Ye Qiu glanced at the old man.
Open his mouth?
Inhale?
Why did that sound somewhat perverted?
The old man said, “Young Master Ye, I am not deceiving you. You open your mouth and inhale the primordial chaos qi. Then, once the primordial chaos qi enters your dantian, you guide it into your meridians according to the true qi circulation method of the Nine Revolutions Divine Dragon Art. That is all.”
Ye Qiu followed the old man’s instructions and cautiously inhaled a mouthful of primordial chaos qi. The sensation was just like inhaling car exhaust fumes. It nearly choked him to death.
Ye Qiu forcibly endured the discomfort, guided the primordial chaos qi to his dantian, and then dispersed it into his extraordinary meridians. He clearly felt his meridians becoming stronger.
At the same time, his body also became tougher.
“It really works?”
Joy surged in Ye Qiu’s heart, and he began breathing deeply.
The old man retreated to one side. Watching the scene before him, he thought to himself, “Eternal Blue Sky Great Emperor, if I am not mistaken, you gathered all this primordial chaos qi precisely for him, did you not?”
…
Outside the Eight Trigrams Treasure Furnace.
Days passed one after another.
During this time, Little White Fox and Elder Chicken remained on guard outside. Several times, Little White Fox could not resist wanting to enter the Eight Trigrams Treasure Furnace. However, hearing constant noises from within the furnace, she worried that rushing in might disturb Ye Qiu’s cultivation.
“How many days has he been inside?” Little White Fox asked.
“It has been exactly forty-nine days,” Elder Chicken replied. “In tens of thousands of years, no one has ever stayed inside the Eight Trigrams Treasure Furnace for so long.”
“If it were not for the sounds coming from within, I would have thought Ye Changsheng had already perished.”
“Sovereign, I have suddenly thought of something.”
Little White Fox asked, “What is it?”
Elder Chicken said, “Sovereign, do you think it possible that the artefact spirit has used some trick to prevent Ye Changsheng from coming out?”
At the mention of the artefact spirit, Little White Fox’s expression grew solemn.
The last time she entered the furnace, she had tried to subdue the artefact spirit and gain complete control over the Eight Trigrams Treasure Furnace, but she had failed.
The artefact spirit was extremely cunning. Moreover, from her conversation with it, she discovered that the artefact spirit harboured deep resentment towards the Eternal Blue Sky Great Emperor.
“Could the artefact spirit be taking out its hatred on Ye Changsheng?”
“If that is truly the case, then Ye Changsheng is in danger.”
At this thought, Little White Fox made a decisive decision and ordered, “Elder Chicken, open the gate. I must go in to check.”
Elder Chicken said, “Sovereign, if Ye Changsheng is cultivating, will your entry disturb him?”
Little White Fox replied, “I cannot worry about that now. I must go in to see. If the artefact spirit is up to no good, Ye Changsheng will be in peril.”
Elder Chicken said, “Sovereign, Ye Changsheng obtained a supreme opportunity in Immortality Mountain. Even if the artefact spirit plays tricks, Ye Changsheng should not face mortal danger.”
“That is precisely what worries me,” Little White Fox said. “The artefact spirit resents the Eternal Blue Sky Great Emperor. If it discovers the golden coffin on Ye Changsheng, it might well target him.”
“Although within the Eight Trigrams Treasure Furnace the artefact spirit is invincible, it cannot kill Ye Changsheng.”
Elder Chicken asked in puzzlement, “Since the artefact spirit cannot kill Ye Changsheng, why must you enter, Sovereign?”
“I fear the artefact spirit will torture Ye Changsheng,” Little White Fox said coldly. “If that old fellow dares to harm even a single hair on Ye Changsheng’s head, I will use the Demon Refining Pot to destroy this treasure furnace and ensure that old fellow never achieves transcendence.”
“Elder Chicken, open the gate.”
“Yes!” Elder Chicken responded. He pressed a palm against the gate of the Eight Trigrams Treasure Furnace, pouring out vast power from his palm.
Unexpectedly, the gate did not budge.
“That should not be.”
A trace of surprise flashed in Elder Chicken’s eyes. He withdrew his palm and then struck the gate fiercely.
With this strike, Elder Chicken used his full strength.
Yet the gate remained utterly motionless.
Elder Chicken’s expression changed dramatically. He said, “Sovereign, this is bad. I cannot open the gate.”
“What?” Little White Fox’s face altered. She said, “It seems the artefact spirit is indeed behind this.”
Little White Fox stepped forward and shouted loudly at the Eight Trigrams Treasure Furnace, “Artefact spirit, open the gate.”
The artefact spirit did not respond.
“Artefact spirit, I warn you. Open the gate immediately,” Little White Fox’s voice contained terrifying power of the sacred dao, yet she still received no response from the artefact spirit.
“Elder Chicken, stand back,” Little White Fox said.
Elder Chicken quickly retreated.
Little White Fox summoned the Demon Refining Pot. In an instant, a terrifying aura spread outwards.
“Oh, the Demon Refining Pot?” Inside the Eight Trigrams Treasure Furnace, the artefact spirit sensed the activity outside. It glanced at Ye Qiu and saw that the thirty-three thousand strands of primordial chaos qi had almost all been absorbed by him.
“Artefact spirit, this sovereign will say it one last time. Open the furnace gate at once. Otherwise, I will use the Demon Refining Pot to destroy the Eight Trigrams Treasure Furnace.”
Little White Fox’s voice resounded through heaven and earth, filled with towering rage. It immediately alerted several other elders of the demon clan.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.
Elder Bear and the other nine elders arrived in an instant.
“Sovereign, what has happened?” Elder Bear asked.
Little White Fox said, “The artefact spirit has taken control of the furnace. The gate will not open. I fear Ye Changsheng is being tormented by the artefact spirit.”
“What?” Elder Ox’s eyes widened. He cursed, “That damned artefact spirit dares to torment my master. I will kill it.”
With that, Elder Ox raised his fist, preparing to force the gate open.
At that moment, the artefact spirit’s voice emerged from within the furnace. “You little demons, I advise you not to act rashly, or you will harm Young Master Ye.”
“Wait just the time it takes for one stick of incense to burn. Young Master Ye will emerge.”
Elder Ox turned back to look at Little White Fox and asked, “Sovereign, can we trust this fellow’s words?”
Before Little White Fox could speak, the artefact spirit’s voice rang out again.
“Young Master Ye is at a critical moment of enlightenment. If you dare disturb him, I will not let you off.”
Upon hearing this, Little White Fox and the elders were stunned.
What did that mean?
Why did it sound as though the artefact spirit was on Ye Changsheng’s side?
Elder Chicken said in shock, “Sovereign, could the artefact spirit have been subdued by Young Master Ye?”
Elder Ox said, “We do not know if that old fellow is telling the truth. In my opinion, we should just blast the gate open.”
Little White Fox pondered for a moment and said, “Wait a little longer. If Ye Changsheng does not emerge after one stick of incense, I will certainly shatter the Eight Trigrams Treasure Furnace.”
They waited anxiously.
Time passed swiftly.
In the blink of an eye, the time for one stick of incense had elapsed. The gate of the Eight Trigrams Treasure Furnace remained tightly shut.
“Sovereign, Master has still not come out. We have been deceived by the artefact spirit…”
Before Elder Ox could finish speaking, a sudden “boom” resounded, shaking heaven and earth.
Little White Fox and the elders hurriedly looked up. They saw a expanse of scarlet clouds appear in the ninth heaven, resembling flames.
Those scarlet clouds spread at a speed visible to the naked eye. Soon, they dyed half the sky red.
Then, the scarlet clouds churned ceaselessly. Moments later, nine suns leapt out from within the clouds.
