Chapter 89: Shadow Slaughter Array

It had taken Li Chang’an less than a month to go from receiving the alchemy inheritance to successfully refining a Tier One Low Grade Elixir.

If this news were to get out, it would surely cause a sensation. A Foundation Establishment Great Cultivator might even show up at his door to capture him for research.

’My talent for Cultivation isn’t anything special, but my aptitude for various Skills is truly remarkable.’

Li Chang’an understood that this was related to his powerful Spiritual Power.

’Still, I need to keep honing my Alchemy Skill. If the quality is too poor, people will probably think I’m selling fake medicine.’

Li Chang’an didn’t rest, immediately starting to refine his second Qi Nourishing Pill.

His technique was still very unpracticed.

He could only refine them one at a time.

But the inheritance mentioned that once one’s Alchemy Skill was mature enough, it was entirely possible to refine multiple Elixir Pills at once.

...

For the next two months or so, Li Chang’an’s life fell into a stable routine.

He basically switched back and forth between Qi Refining, Body Refinement, and Alchemy.

In short, it all came down to one thing.

Refining!

His Alchemy Skill grew increasingly mature, and he could already be considered a veteran among Tier One Low Grade Alchemists.

On this day, inside his residence, the Pill Fire flared to life.

Li Chang’an sat cross-legged before the Pill Furnace, fully concentrated. He took out more than ten stalks of Qi Replenishing Grass at once, sending them all into the furnace.

Under his meticulous control, not a single stalk of Qi Replenishing Grass reacted unexpectedly; they all smoothly liquefied.

After that, he added more than ten portions each of the other two types of Spirit Medicine.

After the three medicinal liquids finally merged, a ball of turquoise liquid larger than a fist appeared in the Pill Furnace.

’Divide!’

Li Chang’an commanded with a thought.

That ball of medicinal liquid slowly undulated, gradually separating into twelve smaller globules that began to solidify.

Suddenly, he lost control of several of the globules, and something went wrong.

Two of them turned to ash on the spot, and another three shriveled up considerably.

In the end, Li Chang’an only managed to produce ten Elixir Pills.

Seven of them were of good quality and appearance.

The other three were slightly shriveled and dull.

’Seven standard Qi Nourishing Pills and three Inferior Grade ones. That’s a pretty high success rate for a batch this size.’

Li Chang’an was quite satisfied, and he stored the standard Qi Nourishing Pills in a Jade Bottle.

When refining multiple Elixir Pills at once, the success rate was inherently difficult to guarantee. Getting more than half was considered good.

’They say some Alchemists can multitask, refining different kinds of Elixir Pills in the same Pill Furnace simultaneously.’

’Even more impressively, some don’t even need a Pill Furnace.’

’And some can even achieve One Thought Becomes a Pill...’

The alchemy inheritance Zheng Qingqing had given Li Chang’an recorded many such legends.

The legend that Li Chang’an found most incredible was that of "One Thought Becomes a Pill."

Without a Pill Furnace or Pill Fire, with just a single thought, one could extract the medicinal liquid from the raw materials, fuse all the liquids, and refine them into a perfect Elixir Pill.

’What kind of realm would that be?’

Li Chang’an couldn’t help but feel captivated by the thought.

To reach that level, a Cultivator’s own Cultivation must be incredibly high.

He shook his head; all of that was too far out of his reach.

’For now, I should just focus on refining High-quality Elixirs.’

Just then, a golden light suddenly appeared before his eyes—it was the day’s Divination.

[Divination Refreshed]

[Today’s Divination: Auspicious]

[Chen Qianya invites you to her home to discuss Talisman Art. You realize something is wrong and send your Puppet Body instead. As expected, you are ambushed and trapped in an Array. However, you use the Array-Breaking Pestle and the Forbidden Spirit Pearl to successfully break the Array, kill the ambushing Tribulation Cultivators in a counterattack, and obtain their Treasures.]

’Chen Qianya?’

Li Chang’an’s brows knitted together tightly.

After all their recent interactions, he considered Chen Qianya a friend and fellow Daoist.

’Why would she try to plot against me?’

’The Divination says I’ll realize something is wrong, which must mean Chen Qianya isn’t acting like her usual self. Could she be under someone’s control?’

Li Chang’an pondered, his gaze lingering on the two words "Tribulation Cultivator."

’The ones making a move on me... are most likely the Tribulation Cultivators from Black Wind Mountain again.’

Other than Black Wind Mountain, he hadn’t had any major grievances with other Tribulation Cultivator organizations.

’Could Fourth Lady Mei have used a Gu Insect to control Chen Qianya?’

Li Chang’an immediately thought of this possibility.

Gu Techniques were quite bizarre.

According to legend, some Gu Insects were particularly strange. Once they parasitized a Cultivator’s body, they could control their host’s every word and action, turning the Cultivator into a puppet.

’Looks like in this battle, I not only have to kill Fourth Lady Mei, but I also have to do my best to save Chen Qianya’s life.’

Li Chang’an immediately began his preparations.

The Array-Breaking Pestle and the Forbidden Spirit Pearl mentioned in the Divination were both Array-Breaking Treasures he had found in Zheng Songcheng’s Storage Pouch. The Array-Breaking effect of either one was no weaker than the Small Forbidden Array.

The two combined could break almost any Array below Tier Two.

In addition, he had to bring the Beast Slaying Shuttle, which would be useful for killing the Gu Insects.

...

「The next morning.」

Li Chang’an had already hidden deep within his Array.

His Puppet Body sat quietly in the courtyard, waiting for the Tribulation Cultivators to arrive.

About an hour later, a familiar voice rang out from outside the door.

"Daoist Li, are you home?"

’It really is Chen Qianya.’

Li Chang’an got up to open the door.

"Daoist Chen, what can I do for you?"

"Daoist Li, I’ve recently run into some confusion with my Talisman Art and was hoping to discuss it with you."

At a glance, Chen Qianya seemed normal today.

But Li Chang’an had interacted with her many times before, and he quickly noticed something was off.

For example, her expression wasn’t as lively as usual; her eyes looked somewhat stiff, and her tone of voice was different.

"Daoist Chen, please come in. I happen to have some questions about Talisman Art myself."

Li Chang’an pretended not to know anything and invited her into the courtyard.

Chen Qianya shook her head and said, "Daoist Li, let’s go to my place instead. I recently obtained a Treasure from a Secret Realm and wanted to ask you to take a look."

"Alright."

Li Chang’an did not refuse.

He immediately went out the door and headed to her residence with Chen Qianya.

Their residences were not far apart.

They arrived before long.

"Daoist Li, please come in."

Chen Qianya smiled, though the corners of her lips were still somewhat stiff.

Of course, anyone who didn’t know her well wouldn’t have noticed a thing.

Li Chang’an entered her courtyard, appearing completely unsuspecting.

"Daoist Chen, where is that Treasure you mentioned?"

"Right here."

Chen Qianya chuckled lightly, as if about to show Li Chang’an the Treasure.

But just as she spoke, she suddenly made her move, instantly casting a large, nearly invisible net.

’A Shadowless Net?’

Li Chang’an was taken aback; this was the first time someone had used this kind of Treasure against him.

Fortunately, he had been on his guard the whole time.

He dodged it with a simple sidestep.

Then, he also cast a Shadowless Net, instantly binding Chen Qianya and casually tucking her into his Spirit Beast Bag.

"Huh?"

A surprised voice came from the shadows.

"Li Chang’an, you were already prepared?"

That voice belonged to none other than Fourth Lady Mei!

Li Chang’an said coolly, "Fourth Lady Mei, did you really think such a petty trick could fool me?"

"Li Chang’an, I admit I miscalculated, but so what? You’re already inside the Array. You can’t escape now!"

Fourth Lady Mei’s sinister laughter echoed all around, seeming to come from everywhere at once.

In the next instant, the world around him warped. The entire courtyard vanished, leaving only a thick, oppressive darkness.

A palpable killing intent arose, yet nothing could be seen.

Vaguely, it seemed as if strange shadows were flitting through the darkness.

’So it’s the Shadow Slaughter Array.’

Li Chang’an wasn’t panicked; he recognized the Array immediately.

This Array was similar to the Cloud Mist Hidden Killing Array and considered quite exceptional among Tier One Arrays. It possessed both trapping and killing functions.

At this moment, more and more shadows began to swarm around him.

Every shadow carried a strong killing intent, flickering in and out of existence, like vengeful spirits wandering the mortal world.

"Li Chang’an, you used an Array against Old Fifth back then. Now it’s your turn to taste what it’s like to be trapped in one!"

Fourth Lady Mei’s icy voice rang out again.

"Today, your defeat is certain!"

As soon as her voice fell, a nearly invisible shadow shot toward him.

Like a cold draft, it was upon Li Chang’an in an instant.

’Petty tricks!’

Li Chang’an casually slapped out a few Talismans to protect himself.

BOOM.

The shadow crashed into the shield released by the Talismans, instantly dissipating into a wisp of black smoke that returned to the surrounding darkness.