Heavenly Cauldron Ranking Third

"Clang!"

The pill had fully taken shape, carrying the energy of heaven and earth as it slammed heavily into the inner wall of the Purple Abyss Cauldron, producing a crisp sound.

Ling Xi's body trembled slightly, then he waved his hand.

The cauldron lid of the Purple Abyss Cauldron was flung open, and golden-red flames instantly swept a blood-red pill shooting out from within.

"Not bad, it really succeeded!"

At the sight of the Blood Lotus Pill, Ling Xi finally let out the breath he'd been holding.

Refining a fifth-grade pill for the first time was indeed pushing the limits with his current strength.

But fortunately, with the help of the Purple Abyss Cauldron—ranked third on the Heavenly Cauldron Ranking—he still managed to produce the Blood Lotus Pill.

He reached out with a slight gesture, and the Blood Lotus Pill hovering above the cauldron's mouth, as if answering some call, landed in Ling Xi's palm.

A faint fragrance of the pill wafted from the Blood Lotus Pill, carrying with it the peculiar bloody scent unique to the Blood Lotus Essence.

"Not bad at all—to refine a Blood Lotus Pill of this quality on the first try at a fifth-grade pill, this Heavenly Cauldron Ranking cauldron is truly no ordinary thing."

Feeling the lingering warmth of the Blood Lotus Pill in his hand, Ling Xi's face showed a hint of smug satisfaction.

This wasn't him boasting.

By his own judgment, the Blood Lotus Pill he'd just refined was the cream of the crop among top-grade pills.

Even some high-ranking Alchemists might struggle to produce a Blood Lotus Pill this flawless.

He carefully stored the Blood Lotus Pill in a jade bottle, then let out a mouthful of turbid air and sat down to regulate his breathing.

Refining this fifth-grade pill had taken a heavy toll on him; it took a full night of meditation before he recovered to peak condition.

"Delay breeds trouble—might as well seize the momentum and refine the Heavenly Flame!"

After a moment's deliberation, Ling Xi took out the Naling and the Ice Spirit Cold Spring from his Nakai Ring.

"Heavenly Demon Puppet, guard me!"

"Anyone who dares approach me, no matter who, kill without mercy!"

A chilling, murderous voice emerged from Ling Xi's mouth, utterly devoid of emotion.

With a flash of golden light, the Heavenly Demon Puppet appeared beside him, like a loyal guardian.

Truth be told, Ling Xi had no choice. The commotion from refining a Heavenly Flame would be anything but subtle.

He didn't have some old master by his side using Soul Power to mask the disturbance.

If not for the protection of the Heavenly Demon Puppet, he wouldn't have chosen to refine the Heavenly Flame in this space.

[System, claim the reward!]

Having prepared everything, Ling Xi gave the order to the system.

[Congratulations, host, for claiming the reward: Myriad Beast Spirit Fire!]

A clump of dark-red flame materialized in the cave without warning.

This flame didn't flicker and waver like ordinary fire; instead, it constantly morphed into the forms of various Magical Beasts in the air.

And amid this transformation, the temperature inside the cave quietly rose, even Ling Xi felt a wave of scorching heat.

Staring fixedly at the flame before him, Ling Xi opened his mouth and swallowed the Blood Lotus Pill he'd just refined.

The truth was, Ling Xi's strength was still too weak. If he had reached the Dou Zong level or above, he could forcibly suppress the Heavenly Flame with raw power.

Refining it wouldn't have required so many preparations.

As soon as the Blood Lotus Pill entered his mouth, it turned into a slightly chilling energy that rapidly burrowed into the meridians throughout Ling Xi's body.

Finally, like a protective film, it slowly seeped into Ling Xi's flesh and bones.

As the medicinal effect took hold, Ling Xi's body suddenly trembled slightly.

A thread of bright-red liquid energy began to seep out from his pores, and within just a few breaths, it covered every part of Ling Xi's body.

After another moment, this bright-red liquid energy quickly solidified, forming a strange layer of cuticle that wrapped Ling Xi securely.

"So this is the power of the Blood Lotus Pill?"

Looking at himself, now clad in what resembled a suit of blood-red armor, Ling Xi couldn't help but shake his head.

Meanwhile, the Myriad Beast Spirit Fire, no longer suppressed, began to swell violently in the open air.

What had been just a wisp of flame was now about the same size as Ling Xi, like a gradually awakening ferocious beast.

A terrifying heat roiled from the Myriad Beast Spirit Fire, and parts of the cave even began to melt.

Unlike ordinary flames, the Myriad Beast Spirit Fire carried not only searing heat but also the savage might of Magical Beasts.

If Ling Xi's Soul Power weren't so strong, he'd likely have been scared out of his wits under that pressure.

"Come!"

Ling Xi curled his fingers into a claw and sucked sharply toward the Myriad Beast Spirit Fire, which was already starting to spiral out of control.

Though the Myriad Beast Spirit Fire was counted among the Heavenly Flames, it ranked only second-to-last on the Heavenly Flame Ranking.

It was still far inferior to the Devouring Ancestral Symbol.

Under the Devouring Ancestral Symbol's terrifying suction, the entire mass of Myriad Beast Spirit Fire immediately surged toward Ling Xi.

"Next, I need to find its source flame."

Ling Xi's eyes were like lightning, fixed intently on the Myriad Beast Spirit Fire drawing closer to him.

The entire cave was now completely engulfed in an extreme, terrifying heat. Even the waterfall outside the cave was erupting in bursts of white steam under the scorching temperature.

Beneath this fearsome heat, the energy layer formed by the Blood Lotus Pill on Ling Xi's body began to gradually liquefy, while sweat dripped steadily from his face onto the ground.

But Ling Xi paid no attention to any of this. Instead, he suddenly thrust his hand into the swelling Myriad Beast Spirit Fire.

The energy layer on his arm, formed by the Blood Lotus Pill, rapidly melted away, yet it continuously regenerated in an endless cycle.

Even so, a piercing, searing pain relentlessly assailed the arm he had plunged into the Myriad Beast Spirit Fire.

If the medicinal power of the Blood Lotus Pill were to be completely dissolved and vaporized by the Myriad Beast Spirit Fire, then Ling Xi's attempt to refine this Exotic Flame would fail.

And with nothing left to suppress the Myriad Beast Spirit Fire, who knew what chaos it might wreak within this space.

"Found it!"

Ling Xi's arm, buried deep in the Myriad Beast Spirit Fire, suddenly stiffened, and a flash of joy appeared on his face.

Gripping tightly onto that tangible object within the flames, Ling Xi yanked his arm back out from the dark red fire in one swift motion.

The moment his arm withdrew from the Myriad Beast Spirit Fire, a wisp of dark red flame also appeared in the palm of his hand.

Though it was called a flame, the source Coreflame of the Myriad Beast Spirit Fire in Ling Xi's hand actually resembled a drop of beast blood that had been tempered through countless refinements.

Within it, besides the terrifying temperature, there was also a pressure unique to high-ranking Magical Beasts.

"I've heard that the Myriad Beast Spirit Fire is an Exotic Flame formed from the souls and blood of ten thousand beasts, continuously tempered and compressed by the earth's core fire over ten thousand years. It seems that's truly the case."

Watching the source Coreflame in his palm churn and shift into various forms of Magical Beasts, Ling Xi blinked and murmured softly.