Chapter 387: These are the last slices of cake, all yours!
“Seeing that these pills have managed to survive through all these years, they’re already quite impressive just on that alone.”
The Old Man ‘took’ the pill bottle, glanced at the plump pills inside, and commented, then carefully took one out for a close look.
As he kept inspecting, a trace of shock gradually crept onto his face.
“These pills are not ordinary…”
He first summoned a flame but then retracted it. After hesitating for a few seconds, he gently scraped off a tiny fragment and swallowed it directly.
“Master!”
Lin Yan was stunned—when he first started learning alchemy, the Old Man warned him never to eat mysterious pills. Now, why was Old Man risking himself?
“Haha, as I guessed!” The Old Man’s body suddenly burst into flames, burning away the swallowed pill fragment. “This isn’t just an ordinary pill—it’s a pill that pushed the boundaries below the Immortal stage. And do you know the most important part?”
Lin Yan nodded cooperatively: “What is it?”
“Well, it’s an incomplete pill. Not sure if the alchemist who made it was underperforming or lacked the cultivation level to finish it all at once… Wait, scratch that. Given the level of this pill, it shouldn’t be the alchemist’s fault. Could be done on purpose. But then, why go so far?”
He pondered further, lost in thought.
Lin Yan was more confused: “Can alchemy be stopped midway?”
“Generally, no. But the alchemist who created this was a genius,” the Old Man murmured, eyeing the pill. “I’m really curious how he managed to split the process into two parts…”
“Can you still eat this pill?” Lin Yan asked, more concerned about its potency than how it was made.
“If it was freshly made, probably no problem—just a little more volatile. But unfortunately, it’s been some time, and most of the medicinal power has probably evaporated.”
“Such a pity…” Lin Yan shook his head, thinking he might finally get to taste a top-tier pill below the Immortal level.
The Old Man seemed to notice Lin Yan’s thoughts and shot him a side-eye. “Nothing to be sad about. If the medicinal power hadn’t waned at all, you couldn’t eat it either. It’s not meant for a Cultivator at the Transformation God Stage.”
“But…,” the Old Man suddenly changed tune, “this heavily depleted pill? Perfect for you to take.”
“Well, that’s great!”
Before Lin Yan could celebrate, he was poured cold water: “Hold on. To eat this pill, you need to complete its final step. Otherwise, it might backfire and cause trouble.”
“Eh? Me?”
Lin Yan looked at himself with a blank expression, pointing at his own chest. Despite being hailed as a genius in alchemy, his cultivation and skills were… well, right there. Even just the final step was out of reach for a rookie like him.
“Relax. The medicinal power in the pill is almost gone—perfect for you,” the Old Man said cheerfully. “With me here watching, what’s there to worry about? Or you can just leave these pills out on display, let the last bit of power dissipate piece by piece.”
“Uh…” Lin Yan imagined it and winced, “Since Master says so, I’ll give it a shot!”
“No rush. Finish upgrading your alchemy furnace first. Your current one’s a bit trash; it won’t contain the pills properly.”
“Got it.”
Lin Yan nodded, thinking that once the pills were refined again, he’d hand them over to Bai Feng—perfect as a reward for an upgraded alchemy furnace.
…
“You’re asking the right person. There’s not much record of Cloud Immortal. Others probably just know that he’s an immortal who made his way through alchemy. But our Tian Yan Holy Land is different. According to the records, Cloud Immortal and Fairy Tian Yan are quite friendly, so we have some stories about him.”
Tian Yan held a map, studying the patterns while talking to Bai Feng.
“Friendship, huh?”
Bai Feng rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Remembering the last time he explored Fairy Tian Yan’s secret realm and bumped into the Black Lotus Fairy’s remnants, he wondered—could that secret realm belong to Cloud Immortal?
What had happened before the immortals disappeared? Why did they keep sealing each other in secret realms?
“According to records, he’s quite eccentric. But he’s also a skilled alchemist, so he has plenty of friends. Among them, Fairy Tian Yan is his closest.”
“Is she his consort?” Bai Feng’s eyes lit up, showing a hint of gossip.
“No.” Tian Yan shook his head. “Though Fairy Tian Yan is his best friend, she doesn’t regard him the same way. They’re just ordinary friends to her.”
“…A dog licking his master?” Bai Feng couldn’t resist snarking.
“Also, it’s said that Cloud Immortal visited Tian Yan Holy Land multiple times, leaving behind many pills. At that time, our Tian Yan Holy Land was the wealthiest among all the sacred lands.”
“……”
Yeah, probably a super loyal fan, but sadly, a bit misguided.
After inwardly trolling a bit, Bai Feng asked, “By the way, before the immortals vanished, did Cloud Immortal keep visiting?”
“Yes, very often,” Tian Yan nodded. “But by then, Fairy Tian Yan hardly appeared at Tian Yan Holy Land anymore. So, even with all his visits, he never saw her.”
“Did the immortals have any other ways to contact each other?” Bai Feng muttered.
Tian Yan shook her head. “Not that we’re aware of. Some even suspect Fairy Tian Yan, annoyed by him, blocked all possible contact channels.”
Bai Feng found that suspicious: “Did he do anything during his visits?”
Tian Yan shook her head again: “Nothing we noticed. At least, we didn’t.”
Bai Feng fell into thought. He remembered Tian Yan mentioning that after the Celestial Battlefield, most cultivators returned to the Heavenly Realm, and some remaining immortals with special reasons seldom appeared. But Cloud Immortal’s frequent visits seemed suspicious.
Was he just visiting? Or trying to gather information about Fairy Tian Yan? Or maybe communicating in some secret way?
Too little info.
He gently shook his head and stopped pondering. Maybe he could get some answers from the secret realm.
Just then, he saw Tian Yan standing in front of him, reaching out her tiny hand.
“What are you doing?”
“Cake,” Tian Yan said flatly, staring at him.
“…Alright, these are the last slices of cake. All yours.”
Bai Feng sighed inwardly—how did the Holy Maiden Tian Yan turn into this?
But on second thought, earning so much info about immortals in exchange for a few slices of cake was pretty d*mn worth it.
