Chapter 69 Refinement II

“Next, the hundred year bitter clam.”

The hundred year bitter clam was completely black, with ten white rings across its shell resembling the growth rings of an ancient tree. Bitter clams lived in deep waters, where they swallowed sand and stones and slowly dissolved them into an intensely bitter liquid within their bodies. This liquid could be extracted and used to brew bitter clam wine, a wine famous for its peculiar combination of bitterness and fragrance.

Lin Feng had purchased this bitter clam in Jia Family Village. It originated from the Bai Clan of Qing Mao Mountain in the Southern Border. While there, he had also purchased a large quantity of bitter clam wine and combined it with several other wines to refine Four Flavors Liquor Worm, as well as their Rank Three advancement, Seven Fragrances Liquor Worm. As for the Rank Four Nine Eyes Liquor Worm, he had yet to successfully refine it.

Lin Feng watched the ghostly flames beneath the tortoise shell closely. Only when their intensity reached the proper level did he throw the hundred year bitter clam into the blood. The instant it entered, the violently boiling blood abruptly calmed, then gradually became thicker and more viscous.

“No, one isn’t enough. If this continues, the refinement move will fail.” Lin Feng frowned and immediately threw in several more bitter clams. As they dissolved into the blood, however, the ghostly flame beneath the tortoise shell began weakening. Lin Feng snapped his fingers again, summoning another mass of blue ghost fire. The two flames merged beneath the shell, and soon the thickened blood began boiling violently once more.

“Next, the Thousand Year Wind Willow.” Lin Feng took out a willow branch more than ten meters long. Its leaves were quite extraordinary. Unlike ordinary willow leaves, they were crystal clear, and faint breezes occasionally emerged from between them, causing the leaves to sway even when the surrounding air was completely still.

Wind Willow was a rare and precious Gu refinement material that required a constant supply of wind to grow. The plant had no true trunk, only roots buried deep within rocky crevices and a single long branch extending outward. Whenever strong winds swept past, this branch would dance wildly with the current, resembling a strand of seaweed swaying beneath turbulent waters.

After Lin Feng added the Thousand Year Wind Willow, the blood inside the tortoise shell immediately began boiling violently, showing signs of spiraling out of control. Lin Feng quickly activated the Gu he had prepared beforehand. A moment later, the Hawksbill shell emitted a shimmering green radiance that spread through the blood, suppressing the violent reaction and stabilizing the refinement.

Several more hours passed. Under Lin Feng’s continuous refinement, the previously thick blood had become astonishingly clear, revealing the white bones settled at the bottom of the shell. More importantly, several blood red lotus buds had appeared near the center of the pool, their tightly closed petals becoming increasingly distinct.

“Almost there. The Blood Lotuses have already formed, but they still haven’t bloomed. It seems I’ll have to add something stronger.” Lin Feng was delighted by the sight before him. The appearance of the Blood Lotuses meant that the refinement was progressing smoothly, but as long as their petals remained closed, the refinement was still incomplete.

Soon, large numbers of living creatures were driven toward the tortoise shell. Cattle, horses, pigs, dogs, and other animals were thrown directly into the poisonous blood, their terrified cries and roars immediately filling the cave. The blood was thick like a swamp, and the more desperately the animals struggled, the faster they sank. Before long, their flesh, blood, and bones began dissolving, becoming nourishment for the refinement.

As more creatures disappeared beneath the surface, the blood level inside the tortoise shell slowly rose. The tightly closed Blood Lotuses finally began opening one after another, their crimson petals unfolding as a faint fragrance spread through the cave. At the same time, the surrounding blood rapidly lost its color until what remained resembled clear water. Even the Hawksbill shell had exhausted the essence contained within it, its original blue-green color fading into a lifeless grayish-white.

Seeing that everything was ready, Lin Feng removed his clothes, revealing his muscular body, and stepped directly into the water. He immediately activated several Gu within his aperture, using Blood Tax Gu as the core to form the complete Blood Path killer move. The blooming Blood Lotuses trembled as streams of crimson energy emerged from their petals, entered the surrounding water, and poured continuously into Lin Feng’s body.

As the purified energy entered him, Lin Feng’s blood qi surged before escaping through his pores and gathering above his head. The accumulating blood qi formed a dense crimson cloud, and once it reached its limit, droplets of blood began falling back into the tortoise shell. The blood was absorbed by the Blood Lotuses, purified into energy, drawn into Lin Feng’s body, and then transformed back into blood qi before returning to the pool, forming a continuous cycle.

The power contained within an unfinished Blood Lotus could already increase a Gu Master’s cultivation directly, but doing so carried considerable side effects. By combining Blood Tax Gu with several supporting Gu worms and carefully selected materials, Lin Feng had created a cycle that greatly reduced these drawbacks while allowing him to absorb the accumulated power much more efficiently.

Within his aperture, the primeval sea churned violently. Under the continuous influx of purified energy, enormous waves rose one after another and crashed relentlessly against the aperture walls. The membrane repeatedly trembled beneath the impact before finally beginning to transform, its golden radiance flickering continuously as Lin Feng’s cultivation climbed at an astonishing speed.