Chapter 845: That Person, That Light (2)

He moved on to the fourth floor, then the fifth. Each level continued to resemble classrooms of varying sizes. The sixth and seventh floors were no different.

It wasn’t until he reached the twentieth floor that he finally saw something more telling, rooms that looked like laboratories. There were workbenches for slicing, sorting, grinding, and combining medicinal ingredients, as well as countless herb drawers and boxes. When he opened them, rich medicinal aromas wafted out.

"These are all rare spiritual herbs..." Li Xiaofei, now somewhat knowledgeable, could tell at a glance that the herbs were of exceptionally high quality.

He now understood that the first, second, and third floors of the Doushuai Palace were administrative areas. Then came classrooms for cultivating herbs and training alchemy apprentices. The higher the level, the more advanced the apprentices became, and the higher the grade of herbs they handled. Eventually, they began learning how to mix ingredients.

"If I keep going up, I’ll likely reach the actual pill-refining chambers."

Having found no trace of Little Aunt and the others, Li Xiaofei simply continued his ascent. As expected, he soon came across flame-control cultivation rooms, beginner-level alchemy rooms, and even private cultivation chambers for alchemists. There were also platforms designated for exchanging insights, sparring, and mutual refinement of techniques.

𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

It became clear that this Doushuai Palace of the Third-Generation Heaven was no longer the legendary residence of the Grand Supreme Elder Lord. It wasn’t merely a sacred place for refining pills, it had become a comprehensive institution that encompassed herb procurement, pill production, alchemist training, advanced studies, and academic exchange.

If Li Xiaofei thought it over, such a transformation was unexpected, yet entirely logical. After all, the five Immortal Emperors, Ding Hao, Li Mu, Ye Qingyu, Sun Fei, and Lin Beichen had all originated from Earth. Their way of thinking still clearly bore the imprint of Earth’s technological civilization.

Naturally, the Heaven they rebuilt wasn’t the archaic, bureaucratic god-realm found in folk mythology. Instead, it had become a well-organized, functionally comprehensive stronghold of the Dao of Alchemy.

“Hm? There are immortal pills inside this gourd.”

Li Xiaofei spotted a purple-gold gourd hanging on the wall while he was exploring a pill chamber on the nineteenth floor. When he uncorked it, a fragrant medicinal scent wafted out, accompanied by a faint red glow.

He upended the gourd and was startled by the three deep-red pills that rolled into his palm. They were identical to the ones he had found on the golden-armored corpse of a celestial general in the ruins of Heaven. They were the same size, same hue, same sheen, same fragrance, and even the same weight. These were likely top-tier healing pills, capable of mending severe physical injuries.

Luo Ge had been on the brink of death, and a single pill had brought her back, fully restored. It was no exaggeration to say they could revive the dead and regenerate flesh from bone.

After a moment’s thought, Li Xiaofei stored away all three pills along with the Purple Gold Gourd. He didn’t dare waste too much time searching for pills or herbs. His priority was finding Little Aunt, and locating the Blood-Drinking Sword.

He still had no idea what had happened to her. Li Xiaofei continued to follow the lingering aura of Black Emperor upward. Everything he encountered along the way was different. The higher he went, the more pill chambers he found with doors sealed by powerful enchantments.

Li Xiaofei didn’t waste time. As long as he could confirm that Little Aunt and the others weren’t on a particular floor, he moved on immediately, not bothering to search for possible immortal pills or other treasures. It wasn’t until he reached the twenty-ninth floor that something changed.

“Little Aunt!”

Li Xiaofei spotted Little Aunt sitting cross-legged at the entrance to the staircase leading to the thirtieth floor. Tan Qingying, the eldest daughter of the Tan family, along with Luo Ge, the Black Emperor, and the crippled Lin Yi, were all present.

Li Xiaofei let out a breath of relief as he rushed over.

“Brother Xiaofei!” Tan Qingying turned and saw him. Her delicate face, suited equally for smiles or sulks, lit up with unrestrained joy. Without a second thought, she dashed toward him and leaped into his arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him deeply.

Li Xiaofei could feel the rush of excitement and happiness clearly. It was the soul-stirring joy of regaining something precious thought lost. A moment later, the two finally separated.

Li Xiaofei approached Little Aunt and saw that she was indeed injured, but not seriously.

“I’m fine,” she said. “I’ve already taken one of the healing immortal pills we found below. It’s nothing serious.”

Their experiences had been largely similar to Li Xiaofei after entering Doushuai Palace. They had also managed to find some pills. Everyone, including Black Emperor, had already taken them. The injuries they had acquired during the earlier battle with the Ruo swarm were nearly fully healed. Only mental exhaustion remained, something even the most potent pills couldn’t cure. That would take rest.

The reason they hadn’t proceeded to the thirtieth floor was simple. The staircase leading up was sealed and impassable.

“Since we had the Eight Trigrams Furnace, we moved through each of the earlier floors without any problems,” Tan Qingying explained. “But we didn’t expect that even the Eight Trigrams Furnace can’t open this stairway. Little Aunt says that we must reach the thirty-third floor if we want to find the Blood-Drinking Sword. It’s said to be embedded there.”

Even the Eight Trigrams Furnace couldn’t open the passage to the thirtieth floor?

Li Xiaofei found that quite surprising.

“Wait... you don’t have the Eight Trigrams Furnace. How did you even get here?” Tan Qingying asked curiously.

Li Xiaofei recounted everything that had happened on his way up.

“The palace doors opened on their own? And you passed through every level without obstruction?” Tan Qingying was stunned. “If Little Aunt hadn’t used the Eight Trigrams Furnace, we wouldn’t have made it past the fifth floor. We had to rely on its power to lift the restrictions on every staircase.”

Li Xiaofei was shocked as well.

What in the world? There were restrictions on the staircases?

He hadn’t encountered a single one.

Little Aunt seemed deep in thought. Then she said, “In that case, go try it. See if you can pass through the stairway to the thirtieth floor.”

Li Xiaofei walked over to the staircase. He took a single step forward, as all eyes watched. His right foot landed effortlessly on the first step.

In the very next instant—

Boom!

The entire Doushuai Palace suddenly shook violently. It felt just like an earthquake. The group was caught completely off guard and nearly went tumbling like gourds rolling across the floor.

Little Aunt’s expression changed dramatically. She rushed to one of the side windows and looked outside.

“How is this possible?!” She cried out in alarm, “The Ruo swarm has breached Doushuai Palace!”

Below, the palace’s grand gates had already been smashed open by some horrifying force. Countless mutated Ruos surged through the entrance like a flood. It had to be said, not even the Mother of All Beasts had been able to break into Doushuai Palace when Heaven had nearly fallen. Even after Ximen Qianxue’s defeat and disappearance, she had still managed to preserve the palace.

This place wasn’t just the sacred ground of alchemy for Heaven, it was also the resting place of a sword. The Blood-Drinking Sword. Doushuai Palace had been known for its impenetrable defenses. But now, the gates had been broken through.

A deeply ominous feeling surged in Little Aunt’s heart. She suspected that the Mother of All Beasts had likely awakened, and was no longer suppressed or sealed by the Blood-Drinking Sword. It was very possible that the creature had broken free.

“Go, quickly!” She urged, shouting, “Get to the thirty-third floor and draw the Blood-Drinking Sword! It will tell you what to do next!”

Li Xiaofei, standing on the staircase, replied, “Little Aunt, come with me—”

“We can’t.” She had already pieced together the truth. “Everything above the thirtieth floor is no longer accessible through the Eight Trigrams Furnace. It now belongs to the Blood-Drinking Sword. Only someone who carries the energy of the Dual Sacred Body of Blade and Sword, like you, can enter. If there’s anyone in this world who can draw that sword, it’s you. Go, now!”

The revival of Heaven and the fate of the human race all hinged on this very moment. Li Xiaofei gritted his teeth, pushed aside all hesitation, and charged up the stairs at full speed.

Meanwhile, Little Aunt sat cross-legged on the twenty-ninth floor, summoning the Eight Trigrams Furnace. She placed both hands on its body and began channeling her energy into it.

Tan Qingying and Luo Ge followed her lead. A single ray of divine light flowed across the surface of the Eight Trigrams Furnace, crackling like electricity as it flickered across the engraved patterns. The entire Doushuai Palace responded immediately.

From the first floor upward, one layer after another transformed into terrifying arrays of killing formations. The invading Ruo swarm was torn apart as they charged upward. The Doushuai Palace had become a colossal, living millstone, mercilessly grinding down and harvesting the lives of its enemies.