jdhmnovel Chapter 157 Emerging from the Flames
Chapter 157 Emerging from the Flames
Jiuding Division.
Xu Xiaoli followed behind Qiao Qingzi, curiously observing the Nine Cauldrons Division.
At the entrance of the Nine Cauldrons Bureau, four alchemy furnaces are arranged on each side, while inside the main entrance is a furnace as tall as three people. They are all made of ten-thousand-year-old black iron, which does not rust despite being exposed to wind and rain.
As the two entered the Nine Cauldrons Division, someone was already standing there to greet them; it was Yun Yan, the third disciple of the Nine Cauldrons Division.
Her eyes were dark and lifeless, as if she hadn't slept for several days. When she saw Qiao Qingzi and the others calling her, her eyes lit up and tears fell to the ground. She forced a smile and said, "Fellow Daoist Qiao and Fellow Daoist Xu, thank you for coming to the Nine Cauldrons Division to provide assistance."
Qiao Qingzi stepped forward to support Yun Yan and asked with concern, "Junior Sister Yun, what's wrong?"
Yunyan gave a wry smile, then turned and led the way, urging Qiao Qingzi and the others to follow quickly.
As alchemists, the disciples of the Nine Cauldrons Division initially only refined pills behind the battlefield. Later, when the front lines could no longer hold out, disciples from both the Nine Cauldrons Division and the Hundred Herbs Valley had to participate in the fighting.
The pills used by the disciples of the Nine Cauldrons Division are primarily for healing and strengthening; even those for attack are not very powerful. Fortunately, both sects are wealthy and have ample magical artifacts to protect them.
Unfortunately, no amount of magical artifacts could overcome the onslaught of demonic cultivators, and the Nine Cauldrons Sect became the sect with the most severe damage besides the Hundred Herbs Valley.
Xu Xiaoli and Qiao Qingzi came to treat the seriously injured disciples of the Nine Cauldrons Division.
The Nine Cauldrons Sect and the Hundred Herbs Valley have always been on good terms. The two sects have a deep cooperation in the field of herbs. The Hundred Herbs Valley provides herbs to the Nine Cauldrons Sect, and the Nine Cauldrons Sect provides pills to the Hundred Herbs Valley. The cooperation between the two sects has lasted for more than a thousand years.
Xu Xiaoli knew that the Nine Cauldrons Division could refine eighth-grade or even ninth-grade pills. Ordinary injuries could be treated with simple recovery pills and healing pills. If an injured person needed medical treatment, the injury must be very serious.
Yunyan led the two to a room, and Xu Xiaoli noticed that the dignified female cultivator at the door was Xia Rujing, the head of the Nine Cauldrons Division.
"Greetings, Sect Leader Xia!"
"Greetings, Sect Leader Xia!"
Xia Rujing's expression remained unchanged; she simply stepped aside to let the two of them in.
Xu Xiaoli followed Qiao Qingzi closely as they entered the room.
Lying on the bed was Xia Mengqi. She was wrapped in white cloth, and demonic energy emanated from her body. However, this demonic energy was not Xia Mengqi's own, but rather it was coming from her wounds.
Yunyan stood at the door, sobbing uncontrollably. She choked out as she explained, "My senior sister was attacked by a group of demons while trying to save me. Those demons only knew how to bite, and they were poisonous. My senior sister was bitten so badly that she almost died and was barely clinging to life."
Qiao Qingzi and Xu Xiaoli both looked grim. They could tell that Xia Mengqi's injuries were fatal; there wasn't a single uninjured spot on her body. Moreover, the demonic poison had penetrated deep into her bones, and her body was already severely damaged. She was barely holding on by sheer willpower.
Even if cured, they would be bedridden for years, clinging to life with herbal medicine.
Her body is ruined.
However, the two did not reveal the truth, but simply closed the door and began to treat Xia Mengqi.
"Senior Sister, she's very difficult to cure." Xu Xiaoli stopped his work with a heavy heart. Every time he touched Xia Mengqi, she would tremble with pain. The demonic poison, besides weakening Xia Mengqi's body, had also exacerbated her suffering. A healer's heart aches when witnessing a patient suffer inhuman pain. Xu Xiaoli had seen many patients, but seeing Xia Mengqi in such agony, he simply couldn't bring himself to treat her. Not wanting Xia Mengqi to endure any more suffering, Xu Xiaoli stopped his treatment.
“Yes. But Senior Sister Xia wants to live. Junior Brother, we must respect her wishes.” Qiao Qingzi sighed softly and applied medicine to Xia Mengqi’s wounds.
Xu Xiaoli's mind was a bit muddled, so he sat down to rest.
She closed her eyes and recalled. Xu Xiaoli, also known as Xie Wanxun, remembered her days in the Abyss of Ten Thousand Demons. Master Song of the Hundred Herbs Valley had told her, "Disciple, a person is like a flowing stream, and illness is like a rock blocking its path. The stream is free; it should not be blocked by rocks. We medical cultivators are those who remove the rocks and restore the stream's freedom."
Xie Wanxun didn't understand her grandmaster's meaning before, but during the sect competition, she saved many people. Those who were about to die from injuries and illnesses, bidding farewell to their loved ones, were healed by her and able to reunite with their families and pursue their dreams. Illness is like a knife that cuts off a bird's feathers, and healing is the one who stops that merciless knife, repairs the bird's feathers, and allows the bird to return to the sky.
Xia Mengqi's master and fellow disciples were waiting for her. Xia Mengqi didn't want to leave, so Xie Wanxun opened his eyes and returned to Xia Mengqi's side.
"Senior Sister, I have a way to save Senior Sister Xia."
"any solution?"
"Nine-grade Resurrection Grass, Nine-grade Regeneration Flower, and Ten-Thousand-Year Mad Demon Grass."
Lava mountain.
A strong feeling of falling.
Xie Wanning's head hurt even more.
Her spiritual power was almost depleted, and the ice barrier was as thin as a cicada's wing.
Xie Wanning took out a teleportation talisman, but it was still ineffective. She glanced at the Lava Heart and knew that this was the culprit. If she threw away the Lava Heart, she might still have a sliver of hope.
However, that would mean she wouldn't have a chance to obtain the Eternal Red Lotus. The Heart of Lava would be hidden even deeper, and the magma would be even more intense than before. Even if she and Qin Muyang tried the same trick again, they probably wouldn't even be able to touch the edge of the Heart of Lava.
Of course, she could choose not to release the Lava Heart, but the only possible outcome would be that her ice barrier wouldn't hold, and she would be dissolved by the lava.
Xie Wanning knew she would be resurrected, so she wasn't afraid of death. Her only fear was that her death would be meaningless; that she wouldn't obtain the Lava Heart, the Eternal Red Lotus, or break her Phoenix Seal. She and her sister would only face their destined deaths.
No, my sister is desperately searching for the chosen one, while I can't even find a flower or a plant, so how can I help my sister?
Even if she dies, she will never abandon the Heart of Lava.
Xie Wanning clutched the Heart of Lava tightly; the deep red sphere had burned her arm and her hair, and intense pain spread throughout her body.
Xie Wanning closed her eyes, focusing on feeling the power of the Lava Heart and absorbing it with all her might. The intense pain caused Xie Wanning to lose consciousness, but her hands clung tightly to the Lava Heart.
A crimson pattern appeared on her head, not the pattern of the red spider lily, but a bright plum blossom.
In the depths of winter, all things return to oneness. Heaven and earth are pure white, with only a single plum blossom standing.
Spring brings forth a hundred flowers, summer brings lush foliage; autumn brings withering life, winter brings emptiness.
Only the winter plum blossoms open against the wind, seeking the sunrise amidst the chill of late winter.
Crimson flames erupted around Xie Wanning, and the surrounding magma spontaneously parted to make way. The magma ceased its surging, like kneeling subjects awaiting the ascension of a new ruler.
Xie Wanning stopped falling, and the Lava Heart in her arms gradually seeped into her body. In the end, Xie Wanning only had a deep red flower in her arms, which was the Eternal Red Lotus.
Phoenix fire coalesced on Xie Wanning's back, transforming into the shape of wings. With a flick of the flames, Xie Wanning was carried towards the exit, a path cleared by the surrounding lava, bidding her farewell.
At the top of the lava mountain, Qin Muyang sat dejectedly on his flying artifact. The cold wind tousled his hair, and lava almost splashed onto the artifact, but Qin Muyang felt nothing.
Suddenly, a crimson figure appeared with a roar. Qin Muyang looked up and saw the crimson figure slowly descend in front of him and land on the flying magic weapon.
Xie Wan Ning had her eyes closed, holding a deep red lotus in her hand. She was asleep, and her forehead faintly emitted a crimson light.
Her body was covered in burn marks, and her wounds were still bleeding.
Qin Muyang tenderly fed Xie Wanning a Grade 9 Recovery Pill, and at the same time took off his outer garment to cover her, afraid that she would catch a cold.
His communication token vibrated, and it clearly read, "Reporting to the Pavilion Master, the sellers of the Ten Thousand Year Cold Grass and the Eighth Grade Ice Crystal Grass have been found."