Chapter 149: Crimson Empyrean in Action!

It took a whole day to tidy up his own small workshop and hang a plaque that simply and unpretictiously read: Alchemy and Artifact Workshop.

He then set up another sign outside to acquire beast scales, spiritual herbs, rare ores, and the like.

It looked no different from any other shop.

Thus, Cao Chengyu's little shop quietly opened its doors in this area.

After deploying two puppet maids from his storage bag to serve as attendants, he stepped into the subterranean fire chamber, intending to refine some commonly used pills and magical artifacts to display on the shelves.

He did have plenty of items plundered from others in his storage bag, but those needed a bit of modification, at least to erase the exclusive marks left by their original refiners.

Whenever a weapon refiner forged a magical artifact, they would leave a unique personal pattern or signature inside to prove it came from their hands. Some renowned alchemists did the same.

Because he had always forged items for his own use, Cao Chengyu had never bothered to design a personal mark for himself.

Now, adopting a new identity, he drew a Heavenly Scent Spirit Cat inside as his personal signature.

Processing the large stash of low-tier magical artifacts and pills in his pocket took him a full three days.

Mainly because the shops in the immortal market near the mountains functioned primarily as acquisition hubs, meaning he could not publicly buy or sell high-tier pills and artifacts.

Displaying a few low-tier items, however, was completely fine.

Over these past three days, a few waves of customers had visited. Aside from bringing him a large quantity of beast materials, they also sold him some Qi-Restoring Pills, Enamel Pills, Bone-Mending Pills, and other combat-supportive elixirs.

The magical artifacts traded were mostly utility-oriented items such as large nets, needle weapons, and traps, resulting in low transaction volumes.

Nevertheless, he managed to gather a lot of useful information about the Tianxu Mountain Range.

Due to the transverse terrain created by continental compression, cultivators divided the area into distinct layers.

For instance, the outermost fifteen transverse mountains had been thoroughly excavated through years of exploration, leaving not a single hair behind.

The five layers inward from the fifteenth transverse mountain belonged to the territory of ferocious beasts known as Moro Apes, whose hearts could be used to refine the Origin-Reverting Pill, which had miraculous effects on healing injuries.

Another five layers further inward lay the territory of the Crystal Scorpion clan. Belonging to ancient beasts, they were generally much fiercer and stronger than most human cultivators in the same realm.

Whether ferocious beasts or ancient beasts, they all resided within beast palaces, and cultivators lacking sufficient strength could greatly reduce their danger simply by avoiding them in advance.

Of course, this did not mean that the beasts distributed across these layered territories were all of a single species.

In fact, the Moro Ape territory also harbored a small number of Crystal Scorpions, Terrifying Giant Wolves, Plate-Horned Immortals (Sheep), and so on.

It was just that their numbers and strength held absolute dominance, so focusing primarily on guarding against them was correct.

Cao Chengyu sat at the counter, sketching his own map. The first fifteen layers had already been thoroughly "cleared," but the inner ten layers with the Moro Apes and Crystal Scorpions...

Further inward still were countless fold-like mountain ranges. Cao Chengyu felt rather troubled; forcing his way through would be immensely difficult, and unlike beasts, he could not simply borrow safe passage.

How on earth had Lin Yunjiao managed to cross through back then?

Her cultivation realm wasn't even that high at the time. To think he had actually forgotten about this detail.

Cao Chengyu patted his head, preparing to go over and ask her about it.

Out of the corner of his eye, however, he caught sight of a red figure entering the doorway. The visitor wore a golden crown engraved with snake eyes, a deep red robe embroidered with golden threads and phoenix patterns, and a band of silk-like white cloth tied tightly over her eyes.

It was Chixiao!

How did she find this place? Could Chixiaoxiao have discovered me?

Cao Chengyu's heart stirred, but he greeted her with a calm and unruffled expression.

"Customer, is there something you need?"

"I heard that you have a special kind of pill for sale. Could you bring it out and let me have a look?"

A special kind of pill...

Cao Chengyu pondered to himself that he certainly wasn't offering any special services.

The only pill he sold that possessed even the slightest unique characteristic would be the Dragon-Tiger Intercourse Pill...

It was a dual-cultivation elixir modified from the Yin-Yang Intercourse Pill.

Who would have thought someone who looked so serious and upright would have such inclinations?

Before Cao Chengyu's imagination could run wild, Chixiao coughed lightly and said, "I am referring to the Great Five Elements Pill. A friend of mine told me that you carry elixirs required for cultivating five-element attributes."

"The Great Five Elements Pill... Fellow Daoist, have you forged a Five Elements Dao Body?"

"Indeed. I had heard of this pill before, but I never expected someone in Tianxu Mountain would know how to refine it. Can you sell me some?"

"Of course."

Whether Lesser or Greater Five Elements Pills, they were generally used by Dao Body realm cultivators to cultivate five-element-related Dao bodies. When used by Purple Palace cultivators, they were only suitable for replenishing homologous magical power.

They could be considered Qi-restoring elixirs custom-made for cultivators with five-element attributes.

Cao Chengyu produced two bottles containing a total of twenty-four pills and handed them to Chixiao.

"That will be thirty mid-grade spirit stones."

This price was equivalent to three thousand low-grade spirit stones—quite expensive for a Dao Body cultivator, but a mere drop in the bucket for a Purple Palace cultivator.

Since he refined these items to recover his own magical power as well, he had at least a hundred bottles stored in his pockets.

Chixiao nodded, paid the sum, and turned to leave.

Cao Chengyu spoke up to ask, "Fellow Daoist, do you have a cultivation companion?"

"I do not..."

Chixiao turned her head slightly. Although she was a blind woman, a cultivator's spiritual sense perception was often much sharper than ordinary vision.

She had clearly specialized in enhancing her sensory capabilities even further.

Thus, a trace of doubt arose in her heart as to why he would ask such a question.

"You are welcome to visit again next time."

"I will."

Chixiao turned and walked away, her demeanor carrying a somewhat valiant and spirited air.

Cao Chengyu guessed that Chixiaoxiao must be planning some kind of operation, having even brought his own biological mother along. Should he go and join in the excitement?

No, it would be safer to play it safe.

Cao Chengyu hurriedly walked to the shop entrance and waved at an alley by the street.

Before long, a somewhat unkempt young man approached him, picking his nose as he asked, "What's the job?"

"Arrange a Purple Palace cultivator who excels at concealment and tracking to follow that red-robed woman. Tell me everything she does today and tomorrow."

"No problem. One hundred mid-grade spirit stones."

"Deal."

Cao Chengyu readily paid the amount. This fellow belonged to a rogue cultivator organization, somewhat akin to a private agency—they worked for money and did anything short of murder and highway robbery.

It was an open organization.

Tracking Chixiao was primarily to see what actions Chixiaoxiao was planning. Having just arrived, Cao Chengyu still hadn't figured out many details, and the method for crossing the Tianxu Mountains remained quite obscure to him.

Chixiaoxiao had arrived earlier than him and clearly already had a plan. If he weren't worried about being trapped and killed, he would have followed them himself.

He still needed to work harder to raise his cultivation realm.

Pondering this, Cao Chengyu closed the shop and returned to the spirit boat, where Lin Yunjiao was cultivating in the quiet chamber.

Sensing his arrival, she didn't make him wait long. After concluding her cycle of breath regulation for the week, she came out.

"Chengyu, what happened?"

"Nothing, I just missed you. Come, I've prepared a table of food and wine, let's chat."

Lin Yunjiao looked slightly puzzled.

By the time the wine had been served three times over, she was already drowsily resting in Cao Chengyu's arms. This spirit fruit wine, brewed using alchemical elixirs, had a high alcohol content and profound effects even on cultivators.

Her clothes were half-disheveled, and her cheeks flushed a bright red.

"How... did you manage to cross... over... *hiccup*..."

"Just like... this... across..."

"Come... ah... Chengyu..."

Cao Chengyu wore an expression of utter miscalculation. Forget it, he would ask her tomorrow; today, he should continue executing the secret manual of the "Old Man Qin's Ten Thousand and Eight Postures."

(Note: Today's update is a bit shorter as my pre-written drafts are completely exhausted. I will make up for it with extra volume tomorrow.)