112: Tian Shu Pavilion

"Liu Jinfeng's eyes, deep as a cold pool, lingered on your face for a moment, as if trying to pierce through your Divine Soul to determine whether you were telling the truth."

"Ultimately, the icy sharpness in her eyes melted slightly, and a faint yet genuine glimmer of anticipation flashed by."

"She said nothing more, merely giving a faint 'Mm,' which counted as a temporary acceptance of your promise."

"The next moment, you felt an irresistible force wrap around you, as if you had been lifted by an invisible giant hand—this was precisely Liu Jinfeng's method."

"She did not even spare Ji Yunfeng another glance; with a flicker of her figure, she took you and transformed into a stream of light, flying toward the firmament."

"Once your figures disappeared—"

"'Boom—!'"

"A deafening roar erupted suddenly!"

"Unable to contain the endless fury and humiliation pent up inside him any longer, Ji Yunfeng unleashed his violent Nascent Soul Spiritual Qi like a bursting flood, slamming a palm toward the bank's pavilion!"

"The entire pavilion, constructed from Spirit Wood and gold-stone and reinforced with a Formation, collapsed and shattered under that palm strike as if it were made of paper!"

"Wood chips flew everywhere, bricks and stones scattered, and dust rose into the sky, as if a murky mushroom cloud had exploded on flat ground."

"Ji Yunfeng stood before the ruins, his chest heaving violently, his face ashen, his eyes nearly spitting fire, filled with irrepressible rage and frustration."

"As a dignified Nascent Soul Old Ancestor and a pillar of the Ji Family, he had suffered a setback before a Junior today, and in the end, he could only watch helplessly as the person was taken away; this humiliating shame almost caused his Dao Heart to waver."

"To the side, Immortal Master Jade Dragon kept his head bowed low, not daring to breathe, and even less daring to look at the property that had become ruins."

"His heart was bleeding—that place contained his savings of many years and the purse of the Money Gang!"

"Yet he dared not reveal even a trace of heartache, only able to lament in his heart, filled with helplessness and panic."

"He, a mere Golden Core Cultivator, could not bear the fury of a Nascent Soul Old Ancestor at all, so he could only act like an ostrich, praying that he would not be implicated."

"The dust from the ruins slowly drifted, reflecting Ji Yunfeng's furious figure and Immortal Master Jade Dragon's humble posture; the scene was deathly silent..."

"Meanwhile, as you were carried by Liu Jinfeng, you only felt the surrounding scenery receding rapidly, with space twisting and changing."

"By the time you steadied your figure, you were already inside a massive, imposing building where the fragrance of pills and Spiritual Pressure were intertwined—this was Tianshu Pavilion."

"You had not expected to enter the mysterious Tianshu Pavilion in such a manner, as a prisoner."

"Your gaze swept over the area; this first floor was exceptionally spacious, with over a dozen thick, mysterious black stone chambers."

"Within several of the stone chambers with their stone doors wide open, Spiritual light flickered, revealing—"

"Alchemists sat upright, sweat beading on their foreheads, their faces pale, their entire bodies' Spiritual Qi fluctuating violently as they exerted all their strength to control the fire of their Pill Furnaces..."

"You saw at a glance that these Alchemists were definitely not here voluntarily; they had all been forcibly captured and threatened with their lives, struggling here to attempt to refine the antidote pill."

"An old man with a profound Aura stepped forward quickly and bowed respectfully to Liu Jinfeng: 'Greetings, Second Elder...'"

"Liu Jinfeng indifferently interrupted him, her tone allowing no doubt: 'Wenyu, arrange a stone chamber for this person. Satisfy all the Alchemy requirements he mentions, and do not make any mistakes.'"

"After speaking, her icy gaze turned to you, and though her voice was soft, it carried a bone-chilling threat: 'If you fail to refine the antidote pill...'"

"She paused, and the surrounding temperature plummeted, 'I will let you experience what it truly means to be unable to live and unable to die.'"

"You immediately bowed, appearing incomparably submissive and serious: 'Rest assured, Senior, this Junior will definitely do his utmost to complete the task!'"

"Liu Jinfeng swept a cold glance at you and said nothing more; with a flicker of her figure, she disappeared like a ghost, and her massive Soul Transformation Spiritual Pressure dissipated along with her, yet an invisible restraint remained."

"Only then did the old man straighten up, his gaze toward you carrying a hint of scrutiny: 'Little Friend, follow me.'"

"You did not yet realize at this moment that this seemingly ordinary old man before you was actually the Yin Family's Old Ancestor himself—Yin Wenyu!"

"He opened an empty stone chamber for you."

"You sat cross-legged in the stone chamber, the cold stone walls isolating all sounds from the outside world."

"The scene inside the stone chamber was strange and shocking—on the surrounding walls, ancient and complex Formation inscriptions were emitting a pale golden light."

"In the center of the stone chamber stood a massive bronze Pill Furnace three meters tall, its surface carved with totems of birds, beasts, insects, fish, and the sun, moon, and stars, appearing ancient and majestic."

"What was most surprising was that beneath the Pill Furnace was not ordinary fire, but a direct connection to a surging, scorching Earth Core Fire Vein!"

"That crimson, lava-like energy surged and roared in specific grooves as if it were a living thing, emitting an almost terrifying high temperature, and its properties were even more miraculous—it could refine almost anything."

"Precisely because of this strange fire, even if you only had Golden Core Stage cultivation, you could use your own Alchemy fire as a guide to cleverly lead and amplify the power of this Earth Core Fire Vein, making the final unleashed fire power no less than a Nascent Soul true fire!"

"Seeing the Earth Core Fire Vein, you were particularly excited—because refining the immortal slaying sword required using the Earth Core Fire Vein to construct an 'innate true fire furnace.'"

"'I never expected that Tianshu Pavilion would have a ready-made Earth Core Fire Vein; it is truly enviable!'"

"But you soon began to worry again."

"'Barge in? Disguise? Escape?'"

"You shook your head; under the noses of powerful Cultivators, these thoughts were all too naive."

"Suddenly, your eyes lit up, and a bolder, more advantageous plan surged into your mind!"

"'The Spiritual Qi here is abundant, Materials can be used at will, and there is so much experience from Seniors... this is practically a free treasure land for Alchemy and Artifact Refining!' you thought with secret joy,"

"'Why always think about escaping? I should just take this opportunity to greatly improve my Alchemy!'"

"As for that so-called antidote pill? Whoever wants to refine it can go ahead!"

"You immediately took the Jade Slip in the room and quickly wrote down a list of over a hundred types of Spirit Medicine and Spiritual Plant, intentionally mixing in a few seemingly unrelated and slightly pungent medicinal Materials."

"You handed the list to Yin Wenyu."

"The Yin Family's Old Ancestor took the Jade Slip, scanned it with his Divine Sense, and his gray eyebrows wrinkled slightly."

"Although there were many types of Materials on this list, most were not rare, and it seemed very different from the Pill Formula for the antidote pill he had seen before, appearing somewhat... strange or even messy."

"But remembering Liu Jinfeng's strict order, he did not dare to ask more, merely nodding: 'This old man will send people to handle it immediately.'"

"Immediately, he ordered people to go to the major medicine shops in Tianshu City for emergency procurement."

"You chuckled inwardly."

"This list was, of course, a work you had carefully crafted to confuse the issue."

"Only about thirty percent of the medicinal Materials might be related to the 'ice fire dual poisons' cure you had vaguely deduced; the rest were actually auxiliary Materials you intended to use for refining the ningyuan pill and preparing for refining the heavenly spirit pill in the future!"

"You didn't care at all whether the antidote pill could be successfully refined."

"Your plan was very clear—"

"Take this opportunity to fleece them for everything, cultivate in peace, crazily improve your Alchemy proficiency, stockpile key Medicinal Pill resources, and strive to refine the heavenly spirit pill as soon as possible!"

"As for three years later?"

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it!"

"You curled the corners of your mouth slightly, turned around, walked back into the stone chamber, and closed the stone door with a 'bang.'"