Chapter 484: The Spring Eye Bead

"Boom~"

Hua Changxi's arrival at the array eye platform was perfectly timed, coinciding exactly with the tremors of the array eye's seal.

The entire stone platform suddenly began to shake violently, as if countless ferocious beasts deep underground were ramming crazily, determined to break their shackles.

On the stone platform, array lines and runes lit up simultaneously, sending out rings of light waves in an attempt to suppress the vibrating platform; alas, even so, they could barely stop wisps of black demonic qi from seeping out.

Fortunately, before these demonic energies could spread through the air, they were directly absorbed by the black-green alchemical cauldron hovering in midair.

The tremors lasted for about a quarter of an hour before gradually subsiding.

After this shaking, the already deep black-green alchemical cauldron turned an even darker shade of black. At the same time, several new cracks spontaneously appeared on the surfaces of the eighteen human-shaped stone statues atop the array platform.

Watching this scene, Hua Changxi felt that this array eye platform was like a giant stopper buried deep underground; the demonic qi inside the bottle was swelling and trying to burst out, held back only by this 'stopper' which barely prevented the gas from erupting.

Yet, with this stopper now covered in cracks, how much longer could it possibly hold?

Hua Changxi gazed at the array eye platform, her brows tightly furrowed.

After the resurgence of spiritual energy, most seals across the entire realm of the Four Spirit Realm, including the realm barrier itself, began to loosen.

The loosening of seals had both good and bad aspects.

The good was that ruins and secret realms successively appeared in the world.

The bad was that externally, a loosened realm barrier would invite covetous cultivators from other realms; internally, loosened evil-suppressing seals, such as those on the Demon Prison, would cause demonic qi to leak out and pollute the human world.

The array eye platform of the Alchemy Saint Hall was somewhat more stable than that of the Artifact Saint Palace.

At the very least, the human-shaped stone statues on the array eye platform had not been destroyed.

Hua Changxi looked at the black-green alchemical cauldron floating in the center of the array eye platform, lost in thought.

The cauldron's original color should have been emerald green; it had turned black-green only because it had absorbed a vast amount of demonic qi.

However, everything has its limits; she reasoned that once the alchemical furnace turned completely black, it would likely no longer be able to continue absorbing demonic qi.

Southern Bright Separation Fire could purify evil energies; if one used this Separation Fire to temper and burn the cauldron, perhaps the absorbed demonic qi could be incinerated, restoring the cauldron to its original color.

Thinking thus, Hua Changxi lightly tapped her toe, intending to fly onto the platform, but she keenly sensed a faint fluctuation of spiritual energy to the east of the array eye platform.

She immediately retracted her spiritual energy, landed lightly, and instead walked cautiously toward the eastern side of the array eye platform.

"Oh no, has Hua Changxi discovered us?"

To the east of the array eye platform, an invisible transparent light curtain stretched across the sky.

Behind the light curtain, seven or eight middle-aged cultivators clad in green robes were staring intently beyond the barrier.

These individuals were all direct-disciple elders of the Alchemy Saint Hall; at this moment, their gazes slowly followed the figure approaching step by step.

"Surely not; we haven't done anything."

"I think she is simply too perceptive and has detected something."

Seeing Hua Changxi approach the light curtain, the group behind the barrier instantly fell silent, holding their breath and focusing their minds, watching that figure with slight tension.

On the other side of the light curtain, after being halted by the invisible barrier ahead, Hua Changxi paused briefly, then suddenly condensed a ball of crimson fire at her fingertip and casually tossed it out.

"Whoosh~"

The flame struck the invisible wall, instantly sending sparks flying in all directions, while layers of visible ripples spread through the air.

"A barrier..."

Hua Changxi's eyes flashed; she instantly thought of the forbidden grounds of the Artifact Saint Palace.

Watching the ripples in the air gradually settle, she understood in her heart—behind this barrier must lie the forbidden grounds of the Alchemy Saint Hall.

Those disciples of the Alchemy Saint Hall who had been hiding all along must be concealed within.

Reflecting on this, Hua Changxi lost all desire to explore further; she puckered her lips into a smile at the invisible barrier in the air, then shook her head and turned to leave.

When she returned to the array eye platform, she had already abandoned the idea of using Southern Bright Separation Fire to burn the cauldron.

The direct disciples of the Alchemy Saint Hall were surely watching the array eye platform; if she used Southern Bright Separation Fire now, it would be no different from revealing her own hand, directly announcing to them that she was the Hall Master of the Ling Guang Hall.

With the array eye still stable and the cauldron still capable of holding out, why would she unnecessarily create trouble for herself?

Having made up her mind, Hua Changxi did not linger longer but quickly departed.

Inside the forbidden grounds, the elders of the Alchemy Saint Hall who had witnessed the entire sequence through the light curtain gazed at the retreating figure with varied expressions.

"Hua Changxi seemed to want to ascend the array eye platform earlier; why did she stop?"

"She must have discovered us."

Regarding Hua Changxi's sudden appearance at the Alchemy Spring, to be honest, the elders of the Alchemy Saint Hall were all extremely surprised.

There were two ways to enter the Alchemy Spring.

The first was via the Zhen Gate Pass and Gen Gate Pass, but to enter through this route, one had to first pass the checkpoints of the Demon-Suppressing Guard; while not impossible, it was undoubtedly extremely difficult.

At the very least, no one could sneak in silently; since they had heard no disturbance, it was clear Hua Changxi had not taken this path.

The second way was through the sacred forbidden grounds into the Alchemy Spring, but this required their permission.

Yet, up until now, Hua Changxi had not even formally met with them.

"How exactly did Hua Changxi enter the Alchemy Spring?"

"Didn't Junior Brother Wen send a message earlier saying Hua Changxi entered the Old Courtyard and even closed the courtyard gates? Have you forgotten that the Old Courtyard is a crucial hall of the sacred grounds, leading directly to the Divine Tree Habitat?"

"Are you saying Hua Changxi entered through the Divine Tree space?"

"Nine times out of ten."

"But how did she get into the Divine Tree space?"

"Yes, how did she get in?"

Even if the Alchemy Saint Hall had fully recovered, the Divine Tree Habitat was not a place just anyone could enter; let alone now, when the sacred grounds had not yet completely revived.

After leaving the array eye platform, Hua Changxi returned to the stone stele and carefully explored the spring banks surrounding it.

She reasoned that since Tang Gu could give birth to seven-colored strange fires, perhaps the Alchemy Spring, also a rooting ground for the Divine Tree, had nurtured similar heavenly treasures and earthly wonders akin to strange fires.

After patrolling the banks several times, aside from various rare flowers and exotic herbs of notable grades, she discovered nothing else.

Hua Changxi frowned as she looked at the spiritual flower in her hand; although its grade was high, it still seemed somewhat inadequate compared to the Strange Fire.

"Could the Pill Spring really be inferior to Tang Gu?"

Hua Changxi's eyes suddenly shifted, her gaze moving from the shore to the shimmering surface of the spiritual spring.

Since the spiritual energy dissipating from the spring had already nurtured various high-grade exotic flowers and rare herbs, might the depths, where the spring water was so dense it could not dissolve, have孕育 ed even more formidable treasures?

Thinking of this, she hesitated no longer; spiritual energy surged around her body, condensing into a faint red protective light shield, and she leaped in, plunging into the spring.

The moment she entered the water, no chill struck; instead, a coolness smooth as jade enveloped her entire body.

Immediately afterward, the surrounding scenery changed abruptly—the originally emerald spring water shed its mortal hue at that instant, transforming into a crystal-clear world of green glazed glass.

The flowing water was no longer mere water, but a green river of light woven from countless brilliant green luminous patterns.

Passing through these rivers of light, Hua Changxi slowly sank until her feet touched solid ground.

What met her eyes was not ordinary silt or sand, but a bed of emerald crystal stretching to the very limit of her vision.

This was no ordinary crystal stone, but the essence condensed by the Pill Spring over endless years.

The crystal stones seemed to breathe; liquid vitality flowed within them, and surging life force rose and fell like tides, illuminating the entire spring bottom like a jade dream.

Amidst this emerald crystal sea at the spring's bottom, several points of light were particularly striking; there, green radiance surged like a tide, blazing so fiercely it seemed ready to burst through the water curtain.

Hua Changxi's eyes brightened; her form turned into a streak of flowing light, and in an instant, she swept to the nearest cluster of light.

When she saw clearly the object at the center of that light cluster, her breath involuntarily hitched.

Above the crystal bed, a碧绿 pearl the size of a fist hovered in midair, performing a breath-taking spectacle of inhalation and exhalation.

Whenever it contracted and drew in its breath, the rushing rivers of light surrounding it converged like hundred streams to the sea, forcibly torn apart by a domineering, unmatched suction and drawn entirely into the pearl; when it expanded and released, vast life essence gushed out like a breached dike, causing the originally brilliant rivers of light to swell instantly, brimming with vitality.

One inhale, one exhale; light and shadow interwove, tension and relaxation perfectly balanced, as if it possessed independent breath and life, resembling a beating, living heart!

"This is..."

Hua Changxi's pupils contracted sharply; three words instantly sprang to her mind—Spring Eye Pearl!