Chapter 783: Medicine Inviting The Heavenly Flame
While Li Qiye was refining behind closed doors, many people wondered what kind of medicine he was refining. After seeing his supreme dao of alchemy with their own eyes, they all believed that this seclusive refinement session aimed to create an incredible pill.
Although there had not been any news over the last few days about Li Qiye's mountain, countless eyes were fixated on his abode.
Many were excited, and even God-Monarchs who didn't want to show their faces were paying great attention. This was because he was able to create something that tempted even themselves… longevity medicines!
It could even be said that during this period, there were God-Monarchs who had gathered longevity materials just to ask Li Qiye to refine them!
Although they had taken longevity medicines many times already as God-Monarchs, they still yearned for Li Qiye to refine a batch for them.
In their eyes, Li Qiye's longevity medicines were very likely to be the most effective when it comes to ignoring resistance. A God-Monarch speculated that if they used medicines from any other alchemist, there would be no effect at all.
However, the Alchemy Kingdom's God-Monarch had inquired about this issue before. After five usages, he would still be able to live for three more years if he consumed the medicine. If they could prepare even better materials for Li Qiye, then with his abilities, perhaps he could even refine a heavenly medicine!
They weren't counting on living for another thousand years. As long as it could pierce through their resistance to allow them to live for three and a half more years, that would be more than enough!
This extra three years on top of burying themselves in Blood Era Stones would allow them to withstand the erosion of the endless river of time!
With this being the case, God-Monarchs were paying sky-high prices to gather materials. Once this was done, they would beseech Li Qiye to refine the medicines. As long as Li Qiye was willing, they wouldn't mind paying a monumental price as the refinement fee!
One day after another passed. Finally, Li Qiye's Heaven Restoration Salve was about to form. The Myriad Heavenly Cauldron's fire was about to erupt in a violent manner. It created a terrifying storm as if it wanted to break the cauldron. This fierce fire resembled countless volcanoes erupting at the same time!
Li Qiye was drenched in sweat while controlling the cauldron. Even though his blood energy was completely spent, he still frantically urged the Yin Yang Sea of Blood so that he could use its majestic energy to control the cauldron’s fire to maintain its powerful state.
"The heavenly flame is about to come!" Li Qiye shouted. He withdrew the seal of the pentagate and looked at the sky while taking a deep breath to prepare for the final gamble.
Seeing the changes in the sky, Li Qiye commanded: "Caihe, your turn now! Zi Yan, give her a hand!"
Yuan Caihe had learned Li Qiye's technique throughout the process. She prepared herself to take command of the Myriad Heavenly Cauldron in Li Qiye's place.
At the same time, the madam's blood energy erupted as she placed her hand on Yuan Caihe's back, ready to support her with the purest of energy.
"Boom!" The firmament shattered and Li Qiye shouted: "It is here. Begin!"
Amidst the action, Li Qiye withdrew his hand. Yuan Caihe was prepared to take his place and controlled the cauldron fire. Meanwhile, the madam did not hold anything back as her blood energy surged forward. After obtaining this energy, the fire became even more violent.
"Heavenly flame…" One of the people who had been keeping an eye on Li Qiye's mountain saw the shattered firmament and said: "Li Qiye is refining an ointment right now!"
Many people were disappointed because they were hoping for him to refine some longevity medicine. No matter the era, longevity medicines were always very rare and precious!
"It seems that it's not an ordinary ointment as it brought about the heavenly flame." Despite the disappointment, the shattered sky dome still shocked many people.
Alchemy would bring about tribulations. The absence of a tribulation only meant that the particular medicine did not reach such a level. For example, longevity medicines of the saint level and up all suffer longevity reduction while the emperor level medicines undergo imperial warnings.
The tribulation of ointments was the heavenly flame. If the alchemist couldn't handle the wrath of this flame from the heavens, then in the best case scenario, the cauldron could be destroyed. The worst case scenario would be death from being burnt to a crisp.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!" The heavenly flame finally came down in an overwhelming manner. The moment it appeared, it seemed to scorch the entire sky.
"Oh shit, what kind of joke is this!" An alchemist saw the color of the flame and was instantly horrified.
The masses in Alchemy City were shocked to see the heavenly flame from the sky. A Legendary Alchemist uttered in horror: "Karmic Flame, this is too unreal. A heavenly flame of the karmic level!"
Karmic Flame was the most daunting flame for cultivators! Although this fire was not the real Karmic Flame from ordinary cultivation, it was more than enough to dishearten people.
Someone took a deep breath and commented: "What is going on, an ointment bringing about Karmic Flame? Just what kind of ointment is this?" The crowd around him was in complete disbelief.
The flame went straight for the Myriad Heavenly Cauldron. When facing a tribulation of this level, both the alchemist and the cauldron had to tackle it together.
"Go!" But how could Li Qiye give this flame a chance to attack his cauldron? At this key moment, he released the Phoenix as it went to meet the flame head on.
"Bang!" The heavenly flame was ferocious in its attack. However, the bird flapped its wings and accepted all of the fire. Under the control of the Death Chapter, the Phoenix was able to devour the heavenly flame entirely.
As it devoured the flames, its bones began to melt once more. This time, a different change occurred. The incomplete body of the Phoenix began to slowly grow.
Li Qiye didn't only want to refine the Heaven Restoration Salve, he wanted to borrow the Karmic Flame to refine the Phoenix's bones to strengthen its damaged corpse.
Only a karmic level heavenly flame would be able to restore this incomplete corpse since the Phoenix was an immortal bird.
Although it seemed straightforward with Li Qiye using the Death Chapter, this process was not so easy! Although this Karmic Flame was still weaker than the Brightflame Cauldron's fire, the quantity was vastly different. The heavenly flame struck down like a surging river. An emperor flame couldn't compare to this heavenly flame in quantity. This heavenly flame seemed to be endless, allowing the phoenix to be reborn with a new, albeit incomplete, skeleton.
This went on for a very long time, causing the people in the city to be tongue-tied. A Karmic Flame was already frightening enough, but it also persisted for such a long time.
"This kid is too scary. To be able to withstand a karmic level heavenly flame for such a long time, what a devil." Someone murmured after seeing this scene.
Eventually, the heavenly flame disappeared, signaling the end of the tribulation. Yuan Caihe and the madam also withdrew their hands; they were both completely exhausted.
"Finally, success. Heaven Restoration Salve, I did not think that I would be able to refine such a medicine one day." Even the normally calm Yuan Caihe became very excited after taking out the medicine.
Li Qiye also smiled as well. For him, this was not only a successful refinement, the Phoenix's skeleton was also restored.
At this point, the skeletal bird was perfect once more. The broken fragments had been supplemented by the heavenly flame. A golden glimmer flashed throughout the entire bird, making it seem to be made out of pure gold. Its heart was jumping up and down.
"Finally done." Li Qiye was also joyous as he looked at the bird. After this step, reviving the Phoenix would be much easier.
"If we can create its flesh and blood, then the Phoenix will have a chance for rebirth." The madam emotionally murmured.
Li Qiye was able to get two birds with one stone during this refinement. Not only did he refine the salve, he also restored the skeleton of the bird. It was a great harvest.
"Good, job well done." Li Qiye said with a smile. The madam and Yuan Caihe happily smiled back as well. This success made them very excited.
However, after finishing the job, they were not greeted by Tie Yi. Li Qiye looked throughout the building and found that Tie Yi was missing.
"This guy is really restless. He actually ran outside." Li Qiye shook his head disapprovingly.
At first, Li Qiye didn't care because Tie Yi had always been lurking around. However, after half a day had passed, Li Qiye felt something was wrong.
"This isn't right." He said: "If the old geezer saw the heavenly flame from the sky, then he should know that the salve was about to be completed."
The salve was extremely important for Tie Yi, so he should have rushed back after seeing the successful refinement!
Yuan Caihe said: "Big Brother, Tie Yi is a powerful paragon. He should be alright."
While Li Qiye was feeling that something was amiss, someone came to visit and insisted on meeting Li Qiye! Under such persistence, Li Qiye decided to meet him.
This was a stranger that Li Qiye had never met before. After this person saw that it was safe, he finally transformed and revealed his true appearance.
"Observant Monarch?" Li Qiye was surprised to see the person's real appearance: "What happened for you to come here in this manner?" A sense of foreboding rose in his mind.
"Young Noble Li, things are not looking good. Something big has happened." The monarch hastily spoke: "I came under the princess' order to see you."
"Yexue?" After hearing this, Li Qiye confirmed his suspicions.
783 TeaserWhile Li Qiye was refining behind closed doors, many people wondered what kind of pills he was refining. After seeing his supreme dao of alchemy with their own eyes, they all believed that this seclusive refinement session aimed to create an incredible pill.
Although there had not been any news over the last few days about Li Qiye's mountain, countless eyes were fixated on his abode.
Many were excited, and even God-Monarchs who didn't want to show their faces were paying great attention. This was because he was able to create something that tempted even themselves… longevity medicines!
It could even be said that during this period, there were God-Monarchs who had gathered longevity materials just to ask Li Qiye to refine them!
Although they had taken longevity medicines many times already as God-Monarchs, they still yearned for Li Qiye to refine a batch for them.
In their eyes, Li Qiye's longevity medicines were very likely to be the most effective when it comes to ignoring resistance. A God-Monarch speculated that if they used medicines from any other alchemist, there would be no effect at all.
[collapse]Chapter 784: The Legendary Black Fox
"Well, where do I start…" The monarch rubbed his palms nervously with a worried and embarrassed expression: "I don't really know the exact situation within the imperial family right now."
Li Qiye grew serious: "Monarch, tell me what you know. There are no outsiders here, so you can be frank."
The monarch pondered for a moment before speaking: "In the worst case scenario, the princess might have been temporarily restrained by the ancestors. After receiving the last message, I haven't received anything new from her, and I can't find Grandma Bai either."
"Under house arrest or removed from her position?" A pensive glimmer appeared in his eyes. He considered her as one of his people, so he absolutely didn't want anything to happen to her.
The monarch smiled wryly and said: "Hard to say. I am almost blind with no information regarding the imperial family's situation right now. Currently, the ancestors are in charge, and even His Highness can only follow orders."
"What actually happened?" Li Qiye deepened his tone.
As its descendant, Ming Yexue was extremely important to the kingdom. If the ancestors actually wanted to remove her status, something big must have occurred.
"Young Noble Li, this matter stems from your driver." The monarch responded seriously: "Plus, this guy caused big trouble in the past."
"Do tell." Li Qiye knew that things really weren't looking so good after hearing about Tie Yi's involvement.
"Young Noble Li's driver is the infamous Black Fox!" The monarch said: "Did you know his identity?"
"Black Fox?" Li Qiye rubbed his chin in contemplation. In fact, Tie Yi's identity didn't matter to him. The crucial point was that he trusted Tie Yi, and Tie Yi was loyally working for him.
"Young Noble Li, this is no laughing matter." The monarch raised his voice: "The Black Fox caused huge problems back then. He offended all the sects in this world and even stole a few treasures from our kingdom!"
"Tie Yi is the Black Fox?" The madam standing to the side was startled. As a great Demon King and the ruler of Giant Bamboo, she couldn't be more familiar with the tales of Black Fox. Back then, everyone in the Stone Medicine World heard of his stories.
Plus, Black Fox had always been very mysterious. There was a rumor that no one had seen his face or knew of his background.
The madam asked with surprise: "No one had seen his true appearance or knew his background, so how could the kingdom be so sure that Tie Yi is Black Fox?"
The monarch responded: "I am not very clear on the exact circumstances. I heard that the Stony Peak's Ye Qingcheng had come to meet the ancestors from the imperial family. It seems that Ye Qingcheng is the one that found out Black Fox's identity."
"Ye Qingcheng?" Li Qiye's eyes flashed. Ye Qingcheng actually came to the kingdom and discovered Black Fox's true identity — this was too much of a coincidence. It seemed like Ye Qingcheng came for him specifically.
The monarch continued: "I heard that the ancestors reacted very strongly about Black Fox's matter, but the princess tried her best to calm the opposition and the ancestors. She wanted to wait until Young Noble was finished with your refinement to settle this matter peacefully. Later on, I don't know how Ye Qingcheng convinced the ancestors to eventually make a move to capture Black Fox."
"Ye Qingcheng!" The glimmer turned cold in Li Qiye's eyes. This was a clear shot at him. Ye Qingcheng wanted nothing more than for both him and the kingdom to be destroyed. Perhaps this was a method to use the kingdom against him.
Although the two had never met, their feud had been forged long ago. Plus, if he couldn't recruit an existence like Li Qiye, then Li Qiye would be a great threat to him in the future. Because of this, he must kill Li Qiye as soon as possible before Li Qiye's wings matured; he must erase this anxiety from his mind!
"Ye Qingcheng is still an outsider though." Yuan Caihe interjected: "Miss Ming is your descendant, so your ancestors could not have foolishly listened to an outsider and restrained her."
"Virtuous Niece, there is no point saying these words to me." The monarch wryly laughed and said: "This is the decision of the ancestors. I am only a noble and have no power to question or interfere, not to mention that I don't know the exact details either."
"No." Li Qiye waved his sleeve dismissively: "Ye Qingcheng is only fanning the fire, and Black Fox is only an excuse. The ancestors of the kingdom are simply playing dumb! They wanted to take action long ago but were missing an excuse! They want to capture Black Fox first, then point their swords at me later!"
Li Qiye sneered after saying this. He knew what the ancestors wanted to do. First of all, the God-Monarchs would not easily let this go after suffering such a humiliating defeat. Second, Li Qiye had the heart of the Phoenix and even the skeleton. The ancestors would want these treasures back. The third and most crucial point was that they wanted to break the vow of old!
The powerful kingdom had been keeping a low profile since that year and never showed itself to the world. However, as time passed, things would change.
Perhaps within the last one or two generations, a few ancestors of the kingdom had become restless. This was especially true during the Difficult Dao Era. Some of the ancestors might have lost their patience.
However, the kingdom was indeed a monstrous behemoth; no one had dared to try them on. But now, Li Qiye offended the kingdom and even brought the fire of war all the way to their ancestral ground.
How could these restless ancestors let go of such a good opportunity? They needed Li Qiye to fan this fire of war, preferably to also involve Allpine Mountain and the Allpine Ancestors.
As a result, they would have a reason to break the vow of old and escape from its restraint!
A few ancestors had been waiting for this kind of opportunity for too long, and now the time was ripe!
The monarch could only sigh. This matter was on a level that far exceeded his influence and capabilities.
"Where is Black Fox right now?" Li Qiye raised his voice.
The monarch responded with a wry smile: "I don't know this either. He is very clever; after catching wind of this, he immediately escaped before our ancestors could even take action. Later on, his whereabouts were discovered several times, but he still managed to flee. Right now, our kingdom is mustering all of our might to capture him."
The monarch looked at Li Qiye: "Young Noble Li, I'm afraid such a situation will not last. The patience of the ancestors is limited. If they can't catch Black Fox, they might move onto you instead!"
"I understand this." Li Qiye nodded gently. In fact, this was only a matter of time for the ancestors of the kingdom.
"Young Noble Li, this is all I can do. If it wasn't for the princess entrusting me…" The monarch only sighed and didn't finish the sentence.
Li Qiye replied: "I appreciate Monarch taking the risk to come here. Please return. The longer you stay, the more dangerous it will be for you."
The monarch coming here in secret was a very risky undertaking. If discovered by the imperial family, then a light sentence would be a grave punishment, and a harsh sentence would be treating it as treason against the kingdom and the ancestors! This was a very heavy crime.
If it wasn't for Ming Yexue's request and that Li Qiye had saved his son's life, the monarch wouldn't have been willing to take such a risk to tell Li Qiye this information.
After sending the monarch away, the madam worriedly asked: "Young Master, what should we do now?"
"No rush, this is only a speculation from the ancestors, they have no evidence." Li Qiye chuckled: "Otherwise, would they be waiting all this time? No, they would have taken action already. If they want evidence, then they have to capture Tie Yi first!"
"With their formidable strength, capturing Tie Yi might just be a matter of time." Yuan Caihe was concerned as well. It was completely different this time since the kingdom was determined to fight.
"Not true." Li Qiye shook his head: "If the kingdom could capture Tie Yi, then they would have done so by now."
Li Qiye smiled: "This old man's ability to run for his life can definitely overwhelm an entire generation. He can instantly disappear from this earth if he really wanted to run, and those old geezers would have no way of finding him. Why is it that these geezers were able to find his location several times?"
"Young Master is saying that Tie Yi purposely exposed his whereabouts in order to attract the ancestors so that they won't disturb your refinement…" The madam speculated.
Li Qiye nodded: "You can put it that way. Those old geezers know that I am not easy to trifle with, and they have no evidence so they can't directly aim for me. This being the case, things were not right for them to make a move. However, if Tie Yi disappears completely, then these geezers will immediately break all pretenses. They must first capture Tie Yi alive."
At this point, he sneered: "If they manage to capture him, then it wouldn't just be him stealing from their kingdom! Perhaps I am the dark hand behind the curtains, or perhaps Allpine Mountain and even the forefather will be the real culprit."
"How can that be?" Yuan Caihe was astonished: "They would even antagonize Allpine Mountain or even the forefather over just a Black Fox?"
"They might not necessarily want to fight against the forefather. However, they need an excuse to maneuver their troops, a reason to show themselves in the world again!" Li Qiye chortled contemptuously. How could he not know what these ancestors were planning?
Chapter 785: Alchemy Kingdom's Plan
The madam worriedly said: "If the ancestors want to go big this time, I'm afraid they are definitely prepared. Maybe even a Godking will come out!"
"Don't worry." Li Qiye chuckled: "The kingdom is ready, but so am I. If those geezers want to die, then they can't blame me for not giving them any face. I will be more than happy to flip over the kingdom just in time to borrow their ancestral vein!"
The madam could only smile in response. She knew that her Young Master wanted to use their ancestral vein to revive the Phoenix.
"Big Brother, what should we do now? Leave the Alchemy Kingdom for now?" Yuan Caine was also concerned for his safety.
Li Qiye shook his head and said: "No, we have to find Old Man Tie Yi first. He is surely still in the city. After finding him, we'll decide what to do based on the Alchemy Kingdom's response."
The madam gently sighed. She knew that another great battle was on its way. It would be a scene of carnage that exceeded imagination.
In the recent couple of days, Li Qiye's refinement had created a huge commotion that garnered great attention. However, another matter was very eye-catching as well.
The kingdom's scouting legion suddenly appeared. Countless experts came out of nowhere along with several infamous ancestors.
"What could have happened to warrant this response?" Many experts that were staying in the city were startled from the kingdom's strong presence.
The imperial family had always been very low-key and people rarely came out. But now, the sudden appearance of this many experts and ancestors was akin to the release of a dam, scaring many people.
The young alchemists participating in the conference were frightened out of their minds. They wanted to join the conference to become famous, but before the event could begin, numerous twists and turns had happened.
"Black Fox has appeared." No one knew whether the kingdom purposely released this information or if someone else found out by chance. In short, their scouting legion's appearance and matters regarding Black Fox immediately spread.
Many were in disbelief after coming across this news. It rekindled their memories because Black Fox had faded from the world for a long time. Someone commented in bewilderment: "No way, didn't Black Fox die already? Rumor has it that the kingdom killed him back then!"
The story regarding his death back then was very plausible, so many trusted that he had been killed by one of the kingdom's ancestors.
"He didn't. The kingdom is moving to capture Black Fox. There's also one more thing to note, Black Fox is Li Qiye's driver!" In actuality, the kingdom was quickly spreading this news to all the nooks and crannies in the city.
"That driver?" The crowd was caught off guard after hearing this news. However, after thinking about it again, Li Qiye's driver was able to fight against the Xian Alchemy Ancestor. It seemed that it was not so surprising after all.
Other speculations ran rampant as well. Not long ago, Li Qiye and the kingdom were going all out against each other. However, now Li Qiye's driver suddenly turned into Black Fox, inevitably making others doubtful of this information. At the very least, the kingdom had no convincing proof that this was the case.
A few even wondered if the kingdom was willfully framing Li Qiye or not!
Skeptical or not, many people were ready to watch the events unfold. Of course, there were also those with different goals.
One day, the ancestors who were chasing after Black Fox in different directions suddenly retreated back to the ancestral ground.
"What is the kingdom doing?" The sudden withdrawal and the ancestors surrounding the entrance of the ancestral ground attracted a lot of attention.
The kingdom's disciples who were guarding the entrance were dazed as well. In the blink of an eye, a great army surrounded the entire location. The ancestors with their terrifying auras took their breaths away. The disciples felt their legs grow feeble; they couldn't stand straight after not knowing if they had done something wrong to warrant this situation.
At this time, an ancestor that had sealed this area coldly uttered: "Black Fox, show yourself!"
"Hahaha, your kingdom is too slow. It takes this long to find me here?" A guard disciple shook his body and laughed. Who could this be besides Tie Yi?
The other disciples were scared out of their wits after seeing their junior brother suddenly turn into someone else. They turned and fled from this inevitable disaster.
"Black Fox, it is not too late to surrender." Another ancestor spoke with a harsh demeanor.
"Black Fox?" Tie Yi shook his head: "I have said many times that I am not this Black Fox you speak of. I am only a lowly driver."
"If you are not Black Fox, then why did you run to this place?" The ancestor retorted: "This clearly shows that you have a guilty conscience! If you turn yourself in, my kingdom will show leniency."
Tie Yi laughed in response: "After seeing your aggressive approach, a coward like me would naturally flee."
"If you are not Black Fox, then surrender. If we come to find that you are innocent, then we will not cause trouble for you." The ancestor replied.
The ancestors here wanted to take action, but alas, they had no evidence. Prior to this, Ye Qingcheng assured the kingdom that his sources were absolutely reliable! When the kingdom was chasing Tie Yi, his methods of escape were the same as Black Fox's in the past.
Although the kingdom was certain that Li Qiye's driver was Black Fox, they didn't have conclusive evidence. There was no other way since no one knew Black Fox's background. He had always been shrouded in secrecy.
Tie Yi shook his head in response: "I don't trust your Alchemy Kingdom in this matter. Once captured, one can make a little rabbit admit that it is a wolf!"
"Fool." The ancestor's expression turned cold as a powerful bloodlust surged forth. He awe-inspiringly uttered: "In that case, don't blame us for being merciless!"
The majority of the cultivators watching this commotion held their breaths. They knew that this storm would definitely spread to Li Qiye as well!
"I heard that people are chasing my driver. I didn't believe it at first, but now that it is happening before my very eyes, it seems that I have no other choice." A relaxed voice came at this time.
"Li Qiye is here!" The experts present were shaken after seeing the slow arrival of a carriage. Li Qiye was currently famous, and his feud with the kingdom was common knowledge. They all felt that a great war was about to happen.
This time, the driver was Madam Zi Yan. Li Qiye lazed around in the back with Yuan Caihe next to him.
A few cultivators admired his calm demeanor, even those that were annoyed with him. What kind of courage and determination did this require?
The ancestors smirked after seeing his arrival. They were eager to spill dirty water on Li Qiye and take action against him. Alas, the only obstacle was the lack of evidence.
But now, Li Qiye brought himself right to their doors. To them, nothing could be better than this! It was simply ignoring the accepting heavens and barging into the unwelcoming hell!
"Young Noble…" Tie Yi smiled awkwardly when he saw Li Qiye approaching. He understood the kingdom's goal and didn't want to involve Li Qiye. However, Li Qiye was here, so even if he wanted to avoid this disaster, it was not to be.
"Li Qiye, you came just in time!" One of the ancestors sneered. The army of the kingdom and even a few ancestors shifted their positions. In the blink of an eye, they instantly surrounded Li Qiye. Even if he wanted to escape, all of his paths were completely blocked.
Even a slow-witted person would know that the kingdom was about to deal with Li Qiye.
"This battle is inevitable. Who knows who the victor will be in the end?" A cultivator standing outside murmured.
Li Qiye stepped down from his carriage and glanced around at the kingdom's experts that surrounded him. His gaze fell upon the old ancestors.
"It seems that your kingdom is ready to attack me." Li Qiye smiled at the crowd.
"You commanded Black Fox to steal our kingdom's treasures. Your sins are unforgivable!" An ancestor coldly responded. He slyly claimed that Li Qiye was the real culprit behind the scenes and quickly dragged him into this affair.
They wanted to hit three birds with one arrow. First, they could capture Black Fox and Li Qiye. Second, that would regain the Phoenix. Third, they would have an excuse to bring the war to Allpine Mountain so that their kingdom could rise again!
"Lies!" Tie Yi's expression quickly sank. He immediately understood the sinister intent of the kingdom after hearing this; they aimed to capture his Young Noble!