Chapter 10 Death

Emerging from his secluded cultivation, Jiyin first walked over to the spirit field to inspect it. He was highly satisfied with the growth of the spiritual herbs.

"You have done well. Keep up the effort."

After offering a few empty words of encouragement to Song Wen, he left the spirit field.

He had far more important matters to attend to. This time, his alchemy had proceeded extraordinarily smoothly, and he had miraculously produced two pills from a single batch. This indicated that his alchemy skills had improved tremendously.

Consequently, he was filled with supreme confidence in the Blood Qi Pills he had refined this time. He felt that he had finally created the genuine article.

"Er Niu, Zhang Cheng, follow your Master to the second floor. I have prepared something excellent for you."

Jiyin called out loudly. Without waiting for their response, he turned and made his way up to the second floor.

Zhang Cheng was the first to open his door, eagerly rushing toward the stairs.

Master had been in secluded cultivation refining pills for so long, and the very moment he emerged, he summoned them. He had to be giving them pills to increase their strength.

Master had promised that once he advanced to the second layer of Qi Condensation, he would be granted leave to visit his family.

When that time came, he would not only walk the outside world as a core member of the Heavenly Fiend Gang, but he would also receive a hefty monthly allowance of silver.

Returning to his parents, relatives, and neighbors in such glory would truly bring honor to his ancestors.

At the thought of this, Zhang Cheng quickened his pace, hurrying up to the second floor.

Er Niu was slightly slower. When he opened his door, a hesitant, uneasy expression clouded his face.

The agony from the last time he took a pill was still vivid in his mind. Although his strength had surged afterward, it had nearly cost him his life.

If Master had not given him a massive amount of medicinal tonics to recuperate, Er Niu doubted he would have survived three days.

He had never expected that in less than a month, he would have to consume another Blood Qi Pill. He truly did not want to take it.

Yet, despite knowing the terrifying side effects, the honest and simple-minded Er Niu did not read too deeply into the situation. In his innocent heart, he could never conceive that the Master who had altered his destiny-the man he viewed as a second father-would ever do anything to harm his life.

Ultimately, Er Niu steeled himself and walked up to the second floor.

"Come. These are the pills your Master has refined. Consuming them will greatly increase your cultivation. Swallow them here in my chamber, and immediately circulate your techniques to refine the medicinal power. I shall stand guard as your Dharma Protector."

"Thank you, Master!"

Zhang Cheng replied with high spirits, his voice thick with gratitude.

Taking the pill, he swallowed it without a moment's delay.

After a brief hesitation, Er Niu lacked the courage to question Jiyin and swallowed his pill as well.

Moments later, thick plumes of white mist began to rise from the crowns of their heads, and their faces contorted into masks of sheer agony.

"Hold fast! Keep circulating your techniques to refine the medicine! If you halt now, all your previous efforts will be wasted. Not only will your power fail to grow, but your cultivation may even regress!"

Jiyin barked sternly from the side.

Hearing this, the two gritted their teeth and endured.

Their body temperatures spiked violently, and their skin flushed a deep, burning red, resembling boiled river shrimp.

Seeing this reaction, an unsettling wave of anxiety washed over Jiyin.

"Ah!"

Er Niu suddenly let out a curdling shriek and collapsed backward, his body convulsing violently on the floor.

As if triggering a chain reaction, Zhang Cheng followed immediately after, slumping to the ground and losing consciousness.

"How can this be?!"

Panic and bitter unwillingness flashed across Jiyin's face.

He could clearly sense the rampaging Spirit Qi within their bodies, alongside the rapid, catastrophic depletion of their vital blood qi.

Their cultivation had indeed experienced a massive leap, but just like the previous iterations of the pill, it came at the cost of consuming their life essence. Furthermore, the rate of depletion was far more savage than before.

Even though Er Niu and Zhang Cheng were unconscious, the Blood Qi Pills continued to exert their horrific efficacy.

Their vital energy and blood qi were drained at an extreme speed to be converted into Spirit Qi. However, because the two were no longer actively circulating their cultivation, this newly formed Spirit Qi broke free of all control. It began to bleed outward into the surroundings, causing the concentration of Spirit Qi within the room to rise slightly.

As their essence blood was continuously consumed, their physical states deteriorated at a visible rate. Their skin loosened, and deep, withered wrinkles rapidly spread across their bodies.

Er Niu, who was undergoing his second medicine trial, even began to develop dark age spots.

Their breathing grew faint and shallow. It was obvious they did not have long to live.

Jiyin's expression turned incredibly hideous. He had failed yet again, and this time, he had lost two medicine slaves at once.

"I should have only tested it on one of them first,"

Jiyin muttered, a rare pang of regret striking his heart.

A moment later, he composed his thoughts, his gaze turning venomous and cruel.

"It seems I have no choice but to use that brat outside for the next trial. I originally intended to let him live a bit longer, but heaven's will is fickle. The recruitment of new medicine slaves must be accelerated as well. If I run out of subjects and delay my progress like last time, it will be highly problematic."

Jiyin pushed open the door and stepped out, not offering a single backward glance at the two figures feebly twitching on the floor.

Song Wen, who had been watching the second floor intently from below, happened to lock eyes with Jiyin the moment the old man stepped out.

A primal chill shot through Song Wen, as if he were a piece of meat being eyed by a voracious beast.

'Did those two fail the medicine test? Has Jiyin turned his sights on me?'

Despite the terror gripping his mind, Song Wen maintained a perfectly casual demeanor. He calmly turned his head away, no longer looking toward the second floor, and went back to meticulously working the soil.

Throughout the entire day, Song Wen kept a close watch on the upper floor.

He desperately hoped to see Er Niu and Zhang Cheng walk down those stairs alive.

However, hours passed, and the second floor remained deathly silent.

It was not until dusk that two burly members of the Heavenly Fiend Gang walked up to the second floor. When they emerged, each was hoisting a massive, heavy burlap sack over their shoulders as they left the courtyard.

Song Wen's heart sank into absolute certainty. Er Niu and Zhang Cheng were dead. He was undoubtedly the next test subject.

That night, Song Wen suffered from insomnia once again. He could no longer keep track of how many sleepless nights he had endured.

The following day, Jiyin approached Song Wen and informed him that he would be entering secluded cultivation once more, strictly commanding him to tend to the spirit field with the utmost care.

After respectfully bowing to send Jiyin off, Song Wen felt a chaotic mixture of intense excitement and suffocating dread. He knew that the ten days Jiyin spent refining this next batch of pills would be his absolute last window of opportunity to escape.

He could no longer sit still and wait for death.

Having resolved to risk everything and escape through the back mountain tonight, Song Wen completely lost all interest in maintaining the spirit field.

He slipped into the tool shed, fetched a heavy wood-chopping cleaver, and selected four small, sturdy trees hidden well away from the courtyard walls.

He planned to fell these four trees after nightfall, binding them securely together to fashion a makeshift ladder to scale the sheer cliff face.

He was the only one confined to the inner courtyard; all the guards were stationed along the outer perimeter. As long as he kept his movements stealthy while cutting the wood, he shouldn't draw their attention.

Furthermore, he now possessed the strength of the mid-stage first layer of Qi Condensation. His physical power and agility had been vastly enhanced.

He still held a fighting chance at survival.

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