We had just seen off the person who came seeking medicine when the person who came to claim our lives arrived!

Although Cultivators distinguish between day and night, they all possess the ability to see in the dark, and their stamina far exceeds that of Mortals; it is common for them to go sleepless for ten days or half a month. Of course, Lin Yuan's old bones are an exception.

"Who is it?" Han Shuang's vigilant voice came from the courtyard.

A hoarse, low male voice sounded from outside the door: "I am Wei He from next door. Is Brother Lin at home?"

"Immortal Master Lin is currently in meditation. I will report to you once he has finished." Han Shuang kept Lin Yuan's previous instructions firmly in mind: the Immortal Master's practice of Alchemy must never be easily disturbed.

"Let him in." Lin Yuan spoke from inside the house; his voice was not loud, yet it traveled clearly to outside the courtyard gate.

Hearing this, Han Shuang asked no more and immediately stepped forward to open the courtyard gate.

With a creak, a tall, middle-aged man in a black robe walked in.

On his back, the man actually carried a blood-red coffin, from which wisps of a cold, bone-chilling corpse odor drifted out.

Han Shuang led Wei He into the main room and served spirit tea to him and Lin Yuan.

"Brother Wei, visiting so late at night instead of resting at home—what brings you to my old bones?"

Lin Yuan leaned against the back of his chair, his tone relaxed. The two families had been neighbors for so many years that they were already extremely familiar and had a good friendship, so they usually addressed each other as brothers.

Just today, he had helped Su Qingyan refine a batch of Corpse-Expelling Pills, among which were several of Medium Grade.

Logically speaking, now that Wei He had taken the Medicinal Pill and suppressed the corpse poison, it was the perfect time for him to share intimate moments with his Dao Companion.

This couple had been married for many years, but due to the corpse poison, they had never been able to consummate their marriage, which was truly a pity.

Wei He picked up the teacup but did not drink; black-gray corpse Qi permeated his face.

"Brother Lin jests."

His voice was hoarse, as if grinding gravel in his throat.

"I have already taken the Medium Grade Corpse-Expelling Pill you refined, and the corpse poison has indeed been suppressed by more than half."

"However..."

"My corpse poison has long since invaded my bone marrow; the Medium Grade Corpse-Expelling Pill can only delay it, not eradicate it."

"So, Brother Wei, you have come to me because you have a request?"

Lin Yuan leaned forward slightly, his fingers tapping lightly on the table.

"Exactly."

Wei He stopped beating around the bush. With a flip of his palm, a primitive-looking Jade Slip appeared in his hand, which he gently pushed toward Lin Yuan.

"This time, when I went out with my Junior Martial Uncle from the Sect, we had a life-and-death battle with a Cultivator from the Misty Immortal Sect."

"We joined forces to kill a Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator, and this was found in his Storage Pouch."

Lin Yuan picked up the Jade Slip and extended a wisp of his Divine Sense into it.

In an instant, a Secret Technique titled "Fire-Inducing Bone Refining Chapter" flooded into his mind.

"Using this method, I might be able to completely eradicate the corpse poison in my body."

A glimmer of hope flashed in Wei He's eyes.

Lin Yuan put down the Jade Slip, his brows slightly furrowed.

"Inducing flames to invade the Meridians and bones, burning and refining all the corpse poison entrenched within."

"Theoretically, it is indeed feasible."

"But this method has extremely high requirements for the Fire Control Technique, requiring at least a Second-Grade level."

"Furthermore, ordinary Mortal fire or spirit coal fire simply cannot achieve this; instead, it would burn your Physical Body to ash first."

"Qingyan said that she saw you refining pills today and that your Fire Control Technique has reached a Transcendent level, with extremely skillful methods."

Wei He stared intently at Lin Yuan.

"If we can find the 'Earth Core Nether Fire', I wonder if Fellow Daoist Lin thinks this method is feasible?"

"Earth Core Nether Fire?"

A sharp light burst from Lin Yuan's eyes. He sat up straight, his tone carrying a hint of undisguised pleasant surprise.

As an alchemist, nothing is more attractive than a powerful flame.

His current Alchemy is of a low grade, and he can still manage with specially made spirit coal.

To advance further, Earth fire or Alchemy fire is the foundation, and the best choice is undoubtedly the various spirit fires naturally generated between heaven and earth.

This Earth Core Nether Fire is one such type of spirit fire; it is extremely rare and a supreme treasure that countless alchemists dream of.

"You know the whereabouts of this fire?"

Lin Yuan asked in pursuit.

"I accidentally obtained a clue, but the process of obtaining this fire will certainly be extremely perilous."

Wei He's expression became incomparably grave.

"And now that the corpse poison has entered my bones, even with the Medium Grade Corpse-Expelling Pill to prolong my life, I have at most half a year left."

"After half a year, when the corpse poison attacks my heart, I will surely die."

His voice was calm, yet it revealed a determination to race against death.

"If I can bring back the Earth Core Nether Fire, how much confidence do you have?"

Lin Yuan pondered for a moment and gave a relatively conservative answer.

"I am currently at the Second-Grade Fire Control Art."

"If there really is the Earth Core Nether Fire to assist, I have at least a sixty to seventy percent chance of removing the corpse poison from your body."

"Sixty to seventy percent..."

Wei He loosened his clenched fists, and a raging fire ignited in his eyes.

"Good!"

"Very good!"

"Then I will go and take this Earth Core Nether Fire!"

Lin Yuan saw Wei He out of the small courtyard.

The night was as dark as ink, and Wei He's tall figure soon blended into the boundless darkness.

Lin Yuan was about to turn back to the house.

Suddenly!

"Boom!"

A violent boom came from above the Nine Heavens, as if the firmament had been forcibly split open by an invisible giant axe.

A pressure so massive it was suffocating descended from the sky.

"Yue Qingyao, you have such great audacity to dare trespass into my Yin Corpse Sect! Surrender now!"

An old and vigorous voice resounded through heaven and earth, carrying the texture of gold and stone.

This voice, Lin Yuan had heard before.

It was the Peak Master of Hundred Herbs Peak, True Man Mu.

The Yin Corpse Sect had seventy-two peaks, and each peak had at least one Core Formation Stage Immortal Master stationed there; this True Man Mu was one of them.

And as for the Yue Qingyao he mentioned, Lin Yuan knew her name like thunder.

A top powerhouse of the Misty Immortal Sect, peerlessly elegant, known as the number one person below the Nascent Soul stage.

A stormy sea instantly surged in Lin Yuan's heart.

This was the heart of the Yin Corpse Sect's mountain gate, with layers upon layers of grand formations and standing with experts.

Was this Yue Qingyao truly arrogant enough to dare to barge into an entire Sect all by herself?

Was she not afraid of never returning?

Before the thought had settled, an even more terrifying clash erupted high in the sky.

Blinding spirit light tore the entire night sky into countless fragments, and terrifying streams of spell energy collided in the depths of the firmament, emitting muffled, thunder-like roars.

The entire sky seemed to have become a chaotic sea of energy.

Lin Yuan stood in the small courtyard, looking up and staring intently.

He could clearly distinguish two completely different auras.

One was True Man Mu's cold spiritual power, filled with deathly stillness and the smell of rotting herbs.

The other was Yue Qingyao's peerless Sword Intent, ethereal and agile, yet sharp to the extreme.

Just at this moment, an extreme sense of danger exploded from the depths of Lin Yuan's Soul without warning.

It was a bone-chilling coldness, like being stared at by a predator on the back of his neck.

"Swish!"

A sound of piercing through the air, so faint it was almost imperceptible, rang out.

From the darkest corner of the courtyard, a flash of silver light, colder than the night, suddenly burst forth—silent and soundless, aiming straight for Lin Yuan's throat.

This Sword Light seemed to be born out of thin air from the shadows, and in an instant, it was already close at hand.

The hairs all over Lin Yuan's body stood on end.

If not for that sudden moment of intuitive alertness, this sword strike would surely have severed his head.

There was no time to think; his body's instinct drove him to roll to the side in an extremely wretched posture.

*Ssh!*

The sharp Sword Light flew past, almost grazing the skin of his neck, bringing up a string of blood droplets.

The Sword Light did not lose its momentum, ultimately slashing into the pomegranate tree in the courtyard.

"Pfft..."

The hard tree trunk, as thick as a bowl, did not even make a proper breaking sound the moment it touched the Sword Light; it was directly shredded into wood chips filling the sky by the fierce Sword Qi contained within.