Chapter 227: People Don’t Act for Themselves

Yu Qing entered the Demon Transformation Phase ahead of time and couldn’t return to his sect, so he went to the Blood Curtain Mountains to wait patiently for Su Che’s arrival, knowing that Su Che needed to gather spiritual flames everywhere and would eventually come here.

“Senior brother, you really won’t be possessed by demons, will you?” Su Che asked anxiously.

If a person were possessed by demons, they would be even more terrifying than most demon cultivators. With their reason corrupted by demonic forces and their temper drastically changed, they might do many things beyond their control.

“I hope not.”

Yu Qing smiled bitterly. “The Demon Transformation is also a calamity for me. Whether I can overcome it remains uncertain. For now, the only option is to use poison to counter poison and turn calamity into calamity.”

“Turn calamity into calamity?”

Su Che was shocked but quickly understood his intention.

When a cultivator reaches the Golden Core stage, they must endure a minor heavenly calamity. Only by safely passing this trial can they achieve the Golden Core path.

Yu Qing meant that at the time of forming the Golden Core, he would use the power of the heavenly calamity to eliminate the internal demon transformation calamity—essentially using poison to counter poison and turning calamity into calamity.

It sounded plausible in theory, but the danger involved was beyond description; the chances of success were extremely slim.

The process of enduring a calamity was already extremely perilous, yet here he was trying to use the power of the heavenly calamity to “expel demons” from himself. Wasn’t his recklessness beyond measure?

Any other person would have tried every possible way to dissuade Yu Qing, but Su Che not only didn’t say a word in opposition but even agreed, “Hmm, this is a good idea!”

Yu Qing smiled faintly, seemingly having expected Su Che to agree.

He knew that Su Che was equally adventurous. If he were in Su Che’s shoes, he would likely choose this method to overcome the calamity as well.

“Senior brother, if you need anything, just tell me.”

Su Che knew that Yu Qing must have something he couldn’t handle in person and needed his help.

Yu Qing tossed him a jade slip. “The details are written on it. I also need to visit my uncle to get something for me…”

Su Che silently noted it down and then asked, “When do you plan to form your Golden Core?”

“As soon as I have everything ready,” Yu Qing replied softly.

“I also plan to form my Golden Core,” Su Che said after calculating the time. “I’ll bring those things to you in half a month. By then, if your own heavenly calamity isn’t strong enough, you can use mine as well.”

What he meant was that if Yu Qing’s own heavenly calamity wasn’t powerful enough to achieve the goal of turning calamity into salvation, Su Che could form a pill core with him and go through the calamity together, at which point the power of the heavenly calamity would increase several times over. If such words reached the ears of figures like Venerable Xuanji, they would surely beat Su Che half to death. Treating the heavenly calamity as a joke—how utterly insane! Su Che’s thinking was very simple: Good brothers should share hardships together; no matter what kind of calamity it is, it will be shattered into nothingness! Yu Qing, however, smiled and pointed at the black flame behind him, saying, “Look, what has become of the originally blood-red Blood Mist Evil Flame after being corrupted by my magic?” The blood-red evil flame had already turned into a black demonic flame. Yu Qing meant that if Su Che stayed here for too long, he too would be infected by the demonic nature, and then it would become a calamity caused by both of them… Su Che examined the demonic flame carefully and couldn’t help but laugh, saying, “After being corrupted, it has evolved into a fifth-level exotic fire. It should be renamed Black Mist Demon Flame.” “If you want it, then take it,” Yu Qing said indifferently. Of course, Su Che didn’t hesitate. He took out his treasure gourd and quickly absorbed the entire demonic flame. Black Mist Demon Flame: Fifth-level exotic fire, formed by the corruption and mutation of the Blood Mist Evil Flame. Its effects are unknown and require further verification… After thinking for a moment, Yu Qing said, “You form the pill core first. After that, bring me the things I need. You can also protect me in the process. This time, I’ll let you take the lead.” “Alright!” Su Che grinned. During the process of forming a pill core and going through the calamity, it was crucial not to be disturbed. Forced to form the pill core in the wild, Yu Qing indeed needed someone trustworthy to protect him. Su Che asked half-seriously and half-jokingly, “If you become possessed during this time, what should I do?” “Then stay far away from me.” Surrounded by dark mist, Yu Qing, like the son of a demon god, spoke in a deep voice, “I, who reject all kin, will become a calamity for countless people.” … The Blood Curtain Mountains were only a little over two thousand li away from Tianxuan Sect. Su Che returned to the sect’s entrance in just one hour. Standing on the top of Xuanji Peak, one could see Xuanju Peak, towering at six thousand zhang high, located 300 li away. In the past few days, various buildings had been moved upward toward the peak. Inside Tianxuan Sect, the main buildings didn’t even need foundations. Each building was equipped with more than a dozen magic arrays, allowing them to float on their own like magical treasures, keeping warm in winter, cool in summer, and free from dust…

In the Mysterious Golden Hall, after listening to Su Che’s account, Venerable Mysterious shook his head and said, “It truly is a spiritual treasure pill furnace. Your fortune is truly enviable.” Then, changing the subject, he added, “However, this matter has already spread within the sect. You should go to the Patriarch’s Hall on your own and explain the matter of the pill furnace to Uncle Guangwu…” “I understand,” Su Che replied respectfully. The matter of the pill furnace surely couldn’t be hidden. After all, there were over a hundred disciples of the Tianxuan Sect present at the time. After they returned to the sect, they exaggerated their descriptions, possibly even portraying the pill furnace as an immortal artifact. Moreover, even without witnesses, Su Che would have confessed to Grandmaster Guangwu, because this fortune was left to him by Grandmaster Guangwu. Over a hundred years ago, Grandmaster Guangwu, thinking of future generations, refused to take the fire seeds of the Golden Crow Heavenly Fire, thus missing out on a top-grade spiritual treasure pill furnace. How could he disappoint such a kind and benevolent elder? Patriarch’s Hall. Boom! In front of the supreme patriarch and the four supreme elders, Su Che threw the pill furnace back. Whoosh! As usual, the moment it appeared, it transformed into a Golden Crow and tried to escape. There were five Yuan Ying ancestors in the hall—wouldn’t it be a joke if it got away? Buzz… Grandmaster Guangwu raised his hand and suppressed it, forcing it to stand obediently in the center of the hall. “Truly a top-grade spiritual treasure.” The supreme patriarch laughed and said, “Brother Guangwu, what are your thoughts?” Grandmaster Guangwu glared at Su Che with a fierce expression and said in a deep voice, “That gourd of his has always made me extremely envious! And now he comes up with this broken furnace to provoke me… I really… I really want to deal with this brat, huh? What do you think I should do?” The elders laughed heartily, and Su Che himself wasn’t nervous at all. It was obvious that Grandmaster Guangwu was venting his anger, but the more he spoke like this, the less likely he was to actually do such things. Logically, since this fortune fell to Su Che, the pill furnace should belong to him. Such things could only be explained by fate and luck. Anything else was pointless. However, if one were in Grandmaster Guangwu’s shoes, they would feel immense regret and frustration: such a precious treasure was right under their noses, yet they missed it simply because of their kindness. Could this be another interpretation of the saying “If you don’t help yourself, heaven and earth will punish you”? Could it be that people should be more selfish? “Sigh!”

Grandmaster Guangwu let out a long sigh. “Senior Brother Qingxuan, I’m a bit confused…”
Grandmaster Qingxuan, whose hair and beard were already gray, nodded. “Then go into seclusion.”
“Yes, senior brother.”
Grandmaster Guangwu bowed and then disappeared without a trace.
“When he emerges from seclusion, he will have found his own path,” Grandmaster Qingxuan said with a smile. “That’s a good thing!”
The Supreme Patriarch and the others all nodded.
Among the several ancient masters, Grandmaster Qingxuan wasn’t the strongest in combat, but it was well known that he had the deepest spiritual cultivation.
Zixiao asked again, “It’s been almost a month, and you still haven’t tamed it. Is there a problem?”
“This pill furnace has been buried underground for countless years, and its spirit has been damaged—almost insane—so it’s completely impossible to subdue,” Su Che explained.
I see!
The several Yuan Ying-level ancient masters all nodded. Zixiao asked further, “Do you need our help?”
“Elders, this is what I think…”
Su Che bowed first before continuing, “In the near future, I plan to attempt to refine a pill. If everything goes well, within a year after that, I’ll truly understand what opportunities this pill furnace can bring me. If it’s only useful as a pill furnace, it’s better to exchange it for several comparable offensive or defensive spiritual treasures, which would be more practical.”
What Su Che said was all true. A spiritual treasure-grade pill furnace could only achieve its full potential in the hands of a master alchemist or blacksmith.
It could be said that no one in the Immortal Prison currently had the qualifications to use such a pill furnace. Perhaps for a long time to come, it would be unlikely to capture a master alchemist or blacksmith as a prisoner of the Immortal Prison.
This was because true masters were always under the heavy protection of various sects or forces, fearing being taken away by others. It was no easy task to capture such talents.
Moreover, Su Che didn’t have enough time and effort to gather various ingredients for alchemy or blacksmithing; it was more cost-effective to simply exchange for finished products.
Su Che wasn’t concerned about profit but valued time above all.
From a combat perspective alone, a pill furnace was indeed less useful than offensive or defensive spiritual treasures of the same level.
After hearing Su Che’s words, the Supreme Patriarch nodded gladly. “If you’re willing to exchange it for other spiritual treasures, we’ll do whatever it takes—even selling everything we have—to gather a few top-quality spiritual treasures suitable for you.”
The significance of a top-quality spiritual treasure-grade pill furnace to a super sect like Tianxuan Sect goes without saying.

Su Che nodded and said, “Elder Patriarch, as the chief direct disciple, I always keep the interests of the sect at heart. In a year, if it is still in my hands, it can only serve as an alchemy furnace, and I am willing to offer it to the sect.”
“Good!”
The Supreme Patriarch clapped his hands, his face showing rare joy: “Su Che, your fortune is now tied to the interests of the sect. This is precisely the meaning of being the chief direct disciple!”
First, there was an Upper Ancient Town Mountain talisman, and then an upper-grade spiritual treasure alchemy furnace—finally, the Supreme Patriarch witnessed with his own eyes the wonders of being the chief direct disciple.
The ancestors through the ages truly have not deceived me!