Chapter Eighty-Three: The Dao is Not the Dao

  It's clear that Master Lan Ying doesn't quite acknowledge Sun Ming as the Seven Stars Refiner. Even with Blood Sea Old Devil's earnest explanation, it seems he can't change his mind. This old man doesn't have the slightest bit of the refiner's stability and elegance; his hair is even disheveled and dirty, who knows how he managed that? Sun Ming was puzzled - could the spiritual fire used by refiners really burn their hair?

  "You're called Ling Ming, right? Although Blood Sea said you're a Seven Star Refiner, I won't acknowledge it. Over the years, this profession has been filled with too much deceit and darkness. I won't let you participate in refining this thing." Lan Yun True Person finished speaking, ignoring the shocked Blood Sea Old Devil and Sun Ming's "who provoked me" expression, turned around and walked into a mountain cave.

  "This old man is really stubborn." The Blood Sea Demon muttered to himself for a while, of course, he only said it in a low voice and didn't shout out loud. It seems that this demon still has some self-control after all. But what exactly was that thing? Something that could make a Nine-Trial Loose Demon treat an alchemist with such respect. Sun Ming's curiosity had been piqued.

  "Young Gong, find a place for this Refiner to stay. From now on, the magic treasures of you and your fellow disciples will all depend on him." The Blood Sea Old Devil said with a wave of his hand to a distant cultivator in the Congealing Phase.

  This young man looked like he was in his early twenties, without the slightest hint of maturity that usually came with being a cultivator in the Jiedan stage. However, Sun Ming knew that most cultivators in this stage liked to make themselves look older and more mature, some even sporting long white beards, as if it had become an unspoken rule in the cultivation world. Even those who preferred to present themselves as young would still make themselves look slightly older. The person in front of him was clearly an exception. But Sun Ming's heart was filled with joy, thinking: "Good thing he's an exception, or I'd be sick of being surrounded by old men all day."

  This handsome and extraordinary man walked up to Sun Ming with a polite posture, obviously asking Sun Ming to let him pass. However, Sun Ming was somewhat depressed at this time and said in a bad tone.

  "I'm telling you, Old Devil Head, let me help your disciples refine their magic treasures. You have to lift the seal on my body, don't you? Do you want me to chop wood and start a fire for your disciples to refine their magic treasures?" Sun Ming's words made Yu Kong, who was standing in front of him, burst out laughing, but when he saw Blood Sea Old Devil's displeased expression, he forcibly suppressed his laughter. His originally pale skin suddenly turned bright red.

  At this moment, Sun Ming had a sudden thought: Could Yu Kong be a woman? But this thought didn't take root in Sun Ming's mind. After all, what kind of female demon cultivator would have such an unpleasant name as Yu Kong? And if she were a woman, how would he address her - Yu Kong Demon Woman or Yu Kong Female Devil Head?

  Sun Ming was amused by his own thought and shook his head, looking at Blood Sea Old Devil who had fallen silent in anger.

  "You little scamp, your Golden Elixir cultivation is just a fluke, I reckon you'll still end up dying at the hands of ghosts and monsters. I doubt you can even come up with any decent moves." With that, a set of powerful spells was unleashed on Sun Ming's body.

  "This old devil isn't showing off, is he?" Sun Ming was somewhat astonished. After all, this technique was completely different from the one he had used to enter the formation just now. Just now, it seemed like a random swing of his hand, but now it was steady and precise, with a hint of elegance. Moreover, it released waves of subtle fluctuations, attracting the attention of the surrounding masters who gathered around to watch. Fortunately, this old devil didn't perform for long."

  "Senior You Gong, I'd like to ask, what exactly are Xue Hai and Lan Ying up to? Why are they being so mysterious?" Sun Ming asked tentatively.

  "Who knows! Those two old monsters don't meet often. As soon as Blood Sea comes back, they huddle together, doing who-knows-what. So many years have passed, wasting precious materials, and still using living people for experiments. The wailing sounds day and night, these days are a bit better. Blood Sea hasn't come back yet, I reckon it'll start again tomorrow." Yuè Gōng said with a face full of disgust.

  "Hmm, am I going to live here?" Sun Ming didn't comment on the strange conversation just now, but instead changed the subject. Because Sun Ming didn't know if this strange person was sent by the Blood Sea Demon Sect to monitor himself. It's better to be cautious.

  "Hmm, you'll be staying here. Don't worry, you're absolutely safe inside the Blood Abyss. However, be careful not to go outside. The Yin Moon Demon Star is treacherous, I'm sure you know that too. Alright, I won't say more. You can rest here for now." Yuè Gōng said with a smile, turning around and leaving Tāo Huā. Hehe." Yún Zhōng Zǐ chuckled.

  "Offended the peach blossom? What peach blossom?! Master, I think it's more like a peach blossom calamity. You think about it carefully, disciple has encountered so many so-called celestial maidens and whatnot. How many of them have good temper? Aren't they all just arrogant and overbearing? Such peach blossoms are not wanted anyway." Sun Ming said in a flustered tone.

  "Heh heh. You little scamp. Be careful this time too. That Yu Feng is also a female devil." Yun Zhongzi reminded with a smile.

  "I'm speechless. Youkai Majo? Who would have thought that such an unpleasant name would belong to a demon queen in her combined form? Ridiculous, ridiculous." Sun Ming thought about that pale skin and felt relieved. A demon queen is just a demon queen after all. Can you still eat me or not?

  Sun Ming didn't think much about it. He tried to connect with the Golden Tortoise Scissors again and found that the connection still existed. He felt greatly relieved in his heart. Without caring about Yun Zhongzi's scolding, he immediately fell asleep. After all, as a Golden Elixir cultivator, even on such a long-distance interstellar journey, one would get tired. Moreover, their cultivation had been restricted along the way. Sun Ming slept very soundly this time. Yun Zhongzi also made an exception and didn't wake him up. Although the Blood Hell Abyss was similar to a paradise for humans, it was still a deep abyss. Without sunlight or night pearls to illuminate the place, but for someone like Sun Ming who was used to waking up with the sun shining on his butt, he unconsciously got a chance to sleep in late. Adding to that, Yun Zhongzi's indulgence (after all, it wasn't easy for cultivators to get a good sleep) resulted in You Gong arriving to invite Sun Ming to refine equipment while this kid was still blowing bubbles and sleeping soundly.

  Nothing was seen from You Tong, but a very large water ball suddenly appeared about five meters above Sun Ming's head. Of course, the consequences of doing so were also obvious, and Sun Ming rushed over in a hurry, just wanting to shout loudly, but seeing You Tong's icy face, he immediately wilted. Ah, people under the eaves can't help but bow their heads, let alone a woman, a witch.

  "Xuehai Lao has asked you to help our fellow disciples refine their equipment, shouldn't you have started already after resting for a night?" Yougong Mo's expressionless face said.

  "Alright, let's go then. It just so happens that I haven't been refining any artifacts for the past few days and I'm getting a bit itchy. Sun Ming's words weren't flattery, but the truth - after all, the most important thing for an artifact refiner is to constantly refine artifacts, as this is the only way to improve one's cultivation. Although Sun Ming had the Xuantian Jade Void Technique in his body, which required him to do so, it was a habit that he had formed over many years and couldn't change overnight."

  Just leaving the residence, Sun Ming was startled by a burst of wailing and looked at the walking Yougong witch in front of him with suspicion. He then looked at the place where the sound came from, which seemed to be Lan Ru's master equipment refinement location. Sun Ming was puzzled, wondering if refining equipment required such eerie cries. Was this a characteristic of the Equipment Refining Union? However, when he saw Murong Yunfan refine equipment before, it didn't seem like this. Sun Ming stopped in his tracks and turned towards Lan Ru's cave to investigate.

  "Halt! What are you doing? The materials and refining location provided for you are here. Where are you going?"

  Yu Gong angrily shouted at Sun Ming, but unintentionally revealed a hint of that woman's sharp voice, which made Sun Ming feel quite amused.

  "Can't I just go in and take a look? It seems that Xue Hai Lao Mo brought me back to work with Lan Yue Master to refine a treasure, right?" Sun Ming said nonchalantly.

  "Be that as it may, but you can't go in there," You Gong said somewhat impatiently.

  "Why? You have to give me a reason!" Sun Ming also became somewhat anxious, after all being able to observe a grandmaster-level equipment refiner refining equipment would be of great help to him in his future equipment refinement.

  "There's no why, it just won't work." Yu Gong's words made Sun Ming feel extremely depressed. It seems that people say women are hard to deal with for a reason. For a moment, Sun Ming couldn't move forward or backward, as Yu Gong stood in front of him, causing the situation to become awkward.

  "Let Sun Ming come over." A sentence from Blood Sea Old Dao broke the awkward situation, and Sun Ming slowly walked towards Blood Sea Old Devil who was standing at the entrance of the cave.

  "Elder, can he withstand it?" Yu Gong's voice was trembling slightly, as if that ordinary cave was like a demon's lair that devoured souls.

  "Mind your own business, Lao Fu brought him back to give him a hint with his novel ideas. If he doesn't come in, what can be done?" The old Blood Sea Dao's words left You Gong speechless for a moment. You Gong looked at Sun Ming who had walked in with pity and said no more.

  "Why is it so hard to be a good person just once? Can't we demons ever do something good?" Yuè Gǒng self-mocked and turned away.

  This cave seems to be somewhat different from the ones Sun Ming has seen before, but he can't quite put his finger on what's different. The front corridor is almost the longest one Sun Ming has ever seen in a cave. As they walk further forward, the sound that resembles wailing and howling grows louder. It doesn't seem like it could be human voices, as if humans were able to make such sounds, they would have to endure immense suffering. Sun Ming shakes his head and stops thinking about it. After all, inside is a famous alchemy master of the cultivation world, and being able to observe a great alchemy master at work is undoubtedly the most exciting thing for an alchemist like Sun Ming, and he is no exception.

  Finally walked to the end of the Yunding Road, and suddenly it was bright in front. Sun Ming stood there for a long time, and finally burst out with a sentence.

  "Are you still a cultivator?"