Chapter 600 - 359: Pill Dao Ascension
Unlike Qin Fengwu, Zou Feng didn’t have Zhang Chi openly remain by his side, ready for orders at any moment.
Instead, he told him to act as if nothing had happened, return to his original post, and continue with his usual duties.
But if anything he deemed noteworthy occurred, he was to report it to him immediately.
Since the Celestial Hearing Tower clearly had major problems, it was best to prepare early and plant a few more spies inside.
’This is for my own safety as well...’
After Zhang Chi left, Zou Feng finally focused on preparing to read the *Nine Immortal Ascension Skills*.
He didn’t make Qin Fengwu leave, either, allowing her to remain in the room.
This made Qin Fengwu incredibly excited. She eagerly awaited what might happen next, feeling especially fortunate that she had changed into a new bodice today...
As he opened the jade slip, a faint glimmer of light flashed, and a vast amount of text appeared in Zou Feng’s sea of consciousness.
Apparently, the contents of this kind of jade slip manifested directly in one’s sea of consciousness.
Zou Feng then closed his eyes and began to read carefully.
But as he read on intently, a cold draft inexplicably tickled the back of his neck.
This was the Celestial Hearing Tower, which was packed with all sorts of defensive measures and overseen by a Golden Core Realm Cultivator. No matter what, no foul entities should have been able to sneak in.
But Zhang Chi had mentioned that something strange happened every time he read this slip. To think he would be affected as well...
’It’s not a big problem, though. The slip must just contain some spiritual pollution.’
’With the resistance I’ve built up from practicing the Great Universal Hand, I should be more than a match for it.’
Composing himself, Zou Feng continued to read.
Before long, he had a general understanding of just what kind of Evil Art this Outer Alchemy Dao from the *Nine Immortal Ascension Skills* was.
In essence, it was a method of Alchemy used to refine "External Pills."
And these so-called External Pills were actually Human Pills!
That’s right. The Ninefold Celestial Court was keen on refining people into Pills to be consumed as potent supplements.
However, while these Human Pills were indeed highly nourishing at first, they would inevitably leave behind severe hidden dangers in the body.
This wasn’t explicitly stated in the Outer Alchemy Dao, but with Zou Feng’s current experience, he could easily deduce it.
’Otherwise, how could there be such a good deal in the world? Becoming an Immortal just by eating Human Pills?’
Zou Feng had raised Human Gu before, but this Outer Alchemy Dao was far more sophisticated, and its effects were naturally much stronger.
But Zou Feng could never be as depraved as the Ninefold Celestial Court, committing such heinous acts as if they were perfectly natural.
Therefore, he certainly couldn’t bring himself to use such a malevolent method on innocent people. After all, his Cultivation path wasn’t one where he absolutely had to practice an Evil Skill like the Outer Alchemy Dao.
However, while he couldn’t bring himself to harm the innocent, he would have no burden killing those lunatics from the Ninefold Celestial Court.
Killing one more of these extreme, chaotic Evil Cultivators was, in fact, a blessing to the world, an act of immeasurable merit.
So, if he could adapt the Outer Alchemy Dao to specifically target the lunatics of the Ninefold Celestial Court and refine them into Pills...
This wasn’t just a fantasy. With his ability for infinite trial and error, he could actually attempt it.
Besides, the members of the Ninefold Celestial Court primarily cultivated the Nine Immortal Ascension Skills, which meant they were already ideally suited to be refined into Human Pills.
If this idea truly succeeded, the entire Ninefold Celestial Court would become a massive treasure trove for him, offering benefits too great to measure.
He would no longer have to rely solely on the Refinement of Poison Cultivators for his gains.
At this thought, Zou Feng immediately began to practice—though it was more of a haphazard session after just grasping the basic method.
He also picked out a few of the Evil Arts he had bought at the market that had good Compatibility and began practicing them at the same time. Since it was all reckless experimentation anyway, he might as well try a hodgepodge fusion.
Focused on his Cultivation, the night quickly passed.
Qin Fengwu had been waiting to be favored, but instead, she sat there forlornly all night, feeling utterly dejected.
At noon the next day, Zou Feng was about to continue his Cultivation of the Outer Dao Pill when his Token vibrated. Jiang Wanzhao was summoning him.
Zou Feng had no choice but to stop his Skill, get up, and head to the location Jiang Wanzhao had sent. It was a platform at the very top of the Celestial Hearing Tower, which offered a view of the distant landscape.
When he arrived, he saw that another of Jiang Wanzhao’s capable subordinates, Zhao Feixiong—the one proficient in the Face Reading Skill—was already there.
"Senior Sister Jiang, Brother Zhao!"
Since they were all on the same side, Zou Feng greeted them casually.
Zhao Feixiong turned back, studying Zou Feng intently for a moment. He was clearly using his Face Reading Skill to make a divination again.
However, now that Zou Feng was in the Dao Foundation Realm, it was no longer so easy for Zhao Feixiong to discern anything in a short amount of time.
Still, he eventually noticed something unusual about Zou Feng and asked in confusion, "Brother Zou, why do you have that... pungent smell on you, the same one as those lunatics from the Ninefold Celestial Court?"
Zou Feng briefly recounted how he had happened to wipe out a Ninefold Celestial Court stronghold in the market the previous day.
After Zou Feng finished, Jiang Wanzhao spoke up, "What’s your assessment of the situation here at the Celestial Hearing Tower?"
Zou Feng answered truthfully, "It’s an absolute mess. And someone in the Celestial Hearing Tower has definitely been swayed by the Tribulation Cultivators and become a mole."
Zhao Feixiong chimed in, "I think so too. And... Yu Lingxiao’s face... Although I can’t be sure, something about it feels wrong..."
Jiang Wanzhao nodded. "Actually, the reason I was sent to the Celestial Hearing Tower this time was that someone higher up in the Immortal Sect noticed something amiss here..."
’Huh. So Jiang Wanzhao was specifically sent to check if the Celestial Hearing Tower has a mole?’
"Investigate, but don’t do it openly. Just keep a covert watch!" Jiang Wanzhao ordered.