Seven-Absolute Demon-Quelling Pill

Seeing that the old man in luxurious robes had taken the bait, a flicker of a smile crossed Xu Yan's stern face. Next, he would teach the old man what true heartache felt like.

To prevent the old man from reneging after he successfully refined the pills, Xu Yan felt he needed to involve the Rogue Cultivator Alliance.

Casting a cold glance at the old man, Xu Yan walked slowly toward the two Foundation Establishment cultivators on duty. He cupped his hands in greeting before speaking. "Greetings, seniors. I, Lin Yan, am willing to pay ten Low-Grade Spirit Stones to request that the alliance witness my wager with Wu Hua."

"Oh?"

The two Foundation Establishment cultivators immediately grew interested. This stern-faced rogue cultivator clearly had complete confidence, or he would never have made such a request.

Under the Rogue Cultivator Alliance's customary rules, cultivators could ask the alliance to witness their wagers. Usually, however, the fee was only six Low-Grade Spirit Stones.

This man had offered ten Low-Grade Spirit Stones right off the bat. The implication needed no explanation.

The two blue-robed Foundation Establishment cultivators exchanged a glance, then nodded in agreement.

One of them stepped forward slowly and took a blood-red Jade Slip from his Storage Bag. Then he sent a stream of magic power into it.

Infused with magic power, the blood-red Jade Slip instantly shattered into countless fragments. Two streaks of blood-red light shot out of it, hurtling toward Xu Yan and the old man.

Before either could react, each was struck by a streak of red light, which vanished into their bodies in the blink of an eye.

Only after finishing this did the blue-robed Foundation Establishment cultivator channel another stream of magic power and announce, "The alliance has witnessed the wager between Lin Yan and Wu Hua. This red light is an alliance Secret Art that allows us to track a cultivator's whereabouts. Should anyone dare fail to honor his promise, the alliance's enforcement cultivators will hunt down the bearer of the red light!"

Hearing this, Xu Yan finally felt reassured.

If anyone was the most nervous now, it was naturally Gu Xiao.

Wu Hua had been right. Gu Xiao had posted this commission specifically with him in mind.

Among the First-Rank Alchemists currently in the Rogue Cultivator Alliance, only Wu Hua could process Seven-Absolute Grass. Second-rank alchemists could handle it too, but they were far beyond Gu Xiao's ability to enlist.

At that thought, the worry on Gu Xiao's face deepened. But matters had already come this far; even if he wanted to withdraw the commission, it was too late.

With a soft sigh, he felt he could only leave it to fate.

News of Xu Yan's wager with the old man instantly spread through the rogue cultivator community. Many cultivators flocked to the Thousand Mechanism Hall to join the excitement and see how it would end.

But by the time they arrived, Xu Yan was already gone. Under the old man's venomous gaze, he had walked slowly into the Alchemy Hall.

Inside the pill-refining chamber.

Xu Yan examined the six Spirit Herbs laid out on the stone table. Apart from the extraordinarily poisonous Seven-Absolute Grass, two other herbs were toxic: Earth Sha Flower and Demon Blood Orchid. Their toxicity, however, was far weaker than that of Seven-Absolute Grass.

The pill Gu Xiao wanted happened to be recorded in Lin Dao's alchemy inheritance. It was a first-rank, low-grade pill called the Seven-Absolute Demon-Quelling Pill.

With Seven-Absolute Grass as its core ingredient, it was a pill capable of expelling demonic qi and deadly poisons.

Its refining method was very simple. The crucial step was removing the poison from the Seven-Absolute Grass, and with the Green Pearl's help, that was easy for him.

After taking the crimson Pill Furnace from his Storage Bag, he took out a Qi Gathering Pill and swallowed it. Gu Xiao had supplied only enough herbs for one batch this time, so he needed to proceed carefully.

Once inside his body, the pill dissolved into a surge of magic power, replenishing his Dantian.

With his preparations complete, Xu Yan beckoned, drawing the Seven-Absolute Grass into his hand.

The Seven-Absolute Grass was grayish-black throughout and roughly a foot tall, with seven segments along its length. Wisps of black poisonous vapor drifted from it.

This herb usually grew in perilous places rarely visited by humans, feeding on qi of earth sha and various poisonous vapors. It was extraordinarily toxic.

The moment the Seven-Absolute Grass touched his hand, Xu Yan felt a trace of cold. His entire palm then grew slightly numb, and a grayish-black discoloration spread from it at a speed visible to the naked eye.

“No wonder the Seven-Absolute Grass makes cultivators turn pale at the mere sight of it!” Its astonishing toxicity secretly startled Xu Yan.

With a thought, he immediately directed the Green Pearl in his Sea of Consciousness to begin devouring the poison within the Seven-Absolute Grass.

He was especially meticulous this time, afraid that the Green Pearl would devour the Seven-Absolute Grass's spiritual energy as well. As a result, the process lasted a full half an incense stick's burning time. By the time the Green Pearl had consumed all its poison, fine beads of sweat covered his forehead.

The more precisely he controlled the Green Pearl's absorption, the greater the strain on his Divine Sense.

After processing the Seven-Absolute Grass, Xu Yan carefully took a jade box from his Storage Bag and placed the herb inside.

Then he sat cross-legged on the floor and began recovering.

Half an hour later, he slowly opened his eyes, all traces of fatigue swept away. His aura had also grown somewhat stronger. He had fully reached the barrier to his next breakthrough and needed only an opportunity to advance to the Fourth Layer of Qi Refining.

Slowly exhaling a breath of stale air, Xu Yan directed the Green Pearl to consume all the poison in the Earth Sha Flower and Demon Blood Orchid as well.

Xu Yan's earlier guess had been correct. After devouring the poison in these three spirit herbs, the energy accumulated within the Green Pearl seemed close to reaching a critical point.

This filled him with delighted surprise. It seemed the Green Pearl would soon feed back to him the energy it had devoured during this period.

After settling his emotions, Xu Yan began refining the pills.

The Seven-Absolute Demon-Quelling Pill's refining method was not complicated, and he had already overcome its greatest obstacle. Two hours later, he successfully finished the batch.

Filled with excitement, Xu Yan carefully placed the pills into a jade bottle.

Once everything was done, he slowly walked out of the pill-refining chamber.

Outside the Alchemy Hall, a sea of people had already gathered. Countless rogue cultivators had rushed over after hearing about the wager between the old man and Xu Yan.

The Rogue Cultivator Alliance had not seen a wager like this in several years. This was the hottest event in recent years, drawing the attention of a host of rogue cultivators.

Wu Hua stood outside the Alchemy Hall, his gaze fixed intently on the exit. The Rogue Cultivator Alliance's two blue-robed Foundation Establishment cultivators stood beside him.

Suddenly, a trace of unease rose in Wu Hua's heart.

As time passed, Wu Hua's unease grew stronger and stronger. For some reason, he had a vague feeling that he had been played.

He had experienced this feeling only twice throughout his cultivation life. The last time had been thirty years ago.

The more he recalled that stern-faced cultivator's calm gaze, the more panicked Wu Hua became. If the two blue-robed Foundation Establishment cultivators had not been standing beside him, he would already have been considering fleeing.

Just as Wu Hua fretted and let his thoughts run wild, the crisp sound of a door opening pulled him back to reality.

The stern-faced cultivator in black robes slowly emerged from the pill-refining chamber and headed out of the Alchemy Hall.

Hearing the sound, everyone turned their eyes toward the black-robed cultivator.