Immortality Cultivation
Chapter 67: Hundred Herbs Pill Pavilion
Leaving the Artifact Refining Hall, the five continued deeper along the main passage of the ruins. The passage grew increasingly deep, and the stone walls on either side gradually turned into a warm green jade material. A faint medicinal fragrance began to permeate the air, refreshing the heart and mind.
"The medicinal fragrance ahead is rich and the spiritual energy is peaceful; it should be where the Alchemy Hall is located," Liang Ling judged.
Chen Feng appeared somewhat excited: "The Alchemy Hall! Our Flowing Cloud Sect excels in Medicinal Pills. If we can obtain one or two ancient Pill Formulas here, it would be of great benefit to the Sect!"
However, just as they were about to reach a corner, a sudden change occurred! A stone wall on a narrow side path suddenly flipped silently. Chen Feng happened to be walking on the outermost side and, caught off guard, was instantly swallowed inside! The stone wall then closed up, seamless, as if it had never been opened!
"Senior Brother Chen!" Liu Yiyi cried out, rushing to the stone wall, but she could find no trace of any mechanism.
Fang Hao and Liang Ling immediately stepped forward, probing with their Divine Sense and activating the Clear Spring Spirit Eyes, only to find that the stone wall was covered by an extremely sophisticated spatial Restriction that was impossible to penetrate.
"It’s a randomly triggered spatial teleportation Restriction!" Liang Ling’s expression was grave. "Junior Brother Chen has likely been teleported to another area of the ruins."
Lin Wan said anxiously, "Then what should we do? We have to go find him!"
Fang Hao pondered for a moment and shook his head: "The space within the ruins is complex. Searching blindly would be like looking for a needle in a haystack, and we might instead fall into more unknown dangers. Senior Brother Chen’s strength is not weak, and he has life-saving items on him; he should be able to protect himself. It’s more stable for us to agree to meet at the exit."
Although Liu Yiyi was worried, she also knew that what Fang Hao said made sense. She could only nod, praying for her Senior Brother with tears in her eyes.
The team was reduced to four, and the atmosphere was somewhat heavy. They carefully bypassed that eerie side path, and before long, a palace shrouded in misty green haze appeared before them. The material of the palace doors seemed like wood yet not wood, like jade yet not jade, with four ancient characters written on them: "Hundred Herbs Pill Pavilion." The Formation light screen on the door displayed a texture of endless vegetation, appearing softer than the Formations of the previous two halls, yet revealing a profound and unfathomable rounded Concept.
"This Formation... contains the Dao of life, death, growth, and decay, which is even deeper and more mysterious than the fire Formation of the Artifact Refining Hall." Fang Hao’s expression was solemn as he felt an unprecedented pressure. This was no longer just an energy structure; it involved the level of Laws.
Lin Wan looked at the Formation, sighed, and said to Fang Hao, "Junior Brother Ning, look, I obtained the ’Flowing Cloud Hundred Refinements Sword Canon’ in the Myriad Manifestations Heavenly Craft Pavilion, but I lack a good sword to use it. Since you collected such a large Tiangong Artifact Refining Furnace in the Artifact Refining Hall, could you use that furnace to help me refine one after we return?" She pointed to the storage ring on Fang Hao’s hand that contained the golden puppet and the refining furnace.
Fang Hao’s attention was entirely on the Pill Pavilion’s Formation. Hearing this, he replied casually, "Senior Sister Lin, let’s discuss this later. Let me first break the entrance Formation of this Alchemy Hall."
Lin Wan pouted her lips, but she also knew the importance of the situation and stopped bothering him.
Fang Hao had the three women step back while he concentrated, facing the Formation of the "Hundred Herbs Pill Pavilion." He tried to use his experience from breaking the previous two Formations, simulating vitality with Chaos Qi and deducing changes with the Myriad Manifestations Concept.
However, this time, as soon as his Divine Sense touched the Formation light screen, he felt as if he had fallen into a boundless "herb garden." The Concepts of vegetation growth, withering, and Reincarnation surged like a tide, vast and grand, instantly submerging his Divine Sense. This Formation could actually directly trigger a cultivator’s perception of the Laws of life!
Fang Hao let out a muffled groan, his face turning pale. He hurriedly withdrew his Divine Sense, his eyes showing a look of horror. This Formation was nearly a manifestation of the "Dao." Forcing a deduction would only cause his own Dao foundation to vibrate, which was extremely dangerous!
"No, this Formation cannot be judged by common logic." Fang Hao sat down cross-legged, thinking hard for a countermeasure. Liang Ling and the others stood guard nervously by his side.
Time passed bit by bit. Fang Hao tried several methods, all to no avail, and instead consumed a huge amount of mental energy. Just as he was at his wits’ end, the general outline of the "Chaos Evolution Dao Art" quietly surfaced in his mind: "The Dao produced one, one produced two, two produced three, and three produced all things... Chaos embraces and evolves all methods..."
"Embrace... evolve..." A flash of inspiration struck Fang Hao. "Why do I always think about ’breaking’ it? Why can’t I try to ’understand’ it, or even... merge with it?"
A bold idea was born. He no longer tried to resist or analyze that Concept of life, death, and Reincarnation. Instead, he circulated the Chaos Evolution Dao Art, emptying his mind and turning it into a void of "Chaos," then carefully guided a sliver of the "vegetation vitality" Dao charm contained in the Formation into this "Chaos."
At first, when the Dao charm flowed in, it was like a stone sinking into the ocean. But Fang Hao was not impatient; he continued to guide it and used the inclusiveness of Chaos to nourish and feel the true meaning of "life" contained within this Dao charm.
Gradually, something wonderful happened. Under the nourishment of Chaos, that external Dao charm was not rejected but instead began to resonate with Fang Hao’s own vitality! He felt as if he had transformed into a seed, experiencing the life journey of being nourished by the earth, moistened by rain and dew, and breaking through the soil!
This was an unprecedented experience, a touch of the most original Laws of life.
Before long, a faint green glow actually emanated from around Fang Hao, complementing the Formation light screen of the "Hundred Herbs Pill Pavilion," and his aura became completely integrated with it.
At this very moment, the doors of the "Hundred Herbs Pill Pavilion" slid open silently. A rich medicinal fragrance wafted out, and the Formation light screen rippled softly, as if welcoming a fellow traveler.
There was no world-shaking breaking of the Formation, only a natural merging.
Liang Ling, Lin Wan, and Liu Yiyi watched in stunned silence. They could feel that Fang Hao seemed to have comprehended something extremely mysterious at this moment.
Fang Hao opened his eyes, a flash of green light passing through them, carrying a hint of joyful realization. He stood up and smiled at the three women: "Fortunately, I didn’t fail my mission. Let’s go in."
The four stepped into the Hundred Herbs Pill Pavilion, and the internal scene was once again shocking. There were no scorching Pill Furnaces, no piles of medicinal materials; what met their eyes was a medicinal garden that looked like a fairyland! Spiritual springs gurgled, and rare flowers and exotic grasses were everywhere, many of which were species that had long been extinct in the outside world! In the center of the medicinal garden, several ancient prayer mats and jade pill platforms were scattered. On the platforms sat not Medicinal Pills, but Legacy Jade Slips containing the Concept of the Dao of Alchemy!
This place was more like a quiet sanctuary for preaching the Dao and comprehending alchemy. And the previous Formation was perhaps the first, and most important, test—the perception of the Dao of "Life."
A new Opportunity was right before them. And the unexpected gain Fang Hao had during the process of breaking the Formation was perhaps even more precious than the Legacy inside the hall. His Dao had unknowingly broadened a bit more.