Chapter Thirty: The Seed Nurtured Within the Earth's Fire

This was something Lin Qingyun had never expected. Even though he had used the Cauldron of Creation to extract some medicinal properties from the essence of the earth fire, he had simply assumed these underground flames contained some rare treasures, something special.

He had considered every possible explanation, except for one: that the medicinal properties within the essence of the earth fire actually originated from a seed.

Clearly, this seed was not naturally born within the flames.

“An exotic fire nurtured, fire fused into the seed... That must mean these medicinal properties come from the seed itself. If just the properties that seep from the essence of the earth fire are enough to birth the Cold Flame Medicine Embryo Pill, then this seed…”

At this thought, Lin Qingyun’s heart shook violently, and another possibility flashed through his mind.

“Is it that these seeds are special, or...?”

He recalled the giant family portrait made of seeds in his own grand mansion, nearly twenty meters wide, and the fact that in the many businesses his mother had purchased around the world, she too had crafted family portraits from seeds.

If the truth was the latter, then even in his past life, standing at the pinnacle, blessed with a unique constitution and having obtained the Cauldron of Creation, Lin Qingyun would have been utterly shaken. This was the true treasure.

Even though he did not yet know the exact situation regarding the seeds in the essence of the earth fire, Lin Qingyun was already certain that, compared to this, the wealth, property, and cash his parents had left him were all insignificant.

A deep rumbling suddenly erupted—the entire underground core trembled as if struck by a magnitude-ten earthquake, and cracks began to appear in some places. It was obvious this was caused by the fierce battle raging outside.

Three masters at the Cloud Soaring Realm were fighting, and Lin Qingyun did not dare to show himself, afraid he might be caught in the crossfire.

The problem here could not be solved in a short time, so Lin Qingyun immediately used his highest level of authority to scan the island. Although he controlled the entire island, it was still difficult to track the exact movements of the three masters.

He could only roughly locate the area of their battle—wherever it reached, buildings were collapsing, magical tools and spiritual weapons colliding, shattering mountains and stones.

Lin Qingyun was not interested in watching their fight; he only wanted to know their current position. Just now, they had indeed been near this area. As soon as he saw them move to the other side, Lin Qingyun quickly stabilized the grand formation and then opened the alloy door.

“My Cold Flame Medicine Embryo Pill! Lin Qingyun, curse you! I’ll never forgive you! Do you know you’ve destroyed my path to the heavens, ruined my chance to become a peerless powerhouse…”

The moment the alloy door opened, Lin Qingfeng’s voice, filled with hatred and curses, rang out.

Lin Qingfeng’s injuries were not actually severe, but his state of mind was clearly off—his wits clouded, like a common man about to acquire a mountain of gold, only to have it snatched away at the last moment after all his hard work.

In such a state, Lin Qingfeng was completely defenseless. Lin Qingyun had already seen this; without waiting for Lin Qingfeng to react, he wasted no words and landed a solid kick.

With a dull thud, his kick struck Lin Qingfeng’s head, knocking him unconscious.

“With someone like you, becoming a peerless powerhouse? What peerless powerhouse acts like this?” Lin Qingyun muttered, grabbing Lin Qingfeng and quickly dashing out.

Emerging from below, Lin Qingyun leapt onto an untouched rooftop, looking toward the three Cloud Soaring experts now battling a kilometer away, and shouted powerfully, “Stop right there!”

Uncle Banyue, although holding a clear advantage, was not truly adept at combat. Otherwise, with his strength and cultivation, dealing with these two would not have been difficult. Lin Qingyun feared any sudden change, and since he’d made a discovery, he wanted to quickly deal with the ones wrecking Flamefield Island.

At Lin Qingyun’s shout, Master Banyue immediately retreated, and the other two Cloud Soaring masters also sensed something was wrong, especially when they saw Lin Qingyun holding the unconscious Lin Qingfeng.

The first to arrive in support of Lin Qingfeng at Lin Kunshan’s call was Ma Hengxin, a loyal subordinate. Seeing Lin Qingyun emerge with Lin Qingfeng, he immediately called off his companion and watched Lin Qingyun coldly.

“That’s your cousin—” Ma Hengxin worried Lin Qingyun would lose control and harm Lin Qingfeng, so he tried to stop him.

“Shut up. Get lost. If you’re not with Lin’s Pharmaceutical Group, you’d better think carefully about the consequences of attacking a major shareholder. If you are, you’re finished.” Lin Qingyun cut him off, not giving Ma Hengxin a chance to speak.

There was no value talking to people like this. After he spoke, Lin Qingyun tossed Lin Qingfeng to Master Banyue.

“Uncle Banyue, watch them leave Flamefield Island together and make sure they take this useless one with them,” Lin Qingyun said, unwilling to give them any chance.

Though all were Cloud Soaring experts, after Lin Qingyun’s remark, Ma Hengxin and his companion’s faces turned grim, especially Ma’s guest, who glared furiously at him.

He had not been told he’d be acting against the young heir of Lin’s Pharmaceutical Group—just that he was to help the chairman’s son, without any details.

Uncle Banyue wasted no time, lifting Lin Qingfeng and soaring into the sky.

Ma Hengxin and his companion had no choice but to follow. Whatever they thought, or how they would resolve things later, would have to wait for another day.

Lin Qingyun had already sent a secret message to Uncle Banyue, explaining his intentions, so the elder knew what to do. Once outside the island’s defense system, he simply tossed Lin Qingfeng far away.

Ma Hengxin had to do his utmost to catch him, while Uncle Banyue returned to the island.

As he landed, Lin Qingyun immediately activated the island’s defense system.

Once activated, even a ninth-rank Cloud Soaring expert would have trouble breaking through quickly. And as long as the defense could hold off attacks for a while, the Huaxia Alliance would be notified of any assault on private property, which was tantamount to challenging the authority of the Alliance—an act with well-known consequences.

“Uncle Banyue, I’ve found some things my parents left behind that I need to study. I also don’t want them to know about it. You’ve seen yourself how things have been since my parents left,” Lin Qingyun explained as Uncle Banyue returned.

“Money stirs men’s hearts. Your father’s Lin Pharmaceutical Group rivals the wealth of some small countries, so it’s only natural people would covet it. But don’t worry, your grandmaster and Chifeng Temple will always support you. If you need anything, just say the word. We never start trouble, but we’re not afraid of it either.” Though Uncle Banyue was not very worldly, having focused his life on study under his master, his Daoist character was strong and upright.

Lin Qingyun nodded with a smile. “I understand. That’s why I come to you and Grandmaster first. By the way, here are some notes I just found—looks like something Father left behind. I copied a few down quickly for you to see. Also, please help keep an eye on things here. The island is private property and with the defense system up, trouble is unlikely, but we should still be careful.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll guard this place for you. Your father actually left something here…” Uncle Banyue took the page Lin Qingyun handed him, surprised.

The notes were mostly about cultivating spiritual herbs, which was Uncle Banyue’s area of expertise. They would guide him to new insights and improve his alchemical skills, mixed in with some personal reflections.

Decades later, Uncle Banyue would have made great progress, and Lin Qingyun, knowing his future path, had included hints of it here—using his father’s legacy as a convenient shield.

“To draw the spirit of medicinal herbs with one’s own soul, to nourish the soul with medicine, to blend the breath of heaven and earth…” Uncle Banyue read just a few lines and was immediately entranced.

Lin Qingyun had anticipated this reaction. For those who treated him well—those close to him—he would always try to help them advance as quickly and as far as possible, when it was safe and appropriate.

The same went for his grandmaster, though in that case, he would need to wait for a better opportunity.

For now, he had the perfect excuse—his father, universally acknowledged as a genius alchemist. Whatever happened, he could simply attribute it to his father.

Without delay, Lin Qingyun returned to the grand formation over the earth fire.

The array was still running, drawing power from the earth fire, but no longer being used to refine pills.

With the Cauldron of Creation, Lin Qingyun moved through the formation, trying to probe the situation below. But his own strength was still too weak; he could not learn what lay deep within the earth fire.

Though the cauldron could shield him from the fire’s might, he could not control it well enough to fly inside.

What method, then, could he use to investigate the depths of the earth fire?

As Lin Qingyun racked his brains for a solution, Lin Qingfeng, rescued by Ma Hengxin, had already regained consciousness. When he heard what had happened from Ma Hengxin, he grew even more frenzied.

“Lin Qingyun, blast—!”

Lin Qingfeng’s flying sword shot out, but at this point, his control only reached a dozen meters. Beyond his spiritual sense’s range, he could still direct the sword, but its power was greatly diminished.

Thus, while a cultivator at the Heart of the Zither stage could manipulate weapons, most of their combat power came from close range—the further the distance, the weaker the attack.

Of course, Lin Qingfeng was not aiming for lethality as he struck at the defensive barrier a hundred meters away; he was simply venting his rage.

His curses and shouts echoed on, and he attacked madly until he was utterly spent. Only then, at Ma Hengxin’s urging, did he return to the hovering flying car to rest and tend his wounds.

Ma Hengxin tried to persuade Lin Qingfeng to leave, but he refused, insisting on waiting for Lin Kunshan to arrive. And so, hours later, Lin Kunshan finally arrived with his men.