txolops Chapter 318 Green Wood Longevity Pill
Chapter 318 Green Wood Longevity Pill
At that time, outside the cave, the miasma gradually dissipated, revealing a gray-yellow sky.
Several vultures circled in the air, emitting hoarse cries.
“Fairy, look at this.” Zhao He suddenly spoke up, taking something out of his robes.
Chen Jinshu opened his eyes and saw Zhao He holding a fragment the size of a fingernail, which was emerald green and emitted a faint fluorescence.
“This is…” She took the fragment, examined it carefully for a moment, and her expression changed slightly.
"These are the roots of a ten-thousand-year-old ginseng!"
“That’s right.” Zhao He nodded.
"When I cut that venomous snake just now, I found this root between its teeth. This means that the ginseng was not the only one, and there may be others nearby."
Chen Jinshu's eyes lit up: "Are you sure?"
Zhao He smiled and said, "Although my cultivation is not as good as yours, I still have some experience in this area. This root is still very fresh, it must have been bitten off in the last few days. And judging from its growth, it should be an older spiritual ginseng."
The sand scorpion took the rootlets, examined them, and nodded.
"That's true. The spiritual energy contained in this root is even more concentrated than that of the ginseng fruit from before."
Chen Jinshu pondered for a moment, then suddenly stood up:
"In that case, let's follow the snake's tracks. We might find something."
"Isn't the fairy afraid that the Jade Serpent Immortal might launch a surprise attack?" Zhao He asked with some concern.
"What's there to be afraid of?" Chen Jinshu smiled. "He took that spiritual ginseng and should be busy going back to refine pills right now. He doesn't have time to care about us."
After a brief discussion, the three decided to take the risk. Following the tracks left by the venomous snakes, they continued deeper into the poisonous forest.
……
They walked for about half an hour.
A small hill appeared ahead, covered with lush green bamboo, which contrasted sharply with the desolate surroundings.
“Here…” Sand Scorpion looked at the bamboo forest in front of him, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.
"The spiritual energy here is so rich!"
Chen Jinshu also noticed that the spiritual energy here was at least three times denser than outside, and he could feel his true energy circulating autonomously with every breath.
She quickened her pace and stepped into the bamboo forest.
Deep in the bamboo forest, there is a clearing covered with all sorts of exotic flowers and plants, emitting a captivating fragrance.
In the center of the open space, a snow-white ginseng swayed in the wind, only slightly smaller than the one seen by the pool earlier.
"There really is one more!" Zhao He exclaimed in surprise.
Chen Jinshu stepped forward and carefully examined the ginseng.
Its roots are deeply embedded in the soil, covered with glistening dewdrops, emitting a faint fragrance.
She reached out and gently touched the leaf; a warm, spiritual energy flowed into her body through her fingertips, invigorating her.
"This ginseng is at least five thousand years old." Sand Scorpion's voice trembled with excitement.
"If it can be refined into a pill, it would be enough to allow a Golden Core cultivator to break through a bottleneck!"
Chen Jinshu nodded, took out a jade shovel from his pocket, and carefully dug out the ginseng with its roots and soil intact.
She took out a jade box, put the ginseng inside, and infused it with some true energy to ensure it wouldn't wither.
"Let's go, let's leave this place." She put away the jade box and turned to say to the two of them.
Just as the three were about to leave, they suddenly heard a deafening roar.
Looking in the direction of the sound, a huge scorpion rushed in from outside the bamboo forest. It was completely black, with two pincers the size of millstones and a green glow on its tail hook, clearly indicating that it was a highly venomous creature.
"A fifth-tier demonic beast!" Sand Scorpion's face turned deathly pale.
"How could there be a fifth-tier demon beast here?!"
Chen Jinshu's heart skipped a beat. A fifth-tier demonic beast was equivalent to a late-stage Golden Core cultivator, and its strength was even greater. Moreover, judging from its appearance, it was clearly there to protect this spiritual ginseng.
"Run!" she shouted, turning and rushing out of the bamboo forest.
The scorpion hissed angrily and chased after the three. It was incredibly fast; with each step it took, the ground trembled.
It quickly caught up, flicked its tail hook, and stabbed towards Chen Jinshu's back.
"Ding Ding-"
Chen Jinshu sensed the danger, dodged to the side, and at the same time plucked the strings of his zither, sending a moon-white blade of light slashing toward the scorpion's head.
The scorpion blocked the blade with its pincers, making a crisp "clang" sound, but was completely unharmed.
"What a hard shell!" Zhao He gasped.
Enraged, the scorpion spewed out a cloud of black venomous mist, engulfing the three of them.
Chen Jinshu felt a wave of dizziness and quickly circulated his inner energy to dispel the poisonous mist, but his speed slowed down significantly.
Just as the scorpion was about to attack again, the sand scorpion suddenly took something out of its bosom and threw it at the scorpion.
The thing exploded in mid-air, turning into a thick cloud of yellow smoke that blocked the scorpion's vision.
"Hurry up!" Sha Xie pulled Chen Jinshu up and continued running forward.
The yellow smoke dissipated, and the scorpion had vanished without a trace. The three dared not linger, running for several miles in one breath until they were certain the scorpion was not chasing them, before stopping to pant heavily.
"That was close." Zhao He plopped down on the ground.
"I almost died there."
Chen Jinshu looked at the jade box in his hand and breathed a sigh of relief: "Well, at least I finally got my hands on this spiritual ginseng."
Sand Scorpion smiled and was about to speak when he suddenly clutched his chest and began to cough violently.
"Are you alright?"
“It’s nothing…” Sand Scorpion waved his hand, “It’s just that my injury flared up, I just need to rest for a bit.”
"Let's go back to our cave and rest for a few days until we're healed before continuing our exploration," she said.
Sand Scorpion nodded, without refusing.
……
After returning to the cave.
Chen Jinshu said to the Sand Scorpion:
"Alliance Leader Sha, your injuries have worsened again."
Sand Scorpion waved his hand weakly: "I won't die. It's just that the ten-thousand-year-old spiritual ginseng... what a pity."
Although he later obtained another five-thousand-year-old plant, it had almost no effect on him, a Golden Core cultivator. The pills he refined from it had a negligible effect on prolonging his life, at most extending it by three to five years.
As he spoke, he coughed twice, covered his mouth with his hand, and when he removed it, there was a dark red stain on his palm.
Zhao He squatted at the cave entrance, holding the short blade in his hand, carefully sharpening the edge with a whetstone.
Upon hearing this, he said, "Alliance Leader Sha, I'm not trying to be discouraging, but the Jade Serpent True Man of the Five Poisons Sect is at the late Golden Core stage. Even the three of us combined might not be a match for him. We're already incredibly lucky to have escaped alive this time."
“I know.” Sand Scorpion closed his eyes, his voice weary. “But my lifespan really won’t last much longer.”
Chen Jinshu thought for a moment, and it seemed that he had seen a longevity pill formula in the Mysterious Female Elixir Canon.
With that in mind, she quickly searched through her mind and soon found the recipe, 'Green Wood Longevity Pill', a third-grade high-quality pill that could extend one's lifespan by forty to fifty years.
The main ingredients are either "Life-Sustaining Grass" or "Longevity Fruit," but these two ingredients are extremely rare in the secret realm and are difficult to find in a short period of time.
However, the prescription also records several alternative medicinal materials. Although they are not as effective as the main ingredients, if properly prepared, they can still extend life by twenty to thirty years.
"Alliance Leader Sha, although the ten-thousand-year-old spiritual ginseng was taken away by True Person Bi She, if it is replaced with other medicines, it may not be impossible to refine a longevity pill."
Sand Scorpion suddenly opened his eyes, a glint of light flashing in them: "Fellow Daoist Chen, is what you say true?"
"Really?" Chen Jinshu nodded.
“I have a recipe for the ‘Green Wood Longevity Pill’, a high-grade third-rank pill. Although the main ingredient is missing, it can be replaced with ‘Earth Marrow Scrophularia’, ‘Hundred-Year Poria’, and ‘Red Sun Grass’. I saw a few of these herbs in the previous Poisonous Miasma Forest, but I didn’t pick them then.”
Upon hearing this, Zhao He turned around, his brows furrowing slightly: "Earth Marrow Mystic Ginseng? That's something that grows in piles of corpses, with extremely heavy Yin energy. If it's refined into an elixir, can it really prolong life?"
"Medicines have yin and yang, and people have deficiency and excess," Chen Jinshu said calmly.
"Alliance Leader Sha's injury lies in his foundation. His golden core is cracked, and his qi and blood are depleted. He needs something of extreme yin and yang to harmonize it. Earth marrow and scrophularia are yin in nature, red yang grass is yang in nature, and century-old poria cocos can neutralize the two. When these three medicines are combined and a few auxiliary medicines are added, although it is not as good as the pill made from ten-thousand-year-old spiritual ginseng, it is enough to allow Alliance Leader Sha to live for another twenty or thirty years."
After a moment of silence, Sand Scorpion suddenly stood up, supporting himself against the stone wall, and solemnly clasped his hands in a fist salute to Chen Jinshu:
"If Fellow Daoist Chen can truly refine this pill, I am willing to repay him with all the savings of my remaining life!"
"There's no need for the alliance leader to do this," Chen Jinshu said, raising his hand in a gesture of support.
"We've been through life and death together; it's fate that we're connected. I'll help if I can."
She paused, then looked at Zhao He: "Fellow Daoist Zhao, would you like to go with me to gather herbs?"
Zhao He grinned: "Since the fairy has asked, I am naturally willing. However, the Earth Marrow Mystic Ginseng grows in a pile of corpses, which is probably not a good place."
“The more treacherous the place, the more likely it is to hide good medicine.” Chen Jinshu stood up and patted the sand off his robes.
"Let's go, while it's still early."
……
An hour later, the three of them stepped into the poisonous miasma forest again.
This time, they took a different path. The fallen leaves and branches on the ground were piled up even thicker, and they felt soft and spongy underfoot, like stepping on rotten flesh.
The fishy stench in the air grew stronger, mixed with the cloying sweetness of miasma, making one's stomach churn.
"This way." Chen Jinshu walked ahead, holding a compass in his hand. The compass needle trembled slightly, pointing southeast.
After passing through a dense forest of withered bamboo, the view suddenly opened up ahead.
It was a depression, low-lying, surrounded by tall stone walls, like a natural coffin.
In the center of the depression, there were dozens of skeletons of demonic beasts, some of which had completely decayed, leaving only a layer of grayish-white powder.
Some still retain their complete skeletons, their stark white bones gleaming faintly in the dim light.
In the center of that pile of bones grew three strange, jet-black plants.
The blades of grass were about half a foot long, slender and needle-shaped, with an eerie purplish-black sheen on their surface, as if soaked in blood. Near the roots, a wisp of faint black mist swirled.
"Earth Marrow Scrophularia!" Sand Scorpion's eyes lit up, his voice trembling with excitement.
"Three! There are actually three!"
"Don't rush." Chen Jinshu pressed down on his arm, her gaze falling on the pile of bones.
"In such places, there is often something guarding it."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than the skeletons suddenly moved.
A skeletal scorpion, as big as a millstone, slowly crawled out from the pile of bones.
Its carapace had rotted away, leaving only a stark white skeleton, but two eerie green flames burned in its empty eye sockets.
"A mid-grade, third-tier White Bone Scorpion." Zhao He gasped.
"Wasn't this thing extinct a long time ago?"
“It must have been nurtured by the yin energy here,” Chen Jinshu said calmly, his right hand already resting on the Star Moon Guqin.
"Gentlemen, I'll hold it back while you gather herbs."
"Be careful, fairy!" Sand Scorpion warned, already gripping the boxwood cane, ready to act at any moment.
Chen Jinshu sat down cross-legged, placed the zither across his lap, and took a deep breath.
"Zheng—!"
The sound of the zither rose, like a cold spring striking a rock.
Attracted by the music, the white-boned scorpion turned its head, its ghostly fire eyes fixed on Chen Jinshu, let out a low roar, and then pounced.
It was incredibly fast; its eight bony legs scraped across the stone ground with a piercing sound, and its tail hook whipped up a stench.
Chen Jinshu's fingers plucked the strings rapidly, and a stirring melody of "Guardian" emerged.
'Ding ding dong—'
The sound of the zither transformed into invisible ripples, striking the white-boned scorpion.
The beast's movements visibly faltered, and the ghostly fire in its eye sockets flickered a few times, as if it had been affected.
But in an instant, it broke free from the shackles of the music and continued its attack.
"Such strong soul resistance!" Chen Jinshu's heart skipped a beat, and he changed his finger technique, switching from "Soul Suppressor" to "Breaking Army".
The music suddenly became powerful and resonant, and streaks of moon-white sound blades flew out, slashing towards the joints of the white bone scorpion.
"Jingle bells!"
The sonic blade struck the bone, producing a crisp metallic clang, leaving only a few shallow white marks on the bone.
"These bones are too hard!" Zhao He exclaimed, gripping his spirit sword tightly.
"Continue!" Chen Jinshu gritted his teeth and poured his true energy into the strings of the zither, causing the power of the sound blade to suddenly increase.
A beam of moon-white light, as thick as an arm, shot out from the strings and struck the White Bone Scorpion's head.
"boom--!"
The white bone scorpion was blasted backward, crashing into the stone wall behind it, causing rubble to fall in a shower.
"Hurry!" Chen Jinshu shouted.
Sand Scorpion and Zhao He immediately set off, rushing towards the three Scrophularia ningpoensis plants.
Sand Scorpion took out a jade shovel from his robes and carefully dug into the soil. His movements were swift yet extremely cautious, as if afraid of damaging the roots.
When the third plant was dug up, the white bone scorpion struggled to its feet, let out an angry roar, and pounced on the sand scorpion.
"Alliance Leader, be careful!" Zhao He shouted, his figure flashing as he stood in front of the Sand Scorpion, his spirit sword slashing out horizontally.
"clang--!"
The sword blade struck the white bone scorpion's pincers, sparks flying everywhere.
Zhao He was so shocked that his hands went numb, and he staggered back several steps before regaining his balance.
"Got it!" Sand Scorpion put the third Scrophularia ningpoensis into the jade box and turned to retreat.
But the white-boned scorpion had already closed in, its stinger whistling through the air as it viciously stabbed at him.
"Don't even think about it!" Chen Jinshu shouted coldly, his fingers plucking the strings heavily.
"boom--!"
The sound of the zither transformed into a condensed beam of moonlight, striking the white bone scorpion's tail hook and deflecting the massive hook by half an inch.
The white bone scorpion's stinger grazed the sand scorpion's shoulder and embedded itself in the stone wall behind him.
The sand scorpion took the opportunity to retreat, creating distance between itself and the bone scorpion.
"Retreat!" Chen Jinshu stood up, put the zither into his storage bag, and turned to leave.
The three of them ran wildly out of the depression until they could no longer hear the roars of the Bone Scorpion, then they stopped and gasped for breath.
"That was close." Zhao He plopped down on the ground.
"I almost got killed again."
Sand Scorpion took out the three Earth Marrow Scrophularia from his pocket, examined them carefully, and after confirming that they were undamaged, he breathed a sigh of relief: "Completely intact."
Chen Jinshu took one, smelled it, then pinched the stem with his fingernail to observe the color of the sap, and nodded.
"The quality is acceptable. After I get back, I'll add a few more auxiliary ingredients and then I can start refining the pills."
"How long will it take for the fairy to arrive?" Sand Scorpion asked.
"Three days."
"It will be completed within three days." (End of Chapter)