Chapter 363: Three Feet of Snow-Clothed Garment Conceals Fierce Malice, Demonic Transformation Pill Strengthens Demon Fetus

He was not entirely at ease with Wang Yu. The materials for a fourth-tier cultivation pill were rare, requiring his constant presence, so he dared not be distracted and leave. However, since Wang Yu had made the request first, he found it awkward to insist on entering the alchemy room to supervise together, fearing he might disturb the alchemy process and incur losses himself.

Nevertheless, it was only a few steps away, and under the scrutiny of his divine sense, he believed Wang Yu couldn't play any tricks.

"Then let's begin."

"Agreed."

Seeing Demon Lord Tianshuang sit down outside the alchemy room with his back to him, Wang Yu sealed the door. Among the materials for the Grand Yin Demonic Origin Pill, demonic energy was the most challenging to handle. The demonic energy in the materials Tianshuang provided was encased and condensed within a piece of cold stone, clearly a different method from the demonic star meteor crystal at the sect's Blood Pool. During the alchemy process, Wang Yu needed to find a way to prevent the demonic energy from affecting him, a feat achievable through the Human Pill Arts.

Golden Core powder was truly the best of the best for the Human Pill Arts. Many secret alchemical techniques and tricks could be cleverly completed using Golden Core materials. He had spent ten years sitting on the Heavenly Enlightenment Dao Platform. During this period, his cultivation progress was negligible; it was a trade-off that resulted in his current unfailing alchemy skills.

The pill formula was identical to the Guanghan Pill he had refined before. Now, comprehending it felt like a fish in water.

Two months later, Wang Yu officially opened the furnace. After the fourth-tier Ice Dragon Pill Flame reignited, the surging sensation of alternating hot and cold was also felt by Demon Lord Tianshuang outside the door. He couldn't help but murmur, "It's begun... Let this lord see what you can do." His Nascent Soul divine sense enveloped the entire alchemy room, including the underground section, to prevent Wang Yu from escaping if the alchemy failed. However, his divine sense dared not overtly probe inside, lest it interfere with Wang Yu's alchemy.

Half a month later, refining ice-attribute spiritual pills came even more naturally to Wang Yu. Enhanced by the Ice Dragon Alchemy Art, the spiritual pill's medicinal efficacy was fully activated, even exceeding the original version by fifty percent!

When he peered into the cauldron, Wang Yu's eyes lit up. Nine pills were formed, which could be called perfect: two high-grade and seven mid-grade. This quality could only be achieved by a fourth-tier high-grade alchemist. While contemplating, Wang Yu's divine sense, refined into strands, permeated the cauldron and secretly took two high-grade Grand Yin Demonic Origin Pills. He immediately used the Ice Coffin Sealing Secret Art to hide them deep within his storage ring. If he were to form a Nascent Soul, he would also need high-quality cultivation spiritual pills for assistance. He had suffered enough from the lack of cultivation spiritual pill assistance during the Golden Core stage. Amassing some reserves early would make his future cultivation path smoother. Such an opportunity was rare; if he didn't take it, he wouldn't deserve to call himself a demonic cultivator.

The moment he took the high-grade spiritual pills, Wang Yu abruptly lifted the cauldron lid. A pillar of spiritual energy immediately shot skyward, stirring up the winds and clouds. He then secretly poured some ash into the bottom of the cauldron. The next instant, Demon Lord Tianshuang burst through the door. He looked at the spiritual pills floating in the light pillar with pleasant surprise and quickly counted them.

"Seven pills?! Hahahaha! Elder Seven's alchemy skills are truly superb, much better than those useless alchemists in the Alchemy Hall. It's just a little short of forming the perfect nine. Your future is limitless!!" He merely glanced and ruled out the possibility of Wang Yu hiding spiritual pills. With seven pills formed, how could he hide any? He hadn't forgotten that Wang Yu was only at the late Golden Core stage. Considering the actual situation, this result had already exceeded his expectations for satisfaction!

If it weren't for the fact that the orders from the grandmasters in the Alchemy Hall were booked for a century in advance, and the remaining few were useless alchemists with terrifyingly high failure rates for fourth-tier low-grade pills, he wouldn't have asked Wang Yu to refine them. Now, it seemed this decision was incredibly correct, even something he should be grateful for.

Wang Yu feigned exhaustion and said, "I have fulfilled my duty!"

"You've done very well. In the future, you can interact more with the four clans under my command. Feel free to bring up any difficulties you encounter. As the Seventh Elder of the Elder Council, you should have some people to command."

Wang Yu politely declined. "That... won't be necessary. If Demon Lord wishes to refine pills, you can always find me. I consider myself part of Cold Blood Peak, and there are still many matters where I need to rely on the Demon Lord."

"That's true." This time, Demon Lord Tianshuang did not get angry. People with talent and usefulness who can bring benefits to themselves often receive a higher tolerance limit. As long as he didn't refuse alchemy requests, his neutral position was solidified.

"Here is a scroll of ten-thousand-year snow silkworm silk. It's not quite enough if you want to refine a magic robe, but I also have a few pieces of fourth-tier bone demon armor. If you want them... I'll give them to you today as well."

"Then I shall accept them without reservation!" He accepted all the items. The bone armor wasn't truly a fourth-tier material but a derived spiritual item, though it was still a rare and good thing for Golden Core cultivators. It could be refined into the Yellow Spring Grievance Puppet to enhance its physical strength.

"By the way, may I borrow this cauldron one more time? Such a fine artifact truly makes me eager to use it."

"You may. I'll send someone to retrieve it in three months."

"Thank you, Demon Lord."

"No matter." With seven newly acquired cultivation spiritual pills suitable for his use, Demon Lord Tianshuang also wanted to return to seclusion. This batch was enough for him to cultivate in seclusion for thirty to fifty years, and he was certain his cultivation would greatly increase upon emerging. He didn't want to waste time on such minor details. After a few casual remarks, subtly hinting at future cooperation, he left only after confirming the intention.

Wang Yu, on the other hand, went to Father Yu's cave mansion again, taking the ten-thousand-year snow silkworm silk and one million spirit stones. The cost of repairing the magic robe, Three Feet of Snow, would definitely need to be covered by himself. He specifically had the Blood-Eyed Demonic Flood Dragon accompany him to prevent the items from being embezzled. Based on his past experiences, he had to be cautious. He didn't know the situation in Taihu, but in Chiyuan, flaunting wealth beyond one's cultivation level and seeking help from others was akin to presenting oneself as a fat sheep for slaughter. When he refined the Ghost Wail Flute back then, he encountered a Golden Core artifact refiner named Lei Shu. He managed to bluff his way through with words, thus avoiding further trouble. After being repaired, Three Feet of Snow would at least reach the mid-fourth tier, providing maximum enhancement for cultivators with Yin Ice attributes. If he had handled it himself, he definitely wouldn't have been able to keep it.

By the time he returned to his own cave mansion, it was already dawn. He immediately activated the array formation and continued his secluded alchemy practice. This time, it was the Infant Transformation Pill. He had acquired the main ingredient, the Nine-Bend Spirit Ginseng, and its accompanying spiritual herbs, by killing and plundering from the young master of the Yin-Yang Sect during the Heavenly Treasure City auction. That had happened many years ago. The Infant Transformation Pill formula was also fully comprehended quickly on the Heavenly Enlightenment Dao Platform. Refining it early would ensure it was ready when needed. With his Heavenly Spirit Root aptitude, even a single Infant Transformation Pill would be effective. He no longer needed to pursue high-grade Golden Core spiritual items like he did during the Golden Core stage. Perhaps this could be considered a form of growth? However, there was no need to use an inferior product when a good one was available.

Without the special enhancement for ice-attribute spiritual pills from the Ice Dragon Alchemy Art, Wang Yu reverted to his usual self. This time, the alchemy was ordinary. Four pills were formed: three mid-grade and one high-grade! Four realm-breaking spiritual pills, which slightly surprised Wang Yu. This differed from what he had previously understood about such matters. However, since no supreme-grade spiritual pill was produced, he merely thought about it and dismissed it as a minor detail. It was quite normal for information he now knew to conflict with what he had learned when he was weaker, as it was simply the upper echelons misleading and restricting the lower ones. He had already broken through this barrier; thinking about it further was pointless.

With so many Infant Transformation Pills, he needed to consider how to best utilize them to maximize profit. For now, he would keep them. Because he deliberately suppressed the unusual phenomena during the pill formation this time, there was no grand spectacle. He still had one 'Kun Month' of usage left for the supreme-grade cauldron. He needed to hurry and refine the Heavenly Demons into pills.

Inside the alchemy room, he already had an initial idea on how to process the five invisible Heavenly Demons. The ancient method of Monster Refining Art would play the most crucial role. Its principle was to manipulate the monster core of living demonic beasts using secret arts, creating a reverse suction force that would draw all of the beast's essence—blood, flesh, bones, demonic energy... everything it possessed—into the monster core, forming a spherical mass of flesh. Then, it would be refined with intense fire to remove impurities, finally yielding a highly nourishing blood and flesh spiritual pill. The gore of the Monster Refining Art was characteristic of ancient, primeval, and savage slaughter.

Wang Yu valued its ability to absorb everything. If Heavenly Demons were placed inside a demonic beast, could they also be drawn into the monster core through the Monster Refining Art? Once this step was achieved, it would be possible to force the Heavenly Demons from an intangible to a tangible state, thereby allowing for more refinement methods. At the stage of tempering and extraction, it would be Wang Yu's main arena to display his skills.

The Monster Refining Art had not been tested, so it was uncertain if it could restrain outer-realm beings like Heavenly Demons. However, the sealing secret art had been proven effective. What he needed to do now was find a way to combine the Ice Coffin Sealing Secret Art with the Monster Refining Art. For this step, Wang Yu chose to use array formations as an aid. He was highly proficient in using blank array flags. He would engrave the sealing secret art onto them, and at the critical moment, extend them into the alchemy process. It wasn't a true array formation but a technique for delayed activation. The difficulty was not high.

After preparing everything, Wang Yu paid spirit stones to have more than twenty Foundation Establishment stage demonic beasts captured alive from the border of Night Jade State, near the North Broken Mountain Range, and delivered to him. The beast bodies were merely carriers, so their cultivation level wasn't a high requirement. If he were to use third-tier demonic beasts... he truly couldn't afford them, as they needed to be alive, and demonic beasts at the third-tier were completely different, their strength soaring. Unless he personally went to capture them, but unfortunately, at this stage, he couldn't leave the sect and could only purchase them with spirit stones.

Half a month later, inside the sealed alchemy room, the roars of demonic beasts rose and fell, and the thick, pungent smell was suffocating. Wang Yu felt much better after putting on his Earth Net Ghost Mask. Before refining the Heavenly Demons, he still needed to experiment with the Monster Refining Art a few times.

Although it was his first attempt, Wang Yu's technique was incredibly skillful. Blue-black magic power transformed into threads, probing into a black crow demonic beast from various angles. The moment they touched the monster core, dense Monster Refining Incantations rapidly formed. In the blink of an eye, the black crow demonic beast seemed to have a black hole inside it and immediately collapsed inwards. With an extremely bizarre posture, it was compressed into a spherical mass of flesh about half the size of a palm. Not a drop of blood or a single feather fell during the entire process. There was no resistance; it simply succeeded.

Wang Yu's eyelids twitched, feeling that this Monster Refining Art was truly uncanny. And this was only the third-tier Pill Dao chapter, clearly not fully complete. Not to mention the even more incomplete Artifact Dao, Talisman Dao, and Array Dao chapters... it all seemed eerie.

In less than half an hour, a mere second-tier Monster Refining Flesh Pill floated out from the embrace of the Ice Dragon Pill Flame. All the blood, flesh, and scattered feathers had vanished. The entire pill was covered in black feather patterns, and its fragrance was more like a pot of cooked meat, but an incredibly fragrant kind, making one's mouth water upon smelling it.

Wang Yu tried to consume and refine it. He immediately discovered the unique property of the Flesh Pill produced by the Monster Refining Art: it refined the very essence of the demonic beast! One could say it was the bloodline, or the origin, or even, to some extent, the true form! After consuming and refining the pill, he felt his body become somewhat lighter. Though very subtle, it was undeniably present.

"It must be because of the significant cultivation gap; a Flesh Pill refined from a second-tier demonic beast has too little effect on me. I need to try more." This time, he selected a demonic beast with a good bloodline for the experiment. Half an hour later, he consumed and refined the pill again. This time... Wang Yu was even more pleasantly surprised.

"Scale Demon Art: Rain Shot. Is this a demonic beast bone technique?" Theoretically, demonic beast 'treasure bones' could only be condensed by those with powerful bloodlines, providing knowledge for their bloodline descendants to learn. Although the scale demon Wang Yu experimented with was decent, it hadn't met the minimum requirements to produce a treasure bone. The Hidden Dragon Treasure Bone he obtained back then was very special. This Rain Shot Art was merely a low-grade second-tier spell, completely useless. Yet, he had managed to glimpse its inheritance from the Monster Refining Flesh Pill. This significance was far greater than a temporary physical enhancement. Wang Yu believed that if he refined more powerful demonic beasts, his physical body should gain more benefits.

Monster Refining Art – terrifyingly powerful! It might even become the greatest opportunity in his hands, its potential still waiting to be unearthed, so there was no need to rush. The most urgent task was still to deal with the Heavenly Demons.

After several more experiments, successfully combining the sealing array flags with the Monster Refining Art, and confirming there were no issues, Wang Yu finally reached for his primary target. He took out the empty ice coffin. Although it appeared empty, he could sense the contents through the Profound Origin Demonic Fetus. That urgent sense of devouring became Wang Yu's basis for judging whether the Heavenly Demons had broken free from their seal.

He reached out and captured a demonic beast, then shrunk the ice coffin and placed it inside its body. As he performed the Monster Refining Art again and modified the monster core, with a thought, he shattered the ice coffin's seal. The tiger demon's eyes immediately turned pitch black. Dense demonic thoughts transformed into black mist, seemingly reaching out with demonic claws towards Wang Yu, but they were sucked into the collapsing monster core. The sealing array flags emitted a strong spiritual light. Incantations spread, completely sealing the newly formed flesh pill.

Pale white flames rose. Wang Yu used the Blood Pill Art, using blood as a guide to separate the tiger demon's portion from the flesh pill, quickly forming a blood pill beside it. Inside the hollow sphere formed by the sealing incantations, a mass of pitch-black flesh was deforming. Wang Yu's lips curved upwards, and he suddenly intensified the heat of the Ice Dragon Pill Flame. An invisible, shrill scream seemed to echo in his ears.

It was refined by fire for a full ten days! A completely black-grey Heavenly Demon Pill emerged. Due to its special refining method, there was only one, but it greatly pleased Wang Yu. After inspecting the pill, he swallowed and refined it. The Profound Origin Demonic Fetus instantly pulsed.

"This is..."