Chapter 1122: Alchemy Complete

After an unknown amount of time passed, the cave dwelling suddenly opened.

Qin Sang’s expression shifted slightly, and he quickly stepped forward. He saw Li Yufu emerge from the cave, his eyes bloodshot and his expression blank, holding three items in his palm.

There was a jade slip, a jade bottle containing a spiritual pill the size of a longan. The pill was pure white, as pristine as a Nine-Illusion Heavenly Orchid, with a wisp of spiritual mist perpetually encircling it. It was indeed the Calamity-Aversion Pill. Additionally, there was a charred piece of wood, completely black and as thick as a finger.

"Martial Uncle." Upon seeing Qin Sang, a flicker of awareness returned to Li Yufu's eyes. He stated numbly, "These were all left for you by Great Grand-Martial Ancestor."

Qin Sang opened his mouth, struggling to speak. "Your Great Grand-Martial Ancestor..."

Li Yufu nodded, tears welling in his fierce eyes, his voice filled with extreme sorrow. "Great Grand-Martial Ancestor failed his tribulation. As his nascent soul was about to collapse, he used the Emperor's Flowing Sap to cling to life, and after refining the Calamity-Aversion Pill, he... he..." Although Qin Sang had introduced him to the immortal sect, it was through Yun Youzi's unreserved guidance that he cultivated from the Qi Condensation stage to the Core Formation stage, and even mastered his alchemy skills to their current level. Yun Youzi was like a closest family member to him. Now, his dearest elder had fallen, separated by the realms of life and death. How could he not grieve?

Hearing this, Qin Sang closed his eyes and sighed deeply. No wonder he had found Yun Youzi's aura to be strange. Having failed his tribulation, Yun Youzi should have perished. Yet he consumed the Emperor's Flowing Sap, somehow prolonging his life, persisting until he had refined the Calamity-Aversion Pill for him.

"How can I possibly be worthy..." Qin Sang's eyes were hollow as he murmured to himself.

After a long while, Qin Sang finally regained his composure. He took the three items from Li Yufu's hand. Knowing that the jade slip likely contained Yun Youzi's last words, he immediately channeled his spiritual sense into it.

This jade slip was unusual; it wasn't merely for recording information. As his spiritual sense entered the slip, it felt as though he had stepped into an unknown space. Within this space, there was a human figure, with its back to him. Dressed in a Daoist robe, its hair and beard were entirely white, exuding an ethereal, immortal aura. It was indeed Yun Youzi.

"Senior?" Qin Sang spoke tentatively.

Yun Youzi turned, his form appearing slightly ethereal. "Brother Qin!" Yun Youzi smiled, though a hint of melancholy flickered in his eyes. He sighed, "Seeing you here, it seems my main body failed its tribulation."

"Are you a thought preserved by Senior through a restrictive spell?" Qin Sang asked, surprised.

Yun Youzi nodded. "You likely have many questions, Brother. I exist for this very purpose, and once I have finished speaking, I will dissipate. Let me address your concerns one by one, Brother. Additionally, there's a final matter, which I need to entrust you with one more time."

"Please speak, Senior. I will spare no effort!" Qin Sang said in a deep voice. Yun Youzi had failed his tribulation, yet he hadn't forgotten his promise to help Qin Sang refine the Calamity-Aversion Pill. Such profound kindness... Qin Sang felt he had no way to repay it. Since Yun Youzi had a request, how could he possibly refuse?

"I knew you were a man of integrity, Brother, and that your promises were golden. During the years you were missing, I sought others to entrust with this task, but none compared to you. Seeing you safe and sound, I can't express how relieved and happy I am..." Yun Youzi said, his face filled with relief.

Hearing this, Qin Sang couldn't help but ask, "Did Senior have a premonition about this tribulation?"

"Do you recall what I once told you? I've faced two major tribulations in my life. The first was due to my discordant soul, which I resolved by entering the demonic fire with your help, after obtaining the Three-Light Jade Liquid and the green copper block. The second tribulation is precisely this Nascent Soul tribulation..." Yun Youzi paused, then sighed. "The root cause is connected to my true origins."

"Origins?" Qin Sang's heart stirred, recalling the Emperor's Flowing Sap, and he listened intently.

"I was originally a spiritual bamboo from the Hanging Garden Palace within the Ziwei Palace, which attained enlightenment and developed sentience. When I emerged, I was hunted by cultivators and great demons, but I fortunately escaped. Since then, I concealed my true origins and cultivated in the Thousand Mountains Bamboo Sea of the demon domain..." Yun Youzi recounted his past experiences in a leisurely manner.

Hanging Garden Palace, spiritual bamboo, Thousand Mountains Bamboo Sea... A flash of insight struck Qin Sang's mind. He suddenly recalled something, utterly astonished. "Senior, could you possibly be..."

"Precisely. The Minor Cold Domain has seen the emergence of the Ten Great Divine Woods three times, and one of them was the Pure Fortune Righteous Bamboo. That bamboo, which developed sentience and escaped from right under the noses of those Nascent Soul cultivators and great demons after its emergence, was I!" A flicker of pride appeared in Yun Youzi's eyes.

Qin Sang was utterly stunned. Yun Youzi's true form was actually the Pure Fortune Righteous Bamboo! He had considered countless possibilities, but never once imagined that Yun Youzi was an enlightened spiritual bamboo, let alone the Pure Fortune Righteous Bamboo, one of the Ten Great Divine Woods!

"But that's not right, Senior. You're clearly in a human body?" Qin Sang's face was filled with confusion. He had interacted with Yun Youzi for so long, from the Ancient Immortal Battlefield to Boundless Valley and then to the Ziwei Palace. They had faced numerous dangers together. If Yun Youzi were truly a demon, it would be impossible to conceal it so perfectly without leaving any trace.

Yun Youzi's smile faded, and he sighed softly. "I was indeed a spiritual bamboo, but through a unique set of circumstances, I transformed into a human. Years ago, I suffered severe injuries and was recuperating near the Great Sui. To make matters worse, before my injuries had healed, my heavenly tribulation arrived, forcing me to seek out a barren mountain to undergo it. As I underwent the tribulation, Yun Youzi, who was traveling in the area, entered the mountain to gather herbs. Witnessing the strange heavenly lightning phenomena, he mistook it for the descent of an immortal and trekked through mountains and valleys to seek enlightenment. However, before he could even approach, the lightning tribulation struck, rendering him unconscious. Just as his soul was dissipating, I also failed my tribulation. My true form was destroyed by the lightning, and my soul was on the verge of scattering. In that hazy, unconscious state, a fragment of my soul unexpectedly entered his body. Whether it was the lingering power of the tribulation lightning disrupting the Heavenly Dao, or some other reason, our two residual souls somehow merged, granting us new life. However, all my divine abilities and treasures were destroyed, and I was left without a shred of true essence. I became a seventy-year-old mortal, and my soul harbored a hidden flaw. Ever since then, even to this day, I cannot truly say whether I am the Pure Fortune Righteous Bamboo or Yun Youzi. Perhaps due to my cultivation from my previous life, the spiritual bamboo's consciousness remained dominant overall. Since I was in a human body, I adopted the name Yun Youzi, and thus formed a connection with you, Brother. It truly feels like destiny. At that time, I was old and frail, and the fragmented spiritual bamboo soul offered no assistance whatsoever. I had only a few years left to live. But I refused to simply fade into the mortal world. Fortunately, my memories were intact, and I had once shown kindness to Piaoya of the Taiyi Pill Sect. As the Taiyi Pill Sect excelled in alchemy, it was the most suitable place for me; perhaps there was a glimmer of hope to re-enter the path of cultivation. So, assuming Yun Youzi's identity, I joined the Taiyi Pill Sect and became Piaoya's alchemy apprentice... During my cultivation, I gradually realized that the two souls, forcibly merged, still had gaps and divergences, never fully uniting. This posed a significant obstacle to my cultivation, prompting me to begin searching for a solution."

Yun Youzi slowly unveiled this hidden secret. He paused slightly. "The true solution to that hidden problem involved, firstly, those heavenly materials and earthly treasures, and secondly, inspiration from you, Brother."