Chapter 149 Refining Medicine

Soon, Elder Han said to Ye Fan and Lin An, "Well, it is time to put you into the medicine cauldron."

"Elder Han, my time is running short. Could I at least have a full meal?"

To make the act convincing, Lin An and Ye Fan felt they had to put up a bit of a struggle, otherwise it would look far too fake.

"Don't waste your breath. What good would delaying for a mere moment do? Get in there immediately." Elder Han grabbed Ye Fan, carried him over to the medicine cauldrons, and said, "Choose one yourself. That is your only privilege."

Realizing that no other options remained, Ye Fan began to hurl abuses: "Old scoundrel Han, I curse your ancestors to the eighteenth generation, I greet every female relative in your family..."

Elder Han remained as calm as a placid well, completely turning a deaf ear. He unceremoniously dumped both Ye Fan and Lin An into the medicine cauldron, then walked over to a corner of the stone chamber, brought back several large porcelain jars, and poured an unknown liquid into the cauldron with a loud *gurgle, gurgle* sound.

"What is this?" Ye Fan felt a wave of fragrance rush into his nose and mouth.

"This is the extract refined from various herbs, an indispensable ingredient in alchemy. If purified further, it yields the Hundred-Herb Liquid." As he spoke, Elder Han poured all the liquid from the large jars into the cauldron.

Afterward, Elder Han brought the rare spiritual herbs from the medicine cabinet close by and muttered, "Finally, all the spiritual herbs are gathered. I hope I can successfully brew the divine elixir I desire."

With that, he first took out the lotus seed produced by the dark jade divine lotus. The pigeon-egg-sized seed was pitch-black yet translucent, crystal-clear, radiating wisps of dark light. Its sweet fragrance penetrated straight into one's internal organs; the mere aroma alone made one feel refreshed and invigorated.

"Little brat, were you thinking of swallowing it whole?" Elder Han stared at Ye Fan with a cold sneer. "Abandon such unrealistic fantasies." With these words, he dropped the lotus seed into the medicine cauldron, drew a dagger, and proceeded to let Ye Fan's blood.

"You..."

"Alchemy requires the main ingredient, and its essence lies entirely within the flesh and blood. Naturally, your blood must flow out first to consecrate the cauldron." At this moment, Elder Han revealed an extremely cruel side.

As for Lin An, he did not bother bleeding him. Lin An was merely a mortal of flesh and blood; once the temperature rose even slightly, his skin would split and his blood would drain away naturally, making him vastly different from Ye Fan, who possessed the Archaic Saint Body.

This was the conclusion he had reached through observation.

*Splat.*

Blood splashed everywhere. Elder Han pierced Ye Fan's right arm with the dagger, and blood surged forth, instantly staining the liquid inside the medicine cauldron red. Revealing his sinister nature and dropping his lifeless facade, Elder Han shot two grim, piercing rays from his eyes and violently punctured both of Ye Fan's legs as well.

Ye Fan felt an excruciating pain shooting through all four of his limbs, and his face turned somewhat pale.

Had Lin An not previously warned him of what was bound to happen, he would never have been willing to accept such a fate.

To possess the power to protect oneself in this bizarre and wondrous world, one had to be willing to lose something in the process.

Gritting his teeth to endure, he continued to mutter curses under his breath.

"Do not harbor any delusions that a miracle will occur!" Finishing this sentence, Elder Han drove the dagger straight into Ye Fan's chest, his voice chillingly harsh. "By sparing your heart, I ensure you will not die immediately. Soaked in this hundred-herb broth, you should be able to last a very long time. I want to keep you conscious while slowly refining you into the divine medicine I need."

Like an evil ghost, Elder Han stretched out his withered tongue and licked the blood off the dagger, looking utterly grotesque. "A most sweet taste. I am eagerly anticipating the moment the elixir is formed."

"You old immortal..." Ye Fan gritted his teeth and glared angrily. He felt intense pain wracking his entire body as his life force slowly slipped away.

At this moment, Elder Han opened a rustic jade box, took out the emerald-green, crystal-clear fruit produced by the azure-jade snow lotus, and dropped it into the medicine cauldron. The green divine radiance made the liquid inside shimmer brilliantly.

"Little brat, you should be content. To be melted in a single furnace with so many spiritual herbs is a blessing cultivated over ten lifetimes."

"A blessing to your grandfather! My regards to every female in your entire family..." Ye Fan cursed aloud, wishing he could flinch the flesh off Elder Han. As his blood continued to flow, he felt his life force steadily withering away.

At that moment, Elder Han picked up a nine-leaf divine herb that resembled red jade, its surface flashing with a brilliant crimson glow. Legend had it that only untainted lands stained with the divine blood of a phoenix could nurture such a rare spiritual herb.

After casting the nine-leaf phoenix divine herb into the medicine cauldron, he suddenly furrowed his brows and muttered to himself, "No, throwing all these spiritual herbs in at once is too risky. If it fails, all my efforts will come to nothing..." Hesitating, he thought, *Perhaps I should refine the main ingredient first. If that succeeds, I can add the other spiritual herbs later.*

He stopped after throwing in only three rare spiritual herbs.

The medicine cabinet glowed brilliantly and exuded a rich fragrance, with strange spiritual herbs of various colors wreathed in halos of light, every single one of them just as precious as the three he had just cast into the cauldron.

"I shall refine these three spiritual herbs together with the main ingredient first and see the results." Having made up his mind, Elder Han put away all the other glowing spiritual herbs.

"Little brat, do you have any last words?" With a mocking expression, Elder Han picked up the cauldron lid from the side, preparing to seal it.

Ye Fan, extremely weak, managed to gasp, "Old scoundrel, could you please smash your own head against this medicine cauldron and die?"

*Bang.*

Elder Han slammed the bronze lid directly onto the medicine cauldron and began to tend the fire for alchemy. Ordinary mortal flames could never refine spiritual elixirs; he was drawing upon the "fire fiend" channeled from deep underground, where milky-white silver radiance flickered and leaped menacingly beneath the great cauldron.

The very reason he had carved out this secret dwelling underground was because of the presence of this "fire fiend," the most formidable flame within his current realm of control.

"Now, you can use the Dao Scripture you cultivate to repair your own injuries!"

Seeing the medicine cauldron sealed shut, Lin An hurriedly spoke to Ye Fan.

To be honest, watching the agony Ye Fan endured, he had truly feared that Ye Fan might not be able to hold on and would eventually pass out from the pain. Fortunately, it seemed Ye Fan had pulled through.

"If you hadn't warned me about all this beforehand, I really would have suspected you were in cahoots with that old scoundrel."

Ye Fan gritted his teeth and said. The sensation was akin to dying a death; had he known the extent of the torment beforehand, he might well have chosen to give up.

The silver flames flickered, continuously gushing from the depths of the earth, radiating a gentle glow infused with fluctuating spiritual energy. Saintly radiance endlessly poured into the medicine cauldron.

The entire stone chamber shimmered with pristine light, swirling like wisps of faint mist, looking misty and ethereal, much like the immortal abode of deities, dense with spiritual energy.

This "fire fiend" was extraordinary. Beyond providing the appropriate temperature, its most crucial trait was supplying a unique spiritual energy capable of dissolving the herbs, condensing the essence of life, and forging spiritual elixirs.

As the silver flames danced, the bronze medicine cauldron was shrouded in milky-white spiritual mist, appearing as though it had acquired life itself, with the inscriptions upon its surface seeming to stir back into action.

Elder Han sat quietly cross-legged to the side, eyes tightly closed, keeping watch over the medicine cauldron, his withered body devoid of any perceptible life fluctuations.