Chapter 604: Carefree Recluse

The black-haired elder playing chess with this Fiery Immortal Venerable was named Duan Yuzai, also a native of the Black Mountain Immortal Domain. However, he had no sect background and was a mountain wild cultivator, who had fought his way to the early Golden Immortal stage by snatching food from the tiger's mouth. Tired of the early years of fighting and scheming, he had hidden himself here.

As for the zither-playing man and the brown-robed elder, one was named Yu Ziyu and the other was styled Senior Jingyang. Neither was a native of the Black Mountain Immortal Domain; they had traveled here from other immortal domains and eventually stayed.

One had the cultivation of late True Immortal, the other late Golden Immortal—a considerable difference in cultivation—yet they were the closest pair among the four on the stone.

In fact, besides the four on this giant rock and Han Li, a large number of cultivators lived throughout the seventy-two valleys and thirty-six ravines of the Floating Cloud Mountain Range.

Most of these people were mountain wild cultivators and wandering immortals, who, knowing that the path to the Great Way was beyond their reach, had simply indulged in landscapes and focused on worldly arts like zither playing, chess, brewing wine, and composing poetry, living quite leisurely and carefree.

Over time, this Floating Cloud Mountain Range acquired another name, called 'Carefree Cloud Mountain.'

The valley where the four on the stone and Han Li lived was originally called "Cloud Deer Valley," but they themselves had renamed it "Wild Crane Valley."

In these Idle Cloud Mountains, there had long been a peculiar rule: "No inquiry into the past, no involvement in disputes, no external disturbance." It meant that one should not question the past of those who lived there, should not arbitrarily stir up conflicts within the mountains, and should not allow outside forces to disrupt the order of the mountains.

As for the origin of this rule, Han Li had obtained a somewhat imprecise answer from the Venerable Flame Immortal.

It was said that this rule was established by a rogue cultivator who once trained in the Floating Cloud Mountain Range. At first, no one paid it any heed, but who would have known that this person's killing power and killing intent were equally terrifyingly strong? Whether the offender was an individual, a clan, or a sect, he would annihilate them with all his might, and after that, no one dared to violate it again.

Later, there were rumors that this person seemed to hold an important position in the Celestial Court. After he left, these rules gradually became ironclad laws of the Idle Cloud Mountains, to the extent that even the Immortal Palace overseeing this place turned a blind eye to it.

"In these Idle Cloud Mountains, having some worldly pleasure is the proper thing. Unlike me—hiding here but still unable to find peace, constantly having to go into seclusion to refine pills. Truly a disgrace to the name 'idle cloud and wild crane,'" Han Li said with a wry smile.

"It's fortunate that you are an alchemist. Otherwise, without the Golden Soul Pill you timely provided, the day I broke through to Golden Immortal would have been the day my divine soul collapsed and my essence scattered," Duan Yuzai said with a solemn expression.

"Fellow Daoist Duan, there's no need to look so serious every time you mention this. To me, it was merely a small favor. Later, thanks to your recommendation, I was able to open a cave dwelling and settle in this Wild Crane Valley. You have already repaid the debt of gratitude," Han Li said with a smile.

"How could I ever repay the life-saving grace, Duan?" Duan Yuzai said, a trace of shame flashing in his eyes.

Han Li had long experienced his overly serious, worldly jianghu nature that placed great weight on gratitude and grudges, so he did not try to persuade him further.

"By the way, where is Fairy Mo? Why did she break her promise today as well?" He swept his gaze around and asked again.

"Don't you know Mo Wuxue? She's gone to sit in bitter meditation at Qingfeng Cliff," Yu Ziqing said.

"What bitter meditation? Isn't it just daydreaming! And she can daydream for ten or a hundred years at a time. Even among the eccentrics gathered in Xianyun Mountain, that's quite rare," Jingyang Shangren said contemptuously.

"Alas, although the Great Path is hopeless in this life, one shouldn't waste time like this. Since cultivation is boring, why not indulge in worldly pleasures? Wind, flowers, snow, moon, qin, chess, poetry, wine... there are always some joys," Yu Ziqing said with some regret.

"Wind, flowers, snow, and moon are not pleasures one can enjoy alone; you need Ziqing's help," Han Li, knowing that Yu Ziqing had long harbored feelings for Mo Wuxue, teased with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Yu Ziqing's smile did not fade, but he could only sigh inwardly.

Mo Wuxue was a Golden Immortal early-stage cultivator, while he was only a True Immortal late-stage, and limited by his aptitude, he might never cross the threshold to Golden Immortal in this life. The calamity of the Five Declines of Heaven and Man still hung over his head—how could he dare to hope to become her Dao companion?

"By the way, I heard that Fellow Daoist Li has been refining a batch of 'Five Stone Pills' recently. Could you sell me one?" At this moment, Jingyang Shangren suddenly put away his wine pot, stepped forward, and asked with a grin.

"Sell? Fellow Daoist Jingyang, saying that makes you sound like a stranger..." Han Li waved his hand and said.

Hearing this, the old man in brown robes immediately beamed with joy.

But before his smile could fade, Han Li's next words made the corners of his mouth, which had stretched to his ears, twitch slightly:

"Given our relationship, why bother buying? Just trade me a pot of 'Green Lees Wine' and it's settled."

This Green Lees Wine was a rich immortal brew that Jingyang Shangren had made using a very special brewing method learned from ancient texts, blending the essence of over a hundred kinds of immortal herbs and spiritual fungi. It was extremely scarce, and its value was no less than that of the Five Stone Pills.

Watching Jingyang Shangren's pained expression, everyone secretly laughed to themselves.

"Fine wine has real flavor; elixirs and such... what's the point?" In the end, Jingyang couldn't bear to part with his fine wine and muttered to himself.

Han Li's smile grew even broader. Suddenly, he waved his hand casually, and four beams of brilliant light shot past toward the four people on the rock.

The group quickly caught them, only to find they were white jade porcelain bottles the size of a palm.

"These are..." the Flame Immortal asked in confusion.

"Five-Stone Pills, one for each of you. No more than that." Han Li nodded and said.

"Brother Li..." Jingyang's expression froze as he murmured.

The others were also somewhat surprised, for the Five-Stone Pill was a Golden Immortal-level elixir, quite effective for stabilizing one's realm and enhancing cultivation—not something one would casually give away.

"Ah... don't be too surprised, everyone. The reason I'm giving you these pills is that I truly have a favor to ask." Han Li sighed and said.

Hearing this, none of them immediately put away the pills. Instead, they straightened their expressions and waited to hear what Han Li needed.

"I'm sure you've all noticed that my body is unusually dense with baleful qi. To be honest, I am currently undergoing the tribulation of the Five Declines and am plagued by baleful qi." Han Li swept his gaze over the group and spoke slowly.

Indeed, none of them looked surprised; rather, they showed signs of realization, as if a long-puzzling question had finally found a reasonable answer.

They knew that the Five Declines was an unavoidable and perhaps insurmountable barrier, so they felt a sympathetic empathy for Han Li's plight.

"Some time ago, I obtained a pill formula for a medicine that can temporarily resist the backlash of baleful qi. However, I'm having trouble finding a spiritual material called 'Xuanzhi Crystal.' I'd like to ask you all to help me look for it." Han Li continued.

The pill formula he mentioned was called the 'Purge-Baleful Pill,' a secret formula obtained through the Wuchang Alliance. Its effect was not merely to temporarily suppress baleful qi backlash, but to purge baleful qi entirely, thereby helping Golden Immortal cultivators overcome the Baleful Tribulation.

However, this was merely hearsay, as the pill was so rare that it had never been widely verified.

To refine this pill, two main ingredients were crucial. One of them was none other than the dozen or so strange spiritual herbs Han Li had collected at the bottom of the Baleful Qi Abyss back then.

After inquiring through the Wuchang Alliance, he learned that this herb was called 'Kuluo Grass,' a spiritual object born only in places where baleful qi gathered densely, requiring at least tens of thousands of years to gestate. Its value was staggering, and this was one of the key reasons the Purge-Baleful Pill was so rare.

The other main ingredient was the 'Xuanzhi Crystal.'

Regarding this item, the three people including Jingyang were completely clueless, saying they had never heard of it. Only the Flame Immortal, after pondering for a moment, spoke up: "Brother Li, could you be referring to the legendary 'Flower-Heart Stone'?"

"Exactly. Brother Flame, have you seen it?" Han Li raised an eyebrow and asked eagerly.

"I haven't had the fortune to see such a top-grade spiritual material. I've only heard that it appeared in the 'Yukun Pavilion' of Jukun City a few hundred years ago." The Flame Immortal shook his head and said.

"What exactly is this Xuanzhi Crystal? Why do you two speak of it so mysteriously and preciously?" Jingyang asked curiously.

"Xuanzhi Crystal is a top-grade spirit stone, a main ingredient for many Taiyi-level elixirs. It grows as a plant, often solitary, and takes tens of thousands of years to bloom a single flower. After the bud opens, a small crystal forms at the flower's heart—that is the Xuanzhi Crystal." The Flame Immortal explained.

"Unless disturbed by external forces, the flower never withers, and the crystal continues to grow. The older it is, the richer its spiritual and medicinal potency. But if even a tiny bit of external interference occurs, the crystal falls off, the petals wither, the plant dries up, and the roots turn to ash. Moreover, since it grows mostly in dangerous, uninhabited places, its market supply is extremely scarce, making it priceless." Han Li added.

"So precious... Looks like your Five-Stone Pills might be a lost cause, Brother Li?" Jingyang clicked his tongue in wonder and shook his head.

"Rest assured, Brother Li. Although I am reclusive, I still have a few old acquaintances, some of whom deal in spiritual medicines and materials. I will definitely entrust them to search on your behalf." Duan Yuzai said solemnly.

"Thank you." Han Li clasped his hands slightly and said.

"I'm not too reliable for this. Old Flame, who can freely enter and leave Jukun City's inner city, can help you gather information. Who knows, maybe the Yukun Pavilion will have this item again someday." Jingyang spread his hands and said.

"Rest assured, Brother Li. Once this game of chess is over, I'll make a trip back to Jukun City."

As soon as the Flame Immortal finished speaking, two crisp sounds rang out on the chessboard as two white stones landed.

"I concede." Duan Yuzai said cleanly.

"You... fine, fine. I'll head back to Jukun City now." The Flame Immortal was left speechless. He shook his head, bid farewell to the group, and transformed into a streak of light, speeding southward.