Chapter 290: The Source of the Secret Medicine

Invisible undercurrents pushed it, slowly drifting outwards. In the distance, the lake had become a frozen river.

Sun Fuling grabbed him and ran onto the nearest high bridge, where many people were already standing.

From here, overlooking the dim lake, only the small, crystal-clear lotus petals of the lamps reflected candlelight, shining with a warm glow.

Anyone who saw this lamp by the lake would silently stop and quietly pray.

He Lingchuan turned and saw three or four more lotus lanterns floating on the river, each lonely candlelight carrying the longing of living people. Sun Fuling also clasped her hands together, praying softly and as devoutly as everyone else.

These lotus lanterns could only burn until they floated out of Panlong City; beyond that, they would be left to the countless mountains and rivers of the Chipa Plateau.

The same applied to people.

"Once the lanterns are released, let this matter go," Sun Fuling said practically. "The dead are gone; the living must strive on."

In the future, they would have many more opportunities to release lanterns here. It was better to accept it sooner and suffer less.

After the lotus lanterns drifted far away, He Lingchuan once again whispered to Sun Fuling, "Let's go back." "Mm."

Upon opening his eyes, He Lingchuan stared blankly at the tent ceiling for a while.

This time, he had spent even longer in his dream—a full seven days. He even slept twice within the dream, expecting to wake up in reality, but he didn't.

These seven days were comfortable and fulfilling. Besides pondering the secret scrolls of the Golden-Armored Bronze Figure and diligently practicing martial arts and archery, he also spent time chatting with Sun Fuling.

As they grew more familiar, the girl became too lazy to use the door, often leaning over the wall to talk to him. When she came to check on the sparrowhawk, she would simply brace herself and leap over the low wall, her movements quite agile.

However, eating became a big problem. Sun Fuling was true to her word: if she said she couldn't cook, she truly couldn't. Both of them were accustomed to being served meals, so they had to go out together to find food.

It sounded like they were growing intimately close, their relationship progressing rapidly. But He Lingchuan couldn't feel that joy because Sun Fuling didn't care that she was on winter holiday; she often made him do something that would infuriate both humans and gods:

Tutoring!

His progress in learning Ancient Immortal Language was too slow, and Teacher Sun expressed her dissatisfaction, even arranging pop quizzes for him. By the later tests, the characters all turned into tadpoles, swimming around in his mind.

A dislike for studying was ingrained in his subconscious; it wouldn't change just because he changed bodies or worlds. So when Liu Tong came to inform him of an outdoor mission, He Lingchuan felt as if he had received a great amnesty.

Upon opening his eyes, He Lingchuan for a moment couldn't distinguish between dream and reality. However, the sounds of human voices and horse neighs from outside reached his ears, reminding him that he was currently in a military camp.

Why was his time in the dream getting longer? Was it because the Transient Blade was already repaired? He Lingchuan sat up and rubbed his face. Just then, a guard came to report:

"Elder Liang has arrived."

He Lingchuan was greatly surprised. Elder Liang of the Cloud-Piercing Pavilion had always been polite but distant towards him. Moreover, the man himself practiced a 'closed-mouth curse,' preferring to glare rather than speak. What did he want by coming now?

He had just finished dressing when Elder Liang entered the tent. After they exchanged greetings, Elder Liang's disciple spoke on his behalf: "Young Master He, my master wishes to discuss something with you."

The guard went to boil water. He Lingchuan, looking sleepy-eyed, nodded and said, "Please speak."

Unexpectedly, Elder Liang's disciple took out a folded letter and handed it over with both hands, saying, "It cannot be explained in a few words, so my master has written it down for your perusal."

Oh? A long discourse?

He Lingchuan took the letter, unfolded it, and after a few glances, became completely engrossed.

Elder Liang never came without a purpose; today he was here specifically for the strange red medicine in He Lingchuan's possession. Yesterday, the medicine ape Lingguang had only tested one drop of the liquid medicine, yet it sprouted a mutated phoenix tree, ultimately causing tension along both banks of the great river.

Elder Liang remained silent, but he observed the entire process. He became interested in the medicine and wanted to obtain a few drops for experimentation.

Coincidentally, he had just recently fought against Dong Rui's demon puppet, and the ghost ape had left a deep impression on him. Coupled with last night's unexpected incident, Elder Liang mentioned in his letter that Dong Rui's demon puppet was very similar to a monster described in a Middle Ancient secret text.

This monster was called a 'Ghoul Beast'.

Speaking of which, the history of the Cloud-Piercing Pavilion was also long and profound, tracing back to the ancient Qingyun Sect. The Qingyun Sect was a veritable immortal sect that produced many earth-shattering mighty figures.

After the cataclysm, the immortal sects gradually weakened, and the Qingyun Sect inevitably declined. It eventually split into several Daoist schools, with the Cloud-Piercing Pavilion being one of them.

Therefore, although the Cloud-Piercing Pavilion now only deeply cultivated Xiazhou, its ancestors were a major sect with history, tradition, and influence.

Although the sparse spiritual energy had corroded most of the sect's inherited treasures, a few scrolls of ancient and Middle Ancient era texts had surprisingly been preserved intact to this day.

If not, they could simply make a few copies.

The Middle Ancient secret scroll mentioned by Elder Liang was called 'Records of Anomalies in Lanshan', authored by an elder of the Qingyun Sect before its split, dating back 2,700 years.

He recorded several extremely difficult battles he had participated in. The two most important battles took place near Lanshan, within the territory of present-day Xianyou Kingdom.

The period from the cataclysm to the complete disappearance of immortals was known as the Middle Ancient period. After the Sky Demons left the human realm, the world enjoyed peace for over two hundred years.

Unfortunately, this peace did not last. Demons and monsters once again stirred up trouble everywhere, not only indiscriminately devouring common people but also ambushing immortal descendants. Many descendants of mighty figures were slaughtered.

The immortal sects were naturally furious and engaged in fierce battles with the demon race.

The demon race repeatedly cried foul, claiming those troublemaking offspring were not sent by them. But how could the immortal sects listen?

Few monsters had good tempers; after being beaten enough, they would surely fight back. Thus, the allies who had united against enemies in ancient times turned on each other instantly.

However, the immortals later realized that the bizarre beasts they had killed, with equally strange abilities and appearances, though possessing various powers, truly did not seem like native monsters of the human realm.

At the very least, their intelligence couldn't compare; they were almost incapable of normal communication. Could a monster without sapience truly be called a monster?

Upon further investigation, the various differences in these monsters became increasingly apparent, so people gave them a new name: Ghoul Beasts.

Unfortunately, by then, the relationship between the immortal sects and the demon race could no longer return to its former state. Moreover, as both sides competed for the increasingly scarce spiritual energy of heaven and earth, the rift simply developed into hatred, adding one blood debt after another.

The author of this set of secret scrolls personally fought against Ghoul Beasts and dissected no fewer than a hundred of them. Finally, based on previous research, he proposed a new theory: these monsters were transformed demons, and the most crucial medicine in the process still originated from the Sky Demons.

It was the secret medicine left by the Sky Demons that caused unpredictable mutations in the bodies of these demonic beasts.

The Qingyun Sect also captured several Ghoul Beast creators, all devout believers instigated by the Sky Demons. In other words, although the Sky Demons had departed, they still cast a shadow over this world.

Later, with the joint encirclement and suppression by both the immortal and demon races, and as time passed, the number of Ghoul Beasts dwindled, eventually almost disappearing from the annals of history.

He Lingchuan read up to this point, then looked up and asked Elder Liang, "You want five drops of the liquid medicine?" "Precisely, and Supervisor He has already approved it."

He Lingchuan smiled, "This is my spoil of war; my father has no right to dispose of it. However, if Elder Liang is willing to find me a beast soul and clear my doubts, I'd be very happy to share."

Elder Liang agreed with almost no hesitation.

He Lingchuan then asked, "Do you believe the medicine in Dong Rui's possession is the Sky Demon's secret medicine?" Elder Liang nodded.

"But the demon puppet he refined can't compare to the Ghoul Beasts of the Middle Ancient period, can it? At most, it's a weakened version." He Lingchuan hadn't personally seen Middle Ancient Ghoul Beasts, but immortals still existed back then. If even immortals couldn't necessarily defeat them, how could they not be stronger than Dong Rui's demon puppets?

Elder Liang gestured, and his disciple translated:

"Even if it's the Sky Demon's secret medicine, its potency might have diminished after being stored for over two thousand years."

"You mean the medicine has been stored for too long and is past its expiration date? Hmm, very scientific, very reasonable." Elder Liang then added, "During the Middle Ancient period, spiritual energy declined, and Ghoul Beasts should have also been affected."

"Then why didn't the Sky Demons create Ghoul Beasts as helpers when they were still rampant in the human realm? Why did they only use them to cause trouble after they left?"

Young Master He certainly had many questions. Elder Liang patiently gestured. "This...

...is unknown. Perhaps the secret medicine was only just developed when the Sky Demons were expelled from this realm."

He Lingchuan pondered for a moment, then voiced a long-standing question in his heart: "Elder Liang, did the ancient Sky Demons transform into the gods of later generations?"

After the Sky Demons disappeared, gods appeared. Although they did not personally descend, they were vaguely present throughout the entire human era.

It was hard not to connect them.

However, it was interesting that He Lingchuan had never found a definitive answer, not even in the Panlong City library. This matter always seemed vague, as if hidden behind a veil.

Elder Liang stared at him steadily for a good while before his disciple spoke on his behalf: "The ancestral teachings and scriptures of the Qingyun Sect have repeatedly warned us not to forget the treachery of the Sky Demons and the cruelty of the cataclysm. As descendants of the Qingyun Sect, we firmly believe that the Sky Demons never truly left, but rather transformed and became the supreme gods! Sadly, to this day, the people of the world have forgotten the countless wounds the Sky Demons inflicted upon the world, do not even believe that a natural disaster ever occurred, and certainly do not believe that gods are Sky Demons."

He sighed heavily. "Even many Daoist sects and the demon race worship gods just like ordinary people. It is truly a case of forgetting their origins, being ignorant, fearless, and disrespectful!"

"Why?" He Lingchuan asked. "Your propaganda must be really terrible, right? The Sky Demons, even from another world, are better at deceiving people than you are."

"Those histories are too ancient, and human lives are too short," Elder Liang's disciple translated. "Young Master He should understand that so-called inherited memories can be tampered with." Elder Liang seemed a little agitated, his hand movements rapid, even making his translating disciple stumble slightly. "Of course, in the final analysis, we cultivators are far less powerful than our ancestors. We lack the ability to split mountains and cleave lands, making us insufficient to earn the trust of the people."

In the era when immortals and demons coexisted, humble ordinary humans only needed to look up and worship.