Chapter 728: Ye Qingcheng's Origin
The old woman became very dejected, but she couldn't truly become angry. The bull's strength far exceeded her imagination. She couldn’t help but feel powerless; she didn't even have the means to resist!
Li Qiye's arrogance was particularly upsetting. As a great character from the kingdom, she wanted to teach him a lesson about his disrespectful attitude, but she couldn't do anything when such a powerful existence like the bull was present.
Ming Yexue slightly frowned and said: "I also came because of this. We have many experts at the kingdom, but one that can utilize such a great formation must be at the ancestor level. At this moment, whether it's the direct branch or the side branches, no ancestors have come into being. At least, not on record."
Li Qiye chuckled and said: "Then go look into it. This time, I will not take action because of you, but this won't necessarily be the case next time."
Ming Yexue gently nodded and said: "Whether it is the direct or side branches, the elders will investigate this matter to see if an ancestor had personally taken action."
She was a decisive person, so after making her choice, she immediately wanted to go back. She told Li Qiye: "Does Young Noble Li want to go with me? If you are willing to enter our ancestral ground, I will introduce you to our elders."
To the younger generation of the Stone Medicine World, such an invitation was definitely an honor and a great compliment. Anyone would happily accept it.
Whether it was for her beauty or to see the ancestral ground of the Alchemy Kingdom, both were irresistible to the younger generation.
However, Li Qiye only smiled and said: "You go back first. I will take a look later."
Anyone would go mad if they knew that even an invitation from the number one beauty was refused.
Ming Yexue didn't push the subject. After saying farewell, she went back to her carriage and quickly left in order to investigate this matter.
After watching Ming Yexue's carriage leave, Li Qiye withdrew his gaze and sat back down.
The madam couldn't help but ask after Li Qiye settled down: "Young Master knew Fairy Ming before this?"
Li Qiye looked back at the departing direction of Ming Yexue and smilingly said: "How should I put this… Prior to this, I have never met or known anything about Ming Yexue, the descendant of the Alchemy Kingdom."
However, he left out a sentence. A very long time ago, he once possessed an item that he painstakingly cultivated!
Tie Yi crawled out from the ground at this time with a slightly changed expression and said: "This Fairy Ming, she's unfathomable, very unfathomable, and scary on top of that."
The madam nodded in agreement to this evaluation: "This is true. Although Fairy Ming's fame is not as prominent as Ye Qingcheng's notoriety because of her mysterious and low profile conduct, many people still consider her as an existence capable of opposing Ye Qingcheng."
"Your Majesty Zi Yan misunderstood what I meant." Tie Yi shook his head and said: "I'm not only referring to her unfathomable cultivation or her unparalleled talents! I am talking about her frightening origin! It is definitely monstrous!"
After listening to the ant, the madam shuddered and replied: "Many big shots in this world know about Ye Qingcheng's origin. He might be from the golem race, but it is far from being that simple since he was initially a divine stone! An unmatched stone!"
"I have heard of this speculation as well." Tie Yi nodded and added: "Ye Qingcheng's past life was the Stony Edge Kingdom's defining stone. Legend states that this stone was obtained by their progenitor, Immortal Emperor Shi Feng. However, its exact origin couldn't be pinpointed by future generations. In short, this was the greatest stone in their kingdom…"
"It was hidden in the location with the richest amount of worldly energy at the Stony Edge Kingdom. For generations, the wise sages of the kingdom preached dao scriptures to this stone and used their blood energy to cultivate it. A few decades ago, this stone suddenly felt the heaven and earth and obtained life! It was completely unbelievable. At the moment of its inception, it immediately had flesh and blood and could be considered supreme!" Tie Yi couldn't help but lick his lips at this moment after reciting this long passage.
The madam also nodded and said: "Ye Qingcheng is indeed incredible. After experiencing so many wise sages expounding on the dao along with long years of cultivation, some even said that he will be the second Immortal Emperor Bi Shi. Any sect or lineage, even ones with two emperors like the Heavenhoof Ravine, hold him in high esteem and believe that he can become an emperor."
The madam was shocked after thinking through what she just said. She recalled what her Young Master said earlier, as did Tie Yi. If Ye Qingcheng's origin was unmatched but Ming Yexue's origin was even more monstrous, then just what was her origin?
The madam was able to connect some dots at this moment. Until now, outsiders had always thought that Ming Yexue was the descendant of the Ming Clan — the imperial family. However, after today's events, it appeared that she had a different origin.
"Let's go, it is pointless to speculate these things." Li Qiye said with a faint smile: "The alchemy conference will begin soon, so we should enter Alchemy City."
"Well…" Tie Yi's neck involuntarily shrank into his body after hearing this. While trying to hide, he apprehensively said: "Going to Alchemy City… might be very dangerous."
Li Qiye glanced at him and said: "You did some immoral things that are unforgivable, so you don't dare to enter Alchemy City, right?"
Tie Yi awkwardly smiled and said: "Young Noble is misunderstanding me. This lowly one is only worried for you. As Young Noble can see from earlier, the Alchemy Kingdom has people with malicious intentions towards us. Young Noble's alchemy is peerless, so maybe someone is coveting it; maybe even an ancestor wants to capture you alive."
After hearing this, Li Qiye lifted his head and gazed towards the direction of Alchemy City while revealing a gentle smile. "I'm more afraid that the Alchemy Kingdom will not take action. If they maneuver against me, then everything will be easy. However, if they are friendly and treat me as a guest, then I would truly feel bad about taking Ming Yexue away. If they want to kill me, then it would be even better."
The madam revealed a smiled and asked: "Young Master likes Fairy Ming?"
Li Qiye chuckled and responded: "How can this be called liking? I only want that girl to stay by my side in the future! If the Alchemy Kingdom wants to do this peacefully, then I can satisfy all of their demands. If they want it the hard way, then it will be even easier!"
"Is Fairy Ming that important to Young Master?" Madam Zi Yan was moved. At this moment, she realized that her Young Master was not in love with Ming Yexue, and that he had a different reason for wanting her to stay with him.
Li Qiye didn't answer her question. Instead, he only looked towards the far distance while reminiscing.
After a while, Li Qiye's mind returned. He looked at Tie Yi and said: "Whether we go to Alchemy City or not is not up to you to decide. At that time, I will need to be there to refine some medicine, so if you escape and lose this good opportunity, don't blame me for not reminding you."
Tie Yi shuddered after this reminder. He immediately patted this chest like a drum and put on a courageous act as if he was willing to walk through fire. "Young Master, don't worry. Wherever you go, I shall be there as well! I will definitely not embarrass you!"
Li Qiye smiled and said: "Okay, don't speak such nauseating words, do you think I don't know what’s on your mind?"
Tie Yi dryly coughed with an awkward look. Even the madam looked at Tie Yi one more time. She knew that he was a coward, at least in appearance. He clearly didn't want to go to Alchemy City, but after listening to her Young Master, he lost all reservations. This really raised the madam’s curiosity about his injury!
The group traveled towards the city with the bull pulling the carriage at great speeds. It was not long before they arrived.
Alchemy City was located in an extremely strategic location. It was the first outpost before the entrance to the Alchemy Vein and only one step away from the ancestral ground of the imperial family.
Alchemy City in the Stone Medicine World was also known as Imperial City or Alchemy Capital!
Although it was called a city, it wasn't actually a city! In the nine worlds, when big sects form their own countries, the majority of their capitals would be very huge, ancient cities.
Alchemy City, on the other hand, had no semblance to a city. There were neither towering walls nor patrolling experts at this place despite being called Imperial City.
728 TeaserThe old woman became very dejected, but she couldn't truly become angry. The bull's strength far exceeded her imagination. She couldn’t help but feel powerless; she didn't even have the means to resist!
Li Qiye's arrogance was particularly upsetting. As a great character from the kingdom, she wanted to teach him a lesson about his disrespectful attitude, but she couldn't do anything when such a powerful existence like the bull was present.
Ming Yexue slightly frowned and said: "I also came because of this. We have many experts at the kingdom, but one that can utilize such a great formation must be at the ancestor level. At this moment, whether if it's the direct branch or the side branches, no ancestors have come into being. At least, not on record."
Li Qiye chuckled and said: "Then go look into it. This time, I will not take action because of you, but this won't necessarily be the case next time."
[collapse]Chapter 729: Alchemy City
When one's gaze is set upon the Alchemy City, they would see endless rolling hills and majestic mountains. There were large rivers that resembled silver serpents. Everything here was full of life, and the worldly energy even permeated the air. Spirit grasses and shining alchemy materials could be seen as far as the eye could see.
The entire Alchemy City was just a huge landscape with no walls or boundaries. Inside the mountains were huge pavilions that reached into the sky. Among the straight precipices were suspended temples. Inside the valleys were floating ancient shrines…
Hidden buildings were everywhere in this place, and divine bridges spanned across thousands of miles. Rainbows connected one mountain to another, making spectators think that this was a land of the immortals.
An older legend said that this city was not named Alchemy City in the past, others referred to it as Phoenix City. As for the reason, very few people — later on — could say why. Even the imperial family didn't know the exact details.
There were many speculations regarding the name "Phoenix City." However, these speculations themselves were just hearsay and were without concrete evidence.
However, one of them was more reliable. In ancient times, there were no human inhabitants in this place. There were no golems or demons either since they couldn't take half a step into this location.
This was because a divine tree took root and protected this great landscape. Later on, a phoenix came to this area and chose the divine tree as its nest. From then on, the phoenix lived on top of this divine tree, looking down on the nine heavens. Not a single cultivator could come close to this amazing land.
However, both the phoenix and the divine tree, despite their invincible and mystical strength, would still have their lifespans wither until the eventual day of their demise.
The legend went on to say that during that period, both of these creatures were unwilling to die and wanted to be reborn. Thus, the phoenix burned the divine tree and used its supreme divine flame to bathe itself, hoping to obtain the nirvana of rebirth.
Unfortunately, both of them were unsuccessful in the end. This supreme divine flame burned for ten thousand years before leaving only ashes behind! Of course, these were still divine creatures, especially the tree. Although they were burnt to ashes, they still left behind an extremely fertile land.
From then on, in just a short thousand years, countless spirit medicines and treasure trees appeared in this land. Countless auspicious beasts came to this place. There was even a rumor stating that in the deepest areas, the phoenix bones and the tree root were still burning!
After so many years, very few people in this world could remember that Alchemy City was once Phoenix City. However, this land remained full of life and energy.
Li Qiye's group didn't directly go to the reception of the kingdom. He chose a remote mountain within the city and stayed there.
There were many buildings and temples in the city, but there were even more mountains and peaks; many of them were unoccupied.
It could even be said that anyone who came to this place could pick a mountain to stay at. However, it would only be for a short period of time and not something permanent.
Those who could erect a foundation and create their own sects here had to earn the approval of the imperial family. Moreover, this crowd consisted of either subjects of the kingdom or were part of the side branches of the imperial family. Such a good opportunity was not available to outsiders!
Outsiders only came and stayed at these mountains and valleys for a short amount of time. No one dared to stay long since it would be akin to challenging the kingdom's autonomy.
Li Qiye picked a great mountain that reached all the way into the clouds. This mountain seemed to be quite old and tattered as if someone had crushed it or it had been scorched by flames.
No vegetation grew at this place since it was very dry. Standing on this mountain, a dry heat assaulted their faces. Anyone, at this time, would feel very annoyed.
Despite its towering size, this desolate mountain was out of place among these rich lands.
The madam couldn't help but say while standing on top of this place: "The worldly energy of this mountain seems to have been drained."
Li Qiye stood on the highest point to look at the four directions, but he didn't say anything.
Tie Yi also looked around to the distant lands. He noticed that the vegetation around here was not flourishing and the worldly energy was quite lacking. He immediately said: "It's not just the mountain's energy, it seems that all the locations around it are affected as well."
Li Qiye withdrew his gaze and revealed a faint smile to say: "We'll stay here for the time being."
The madam was confused and asked: "Young Master, the Alchemy Kingdom prepared a main hall to receive all the alchemists from their respective sects for this conference. Why are we not going there?"
"It is more convenient to kill while outside." Li Qiye responded with a grin.
The madam couldn't help but chuckle at this reasoning. Compared to this reasoning, nothing else could be more silence-inducing.
She said: "If Young Master wants to kill people, you should pick a prettier location. This place only agitates people. Perhaps this is an ominous place and would cause people to be flustered."
"You're right." Li Qiye commented: "This is not a good location, but it is a very decent place to kill. We'll stay here, there will be a good show later on."
The madam stopped talking and immediately summoned a treasure pavilion. In the blink of an eye, a square courtyard fell down to the mountain. The sound of flowing water could be heard from the garden. Otherwise, this dry mountain would drive people crazy.
While the madam was preparing the rooms, Li Qiye ordered Tie Yi: "Take a stroll around the city to see if there is any good news or not."
Tie Yi quickly became spirited and asked: "What kind of news does Young Noble require?"
Li Qiye gave him a glance and said: "Aren't you really good at guessing people's thoughts? What kind of news do you think I want to hear?"
Tie Yi answered: "Okay, you can rest assured. With my service, you'll hear exactly what you want." Having said that, he immediately took his leave.
Li Qiye smirked and asked the ant: "Wait, are you not drilling into the ground?" Until now, Tie Yi had always been traveling underground.
"Young Master, you must be joking." Tie Yi coughed and said: "The lands beneath the Alchemy Kingdom are very dangerous — this is known to all past dwellers. Moreover, Young Master picked a location like this, so how could I easily just dive underground? At best, I can only dive a couple meters below the surface and not any deeper. What if there is something down there that will devour me? I would be finished! What's even more frightening would be if I touched the forbidden magic beneath the kingdom. At that point, wouldn't I truly be done for?"
"So, it appears that you've been down there before?" Li Qiye remarked cheerfully.
Tie Yi awkwardly smiled and didn't dare to say anything else. He quickly left as if he was running away.
After the madam prepared Li Qiye's living quarters, she went into the garden and saw her Young Master playing around with some pots and bowls as well as sprinkling some powder onto the ground. He left a lot of strange things on the mountain.
After seeing all the pots and bowls as well as the small pool of water that emitted a very pungent smell, the madam curiously asked: "Young Master, what are these things?"
Li Qiye kept himself busy while answering: "Just preparing a few things. One always needs to prepare before killing. My hands have been itching lately, and I have a few methods that I haven't played with in a while. Constantly killing people instantly is very boring."
"Is this the method Young Master is talking about?" The madam looked at the pots. There were many things she had never seen before.
Li Qiye said with a smile: "To be more exact, this is a part of alchemy. Alchemy is not only about refining pills or curing wounds. It is a very rich art that incorporates beast mastery, changing of tribulations, and stealing from the heavens…"
He narrowed his eyes and continued on: "Since people say that the Alchemy Kingdom is the model for alchemy, we have to play with alchemy to be tasteful, right? Always using force can be quite tiring."
The madam couldn't see through what her Young Master was planning. After a while, he was finally finished with these pots. They all had strange shapes and seemed very bizarre, leaving the madam completely confused.
After a while, Li Qiye finished and brushed off his palms while saying: "It has been a long time since I last played with these items, so I was a bit rusty. The treefather's inventory was truly amazing; it had exactly what I needed. Otherwise, it would have been troublesome to collect them one by one."
Before coming to the kingdom, the madam knew that her Young Master had taken a trip to the treefather's treasury. So it was to take these materials.
"What purposes do these things serve, Young Master?" The confused madam didn't try to guess and directly asked Li Qiye.
"You'll find out very soon." Li Qiye responded with a grin. He focused his gaze and said: "I hope the enemies will not disappoint me, or else this game will be very boring."
Chapter 730: The Prelude To The Conference
The alchemy conference was one of the biggest events in the Stone Medicine World. It took place once every few decades. Moreover, it was jointly held by many imperial lineages, and the venue would change each time.
This time, the conference was being held in the Alchemy Kingdom. This place was even more grand compared to other lineages. All the alchemists here were especially enthusiastic.
This was understandable because the Alchemy Kingdom was praised as the lineage with the best and richest alchemy arts in this world! To be able to participate in this conference was a great honor.
Only youths could participate since if the previous generation could join in as well, the youths wouldn't be able to shine. There were not too many restrictions and rules. Even a capable vagabond on the dao of alchemy would be invited for the event.
Of course, there were many lineages that would invite young alchemists if they didn't have anyone to represent them for this conference.
For these young participants, if they were capable enough, then they wouldn't only win the prizes of the conference, they would also be able to win great fame.
Those with high potential that came from small sects, if they were from one in the first place, could win the love of even imperial lineage with a great showing at the conference. Perhaps in just one day, they would be able to jump the dragon gate and join an imperial lineage.
Because of this reason, young alchemists would come running for each conference. They would do their best, hoping to earn the spotlight in this event.
This particular conference was much more exciting than the previous ones because the competition was much fiercer. In these last several days, Alchemy City became very lively since alchemists from all over the world entered the perimeter and received the kingdom's reception.
Most of them were very young; some were extremely famous as well. There were a few of them who were dubbed as genius alchemists.
It created a very majestic spectacle, causing the normally serene city to become very lively. Usually, even the small amounts of cultivators traveling to the city would not dare to break the serene atmosphere or disturb the imperial family.
But now, people came and went with all kinds of forms of travel. Some rode their horses, others their big flying tree branches. One even sat on a huge flying leaf…
All types of people came, including humans. However, humans were very rare in the Stone Medicine World. The majority of the arrivals were demons and golems.
Within these last couple of days, both the residents and new alchemists talked about the alchemy conference. Some talked about the young participants, especially those with great fame.
The four alchemy prodigies garnered the most attention. They were the role models of the younger generation. Some even called them candidates for the next Alchemy Emperor!
The four prodigies were the Serene Garden's Yuan Caihe, the Bailian Clan's White Hair Alchemy God, the State of Cao's Cao Guoyao, and the Alchemy Kingdom's Mu Qiao!
They were the hottest topics in town as many people talked about the four of them.
The first among them to come was Yuan Caihe! Although she kept a very low profile during her stay, the more informed people still found out right away, causing quite a stir.
"Fairy Yuan is also here to participate in the conference?" People loudly discussed after the news of her presence was spread.
"I heard that Fairy Yuan didn't come to participate this time, she was invited by the Observant Monarch to cure one of his divine roots." A well-informed person immediately revealed why Yuan Caihe came to the city.
"Ah, the fairy not participating in the conference is truly a big loss. It will be less colorful now." Many sighed with regret.
Yuan Caihe's dao of alchemy was well-known in this world. Her cultivation of grasses was peerless in this world. Some even said that she had surpassed the current master of the Serene Garden.
Her gentle and kind nature was famous as well. As one of the four prodigies, she was the humblest and most respected of the bunch.
Numerous lineages in this world invited her to cure their divine trees and great medicines. Moreover, she assisted quite a few sects. Because of this, her absence at the conference was duly missed by many alchemists, especially the younger crowd.
"I heard the Alchemy Kingdom's Mu Qiao will not be participating in this conference either. Among the four, only White Hair Alchemy God and Cao Guoyao are participating." A cultivator found out some news and told his friends.
Mu Qiao was the alchemy prodigy of the kingdom, but since the kingdom was the host of this conference, he was not participating to avoid arousing suspicions.
In fact, since the kingdom's prestige regarding the dao of alchemy was already renowned, the honor of winning this conference didn't really matter to them.
"Since Fairy Yuan and Mu Qian are not participating this time, it seems that our Alchemy Realm has no hopes of winning the title. Hmm, maybe even entering the top three will be difficult." A cultivator from the Alchemy Realm couldn't help but lament.
The younger crowd from the Alchemy Realm was quite sad since Yuan Caihe and Mu Qiao were not participating. Until now, the dao of alchemy of the Alchemy Realm far exceeded the Beast Realm and the Stone Realm.
It could even be said that the Alchemy Realm produced many more alchemists — including Alchemy Emperors — compared to the other two realms. But now, their two strongest young alchemists were not participating. This meant that the Alchemy Realm had no chance of claiming number one this time. There was a chance that they wouldn't even place in the top three.
"Maybe the Radiant-Sea Sect's Lu Hou has a chance of getting into the top three." The alchemists from this realm couldn't help but bring up another genius. 1
"Indeed, I heard Lu Hou is already very formidable with his alchemy dao and is only a bit weaker than the four prodigies. More importantly, his cauldron control skill is superb. His physique paste, ointment, longevity medicine, and fate pill creation skills are very balanced unlike the four prodigies who are more versed in one particular area." Another alchemist agreed.
Despite the Alchemy Realm having many powerful young alchemists, they were still the underdogs compared to the White Hair Alchemist and Cao Guoyao!
Day after day passed, but Alchemy City only became even more lively. It didn't matter if some sects were very far away from the Alchemy Realm, they still came running with their disciples to participate in the conference.
"The White Hair Alchemy God is about to arrive. The Bailian Clan's Devil Hand Sacred Doctor is opening the path for him." Someone sent out this news on this day.
"The Devil Hand Sacred Doctor is here as well? Does the Bailian Clan want to take two of the top three spots?" Many participating alchemists felt pressured after hearing that the sacred doctor had come as well.
"Devil Hand Sacred Doctor… Hmph!" Many people felt very indignant after hearing this name, but they couldn't do anything about it.
The sacred doctor was another genius from the Bailian Clan; he was the junior brother of the White Hair Alchemy God. The main difference was that the doctor was more focused on the dao of healing.
Although healing was a part of the dao of alchemy, most alchemists were not willing to put so much effort into this aspect. Healing was not as important to cultivators since it couldn't improve one's cultivation.
The sacred doctor was well-known as well, with his own accomplishments. Although he was not as great as his senior brother, the White Hair Alchemy God, his curing abilities were matchless.
Some even called him One Needle to Seize Life. This meant that no matter how grave one's injuries might be, he could still bring them back from the god of death by using just one needle.
Saving life should be a very respectable profession, but many people were very resentful of his name. This was not only due to his arrogance, but also because of his absurd conditions when he saved others!
However, they were helpless since he truly did have heaven-defying abilities as a doctor; he was able to bring someone back from the verge of death.
Although many alchemists had arrived at the city, Li Qiye ignored it completely. He only brought the madam around on that dried and withered mountain. He didn't want to only participate in the alchemy conference, he was also preparing a supreme scheme to catch those conspiring against him in one fell swoop.
Ever since the ambush with the grand sealing of the Alchemy Kingdom, Li Qiye understood very well that there was a big shot in the kingdom that wanted to capture him alive!
Others would immediately flee since they didn't want to oppose the kingdom, but Li Qiye had no such thoughts. On the contrary, he was preparing for the grandest event. The moment his enemies dared to take action, he would flip this entire land over!
He could be Cauldron Marquis instead of Lu Hou, but I don't know. ↩