Chapter 604: Old Ancestor, the Little Thief is Right in the Pharmacy

Half an hour after Xu Qing’s departure, the seven or eight followers within the Counter-Moon Hall temple had unified their thoughts and, with expressions of excitement, emerged from the temple.

Their appearance immediately drew the attention of those habitually waiting outside.

“Master Dan Nine has issued a decree!” the burly neighbor declared, stepping to the forefront, his voice like a resounding bell, echoing far and wide.

“In ten days, Master will release a groundbreaking, magnificent elixir! This pill differs significantly from traditional problem-solving elixirs. It will be a unique medicine, unprecedented in the Counter-Moon Hall for countless years, with astonishing effects capable of subverting everything!”

As his words spread, the surrounding statues shifted their expressions, listening intently.

Seeing this, the burly neighbor took a deep breath, his eyes filled with anticipation, and his voice, like thunder, resounded once more.

“The Curse-Breaking Elixir!”

At these words, all the statues outside the temple were moved, their minds churning with disbelief.

“A Curse-Breaking Elixir? Does that mean it lifts curses?”

“How could this be possible!”

Noticing their reaction, the burly neighbor inhaled deeply and announced, “In ten days, Master will return and hold the first release here. You all may wait for ten days, and together, we shall witness these miracles.”

Having spoken, he turned and darted into the distance, while the other followers dispersed, as per their prior agreement. Their task was to spread the news as widely as possible throughout the entire Counter-Moon Hall within these ten days.

They knew in their hearts that this matter wouldn't require much effort to promote. Once slightly disseminated, it was bound to ignite widespread attention. After all, Master Dan Nine’s name already held considerable fame within the Counter-Moon Hall, attracting significant interest. Thus, his revolutionary declaration was sure to cause a ripple effect.

It was conceivable that over the next ten days, unprecedented skepticism would erupt. As they spread the word, the statues outside the temple were also deeply affected, dispersing and spontaneously spreading the news themselves.

Indeed, the three words "Curse-Breaking Elixir" carried immense significance, and reality proved this to be true. The intensity surpassed even the expectations of the burly man and his followers. On the fourth day after the news broke, a storm erupted across the entire Counter-Moon Hall.

“That’s a divine curse; could this Master Dan Nine be a deity himself?”

“But what if? What if it really can be broken? Even just a little bit…”

This "what if" phrase, interwoven with countless skeptical voices, caused everyone to hesitate. Hope is the flame within every human heart. Although for most people living in the Moon-Sacrificing Domain, this flame might have been extinguished, those who joined the Counter-Moon Hall were inherently unwilling to surrender to fate. Therefore, this flame flickered to life at that moment.

This was especially true for cultivators skilled in alchemy and those who specialized in studying curses.

“We cultivators despise those who show off. This fellow Daoist Dan Nine’s words are far too irresponsible!”

“A Curse-Breaking Elixir, breaking curses... how could it be so easy? Throughout history, no one has achieved it, unless he is a deity or a son of a deity!”

Countless remarks became a torrent, forming the biggest uproar in the Counter-Moon Hall during those days. Even some high-ranking members of the Counter-Moon Hall heard about it and paid attention. While about ten percent believed, nearly ninety percent of the comments were strongly negative.

Simultaneously, highly respected masters, usually reserved, began to emerge. Some voiced their opinions, while others researched the possibility of the matter.

At this moment, in the eastern part of the Moon-Sacrificing Domain, on the Nine-Colored Wind Plain, some distance from the Sea of Heavenly Fire, such a master was in seclusion. In front of his cave dwelling, a person arrived swiftly, knelt, and held up a pill bottle.

After a long while, the cave dwelling’s gate opened, and a strong suction emanated from within, drawing the pill bottle inside.

Inside the cave, an old man in white robes sat cross-legged, surrounded by several red-eyed squirrels. Each squirrel exuded a remarkable aura, and astonishingly, they sat cross-legged like humans.

As the pill bottle flew in, the old man reached out, grabbed it, and with a poker face, opened it and examined its contents for a few moments.

“It carries the scent of white wind from the Azure Sand Desert. This relies on the vitality of the white wind there to achieve a seemingly balanced state with the Red Mother’s curse. However, this method was actually abandoned years ago.”

“Those who take this elixir will be fine initially, but over time, they will certainly suffer a backlash,” the old man said calmly.

The cultivator outside the cave showed respect at these words and nodded.

“So that’s it; no wonder it was sold so cheaply. Master truly is knowledgeable.”

The old man continued to examine the pill, kneading it with his fingers, and finally shook his head.

“It also contains some herbal roots and many unknown substances, but structurally, it’s flawed. These young alchemists today don’t properly cultivate and research; they rely on clever tricks to show off and garner attention. It’s one thing to be ostentatious, but countless people will surely suffer from their harmful concoctions in the future.”

Saying this, the old man waved his hand, tossing the problem-solving elixir to a squirrel nearby. The squirrel picked it up without hesitation and immediately began to eat it.

“Nothing more than that,” the old man said, no longer paying attention, and looked outside the cave, speaking faintly.

“Such conduct reveals an evil nature; it must be punished in the future. Go to the Counter-Moon Hall and inform them that I, too, have recently improved the problem-solving elixir. In six days, at the same time as Master Dan Nine, I will release my new elixir.”

“My improved problem-solving elixir is also groundbreaking; its efficacy will be double that of the original problem-solving elixir, and its side effects have been reduced by half!” As the old man spoke, the disciple outside was immediately moved, a huge surge rising in his heart. After a long moment, he took a deep breath, respectfully departed, and immediately went to the Counter-Moon Hall to announce this news.

Soon, this matter caused another storm in the Counter-Moon Hall.

“Master Sheng Luo will release his improved problem-solving elixir at the same time!”

“With such efficacy and minimal side effects, this is a miracle elixir, far superior to that so-called Curse-Breaking Elixir.”

“Master Sheng Luo’s name is a guarantee of quality, unlike Dan Nine, who just puts on airs and is disgusting!”

Unlike the skepticism surrounding the Curse-Breaking Elixir, this time, there was almost universal praise and anticipation. Each commendation inevitably mentioned Xu Qing’s Curse-Breaking Elixir. For a time, the turmoil within the Counter-Moon Hall surged again, reaching its peak intensity.

The turmoil in the Counter-Moon Hall also spread externally. For instance, two days before the release date, Xu Qing, who was studying curses, saw his captain, who had a mysterious look on his face.

“Little A Qing, you’re in big trouble!” the captain said, looking at Xu Qing with a teasing expression.

Xu Qing looked up at the captain. “What happened?”

The captain, looking pleased, sat opposite Xu Qing and said with a smile.

The captain’s smile was mischievous as he took a bite of a peach.

Xu Qing nodded impassively.

“Still pretending, huh?” the captain laughed, patting Xu Qing’s shoulder.

“Little A Qing, I’ve been watching you closely these past few days. I didn’t detect any fluctuations indicating entry into the Counter-Moon Hall. Especially on the day Master returned, I was even in his temple!”

“I immediately returned to check afterwards and found you playing chess with the old master. So, between us good brothers, there’s no need to brag.”

The captain smiled proudly. Xu Qing was pensive. He didn’t recall playing chess with the World Son, so he glanced in the direction of the World Son’s residence, then recalled the statues in his temple at the time. Unfortunately, with the Counter-Moon Hall’s blessing, he couldn’t confirm if the captain was among the statues in the temple that day.

However, seeing the captain’s obvious excitement, he decided not to burst his bubble and calmly said,

“What happened to your close friend?”

“Once I get it, Little A Qing, I’ll give it to you!” the captain declared proudly.

Just like that, time passed. With only one day remaining until the release date, the sky outside the earth city, where the pharmacy was located, suddenly rumbled. A powerful oppressive force spread from the desert, roaring towards the earth city.

The azure sandstorm became turbulent at that moment, with faint streaks of lightning flickering within. Upon closer inspection, one could discern figures of cultivators within the sandstorm.

These cultivators wore long white robes, their heads covered, but their bloodline seemed unusual, allowing them to almost merge with the sandstorm. Wherever the wind blew, their figures seemed to appear. Their numbers were in the thousands, and their presence caused the azure wind to take on a white hue.

Within their ranks were five astonishing fluctuations, emitting the aura of the Spirit Treasure realm, sweeping across the heavens and roaring forth. Especially the foremost aura, though also from the Spirit Treasure realm, suppressed all directions, infinitely approaching the Return to Emptiness realm.

At this moment, a white-haired old man, his face cold and impassive, walked with his hands behind his back, his target clear: directly towards the earth city. He was accompanied by some younger members, one of whom was the peak Nascent Soul expert who had pinned down the shadow during the white wind incident that day.

These individuals were precisely the mysterious Wind Guardian Clan from the desert!

“Old Ancestor, it’s this earth city!”

“The villain who stole our sacred artifact that day, our clan previously put out a bounty on him. Recently, I received news that he’s in a pharmacy in this earth city!”

The white-robed man gritted his teeth, and the old ancestor beside him spoke calmly.

“Our clan has not acted for a long time. It seems the cultivators of this Azure Sand Desert have forgotten our clan’s prestige. Then we shall use this person to re-establish our authority, reminding the cultivators of this Azure Sand Desert of our Wind Guardian Clan.”

In the distance, the earth city was visible, and the small pharmacy within it was equally clear.