Angin mematikan masih melayang dan mengamuk di luar Apotek Roh Hijau, membawa bersamaan rasa ketakutan. Ribuan Roh Angin yang dingin dan sombong mengisi kota dengan aura yang serem dan membeku.
"Pencuri kecil pasti sekarang sedang berlutut memohon ampun kepada patriark..."
"Hmph! Memohon ampun mungkin berhasil jika kita hidup di dunia yang damai."
"Mengingat ia mencuri barang suci kami, patriark seperti biasanya akan mengupas kulitnya. Siapa tahu ia akan mengubahnya jadi lentera hias. Lemak dari mayatnya bisa jadi minyak, dan jiwhanya akan terbakar selamanya di dalamnya."
Roh-Roh Angin semuanya mengeong keras, terutama mereka yang pernah bertarung melawan Xu Qing. Mereka semua penuh semangat dan pengharapan.
"Namun angkuh pencuri itu dulu, sesedih itulah dia akan menderita hari ini!"
"Ia mencuri barang suci kami lalu meloloskan diri dari pengejaran kami. Dia punya kemampuan, aku akui itu. Tapi itu tak akan membantu dia sekarang. Saat menghadapi kekuatan yang luar biasa, dia ditakdirkan untuk menderita."
"Jika patriark mengubahnya jadi lentera, aku pasti akan meminjam lentera itu dan bersenang-senang di gua rumahku."
"Dan jangan lupa sang tukakak dan roh jahat itu!"
Roh-Roh Angin yang pernah bertarung dengan Xu Qing berkumpul di tempat yang sama, tertawa bersama sambil memantau toko obat itu.
Patriark Roh Angin sudah lama berada di dalam, tapi tak ada yang cemas, bahkan bukan empat Roh Angin dari Gudang Roh pun.
Saat mereka memandang pintu Apotek Roh Hijau, mereka tak mendeteksi sedikitpun fluktuasi dari dalam. Tapi itu wajar. Diberi laganya kultivasi Patriark Roh Angin, tak ada seorang pun di luar yang bisa mendeteksi apa pun yang dilakukannya di dalam.
"Sayang bagi pelaku kejahatannya, patriark kita bisa meredukannya hanya dengan satu pandangan."
"Dengar-dengar katanya, dahulu kala saat patriark ini bepergian, ia suka mengubah musuhnya jadi boneka dan gadget kecil. Aku bisa bayangkan dia sedang merancang sesuatu yang baru untuk mengubah tipenya menjadi bentuk lain."
"Oh, menarik sekali."
Di antara keempat Roh Angin dari Gudang Roh yang bercanda dan bertegur sambil menatap toko obat, para pengamat dari luar kota hanya tertarik dan menatap dengan sedikit penasaran. Mereka semua tahu bahwa Roh-Roh Angin tidak sekadar menghancurkan sebuah toko obat kecil.
"Kota bata lumpur ini bakal jadi neraka di bumi."
"Mempertimbangkan sifat spesies ini, aku bisa bayangkan mereka akan mengubah kota ini jadi badai angin yang tidak pernah berhenti, hanya untuk menunjukkan kepada orang lain betapa kuat dan menakutkan mereka adalah."
"Yang terpenting, apakah ada yang sadar bahwa... sudah cukup lama sejak Patriark Roh Angin masuk?"
Di antara para kultivator dari luar kota dan Roh-Roh Angin di dalam kota yang membahas hal ini, waktu terus berlalu. Akhirnya dua jam penuh telah berlalu.
Tidak lama setelahnya, orang-orang mulai merasakan sesuatu yang aneh. Para kultivator di dalam dan di luar kota semakin memperhatikan Apotek Roh Hijau.
Akhirnya, keempat Roh Angin dari Gudang Roh mulai menyadari bahwa waktu memang terlalu lama. Setelah saling bertatapan, mereka bersiap untuk mendekati toko obat. Namun, tepat pada waktu itu, pintu toko perlahan-lahan terbuka dengan kemek. Seribu dua ratus mata menatap pintu itu, kebanyakan penuh pengharapan, antusiasme, dan ketekunan. Namun, hanya seketika saja—mata-mata itu pun terkejut lebar.
Patriark Roh Angin terlihat di dalam pintu. Wajahnya dipenuhi kesopanan, perlahan-lahan mundur sambil membuat sembah, lalu berkata, "Maaf sudah mengganggu kalian semua. Saya tidak mengerti situasinya. Mohon maafkan saya atas semua gangguan yang ditimbulkan."
Bahkan setelahnya keluar, ia tetap membuat sembah dalam arah Apotek Roh Hijau.
"Aku akan mengirimkan barang suci kami segera. Barang-barang ini berfungsi sebagai seperangkain, jadi sebaiknya jangan dipisahkan terlalu lama, dan selain itu, aku tidak dapat menjaganya dengan setia dan aman seperti suami istri ini. Ke depan, jika kamu butuh bantuan apapun, tekan jade pendant ini saja. Tak peduli apa pun yang kamu butuhkan, aku akan langsung datang. Dan sekarang, aku benar-benar akan berpisah. Saya sungguh-sungguh mint maaf!"
Dengan gemetar, patriark itu kembali membuat sembah dalam. Lalu pintu pun diketuk-ketuk keras. Angin dingin bertiup mengubah jalan-jalan kota. Tak ada suara sama sekali... Roh-Roh Angin kelihatan kagok. Para kultivator di luar kota pun kagucad. Karena angin membawa kata-kata sopan patriark ke mana-mana, semua orang mendengarnya.
Nyaris tidak terpikirkan. Tak seorang pun bisa membayangkan bahwa Patriark Roh Angin akan berbuat begini. Sepertinya benar-benar mustahil. Namun, nyatanya terjadi.
Patriark Roh Angin berdiri di luar Apotek Roh Hijau di tengah angin sejuk, dan ia bisa merasakan dirinya gemetar. Saat rasa dingin menyebar melalui tubuhnya, itu bergabungan dengan gemetar jantungnya untuk menciptakan intensitas kecil yang menggelegar. Karena basis kultivasinya begitu tinggi, sudah lama sekali sejak ia merasakan rasa dingin yang biasa dialami oleh manusia biasa. Tapi kini, ia merasakannya. Dalam dan paling dalam. Ia tak ingin berpikir lebih jauh tentang apa pun yang terjadi di dalam sana. Juga tak ingin tinggal di sini. Dengan gemetar, ia perlahan-lahan berbalik.
Keempat pendamping dari Gudang Spiritual pun memandangnya dengan ragu.
"Patriark..."
"Patriark, apa yang terjadi?"
Patriark itu menggelengkan kepalanya. Mata yang berkelip dengan ketakutan, lalu ia berbisik, "Jangan tanyakan. Jangan pernah sebutkan itu lagi. Kami harus pergi. Sekarang juga!"
Yang kagok itu, keempat pendamping dari Gudang Roh itu menghirup dan meluncur, terbang pergi.
Pemimpin Roh-Roh Angin yang pernah bertarung melawan Xu Qing itu terkejut hingga tak bisa tidak bertanya, "Patriark, pencuri kecil ini—"
Sebelum ia bisa menyelesaikan kalimatnya, Patriark Roh Angin berbalik dan melambangkan tangannya. Darah menyembur keluar dari mulut sang pemuda yang lain sekaligus terlempar ke kejauhan, jatuh tak berdaya di tanah.
"Dia seorang grandmaster!" katanya dengan marah. "Aku mengizinkan siapa pun untuk membicarakannya dengan santai!"
Di tengah kebingungan para Roh-Roh Angin, patriark itu terbang menghilang ke kejauhan. Tak lama kemudian, ribuan orang terlihat meninggalkan kota bata lumpur dan menghilang di dalam angin.
Pengamat dari berbagai fraksi yang sedang menyaksikan dari luar kota tak bisa tidak terkesan tercengang. Lalu mereka menatap Apotek Roh Hijau dengan mata baru.
"Apa yang sedang terjadi??"
"Aku melihat hal-hal yang aneh? Apakah ini ilusi? Mengapa terlihat sepertinya patriark Roh-Roh Angin itu gemetar..."
"Apa yang terjadi padanya? Bagaimana Patriark Roh-Roh Angin bisa masuk ke sana dengan angkuh lalu keluar seperti ini?"
"Ada sesuatu yang sangat tidak wajar tentang Apotek Roh Hijau!"
Diantara tangis-tangisan yang itu, seribu dua ratus mata penuh ketakutan. Kemudian, para orang mulai menoleh menjauh dari Apotek Roh Hijau. Mereka tak berani menatapnya terlalu lama.
Peristiwa yang tak terbayamkan itu justru menimbulkan bukan hanya ketakutan yang hebat, tetapi juga rasa ingin tahu yang tidak terkendali.
"Apa sebenarnya yang terjadi di dalam tempat itu?"
Seribu dua ratus oranggemetar dari kecemasan, para penonton yang berkumpul bergeser dan pergi cepat.
Di dalam Apotek Roh Hijau, segala sesuatu tetap seperti semula.
Namun, tak lama kemudian, ada lebih dari setengah lusin kantong penyimpanan yang eksis, yang sedang disibukkan oleh Ling'er.
Orang lain dalam toko itu berkumpul dengan ingin tahu untuk melihat apa yang ada di dalam.
Nethersprite hanya mencibir dan tetap memanteli air mendidih.
Ning Yan menghela nafas dan kembali menggosok bagian lantai yang telah dilalui. Karena banyaknya pekerjaan membersih terakhir-akhir ini, ia agaknya menjadi sangat berlebihan soal kebersihan. Setiap kali ia melihat bagian toko yang kotor, ia langsung berlari untuk membersihkannya. Hanya ketika semuanya benar-benar bersih, ia baru bisa merasa tenang.
Penerus Tahta, sekaligus tertawa sambil memutar dua buah mutiara ditelapnya. Seperti dulu, salah satunya berisi Guru Blackeyes. Sekarang ada mutiara kedua, dan wajah di dalamnya adalah... Patriark Roh-Roh Angin. Tentu saja, bukan patriark itu secara keseluruhan, melainkan sekadar seutas jiwa tipisnya.
Xu Qing tidak muncul sama sekali sejak tadi. Ia dudar di belakang sibari pulih dari lukanya.
Chen Fanzhuo bertindak sangat sopan. Setelah memayumi dan mendoakan kesehatan, ia pun mengucapkan selamat tinggal. Hampir pada saatnya sudah berangkat, Ling'er mengambil kembali sesuatu dari salah satu kantong penyimpanan itu dan memberikannya kepadanya. Dengan antusiam, ia berterima kasih berulang kali.
Patriark Roh-Roh Angin, untuk meminta maaf atas gangguannya, memberikan banyak kebaikan di dalam kantong penyimpanannya. Ada koin roh, pil obat-obatan, dan perangkat magis, semuanya hebat.
Di tengah para orang yang membahagikan booty itu, Penerus Tahta masuk ke ruangan belakang tempat Xu Qing sedang bersemedi.
Xu Qing bangun dengan cepat, lalu bersembah dan memutukkan tangan.
Penerus Tahta melambahkan tangannya dan mengeluarkan botol pil, lalu melemparnya ke Xu Qing.
"Ini adalah sepuluh pil jiwa ilahi yang dikirimkan oleh teman yang sangat sopan yang baru saja datang mengunjungi kami. Ambil satu, dan kamu seharusnya pulih lebih cepat. Simpan sembilan tersisa untuk pemulihan yang akan datang."
Xu Qing mengambil botol itu dan membuka. Dengan kemampuannya di bidang alkimia dao, ia langsung tahu bahwa pil itu luar biasi. Efek obatnya difokuskan khusus untuk menyembuhkan luka pada jiwa. Kategori pil obat ini langka dan mahal.
Tanpa ragu sedikitpun, ia menelan satu dari pil itu. Saat meleleh, kehangatan mengalir dalam tubuhnya, lalu mengalir ke lautan kesadaran.
Suara gemuruh menggenjang di lautannya, seperti gunung berapi yang sedang meletup.
Mencapai jiwa, menyebarkan gelombang panas ke seluruh tubuh. Sebelumnya, jiwa-nya redup, namun kini semakin jelas. Tak setetesamnya, ia tidak hanya pulih sepenuhnya dari lukanya, tetapi juga, jiwa-nya malah lebih baik dibanding sebelumnya. Ia tersenungkuwuh, lalu membuka mata dan memandang Penerus Tahta.
"Sudah pulih," kata Penerus Tahta dengan tenang. "Mari kita lanjutkan proses pemurnian
The piercing wind still howled outside the Green Spirit Pharmacy, bringing with it a sense of terror. The thousands of cold, haughty Wind Guardians filled the city with a very somber and frigid aura.
“The little thief is probably on his knees begging the patriarch for mercy right now!”
“Hmph! Pleading for forgiveness might work if we lived in a world of peace.”
“Considering he stole our holy relic, the patriarch will do as usual and skin him alive. Maybe turn him into a decorative lantern. The fat from his corpse can be the oil, and his soul can burn forever within it.”
The Wind Guardians were all sneering grimly, especially the ones Xu Qing had clashed with before. All of them felt full of excitement and anticipation.
“However arrogant the little thief was that day, that’s how miserable he’ll be today!”
“He stole our holy relic and then evaded our pursuit. He’s got some skill, I’ll give him that. But it won’t do him any good right now. When faced with overwhelming power, he’s doomed to suffer.”
“If the patriarch turns him into a lamp, I’ll definitely borrow that lamp and have lots of fun with it in my mansion grotto.”
“And then there’s that detestable parrot and the evil spirit!”
The Wind Guardians who had clashed with Xu Qing were gathered in the same area, and were chuckling with each other as they kept eyes on the medicine shop.
Patriarch Wind Guardian had been inside for a while, but none of them were worried, not even the four Spirit Trove Wind Guardians.
As they watched the door of the Green Spirit Pharmacy, they didn’t detect the tiniest fluctuation from inside. But that wasn’t unusual. Given Patriarch Wind Guardian’s cultivation base, no one outside should have been able to detect him taking any action.
“Sadly for the culprit, our patriarch will be able to crush him with a single glance.”
“According to what I heard, years ago when the patriarch was out adventuring, he liked to turn his enemies into little toys and gadgets. I imagine he’s just coming up with something new to turn this guy into.”
“Well, isn’t this interesting.”
As the four Spirit Trove Wind Guardians joked and chatted, the people observing from outside the city were sighing as they looked on. All of them knew that the Wind Guardians were doing more than just destroying a little medicine shop.
“This mudbrick city is going to turn into a hell on earth.”
“Given this species’ tendencies, I bet they’re going to turn this city into a never-ending windstorm, just to show everyone else how strong and terrifying they are.”
“That said, have any of you noticed that... it’s been quite a while since Patriarch Wind Guardian went inside?”
As the cultivators on the outside and the Wind Guardians inside the city discussed the matter, time passed. Eventually two full hours had gone by.
Around then, people started to realize that something strange was going on. Cultivators inside and outside the city were now paying even closer attention to the Green Spirit Pharmacy.
Eventually, the four Spirit Trove Wind Guardians started to realize that the time really was stretching out too long. After exchanging glances, they prepared to approach the medicine shop. However, that was when the door of the shop slowly creaked open. Countless gazes locked onto the door, most of them filled with anticipation, excitement, and concentration. But then, only a moment later, countless eyes widened.
Patriarch Wind Guardian was visible inside the door. His face a mask of politeness, he slowly backed out, bowing and scraping as he said, “Sorry to disturb all of you. I didn’t understand the situation. Please forgive me for any trouble.”
Even after he was outside, he kept bowing deeply in the direction of the Green Spirit Pharmacy.
“I’ll send our other holy relics over immediately. They function as a set, so it’s best not to keep them apart for long, and besides, I can’t do as good a job of keeping them as safe as you. Going forward, if you need assistance in anything, just press that jade pendant. It doesn’t matter what it is, I’ll rush over immediately. And now, I’m really going to say farewell. I truly apologize!”
The trembling patriarch bowed yet again. Then the door slammed shut. The cold wind blew through the streets of the city. No one made a sound.... The Wind Guardians were dumbfounded. The cultivators outside the city were stupefied. Because the wind carried the patriarch’s polite words through the city, everyone heard them. It almost didn’t seem real. None of them could have predicted that Patriarch Wind Guardian would do or say anything like this. It seemed completely and utterly impossible. Yet, it was clearly happening.
Patriarch Wind Guardian stood outside of the Green Spirit Pharmacy in the cold wind, and he could feel himself trembling. As the chill spread through his body, it combined with the pounding of his heart to create an intense level of terror. Because his cultivation base was so high, it had been a long time since he felt the type of coldness that mortals would feel. But right now, he felt it. Deeply. He didn’t want to think any more about what happened inside. Nor did he want to stick around this place. Shivering, he slowly turned around.
The four Spirit Trove Wind Guardians looked at him hesitantly.
“Patriarch...?”
“Patriarch, what happened?”
The patriarch shook his head. Eyes shimmering with terror, he lowered his voice and said, “Don’t ask. Don’t ever bring it up. We’re leaving. Now!”
Deeply shaken, the four Spirit Trove cultivators clustered around the patriarch and flew off. The leader of the Wind Guardians who had clashed with Xu Qing before was flabbergasted, and couldn’t help but give voice to his concerns.
“Patriarch, that little thief—”
Before he could finish speaking, Patriarch Wind Guardian turned and waved his hand. Blood sprayed out of the young Wind Guardian’s mouth as he was knocked off into the distance, where he flopped to the ground unconscious.
“He’s a grandmaster!” the patriarch said furiously. “I dare anyone to talk about him casually!”
As the surrounding Wind Guardians trembled in confusion, their patriarch flew off into the distance. Before long, thousands of figures were seen leaving the mudbrick city and disappearing into the wind.
The observers from the various factions who had been watching from outside the city couldn’t help but gasp in astonishment. And then they looked at the Green Spirit Pharmacy with new eyes.
“What’s going on??”
“Am I seeing things? Is this a figment of my imagination? Why did it seem like the patriarch of the Wind Guardians was shaking...?”
“What happened to him? How could Patriarch Wind Guardian go into the place looking so arrogant, then come out looking like that?”
“There’s something very unusual about the Green Spirit Pharmacy!!”
As the gasps rang out, countless eyes filled with dread, and soon people started looking away from the Green Spirit Pharmacy. They didn’t dare to keep their eyes on it for too long. The events which had played out were simply unbelievable.
The mysterious sensation that their incredulity brought led, not only to intense terror, but also incredible curiosity about the little medicine shop.
“Just what exactly happened inside that place?”
Trembling with fear, the gathered crowds quickly left the area.
Inside the Green Spirit Pharmacy, everything was the same as usual.
However, there were more bags of holding, about a dozen or so, which Ling’er was excitedly going through. Others in the shop had gathered around curiously to see what the bags contained.
Nethersprite just sneered and tended to the boiling water.
Ning Yan sighed and went back to re-scrub the parts of the floor that had been walked over. Because of all the cleaning he had been doing lately, he’d become somewhat obsessed with cleanliness. Whenever he spotted any part of the shop that was dirty, he would rush over to clean it. Only when everything was spotless would he feel at ease.
The Heir Apparent, meanwhile, chuckled as he rolled two pearls in his palm. Just like before, one of them contained Guru Blackeyes. But there was now a second pearl, and the face within it was none other than Patriarch Wind Guardian. Of course, it wasn’t the patriarch as a whole, but rather, a strand of his soul.
Xu Qing hadn’t made an appearance the entire time. He stayed in the back focusing on recovering from his injuries.
Chen Fanzhuo was acting extremely respectfully. After paying his respects and wishing everyone good health, he said farewell. Just before he left, Ling’er took some treasure out of one of the bags of holding and gave it to him. Looking excited, he offered thanks over and over again.
Patriarch Wind Guardian, in order to apologize for his intrusion, had given a lot of good things in those bags of holding. There were spirit stones, medicinal pills, and magical devices, all of them extraordinary.
As everyone split the loot, the Heir Apparent went into the back room where Xu Qing was meditating.
Xu Qing quickly got to his feet, clasped hands, and bowed.
The Heir Apparent waved his hand and produced a pill bottle, which he tossed to Xu Qing.
“Those are some divine soul pills provided by our respectful little friend who just came to visit. There are ten in total. Take one of them, and you should recover much more quickly. Keep the remaining nine for the upcoming healing you’ll need to do.”
Xu Qing took the bottle and opened it. Considering his skill in the dao of alchemy, he could immediately tell that the pills were amazing. The medicinal effect was specifically focused on healing injuries to the soul. This category of medicinal pill was both rare and expensive.
Without the slightest hesitation, he consumed one of the pills. As it melted, an eruption of warmth filled him before rushing toward his sea of consciousness. Rumbling sounds filled his sea of consciousness, like an erupting volcano. It reached his soul, then sent waves of heat through him. Before, his soul had been dim, but now it was rapidly becoming clear. Only a moment later, he had not only fully recovered from his injuries, but also, his soul had improved compared to before. Moved, he opened his eyes and looked at the Heir Apparent.
“Since you’ve recovered,” the Heir Apparent said calmly, “we might as well continue your tempering now. Xu Qing, you have a lot of random skills and abilities. Unfortunately, you haven’t come to a deep understanding of any of them. If you do that, then your battle prowess will advance by leaps and bounds!
“If you continue to make progress in the same way as before, you won’t get stronger fast enough. You need to force yourself to reach the highest level. And the only way to unlock your true potential is to walk the fine line between life and death.
“This time, I’m not taking you to the Red Moon Cathedral. Instead, I want you to send your golden crow nascent soul into this pearl and fight the little fellow inside.”
As he spoke, the Heir Apparent handed Guru Blackeyes’ pearl to Xu Qing.
“Only use the golden crow nascent soul, and as you walk that line between life and death, see what transformations you can dig up from deep within it! You’ll have nine chances. You can use those pills to recover after each time, but you only have nine of them.
“I promised the fellow inside the pearl that after the tenth battle begins, he can directly devour your golden crow nascent soul. If he succeeds, I’ll let him go free. Therefore, you must either gain enlightenment of the deeper transformations of the golden crow nascent soul, and use it to create a personal trump card, or... you’ll lose your golden crow nascent soul forever. It all comes down to your personal good fortune.”
Eyes glittering, the Heir Apparent turned and left.
Xu Qing sat there quietly for a moment looking at the pearl. Then, eyes shining, he said, “Golden Crow.”
Instantly, black light glittered above his head as the golden crow shot out, streaming flames behind it and pulsing with a holy aura. As Xu Qing directed it mentally, its eyes gleamed and it shot into the pearl.
Komentar Chapter (0)
Login buat ikut berkomentar.
Belum ada komentar di chapter ini. Jadi yang pertama!