Chapter 106 Heart Pill

Standing on the deck of the Ark, Ye Chuxiao opened his personal panel. Looking at the replenished Destiny Points, he wasn't too pleased.

"My Destiny Points have risen by a shallow seven thousand or so. In reality, if time wasn't limited, I could have obtained more, and had more than just the two layers of mental armor from the Clown and Xiong Maomao."

"In the end, time was too tight," Ye Chuxiao thought.

Of course, this was just a bit of his dissatisfaction.

Given the commotion he stirred up in the academy world, if he were to remain active in the academy world as Song Jiamu, the limit of tolerance from his Great Uncle and the others would be, at most, a month or two.

After all, it was their territory. Ye Chuxiao essentially took an idea empty-handed to seek cooperation. Giving some sweetness as a copyright fee was one thing, but wanting to eat the entire cake was pure wishful thinking.

Doing that in a peaceful world without magic or extraordinary powers would eventually lead to being ambushed and run over by a mud truck. How much more so in a world of cultivation?

Giving in to greed, was he taking those great cultivators who had fought their way out of mountains of knives and seas of fire too lightly?

Didn't he also experience being discarded after his usefulness was over in the island world?

"Two layers of mental armor, especially the second layer made from the Clown, who has already been conferred as a god, should be enough to resist the impact of the Heart Pill on me."

"I'm about to return to the fifth level of the dungeon to face the demoness Ying Shu, but I don't know if there will be any other variables."

Thinking of this, Ye Chuxiao turned to look at the Clown and Xiong Maomao standing beside him.

Although he had left the academy world, the 'hobby' flaw was permanent, unless Ye Chuxiao voluntarily abandoned all the cultivation benefits he had gained in the academy world.

However, after all, he had left the soil where 'hobby' thrived, and without the agitation of the Heavenly Dao's rules, 'hobby's' influence on his state of mind became lazy.

This was manifested in Xiong Maomao, who became less lively.

The Clown, on the other hand, was not affected in any way, except that the Clown generally didn't speak as much as Xiong Maomao.

"There are still many things to learn and develop in the academy world, but I'll think about it later. For now, let's get through the immediate hurdle."

A few minutes later, Ye Chuxiao fell from the Ark and returned to the cell on the fifth level of the Great Heng Ministry of Justice's dungeon.

At this time, the demoness Ying Shu was being bound even more securely to the rock wall by the blood vines that had grown even more luxuriantly.

She looked even paler. Her entire being was as if drained of blood, without a trace of color, as white as a transparent crystal person.

Seeing Ye Chuxiao reappear, she didn't move again, but tiredly glanced at Ye Chuxiao, then closed her eyes, as if to conserve her energy.

"What's going on?"

"I was all prepared! But you didn't come?" Ye Chuxiao was stunned.

Then he realized that the demoness Ying Shu's burst of energy and struggle a moment ago was extremely exhausting to her body and mind. Since she failed to control Ye Chuxiao and turn him into a cauldron, she naturally couldn't have held on until now.

Although Ye Chuxiao had purchased a time capsule, so the month he spent in the academy world didn't count.

But before and after, he had also been delayed for about half an hour or so on the Ark.

Naturally, Ying Shu couldn't hold on for half an hour.

"Is it a Space Escape Talisman? Or a Heavenly Concealment Array?" With her eyes closed, Ying Shu, hanging on the stone wall, had an even more moving sense of fragility, making people unable to resist wanting to protect her.

But Ye Chuxiao's heart was as hard as iron, without the slightest emotional ripple.

"It's a Micro-Dust Array. Within the array, a person hides like micro-dust," Ye Chuxiao said.

This was an excuse he had thought up in advance.

Naturally, the knowledge and understanding of this array was also obtained by Ye Chuxiao on the Ark.

A person disappearing out of thin air was not a rare occurrence in the world of cultivation. There were many reasons and excuses that could be found.

Ying Shu wasn't Ye Chuxiao's superior. He just needed to give an explanation, without even needing to provide evidence.

No matter how capable Ying Shu was, she wouldn't have guessed that someone could instantly enter the Ark and cross worlds.

Fixed cognition would obscure her vision, preventing her from guessing the truth.

Just like people commonly agreed that one plus one equals two, they wouldn't think of other possibilities beyond that.

This was a cognitive constraint.

"It seems you came to see me after making thorough preparations!"

"This makes me even more optimistic about you."

"Compared to Jin Buyi, who has a great reputation and already has the upper hand, but still doesn't dare to come and see me, you, although only at the Ability Realm, have such courage and have made thorough preparations. I am also more relieved to hand over the Heart Pill to you." Ying Shu's voice seemed very tired, but she didn't skimp on her praise of Ye Chuxiao, as if in her heart, Ye Chuxiao really surpassed Jin Buyi and was the person she was most optimistic about.

Ye Chuxiao wasn't complacent in the slightest and still cautiously said, "Then should I thank you for your high regard?"

"Just based on this, you think I'm better than the Divine Constable Jin Buyi. Even I think you're too hasty!"

Ye Chuxiao obviously wanted to know more about why Ying Shu would suddenly change her target and regard him as a new choice for a 'cauldron'.

"You haven't left, which means you still have thoughts about the Longevity Saber."

"But I can also make it clear that without my Heart Pill, I definitely can't pass on this Longevity Saber." Ying Shu didn't continue along Ye Chuxiao's line of questioning, but pulled the topic back and punctured Ye Chuxiao's thoughts.

"Moreover, the Longevity Saber is different from ordinary martial cultivators' saber techniques. It doesn't rely on ordinary cultivation of true qi or magic power. Only with the help of my Heart Pill can one enter its door." Ying Shu then said to Ye Chuxiao.

Seeming unwilling to let Ye Chuxiao give up on the Longevity Saber, Ying Shu said to Ye Chuxiao, "The Longevity Saber was passed down from the Dao Ancestor. Throughout history, among those who cultivated the Longevity Saber, records show that five people have stepped out of the Immeasurable Realm and entered Longevity."

"This is a smooth path. Such an opportunity will never come again."

Ye Chuxiao neither disbelieved nor fully believed Ying Shu's enticing words.

In Great Heng's cultivation primers, only the eighth and ninth Immeasurable Realms were mentioned. What lay beyond that was not taught.

In fact, perhaps only cultivators of the Immeasurable Realm could see clearly what was beyond the Immeasurable Realm.

Beneath that, it was only known that stepping out of Immeasurable meant attaining Longevity.

However, throughout the myriad realms, there were only written records, but few people had actually seen Longevity cultivators.

Therefore, Longevity cultivators were more like an ethereal legend.

Ying Shu said that among the cultivators who cultivated the Longevity Saber, records showed that five people stepped out of the Immeasurable Realm and attained Longevity... this was her own statement.

Perhaps it was true, but it was also possible that it was just a tactic to increase her bargaining chips.

"How about we continue our previous topic."

"I said that the backlash of the Heart Pill isn't necessarily unsolvable."

"If you implant the Heart Pill into one person, then that person will fall. If you give the Heart Pill to multiple people and then connect them in a network, the backlash can be shared." Ye Chuxiao was about to continue when Ying Shu interrupted him.

Ying Shu said, "The reason you have such thoughts is only because you don't understand the Heart Pill clearly enough."

"It's called a Pill, but in reality, it's my seven emotions and six desires that were stripped away from me since I was young."

"It can indeed be cut, but it can never be cut into too many pieces."

"Once it's too fragmented, it's equivalent to being scattered. Even if it's strengthened with the help of others, it will no longer have anything to do with me."

At this time, Ye Chuxiao realized why she had suddenly attacked him when they had been negotiating so well.

It turned out that what he thought was 'solving' the problem was just wishful thinking.

Ying Shu's feigned compliance was just to make him lower his guard.

"Then how many pieces can it be divided into?" Ye Chuxiao asked.

Ying Shu said, "In the records, the most it has been divided into is three parts. However, once the Heart Pill is divided, if any one of the cauldrons can't hold on and collapses, the Heart Pill's backlash will not only be fed back to the Celestial Maiden, but the other cauldrons will also be affected."

"That backlash isn't just the emotions and desires that were originally suppressed and accumulated in the Heart Pill, but also the seven emotions and six desires from the cauldron!"

"So, if it's not absolutely necessary, you Immaculate Celestial Maidens wouldn't choose to divide the pill?" Ye Chuxiao asked.

Ying Shu said, "That's right!"

"However, if you're not confident in blocking the full power of the Heart Pill, I can divide the pill into two, and you and Jin Buyi will each receive half."

Ye Chuxiao's heart stirred, weighing the gains and losses.

"Half of the Heart Pill... is indeed less threatening. Moreover, even if Jin Buyi can't withstand it, it will cause a more violent backlash later, but for me, it buys more necessary time to grow."

"The academy world isn't gone forever. I can just go back with a different identity next time and stack a few more layers of mental armor."

Having made a decision, Ye Chuxiao said, "I have two requests. First, you have to pass on the Longevity Saber to me first... since the catalyst for cultivation is your Heart Pill, then it wouldn't be a problem for you to pass on the formulas and mantras of the Longevity Saber to me first, right!"

Ying Shu was also generous, "Acceptable!"

"Second, I want to choose the seven emotions and six desires first!"

"I want your joy, anger, love, sight desire, hearing desire, touch desire, and taste desire." Ye Chuxiao then made his second request.

Ying Shu shook her head and said, "It's not divided like that. The seven emotions and six desires are divided equally, not split apart. Otherwise, if they become unbalanced, you'll take away the ones that are easier to subdue, while Jin Buyi will suffer from the evil desires, making him even more at risk. It's not beneficial to the three of us."

Ye Chuxiao didn't know if Ying Shu was telling the truth, but since she said so, that was all he could do.

Indeed, from Ying Shu's point of view, she would never want to split the seven emotions and six desires.

That would be equivalent to her taking on more risk.

"Forget it! Then I'll take three, and Jin Buyi will take seven!"

"After all, he's a Divine Constable, so he should take the larger share."

"Also, my existence must not be told to Divine Constable Jin."

"Just pretend that your only cauldron has always been Divine Constable Jin!" Ye Chuxiao said.

Ying Shu opened her eyes again, carefully staring at Ye Chuxiao, as if to see through his thoughts.

After all, Ye Chuxiao didn't seem like a shortsighted person.

From a long-term perspective, it would of course be better for two people to share the risk equally.

The seven emotions and six desires stored within the Heart Pill wouldn't increase or decrease because of the level of cultivation.

This three-seven split seemed to give Ye Chuxiao an advantage early on.

In reality, once Jin Buyi couldn't withstand it, then the sevenfold Heart Pill backlash, plus Jin Buyi's own tenfold addition, would be a greater test for Ye Chuxiao and Ying Shu.

Among them, as a cauldron, Ye Chuxiao would have to stand in front of Ying Shu and face the impact first.

"Okay!" After thinking for a moment and realizing that she couldn't see any reason why Ye Chuxiao would make this decision, Ying Shu slowly uttered a word.

Ye Chuxiao's method of distribution was actually beneficial to her.

No matter how much she showed that she valued Ye Chuxiao, she was actually still placing her heavy bet on Jin Buyi.

The previous words saying that Jin Buyi was inferior to Ye Chuxiao were just some tactics to paralyze the young man and shouldn't be taken seriously.

Letting Jin Buyi take on 70% and Ye Chuxiao take on 30% was equivalent to adding another layer of insurance for her.

"Watch closely, this is the Longevity Saber manual!" Ying Shu's eyes were clear and glimmering with purple light.

Within this purple light, a saber seemed to fly out, directly piercing Ye Chuxiao's brow.

Ye Chuxiao didn't even have time to react before his brow was fixed by that 'saber light'.

In a daze, he seemed to see a heaven-reaching divine saber, cutting through the two energies of life and death between heaven and earth.

Afterward, the outline and general formulas of the Longevity Saber, as well as the first three saber techniques within, naturally appeared in Ye Chuxiao's mind.

As for the subsequent saber moves and formulas, they still needed to be slowly unlocked.

At this time, Ye Chuxiao's cultivation was insufficient and he couldn't use them at all. Seeing them would harm his spirit.

"Ying Shu is telling the truth. Without the Heart Pill... it's simply impossible to learn this Longevity Saber."

"The foundation of the Longevity Saber is to be born from death, so there are two basic steps: condensing death energy and glimpsing the line of death."

"In times of desperation, condense one's own death energy and wield the saber. When wielding the saber, perceive the opponent's line of death and strike. In this way, one can cut across realms and seek life from death. As long as one masters enough death energy and can grasp the instant of death line blooming, there is nothing in the myriad realms that cannot be cut down. Cut down all the blocking jackals, and the path to Longevity will be smooth."

"Such is the foundation of the Longevity Saber's intent."

"And to quickly condense death energy and glimpse the line of death in an instant, one must have a talent and acuity far beyond ordinary people. Such acuity is not possessed by ordinary cultivators. Only by carrying the Heart Pill and having the seven emotions and six desires of the Immaculate Celestial Maiden added to it can one stack up the basic talent required to cultivate the Longevity Saber."

Ye Chuxiao tried to condense a trace of death energy, but he couldn't capture the fleeting point of death energy in an instant.

He wasn't one of those rare people with a strong innate soul.

Even though he had transmigrated, he didn't have such a special talent.

In a sense, once he embarked on the cultivation of the Longevity Saber, he would be even more greedy for the Immaculate Celestial Maiden's 'Heart Pill' than anyone else.

For him, it was both a burden and a cheat.

"Do you understand?" Ying Shu asked.

Ye Chuxiao nodded slightly.

"What you have seen is only a fraction of the Longevity Saber. When you glimpse a more powerful Longevity Saber, you will know that your adventure today is definitely worth it," Ying Shu said.

"Now, you come over, walk to my side," Ying Shu said.

Ye Chuxiao hesitated for a moment, then walked over as she said.

"Get a little closer, touch my chest with your head." Ying Shu said to Ye Chuxiao, who had already approached.

"Huh?" Ye Chuxiao looked at the other party's towering peaks, those exaggerated pectoral muscles, which were really dazzling to look at.

The black gauze dress couldn't hide the eye-catching truth.

"Just now, in order to forcibly implant the Heart Pill into you, I exhausted too much of my energy. I won't be able to actively send out the Heart Pill again within three or two days. I can only rely on you to suck it out yourself," Ying Shu said.

"Suck? How am I supposed to suck it?"

"I'm a decent person. I can't do anything too out of line... I can wait for two more days at most," Ye Chuxiao said.

Ying Shu said, "I can't wait two more days! You coming to see me should have touched Jin Buyi. He will come to see me soon. After I give you the Heart Pill, my pressure will be much less. When he comes again, I can directly send him the Heart Pill without any further trouble."

Ye Chuxiao looked at Ying Shu suspiciously, not quite believing her.

Some advantages seemed easy to take, but in reality, they required paying a great price.

"Then let him come first! My share can wait!"

"You can leave such a good thing for Jin Buyi to enjoy!" Ye Chuxiao said, taking two steps back.

The demoness was very cunning. Did she think she could trick him with such methods?

That was definitely impossible!

Although her pectoral muscles were very tall and attractive, it wasn't worth the risk.

There were plenty of safe and harmless steamed buns in Pingliang Ward. Problems that could be solved with money, Ye Chuxiao never took risks.

Ying Shu didn't have real emotions. Although she was very angry at Ye Chuxiao's attitude, this anger was also a simulated emotion. She didn't actually feel anything about Ye Chuxiao's rejection.

If she didn't have this state of mind, she might not have rationally discussed cooperation with Ye Chuxiao, given his previous attitude towards her.

Ye Chuxiao's judgment wasn't wrong.

She was indeed going to play tricks.

However, it wasn't simply targeting Ye Chuxiao, but to 'transfer' some of the restrictions within her body to Ye Chuxiao through the transitional Heart Pill.

This would allow her to alleviate and reduce some of the restraints she suffered in this dungeon.

It would also prepare her for the subsequent fight with Jin Buyi.

She thought that by using her own beauty as bait, and having 'gently' laid so much groundwork before, Ye Chuxiao, such a young and vigorous lad, would definitely not be able to resist and think that he was the special one.

He could have both wealth and beauty, and thus lean towards her.

She didn't expect Ye Chuxiao to be so cautious, to the point that her plans fell through.

The blood-sucking vines swelled and brandished their claws again.

And from Ying Shu's chest, a rainbow-colored stream of light flew out.

It looked like a pill flashing with seven-colored halos.

This 'pill' split in the middle, turning into one large and one small pill.

The smaller pill was less than half the size of the larger one.

The two 'pills' revolved around Ying Shu, and then the smaller one flew towards Ye Chuxiao, directly drilling into his chest.

In an instant, Ye Chuxiao seemed to hear countless noises.

Many blurry memories that didn't belong to him, along with thoughts, ideas, and emotions, all erupted in his mind.

This feeling was not at all similar to the fusion when he crossed worlds and obtained identities and memories.

Instead, it was somewhat similar to the feeling when Ye Chuxiao fused with the original Ye Chuxiao's memories when he first transmigrated.

However, this feeling was even stronger and more turbulent.

Compared to the seven emotions and six desires stored in Ying Shu's 'Heart Pill', the emotions in the original Ye Chuxiao's memories were as thin as a piece of grass paper.

A large amount of emotions was invading Ye Chuxiao's heart.

He faced the first wave of 'emotions' after merging with the Heart Pill.

Ying Shu looked at Ye Chuxiao rather nervously.

At this time, not only did Ye Chuxiao feel her suppressed emotions and feelings, but with the help of Ye Chuxiao's 'heartbeat', Ying Shu finally felt the fluctuations of emotions for the first time, and was no longer just imitating and simulating, but was actually just an emotionless machine.

*Clang!*

The emotional power brought by the Heart Pill impacted Ye Chuxiao's mental armor.

The second layer of armor, transformed by the Clown, perfectly blocked this wave of impact, and even formed a small wave of rebound.

In the rebound, Ying Shu's heartbeat quickened a few beats.

In an instant, the look in her eyes towards Ye Chuxiao was also a bit watery.

Such was the case with mental games. The relationship between the Immaculate Celestial Maiden and the cauldron was always complicated.

For the Immaculate Celestial Maiden, the best state was to completely subdue the cauldron, but also allow the cauldron to maintain its self, to be strong and resilient in will.

And if the cauldron blocked the invasion of the Heart Pill and sent a large amount of emotions back in the opposite direction, then the Immaculate Celestial Maiden would also be affected by the 'cauldron', strengthening the impression of the 'cauldron' in her heart, and might even be subdued by the 'cauldron' instead.

Just like Tang Su Tong once subdued an Immaculate Celestial Maiden in this way.

Of course, the reason why Ye Chuxiao's wave of 'rebound' was successful was because he only bore 30% of the Heart Pill.

If he had received 100% of the Heart Pill, then this flood of emotions would never have been so easily resolved.

Whether Ye Chuxiao's mental armor, transformed by the Clown, could really withstand it was still unknown.

"You cultivated a method to shield your mind?"

"It seems I really underestimated you. If I had known earlier, I would have made you bear even more." Ying Shu said, looking at Ye Chuxiao. At this time, she herself didn't realize that in her conversation with Ye Chuxiao, she had inadvertently added a bit of emotion. Hearing this suddenly, it sounded a bit like she was acting coquettishly.

This wasn't Ying Shu's subjective behavior, but rather she had inadvertently been affected because she had slightly lost to Ye Chuxiao in the initial mental game.

And she herself was completely unaware of it.

"It's just right now. I can't handle any more!" Ye Chuxiao keenly noticed Ying Shu's change and couldn't help but click his tongue.

This mental battle was too mysterious and simply made it difficult to defend against.

"Now, what's yours is mine. Teach me everything that's convenient for me to learn!" Ye Chuxiao unceremoniously said to Ying Shu.

Ying Shu rolled her eyes charmingly, but still said, "In the Yongxing Ward of the Divine Capital City, I still have a residence. I bought it under another alias. I will pass on to you the formula to enter the gate's barrier. You can go there yourself. Inside, there are some classics I left behind, as well as my insights when cultivating. You can study and watch them, but don't mess up the layout inside."

There was more warmth in Ying Shu's words.

It was as if the Celestial Maiden, who was once proud in the Nine Heavens, had truly fallen into the mortal world.

"Okay!" Ye Chuxiao nodded and received the 'thoughts' that Ying Shu directly transmitted through the Heart Pill.

In the relationship between the Celestial Maiden and the cauldron, the cauldron was of course still passive.

Therefore, the Celestial Maiden could actively transmit thoughts to the cauldron, no matter how far away they were.

And the cauldron couldn't directly interfere with the Celestial Maiden's thoughts, and could only gain the initiative through mental games.

"I should go!"

"I've stayed long enough. If I stay any longer, I'm afraid some people will become restless!" Ye Chuxiao said.

Ying Shu nodded and then said, "Don't act too well. Show some emotions, make it look like you've suffered a loss."

Ye Chuxiao said, "You don't need to remind me of that."

After saying that, he activated his energy to force his blood to surge, and then the blood rushed upward, hitting his forehead.

He opened the cell door and walked out unsteadily.

"Boss!" The jailer, who had been guarding outside the door, immediately came forward to greet him when he saw Ye Chuxiao finally come out.

"Don't come near me!"

"Everyone, stay away from me... my mind is very messed up now, and there are still remnants of illusions that haven't been cleared!"

"Find me a secluded room and lock me up... and find me a musician who is good at soothing the mind. I need to adjust my state of mind." Ye Chuxiao squatted on the ground, reaching out to stop the jailers from approaching, and loudly ordered.

After the addition of the Heart Pill, Ye Chuxiao's senses were far more acute than ordinary people.

Even those cultivators in the Subtle and Transcendent Realms couldn't match Ye Chuxiao in this mysterious and innate degree of acuity.

At this time, Ye Chuxiao sensed that there was a gaze focused on him, always maintaining an exploration and suspicion.

It wasn't until he finished saying those words that the exploration and suspicion in this gaze slightly lessened and decreased.

Obviously, it was the true guardian of this Ministry of Justice dungeon who was watching him.

Once he showed any abnormality, he would be eliminated.

Ye Chuxiao being able to set foot in Ying Shu's cell was certainly related to his current identity.

But the people secretly guarding the dungeon also received some hints and tacitly allowed Ye Chuxiao's actions.

They were testing the waters.

And Ye Chuxiao was that stone.

Walking into the enclosed single room, Ye Chuxiao began to vent肆意 in it, sometimes letting out beast-like howls and screams in it.

Having seen many expressions and behaviors of cultivators who had broken down in mental battles, Ye Chuxiao performed very well.

The person secretly monitoring him had quietly relaxed his vigilance against him.

After the musician arrived and played the 'Purifying Heart and Universal Benevolence Mantra' for Ye Chuxiao for a day and a night, Ye Chuxiao finally walked out of the enclosed room with a pale face and agitated breathing.

Afterward, he took a leave of absence and prepared to go home to rest for a few days.

For the first two days after returning to his small courtyard, there were still people secretly watching Ye Chuxiao.

By the third day, the feeling of being watched completely disappeared.

But Ye Chuxiao was still sound asleep, as if he wanted to replenish the exhausted spirit.

It wasn't until the sixth day that Ye Chuxiao lazily went out. When walking on the street, he casually changed his appearance before finding Ying Shu's residence in Yongxing Ward.

After saying the correct formula to the stone sparrow guarding the door, Ye Chuxiao entered.

An elegant and实属 residence came into view.

Compared to this residence, the small courtyard where Ye Chuxiao lived before was almost like a doghouse.