Chapter 91 Rumors
In a small pavilion in the bamboo forest of the villa at Ziyun Peak, Li Yu was flipping through a book on alchemy that he had found in the legacy of alchemist Lao He.
Those foundation-building elders have collected all kinds of secret books in their collections over two hundred years.
This book is very old, and it is unknown how many hundreds of years it has been circulated. Many of its pages are even incomplete, but the various strange and bizarre alchemy secrets recorded in it opened Li Yu's eyes.
In ancient times, alchemy did not actually require an alchemy furnace. Some powerful alchemists could use themselves as a furnace, directly swallow spiritual liquid, and refine the elixir inside their bodies.
Naturally, cultivators know their own bodies best, so the success rate of refining pills using this method will be even higher.
But there is gain and loss, the elixir contains violent energy, if you use an elixir furnace to make the elixir and something goes wrong, the furnace will explode, but if you use yourself as the cauldron, you will be the one to explode.
Because it was too dangerous, this method of alchemy only existed for a few decades, and then no one used it anymore, and it gradually became lost.
In addition to this method of refining elixirs using oneself as a furnace, some of the strange and bizarre elixirs recorded in this fragment were also things Li Yu had never heard of, and even exceeded his current understanding of alchemy.
For example, according to the records in this secret book, thousands of years ago, there was a kind of elixir that could allow cultivators at the eighth or ninth level of Qi Refining to raise their cultivation to the Foundation Establishment stage in a short period of time. Although it could only grant cultivators the magic power of the Foundation Establishment stage for a few breaths, and after the effect of the medicine wore off, the cultivator's vitality would be severely damaged, requiring several years of rest and recovery. But if it was a life-and-death moment, this elixir could reverse the situation and turn death into life.
There is also a kind of high-level elixir that can temporarily change the qualifications of a cultivator, allowing a cultivator with poor qualifications to have a cultivation speed comparable to that of a genius within a certain period of time...
These two kinds of elixirs are already miraculous enough, but compared with the top-grade elixir that only needs one pill to open up all meridians and expand the meridians, allowing a cultivator at the first level of Qi Refining to break through to the peak of Foundation Establishment, they are still not as good...
However, judging from the ingredients in the pill formula, the main and auxiliary ingredients of these pills have long been extinct in the world of immortal cultivation, and naturally no one can refine them. No wonder Li Yu has never even heard of them.
According to this secret book, the golden age of cultivating immortals was thousands of years ago. By the time of Li Yu's generation, the resources of the world of cultivating immortals had already been almost consumed by their predecessors. More than 80% of the resources had to be obtained from those undeveloped secret realms of caves and heavens. The big sects got to eat the meat, while the independent cultivators and those small and medium-sized sects could barely get a sip of soup.
One day, when the resources in those secret caves are exhausted, the true Dharma Ending Age will come.
Except for those geniuses who have very fast cultivation speed, people like Li Yu, who have less talent, may find it difficult to even build a foundation.
Li Yu sighed and continued to look through the ancient books in his hand.
This book mentions that in ancient times, some extremely outstanding alchemists were able to refine elixirs that exceeded their current capabilities. For example, first-grade alchemists refined Tongmai Dan, second-grade alchemists refined Tuomai Dan, and they could refine elixirs to improve their own cultivation.
But this requires certain conditions. Not everyone can refine it across levels. It also requires the help of some kind of fire spirit. However, this kind of fire spirit disappeared in the world of immortal cultivation hundreds of years ago. Only a few people possess it today, and they are all powerful people in the world. It is impossible to obtain it easily.
I read for a while, and at a certain moment, the doorbell of the villa rang.
Li Yu walked out of the door and the person who came was a disciple from Yuxu Peak. He returned to Li Yu a set of formation flags that Li Yu had left at Xuling Cave Heaven.
When leaving Xu Ling Dong Tian, Li Yu used the formation flag to cut off the retreat of the Soul Refining Sect, so that they could no longer send disciples into Xu Ling Space. During this period, the sect seemed to have been negotiating with the Soul Refining Sect. From this disciple, Li Yu learned that after the Soul Refining Sect paid a certain price, Kunlun and the Soul Refining Sect had reached a certain consensus. Regarding the mineral veins in Xu Ling Dong Tian, the two factions put aside their disputes and jointly developed them...
Li Yu had no idea what the sect had discussed specifically with the Soul Refining Sect, but the initiative in this matter lay with Kunlun, and the sect must have taken advantage of it.
Li Yu put away the formation flag and just returned to the villa, he felt the vibration of Lingbei.
During this period, the witch had not contacted Li Yu much, and Li Yu usually would not take the initiative to contact her. When taking Ling'er out for some fresh air, Li Yu took out the spirit shell and sent a message back to the witch.
Beside his ears, the voice of the demon girl soon rang out: "You have been living very well in Kunlun these days. You ranked third in the illusion trial and captured disciples of the Soul Refining Sect. I heard that many female disciples want to become your dual cultivation partner..."
It is obvious that in addition to Li Yu, the Xuanyin Sect has other hidden agents in Kunlun, and his every move cannot be hidden from the evil woman.
Without going into details on this topic, Nangong Chan asked, "Is there any news about Qin Keren recently?"
Li Yu said: "Senior Sister Qin has been practicing in the sect, there is no special news."
Nangong Chan didn't say anything else. Just as she was about to end the contact, she suddenly remembered something and said, "I almost forgot. This time I came to you to tell you that there is news about Liu Feng, the disciple of the Five Poison Sect that you asked me to pay attention to. He left the Five Poison Sect a few days ago and went to the smoky and miasmatic land of Nanzhao. He has a secret cave there, located at..."
Liu Feng, a disciple of the Five Poison Sect, has long been on Kunlun's wanted list, and his head is worth ten Tongmai Pills.
Li Yu encountered a bottleneck in his illusion trial and was worried about not having Tongmai Pills when the witch brought him good news.
Thinking of something, he asked again, "Is there any news about the Soul Refining Sect disciple Zhou Tian?"
Liu Feng's head was only worth ten Tongmai Pills, while Zhou Tian's head, together with the bounty from Kunlun and Tiandao Sect, was worth a total of sixty Tongmai Pills. If he could be found, he would be able to cultivate all five spiritual meridians to perfection in Qi refining.
The demon girl said, "No, he was offered a reward of fifty Tongmai Pills by the Tiandao Sect, and disciples from several demon sects are also looking for him. He may be hiding somewhere."
It seems that Zhou Tian has really angered the Tiandao Sect. The reward of fifty Tongmai Pills is so tempting that even the disciples of the Demon Sect are tempted. Once the reward is offered, he may not be able to return to the Lianhun Sect, and it will be even more difficult to find his whereabouts.
Li Yu just asked casually. Since there was no news about Zhou Tian, he would start with Liu Feng. Under normal circumstances, it would take him four months to buy ten Tongmai Pills.
After ending the call with the demon girl, Li Yu put away the conch, looked in a certain direction, and said: "Nanzhao..."
The miasma-ridden area of Nanzhao is not within Kunlun's sphere of influence, but many Kunlun disciples, especially alchemists, often have to go deep into it.
The climate there is hot and humid, with dense jungles, many poisonous insects and monsters in the mountains, and few human traces. However, some magical herbs and medicines are well preserved, and the probability of finding magical herbs there is much higher than in other places.
But it is also very dangerous there. Some common poisonous insects have lived in the poisonous miasma all year round and have long evolved. Even if a cultivator is accidentally bitten by one, he will be poisoned. Therefore, disciples who go there to explore will always carry detoxification pills with them.
The danger there comes not only from the miasma and poisonous insects and monsters, but also from the disciples of the Five Poison Sect.
The Five Poison Sect of the Demonic Path is famous for its poisonous skills. The poisonous insects in the miasma land are a threat to others, but to them, they are just like spiritual pets. Therefore, traces of disciples of the Five Poison Sect can often be seen there.
Not only do they cultivate poisonous insects there, but sometimes they also attack the righteous disciples they meet and commit murder and robbery.
This Liu Feng was wanted by the entire sect because he killed several Kunlun disciples.
…
Nanzhao.
In the mountains filled with smoke and miasma, the sky and the sun cannot be seen either day or night. Although the spiritual energy here is very strong, the poisonous gas is even stronger. Even the air is filled with a slightly pungent smell. Mortals will feel dizzy and have a headache if they smell it. Even immortal cultivators dare not stay here for a long time without detoxification pills.
But for the disciples of the Five Poisons Sect, this place is a rare paradise.
The disciples of the Five Poison Sect are covered in poison. The poisonous miasma here has no effect on them, and the poisonous insects everywhere are their treasures.
As a disciple of the Five Poisons Sect, Liu Feng spends more time here every year than in the sect. Being here is not only beneficial to his practice, but he can also occasionally meet righteous disciples.
Those righteous disciples have no shortage of elixirs, talismans, and magical instruments, and they are all very rich. Unlike the Five Poison Sect, apart from some knowledge of poison techniques, the sect has few decent alchemists and instrument refiners.
Liu Feng's elixirs, talismans, magic tools, and even the immortal robe he was wearing were all snatched from righteous disciples.
His energy-restoring pills had been used up. This time he came to Nanzhao, in addition to collecting a new batch of poisonous insects, he also wanted to try his luck. If he could meet a righteous disciple, preferably a Kunlun disciple, that would be even better.
However, his luck was not very good. He wandered around here for three days but did not see a single righteous disciple.
During these three days, a jar behind him has been filled with poisonous insects. Liu Feng plans to go back to the secret cave first and extract the venom from these insects.
His secret cave is located in a hidden valley in the Nanzhao Mountains.
When he returned here, Liu Feng saw from afar a figure standing in front of the door of his cave.
Only a few of his close friends in the sect knew about this secret cave. Liu Feng thought that one of them had come here. The valley was filled with poisonous miasma. Liu Feng couldn't see clearly. He walked forward a few steps and heard a voice saying, "Liu Feng?"
As expected, he knew him. Liu Feng asked, "It's me. You are..."
As soon as he finished speaking, a gleam of sword light suddenly flashed in his eyes.
The sword light came in an instant, and Liu Feng had no time to react, but a golden shield quickly appeared on his body surface. However, facing this sword, the shield did not play any role. The moment it came into contact with the sword light, it simply shattered. Liu Feng only felt dizzy, and a very familiar back figure appeared in his eyes...
That back figure was him - but how could he see his own back from three meters away?
Oh..., it turns out that his head fell off.
Liu Feng never figured out who had leaked his whereabouts until his death. Before he completely lost consciousness, he saw an extremely handsome man walking towards him...
…
Kunlun Cave.
It has been three days since Li Yu returned from the smoky and miasma-ridden area of Nanzhao.
After handing over the head of Liu Feng from the Five Poisons Sect to the sect, the sect quickly gave him the ten Tongmai Pills, and the wanted order for Liu Feng was also removed from the mission wall at Tianzhu Peak.
Inside the villa, with a beauty in his arms, Li Yu was thinking about something.
The reason why he was able to kill Zhao Long and Liu Feng was all because of the help of the witch. During this period of time, whether intentionally or unintentionally, his contact with the witch became more and more frequent.
Up to now, the witch has not asked him to do anything against Li Yu's wishes, but as his strength gradually grows, she can't let Li Yu just focus on the gossip about Senior Sister Qin every day.
Li Yu still has a sense of belonging to Kunlun. Everything he has now was obtained here, and he doesn't want to do anything to let down the sect.
A month ago, he wasn't really worried about his identity.
Practicing is practicing anywhere. If he can't stay in the righteous path anymore, the worst that can happen is that he will go to the evil path and hang out with the witch. Based on his understanding of the witch, she will not treat him unfairly.
But once you have concerns, things are not that simple.
Li Yu looked at Zhou Zixuan in his arms. For the first and only woman with whom he had the most intimate relationship, it was impossible for Li Yu to leave by himself and leave her alone in Kunlun.
Therefore, Li Yu seriously considered the issue of identity.
And I thought of a solution.
…
Li Yu went out to look for medicine and accidentally met Liu Feng, a disciple of the Five Poisons Sect who was wanted by the sect. The news that he killed him had spread among the low-level disciples of Kunlun. There were only three disciples of the Demon Sect who were wanted by Kunlun with a huge reward, and two of them died at his hands. The other disciples could not help but envy his luck.
However, no matter how envious he was, it was also a very gratifying thing that he killed these two evil demons and avenged the disciples of the sect.
This was originally a good thing. When people mentioned Li Yu, they mostly praised him. However, voices of doubt came from somewhere.
Some people think that Li Yu is too lucky. Countless people in Kunlun were staring at the heads of Zhao Long and Liu Feng, but couldn't find any trace of them. However, he happened to meet Li Yu. This was too much of a coincidence.
The fact that he had single-handedly rescued ten Kunlun disciples from the Soul Refining Sect's genius was also questioned, with people saying that it was a show he put on in cooperation with the Soul Refining Sect's disciples in order to gain the sect's trust. With his strength, it was impossible for him to defeat the Soul Refining Sect's genius who possessed five ninth-level Qi Refining ghosts.
They suspected that Li Yu was actually an undercover agent planted in Kunlun by the Demonic Soul Refining Sect.
The whereabouts of the disciples of the Puppet Sect and the Five Poison Sect were also leaked by the Soul Refining Sect. The purpose was to make Li Yu gain Kunlun's trust, so that no one would suspect that he had any connection with the Demonic Path.
During this period of time, Li Yu is undoubtedly the most influential figure among Kunlun's Qi Refining disciples.
There are many people in Kunlun who like him, but there are also many people who hate him.
This is a very normal thing, no one can please everyone. There are also many people in Kunlun Sect who talk about Senior Sister Qin behind her back. With Li Yu's fame not inferior to Senior Sister Qin, there must be many people who hate him.
Some people secretly spread rumors that he was a gigolo and that he was able to achieve what he has today thanks to women.
Some people said that he was too pretentious. During the alchemy competition, he deliberately flirted with the female disciples just to attract attention.
Some people also said that he gave the pregnancy pill to Junior Sister Jiang in order to curry favor with Grandmaster Xuan Zhen. The disciples of Yuzhu Peak saw with their own eyes that Grandmaster Xuan Zhen gave Li Yu the pill many times...
Normally, most of the Kunlun disciples are too lazy to argue with those little black guys about these criticisms.
They just thought they were envious, jealous, and hateful. They envied Junior Brother Li for having a friend like Junior Sister Jiang, envied his talent in alchemy, envied his third place on the Trial Ranking, and envied his handsome face...
But this time, they really couldn't bear it anymore.
It would be fine if they said anything else about him, but saying that he was a disciple of the evil sect...how could they throw mud like that?
For a moment, those disciples who criticized Li Yu were immediately criticized by the vast majority of disciples.
"unacceptable!"
"How can there be such slander?"
"It's true that when you are famous, you are prone to gossip. Junior Brother Li is such a good person, but someone actually slandered him like this. What's their intention?"
"When the sect was being plotted against by the Tiandao Sect, it was Junior Brother Li who stood up to save the sect's reputation and losses. Where were the people who slandered him at that time?"
"I suggest that the sect investigate the background of these people. I suspect that they are the undercover agents of the Demonic Path, and their purpose is to destroy Kunlun's rare alchemy genius. They deserve to be killed!"
…
Li Yu's strength is not worth mentioning in Kunlun, but his connections are unique.
As soon as these rumors came out, countless people spoke up for him.
In Xuling Cave, the Kunlun disciples who were rescued by Li Yu came forward one after another to testify for him.
Chen Ming, who also came from Baiyun Temple, took the initiative to tell everyone that he and Li Yu had practiced together in Baiyun Temple for two years. He had watched him step by step to where he was today, and he knew him very well. There was no way he could be an undercover agent of the evil sect.
As soon as these rumors came out, the Kunlun Monthly, which had a great influence among low-level disciples, printed an extra issue and severely criticized these false rumors. This immediately attracted the approval of countless disciples, and the subscription volume of the Kunlun Monthly soared several times that month...
Normally, some disciples who like to gossip talk about others behind their backs in a small circle, but it does not cause any serious consequences.
But this time, when they slandered Li Yu, it instantly angered many people, especially those disciples who had received favors from Li Yu.
How could a hero who selflessly shared his insights into alchemy and trial secrets and made great contributions to the sect twice, and one of the few clear figures in the world of immortal cultivation, be slandered like this?
The entire Kunlun Cave Heaven was filled with outrage. Those disciples who were just there to join in the fun and talk nonsense suddenly stopped talking.
If they dared to say anything bad about Li Yu, they would immediately become the target of public criticism and be taken to Discipline Peak, where their ancestors would be investigated thoroughly...
Purple Cloud Peak.
In front of Villa No. 69.
A deacon disciple from Discipline Peak apologized to Li Yu, "I'm sorry, Junior Brother Li, we will definitely investigate the source of the rumors. Please don't take those rumors to heart."
Li Yu smiled slightly and said, "It's okay. Everyone has the right to question. They are also doing it for the good of the sect."
The Discipline Peak disciple shook his head and said solemnly, "No, Junior Brother Li, you are still too naive. I suspect that there are real undercover agents behind this matter. These people are hiding among the Kunlun disciples, fearing that Kunlun will not be in chaos. In the past few months, you have made many contributions to the sect, and you may have been targeted by them. Don't worry, we will investigate this matter thoroughly..."
Li Yu said politely: "Then I'll trouble you."
After seeing off the deacon disciple from Discipline Peak, Li Yu returned to the other courtyard. Zhou Zixuan's beautiful face was full of anger. She said angrily, "How can you slander others like that? You have done so many things for the sect, and you are still slandered as a demon..."
Li Yu hugged her from behind and asked with a smile: "What if I am really a demon?"
Zhou Zixuan was slightly stunned. After thinking carefully, she said, "If you are from the Demonic Path, then I am the Demonic Path Witch. Anyway, wherever you are, I will be there..."
…
Under the strict investigation at Discipline Peak, the rumor that Li Yu was an undercover agent of the Demonic Path was soon discontinued in Kunlun Cave Heaven.
This absurd thing does not stand up to scrutiny at all.
The Demonic Path is a desert of alchemy, with basically no famous alchemists. With Li Yu's resources, he can build a foundation and be promoted to a second-grade alchemist in less than two years.
A second-grade alchemist who can refine Tongmai Pills will receive great treatment in any sect of the Demonic Path.
If they have such a genius in alchemy, instead of training him themselves, they send him to Kunlun as an undercover agent. Are the high-ranking officials of the Demonic Path all fools?
It is sheer nonsense to say that Li Yu is a demon. Only a fool would believe it.
Some idiots in the sect, instead of protecting their own genius, slander and spread rumors about him. Isn't this playing into the hands of the evil?
In fact, after hearing the news, the disciples of the Soul Refining Sect also began to spread the word that Li Yu was an undercover agent they had planted in Kunlun, hoping to add fuel to the fire...
But obviously, the people of Kunlun were not stupid. The more they did this, the more it proved that Li Yu was not an undercover agent of the Soul Refining Sect. If Kunlun really believed their lies and doubted their own genius, he would probably be ridiculed for a hundred years...
Purple Cloud Peak.
Zhou Zixuan took Ling'er out to play, and Li Yu was the only one in the villa.
He took out the spirit shell from his storage ring and input mana.
After gaining a preliminary understanding of the art of refining weapons, Li Yu realized that his previous practice of contacting the demon girl only after going out was completely unnecessary. It was impossible for a call to be intercepted using this kind of magic weapon for transmitting sound. In fact, it was safest to contact her within the sect.
In the Lingbei, the voice of the witch soon came: "What's the matter?"
Li Yu told her what had happened in the past few days.
The demon girl was obviously not expecting this, and asked in confusion: "Why would anyone suspect you are an undercover agent of the demon sect?"
Li Yu said innocently: "I don't know either. It may be some bored people who slandered me out of jealousy. Anyway, there are many rumors in Kunlun that I am an undercover agent of the Demonic Path. For safety reasons, we should try not to contact each other during this period..."
Opposite Lingbei, Nangong Chan pondered for a moment and said, "Okay, you stay there by yourself and be careful. If they really start to suspect you, don't stay in Kunlun. I will find a way to bring you back..."
After putting away the spirit shell, Li Yu breathed a sigh of relief.
If that day is likely to come, it might as well come sooner.
From now on, even if there are rumors in the outside world that he is a member of the evil sect, no one in Kunlun will believe it .
But at this moment, his mood was a little complicated.
To be fair, the witch was very good to him and saved his life twice. At this time, she still cared about his safety and really treated him as her own.
But Li Yu was extremely resistant to the undercover identity.
He didn't want to go through the pain and entanglement he had experienced before again.
As for the favor of the witch, if there is a chance in the future, he will repay it slowly in other ways...
