Chapter Seventy-Five: The Method of Healing

Within the Sacred Abode of the Medicine Immortal, Zhou Qi carefully leafed through the legacy left behind, searching for a method to heal a shattered Golden Core.

The Golden Core stage was akin to ten months of gestation, during which a cultivator nurtured a golden core within. When the core reached perfection, it would transform into a Nascent Soul, granting the cultivator a spiritual essence and allowing them to enter the Nascent Soul stage. The shattering of the Golden Core would cause the cultivated essence, energy, and spirit to dissipate, resulting in the loss of all cultivation, the death of the Nascent Soul before birth, and a return to mortality. Though not fatal on the spot, the dissipation of one’s vital energies would soon bring about death. Truly, the middle-aged woman’s actions had been vicious beyond measure.

The Medicine Immortal’s notes were vast and eclectic, containing methods not only for saving lives through alchemy but also for taking them. Yet Zhou Qi, after searching through everything, could not find a way to heal a shattered Golden Core. Unwilling to give up, he carefully read through the Medicine Immortal’s travelogues and insights, until finally, in a yellowed journal, he discovered a record concerning the fracturing of a Golden Core.

In his youth, the Medicine Immortal had once encountered someone whose Golden Core had shattered. Witnessing the hopelessness as the man’s cultivation faded, the Medicine Immortal pondered a way to save him. Ultimately, he speculated that if one used a Dragon Pearl to replace the shattered core—fusing the fragments into the pearl—not only could the Golden Core be restored, but the cultivator might even become stronger.

After all, a Dragon Pearl was the inner core cultivated by dragons themselves, the very source of their power. With the Dragon Pearl, a dragon could change forms at will and brim with divine might. If a cultivator could use a Dragon Pearl as a substitute, perhaps they might even gain some abilities of the dragons. However, the dragons were so formidable that none dared provoke them, and should a dragon lose its pearl, death was inevitable.

According to the Medicine Immortal’s journal, the technique of fusing a Dragon Pearl with a Golden Core also required the practice of the Primordial Guardian Art—a defensive spell that could create a sealed space. The fusion demanded the use of intense flames to meld the pearl and the core, with the Primordial Guardian Art shielding the patient’s core from sudden explosion during the process.

The Primordial Guardian Art was something Zhou Qi could learn; the Medicine Immortal’s legacy included it. As for the required flames, Zhou Qi’s own fire was sufficient. Only the Dragon Pearl itself would be hard to come by.

The dragon race belonged to an ancient legend. It was said that dragons were born ready to cultivate, their bodies and power unmatched—no race of equal rank could rival them, making them a natural apex species. Though dragons were notorious for their lusts and could mate with all manner of beings, the offspring seldom bore much connection to their parent’s bloodline. “The dragon begets nine sons, each different”—so went the saying. True dragon-to-dragon pairings were exceedingly rare, and so their numbers dwindled, vanishing from the world.

Nowadays, not a single true dragon had been seen in living memory; whether any remained was uncertain. The only rumors spoke of the black dragons, who had fallen and become demons; their cultivation had turned fiendish, and their Golden Cores had become Demon Cores. Even if the fusion succeeded, Ruanfu Xiu might become a demon herself, a price too heavy to pay.

Zhou Qi pondered the matter, when suddenly his eyes brightened. Had he not seen two dragons shackled to the pillars before the Sacred Abode’s entrance? He had never dared approach them before, fearing their power; but now, to save a life, he could no longer hesitate.

Zhou Qi extended his spiritual sense toward the stone pillars and used the summoning technique left by the Medicine Immortal. Instantly, the pillars glowed, and the flesh and blood of a mighty dragon began to regenerate. A dragon leaped forth from the stone, its colossal head looming before Zhou Qi.

“Young man, the Medicine Immortal made a pact with us: once you reach the Tribulation Crossing stage, you are to release us. Instead of cultivating, you summon me—what is your purpose?”

So there was such an agreement? The Medicine Immortal had never mentioned it. Suppressing his fear, Zhou Qi bowed respectfully. “Senior, I have a request to make of you.”

“Speak,” the dragon replied, its breath thick with a foul, fishy stench.

“I wish to obtain a Dragon Pearl to save my friend.”

“Roar! Boy, are you tired of living? You dare to ask me for a Dragon Pearl?” The dragon was enraged, opening its maw so that its fangs hovered mere inches from Zhou Qi’s head.

Zhou Qi felt he might be swallowed whole at any moment. “Please, senior, do not be angry. I do not wish to take your own pearl—only that of a deceased dragon. If there is aught you need, I will do all I can to help.”

“I am already a dead dragon! If not for the destruction of my body, would my soul be imprisoned here by that wretch? I do not possess my pearl, but I know where one can be found. However, you must promise me a favor in return.”

“Please speak, senior.”

“If you find the Dragon Pearl where I tell you, you must release my beloved. I will remain and serve you until you reach the Tribulation Crossing stage.”

“Your beloved?” Zhou Qi asked in surprise. Even in such a state, the dragon still spoke of love—quite the match for Xiu’er, he thought.

“There, that one.” The dragon gestured to the other stone carving on a neighboring pillar. “Her soul is too weak and has slumbered all this time.”

Zhou Qi agreed to the dragon’s condition without hesitation. To him, these carvings were nothing more than stone—he could not command them, and they had never protected him in times of danger. There was no reason to keep them.

He also inquired about the carving on the other pillar, but this dragon claimed no acquaintance with it.

Dragon Burial Valley—the dragon gave Zhou Qi this name. It was said that all dragons were interred there upon death, so he might find a Dragon Pearl within. Yet the valley was perilous, and the map the dragon provided was outdated, the environment much changed after so many years. Finding the place would be a challenge.

Zhou Qi consulted Master Tianxuan, but even he shook his head, knowing nothing of the location. Asking around for traces of dragon aura might not be difficult, but he worried whether Ruanfu Xiu could last that long.

Having found a method of salvation, Zhou Qi withdrew his spiritual sense from the Sacred Abode of the Medicine Immortal and returned to his body.

“Jiu’er, if you want to have your dear brother all to yourself, it’s not enough to just take off your own clothes—you have to undress him, too.”

Zhou Qi opened his eyes just in time to hear Ruanfu Xiu say these words, with the little girl Jiu’er standing beside him, utterly perplexed.

Zhou Qi’s anger flared. Here he was, worrying himself sick for Xiu, while Xiu carried on as if nothing was amiss, corrupting the young.

His face darkened. “Xiu’er, even now—why won’t you stop tempting fate?”

“It’s exactly because of this that I must seize every chance I have. Who knows when I’ll die—when I’m gone, there will be nothing left.” Ruanfu Xiu’s voice was tinged with melancholy.

“Do you trust me? I have found a way to save you.” Zhou Qi looked into her eyes and spoke calmly.

“I trust you.” The words slipped from her lips. Though even the Ruanfu clan had found no cure, and this mere Foundation Establishment cultivator claimed he could save her, Ruanfu Xiu felt no sense of absurdity—perhaps it was Zhou Qi’s earnest gaze, or his unwavering presence after her fall. For no reason, she believed.

“You must hold on. I need to go out and search for some materials, which may take some time.” Zhou Qi produced a storage ring. “There are spirit stones inside—use them to slowly nourish yourself. As your strength ebbs, replenish it, but do not rush, lest the Golden Core explode. With the rest, you may hire a low-level cultivator to tend to your needs.”

“Very well. Take care—your life comes first.” Ruanfu Xiu said nothing more, nor did she ask about the method of healing.