Chapter 33

Inside the stone gate, the space was even larger than expected, filled with thousands of medicinal herbs. Each herb seemed to have a spirit of its own, their surfaces glowing with a mysterious light. In the center of the stone gate, a massive alchemy cauldron was placed.

Xiao Yan was eager and curious about refining the Imperial-grade medicinal pill. He carefully examined the formula and then counted the medicinal herbs he had. There were only three sets of herbs for refining the Myriad Ancient Pill, which meant he only had three chances.

Taking a deep breath, he nodded and slowly calmed himself, sitting down in front of the alchemy cauldron.

"Phew—" Xiao Yan slowly exhaled, quickly calming his excited mind. His slender hands gently placed themselves at the fire mouth of the cauldron.

"Puff!"

With a slight sound, a wisp of pale yellow flame shot out from Xiao Yan's fingertips. With a flick of his fingers, the flame turned into a streak of light and darted into the cauldron.

As the pale yellow thread of the Chaotic Holy Flame entered the cauldron, its tiny body suddenly swelled. In an instant, the small flame turned into a raging fire, burning wildly inside the cauldron. As the pale yellow flames rose, the cauldron, which had a surface of crimson red, appeared even more mysterious and glaring, looking like a dancing flame.

"The alchemy cauldron on the Emperor Continent is indeed no ordinary thing. The cauldron I obtained on the Dou Qi Continent cannot compare to it at all." Looking at the cauldron, which still emitted a crimson red glow, a hint of satisfaction flashed in Xiao Yan's eyes.

Once the temperature inside the cauldron reached a constant level, Xiao Yan waved his hand, and a herb emitting a faint ancient aura was drawn into his hand. Although the herb's appearance was not very appealing, the rich medicinal fragrance and the sense of ancient times emanating from it made it clear that this was no ordinary thing.

According to the formula, this herb was called "Ancient Spirit Branch." It was formed in the deep mountains over countless years by extremely pure energy. If a cultivator refined and absorbed it, it would make their Dou Qi even more powerful. Even on the Emperor Continent, it was very rare and was a crucial ingredient in the Myriad Ancient Pill.

Holding the "Ancient Spirit Branch" with two fingers, a sense of ancient times quickly seeped through his fingertips, and the surrounding air seemed to be filled with an ancient aura.

With a light toss, the Ancient Spirit Branch was accurately thrown into the cauldron. The pale yellow flames surged, like a fierce mouth, directly swallowing it whole.

Facing the burning flames, the Ancient Spirit Branch did not sit idly by. Instead, it continuously emitted a mist with an ancient aura, trying to resist the high temperature.

The mist and the pale yellow flames eroded each other, and at the point of contact, a faint white mist appeared. The Ancient Spirit Branch, with its extremely powerful energy accumulated over countless years, managed to hold its ground against the Chaotic Holy Flame for a short time.

"Indeed, it is no wonder that this is a very rare herb even on the Emperor Continent..." Seeing this scene in the cauldron, Xiao Yan marveled with a whistle. Then, his mind moved, and the temperature inside the cauldron suddenly rose!

As the temperature of the Chaotic Holy Flame increased, the Ancient Spirit Branch finally could not withstand it. The substance on its surface, which seemed to be a physical manifestation of its own energy, began to melt.

Seeing this, Xiao Yan let out a sigh of relief. This was largely due to his use of Heavenly Fire. If he had used the previous异火 (Yi Huo, Strange Fire), it would have taken at least one or two days to refine the Ancient Spirit Branch, which would not only consume a lot of time but also a huge amount of Dou Qi.

Heavenly Fire was indeed no less than a divine weapon for alchemists on the Emperor Continent.

The refinement process lasted about an hour, and the tough Ancient Spirit Branch finally completely transformed into a pool of ancient yellow liquid. As the liquid flowed, it emitted an extremely rich and pure energy. The success of the first refinement was largely due to Xiao Yan's strong fire control ability.

After the Ancient Spirit Branch was refined, Xiao Yan spent another half an hour to complete the purification process. Without resting, he moved his hand again and threw another equally stubborn herb into the cauldron.