Chapter 129: Clues

The malevolent qi within the Mass Grave Mound had intensified even further. Without getting close, Chen Luo felt a chilling sensation enveloping him. Inside, swirling gray mist revealed faint glimpses of ghostly figures flickering between black and white.

“This place has become more eerie.”

Chen Luo paused at the edge.

Each time he visited the Mass Grave Mound, he sensed something different. The Dry Corpse Old Ghost’s choice to cultivate here must have been advantageous for his existence.

Now, the dense malevolent qi would likely pose a deadly risk even to cultivators in the early stages of Qi Refinement. On previous visits, the ghosts inside dared to provoke him; undoubtedly, they were far more terrifying now.

As he stepped into the mound, a cold wind swept over him.

Visibility within the Mass Grave Mound was significantly reduced, barely extending beyond three meters with the naked eye. In the distant fog, countless pairs of eyes seemed to be watching from the shadows.

Their crimson gaze, filled with greed and thirst for blood, loomed menacingly.

“Hee-hee”

Childlike giggles echoed through the mist. Before Chen Luo could move, a pale, infant-sized arm latched onto his leg, its icy chill instantly seeping through.

“Get lost!”

Chen Luo’s eyes flashed as spiritual energy akin to a blazing sun surged forth, eliciting several piercing screams.

Following the sound of ice melting, the surrounding mist suddenly cleared. It was difficult to discern their strength; these low-level entities were mostly agglomerations of phantoms and resentful energies, hardly qualifying as true ghosts.

Continuing along the familiar path, Chen Luo swiftly arrived at the grave pit where Dry Corpse Old Ghost had been in secluded cultivation.

After being sealed for over three years, the area was covered with weeds, and loose soil had filled the entrance.

If not for Chen Luo’s previous visits, he might have struggled to locate this spot.

“Daoist brother, it’s time to wake up.”

Gently, Chen Luo tapped on the entrance to the grave pit. His voice, infused with spiritual energy, echoed down through the tomb passageway to the preparation chamber below.

Deep within the tomb, eerie green flames flickered to life. The mummy lying in the stone coffin slowly opened its eyes, exhaling a burst of malevolent qi that instantly formed a layer of frost on the stone lid above.

“So soon?”

Emerging from prolonged slumber, Dry Corpse Old Ghost felt disoriented, taking several moments to regain clarity.

Sensing his body’s condition, he furrowed his brow slightly. The recovery fell short of his expectations, but it was enough to emerge from seclusion. Stretching, he gently pushed against the stone coffin lid.

With the grinding sound of shifting rock, he slowly sat upright.

The preparation chamber remained unchanged since before his slumber. The two refined corpses nearby were still consuming Yin Fiendish Qi. The Iron Body Art corpse had regained its peak condition, with even stronger malevolent qi now enveloping it. Black hair covered its entire body, indicating a clear progression towards evolving into an iron corpse. Additionally, the corpse puppet made from ‘Shidi’ had also evolved, sprouting some black hair and reaching Late Stage Qi Refinement strength.

“I’m coming down.” A voice echoed from outside once again. Moments later, someone forcefully opened the entrance to the preparation chamber, and a figure descended through the opening.

It was Chen Luo.

Having achieved mastery over the Iron Body Art, his strength now rivaled that of an average body cultivator. For him, lifting the mere tomb door required only a single hand.

“Thirteenth Layer of Qi Refinement?!” Seeing Chen Luo descend, Dry Corpse Old Ghost’s heart skipped a beat. He hadn’t anticipated Chen Luo to reach the same realm as himself. Judging by the completeness of the spiritual aura emanating from Chen Luo, his spiritual power was already on par with the old ghost, standing at the pinnacle just below Foundation Establishment.

“Has it been five years already?” Dry Corpse Old Ghost asked hoarsely.

Before entering deep sleep, he had informed Chen Luo that he would rest for five years. Now, being awakened must mean that time had elapsed.

“Nearly,” Chen Luo nodded.

Three to five years was close enough; surely the Dry Corpse Daoist wouldn’t mind a difference of just a few days. Observing Chen Luo’s recovery progress, it seemed quite satisfactory, indicating that it was now time for him to hand over the ingredients so they could proceed with refining the Foundation Establishment Pill.

“Your cultivation base has advanced rather swiftly.”

Dry Corpse Old Ghost stretched his body, feeling stiff after more than three years without movement. Only their Corpse-Raising Sect’s secret techniques protected him; anyone else sleeping here for such a duration might have become rigid by now.

“Well, as an alchemist, consuming various medicinal pills naturally boosts my cultivation base,” Chen Luo explained casually.

Dry Corpse Old Ghost remained silent. Rapidly enhancing one’s cultivation through numerous medicinal pills is possible, provided exceptional aptitude and no bottlenecks exist. Previously aware of Chen Luo’s average aptitude—a medium-grade three spiritual roots—Dry Corpse Old Ghost wondered how he could still advance so quickly at the Perfection stage. This defied conventional wisdom.

However, since they were partners, he didn’t probe further. A stronger Chen Luo benefited him too, ensuring greater stability during pill concoction and avoiding sudden depletion of spiritual energy mid-process.

“It’s about time we start refining the Foundation Establishment Pill you mentioned earlier. Bring out the medicinal ingredients, and I’ll assist you in planning.”

To demonstrate his alchemy skills, Chen Luo produced several variant versions of the ‘Foundation Establishment Pill’ he had intermittently refined over the past three years.

“Here are some medicinal pills I’ve successfully refined; the success rate is now guaranteed at one hundred percent.”

The success rate indeed reached one hundred percent, albeit with slightly overpowering effects.

Dry Corpse Old Ghost likely wouldn’t mind this, as Pill Master Chen hadn’t lied—the success rate was genuinely one hundred percent.

One hundred percent? Dry Corpse Old Ghost was taken aback, his gaze falling upon the medicinal pills in Chen Luo’s hand. Not being an alchemist himself, he couldn’t discern their intricacies, but they appeared smooth and well-formed, suggesting good quality.

“Have you had anyone test them?” Out of caution, Dry Corpse Old Ghost felt compelled to ask.

“Yes, those who tried them had no complaints.” Chen Luo carefully stored the medicinal pills again.

Seeing this, Dry Corpse Old Ghost didn’t press further, though he vaguely sensed something might be amiss.

However, given his current situation, he didn’t have many options. Finding a suitable alchemist wasn’t easy, and any random one outside might not even match Chen Luo’s skill level. After all, he had known Chen Luo for a considerable time and was aware of his proficiency in pill concoction.

With that thought, Dry Corpse Old Ghost reached into his bag of holding and swiftly produced a set of valuable ingredients.

Among these spirit medicines, many had withered, while some remained vibrant. This indicated that Dry Corpse Old Ghost had invested considerable effort and time, likely spanning decades, to gather these ingredients.

“Spirit-Draining Grass, hundred-year-old violet gold vine, thousand-year ginseng root…”

As Chen Luo took the bundle of medicinal herbs, he discovered several ingredients he hadn’t been able to collect before. Out of the five main components, Dry Corpse Old Ghost had already gathered four, and none of the secondary ingredients were missing; in fact, there were even spares for many.

“No Mind-Centering Grass?” After examining the herbs, Chen Luo looked at Dry Corpse Old Ghost, unable to resist asking.

He arrived full of hope, only to find that Dry Corpse Old Ghost also lacked the Mind-Centering Grass. Although he had the other four primary ingredients, Chen Luo most desired the Mind-Centering Grass above all else.

“Mind-Centering Grass is a regulated spirit material, not easy to obtain.” Dry Corpse Old Ghost coughed twice; waking prematurely hindered his recovery. The battle with his shidi had indeed been perilous, nearly turning him into one of Shidi’s refined corpses.

“However, I do have leads on where to find it.” With this statement, Dry Corpse Old Ghost stopped short. These leads were crucial for turning the tide in his favor, so revealing them casually was out of the question. Despite their partnership, even Chen Luo needed to be guarded against.

“My injuries have not fully healed yet. I’ll return to you in three months, and together we can gather the Mind-Centering Grass.”

“Agreed,” Chen Luo responded with slight disappointment but understanding.

Regardless, having a lead was promising. Once they find the Mind-Centering Grass, combined with the spirit medicines Dry Corpse Old Ghost had accumulated over years, he was confident in refining multiple Foundation Establishment Pills!

“Do you have any medicinal pills for nurturing internal organs?” As Chen Luo prepared to leave, Dry Corpse Old Ghost promptly asked. To recover his peak condition within three months, he would need assistance from certain pills.

“Yes.”

“Give me some.”

“While we’re old friends, friendship is one thing, business another. Costs must be covered.” With that, Chen Luo retrieved a small porcelain bottle from his bag of holding. “Three hundred spirit stones.”

The bottle contained ten Nourishing Organ Pills, which cost fifty spirit stones for materials and typically sold for three hundred and fifty spirit stones on the market. Charging three hundred was already at a friendly rate.

Without batting an eye, Dry Corpse Old Ghost swiftly produced a thousand spirit stones from his nearby bag of holding and casually tossed them to Chen Luo. Upon receiving the payment, Chen Luo handed over the porcelain bottle.

With the transaction complete, Chen Luo did not linger further.

Dry Corpse Old Ghost immediately began his recovery process.

The next three months flew by swiftly.

Soon after exiting seclusion, Dry Corpse Old Ghost sought out Chen Luo immediately. Upon finding him, Chen Luo was practicing artificing techniques in the courtyard.

Having reached the Thirteenth Layer of Qi Refinement, his spiritual energy growth had stagnated. Rather than wasting time, Chen Luo seized this opportunity to learn artificing. With the ‘borrowed’ ancestral brain from the Luxury Nation’s Imperial Tombs, he quickly picked up the skill. The magical sword he had discarded earlier was now fully repaired.

To enhance its durability, he even incorporated Wan Mingyin’s secret iron needle artifact into the blade.

“You also know artificing?”

Dry Corpse Old Ghost, stepping inside, was visibly impressed.

“Just dabbling for fun; I’m far from mastering it,” Chen Luo replied as he extinguished the spirit flame and stored the repaired magical sword in his bag of holding.

“Congratulations on regaining your peak strength, brother.”

Sensing Dry Corpse Old Ghost’s condition, Chen Luo offered his congratulations.

“As long as one hasn’t attained Foundation Establishment, they remain mere ants. Without even touching the threshold of the immortal path, there’s little worth celebrating.” Dry Corpse Old Ghost understood well; his utmost priority now was to achieve Foundation Establishment. After years of accumulation, he no longer wished to wait any longer. Chen Luo’s appearance served as a catalyst, solidifying his determination to take the leap.

“How prepared are you?”

“Ready to depart at any moment.”

Chen Luo had already packed his belongings, meticulously creating numerous spirit talismans to handle potential unforeseen circumstances. This time, even if unexpected events arose outside their plan, he wouldn’t end up like before, gaining nothing but a brain fragment.

“Well then, let’s go. The location of the Mind-Centering Grass is somewhat dangerous.”

The Dry Corpse Old Ghost produced a jade slip and transmitted the basic information to Chen Luo.

Any area able to evade the three great sects’ control over spirit materials must be far from ordinary.

“Guo Mountain County?” Chen Luo squeezed the jade slip, swiftly absorbing its contents, including details about the Mind-Centering Grass.

Guo Mountain County was a remote district not far from Woodmount City, which itself was the nearest city to it. The Dry Corpse Old Ghost had remained in this vicinity primarily for two reasons: aside from hiding from his enemies and the suitable environment of Mass Grave Mound for nurturing corpses, the most crucial aspect was guarding this secret.