Chapter Ninety-Eight: The Primordial Golden Elixir

Three months later, at the very heart of the Floating Island.

Two large slabs of green stone stood side by side to the east of a thatched cottage. Beyond the stones towered a massive pill furnace, several yards high.

Seated cross-legged atop the stones were two figures. To the left, a handsome young man: sword-like brows, bright eyes, red lips, white teeth, and a nose straight as if carved from jade. His skin gleamed like polished jade beneath the sunlight, radiating a crystalline brilliance. He wore a robe of black and white, styled in an ancient fashion. The cloth fluttered in the breeze, lending him an ethereal, mysterious air.

To the right sat a petite, fair-skinned young Daoist girl, her face shaped like an egg, brimming with spirit and charm. She wore a wide, plain Daoist robe, her raven hair gathered atop her head with a simple wooden hairpin. Her long lashes fluttered gently as she occasionally stole glances at the young man beside her, a warm smile dancing in her eyes.

These two were none other than Li Yang and Hua Ling, who remained on the Floating Island.

After bidding farewell to Chen Yulou and the others three months prior, Hua Ling had stayed behind. Each day, she tended the fire and cooked meals, following Li Yang in his cultivation, caring for his daily needs.

Over these months, Li Yang spent his leisure searching the valley and surrounding mountains for medicinal herbs. Perhaps due to the valley's abundant spiritual energy, he found many treasures: various spirit mushrooms, black grasses, yellow essence roots, and even a rare wood vine of indeterminate age—a veritable trove.

Beyond this, Li Yang made a trip to Kun City, sending a letter to his wives far away in Hong Kong, assuring them of his well-being. He also received a batch of cultivation resources from Zhou Xiong’s Blue Flower Society and purchased daily necessities in the city.

“Brother Li, dinner is ready!”

Half an hour later, Li Yang finished his practice for the day. Seeing Hua Ling’s radiant smile, he rose from the green stone and said, “Thank you for your hard work, Hua Ling!”

“This Floating Island is so remote and deserted. It’s not easy for a young woman like you to look after me here every day,” he remarked apologetically as they walked to the cottage and saw the sumptuous dishes laid out.

“Brother Li, you’re too polite. I grew up wandering the world with my senior brothers, accustomed to sleeping rough and eating in the open. Those years on Changsheng Mountain were the most peaceful of my life. The days here may be quiet, but listening to your teachings and cultivating with you is hardly dull!” Hua Ling glanced at Li Yang, tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear with her slightly rough little hand, and spoke softly.

As they shared the fragrant meal and Hua Ling recounted amusing tales of her life with her brothers, Li Yang’s gentle smile warmed the atmosphere, filling it with a sense of ease and tranquility.

“Those days are past now. The Misty Pearl has been found, and Brother Zhugu Shao’s curse is lifted. You and your brothers and sisters can now find a beautiful, secluded place to live in peace until the chaos subsides,” Li Yang comforted Hua Ling softly as tears welled in her eyes.

“Yes, now that the Misty Pearl is recovered, the weight on my brother’s heart is gone. He’s even started a family and has a child with Sister Hong!” Hua Ling wiped her tears, then looked at Li Yang with sparkling eyes and asked, “Brother Li, do you have any wishes of your own?”

“Everyone knows immortality is good, but fame and fortune are hard to forget! Where are the heroes and generals of old? All that remains are overgrown graves.”

“Everyone knows immortality is good, but gold and silver are hard to forget! All day they lament having too little, yet when they have enough, their eyes close forever.”

“Everyone knows immortality is good, but a beloved wife is hard to forget! While alive, they speak of love every day; when dead, they follow another.”

“...”

“People say cultivators have no desires, but if you ask me, everyone praises the immortal life, yet only longevity is truly unforgettable. To step beyond the three realms and five elements, to become undying and indestructible—that is the ultimate goal!”

“In truth, there’s no such thing as desirelessness or transcendence—it’s merely a different pursuit. Cultivators seek to steal the fortune of heaven and earth, internalizing it to achieve immortality, to live as long as the heavens and earth, to coexist with the sun and moon. That is the greatest desire of all,” Li Yang said with a self-deprecating smile, gazing at Hua Ling’s youthful face, his tone filled with emotion.

“Brother Li, you have such a fine character! No wonder you and my brother get along so well. Men like you are bold and spirited, as the saying goes, birds of a feather flock together—not like those hypocritical false Daoists who claim to be desireless and beyond the world. That’s pure pretension!” As she spoke, Hua Ling realized she might have said something wrong, and shrank back, casting a cautious glance at Li Yang.

“Hahaha…”

Instead of taking offense, Li Yang burst out laughing. Her words reminded him of his first meeting with Zhugu Shao in Nuqing County.

Seeing that Li Yang was not angry, Hua Ling relaxed and turned to watch his hearty laughter, momentarily entranced.

At that moment, time seemed to pause. On the mist-shrouded Floating Island, blooming with myriad flowers like a celestial paradise, the humble thatched cottage stood at the center. Behind it rose a giant pill cauldron; before it, a small wooden table where a young man dressed in ancient garb laughed skyward, and a clever, adorable Daoist girl gazed at him with undisguised admiration in her eyes. The scene was like an ink painting—beautiful beyond words.

...

After lunch, Li Yang walked behind the cottage, gazing at the towering pill furnace, a trace of hesitation on his face.

Clang—

After a long moment, he gritted his teeth and opened the lid of the furnace, reaching into the void to retrieve precious spirit stones, rare minerals, and herbs, laying them out one by one.

“Brother Li, are you preparing to refine pills? I’ll go and gather firewood for you!”

Having just finished cleaning up, Hua Ling heard the commotion and came over. Seeing Li Yang’s actions, she began to prepare firewood.

Over the past three months, Li Yang had often fired up the furnace to refine pills, with Hua Ling assisting at his side. She had long grown familiar with the necessary preparations.

“No need. This time I’ll use spirit fire to forge the Golden Pill, so firewood won’t be necessary,” Li Yang said, waving his hand.

“Golden Pill? But Brother Li, your injuries haven’t fully healed. If you attempt to refine the Golden Pill recklessly, your body may not withstand it,” Hua Ling exclaimed anxiously, trying to dissuade him.

She was well-versed in pharmacology, and having spent months with Li Yang learning the art of pill refinement, she understood what the Golden Pill meant.

The so-called immortal nature of gold—Golden Pills are not ordinary medicine, but celestial pills, which only immortals can craft. Each batch takes at least three to five months, sometimes years or decades, requiring constant vigilance at the furnace without distraction.

Though Li Yang’s injuries were mostly healed, he was not fully recovered; the exertion of refining the Golden Pill could worsen his condition.

“Don’t worry about me. I have my own plans. This pill refining will take at most half a year, perhaps only three months. Besides, the golden toad is about to transform—I must aid it, or a failed transformation could be fatal!” Li Yang reassured Hua Ling, forcing a relaxed smile.

He was well aware of the risks of refining the Golden Pill. Not only could it trigger a relapse of his injuries, but gathering the ingredients for the Origin Golden Pill had taken him years, many of which were unique and irreplaceable.

This Origin Golden Pill serves to replenish a cultivator’s foundational strength. It is the sole Golden Pill formula passed down in Li Yang’s family.

Yet, there was no choice: although the golden toad had devoured the giant python from the King’s Tomb, its foundation was still inferior to the six-winged golden centipede, its cultivation shallow. After three months, it still hadn’t awakened from its transformation.

Li Yang could not help but worry. Such ancient beasts are crucial to his cultivation, and in today’s world, bloodlines like these are rare beyond measure. Any mishap could seriously impact his future path.

Puff—

After sending Hua Ling away, Li Yang carefully inspected the array of spirit materials and minerals on the ground. Only after repeated confirmation did he spit a mouthful of Solar True Flame onto the furnace.

“What a fine furnace, truly worthy of the royal lineage!” Li Yang exclaimed as the furnace gradually turned red under the Solar True Flame.

Ordinary furnaces could never withstand the forging of such heaven-and-earth spirit fire. The Solar True Flame’s temperature nearly matches that of the sun’s surface; any normal furnace would soon deform or even melt under such heat.

Yet this furnace, inherited from the Pill Palace of Bottle Mountain, glowed red-hot without a trace of deformation.

Following the formula’s instructions, Li Yang placed the ingredients into the furnace one by one, then carefully adjusted the temperature.

The Solar True Flame was a power of the Furious Rooster. Li Yang could wield it, but without fully refining the Furious Rooster, he could only use it, not master it completely.

Otherwise, he would not have been so affected during his battle with the Queen of Jingjue.

Such spiritual fire is inherently sentient and unruly; controlling it taxed Li Yang’s mind, and soon he was drenched in sweat.

Pill refinement consists of two major steps: martial fire forging and gentle fire nurturing. The first requires intense heat to melt the raw materials.

This period demands utmost concentration; any lapse could destroy the entire batch.

All afternoon, Li Yang sat cross-legged before the furnace, eyes closed, sensing the transformation of the materials within and occasionally forming seals to adjust the fire.

“Brother Li, dinner is ready!”

As dusk began to fall, Hua Ling approached carrying a porcelain bowl. Seeing Li Yang dripping with sweat, worry filled her eyes.

“Once the bow is drawn, there is no turning back. Hua Ling, you needn’t worry. With my cultivation, going ten days or half a month without food is no issue,” Li Yang said, knowing Hua Ling’s delivery of food was merely an excuse to check on him out of concern.

He moved his mind, and four golden tentacles extended from his back, taking the porcelain bowl from Hua Ling, and with two others, grabbing a nearby porcelain bottle, pouring out a pill and swallowing it.

Long-term pill refining without rest—ten days or half a month is manageable, but any longer, even with Li Yang’s current cultivation, would be too much.

For this, he had prepared enough restorative and invigorating pills in advance.