13: The furnace holds hidden secrets, and the first signs of a demon appear.

The great hall was deathly silent, with only the slightly hurried breathing of the four individuals. The trap earlier had consumed a good deal of everyone's spiritual energy and mental strength.

Lin Xuan took the Medicinal Pill handed to him by Su Wanqing, rested for a moment, then cast his gaze back to the tall Pill Furnace. The moment he lifted the Pill Furnace earlier, he vaguely sensed an extremely faint energy fluctuation within it, which was out of place with the overall aura of this Immortal Palace.

"This Pill Furnace is strange," Lin Xuan said in a deep voice as he walked to the furnace.

Su Wanqing, Qu Feiyan, and Gongsun Yu also gathered around. After fighting side-by-side just now, the subtle atmosphere between the four seemed to have eased slightly, at least forming a fragile alliance for the time being.

The Pill Furnace was ancient and heavy, and the runes on its body appeared dim after the previous burst. Lin Xuan reached out to touch the furnace wall; a cold, hard sensation came from it. His Divine Sense attempted to probe inside but was blocked by an invisible barrier.

"Let me try." Qu Feiyan stepped forward, her jade hand lightly pressed against the furnace wall as she closed her eyes. A faint pink glow emanated from her body, and a peculiar spiritual energy, carrying an investigative intent, slowly seeped into the Pill Furnace. This was an auxiliary secret art from the Red Dust Charming Bone Technique, adept at perceiving the subtle details of energy and Restrictions.

A moment later, she opened her eyes, a hint of solemnity flashing in her charming gaze: "There is indeed something inside the furnace, sealed by a very strong Seal. The aura... is very cold, not like something from an immortal family."

Gongsun Yu curiously leaned closer: "Could it be an Immortal Pill that wasn't refined? Or some kind of treasure?"

Su Wanqing, however, vigilantly sensed her surroundings and said coolly, "Be careful, the trap just now might only be the beginning."

Lin Xuan pondered for a moment, then said to Feiyan, "Can you try to undo the Seal? Or, sense any weak points in the Seal?"

Qu Feiyan nodded, placing her hand on the furnace wall again, the pink glow intensifying. Her brows furrowed slightly, as if she was carefully discerning the structure of the complex Seal. Time passed bit by bit, and fine beads of sweat appeared on her smooth forehead, indicating it was clearly not easy.

Approximately a stick of incense later, she suddenly opened her eyes and pointed to an inconspicuous rune node at the bottom of the Pill Furnace: "Here! The energy flow of the Seal here has an extremely subtle sluggishness, perhaps a flaw caused by its ancient age! But it requires an extremely precise force to strike; too much force might trigger a backlash from the Seal, while too little will fail to break it."

Everyone's gaze focused on Lin Xuan. When it came to precise control of power, no one present could surpass him.

Lin Xuan did not hesitate. He pointed his fingers like a sword, and a wisp of extremely condensed, pale golden light, infused with the spiritual power of Foundation Establishment Peak and the Qi and blood of a Golden Body, pulsed at his fingertips. He took a deep breath, his Divine Sense locked onto the node Feiyan indicated, and the golden light at his fingertip, like a spiritual snake emerging from its hole, precisely struck that rune node!

"Om—!"

The Pill Furnace emitted a low hum, and its body trembled slightly. The runes on that node flickered rapidly a few times, then, like melting ice and snow, a pinhole-sized gap quietly vanished!

At this very instant, a cold, violent aura, filled with destructive desire, surged out from that gap like a bursting dam! Although it was only a wisp, it caused the temperature of the entire great hall to plummet, and a nauseatingly sweet, fishy smell permeated the air!

"Devilish Qi!" Su Wanqing and Qu Feiyan's expressions changed simultaneously! This aura was from the same source as the "demonic Qi erosion" mentioned in the Jade Slip, but it was purer and more terrifying!

Gongsun Yu was even more frightened, her small face pale, as she repeatedly retreated.

Through that pinhole-sized gap, Lin Xuan's Divine Sense barely caught a glimpse of the interior of the furnace—it was not a Medicinal Pill, but a pitch-black energy body tightly bound and sealed by countless golden chains! The energy body was constantly twisting and colliding, trying to break free from its shackles. The wisp of Devilish Qi that had just leaked out was precisely what had escaped from it!

"Seal!" Lin Xuan let out a low cry, and golden light once again pulsed from his fingertip, forcefully sealing the gap and stopping the Devilish Qi from leaking out.

The cold and violent aura in the great hall slowly dissipated, but a heavy shadow fell over the hearts of the four.

"Why is such pure Devilish Qi sealed in this Immortal Palace?" Su Wanqing's voice was solemn, her crescent-moon-like eyes looking at Lin Xuan.

Qu Feiyan's expression was also very grim: "And judging by the strength and age of this Seal, this Devilish Qi has probably been sealed here for countless years. This Misty Immortal Palace is likely not a simple ancient ruin."

Gongsun Yu patted her chest, saying with lingering fear, "That was too scary, let's get out of here quickly!"

Lin Xuan remained silent. He walked to the stone table, picked up the Jade Slips again, and reinterpreted the information within them, combining it with the sealed Devilish Qi he had just seen.

[...The demonic source is inextinguishable, its erosion deepens daily... All Fellow Daoists have fallen victim... Only one remains, using a crippled body to set up the 'Nine Seals Absolute Array,' but it can only delay, not eradicate... Successors who see this, leave quickly! Do not touch the Seal...]

[...Having searched ancient texts, only the 'Grand Beginning Pure Spirit Light' might purify this demonic source... However, this Divine Ability has long been lost... My Dao is doomed...]

The fragmented information in the Jade Slips pieced together a shocking truth: this Misty Immortal Palace was not a place of auspiciousness, but a sealed land suppressing a terrifying "demonic source"! The former masters of the Immortal Palace seemed to have all perished because of this demonic source! The immortal aura outside might just be to conceal the terrifying truth within!

"We've probably stumbled into huge trouble," Lin Xuan said gravely, putting down the Jade Slips.

Su Wanqing and Qu Feiyan's expressions grew even heavier upon hearing this. They both realized that the previous Immortal Staircase Heart-Questioning and the Pill Pavilion traps were probably not just tests, but also a form of screening, or perhaps... a warning!

Just then, from outside the great hall, deep within the originally serene and peaceful corridor, came bursts of mournful howls, as if countless vengeful spirits were wailing! Simultaneously, the immortal spiritual Qi of the entire Immortal Palace estate began to become chaotic, and the faint Devilish Qi in the air seemed to grow a little denser.

"The Seal... is weakening?" Qu Feiyan keenly sensed the change.

Lin Xuan looked at the Pill Furnace. Was it because they had just disturbed a wisp of the Seal, accelerating this process? Or had the demonic source's Seal already reached its last moments?

"This place is not suitable for long stays!" Lin Xuan decided immediately. "We must quickly find a way to leave the Immortal Palace, or... find a way to deal with this demonic source!"

Unknown danger was approaching, and the true face of the Immortal Palace was gradually being revealed. Their exploration, from seeking Opportunity, instantly turned into a test of life-and-death escape and salvation (or destruction).

The four dared not linger and quickly left the Hundred Herbs Pill Pavilion, heading in the opposite direction from the mournful howls, deeper into the Immortal Palace.

And not long after they left, inside the Pill Pavilion, a subtle, almost invisible crack quietly spread across the surface of the silent Pill Furnace. A wisp of pitch-black Devilish Qi, even more condensed than before, slowly extended from the crack like a tentacle...