25: Danger lurking everywhere

At the entrance of the Earth God Ravine, the dense Earth Vein Qi blew across their faces,

every surge bringing a dull, thunderous growl, as if it were the pulse from the depths of the earth.

The entire world seemed to consist only of this vast rift and the two people standing side-by-side at its mouth.

"Senior Brother, let's go." Lin Qingxue's cold voice broke the silence. Her fingers formed a hand seal,

and the ice soul sword levitated before her, emitting a piercing chill that dispersed the encroaching parched heat of the earth, creating a cool area.

She took the lead, stepping into the rolling curtain of Earth Vein Qi.

Yao Delong followed closely behind. The moment his withered figure stepped in, he felt as if he were carrying a thousand pounds!

The Earth Vein Qi, condensed as if it were physical, carried a terrifying sense of weight.

If not for the tough physique and thick Primal Yang provided by his Perfection of the Primal Yang Locking Art, he would likely have found it impossible to move even an inch.

Even so, every step he took was incredibly heavy, and his breathing became labored.

Inside the rift, the light was dim, and jagged brown rocks interlaced like the fangs of a giant beast.

"Careful!" Lin Qingxue suddenly barked. The ice soul sword turned into a streak of azure lightning, instantly piercing toward the shadow of a massive boulder on the right!

Pshhh!!

A shrill hiss rang out! A massive brown lizard, its body covered in rock-like scales and as thick as a water bucket, had its head pierced through by the ice soul sword.

Frost instantly spread, freezing it into a gruesome ice sculpture! [Rank 2 (Qi Refining Late Stage) Yao Beast: Rock-Armored Lizard!]

"Left!" Although Yao Delong's cultivation was restricted, his perception remained. He called out a warning almost at the same moment Lin Qingxue struck!

Without looking back, Lin Qingxue pointed her left index and middle fingers like a sword behind her!

Chii!

A highly condensed blast of frigid Sword Qi shot through the air,

precisely piercing the eye of a Yao Beast that had lunged silently from the mud—earth-yellow, shaped like a long snake but possessing four sharp claws!

[Rank 3 (Around Foundation Establishment Intermediate) Yao Beast: Earth-Walking Viper!]

The Earth-Walking Viper writhed in agony. The frigid Sword Qi exploded inside its skull, instantly freezing its life force!

"Thanks for the perception, Senior Brother!" Lin Qingxue's tone was calm, but her pace didn't falter in the slightest.

Her elegant figure moved through the gloom like a butterfly through flowers, the ice soul sword dancing around her, carving out lethal streaks of cold light.

Along the way, Yao Beasts lunged out from rock crevices and mud pits from time to time—some shaped like giant scorpions, others like pangolins.

Most of their auras were between Rank 2 and Rank 3 (Foundation Establishment Stage).

Yao Delong followed closely behind her, secretly marveling at his Junior Sister's progress in cultivation

and the efficiency of her movements, while silently noting the subtleties of her sword techniques.

The deeper they went, the denser and purer the Earth Vein Qi became, and that heavy pressure grew even more terrifying, as if the force of the entire earth were pressing down on his shoulders.

"We're here!" Lin Qingxue stopped on a relatively open rock platform.

This place was surrounded by walls on three sides, forming a natural hollow.

At the center of the hollow's bottom, a dense flow of Earth Vein Qi, thick as pulp and shimmering with earth-yellow crystalline light,

bubbled out like a boiling spring!

This was exactly an excellent node marked on the map!

"What pure Earth Vein Qi!" A fervent light erupted in Yao Delong's eyes.

"Junior Sister, I'll have to trouble you to act as my Protector!"

"Don't worry, Senior Brother!" Lin Qingxue said decisively. The ice soul sword hung behind her,

emitting a terrifyingly cold frost Qi that enveloped the entire hollow!

She sat cross-legged, her Divine Sense spreading out at full strength, alertly scanning the dark corners around them, not daring to be the least bit careless!

Yao Delong took a deep breath, suppressed the excitement in his heart, and adjusted his state to its Peak.

He sat cross-legged beside that surging earth-yellow spring and flipped his hand to take out the black earth fire spirit nurturing furnace.

Sensing the dense earth Qi, the flame runes on the furnace body actually lit up slightly on their own.

The foundation establishment pill Materials were neatly arranged before him. With an incredibly focused gaze, he began refining!

Igniting the fire! Controlling the temperature! Extraction! Fusion!

Every step reached an unprecedented level of Perfection! The earth fire essence within the furnace resonated faintly with the Earth Vein Qi outside.

The most critical moment arrived!

Yao Delong formed hand seals, his fingers flying like shadows, as he muttered incantations!

"Earth Vein Qi, heed my command! Merge into the pill and forge the Dao foundation!"

Buzz!

The thick, earth-yellow energy at the bottom of the pit seemed to be drawn by an invisible hand,

turning into a highly condensed stream of light that, like a spiritual snake, actively plunged into the Pill Furnace!

A dazzling earth-yellow light instantly erupted within the furnace! Countless profound runes drifted within the radiant glow!

Yao Delong's face turned pale instantly, and the veins on his forehead bulged!

Forcing such pure and majestic Earth Vein Qi to move was a terrifying burden on both his energy and Spiritual Qi!

Boom!

The light inside the furnace suddenly became chaotic! A powerful repulsive force erupted, and even the furnace lid shook violently!

The light dissipated, and a Medicinal Pill lay quietly at the bottom of the furnace—it still only had eight clear golden inscriptions!

It was still Eight Revolutions. However, the massive backlash caused Yao Delong's throat to sweeten, and a trickle of blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.

"Sigh!" Yao Delong sighed softly.

"Senior Brother!" Lin Qingxue called out in a low, tense voice, yet she did not dare to Divided Soul.

"It's fine!" Yao Delong's gaze became even sharper instead!

Without the slightest hesitation, his eyes fixed on the final set of Materials! Success or failure depended on this one attempt!

He closed his eyes and sank his entire mind into the Pill Furnace.

The experience of failure flashed through his Sea of Consciousness like lightning, and that tiny, imperfect point of subtle stagnation was infinitely magnified!

He seemed to transform into the medicinal liquid flowing within the furnace, feeling the heaviness and fluidity of the Earth Vein Qi,

capturing that faint, almost non-existent rhythm of the "Earth Vein's" heartbeat!

Drawing it in once more! The majestic Earth Vein Qi, like a Dragon returning to the sea, poured into the Pill Furnace!

This time, Yao Delong's hand seals became incredibly slow, yet they carried an indescribably profound trajectory.

His Spiritual Qi was no longer forcibly "guiding" but had turned into the softest threads, "soothing" and "resonating,"

making that unruly "Earth Vein Qi" willingly merge into the core of the Medicinal Pill!

The light inside the furnace was no longer piercing but became restrained and deep, like an embryonic Universe nurturing stars!

Ancient Dao patterns, seemingly originating from the beginning of heaven and earth, flickered within the glow!

Lin Qingxue's heart leaped into her throat; she felt that increasingly strong and profound aura!

This was definitely not an atmosphere that the previous type of Medicinal Pill could possess!

Buzz!!!

A clear, high-pitched vibration, seemingly from the Nine Heavens above, rang out from within the Pill Furnace!

Suddenly, an indescribable pillar of brilliant light, like the first dawn of creation, crashed through the Pill Furnace,

through Lin Qingxue's frost Domain, through the thick earth-yellow Spiritual Qi mist of the Earth God Ravine, and shot straight into the clouds!

The light pillar was nine-colored, and within it, a galaxy seemed to rotate, phantoms of Dragons and Phoenixes soared, and Great Dao runes drifted!

An indescribable pill fragrance, containing the profound mysteries of the world's Origin and refreshing to the core, instantly permeated the air,

enveloping the entire hollow and even the surrounding dozens of miles!

[Nine Revolutions Foundation Establishment Pill complete!]

"It's done!" Yao Delong suddenly opened his eyes, and an uncontrollable wild joy erupted on his exhausted face!

A pill the size of a dragon's eye, its body crystal clear like glazed glass, its surface surrounded by nine incredibly clear purple-gold pill inscriptions that moved slowly like living things,

hung quietly within the nine-colored radiance! The pill Qi was dense, and the dao rhyme was naturally formed!

However, this world-shaking phenomenon, in the depths of this peril-filled Earth God Ravine, was no different from the most dazzling beacon!

"Roar—!"

"Awoooo—!"

"Hiss—!"

Almost at the instant the nine-colored light pillar pierced the sky, from all directions, countless violent, greedy, and bloodthirsty roars rose like a pack of demons from the Nine Nether!

The ground was shaking! Rocks were tumbling!