Chapter 00281: Slaying the Dan Nightmare
# Slaying the Dan Nightmare
Chapter 281
Novel: Abandon The Universe
Chapter 281: Slaying the Dan Nightmare
Lan Xiaobu continuously carved one restraining array after another.
As more and more array patterns were etched, his heart grew increasingly joyful.
He knew that even if the Dan Nightmare realized what was happening, it would be too late.
Sure enough, the Dan Nightmare reacted, its violent aura surging toward Lan Xiaobu's divine soul.
Unfazed, Lan Xiaobu unleashed several more restraining seals and, with a swift motion, used a soul-slashing technique to sever the Dan Nightmare attached to Xiao Yueshui's alchemical dao aura.
At that moment, Xiao Yueshui was in the midst of refining pills.
The aura of his alchemical dao was clear, and the Dan Nightmare, now fully exposed, was unmistakably visible.
Xiao Yueshui felt his alchemical dao aura being torn apart by the soul slash, and an excruciating pain shot through him.
Yet, he gritted his teeth and resisted the urge to retaliate or take any other action.
He trusted that Lan Xiaobu had a purpose; otherwise, he wouldn't have torn apart his alchemical dao aura without reason.
If Lan Xiaobu had wanted to kill him, he could have done so earlier by invading his sea of consciousness or even destroying it outright.
Instead, Lan Xiaobu had targeted his alchemical dao aura.
Even if his alchemical dao aura were destroyed, it wouldn't affect his strength or cultivation.
At most, he would lose the ability to refine pills.
But as things stood, he couldn't refine pills now anyway.
"Pfft!" As his dao aura was severed, Xiao Yueshui spat out a mouthful of blood, his entire body trembling on the spot.
This batch of pills was ruined.
Lan Xiaobu swiftly sealed the severed Dan Nightmare, wrapping it in thousands of restraining seals in a matter of moments.
The Dan Nightmare was too dangerous, and Lan Xiaobu had no intention of letting it attach itself to him.
He admired Xiao Yueshui's composure.
If it had been anyone else, even the slightest resistance or doubt would have increased Lan Xiaobu's burden tenfold.
He had only infiltrated Xiao Yueshui's alchemical dao aura with his soul sense; he wasn't physically battling the Dan Nightmare.
If Xiao Yueshui had resisted, Lan Xiaobu would have had no choice but to retreat.
He wasn't willing to risk his life here.
Thanks to Xiao Yueshui's trust and the Dan Nightmare's greed and incomplete intelligence, Lan Xiaobu succeeded in one go, sealing the Dan Nightmare and tossing it into his Cosmic Dimension Matrix.
As Lan Xiaobu's soul sense, carrying the severed Dan Nightmare, left Xiao Yueshui's body, Xiao Yueshui felt an immense weight lift from his shoulders, as if a burden of countless tons had been removed.
Lan Xiaobu took out a few pills and handed them to Xiao Yueshui.
"Sect Master Xiao, everything is fine now."
Without hesitation, Xiao Yueshui swallowed the pills Lan Xiaobu had given him, his face filled with excitement as he looked at Lan Xiaobu.
"Immortal Officer Lan, can I really refine pills again? And cultivate?"
Though he asked, Xiao Yueshui already had the answer in his heart.
He knew his body better than anyone else.
This sense of relief was something he hadn't felt in tens of thousands of years.
It was like a new lease on life.
At the same time, Xiao Yueshui attempted to circulate his qi through a full cycle.
The long-lost sensation surged through him.
After tens of thousands of years without cultivation, this sudden circulation of qi even made him feel a slight increase in his strength.
"You should be able to," Lan Xiaobu replied.
"Sect Master Xiao, you can try it yourself later. You might even turn misfortune into fortune. After such a long time without cultivation, your mindset has become more balanced. With a single Reverence Pill, you might even break through to the Immortal Venerable realm."
Xiao Yueshui bowed deeply to Lan Xiaobu.
"Immortal Officer Lan, trusting you was the best decision I've ever made. I've already tried, and I can indeed cultivate again. May I ask, Immortal Officer Lan, what exactly was wrong with me? Why couldn't I refine pills or cultivate?"
Lan Xiaobu pondered for a moment before speaking.
"Sect Master Xiao, have you heard of Nightmare Demons?"
"Nightmare Demons? There was a Nightmare Demon inside me?" Xiao Yueshui looked at Lan Xiaobu in horror.
The idea of a Nightmare Demon was truly terrifying.
Lan Xiaobu nodded.
"Yes, there was indeed a Nightmare Demon inside you, but it wasn't an ordinary one. It was a Dan Nightmare."
Xiao Yueshui's fists clenched so tightly they turned white.
He finally understood what had happened.
A Dan Nightmare had infiltrated his alchemical dao aura.
Whenever he refined pills, the pill qi and dao aura would be absorbed by the Dan Nightmare.
That was why he couldn't produce any pills.
Even when he cultivated, any heaven and earth spiritual qi he absorbed would be taken by the Dan Nightmare.
Over time, this Dan Nightmare inside him would grow stronger and stronger, eventually taking over his body.
Xiao Yueshui would disappear from this world entirely.
The thought of being possessed by a Dan Nightmare, of the Sect Master of the Eternal Jade Alchemy Sect becoming a Dan Nightmare, made Xiao Yueshui shudder.
It was too horrifying to contemplate.
By then, there wouldn't be a single pill or alchemist left in the Eternal Jade Alchemy Sect.
Everything would become nourishment for the Dan Nightmare.
It was precisely because Lan Xiaobu knew it was a Dan Nightmare that he didn't explain everything too clearly.
Relying solely on Xiao Yueshui's trust, he infiltrated Xiao Yueshui's alchemical dao aura while he was refining pills and seized the opportunity to sever the Dan Nightmare.
This process was fraught with risk for Lan Xiaobu as well.
If Xiao Yueshui hadn't trusted him, he could have teamed up with the Dan Nightmare to attack Lan Xiaobu.
Even if Xiao Yueshui had trusted him, Lan Xiaobu could have been counterattacked by the Dan Nightmare and possessed.
Understanding the magnitude of Lan Xiaobu's kindness, Xiao Yueshui bowed deeply once more.
"Immortal Officer Lan, I will never forget your kindness. If there is anything you need, I, Xiao Yueshui, will spare no effort to assist you."
Lan Xiaobu quickly helped Xiao Yueshui up.
"Sect Master Xiao, you're too kind. I suspect you were sabotaged. Your alchemical dao is upright and balanced, not leaning toward any unorthodox paths. Moreover, the cultivation technique you practice is also very orthodox. It's impossible for such a problem to arise naturally, and a Dan Nightmare would never appear under normal circumstances."
To put it more bluntly, Xiao Yueshui's talent and alchemical dao were, frankly, average.
He truly didn't have the qualifications to produce a Dan Nightmare.
Xiao Yueshui's expression grew increasingly grim.
After a long while, he sighed and said, "I know who did this to me. His name is Yuan Ji. He's also a sixth-grade grand alchemist and the alchemy elder of the Medicine Valley, a seventh-grade immortal sect of the Jiangyan Immortal Path. By placing a Dan Nightmare in me, he likely didn't intend for it to grow strong enough to possess my body. Instead, he wanted to strip away my primordial spirit and turn the Dan Nightmare into the spirit of his alchemy cauldron."
In other words, he wanted to turn Xiao Yueshui into the spirit of an alchemy cauldron.
This wasn't surprising.
Although this Dan Nightmare hadn't fully matured, it still held some value.
Lan Xiaobu didn't plan to destroy it immediately.
Since Yuan Ji had planted the Dan Nightmare, there must be a mental connection between them.
By helping Xiao Yueshui sever the Dan Nightmare, Lan Xiaobu would have to be wary of Yuan Ji.
Xiao Yueshui didn't say anything more and began refining another batch of Nourishing Rain Immortal Pills.
This time, it only took two hours for Xiao Yueshui to successfully refine a batch of Nourishing Rain Immortal Pills.
He produced twelve pills in total, with eleven being of high quality and one of medium quality.
Each pill was imbued with a rich alchemical dao aura, brimming with vitality.
Xiao Yueshui held the pills in his hand, overwhelmed with emotion.
He had devoted his life to alchemy, only to be unable to refine a single pill.
No one could understand the torment he had endured.
His gratitude toward Lan Xiaobu couldn't be expressed in mere words.
"Sect Master Xiao, I need to return to the Forbidden Immortal Bureau. Guang Jie is at the Eternal Jade Alchemy Sect. Please take good care of her," Lan Xiaobu said.
He had been away from the Forbidden Immortal Bureau for half a year, and it was time to return.
"Immortal Officer Lan, rest assured. I guarantee that nothing like last time will happen again," Xiao Yueshui said solemnly.
...
As soon as Lan Xiaobu returned to the Forbidden Immortal Bureau, he saw Teng Mo approaching from a distance.
Before he even got close, Teng Mo's laughter rang out.
"Immortal Officer Lan, I was just about to head out, but I ran into you. Come, come, let's go see your new cave abode."
Lan Xiaobu couldn't help but feel a bit disdainful.
This guy was clearly lying.
He had sent Xie Chuan back first, so Xie Chuan must have informed Teng Mo of his return, leading to this "coincidental" meeting.
However, Lan Xiaobu was also curious about what Teng Mo wanted from him.
If it was about refining pills, that would be simple.
He could refine as many batches as needed, as long as there were immortal spirit herbs.
Of course, he would charge a fee for his services.
If Teng Mo wanted him to join his faction and help with some messy struggle for the position of Immortal Court King, then forget it.
Lan Xiaobu had no interest in such matters.
Following Teng Mo to the fourth floor of the Forbidden Immortal Bureau, Lan Xiaobu noticed that his office had been moved from the right side to the left.
Originally, the left side housed the Grand Immortal Officer's office, while the right side was for the four minor Immortal Officers.
Now, the left side was occupied by Lan Xiaobu and Teng Mo, while the right side was for the four minor Immortal Officers.
As soon as Lan Xiaobu entered the office Teng Mo had arranged for him, he realized that the eleventh prince of the Immortal Court had invested heavily.
The entire cave abode was constructed from spirit-gathering immortal wood.
It was luxurious and spacious yet not ostentatious.
Thick immortal spiritual qi circulated within, indicating that an immortal spirit vein had been implanted beneath.
Moreover, there was a dedicated alchemy room inside the cave abode.
"Did the Grand Immortal Officer implant an immortal spirit vein beneath this place?" Lan Xiaobu asked, sensing that the quality of this immortal spirit vein was even higher than his own high-grade immortal spirit vein.
Could it be a top-grade immortal spirit vein?
Teng Mo nodded.
"Yes, but I'm not wealthy. I only have a damaged high-grade immortal spirit vein, which I implanted beneath the Forbidden Immortal Bureau. This immortal spirit vein is mainly for your cultivation. My cultivation won't improve in the short term, so I don't need much immortal spiritual qi."
Lan Xiaobu sighed inwardly.
He had dozens of high-grade immortal spirit veins in his spatial ring, but now he realized that he had been right.
Due to the limitations of the Lingwei Immortal Domain's natural laws, the high-grade immortal spirit veins he had obtained were only equivalent to mid-grade immortal spirit veins here.
As for mid-grade immortal spirit veins, they were likely only equivalent to low-grade ones.
Knowing that Teng Mo had something to ask of him, Lan Xiaobu decided to cut to the chase.
"Grand Immortal Officer, is there something you need my help with?"
(End of Chapter)