Help Master reduce internal heat

He paused, his voice rising a few notches, both to address his Disciples and to bolster his own courage:

"Furthermore, this old man has already sent a message to the Saint Lord! As long as we hold out for a moment, the Saint Lord will surely arrive in person to stop that boy!"

"Everyone, to your positions! Keep the Formation running!"

"As long as the grand Formation remains unbroken, Su Ye can forget about stepping foot into Hundred Herbs Peak!"

As his voice fell, Elder Yaochen turned to look outside the Formation, a hint of resolve flashing in his cloudy old eyes.

He refused to believe it!

No matter how strong this kid was, could he really be stronger than the thousand-year accumulation of Hundred Herbs Peak? Could he really be stronger than the natural power of heaven and earth?

However, just as this thought arose—

"Rumble—!"

Rolling thunder suddenly echoed from the horizon.

That thunder did not come from the clouds, but from the sonic boom generated by rapid flight through the air!

Three streaks of light fell like meteors, trailing long plumes of flame as they sped toward Hundred Herbs Peak at an incredible speed.

One moment they were at the horizon.

The next, they were right before their eyes!

"They're here!"

A Disciple screamed out in shock.

Elder Yaochen's pupils constricted, and his hands instinctively gripped his robes.

But the expected violent collision did not occur.

The three streaks of light came to a sudden halt the moment they touched the azure light screen—that transition from extreme motion to extreme stillness was even more terrifying than a direct impact. A horrific airwave exploded outward from the point of impact, sweeping away the clouds for a hundred miles around!

Outside the light screen, Su Ye stood suspended in the air.

Clad in white robes without a speck of dust, his black hair fell over his shoulders like a waterfall. He stood with his hands behind his back, a faint smile playing on his lips, looking for all the world like a Young Master from a great family who had just come for a stroll.

Half a step behind him, Lin Waner carried a bulging burlap sack—it was already more than half full, its surface protruding with various shapes, clearly indicating a bountiful harvest. Her small face was slightly flushed, and her large eyes darted around as she curiously sized up the medicinal fields of Hundred Herbs Peak, her throat moving involuntarily.

Lin Qianxue held a jade box in her arms, which was surrounded by a chilling mist, clearly another treasure. Her expression was cold as snow, and her ice-blue dress fluttered in the wind. Although the ice sword in her hand was not unsheathed, it had already caused the surrounding temperature to drop significantly.

The three of them hovered outside the Myriad Wood Azure Dragon Formation, forming a sharp contrast with the people of Hundred Herbs Peak inside, who were acting as if facing a great enemy.

"Yo, Senior Martial Uncle Yao."

Su Ye's voice penetrated the Formation's light screen, ringing clearly in the ears of everyone in front of the grand hall.

It was clear, gentle, and even carried a bit of the respect a Junior should show an Elder.

But to Elder Yaochen's ears, it sounded more grating than a demonic voice from the Nine Netherworlds.

"To welcome your nephew with such a grand display, I am truly overwhelmed by the favor."

Su Ye spoke with a smile, his gaze sweeping over the coiled Azure Dragon before landing on Elder Yaochen's face, his expression so sincere that no fault could be found.

Elder Yaochen's face twitched violently. He took a deep breath and shouted angrily through the light screen:

"Su Ye! Stop putting on such a hypocritical act!"

"My Hundred Herbs Peak does not welcome you! Leave at once!"

"If you dare take another step forward, I will immediately message the Saint Lord and impeach you before him! I'll charge you with bullying your fellow Disciples and forcibly trespassing into a Forbidden Ground!"

His voice was loud and righteous.

Unfortunately, the slight tremor at the end betrayed the fear in his heart.

Hearing this, the smile on Su Ye's face grew even brighter. He even put on an aggrieved expression and spread his hands:

"Senior Martial Uncle, saying that really breaks your nephew's heart."

"I heard that Senior Martial Uncle Yao opened his furnace three days ago, using thirty-six types of thousand-year Spirit Medicines as supplements and three drops of Ten-Thousand-Year Stalactite Milk as a catalyst to refine a batch of 'nine revolutions youth-preserving pills'."

He paused, his voice becoming even more sincere:

"With such a joyous occasion, how could I, as the Great Master Senior Brother of the Taichu Holy Land, not come to offer my congratulations?"

"Furthermore—"

Su Ye's tone suddenly became serious:

"The Dao of Medicinal Pills concerns the lives of Cultivators. If there is even a slight flaw in the quality of the pill, the medicinal effect will be greatly reduced at best, and at worst, pill toxins will enter the body, destroying one's Dao Heart."

"I am not very talented, but I know a thing or two about the Dao of Alchemy. I have come specifically to 'inspect' them for Senior Martial Uncle Yao, lest a mistake be made and harm our fellow Disciples."

"This is for the safety of the entire Taichu Holy Land!"

His words were airtight and high-sounding.

But to Elder Yaochen's ears, the word "inspect" was even more painful than being killed.

Ye Yan was "cooled down" by you.

Li Changfeng was "taught how to be a person" by you.

Now that it's my turn, it's a "quality inspection"?

"Get lost!"

Elder Yaochen finally lost his patience and cursed:

"You arrogant brat! I have practiced Alchemy for eight hundred years, and I have refined more Medicinal Pills than the grains of rice you've eaten! Why would I need you to inspect them?!"

"This Myriad Wood Azure Dragon Formation is active; even if the Saint Lord came in person, it would take some effort!"

"If you're so capable, then just stand outside! Stand there until the end of time!"

"I want to see if your patience is better, or if the foundation of my Hundred Herbs Peak is thicker!"

He was going all out.

In any case, he couldn't win in a fight—hadn't he seen Li Changfeng slapped into a wall?

But he could at least defend, right?

As long as I don't open the door, what can you do to me? Could you possibly eat a Saint-grade grand Formation raw?

Elder Yaochen made up his mind; even if he died today, he would die inside this Formation! He would never let this bandit step foot into Hundred Herbs Peak!

Looking at Elder Yaochen's tragic expression of "vowing to live or die with the Formation," Su Ye sighed softly.

He shook his head, a hint of helplessness in his eyes, as if looking at a stubborn old man who refused to see a doctor.

"Senior Martial Uncle, why go to such lengths?"

"Hiding your sickness and avoiding the doctor will only turn a minor ailment into a serious illness."

As he spoke, Su Ye slowly raised his right hand.

It was a slender, fair hand with well-defined knuckles, looking more suited for holding a brush or playing a zither than fighting.

But when this hand was raised—

"Buzz!"

The entire earth vein of Hundred Herbs Peak vibrated violently!

Elder Yaochen's expression changed drastically.

Su Ye seemed unaware, simply pressing his palm gently against the barrier that was flowing with brilliant azure light.

His movement was gentle, like stroking a lover's cheek.

But in the next second.

Deep within Su Ye's eyes, two clusters of profound flames suddenly ignited!

In his left eye, countless golden runes emerged and flowed like stars, eventually converging into a divine light that could destroy all laws—Supreme Bone Divine Ability: Eye of Insight!

In his right eye, pitch-black Devilish Qi surged, turning into a bottomless vortex as if even light would be swallowed whole—Heaven Swallowing Demonic Art: Myriad Things Return to Ruin!

"Senior Martial Uncle is right."

Su Ye's voice was calm and steady:

"This Myriad Wood Azure Dragon Formation indeed gathers the Yimu Essence accumulated by Hundred Herbs Peak over a thousand years, endless and ever-cycling."

"If one were to attack it by force, even a Half-Saint would take three to five days."

"However—"

The corners of his mouth curled into a meaningful arc:

"The Dao of Formations emphasizes balance. Although Yimu Qi is endless, it is also extremely soft and weak."

"And for everything in this world, there is always a counter."

The moment his voice fell.

Su Ye's fingers suddenly tightened on the light screen!

"Break!"

There was no earth-shattering explosion.

There was no world-destroying power.

There was only a faint, ear-piercing—

"Crack."

It was the soft sound of glass shattering.

But to Elder Yaochen and all the Disciples of Hundred Herbs Peak, this soft sound was more terrifying than thunder from the Nine Heavens!

"Roar—!"

The thousand-foot Azure Dragon coiling in the air let out an extremely shrill wail of sorrow.

Centered around Su Ye's palm, dense black patterns suddenly emerged on the surface of that indestructible azure light screen!

Those patterns were like living venomous snakes, spreading and diffusing frantically, covering the entire light screen in an instant!

What was even more terrifying was that wherever the black patterns passed, the pure Yimu Spiritual Qi seemed to encounter its nemesis, quickly melting and disintegrating into the most primitive Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, which was then greedily swallowed by the black patterns!

Heaven Swallowing Demonic Art—it can swallow all things, naturally including the spiritual power of Formations!

Eye of Insight—it can see through all laws. Every node and every rune of this Saint-grade grand Formation was as clear to Su Ye's eyes as the lines on his own palm!

"Im... Impossible..."

Elder Yaochen stumbled back, his old eyes wide and bulging, as if they were about to pop out of their sockets.

What was he seeing?

Those black patterns were actually reverse-extracting the spiritual power of the Myriad Wood Azure Dragon Formation!

No, it wasn't just extraction; it was swallowing! It was plundering!

The Yimu Essence accumulated by Hundred Herbs Peak for a thousand years was now draining at a terrifying speed, surging frantically toward Su Ye's palm through the Formation's network!

"Stop! Stop at once!"

Elder Yaochen screamed hoarsely, his hands frantically forming seals in an attempt to cut off the Formation's spiritual power supply.

But it was too late.

"Bang—!!!"

A loud noise.

It wasn't an explosion, but the sound of something being completely drained and collapsing.

The azure light in the sky exploded, turning into countless spots of light that scattered in all directions.

The thousand-foot Azure Dragon wailed as it shattered inch by inch, finally turning into a wisp of blue smoke and dissipating into the world.

Above Hundred Herbs Peak, the sky returned to azure blue.

Sunlight fell without obstruction, shining on everyone's stunned faces.

The Myriad Wood Azure Dragon Formation was shattered.

Crushed by a single palm.

Like a soap bubble popped by a naughty child, it was effortless and offered no resistance.

"Whoosh—"

A wild wind rushed in, kicking up dust on the plaza, blowing Elder Yaochen's carefully groomed long beard into a mess, and chilling his old heart.

"This... this..."

Elder Yaochen's lips trembled. He wanted to say something, but not a single word came out.

The Saint-grade grand Formation he was so proud of, the greatest reliance of Hundred Herbs Peak, was just... gone?

One palm?

Just one palm?!

To what extent was this kid's Supreme Bone terrifying?! And to what degree of weirdness had that Heaven Swallowing Demonic Art reached?!

"Pardon the intrusion."

Su Ye's voice rang out again.

He took a step forward, and the void beneath his feet rippled.

A distance of a thousand meters was shrunk to an inch.

When he reappeared, he had landed steadily on the bluestone plaza in front of the Hundred Herbs Grand Hall, his robes fluttering and untainted by dust.

Lin Waner followed closely behind carrying a sack, looking around curiously as she landed. Lin Qianxue, holding a jade box, landed silently beside Su Ye, her ice-blue long dress dancing lightly in the wind.

"Wow! Senior Brother, Senior Brother!"

Lin Waner suddenly cried out in excitement, her large eyes flickering with a green light—literally glowing, like the gaze of a hungry wolf seeing a fat sheep.

She pointed at the boundless medicine fields on both sides of the square, her voice trembling:

"It smells so good! It really smells so good!"

"Look at those red fruits; don't they look like little lanterns? They must be exceptionally sweet!"

"And that purple flower, there are even dewdrops on the petals! One bite would surely be crunchy and crisp!"

"Over there! There's also a patch of glowing grass! They look like stars!"

As she spoke, she unconsciously swallowed her saliva, her small hands clutching the sack itching to move.

Su Ye dotingly rubbed her head and smiled, "Don't be in a hurry, it's all ours."

After saying that, he turned to look at Elder Yaochen, who was now completely dazed, and once again wore that harmless smile on his face:

"Senior Martial Uncle Yaochen, can we talk about serious business now?"

"I heard that your furnace of nine revolutions youth-preserving pills yielded nine pills, each as round as jade with naturally formed pill veins?"

Elder Yaochen shuddered all over and subconsciously covered the Storage Ring on his left hand, retreating three steps until his back hit the main hall's pillar.

"No... there are none!"

His voice was shrill, almost a scream:

"The furnace exploded! It exploded three days ago!"

"All thirty-six types of Spirit Medicine were destroyed! Three drops of Ten-Thousand-Year Stalactite Milk also evaporated!"

"Not a single one was formed! Yes, not a single one is left!"

Su Ye narrowed his eyes.

His nostrils twitched slightly, as if he were sniffing for something.

After a few breaths, a 'just as I thought' expression appeared on Su Ye's face, and he shook his head with a sigh:

"Senior Martial Uncle, for those who cultivate the Dao, the most important thing is to cultivate the heart. If the heart is not sincere, the Dao will not be achieved."

"Telling such lies will damage your Dao Heart."

He reached out and pointed into the air, saying unhurriedly:

"In the air, there still lingers a faint fragrance of 'Nine-Leaf Ghost Orchid'—if this nephew remembers correctly, this is one of the three main ingredients of the nine revolutions youth-preserving pill. Only when the pill is complete and its medicinal properties are fully Fused will it emit such a pure fragrance."

"Furthermore..."

Su Ye's gaze turned toward the back of the main hall, where thirty-six pill rooms stood. The highest and most magnificent one still had faint blue smoke rising from its chimney.

"In that 'Heaven-Grade' pill room, the residual heat of the earth fire has not dissipated, and the Spiritual Qi fluctuations still remain."

"If the furnace had truly exploded, the earth fire would have been extinguished long ago, and the pill room's Formation would have been sealed. How could there still be such active Spiritual Qi?"

With every sentence he spoke, Elder Yaochen's face turned a shade paler.

By the end, Elder Yaochen's face was ashen, his lips trembling, yet he could not utter a single word of rebuttal.

Because everything Su Ye said was absolutely correct!

"It seems Senior Martial Uncle is getting old and his memory isn't very good."

Su Ye sighed, wearing an expression of 'this nephew understands you'.

Then he turned and softly called to Lin Waner:

"Waner."

"Present!"

Lin Waner instantly stood at attention, her small face tensed up, looking very much like a little soldier ready to charge into battle while carrying her sack.

"Go, help Senior Martial Uncle Yaochen check the Heaven-Grade pill room."

Su Ye's tone was gentle, as if he truly cared for his Elder:

"It would be bad if any 'Fire Poison' remained from the recent Alchemy, or if there was a flaw in the Formation that injured Senior Martial Uncle and the Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters."

"Since we are here, we should help Senior Martial Uncle resolve his worries and difficulties."

"Orders received!"

Lin Waner cheered, her figure turning into a pink stream of light as she dashed straight for the Heaven-Grade pill room!

"Stop! You female bandit! Stand still for this old man!"

Elder Yaochen was frantic; he no longer cared about being afraid and leaped to intercept her.

Those were the nine revolutions youth-preserving pills he had spent three years preparing and exhausted his heart's blood for! They were even his proof to advance to a Holy-Rank Alchemist!

If they were snatched away... However, just as Elder Yaochen moved—

"Qiang!"

A clear sword cry echoed across the square.

An ice-blue Sword Qi emerged, blocking Elder Yaochen like a natural chasm!

The moment the Sword Qi hit the ground, the bluestone slabs within a ten-zhang radius were entirely covered in a layer of hard ice! A bone-chilling cold diffused, making many Disciples shudder.

Lin Qianxue held the ice sword; the sword was not drawn, she merely leaned it against the ground in its sheath.

Her face was as cold as ten-thousand-year-old ice, and her voice lacked even a hint of warmth:

"Senior Martial Uncle Yaochen, please conduct yourself with dignity."

"Senior Brother is currently discussing the Dao and resolving your doubts; this is a great Opportunity among Cultivators. Please listen with a tranquil mind and do not allow for a Divided Soul."

Discussing the Dao?

Discuss the Dao your ass!

This was clearly open robbery! This was the behavior of a bandit!

Elder Yaochen was so angry his whole body shook, and the finger he pointed at Su Ye trembled violently:

"Su Ye... you... you are simply lawless!"

"Forcing your way into my Hundred Herbs Peak, destroying my mountain-protecting Formation, and now you want to snatch my Medicinal Pills!"

"In this Taichu Holy Land, is there no longer any law?! Are there no longer any Sect rules?!"

He shouted until his voice was hoarse, tears streaming down his old face:

"I will go to the Saint Lord to complain about you! I will summon all the Elders and open the Ancestral Master Hall to put you on trial!"

"I..."

"Oh dear."

Su Ye directly interrupted his words.

In the next instant, Su Ye's figure flashed and appeared beside Elder Yaochen.

Like a familiar Junior, he naturally extended his arm and slung it over Elder Yaochen's shoulder.

His movements were intimate and his tone sincere:

"Senior Martial Uncle, calm down, calm down."

"Anger harms the body; at your age, you must take care of your health."

Elder Yaochen tried to struggle, only to discover in horror that the hand Su Ye had placed on his shoulder was as heavy as a mountain! Moreover, an invisible pressure enveloped his entire body, making him unable to move even a finger!

The Supreme Bone pressure!

"Senior Martial Uncle, you have misunderstood this nephew."

Su Ye held Elder Yaochen, and with his other hand raised, he pointed at the mess of medicine fields on both sides of the square—actually, they weren't a mess at all; those Spirit Medicines were growing extremely well, surrounded by glowing mist and a refreshing fragrance.

But Su Ye frowned, wearing a pained expression:

"Look at these Spirit Medicines."

He pointed at the nearest Spirit Medicine—it was a Thousand-Year Gold-Veined Ginseng, its emerald leaves like jade, its roots as thick as a baby's arm, with faint golden patterns flowing on the surface.

"This Thousand-Year Gold-Veined Ginseng has yellowed edges on its leaves and its roots are shriveled and withered. It's clearly suffering from long-term malnutrition and an insufficient supply of Wood Essence Qi!"

He then pointed to a nearby Seven-Leaf Purple Lingzhi. The Lingzhi was purple-red throughout, its seven leaves looking as if they were carved from glazed glass, shining brilliantly in the sunlight.

"Look at this Seven-Leaf Purple Lingzhi; its color is dull and lifeless, and its leaf veins have faint gray spots—this is a typical late-stage symptom of 'Gray Spot Disease'! If not treated now, it will surely die within three days!"

"And this soil—"

Su Ye crouched down and casually grabbed a handful of dirt from the medicine field.

The soil was oily black, soft and moist in his hand, with points of spiritual light overflowing from between his fingers; it was clearly the top-grade spiritual soil, 'ten thousand year breathing soil'!

But Su Ye disgustedly rubbed his fingers, letting the soil fall back to the ground, shaking his head with a sigh:

"Compacted! Hardened! Impoverished!"

"Senior Martial Uncle, look, what has this soil become? It has no fertility to speak of! Planting Spirit Medicine in this kind of soil, isn't that just mistreating them?"

He stood up and patted the dirt off his hands—actually, not a speck of dirt had stuck to them; it was purely for show.

Su Ye looked at Elder Yaochen, his eyes filled with reproach and regret:

"These Spirit Medicines are all the essence of heaven and earth, and they all have the chance to develop spiritual intelligence and step onto the path of cultivation."

"But following you, they can only struggle in this impoverished soil, only endure the torment of disease, and eventually wither and die."

"This is simply a reckless waste of heaven's treasures! It is a desecration of heaven and earth's creations!"

His words were righteous and stern, impassioned and forceful.

Elder Yaochen stood there like a wooden chicken.

He looked at that Thousand-Year Gold-Veined Ginseng with emerald leaves and flowing gold patterns, then at the Seven-Leaf Purple Lingzhi glowing with purple light and a fragrant scent, and finally looked down at the shiny black, spiritually-charged ten thousand year breathing soil beneath his feet.

Yellowed leaves?

Gray Spot Disease?

Compacted and impoverished soil?

What... what on earth is all this?!

"You... you're talking nonsense!"

Elder Yaochen finally came to his senses, his beard trembling with rage:

"This Gold-Veined Ginseng was just watered yesterday with three drops of 'Dawn Dew'; its vitality is flourishing, and it can grow for at least another three hundred years!"

"That Seven-Leaf Purple Lingzhi was matured by this old man using 'Purple Sun Earth Fire' for eighty-one years! Where did any Gray Spot Disease come from?!"

"And this soil!"

He was almost roaring:

"This is 'ten thousand year breathing soil' that this old man spent three hundred years cultivating, repeatedly watering it with three thousand six hundred types of spiritual liquids!"

"Even if you plant a withered branch in it, it will sprout within three days!"

"You actually say it's impoverished?!"

Su Ye only shook his head, a pitying expression on his face as if saying 'Senior Martial Uncle, you are still refusing to wake up'.

"Senior Martial Uncle, you are being blinded by appearances."

"Some illnesses cannot be seen on the surface, but have already reached the marrow."

"Some poverty is not because the soil isn't fertile, but because the 'fertility' is directed the wrong way."

He sighed and patted Elder Yaochen's shoulder, his tone suddenly becoming solemn:

"But Senior Martial Uncle, rest assured."

"As the Eldest Senior Brother of the Taichu Holy Land and a future pillar of the Sect, I, Su Ye, have the responsibility and obligation to save these poor creatures."

"Since Senior Martial Uncle is advanced in years and powerless to care for them, this nephew will do it on your behalf."

"I don't mind the exhaustion, truly."