The Stone Yin Tai Sui is a peculiar creature that grows on the walls of caves, often found alongside stalactites.
It thrives in dark, cold environments, gathering yin energy, cold energy, decay, and poison.
Any living creature that touches it will feel an intense cold, as if burned by fire, their skin and flesh rotting on the spot, succumbing to immediate poisoning.
Yu Lie speculated that the Daoist corpse outside the cave had likely been killed by the yin poison of the Stone Yin Tai Sui, dying a sudden and violent death.
Alternatively, the Daoist might have already been severely injured, and the yin poison from the Tai Sui accelerated his demise.
As for the flesh-winged tigers in the cave, these ferocious beasts are naturally inclined toward yin energy.
The zombie in the cave carried the seeds of the Stone Yin Tai Sui, acting as a kind of cultivation vessel, much like growing mushrooms.
The zombie remained in the cave, helping the flesh-winged tigers gather yin energy, while the tigers brought back fresh blood and flesh, creating a symbiotic relationship between the two.
It was also because of the zombie's ability to provide yin energy that the survival rate of the flesh-winged tiger cubs increased, resulting in their numbers far exceeding the norm.
Yu Lie thought to himself, "This explanation makes more sense than the idea of some deep 'master-servant bond' between the zombie and the flesh-winged tigers."
After pondering for a while, he decided not to dwell on it further.
After all, no matter how much he thought about it, the zombie and the flesh-winged tigers were already dead.
Yu Lie looked at the Stone Yin Tai Sui in the dark cave.
Although he was excited, his expression turned serious.
The Tai Sui was poisonous, and even though he practiced poison-based cultivation, he still needed to be cautious.
If he weren't careful, he could end up like the unfortunate zombie, becoming a warning to future explorers.
Immediately, Yu Lie pulled out two iron rods from his Blood Toad Pouch and tied them to his feet, using them like stilts to approach the Tai Sui in the cave.
The Tai Sui grew attached to the stalactites, and its poison and yin energy seeped into the accumulated water and cave walls through dripping water.
The closer one got to the Tai Sui, the colder and more yin-infused the water became.
By the same logic, as long as Yu Lie avoided touching the water or other contaminated surfaces, he could minimize his exposure to the Tai Sui's yin poison.
Even if he got within a foot of the Tai Sui, as long as he didn't touch it directly, he would only feel a chilling cold, like standing in front of a block of ice.
Carefully, Yu Lie approached the massive, black, fatty mass of the Stone Yin Tai Sui.
He first took out a sharp knife and tried to cut a small piece from it.
However, he found that the Tai Sui was tougher than cowhide, and the knife could barely pierce it.
He had to resort to scraping off a small amount of flesh.
Once he had obtained the small piece of flesh, Yu Lie quickly retreated to the outside of the dark cave.
Next, he began working outside the cave, testing whether the "fatty meat" inside was indeed the Stone Yin Tai Sui and whether he could withstand its poison.
After some testing, Yu Lie let out a sigh of relief.
The "fatty meat" in the cave was undoubtedly a type of Ganoderma, rich in yin energy and an excellent material for raising and refining corpses.
It matched the description of the "Stone Yin Tai Sui" recorded in his medicinal texts.
Moreover, Yu Lie had already cultivated bone poison, and after a brief period of adaptation, he could withstand the Tai Sui's toxicity.
At the very least, touching it with his hands wouldn't poison him or turn him into a zombie.
However, after exhaling in relief, Yu Lie didn't immediately return to the cave to harvest the Ganoderma.
Instead, he sat cross-legged in the flesh-winged tiger's den, patiently waiting.
Although it was highly likely that he had killed all the flesh-winged tigers in the cave, there was still a chance that some were out hunting.
Yu Lie knew he had to be cautious.
After all, the Ganoderma in the cave wasn't a small piece—it was as large as a table.
Harvesting it wouldn't be easy and would likely take most of the day.
If any flesh-winged tigers returned during that time, even if they didn't kill him, they could easily damage the Ganoderma, significantly reducing its value.
Yu Lie sealed the entrance to the dark cave and waited for three full hours before suddenly leaping to his feet and re-entering the cave to harvest the Ganoderma—the Stone Yin Tai Sui!
However, as Yu Lie circled around the massive Tai Sui, he found himself at a loss for how to proceed.
The Tai Sui was simply too large.
It covered a significant portion of the cave, resembling a stone pillar rooted in a pool of stagnant water.
Yu Lie couldn't even locate its roots.
After rummaging through his Blood Toad Pouch and Pitcher Plant Pouch, Yu Lie realized he didn't have a "Stone-to-Mud Talisman," which would have allowed him to extract the Tai Sui without damaging it.
With a sigh, Yu Lie decided to sit cross-legged on top of the Tai Sui, as if it were a stone table.
He pulled out various books from his belongings, hoping to find a suitable method.
Suddenly, as he flipped through "The Pharmacopoeia of the Ghostly Alchemist," his eyes narrowed as he read a few lines of small text nestled among the descriptions of the Tai Sui's properties, habitat, and cultivation methods:
"Place a corpse atop the Tai Sui, and it will neither rot nor decay. The yin energy will permeate the body, making it an excellent method for preserving corpses."
"Some have used the Tai Sui as a coffin, calling it a 'Flesh Coffin.' The corpse and the Tai Sui grow together, with the corpse remaining fresh and the Tai Sui neither increasing nor decreasing in size. Both benefit, far surpassing the use of ground Tai Sui powder."
"From this, I deduce that such Ganoderma could be called 'Corpse Yin Tai Sui.' Alas, ordinary Ganoderma the size of a human head is already considered top-grade. How could one wait for it to grow as large as a coffin? Such specimens are rare, found only in the wild."
Yu Lie tapped the page, deep in thought.
According to these lines, when encountering a Tai Sui as large as a table, the best use wasn't to harvest it but to leave it in place, perhaps hollowing it out without damaging the roots, and using it as a coffin to preserve a corpse.
This way, the corpse would be well-preserved, and the Ganoderma could continue to grow.
The Ganoderma beneath Yu Lie was already large enough to serve as a Flesh Coffin.
Such a massive piece would surely attract the envy of even Daoist disciples.
However, Yu Lie wasn't a corpse-refining cultivator.
He had no need for a zombie, so the idea of turning the Ganoderma into a Flesh Coffin didn't appeal to him.
Instead, he ran his hand over the massive Ganoderma, now fully accustomed to its yin poison.
The surface felt smooth and cold, like jade, and sitting on it was akin to resting on a high-quality cushion.
Yu Lie's eyes gleamed with realization.
"Such a naturally formed table of Ganoderma—couldn't it also serve as an excellent foundation for a ritual altar?"
He wasn't interested in using the Stone Yin Tai Sui to raise corpses or refine zombies.
Instead, he contemplated using this massive Ganoderma to cultivate himself and refine his own body!
Yin energy could turn corpses into zombies, transforming them into corpse energy, or it could nourish and refine ghosts.
But at its core, it was simply a type of spiritual energy—albeit of a cold and yin nature.
For modern cultivators, any form of spiritual energy could—and must—be absorbed and utilized.
Yu Lie needed to undergo the process of "Hair and Marrow Cleansing," which required specific substances, secret techniques, and a ritual altar.
The altar was essential, as it would facilitate his transformation and the performance of the necessary rites.
This massive Stone Yin Tai Sui, though smaller than a typical altar, was still large enough for Yu Lie to lay out the "Tiger and Leopard Thunder Array" diagram, effectively turning it into a ritual altar.
Using such a spiritual material to create an altar was far superior to using ordinary materials—something that most Daoist initiates wouldn't even dare to dream of!
After careful consideration, Yu Lie felt a surge of joy.
With the yin energy from the Tai Sui as a source, he wouldn't even need to embed spirit stones into the altar.
With just a few modifications, the Ganoderma beneath him would become a "Spiritual Energy Altar."
This "Spiritual Altar" would increase his chances of successfully undergoing the transformation by at least thirty percent!
Yu Lie realized that his goal of cultivating blood beyond the lead-mercury level was now within reach, with a success rate of nearly ninety percent!
(End of Chapter)