Chapter 2294: Forced Life Extension

The innkeeper scratched the back of his head and chuckled, "I fought in the Battle of Biancheng under General Wanqi."

"I see."

Just then, several deafening claps of thunder flashed across the sky. The man in red robes then said, "You really should listen to your wife."

"Huh?" The innkeeper didn't hear clearly. "What did you say?"

Before the man in red robes could reply, a massive, dull, and terrifying cracking sound came from outside the window. This was followed by a woman's scream:

"The mountain's collapsing! You idiot, hurry!"

The innkeeper was greatly alarmed and told the man in red robes, "Get out quickly, I won't charge you!" With that, he rushed towards the back of the inn. He saw the back mountain cracking, and stones of all sizes rolling down. The largest stone, bigger than their house, was already teetering. The inn was directly below it!

The innkeeper's face turned ashen. He picked up his daughter with his left arm, embraced his wife with his right, and ran out as fast as he could. A tremendous rumble shook the ground behind them, but they didn't dare look back. By the time the sound stopped, the innkeeper looked back and found they were already over two hundred zhang away. The original rock face, like a collapsing golden mountain or falling jade pillars, had completely crumbled. The government's warning had come true: the loose earth and rock in that area would cause a landslide during heavy rain.

The family was still shaken. After standing still for a while, the innkeeper left his wife and child there and jogged back. The official road and the mountain forest were buried under debris. The more he looked, the more alarmed and distressed he became. But when he climbed over a low slope, he couldn't help but rub his eyes: The inn was still there!

The mudslides that had come down the mountain had flowed evenly to either side of the rest stop. The inn, apart from some fallen stones, was not buried. It was as if an invisible barrier outside the inn had forcefully blocked the mudslides. The innkeeper disregarded the danger and strode into the rest stop. Inside, everything was as it had been; even the window paper hadn't been damaged. But the man in red robes was gone. On the table lay a silver ingot. Neatly placed on the teapot's spout was a small purple common violet.

"Emperor!"

Liu Qingdao immediately sought an audience with the Great Emperor Jiuyou, quickly briefing him on the recent battle, and then said: "Elder Xu fell from Xuling's back after fewer than two moves and lapsed into a coma, his condition steadily worsening! Several disciples tried to break out with him but were wounded and captured by us. I've interrogated them; they say Elder Xu has a soul-binding pillar in the sect, so if he dies, Qixia Sect within the Minor Grotto-Heaven will surely know!"

"Do the other disciples have soul-binding pillars?"

Liu Qingdao shook his head. "Their rank isn't high enough; they don't have that privilege."

"Do everything to preserve Xu Wenqin's life! If Qixia Sect receives news of Elder Xu's death, they might leave the Minor Grotto-Heaven." He Lingchuan knew time was short. "They aren't many, so if they scatter and infiltrate Wei'an City, it will be difficult for us to capture them one by one. Have you interrogated them about the entrance to Qixia Sect's stronghold?"

"These are the passes recovered from Elder Xu and his disciples; we also confiscated one from Tianwu earlier." Liu Qingdao handed over several tokens. "Qixia Sect's Minor Grotto-Heaven originally had two entrances. One was sealed after Tianwu was captured. The remaining one was also revealed by the Spider Queen during interrogation. It's at the Crouching Ox White Stone in Butterfly Stream, Xunyang Mountain. Tap the stone three times with a token, and if you see a green light, you can enter. The opening and closing of the grotto are controlled by Yuan Xilin."

The Dungeon Spider Queen, covered in steel needles, required no additional torture instruments; few creatures could withstand its interrogation. Yuan Xilin was the name of Qixia Sect's sect master.

He Lingchuan picked up a token and examined it. It was reddish, like fire-burnt stone, with a hazy white streak in the middle, resembling the color of an evening sky. Liu Qingdao immediately added, "Tianwu also had one of these tokens." The six tokens, placed together, were almost identical in material, though their patterns and colors varied, likely due to being purely natural.

Just then, Elder Xu, covered in blood and injuries, was carried in, with Lingguang accompanying him, his eyes filled with worry and urgency. Elder Xu's eyes were tightly shut; he was unconscious. His chest rose and fell only after a long interval, his breath faint as a wisp of smoke. A translucent, pale green film covered the surface of his body.

He Lingchuan took one look and said, "They've even resorted to a full-body medicinal membrane; it seems his condition is not optimistic."

Lingguang said with a grimace, "We've done our best, but what's threatening his life isn't just the divine art; it also erupted directly in his chest cavity. Now, his internal organs are nearly depleted, I'm afraid..." He shook his head and said no more.

This medicinal membrane was a proud achievement jointly developed by him and Dong Rui, using Emperor's Dew as the main ingredient, supplemented by sixteen auxiliary herbs. It had to be gathered and prepared on-site when spirit rain fell. The life force it provided rivaled concentrated Emperor's Dew. Simply by applying it to the skin, its potent medicinal properties would deeply penetrate, promoting the regeneration of muscles and bones. With such powerful efficacy, as long as the injured person did not die on the spot, it could later be used to pull them back from the brink of death. After completing this research, Dong Rui once boasted that this was a true miracle medicine capable of reviving the dead and regenerating flesh and bone.

Yet, even tightly wrapped from head to toe in the medicinal membrane, Elder Xu's face was as ghastly as a corpse, and the massive wound on his chest showed no signs of shrinking or healing; instead, its edges were continuously blackening.

Dong Rui's face darkened, and just as he was about to speak, He Lingchuan addressed him first: "Time is precious; we'll discuss it on the way! Release your treasure for travel."

Dong Rui immediately summoned his Snail-Toad. For short-distance travel, the Snail-Toad was the most convenient, as it didn't easily alarm others and had a large carrying capacity. Over the years, Dong Rui had modified the Snail-Toad multiple times; its travel speed was not only much faster than before but it could even adapt to dry and saline soils. Originally, both snails and toads detested these two types of terrain, but Dong Rui had obtained a water-retaining barrier from the merfolk and incorporated the lungfish's bladder talent into the Snail-Toad. This allowed its skin to rapidly secrete a layer of mucus when passing through dry and saline areas, forming a moist membrane that made it highly insensitive to soil concentration. Aside from purely rocky mountains, there were now few terrains the Snail-Toad couldn't traverse.

Everyone boarded the Snail-Toad and set off towards Xunyang Mountain. The journey wasn't far, and with the Snail-Toad traveling ten times faster than a galloping horse, they would arrive quickly.

Dong Rui looked at Elder Xu and was frustrated that the medicinal membrane completely encased him, leaving no room for his examination. If the membrane was torn, Elder Xu would die instantly. He could only ask Lingguang, "The Emperor's Dew medicinal membrane has been applied; why can't he be saved?"

"What's invading Elder Xu's body is a living organism! Its reproduction rate is astonishing, and it's even entered his bloodstream and spread throughout his body; we simply can't clear it out." Lingguang was also troubled, as diseases and toxins that entered the systemic circulation were the most difficult to treat. "I suspect this thing thrives on strength, and it's precisely because it's devouring immortal flesh and blood that it's growing so rapidly!" He took a tray from behind him, which contained a mixture of red and white substances, giving off a strong, foul odor.