Chapter 579: The Most Awesome Pharmacy Prototype of Jiyue Future

On the Azure Silk Great Desert, howling winds swept across the land. The azure sand spread like a vast sea, an endless expanse where the elements never ceased and the sandstorms never dispersed.

Only on the mountain ranges, for unknown reasons, were the sandstorms much less severe, leaving the surroundings relatively clear.

From a distance, the mountain peaks standing tall in the Azure Silk Great Desert appeared like isolated havens.

The Kusheng Mountain Range, in particular, was immense and sprawling, so the sandstorms were even less prevalent there.

Yet, whimpering sounds from the wind continuously echoed from all directions, as if countless demons and specters were hidden within the sandstorms, roaring their unwillingness to be buried by the world. These sounds also reached Xu Qing's ears.

The mountain hollow Xu Qing chose was deep within the Kusheng Mountain Range, a relatively secluded spot. The moment he activated his mirror, his Shadow spread out to protect his surroundings.

Witnessing this cleverness, the Vajra Sect Ancestor's inner vigilance intensified. It promptly flew out, adopting the posture of a loyal guardian, diligently protecting Xu Qing.

It seemed that if there were any abnormality, it would rush out without hesitation, even if it meant being shattered to pieces, just to prove its loyalty.

Ling'er also peeked out, white light gleaming in her eyes as she vigilantly scanned all directions.

Under their protection, Xu Qing, sitting cross-legged in meditation, gradually grew solemn. He sensed the inherent dignity of the will emanating from the mirror shard, a feeling akin to gazing up at the vast starry sky.

It was vast and boundless.

Within his divine sense, Ding Yi San Er also trembled, and the Divine Finger instantly opened its eyes, revealing a look of surprise and doubt before quickly concealing itself.

At that very moment, the mirror shard itself gathered power, floating up before him and shining with a faint glow.

Simultaneously, a voice, seemingly from the distant void, echoed with this will, forming words that replaced the howling of the wind and resonated within Xu Qing's sea of consciousness.

"Supreme Celestial Star, ever-changing without cease; Judge evil and bind demons, preserve life and protect the body."

"Wisdom pure and clear, core of heart at peace. Three souls eternal, spirit never lost or inclined to ruin."

The voice felt ethereal and intangible, its gender indistinguishable, as if it were a confluence of all beings' words. Yet, even as Xu Qing's mind fluctuated, it brought him a profound sense of peace.

It was as if these thirty-two characters contained a power to cleanse the mind.

At that instant, Xu Qing's mind became incredibly peaceful, his divine platform clear and ethereal, his sea of consciousness stable.

It felt as if a long time had passed, yet also as if it were just an instant. The lingering echoes of the ethereal voice, though still clearly conveying the same thirty-two characters, transformed into different meanings in Xu Qing's perception.

This was because two characters within it became exceptionally clear.

"…Assess…Examine…"

Xu Qing did not act rashly, carefully observing and sensing.

Gradually, he had a clear premonition, realizing that by completely immersing his mind into these two characters, an unknown assessment would commence.

Xu Qing pondered, then stopped.

For one, the current environment was unsuitable for immediately proceeding. For another, Xu Qing felt he hadn't fully understood the specifics of this assessment.

So, he raised his right hand and grabbed the mirror in front of him, severing their connection.

The next instant, the feeling of mental peace dissipated. Xu Qing raised his head, and the whimpering of the wind from outside the mountain range once again entered his ears.

Ling'er quickly turned her head to look at Xu Qing.

"Brother Xu Qing, how was it? Did you succeed?"

Xu Qing gently stroked Ling'er's head, his eyes showing contemplation, then he spoke calmly.

"The method should be correct, but it will require some more time to verify."

Ling'er felt relieved. Noticing Xu Qing was deep in thought, she didn't disturb him, instead obediently returning to his collar. She coiled into a comfortable spot, and as she felt the warmth of Xu Qing's body, her heart filled with an incredible sense of peace.

For her, Xu Qing's warmth seemed to be the source of all peace.

After a while, determination appeared in Xu Qing's eyes. He decided to find a place to settle down in the Kusheng Mountain Range, simultaneously exploring the mirror's assessment and researching curses.

If he were alone, he would have chosen to open a cave and live in solitude, isolated from the world.

But with Ling'er present… Xu Qing pondered for a moment and decided to find a nearby mud city to reside in. He didn't want Ling'er to endure the loneliness of being a companion from another world while accompanying him.

With this thought, Xu Qing left the mountain hollow and walked through the Kusheng Mountain Range. Eventually, on a mountain on the outskirts, he chose a relatively smaller mud city.

This nameless mud city, built on the mountainside, had only about a thousand residents. Most of its buildings were constructed from sand and earth, appearing largely colorless and very monotonous.

The population was predominantly local, with the remainder being outsiders who had arrived for various reasons, representing diverse ethnic groups.

Although some shops had appeared within the city, their business was unremarkable, with few customers.

Looking around, about thirty percent of the houses were empty, unoccupied.

Evidently, their former inhabitants had either left or died.

Desolation and silence were Xu Qing's first impressions of this mud city.

However, compared to other places, this small city was more tolerant. Although Xu Qing's arrival drew a lot of hostile attention, no one came to intercept him.

As Xu Qing walked through the small city, his entire body wrapped in robes with only his eyes visible, he noticed that among the city's scattered residents, some individuals were deformed.

These people had bloated bodies covered in rolls of flesh, on both their arms and thighs. Some even had multiple arms, while others had faces growing on their fleshy growths.

Some of these growths even dragged on the ground, extending over half a *zhang* in length, making it difficult for their robes to fully cover them.

It was as if multiple individuals had merged, or their own bodies had mutated, and their expressions were mostly numb.

Initially, Xu Qing thought they were unfamiliar foreign races, but the more he observed, he realized this was not the case.

"These deformities should be acquired, not congenital."

Xu Qing pondered, his sense of the Azure Sand Desert's strangeness deepening. Finally, he walked a circuit through the small city, found an unoccupied house, and entered.

The house was full of dust, with many broken bottles and jars on the ground. Crooked and tilted shelves lay scattered around, suggesting it had once been a pharmacy.

Seeing this, Xu Qing waved his hand and began tidying up. Ling'er also appeared in human form, curiously looking around. She helped with the cleanup while excitedly exclaiming.

"Brother Xu Qing, are you going to open a pharmacy here?"

Xu Qing thought for a moment after hearing her, then nodded with a smile. He recalled the inn Ling'er and her father ran on Banquan Road when he first met her.

For Xu Qing, living there or opening a pharmacy made no difference. Since Ling'er had made the suggestion, he decided to go ahead with it.

"That's great! Brother Xu Qing, let me tell you, I have experience running shops! I know just what to do."

Ling'er jumped for joy, bright light gleaming in her eyes. After clearing away the dust and debris, she produced a rag and began wiping things down.

Although she could have used spells, Ling'er seemed to prefer doing the work herself. Seeing this, Xu Qing sensed Ling'er's joyful mood and felt a pang of emotion in his heart.

Along the way, Xu Qing had gained a deeper understanding of Ling'er's innocence. She was very clever, yet also very simple, and often, small things would make her happy for days.

And so, under Ling'er's enthusiastic direction, by the time the next morning arrived, the long-abandoned little pharmacy had reopened in the small city.

Ling'er named the pharmacy "Qing Ling Hall."

As for elixirs, Xu Qing had many on hand, primarily white pills.

After all, this was the first pill formula he had mastered. Although he didn't need them himself, these pills were a common staple for the beings of this world.

Especially since Xu Qing had studied Bai Xiaozhuo's pills in Fenghai County and gained some insights.

Although Bai Xiaozhuo had added poison to his improved white pills, purely from the perspective of the new pills' quality and effect, it was indeed a beneficial innovation, significantly increasing the degree of purification.

Therefore, the main pill sold at Xu Qing and Ling'er's small pharmacy was the white pill.

After transforming, Ling'er concealed her appearance, taking on the guise of an ordinary, homely girl, and excitedly began working as a shop assistant. However, due to the small number of residents in the city and the shop being newly opened, there were few customers.

But this didn't dampen Ling'er's spirits.

Seeing Ling'er so eager, Xu Qing let her amuse herself. After planting the seed given by the Captain, he began his cultivation and research behind the pharmacy.

On one hand, he tried to activate the mirror, carefully observing and exploring it. On the other, he researched the curses within the ferocious beasts he had captured along the way.

Thus, time slowly passed.

Their pharmacy, initially devoid of customers, gradually started to see a few occasional patrons buying white pills, primarily due to their low price and good medicinal effects.

The opening of the pharmacy further energized Ling'er. Like a little money-grubber, she meticulously calculated the daily income of spirit coins, even pulling out a small notebook to keep serious accounts.

Occasionally, when Xu Qing finished cultivating and watched Ling'er keeping accounts, a sense of peace would also arise in his heart.

Ever since his stay in Firefly City within the Skyfire Sea, Xu Qing had found himself increasingly accustomed to this peaceful life. The tranquility it brought seemed to induce a subtle shift in his state of mind.

Xu Qing couldn't quite articulate the exact nature of this change, yet he thoroughly enjoyed it and was deeply immersed in it.

Therefore, he dedicated more of his time to exploration and research.

The exploration of the mirror progressed smoothly, but his research into curses advanced slowly.

During this period, Xu Qing repeatedly infused his Purple Moon power into the bodies of the ferocious beasts, attempting to suppress the curses. However, the effects were minimal, and all his attempts failed.

Just like now, Xu Qing gazed at a trembling scorpion in front of him.

His hand pressed against the scorpion's body. As his Purple Moon power infused it, the scorpion's color changed from brown, gradually turning purple. Simultaneously, Xu Qing sensed the curse within the scorpion.

The curse of the Moon Sacrifice Great Domain affected all living beings and things. It existed by fusing with bloodlines, intertwining inextricably. Once it erupted, it would transform all living things into black water in a short time.

When Xu Qing's Purple Moon power came into contact with the curse, it would instantly erupt from its dormant state.

It was as if it suddenly came alive, attempting to absorb Xu Qing's Purple Moon power.

It seemed that for the curse, Xu Qing's Purple Moon held an extremely strong attraction.

Through these repeated attempts, Xu Qing understood that if the amount of Purple Moon power he infused was insufficient, it would quickly be consumed and assimilated by the curse. Subsequently, the experimental beast would instantly erupt with the curse, turning into bloody water.

The entire process was irreversible.

However, if Xu Qing increased his efforts, continuously infusing his Purple Moon power to forcibly suppress it, the curse would still erupt after being suppressed to a certain extent.

The outcome, however, was slightly different: experimental subjects that died under these conditions would not turn into bloody water, but instead transform into a pile of black ash.

"It's like a form of combustion."

Xu Qing watched as the scorpion before him instantly turned into black ash, scattering across the ground. He frowned, his eyes reflecting deep contemplation.

He had researched this black ash and found it useless. It felt to Xu Qing as if, once suppressed, the curse chose to perish alongside its host's bloodline.

"More attempts are needed, with different species."

Xu Qing pondered, then took out other ferocious beasts that Shadow had captured along the way and continued his research.

Days passed, one by one.

Although there were disputes within the small city, Xu Qing, who had never left since his arrival, found himself in another kind of isolation from the world, thus avoiding many trivial matters.

Meanwhile, the seed he had planted gradually sprouted as time passed, growing into a vibrant green seedling.

This seedling was quite peculiar; it seemed to possess a certain intelligence. When Xu Qing appeared, it would instinctively tremble.

Each time Ling'er approached, it would sway and twist its tiny body on its own, and after it elicited Ling'er's delightful laughter, it would try even harder.

As for the Vajra Sect Ancestor, it took on the mission of a guard, hanging from the ceiling beam from beginning to end, constantly aimed at the main entrance.

And then there was Shadow…

It was quite displeased by the seedling's attempts to curry favor with Ling'er. Several times, when Ling'er and Xu Qing weren't paying attention, it would suddenly appear next to the seedling and glare at it menacingly.

Each time, the seedling would shrink back, not daring to move a muscle.

However, Shadow did not appear frequently. It had other missions, occasionally needing to leave the small city to capture ferocious beasts for Xu Qing in the Kusheng Mountain Range and the Azure Silk Great Desert.

This ensured Xu Qing's research could continue uninterrupted.

Each time it returned, it would also convey emotional fluctuations to Xu Qing, sharing its observations and understanding of the area.

At such times, the Vajra Sect Ancestor's role became prominent.

It would act as a translator, explaining Shadow's communications, though occasionally it would also weave in some personal mischief, setting traps for Shadow.

Although Shadow had grown considerably, it was still a bit naive, failing to detect the tricks two or three times out of ten.

Xu Qing didn't pay much attention to this; he was already accustomed to the ongoing squabbles between the two.

Through Shadow and the Vajra Sect Ancestor, his understanding of the Azure Silk Great Desert deepened.

For instance, Xu Qing learned the reason why the local mud cities were built on mountains.

This was because many strange phenomena existed in the desert, any one of which could easily wipe out a small city.

Only on the mountains was it significantly safer.

For example, every so often, illusions would appear in the desert—sometimes an oasis, sometimes a city in the sky, sometimes even another world.

They would move, and wherever they passed, death permeated.

Anyone who entered these illusions found it difficult to emerge alive. When an illusion dissipated, only bones picked clean of flesh remained on the ground.

Additionally, Shadow's reports also described the giant mushrooms Xu Qing had seen on his journey. It had witnessed giant mushrooms rising from the desert.

Beneath the mushrooms were countless roots that formed humanoid outlines, moving across the desert in pursuit of illusions.

And these were not even the most terrifying things in the Azure Silk Great Desert. Through Shadow's descriptions and inquiries, Xu Qing learned that the wind's color in this desert was not constant.

Once, on a certain day, the azure wind turned white, all living beings in the desert had to seek refuge in the nearest mountain range with the utmost speed.

Otherwise, they would face a desperate situation, as only these mountain peaks could remain untouched by the sandstorms.

Over the long years, the white wind had appeared quite often. Thus, occasionally, survivors managed to escape into nearby mountain ranges during the white wind, thereby avoiding death.

However, all those who escaped exhibited a common change.

Their bodies would become hideously deformed, and their descendants would also inherit these traits, with no change.

This reminded Xu Qing of the people in the small city.

Furthermore, besides the white wind, there was also a black wind in the Azure Silk Great Desert, though it hadn't appeared for several centuries. Nevertheless, rumors about the black wind still persisted.

Once the black wind appeared, all living beings in the entire Azure Silk Great Desert would face near-certain death; even hiding on the mountains wouldn't guarantee safety.

However, safe places were rare within the Moon Sacrifice Great Domain. Compared to the constant life-and-death struggles encountered elsewhere, a black wind appearing only once every few centuries seemed like nothing.

But the wind had one final color: gray.

The gray wind was merely a legend, which Xu Qing learned about from an old man who came to buy pills. This type of wind had only appeared once in the history of the Azure Silk Great Desert.

It was too ancient for anyone to know what its specific effects would be.

These pieces of information deepened Xu Qing's understanding of the desert. Meanwhile, during this period, besides researching curses, he also activated the mirror multiple times.

Through his repeated explorations, he gained a clearer understanding of the Reverse Moon Temple's assessment.

"That one-eyed cultivator who fortunately escaped truly didn't lie about this: any mirror within the Kusheng Mountain Range serves as an entrance to the Reverse Moon Temple."

"It is also the method to initiate the assessment."

"Only by passing the assessment can one enter the Reverse Moon Temple."

Xu Qing sat cross-legged inside the house, his gaze fixed on the mirror in front of him, determination in his eyes.

His understanding gained over these past days revealed that the assessment to join the Reverse Moon Temple had three stages.

The first stage was a sacrifice.

This was effectively a pledge of allegiance: all who wished to join the Reverse Moon Temple had to kill two cultivators from the Red Moon Temple of the same cultivation realm as themselves.

Only by sending the killed bodies into the mirror would they be considered to have completed the first stage of the assessment.

Xu Qing could understand this. The first stage of the assessment aimed to evaluate the applicant's strength and also served as a safeguard against outsiders.

Such a method ensured that even if someone from the Red Moon Temple wished to infiltrate, they would first have to pay a significant price.

The higher one's cultivation, the greater the price they would pay.

Moreover, this was only the first stage; if subsequent assessments could not be passed after paying the price, everything would be for naught.

Therefore, this assessment was placed at the very beginning.

As for the second stage of the Reverse Moon Temple's assessment, it involved faith.

Xu Qing was unaware of the third stage. He planned to complete the pledge of allegiance first.

With this thought, Xu Qing looked up at the dim sky outside, determination in his eyes. He waved his hand, put away the mirror, and with a swift movement, left the pharmacy.

His target was not the Red Moon Temple within the Kusheng Mountain Range.

Xu Qing knew very well that a Red Moon Temple built in this location could not be underestimated.

After all, to join the Reverse Moon Temple, the pledge of allegiance was mandatory, meaning all aspiring members would instinctively first set their sights on the Temple.

Thus, anyone not a fool would not be careless. And based on Xu Qing's previous interactions with the Temple, he believed it was more likely to be baiting a trap here.

Of course, everyone thought differently, but Xu Qing believed that few of those wishing to join the Reverse Moon Temple would be foolish. Therefore, they would most likely choose to ambush Temple cultivators in other areas outside the desert.

But Xu Qing didn't want to take that risk.

At that moment, wearing a magical mask and activating his eerie stealth for complete concealment, he left the mountain range and ventured into the desert, searching for ferocious beasts matching his cultivation level.

Thus, days passed.

The ferocious beasts in the Azure Sand Great Desert varied in cultivation levels. During the time Shadow hunted for Xu Qing, it had also marked out dangerous areas, so Xu Qing's target was very clear.

Two days later, a tremendous roar erupted from a quicksand area in the Azure Sand Great Desert. As magical fluctuations reverberated all around, a massive red worm burst from the ground. Its entire body radiated cultivation fluctuations comparable to a Nascent Soul cultivator, yet it let out a pained wail.

Beneath it, Xu Qing's figure moved with extreme speed through the sand. He swiftly caught up, raised his right hand, and pressed down forcefully. Instantly, more than half of the red worm's body collapsed, and by the time it hit the ground, it was barely clinging to life.

Xu Qing put it away and continued forward.

Five days later, a massive scorpion, several dozen *zhang* long, rapidly fled across the ground. A figure relentlessly pursued it from behind. A moment later, as countless Sky Demon bodies descended, the scorpion let out a mournful shriek. It tried to break free but couldn't, caught by the figure behind it.

With roars reverberating, and after the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, everything finally calmed down. Xu Qing's figure emerged from the azure wind and began his return to the Kusheng Mountain Range.

It took him a day and a half to return to the mud city pharmacy. Ling'er was her usual self, though she had been a little worried