Chapter 430: Soul Purification Potion - Socially Anxious Witch in the Apocalypse

Su Miao stayed for two days, walked out of the city, and did not take her parents with her. She stood in the void, turned back to look at this unique city, then took a step and disappeared. …… "There are colleagues of ours here, and we currently have several new projects related to the Inner World that need research. This will likely take a long time, and if we leave the Inner World, we won't be able to continue our studies." "The research is expected to take several years. When you return to Earth, you can let them and Shelter No. 1 know that we are still alive." "Once our research is complete, we will return." "…" Her mother held Su Miao's hand, chattering on for some time: "We'll wait for you here until you come back to get us." That was the important part. Su Miao heard it clearly and remembered it well. Her father stood by her side, saying, "Your mother has me to take care of her, don’t worry about us." …… Before leaving, Su Miao left several space storage devices for her parents. Inside, there were various supplies, enough for them to live off for decades. Additionally, there were several magic potions inside, which Su Miao had repeatedly verified. Especially significant was the life potion; drinking one dose could extend a normal person's life by 50 years, with all bodily functions comprehensively enhanced. Of course, this wasn't effective repeatedly; a person could drink at most five doses. Extending life by 200 years shouldn't be an issue. Besides the life potion, there were many mutant fruits that could greatly benefit her parents' health. According to Su Miao's observations of life's laws, these supplies could extend her parents' life by at least 300 years. 300 years… Su Miao hoped it wouldn't take that long. After walking a few steps, Su Miao sensed a wisp of her controlled divine soul far away. …… The Great Demon Lord Colette was very nervous. Having sustained serious injuries to bring back the magic potion from the Forbidden Abyss, he rushed hurriedly to the Void Abyss, only to find no trace of Her Highness Su Miao. Thinking about the gods who perished on the battlefield of the Void Abyss made him even more afraid. What should he do now? "Colette." Suddenly, a voice came through the void, sending shockwaves through Colette's entire body. "Your Highness!" The Great Demon Lord Colette immediately knelt on one knee in the direction of the voice: "This subordinate has not failed in his mission and found the potion you need." Saying this, he presented the hard-earned potion. Su Miao emerged from the void and looked at the severely injured Great Demon Lord Colette, somewhat surprised. This Great Demon Lord was quite interesting. "Hmm." Su Miao raised her hand and took the offered potion to examine it closely. Indeed, it was what she needed, and it appeared to have even better effectiveness. Xia Xiaoan’s problem was no longer an issue. Su Miao stored the potion into her magical space and tossed out a seven-colored bizarre core: "This is for you." Upon seeing the seven-colored bizarre core, Colette beamed with joy, ecstatic: "Thank you, Your Highness, for your generosity!" He increasingly felt that his past decision to pledge loyalty was absolutely right. With this seven-colored bizarre core, he could advance significantly further, with limitless potential in the future. Su Miao asked, "Give me a map of the Inner World." This should veil the fact from Colette that she couldn’t find her way back home. Colette’s body trembled as he immediately produced a map: "Your Highness, this is a treasured map of the Inner World." Su Miao took the map without any change in expression. It was called a map, but in truth, it was a spherical object, showcasing a cosmos inside it composed like an endless magic cube. Various regions were marked, listing the locations, resources, and the demon lords or dark gods ruling them. Moreover, there were numerous forbidden zones, including the Forbidden Abyss, annotated with potential dangers inside. Also, the Void Abyss was updated with notes like [Already Annihilated, Gods Fallen]. Hmm? Su Miao noticed that Colette had assigned levels to the forbidden zones on the map. For instance, the Forbidden Abyss had a label of [Seven]. However, most were labeled [Six]. Before long, Su Miao discovered the coordinates for returning to Earth. The related region was marked with a [Nine]. ? Was this an exaggerated claim by some dark god which then got adopted by Colette’s Mist Island Demon Council? Whatever the reason, it didn’t matter anymore. Through this map, Su Miao found her way back home. She stored the map away, and a teleportation magic array illuminated beneath her feet, whisking her away instantly. The Great Demon Lord Colette, watching Su Miao leave, offered another salute, then turned to fly back to Mist Island. He needed to return and heal. No, he had to return and break through to the next level—cackling maliciously! He hoped that next time, he could complete an even higher-level mission for Her Highness Su Miao. …… Three days later, Su Miao returned to Earth through the World Passage. During this period, Magic Town appeared to have undergone some changes. Su Miao scrutinized it, made some minor adjustments, and then returned to the camp. In the camp, Lin Jiujiu was practicing Tai Chi outside the alloy villa, appearing quite composed. By a warrior's standards, she had achieved the Grandmaster level. "Sister Su Miao!" Upon noticing Su Miao’s return, Lin Jiujiu was overjoyed. At the sound, a magpie darted out: "Your Highness, Your Highness, welcome home!" Su Miao patted Lin Jiujiu’s head and then Su Luoli, who had transformed into a little girl. "Yes, I’m back." She looked towards the alloy villa. Xia Xiaoan was inside, lying in a coma. Lin Jiujiu said, "Sister Su Miao, Xiaoan has been unconscious for a month, plagued by nightmares the entire time." Su Miao replied, "Yes, I know." Entering the villa, Su Miao arrived in Xia Xiaoan's room. Xia Xiaoan lay on the bed, her face ashen, filled with pain. "Everyone, step out for now," Su Miao instructed. Lin Jiujiu and Su Luoli immediately exited the room and shut the door. At this moment, an exhausted magical phantom clone of Su Miao emerged from Xia Xiaoan’s forehead: "Phew, your main body really gave me a tough task this time. I’ll leave the rest to you." With that, the already faded magical phantom clone disappeared. Su Miao understood what had transpired during this period. Due to excessive use of mind-reading, Xia Xiaoan was afflicted by irreparable corruption. If it hadn't been for the magical phantom clone Su Miao had left behind for protection, Xia Xiaoan might have already been lost. Raising her hand, Su Miao summoned thread-like rules that stabilized Xia Xiaoan’s condition. Instantly, the nightmarish pandemonium Xia Xiaoan was trapped in gave way to light. She peacefully drifted into a tranquil sleep. Yet, it wasn’t over. The room turned into an enclosed space as various rules intertwined. Su Miao reached towards the void to pull an evil god’s remnant soul from Xia Xiaoan’s form. "Witch, how dare you thwart my plans, do you know who I am..." The evil god's remnant howled. Su Miao blinked, closed her fist, and starlight ignited, utterly obliterating the remnant soul. Casually unleashing a simple starlight flare to purify the room, Su Miao exited to face the expectant faces of Lin Jiujiu and Su Luoli: "She’s mostly fine now. Stay at the camp; I’m off to prepare a curing potion for Xiaoan." "Rest assured, Your Highness, we’ll take good care of Xiaoan," assured Su Luoli. Lin Jiujiu nodded: "Yes." With a faint smile, Su Miao vanished before them. Watching Su Miao suddenly disappear, Lin Jiujiu and Su Luoli were left in awe. Her Highness Su Miao had surpassed all they knew. …… "This is the place." Su Miao arrived at a barren mountain. The weather was pleasant today, with an outdoor temperature of minus 3 degrees Celsius, and it wasn’t a polar night; standing atop the mountain offered extensive vistas. In such a post-apocalyptic world, the scenery from any height was breathtaking. It was truly nature’s masterpiece. However, the cost of this majesty was too great. Su Miao didn’t linger over the scenery; she retrieved her magical cauldron from the magical space, glanced over the magical array on it, and set it aside. Using the old cauldron for potion crafting was doable but had too many limitations. For crafting more advanced potions, she needed a better magical cauldron. Searching through her magical space, she gathered numerous metal materials. Some were gifts from Shelter No. 1, some were picked up during her journeys, and many were offerings from world-weary demon lords and evil gods. When she first acquired these materials, she hadn’t considered how to use them; it turned out there was now an opportunity. Waving her Starlight Staff, purple flames ignited in the void, melting all these metal materials. Following Su Miao's thoughts, the liquid metal began to shape itself automatically, constructing magical runes within. Gradually, a prototype of a magic potion cauldron was crafted. A cauldron? Looking at the cauldron emerging in the void, Su Miao had a moment of realization. This must be what they'd referred to in "The Dao and Magic" as the way of nature. She had originally intended to craft a magical clamping pot but naturally ended up with a cauldron. Moreover, the magical runes within the cauldron had perfectly integrated, eliminating the need for any secondary engraving. In fact, any secondary engraving on a tool always incurs some degree of damage. "It's time to infuse the rules." Su Miao waved her Starlight Staff, channeling various rules into the cauldron, further enhancing the magic potion cauldron. This process lasted for 14 days. The workload was immense. Looking at the completed cauldron, Su Miao was in great spirits. She placed the cauldron on a rock, first tossing in six large water spheres, making it seem full to the brim. Then, Su Miao channeled magic energy into the cauldron. The array inside lit up, naturally heating the water, bringing it to a boil in the blink of an eye. "Oh, right." Su Miao raised her left hand, and "Pharmacology" flipped its pages until it stopped on a specific one. The page detailed the Pure Mind Potion, the magic potion she intended to craft. According to "Pharmacology," the Pure Mind Potion is a highly advanced magic potion, extremely difficult to craft, and poses various dangers during the crafting process. It's not recommended for the average witch to attempt until their strength is substantially enhanced. Glancing over the text, Su Miao began tossing ingredients into the cauldron one by one. Each addition warranted a stir with the Starlight Staff. And of course, not the head of the staff, but using the base to stir. In a lapse, she realized the "Sacred Sword" she used for stirring potions was long unusable, and she hadn't prepared a new one, so the Starlight Staff had to suffice. That said, using the Starlight Staff for stirring was actually very effective. Su Miao suddenly remembered an anime she'd watched before, where a magical girl who saved the world once whimsically decided to cook. Unfamiliar with even a spatula, the girl just used her magical wand as one. The thought was amusing to Su Miao. Reflecting on it made her quite happy, dispelling many of her worries. "Wait, why am I thinking about all this?" Snapping back to focus, Su Miao glanced again at the potion changing colors in the cauldron, and became alert. She realized what the danger of the Pure Mind Potion was. She had almost fallen into its trap. Composing herself into a state of absolute elegance, Su Miao methodically continued to add ingredients to the cauldron. Though the phenomena associated with crafting the Pure Mind Potion persisted, they no longer affected Su Miao's actions or judgments. Truth be told, had she lost herself in thought previously, this batch of Pure Mind Potion would have failed. While the Great Demon Lord Colette had gifted many potions, The key ingredient was limited to only five portions, meaning only five attempts could be made. Failing all five would make gathering the materials again exceedingly difficult. Seeing Colette's condition, Su Miao could tell he had nearly died procuring these potions. How could such valuable potions possibly be in abundance? Even if they eventually could be found again, whether Xia Xiaoan could hold on that long was uncertain. Though Xia Xiaoan appeared to be in a coma now, If not treated sooner, upon awakening she might become a completely different version of herself. By then, would the new version of Xia Xiaoan be the one Su Miao once knew? It's uncertain. To illustrate, if a person has dual personalities, A and B, whose memories don't overlap, It's difficult to declare that A and B are the same, even if they inhabit the same body. During her adventure in the Inner World, Su Miao received a dark tome from a summoned dark god, The tome described how to isolate each personality, allowing them to become independent deities. Based on records, that dark god had segmented 131 personalities to date. Thirty-one had become deities. Utterly mad. However, Daoist scriptures also mention techniques like transforming simulations into separate selves, which, along with Su Miao's magical shadow clones, left her unsure. In short, compared to an unknowable future Xia Xiaoan, Su Miao wished for the present Xia Xiaoan. Hopefully with no split personalities. Su Miao continued crafting the potion. Three days later, when the potion inside the cauldron changed from black to a pale cyan, and from pale cyan to colorless and transparent, Su Miao knew the Pure Mind Potion was complete. Six crystal bottles flew out as Su Miao waved her Starlight Staff, collecting the Pure Mind Potion into them. Obtaining six portions of Pure Mind Potion in a batch was quite an achievement. With the potion collected, the remaining liquid in the cauldron rapidly condensed into a black gel-like residue. Instinctively wanting to discard it, Su Miao recalled Mind Miao Miao's banter and casually tossed it towards Magic Town. The potion residue flew into Magic Town, heading straight for the world passage. Not long after, the potion residue fell into the Inner World. Tossing it into the Inner World instead of Earth shouldn’t count as wanton littering, right? (End of Chapter)