487: Refining elixirs

"I've troubled you, Junior Martial Uncle." Without changing his expression, he flicked out an exquisite Storage Pouch.

The Elder took it and swept his Divine Sense inside; twenty thousand pure, azure Mid-Grade Spirit Stones were stacked neatly within.

The smile on the Elder's face deepened. He took the bag without even counting them, tucking it into his sleeve. "Safe travels, Martial Nephew! Come again next time!"

Under the envious gazes of the Disciples on duty on the second floor, Yao Delong gathered the box and Jade Slip.

With Qiong Shuang, who was curiously poking her head out again, he turned into a streak of light and swept down the stairs to depart.

"Big Brother, Big Brother! The Pill Formula! The Materials!"

Qiong Shuang was practically going crazy with joy on the way back to Luoxia Peak, circling Yao Delong's head excitedly.

Her tiny ice scales continuously reflected fragments of sunlight.

"I can transform! I'm no longer just a little flood dragon worm who can only hide in a Storage Pouch to peek at the snack street in the market!"

"I'm going to openly eat Seven Treasure Exquisite Ice Crispy Curd and bite into Flowing Fire Earth Core Lotus Dew Skewers!"

"Buy the most beautiful Hundred Flower Flowing Light Satin..."

Her little head was instantly filled with all kinds of magical snacks and trinkets that the human world used to entice bipedal creatures.

Yao Delong couldn't be bothered to pay attention to the mutterings of this gluttonous and meddlesome little fellow.

He steered his Escape Light directly down to the depths of the courtyard under his jurisdiction halfway up Luoxia Peak.

Inside the underground Alchemy room, which was densely covered with defensive and Spirit Gathering Arrays, a Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Jade Pill Furnace emitted a soft, cool glow.

Yao Delong first took out that green Jade Slip and probed it with his Divine Sense.

The refining method for the seventh-grade High Grade 'Nine Tribulations Dragon-Inducing Essence-Shedding Pill' was indeed profound and complex. The medicinal properties of the sixty-three main and auxiliary Spirit Medicines had many points of conflict.

The technique for removing impurities and condensing essence required a level of fire control cultivation that was exquisite to the extreme.

However, before Yao Delong's current vast Divine Thought of the Mid-stage Soul Transformation and his understanding of Dao law micro-control, which had been significantly enhanced several times... this difficulty was merely equivalent to a heavenly book changing from 'tadpole script' into a 'literacy primer for toddlers.'

After studying it just once, he had already mastered the core mysteries of the Pill Formula.

"First step, take its domineering power of heterotopic mutual generation, using Cold Jade Marrow Crystal as the base liquid..."

Yao Delong's gaze was solemn as his hands guided the air. Streaks of red-gold Soul Transformation true essence, as solid as substance, surged out.

He lit up the runes that had been pre-warmed in the Pill Furnace one by one! A grand and ancient Daoist charm permeated the air.

With a flick of his finger, the first and heaviest ingredient, the Cold Jade Marrow Crystal, was accurately tossed into the center of the blazing divine fire like an ice-blue teardrop!

Over the next three days and two nights, light and shadow shifted within the vast basement. At times, ice-blue tongues of flame shot up as if to reach the nine heavens,

only to be suppressed by a casual palm strike from Yao Delong.

At other times, a dull, dragon-like roar from within the furnace stirred the heavy space, only to be forcibly smoothed out by wisps of Chaos dawn light!

The evening of the third day.

"Buzz—!"

The final Dao seal hand-sign, containing the laws of Perfection, was struck into the Pill Furnace!

Crack... clatter... the furnace lid opened!

An unparalleled storm of ferocious, desolate, and terrifying demon essence, carrying the primordial divinity of dragons, snakes, and beasts, rushed out!

Under the restraint of the Secret Chamber's formations, it transformed into nine ferocious, roaring dragon phantoms,

each flickering with the brilliance of different tribulation lightning, desperately trying to break through all restraints and soar into the sky!

A divine light erupted from Yao Delong's eyes. His left hand continuously changed hand-signs to suppress the phantoms, while his right hand beckoned!

A cloud of red-gold dawn light, like a heavenly net, caught an exotic pill the size of a dragon's eye that had just rolled out of the smoke.

The pill was nearly translucent like magnificent amber, but its core was condensed with a clear, blood-colored dragon mark!

"Six-turn quality for the first furnace... mediocre."

Yao Delong looked at the Spirit Pill spinning at his fingertips. The fierce and surging force still made his fingertips feel slightly numb through the dawn light.

He didn't give it another glance. He flicked his sleeve to clear the furnace, calmed his mind, and directly took out the premium pill Materials from the jade box!

"Demon fire reverses into the cold lotus aperture... wind balefulness stirs the marrow bone essence... Tribulation Dragon Qi enters the Qian position...!"

Silently reciting the essence of the refined and improved Pill Formula in his mind, the furnace fire rose once more!

This time, the fire was powerful and heavy yet controlled to the smallest detail!

His massive Divine Sense guided every trace of medicinal property Fusion with meticulous care!

At every crucial point of medicinal property transformation, his Soul Transformation true power, containing a trace of Chaos dawn light, would ruthlessly 'grind' down on the spatial nodes where the Spiritual Material essences merged!

A day and a half later.

A clear and condensed phantom of divine lightning, varying in color and representing the nine demon tribulations, coiled out from the furnace lid!

Purple lightning danced wildly, red sun scorched the sky, and yin balefulness froze the air!

However, this time, the Tribulation Dragon did not truly manifest to strike the formation.

Instead, under the faint glow of the gold-green wheel phantom behind Yao Delong that seemed to prop open the Chaos,

it let out an unwilling dragon roar and finally transformed into a distorted, pure Dao pattern.

It dejectedly dove back into a treasure pill rising from the top of the furnace. The pill was as pure and transparent as glazed glass, its surface coiled with complex purple tribulation pill pattern light,

and the dragon mark inside was lifelike, as if it would break out of the pill at any moment!

Wrapped in dawn light—Nine-turn Peerless Grade!

After the subsequent two furnaces of Materials were respectively completed, another two furnaces of Nine-turn pill pattern tribulation light shone brilliantly without any suspense!

As for the Ice Soul Essence-Condensing Pill, which he was familiar with and required no extra thought, he casually refined five or six full bottles of various grades,

enough to satisfy the little glutton Qiong Shuang for a long time.

When he pushed open the heavy, mountain-like cold jade door of the Alchemy room, a fresh, cold wind dispersed the thick, unusual medicinal scent on his body.

The light outside the cave was dazzling; it was actually noon.

Yao Delong had just taken a step when a snowy white shadow lunged at his waist, bringing a cold wind with it!

"Big Brother! You're out!"

Qiong Shuang looked up with her little head. The unique, cool medicinal scent of the Ice Soul Essence-Condensing Pill was even more fragrant than honey to an Ice Chi Dragon; she was drooling with greed.

Yao Delong looked at her eyes, which were as bright as stars, and his lips curled slightly. With a flick of his sleeve, several Jade Bottles with dawn light flowing at their mouths,

labeled 'Peerless Grade Dragon-Inducing Shedding' and 'High Grade Ice Soul Essence-Condensing,' floated before Qiong Shuang.

"Take them!" Yao Delong lightly flicked Qiong Shuang's forehead.

"Go to the Secret Chamber and Breakthrough! Unless the sky falls, no one can break in and disturb our Great Immortal Master Qiong Shuang's successful transformation!"

"Awoo!!!"

Qiong Shuang let out a sky-shaking cry mixed with extreme excitement, gratitude, and fighting spirit.

The Aura erupting from her tiny dragon body caused the snow on the surrounding cold pine branches to rustle and fall!

She caught the pile of bottles thrown by Yao Delong in one mouthful—it was unknown how her mouth could fit them all.

Like a gust of white wind, she wagged her icy tail and left behind a series of crisp, triumphant roars:

"Good Big Brother! I'm going! Wait for me to come back! I guarantee my eyelashes will blind your dragon eyes! Awoo awoo awoo—!"

The Little White Flood Dragon's figure flickered a few times before she dove into the Secret Chamber.

Yao Delong shook his head with a smile. Although this little fellow was rowdy,

her Bloodline spirituality and that straightforward, untainted arrogance were quite to his taste.

With a point of his finger, a wisp of Soul Transformation Divine Sense as pure as red dawn light quietly probed another Immortal Cave not far away—

that was where his Junior Sister Lin Qingxue resided. The cave's Restriction was intact, but the inside was empty, unchanged from before he went into seclusion for Alchemy.

"The True Disciple Mission... has actually been delayed until now? Could something have gone seriously wrong?"

Yao Delong's brow furrowed slightly.

Normally, the external missions assigned by the Sect for True Disciples to practice might be difficult, but they wouldn't take this long.