Chapter 1270: Inside the Gourd
The Six Saint Ascension Heavenly Wine could not be renamed the Two Saint Ascension Heavenly Wine. Zhang Ruochen did not have as thick a face as the Wine Madman.
However, even with the recipe for the Six Saint Ascension Heavenly Wine, one would indeed need a master proficient in the Way of Wine to brew it.
The Wine Madman claimed to be a brewing master. Zhang Ruochen tentatively believed him, after all, this old fellow did have a deep understanding of wine, and might indeed be a skilled brewer.
In any case, the Water Star Gourd and the recipe were both in Zhang Ruochen's hands. After leaving the Yin-Yang Sea, he would first let the Wine Madman try.
If the Wine Madman could not brew it, he could find another Wine Dao master later.
"According to legend, the main body of the Water Star Gourd is as huge as a star. The space inside must be quite vast."
Zhang Ruochen stared at the gourd's opening, closed his eyes, and then released a wisp of Sacred Soul power. Before him, it condensed into a figure the size of a grain of rice.
It was a Sacred Soul avatar, possessing the same wisdom and knowledge as Zhang Ruochen, as well as part of the original body's power.
In fact, with Zhang Ruochen's current cultivation level, even his original body could shrink to the size of a grain of rice.
However, since Zhang Ruochen did not yet know the specific environment inside the Water Star Gourd, he naturally did not dare to rashly enter with his original body.
"This old man will go in and take a look too."
The Wine Madman also condensed a Sacred Soul avatar, turning into a speck of light. He followed closely behind Zhang Ruochen and flew into the gourd's opening.
Upon entering the gourd, a thick Water Spirit Saint Qi rushed towards them, like patches of white clouds.
"This is truly a cultivation treasure land. Cultivating inside the gourd is comparable to cultivating on the Undead Ancient Ship, achieving a speed ten times faster than usual."
Zhang Ruochen could feel strands of Water Spirit Saint Qi continuously drilling into his body, nourishing his flesh, and also making the Saint Qi in his Qi Sea increasingly abundant.
That feeling was indescribably comfortable.
Suddenly, the Water Spirit Saint Qi became extremely chaotic, filled with dense lightning accompanied by thunderous roars, brimming with immense danger.
Zhang Ruochen's reaction speed was extremely fast. His form shifted continuously, quickly passing through that lightning region. He continued flying forward, and after an unknown amount of time, he finally landed on an island built from jade.
This was a lake over eight hundred miles long. The liquid in the lake was not water, but Water Spirit Saint Liquid. The Water Spirit Saint Qi was vaporized from this lake.
The Wine Madman's Sacred Soul avatar descended from the sky, landing on the island, and sighed, "The Water Spirit Saint Liquid has only this little left."
Zhang Ruochen looked at the seemingly endless lake beneath his feet, already too shocked to speak. But he did not expect the Wine Madman to say such a thing. He was somewhat speechless. "A little... this is just a little? This is a whole lake of Water Spirit Saint Liquid!"
The Wine Madman said, "According to legend, when a freshly picked Water Star Gourd is filled with Water Spirit Saint Liquid, it is more than a thousand times more than what you see before you."
"To have this much Water Spirit Saint Liquid remaining after being preserved from the Middle Ages until now is already quite remarkable. Currently, the Water Spirit Saint Liquid from the Martial Market and the Black Market is all supplied by the Star Cultivation Sect, and they sell it drop by drop. If those cultivators saw such a vast lake of Saint Liquid, they would surely go mad." Zhang Ruochen laughed.
A Saint could also mobilize Saint Qi to condense Saint Liquid.
However, the Saint Liquid condensed by a Saint was all acquired Saint Liquid. Its purity and quality could not compare to the innate Water Spirit Saint Liquid inside the Water Star Gourd.
The Wine Madman laughed, "Actually, if you refine the Water Star Gourd into a Sacred Artifact and give birth to an Artifact Spirit, it can automatically absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and transform it into new Water Spirit Saint Liquid inside. However, the newly generated Water Spirit Saint Liquid can only be considered acquired Water Spirit Saint Liquid, with a slightly lower quality than the innate Water Spirit Saint Liquid."
"This Water Star Gourd has only undergone a simple rough refinement. It has strong plasticity. As long as you find a Sacred Artifact Refining Master, it can be refined into a powerful Sacred Artifact."
The Wine Madman continued, "In the entire Kunlun Realm, the Sacred Artifact Refining Masters capable of refining the Water Star Gourd are few and far between. Coincidentally, this old man knows one. Zhang Ruochen, do you want this old man to introduce him to you?"
"No need." Zhang Ruochen said.
First, Zhang Ruochen himself knew a Sacred Artifact Refining Master, so he did not need the Wine Madman's introduction.
Second, Zhang Ruochen did not plan to refine the Water Star Gourd into a Sacred Artifact right now. Instead, he intended to wait until his mastery of Time and Space deepened further, then refine the Water Star Gourd into a Time-Space treasure.
In Zhang Ruochen's view, the Water Star Gourd was the best material for refining a Time-Space treasure.
"Fine, don't come begging this old man later."
The Wine Madman snorted coldly, ignored Zhang Ruochen, waved his sleeve, turned into a streak of light, and flew out of the Water Star Gourd.
Zhang Ruochen's Sacred Soul avatar carefully inspected the inside of the Water Star Gourd. After confirming there was no danger, he flew out of the gourd and returned to his original body.
"The inside of the Water Star Gourd is an excellent sacred cultivation realm. I plan to enter and break through to the Middle Stage Saint realm." Zhang Ruochen said.
Ever since using the Purifying Divine Flame to temper his flesh, Sacred Source, and Saint Qi, all the impure power in his body had been refined by the divine flame. Zhang Ruochen's cultivation could quickly stabilize, and he could now break through the realm.
In the past, Zhang Ruochen would have needed at least a few months to clear the impure power from his body and refine his Sacred Source and Saint Qi to a stable state.
It could be said that, having obtained the Purifying Divine Flame, Zhang Ruochen no longer needed to spend a lot of time settling the power within his body. His cultivation realm could advance rapidly.
"So soon you want to break through to a new realm? It hasn't been long since you broke through to the Saint realm, has it?"
The Wine Madman showed a surprised expression. He stared at Zhang Ruochen for a moment before calming down. "This old man spent four years going from Lower Stage Saint to Upper Stage Saint, which was already considered a very fast cultivation speed. Sigh, comparing people really is infuriating. Go ahead and enter to break through the realm. Leave the Water Star Gourd to this old man. I will protect you."
Zhang Ruochen stared at the Wine Madman, a look of hesitation in his eyes.
"What kind of look is that? This old man has sworn an oath, never to do another evil deed in this life. Are you still not at ease leaving the Water Star Gourd with me?"
The Wine Madman put his hands on his hips, white smoke coming out of his nostrils. He was quite angry, feeling that Zhang Ruochen was questioning his character.
Zhang Ruochen said solemnly, "I am just worried that you might covet the treasures in the Abandoned Deep Sea, rush into some death realm, and get me killed too. You should know, the higher a cultivator's cultivation, the higher the mortality rate when entering the Yin-Yang Sea."
"Rest assured. This old man's cultivation might not compare to those old fellows who have shaken the world for a thousand years, but my life-preserving skills can rank in the top ten of the entire Kunlun Realm. You should know, Empress Chi Yao's sword has never left a living witness, and I am one of the few who survived. Now, do you know how formidable I am?"
The Wine Madman raised his chin, not feeling ashamed at all. Instead, he thought himself quite remarkable.
Zhang Ruochen shook his head slightly, said no more, and simply asked the Wine Madman to help search for Huang Yanchen and the others. Then, Zhang Ruochen used the Spatial Displacement technique, took a step forward, passed through a layer of ripples, and directly entered the inside of the Water Star Gourd.
"As expected of the Heir of Time and Space. As long as there is no formation sealing the space, he can come and go freely anywhere in the world."
The Wine Madman showed an envious expression. Then, he grabbed the Water Star Gourd, hung it on his waist, and steered the iceberg beneath his feet, moving rapidly away.
Inside the gourd, on the Jade Island.
"Come out."
Zhang Ruochen pointed forward. From within his body, countless silver root tendrils extended, spreading along the Jade Island and into the white lake water.
The roots were so dense they wrapped around the entire island.
"Swoosh."
A huge green vine flew out from Zhang Ruochen's back, like a giant dragon, rising from the water surface to a height of ten thousand zhang.
At the top of the vine, an extremely gorgeous flower emitted a rain of light, cascading down from the sky and appearing before Zhang Ruochen.
Standing in the flower was a stunningly beautiful woman. Her skin was as white as mutton fat, her figure tall and curvaceous, her hair cascading like a waterfall. Her lively, beautiful eyes stared tenderly at Zhang Ruochen. Her crystal-clear, seductive red lips parted slightly. "Master, with my current cultivation, I can only fight against a half-step Thorough Ground Saint. However, if you let me absorb enough Water Spirit Saint Liquid, I can even contend with a true Thorough Ground Saint."
Zhang Ruochen clasped his hands behind his back. "I released you so you can absorb as much Water Spirit Saint Liquid as possible and raise your strength to a new level."
"Thank you, Master."
The voice of the Shi Shenghua was very soft and seductive. Her left eye blinked slightly, as if deliberately tempting Zhang Ruochen. Accompanied by a pleasant laugh, the gorgeous flower flew out and began absorbing the Water Spirit Saint Liquid in the lake.
"The Death Knights of the Undying Blood Clan are all close to Thorough Ground Saint level combat power. The Si Ming Shen Nu of the Earth Divine Temple and the Undying Shen Nu of the Undying Divine Temple have unfathomable strength and many bizarre and unpredictable methods. Besides them, there are several powerful figures who have not yet made a move, and they are also quite troublesome."
Zhang Ruochen did not want to have to retreat every time he encountered them. Therefore, he urgently needed to improve his cultivation and become stronger.
In the future, when he encountered them, he could fight them head-on.
"As long as I break through to the Middle Stage Saint realm, my strength should be able to contend with Thorough Ground Saint realm beings."
He sat down cross-legged, forming a seal with each hand. The Saint Qi in his body flowed rapidly, emitting a "rumbling" sound, like thousands of rivers surging.
"Swoosh—"
On the lake surface, one hundred and forty-four Water Spirit Saint Qi mist bridges rose up, rushing into the one hundred and forty-four acupoints all over Zhang Ruochen's body, making the rumbling sound inside him even louder.
...
(End of this chapter)