Necropolis Immortal

"You should make some preparations, second uncle. I will remove the Severed Meridians Hold from you after three days.” Lu Yun took out a tea leaf the size of a fingernail. “Steep this leaf with fifty kilograms of water. Drink all of it within three days.”

"A single piece of leaf? Fifty kilograms of water?” Lu Xiaochi’s eyes widened as he stiltedly took the plain leaf. It looked like it’d already been brewed for a pot of tea before. He had no idea what to say.

"Remember, second uncle, at least fifty kilograms of water from a clear spring. Otherwise, you might explode after drinking the tea,” Lu Yun reminded solemnly.

"What kind of tea is this?” Lu Xiaochi asked dumbly.

"I got it from my senior brother. You won’t be able to find it in the world of immortals, much less the world of cultivation,” Lu Yun harrumphed mysteriously.

A light sparkled in the Lu second master’s eyes as he took a deep breath and carefully stowed the leaf. Lu Yun has a senior brother?

"You should put things out of your mind, second uncle. It was my lack of foresight last night. I’ll be sure to make a comprehensive plan next time there is an operation.” Lu Yun smiled at his uncle.

"Next time?” Lu Xiaochi harrumphed. “Next time??”

Unrest had shaken the capital again, but its residents seemed to be numb to shocking news. The Ling Clan had been razed to the ground, their patriarch was dead, and even their family treasure had been stolen. On top of it all, it was the Ouyang Clan responsible for the deed!

However, this occurrence seemed trivial compared to two other pieces of news.

Human demon Bloodbath had reappeared in the world of cultivation! He was behind the deaths of the Ouyang and Yuwen patriarchs one month ago. Neither was the white-robed young man who attacked the Lings last night from the Ouyang Clan. He was Bloodbath!

The second piece of news further stunned the nation. There was a dao weapon in Darklake! A treasure of such level might not be seen in even fifth and sixth rank empires, so to think that it would appear in a minor third rank empire!

Dusk City and the entire nation was thrown into an uproar.

"Wovenfire Cauldron, paramount fine rank treasure.” Lu Yun sat cross-legged in the center of the Lu Clan’s pill room and contemplated a small red cauldron in his hand. The affairs of the outside world didn’t concern him. “It falls a bit short compared to where I want it to be. It’ll be hard for me to refine it into a spirit treasure with my current strength.”

He frowned, then focused his mind. Probing the south with his bare hand, he grasped a ball of flames.

"Combine!” Lu Yun threw the ball of connate flames into the Wovenfire Cauldron and poured in other paramount rank ingredients that he’d already prepared off to the side.

"Grandfather hunted down the Aureate Seraph Bird to harvest its inner core for me and paid an incredible price An inner core the size of a fist appeared in his hand. “Today, this core will create a half-step spirit rank pill cauldron for my family!”

He threw the inner core into the cauldron as well.

Out of all possible treasures, offensive types were most commonly found. Defensive treasures were much fewer in number, and the rarest were pill cauldrons. Spirit rank pill cauldrons were extremely rare in fourth rank cultivation empires.

There was a mid fine rank cauldron in the palace, whereas the ones remaining in the nation were lower fine rank. There wasn’t even an upper fine rank. The Lings were hailed the greatest pill refinement family of Darklake because they possessed a paramount fine rank.

Whoosh!

A ball of red flames shot out of the Wovenfire Cauldron as soon as the inner core was added—it was the ball of connate flames that Lu Yun had melded into it. A bright red shadow that quite resembled a strange-looking bird circled over it.

Hand seals for treasure refinement streamed into the Wovenfire Cauldron. The circling shadow solidified until it was almost ready to take tangible form.

Humm!

Lu Yun’s heart and mind trembled as Hongmeng qi surged out of his body to combine with the cauldron.

Hongmeng qi was exceedingly pure energy that far exceeded the true origin of cultivators. It advanced further after Lu Yun set foot into the second turn of the Seeing Dao chapter. So long as he refrained from deploying arts from the heavenly dao, ordinary arts and methods were a walk in the park for him and didn’t consume anything.

Rays of Hongmeng qi flowed into the Wovenfire Cauldron, igniting the ball of connate flame inside.

Chirp!

The fiery shadow of a bird crooned loudly, causing the entire cauldron to shrink rapidly.

"Erm Lu Yun’s hands paused from forming more hand seals and he stared dumbly at the tiny cauldron that was now three inches tall. “It looks like… I underestimated the combination of Hongmeng qi and connate flames. Although I have the experience of a refinement grandmaster, I am not the me of reincarnation. The Aureate Seraph Bird contains the bloodline of the divine Three-Footed Aureate Bird. Being burned by connate flames and fed by my Hongmeng qi was sufficient to fully awaken that bloodline.”

The young man swallowed hard. The inner core of the Aureate Seraph Bird, connate flames, and Hongmeng true qi had jointly raised the Wovenfire Cauldron into a mid rank spirit treasure!

It’d gone from a paramount rank fine treasure to a mid rank spirit treasure!

It wildly exceeded his expectations. He’d thought it would be wonderful if he could turn the Wovenfire Cauldron into a half-step spirit treasure with the ingredients on hand. Lu Yun had forgotten about his own attributes as this was indeed the expected outcome if any other master refiner had attempted the same task. However, he possessed connate flames and Hongmeng qi!

"The experience from my reincarnations is valuable, but I must remember to look at it through the lens of my own abilities.” A smile floated onto Lu Yun’s face. He practiced the Nine Chapters of Dao—they were so much stronger than the cultivation methods he’d known before that they couldn’t be considered on the same playing field.

There were also his forgotten memories to consider.

Lu Yun looked at the tiny cauldron—it’d been three meters tall previously, but was now three inches in height. It also looked vastly different from before. There was a golden bird about to leap into flight etched in miniature on the cauldron. It possessed three feet—the image of the Three-Footed Aureate Bird.

"The Wovenfire Cauldron… needs a name change. From henceforth, your name is the Aureate Bird Cauldron.” Lu Yun beckoned the tiny cauldron into his hand. “Oh? It’s more than just a pill cauldron now, it can also attack with the Aureate Bird Truefire?”

His eyes brightened.

"Wonderful!” Lu Yun roared with laughter.

The inner core of the Aureate Seraph Bird had awakened its Three-Footed Aureate Bird bloodline after being refined by connate flames and Hongmeng true qi. It now possessed the Three-Footed Aureate Bird’s flame—Aureate Bird Truefire.

Although it was less than a connate flame, the Three-Footed Aureate Bird was a divine beast born of the sun. Its fire was also known as Sol Truefire!

Whoosh!

A gust of golden-red flames rose out of the Aureate Bird Cauldron as the shadow of a Three-Footed Aureate Bird circled over them.

"It is Sol Truefire!” Lu Yun breathed a long exhale and calmed himself.

Although Sol Truefire was far less than a connate flame, it was still exceedingly domineering. He was limited in the amount of connate fire he could summon—he couldn’t even use it in an attack.

The Aureate Bird Cauldron had become a spark for the Aureate Bird Truefire. The flames were endless so long as the spark was not extinguished, and they possessed high offensive capabilities.

Lu Yun had lacked a handy treasure ever since awakening. With his establishment of foundations, he could send his energy through treasures. This mid rank spirit treasure was the perfect tool for the occasion.

He was in no rush to walk out after the cauldron took shape. Rather, the young man sat down and carefully refined the small cauldron, gaining a deep understanding of its capabilities.

Three days passed.

On this day, an agitated Lu Xiaochi arrived early at Lu Yun’s yard. Flushed and in good health, immense energy ripples percolated through his body. He would be mistaken for a human-shaped paramount spirit crystal if he set foot out of the Lu residence in his current state. There was so much qi in him that it’d melded into every inch of his flesh and blood.

His meridians were fragile due to being afflicted by the Severed Meridians Hold. He couldn’t refine qi, but the qi in his body wasn’t damaging his meridians. Instead, they were absorbed into his being.

The tea leaves that Lu Yun had filched from his senior brother had been far from ordinary tea leaves.

"You’re here early, second uncle.” A yawning Lu Yun walked out of his house and took a look around. “Grandfather’s not at home, is he?”

Lu Xiaochi paused, then nodded. “Your grandfather made a trip out after fighting Yuwen Zonglin and Ouyang Baitian.”

Lu Tianling’s declaration of heading into closed door cultivation to recover from his injuries was just smoke and mirrors. Lu Yun had also thought he was in seclusion at first, but grew suspicious when he didn’t see his grandfather for a month.

"Uncle He, please have the defensive formation operate at full strength,” Lu Yun said to He Wuheng. The steward had followed the second master to the young master’s abode.