187: Chapter 186 Surprise Attack

A month could be considered long or short.

For Chen Zilong, this month had passed like a war, more exhausting than fighting for his life at Duanlong Cliff.

The fire in the earth fire furnace had never gone out, burning day and night, casting flickering light and shadow on his once-handsome face, making him look like a blacksmith.

That semi-finished Soul Transformation Stage Pill embryo tumbled and rotated in the crimson-gold earth fire like a restless heart.

The mottled colors faded bit by bit, and the dusty exterior gradually became translucent.

Under the continuous burning of the earth fire and the subtle guidance of his Sea of Consciousness, the violent, conflicting medicinal powers within began the difficult process of merging and being tamed, transforming toward a state of perfect unity.

This process could not be rushed.

If the heat was slightly too high, the medicinal power might instantly lose balance, causing the furnace to explode and the pill to be destroyed.

If the heat was slightly too weak, the impurities would not be refined away, causing the pill's quality to drop drastically or even leaving behind hidden dangers.

Chen Zilong focused almost his entire mind on it, even keeping his breathing extremely light, for fear of disturbing the fragile balance inside the furnace.

Sweat soaked his clothes and dried repeatedly, leaving circles of white salt stains on the back of his green robe.

Under such high-intensity consumption, the dull pain deep within his soul would occasionally jump out to sting him, reminding him of his poor condition.

But he couldn't stop.

This was the key step for him to recover his cultivation, go to the Pill Mansion, and awaken Tu Shan Xiaoxiao.

The Vajra Puppet stood at the cave entrance like a true metal sculpture, motionless, its crimson eye-sockets vigilantly scanning the darkness, blocking out all possible external disturbances.

Finally, before dawn on the thirty-first day, an extremely faint but exceptionally clear "buzz" echoed from the earth fire furnace, like the final sound of a chick breaking its shell.

Immediately afterward, an indescribable, rich pill fragrance—a blend of herbal essence and the spiritual rhythm of heaven and earth—diffused from the cracks of the furnace like something tangible.

It instantly filled the entire stone chamber, completely dispelling the dry heat of the earth fire and the smell of earth.

Chen Zilong's tightly closed eyes snapped open. A flash of fatigue showed in his eyes, but it was overshadowed by a light of relief.

He changed his hand seal, and the flames of the earth fire furnace slowly extinguished.

The furnace lid lifted automatically, and a warm stream of light with a faint purple-gold halo rose slowly from within, hovering in mid-air.

It was a pill the size of a longan, perfectly round, with a warm luster like purple jade.

The surface of the pill was incredibly smooth, with faint, dense pill patterns flowing over it. Inside, it seemed as if misty purple clouds were slowly churning, emitting a pure aura and majestic vitality that refreshed the soul.

This was the true—Soul Transformation Stage Pill!

Chen Zilong reached out, and the pill automatically fell into his palm. It felt slightly warm to the touch, carrying a strange, almost life-like rhythm.

He looked down at this pill, which had cost him countless efforts and precious materials to refine, and a long-absent, genuine smile finally curled at the corners of his mouth.

"Finally... it's done."

He murmured to himself, his voice somewhat raspy, yet filled with an indescribable sense of ease and anticipation. "I can... recover my cultivation now."

There was no hesitation, no looking back.

He sat cross-legged and adjusted his breathing, bringing his state to the best it could possibly be.

Then, he opened his mouth and took the purple-gold Soul Transformation Stage Pill.

The pill melted upon entering his mouth. There was no bitterness or heat as he had imagined; instead, it turned into a gentle yet vast torrent of pure medicinal power, instantly surging into his limbs and bones, and charging straight into his Sea of Consciousness!

This power was larger, purer, and gentler than any pill he had taken before, yet it possessed an unquestionable dominance as it began to thoroughly wash, nourish, and repair his damaged foundation.

Chen Zilong immediately focused all his concentration, fully operating the three true methods: the Nine Heavens Thunder Control True Canon, the Heaven Swallowing Demonic Art, and the Vajra Demon Subduing Scripture.

Inside his Dantian, that golden Nascent Soul seemed like a parched field receiving sweet rain.

It greedily absorbed the majestic energy brought by the Soul Transformation Stage Pill. Around its body, Buddhist light, thunder arcs, and demonic qi all flared up simultaneously, rotating, blending, and growing at an unprecedented speed.

Deep within his Sea of Consciousness, those stubborn, minute soul cracks began to close and heal at a visible rate under the nourishment of this abundant medicinal power. His dimmed soul once again radiated a brilliant golden light.

Time passed once more in silent cultivation.

This time, it was a complete stillness, the final accumulation before a butterfly breaks from its cocoon.

Half a month later.

Above the desolate mountain range where Chen Zilong was located, several streaks of light circled like ominous vultures, refusing to leave and breaking the silence of the mountains.

The lights faded, revealing over a dozen figures.

The two leaders were none other than the Supreme Ancestor of the Wang Family, Wang Lin, and Elder Tian Yin, whose aura had already stabilized at the Nascent Soul Early Stage after his Possession and rebirth!

Wang Lin's severed arm had already regrown, the skin of the new arm appearing slightly pink and tender.

However, it moved freely, obviously having cost a huge price to be restored to its original state.

Elder Tian Yin now occupied a young and handsome body, but the gloom and malice in his eyes were even stronger than before, and the Profound Yin aura swirling around him was more solid and eerie.

Behind them followed a dozen elites of the Wang Family, all of whom were Golden Core Cultivators. They were currently vigilantly scanning the mountains below, which appeared calm but actually exuded an inexplicably oppressive atmosphere.

"Elder Tian Yin, are you sure that little beast... is hidden in this godforsaken place?"

Wang Lin frowned, his divine sense sweeping over the ridges, ravines, and forests below like ripples on water.

Except for a few startled wild animals and ordinary rocks and trees, he found nothing.

The spiritual energy here was pitifully thin, not at all like a place a high-level cultivator would choose for closed-door cultivation.

Elder Tian Yin's expression was also not very good. He closed his eyes and focused, carefully sensing that extremely faint but real connection in the dark.

That was the "Bone-Clinging Shadow" mark he had quietly planted when Chen Zilong erupted, using his last bit of soul power.

This mark was like a maggot in the bone, extremely difficult to detect, and could roughly sense the target's location.

"The sensation from the mark... indeed points to this area. There can be no mistake."

Elder Tian Yin opened his eyes, his tone certain, though there was a hint of doubt in his eyes. "It's just... the sensation is very blurred and intermittent, as if it's being interfered with or isolated by something."

"This brat is very cunning. He must have set up an extremely sophisticated concealment formation at his hiding place, capable of even weakening the sensation of my 'Bone-Clinging Shadow'."

Upon hearing this, a fierce look flashed in Wang Lin's eyes.

"I don't care what kind of formation it is! Since we're sure he's in these mountains, we'll dig three feet into the ground to drag him out!"

"Pass down the order: everyone spread out and carefully search every suspicious spot!"

"Caves, ground fissures, hollow trees—don't let a single one go!"

"Yes!"

The Wang Family Golden Core Cultivators behind them responded in unison and immediately dispersed, using various methods.

Some used Dharma treasures to blast the mountain walls, some used Earth Escape Techniques to probe underground, and some released spirit beasts to sniff out scents, beginning a grid-style search of the mountain range.

However, a day passed.

The sun set in the west, dyeing the mountains a blood-red color.

The people sent out to search returned one after another, each looking weary but having found nothing.

Forget Chen Zilong; they hadn't even found a trace of a decent cultivator's cave dwelling.