Peacock Demon City, in front of the Seven-Colored Workshop.
Xu Chang’an stared at the Spiritual Item in his Storage Bag, momentarily speechless.
The Tier Three Spiritual Item that had drawn bids from countless Demons at the auction, the very one that had driven the Furious Wind Great Demon to make open threats, the Purple Patterned Luo Wood Root, was now resting safely inside the Storage Bag in his hands.
A rare ingredient for the Crystal Condensation Pill!
A Spiritual Item that could improve one’s bloodline quality!
Worth over two hundred thousand Demon Stones!
And Yu Ruyan had just casually given the Purple Patterned Luo Wood Root to him as a farewell gift.
Box 001!
The Red Flame Demon King!
Red Cloud Mountain!
Connecting the dots, Xu Chang’an understood everything.
Yu Ruyan...
Xu Chang’an’s gaze deepened, his thoughts unreadable.
After a few moments, Xu Chang’an put away his Storage Bag. He didn’t linger, instead heading straight for the Flame Leaf Elixir Workshop.
As a Foundation Establishment Great Demon, a few sleepless nights were a trivial matter.
It wouldn’t affect his condition in the slightest!
Once he arrived at the Flame Leaf Elixir Workshop, Xu Chang’an didn’t do anything unusual, simply refining elixirs as he normally would.
With the Purple Patterned Luo Wood Root in his hands, he was tempted to consume and absorb it immediately.
But he knew he couldn’t do that.
While the disturbance from improving one’s bloodline wouldn’t be enormous, it wouldn’t be small, either.
Consuming it to improve his bloodline within the walls of Peacock Demon City was not a wise choice.
He would have to go outside Peacock Demon City. But with the auction having just ended, powerful Demons from all over had gathered and were only now dispersing. The area outside the city would likely be anything but peaceful.
Although Xu Chang’an wasn’t afraid, he didn’t want to invite unnecessary trouble.
He suppressed his eagerness. It would be better to wait a while before consuming the Purple Patterned Luo Wood Root.
The grand auction was over, but its influence lingered.
Discussions among the Demons of Peacock Demon City could be heard from time to time.
"Master Luo truly lives up to his name as a Tier Three Alchemist, renowned throughout Peacock Demon City. A single opportunity for him to refine an elixir sold for over two hundred thousand Demon Stones!"
"I’d have to think twice about spending twenty-some Demon Stones. Two hundred thousand is just terrifying!"
"A Tier Three Low Grade Comprehensive Array! If our little mountain faction had that, who would dare attack us? Once the Array is activated, even a Foundation Establishment Great Demon would be slain on the spot!"
"Get real. With your little faction’s resources, could you even afford to run a Tier Three Array? Don’t tell me your Demon Stone reserves would be depleted the moment you activate it!"
"You... Fine, you have a point!"
"And the light from the Colorful Cloud Treasure Mirror! If you’re hit by it, you’re instantly paralyzed, unable to move a muscle!"
"It’s really that amazing? If that light hits you, wouldn’t you be a sitting duck? All those skills and powers, completely useless!"
"Exactly! What did you expect?"
"Truly worthy of being called a Magical Treasure!"
"The Earth Mother Spirit Liquid can revert a formed Core back to liquid! It’s truly a divine item; no wonder so many Quasi-Demon Kings were fighting over it!"
"Yeah, it sold for nearly a million Demon Stones!"
"The wealth of the Quasi-Demon Kings is truly immense!"
"That’s true, but I was more interested in that Purple Patterned Luo Wood Root."
"The Purple Patterned Luo Wood Root!? Isn’t that a rare supplementary ingredient for the Crystal Condensation Pill? You’re just a measly Late-stage Qi Refining cultivator, what are you paying attention to it for?"
"That’s what you don’t know. Besides being a rare ingredient for the Crystal Condensation Pill, the Purple Patterned Luo Wood Root can also improve one’s bloodline quality. I only have a Middle-class Bloodline. If I took it, I’d have a great chance of advancing to an Upper-class Bloodline! By then, wouldn’t Foundation Establishment be within my grasp?"
"..."
Similar conversations abounded, and the taverns and Spiritual Food Pavilions of Peacock Demon City were almost always full.
This atmosphere only began to fade after more than half a month.
Xu Chang’an continued Nurturing his Quasi-Magical Treasure, studying his Pill Art, and occasionally consuming some leftover Alchemy materials.
Another month or so passed like this.
The first batch of Alchemy Materials that Cheng Mengying from Lion’s Mane Cave had promised him arrived in Peacock Demon City.
The delivery consisted mainly of materials for Nourishing Essence Pills, suitable for Early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators, and some materials for Healing Elixirs.
Xu Chang’an wasn’t picky and immediately set to work refining them.
With his current level of skill, he could easily control the success rate, consuming any excess materials as his own little bonus.
Refining elixirs with this peaceful mindset, Xu Chang’an spent another three months in Peacock Demon City.
One day, he asked Pill Master Ye for a few days of leave. He claimed that the high frequency of his alchemy work had left him mentally strained, and he wanted to go out and relax.
Pill Master Ye had seen firsthand that Xu Chang’an’s alchemy schedule was indeed extremely demanding.
He naturally approved Xu Chang’an’s request.
After leaving Peacock Demon City, Xu Chang’an immediately sped over a hundred li away.
He landed on a small mountain peak, changed his appearance into that of a Black Chicken Spirit, concealed his aura, and took off again.
He flew his Magical Artifact for another thousand-plus li.
Along the way, he changed his appearance again before continuing onward.
After repeating this process several times, Xu Chang’an had put several thousand li between himself and Peacock Demon City, finally finding a remote and desolate mountain.
There were no territories of Foundation Establishment Great Demons in the vicinity. He carved a cave into the mountainside, set up a Tier Two Array, and went inside.
’I can finally consume it!’
Inside the cave, Xu Chang’an sat cross-legged, gazing at the Purple Patterned Luo Wood Root before him with a feeling of pure exhilaration.
The Purple Patterned Luo Wood Root was the size of a grown man’s forearm. Purple patterns coiled around its surface, and it pulsed faintly with Spiritual Light, brimming with Spirituality.
’Let’s do this!’
Xu Chang’an picked up the Purple Patterned Luo Wood Root and began to consume it.
CRUNCH! CRUNCH!
Xu Chang’an felt a warmth gradually begin to spread through his entire body.
By the time he was halfway through, the warmth had gradually intensified into a scorching heat.
By the time the entire Purple Patterned Luo Wood Root was in his stomach, his body had already turned beet red.
Waves of searing heat coursed through his body. Everywhere they passed felt like being flayed by knives.