https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-168-Mountain-Collapse-Technique-Refining-the-Path-to-the-Netherworld-Pill/12920475/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-170-Divine-Soul-Expansion-Practicing-Soul-Suppressing-Technique/12920477/
Chapter 169: Ghost City's Ghost General, Pill Completion and a Dream
Chapter 169: Ghost City's Ghost General, Pill Completion and a Dream
Early the next morning, Luo Chen put on the white fox fur coat he had worn last year, with his hands tucked into his pockets, and began his inspection of his territory.
Winter had fully arrived, and snow was falling heavily.
The Slanting Moon Valley was covered in snow everywhere.
From a distance, Luo Chen saw a little rascal stacking snow at the entrance, making a snowman.
As Luo Chen approached, he couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"So ugly!"
Qu Lingjun turned his head away, without a word, and rushed into the house.
Luo Chen was taken aback. Could it be that bad?
Yesterday, he had given the boy some pills, and today, he was being so impolite!
But the next moment, he saw Qu Lingjun running out with a small flowerpot.
"President, this is a birthday gift for you!" Qu Lingjun said proudly.
Luo Chen looked at the plant in the flowerpot, which had just sprouted new buds.
"I know you've grown it. Don't give it to me. You can keep it for now, and when it grows up, give it to me then!"
"Yeah, yeah," Qu Lingjun nodded hurriedly and carefully carried the flowerpot back inside.
Luo Chen bent down and scooped up a handful of snow to fix and patch up the ugly little snowman.
After a while, Qu Lingjun joined in.
"Who is this snowman supposed to be? Why does it have a beard?"
"It's my dad! His beard is really stiff and prickly, so I used pig hair to stick it on as a beard."
"Then aren't you calling your dad a pig?"
"He's really stupid, not as smart as my mom... No, no, my dad isn't as handsome as my mom, I look more like her."
As they continued stacking, Qu Lingjun's nose turned red.
He looked up at Luo Chen and sniffled.
"President, I miss my dad and mom."
Luo Chen gently ruffled the little boy's hair.
The two of them, big and small, stood in the snowstorm, having built an ugly snowman.
...
"A Ghost General?"
In the Bright Moon Hall, the cultivators gathered around the stove, warming themselves by the fire.
Luo Chen listened in surprise to the news that Zeng Wen had brought back.
Zeng Wen clicked his tongue in amazement, "Yes, no one expected that a Ghost General-level ghost would appear inside the Ghost City. The Nangong family, who had ventured the deepest, suffered heavy losses this time!"
There were many classifications of Yin ghosts.
Those who had formed spirits from Yin energy, cultivators who had fallen from the Dao and turned to the path of ghosts, evil spirits formed from those who died in Yin Sha lands, and even the classic zombies, could all be considered part of the Yin soul ghost lineage.
The classification standard was not the conventional Qi Condensation and Foundation Establishment stages.
Instead, it was based on Ghost Soldiers, Ghost Generals, and Ghost Kings.
The reason for this classification was that higher-level Yin ghosts had a natural suppression over lower-level ones.
Even powerful Ghost Kings could transform an entire area into a Nether Realm, controlling all the ghost cultivators within while enhancing their strength.
The battle within the inner city of Dahexian Market broke out at noon, involving numerous cultivators, at least over five thousand in number!
After the battle erupted, some people died on the spot, while others were trapped inside by the formation activated by the Jade Cauldron Sword Pavilion.
Only a few lucky ones managed to escape at the very beginning.
When the battle ended, three Ghost Kings were defeated by the Golden Core Sword Cultivator Pang Renxiong.
The accumulated essence of hundreds of years of ghost energy immediately enveloped the inner city, completely turning it into a Nether Realm.
If this were the only issue, they could simply wait for a major sect to arrive and eliminate the ghost energy, restoring the balance of the world.
However, three months had passed, and there was still no sign of the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect.
On the contrary, a Ghost General-level existence had appeared within the ghost city!
Although Ghost Generals couldn't control an entire Nether Realm and its Yin ghosts like Ghost Kings, they had developed some spiritual intelligence and retained some of their pre-death behavior patterns.
Moreover, being within the Nether Realm greatly enhanced their combat strength.
It was unclear whether they were stronger or weaker than Foundation Establishment cultivators, but they were definitely not to be resisted by Qi Condensation stage cultivators.
"Where did it appear?" Luo Chen asked curiously.
Zeng Wen, full of energy, replied, "It's said to be in the area around White Stone Square. The Nangong family had ventured the deepest, hoping to enter the Jade Cauldron Sword Pavilion ahead of time."
"But as soon as they reached White Stone Square, they encountered the Ghost General."
"Tsk tsk, that's a tragedy! Nine out of ten late-stage Qi Condensation cultivators from the Nangong family died on the spot."
Luo Chen raised his eyebrows, "Nine?"
"Yes, only Nangong Qin survived," Zeng Wen said, glancing at Qin Liangchen, who was drinking. "That kid was lucky. He had a set of treasures specifically targeting Yin ghosts and a magic weapon bestowed by his Foundation Establishment father."
"With the delay created by the nine cultivators, he activated the magic weapon and narrowly escaped the range of White Stone Square."
Upon hearing this outcome, Murong Qinglian couldn't help but feel a sense of loss.
The Qin family still remembered the grudge from when Nangong Qin had led others to surround and kill Qin Liangchen.
Qin Liangchen remained noncommittal and didn't express any opinions.
"Here," a voice said, and Luo Chen smiled as he took a handful of peeled hazelnuts from Gu Caiyi's hand.
He stuffed them into his mouth and asked indistinctly, "Wouldn't the Nangong family keep this matter to themselves?"
"You described it so vividly, as if you were there to witness it yourself?"
Zeng Wen chuckled, "I wasn't there, but someone from the Li family was!"
"The Li family?"
"Yes, Li Ao led the team and managed to reach the outskirts of White Stone Square. With the help of the Green Fire Lantern magic treasure, they witnessed the whole thing."
Did the Li family also send people to explore the Ghost City? Luo Chen pondered.
It seemed that during this time, the focus of the major powers had shifted to the Ghost City.
Indeed, there were many resources left inside, and even a small portion brought out would be faster and more abundant than painstakingly cultivating them.
Not much else to say, Luo Chen was particularly eager to plunder the Immortal Construction Residence.
As a business of Ailao Mountain, various spiritual materials within the Immortal Construction Residence were all considered hard currency.
Especially the Earth Fire Evil!
Beside him, Elder Zeng Wen was still talking animatedly about his experiences in the Ghost City.
All of this information was gathered while he was working at the Golden Hall, through inquiries from other guests.
The Li Family cultivator had personally witnessed the Nan Gong Family's miserable defeat and retreat, and upon returning, he began to spread the news far and wide.
The purpose was to deal a blow to the Nan Gong Family, an outsider in the cultivation world.
After all, when the two families were competing for the resources of the Po Shan Gang's Beast Hall, they had caused quite a stir.
Through Elder Zeng Wen's storytelling, everyone gradually learned about the current situation in the Ghost City.
The most dangerous place was undoubtedly the area around White Stone Square.
There was a patrolling Ghost General, and no one could enter safely.
However, once outside the range of White Stone Square, the Ghost General would no longer pursue and kill.
That was why Nan Gong Qin and the Li Family cultivator were able to escape by chance.
The shops of the five major Outer Domain top sects had long been abandoned.
All the treasures within had been taken away, and those that couldn't be moved were destroyed.
As for the shops of some local minor sects, they were more or less guarded by formations.
For a while, various forces were trying to find ways to break through these formations.
When it came to formations, Luo Chen thought of Min Longyu.
This person seemed to be from the Da Jiang Gang, but in reality, he was likely a cultivator from the Lianyun Business Alliance.
He was extremely skilled in formations!
Even in combat, he often used formations to confront his enemies.
If the Lianyun Business Alliance also had the intention to explore the Inner City, as long as they dispatched Min Longyu, their gains would far surpass others.
"If only Luo Tianhui had such a formation expert."
Luo Chen couldn't help but feel a bit regretful.
Luo Tianhui lacked talented individuals, and most of them were production cultivators and combat cultivators.
These production cultivators weren't idling around either; they were all contributing in their respective roles.
The spiritual rice planted earlier, under the supervision of Yuan Dongsheng, was growing vigorously.
Next year, they might be able to harvest a small batch.
Other medicinal herbs also benefited from the spiritual vein eruption in the Inner City, as the scattered spiritual energy allowed some herbs to grow well.
However, with winter approaching, maintaining the formation that created a perpetual spring consumed a significant amount of resources.
But the products created by the production cultivators also needed protection.
What if others came to steal them? Combat cultivators might be able to handle the situation alone.
But if a real battle broke out, these crops would likely be lost in the ensuing chaos, like water poured into a bamboo basket.
In comparison, a formation cultivator like Min Longyu would be of great use.
With such a person overseeing the Small Five Elements Formation, as long as Foundation Establishment cultivators didn't intervene, the crops planted within the Slanting Moon Valley would be safe and sound.
Unfortunately, Luo Tianhui didn't have such a person.
The only one who knew a bit about formations was Duan Feng.
However, the formations he knew were mostly related to magic tool forging, and they were all small-scale formations.
Recently, apart from cultivation, he had been busy teaching his disciples.
He planned to follow Luo Chen's previous arrangement and train a group of forging apprentices to establish an Armory.
"To develop and expand Luo Tianhui, there's still a long way to go!"
Luo Chen shook his head and continued chatting casually with the crowd.
The topic gradually shifted from the experiences in Dahexiang Market to cultivation.
Most of the people in the hall were Qi Condensation Ninth Level cultivators.
Aside from Elder Zeng Wen and Granny Yuan, who had long since become indifferent, most of them still held a glimmer of hope for Foundation Establishment.
Under Luo Chen's guidance, everyone discussed the problems they encountered in their cultivation, creating a harmonious atmosphere.
Luo Chen also gained a lot of insights from others' cultivation experiences.
Perhaps just a few insights would allow him to avoid many detours on his cultivation path.
This tea party lasted until dusk before everyone gradually dispersed.
After everyone returned to their respective homes, Luo Chen went back to the Dan Hall.
There was no pill refinement in the Dan Hall today, and everyone was given a day off.
Luo Chen rested for a day, and the minor meridian injury he had suffered earlier was fully recovered under the nourishment of the Deficiency Supplement Pulse Liquid.
With a day of relaxation and banter, his condition had reached its peak.
"Let's start with a furnace of Blood-Boiling Pills to test my skills!"
The consecutive failures yesterday were quite demoralizing.
Luo Chen planned to refine some Blood-Boiling Pills first to boost his confidence and also prepare some goods for his next meeting with Tianxingzi.
Before starting, Luo Chen glanced at his attribute panel.
【Blood-Boiling Pill Beginner Level: 97/100】
With just one more successful furnace, he could advance to the Proficient Level.
At that time, the pill success rate could be increased from ten percent to twenty percent.
It would be a small breakthrough.
"I've accumulated a few failures before, and this time, refining four portions of raw materials, I should be able to succeed with at least one portion!"
By now, Luo Chen had a good understanding of this system.
The so-called probability wasn't as simple as it seemed.
For example, at the beginner level, it seemed that one success was guaranteed out of ten attempts.
But that wasn't always the case!
If one didn't concentrate and give their all during each pill refinement, it was possible to fail all ten attempts.
On the contrary, if one prepared sufficiently, and became proficient in pill formulas, pill techniques, and various techniques, it was also possible to succeed in one attempt.
The first time Luo Chen refined the Blood-Boiling Pill was a perfect example.
He didn't experience multiple failures but succeeded on his very first attempt.
Young man, every time you refine pills, you must give it your all!
Only then will you have a guaranteed chance of success!
Luo Chen silently encouraged himself, then added a Qing He Demon Beast into the fire pit.
Using this demon beast's body as the pill fire could increase the number of successful pills.
There was no reason not to use it.
Before officially starting the pill refinement, he solemnly gathered his spiritual energy, stimulating the eighteen acupoints within his body one by one.
"Hmm..."
A muffled hum sounded, and Luo Chen took a deep breath, suppressing the pain caused by the Bright Divine Soul Annihilation.
He needed this pain! Not for refining the Blood-Boiling Pill, but to familiarize himself with this feeling.
Because when refining the Path to the Netherworld Pill later, the Bright Divine Soul Annihilation might be able to counteract the hallucinatory power brought by the Snow Fox Demon Blood.
This was a bit of inspiration he had gained while chatting with his friends earlier.
Pain might be able to help one snap out of a hallucination.
And by maintaining the pain, there was a high chance of not falling into that hazy illusion.
After completing the preliminary preparations, Luo Chen added the medicinal ingredients one by one.
Then, the Blood-Boiling Pill refinement process began.
Luo Chen was already very familiar with this process.
After about two hours, Luo Chen collected fourteen Blood-Boiling Pills with satisfaction.
All of them were of low-grade quality, and the pill success rate was only two out of four.
His proficiency in Blood-Boiling Pill had also reached the Proficient level.
Not only that, but the Achievement Points he had lost when he initially entered the Path to the Netherworld Pill had also increased by one.
Currently, the number of Achievement Points he had...
After perfecting Spirit Eye Technique, Earth Mountain Technique, and Wave Technique, and advancing Blood-Boiling Pill to the Proficient level, he gained four more Achievement Points.
Twenty-eight Achievement Points!
During his break, Luo Chen looked at these Achievement Points and couldn't help but feel a surge of impulse.
If he were to invest all these Achievement Points into those two complete Second-stage pill formulas, would he be able to enter the beginner level?
The reason for this eagerness was mainly because he currently had no First-stage pill formulas in his possession.
He was only left with three Second-stage pill formulas: Jade Dew Pill, Blood Fiend Pill, and Imperial Flow.
Among them, Blood Fiend Pill was the one he had the most confidence in.
Unfortunately, he lacked the main ingredient.
Even after entering the beginner level, he couldn't refine it for the time being.
Jade Dew Pill had the greatest value!
But it was incomplete, and the Achievement Points required to deduce and complete it might be an unimaginably large number.
"Imperial Flow..."
Luo Chen shook his head; he wasn't at that stage yet.
Once he advanced to the Foundation Establishment Stage, whether it was entering the beginner level or deducing the formula, he wouldn't need to spend too many Achievement Points.
Because at that time, the Achievement Points required to enter the beginner level at the corresponding cultivation realm would be no different from entering the beginner level of a First-stage pill formula.
After a brief rest, Luo Chen stood up and entered another pill refinement room.
Looking at the bronze cauldron, Luo Chen smiled slightly.
"Although the Divine Wood Cauldron is only a mid-grade First-stage cauldron, it provides additional benefits when refining plant-based pills."
"One of the two main ingredients for Path to the Netherworld Pill is Phantom Dark Grass."
"It should also have an effect."
This time, he chose not to use the Four Symbols Cauldron but instead selected the Divine Wood Cauldron, which was of a lower grade but had special benefits.
He hoped for success!
Bright Divine Soul Annihilation was activated, and the excruciating pain resurfaced.
Luo Chen's expression remained unchanged, as if he didn't feel anything, and he carefully added the raw materials one by one.
After a long while...
Luo Chen walked out of the pill refinement room with a calm expression.
Failure! As expected.
He wasn't angry because the Path to the Netherworld Pill formula was also incomplete, and he had completed it himself.
It was forcibly entered by the System.
All failures could be forgiven.
And in this failure, it was confirmed that Bright Divine Soul Annihilation had a significant resistance effect against the hallucinogenic properties of Snow Fox Demon Blood.
This was the greatest gain instead.
"Next time, it will definitely succeed!"
...
The next attempt also ended in failure.
It wasn't until five days later, after Luo Chen stopped refining Jade Marrow Pill and spent an entire day refining Path to the Netherworld Pill, that he barely succeeded once.
"It took nine attempts to finally reap the rewards!"
Luo Chen looked at the three white pills in his hand, as white as snow, and couldn't help but feel amazed.
Only three! Just three!
Even though Luo Chen had mentally prepared himself, he still felt a little overwhelmed.
He knew that for Path to the Netherworld Pill, while the main ingredients were complete, half of the auxiliary materials were missing, and it had taken him a lot of time to supplement them.
He also knew that without a Second-stage pill formula like Blood Fiend Pill to reverse-deduce and complete it, there might be inherent deficiencies.
But he hadn't expected the number of successful pills to be so low.
"The cost of one set of raw materials is as high as fifteen Spirit Stones, far exceeding the eleven for Blood-Boiling Pill and five for Jade Marrow Pill."
"In the end, there were only three pills."
"If we don't calculate the individual costs but instead consider the total actual consumption, then wouldn't it mean that ten attempts would require one hundred and fifty Spirit Stones just to obtain three low-grade First-stage Path to the Netherworld Pills?"
This data made Luo Chen tense up once again.
He had never been so extravagant before.
"I want to see what incredible effects you have!"
Clenching the three snow-white pills in his palm, Luo Chen entered the Spirit Vein Cave Mansion.
...
With his spirit and energy fully replenished, he was unharmed.
Luo Chen took a deep breath and resolutely swallowed the snow-white pill.
After refining the fiercely potent Blood-Boiling Pill, Luo Chen didn't dare to consume it lightly.
Since he knew the direction of its medicinal properties, he needed to test the pill.
But the medicinal properties of Path to the Netherworld Pill were to increase the depth of the divine soul, and the cost was so high that he couldn't bear to test it on small animals.
Since that was the case, he might as well experience it himself!
The pill melted as soon as it entered his body.
A cool sensation rushed straight to his crown.
Luo Chen couldn't help but shiver from the cold.
And in that shiver, his consciousness became hazy.
...
In a kitchen filled with the aroma of cooking, a young man was sprawled on the stove's edge, clutching a handful of blackened medicinal dregs, his expression wild.
"Failed?"
"Failed!"
"Why, why did it fail again?"
"I spent my entire fortune to gather these ten sets of raw materials, but I still can't succeed."
"Could it be that I don't have the talent for pill refinement?"
"No, I don't believe it. I still have three sets of raw materials left. I must succeed."
The young man put away the medicinal dregs and went to the stream to clean the iron pot.
He practiced techniques and cultivated his energy, constantly adjusting his state.
On the second day, he continued refining the Wondrous Pill.
Failure!
On the third day, it was still a failure!
And on the fourth day, with the last set of raw materials, he gathered all his hopes and focused his mind, even to the point of fanaticism, and made a final attempt.
In the end...
"It still failed."
The young man opened his mouth, and his self-talk had a choking sound.
Fifty Spirit Stones was all his fortune.
He had invested it all into refining the Wondrous Pill.
But with not a single successful pill, it meant that his years of accumulation had gone down the drain.
In the end, it was like carrying water in a bamboo basket, all in vain!
So, what should he do next?
Luo Chen looked around; his home was empty, and even the spirit rice in the rice jar was less than half a pound.
"Perhaps, I'm just not suited for pill refinement."
"Maybe I shouldn't have become an alchemist and lived a life where I no longer had to worry about Spirit Stones."
He fell into deep self-doubt.
He sat idly in the kitchen, allowing the smell of the failed medicinal dregs to permeate his body, as if he himself were a failure.
He didn't know how long it had been.
When the day broke, he slowly stood up.
Luo Chen glanced at his home's situation, then discarded the medicinal dregs and tidied up the kitchen.
After a quick wash, he left the house and headed to the Outer City.
He arrived at a place surrounded by mountains and clear waters, where bamboo buildings were nestled among the greenery.
"Who goes there?"
"A wanderer named Luo Chen wishes to join Po Shan Gang."
(End of Chapter)
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