Chapter 1615: The Old Woman Seeks the Immortal's Opportunity
In every corner of Xuanjing City, Rinsing Moon Bai had buried a vast collection of poisons gathered from her travels across the land. The most crucial among them was a concoction made primarily from human blood essence, a deadly substance that, once triggered by an explosion, would erupt into a fine, crimson mist.
Indeed, after fifty years of research, Rinsing Moon Bai had reached an astonishing conclusion. The reason she had never been able to absorb the spiritual energy from spirit stones was not because the energy itself was toxic.
Rather, it was that human bodies had a violently repulsive reaction to spiritual energy, treating it like a virulent poison. Its toxicity far surpassed any other venom in the world. Through a series of meticulous experiments, Rinsing Moon Bai had confirmed this fact.
“I just wonder how effective it will be against an immortal,” she mused.
The immortals’ conversation drifted down from the sky, and Rinsing Moon Bai silently committed every word to memory.
“An Immortal Severing Land... the method for forming a Golden Core.”
“Immortal-Mortal Miasma...”
“It’s all just for a sliver of a chance to live!” Amid a burst of crazed laughter, a dragon of fire descended from the heavens, engulfing Xuanjing City.
A continuous chain of explosions thundered through the sky. The sprawling capital, like a mere toy, was instantly reduced to rubble.
At the same time, the effect of her blood mist concoction was unexpectedly potent!
Amidst the crimson and the flames, a thick, bloody fog instantly billowed upwards, rising as if coalescing the vengeful souls of the city's hundreds of thousands of innocent citizens!
Caught off guard, Dao Xuanzi and Kou Hong were shrouded by vast clouds of the blood mist, and both let out muffled groans.
Rinsing Moon Bai watched, holding her breath.
A moment later, two figures burst from the fog, one after the other, and fled westward into the sky!
“Their speed is much slower than before! And...”
“They look like they’re about to fall from the sky!”
Rinsing Moon Bai didn’t rush to give chase. Though they were severely injured, the speed of an immortal in flight was still far beyond what a mortal like her could match. However, she had long ago placed eyes and ears throughout the Great Xuan Kingdom. As long as the immortals remained within its borders, she would find them!
These agents were all people whose lives she had saved during her fifty years as a physician, and their loyalty was unquestionable.
She waited in place for several hours before a carrier pigeon arrived from the horizon, bearing news of the immortals’ whereabouts. A carriage carrying Rinsing Moon Bai set off at a steady pace, following the immortals’ trail.
Three months later.
“Granny Bai, according to our brothers’ investigation, the two immortals disappeared into this very forest.”
“But the Black Water Mountain range stretches for hundreds of kilometers, completely uninhabited. The men have done their best, but they still haven’t...” a man in black reported, kneeling on one knee with a look of guilt.
“It’s alright,” Rinsing Moon Bai said, her gaze fixed on the deep, dark woods before her, cutting him off.
“Have them all return. I will find them myself from here.” The man in black paused, startled, but he saw that Rinsing Moon Bai was already walking, step by step, into the forest.
After a moment’s hesitation, the man chose not to follow. He knew that Granny Bai meant what she said. Besides, the prospect of tracking immortals was, admittedly, a terrifying one...
With medical skills that had reached the pinnacle of her craft, surviving in the wilderness posed no problem for Rinsing Moon Bai.
More importantly, she could clearly sense the fluctuations of spiritual energy left behind by the two fleeing immortals. In this boundless forest, they provided a clear path forward.
“They haven't left this forest yet, which means they’re either gravely wounded and recuperating, or... they could recover at any moment.”
“I must hurry.”
A flicker of resolve crossed Rinsing Moon Bai’s brow as she swallowed a black pill. A few breaths later, an unnatural flush rose to her cheeks. It was a potent medicine that greatly enhanced her physical abilities at the cost of her own life force.
Following the trail of residual spiritual energy, Rinsing Moon Bai moved swiftly.
Fifteen days later, nearly a hundred miles deep into Black Water Mountain, she found herself in a gorge.
“The spiritual trail ends here.”
“And ahead... there’s a fluctuation of spiritual energy.”
Now that she was about to truly face an immortal, a wave of apprehension washed over Rinsing Moon Bai.
But a second later, she had already suppressed her hesitation.
She approached slowly.
Beside a babbling creek sat a man with his eyes closed in meditation, not far from a simple grave mound.
Rinsing Moon Bai recognized him at once. It was one of the two immortals, the one named Kou Hong.
He no longer had the appearance of a middle-aged man. His hair was streaked with gray, and his face was etched with deep wrinkles. He looked as if he were on the verge of old age!
“Could this be the effect of the Immortal-Mortal Miasma?” Rinsing Moon Bai wondered in shock, her gaze shifting to the grave beside Kou Hong.
“It can not only wound an immortal, but kill one?”
The approach of a mortal did not escape Kou Hong’s senses.
His eyes snapped open, locking onto Rinsing Moon Bai.
In that instant, Rinsing Moon Bai felt her body stiffen, unable to move a muscle.
Fortunately, Kou Hong seemed to see that she was just an ordinary mortal and posed no threat, for he soon closed his eyes again.
“A mere mortal. Why have you followed me here?”
As a physician, Rinsing Moon Bai could hear the lack of strength in Kou Hong’s voice. Still, he was far beyond what an old woman like her could handle.
After a moment of deliberation, she took out the small piece of spirit stone she had left and bowed her head. “This old woman has sought one thing her entire life: to cultivate and achieve immortality. Alas, I have searched the world over and found no true immortal arts. The other day, I was startled to hear that two immortals had appeared in Xuanjing...”
Kou Hong showed no interest in her story, his eyes fixed on the spirit stone in her hand.
With a flick of his wrist, he drew it through the air. A trace of surprise crossed his face. “A spirit stone of the highest quality?”
After examining it for a moment, his expression turned to delight. “Though there’s only a remnant left, it’s enough for me to make a partial recovery.”
He looked at Rinsing Moon Bai and asked, “Where did you find this spirit stone?”
It was clear he was beginning to believe her tale.
“To the exalted immortal, this old woman found the stone in a tomb deep within the mountains,” Rinsing Moon Bai answered truthfully.
“Was there anything else besides this stone?” Kou Hong pressed.
“Uhm...” Rinsing Moon Bai pretended to recall.
After a long pause, she finally replied, “There didn’t seem to be any other special items. Oh, wait, there was a book-like slip made of jade. But there were no words carved on it, nor did it have the strange aura of this stone.”
Kou Hong was overjoyed. “Where is this jade slip?”
Anyone who possessed a top-quality spirit stone would surely carry a jade slip of equal significance.
“It’s true what they say! To survive a great disaster is to find good fortune! Though I was gravely wounded by the Immortal-Mortal Miasma in that battle, as long as I can break through to the Golden Core stage, I’ll gain several hundred more years of life!”
He abandoned his meditative posture and appeared beside Rinsing Moon Bai in a flash.
Rinsing Moon Bai looked both excited and terrified. “Exalted immortal, the jade slip was not as useful as the spirit stone, so I did not bring it with me. It is stored safely at my home...”
Kou Hong’s brow shot up. “Take me there.”
He grabbed Rinsing Moon Bai, rose into the air, and commanded sternly, “Point the way!”
For the first time in her many reincarnated lives, Rinsing Moon Bai soared through the sky, her mind momentarily blank.
It was only at Kou Hong’s urging that she slowly regained her senses and pointed in the right direction.
Riding the wind, they soared freely across the nine heavens.
Kou Hong flew through the sky with Rinsing Moon Bai in his grasp.
“Your aptitude...”
“It’s actually quite good,” Kou Hong remarked with some surprise after inspecting Rinsing Moon Bai’s body during their flight.
“It’s a pity. You are too old, and the Immortal-Mortal Miasma is deeply rooted in you. Your path to cultivation is hopeless.”
Hearing this, a look of disappointment crossed Rinsing Moon Bai’s face.
“But do not worry,” Kou Hong said. “In consideration for the spirit stone and the jade slip, I will bestow upon you a simple technique. While it won’t allow you to cultivate, it will certainly extend your life.”
“Thank you for your mercy, exalted immortal!” Rinsing Moon Bai exclaimed with gratitude.
A journey of a thousand miles took only a few hours!
“My home is just below!”
The appearance of an immortal sent the common people below into a panic, and they all fell to their knees.
Kou Hong landed with Rinsing Moon Bai in a courtyard. His divine sense swept through the area, quickly pinpointing the location of the jade slip.
He strode inside and eagerly examined its contents. “The Small Five Elements Art?”
“It goes all the way to Dao Integration?” Kou Hong gasped in shock.
“Exalted immortal, this old woman has a nephew...” Sensing the value of the jade slip she had presented, Rinsing Moon Bai seized the opportunity to ask.
Having chanced upon a Dao Integration technique, Kou Hong was in high spirits. After a moment of thought, he reluctantly pulled his consciousness away from the jade slip. “Let me see him.”
Overjoyed, Rinsing Moon Bai led Kou Hong to Li Fan’s bedside.
Kou Hong examined him. “Hmm?”
His brow furrowed deeply.
“Does the exalted immortal have any ideas?” Rinsing Moon Bai asked, her voice filled with hope.
“Err... this...” Kou Hong hesitated.
Rinsing Moon Bai understood his meaning and found it hard to accept. “Even an exalted immortal cannot cure my nephew’s strange illness?”
Kou Hong cleared his throat. “It is not that it cannot be cured, but that I do not know its source. If I were to infuse him with spiritual energy, the illness would naturally recede. However, all mortals carry the Immortal-Mortal Miasma in their bodies. Infusing him with spiritual energy before clearing the miasma would only harm him.”
“I beg the immortal master to bestow upon me a method to remove the miasma...” Rinsing Moon Bai knelt and pleaded.
The *Five Spirits Qi Sensing Method* was no great secret, so Kou Hong saw no reason to refuse.
“However,” he warned, “even if you clear the miasma from your body, you are still in this Immortal Severing Land. Without spiritual energy to support you, you will never be able to set foot on the path of cultivation.”
“I only wish to save my nephew’s life.” Having received the technique, Rinsing Moon Bai thanked him profusely.
“I will never forget the immortal master’s kindness. Please, stay at my home for a few more days...”
Kou Hong hesitated for a moment, but considering his injuries had not yet fully healed, he eventually agreed.
With a decent supply of spirit stones, he spent his days studying the *Small Five Elements Art*.
“What a shame. If I had known there was a Dao Integration technique here, I wouldn't have fought Dao Xuanzi to the death.”
“But now that I have this technique, I can consider selling that *Golden Scripture of the Thousand-Mechanism Jade Cosmos*. A breakthrough to Soul Transformation is within reach...”
As Kou Hong lost himself in fantasies of a bright future, he was oblivious to a crucial fact.
Rinsing Moon Bai had already quietly purged the miasma from her body.
“It seems it wasn’t as difficult as he made it out to be.”
A seed of doubt about Kou Hong had taken root in Rinsing Moon Bai’s mind.
“There are many realms in cultivation: Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul. That Kou Hong is merely at the Foundation Establishment stage, among the lowest rungs of the entire cultivation world. No wonder he couldn’t cure my Fan’er...”
Thoughts churned in Rinsing Moon Bai’s mind.
During this time, although Kou Hong was absorbed in comprehending the *Small Five Elements Art*, Rinsing Moon Bai had managed to extract some of the most basic knowledge about the cultivation world from him.
“It seems that to truly save Fan’er, I must go to the cultivation world itself.”
“Kou Hong cannot bring anyone across the great array of the Immortal Severing Land, and Fan’er’s body is too frail for such a journey...” After much deliberation, Rinsing Moon Bai made her decision.
She re-infused the prepared blood essence back into her body. The miasma, which had been slowly fading, began to generate anew.
Seven days later.
“What? You’ve discovered another suspected immortal’s tomb?” Kou Hong was both shocked and delighted.
“Take me there at once!”
With the precedent of the high-quality spirit stone and the *Small Five Elements Art*, Kou Hong believed her without a shred of doubt.
He immediately had Rinsing Moon Bai lead the way.
“I have already ordered my people to seal off the area around the tomb.”
Oblivious to Rinsing Moon Bai’s strangeness, Kou Hong’s mind was entirely focused on the yet-unseen cultivator’s tomb.
Upon reaching the destination, he eagerly dove inside.
Within the tomb, dozens of men in black were already stationed.
They were all mortals, no different from ants in Kou Hong’s eyes. He paid them no mind, his divine sense sweeping through the tomb instead.
“Hmm? There doesn’t seem to be anything special?”
Just as disappointment began to set in, he suddenly realized that the massive stone gate of the tomb had inexplicably slammed shut.
The men in black around him drew their long blades and charged at him in a frenzy.
Amid his surprise, Kou Hong also found the situation somewhat amusing.
A single flicker of flame danced through the air, turning the dozens of men in black to ash.
What he hadn’t expected, however, was that with their deaths, wisps of blood mist began to seep out from all corners of the tomb!
“Immortal-Mortal Miasma?!”
Kou Hong’s expression changed drastically. Before he could react, a series of explosions erupted from outside the tomb.
A thick, bloody miasma filled the air, completely enveloping the area.
Three days later.
Inside a dungeon, a barely breathing Kou Hong was bound tightly and chained down.
He was so weak it seemed he could die at any moment.
In fact, if Rinsing Moon Bai hadn't been keeping him alive, Kou Hong would have already perished.
“I’ve told you everything I know.”
“Let me go.”
To be outwitted and imprisoned by a mortal was the greatest shame for Kou Hong. At this point, his heart was dead to all feeling.
Rinsing Moon Bai nodded. With a flick of her hand, all the silver needles embedded in Kou Hong’s body flew back into her grasp.
Kou Hong’s life force slowly faded.
At the same time, in the sky above, the celestial phenomenon of a cultivator's demise suddenly appeared.
“Finally...”
“I can see a glimmer of hope.”
Rinsing Moon Bai’s cultivation speed was faster than she had ever imagined.
Using only the spirit stones and items left by Kou Hong, she reached the peak of the Qi Refining stage in just three months.
“However, to advance further, I will need a Foundation Establishment Wonder.”
“Something that cannot be found in this Immortal Severing Land of Great Xuan.”
Rinsing Moon Bai journeyed east to the edge of the Ruins Abyss. Gazing into its profound depths, she felt no hesitation.
She leaped.
Naturally, peak Qi Refining was not enough to break through the great array.
Rinsing Moon Bai’s consciousness vanished into the abyss.
“I really must thank you both, Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi.”
“[Truth]!” Li Fan’s voice echoed faintly.
The Plan to Create a Saint, Eighth Life!
The resurrected Rinsing Moon Bai first retrieved the high-quality spirit stone and the jade slip.
Then, she cultivated to the peak of the Qi Refining stage at lightning speed.
“It’s not my imagination.”
“This time, cultivation is much easier.”
Rinsing Moon Bai was left speechless, utterly stunned.
Comments