Section Four: The Realm Within the Teapot

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Sixth Ugly, possessing memories from two lifetimes, did not entirely lose composure when faced with such a tremendous opportunity. The overwhelming delight lasted but a moment before he calmed himself, beginning to sort through his observations and thoughts. In doing so, his mind quickly turned to the demon core, then to the dozens of beast corpses still lying at the cave entrance.

"Not good! I almost forgot about this..."

Awakening as if from a dream, Sixth Ugly felt as though he had been plunged into hot soup at the turn of this thought, and his vision dimmed. Focusing, he found himself once more at the cave entrance, standing precisely where the bear corpse had been.

One thought to enter, one thought to exit—a convenience beyond compare.

The bear corpse was gone, and the remaining pool of blood had dried. It seemed the passage of time inside the pot realm did not differ much from the outside world; there was no distinction like "one day inside, one year outside." Sixth Ugly understood this at a glance, but had no time to ponder, for a foul wind swept up from behind, rushing straight for the back of his head!

Before being reborn, Sixth Ugly would have faced certain doom in such a situation. Now, however, he was entirely different. With a swift spin, he narrowly dodged the foul wind, simultaneously extending a claw forward and lightly snatching at the air!

He withdrew his claw and stood firm; the creature crashed to the ground several yards away, its insides spilling out in a messy heap.

Sixth Ugly did not seize this opportunity to advance, for in that brief moment of passing, he had deftly torn open the beast's throat. Now, its trachea and esophagus protruded halfway out, blood bubbling from the wound, a hoarse gurgle rising from its throat—it was clearly doomed.

Looking closer, Sixth Ugly realized it was a familiar beast.

This beast was one of the jackals that gathered near Rotten Peach Valley beside the Rocky Ridge. It had only just entered the Gathering Spirit realm. The jackal pack had tried to hunt Sixth Ugly several times before, tangled in enmity for quite some time. Unexpectedly, it had delivered him a fresh kill, a twisted form of congratulations.

To eat is one thing, but to hunt—no wonder it met its end.

Being able to kill a Gathering Spirit beast in one strike, Sixth Ugly felt even more confident in his transformation. By his estimation, he now barely qualified as a Gathering Spirit-level entity. If he added the wisdom gained from being both human and demon over two lifetimes, using traps and strategy, he could even plot against beasts of the Speaking realm—enough to claim some measure of self-preservation.

The refined pill was far more effective than simply swallowing a demon core. If he could refine a few more, he could soon reach the Speaking or even the Core Formation stage. Then, he would be able to hunt all the beasts in the outer regions, harvest their cores, refine them, and, in the shortest time, achieve transformation and step onto the path of the extraordinary...

His thoughts shifted, and Sixth Ugly's gaze fell on the remaining beast corpses. Looking into the distance, he saw a few other beasts, weaker than the jackal, who immediately tucked their tails and howled as they fled in panic.

Sixth Ugly did not pursue but chose to absorb only those corpses with demon cores. Now he realized he was not hungry despite not having eaten, likely due to the pill's effects. With no need to think further, he placed his forepaw upon them.

As his thoughts turned, suction arose from his claw, drawing the corpse into himself...

In this manner, Sixth Ugly tossed three beast corpses into the Demon Refining Pot. But when he touched the fourth corpse, the suction vanished, and he could not absorb it. Surprised, he silently recited "enter" to check the pot realm.

Returning to the pot realm, Sixth Ugly immediately saw that the light and tassels once swirling around the Demon Refining Pot had nearly halted, lazily wrapped around it, barely trickling after some time—much like a person after a heavy meal. He placed his paw on the pot, and the tassels stirred, forming words:

"Demon Refining Pot, reflect upon oneself, then know clarity and act without error..."

"Demon Refining Pot severely damaged, pot spirit lost, insufficient spiritual energy, urgently needs supplementation; pot realm can only unfold the Pill Cauldron domain, to open the next domain requires 1,600 units of spiritual energy..."

"Demon Refining Pot severely damaged, insufficient spiritual energy, reflect within..."

"Sixty-Year Pot...sealed...cannot awaken...

Year of the Dog Pot...sealed...cannot use...

Year of the Monkey Pot...sealed...cannot use...

Year of the Horse Pot...sealed...cannot use...

Year of the Dragon Pot...sealed...cannot use...

Year of the Tiger Pot...Threefold Wine Vessel...Body-Quenching Elixir...vacant...can be used..."

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"To unseal the Year of the Dragon Pot requires forty-nine units of spiritual energy..."

"Detection shows the Year of the Tiger Pot contains three beast corpses with demon cores; the pot is full and can be refined to replenish the pot realm, to unseal the Year of the Dragon Pot, or to enter the Threefold Wine Vessel and refine the Body-Quenching Elixir...awaiting command."

Indeed, it was already full. Thus, it seemed the pot's capacity depended on the abundance of spiritual energy. The priority now was to increase its capacity, then further refine body-strengthening pills!

Sixth Ugly immediately responded in his thoughts: "Unseal the Year of the Dragon Pot."

"As you command."

"Refining spiritual energy to open the seal will take one hour and one quarter..."

His form vanished, and the Demon Refining Pot’s radiance and tassels transformed into a cloud, enveloping the entire pot. Sixth Ugly felt as if he were standing before a vast mist, unable to see the pot at all.

He reached out, but the mist did not react. It seemed dormant for now.

"So that's how it is. For now, I can only collect the demon cores outside and wait for this transformation to complete."

Sixth Ugly reacted quickly, knowing the consequences of leaving so much flesh outside for an hour and a quarter. He returned and tried to extract the demon cores from the beast corpses.

He already knew that replenishing the pot’s spiritual energy required demon cores, but was unsure if refining pills needed them as well. Previous experience showed that beast flesh could be used to refine pills; otherwise, discarding the flesh would be a waste.

He considered extracting the cores and guarding the flesh himself, but could not guarantee the flesh wouldn't attract transformed beasts. After transformation, beasts awakened their innate magic, and the danger would be far greater than mere physical combat.

He could not risk it; survival on Meishan depended on caution.

Dragging the corpses into the cave was also impossible—the entrance was too narrow.

Hesitating, Sixth Ugly suddenly wondered if he could bring the corpses into the pot realm. If so, that would solve a major problem. He immediately tried: gripping a wolf corpse tightly, he focused his mind and silently recited "enter."

Instantly, Sixth Ugly appeared in the pot realm, the wolf corpse still clutched in his hand.

It worked! Wasn’t this just like the spatial treasures described in those novels? Sixth Ugly was overjoyed, looked around, and tossed the wolf corpse beside the mist.

Exit!

The next moment, he was back at the cave entrance. He chose a larger corpse and entered again...

Enter...set down...exit...grab another...

After four or five trips, Sixth Ugly had sent all Core Formation beast corpses into the pot realm. However, his head began to ache, and each trip grew hotter, almost scalding. When he tried to exit once more, his mind suddenly jolted, all strength seemed drained, his vision went black, balance lost, and he collapsed.

After a while, Sixth Ugly gasped and opened his eyes, back at the cave entrance, still with some strength, his fur soaked with cold sweat, his mind buzzing as if struck several times, and his reactions dulled.

What was this?

After resting, he immediately retreated to the depths of the cave, ensuring safety before attempting to connect with the Demon Refining Pot in his mind.

Vaguely, the six-sided gourd flickered, barely manifesting. Sixth Ugly rested again, then tried once more after a quarter hour, finally seeing the gourd clearly in his mind.

At that moment, he understood what had happened—

Insufficient spiritual power. In other words, entering and exiting the pot realm consumed his mental energy, and frequent trips quickly depleted it. For now, Sixth Ugly's strength was not enough to support such use.

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Moreover, staying in the pot realm also consumed mental energy, though much less than entering or exiting. If he ever found the pot spirit again, its presence would likewise constantly drain his mental energy to sustain itself.

Understanding this, Sixth Ugly abandoned any further thoughts of moving corpses. Fortunately, the remaining corpses were only ordinary beasts of the Awakening and Gathering realms; all Core Formation beasts had been moved, and there was no need to harvest more cores.

Even the flesh outside was left untouched. Using hands and feet, Sixth Ugly returned to the depths of the stone crevice, drank a few gulps of stream water, then collapsed onto the bed of fur and grass. Overwhelming fatigue and dizziness seized him, sending him into a deep, silent dream...

※

The wooden beast procession moved swiftly, covering several miles in less than half an hour. The scenery changed dramatically—scattered rocks, eerie woods, black winds howling with blood, and toxic mists spreading a foul stench in every direction. The company was fully alert, scouts dispatched, all prepared for any turn. The beast slowed its pace, proceeding cautiously, the entire group taking utmost care.

Amid the treacherous mountains, the three riding the wooden beast also steeled themselves against unforeseen dangers.

Another moment passed; the landscape remained savage, and the sky grew even more yellowed. Shadows flickered every ten paces. Suddenly, the sculpted eyes at the head of the beast blazed like two braziers, illuminating the area for several yards. Other sections of the vessel followed, each casting its own yellow glow.

In the shimmer, a man armed with a great bow and short dagger dashed out, quickly returning to the fore of the vessel and loudly reported, "Chief, the light only reaches ten yards; beyond fifteen yards, nothing is visible, blocked by the mist."

"So it is," the chief nodded thoughtfully. "Han Gan, send word: scouts to tie ropes, stretch them twenty-five yards around, reduce the beast's speed by half, and report any findings immediately."

"Yes!" Han Gan replied in a deep voice. Soon scouts returned, tied ropes around themselves, and set out again, encircling the wooden beast.

Shortly after, a scout reported beast tracks ahead. The wooden beast promptly changed direction, avoiding the path, and continued toward Meishan...

Six hours passed. The party encountered beasts more than twenty times, always avoiding conflict, and now had penetrated ten miles into Meishan. Though still far from the seven mountains and twenty-nine valleys at the heart of Meishan, the number of beasts had doubled. It was no longer possible to avoid them as before.

"Here will do. Han Gan, order scouts to search for water and make camp."

Seeing this, the chief gave the command, then turned to the two men at the front of the vessel, clasped his hands, and raised his voice: "Gentlemen of the Fang family, the site for camp is chosen; once water is found, we’ll set stakes. If you have any other advice, please speak—I await your guidance."

"Heh heh..."

With a light laugh, the broad-faced, big-eared, stout man floated from his section of the vessel, landing before the chief. Though heavyset, he caused no tremor, his body surprisingly light. He said nothing at first, grabbed a cup of wine from the table, drank it, wiped his mouth with his sleeve, and lazily replied:

"We of the Gongyang family are mere qi cultivators, refining only the essence and spirit, not skilled in astrology or divination. What wisdom could we possibly offer compared to a demon hunter like yourself? The camp is yours to decide. If you need anything, just say so—no need for courtesy."

"Fang Gongyang, you are too polite..."

"Gongyang speaks truly. Chief Baili, no need for jest," continued the handsome man in brown, stepping forward. Hands behind his back, he walked steadily on the iron chain, as if treading a mountain, his long sleeves fluttering in the fierce Meishan wind, words flowing: "Who doesn't know that your Tianma Trading Company is second to none in Yan, and you are its leader, skilled beyond compare, capturing countless monsters. Though Gongyang and I are qi cultivators, we must admit your prowess. Since we are employed by your company, we will follow orders as any other, without hesitation."

"Indeed, Chief Baili, please proceed..."

"We await your command..."

Both men showed utmost deference to Baili Shuyi, expressing complete obedience.

Baili Shuyi, long acquainted with the two, knew their temperaments well. Gongyang Cuo was approachable, but the handsome cultivator Yibao was usually aloof and difficult. Now, seeing their attitude change so suddenly, he realized they must be intimidated by the savage mountains—a common sight, easing his worries about their cooperation.

"In that case, thank you both!"

Baili Shuyi smiled inwardly but bowed deeply, then drifted away from the vessel.