298: Chapter 297 Ice Heart Pill

Su Muxue was stunned for a moment, then nodded. She took a crimson token from her waist and handed it to Jiang Hanzhou. The token was palm-sized and entirely crimson, with fine flame patterns engraved on its surface that flickered slightly under the candlelight, emitting a warm glow. In the center of the token, an ancient character for "Yan" was carved, its strokes deep and providing a tactile sensation.

"This is Yanhuo Valley's Earth Fire Token. With this, you can enter the third level of the Earth Fire Cave, where the earth fire is the purest but the temperature is also the highest. Only Elders and Core Disciples in the valley are qualified to enter. Since Senior needs it, please take it."

Jiang Hanzhou took the Earth Fire Token, placed it in his sumeru pouch, and cupped his hands in a salute. "Thank you, Young Valley Master. Give me three days to prepare the antidote. During these three days, do not let anyone enter the Valley Master's bedchamber. Especially, do not let Great Elder approach the Valley Master."

Su Muxue nodded, turned, and walked out of the bedchamber, giving a few instructions to the guards outside. The guards all nodded and closed the stone door, standing guard at the entrance and allowing no one to enter.

Jiang Hanzhou took out silver needles and a medicine box from his sumeru pouch and sat down by the stone bed. He took a jade bottle from the medicine box containing several silver-white pills; these were detoxification pills he had refined while in the Northern Border, which could temporarily suppress various Gu poisons. However, he knew that for the Heart-Burning Gu, ordinary detoxification pills were simply not enough.

He poured a detoxification pill from the jade bottle, crushed it into powder, and applied the powder to the silver needles. Then, he pierced several major acupoints on Su Yan's chest with the silver needles, using Pure Yang True Intent to drive the medicinal power and guide it through the Meridians into the heart. The moment the silver needles were inserted, Su Yan's body shook violently, the black lines on his face flickered intensely a few times, and then gradually faded. His breathing changed from weak to more stable, and his pulse went from almost undetectable to slow but powerful.

But that was only temporary. The detoxification pill could only suppress the Gu insect for three days; after three days, the Gu insect would become active again, even more ferocious than before.

He needed to find the Gu Mother.

The Gu Mother must be within Yanhuo Valley, either inside the body of the poisoner or nearby. Only by killing the Gu Mother could the Heart-Burning Gu in Su Yan's body be completely eradicated.

And the most likely poisoner was Grand Elder Great Elder.

But Jiang Hanzhou had no evidence and could not act without any clues. He needed to observe, investigate, and find the Gu Mother's whereabouts while cultivating in the Earth Fire Cave.

He pulled out the silver needles one by one, put them away, and then stood up and walked to the window of the bedchamber. Outside, the night was deep, and the lights in Yanhuo Valley were gradually being lit, the firelight from the Pill Furnaces illuminating the entire valley in red. In the distance, Grand Elder Great Elder's residence was brightly lit, with several figures vaguely visible moving in front of the window.

Jiang Hanzhou withdrew his gaze and gripped the tiger soul saber at his waist.

Three days later, he would prepare the antidote, enter the Earth Fire Cave, and break through to the Dragon-Elephant Intersection Realm.

Then, he would find the Gu Mother, save Su Yan, find the core of the third Teleportation Array, drag out Li Tianxing, and destroy Dragon Slaying True Person's layout in the Southern Border.

Not a single step could go wrong.

The entrance to the Earth Fire Cave was at the deepest part of Yanhuo Valley, at the base of a crimson rock wall. Ancient runes were engraved on the rock wall, arranged in layers of flame shapes to form a massive Formation Gate. In the center of the Formation Gate, a crimson light slowly rotated, within which the surging of earth fire was vaguely visible, and heat waves poured from the gate, baking the surrounding air until it twisted and deformed.

Jiang Hanzhou stood before the Formation Gate, holding the Earth Fire Token Su Muxue had given him. The flame patterns on the token flickered slightly in response to the light from the Formation Gate. He pressed the token against the center of the gate, and the crimson light suddenly brightened as the Formation Gate slowly opened, revealing stone steps extending downward.

On both sides of the stone steps were rough rock walls covered with fine cracks, from which a dark red light seeped out—the pulse of the earth fire spiritual vein. The stone steps extended downward for about a hundred zhang; the further down he went, the higher the temperature became and the stronger the smell of sulfur in the air. Jiang Hanzhou activated his ice soul jade talisman, and an ice-blue light shield isolated the heat, but the scorching sensation still managed to penetrate the shield and bake his skin.

After walking for about fifteen minutes, the stone steps reached their end. Ahead was a massive underground cavern, about a hundred zhang across and ten zhang high. The cavern walls were covered with crimson crystals flowing with dark red light, illuminating the entire cavern as if it were day. In the center of the cavern was an Earth Fire Eye about three zhang in diameter, where magma churned, and dark red lava bubbled, spitting out tongues of scorching flame as the bubbles burst.

This was the source of the earth fire spiritual vein, the place where the earth fire power of Yanhuo Valley was at its purest.

A few people were already cultivating in the cavern. They sat cross-legged on stone platforms at the edge of the cavern, surrounded by crimson flames, some with their eyes closed to regulate their breathing, others practicing fire techniques. Their cultivation levels were not low, the weakest being at the Early Stage of the Dragon Fetus Realm. Seeing Jiang Hanzhou walk in, they cast wary glances, but after seeing the Earth Fire Token in his hand, the wariness in their eyes turned to indifference, and they withdrew their gazes to continue their cultivation.

Jiang Hanzhou ignored them, walked to the side of the Earth Fire Eye, found a relatively flat rock, and sat down cross-legged. The tiger soul saber lay across his knees, the dark gold patterns on the blade flickering slightly under the light of the earth fire. He took a deep breath, inserted the Earth Fire Token into a crack in the rock beside him, closed his eyes, and began to circulate the Li Huo Golden Body Art.

The moment the technique began to circulate, the magma in the Earth Fire Eye suddenly boiled. A dense fire-attribute spiritual energy surged from the Earth Fire Eye, pouring into his body like a Tide. That spiritual energy was blazing and violent, containing the essence accumulated by the earth fire spiritual vein over a thousand years. The moment the energy entered his body, a burning pain shot through his Meridians, as if molten iron were being poured into them, causing every inch of his Meridians to tremble.

But he did not stop.

He guided that spiritual energy into his Dantian to fuse with his Heavenly Fire True Intent. Under the nourishment of the earth fire spiritual energy, the Heavenly Fire True Intent grew rapidly, turning from dim to bright, and from bright to blazing. Deep within his Dantian, the Dragon Fetus sat cross-legged, its surrounding seven-colored radiance beginning to change under the stimulation of the earth fire spiritual energy. Tide, Pure Yang, Metal Sharpness, Heavenly Fire, Ice Cold, Yellow Sand, and Buddha Power—seven powers intertwined in his Dantian, and with the Heavenly Fire True Intent as the core, they began to slowly fuse.

This was not a simple addition of powers but a qualitative transformation. In the process of devouring the earth fire spiritual energy, the Heavenly Fire True Intent absorbed the characteristics of the other six True Intents bit by bit. The length of Tide made the Heavenly Fire more enduring; the blazing heat of Pure Yang made it more ferocious; the sharpness of Metal Sharpness made it more piercing; the contrast of Ice Cold made it more violent; the violence of Yellow Sand made it more destructive; and the majesty of Buddha Power made it purer.

The seven powers surged in his Dantian like seven differently colored rivers flowing into a burning ocean. The pain in his Meridians became increasingly intense, and fine cracks appeared on the surface of his skin, from which blood seeped out and instantly evaporated in the high temperature. However, his Physical Body was rapidly repaired under the enhancement of the Late Bloomer fate; every time he was burned, the repaired skin became even tougher, and every time his Meridians were torn open, the healed Meridians became even wider.

The other cultivators in the Earth Fire Cave noticed the anomaly. They opened their eyes and looked at the figure by the Earth Fire Eye, their eyes filled with shock. The flames surrounding that young man were no longer ordinary crimson but an intertwining of seven colors, like a rainbow or a burning seven-colored flame. The frequency of the flames' flickering became faster and the temperature higher, until even the magma in the Earth Fire Eye churned more violently under the pull of his aura.

A Middle Stage Dragon Fetus Realm old man stood up, retreated a few steps, and said in a trembling voice, "This person is fusing multiple True Intents; he is charging toward the Dragon-Elephant Intersection Realm!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the seven-colored flames around Jiang Hanzhou suddenly contracted, and all the light poured into his body. The cavern fell into brief darkness, and then, a heaven-shaking dragon roar erupted from within Jiang Hanzhou.

That dragon roar was thick and low, like the roar of an ancient behemoth, making the entire cavern tremble. The crimson crystals on the cavern walls shattered under the roar, turning into fine crystal dust that scattered across the floor. The magma in the Earth Fire Eye exploded, spraying a fire pillar about a zhang high that shot straight toward the cavern roof and burst, turning into a sky full of sparks.

Inside Jiang Hanzhou's Dantian, the body of the cross-legged Dragon Fetus began to change. Its body slowly stretched, changing from a cross-legged position to standing, and from a human form to a dragon form. A pair of crimson-gold dragon horns grew from its head, and its body was covered in fine dragon scales that were seven-colored, shimmering with a dazzling luster in the light of the Dantian. Behind it, a long dragon tail swayed slowly, each movement causing the spiritual energy in the Dantian to surge.

The Dragon Fetus had transformed. From the Dragon Fetus Realm Peak to the Dragon-Elephant Intersection Realm Early Stage, the Bottleneck that had stuck him for several months was forcibly broken through under the impact of the earth fire spiritual energy.

His Dantian expanded several times over, from its previous size of about an inch to about a foot. In the Dantian, that seven-colored fire dragon coiled in the center, surrounded by the new power formed after the Fusion of the seven True Intents. That power was not a single True Intent but a perfect Fusion of seven, all-encompassing and capable of burning everything.

He named this brand-new True Intent "Burning Heaven True Intent."

At the same time, his fate also welcomed an ascension.

[Late Bloomer], Seventh Tier.

The moment the fate ascended, his body shook violently. An indescribable power surged from the fate, flowing through his Meridians into his limbs, bones, Dantian, and Sea of Consciousness. That power was not spiritual energy, not True Intent, and not Divine Soul, but something deeper—it was Aptitude, Comprehension Ability, and the ultimate Breakthrough of potential.

His Aptitude was improving, his Comprehension Ability was improving, and his Physical Body strength was improving. Those martial arts problems he couldn't figure out before were now suddenly clear. Those True Intent Fusions he couldn't control before could now be handled as easily as moving his own arms.

The Eighth Tier fate finally broke through at this moment.

At the moment of ascension, he perceived even more. He sensed that sleeping power deep within the earth fire spiritual vein—it was the aura of the third Teleportation Array's core, stronger and more violent than the two in the Northern Border and Western Desert. He perceived the subtle aura fluctuations above Yanhuo Valley—those were scouts of the Liehuo Alliance, secretly monitoring every move in the valley. He perceived an obscure aura in Great Elder's residence that shared the same origin as the Heart-Burning Gu—that was the Gu Mother, parasitic within the body of the poisoner.

He opened his eyes, and the light within them changed from dark gold to an intertwining of seven colors. That light lasted only for a breath before receding into the depths of his pupils, returning to its previous depth and calm.

He stood up and gripped the tiger soul saber in his hand. The dark gold patterns on the blade turned seven-colored under the infusion of the Burning Heaven True Intent, and the halo at the blade's edge changed from dark gold to a flow of seven colors. The intelligence within the saber sent out joyful emotions, as if it were happy for him and proud of itself.

The other cultivators in the Earth Fire Cave looked at his back with eyes full of awe. They sensed the terrifying aura within his body—that was the power of the Dragon-Elephant Intersection Realm, a level that only the Valley Master and the Grand Elder had ever reached in Yanhuo Valley.

Jiang Hanzhou ignored them and turned to walk out of the Earth Fire Cave.

He had already stayed in the Earth Fire Cave for two full days; he still needed one day to refine the antidote. Su Yan had less than a month to live, and he had to make Su Yan wake up before Great Elder staged his uprising to get more information from the Valley Master's mouth.

When he walked out of the Earth Fire Cave, Su Muxue was standing at the entrance waiting. Her face was full of anxiety, and she gripped a jade sword so tightly that her knuckles were white. Seeing Jiang Hanzhou walk out, she hurriedly stepped forward, her gaze falling on him, and she was stunned for a moment.

"Senior Jiang, your aura..." Her voice was full of surprise.

Jiang Hanzhou nodded. "I've broken through. Early Stage of the Dragon-Elephant Intersection Realm."

A flash of joy appeared in Su Muxue's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by solemnity. "Senior Jiang, Great Elder's people have been active in the shadows these past two days. Last night, a Disciple saw many strangers entering Elder Liu's residence through the back door; they were all wearing night-traveling clothes. I suspect people from the Liehuo Alliance have already sneaked into the valley."

Jiang Hanzhou's brow furrowed slightly. "How is the Valley Master?"

"My father's condition is relatively stable; the Ice Heart Pill suppressed the Gu poison, but it can only last for three days." Su Muxue bit her lip. "Senior Jiang, when will the antidote be ready?"

"Tonight." Jiang Hanzhou took the medicine box from his sumeru pouch and walked into the guest courtyard. "Give me one day, and do not let anyone disturb me."

Su Muxue nodded, closed the courtyard door, and stood guard at the entrance herself.

In the guest courtyard, Jiang Hanzhou sat cross-legged on the stone bed and took out the medicinal ingredients from the medicine box one by one. The recipe for the Ice Heart Pill was something he had deduced from the compendium of one hundred herbs and the secret record of blood gu; it required four main ingredients: Ice Soul Spiritual Liquid, Thousand-Year Snow Lotus, Red Flame Grass Core, and Earth Fire Crystal Marrow. It used Ice Cold power to neutralize the violence of the earth fire and the power of the spiritual liquid to nourish the damaged heart Meridians.

He activated the Burning Heaven True Intent, and a ball of seven-colored flame appeared in his palm. He threw the Red Flame Grass Core and Earth Fire Crystal Marrow into the flame; the two ingredients quickly melted in the seven-colored fire, turning into two pools of crimson-gold liquid. The liquid churned in the flames as Impurities were burned to ash, leaving only the purest essence.

Then, he threw the Ice Soul Spiritual Liquid and Thousand-Year Snow Lotus into the flame. The moment the two ice-attribute ingredients touched the fire, they made a sizzling sound, and a white mist rose from the flames, containing a dense life force. Ice and fire intertwined in his palm, the seven-colored flames sometimes blazing and sometimes icy cold as they sought balance between the two extreme powers.

He fused the four pools of liquid together, using his Divine Soul power to control the speed and proportion of the Fusion. If it was too fast, the medicinal properties would clash and the pill would explode; if it was too slow, the properties would dissipate and the pill would fail. Fine beads of sweat covered his forehead and his hands trembled slightly, but his gaze remained focused and calm.

An hour later, a translucent white pill took shape within the seven-colored flames. The pill was the size of a longan, its surface flowing with ice-blue patterns within which crimson-gold light could be seen flickering. He placed the pill into a jade bottle and sealed the mouth with Pure Yang True Intent to prevent the medicinal properties from dissipating.

The Ice Heart Pill was complete.