Chapter 1004: Dividing the Alchemical Core

*A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality, Volume 6: Spirit Treasures of the Heavens, Chapter 1: The Seven Mysteries Sect's Tumult*

The cultivators from the Sacred Gate naturally didn't know that Junior Martial Brother Yuan, whom they had just been discussing, had already been devoured by the Silver-Winged Yaksha. Therefore, after a brief chat, they sped up their flight, accelerating their journey even more than before.

Arriving a day earlier would be significantly advantageous for them.

At the small lake in Puyun Prefecture, hundreds of cultivators of varying cultivation levels had already gathered, forming small groups. Many of them had flown directly into the sky, silently searching for something, centered around seven pillars of light. On the ground, a handful of cultivators who possessed Earth-Escape Talismans or knew a bit of Earth-Escape techniques occasionally burrowed in and out, excitedly conversing with their companions on the surface.

Evidently, the massive seal hidden beneath had already been discovered. Compared to its enormous size, the fissure that the Ye family had forcibly separated using a formation had not yet been precisely located. Nevertheless, this discovery had already made all the cultivators exceptionally excited. Some had already sent transmission talismans to their respective families or sects, while others even flew away through the night to personally report the matter.

The majority of cultivators here were at the Foundation Establishment stage, with not too many at the Qi Condensation or Core Formation stages. Most were rogue cultivators who had stumbled upon the anomaly and came to investigate, while others were scouts from various major and minor forces who had arrived quickly after hearing the news. As for Nascent Soul cultivators, none had been seen appearing yet. This was understandable. The small lake was located in a desolate area, with no renowned mountains or great rivers nearby, nor any significant noble families or cultivation sects. Nascent Soul cultivators naturally wouldn't come to such a remote and impoverished place without good reason. Even the cultivators from the Poisonous Sacred Gate, who had rushed here immediately after receiving the news, were still two days away.

However, most of the less-cultivated, seasoned rogue cultivators, after realizing the unimaginably vast size of the underground seal, wisely left one after another, despite their extreme reluctance. They clearly understood that no matter what immense benefits lay beneath the seal, a struggle of this magnitude was beyond their involvement. Staying would risk being caught in the crossfire of disputes among high-level cultivators, which would be truly disastrous.

Of course, a few hot-blooded, low-level cultivators were unwilling to leave. On one hand, they wanted to see what exactly lay beneath the seal. On the other, they harbored a hopeful mentality, believing that even if their cultivation wasn't high, a stroke of luck might allow them to profit from the chaos. They were very much inclined to take a gamble. For a time, the area became a mixed bag of people, with many harboring ulterior motives.

However, all of this was irrelevant to Han Li, who was already inside the giant mountain beneath the seal. At this moment, he and Bai Yaoyi were staring unblinkingly at the old man surnamed Fu, who was sitting cross-legged in the middle of the cave. Rather than staring at the old man, it was more accurate to say they were staring at a gleaming golden furnace in front of him. This furnace floated three feet above the ground, slowly rotating in the low air.

The old man surnamed Fu continuously exhaled wisps of emerald Infant Fire, while his hands formed unknown spell seals, constantly striking the furnace. Each spell seal striking the furnace, enveloped in green fire, emanated five-colored auspicious light, appearing resplendent and vibrant. Wafts of rich, alluring medicinal fragrance emanated from the furnace, making those who smelled it feel refreshed and exhilarated. The old man's spell seals became faster and faster, and his expression grew increasingly solemn, clearly indicating that the alchemy had reached a critical moment.

Han Li, standing by, appeared calm, but felt a similar sense of nervousness. The Yin-Ginseng Steed and other rare materials had all been successively placed into the furnace over the past few days. If this batch of pills failed, they had no second Yin-Ginseng Steed for alchemy. Although he had heard the old man surnamed Fu express great confidence in refining the Infant Nurturing Pills, seeing the pills about to form, Han Li naturally felt a sense of apprehension, torn between potential gain and loss. Bai Yaoyi, despite appearing outwardly calm, revealed her inner anxiety through the eager glances that constantly flickered in her bright eyes.

Suddenly, the furnace paused and stopped rotating, as a humming sound emanated from within. The medicinal fragrance instantly intensified by a third. The old man surnamed Fu's eyes lit up. His hand seals and the Infant Fire from his mouth paused simultaneously. With a flip of his hand, a small vermillion gourd, only about four or five inches in size, appeared in his palm. With a flick of his middle finger, his other hand sent a white light projectile that struck the furnace lid with a 'bang'. The lid trembled, then slid off. As the furnace's humming ceased, five fist-sized orbs of light immediately shot out from within. Faintly visible within each white orb was a thumb-sized green pill, glistening emerald green and shining brightly.

After briefly circling above the furnace, these light orbs scattered in all directions, attempting to escape. But the old man surnamed Fu, who had been prepared, swiftly shook the gourd in his hand, causing a burst of auspicious light to spray out from it. With a flash of spiritual light, the light swept up all the orbs and collected them into the gourd.

"Excellent, mission accomplished!" The old man let out a long breath, then turned to Han Li with a wide smile.

"Thank you, Brother Fu. I didn't expect you would actually refine five pills. I was originally worried the quantity would be too small!" Bai Yaoyi stood up and said delightedly, a faint blush appearing on her face, making her look alluring.

"When I prepared the ingredients according to the formula, the expected yield was indeed around five or six pills. Otherwise, I wouldn't have invited just five fellow Daoists. It's truly regrettable that my junior sister and Fellow Daoist Yuan met such an unfortunate end because of this." The old man's smile faded. It was clear that the old man had a close relationship with the black-clad beautiful woman. Even though cultivators were generally accustomed to life and death, seeing the pills successfully refined, he couldn't help but feel a wave of sorrow that his Junior Sister Chang had perished for it. Hearing the old man's words, Bai Yaoyi's joyful expression also faded, and she sighed softly. Han Li, whose expression remained unchanged, likewise said nothing.

"Fellow Daoist Bai, do you have a wood-attribute box? It's best not to use an ordinary jade box, as the medicinal properties can easily dissipate. Furthermore, the pill's potency is immense. If taken immediately, it would require at least half a year of secluded cultivation to fully refine its power; otherwise, its effects would be greatly diminished." The old man's momentary sadness quickly vanished as he weighed the gourd in his hand and spoke earnestly to Bai Yaoyi.

"Of course I have a wooden box. This pill is so precious, I wouldn't take it immediately," Bai Yaoyi said with a charming smile. With a flip of her hand, a yellow wooden box appeared in her palm.

The old man nodded. Without another word, he flicked his finger at the bottom of the gourd. Immediately, red light swirled, and a white light orb shot out, heading straight for Bai Yaoyi. Bai Yaoyi held up the wooden box in her hand, while her other hand made a grabbing motion in the air towards the pill. The pill transformed into a streak of white light and was directly drawn into the wooden box. Bai Yaoyi carefully examined the spiritual pill in the box several times. After her divine sense clearly perceived the astonishing spiritual energy contained within it, she joyfully put away the wooden box. Then, she profusely thanked the old man.

The old man surnamed Fu smiled upon hearing her, then reached into his storage pouch at his waist and surprisingly produced a green wooden casket. Then, under Bai Yaoyi's surprised gaze, he likewise poured a spiritual pill from the gourd, placed it into the green wooden casket, and immediately put it away. After giving Han Li a few dry laughs, he flicked his hand and tossed the entire vermillion gourd directly to Han Li. Although Han Li subconsciously caught the gourd, a trace of surprise also appeared on his face.

"What is the meaning of this, Fellow Daoist? I only asked for two Infant Nurturing Pills," Han Li said slowly, his brow furrowed.

"I, Fu, am not a greedy person. That I was fortunate enough to survive this time and obtain the spiritual pills is entirely due to Fellow Daoist's power. My junior sister has already perished, and one spiritual pill is enough for me. If Brother Han doesn't mind, please take all three pills." The old man said, quite earnestly.

After hearing the old man's words, Han Li looked at the gourd in his hand, then re-examined the old man, and couldn't help but chuckle. Han Li could somewhat guess what the old man was thinking. It seemed this Elder of the Nine Nether Sect, realizing his usefulness greatly diminished after refining the Infant Nurturing Pills, was still afraid Han Li would suddenly turn hostile. Thus, he adopted the strategy of spending money to avert disaster, reluctantly giving him another Infant Nurturing Pill. This was partly to show his sincere goodwill towards Han Li, and partly to minimize anything that could provoke Han Li's killing intent. If Han Li wasn't the type to turn hostile without mercy, accepting this pill would likely prevent him from harboring unwarranted murderous intentions.

With such a good opportunity presenting itself, Han Li naturally wouldn't refuse. "Since Brother Fu has put it that way, I, Han, will not decline." Han Li didn't stand on ceremony. With a flash of auspicious light in his hand, the vermillion gourd vanished into thin air. Indeed, if he had refused the pill, it might have made the old man and Bai Yaoyi suspicious.

"Haha, Brother Han, there's no need to be so modest; these are what Fellow Daoist deserves." The old man surnamed Fu chuckled, his expression visibly relaxing. Bai Yaoyi naturally understood the subtle implications and stood by, smiling without a word. The tension among the three of them greatly eased.

"Since the spiritual pills are refined, let's look for a way out as soon to as possible. We can also explore this mountain along the way; perhaps there will be other gains," the old man suggested, glancing towards the cave entrance.

But no sooner had he spoken than the entire cave suddenly trembled slightly, followed by dull, continuous rumbling sounds faintly emanating from the surrounding stone walls. Han Li and the other two were stunned, looking at each other in confusion.

"Are there others in this mountain?" Bai Yaoyi exclaimed, biting her red lips.

"Not necessarily, it could also be the commotion caused by the escaping Silver-Winged Yaksha!" The old man shook his head, a trace of hatred suddenly appearing on his face. He evidently recalled the black-clad beautiful woman perishing at the hands of that fiend.

"Regardless of whether it is or not, we should be more careful once we're outside. With the three of us working together, there's no need to be overly fearful," Han Li said calmly after a moment of silence.

He then shook his sleeve, and a sheet of green light swept out from it. Wherever the auspicious light passed, the restrictions laid out throughout the cave were dispelled one by one. Formation flags and plates shot out from the walls and ground, instantly vanishing into Han Li's sleeve without a trace.

"Let's go! We'll talk more once we're out of here!"

As Han Li withdrew the auspicious light, his body immediately radiated spiritual energy. Without hesitation, he transformed into a green rainbow and was the first to flee towards the cave entrance. After exchanging a glance, the old man and Bai Yaoyi dared not delay and swiftly followed him with their own escape lights.