Chapter 379: Soul-Refining Cauldron Embryo |
The small cauldron that Xu Meijing took out was only the size of a fist, about the same size as the fake cauldron they had found in the mountain cave earlier, which was the counterfeit soul-refining cauldron that Xue Li had used.
This cauldron appeared grayish-white in color, with a very rough surface, looking like an ordinary stone cauldron made from a block of stone, without any special features.
Although it looked ordinary, even unsightly in appearance, when Yang Haoran saw this stone cauldron, his facial expression froze at first, then his face showed a look of pleasant surprise.
"Hehe, I was just kidding you earlier. This soul-refining cauldron is yours now," Xu Meijing said with a smile.
Looking at the soul-refining cauldron in front of him, the smile on Yang Haoran's face changed, no longer one of resignation, but one of genuine joy.
He had already accepted the cruel reality and was prepared to search for a new dark yin stone, but what he did not expect was that everything was just a joke played by Xu Meijing.
Not only was the dark yin stone not wasted, but it had even successfully produced the soul-refining cauldron. Happiness came so suddenly at this moment that he did not know what to say.
"Using the dark yin stone to make the soul-refining cauldron is not actually a complicated process. You just need to carve out the embryo of the cauldron. After you gave me the dark yin stone, I found the best Stone Carver Master in Ancheng and had him carve the soul-refining cauldron for me. Because the dark yin stone is so solid, it caused great difficulty for the Stone Carver Master, so it took a long time."
Xu Meijing looked at the floating soul-refining cauldron embryo in front of him, paused, and then continued, "Don't be fooled by the rough surface of this soul-refining cauldron right now. It's not because of the Stone Carver Master's skill, but rather the nature of the dark yin stone material itself. Even the most skilled master cannot make this soul-refining cauldron smooth. To make the soul-refining cauldron smooth requires a large amount of Yin Qi, which is what we call the refining process."
"I used to think you never joked around, but now I realize I was wrong. Not only do you joke, but you're also a decent actor. I was actually fooled by you," Yang Haoran said with a smile, his gaze shifting from the soul-refining cauldron to Xu Meijing.
"Hehe, I just wanted to see your reaction when you thought the making of the soul-refining cauldron had failed. I was curious, so I tried it out. I didn't expect your mentality to be even better than I had imagined. Very good," Xu Meijing said with a smile.
"I'm so happy to hear your praise," Yang Haoran smiled.
"Don't get too excited. What I really meant to say is that your hypocritical smile has become ingrained to the bone. Even if a knife was held to your throat, I doubt you'd change," Xu Meijing said with a smile.
If anyone else had said such words to him, Yang Haoran might have thought that person was deliberately provoking or mocking him. However, coming from Xu Meijing, he would never have such thoughts, because he knew Xu Meijing had no intention of ridiculing or taunting him, but was simply indulging in some playful banter.
With a smile on his face, Yang Haoran did not continue the previous topic, but instead asked Xu Meijing, "Have you found an extreme yin place? If not, give me your soul-refining cauldron, and I'll help refine it for you."
"An extreme yin place is not that easy to find. But I'm not completely without leads either. You focus on refining your own soul-refining cauldron first. Don't worry about me. Refining a soul-refining cauldron requires a vast amount of Yin Qi. An extreme yin place is the preferred option, but it's not absolutely necessary to have an extreme yin place to refine the cauldron."
Pausing here, Xu Meijing's face took on a prideful expression as he continued, "Besides, if I, Xu Meijing, can't even find one extreme yin place, that would be too embarrassing. I can't afford to lose face like that."
Since Xu Meijing had spoken so definitively, Yang Haoran naturally did not say much more. They had known each other for a long time, and Yang Haoran understood Xu Meijing's temper and personality well.
Of course, he also believed that such a task should not be too difficult for Xu Meijing.
"By the way, is the Stone Carver Master you had make the soul-refining cauldron embryo reliable? I mean, can he keep his mouth shut?" Yang Haoran asked.
"Don't worry, the soul-refining cauldron is such an important matter, relating to our lives. Apart from you and me, I would not let a third person know about this," Xu Meijing replied.
Upon hearing this, Yang Haoran's expression changed slightly, and he asked with some uncertainty, "You didn't kill that Stone Carver Master, did you?"
"I did consider doing that, but I didn't go through with it. After all, he's just an ordinary person, and he did me a big favor. I just couldn't bring myself to kill him. Considering that he doesn't know who I am or what a soul-refining cauldron is, I simply erased all memories of me from his mind. From now on, he will completely forget everything about me, including having carved the soul-refining cauldron embryo."
Hearing Xu Meijing's explanation, Yang Haoran's expression returned to normal. This scene did not escape Xu Meijing's notice, and she could not help but slightly furrow her brow.
After a moment's hesitation, Xu Meijing said to Yang Haoran, "When achieving a great feat, a million bones may wither. To accomplish great things, one cannot be too fastidious. Being overly merciful like a woman will only end up harming yourself in the end."
Yang Haoran knew that Xu Meijing was reminding herself. He smiled and responded, "Heh, in your eyes, haven't I always been playing the role of the Smiling Tiger? Is your reminder aimed at the wrong person?"
Xu Meijing glared at Yang Haoran and said, "Whatever, do as you please. Just take my words as a reminder for myself."
Yang Haoran smiled and put away the soul-refining cauldron floating in front of him. After chatting with Xu Meijing for a while, exchanging insights on various aspects, he finally bid farewell to Xu Meijing and left Ancheng.
After leaving Ancheng, Yang Haoran didn't return to the villa but headed straight for the black water pool where he had discovered the dark yin stone.
When he arrived at the black water pool, it had undergone significant changes.
Initially, due to the presence of the dark yin stone in the black water pool, the Yin Qi had gathered and dispersed within the water, merging and sinking to the bottom of the pool.
However, after Yang Haoran had taken away the dark yin stone from the bottom of the black water pool, the Yin Qi regained its freedom and began to spread outward from the black water pool as the center.
Now, Yang Haoran stood at the edge of the black water pool. He activated his ghost eye and looked around the pool, seeing that the black Yin Qi had already enveloped the surrounding area, as dark as a night where one couldn't see their hand in front of their face.
The trees, flowers, and plants near the black water pool had mostly withered due to the influence of the dense Yin Qi. Only a few plants remained alive, either on the path to withering or undergoing strange mutations.
Apart from the affected plants, the animals had also been impacted. No beasts roamed here, no birds flew, and even insect sounds were absent. This place had become a dead zone, like a forbidden area for life.
Yang Haoran wasn't surprised by the black water pool's current state, as it was within his expectations.
After all, this was an extreme yin place, where the Yin Qi was too heavy for most living things to survive. Apart from species that had mutated due to the Yin Qi's influence, other lifeforms would inevitably perish due to the overwhelming Yin Qi – a normal occurrence.
However, the time since the Yin Qi from the black water pool had erupted wasn't long enough. If more time passed, the impact on the surrounding area would be even greater.
Yang Haoran wasn't concerned about the Yin Qi's effects on the nearby area. His focus was on whether the Yin Qi itself had been tampered with or dispersed by a powerful individual.
If the Yin Qi here had been dispersed by a powerful expert, he would have a difficult time expressing his frustration.
Fortunately, the Yin Qi hadn't suffered any destructive impact. However, he sensed the presence of a few stray soul ghosts.
As he perceived these stray soul ghosts, they also detected his uninvited presence.
[Heartfelt thankyou for the support! SlaySaga]