286: Chapter 286 The Crimson Sun Pill of Departing Fire, the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame

The moonlight was cool, stars and the moon twinkled, and gusts of evening wind blew, causing the vegetation in the valley to sway and dance with the breeze.

No insects or beasts could be heard chirping; there was only infinite silence.

The three of them stood side by side with solemn expressions. In the silent atmosphere of the valley, no one spoke a word, their gazes all fixed in the direction of Black Cloud Ravine.

They were waiting for the arrival of that sovereign!

"Two seniors, Young Master will return safely, right?" Qing Yue's beautiful eyes revealed a look of worry as she asked nervously.

"Rest assured, with His Majesty's abilities, there shouldn't be a place that can trap him!"

Liu Ling spoke slowly, flicked his sleeves, and walked to the stone table.

Yan Xing remained silent, his face ashen. Corpse Qi flowed around his body as if he had suffered a heavy injury. Sitting at the table with a quiet gaze, he fell into thought; no one knew what was on his mind.

The furnace fire cooked as the spiritual wine rolled and boiled, and the two began to drink.

Inside the jade cups, the wine glowed like amber, with curls of steam rising and the aroma of wine filling the air.

Whew!

Suddenly, Qing Yue took a deep breath as if she had made a decision. Stepping with lotus-like strides, she sought out a secluded spot, sat down cross-legged, formed cultivation seals, and slightly closed her eyes to cultivate.

Strands of energy wreathed her body. With her breathing, they sank into her delicate frame, submerging her figure as she cultivated.

Yan Xing and Liu Ling glanced at each other, revealing a mysterious smile.

If it came to worrying about Hun Tiandi, the two of them definitely surpassed everyone else.

"Liu Ling, you still need to find a way to resolve the Corpse Qi on my body!" Yan Xing said with some hesitation.

Hearing this, Liu Ling looked up at him, his gaze deep as he stared at the other man.

"Don't worry. As an Alchemist, if I let you die in my hands, what would become of my reputation as a Seventh-tier High-grade Alchemist if word got out?"

Liu Ling smiled and spoke indifferently.

"Have you thought of a way?" Yan Xing's expression shifted upon hearing this.

"Indeed. His Majesty allowed me to examine the alchemy canon, and it records a Sixth-tier Pill that can dispel the Corpse Qi in your body."

"What pill?" Yan Xing's eyes flashed as he asked.

"The li-huo chi-yang pill!"

Liu Ling paused for a moment before confirming.

"Hahaha, good! Refine it quickly!" Yan Xing said excitedly. The li-huo chi-yang pill was a Sixth-tier High-grade Pill; had he not been fortunate enough to see the alchemy canon, he wouldn't even know of its existence.

Furthermore, this involved alchemy methods and medicinal ingredients that were already missing or even extinct.

"Don't be happy too soon. Although the li-huo chi-yang pill is extremely difficult to refine, it's not beyond me. What truly prevents me from acting now is the lack of the main ingredients: lihuo grass and red sun root!"

"lihuo grass? red sun root?"

Yan Xing cried out in surprise. Knowing Liu Ling's alchemy experience, if he hadn't started, Yan Xing inevitably fell silent again.

lihuo grass is rumored to be the Essence of Lihuo. It falls upon a Morning Sun Flower and is nourished by the Essence of Lihuo, absorbing the energy of the sun and moon for a hundred years before it can succeed.

The red sun root grows in places of extreme Yang. The best environment is beside a volcano that erupts year-round, nourished by scorching lava as it grows from underground.

However, Liu Ling did not have these two medicinal ingredients in his hands...

Yan Xing's face darkened. This meant that without the two main ingredients, the li-huo chi-yang pill could not be successfully refined.

"Sigh, if His Majesty were here, he should have a way?" Liu Ling lamented.

"What are the effects of the li-huo chi-yang pill?" Yan Xing inquired.

"This pill gathers the Essence of Lihuo and the Power of the Red Sun to cleanse your Fighting Qi. It even has body-tempering effects, allowing your Fighting Qi to become increasingly condensed and your physique to become robust!"

Liu Ling's expression shifted as he spoke.

The difficulty lay in the two medicinal ingredients: lihuo grass and red sun root.

"Without these two things, even if I am proficient in alchemy, it is merely a moon in the water or a flower in a mirror."

"Then how much longer does my life have?" Yan Xing asked coldly.

"Three or four months!"

In the valley, both men fell into a speechless silence.

Swish...

A beam of purple light reaching the heavens shone down. Hun Tiandi didn't even have time to react; the moment he entered the tomb, the scene before his eyes changed.

The ground beneath him vanished, and he appeared in mid-air, falling rapidly.

At such a height, if he smashed directly down, he would have to worry about fainting even if his physique was strong.

However, if he really fell like that, where would his dignity as a king be? He wouldn't have the face to see anyone.

With a thought, his falling figure stopped, and he slowly looked around.

He scanned the surrounding scenery.

The sky was bright but neither the sun nor moon could be seen. Mountain ranges like flood dragons were permeated with a layer of grayish-black mist. Looking down from high above, not a single living creature was visible.

Even directions were difficult to distinguish.

It looked as if everywhere was filled with a kind of eerie horror; this Heaven-Reaching Tomb was a world of its own.

The instant he landed, before he could even inspect his surroundings, a dull drumming sound came from the distance, carrying a sense of iron-blooded slaughter and rumbling loudly.

Following a heavy drumbeat, a domineering sound wave tore through the air in ripples at an incredible speed.

It came crushing toward him.

"Not good, nether demonic zither!"

A cold light flashed in Hun Tiandi's eyes. With a wave of his hand, a demonic zither manifested. His left hand supported the base of the demonic zither while his right hand plucked the strings, infusing Fighting Qi into his fingertips.

With skillful playing techniques, the strings were plucked, and a series of crisp zither notes rang out, forming sound waves to meet the incoming drumbeats.

Boom...

They converged in mid-air. Two peerless sound waves collided and exploded with a bang. Terrifying gusts of energy erupted, causing the surrounding grayish-black mist to churn.

A series of foot-deep cracks were left on the ground.

"Eh, a sound wave attack?"

The sudden sound wave attack was truly powerful. One must know that on the Fighting Qi Continent, sound wave Dou Techniques and secret arts were the rarest.

Had he not already learned the art of the zither and been able to exert the supreme demonic power of the nether demonic zither,

the sound wave attack from the shadows might have been difficult to withstand.

Since stepping into the Heaven-Reaching Tomb, there had been layer upon layer of crisis—the cold Qi of the stone tablet, the illusions of the tomb door, a situation of ten deaths and no life.

Having finally managed to get in, he immediately encountered a sound wave sneak attack.

The drumbeats contained sound waves filled with bloodthirsty slaughter and repeated attacks. If caught off guard, one would surely be heavily injured.

His wariness of the Heaven-Reaching Tomb rose by several levels.

Fighting Qi condensed in his eyes, greatly increasing his vision and allowing him to see through the mist. The peaks were grayish-black, the vegetation was grayish-black, and the streams were murky. There was no sun or moon, as if he were in the dead of night.

Eerie and sinister!

He pressed his fingers together like a sword, and sword Qi surged horizontally, tearing through the murky air. He saw a pale green flaming lotus flower in the distance, constantly spinning.

Within the fire lotus stood a figure in white, gazing into the distance. On her right shoulder, a small seven-colored snake was coiled, its tongue constantly flicking.

When the heavy drumbeat sound waves approached, they were burned to nothing by the pale green flames.

"It's her?"

Hun Tiandi was surprised. He had originally thought that since she entered earlier, she would have gone deeper to explore.

His figure flickered as he headed toward the direction of the fire lotus.

With the demonic zither in hand, the drumbeats were no longer a threat. A quarter of an hour later, he landed not far from the figure in white.

"Oh, you actually didn't die?" The Lady in White said in surprise.

"Is this... a Strange Fire?" Hearing this, the corner of Hun Tiandi's mouth twitched as he spoke indifferently.

"Good eyes. It is indeed a Strange Fire, ranked seventeenth on the strange fire ranking list: the Green Lotus Core Flame!" The Lady in White said enchantingly.

A charming arrogance emanated from her body.

"Green Lotus Core Flame? This woman should be a member of the Xiao Family. On the Fighting Qi Continent, if one were to say which family possesses the most Strange Fires, it would only be the Xiao Family, known for the Flame Emperor!"

Hun Tiandi murmured in a low voice, a cold light flashing in his eyes.

However, this Lady in White's strength was too terrifying; he was currently no match for her. Furthermore, deep within the Heaven-Reaching Tomb, the path ahead was dangerous.

He still needed her powerful strength to act as a vanguard. Hun Tiandi intended to take none of the risks while still claiming the benefits.