Chapter 588: Rare in the World

The white wind blew, kicking up sand from the ground and swaying the white grass.

Li Youfei, lying motionless on the ground, resembled a corpse. His towering five-zhang body emitted a foul odor that even the wind struggled to disperse; it was detectable from a great distance and utterly nauseating. From a distance, it was also visible that many parts of his body had rotted down to the bone. He was entirely enveloped by an aura of death.

His transformation was due not only to the eerie influence of the white wind but also to the eruption of the Red Mother's Curse within his body, affecting both his physical form and his soul. He was essentially on the brink of death, or more precisely, at that moment, he had already stepped halfway into the Yellow Springs. It seemed only a faint thread of vitality, sustained by sheer unwillingness, prevented him from fully succumbing. Yet, this struggle only promised him more pain and torment.

Xu Qing walked over to Li Youfei, assessed his injuries, and then shook his head, concluding, "He can't be saved." Although Xu Qing possessed a Difficulty-Solving Pill, this elixir could only alleviate the persistent suffering caused by the curse before its full eruption; it couldn't reduce the curse itself, and theoretically, it even increased its potency. Therefore, if Li Youfei were to take the Difficulty-Solving Pill at this moment, it would not only be ineffective, but his forcibly sustained thread of vitality would also be instantly overwhelmed by the surging curse.

Unable to save him, Xu Qing averted his gaze, recalled his Shadow Eye, and prepared to depart. After only a few steps, he suddenly paused, turned back to look at Li Youfei's cadaverous body, and a contemplative expression crossed his face. "Something isn't right," he murmured.

"Given the Red Mother's Curse and its eruption, he shouldn't have been able to hold on for this long, nor should any trace of vitality still exist." This was illogical.

A flicker of interest ignited within Xu Qing, and he returned to Li Youfei's side. This time, he observed more meticulously. Moments later, Xu Qing suddenly raised his right hand, grabbed Li Youfei's body, and sped away, leaving the Green Sand Desert behind. A thousand li from there, on a mountain peak, Xu Qing carved out a cave and tossed Li Youfei inside. He then erased all traces around the area, returned to Li Youfei's side, and began a meticulous study. During this time, he would occasionally incise the decaying body, extracting tissue for observation. After a day, a gleam of insight appeared in Xu Qing's eyes; he had found the reason and verified his conjecture.

"It's the white wind. The white wind's catalytic effect caused Li Youfei's vitality to surge chaotically and continuously. The purpose of this energy was to nourish the insect eggs, enabling them to grow into wood."

However, it was precisely this mechanism that prevented Li Youfei from dying immediately after the curse erupted within him. On his body, the white wind's power engaged in a degree of confrontation with the curse. Though still inferior to the curse, it ultimately allowed Li Youfei to retain a thread of vitality.

Xu Qing was stirred. What was the true origin of this white wind, capable of contending with the Red Mother's Curse?

A peculiar glint appeared in Xu Qing's eyes as he squatted down, carefully incising Li Youfei's flesh. He meticulously extracted the granule-like insect eggs one by one from within his body, along with the dandelion-like parasitic structures. The process was brutal, requiring countless incisions into flesh. Some of the putrid tissue would liquefy into black water upon contact, flowing out and emitting a vile stench. Yet Xu Qing was remarkably patient, like a deeply focused craftsman meticulously sculpting, regardless of the material.

Soon, under Xu Qing's ministrations, Li Youfei's body bore countless wounds. In some areas, Xu Qing simply severed parts directly, carefully collecting the tissue that had merged with both the curse and the white wind. As the insect eggs were extracted one by one, Li Youfei's white wind-catalyzed body, now deprived of the vitality-absorbing source, gained more residual strength to resist the curse's eruption. Though still weaker than the curse, Li Youfei's vitality persisted through this curse eruption and had not yet dissipated.

This, however, was of little practical use. According to Xu Qing's assessment, Li Youfei's vitality would be depleted in three to five days at most, and he would still be consumed by the curse. This, however, gave Xu Qing a significant idea. "Li Youfei is remarkably resilient," he mused. "In his current state, the Difficulty-Solving Pill might not be entirely useless." Xu Qing pondered, then produced a Difficulty-Solving Pill, placed it in Li Youfei's mouth, and with a sweep of his hand, hundreds of purple threads shot forth, all piercing into Li Youfei's body. The Difficulty-Solving Pill was merely a first step; Xu Qing intended to study Li Youfei in depth, attempting to refine components derived from his body using the same method as the Difficulty-Solving Pill. He was likely to die anyway, but if he genuinely survived, Xu Qing could then explore the white wind as a new direction in his future research.

Xu Qing sat cross-legged, eyes closed, simultaneously cultivating his qi and refining.

A day later, Xu Qing departed with Li Youfei, following the direction indicated by the 'parrot with no desire to live.' During breaks on their journey, he would continue his work on Li Youfei. Under Xu Qing's ongoing research, the curse's eruption on Li Youfei's body began to subside. Although the curse's total quantity increased, whenever Li Youfei was on the verge of dying, Xu Qing would take some of the severed tissue from Li Youfei, insert it into his wounds, and it would rapidly integrate, causing his vitality to surprisingly regenerate.

This discovery greatly astonished and pleased Xu Qing. He realized this was the experimental material he had always dreamed of.

A month passed in this manner.

Xu Qing, who had now ventured deep into the western reaches of the Sacrificial Moon Great Domain, concluded his refinement of Li Youfei one night in a valley. He retracted all his threads, then produced a Difficulty-Solving Pill crafted from Li Youfei's own tissue and administered it to him. This particular elixir differed from ordinary Difficulty-Solving Pills; it was a significant improvement Xu Qing had made to the formula after his recent studies of Li Youfei. It was now largely complete, just shy of perfection.

"Now that you're awake, stop playing dead," Xu Qing stated calmly after administering the Difficulty-Solving Pill. Li Youfei's body trembled, and he reluctantly opened his eyes, gazing at Xu Qing with a mixture of fear and bewilderment. He had actually been conscious for three days, but fear had kept him from revealing it once he realized Xu Qing was studying him. It was only when he noticed Xu Qing feeding him strange elixirs over those three days, and the curse's eruption within him steadily dissipating, that his perspective shifted. This realization profoundly shocked him. He was not foolish and possessed considerable experience, so he quickly deduced the nature of the elixirs he had been consuming. This deduction left his mind blank, and it took a long time for him to fully process it. Over those three days, he distinctly remembered being given eight pills. "Selling myself wouldn't be enough to buy even one..." he thought. For days, Li Youfei had been inwardly trembling as he pondered the answer to that question.

Now that Xu Qing had seen through his feigned death, Li Youfei instinctively spoke in a low voice, seeking to confirm his suspicion. "Master, what you gave me was..."

"Difficulty-Solving Pill," Xu Qing calmly stated.

Despite having guessed, Li Youfei's mind still reeled upon hearing the answer. Trembling, he managed to ask, "Then... how many did I eat?"

"Over this past month, roughly over a hundred," Xu Qing calculated, glancing at Li Youfei.

Li Youfei's eyes widened at the revelation, and his Adam's apple bobbed. He knew the immense value of the Difficulty-Solving Pill—an elixir that even spiritual cultivators coveted—and he had consumed over a hundred of them... He believed it to be true, having consumed eight himself in just three days. If this news were to spread, it would undoubtedly cause an uproar in the outside world. For Li Youfei, the sensation at that moment was akin to a beggar being casually handed billions of spirit stones by a benefactor. He no longer cared why this was happening, nor did he question Xu Qing's motives. Trembling, he rose and immediately knelt before Xu Qing. "Master!" he exclaimed. "No matter what you intend to do with me, it doesn't matter. You have simply given too much!"

Xu Qing glanced at Li Youfei, about to speak, but then his expression hardened, and he looked up towards the valley's entrance. This was deep in the western reaches of the Sacrificial Moon Great Domain. The sky was veiled in dust, and darkness encompassed all directions. In the dimness, one could only vaguely discern the rampant weeds both inside and outside the valley. The biting night wind blew in, creating a whistling sound, and carried with it the clamor of gongs and drums.

It seemed many were approaching from beyond the valley. A faint glint appeared in Xu Qing's eyes, and Li Youfei also sensed their presence, quickly rising from his kneeling position. He assumed a posture of loyal protection, effectively usurping the Vajra Sect Ancestor's role. The Vajra Sect Ancestor also flew out, casting a disdainful glance at Li Youfei before fixating on the valley entrance.

Soon, the clamor intensified as a group of figures emerged from beyond the valley, entering Xu Qing's sight. These figures were peculiar: over a hundred robed earthen figures. Those at the front beat gongs, those at the rear played drums, and in the very center, dozens of earthen figures carried a stone divine palanquin. Inside the palanquin, an earthen fox idol was enshrined, clad in a red robe and with rouge painted on its face, utterly motionless like a lifeless object. Their arrival brought an ominous wind that swept through the mountain valley, stirring up scattered weeds and leaves from the ground.

They seemed, however, to pay no attention to Xu Qing and Li Youfei, passing by them on their own accord. Xu Qing's gaze swept over the earthen figures. He was accustomed to the fantastical and bizarre nature of this world and felt no surprise, understanding that such beings generally preyed on the weak and cowered before the strong, thus requiring little intervention. However, since he was obstructing their path, there was no need to assert himself excessively. So, maintaining his usual expression, he subtly released his aura of cultivation, retreated a few steps, and cleared the path, allowing the earthen figures to pass before him amidst their gongs and drums.

As the divine palanquin drew nearer, reaching directly in front of Xu Qing, the earthen fox idol within it suddenly turned its head to look at Xu Qing and Li Youfei. Its earthen eyes momentarily rippled, then astonishingly transformed into gems, emitting a crystalline luster. A soul-stirring light circulated within them.

Immediately afterward, a languid yet charming female voice, tinged with surprise, emanated from the earthen fox idol, echoing through the air.

"Primal Yang?"

"A Primal Yang with Nascent Soul cultivation? And so remarkably pure, not a trace of it has been siphoned!"

"Truly rare in this world..."