Pill Complete

Nothing unexpected happened on the way back. A few days later, Huo Yuhao and the other two returned to the Desert City transport hub and boarded a flight back to Black Rock City.

"Should we stop by Black Rock City and raise our alchemist ranks while we're at it? Xiao Yan, you can refine second-tier pills now too," Huo Yuhao suggested during the flight.

"There's no need, is there? The Alchemist Association doesn't give out any rewards." Xiao Yan declined with a smile.

"Where's Xian'er?"

"My success rate for refining first-tier pills isn't high enough yet. Maybe next time." Xiao Yi Xian seemed somewhat hesitant.

"Why not give it a try?" For some reason, Huo Yuhao seemed to want to stay in Black Rock City a little longer.

"I still want to succeed on the first try." Glancing at the badge on Xiao Yan's alchemist robe, Xiao Yi Xian gritted her teeth and refused.

Noticing that something was off with Huo Yuhao, Yao Chen's soul form quietly appeared behind him and gave his shoulder a hard pat. "Haha, there's no need to worry. Don't you trust your master? Your pill will definitely succeed on the first attempt too!"

"I'm not worried..." Huo Yuhao forced a faint smile. He did not bring it up again and took out a scroll to study while the magic beasts flew through the air.

After disembarking from the flying magic beast in Black Rock City, they did not linger and headed straight back into the Magic Beast Mountain Range.

"Master, it's clearly winter. Why is the Magic Beast Mountain Range still so hot? The higher we go, the hotter it gets."

"There are all sorts of strange places on the Battle Qi Continent, and the reasons for their formation are mostly unknown. Perhaps there is earth-vein fire hidden beneath this place?" Yao Chen pondered for a moment before answering, "Perhaps it is precisely this unnatural temperature that created the Magic Beast Mountain Range."

"Tch, didn't you just say nothing at all? If you don't know, just say you don't know. Why make up all that useless nonsense?" Xiao Yan complained.

Bang! With a crisp sound, Xiao Yan clutched the swelling on his forehead and squatted down, protecting his head.

"Teacher, why do we have to cross the core region of the Magic Beast Mountain Range first? Can't we refine the pill on this side of the mountains?" Ignoring Xiao Yan, who was deliberately trying to lighten the mood, Xiao Yi Xian asked Yao Chen.

Rubbing his fist, Yao Chen said, "There are more high-level magic beasts on the other side, so it is relatively more dangerous. This side has only one sixth-tier magic beast, the Amethyst Winged Lion King."

"Tch, I think it's because you old man aren't confident you can succeed on the first try. Otherwise, why didn't you refine it in Stone Desert City?" Xiao Yan said indignantly.

Bang!! Another crisp sound rang out, and a bump piled atop the bump on Xiao Yan's forehead.

"Hiss—You weird old man, stop hitting my head all the time! What if you knock me stupid?"

Yao Chen ignored Xiao Yan. Though it had clearly been Xiao Yan's question, he explained it to Huo Yuhao and Xiao Yi Xian instead. "The Tagor Desert is the territory of the snake people. Queen Medusa was already a peak Dou Emperor years ago, and no one knows how strong she is now. Besides, refining a sixth-tier pill causes quite a commotion. Refining in human territory would easily attract human experts with ill intentions, and they are far more troublesome than magic beasts."

"Tch, you always say Dou Emperor experts are nothing to fear, but in the end, you still have to hide deep in the mountains to refine pills in secret."

Bang!!! At the third crisp sound, Xiao Yan became a rhinoceros and could not get back up.

Huo Yuhao hid the gentle smile at the corner of his lips and interrupted them. "Let's go."

"No need to walk." Yao Chen stopped Huo Yuhao. "We'll fly over directly."

"Then wait a moment. I'll make another flying spiritual artifact."

"No need. Your master will fly you there."

The moment they crossed the core region, Huo Yuhao and the others saw a Blue Eagle circling in the sky. Upon spotting them, it immediately swooped toward them, crying out in delight.

"It's Little Lan!"

They landed with Little Lan in an open clearing. Xiao Yi Xian stepped forward and smoothed its feathers, her voice reproachful. "Didn't I tell you to find a safe place and wait for us?"

Understanding Xiao Yi Xian's meaning, Little Lan let out an aggrieved cry and flapped its wings, signaling for Huo Yuhao and the others to climb aboard. Once they were seated securely on its back, Little Lan spread its wings and flew toward its secret base.

A short while later, Little Lan landed in a small valley. Feeling the dense natural energy within it, Huo Yuhao and the others took a deep breath, instantly feeling refreshed.

After looking around at the surroundings, Yao Chen nodded in satisfaction. "This valley is almost completely isolated from the outside and extremely well hidden. Better yet, none of the magic beasts living nearby are above the second tier."

"Good. Your master has decided to refine the pill here." With a wave of Yao Chen's hand, a pitch-black cauldron emerged from the Ancient Flame Ring and landed steadily on the ground. At the same time, stalks of medicinal herbs and the pre-refined divided pill were neatly arranged beside it.

At once, a rich medicinal fragrance filled the small valley, leaving them slightly intoxicated.

"This is Master's first time using a cauldron, isn't it?" Xiao Yan curiously examined the Black Demon Cauldron before Yao Chen. "It seems the Spirit-Restoring Pill is putting some pressure on Master too."

Yao Chen naturally would not have treated an ordinary sixth-tier pill as though facing a great enemy. However, this was his first time using a pill formula without fixed ingredients to refine a high-level pill. Though he had complete confidence in his alchemy, he still remained fully prepared, entering a state of total concentration.

"While I refine the Spirit-Restoring Pill, do not wander far. Watch my techniques carefully. When the pill is complete, a heavenly phenomenon will appear. Move farther away then, so you aren't accidentally injured."

After the reminder, Yao Chen extended his hand and summoned the Ancient Spirit Cold Flame. With a wave of his palm, the flame poured into the Black Demon Cauldron. Yao Chen controlled the flames, raised the temperature, and began warming the cauldron.

After the flames rose for a while, Yao Chen waved his hand toward the medicinal herbs on the ground. Rather than refining them all at once as usual, he placed them into the cauldron one after another, extracting their essence one stalk at a time.

Half a day passed before all the herbs were refined into pure medicinal liquid. At this point, Yao Chen's eyes grew increasingly solemn. With a wave of his hand, he tossed the final ingredient—the divided pill capable of repairing soul injuries—into the cauldron.

The instant the divided pill entered, the medicinal liquids formed from the other ingredients immediately wrapped around it, forming an irregular, pale-golden pill embryo.

As time passed, the irregular pale-golden pill embryo gradually became rounder, and dazzling light radiated from it.

At the moment the pill erupted with brilliant light, the three of them discovered in slight alarm that rings of almost tangible energy ripples continuously surged out from the cauldron in all directions.

Xiao Yan swallowed hard. He had not expected the formation of a sixth-tier pill to cause such a huge disturbance. No wonder Master had insisted on finding a safe place before refining it.

"Yuhao, Xiao Yan, Xiao Yi Xian, move back a little and deal with the little things gathering around us."

At his words, Huo Yuhao took out his flying spiritual artifact, Xiao Yan summoned his Purple Cloud Wings, and Xiao Yi Xian mounted the Blue Eagle. The three of them darted outward.

By the time the three had cleared out the low-tier magic beasts drawn over by the disturbance, a powerful energy ripple spread out from the cauldron. If they had not been far enough away, they would probably have been rolling on the ground by now.

Along with the energy ripples, surging golden light enveloped the entire valley. A thunderous explosion rang out from nowhere, and then a golden pillar of light, as thick as two zhang, shot from the cauldron into the sky!

Staring dumbfoundedly at the enormous blue pillar of light soaring into the clouds, Xiao Yan and Xiao Yi Xian could not help sucking in a cold breath. This commotion was far too huge, wasn't it?

"Hopefully it won't attract anyone troublesome." Someone had a crow's mouth.

Above Green Mountain Town, a streak of light flashed past. A woman in azure armor suddenly stopped, turned her head to the right, and looked toward the Magic Beast Mountain Range.

"This feeling... someone is refining a sixth-tier pill. Could Gu He be here too? Didn't he go to see President Fama?" Yun Yun was somewhat puzzled. As far as she knew, Gu He was the only person in the Jia Ma Empire capable of refining sixth-tier pills, yet he clearly should not have been in the Magic Beast Mountain Range at this time. With that thought, Yun Yun flew toward the source of the energy eruption.