Chapter 187: The Taiping Sutra's Combo Skills

Once he regained his bearings, Wang Ping immediately realized the origins of the Ever-Suppressing Six Harmonies Cauldron. The Grand Ancestor of Great Shun had definitely not forged this Spiritual Treasure.

'Great Shun is merely picking up someone else's scraps.'

'This must be a Spiritual Treasure forged by the former dynasty, the Great Rebellion! It has to be connected to the Great Rebellion's Ancient Qi of Eliminating the Six Heavens—it might very well have played a part in it!'

Wang Ping's mind raced. He stared intently at the auspicious clouds drifting around the cauldron's mouth. 'This isn't true qi of heaven and earth, but something merely tainted by its imagery... That makes sense. If the vanished Ancient Qi of the Six Heavens were suppressed inside this Treasure Cauldron, the Immortal Gate would have smashed it open long ago.'

Only then did the Old Emperor's voice drift over.

"This is the medicine cauldron you will be using from now on."

Wang Ping withdrew his thoughts and quickly feigned a look of surprise. "A medicine cauldron? Your Majesty is far too extravagant. Even the Immortal Gate rarely uses a Spiritual Treasure to refine pills."

"Is there something wrong with that?"

The Old Emperor's expression remained calm. "After forging this cauldron, the Grand Ancestor of this dynasty transcended and ascended, becoming an immortal patriarch. He left this cauldron behind to bless his descendants."

"Furthermore, the pill I need you to refine is rather special."

"It cannot be accomplished without this cauldron."

With that, the Old Emperor pointed to a desk in the corner of the grand hall.

"The pill is called the Ten-Thousand-Year Ageless Pill. Given your pill-refining skills, Martial Nephew, it shouldn't be difficult for you. Take a look at it first."

"The... Ten-Thousand-Year Ageless Pill?"

Wang Ping raised an eyebrow. He had never heard of such a pill.

He looked toward the desk the Old Emperor had pointed out and quickly swept his spiritual sense over the formula. A moment later, he understood exactly what kind of pill this was.

'It uses national destiny as the fire to refine spiritual materials into a Longevity-Extending Pill. Although it has the miraculous effect of increasing lifespan, the refiner is bound to suffer a backlash from the national destiny. It damages their Destiny Pattern and fate, leading to an early death or a cursed old age... To put it bluntly, it trades the refiner's lifespan to replenish the consumer's!'

"..."

What could he even say? By this point, Wang Ping was no longer shocked by this kind of practice—one that called itself pill consumption but was actually cannibalism.

After all, he had been to the Immortal Gate four times already. What hadn't he seen?

"Finished looking?"

The next second, the Old Emperor's voice continued, "Once you are done reading, prepare to begin. I will act as the main ingredient. Refine it carefully; do not ruin it."

Wang Ping paused. "...Huh?"

Before Wang Ping could react, the Old Emperor stripped off his Daoist robes without the slightest hesitation and walked directly into the Ever-Suppressing Six Harmonies Cauldron.

Seeing this, it suddenly dawned on Wang Ping:

'Oh, right. National destiny is the fire, and the reigning emperor is the physical convergence of that national destiny. So the national destiny has to be drawn from the emperor's body? The Old Emperor himself is the firewood?'

This Old Emperor was truly ruthless. Refining himself in a Treasure Cauldron?

He had to admit, he really hadn't seen a scene like this before!

Pushing aside his shock, Wang Ping didn't dare be careless. Taking advantage of the fact that the effects of Invoking Deities hadn't ended yet, he hurried over to the Treasure Cauldron and formed a hand seal.

Pill Manipulation!

Soon, Wang Ping gathered the spiritual materials listed on the pill formula. In truth, they were nothing particularly precious. He quickly made a judgment:

'So much for the Ten-Thousand-Year Ageless Pill.'

'At its core, it is merely the most basic body-strengthening pill. It might have some lifespan-extending effects on Mortals, but it is utterly useless to cultivators.'

Then why did the Old Emperor still want to refine it?

'The key lies in the other main ingredient—that is what truly extends lifespan... National destiny. The national destiny of Great Shun is what transforms the mundane into the miraculous.'

'I get it! This is a replica of the Longxing County incident! Back then, sacrificing the entire city's lifespans was nothing more than a side ingredient. The true main ingredient was the national destiny of the former dynasty, the Great Rebellion. That was the only thing that qualified it to extend a Qi Refining practitioner's lifespan. And what the Old Emperor is doing right now is exactly the same thing.'

It was just swapping the Great Rebellion's national destiny for Great Shun's national destiny.

'However, the gap between them must be massive. After all, the Great Rebellion perished long ago, yet that tiny remnant of national destiny in Longxing County could still help a Qi Refining practitioner extend their lifespan.'

'And after that, Mingyou never sought out Great Shun again.'

'This proves that while the Great Rebellion's national destiny could extend a Qi Refining practitioner's lifespan, Great Shun's national destiny falls a bit short. It can only serve to extend the Old Emperor's own life.'

Wang Ping turned this over in his mind, though his hands never stopped moving.

Soon, he circulated his magical power and injected it into the Ever-Suppressing Six Harmonies Cauldron before him. He immediately felt the terrifying might emanating from the Treasure Cauldron.

'It's resisting...'

Wang Ping could sense that the Treasure Cauldron had originally been dismissive of him. However, following a single thought from the Old Emperor inside, its attitude shifted.

Immediately after, Wang Ping saw a ball of fire light up within the cauldron, wrapping around the Old Emperor's body. Then, he watched as wisps of smoky qi were stripped from the Old Emperor by the flames. It looked strikingly similar to the Great Rebellion's national destiny he had once seen in Longxing County.

'Just as I expected.'

But a second later, Wang Ping realized something was wrong—as the national destiny was slowly stripped from the Old Emperor's body, a backlash was born alongside it.

A backlash from the national destiny!

This was a reduction dictated by destiny. Wang Ping couldn't be more familiar with this feeling; it was completely identical to the backlash of the Fate-Peering Bone-Slicing Mirror.

In other words:

'I can block it using Invoking Deities, just like with the Ye Chao experience card from before!'

Wang Ping sat completely still. All the backlash from the national destiny was borne by Xiaoxiang, who was still possessing him at that moment. Wang Ping himself remained unscathed.

As a result, he had the spare capacity to observe the scene within the cauldron. As the national destiny burned, melting the spiritual materials into the pill, layered mystical visions unfolded before his eyes. There were scholars studying by candlelight, farmers plowing fields while their wives wove, and peddlers traveling between prefectures—all of which were eventually reduced to ash by the flames.

'So that's how it is. It's not just me.'

A chill ran through Wang Ping's heart.

'The national destiny is being refined, and I suffered a backlash, but the commoners tied to that national destiny will be equally affected. Their Destiny Patterns and lifespans will decline, and they might even meet a sudden, violent death.'

What was national destiny?

Under Great Shun's rule, the Destiny Patterns and lifespans of billions of commoners gathered in the torrent of destiny to form a vast ocean—that was the true essence of national destiny!

And yet, all this national destiny was concentrated on the Old Emperor alone. If he used up even a little of it here to refine a Longevity-Extending Pill, a swathe of Great Shun would rot away.

Behind the refinement of a single pill, it wasn't just the refiner's Destiny Pattern and lifespan that suffered damage. Every Great Shun commoner linked to the extracted strand of national destiny would also face disaster. Even if it looked like he was only using a few inconspicuous wisps, when the cost fell upon Great Shun, it could claim the lives of ten thousand people.

'He is ruthless to himself, and even more ruthless to others.'

No matter how small the depletion was—even if it was just a grain of sand to the Old Emperor—when it fell upon the billions of commoners of Great Shun, it would be heavier than a mountain.

At this thought, Wang Ping's gaze suddenly shifted.

The next second, his consciousness sank into the Great Peace Mortuary, looking at the towering tome and the single scripture scroll he had never used since obtaining it.

The sixth scripture scroll, Plum Substituting for Peach!

The effect of this scripture scroll was very simple: [Upon activating the scripture scroll, you may designate targets and transfer the damage they suffer onto yourself, with no limit on the number.]

'It's just lifting a finger...'

As the scripture scroll burst with radiant light, the commoners who would have had their Destiny Patterns and lifespans damaged by the refinement of their linked national destiny had all that damage transferred over.

Wang Ping shouldered it all by himself.

Of course, to be exact, Xiaoxiang was shouldering it all. As an outer sect disciple of the Immortal Gate—and an elite one with hopes of advancing to the inner sect—his life was quite resilient.

'Thank you for your hard work, my good brother...'

Looking at Xiaoxiang—who, despite being tortured by the depletion of his Destiny Pattern and lifespan, was still giving his all to bear the burden and refine the pill for him—Wang Ping was deeply moved.

After a long while had passed, all the spiritual materials finally merged with the national destiny. A beam of golden light slowly rose and burst, transforming into resplendent colors that filled the grand hall. The Old Emperor stood up straight from within the cauldron. With a face full of excitement, he plucked out an exquisite, translucent, egg-sized pill.

"It is complete!"

This wasn't the Old Emperor's first time refining pills, so he could naturally tell at a glance that this refinement was a resounding success. The quality of the Ten-Thousand-Year Ageless Pill was excellent.

Just this single pill would likely extend his life by a month.

"Well done!"

Stepping out of the Treasure Cauldron, the Old Emperor put his Daoist robes back on, then patted Wang Ping on the shoulder with a look of admiration. "From now on, come refine a pill once a month."

"As long as you do your utmost, Martial Nephew, I will not be stingy with my rewards!"

At this moment, the Old Emperor looked at Wang Ping as though he were a top-tier talent. After all, this was a cultivator with the potential of a true transmission disciple.

'His Destiny Pattern and lifespan are definitely abundant enough!'

He knew that Wang Ping's situation was abnormal and that he likely held secrets, but he didn't care. A mere cultivator at the Tribulation Transcending First Layer couldn't turn the world upside down while in his grasp.

Regardless of what secrets he held, as long as he continued to refine pills for him, Wang Ping's Destiny Pattern and lifespan would serve as nothing more than resources to extend the emperor's life.

"From now on, Martial Nephew, you shall stay here."

The Old Emperor grinned, revealing a mouth full of ghastly white teeth. "Refine pills for me well. If you need any resources for your cultivation, tell me at any time."

After saying that, he stared intently at Wang Ping.

Only at this moment did the Old Emperor finally reveal his true colors. Although his words sounded pleasant, this was effectively house arrest to prevent Wang Ping from escaping his control.

Sure enough, upon hearing this, Wang Ping first blanked for a moment before seemingly realizing his intentions. A flash of resentment appeared in his eyes, but he quickly suppressed it.

"...Yes."

The Old Emperor nodded in satisfaction. "Very good. A wise person adapts to circumstances. I knew you would understand the bigger picture, Martial Nephew, and would not disappoint me."

"Rest well. I will come see you again next month."

With that said, the Old Emperor swept his large sleeves and vanished from the side hall, leaving behind only Wang Ping and the Ever-Suppressing Six Harmonies Cauldron.

Then, Wang Ping raised his head.

'...Old dog.'

The corners of his mouth curled up slightly. His consciousness once again sank into the Great Peace Mortuary, where another scripture scroll had clearly been illuminated on that towering tome.

Perish Together with the Sun!

'Plum Substituting for Peach concentrated all the damage inflicted on the commoners from the refinement of national destiny onto me, on top of the backlash of using national destiny for pill refinement.'

Who caused all this damage?

National destiny!

To be exact, the national destiny on the Old Emperor's body. In other words, he could activate Perish Together with the Sun right now to strike back at the Old Emperor!

'No rush. I'll play with him a little longer.'

The national destiny on the Old Emperor was far too dense. The damage caused by a single pill refinement wouldn't be enough to deal a lethal blow, even if he activated Perish Together with the Sun.

He would take it slow.

As long as he alternated between using Plum Substituting for Peach and Perish Together with the Sun, while using Invoking Deities to invite his good brothers to bear the backlash of the national destiny...

He could remain completely uninjured while leeching off the Old Emperor. He would use his resources, extort his wealth, and line his own pockets at the emperor's expense, all while continuously accumulating the prize pool for Perish Together with the Sun. Once he had hoarded enough karmic retribution to cripple the Old Emperor, he would finally drop the act, make his move, and give him a brutal awakening!

These were the blood-pumping combo skills of the Taiping Sutra!