292: end

The next day!

A chaotic battle had ultimately fallen into a grinding stalemate, time stretching longer and longer amidst the flashes of blades and shadows of swords.

Inside the grotto, water vapor swirled as the bronze elixir furnace stood steadily atop the blazing fire. Strands of Demonic Qi, accompanied by scorching air currents, leaked from the gaps in the furnace lid and permeated the air, carrying a heart-palpitating eeriness.

The Daoist Nun formed a seal with one hand. Fine beads of sweat seeped from her forehead, yet she could not hide a flicker of gratification on her face as her tense expression finally softened.

In an instant!

A light green feather shot out like a Cultivator's Flying Sword, instantly slicing across the Daoist Nun's thigh. Most of her Daoist robe was already stained with blood.

But the Daoist Nun was completely oblivious to this superficial wound, her gaze locked firmly ahead.

“Just another half hour!”

Her voice was as cold as ice. “The demon transformation pill will be complete. When that time comes, let's see where you, a lowly Half-Demon wench, can still flee!”

As her voice fell, the rhombus flower mirror trembled once more. A beam of hazy green light suddenly coalesced and shot straight toward Yun Xuanxuan's heart!

Yun Xuanxuan's pupils shrank. Her body lunged toward the side of the Pill Furnace like a willow catkin in the wind. The green light missed again, violently striking the rock wall behind her. With a 'boom,' it blasted a deep, bottomless hole, causing crushed stones to rain down.

A quick glance from the corner of her eye at the bronze elixir furnace caused the despair in her heart to deepen further.

The spiritual energy within her body was already mostly exhausted, and her Meridians throbbed with stinging pain. Every breath she took was heavy with the weakness of collapse. Yun Xuanxuan knew very well that a heavenly chasm lay between the Nascent Soul Realm and the Soul Emergence Stage.

Even though this Daoist Nun's own cultivation base was heavily restricted for the sake of refining the demon transformation pill, that crushing gap in strength still left her without any power to fight back.

Ye Hao could battle multiple Nascent Soul Sixth Layer Cultivators with only a Nascent Soul Second Layer cultivation base primarily because of his God-tier Cultivation Technique, God-Tier Divine Ability, and the Chaos Qi contained within his special Physique. Li Pingan was the same!

Not only did he possess the world-rare Heaven-Loathing Divine Body and an incredibly powerful Physical Body, but he also had a heaven-rank magic treasure with him. This was why he could force that Soul Emergence Stage Elder into a steady retreat, making him afraid to face him head-on.

Although Yun Xuanxuan was different from ordinary Half-Demons, she had previously only belonged to a common cultivation family.

They didn't have such Heaven-Defying Opportunities. Most of their cultivation bases were broken through by absorbing Demonic Power after forcibly consuming demon transformation pills.

With neither earth-shaking Divine Abilities nor Heaven-Defying Opportunities to change her fate, she couldn't even compare to the Daoist Nun before her—this Daoist Nun still had two high-grade earth-rank magic treasures, and the Cultivation Techniques and Divine Abilities she practiced were surely extraordinary. Meanwhile, Yun Xuanxuan had long since given away all her external possessions. For this mission, she had only a heart prepared for a grizzly death.

Another wave of massive Demonic Qi leaked from the Pill Furnace, several times stronger than before, making one tremble uncontrollably.

The sword light was like a bolt of silk, sweeping out with a sharp, air-piercing momentum!

Ye Hao tapped the ground with his toe, his body drifting back several feet. The long sword in his hand hummed, forcefully repelling the joint attack of two Nascent Soul Sixth Layer Cultivators. The two were shaken by the Sword Qi until their blood surged, and they stumbled backward.

He did not pursue them, his gaze quickly scanning the battlefield.

Four Half-Demons had already died in battle within this grotto. Even at the moment of life and death, they had not used their life-saving void shattering soul transfer talismans. Not far away, Yun Xuanxuan's face was as pale as paper. The hair on her forehead was already soaked with sweat and clung to her smooth brow; she was clearly at the end of her rope.

He turned to look at the other side. Senior Brother Li Pingan seemed to have the easiest time, yet that Soul Emergence Stage Elder avoided direct combat, merely acting as a restraint. In the short term, no victor could be decided, let alone provide support elsewhere.

It can't be dragged on any longer.

With a thought, Ye Hao took out a celadon jade bottle. The bottle turned into a streak of light and hovered steadily in front of Yun Xuanxuan.

“An azure spirit pill; it can restore the spiritual energy in your body.”

He gave only a brief explanation before taking out another identical bottle of Medicinal Pills.

The moment he pulled the cork, a pungent odor—a mix of rotting leaves, the metallic scent of rust, and the bitterness of aged herbs—surged into his nostrils like an invisible poisonous mist.

The moment it touched the tip of his tongue, an intense bitterness far exceeding the smell exploded like a thunderclap, instantly sweeping across his entire taste buds.

It wasn't the slight bitterness of ordinary herbs, but a burning pain with a metallic sharpness. This was followed by an indescribable sour, rancid taste, like spoiled fruit acid mixed with the stench of rotting meat, spreading from the tip of his tongue all the way to his throat.

“Urgh...”

A churning wave of nausea suddenly surged from his abdominal cavity straight to his throat. Ye Hao's face instantly turned flushed, and physiological red streaks were forced into his eyes.

He gritted his teeth tightly, the veins on his jaw bulging as he forced down the urge to immediately spit the pill out. The veins on his neck stood out one by one as he forcefully swallowed all the viscous, weird-smelling liquid of the azure spirit pill in the bottle.

As the pill entered his stomach, it immediately transformed into a massive torrent of spiritual energy, surging through his body. His Meridians throbbed with stinging pain from the impact of this violent spiritual energy. Ye Hao endured the discomfort, circulating his Cultivation Technique to quickly guide the flow of energy. In just a few breaths, he felt his depleted spiritual energy rapidly recovering.

Although his Junior Sister's Medicinal Pills were hard to stomach, their efficacy was indeed beyond reproach.

If the taste could be improved even slightly—even if just one of the weird smells were removed—he wouldn't only dare to bring two bottles for emergencies whenever he went out. Every time he took one, it felt like being tortured.

The two Nascent Soul Sixth Layer Cultivators, along with a Nascent Soul Fourth Layer Cultivator, saw him take the pill. Their eyes narrowed, and after exchanging a glance, they launched a fierce attack once more.

The Chaos Heavenly Evolution Art within Ye Hao's body operated at high speed, and a layer of hazy gray Chaos Qi suddenly appeared around him. His hands formed a profound seal, with his thumb and middle finger touching while the other three fingers pointed diagonally toward the sky. The moment the seal was formed, the Chaos Qi around him surged violently, spreading in all directions like a tide.

The three of them were stunned at the sight.

“This... what Divine Ability is this?”

“Who cares what it is! This kid is already at the end of his rope!”

“Don't face him head-on! A dying snake bites the hardest!”

Feeling that indescribable sense of oppression, the three could only temporarily avoid the brunt of it. But Ye Hao naturally wouldn't give them the chance to dodge; he violently pushed his hands forward!

Exerting the Primordial Samsara Curse with all his might, the hazy gray seal suddenly expanded, standing before him like an ancient mountain. The three felt their auras were already firmly locked by this Chaos seal; there was simply no way to avoid it!

“Boom—!”

A violent storm of energy swept out like a tsunami, causing the entire grotto to tremble slightly several times.

Ye Hao looked at the three corpses on the ground, gasping for breath as the residual weird taste in his mouth continued to torment his taste buds. Although he wanted to sit down immediately to meditate and disperse the uncomfortable flavor, the urgent priority now was to destroy the refinement of that demon transformation pill!