Xiao Yan took out the Black Demon Cauldron again, but this time, he didn't plan to refine any medicinal pills. Instead, he intended to smelt more Purple Flame Pills.
The Amethyst Lion Birth Essence was reduced to less than half of its original size after smelting five more Purple Flame Pills.
Xiao Yan sat quietly in the cave, slowly adjusting his mindset and Spiritual Strength. Soon after, Little Fairy Doctor returned with many medicinal herbs she had collected.
Looking at the array of medicinal ingredients laid out in front of him, he smiled slightly at Little Fairy Doctor and said, "See? Heaven never seals off all paths for a person. Who knows, we might just gather two kinds of Heavenly Flames."
Little Fairy Doctor became even more worried when she saw his playful attitude. She said with concern, "If it's really dangerous, let's think of another way."
"Don't worry, I'm not the kind of person who would act recklessly."
"You look exactly like someone who would!"
Xiao Yan burst into hearty laughter at her retort.
...
Half a day later, the Amethyst Winged Lion King descended again. This time, it was carrying a red and blue medicinal cauldron. The cauldron was filled with various auxiliary medicinal herbs, and a few wooden boxes containing several precious main ingredients.
Xiao Yan slowly opened one of the wooden boxes, and a subtle fragrance wafted through the air, instantly invigorating him as if his soul was being nourished.
The medicinal pill he planned to refine was called the Soul Guard Pill, a 4th-tier medicinal pill. The difficulty of refining this pill wasn't particularly high; the hardest part was obtaining the three main ingredients, all of which were extremely rare soul-related medicinal herbs
Even the Amethyst Winged Lion King, who controlled a vast area of the Magic Beast Mountain Range, had taken quite some time to gather them all.
The effect of the Soul Guard Pill was simple and straightforward: it created a protective shield around the soul, guarding the mind and preventing evil spirits from invading the soul and possessing the consciousness.
Xiao Yan cupped his fists in thanks and, without wasting any words, took the medicinal cauldron and all the ingredients into the cave.
He already had two experiences refining 4th-tier medicinal pills. The Sunflame Pill was a low-grade 4th-tier medicinal pill and Xiao Yan was confident he could successfully refine it.
However, the Soul Guard Pill posed more of a challenge. Although it was also a low-grade 4th-tier medicinal pill, it was his first time refining a soul-related pill.
Xiao Yan did not plan to use the Black Demon to refine the Sunflame Pills; instead, he would use the tier 5 medicinal cauldron. Using the Black Demon required Mao Wu to awaken him forcefully each time. If his focused state was forcibly interrupted too many times, he might become unable to enter that state again.
The process of refining the Sunflame Pill went very smoothly thanks to the past half month of practice and his previous successes. In the end, he even managed to produce four pills from a single batch, perfectly extracting all the medicinal properties without any waste.
After tossing the pills to the Lion King, Xiao Yan pretended to forget and placed the medicinal cauldron directly into the cave without returning it. It was clear he intended to keep someone else's medicinal cauldron for himself.
'Phew, let's start cultivating the Spirit Heart Gathering Soul Technique first.'
Xiao Yan had become accustomed to cultivating the Spirit Heart Gathering Soul Technique each time he exhausted his Spiritual Strength, as it could somewhat accelerate his cultivation speed.
His cultivation session lasted for a full day and night. When he opened his eyes again, he felt a sense of clarity, and his perception of his surroundings had changed.
Unexpectedly, Xiao Yan had entered a wondrous state by a stroke of luck!
'The Spirit Heart Gathering Soul Technique has reached a minor level of mastery. It's still one step away from major mastery.'
Xiao Yan's eyes sharpened as a wisp of black flame instantly ignited from the Black Demon Cauldron! With lightning-fast movements, he grabbed the ingredients for the Soul Guard Pill he had prepared beforehand and began the alchemy process, taking advantage of his current state of clarity.
This time, he unexpectedly relied on his own ability to enter a state of absolute concentration and break free from the Black Demon's control! He had triumphed over the Black Demon and was now in complete command of it!
His hands moved with agility, his ten fingers extending threads of pure white soul energy. At this moment, Xiao Yan transformed into a puppet master as his nimble fingers manipulated the black flames.
The fire had become his puppet!
His fingers danced. Finally, two Soul Guard Pills fell into the pill bottle with two crisp clangs under his fire waltz. A soul-enticing fragrance immediately wafted out from the cave.
With the successful refinement of these two Soul Guard Pills, Xiao Yan had completely mastered the ability to refine 4th-tier medicinal pills. He was now on par with any 4th-tier alchemist.
Even with the aid of the Nihility Devouring Flame, it was astonishing that a 5-star Dou Master not yet eighteen years old could be a 4th-tier alchemist. If this news were to spread, no one would believe it.
Not to mention Little Fairy Doctor and the Little Lion King, even the Amethyst Winged Lion King felt a shiver upon smelling this pill fragrance. Its eyes narrowed as it gazed at Xiao Yan in the cave, its regard for him rising several notches.
'In my several hundred years of life, I've never heard of such a young 4th-tier alchemist! This boy is truly a genius; his Master must be no ordinary figure.'
Xiao Yan packed everything into his storage ring and with a swift motion, pulled out his Soul Robe and draped it over himself. Not only did he not feel any weakness in his Spiritual Strength, but after refining the pills, he felt even more energized!
"Lion King, there's no time to lose." The Purple Cloud Wings appeared on Xiao Yan's back. With his increased Spiritual Strength, the wings looked even more lifelike, almost indistinguishable from the wings of a real Purple Cloud Black Fire Eagle.
"I'm going too," Little Fairy Doctor said firmly.
"Little Fairy Doctor, you need to stay here. If anything happens, you must leave the valley immediately," Xiao Yan whispered close to her ear.
"But..."
"If something really goes wrong, at least there will still be someone who can save me. If the Lion King and I don't return on time, go to Jia Nan Academy and find a girl named Xiao Xun Er. She will have a way to rescue me," Xiao Yan instructed earnestly.
Xiao Yan knew that Xun Er's background was not simple. If the worst truly happened and even the Amethyst Winged Lion King couldn't escape, then perhaps only Xun Er would be able to save him.
Little Fairy Doctor could only sigh helplessly and nod in agreement when she heard his words.
Naturally, the Little Lion King would not venture to such a perilous place as the Beast Tomb; only Xiao Yan and the Amethyst Winged Lion King would go.
Yun Yun would never have imagined that after she and Xiao Yan caused a ruckus in the Lion King's lair a month ago, injuring the Little Lion King and stealing the Amethyst Lion Birth Essence and the Purple Spirit Crystal, the Lion King would now team up with Xiao Yan to obtain the Ten Thousand Beast Flame from the Beast Tomb!
The twists and turns of fate were truly unpredictable.
================
Soaring through the sky, Xiao Yan followed closely behind the Amethyst Winged Lion King as they ventured deeper into the Magic Beast Mountain Range toward the easternmost depths. He flew fearlessly through the sky with the protection of the Lion King.
The two of them passed through a bank of clouds and arrived at a cliff in the deepest part of the Magic Beast Mountain Range. As Xiao Yan gazed down through the mist, he was completely stunned by the scene before him.
In the misty canyon basin below the cliff, bones littered the ground as far as the eye could see, even piling up into mountains. Among these piles of bones were all kinds of skeletal remains—human bones and various magical beast skeletons. Some magical beast skeletons were only the size of a human head, while others towered over ten meters high.
Scattered on the ground were numerous weapons, armor, gemstones, medicinal cauldrons, and even Qi Method scrolls. However, all of these items were already in a state of disrepair, reduced to mere scrap.
'Are these all from that battle years ago?' Xiao Yan's pupils contracted as he saw the bones covering the ground before him. It was truly terrifying.
A single 7th-tier alchemist had caused such a scene!
The cliff canyon basin before his eyes might have been the result of that battle three hundred years ago!
"Three hundred years ago, nearly all the magical beasts from the entire Magic Beast Mountain Range participated in that war to protect the Ten Thousand Beast Flame. However, the result couldn't be called a complete victory," the Amethyst Winged Lion King explained. It had also participated in the battle back then, but at that time, it had not yet reached Rank 6 and was not part of the main force.
The magical beasts of the entire Magic Beast Mountain Range, and yet they had only narrowly won! Even the Snake-People Tribe, the greatest threat to the Jia Ma Empire, probably paled in comparison to the Magic Beast Mountain Range of that time.
"Let's go in." Xiao Yan took a deep breath and slowly circulated his Dou Qi, his gaze becoming incomparably sharp.
"I'm only responsible for bringing you to the Beast Tomb." The Amethyst Winged Lion King directly refused Xiao Yan's proposal. It had only agreed to provide information about the Ten Thousand Beast Flame's location, not to help him obtain it.
Xiao Yan chuckled and said, "Lion King, you're not being reasonable. You said you would tell me where the Ten Thousand Beast Flame is located. There's not even a flicker of flame here. How do I know you're not deceiving me? At the very least, you should take me to a place where I can see the Ten Thousand Beast Flame."
"I won't intervene in anything that happens along the way."
"Don't worry, I'm not that weak."
No sooner had his words fallen than a faint sound suddenly rang out. Wisps of mist gathered behind him and instantly condensed into a human silhouette. This misty figure lunged at him like a ghostly shadow, as if trying to invade his mind and take over.
The void suddenly distorted with a humming sound. A mass of black flames twisted around the ghostly figure like a black hole and devoured it in a matter of moments.
Even the Amethyst Winged Lion King couldn't help but be surprised to see Xiao Yan so effortlessly exterminate a ghostly figure. Although this was still the outskirts of the Beast Tomb, where the ghostly figures were formed from the resentment of deceased Dou Masters and Dou Grandmasters, they were not so easily eliminated.
"Is something wrong, Lion King? We can proceed now," Xiao Yan smiled nonchalantly. This time, he was determined to obtain the Ten Thousand Beast Flame!