The instant the three thousand god-and-demon engravings opened their eyes together, the entire Medicine Cauldron seemed to awaken from an age-old slumber. Countless mysterious runes suddenly emerged within it, not remaining still but darting like swimming fish through the boiling treasure blood. More astonishing still, a refreshing medicinal fragrance rose from the cauldron, instantly filling the entire pill chamber.
"This..."
Shi Yi's pupils contracted slightly, and his nostrils twitched. The medicinal fragrance was pure and ancient. A single faint whiff accelerated the circulation of spiritual energy within him by thirty percent. He leaned over to peer into the cauldron and saw the Fierce Beasts' true blood he had poured in undergoing astonishing changes.
"Roar!"
A thunderous blast rang out. From the Thunder Flood Dragon's treasure blood, the first to boil, a Flood Dragon phantom composed entirely of lightning soared upward, its scales and claws flashing. Beside it, the Blazing Fire Lion's treasure blood transformed into a lion wreathed in flames, roaring at the heavens. A pitch-black Demon Ape phantom also threw back its head and howled, its baleful aura surging skyward...
In the blink of an eye, dozens of Fierce Beast phantoms manifested within the cauldron. Each was lifelike, retaining every bit of the savage might it had possessed in life. They confronted one another and roared, yet some mysterious force confined them within the cauldron's inner space.
"Buzzz-"
Just then, the sun-and-moon patterns on the cauldron's walls suddenly lit up. Pill residue accumulated over countless ages began to glow, dissolving into scattered specks of starlight. As though sensing something, all the Fierce Beast phantoms stopped fighting at once and lunged greedily toward those motes.
Shi Yi's double pupils saw everything clearly-each mote contained a trace of the purest medicinal essence. After the Fierce Beast phantoms devoured them, their forms grew increasingly solid, and they even began feeding power back into the treasure blood within the cauldron. The originally crimson blood gradually took on a golden radiance, releasing energy fluctuations that made his heart tremble.
"So that's it..." A brilliant light flared in Shi Yi's eyes. "This Medicine Cauldron has refined pills through countless ages. Its walls have long since been steeped in the medicinal properties of innumerable divine pills. Today, the Fierce Beasts' true blood activated them, and the cauldron actually began tempering it on its own!"
He noticed that the medicinal essence brought back by the Fierce Beast phantoms was fusing perfectly with the treasure blood. Every drop was undergoing a qualitative transformation, the purity of the energy within it increasing severalfold and more.
"What a Medicine Cauldron, wresting the creative power of heaven and earth!" Shi Yi could not help exclaiming in admiration. "Even its residual medicinal properties have such miraculous effects. If I supplemented them with spiritual medicines..."
He immediately took several precious medicinal plants from his storage ring. He had found them deep within the secret realm and originally intended to save them for a breakthrough. But faced with this once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity, Shi Yi threw the sacred medicine into the cauldron without hesitation.
"Boom!"
The instant the precious medicines entered the cauldron, the patterns depicting the primordial cosmos on its body suddenly blazed with light. Three thousand god-and-demon phantoms stepped out from its walls and began forming seals and chanting scriptures around the boiling treasure blood. The entire pill chamber resounded with the rumbling music of the Dao, as though the grand spectacle of pill refinement at the dawn of heaven and earth had returned...
Shi Yi gazed at the boiling Medicine Cauldron, a trace of complex emotion flickering in his eyes. Since awakening, he truly had possessed nothing beyond the Void War Halberd that had accompanied him in his campaigns across the lands.
With a lift of his hand, he cast another dozen or so precious medicinal plants shimmering with radiant light into the cauldron. He had risked his life in perilous places to obtain them, and every plant bore traces of his blood.
"Boom-"
The Medicine Cauldron suddenly rumbled like muffled thunder. Having absorbed sufficient medicinal power, the Fierce Beast phantoms became increasingly solid. Heaven-scorching flames coiled around the Crimson Flame Snake, silver arcs of lightning crackled beneath the Wind-Thunder Leopard's four paws, and every hair on the Demon Ape radiated soul-devouring baleful energy... The pressure they exuded was actually thirty percent stronger than when they had been alive!
"Hiss-!"
The Crimson Flame Snake's scarlet tongue flicked through the air, leaving an afterimage, while savage flames burned within its golden vertical pupils. No longer able to restrain the killing intent boiling inside it, the snake launched its thick body forward. Sparks scattered as its scales scraped together, and it was the first to strike, lunging at the nearest beast-the Wind-Thunder Leopard.
That single movement was like setting fire to a powder keg. The entire space within the Medicine Cauldron erupted. The other lurking Fierce Beast phantoms threw back their heads and howled, their violent energy fluctuations whipping up gust after gust within the cauldron. The Three-Eyed Demon Wolf and Mystic Ice Tortoise tore into each other, the Violet Lightning Marten became a streak of light darting through the battlefield, and the Three-Tailed Fox's illusory images flickered in and out of the air...
Shi Yi's brows knitted ever more tightly, his slender fingers unconsciously brushing the rim of the Medicine Cauldron. Vibrations traveling through its walls numbed his palm. These lifelike Fierce Beast phantoms were clearly nothing more than manifestations of true-blood essence, yet now they fought relentlessly as though they genuinely possessed intelligence. He stared at the increasingly dense, blood-colored mist inside, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end-this Medicine Cauldron was far too uncanny.
"Boom!"
The Crimson Flame Snake's fiery breath blasted the Wind-Thunder Leopard backward, and the azure lightning within the snake's jaws gradually faded. Just as it raised its head to enjoy the spoils, a piercing eagle cry rang out overhead. The Thunder Eagle's iron-hook talons sliced down through the air and seized the Wind-Thunder Leopard's dissipating body, lightning flashing as its wings spread.
"Hiss, hiss, hiss!" The Crimson Flame Snake reared upright in fury, every scale on its neck flaring outward. Its pursuing form traced a line of fire through the cauldron, scorching the sea of blood in its wake until it crackled. But the Thunder Eagle was astonishingly fast, leaving afterimages in the air with every beat of its wings.
What agitated the Crimson Flame Snake most was that the abducted Wind-Thunder Leopard's body was fading ever faster, its scattered blue motes continually absorbed by the Thunder Eagle's wings. The snake thrashed wildly, spewing flames that lit the cauldron's interior like a purgatory, yet it always fell short by a hair...
Shi Yi's four pupils suddenly contracted, the madly battling Fierce Beast phantoms reflected in the depths of his dark eyes. His breath briefly caught. After defeating their opponents, the beasts actually began ravenously devouring their remains. With every portion they consumed, their own phantoms grew more solid, and their auras surged!
"They're... devouring one another to evolve?!"
His question was soon answered.
"Screee-!"
A piercing eagle cry resounded through the Medicine Cauldron's inner space. The Thunder Eagle had completely devoured the Wind-Thunder Leopard's essence, and its body began twisting and swelling violently! Its eagle head remained fierce, but beneath its neck, a powerful body like the Wind-Thunder Leopard's gradually grew. Sharp eagle talons covered its four limbs, lightning-wreathed wings extended from its back, and its tail became a leopard's tail flickering with electrical arcs!
"Roar-!"
It threw back its head and howled, its voice resembling both an eagle's cry and a leopard's roar. Lightning power even more violent than before burst from its entire body. Electrical light slithered like snakes between its scales and feathers, and every beat of its wings stirred a raging storm!
Hearing that roar, the other Fierce Beast phantoms seemed spurred on by something and fought even more madly! They were no longer merely battling, but desperately tearing at and devouring one another, as though swallowing their opponents would grant them greater power!
And this newborn Fierce Beast-the "Thunderwind Eagle-Leopard"-abruptly turned its head, its icy gaze locking onto the Crimson Flame Snake that had pursued it earlier!
"Hiss
-!"
The Crimson Flame Snake sensed the threat as well. It coiled its body, flames surging, but before it could react, the Thunderwind Eagle-Leopard had already become a lightning afterimage, pouncing upon it in an instant!
Shi Yi's fingertips trembled faintly, this scene that defied all reason reflected in his four pupils. His throat felt dry, and his voice was low and shaken:
"This... is no longer merely refining medicine..."
"This Medicine Cauldron can actually make Fierce Beast essences devour one another, fuse, and even... create an entirely new species?!"
His heartbeat quickened, an indescribable mixture of shock and excitement churning in his chest. How was this a Medicine Cauldron? It was clearly a... Creation Artifact!