Chapter 47

The Black Mountain and Shan Tong tribes, who had surrounded the stone fort, withdrew overnight. The surrounding mountains and ridges, except for the occasional roar of beasts and the cries of birds, once again fell into a rare silence.

"Who in the Python Tooth Ridge's Northern Mountains hasn't experienced life and death, who hasn't seen rivers of blood?" Witch Gong Zongtu stood atop the stone hall, watching the barbarian warriors of the Black Mountain and Shan Tong tribes retreat from the distant ridges. He sighed deeply and said, "In the Northern Mountains, it's easy to kill, but hard to make someone submit!"

The once-a-decade cold wave, which caused the animal herds to move south, was the true life and death crisis for the tribes of the Northern Mountains of Python Tooth Ridge. Nearly one-third of the tribes in Python Tooth Ridge were annihilated, and the primitive tribes living deep in the marshy plains and on high ridges suffered even more severe casualties.

The Black Python tribe, with only a thousand or so members and no Celestial Barbarians, would only bring about their own destruction if they were caught in endless slaughter. Living in a narrow gap, survival was not easy.

Chen Xun thought that for the situation to be resolved so peacefully was a satisfactory outcome. He said to Grandfather Zongtu, "Grandfather, let me help you down to rest." He still had many things to discuss with Grandfather Zongtu.

Zong Sang and Nan Liao had many things to attend to, so Chen Xun first helped Grandfather Zongtu into the stone hall to rest. He then explained the reasons for his recent advancement in cultivation during his journey north into the marshy plains.

However, Chen Xun did not truthfully reveal that Su Tang had taught him the Yuanfu Technique, the Dragon Binding Technique, and the method to refine the Nine Yuan Nourishing Aperture Pill. For the Black Python tribe, these techniques and the method to refine the Nine Yuan Nourishing Aperture Pill were too heavy a burden to bear. The Su family would never easily allow these profound techniques to spread, and if the news leaked, it would bring about the destruction of the Black Python tribe.

Chen Xun did not want Grandfather to be constantly worried, so he did not tell him about these matters.

Chen Xun took out a small bronze bottle containing the Nine Yuan Nourishing Aperture Pills from his chest:

"When I left the marshy plains, Su Tang helped me refine some Nine Yuan Nourishing Aperture Pills. This pill has the effect of changing blood and marrow, cultivating the origin and nourishing the apertures. After the tribal warriors have tempered their tendons and muscles, taking this pill will make it easier for them to advance to the seventh level of blood change. For those with severe injuries, taking the pill can also preserve a glimmer of life. I have kept some for myself, which should be enough; the rest, Grandfather, you should keep for now, to cultivate the promising talents in the tribe..."

Chen Xun poured out ten Nine Yuan Nourishing Aperture Pills and kept them close to his body, then handed the remaining pills along with the bronze bottle to Grandfather Zongtu.

Witch Gong Zongtu had long deeply experienced the remarkable medicinal power of the Nine Yuan Nourishing Aperture Pills.

After enlightening the barbarian soul, using the divine light of the barbarian soul to temper the tendons, bones, and flesh, it is not difficult to advance to the peak of the sixth level with diligent practice. However, advancing from the peak of the sixth level to the seventh level of blood change, becoming a true upper-level barbarian warrior, is the second major obstacle that most barbarian warriors encounter after enlightening their barbarian soul.

For example, the Black Mountain tribe, with five to six thousand members, had about thirty to fifty people who could enlighten their barbarian soul and advance to the middle-level barbarian warriors, but the number of upper-level barbarian warriors never exceeded three, showing how difficult it is to break through the seventh level of blood change.

If the Nine Yuan Nourishing Aperture Pill could easily help barbarian warriors overcome the seventh level of blood change, any single pill would be a rare treasure in the Northern Mountains of Python Tooth Ridge, valuable enough to cause tribal conflicts, and its value would be comparable to that of a giant wolf.

Seeing that the bronze bottle still contained fifteen Nine Yuan Nourishing Aperture Pills, Witch Gong Zongtu's hands trembled slightly as he took it: the output of the Black Python stone fort over three to five decades might not even match the fifteen rare pills in this bronze bottle.

Witch Gong Zongtu naturally knew the importance of these fifteen Nine Yuan Nourishing Aperture Pills to the Black Python tribe, but how could he have the face to accept these fifteen extremely precious pills from Chen Xun?

"This time I entered the marshy plains, I also made some progress in practicing the Great Peng Secret Fist. Although the Great Peng Secret Fist is rudimentary, it can serve as the foundation for all martial arts. I have also integrated the five postures of the Great Peng Secret Fist into my saber techniques. Zong Ya's left hand is missing a segment, and I don't know if he can be recommended by the martial master to enter the Canglan Academy, but he can start learning the barbarian soul saber techniques..."

Chen Xun explained the method of integrating the five postures of the Great Peng Secret Fist into his saber techniques to Grandfather Zongtu, and then copied down the improved formula for the Yuan Gathering Ointment, which is also the Black Python Pill, and handed it to Grandfather.

At this moment, Nan Liao and Zong Sang, who had been patrolling outside, returned to the stone hall. Seeing Witch Gong and Chen Xun sitting spiritedly in front of the stone table, they asked with a smile, "What are Witch Gong and Chen Xun talking about?"

"Chen Xun entered the marshy plains this time and encountered a strange person in danger, helping them out of trouble, and gained a lot," Witch Gong Zongtu knew some details but did not tell Nan Liao and Zong Sang, as it might bring trouble to Chen Xun and the Black Python tribe. He then handed the improved Black Python Pill formula and the bronze bottle containing fifteen Nine Yuan Nourishing Aperture Pills to Nan Liao, "Chen Xun has handed these over to the tribe, and the Black Python tribe really owes him a lot."

The cold wave moving south turned the entire marshy plains into a frozen wasteland, making it hard to imagine how Chen Xun, alone, could have survived the harsh winter and even advanced to such a level. It turned out he had encountered a strange person practicing in the depths of the marshy plains.

Witch Gong, who had been on the verge of death for several days, had recovered his vitality and even showed signs of improvement in his cultivation after taking just one spirit pill. Nan Liao naturally knew the value of the spirit pills in the bronze bottle.

However, he was chosen by the tribe to serve as the chief, and he knew that the improved formula was truly precious.

In the primitive lands, there are thousands of spirit herbs, but not all can be directly consumed.

Even if the spirit herbs can be directly consumed, the amount of medicinal power that ordinary barbarian warriors can absorb usually varies greatly and is far inferior to refined pills.

The integration and stimulation of the medicinal properties of different herbs to refine pills with different effects is a highly advanced science.

The Black Python Pill requires the fusion of sixteen herbs and the saliva of the Black Python snake, and the limited production of some herbs in Python Tooth Ridge often restricts the quantity that can be refined.

If there were two or three improved formulas, and the scarce herbs could be replaced with herbs of similar medicinal properties, the number of Black Python Pills that the Black Python tribe could refine in a year might even increase several times.

The fifteen Nine Yuan Nourishing Aperture Pills would eventually be used up, but the improved formula would be a continuous treasure.

However, improving a formula is not easy. One must be familiar with thousands of herbs, and a mistake in one herb could turn a spirit pill into a deadly poison.

Even Witch Gong Zongtu only knew about thirty to fifty herbs in Python Tooth Ridge and had no ability to improve or develop new formulas.

"Is it really effective?"

The formula for the Black Python Pill has been passed down for a thousand years. If it could be improved, the Black Python tribe would actually have two formulas, and the number of Black Python Pills that could be refined each year could double. Nan Liao, holding the improved formula, was so excited that his hands trembled, and he couldn't help but doubt it.

"I spent several months in the marshy plains, relying on this improved formula to gather herbs and refine the Yuan Gathering Ointment," Chen Xun took out a small bronze bottle, opened it, and showed the Yuan Gathering Ointment inside to Nan Liao, "Uncle Nan Liao, try a little."

Nan Liao took the bronze bottle, scooped out a little of the spirit ointment with a small spoon, and it melted into a medicinal fluid as soon as it entered his throat. The medicinal power immediately surged into his body, nourishing his blood and qi.

After the harsh winter, the Black Python tribe's stock of Black Python Pills had long been exhausted, and the feeling of the medicinal power nourishing the blood and qi was truly missed!

Apart from being several times stronger than the Black Python Pill, there were no other abnormalities, confirming that it was an improved formula, and one that was even stronger than the Black Python Pill.

Nan Liao's spirit soul trembled with excitement; this was too precious for the Black Python tribe!

"Any tribe would exchange their clan's treasure for this formula. What can Uncle Nan Liao offer in return?" Nan Liao asked.

Chen Xun smiled. If he really wanted compensation, he wouldn't have copied the formula for Grandfather, nor would he have handed over the fifteen Nine Yuan Nourishing Aperture Pills, which were extremely precious even in Canglan City.

Some things were indeed his good fortune, but without Grandfather taking him in, he wouldn't have had the chance to survive in these wild mountains.

If it weren't for Grandfather teaching him to read barbarian script and identify herbs, and using his private stash to trade for the "Residual Interpretation of Dao" from the Greenwood Daoist, he wouldn't have had the foundation for cultivation.

If it weren't for Grandfather teaching him the method to refine the Black Python Pill and giving him the bronze medicine furnace, how could he have endured months of hard cultivation in the marshy plains and met Su Tang...

All things have their causes and effects. Although Grandfather did not let him join the Black Python tribe, it was for his future. He had already considered the Black Python tribe as his home in this realm.

In terms of refining pills, the Su family excels far beyond a thousand-person tribe like the Black Python. As a proud daughter of Canglan, Su Tang's knowledge is broad, and improving a few low-level formulas is quite easy.

Compared to the improved Yuan Gathering Ointment formula, the formula for the Nine Yuan Nourishing Aperture Pill is truly extremely precious.

The Su family has many experts in the Rebirth Realm, and the foundation of their cultivation mainly relies on this pill to change blood and marrow and cultivate the origin and nourish the apertures.

However, this formula is extremely important to the Su family and must not be leaked. Chen Xun did not dare to easily copy it for Grandfather, fearing that it would bring catastrophic trouble to the Black Python tribe.

The key ingredient in refining the Nine Yuan Nourishing Aperture Pill is the heart blood of a strange beast, which is not something the Black Python tribe can easily obtain at this time. Even if he copied the formula for Grandfather now, it wouldn't be very meaningful.

Chen Xun smiled and said, "All that I have today is thanks to Grandfather and Uncle Nan Liao. How can Grandfather and Uncle Nan Liao want Chen Xun to thank you?"

He knew that the tribe's stock of pills had probably been exhausted after the harsh winter. He patted his buttocks, stood up, and said to Nan Liao,

"Use this bottle of Yuan Gathering Ointment for now, Uncle Nan Liao. I'm going to sleep. I haven't had a good night's sleep for months in the marshy plains."

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