In the spacious hall, the Pharmacist Elder sat in the seat of honor, his eyes closed slightly. Vast soul power rippled around him, causing the surrounding space to appear slightly distorted. Although the Pharmacist Elder’s soul power hadn’t grown much stronger, it now exuded a vibrant and lively feeling, as if infused with more vitality than before.
“Teacher, has the Primordial Soul Qi been replenished?” Xiao Yan asked eagerly as he hurried into the hall, spotting the Pharmacist Elder at first glance. With his abilities, he could naturally sense the changes in the Pharmacist Elder’s soul power, and he was pleasantly surprised.
The Pharmacist Elder slowly opened his eyes, looking at the fast-approaching Xiao Yan, and nodded with a smile. “The efficacy of the golden-grade Soul Infant Fruit is unexpectedly strong. The Primordial Soul Qi has returned to its peak…”
“Then, can we start the body refinement process soon?” Xiao Yan asked impatiently.
“Refining a body still requires several additional materials…” the Pharmacist Elder said with a smile.
“Don’t worry, over these years, I have already gathered all the required materials…” Xiao Yan smiled, and with a flick of his fingers, a jade bottle appeared in his hand. Inside the bottle, a dragon eye-sized pill was spinning, emitting a rich, almost overwhelming aroma that invigorated the spirit.
“Is this an eighth-grade pill?” the Wind Venerable, who followed closely, exclaimed with a look of astonishment.
“Yes, and it has even undergone the five-color pill lightning.” The Pharmacist Elder nodded slowly, revealing the color of the pill’s lightning at once. He then looked at Xiao Yan with satisfaction and said, “Over the years, your alchemy skills haven’t fallen behind.”
“Haha, old man, don’t worry. Xiao Yan is also the champion of the Pill Conference; he’s not weaker than you were when you were young,” the Wind Venerable said with a hearty laugh, stroking his beard.
“Teacher, this is the Bone-Melting Blood-Recovery Pill.” Xiao Yan flicked the jade bottle gently, and it floated slowly towards the Pharmacist Elder. He then took out another transparent jade bottle, which contained a few drops of blood, half red and half green, emanating a terrifyingly pure energy.
“This is the essence blood of the Sky Demon Phoenix. Though the quantity is small, it will be very useful.” Xiao Yan smiled, referring to the blood extracted from the remains of the Sky Demon Phoenix.
“As for the bones, I do have those of a Peak Battle Sect here…” With a wave of his hand, a frozen corpse appeared in the hall. Of the three materials, the only one that disappointed him was the skeletal remains. In the past, a Peak Battle Sect’s bones might have made him happy, but with his current standards, such remains no longer caught his attention.
“Hehe, I have the bones of a Fourth Star Dou Zun here,” the Wind Venerable interjected with a smile. With a wave of his sleeve, a stone coffin fell to the ground. Inside the coffin was a pale gray skeleton, which faintly emitted a slight glow.
“This belongs to an old enemy of mine. He died at my hands, and I took care of his body, fearing no one would do it for him,” the Wind Venerable said nonchalantly.
Hearing this, Xiao Yan couldn’t help but click his tongue silently, realizing the significant enmity between the two.
“These three materials are all top-notch. Using them, we should be able to restore Medicine Dust to his former peak strength. But whether he can break through to the Dou Sheng realm… that’s uncertain,” the Wind Venerable mused, stroking his beard.
“Difficult…” The Pharmacist Elder shook his head. Battle Sects and Dou Shengs were vastly different realms. A Battle Sect, even in the vast continent, could be considered a true first-rate expert, while a Dou Sheng was at the pinnacle of the pyramid. Though rare, Battle Sects existed in Central Zhongzhou, but a Dou Sheng was entirely different. For example, Xiao Yan had never encountered a real Dou Sheng despite his long stay in Central Zhongzhou!
Of course, this didn’t include the ancient skeletons he saw in the ruins, which were merely remnants of a Dou Sheng’s soul. Nevertheless, that skeleton still managed to give Xiao Yan and the Star Plucking Ghost a hard time, almost leading to a disastrous failure. This glimpse allowed him to imagine the true terror of a Dou Sheng.
That realm possessed the power to destroy heaven and earth.
“Since we have all the materials, let’s start tomorrow. The sooner Medicine Dust regains his peak strength, the less we need to fear the retaliation of the Soul Palace. They lost a branch and suffered humiliation in the ruins. Given their nature, they won’t easily let this go,” the Wind Venerable suggested.
“Agreed…” Both Xiao Yan and the Pharmacist Elder nodded. Though everything seemed calm now, it was just the prelude to a storm. After setting the date, due to the lateness of the hour, Xiao Yan returned to his room and sat on the bed. After a moment of contemplation, he flipped his hand, and three ivory-colored ribs appeared in his palm.
These ribs, of course, came from the bones, harboring the secret of a Heaven-tier Battle Skill. Upon returning to the Falling Star Pavilion, he had been too busy helping Qing Lin to study them. Today, hearing the Wind Venerable mention the Soul Palace’s likely retaliation, he felt a sense of urgency. Facing such a formidable force, he needed to improve his combat strength… and the best way to do that was to master high-tier Battle Skills, especially the legendary Heaven-tier ones. Even now, Xiao Yan couldn’t forget the terrifying power of the Heaven-tier Battle Skill displayed by the Dou Sheng skeleton.
As he held the ribs, a cool sensation spread through his fingers, unlike any rough bone. Instead, they felt like the finest jade, smooth and cool, a delightful sensation. The ribs were inscribed with tiny, strange texts, complex and cryptic. Xiao Yan carefully examined the texts, memorizing them but unable to decipher their meaning.
“It seems ordinary methods won’t unlock these ribs.” Frowning, Xiao Yan placed the ribs against his forehead, extending his soul power. However, it was immediately repelled. Relieved, he realized there was a seal on the surface.
Understanding this, Xiao Yan clenched his hand, summoning a purplish-brown flame that enveloped the three ivory-like ribs. The heat quickly dried the air in the room. The flames roasted the ribs relentlessly, yet the delicate-looking bones remained unaltered, not even changing color. This was no surprise to Xiao Yan, as a seal set by a Dou Sheng would not be easy to break.
Maintaining a calm mind, Xiao Yan continued to let the Three Thousand Lotus Heart Flame roast the ribs, eventually closing his eyes and entering a state of cultivation. The room was filled with blazing purplish-brown flames, and the ribs intermittently emitted a faint light.
This roasting lasted from dusk until late night, nearly ten hours. Under the intense flames, the ribs started to change, the white color gradually fading to a deep, dark gold. Careful observation revealed hidden, shimmering waves.
Suddenly, a liquid sound filled the silent room. Xiao Yan’s tightly closed eyes slowly opened, staring at the flame. In the center, the ribs were no longer visible—only a pool of dark golden liquid swirled. It flowed like a living entity, occasionally forming strange shapes.
“This… must be what it looks like after the seal is broken,” Xiao Yan murmured, hesitating. He took a deep breath of the dry air and extended his hand into the flame, finally dipping a finger into the dark golden liquid.
A sudden surge occurred. The liquid writhed and wrapped around Xiao Yan’s finger, then enveloped his entire hand. A searing, uncontrollable pain shot through his palm, distorting his face. The liquid caused his hand to twist and contort, accompanied by the creaking of bones.
“My hand is going to be useless!” As the pressure intensified, Xiao Yan feared his hand would shatter. Suddenly, the pain ceased. The dark golden liquid, like a tide, seeped into his hand, vanishing quickly.
Caught off guard, Xiao Yan’s head suddenly jolted. His pupils glowed with a dark gold light, and he muttered, “This is… the Great Heavenly Creation Palm!”
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