Gu Qingfeng turned his head to look at the guardian spirit beside him, believing that it could provide the answers to all his questions.
After all, it had followed Qiu Yulong and even guarded his secret realm. Gu Qingfeng found it hard to believe that the spirit knew nothing.
"Hey, if there's a method to extend life, then the so-called 'death by divine retribution' must be fake, right? So how did Qiu Yulong really die? Also, if he cared so much about his reputation, why would he set up a secret realm and leave behind the Demon Scroll? Wasn't he afraid of ruining his name?"
Gu Qingfeng questioned the guardian spirit.
The guardian spirit, now at Gu Qingfeng's mercy, had no choice but to speak the truth.
It sighed and began, "Ah, this is a long story. It all started a hundred and fifty years ago..."
*Slap!*
A sharp slap interrupted the guardian spirit's lengthy introduction.
"Who the hell has time to listen to your nostalgic rambling? Keep it short!"
The guardian spirit stared blankly at Gu Qingfeng, seemingly still processing the fact that it had just been slapped.
*Slap!*
"Speak!"
Feeling the burning pain on both cheeks, the guardian spirit finally snapped out of its daze and quickly complied, "Yes, yes, I'll keep it short. My master, Qiu Yulong, was once one of the top alchemists, but not the very best. There were always a few who overshadowed him. Born into a family of alchemists, he had always considered himself extraordinary since childhood..."
After about the time it takes to burn an incense stick, Gu Qingfeng finally learned the full story from the guardian spirit.
In short, Qiu Yulong was a man obsessed with his reputation. His lifelong dream was to become the greatest alchemist in the world. He was also incredibly arrogant, believing that the world of alchemy would remain in eternal darkness without him.
With such high ambitions, he looked down on everyone after achieving fame, challenging other alchemists left and right, only to be humiliated time and again.
Unable to accept defeat, Qiu Yulong threw himself into the study of alchemy, convinced that he had made breakthroughs, only to be humiliated once more when he challenged others again. This cycle repeated itself.
Eventually, he realized that simply studying alchemy would never make him the greatest.
So, he began traveling far and wide, searching for ancient texts and delving into forbidden arts. Fortune smiled upon him when he stumbled upon the Demon Scroll of the Longevity Demon.
After that, he used the Demon Scroll to deceive the world, claiming that he had invented a divine refining method and created the Ageless Pill. This allowed him to finally achieve his dream of becoming the greatest alchemist.
But how did he die?
He sacrificed too much of his own lifespan to refine the Ageless Pill, ultimately killing himself in the process.
Gu Qingfeng, however, found this explanation hard to believe. How could someone so obsessed with fame and fortune not resort to sacrificing others' lifespans?
According to the guardian spirit, Qiu Yulong did initially sacrifice the lifespans of others to refine the Ageless Pill.
Though obsessed with his reputation, Qiu Yulong had a conscience. He primarily used the lifespans of death row inmates or those who were truly wicked. However, as he sacrificed more and more people, the state he resided in became so safe that people no longer locked their doors at night, and lost items were always returned.
With wild criminals nearly extinct, Qiu Yulong turned his attention to bandits in the mountains. One day, he sacrificed an entire bandit stronghold. But afterward, he discovered that among the bandits' corpses were many elderly, women, and even children.
After some investigation, he learned that the bandits were actually villagers who had turned to banditry due to famine. They only robbed the rich to help the poor and never harmed anyone—they were just desperate people trying to survive.
From that day on, Qiu Yulong laid down his sword and vowed never to commit such atrocities again, refusing to refine the Ageless Pill any longer.
But the world knew he could create the Ageless Pill. How could those nearing the end of their lives allow him to stop?
They threatened and bribed him, and eventually, a mysterious powerful figure captured and imprisoned him, forcing him to continue refining the pill.
Qiu Yulong wasn't afraid of death, but the mysterious figure threatened his entire family, leaving him no choice but to comply.
Yet, he couldn't bear to harm innocent lives, so he used his own lifespan instead.
He thought that once the pill was refined, the mysterious figure would release him. But the figure, having tasted the benefits, refused to let him go.
Moreover, the effectiveness of the Ageless Pill diminished with each use. If the first pill added ten years to one's life, the second would add only five, the third two and a half, and so on.
As a result, Qiu Yulong had to refine more and more pills, leaving him with little lifespan remaining.
Fortunately, the mysterious figure was later killed by an enemy, allowing Qiu Yulong to escape. Otherwise, he would have died forgotten in captivity.
Even after escaping, with his life nearing its end, Qiu Yulong had no regrets about refining the Ageless Pill, for he had achieved his dream of becoming the greatest alchemist.
To him, that title was more important than life itself.
In his final moments, he established the Jade Dragon Secret Realm and then passed away.
Why did he create the Jade Dragon Secret Realm?
Firstly, so that the world would forever remember him as the greatest alchemist. Secondly, to provide a place to store the Demon Scroll.
The Demon Scroll was an evil artifact that could not be destroyed by external forces. Its purpose was to act as a middleman for the Longevity Demon, profiting from the exchange of lifespans.
It was drawn to the presence of living beings, so no matter where you hid or sealed it, over time, it would always find its way to places with many living creatures, waiting for someone to discover it.
Qiu Yulong didn't want anyone to uncover the secret of the Demon Scroll and realize that the Ageless Pill was a fraud, which would ruin his reputation as the greatest alchemist. Thus, he placed it in the Jade Dragon Secret Realm.
He also arranged for the realm to open every five years, with low entry requirements so that many could enter. This served two purposes: to spread his fame and influence, and to ensure the Demon Scroll was exposed to the presence of living beings every five years, preventing it from wandering elsewhere.
After hearing all this, Gu Qingfeng couldn't help but admire Qiu Yulong's cunning. He had gone to great lengths to protect his title as the greatest alchemist.
He had created a secret realm that was impossible to crack and left behind a stone tablet that even gods couldn't decipher.
This not only spread his fame but also eliminated the risk of being exposed.
It turned out that the Jade Dragon Secret Realm was never intended to select a successor...
"My lord, my master was a man of contradictions. He cared deeply about his reputation, living his entire life to become the greatest. Yet, he was not a truly evil person who would stop at nothing to achieve his goals. Such is the contradiction of human nature.
It was precisely because his kindness and malice were not pure enough that his life became one of suffering," the guardian spirit lamented.
However, Gu Qingfeng sneered, "Heh, not necessarily. In my opinion, there's likely a more realistic version of this story."