136: Danling Tai Sui and the Trap in the Alchemy Furnace

Deep within the underground sewage pipes...

"Squee—!!!"

As the last Mutated Spirit-Devouring Rat had its head crushed by Tie Zhu's Starlight Claws, the one-sided slaughter that had lasted for half an hour finally came to an end.

The once spacious pipes were now covered in a thick layer of rat corpses. Grey blood gathered into a river, emitting a nauseating, fishy stench.

"Whew... that was close."

Ling Yunxiao leaned against the wall, his face pale. If Tie Zhu hadn't been holding the front line just now, the sheer, endless numbers alone would have exhausted them to death.

"Don't rest yet."

Zhou Wannian (Old Man Han) stepped through the flesh and blood like a tireless old farmer, bending over to pick through the pile of rat corpses.

Holding a dagger, he skillfully pried open a large rat's mouth and knocked out two incisors that glowed with a purple light.

"These Spirit-Devouring Rats have been gnawing on pill dregs for ten thousand years. Their teeth have accumulated an extremely hard metallic medicinal property, with a hardness comparable to a Medium Grade Magical Artifact. They are excellent Materials for making 'Armor-Piercing Awls' or 'Son-Mother Soul-Chasing Needles.'"

"Even mosquito legs are meat. Everyone, get moving! Only pry the teeth, and be quick about it!"

Ling Yunxiao and Li Feiyu looked at each other, sighed helplessly, and resignedly joined the "Tooth-Pulling Squad."

Following this Old Man Han meant not only learning how to kill and loot, but also how to squeeze the last copper coin out of a trash heap... After clearing the loot, the team continued deeper.

As they moved forward, the slope of the pipe grew steeper, seemingly leading to the deepest parts of the underground.

The fragrance of medicine in the air grew richer, eventually becoming so dense it was pungent, mixed with a strange, sweet, fishy smell.

"We're here."

Zhou Wannian stopped and signaled Tie Zhu to deactivate the Starlight Runes on his body and enter stealth mode.

Ahead was a massive underground cavern.

This was the final destination for all the waste from the Pill Cauldron Hall—the [Spirit-Liquefying Pool].

The Formation originally used to decompose medicinal dregs had long since failed. Tens of thousands of years of waste pills and medicinal dregs had accumulated and fermented here, forming a multicolored swamp as thick as paste.

On the surface of the swamp, massive colored bubbles would occasionally rise, bursting with a 'pop' and releasing a plume of colored mist.

"Hold your breath!"

Zhou Wannian's expression was grave. "That is 'Pill Baleful Qi.' A single breath would cause even a Golden Core Cultivator's Spiritual Qi to go haywire, leading to death."

He took out a "Wind-Settling Talisman" and cautiously stabilized the surrounding airflow.

"The path we're looking for is on the other side of this swamp. That upward-facing vent."

Ling Yunxiao looked at the churning colored swamp, his scalp tingling. "Old Man Han, how do we get across? Flying over will definitely alert the things inside..."

*Splash!*

Before he could finish his sentence.

The center of the swamp suddenly churned violently.

A gargantuan object slowly rose from the surface.

It wasn't a Yao Beast.

It was a mass of... flesh.

A massive sphere of flesh, thirty meters in diameter, translucent throughout with a five-colored halo swirling inside. It had no features, no limbs, only countless mycelium-like tentacles greedily absorbing nutrients from the swamp.

"This is..." Li Feiyu's eyes widened.

"A Tai Sui."

A hint of undisguised greed and wariness flashed in Zhou Wannian's eyes.

"And it's a 'Pill Spirit Tai Sui' that has consumed ten thousand years of Immortal Pill dregs and gained sentience."

"This thing is an extremely rare 'living Spirit Medicine' in this world. Cutting off a piece of its flesh and consuming it directly without refinement can increase one's Lifespan by a hundred years or instantly restore all spiritual power."

"In the outside world, a piece the size of a palm could trigger a war between Sects. And here..."

Zhou Wannian pointed at the mountain of flesh.

"There are tens of thousands of pounds."

Ling Yunxiao's breathing instantly quickened. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's do it!"

"Do what, you idiot?"

Zhou Wannian slapped the back of his head. "While this thing is a tonic, it's also highly toxic. It has accumulated ten thousand years of pill toxins in its body. Without special purification methods, a single bite means instant death."

"Furthermore, its current strength... is likely no less than the Early Stage of the Nascent Soul."

As if to confirm his words.

The mountain of flesh suddenly writhed, and a thick tentacle shot out with lightning speed, instantly coiling around a bat Yao Beast that had strayed into the air.

*Squelch.*

The bat didn't even have time to scream before it was instantly dissolved into a pool of blood and absorbed by the Tai Sui.

"..."

The three of them swallowed hard in unison.

"A direct confrontation won't work."

Zhou Wannian's eyes flickered as his mind raced.

"Though it is strong, it has no intelligence, only the instinct to feed."

"Tie Zhu."

Zhou Wannian pulled the previously unused "Poison Flood Dragon Inner Core" from his Storage Pouch (though most of its energy was spent, it was still highly toxic).

"Go, give it a snack."

Tie Zhu took the order, grabbed the inner core, and the mechanical muscles on his arm suddenly contracted.

*Whoosh!*

The inner core turned into a streak of black light, tracing a parabola and landing precisely on the far side of the swamp—away from the vent.

The previously quiet Tai Sui instantly boiled over.

The intense Demonic Qi emitted by the Poison Flood Dragon Inner Core was a supreme delicacy to it.

*Rumble!*

The massive mountain of flesh began to move, pouncing toward the inner core like a tsunami, instantly clearing the path to the vent.

"Now! Go!"

Zhou Wannian barked in a low voice.

The three people and one Puppet, like arrows released from a bow, hugged the edge of the swamp and instantly charged through the danger zone, diving into the upward vent... at the end of the vent.

Pushing aside a heavy black iron cover plate.

The three finally climbed out.

The view before them suddenly opened up.

This was a magnificent hall so grand it was breathtaking—the [Pill Cauldron Hall].

Hundreds of massive pillars carved with dragons and phoenixes supported a ceiling a hundred meters high. Inside the hall, eighty-one bronze Pill Furnaces were arranged in neat rows, each the size of a house.

Despite the passage of ten thousand years, these furnaces still exuded an ancient and weathered aura.

But the most eye-catching thing was the main furnace located in the very center of the hall.

It was crimson throughout, as if carved from a single piece of red agate, surrounded by sculptures of nine fire dragons.

And beneath the Pill Furnace...

A cluster of purple flames was actually still burning quietly!

"Purple Yang Earth Fire!"

Zhou Wannian recognized the flame's origin at a glance. "This is a top-tier Spirit Fire drawn from the depths of the earth's core, inextinguishable for ten thousand years! Even without a Cultivator controlling it, it has been nurturing this main furnace."

"Old Man Han, will there be Immortal Pills in this furnace?" Ling Yunxiao leaned in excitedly.

"Don't touch it!"

Zhou Wannian shouted sternly to stop him.

"This furnace has been baked by Earth Fire for ten thousand years; the internal pressure has reached a terrifying critical point. Right now, it's a super bomb that could go off at any moment."

"With just a tiny bit of external contact or an imbalance in spiritual power..."

Zhou Wannian made an exploding gesture with his hands.

"Boom."

"The entire Pill Cauldron Hall will go up in smoke."

Ling Yunxiao retracted his hand in fright, backing up three steps.

"Then... then what do we do? We enter a mountain of treasures only to return empty-handed?"

"Who said anything about empty-handed?"

Zhou Wannian gave a sly laugh and pulled several dozen Formation Flags from his robe.

"This Purple Yang Earth Fire cannot be taken away, and we can't move this Pill Furnace."

"But..."

He looked up at the tightly closed, thirty-meter-tall bronze doors of the hall.

From outside, a series of muffled booms could be heard faintly.

It was the sound of outsiders attacking the boundary wall, getting closer and louder.

"Those three Nascent Soul Old Monsters are about to break in."

"Based on the speed of their Divine Sense searches, once they enter, they'll find this place very quickly."

"In that case..."

Zhou Wannian's gaze became incredibly sinister.

"We'll turn this Pill Cauldron Hall into a welcoming gift for them."

He began to rapidly set up a Formation within the hall.

It wasn't a defensive Formation, nor was it a killing Formation.

It was a one-time Formation called the 'Heavenly Mechanism Detonation Formation.'

He connected the core nodes of the Formation to the main furnace that could explode at any second, as well as the eighty-one secondary furnaces surrounding it.

"Tie Zhu, go block all the exhaust vents of those secondary furnaces!"

"Li Feiyu, take all our remaining 'Blazing Fire Talismans' and 'Explosive Beads' and stuff them under those furnaces!"

"Ling Yunxiao, go to the main entrance and change the door-lock Formation to 'open on touch,' but with a three-breath delay!"

Though the three were puzzled, they resolutely executed the orders.

An incense stick's time later.

The entire Pill Cauldron Hall had been transformed into a massive powder keg.

Zhou Wannian stood before the main furnace, holding the final Formation Flag.

"Once those three old fellows come in, they'll definitely be attracted to the 'Immortal Pill aura' (which was actually the smell of fermenting medicinal dregs) in this furnace first."

"When they get close..."

"I'll detonate the earth veins and let this Purple Yang Earth Fire, suppressed for ten thousand years, give them a 'Pill Furnace Sauna.'"

"The power of this, while not enough to kill a Nascent Soul, will definitely leave them half-crippled and scrap their protective Magic Treasures in the process."

Having finished the preparations.

Zhou Wannian clapped his hands and looked toward a hidden passage at the back of the hall.

"Let's go."

"The stage is set, and the actors are about to enter."

"We're going to the back; that's the path to the 'Scripture Pavilion.'"

"The true Legacy is there."

The three people and one Puppet quietly vanished into the depths of the passage... half a day later.

*BOOM—!!!*

An earth-shattering explosion rang out.

The outer boundary wall of the Reverse Star Immortal Palace was finally breached.

Three figures radiating overwhelming pressure, like gods or demons descending to the world, charged into this realm of ruins.

Leading them was the Great Elder of the Sixth Hall. His hair was currently disheveled and his eyes were bloodshot; he had clearly paid a significant price to break the boundary wall.

"Search!"

"That Old Man Han must be in here!"

"And the treasures in this Immortal Palace... they are all ours!"

The three Nascent Soul Cultivators fully unleashed their Divine Senses, instantly scanning the outer ruins.

"Hmm? There is an extremely strong medicinal fragrance over there!"

The nose of one Red-Haired Ancestor twitched, and his gaze instantly locked onto the Pill Cauldron Hall located at the entrance of the inner circle.

"That is... the Pill Cauldron Hall! There must be ancient Immortal Pills!"

"Quick!"

The three turned into streaks of light, instantly reaching the front of the Pill Cauldron Hall.

The Grand Elder looked at the tightly shut bronze doors. Although he felt a flicker of caution, that incredibly rich medicinal fragrance (to which Zhou Wannian had specifically added some 'extra ingredients') made him lose his reason.

"Open!"

He slammed a palm against the door.

*Creak—*

The doors actually opened with abnormal smoothness.

Overjoyed, the three of them rushed inside together.

"That is... Purple Yang Earth Fire!"

"That is the Nine Dragon Divine Furnace!"

"We're rich! If this furnace of pills is still there..."

The three charged toward the main furnace in the center of the hall.

However.

Just as they were less than thirty meters from the main furnace.

*Click.*

A floor tile beneath their feet sank slightly.

Immediately after.

The previously calmly burning Purple Yang Earth Fire suddenly surged wildly like an enraged dragon.

The surface of the main furnace was instantly covered in countless cracks, with blinding red light shooting out from the fissures.

A destructive aura instantly enveloped the entire hall.

The Grand Elder's smile froze on his face.

"Not good!!!"

"It's a trap!!!"

"Retreat, quickly!!!"

It was too late.

BOOM——————————————————!!!!!

The Earth Fire pressure accumulated for ten thousand years found its most perfect release at this moment.

A massive mushroom cloud rose from the center of the Reverse Star Immortal Palace, soaring straight into the clouds.