Chapter 388: Thousand Islands’ Mystery

The lady in blue was very knowledgeable since she came from a renowned sect. She had only seen this young leaf from an ancient scroll. Moreover, it didn’t have a picture of the leaf, there was only a description stating that there was golden lightning circulating through it. It was definitely rare, and rumors say that only Immortal Emperor Hao Hai had gotten ahold of one.

Even in her wildest dreams, she wouldn’t expect for such a mythical young leaf to appear in Li Qiye’s hands, let alone to be able to see it on such an ordinary island.

Meanwhile, Li Qiye carefully placed the young leaf into the refined resin as he controlled the cauldron to refine the leaf as well.

The flame appeared to have its own sentience as plumes of flame tenderly encompassed the leaf. In just the blink of an eye, the leaf turned into a liquid. The golden lightning entered the resin like calligraphy ink spilling onto a piece of paper inside the cauldron.

The entire process was quite time consuming. After a long period of time, the resin slowly boiled as the cauldron created different universal laws that were as thin as silk strings to surround the resin.

Slowly, the initially transparent resin suddenly transformed into a golden liquid concoction.

Meanwhile, the lady in blue became a bit speechless as she watched this scene. A young leaf of the World Tree was an invaluable item that could reverse life and death. However, Li Qiye actually used such a priceless item to refine this resin — truly too extravagant and irrational.

“This is too wasteful!” She couldn’t help but utter.

“A good item has to be used correctly; if utilized incorrectly, then no matter how great the item is, it would still be worthless.” Li Qiye looked at the golden liquid concoction in the cauldron and couldn’t help but smile.

Next, he also threw the Ghost’s Origin Ancestral Key inside the contraption. Once it was inside, Li Qiye kept on fueling the flames, causing the medicinal concoction to boil even more!

As the medicinal concoction started to bubble, the key was like a piece of dried ink releasing a black substance. Not long after, the entire golden concoction took on a pitch-black color like ink.

“You, you are being too wasteful!” The lady in blue had the urge to stop Li Qiye. Such a peerless young leaf from the World Tree was wasted in such a manner, could there be an even more prodigal son than he in this world? None of them were worth mentioning in his presence!

However, something very weird happened at this time. Waves of ghostly screams started to emanate from inside the cauldron, followed by countless ghosts rushing out.

All of these ghosts started to bear their fangs and claws, instilling fear in all spectators.

“Omm—” While the lady in blue was being creeped out, the key that was immersed in the medicinal contraption emitted a light that was filled with an immortal presence as if it was everlasting.

“Success!” Seeing this scene, Li Qiye became excited and murmured: “So it really was like this!”

At this time, the contraption became calm again, and the scary ghosts from earlier all disappeared. The happy Li Qiye then took the key from the medicinal contraption and poured the liquid into a jar.

Seeing Li Qiye finishing the refinement process, the lady in blue couldn’t help but ask: “What, what medicinal paste are you refining?”

In her eyes, Li Qiye wasn’t simply refining any ordinary immortal or divine pill. But despite this, he actually used an eternally rare young leaf of the World Tree. This was too irrational! With such a leaf as the leading ingredient, one could probably concoct the rarest kind of immortal elixir in this world. And yet, Li Qiye just used this rare leaf on a black concoction with an unknown use. Such wastefulness deserved criticism from everyone.

“Ghost Attracting Medicine!” Li Qiye cheerfully smiled and said: “Little Girl, because you have been acting as my housewife for so long, I will give you a chance to broaden your horizons. Follow me!”

Finished speaking, he carried the medicine jar and walked away.

Full of curiosity, the lady in blue immediately chased after him. Li Qiye didn’t go very far. He went to the highest location on this island and stopped three feet before the previously mentioned tree stump.

This already-dead tree stump no longer had any signs of life. The center was just a palm-shaped void.

A wooden stump like this in the middle of a forest was something that didn’t warrant attention from anyone. However, at this time, Li Qiye carefully opened the medicine jar and poured the concoction that he just refined onto the stump one layer after another. In just a moment, the stump was filled with layers of medicine, and the moment it dried, it was as if a layer of black residue was covering the stump.

Seeing this scene, the lady in blue felt like murdering someone. This was the medicine that was created with the World Tree’s young leaf, yet Li Qiye was pouring it over a dead stump. Who in this world was more wasteful than him?

At this time, Li Qiye suddenly became nervous as he held the Ghost’s Origin Ancestral Key and gazed at the dead stump that was covered in medicine. Just for this dead stump, he already invested a young leaf from the World Tree. If this didn’t work, then it would truly be a waste.

A while later, the entire estuary suddenly shook. Many cultivators on the island felt this change in the earth, including Region Lord Lu Baiqiu. There was no follow up to the initial tremor.

Many cultivators felt that it was an illusion, that it was only a small tremor, thus no one paid it any mind. However, real masters like the lady in blue didn’t have the same opinion.

At this moment, she felt that something popped at the deepest parts beneath the Thousand Islands. It was as if a heart had just jumped, followed by a calm heartbeat that suddenly vanished without a trace.

Despite the disappearance of this sound, she still felt that something was awakening in the depths of the earth. Maybe the strongest creature since the start of time had been sleeping beneath these grounds.

In this instant, anyone that could see the blade marks left by Li Qiye on the Ghost Locust Trees around the islands would find that these cuts were coming alive. The runes began to move, and they suddenly shifted underground.

This was the great spell that Li Qiye crafted! Keep in mind that his research regarding the islands was not something he recently started. He had already researched these islands a long time ago, and despite having menial returns, he still found a thing or two regarding the secrets of this place. Alas, he had been missing two key things — the young leaf of the World Tree and the Ghost’s Origin Ancestral Key!

Especially during his sudden revelation when he looked at the key. At that time, he immediately answered a few questions that had been haunting his mind, a few secrets that were unsolved in the Sacred Nether World!

He stood there with bated breath as he watched the dead stump. An unknown amount of time passed by before a slight popping sound gently rang. At this time, the withered stump suddenly gave birth to a young green leaf! This young leaf had a magnificent green color and sprouted from the thick layer of medicinal paste, signifying that it was healthy and growing.

“Yes!” Li Qiye rejoiced after seeing this faint green leaf! Amidst this moment of jubilation, the dried stump suddenly spewed out a thick mist as black as ink. This mist was like a cloud of nether energy that caused others to shiver with their hair standing on end.

Li Qiye immediately threw the key in his hand into the mist. With a buzzing sound, the key actually hovered in the mist and emitted many waves of light that carried an everlasting energy.

These strands of light suddenly penetrated the stump and drilled into the ground from that spot.

Next, the lady in blue heard a series of sounds that resembled cheers, but she also felt as if this was merely an illusion and couldn’t tell whether they were real or not.

Amidst her confusion, little ghosts — one after another — suddenly jumped out from the empty tree stump. These little ghosts were all shrouded in mist, and all of them had different figures and expressions.

One of the little ghosts wore a golden robe as if he was the king of the ghosts, another had two fangs while a third had two wings…

These ghosts suddenly rushed into the Ghost’s Origin Ancestral Key. The three foot long key initially had ninety-nine little ghosts carved on it, so the ghosts that jumped out from the tree stump found their corresponding carvings and became one with the key.

The lady in blue was speechless and in a daze, but she still managed to count the little ghosts that came out from the ground. After the last one emerged, a total of ninety-nine little ghosts could be seen on the key.

The ninety-nine little ghosts all successfully found the carving that corresponded to them on the key and became one with it.

It was as if the ninety-nine engravings on the key were crafted from the figures of these ninety-nine little ghosts from underground.

After all the little ghosts entered the carvings, the key seemed to have a life of its own and emitted a divine mist-like aura. In a short period of time, a ghastly energy covered the key, but it was no longer ominous. Instead, it was filled with a divine aura as if it was the breath of a Ghost Immortal!

[spoiler title='388 Teaser']The lady in blue was very knowledgeable since she came from a renowned sect. She had only seen this young leaf from an ancient scroll. Moreover, it didn’t have a picture of the leaf, there was only a description stating that there was golden lightning circulating through it. It was definitely rare, and rumors say that only Immortal Emperor Hao Hai had gotten a hold of one.

Even in her wildest dreams, she didn’t expect for such a mythical young leaf to appear in Li Qiye’s hands, let alone see it on such an ordinary island.

Meanwhile, Li Qiye carefully placed the young leaf into the refined resin as he controlled the cauldron to refine the leaf as well.

The flame appeared to have its own sentience as plumes of fire tenderly entered the leaf. In just the blink of an eye, the leaf turned into a liquid. The golden lightning entered the resin like calligraphy ink spilling onto a piece of paper inside the cauldron.[/spoiler]