Using the body as a cauldron, the spirit as water, primordial energy as fire, and cloud light and stone flow as medicine, one uses the spirit, blood, and qi to refine and cook, so that essence, qi, and spirit condense and unite, seizing the creation of heaven and earth's spiritual objects, producing the true seed, breaking through the mysterious barrier, seizing the secrets of heaven, and completing the nine-turn elixir.
"With stone as the embankment, clouds enter leisurely. The two contain each other, their transformations are divine. First liquid, then solidified, clouds and stone exchange shapes. Below is a flowing stone, where clouds rise and fall in an instant. The two are taken as real, clouds and light flow and fly."
Jiang Liu silently recited the incantation, and the cloud light and stone flow on his palm merged into his body at a speed visible to the naked eye, disappearing without a trace.
Clouds are the essence of the heavens, and flowing rocks are the splendor of the earth!
One light, one heavy; one ethereal, one substantial...
As the two objects entered his body, Jiang Liu immediately felt as if his body had been cut in two, his head floating upwards and his feet sinking downwards. Fortunately, Jiang Liu had mastered Tai Chi, and by following the principles of Tai Chi's holistic approach and drawing upon the essence of Zhenwu's movement and stillness, he managed to merge the two completely different forces together.
“The shapes of clouds and stones are interchangeable; the clouds are heavy while the stones are light.”
After several transformations, with his blood and qi surging ceaselessly, Jiang Liu's entire body became as hot as a red-hot alchemy furnace, drawing upon the power of the spiritual essence within him to form a elixir.
"Embrace the profound and hold fast to the truth, and subdue the nine cauldrons."
In an instant, focusing his mind on his dantian, his vital energy was like a raging flame, constantly burning the clouds and stone above. His dantian expanded and contracted, the stone light merged with each other, and the clouds and mist rose.
The elixir undergoes nine cycles upon completion, which is related to its quality. The longer the refining process, the greater the benefits.
First transformation! Second transformation... After the sixth transformation of the Core Formation stage, Jiang Liu's vital energy was already waning. Fortunately, he was prepared. After swallowing a Vermilion Fruit, spiritual energy surged in, replenishing his insufficient vital energy.
After an unknown amount of time, Jiang Liu uttered a low shout: "If the two believe it to be true, the clouds and stones will fly."
"Buzz..."
The Nine-Turn Elixir is complete!
Chapter Seventy-One: The Blood and Flesh Mire
The Nine-Turn Elixir is complete!
Clouds and mist swirled above Jiang Liu's head, his body trembled violently, and a perfectly round pill resided in his dantian, eager to take flight. No longer suppressing it, the pill traveled along his meridians, completing nine major cycles before re-entering his dantian, where it suddenly exploded, transforming into countless strands of mercury-like liquid that flowed into every meridian of his body.
A refreshing aura filled his body, and his vital energy surged forth like a tidal wave. He felt as if he had been reborn. The "Cloud Light Stone Flowing Pill" technique not only increased his vital energy cultivation but also forged his cauldron body, serving as the foundation-building method of the Pill Cauldron Flow.
Jiang Liu immersed his divine sense into his sea of consciousness, sensing his current information. A smile appeared on his lips, but his heart was filled with ecstatic joy: "As expected of an ancient pill-making technique, it has directly allowed me to break through to the fifth level. It's a pity that this pill only has a miraculous effect the first time..."
The elixir was completed after nine cycles, and a night had passed; it was now sunrise. The sky was filled with red clouds, the sea with golden waves, and the sun, like a furnace of boiling steel, burst forth, dazzling and crystalline. At this moment, a blood-red ray of light mingled with the sun's pale white, radiating countless rays of light.
Emerging from the clouds, a small world unfolds; purple clouds fade as dawn breaks. Its majestic grandeur is unmatched; verdant mountains are shrouded in dense clouds.
Xie Chou and Bai Lu stared intently at Jiang Liu and said, "Master, what realm have you reached? It seems you're on par with me!"
Jiang Liu smiled faintly, "The fifth level!"
Bai Lu said, "As expected of an ancient alchemy technique, I broke through three minor realms in one night... It's a pity that only a wisp of cloud light was formed... I don't know when I'll be able to take human form!"
"White egret, you've worked hard. Take this Vermilion Fruit first. I've prepared the Stone Flow for you. If we can obtain Cloud Light, I'll immediately give it to you for cultivation."
With a sweet laugh, Bailu accepted the red fruit without hesitation, saying, "I knew that following the abbot would mean eating meat!"
"Let's go! We can't stay here any longer. Those monkeys from the East Sea will find us sooner or later. The Vermilion Fruit won't ripen for a few more years, and there are still three or five mountain demons. Let them guard this place. Maybe we can get a few more Vermilion Fruits in a few years!"
Climbing down the cliff, the small entrance had been destroyed by Xie Chou, so they had to find another way out. They reached the bottom of the valley, where a cold, icy current flowed silently. They followed the river until sunset before finally emerging from the canyon.
“Look ahead,” the egret standing on Xie Chou’s horns suddenly said.
Jiang Liu stepped forward and took a look, and couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine.
Night had fallen, and only a waning moon hung in the sky. By its light, a large area ahead appeared to be a mud pit. But upon closer inspection, the thick layer of mud was utterly gruesome, for it was composed of flesh and blood. Even at the edges, one's feet sank in half an inch, producing an unimaginable gurgling sound and a nauseatingly cruel stench.
Upon witnessing this bizarre situation, Jiang Liu immediately understood what had happened; it was clear that someone was using living souls and flesh to cultivate ghostly supernatural powers.
"Master, this place is eerily quiet, and it's the dead of night. We must be careful!" Xie Chou gripped his great axe tightly, looked around, and stared with eyes as wide as copper bells.
Bai Lu kept a close eye on the bloody, muddy ground and said, "It's a very powerful ghost cultivator. My spiritual eyes can't see through him!"
As the group arrived, perhaps sensing the presence of living beings, a tattered head suddenly emerged from the blood and gore, opening its massive mouth to bite down.
This is a human skull, but the skin on its surface is a ginger-yellow color, as if it had been deliberately dried. However, judging from the blood and gore, all the blood had been drained, hence the shrunken and taut appearance. Furthermore, the skull is riddled with wounds, appearing to have been chopped at least seventy or eighty times. Describing it as a mummy's skull is most apt, and a horribly mutilated one at that, with a large chunk of the skull bone shaved off. The dark, hollow interior, withered brain matter, is clearly visible. Moreover, a bite from those blackened, yellowed, rotten teeth would be unbearable.
The skull flew up and bit with incredible speed. Jiang Liu suddenly dodged to the side, causing the monster to miss its target. Even so, a crisp "crack" sound could be heard as the mummy-like skull's jaws missed their mark. And after missing its target, the skull was able to change direction in mid-air and pounce again!
This time it wasn't a physical bite, but rather an even more vicious attack, spitting out a mouthful of green poisonous gas at Jiang Liu.
Having figured out the skull's attack methods, Jiang Liu didn't hesitate. He swung his whip at it fiercely, like hitting a golf ball. The skull flew out, bursting into greenish-blue flames as it flew, resembling a large firework—a truly beautiful sight. However, it only flew seven or eight zhang before completely burning up and turning to ashes.
Chapter Seventy-Two: Ghost Soldiers
Just after Jiang Liu lashed the skull to death with his whip, the pool of flesh and blood instantly became even more sinister, with the blood and mud churning and bubbling as if the water were boiling.
A chilling wind howled, the night was eerie, and the branches and bushes danced wildly in the wind, carrying a chilling coldness that seemed to chill the soul. A slender moon, like a wolf's fang, hung eerily in the sky, its light like gauze, slowly scattering a silvery glow.
In an instant, countless skeletal hands emerged from the swamp of flesh and blood, followed by skulls, and then bodies...
The skull that Jiang Liu killed acted as a fuse, causing a massive upheaval in the swamp of flesh and blood, with countless white bones rising from it.
These undead seemed to have crawled out of hell. Most of their bodies were bones, but some flesh and blood were also on them. There were some withered hairs on their skulls, and two green soul flames flickered in their sunken eyes.
More and more spirits are crawling out from underground, seemingly endless and without end!
"What the hell is going on?!" Xie Chou exclaimed in shock. Although he had cultivated for over two hundred years, he was still just a wild demon without a complete lineage, so there were some things he naturally didn't know.
Jiang Liu took a deep breath and said, "These are ghost soldiers!"
The so-called ghost soldiers are the army of the underworld, an army built by ghosts.
Heaven has its heavenly soldiers, the human world has its human army, demons have their demon soldiers, and the ghost realm naturally has its ghost soldiers!
But just as there are rebels in the human world, the underworld is not peaceful either, and naturally there are rebels and private armies as well.
This army of ghost soldiers was a complete rebel force, composed entirely of vengeful spirits. After consuming large amounts of flesh and souls, they became even more ferocious.
Where there are soldiers, there are naturally generals. The fact that these ghost soldiers did not attack according to their nature indicates that there is a ghost general restraining them. Ox-Head and Horse-Face, Black and White Impermanence, and the like are ghost generals.
If the Earth God and City God are the civil officials among the spirits and deities, then Ox-Head and Horse-Face, and Black and White Impermanence are the military generals. The Ten Kings of Hell are the kings who command all the spirits and deities, large and small, in the world!
A dozen pairs of green eyes stared at the man and two demons, their bodies shrouded in black yin energy. Under the moonlight, the yin energy gradually solidified into a suit of armor and a battle sword.
The armor was dark and heavy, the swords were cold and menacing. A subtle sense of oppression permeated the air, sending chills down Jiang Liu's spine.
"Such dense Yin energy! This ghost general has such immense pressure even before it has shown itself. It seems we cannot underestimate it!" Jiang Liu suddenly felt a suffocating sensation in his chest. The evil cultivator Qingming, who had been killed earlier, was also a ghost cultivator, but compared to him, he was not even worthy of carrying the ghost general's shoes!
Skeletons continued to emerge from the blood and flesh swamp. Just then, a blood-red wave suddenly surged from the swamp. This strange phenomenon ignited a wildfire in Jiang Liu's mind. What frustrated Jiang Liu the most was that he couldn't find the source of this eeriness at all, and he didn't know where the ghost would appear from.
"I'll set up the formation. You all guard against the ghost soldiers' attacks, and be extremely careful of that ghost general..."
As he spoke, Jiang Liu took out a stack of jade pieces from his storage space. They were made of top-quality Hetian white jade and were perfect for setting up an array.
The jade pieces were covered with bright red runes, which were the Thunder and Lightning Divine Runes. There were thirty-six of them in total, arranged in the Heavenly Gang Thunder Array. When the Nine Heavens Thunder Orthodox Method was used, the power was enough to take away these ghost soldiers instantly.
However, now is not the time to unleash the ultimate move, as the ghost general has not yet appeared, and this ultimate move is prepared for him.
Just as Jiang Liu was taking out the array jade from his storage space, the fragments of the Nine Cauldrons fell out of the storage space on their own.
Jiang Liu tried to put the fragments into his spatial storage, but he was unable to do so.
"What's going on?" Jiang Liu was overjoyed. The fragment of the Yangzhou Cauldron was finally showing some reaction.
As he set up the formation, Jiang Liu stared at the bronze fragment in his hand, still completely baffled.
However, some reaction is better than no change at all.
Just as Jiang Liu was preparing to set up his formation, the dozen or so ghost soldiers who had already completed their transformation suddenly launched an attack. The weapons in their hands were formed from yin energy, and they were extremely sharp and chilling.
"The knife is poisonous, Ah Chou, be careful!" The egret flew into the sky, constantly observing the dynamics of the blood and flesh swamp.
Xie Chou wielded his Xuanhua Great Axe, engaging in a fierce battle with more than ten ghost soldiers. However, the ghost soldiers who had been cleaved apart by that axe blow, under the gathering of Yin energy, swayed and stood up again, their armor and other equipment restored to their original state.
Immortality!
One of the abilities of the ghost soldiers is that if they were to deal with human armies, they would be virtually invincible.
Jiang Liu placed the thirty-six jade stones properly and rushed over immediately. He did not use force, but instead drew talismans.
Undead are immune to most physical attacks. Unless their physical skeletons are shattered, they can quickly recover with the healing power of Yin energy.
Taoist magic is the nemesis of the dead. A single "Zhang Tianshi's Talisman for Subduing All Evil Spirits" can take away a ghost soldier, causing the yin energy to dissipate and the white bones to scatter into a pile with a "clatter".
Jiang Liu has now reached the fifth level of refining essence into qi. His primordial energy is far superior to that of the second level. After drawing more than twenty talismans in a row, only 30-40% of his primordial energy was consumed.
The fragment of the Nine Cauldrons in Jiang Liu's hand absorbed a faint ray of light after each ghost soldier was destroyed. Jiang Liu killed over twenty ghost soldiers, and the fragment absorbed over twenty points of light.
But not much has changed.
"The Nine Provinces Cauldron is absorbing the power of merit! I have been slaying demons and monsters for the Nine Provinces, which is to establish merit and virtue. Little by little, it will eventually have a reaction."
Jiang Liu had a basic understanding of how to activate the Nine Cauldrons Fragment, so he worked even harder to kill the ghost soldiers.
The ghost general seemed to have figured out what Jiang Liu had just set up, and immediately commanded his ghost soldiers to destroy the magic array. However, as soon as the ghost soldiers' hands touched the jade plate, an arc of electricity struck their palms, and they were completely helpless.
Sunlight and lightning, these extremely yang and powerful objects, are the nemesis of all evil spirits and ghosts. These ghost soldiers, with only the strength of the early stage of refining essence into qi, are naturally powerless against them.
In addition, there are Buddhist and Taoist magic arts, which are originally skills for catching ghosts and demons; the influence of the dynasty's destiny is even more effective. Not to mention the imperial seal in the magnificent royal palace, even in the county government offices in remote mountainous areas, all evil spirits have nowhere to hide under the plaque of "Upright and Bright". With a slam of the gavel and a shout of "Majesty!" from the yamen runners, they are instantly reduced to ashes, without even a chance to go to hell.
Therefore, the ghost soldiers are both very strong and very weak; as long as a method to counter them is found, they can be eliminated.
Chapter Seventy-Three: Slaying the Ghost General
The blood and gore churned up, revealing a burly man straddling a group of skeletal horses. He wore tight-fitting scale armor, dark and imposing like an iron tower, exuding a chilling and menacing aura. Each armor plate was only about the size of a fingernail, with solidified steel warts and layers of patterns resembling tree rings, faintly gleaming with a cold light.
The horse beneath him was also armored, with only two flames burning fiercely in its pupils. Its powerful hooves pounded into the blood and flesh, trampling out large chunks of flesh.
As the general and his horse appeared, a chilling wind swept over them, making it impossible to open their eyes. In an instant, the skeletal horse broke through the darkness and trampled out like a demon god.
A blood-red cloak fluttered in the wind, its ghostly aura solidified as if it were tangible, carrying a sharp, malevolent energy that stirred everything around it.
Jiang Liu narrowed his eyes. The ghost general had actually drawn his bow and shot an arrow the instant he launched his attack.
The bowstring of the eagle-shooting bow, made of yin energy, was still trembling slightly, but the arrow was already aimed at Jiang Liu's vital points and flew straight towards him.
One bow and three arrows!
Three extremely sharp wolf-tooth arrows made of yin energy, with barbs that looked menacing and gleaming coldly!