Chapter 327
Dragon-Tiger Golden Elixir
"Light the furnace and begin refining the elixir!"
When the old man from Niushan gave the order, he was very bold and showed the demeanor of a master.
But a moment later, before he could even put in the medicinal herbs, and just as he lit a flame, the alchemy furnace in the thatched hut cracked open with a snap and shattered into several pieces.
Zhou Sheng and Yao Taifeng looked at each other in bewilderment.
"Cough cough!"
Old man Niu Shan, his face covered in soot from the explosion, wiped his face and sighed, "This stove hasn't been used for too long and has fallen into disrepair. The intense heat caused it to crack."
Zhou Sheng immediately asked doubtfully, "Senior, how many years has it been since you last refined pills?"
"It won't be long, just sixty years."
Zhou Sheng: "..."
He suddenly stopped worrying about the alchemy furnace and started to worry about whether the other party's skills had become rusty and whether they were reliable.
You must know that this half of the dragon's inner core is extremely precious; if you fail, you'll lose it all.
Having not refined pills for sixty years, Zhou Sheng couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.
"What should we do now that we've lost our alchemy furnace?"
"Just borrow one, is that really such a big deal?"
Old Man Niushan sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, his primordial spirit leaving his body. After about a quarter of an hour, he suddenly opened his eyes, still looking somewhat frightened, and muttered, "These Taoist priests from Longhu Mountain, all they did was borrow their ancestral master's precious cauldron. Did they really have to strike me with five thunderbolts?"
Zhou Sheng then noticed that his back was charred black, as if he had just been struck by lightning.
"Hehe, although they were prepared, they still couldn't withstand the old beggar's ingenious calculations. They didn't manage to borrow the Ancestral Master's Treasure Cauldron, but they did manage to borrow this Pill Cauldron. He's not a bad fellow."
As he spoke, he took out a small and exquisite alchemical cauldron from his sleeve and threw it into an open space.
The foot-tall cauldron rapidly grew larger, finally crashing to the ground with a thunderous roar, shaking the thatched hut and making it a full ten feet tall.
Before the fire was even lit, Zhou Sheng could already sense the rich fire energy and a lingering medicinal fragrance.
This is definitely a treasure cauldron. Even if it can't compare to the so-called Ancestral Master Cauldron in Longhu Mountain, it is still a rare alchemy furnace in the world.
Old Man Niu Shan was still somewhat dissatisfied, shaking his head and saying, "Longhu Mountain is really stingy. I only went there to borrow things a few times, and even that old fellow came out of the mountain..."
Zhou Sheng's face twitched slightly upon hearing this.
If you keep exploiting one spot, how can the other party not break through your defenses?
You forced the old monster out of seclusion, so you deserve to be struck by lightning.
"Senior, may we begin alchemy now?"
"Wait a minute, let me die first."
The old man from Niushan said this very casually, then sat down and passed away, his body turning into charcoal and ashes.
The Five Thunder Orthodox Method of Longhu Mountain was too powerful. Although his primordial spirit returned to its body, he was still seriously injured. The fact that he could still speak for so long was already a testament to his profound cultivation.
A moment later, a new old man from Niushan suddenly appeared, with a cheerful expression, dignified posture, and radiant appearance, without a single scratch from head to toe.
The Five Thunder Orthodox Method of Longhu Mountain was actually broken by them.
Zhou Sheng didn't even realize how the other party appeared; they just appeared in this world so naturally.
The old will not go, and the new will not come.
A vague realization dawned on him: perhaps the "Great Transformation Incarnation Technique" of the Old Man of Niushan was not just about creating incarnations.
Each clone is the original body, and each original body is also a clone.
Only when one clone dies can the next clone appear, inheriting all the memories and continuing to live.
"Hey kid, what are you standing there for? Set it on fire!"
Urged on by the old man of Niushan, Zhou Sheng opened the purple-gold gourd, releasing bursts of flame that quickly heated the bottom of the alchemy furnace to a red-hot color.
The gourd was only put away after the fire had become intense enough.
Yao Taifeng wasn't idle either; she rolled up her sleeves to help Old Man Niushan, sometimes fanning him, sometimes fetching medicine, keeping herself very busy. Zhou Sheng, on the other hand, had some free time for a while.
“Girl, watch carefully. The secret to alchemy lies in the balance of Yin and Yang, and the ratio is often ‘three to five to one.’ The ‘Baopuzi’s Golden Elixir’ says, ‘Lead and mercury combine the three elements, and sulfur balances Yin and Yang…’”
Old Man Niushan seemed to really like Yaotai Feng, and carefully explained to her the secrets and essence of alchemy.
Yao Taifeng listened very attentively, trying her best to remember every word the other person said.
If she could master alchemy, she could refine pills for Dan Mountain and wouldn't have to ask others for help anymore.
Zhou Sheng was initially worried that the old man from Niushan might have lost his skills, but he quickly put his mind at ease.
The other party's alchemy technique was incredibly smooth and fluid. Various medicinal herbs were arranged in a complex yet orderly manner, and the flames were controlled with ease, squeezing out every bit of medicinal properties to the fullest extent.
Watching him refine elixirs is a true pleasure; one can sense a unique realm where his skill is almost akin to the Dao, a realm beyond words.
When the half of the dragon's inner core was placed into the cauldron, the furnace suddenly trembled violently, and the faint sound of a dragon could be heard from within.
It was as if an angry dragon was crashing against the furnace wall, trying to break out of that fiery world.
If it were any other alchemist, they would probably be completely focused and tense at this moment, afraid that the slightest mistake would cause the furnace to explode and all their efforts would be wasted.
But instead of panicking, the old man of Niushan calmly stuffed another demon core into the alchemy furnace.
In an instant, a tiger's roar resounded, and the dragon became even more agitated, crashing against the cauldron with a clattering sound, as if the cauldron might be blown apart at any moment.
"Imperial decree: Suppress the enemy!"
Old Man Niu Shan slowly bit the tip of his tongue and wrote a blood talisman on the alchemy furnace.
The shaking furnace fell silent instantly, with only the faint sounds of tiger roars and dragon cries audible.
"Hehe, brat, your half of a dragon's inner core could only be used to refine one batch of low-grade golden pills, but considering how much delicious food Feng girl made for the old beggar, I'll take a loss and refine a batch of Dragon Tiger Golden Pills for you!"
Zhou Sheng was startled. The Dragon-Tiger Golden Elixir was the most precious treasure of the Celestial Master's Mansion on Longhu Mountain. It was only after the Celestial Master Zhang Daoling completed the elixir that the dragon and tiger appeared, which led to the famous Longhu Mountain in later generations.
It is said that a single Dragon Tiger Golden Pill can increase one's cultivation level by a hundred years!
Even today, the Dragon Tiger Golden Elixir is a treasure of Longhu Mountain, and there are probably only a few left.
"Senior, you even stole...borrowed the formula for the Dragon-Tiger Golden Elixir?"
To refine the Dragon-Tiger Golden Elixir, one must possess the elixir formula, which was left behind by the Celestial Master Zhang Daoling. It is said to have been passed down from Laozi, one of the Three Pure Ones, and is one of the most important treasures of Dragon-Tiger Mountain.
"Dan Fang?"
Old Man Niu Shan rolled his eyes at him and said, "Borrowing a pill furnace is enough to make you feel like you've been struck by lightning. If you were to borrow a pill formula, wouldn't that be touching the lifeblood of those Taoist priests?"
"At that time, even if I don't die, I'm afraid I won't have any peace."
As a repeat offender, he knew all too well how to strike the right balance.
With his strength, as long as he doesn't go too far, the other party, though disgusting, won't bother to fight him to the death.
For example, when he stole the Bodhisattva's treasure vault, he knew exactly what was most precious inside, but he had no intention of touching it at all.
That's experience.
"So...you don't know the formula?"
"OK."
"Then how do you refine the Dragon-Tiger Golden Elixir?"
"My calculations, as the name suggests, mean that there are both dragons and tigers, right?"
"Aren't you afraid the oven will explode?"
"Don't be afraid."
The old man from Niushan said matter-of-factly, "Anyway, the most precious main material isn't mine."
Zhou Sheng's fist clenched so tightly it cracked.
Don't touch it, don't touch it, don't touch it!
Master's words echoed in my ears once more... (End of Chapter)