Chapter 993: Dividing the Pills

The poison saint sect’s cultivators naturally had no idea that the “Yuan brother” they spoke of had already been devoured by the silver-winged nightfork. Thus, after a brief chat, they accelerated their flight, moving faster than before to hasten their journey.

Arriving a day earlier would be greatly advantageous to them.

In the small lake’s location within Puyun Prefecture, hundreds of cultivators of varying levels had gathered, clustering in groups of three or five.

Many had even flown directly into the sky, silently searching around the seven pillars of light.

On the ground, a very few cultivators possessing earth-submergence talismans or basic earth-submergence skills occasionally dove into and emerged from the earth, excitedly speaking with companions on the surface.

Clearly, the massive seal hidden beneath had been discovered.

Yet, relative to the seal’s immense size, the crack forcibly split open by the Ye family’s array had yet to be precisely located.

Even so, this had already filled every cultivator here with extraordinary excitement; some had already sent transmission talismans to their families or sects, while others had departed overnight by flight to personally report the matter.

Currently, the cultivators here were mostly Foundation Establishment, with few Qi Refining or Core Formation cultivators. Most were hermits who had accidentally noticed the anomaly and come to investigate; others were scouts from nearby sects and factions who had rushed here upon hearing the news.

As for Nascent Soul cultivators, none had yet been seen to appear.

This was understandable: the small lake lay in a desolate region, with no famous mountains or great rivers nearby, nor any large clans or cultivation sects. Nascent Soul cultivators would never come to such a remote backwater without reason.

Even the poison saint sect’s group, who had rushed here upon hearing the news, still had two days’ travel remaining.

However, most low-level, seasoned hermits, upon realizing the underground seal’s unimaginable scale, though deeply reluctant, wisely departed one after another.

They knew full well that no matter what great benefits lay beneath the seal, such a level of contention was beyond their capacity to join. Staying longer risked being caught in the crossfire between high-level cultivators—a disastrous fate.

Of course, a few young, overconfident low-level cultivators refused to leave; they wished to see what lay beneath the seal, and also clung to Jiaoxing hopes—believing that though their cultivation was low, if fortune favored them, they might still sneak in and snatch something, clearly willing to gamble.

Thus, for the moment, this area was a mix of dragons and snakes, filled with those harboring ulterior motives.

Yet all this meant nothing to Han Li, who was already deep within the mountain beneath the seal.

At this moment, he and Bai Yao were staring without blinking at the elderly man seated cross-legged in the center of the cave.

To say they stared at the old man was more accurately to say they stared at the golden furnace before him.

The furnace hovered three feet above the ground, slowly rotating in midair.

The elderly man exhaled thin streams of emerald infant fire, his hands forming unknown hand seals, continuously striking the furnace. Each seal struck the vessel wrapped in green flame, sending ripples of five-colored aurora shimmering outward, dazzling and radiant.

From within the furnace, a rich, alluring medicinal fragrance was already emerging, thick and soothing, filling the mind with tranquility.

The old man’s hand seals grew faster, his expression increasingly grave—clearly, the pill refinement had reached its critical moment.

Beside him, Han Li appeared calm on the surface, yet internally he too felt tense.

The yin-zhi horse and other rare materials had all been gradually cast into the furnace over the past few days. If this pill failed, they had no second yin-zhi horse to use for refining.

Thus, though the old man had spoken with great confidence about refining the Peiying Pill, now that the pill was nearly complete, Han Li could not help feeling anxious about success or failure.

Bai Yao, though outwardly composed, betrayed her inner anxiety through the eager flickering of her bright eyes.

Suddenly, the furnace halted its rotation, and a low hum emerged from within. The medicinal fragrance intensified by a third.

The old man’s eyes brightened; his hand seals and infant fire ceased simultaneously. He flipped his palm, and a vermilion tiny gourd, only four or five inches tall, appeared in his hand.

With a flick of his middle finger, a white light pellet struck the furnace lid with a “bang.”

The lid trembled and slid off.

The furnace’s hum ceased, and five fist-sized orbs of light shot out, each faintly containing a thumb-sized emerald pellet, vividly green and shimmering.

The orbs circled once above the furnace, then scattered in all directions, attempting to flee.

But the old man, prepared, swiftly shook his gourd, releasing a burst of aurora.

In a flash of spiritual light, all five orbs were swept into the gourd and sealed within.

“Done! Success!” The old man exhaled deeply, turned to Han Li, and smiled broadly.

“Thank you, Brother Fu. I never expected five pills to be refined! I was worried there might be too few!” Bai Yao rose, delighted, a faint blush coloring her cheeks, making her appear charming.

“Originally, according to the formula, the ingredients I prepared could produce five or six pills. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have invited only five companions. Unfortunately, Sister Chang and Brother Yuan met their end because of it.” The old man’s smile vanished.

Clearly, his bond with the black-robed woman was deep; even though cultivators were accustomed to death, seeing the pills succeed while his sister had perished filled him with sorrow.

Hearing this, Bai Yao’s joy faded, and she sighed softly.

Han Li remained expressionless, silent.

“White Daoist, do you have a wooden box of wood-element? Avoid ordinary jade boxes—the pill’s essence will leak. This pill’s essence is too potent. If taken immediately, you’ll need at least half a year of seclusion to fully absorb its power; otherwise, its effect will be greatly diminished.” The old man’s sorrow passed quickly; he weighed the gourd in his hand and spoke seriously to Bai Yao.

“Of course I have a wooden box. Such a rare pill—I won’t take it immediately.” Bai Yao smiled sweetly, flipped her hand, and a yellow wooden box appeared.

The old man nodded, said nothing, and flicked his finger against the gourd’s base. Crimson aurora surged, and a white orb shot out, flying straight toward Bai Yao.

Bai Yao lifted the wooden box with one hand and reached out with the other, palm open.

The pill transformed into a streak of white light and was drawn into the box.

After carefully inspecting the pill within the box and sensing its astonishing spiritual power with her spiritual sense, Bai Yao joyfully tucked it away and thanked the old man.

The old man smiled, reached to his waist pouch, and pulled out a green wooden box.

To Bai Yao’s surprise, he similarly poured one pill from the gourd into the box, sealed it, then turned to Han Li with a dry chuckle and tossed the entire vermilion gourd directly to him.

Han Li instinctively caught the gourd, yet his face revealed a flicker of surprise.

“What is your meaning? I only asked you for two Peiying Pills!” Han Li frowned slowly.

“I am not a greedy man. This time, I barely escaped death and obtained these pills solely due to your strength. My sister has perished; I need only one pill. If you don’t mind, take all three.” The old man spoke with solemn sincerity.

Hearing this, Han Li looked at the gourd in his hand, then studied the old man again, and let out a light laugh.

He could guess the old man’s intentions: the Nine You Sect elder, sensing his usefulness had greatly diminished after refining the Peiying Pills, feared Han Li might suddenly turn hostile—hence this attempt to buy safety by sacrificing another pill.

On one hand, it showed goodwill toward Han Li; on the other, it minimized anything that might provoke Han Li’s murderous intent. If Han Li wasn’t a heartless traitor, accepting the pill would likely prevent him from acting on sudden violence.

With such good fortune offered, Han Li naturally would not refuse.

“Since Brother Fu says so, Han Mou will not decline.”

Han Li made no pretense; a flash of aurora from his hand made the vermilion gourd vanish. Refusing the pills might have made the old man and the woman suspicious.

“Hah! Brother Han, why be so modest? These are rightfully yours.” The old man chuckled, his expression visibly relaxing.

Bai Yao, of course, understood the subtlety, and smiled silently beside him.

The tension among the three eased considerably.

“Now that the pills are refined, let’s find a way out quickly. Perhaps we can explore this mountain—there may be other gains.” The old man glanced toward the cave entrance and suggested.

But no sooner had he spoken than the entire cave trembled slightly, followed by a deep, continuous rumbling echoing from the surrounding stone walls.

Han Li and the other two froze, exchanging stunned glances.

“Is there someone else in this mountain?” Bai Yao bit her red lip, voice trembling with alarm.

“Not necessarily. It could be the silver-winged nightfork’s doing!” The old man shook his head, a flash of hatred crossing his face—he remembered again how the black-robed woman had died by that creature’s hand.

“Regardless! We must be more cautious once we leave. With our three combined, we shouldn’t fear much.” Han Li fell silent for a moment, then spoke calmly.

He shook his sleeve, and a wave of azure aurora surged outward.

Where the aurora passed, all the cave’s seals dissolved; the array flags and plates flew from walls and floor, vanishing into Han Li’s sleeve in an instant.

“Let’s go! Leave here first!”

Han Li retracted the aurora, and immediately his body glowed with spiritual light; without hesitation, he transformed into a streak of azure rainbow and shot out of the cave first.

The old man and Bai Yao exchanged a glance, then swiftly followed, riding their flight spells.

Net