At this life-or-death moment, Shu Han's intense survival instinct pushed his potential to its limits. His mind raced with piercing pain. Ignoring the evaporation of his own blood in the furnace fire, he tirelessly revised the crude formation based on the painful areas of his body.
Despite being bombarded by countless furnace fires and his body on the verge of collapsing, Shu Han still entered a profound state of enlightenment.
In half an hour, Shu Han experienced hundreds of cycles of physical scorching and reinvigoration. He revised the formation more than a hundred times, each mistake deepening his understanding of the Pure Ice Jade Pillar.
The intricate and complex formation of the Pure Ice Jade Pillar gradually merged with the "Heavenly Fire Manipulation Art" in his mind. Using his wisdom and outstanding knowledge of formations, Shu Han finally reverse-engineered the entire Pure Ice Jade Pillar formation through the art.
Although many details remained elusive, he had grasped the core essence of the icy formation.
As the essence blood on his fingertips rapidly evaporated, Shu Han finished the last stroke of the formation on himself. Finally, after multiple revisions, the patched-up formation pattern operated correctly for the first time.
Seated cross-legged in the furnace, patterns similar to the Fiery Cloud Onsen's icy formation surrounded Shu Han. This formation converted the encroaching Earth Dragon Fire into harmless heavenly fire essence, constantly infusing it into his shattered body.
He remained in a meditative state, continually adjusting the formation on his body to counteract the surrounding Earth Dragon Fire.
With the endless influx of heavenly fire essence, Shu Han felt the Black Abyssal Fire within him rapidly growing. The various herbs he ingested were gradually integrated into his body under the refinement of both internal and external fires.
The sealing formation Elder Lu placed within him crumbled under the hammering of these fires, and Shu Han instantly regained his cultivation.
Now, his body was charred by the Earth Dragon Fire. However, the dual effect of the heavenly fires and spiritual medicines quickly revitalized and transformed Shu Han's physique.
His eyes gleamed, Shu Han inhaled all the medicine liquid within the furnace. Instantly, the spiritual power within him surged to a pinnacle.
Shu Han knew he had successfully set up a crude icy formation. The Earth Dragon Fire could no longer harm him; instead, it became his nourishment. However, he still had to face Elder Lu in the future, and he was far from being a match for him.
To survive, he had only one chance!
Using Elder Lu's heavenly fire and spiritual liquid, he would break through the late-stage barrier!
In Shu Han's mind, if he could advance to the late stage and leverage the robust spiritual power of the Dragon Mystical Triple Rotation Divine Art, he might escape from this old man whose lifespan was nearing its end.
But it was merely a possibility!
Shu Han was uncertain if he could break through in such an environment, as the barrier to the late stage seemed insurmountable.
Furthermore, even if he managed to break through, apart from the Heavenly Feather White Phoenix Armor, all his other magic treasures were not with him. Could he truly escape from that old man's grasp? Every Core Formation cultivator was not to be underestimated!
However, these doubts flashed by briefly. Shu Han had no time to second-guess. At this juncture, he had to focus wholeheartedly on breaking through to the late stage. Only by being on equal footing with that old man and fighting him could he see a glimmer of hope.
At this moment, Shu Han had no fallback option; it was a do-or-die situation. Yet, this life-or-death determination stirred the Dragon-Phoenix power that had always been lurking deep in his dantian.
The dragon lies dormant in the abyss, waiting for its time.
Years ago, after Shangguan Ruolin dual cultivated with Shu Han, she managed to suppress the Dragon-Phoenix power, formed from the combination of her first dual cultivation's Phoenix Essence and the Dragon's Roar, deep within Shu Han's dantian. This power was to aid Shu Han in his assault on the Golden Core path when he reached the peak of the Foundation Establishment.
Now, sensing the imminent threat to Shu Han's life, this power no longer stayed dormant and actively connected with Shu Han's consciousness. Shu Han instantly felt that he could wield this magnificent force. It was like a child holding a massive hammer, the power was so immense that even he was taken aback.
Shu Han knew that once he utilized this Dragon-Phoenix power, his path to Core Formation in the future would be even more challenging. But he had no other choice. Only this Dragon-Phoenix power could pose a genuine threat to Elder Lu.
He waited in silence. His cultivation level was accumulating for a breakthrough. The heavenly fire within him was growing rapidly. His physical body was undergoing a transformation.
The moment Elder Lu removes the furnace lid would be the decisive moment of life and death!
...
Outside the furnace, Elder Lu watched as the source of the Earth Dragon Fire gradually seeped into the alchemy furnace. He felt it was strange.
In his many years of alchemy experience, he had never seen a pill actively absorb the essence of heavenly fire. Could it be that the pill he was crafting was so against the heavens that it could counteract the heavenly fire? He sent his consciousness into the alchemy furnace and realized that all the spiritual herbs had vanished, all converging in the furnace's core, resembling the embryonic form of a pill.
But wasn't this embryo a bit too large?
Elder Lu grew anxious. His alchemy experience of over two thousand years couldn't explain this phenomenon.
What exactly was this embryo within the furnace?
He never even considered the possibility that Shu Han was still alive. In his mind, being refined by the Earth Dragon Fire for so long meant that even a Golden Core cultivator would be on the brink of death. Let alone Shu Han, who was merely at the middle phase of the Foundation Establishment; he must be as dead as one can get.
"Could it be that this pill, attempting to defy the heavens, is so extraordinary that it has formed such a large embryo?"
After pondering for a while, Elder Lu was tempted to open the lid and inspect the composition of the embryo inside the furnace.
But he dared not. One of the taboos in alchemy is opening the furnace lid halfway through. Opening it before the pill is formed might cause the medicinal essence to evaporate. At best, it would reduce the pill's potency, and at worst, it would destroy the pill entirely.
"It's better to follow the procedure and nurture the pill with the heavenly fire. If something goes wrong, I won't have the time to wait for another pill in the remainder of my life."
Thus, Elder Lu calmed himself and continued to channel the Earth Dragon Fire.
This refining process took three days and three nights. Elder Lu distinctly felt the life essence within the furnace becoming more and more vigorous, which thrilled him. It was the phenomenon of the pill nearing completion.
This pill, capable of defying the heavens, could greatly extend a cultivator's lifespan, and its life essence was incredibly potent!
"Ahaha! With a pill possessing such vitality, I can extend my life by at least 500 years! Reaching the middle phase is in sight!"
Elder Lu laughed heartily, increasing his spiritual power output, and preparing for the pill's final formation.
His Earth Dragon Fire was now very weak, but he didn't care and continued to intensify his input. As an elder of the Fiery Cloud Instant Sect, as long as there's even a shred of Earth Dragon Fire source, he knew dozens of ways to cultivate and strengthen it again!
Three hours later, a burst of vigorous life energy exploded from within the furnace, causing the entire furnace to shake. Elder Lu's expression changed unpredictably, wondering what was happening. Could the pill have formed ahead of schedule?
This entire pill-refining process felt unfamiliar to him. The old man had an inkling that something was off but couldn't pinpoint what. He paced back and forth around the furnace.
Though it seemed like the pill was ready, Elder Lu still didn't dare to lift the lid.
Shu Han, who had finally made his breakthrough to the late stage, was anxiously waiting inside the furnace, wondering why the old man hadn't opened the lid to retrieve the pill yet.
At this life-or-death moment, Shu Han's intense survival instinct pushed his potential to its limits. His mind raced with piercing pain. Ignoring the evaporation of his own blood in the furnace fire, he tirelessly revised the crude formation based on the painful areas of his body.
Despite being bombarded by countless furnace fires and his body on the verge of collapsing, Shu Han still entered a profound state of enlightenment.
In half an hour, Shu Han experienced hundreds of cycles of physical scorching and reinvigoration. He revised the formation more than a hundred times, each mistake deepening his understanding of the Pure Ice Jade Pillar.
The intricate and complex formation of the Pure Ice Jade Pillar gradually merged with the "Heavenly Fire Manipulation Art" in his mind. Using his wisdom and outstanding knowledge of formations, Shu Han finally reverse-engineered the entire Pure Ice Jade Pillar formation through the art.
Although many details remained elusive, he had grasped the core essence of the icy formation.
As the essence blood on his fingertips rapidly evaporated, Shu Han finished the last stroke of the formation on himself. Finally, after multiple revisions, the patched-up formation pattern operated correctly for the first time.
Seated cross-legged in the furnace, patterns similar to the Fiery Cloud Onsen's icy formation surrounded Shu Han. This formation converted the encroaching Earth Dragon Fire into harmless heavenly fire essence, constantly infusing it into his shattered body.
He remained in a meditative state, continually adjusting the formation on his body to counteract the surrounding Earth Dragon Fire.
With the endless influx of heavenly fire essence, Shu Han felt the Black Abyssal Fire within him rapidly growing. The various herbs he ingested were gradually integrated into his body under the refinement of both internal and external fires.
The sealing formation Elder Lu placed within him crumbled under the hammering of these fires, and Shu Han instantly regained his cultivation.
Now, his body was charred by the Earth Dragon Fire. However, the dual effect of the heavenly fires and spiritual medicines quickly revitalized and transformed Shu Han's physique.
His eyes gleamed, Shu Han inhaled all the medicine liquid within the furnace. Instantly, the spiritual power within him surged to a pinnacle.
Shu Han knew he had successfully set up a crude icy formation. The Earth Dragon Fire could no longer harm him; instead, it became his nourishment. However, he still had to face Elder Lu in the future, and he was far from being a match for him.
To survive, he had only one chance!
Using Elder Lu's heavenly fire and spiritual liquid, he would break through the late-stage barrier!
In Shu Han's mind, if he could advance to the late stage and leverage the robust spiritual power of the Dragon Mystical Triple Rotation Divine Art, he might escape from this old man whose lifespan was nearing its end.
But it was merely a possibility!
Shu Han was uncertain if he could break through in such an environment, as the barrier to the late stage seemed insurmountable.
Furthermore, even if he managed to break through, apart from the Heavenly Feather White Phoenix Armor, all his other magic treasures were not with him. Could he truly escape from that old man's grasp? Every Core Formation cultivator was not to be underestimated!
However, these doubts flashed by briefly. Shu Han had no time to second-guess. At this juncture, he had to focus wholeheartedly on breaking through to the late stage. Only by being on equal footing with that old man and fighting him could he see a glimmer of hope.
At this moment, Shu Han had no fallback option; it was a do-or-die situation. Yet, this life-or-death determination stirred the Dragon-Phoenix power that had always been lurking deep in his dantian.
The dragon lies dormant in the abyss, waiting for its time.
Years ago, after Shangguan Ruolin dual cultivated with Shu Han, she managed to suppress the Dragon-Phoenix power, formed from the combination of her first dual cultivation's Phoenix Essence and the Dragon's Roar, deep within Shu Han's dantian. This power was to aid Shu Han in his assault on the Golden Core path when he reached the peak of the Foundation Establishment.
Now, sensing the imminent threat to Shu Han's life, this power no longer stayed dormant and actively connected with Shu Han's consciousness. Shu Han instantly felt that he could wield this magnificent force. It was like a child holding a massive hammer, the power was so immense that even he was taken aback.
Shu Han knew that once he utilized this Dragon-Phoenix power, his path to Core Formation in the future would be even more challenging. But he had no other choice. Only this Dragon-Phoenix power could pose a genuine threat to Elder Lu.
He waited in silence. His cultivation level was accumulating for a breakthrough. The heavenly fire within him was growing rapidly. His physical body was undergoing a transformation.
The moment Elder Lu removes the furnace lid would be the decisive moment of life and death!
...
Outside the furnace, Elder Lu watched as the source of the Earth Dragon Fire gradually seeped into the alchemy furnace. He felt it was strange.
In his many years of alchemy experience, he had never seen a pill actively absorb the essence of heavenly fire. Could it be that the pill he was crafting was so against the heavens that it could counteract the heavenly fire? He sent his consciousness into the alchemy furnace and realized that all the spiritual herbs had vanished, all converging in the furnace's core, resembling the embryonic form of a pill.
But wasn't this embryo a bit too large?
Elder Lu grew anxious. His alchemy experience of over two thousand years couldn't explain this phenomenon.
What exactly was this embryo within the furnace?
He never even considered the possibility that Shu Han was still alive. In his mind, being refined by the Earth Dragon Fire for so long meant that even a Golden Core cultivator would be on the brink of death. Let alone Shu Han, who was merely at the middle phase of the Foundation Establishment; he must be as dead as one can get.
"Could it be that this pill, attempting to defy the heavens, is so extraordinary that it has formed such a large embryo?"
After pondering for a while, Elder Lu was tempted to open the lid and inspect the composition of the embryo inside the furnace.
But he dared not. One of the taboos in alchemy is opening the furnace lid halfway through. Opening it before the pill is formed might cause the medicinal essence to evaporate. At best, it would reduce the pill's potency, and at worst, it would destroy the pill entirely.
"It's better to follow the procedure and nurture the pill with the heavenly fire. If something goes wrong, I won't have the time to wait for another pill in the remainder of my life."
Thus, Elder Lu calmed himself and continued to channel the Earth Dragon Fire.
This refining process took three days and three nights. Elder Lu distinctly felt the life essence within the furnace becoming more and more vigorous, which thrilled him. It was the phenomenon of the pill nearing completion.
This pill, capable of defying the heavens, could greatly extend a cultivator's lifespan, and its life essence was incredibly potent!
"Ahaha! With a pill possessing such vitality, I can extend my life by at least 500 years! Reaching the middle phase is in sight!"
Elder Lu laughed heartily, increasing his spiritual power output, and preparing for the pill's final formation.
His Earth Dragon Fire was now very weak, but he didn't care and continued to intensify his input. As an elder of the Fiery Cloud Instant Sect, as long as there's even a shred of Earth Dragon Fire source, he knew dozens of ways to cultivate and strengthen it again!
Three hours later, a burst of vigorous life energy exploded from within the furnace, causing the entire furnace to shake. Elder Lu's expression changed unpredictably, wondering what was happening. Could the pill have formed ahead of schedule?
This entire pill-refining process felt unfamiliar to him. The old man had an inkling that something was off but couldn't pinpoint what. He paced back and forth around the furnace.
Though it seemed like the pill was ready, Elder Lu still didn't dare to lift the lid.
Shu Han, who had finally made his breakthrough to the late stage, was anxiously waiting inside the furnace, wondering why the old man hadn't opened the lid to retrieve the pill yet.
