C8 Night Attack!
In the Keep of Asvetaesi City, a secret chamber constructed from cold stone housed a man with his upper body bare. His skin glowed a fiery red, and the blood coursing through his veins was scalding, akin to molten lava.
With wild, unkempt hair and a muscular frame, the man was bound by heavy chains forged from ice-silver. His bearded face alternated between fits of madness and moments of eerie calm.
Deep within his eyes, it seemed as though twin ancient volcanoes lay dormant, threatening to erupt at any moment. Above his head, a crimson beam of light burst forth intermittently, like a geyser, revealing intricate flaming spells that encircled a miniature figure identical to him, yet it radiated an intense, savage aura.
"Father," a soothing voice broke the silence of the chamber.
Suddenly, a stunning woman materialized before the man. She was clad in a light purple gown that hugged her waist tightly, accentuating her slender figure and making her ample bosom appear even more striking. The woman exuded elegance and allure, her beauty reminiscent of a succulent peach that enticed onlookers.
"What's wrong with you?" she inquired with a gentle tone.
Her father's attempt to ascend to the Lunar Spirit Stage had failed; his earthly soul had not transformed into a Lunar Spirit, causing his upper elixir field to spiral out of control. The unrefined earthly soul, now tainted by the fire toxin, had led to a decline to the middle period of the Subtlety Realm. Moreover, it had started to conflict with his heaven soul and mortal soul, often plunging him into a muddled consciousness and bouts of madness.
His previous frenzies had resulted in several tragedies within Asvetaesi. Thankfully, as the mayor, she had managed to swiftly contain the chaos, averting further disaster.
Yet, out of necessity, she had reluctantly procured chains of ice-silver to confine him temporarily in the chamber, ensuring no further mishaps would occur.
With a primal howl, the roaring subsided, and Yuan Qiufang came back to his senses, the ominous red light above his head now extinguished.
While refining the fire toxin that had eroded my earthly soul, I sensed an intense gathering and eruption of blazing flame energy. Upon investigating with my spiritual sense, I discovered someone in the Yu family's underground facility to the north of Asvetaesi was actually refining pills!
Yuan Qiufang's face showed no trace of madness, only profound puzzlement.
"Yu Cen has been under the thumb of the Huang family ever since his legs were broken. Given the Yu family's resources, they shouldn't be able to sustain, let alone hire, a herbalist."
He found it quite odd.
"Maybe it's just someone in the Yu family tinkering around," Yuan Lianyao suggested with a furrowed brow. "Refining pills? That's not so easily done!"
"No!" Yuan Qiufang shook his head, his tone grave. "Based on what I've sensed, this is no trifling matter! The burst of flames from the furnace was extraordinary! It must be someone truly versed in the arcane arts, using a Fire Crystal as the fire source to activate the magic diagram within the furnace!"
"Ah!"
Yuan Lianyao gasped, covering her mouth. "Even the most basic furnace has a flame magic diagram engraved on it. I'm aware that the Yu family spent a considerable sum on a low-grade furnace. But since its arrival, no one from the Yu family has managed to activate its flame magic diagram!"
"I'm certain that someone has now successfully activated the flame magic diagram on that furnace!"
"Understood, Father. I will give this issue the attention it deserves."
"If there really is a herbalist!" Yuan Qiufang's excitement surged. "Perhaps I can quickly resolve the fire toxin afflicting my earthly soul!"
"Father," Yuan Lianyao sighed gently, "the fire toxin plaguing you isn't something an average herbalist can purge."
With that, she departed, not waiting for Yuan Qiufang's response. As she left, the secret chamber once again echoed with intermittent roars.
...
Yu Yuan ingested a Channel Opening Pill.
As the pill's power began to disperse, he immediately activated the Nine Glories Wheel and, with his Primal Body, absorbed the sparse spiritual energy present in the area into himself.
Once the nine orbs of spiritual energy had orbited his elixir field, eventually coalescing into a stream of spiritual energy, the medicinal potency of the Channel Opening Pill had also permeated his meridians.
"Hu!"
The moment the stream of spiritual energy surged toward the ninth meridian, Yu Yuan immediately noticed a distinct difference!
The ninth meridian, under the influence of the Channel Opening Pill, was opening and clearing at a much faster rate, and the process was devoid of any unbearable swelling or pain.
"Heh! This pill truly hits the mark!"
In his past life, he had attempted to use the Channel Opening Pill to see if it could harness the power of the pill to unblock his meridians.
Regrettably, each attempt ended in failure, leaving him in excruciating pain, sometimes to the point of fainting, without making any progress.
This time, however, he was genuinely experiencing the wonder of the Channel Opening Pill.
Before taking the pill, the ninth meridian was like a riverbed choked with sand and stones, making the flow of energy extremely challenging.
After taking the Channel Opening Pill, it was as though the hard sand and stones had transformed into quicksand, and with the rush of spiritual energy, the process became unexpectedly easy.
Moreover, the pill's medicinal properties not only relieved pain but also repaired minor damage to the meridians, facilitating a quicker recovery.
Consequently, Yu Yuan's efficiency in opening his Spirit Channels was significantly enhanced.
He estimated that with the aid of the Channel Opening Pill, each Spirit Channel opening was eight or nine times more efficient.
What's more, the process could be sustained without interruption!
Previously, the meridians would suffer minor damage from the soreness and swelling during Spirit Channel opening, necessitating a period of healing before he could proceed.
With the Channel Opening Pill, the dispersing medicinal effect aided in the healing of torn muscle fibers during cultivation, leaving no impact on subsequent practice.
"A single Channel Opening Pill releases its effects slowly, lasting over ten days. With judicious use of these five pills and the extraordinary properties of the Nine Glories Wheel, I should be able to open two meridians and reach the tenth level!"
Determined not to squander the pill's potency, Yu Yuan devoted all his time to cultivation in the days that followed, except for when he asked the maid, Ann Ziqing, for food.
Yu Cen, after offering his fabricated story, did everything in his power to assist and ensure that Yu Yuan was not disturbed.
Thus, Yu Yuan was able to seamlessly enter a deep state of meditative cultivation.
One night, deep into the silence of the late hours.
Yu Yuan abruptly awoke from his deep meditation, a chill spreading throughout his body!
He was jolted awake because the divine force he was absorbing through his pores was tainted with unnatural spiritual energy.
This spiritual energy carried an icy quality that conflicted with his Nine Glories Wheel practice. Far from aiding his cultivation, it threatened to harm him.
He had no choice but to cease his cultivation.
"Is this cold spiritual energy from Lin Zhuyun, or that cur, Yin Jue?"
Yu Yuan's brow furrowed as he cast a somber look toward the sealed door and window. Calmly, he retrieved a pill from his pocket.
This was a Lizard Blood Pill, crafted from a semi-finished Channel Opening Pill that had undergone a second round of processing.
The Lizard Blood Pill was made using the ashes of the Ruby Parasite.
Yu Yuan had coated these ashes with a black, sticky substance derived from the carcasses of various poisonous insects, masterfully integrating it into the Channel Opening Pill to produce three Lizard Blood Pills.
This pill was a poison pill, specifically concocted for Yin Jue.
"I have the skill to craft a Lizard Blood Pill, and just as well, I can neutralize its poison. Should a friend suffer from the pill's effects due to me, I will assuredly detoxify them. But if an enemy is affected, then... they must fend for themselves."
He gave the porcelain bottle containing the Lizard Blood Pill a vigorous shake.
With the violent motion, the pill inside transformed into a crimson mist within the clear bottle.
Yu Yuan swiftly rose and approached the window. He stealthily lifted a corner of the window, then untwisted the cotton ball plugging the bottle and pointed the opening outward.
The red mist wafted from the bottle, quickly dissipating into the air.
Invisible to the naked eye, minuscule toxic particles blended with the air, naturally drifting toward any source of life power.
A cultivator with profound abilities would discern the myriad tiny red insects, far smaller than mosquitoes, their mouths agape and bat-like wings serrated, joyously and bloodthirstily flitting about.
This was the blood poison released from the Lizard Blood Pill.
The blood poison instinctively lunged toward the scent of flesh and blood it detected.
...
In the shadowy corner of the pavilion, untouched by moonlight, a figure melded with the darkness.
Yin Jue, cloaked in a grey robe, concealed his face with a matching scarf, leaving only his eyes visible. They were as cold as a venomous snake lurking in the shadows, ready to strike.
Ann Ziqing, the maidservant, stared with eyes wide in despair and fear, but she couldn't make a sound. Just like the previous days, she was once again immobilized by Yin Jue's green cold fog. Even her thoughts were frozen, unable to turn due to the penetrating chill of the Arctic Breath.
"Wretched girl, once I've killed that idiot, I'll take my time with you!" Yin Jue's eyes gleamed with a mix of cruelty and depravity. "He'll die first, then you, and after that, the entire Yu family will join you."
Tiny green sparks, the size of grains of rice, flickered like fireflies, forming at the tips of his fingers. The green lights emitted a chilling, sinister aura, swirling around the tower where Yu Yuan was training, seeking entry like malevolent spirits.
"If it didn't work last time, then you'll just have to die again!" Sensing the trajectory of the icy glow with his spiritual energy, Yin Jue's heart swirled with a fierce desire to kill. He was well aware that if Yu Yuan survived, Winter's Bite would never forgive him.
He had reached the Veil Breaking Stage thanks to the "Green Flame" technique granted by Winter's Bite. Although the spell was not of a high rank and came with numerous side effects, it was not comparable to the techniques practiced by Lin Zhuyun. Yet, for Yin Jue, it was the finest spell he could obtain, and he treasured it immensely.
For the sake of the Lin family and to avoid disappointing Winter's Bite, he was prepared to do anything to secure the magic items necessary to advance his cultivation of the Green Flame.
Suddenly, his expression turned to one of sheer alarm!
