Chapter 20: The Convergence of Water and Fire into the Great Elixir

“Since we can’t transcend here, and this place is so unique, why rush to leave? We haven’t reaped any benefits yet.”
Ye Chen had no desire to leave; he couldn’t let this trip be for nothing. That would hardly be worth it.

“With your strength, you should be grateful to leave the Sea of Laws unharmed,” Ning Taohua said, a hint of anxiety in her heart. Outside, thunder still raged, the peach orchard was in ruins, and it continued to suffer calamity, shielding Ye Chen from disaster.

The longer Ye Chen delayed, the more times Ning Taohua would be struck by lightning. If this continued, the losses would be disastrous.

Her mood was heavy, but facing Ye Chen, she had no way to force him to leave.

“I risked everything to come to the Sea of Laws partly because this Spirit Butterfly is still useful—I can’t let it die so easily—and partly to ease the rift between us. I can’t let mistrust and resentment fester again, can I?”

Ning Taohua was well aware that her earlier scheming had made Ye Chen wary, always ready to turn against her.

She could only try to make amends, though whether it would work was uncertain.

For all she knew, Ye Chen was secretly plotting to get rid of her. Ning Taohua dared not provoke him further.

She still needed his help; her position was weak, but she could accept that. Humbling herself was nothing to be ashamed of if it meant surviving.

A deafening roar split the air as giant trees were uprooted, the forests collapsing in an instant. Thunder swept by with world-shattering power, spewing searing flames—such heavenly wrath was beyond mortal resistance.

Ye Chen moved quickly—not to flee, but to leap onto Ning Taohua’s shoulder, intent on becoming an accessory.

Ning Taohua reacted swiftly, dazzling divine light bursting from her. A rain of blossoms soared against the current, clashing head-on with the boundless sea of thunder, opening a path through which they fled.

Ye Chen breathed a sigh of relief. His decision to linger a while longer in the Sea of Laws wasn’t out of recklessness or a lack of risk awareness. It was simply that with a capable companion at hand, it would be a waste not to take advantage, and he could also better gauge Ning Taohua’s strength.

The more often she revealed her hand, the harder it would be for her to conceal anything.

When Ning Taohua was near her limit, that would be the perfect time to escape. Of course, Ye Chen wasn’t foolish; he would keep his retreat secure. For now, though, he still didn’t know how to leave the Sea of Laws.

That white lotus shimmered with a gentle, watery radiance. As Ye Chen focused on it, he sensed that with a thought, he could open a gateway in the world.

That portal separated inside from out, a vast, majestic energy pouring forth as though shaking the heavens, causing scattered stars and the waning moon to plummet together.

“Leaving seems easy enough,” Ye Chen murmured in relief. The white lotus was the key—a medium for entering and leaving the Sea of Laws. How extraordinary! Was it because this lotus, born of talismans and the laws themselves, was a seed of the Dao, and thus so wondrous?

Ye Chen didn’t dwell on it. Whatever the case, as long as escaping was simple, that was enough.

“Something’s wrong,” Ning Taohua said gravely. “Has something major happened in the Sea of Laws to cause such a change?”

Her expression suggested it was serious.

“Is she trying to scare me?” Ye Chen wondered, but before he could dwell on it, brilliant light burst from the cracked sky, illuminating the world, and a rich medicinal fragrance swept over them.

“That’s a Heavenly Elixir!” Ning Taohua cried out in disbelief.

“What’s a Heavenly Elixir?” Ye Chen was baffled. He knew of spirit herbs, but not these.

“In the earth and mountains, in places of spiritual beauty, spirit herbs take root. But above the clouds, amidst wind and thunder, drawing the essence of sun and moon, refining the qi of the universe, mastering yin and yang and merging water and fire into the ultimate medicine—that is a Heavenly Elixir,” Ning Taohua intoned. “All you need to know is that it is the purest essence of heaven and earth, the most incredible of all spiritual items. It can revive the dead, regrow flesh and bone, overturn all natural laws and defy the very order of the world. That is a Heavenly Elixir.”

“Each Heavenly Elixir is unique and exceedingly rare. I never thought we’d encounter one now.”

Ning Taohua grew excited. If she obtained it, she could change her fate and no longer need to humble herself here.

But with that thought, a dangerous glint appeared in her eyes, and Ye Chen sensed unease.

Was she about to turn on him? Ye Chen grew vigilant; the situation was changing rapidly, but he was not overly worried.

He was far from defenseless. Though the pressure was real, it wasn’t enough to drive him to despair. The white lotus before him radiated crystalline light, brewing a vast power that only awaited Ye Chen’s command to unleash a world-shaking storm. Ning Taohua suddenly realized that Ye Chen was shrouded in a fog she could not see through.

“Before the Spirit Butterfly’s breakthrough, I could have handled her easily. Now, with a new path opened, I can’t be sure how much stronger she’s become,” she mused.

“Even if the Spirit Butterfly was dragged into the Sea of Laws by the lightning, that doesn’t mean she’s helpless. If I act now, it could be a lose-lose situation.”

“The Heavenly Elixir isn’t even in hand yet. I must remain calm and steady.”

Fixing her gaze on the elixir, Ning Taohua’s expression shifted again. “Something’s not right. Is that just a phantom?”

She rushed toward the Heavenly Elixir, Ye Chen close behind. The medicinal fragrance enveloped them, making Ye Chen’s body change and glow—its energy assaulted him violently, transforming him utterly, every inch of his flesh flooded with divine light, almost intoxicating him.

The scent was so heady it threatened to make him lose his senses. Ye Chen quickly snapped out of it and dared not go any closer.

“If I get too near, I might just dissolve into the Dao,” he mused, noticing that Ning Taohua, too, refrained from approaching further.

“I was right—Ning Taohua isn’t much stronger than me,” Ye Chen thought, reassured. If she were truly capable, she would have seized the elixir without hesitation. Why would she be standing there looking lost?

Ning Taohua was on the verge of collapse. To see the elixir yet not be able to obtain it was maddening.

It was worse than never having seen it at all; hope dangled before her, only to be cruelly snatched away. The bitterness was indescribable.

She stared blankly at the Heavenly Elixir, appearing deep in thought, but her mind was utterly blank, without a single idea.

“You said that elixir is a phantom?” Ye Chen asked, glancing at her. He knew nothing about Heavenly Elixirs, not even the basics, so given Ning Taohua’s expertise, he intended to squeeze every bit of knowledge from her.

“It is indeed a phantom,” Ning Taohua replied, coming to her senses. “Yes, only a phantom. Though, because of its special nature, even a phantom possesses extraordinary medicinal power, but its value drops steeply. To me, it’s probably not much use.”

But that was only relative to Ning Taohua’s true self.

“It’s strange—whenever a Heavenly Elixir appears, it never stays long, let alone leaves behind a phantom like this.”

“Yet even as a phantom, it carries a trace of the true elixir’s essence. Only when a Heavenly Elixir lingers long in one place, its vital energy merging with the world’s laws, does it imprint some of its essence and leave behind a phantom.”