Cultivation: Being Immortal-Chapter 433:

Zhong State, Shenmu Sect

In the Pill Hall of Shenmu Sect, a long line of disciples were healing their injuries. They were all low-level disciples of Shenmu Sect, with their cultivation at the Qi Refining and Building foundation levels. Behind them, a large group of Shenmu Sect stewards were discussing eagerly.

"The Patriarch is here!"

A voice came from outside, and a group of stewards immediately went to welcome him.

"Greetings, Ancestor He."

"What’s going on?"

Ancestor He asked with a dark expression. Shenmu Sect’s Pill Hall had been running smoothly for many years without any incidents, so why did trouble suddenly arise now?

"Ancestor He, this is what happened…"

Right away, a steward explained the cause and effect of the situation. Just like other sects, Shenmu Sect opened up the ground at the gate to draw out the earth fire for junior disciples to refine pill elixirs.

These disciples mainly focus on building a foundation with Qi Refining. They cannot use spiritual fire or other sources of fire, so they rely on earth fire for pill refining to cultivate a new generation of Alchemists. Today, as usual, many disciples were refining pills here. However, the earth fire suddenly became restless, burning down the control formation. The earth fire erupted, causing many disciples to get injured.

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However, if this matter only had this small impact, there would be no need to consult Ancestor He. There is a bigger issue at hand – the earth fire is still turbulent, showing signs of eruption.

Once it erupts, the impact will be significant. This place is at the edge of the sect’s gate, less than five hundred miles away from the core area of the gate. There are many spiritual lands nearby and several Spiritual Herb Gardens. Also, there are at least a few thousand junior disciples living here. If the earth fire erupts, all of these will be destroyed. For Shenmu Sect, it would be a major loss.

"What formation controls the earth fire here, and has a Formation Master arrived yet?"

"Reporting to Ancestor, the earth fire here is primarily controlled by a high-grade fifth-tier Grand Earth Prison Formation set. Two Martial Uncles from the sect have entered the fire to investigate."

A steward explained that the earth fire poses no harm to high-level cultivators but is deadly to low-level cultivators. That’s why Shenmu Sect pays great attention to safety and sets up high-grade fifth-tier formations.

"Alright, let’s wait for the Formation Master to arrive before making further decisions."

Ancestor He nodded. There were no vulnerabilities in Shenmu Sect’s safety measures, so he had no criticisms to make. He decided to gather more information before making any decisions.

Two hours later, two Formation Masters emerged from the underground fire and saw Ancestor He. They bowed to him.

"No need for much courtesy, quick, tell me, what’s the situation with the underground fire?"

"Reporting to Ancestor, the situation is not good. We ventured deep into the underground fire and found that it has become extremely active, constantly gathering energy, showing signs of eruption."

"Even with the top-grade materials used for the Fifth Level Formation Base, it couldn’t withstand it?"

"Ancestor, the underground fire in this area is vast. The Formation Bases are fine, as the fire’s temperature cannot melt them. However, the connections between the bases are made of inferior materials. Once there is an eruption, the formations will definitely be destroyed."

"Then find a solution, replace the materials at the connections. The sect has acquired many top-grade ores over the years."

Ancestor He said that in recent years, Yun State established connections with the Wilderness demon tribe, leading to an abundance of top-grade materials in the market. Shenmu Sect also bought a large batch, which is still stored in the warehouse.

"Ancestor, it’s not feasible. The underground fire is now extremely active. It solely relies on the formations to maintain stability. Once the formations are removed, it will erupt immediately."

"Can’t we gradually replace the materials inside the underground fire?"

"You can try, but it’s very hard and will take a long time. My suggestion is to first move away people and things around the fire to be safe."

"No, no, Martial Uncle, there are many disciples living around the fire, it’s difficult to relocate them. People can move, but there are also dozens of Spiritual Herb Gardens nearby. Although they’re not advanced, these gardens provide herbs for half of the disciples below Nascent Soul level in the sect."

"Yes, Martial Uncle, if the fire stops, more than thirty percent of the lower-level pills in the sect will be lost. Buying them externally each year costs billions of spirit stones, causing huge losses."

Several stewards said that the Pill Hall is very important. With hundreds of thousands of disciples in the Shenmu Sect, most of them are low-level. The production here involves many aspects.

"Ancestor He, please make a decision."

The Formation Masters didn’t care much, they focused on their own profession.

"You stabilize the fire here, Internal Affairs Hall will gather people to discuss this matter. Come up with a reliable plan within five days to minimize the sect’s losses," said Ancestor He, knowing what to do as a mature leader. Let the experts handle it.

Ancestor He left the scene, considering it not a big deal. His subordinates were just panicking, making him think the fire was about to erupt.

A group of people took their orders and Ancestor He went back. To him, it wasn’t a major issue. It was just his people overreacting, making him think the fire was going to erupt suddenly.

Two days later, Ancestor He’s son found him and told him something.

"Father, I heard a rumor these past two days, and I’m not sure if I should tell you."

"Just go ahead and say whatever you need to say."

"Several months ago, Senior Yu Hailong killed a Soul Changing Period outside Tianxian City. Did you know about it, Father?"

"How would I know about such trivial matters?"

"The Soul Changing Period was named Xia Qingshan, a Fortune Teller who rose to fame in Tianxian City in recent years."

"Fortune Teller?"

Ancestor He was surprised. When did charlatans start appearing in the cultivation world?

"Yes, this person is known as a skilled fortune teller in the cultivation world. Senior Yu Hailong tried to seek his services, but when Xia Qingshan refused, he lured him out of the city and killed him. Before his death, Xia Qingshan cursed the Shenmu Sect, wishing for their destruction and chaos to spread far and wide."

"Well done, curse the Shenmu Sect, they deserve it."

"Father, the key point is that half of this person’s curse has already come true. Feng is the pride of our Shenmu Sect. Now the earth is rumbling…"

"Nonsense, since when could curses in the cultivation world actually kill someone?"

Ancestor He shouted angrily. Throughout his life, he had killed countless enemies, many of whom cursed him with resentment before dying, wishing for his misfortune. Yet he was still living well. If curses could kill, at least eighty percent of the cultivation world’s population would have died already.

"Father, Xia Qingshan is different, he…"

"What’s different about him? Just a Soul Changing, can he curse me to death?"

"Father…"

"No need to say more. In such a vast Shenmu Sect, if we care about these trivial matters, how can we survive?"

Ancestor He was not very pleased. He Qunfeng was in trouble, and he knew his son was feeling very bad because He Qunfeng was his favorite grandson. But they couldn’t make a scene because of this.

Yu Hailong is also a senior member of the Yu family. Is he going to argue with the Yu family because of this matter? The He family and Yu family are important pillars of the Shenmu Sect. If they argue, the Shenmu Sect will split apart.

······

After several days of discussion at the Shenmu Sect’s Internal Affairs Hall, they came up with a solution to calm down the underground fire. They closed half of the Alchemy Room for the underground fire and increased the defense level of the nearby Spiritual Herb Garden. They also sent some people away.

Then, they asked the sect’s craftsmen to refine some top-level materials into formation components. A senior Formation Master entered the underground fire to change the formation materials, stabilizing the underground fire to prevent it from erupting and continue serving the Shenmu Sect.

A sixth-level Formation Master at the Void Achieving Period led a team from the Shenmu Sect, went into the underground fire, started changing the formation components, and taught other fifth-level Formation Masters at the same time.

"What’s that noise?"

The whole process was very long, and by the seventh day, the sixth-level Formation Master sensed a special spiritual power fluctuation inside the underground fire, which made his face change color.

"Not good, it’s a Fire Melting Beast. It mistook the formation base for ore. Quickly kill it!"

The Formation Master at the sixth level shouted, the Fire Melting Beast is a special monster that lives in the underground fire. It will devour some minerals, absorb energy to strengthen itself. The array set up by the Shenmu Sect is made of top-grade materials and it was mistaken by the Fire Melting Beast as minerals to be consumed.

Several fifth-level Formation Masters quickly stepped forward to defeat the Fire Melting Beast. The Fire Melting Beast only used fire attacks, but the Formation Masters were prepared and not afraid of the extremely high temperature of the fire.

"Uncle, the Fire Melting Beast has been defeated."

Shortly after, the Fire Melting Beast was defeated. It was only at the level of Nascent Soul stage, so it was not a concern.

"Alright, let’s continue…"

The sixth-level Formation Master nodded, but before he could act, something terrifying happened. More Fire Melting Beasts appeared, not just one, but a group. The leader of these Fire Melting Beasts had an aura not lower than the Void Achieving Period.

"Run, run quickly!"

The sixth-level Formation Master shouted in panic, then turned around and ran away, as the Fire Melting Beasts launched their attack.

"*Boom!*"

Moments later, the sixth-level Formation Master dashed out from the volcanic exit, holding a spiritual talisman to report this incident to the sect.

"Boom"

"Boom"

"Boom"

But before the Shenmu Sect could react, the earth’s fire erupted, breaking through the formation, colliding with rocks, spewing hundreds of meters high, then falling down. Within tens of miles, the earth’s fire turned the area into a hellish scene.