viscera Spirit Wood indeed possessed the ability to purify toxins from the physical body.
However, Xiao Ying was a poison cultivator who refined poisons and raised venomous creatures. Her methods were fundamentally rooted in poison. Why would she ever cleanse toxins from her own body? That would only weaken her own strength.
Ye Bing continued, "Xiao Ying risked crossing the Rotting Miasma Ridge to reach the Qicang Domain because the Veiled Moon Hall in Cloudveil City was recruiting outer sect elders. She sought to join the Veiled Moon Hall as an outer sect elder. However, becoming an outer sect elder wasn't easy. One needed either Void Refinement Stage cultivation or to be a Divine Transformation Stage cultivator who had mastered the Longevity Technique. Though Xiao Ying cultivated a wood-attribute cultivation method, allowing her to switch to the Longevity Technique, her body had been thoroughly corrupted by years of practicing poison cultivation. To successfully transition to the Longevity Technique, she first needed to cleanse the accumulated toxins within her body."
Song Wen's eyebrows twitched slightly.
The words "Longevity Technique" immediately made him think of seizing life extension.
Just as in the Lower Realm, the Longevity Technique was extremely widespread in the mystic realm, with many rogue cultivators practicing it. However, most of these practitioners were low-level cultivators. To date, Song Wen had yet to encounter a single Nascent Soul Stage cultivator who practiced the Longevity Technique.
"What is the origin of the Veiled Moon Hall?" Song Wen asked. "How can a mere outer sect elder demand Void Refinement Stage cultivation?"
Ye Bing replied, "The Veiled Moon Hall is a branch established by the Divine Blood Gate in the Qicang Domain."
Upon hearing this, Song Wen thought to himself, "So that's how it is."
The moment he heard about the Longevity Technique, he had suspected a connection between the Veiled Moon Hall and the Divine Blood Gate.
After a moment of contemplation, Song Wen continued his questioning.
"Your cultivation level surpasses Xiao Ying's. How did she manage to implant a Gu into you and control you?"
Ye Bing explained, "Years ago, both you and I were being hunted by Chi Qi and Jiang Lanruo. I managed to escape with my life using an Earth Evasion Talisman, but I was severely wounded and unfortunately ran into Xiao Ying. She seized the opportunity to plant a Gu into my body. Later, she forced me to return to the Ye Family and steal the Five Viscera Spirit Wood, which led to the Ye Family placing a bounty on my head. Combined with the pursuit by Jiang Lanruo and Chi Qi, there was no place for me in the Qianchang Wilderness. I had no choice but to flee to the Qicang Domain in search of a sliver of hope. This also suited Xiao Ying's plans perfectly, as she ordered me to escort her across the Rotting Miasma Ridge."
"Earth Evasion Talisman? What's that?" Song Wen asked.
Earlier, when Ye Bing had tried to persuade Song Wen to help her kill Xiao Ying, she had mentioned the Earth Evasion Talisman.
A hint of suspicion crossed Ye Bing's face. "You're a dignified Divine Transformation Stage cultivator, yet you've never heard of the Earth Evasion Talisman?"
Song Wen had, of course, heard of the Earth Evasion Talisman. Lan Chen possessed a fourth-tier Earth Evasion Talisman, one of her life-saving measures. However, that talisman had been left behind by a predecessor of the He Huan Sect, and Lan Chen's understanding of Earth Evasion Talismans remained superficial.
Seeing Song Wen's silence, Ye Bing slowly explained, "The Earth Evasion Talisman allows one to freely traverse through earth and rock, moving as effortlessly as a fish swimming through water or a bird soaring through the sky, encountering no resistance whatsoever. There are seven types of Earth Evasion Talismans, ranging from third-tier to ninth-tier, each varying in the depth and speed of underground travel. The one I'm using is a fifth-tier Earth Evasion Talisman."
"Where did you obtain your Earth Evasion Talisman?" Song Wen asked.
"I crafted it myself," Ye Bing replied, a hint of pride flickering across her face.
A flicker of surprise flashed in Song Wen's eyes.
If Ye Bing's words were true, her talent for drawing talismans must be considerable.
Song Wen extended his right hand, his tone leaving no room for argument.
"Give me the Earth Evasion Talisman you have on you."
Ye Bing replied, "Years ago, to evade Jiang Lanruo's pursuit, I exhausted all my Earth Evasion Talismans."
Song Wen's brow furrowed slightly, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
"That was twenty years ago. In all this time, haven't you crafted a single new Earth Evasion Talisman?"
Ye Bing countered, "You underestimate the difficulty of crafting Earth Evasion Talismans. The process is extremely complex, and the required spiritual materials are exceedingly rare. I was only able to gather the necessary ingredients back then thanks to the combined resources of the Jiang and Ye clans."
Song Wen's gaze turned icy as he scrutinized Ye Bing for a moment before demanding, "Give me the method for drawing Earth Evasion Talismans."
Ye Bing flipped her hand and presented Song Wen with a jade slip.
Song Wen knew little about talisman crafting and couldn't verify the authenticity of the method within the jade slip. However, the spiritual materials listed were indeed exceedingly rare.
After a cursory examination, he stored the jade slip away.
(End of the Chapter)
---
📖Read (RDC) on Pa.treon@CinderTL - c1268. [+2]
🔑Read upto Ch1084 for FREE visit the pinned post on my p@treon to learn how!
💥Translated (6) Series, (5.3K+) Chapters, (7.7M+) Words.