Chapter 1317: Chapter 495: Alchemist Secret Realm (Part 2)
"No matter how great your abilities are, you will still fall here, then be refined by me into an elixir and sent up to the heavens."
"This is what they call, ’Hell has no gate, yet you force your way in.’"
Ning Bukong kept shouting,
but Manager Liu and his five senior–junior brothers could no longer endure it. They shed their earlier timidity and, all at once, erupted with War Intent. The pig-slaughtering knives in their hands hacked out Sword Momentum toward the space before Zhou Xuan.
Flowing Wind and Returning Snow,
still Flowing Wind and Returning Snow,
a Sword Momentum like the boundless snow sealing the mountains surged forth, encircling Zhou Xuan’s body and cutting off those hands reaching into his flesh.
This was a tacit understanding that came from Wuwen Mountain.
"Mr., we five senior–junior brothers, even if we survive from here on, will only disgrace the name of Wuwen Mountain. We’ve no hope left."
"But you, you are the hope of Wuwen Mountain—the sword of Wuwen Mountain shall endure in this world forever!"
"Mr., I know you carry a Sword Spirit and possess Great Divine Power, but in this Ancient Hall there is no incense, so you cannot manifest your Divine Skills. In a moment, we five senior–junior brothers will sever our own heads to draw all the Storage Fragrance Worms onto your body."
"You can briefly possess incense; you must seize this golden opportunity and use your Divine Skills to cut your way out."
"If you can unleash the Seventeen Strokes Sword Technique and let us brothers take one look, we’ll die without regret."
The five spoke, one after another, laying out their rescue plan and, at the same time, voicing their final desire.
They wanted to see the "Seventeen Strokes Sword",
but rather than say they wanted to see the sword,
it was better to say they wanted to watch the long-fallen Wuwen Upper Hall’s Tangkou dance a fleeting moment of splendor.
The hands of these five senior–junior brothers had, over these years, become filthy and steeped in sin, yet within their sinful inner world they still swept out a clean corner, reserved for the "Wuwen Mountain" Tangkou in their hearts.
And this time, these men who had sunk into slavery again took action, for the sake of shielding the hope of "Wuwen Mountain".
Zhou Xuan was deeply moved,
but he still felt this plan was useless.
"Gentlemen, your idea is indeed brave and fierce, but you should also know, the ’Storage Fragrance Worms’ were given to you by Zoroastrianism. Ning Bukong is an Alchemy Master of Zoroastrianism; naturally he has ways to control the Storage Fragrance Worms."
Zhou Xuan remained very calm as he rejected Manager Liu and the others’ proposal.
"Then... then..."
Having had the flaw in their plan pointed out by Zhou Xuan, Manager Liu panicked for a moment. They truly had no better method to get Zhou Xuan out of this Ancient Hall.
Meanwhile, Ning Bukong grew even more violent in his words, roaring, "You few bastards from Wuwen Mountain, your wings have hardened and you’ve grown reverse bones at the back of your heads. Once the Hall Master kills Zhou Xuan, I’ll flay a few layers of skin off you."
"You won’t be able to flay them."
Zhou Xuan said coldly.
In the struggle just now, Zhou Xuan had already grasped the situation inside the Ancient Hall, as well as the hierarchy of this Fire Pit.
In terms of structure, this Fire Pit had no more than three kinds of people: Alchemy Workers, Pill Masters, and the Hall Master.
Alchemy Workers obeyed the Pill Masters,
Pill Masters and the Hall Master stood in a cooperative relationship,
Pill Masters would give fifty percent of an elixir’s medicinal power to the Hall Master. Having taken such benefits, the Hall Master would then perform the duty of protection.
Because the benefits Ning Bukong offered the Hall Master were sufficient, so long as no core principle was violated, the Hall Master would also listen to Ning Bukong.
To sum it up in one line—Ning Bukong was the true master of this Space as it now stood.
As long as he dealt with Ning Bukong, Zhou Xuan’s life would be out of danger.
Zhou Xuan patted Manager Liu on the shoulder and took the initiative to step out from the wind and snow formed by the Sword Momentum,
then pointed at the dome of the cave and shouted, "Ning Bukong, upon seeing this Master, you still don’t crawl out and kneel to pay your respects!"
"Tsk tsk, Zhou Xuan, you’ve grown used to running wild outside, and now you’ve come into this Ancient Hall to act up? No one here will indulge your bad temper from outside."
Ning Bukong sneered in reply.
Zhou Xuan, however, reached into his own Secret Realm, pinched a White Jade token between his fingers, and said, "If you ask me, this Ancient Hall of yours is nothing but some out-of-the-way wilderness. Your information is far too out of date. Do you know who I am?"
"I do. Don’t they call you ’Mr.’? You’re the heir of Wuwen Mountain!"
"I have another identity."
Zhou Xuan abruptly flashed the Jade Token in his hand. Upon it was inscribed a line of gilded characters—Jade Capital Divine Pill Master.
"I am a Divine Pill Master appointed by Bai Yujing. Ning Bukong, a dog of your sort dares yip and bark before me?"
Whether it was a Pill Master of Zoroastrianism or a Pill Master like Fish Monk who had set up his own shop, to put it bluntly, they were all Dan Officers of the Heavenly Dome.
These past days, Zhou Xuan had finally gotten it clear: all elixirs, in the end, were sold off in the Heavenly Dome.
The Heavenly Fire Clan of the Heavenly Dome also strictly managed the Dan Officers of the mortal world.
In other words, Zhou Xuan and Ning Bukong actually belonged to the same system—they could even be called colleagues.
It was just that between Dan Officer and Dan Officer there were also ranks high and low.
When you compared a Dan Officer neglected by the Heavenly Dome with a Dan Officer appointed by Bai Yujing, the difference could only be that between clouds and mud.
Hidden within the Ancient Temple Space, Ning Bukong, after taking a careful look at the Jade Token in Zhou Xuan’s hand, immediately rolled out of the Space, dropped straight to his knees, and said respectfully,
"Zoroastrianism Dan Officer Ning Bukong, pays his respects to the Divine Pill Master."
Ning Bukong’s face changed with incredible speed. Not only did his tone shift greatly, he himself suddenly prostrated on the ground, his forehead pressed to the toe of Zhou Xuan’s shoe.
"This small rural small fire pit in the mountains did not know it was the Master who descended; I have been remiss in my manners, I beg your forgiveness."
After speaking, he even called out to the Hall Master: "Hall Master, this is a Master appointed by Bai Yujing, a favorite of the Jade Capital."
Though his status was humble, he was still a Dan Officer; naturally he knew a few things about the affairs of the heavens.
