Translator: CinderTL
After Song Wen repeatedly replenished his blood essence, the formation in mid-air finally took complete shape.
It was an extremely profound array, its blood-red light shimmering with countless flickering runes that bathed the cultivation cave in a crimson glow.
At the center of the formation, a blood-colored vortex slowly rotated, exuding an eerie and sinister aura.
Song Wen opened his mouth and spat out the Blood Sea Seal, which flew into the vortex at the formation's heart.
As soon as the seal entered the formation, it resonated with the array, its body trembling slightly and emitting a low, resonant hum.
Song Wen formed hand seals, activating the formation's operation.
The entire array blazed with intense blood-red light, and the blood-colored vortex began to spin faster and faster.
Streams of pure Blood Qi surged from the formation, flowing like trickling streams into the Blood Sea Seal.
Vein-like patterns, as red as fresh blood, emerged on the seal's surface, resembling pulsating blood vessels.
As the Blood Qi poured in, the crimson patterns writhed like living things, as if tiny worms were crawling across the seal's surface.
The oppressive aura emanating from the Blood Sea Seal gradually intensified, while the formation itself slowly dimmed.
It was clear that the refinement formation Song Wen had set up had succeeded.
Once the Blood Qi contained within the formation was exhausted, the refinement process would conclude.
But this outcome clearly failed to satisfy Song Wen.
Blood essence continued to surge from the center of his forehead, flowing into the refinement formation.
In an instant, the formation patterns, which had been faintly dimmed, reignited with a blood-red radiance that surged like a tidal wave, replenishing the Blood Qi within the formation.
The Blood Sea Seal, like a ravenous serpent, devoured the incoming Blood Qi with insatiable hunger.
Time flowed slowly, and a year passed in the blink of an eye.
Song Wen gazed at the empty jade bottles scattered across the ground and exhaled a deep, turbid breath.
The blood essence he had prepared was completely exhausted, signaling the end of the refinement process.
Moreover, his prolonged focus on the refinement had left him mentally and spiritually drained. His divine sense was severely depleted, and faint, intermittent stabs of pain in his Sea of Consciousness served as a stark reminder that he had reached his limit.
He raised his eyes to observe the Blood Sea Seal, which hovered at the center of the formation.
Even now, the seal continued to absorb the remaining Blood Qi within the formation.
Its surface pulsed with an eerie crimson light, and its immense Blood Qi surged like a raging tide, as if a slumbering ferocious beast had awakened, radiating a savage and perilous aura.
Song Wen could clearly sense that the Blood Sea Seal's power now rivaled that of a mid-grade spirit treasure.
Suddenly, the formation patterns in mid-air shattered into specks of blood-red light that scattered in all directions.
The Blood Sea Seal plummeted downward, landing in Song Wen's palm.
After examining it for a moment, Song Wen willed it to dissolve. The seal gradually melted into a viscous, blood-red liquid that flowed into his body, settling within his dantian to be slowly nourished.
Rather than leaving immediately, Song Wen sat down to meditate on the spot.
Three months later, his spiritual power and divine sense had recovered to about seventy or eighty percent. Only then did he rise, stretch his stiff limbs, dismantle the formation, and ascend into the sky.
Wu Yuan Island.
Song Wen entered the cultivation cave and discovered a new stone door deep within, presumably leading to a secret chamber Ye Bing had carved out.
Seeing no movement behind the door, Song Wen knew Ye Bing was likely busy drawing Talismans. He decided not to disturb her and instead retrieved a Pill Furnace to begin refining pills.
Six months later, the stone door finally creaked open.
Ye Bing emerged slowly, her brow furrowed with barely concealed exhaustion.
She glanced at Song Wen, who was refining pills in the center of the cave, and curiously probed the Pill Furnace with her divine sense.
"What kind of pill are you refining? Why is it emitting such potent poison qi?"
"Just a low-grade Poison Pill," Song Wen replied casually, his Pill Incantation remaining flawless.
Ye Bing studied the Pill Furnace for a moment, then shifted her gaze to Song Wen.
After a long silence, she suddenly reached for the sash at her waist, letting her robes slip down.
Her figure swayed as she drifted into Song Wen's arms, her fingers teasing at the fastenings of his robes.
"Immortal Maiden, what are you doing? I'm refining pills."
"Just keep refining. Don't mind me," she murmured, her lithe body twisting against his.
Song Wen's eyes widened slightly.
Keep refining?
How can I possibly focus on refining pills like this?
Ye Bing has always been so aloof. How did she become so... eager after just one time?
Boom!
The Pill Furnace shuddered violently.
The Furnace Lid shot into the air, accompanied by billowing black smoke.
Song Wen twisted his body, flipping onto his...
Ten days later, the two stood facing each other, their robes neatly arranged.
Ye Bing had regained her usual icy composure, the fatigue that had lingered between her brows now vanished, only to transfer to Song Wen's face.
"Immortal Maiden," Song Wen asked, "how is the progress on crafting the Minor Teleportation Talismans and Earth Evasion Talismans?"
"I've finished refining all the spiritual materials you provided," Ye Bing replied. "I crafted sixty-four Minor Teleportation Talismans and thirteen Earth Evasion Talismans. I'll take thirty percent of the total, and the rest are yours. Do you have any objections?"
Song Wen smiled. "Immortal Maiden, you've put in tremendous effort. I naturally have no objections to you taking only thirty percent."
With a wave of her hand, dozens of talismans flew toward Song Wen.
Forty-four Minor Teleportation Talismans and nine Earth Evasion Talismans.
Song Wen caught the talismans and cupped his hands in a respectful gesture. "Thank you for your hard work, Immortal Maiden."
He then continued, "When shall we depart for the Qianchang Wilderness?"
"In a month," Ye Bing replied. "I need time to recuperate and restore my spiritual power and divine sense."
Song Wen nodded. "Very well. We'll set out in a month."
Ye Bing offered no further words, turning and entering her secluded chamber.
Song Wen left the cultivation cave and headed for Cloudveil City.
Arriving at a private room in a tavern, he retrieved Qi Luo's Communication Jade Slip and began transmitting a message.
[Qi Luo, it's been nearly a year since we last spoke. I hope you're well.]
After waiting for about an hour, the jade slip vibrated slightly, signaling Qi Luo's reply.
[Ye Hua, it's been nearly two years. You've finally shown yourself. I thought you'd forgotten me after taking the spiritual materials.]
Song Wen replied, [Even if I forgot my own name, I would never forget you. For over a year, I've secluded myself, focusing solely on crafting the Earth Evasion Talisman. Though we couldn't meet in person, your image has constantly lingered in my thoughts.]
[Ye Hua, talking with you always brings me joy.] Qi Luo changed the subject. [How's the talisman crafting progressing?]
Song Wen replied, [Thanks to the spiritual materials you provided, I finally succeeded after numerous attempts. I've crafted three Earth Evasion Talismans.]
[It seems you truly have a talent for talisman crafting,] Qi Luo remarked.
Song Wen replied, [My meager talent is nothing to boast about. Without your materials, I could never have succeeded. I intend to offer all three Earth Evasion Talismans to you.]
[There's no need,] Qi Luo said. [I'm not greedy. Just fulfill our agreement and give me one talisman. That will suffice.]
Song Wen replied, [Then I'll keep the other two Earth Evasion Talismans for now. If you ever need them, you can ask me for them at any time. Qi Luo, I want to see you and deliver the talisman in person.]
[I'm afraid I can't meet you anytime soon,] Qi Luo replied. [Hong Zhe hasn't been in seclusion lately, so I must be cautious to avoid arousing his suspicion.]
Song Wen's eyebrows twitched slightly.
After all this talk, he finally heard something useful.
His primary reason for contacting Qi Luo was to gather information about Hong Zhe.
(End of the Chapter)