Chapter 188: The Mysterious Formation of Ten Thousand Corpses, Alchemy!

Blackwater Pool, Xiahou family.

“Boom, boom, boom—”

The entire Blackwater Pool was covered by the ‘Ten Thousand Corpses Mysterious Array’.

On the array, gray and black mist intertwined, resembling mountains of corpses and seas of blood, with wails of ghosts and howls of wolves.

Around the array, numerous Spirit Boats surrounded the Blackwater Pool, making it impenetrable.

On these Spirit Boats, lines of formation patterns flickered, and a large amount of spiritual light gathered, transforming into thick bolts of lightning that struck the Ten Thousand Corpses Mysterious Array, creating a huge commotion.

Moreover, from all directions, cultivators, guided by formation masters, used spells and Artifacts to attack the weak points of the array.

Two months ago, Azure Cloud Sect declared that the Blackwater Xiahou family was a demonic force, summoning all forces under its rule to crusade against the Xiahou clan.

In less than a month, the Xiahou family’s affiliated families and Market disciples were all struck down and cleaned out.

And for the Xiahou clan’s main base, Blackwater Pool, Azure Cloud Sect even dispatched a Core Formation cultivator to lead the attack.

But unexpectedly, the Xiahou family’s original clan-protecting formation, the ‘Blackwater Mysterious Wind Array’, transformed into a third-rank formation, the ‘Ten Thousand Corpses Mysterious Array’.

This made it impossible for even Azure Cloud Sect’s Core Formation cultivator to break the array immediately.

Inside the Blackwater Pool.

“Ancestor, it won’t be long before Azure Cloud Sect sets up a formation to break our array by affecting the ley lines of Blackwater Pool.”

The Xiahou family leader looked at Xiahou Wuwo and spoke worriedly.

He could clearly see that on the surrounding mountains, formation masters from Azure Cloud Sect were setting up arrays.

“Don’t worry. With the ancestor guarding the array, unless Azure Cloud Sect sends two more Core Formation cultivators, they won’t break the array easily.”

“Besides, if we can hold on long enough, once the Jin Kingdom makes a move, the forces planted by the Heaven Corpse Sect, Five Poison Sect, and Yin Ghost Sect will also act, and Azure Cloud Sect will be overwhelmed.”

Xiahou Wuwo spoke calmly but with a hint of worry in his eyes.

Because all of this depended on the Heaven Corpse Sect Master and the Five Poison Sect Master being able to repel the True Lord of the Profound Sword, Li Duanxuan.

If the Jin Kingdom failed to invade successfully, the Xiahou family would become insignificant and abandoned.

Outside the array.

A huge spirit ship loomed in the sky.

On the deck of the spirit ship stood a peerless beauty in palace attire.

Her brows were like distant mountains, her eyes like autumn water, her nose straight and delicate, her lips red and luscious.

Her black hair was styled into a cloud bun, with a colorful phoenix hairpin, exuding elegance and nobility.

“How long until the Earth-Shaking Array is completed?”

Yun Wanshang stood with her hands behind her back, looking down at the Blackwater Pool with an indescribable coldness in her eyes.

“Respected Cloud Real Person, it will take about a month to complete the Earth-Shaking Array.”

A formation master descended onto the spirit ship.

He looked at the peerless beauty with amazement in his eyes and respectfully greeted her.

“Hurry up.”

Yun Wanshang said coldly.

Her whole body exuded an invisible aura of majesty, shaking people’s hearts.

“Yes!”

The formation master trembled and responded respectfully.

Nine Heavens Immortal City.

Inside an inn.

“To refine pills, you first need a alchemy furnace.”

“As a Top-Tier second-rank alchemist, I don’t even have a alchemy furnace.”

Lu Changsheng thought about making money through pill refining.

He remembered that he didn’t even have a alchemy furnace.

“Pill refining is not like Talisman Making; it takes a lot of time.”

“If I use my Foundation Establishment spiritual flame to refine pills, I can’t be distracted with other tasks.”

“So, the best way is to rent a pill refining room with ground fire.”

“This way, I save the cost of buying a alchemy furnace and can refine pills and make talismans at the same time.”

Lu Changsheng thought to himself as he walked out of the inn.

He planned to see if there were any pill refining rooms for rent in the Immortal City.

After all, he was short on money.

There were many places where he needed to spend Spirit Stones.

Spending twenty to thirty thousand Spirit Stones to buy a alchemy furnace temporarily wasn’t worth it.

He could wait until he had spare money to buy a good alchemy furnace.

Moreover,

As a Top-Tier alchemist, he didn’t need to watch the alchemy furnace closely all the time like most alchemists.

He could do other things while refining pills.

He could even refine pills in multiple furnaces at the same time.

If he relied solely on his Foundation Establishment spiritual flame for pill refining, he couldn’t focus on other tasks.

So, he decided to rent a pill refining room.

Otherwise, guarding the alchemy furnace all day would be too time-consuming and less profitable than making talismans.

“Does your esteemed establishment have second-rank alchemy furnaces and pill refining rooms for rent?”

After some inquiries, Lu Changsheng arrived at a pill refining shop and asked.

“Second-rank alchemy furnaces and pill refining rooms?”

“We currently only have quasi-second-rank pill refining rooms available.”

The shop’s attendant shook his head.

“We don’t rent out second-rank pill refining rooms.”

“alchemy furnaces are not for rent.”

“Are you a second-rank alchemist? If you are willing to become our guest elder, we can provide a alchemy furnace and a second-rank pill refining room.”

Lu Changsheng asked five or six pill refining shops.

All of them said they didn’t have second-rank pill refining rooms for rent.

Even in Nine Heavens Immortal City, second-rank alchemists had status and position.

Such alchemists didn’t need to rent second-rank pill refining rooms.

They all had their own pill refining rooms.

And these pill refining shops provided second-rank pill refining rooms only for their own alchemists, not for rent.

“Do I really have to buy a alchemy furnace and refine pills at home?”

“If so, I might as well make money with talismans.”

Lu Changsheng shook his head as he left another pill refining shop.

He originally thought he could easily make a lot of money through pill refining.

But he didn’t expect to be stumped by such a small issue.

“Forget it, I’ll try one last shop. If it doesn’t work out, I’ll put pill refining aside for now.”

“When I return, I’ll see if I can set up a pill refining workshop in Red Leaf Market Town and hire some apprentices.”

Lu Changsheng thought as he looked at a pill refining shop ahead.

Then he stepped inside.

Inside the shop, there was only a fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl.

She wore a yellow dress, her hair in a bun, her eyes bright, her nose delicate, and her lips red.

Her fair hands supported her bored face, and her small feet in embroidered shoes swung back and forth.

Seeing Lu Changsheng, she immediately perked up and asked, “Welcome, do you need to buy any pills?”

“I’m looking to rent a second-rank alchemy furnace and a pill refining room.”

Lu Changsheng asked.

“Second-rank alchemy furnace and pill refining room? We don’t rent those out.”

The girl instinctively shook her head.

Alchemists didn’t like others using their pill refining rooms or furnaces.

Renting them out could be dangerous if something went wrong.

But then she asked, “Are you a second-rank alchemist?”

“If you are, our shop can provide a second-rank alchemy furnace and a pill refining room.”

Her eyes sparkled with hope.

“I am a second-rank alchemist, but I don’t plan to become a guest elder or resident alchemist.”

Lu Changsheng smiled and shook his head.

Some shops had offered the same deal.

But he didn’t want to sign a contract.

Although he could deceive the contract with the Mysterious Pearl, his basic morals wouldn’t allow it.

“I see.”

The girl bit her finger, deep in thought.

“If you don’t rent them out, then I’ll take my leave.”

Lu Changsheng cupped his hands and prepared to leave.

“Wait.”

“Our shop’s alchemy furnace and pill refining room are currently idle. You can rent them.”

“But the price is fifty Spirit Stones a day, with a minimum of ten days. You also need to provide the Spirit Stones for the ground fire array.”

The girl called out as Lu Changsheng was leaving.

“Oh?”

Lu Changsheng stopped and nodded, “No problem.”

Fifty Spirit Stones a day, this price isn’t expensive.

After all, buying a Second-Tier alchemy furnace easily costs tens of thousands of Spirit Stones.

A Top-Tier Second-Tier alchemy furnace costs twice as much as a Talisman Pen, needing thirty to forty thousand Spirit Stones.

This is why Lu Changsheng doesn’t want to buy an alchemy furnace right now.

“Let’s start with ten days. If I need more time, I can pay extra. Is that okay?”

Lu Changsheng took out five hundred Spirit Stones and spoke to the young girl.

“Yes, no problem. Follow me, senior.”

The girl smiled as she accepted the Spirit Stones, nodding vigorously.

She led Lu Changsheng to the backyard of the shop, stopping in front of a house made of black bricks.

Lu Changsheng touched the black wall, feeling its coolness.

He recognized it as Wushi stone.

This kind of stone is very heat-resistant.

Most alchemy and crafting rooms are built with this material.

Otherwise, the heat from the earth fire alone would melt most materials.

“Senior, this is our alchemy room. The fire is very stable, enough to refine most pills.”

The girl took out a token and unlocked the alchemy room’s restriction.

Inside, it wasn’t big, just about forty to fifty square meters, clean and simple.

Each wall had a Gourd the size of a fist hanging on it.

In the center of the room was a flat round platform about a meter wide.

This platform was made of Wushi stone, very flat, only about half a foot tall.

On the outer edge of the platform were eight miniature dragon heads, vivid and lifelike.

The dragon heads were slightly raised, aimed at the center of the platform, in a spitting posture.

“How do I use this?”

Lu Changsheng looked at the alchemy room, knowing the platform was the earth fire mouth, and asked.

“You don’t know, senior?”

The girl tilted her head, a bit surprised.

In Nine Heavens Immortal City, to open an alchemy or crafting shop, you need to connect to the earth fire through the city administration.

So, the alchemy rooms in Nine Heavens Immortal City are basically the same.

“This is my first time in Nine Heavens Immortal City.”

Lu Changsheng explained.

“I see.”

The girl understood why Lu Changsheng wanted to rent an alchemy room.

She pointed at the platform and introduced, “This is the earth fire mouth of the alchemy room. The fire needed for alchemy comes out of these eight dragon heads.”

“Senior, you can adjust the flame size and height here.”

“For the specific method, you can check this Jade Slip.”

After a brief introduction, the girl handed a Jade Slip to Lu Changsheng.

“Okay.”

Lu Changsheng took the Jade Slip and quickly scanned it.

It contained the general introduction to the earth fire formation’s operation.

He looked at the girl and asked, “Where is the alchemy furnace?”

“The alchemy furnace was put away earlier, it’s upstairs. Please wait, senior, I’ll go get it.”

The girl slapped her forehead and quickly left the room.

“It seems this shop is poorly managed.”

Lu Changsheng shook his head slightly, watching the girl.

The shop only had the girl.

The girl’s bored look and the First-Tier pills on the counter made him judge the shop’s poor condition.

The other alchemy shops he visited at least had one or two apprentices.

The clean alchemy room and the stored alchemy furnace indicated no resident alchemist.

“Senior, the alchemy furnace.”

Soon, the girl returned with a copper-red cloud-patterned alchemy furnace about half a person’s height.

“Thank you.”

Lu Changsheng activated his Qi, placing the furnace steadily on the eight fire-breathing dragon heads.

“Senior, these Gourds contain Mars sand, which can temporarily enhance the earth fire’s power.”

“If you find the earth fire’s temperature insufficient, you can use Mars sand for free.”

The girl pointed at the Gourds on the walls.

“Thank you.”

Lu Changsheng nodded and smiled.

“Alright, senior, I’ll leave you to your alchemy. I’ll be at the front if you need anything.”

“By the way, my name is Li Xingyu.”

The girl introduced herself.

“Thank you, Miss Li.”

Lu Changsheng added, “My name is Ye Fan.”

“Alright, Senior Ye.”

The girl’s eyes turned into crescent moons, smiling at the name.

She knew that revealing his name meant he was becoming friendly.

“This Senior Ye seems easy to talk to. I wonder if my sister could invite him to be our resident alchemist.”

“If she can’t find a resident alchemist, maybe we can ask Senior Ye.”

The girl thought as she left the alchemy room.

“Phew.”

After the girl left, Lu Changsheng closed the alchemy room door and started preparing for alchemy.

He embedded three Mid-Tier Spirit Stones into the earth fire formation.

Following the Jade Slip’s instructions, he cast eight red lights onto the dragon heads.

“Pfft!”

The dragon heads absorbed the red lights, then spewed purple flames.

The alchemy room filled with intense heat.

“Let’s start with a batch of Qi Gathering Pills to get familiar.”

Lu Changsheng decided to first refine Qi Gathering Pills, which boost foundation cultivation.

“Rise!”

He looked at the alchemy furnace, forming a seal with his hands, and sent a spiritual light.

With a swoosh.

The furnace lid flew up, and a stream of spiritual water cleaned the furnace.

Then, he tapped his Storage Bag.

Several spiritual herbs flew into the furnace for refining.

“Blue Moon Grass, Gan You Flower, Bamboo Cloud Juice.”

Although it was his first time refining pills, Lu Changsheng was calm and composed.

With Second-Tier alchemy skills, Qi Gathering Pills were easy for him.

He placed all the required spiritual herbs into the furnace and closed the lid.

This step was perfect, without any mistakes.

Watching the furnace fire slowly burn and refine the herbs, Lu Changsheng took out Talisman Pen, talisman paper, and spiritual ink, starting to draw talismans.

During the idle time of alchemy, he drew a few spiritual talismans.

If someone saw this scene, they would be speechless with astonishment.