"Lord of the Clouds, how are those pills of yours coming along?"
It was Star Soul's voice!
Li's heart tightened. The banquet over there had only just ended, and Star Soul had already come looking for Lord of the Clouds. From the looks of it, these two must have been in contact for quite some time.
"The Ghost-Controlling Pill has been successfully refined so far, but the Soul-Severing Pill still needs further refinement." Lord of the Clouds stood before an enormous alchemical furnace. Li hid carefully in a corner; with the mask's aid, as long as he remained in their blind spot, there was almost no chance of being discovered.
Even from so far away, Li could still feel the heat that seemed capable of scorching the air itself. Clearly, this furnace was no ordinary item.
But what exactly were the Ghost-Controlling Pill and the Soul-Severing Pill?
Li pondered inwardly. If Lord of the Clouds and Star Soul were truly on the same side, then they were his enemies. Know yourself and know your enemy, and you would never be defeated. Star Soul's methods were vicious, while Lord of the Clouds' alchemy was uncanny. If these two joined forces to harm someone, avoiding their trap would be difficult indeed.
"What? Was that last batch not enough for your experiments?" The smile at Star Soul's lips looked cold and ruthless. A ghostly blue flame flickered constantly in his left hand, making him seem especially eerie.
"The last batch sent you nearly a hundred young, able-bodied men, including several particularly fine specimens. What, didn't you make good use of them?"
Star Soul moved his left hand, and the blue flame immediately shot out, falling into the golden fire beneath the furnace with an ear-piercing crackle.
"Those fine specimens were rather wasted on