Refining

"I'm old and no longer of much use. All I want is to pave the way for the younger generation!" Luo Yan said with a meaningful smile.

The demon Great Powers hurried to praise him. "Senior, you're strong and vigorous, young and handsome. How could you possibly be old?"

Luo Yan fixed them with a meaningful gaze. "You think so too?"

"Of course! Senior, your power reaches the very mysteries of creation, unfathomable in its depth. Naturally, your lifespan knows no bounds!"

Luo Yan smiled faintly. "By the way, what do you think of that disappointing junior of mine?"

"Young Master Wan Qing has the makings of a Great Emperor. He truly is a young overlord!"

"Young Master Wan Qing is a prodigy seen only once in ten thousand years. If possible, we would gladly follow him!"

"Alas, we were young back then. Now, looking back, we find ourselves already in the twilight of our years..."

The demons showered him with praise, yet inwardly wondered why he was asking this.

Luo Yan continued, "Actually, it isn't too late even now! I don't have much time left, and Wan Qing has yet to grow into his strength. He needs the protection of experts like yourselves. Would you be willing?"

One Cricket Qilin Demon at the Great Power realm replied, "I have little lifespan remaining. I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to protect Young Master Wan Qing for long."

In truth, this Cricket Qilin Demon's vitality was flourishing. Living another five hundred years would be no problem.

Luo Yan's smile vanished. Expressionless, he raised a hand and pointed.

Terror filled the Great Power-realm Cricket Qilin Demon's eyes. He died before he could utter a single word.

Luo Yan turned to the remaining greater demons, his expression icy. "Now, does anyone else disagree?"

"To think such a wonderful opportunity would fall into our laps! Even Heaven thinks my life shouldn't end yet!" The White Tiger Demon Saint stared fixedly at the blue-green figure trapped within the secret formation, his eyes brimming with greed.

He had severed his Dao and become a Saint in his early years, and had lived for more than three thousand years. Now his blood and vitality had begun to decline. Barring any unforeseen developments, he would exhaust his lifespan and perish within another five hundred years at most.

At this critical moment, a humanoid Immortal Medicine had suddenly appeared before him. It was practically as though Heaven had prepared it especially for him!

The only pity was that this humanoid Immortal Medicine had already severed its medicinal body and could no longer generate its immortal medicinal properties on its own. Otherwise, they could have considered keeping it captive.

Among the Three Demon Sages, the Azure Luan Demon Saint, who regularly appeared in public, felt uneasy. The White Tiger Demon Saint spent most of his time in seclusion, while the Flowing Flame Demon Saint largely ignored outside affairs. Only he knew certain obscure pieces of news.

"I've heard that this person has an extremely powerful elder behind him, very likely on the same level as us. A Half-Saint expert of the Peacock clan in my territory mysteriously disappeared after trying to capture him," the Azure Luan Demon Saint said, voicing his unease.

Hearing this, the Flowing Flame Demon Saint also looked worried. Unlike the Azure Luan Demon Saint and the White Tiger Demon Saint, his true body was Flowing Flame Grass that had taken demon form. He had endured countless hardships before severing his Dao and becoming a Saint, and his strength was inherently far weaker than theirs. If a Saint War truly broke out, he would most likely suffer the worst losses.

The White Tiger Demon Saint dismissed it. "What are you two afraid of? Even if he's a Saint as well, there are three Saints here. Why should we fear him? Never mind anything else-even the Half-Saint experts present would be enough to give him a headache! If he dares come, we'll taste Saint flesh today. It contains vast amounts of vital essence, a truly nourishing delicacy!"

The dozen or so Half-Saint experts present smiled confidently and chimed in. "The Demon Sage is right! If that man dares come, we'll make sure he falls here! I hear he's a human Saint, too. Come to think of it, it's been years since we last tasted human flesh!"

The other demon experts nodded in agreement. Human flesh was indeed a rare delicacy, especially that of cultivators who had embarked on cultivation. Their abundant blood and vigorous vital essence made them comparable to great medicine.

The Flowing Flame Demon Saint sighed inwardly. Until you become a Saint, you remain an ant!

Even the patriarchs of the various demon clans, only one step away from becoming Half-Saints, were no different from ants in their eyes.

"Hurry and see how that immortal medicine's transformation is coming along!" a greater demon at the Dao-Slaying King level asked impatiently.

With his strength, he would naturally receive a share of the spoils.

Immortal Medicine! That was a divine treasure fit only for ancient Great Emperors and Ancient Emperors to enjoy. He had never imagined he would get a taste of it today.

"No hurry. Let me take a look!" The White Tiger Demon Saint activated the secret formation. The figure within gradually grew clearer, until everyone could see him distinctly.

He sat cross-legged at the center of the secret formation, a Green Lotus shining brilliantly above his head. Countless streams of radiance descended from the Green Lotus and sank into the blue-green figure below.

The Three Demon Sages directed the secret formation while the other demon experts assisted, minimizing the drain on all the demon experts' life force.

Refining the essence of an Immortal Medicine was no easy task in itself. At any moment during the process, it could turn the refinement back upon them, ultimately reducing them to nourishment for the Immortal Medicine.

The origins of Immortal Medicine were far too mysterious. It had existed since ancient times, undying and indestructible, with tremendous secrets hidden within. Even the Three Demon Sages dared not be careless.

This was also why the White Tiger Demon Saint had ultimately compromised. A lone tree could not hold up the sky.

"So this is Immortal Medicine? Even through the formation, I can feel the enormous vital essence it radiates. Just standing here makes my body feel more than ten years younger! If I could eat a mouthful of its life essence, it would add at least a hundred years to my lifespan!" Merely by absorbing the wisps of vital essence leaking from the Green Lotus, some demon experts nearing the end of their lifespans felt their bodies growing younger.

"What a pity. This medicine has already taken demon form and can no longer produce immortal medicinal properties on its own. Otherwise, we would have a complete Immortal Medicine!"

"Heh, you certainly dare to dream! If we actually held a complete Immortal Medicine, disaster would be upon us! How vast is the universe, and how numerous its experts? From ancient times to the present, only a handful of Immortal Medicines have ever been recorded!"

"It's done!"

The great formation ceased operating. The brilliantly glowing Green Lotus turned dull and lightless, dropping from the air in an instant. Fine cracks covered its surface, and its last trace of life essence was gone.

Still, if properly repaired, it could someday become a rare divine weapon. After all, the Green Lotus contained strange laws that could shatter all arts. It was indestructible, combining offense and defense.

Everyone stared fixedly at the figure in the center of the formation. Even from afar, they could sense the immense life essence and immortal divinity contained within him-the unique hallmarks of Immortal Medicine!

At this moment, the Azure Emperor was no less than a genuine Immortal Medicine!

The Three Demon Sages moved first, fearing an unforeseen mishap.

Yet a mishap occurred all the same. The figure seated cross-legged at the very center recalled the lusterless Green Lotus, burned his life essence, and poured it into the lotus, unleashing an immensely powerful force of law imbued with the laws of the Great Dao!

Without the slightest hesitation, the Azure Emperor turned, transformed into a streak of divine light, and charged out of the formation. He was about to vanish before the demon experts' eyes.

How could the demon experts simply watch the Immortal Medicine already in their grasp fly away? They hurriedly awakened the binding formation laid out here. They had prepared for this long ago!