Qiu Shi was a top disciple among the younger generation of this cultivation family. The family had paid a considerable price for him to enter the Northern Abyss Demon-Suppressing Pagoda this time.
Although Qiu Shi was nearly ninety years old, for a Foundation Establishment cultivator, this was still considered the younger generation. Moreover, Qiu Shi had reached the Pseudo-Core Realm.
However, the cultivation method practiced by their family followed a sinister and evil path, being quite malevolent and relying on self-harm to achieve great power. Therefore, he couldn't maintain a youthful appearance like Li Wuyi and the others, appearing instead as a middle-aged man.
Qiu Shi had spent nearly two years inside the Northern Abyss Demon-Suppressing Pagoda and had only recently returned to his family, after which he immediately went into secluded cultivation.
After coming out of seclusion yesterday, he immediately requested an audience with the current Family Head, his purpose being to ask for help.
The current Family Head was already a mid-stage Golden Core master. But after a night had passed, he sent a voice transmission to the purple-robed elder, the family's Ancestor, this morning, saying that Qiu Shi had brought back an item from the pagoda and that he had tried many methods but could not decipher the clues within.
When the purple-robed elder first heard this, he didn't think much of it. He knew about the Northern Abyss Demon-Suppressing Pagoda; those Foundation Establishment cultivators were only active on the first and second levels. What treasures could there be? The good stuff had been taken long ago over the endless years.
However, the purple-robed elder was also aware of Qiu Shi, this outstanding member of the younger generation and the future hope of the family. The decision to allow Qiu Shi to enter the Northern Abyss Demon-Suppressing Pagoda had been made with his own approval, which had involved a large expenditure of the family's Spirit Stones.
But then he thought that since it was something that even the current Family Head couldn't decipher, he became somewhat interested. Since he had nothing else to do recently, he had the current Family Head and Qiu Shi come over together.
At this moment, the current Family Head was also filled with regret, hating himself for not having paid enough attention to the Silver Page that Qiu Shi brought back. Because of this, many people had seen Qiu Shi come to him, and now he couldn't do anything to Qiu Shi.
If he returned the Silver Page to Qiu Shi, the Divine Sense restriction on its surface had already been removed by him. Qiu Shi would very likely be able to get the message inside. If he were to place a new restriction on it, Qiu Shi, who had already studied the page, would immediately notice the difference. Wouldn't that be a blatant admission of guilt?
Furthermore, Qiu Shi was also someone the Ancestor held in high regard. So when he returned to the family from the Northern Abyss Demon-Suppressing Pagoda, the Ancestor was also aware of it.
Qiu Shi coming to see him was something he couldn't hide from the Ancestor, whose Divine Sense constantly blanketed the entire family. After much consideration, since he couldn't get the secret of this Silver Page for himself, he decided to offer it to the Ancestor.
As for Qiu Shi, he eventually learned the content of the voice message within the Silver Page from the Family Head. He immediately regretted taking it out. Although he was the current Family Head's grandson, in the face of such an ultimate treasure, even his own father would forget all ties of kinship. But by then, it was too late for regrets.
The purple-robed elder was indeed experienced and knowledgeable. After some examination, he guessed that the Essence Blood of the "Undead Nether Phoenix" mentioned in the Silver Page was likely the Silver Page itself.
Subsequently, the family Ancestor sent the current Family Head away and had Qiu Shi come to his secret chamber. He had summoned Qiu Shi not because he would really give him a drop of "Undead Nether Phoenix" Essence Blood after refining it, but to carefully question him about the entire process.
He already knew that there were ten drops of this "Undead Nether Phoenix" Essence Blood. First, he wanted to find out the whereabouts of the other nine Silver Pages and who had obtained them. Second, he wanted to deduce more clues from Qiu Shi's words. Everything was for his own consideration, without a single thought of leaving a blessing for future generations.
"Tell me in detail the entire process of obtaining this item. Do not hide anything about the people you met or the events that occurred. The more detailed, the better."
The purple-robed elder took the Silver Page in his hand, toying with it as his eyes remained mostly fixed on it. He spoke in a deep voice, showing no intention of returning it.
He seemed to have completely forgotten the words he had spoken in front of all the family disciples when he allowed Qiu Shi to enter the Northern Abyss Demon-Suppressing Pagoda: "The prosperity and continuation of the family must be fought for and seized. The candidates for entering the pagoda this time are set... Opportunities depend on each individual. Any treasures obtained can be disposed of as you see fit, but you must make a blood oath to never betray the family in this life..." and so on.
A full hour later, Qiu Shi walked out of the secret chamber with a dejected heart, yet his face was perfectly calm, not daring to show the slightest hint of resentment. Behind him, the great secret door closed tightly with a rumbling sound.
Inside the secret chamber, after closing the great door, the purple-robed elder immediately activated the formation restrictions. Then, he cast another set of incantations at the Silver Page floating in mid-air...
Several days later, the purple-robed elder, with his hair disheveled and his eyes bloodshot, stared at the Silver Page in mid-air, which remained unchanged.
"I have reached the Pseudo-Nascent Soul Realm, only half a step away from Nascent Soul Formation. My Alchemical Flame is sufficient to refine all known substances in this world. Even the Earth Fire of some major sects, which they use for pill and artifact refining, cannot compare to mine. Yet why does it have no effect on this item? Could it be that it requires the Nascent Fire of the Nascent Soul stage, or an Exotic Fire of heaven and earth?"
The purple-robed elder muttered to himself, somewhat dazed. For a moment, he didn't know what to do...
What the purple-robed elder didn't know was that before he had attempted to refine this Silver Page, at different times and in different places, Nascent Soul cultivators had also tried to refine a Silver Page. Some had used the Earth Fire of alchemy, and a very few who possessed a certain type of Exotic Fire of heaven and earth were also attempting to refine a Silver Page.
All of these Silver Pages had once appeared in the Northern Abyss Demon-Suppressing Pagoda. However, none of the Foundation Establishment cultivators who obtained them could unravel their secrets; they couldn't even open the Divine Sense restriction on the surface. Some, out of desperation, sought help from their elders, but once the item was shown, it never returned to their possession. Only then did they realize the importance of the Silver Page, as even their elders shamelessly set aside their dignity and refused to mention it again.
Of course, among them were a few who silently kept the Silver Pages, as if they had never obtained them at all. They were all shrewd or cautious individuals, waiting for their own opportunity in the future to open it themselves.
But no matter the situation, all the methods they used on the Silver Page ultimately ended in failure, including two Nascent Soul cultivators, who could only sigh in frustration and put the Silver Page into their storage pouches, hoping for a fated day.
Two days later, in the cave, Li Yan stared blankly at the unaltered Silver Page in the air, feeling dizzy and faint. For two days, he had continuously consumed Spirit Power and Divine Sense day and night, constantly refining the Silver Page.
But no matter how he increased the power of his flames, he ultimately achieved nothing.
"Could it be that it requires the Alchemical Flame of the Golden Core stage, or the Earth Fire used for refining pills, to re-condense it into Essence Blood?"
Li Yan thought to himself. He was unaware that his idea had already been put into practice by some people. If Li Yan knew that even Nascent Soul stage cultivators had tried and failed, sighing in frustration, who knows if he would die of depression, especially since he had three such Silver Pages.
However, in his ignorance, Li Yan actually became happy. The harder the Silver Page was to refine, the more likely it meant his guess was close to the truth. These three Silver Pages should be the transformed state of three drops of "Undead Nether Phoenix" Essence Blood.
"Do I have to go back to the sect and rent an alchemy room at Lord Lao Peak?" Li Yan temporarily set aside the thought of Alchemical Flame. That would require seeking help from a Golden Core cultivator, a notion Li Yan extinguished the moment it arose.
So, the first alternative he thought of was to rent an alchemy room and use the powerful Earth Fire within to refine the Silver Page.
Although Earth Fire was not one of the rare, peerless Exotic Fires of this world, the power and quality of the flames produced by a good Fire Vein were comparable to Alchemical Flame. It was nurtured by the fire essence of heaven and earth.
When the Four Great Sects were first established, besides Spiritual Energy, Earth Fire was the most important factor in their choice of location. It was the fundamental condition for a major sect's alchemy and artifact refining. A poor Earth Fire could not support a large sect; it might exhaust a Fire Vein in just a few years. More importantly, the pills and magical treasures refined with the Earth Fire from a good Fire Vein would be far superior, even with the same raw materials.
It was said that when the Malevolent Spirit Sect and the Ten-Pace Courtyard were establishing their sects, they spent several hundred years unable to find a suitable, top-quality Fire Vein. In the end, they had to deploy several Nascent Soul cultivators, who used their peerless divine arts and combined their efforts to move an excellent Fire Vein they had found from another location to beneath their sect's grounds.
Li Yan sighed helplessly. It seemed he had to return to the Malevolent Spirit Sect as soon as possible. This matter was even more important than refining his Natal Magical Treasure.
The reason was that Li Yan believed that as long as he refined these three drops of "Undead Nether Phoenix" Essence Blood, his cultivation would definitely take a great leap in a short period of time. Forming a Golden Core was certainly not possible, but his physical body should see an unexpected improvement.
As for refining his Natal Magical Treasure—the Gui-Yi Water-Parting Spike—he was still missing two main materials, which could not be obtained in the short term.
Li Yan was about to put away the three Silver Pages and organize his other things before leaving, but suddenly his hand stopped in mid-air. He then slapped his own forehead. "The more I rush, the more confused I get. Don't I still have the Li Fire Profound Yellow Fan?"
At this moment, Li Yan thought of the Li Fire within the Profound Yellow Fan. That Li Fire was something that even the Bright Fire Qilin, a fire-elemental essence soul, feared.
But the next moment, a bitter smile formed in his heart. "Alas, even if it works, that little bit of Li Fire is too little. It's not enough."
But it was still a method, and Li Yan certainly had to try it. With a thought, the Li Fire Profound Yellow Fan appeared in his hand.
Li Yan did not hesitate. He quickly swiped two fingers across the fan's ribs, and a jet of Li Fire shot out, striking one of the Silver Pages in the next instant.
But to Li Yan's disappointment, after a while, when the Li Fire had gradually dissipated, the Silver Page remained as it was.
"Is the amount of Li Fire too small, or is its power insufficient?" Just now, Li Yan was only testing, so he had used very little Li Fire. In his mind, it was like a doctor treating a patient; as long as the method was right, even a small dose of medicine should show some effect.
So Li Yan wasted no more Li Fire. This time, he swiped his two fingers across the fan's ribs again. The remaining Li Fire in the fan all gushed out, a mass of red flames erupting and instantly enveloping one of the Silver Pages.
Li Yan's Divine Sense directly penetrated the Li Fire, his eyes fixed on the Silver Page. The full force of the Li Fire burned for half an hour before it slowly dissipated.