Chapter 00280: Xiao Yueshui's Problem
# Xiao Yueshui's Problem
Chapter 280
Novel: Abandon The Universe
Chapter 280: Xiao Yueshui's Problem
Xiao Yueshui had chosen to refine a fifth-grade immortal pill, the Nourishing Rain Immortal Pill.
This type of pill was widely used and highly favored among immortals due to its fast healing properties and ability to restore immortal essence.
Jian Xuanming, who had been severely injured, had recovered quickly thanks to a Nourishing Rain Immortal Pill given to him by Lan Xiaobu.
Lan Xiaobu watched as Xiao Yueshui began the alchemical process.
Xiao Yueshui's flame was the Stone Geng Flame, an underground fire that couldn't be upgraded.
Its level was fixed from the moment it was obtained.
As a sect master, Xiao Yueshui's Stone Geng Flame was nearly at the sixth-grade immortal flame level, which was quite impressive.
At the very least, it was far superior to the third-grade immortal flame Lan Xiaobu had seen before.
Xiao Yueshui meticulously went through each step: igniting the flame, cleaning the cauldron, preparing the herbs, and purifying the ingredients.
His movements were precise, and there was nothing to criticize.
The pill-refining techniques he used were standard, though Lan Xiaobu thought they were rather ordinary.
Still, they were effective, having been refined through countless failures by predecessors.
Xiao Yueshui's pill-refining speed was nowhere near Lan Xiaobu's.
It took him most of the day before he finally formed the pill-sealing hand seals and produced twelve gray pills.
He sighed as he placed the pills into a jade bottle and handed it to Lan Xiaobu.
Even before taking the bottle, Lan Xiaobu knew something was wrong.
He couldn't sense any medicinal aura or the faintest trace of Dao rhythm from the pills.
When he opened the bottle and placed one of the pills on his palm, he noticed that while the pill appeared intact, it lacked any medicinal essence.
Instead, it gave off a strange, lifeless feeling.
After examining the pill for a while, Lan Xiaobu realized that it wasn't just lifeless—it was devoid of vitality.
All pills, whether they were poison or longevity pills, contained a certain vitality that connected to the pill's essence, forming a unique Dao rhythm.
Without this vitality, it couldn't truly be called a pill.
Xiao Yueshui's refining process had been flawless.
The ingredients, flame, and cauldron were all in order, and the pills had formed correctly.
So why did they lack vitality upon completion?
Lan Xiaobu furrowed his brow as the Cosmic Dimension Matrix locked onto the pill in his hand and began constructing its dimensional model.
Xiao Yueshui, seeing Lan Xiaobu's serious expression, remained silent, afraid that speaking might disrupt Lan Xiaobu's thoughts.
As Lan Xiaobu's cultivation level had improved, the Cosmic Dimension Matrix had become more intricate, and its modeling speed had increased significantly.
In just half an incense stick's time, the matrix had completed the model of the Nourishing Rain Immortal Pill.
Lan Xiaobu studied the information provided by the matrix and fell silent.
Xiao Yueshui, a sixth-grade immortal alchemist and a late-stage Immortal King, had unknowingly been corrupted by a Pill Nightmare.
If not for the Cosmic Dimension Matrix, Lan Xiaobu wouldn't have been able to detect it either.
At least, not until he reached the seventh-grade Immortal Alchemy King level.
The Pill Nightmare had infiltrated Xiao Yueshui's alchemy Dao.
No matter what pill Xiao Yueshui refined, the pill's essence would be absorbed by the Nightmare.
Xiao Yueshui hadn't been refining many pills recently, and Lan Xiaobu suspected he hadn't been using many pills for cultivation either.
Otherwise, the Nightmare would have consumed those as well.
The Pill Nightmare was a type of Nightmare Demon, formed from emotions such as fear, excitement, hatred, anger, or torment.
The Nightmare within Xiao Yueshui wasn't just an emotional construct—it had taken root in his alchemy Dao.
Once fully grown, it would be far more dangerous than an ordinary Nightmare Demon.
If this Nightmare Demon matured, it could potentially take over Xiao Yueshui's body without him even realizing it.
Lan Xiaobu considered whether to help Xiao Yueshui.
The man seemed decent, but intervening came with risks.
Lan Xiaobu wasn't sure where the Nightmare was hiding within Xiao Yueshui's body.
It definitely wasn't in Xiao Yueshui's Sea of Consciousness, as a late-stage Immortal King would have detected it there.
Most likely, it was embedded within Xiao Yueshui's alchemy Dao, emerging only when he refined pills.
Lan Xiaobu decided to ask Xiao Yueshui directly.
If the man was willing to accept his help, he would assist.
If Xiao Yueshui hesitated or feared that Lan Xiaobu might take advantage of the situation, Lan Xiaobu would leave immediately—and take Guang Jie with him.
If the Nightmare Demon fully matured within Xiao Yueshui, it would be no laughing matter.
When Lan Xiaobu finally looked up from his thoughts, Xiao Yueshui asked eagerly, "Immortal Officer Lan, can you tell me what's wrong?"
Lan Xiaobu shook his head and said, "Sect Master Xiao, if you trust me, I need to enter your Sea of Consciousness while you're cultivating, refining pills, crafting artifacts, or drawing talismans. After that, I may take some drastic actions, even to the point of potentially killing you. You must not resist. If you agree, I'll help you investigate. If not, I'll take my leave."
Lan Xiaobu didn't dare mention the Pill Nightmare directly.
He wasn't sure if the Nightmare had developed sentience.
If it had, it was likely still in a rudimentary state.
Otherwise, Xiao Yueshui's mind would have already been affected.
Xiao Yueshui was stunned by the request.
It was an incredibly invasive demand.
Opening his Sea of Consciousness would give Lan Xiaobu the opportunity to seize his body or even kill him.
However, Xiao Yueshui quickly reasoned that Lan Xiaobu, a young seventh-grade Immortal Alchemy King with a bright future in the Forbidden Immortal Bureau, had no reason to harm him.
With his status, Lan Xiaobu could easily find a better position in any sect or immortal court.
"Have you not been cultivating much recently?" Lan Xiaobu suddenly asked.
Xiao Yueshui nodded.
"Yes, no matter how much I cultivate, I make no progress. Even taking immortal pills doesn't help."
Lan Xiaobu thought the Nightmare Demon was foolish.
If it had left even a trace of the pill's essence for Xiao Yueshui, allowing him to make slight progress, Xiao Yueshui would have consumed more pills, accelerating the Nightmare's growth.
Lan Xiaobu said nothing more.
He had laid out his terms.
If Xiao Yueshui refused, he would leave and inform him about the Nightmare Demon, but he wouldn't intervene further.
If the Nightmare had even a hint of sentience and became wary of him, Lan Xiaobu, at the fourth level of the Great Yi Immortal stage, would stand no chance against a Nightmare Demon that had remained undetected within a late-stage Immortal King.
Xiao Yueshui remained silent for a long time before finally bowing to Lan Xiaobu.
"Immortal Officer Lan, I accept your proposal. What should I do now?"
He felt like a walking corpse, unable to progress in cultivation and having lost his passion for alchemy.
His only hope was to secure some opportunities for the Eternal Jade Alchemy Sect in the upcoming Immortal Court Alchemy Competition.
After that, he planned to pass on the sect leadership and search for a solution to his alchemy problem.
From any angle, Xiao Yueshui couldn't see a reason for Lan Xiaobu to harm him.
He had already given Lan Xiaobu his most precious treasure, the Nine-Colored Void Lotus, and allowed him to cultivate in the sect's Wood Attribute Immortal Marrow Pool for half a year.
Even though the Eternal Jade Alchemy Sect had offended Guang Jie, these gestures should have made up for it.
Besides, Lan Xiaobu didn't seem like a deceitful person.
"Good," Lan Xiaobu said, appreciating Xiao Yueshui's decisiveness.
He pointed to the cauldron.
"Sect Master Xiao, refine another batch of Nourishing Rain Immortal Pills. My divine sense will infiltrate your Sea of Consciousness to investigate."
Xiao Yueshui was a man of action.
Once he agreed, he didn't hesitate.
He prepared another batch of Nourishing Rain Immortal Pill ingredients and began the refining process.
This time, he opened his Sea of Consciousness, mind, and all defenses.
Even if Lan Xiaobu intended to harm him, he would accept it.
He trusted that Lan Xiaobu had a reason for this, a gut feeling he couldn't ignore.
As Xiao Yueshui cleaned the cauldron and began purifying the herbs, his focus shifted entirely to the pills forming within the cauldron.
When the medicinal liquid started to condense and reached the pill-nurturing stage, Xiao Yueshui realized that Lan Xiaobu's divine sense hadn't entered his Sea of Consciousness.
Before he could ponder this, he felt a faint trace of soul energy within his pill-refining techniques and Dao rhythm.
Xiao Yueshui was startled.
Lan Xiaobu hadn't entered his Sea of Consciousness but had instead infiltrated his alchemy Dao rhythm.
Was Lan Xiaobu trying to learn his alchemy techniques? That didn't make sense.
Lan Xiaobu was a seventh-grade Immortal Alchemy King.
Why would he want to learn from a failed alchemist like him?
Lan Xiaobu's divine sense had already detected the unusual presence within Xiao Yueshui's alchemy Dao rhythm.
The Cosmic Dimension Matrix was correct—a Pill Nightmare had formed within Xiao Yueshui's alchemy Dao.
The Nightmare Demon, perhaps due to its incomplete sentience, didn't seem to notice Lan Xiaobu's intrusion.
Instead, it greedily absorbed the vitality and Dao rhythm from the Nourishing Rain Immortal Pills forming in the cauldron.
Once the pills were complete, all their essence would be devoured by the Nightmare.
(End of Chapter)