Alchemical Memories

Seated in meditation within the cave abode, his form resembled snow-reflecting pines atop the Kunlun peaks, with jade-like branches sprouting from aged rock. His broad forehead was like a jade moon emerging from a mountain crevice, his brows distant hills tinged with dark green, his eyes cold stars mirrored in a spring—their shifting gaze naturally held the imposing grandeur of mountains and peaks. His nose, straight and prominent like a suspended gall, stood elegant as a solitary peak; his lips, crimson as cinnabar dots, parted slightly like fragrant orchids exhaling their scent.

Holding a slender brush, he wrote his final testament on a bamboo slip.

"I was once the Grand Historian of the Great Zhou's Historiography Bureau, overseeing the celestial bodies and stars, setting the seasons and establishing laws. I delighted in alchemical formulas and smelting, and sought to understand the fundamental essence.

I once heard of a great power in the mortal realm residing here, whose teachings encompassed the sun, moon, and stars, leaving no detail unattended. Thus I journeyed to study at the Sub-Institute, where I met senior brother Cisheng and explored the origin of all things.

I learned that life, death, survival, and extinction all stem from transformations of 'Zi,' and while the 'Zi' of all things is the same, their sequences differ. Upon closer inspection, one can see differences in their horizontal and vertical arrangements—a minute discrepancy leads to a vast divergence. Such is the nature of life.

In the past, the Sub-Institute was small, with only five senior and junior brothers, and only two instructors, Mu and Xian. Though a minor sect in a modest place, it was leisurely; our actions and thoughts went unquestioned and unbothered. Political power struggles hardly touched me. Who could have foreseen that today, with expanded territory and thriving numbers, we would become mere bargaining chips on a chessboard, manipulated at will.

Three factions, intricate and entangled, now seek to seize our institute's century-old foundation.

The Dean's methods have waned; senior brother has fallen. How could I have imagined facing today's desperate struggle for survival?

Drink deeply, drink deeply! Yet it hardly eases this turmoil in my heart! As rolling heavenly thunder approaches, success or failure, survival or doom, hinges on this single endeavor! If I perish, let whoever finds this missive inform Yan Kui to join the newcomers and prodigies in entering the Wind Clan's gate, preserving my legacy."

With the final character penned, he scraped the brush against the inkstone's edge, set the brush aside, raised a hand, and gathered the remaining ink in the stone. It coalesced into a solid lump, which he wrapped in silk and placed neatly beside the brush. He then rolled up the bamboo slip, placed everything together, wrapped it in a cloth, and set it before the cave abode's entrance.

Dark clouds had already gathered in the sky, faintly tinged with purple. White bolts of lightning, like roaming dragons, repeatedly weaved among them, poised to dive downward.

E Ye walked slowly to the very center of the cave abode, where the space above was open and unobstructed, allowing the heavenly tribulation to directly identify him.

The mist surrounding his body dissipated. His eyes, sharp and piercing, fixed on the heavenly lightning. No one stood guard to assist him, nor were any protective arrays deployed; he relied entirely on his physical body to endure the tribulation.

"Descend!" At E Ye's command, countless colossal white dragons, crackling with energy, plunged downward. Birds and beasts in the vicinity, startled, scattered in avoidance.

When the lightning struck E Ye's body, there was none of the expected roaring associated with tribulation endurance. It was as if rain fell from the sky, and he was completely hydrophobic oil—upon contact, the lightning instantly slid off his body or dissipated completely.

"These are but mere electrical 'Zi,' identical in essence. What is there to fear?" Bathing in the lightning tribulation, E Ye spread his arms, savoring the electricity swimming around him, as if it were washing away bodily impurities.

Yet a torrential downpour can disperse even oil, and the might of the heavenly tribulation is like flowing water: gentle yet firm, firm yet powerful.

E Ye's body temperature gradually rose. A small amount of current began to pass through his form, his skin surface darkening, and all his body hair curling.

Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, his eyes became bloodshot, his hair spilled over his shoulders while much of it floated in the air. His body gradually showed signs of breaking down.

A white dragon pounced onto him, then split into thousands upon thousands of white serpents, spreading across his entire body, constantly squeezing and tearing. They then disintegrated into countless white worms, wriggling and churning within him.

Yan Kui couldn't suppress his anxiety, putting down his heavy load to anxiously look toward E Ye's cave abode; the old Dean who had gone out to search for medicine halted his steps, pulling out a wine gourd to take a fierce gulp; Jiguang ceased his cultivation, exiting his cave to gaze at the heavenly lightning; a glimmer of light appeared in the eyes of Yan, who had been sitting blankly before the mausoleum, his gaze vacant—he looked back at the tribulation clouds in the sky, then turned his head again; the various teachers and disciples of the Sub-Institute gathered around E Ye's cave abode, silently cheering him on.

E Ye felt his footing give way, toppling sideways. Immediately, his body began to disperse and disintegrate, his divine soul flying out from within.

"Still... a failure!" E Ye let out a long sigh, his gaze gradually growing unfocused. He only felt his body grow light, floating into the air, drawn toward the tribulation clouds. No trace of unwillingness remained in his eyes as he looked up with acceptance. "Senior Brother, Junior Sister... I... am coming."

In a daze, he heard Cisheng's voice: "Junior Brother, it is not yet time for us to meet. Turn your head and look." E Ye reluctantly turned. The entire courtyard of teachers and students looked back at him with hopeful gazes. Yan Kui was already streaming with tears.

"It seems... it's still not time to meet. My junior brothers need me." E Ye shook his head. He saluted toward the tribulation clouds. Immediately, all the 'Zi' in the surrounding air and within the lightning converged upon him. He rapidly transformed it into what he needed, reforming himself. At the same time, on the ground where his flesh had dissipated, specks of light coalesced, converging and solidifying toward him.

E Ye stood in mid-air. The lightning passed through his body harmlessly; no matter how violently the ferocious white dragon roared and raged, it could not touch him in the slightest.

"What I have inscribed upon this land, do not destroy it!" Slowly raising his hand, the tribulation lightning involuntarily converged toward the center, then dispersed within his palm and was absorbed. Lifting his head, his profound gaze seemed to pierce through the tribulation clouds as he smiled faintly. "The earth lies beneath my feet." E Ye raised a foot, climbing upward step by step, pressing closer and closer to the tribulation clouds with each stride.

The heavenly tribulation began to retreat, shocked by E Ye's imposing aura, yet was fixed in place by a single point of his finger. With a wave of his hand, he drew it to his surroundings, dissolving it and fusing it with the original mist. An eerie violet electricity swam within.

In a trance, an extremely swift bolt of lightning shot forth from the remnant clouds. It circled around E Ye, as if directed by someone, heading straight for the dazed Yan. In an instant, his entire body shuddered, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. Yet he remained sitting there, stupefied.

E Ye confirmed Yan was not seriously harmed, merely restrained by the lightning from undergoing the transformation of his nascent soul, preventing its fusion with his old body to advance to the True God rank, and thus paid it no further mind.

Slowly descending from the air, he bowed to the gathering crowd below. Afterwards, taking several jars of wine, he sought out Yan Kui and took him to drink where Cisheng had dissipated.

In truth, E Ye's tribulation this time drew attention from many sides. This was one of the rare instances of a person above the True God rank with a naturally immensely powerful 'Field,' having it broken and subsequently facing the tribulation alone—a chance occurrence not easily come by. Whether he succeeded or failed, it would provide a valuable reference for future naturally talented geniuses.

Within the Heaven Beyond Heavens, the brothers Su Yanchang had gone into complete seclusion ever since the Donghuang Taiyi incident. Su Shang's confinement had also not yet ended. The several True Gods who had been somewhat closer to Su Shang in the past had long since vanished. Su Yanchang did not know of this, nor did Su Shang. It seemed a certain faction within the Heaven Beyond Heavens had already reached a consensus, especially since Su Shang, upon first ascending to this realm, had relentlessly pursued the assassins from before, resulting in countless casualties during that time.

In the Wind Clan, the Eldest Princess Jiu Cai had a fierce argument with her father. Depressed, she lay on her couch. Tears of jade welled from the corners of her eyes. Gazing at the barrier by the window, she hugged the plush ball he had once given her, buried her face, and wept bitterly.

The old dean searched for several days, yet still could not find the medicinal herbs he needed. Forced to return to the Sub-Institute quickly, his cultivation had fallen severely, now only possessing the might of a True God. Fortunately, his efforts were not entirely in vain, as he had managed to find some herbs that accelerate the half-life period and some pills that temporarily restore one's peak state.