Chapter 585: Vermilion Fruit

'If the person who called me for help earlier really was Chen Jiuge, does that mean his livestream location is also in Jiangcheng?' Most livestream missions from the Underworld Live Show provided an address and required the Streamer to reach that place within a set time to complete a certain task.

That raised a problem. The Live Show's missions were only announced at eight o'clock in the evening; if the assigned location was too far away, the Streamer would have no way to make it in time.

'The Live Show even has branches built in the Deep Dream Layer, which means buildings like 44 Lightless Road definitely exist in more places than just Jiangcheng. I interviewed in Jiangcheng to become a Streamer, and every Streamer mission I've received has been within Jiangcheng's borders. That makes Chen Jiuge's appearance really strange. His livestream mission was also in Jiangcheng, and he's a cultivator from Xiao Zhuang Taoist Temple. Doesn't that indirectly suggest the mountain gate of Xiao Zhuang Taoist Temple is hidden somewhere around Jiangcheng?'

Before long, I pushed the thought out of my mind. I knew far too little about the Live Show; for all I knew, as I completed more livestreams, both the intervals between missions and the locations would change.

'Why overthink it? The top priority right now is to get out of here first.' I couldn't afford to stay stuck in this place forever. I had no idea what date Xu Yan had divined for slaying the Ghost Mother, and remaining imprisoned here would interfere with my future livestreams.

With a slight headache, I lay down on the bed. A little over ten minutes later, a knock sounded at the door.

"Who is it?" I walked over and opened the door, and the Qingcheng disciple Xu Wugui stepped inside carrying a Brocade Box.

"Is this for me?" As I looked at the Thousand-Year Vermilion Fruit inside the box, a wave of craving stirred in my parched lower dantian.

"Martial Uncle said that since you aren't a member of our sect and the Ghost Mother was once your wife, asking you to help us vanquish demons and uphold the Dao is bound to leave you with some resentment. This Vermilion Fruit is one of your compensations."

"Compensation? And just one of them?" I wondered in confusion. 'Daoist Master Xu Yan was so overbearing just now—why the sudden change in attitude? He doesn't seem like the type to consider others' feelings.'

"I'll take my leave." Xu Wugui wasn't one for many words. After setting down the Brocade Box, he turned and walked out.

I stared blankly at the Vermilion Fruit inside the Brocade Box and swallowed hard, forcing down the craving deep within me.

After closing the door and making sure Xu Wugui was far away, I pulled out my phone and called Blind Liu.

"Old Liu, something big is about to happen in Jiangcheng. Just stay put and don't go anywhere."

"You ought to frame those words, hang them above your own bed, and read them every morning when you wake up!" Blind Liu sounded like he was still mad at me, his tone sharp. "Just tell me what you want. Stop beating around the bush."

"You really know me best." I laughed, snapped a photo of the Vermilion Fruit, and sent it to Blind Liu. "Old Liu, a bull-nosed Daoist from Mount Qingcheng named Xu Yan gave this to me. Help me check if it's real or fake."

"Xu Yan of Qingcheng? He's a major figure who calls the shots in the Qingcheng Sect! Why would he give you a gift? Don't tell me you got conned, kid?" Just then, Blind Liu seemed to spot the photo I'd sent and let out a yelp. "A Vermilion Fruit?!"

"You know what this is?" I was curious to hear how Blind Liu would appraise it.

"I've only ever seen it in books. This thing is one of the Eight Treasures of Qingcheng. Taking it for the first time brings tremendous benefits to the body, and rumor has it that it can even prolong life." Blind Liu paused for a moment, seemingly examining the photo closely. "Not bad, it should be genuine. There are Dao patterns etched into the skin—a sign that it's favored by heaven and earth."

I exchanged a few more words with Blind Liu. Once I was certain the Vermilion Fruit couldn't be faked and had asked how to consume it, I hung up.

'Could I have misjudged Daoist Master Xu Yan?'

I opened the window to let the air circulate and draw the moonlight into the room. Sitting cross-legged on the bed, I reached into the Brocade Box with both hands and lifted the Vermilion Fruit from the Cold Jade.

The fruit was quite wondrous. Cradled in my palms, it felt like a cluster of burning flame, and at the same time like a beating heart brimming with boundless vitality.

Because the Vermilion Fruit was yang in nature, I took off my Ghost Ring before eating it, gathered all the yin energy in my body into my yin aperture, and mobilized the last remaining wisp of Pre-Heaven True Qi to circulate through me.

Reciting the Profound Truth Mental Method, I swallowed the Vermilion Fruit in one gulp.

The fruit, no bigger than a baby's fist, melted the instant it touched my mouth. At first, it felt like boiling water scorching my throat and esophagus, but once it settled into my stomach and the medicinal power spread, it felt as if I had swallowed the rising sun, radiating warmth throughout my entire body.

Ever since usurping fate, I had rarely felt warmth. Only in this moment could I feel warm blood flowing through my veins, carrying vitality as it delivered the medicinal power to every limb and bone.

A low groan escaped my lips; I felt like a man on the verge of freezing stiff who had suddenly been pushed into a hot spring.

Caught between extreme cold and extreme heat, the inside of my body kept letting out muffled "thud, thud" sounds, as though my bones were knocking together and my tendons and muscles were being stretched taut.

Circulating the Profound Truth Mental Method and turning my mind's eye inward, I saw that the golden energy representing the Vermilion Fruit in my lower abdomen had barely diminished at all.

'I haven't even started absorbing it yet, and just the aura radiating off it has already affected my body this much.' Amazed, I urged the Profound Truth Mental Method onward and formally began absorbing the vitality and energy contained within the Vermilion Fruit.

Guided by my will, the golden energy—like the essence fire of the sun—raced through my meridians. The pathways that had been ravaged and left terribly fragile by the affliction poison not only recovered, but underwent a second strengthening, like soaring dragons.

Using just one-tenth of the Vermilion Fruit's energy was enough to fully restore my meridians. I regulated my breathing to stabilize my realm, then drew a stream of golden flame straight toward my left arm.

The affliction poison had been sealed inside by the paper-tying craftsman and couldn't escape. I didn't dare rashly force open the acupoints the paper-tying craftsman had sealed, so I could only channel the golden energy slowly through the fine vessels, wearing down the affliction poison bit by bit.

'So hot!' My skin flushed red as though scorched by fire. In fact, my current state wasn't much different from being roasted over flames—except this fire came from my own dantian, a yang flame harmless to the human body.

Tearing off my shirt revealed the stark changes across my body: my entire frame was bright red, save for my left arm, which was still mottled with large patches of bruised blue and purple.

Proceeding with the utmost caution, I spent a full half hour before I finally dared to break open the paper-tying craftsman's seal and confront the affliction poison trapped inside my arm head-on.

With no one controlling it, the affliction poison acted on pure instinct to invade my body, whereas the golden energy extracted from the Vermilion Fruit was under my command. I calculated every move before clashing with the affliction poison, not wasting a single shred of energy.

Before long, the affliction poison could no longer hold out and began to scatter in defeat.

I directed the golden energy into my left arm to repair the damaged vessels, intending to wipe the poison out completely. To my surprise, the remaining affliction poison swarmed straight into the center of my palm and vanished without a trace, as if something had swallowed it whole.

'My palm?' A thought struck me. Written on my left hand was the character for "death"—left behind when I touched the Black Chess Piece in the earth's ley lines, serving as the token to control the Ten Directions Ghost Refining Grand Formation.

Even after all of the affliction poison sank into the "death" character, the ancient script showed no change at all.

'It went down that easily?' Plenty of golden energy from the Vermilion Fruit still remained, and now that the affliction poison in my left arm had been completely purged, I used all the rest to improve myself.

The fiery golden energy tempered my body, widening my meridians and making them tougher still, while generating more Pre-Heaven True Qi within my lower dantian.

'At this rate, once I finish absorbing all the energy in the Vermilion Fruit, I might even break through the Breath Regulation Realm and reach the realm of Breath Listening.'

Blind Liu had been stuck at that realm for over twenty years, only breaking through by a stroke of luck after Lu Xing injured both of his eyes. I had been cultivating the Dao for barely over a month, yet I was already about to catch up to Blind Liu—a pace that surprised even me.

When one-fifth of the golden energy remained, I reached the critical moment of my breakthrough. Right then, however, the Three-Eyed Ghost Infant that had been slumbering in my Kidney Aperture seemed to sense something; it curled up inside my Kidney Aperture, its body trembling nonstop.

'Something's wrong?' I focused my attention to the utmost. My mental perception had been strengthened by the Flower of the Dream Realm and tempered in the Despair District; it far surpassed that of an ordinary person, and probably didn't fall much short of Xu Yan's.

Driving my powerful mental perception deep into the golden energy and searching it inch by inch, I suddenly discovered a pale talisman hidden at the very core of the golden mass.