Ren Zu walked through the silent corridors of his residence until he reached a small side door that led to his private garden.
The soft sound of the night wind brushing against the leaves and the silvery glow of the moon reflecting on the herbs created an immortal atmosphere. Compared to a few months ago, the garden had grown considerably. Even without him dedicating time to tending the plants, the herbs bloomed in full vigor.
This was due to the unique nature of the soil, which was bathed daily in the vapor of the [Life Spirit Flame], acquiring a level of vitality far beyond any common earth. One could say that the soil in that garden carried a priority similar to the flame itself, albeit on a much smaller scale. Even so, it was enough for the herbs to grow dozens of times faster than normal.
He observed the plants and smiled faintly.
Amid the profusion of colors and fragrances, three particularly rare specimens stood out: the Golden Sun Herb, which emitted a soft glow every time the sun rose; the White Eternity Fruit, which ripened only once every ten thousand years; and the Lunar Flame Leaf, a plant that absorbed the cold energy of the moon and transformed it into vitality.
These were the main components of the [Sun and Moon Pill], one of the most difficult pills Ren Zu had learned to create through the [Miracle of Life]. It was known for extending the life of whoever ingested it, harmonizing the solar and lunar energies within the body, balancing the cycles of vitality and rest. In its most perfect form, a single pill could prolong someone's life by a billion years, elevating even an ordinary mortal to the level of a True God in terms of longevity.
However, the ingredients necessary for a divine pill were practically impossible to gather in the current Primordial Chaos. Most had vanished along with the True Gods themselves. Still, he didn't need anything that exalted.
An inferior version would suffice for what he intended.
With the herbs he possessed, he could create a pill capable of granting ten thousand years of life to the Little Demon Empress, the lifespan of a profound practitioner in the Divine Origin Realm. And if she continued to cultivate and reached even higher levels, her longevity could extend much further.
Thinking up to that point, with a gentle movement of his right hand, he raised his arm, and the [Vermilion Bird Flames] emerged in the palm of his hand. They danced silently, swirling and molding under his will until they took the shape of a majestic cauldron—his profound art of the [Vermilion Bird Divine Cauldron].
With his other hand, he concentrated his profound energy and traced a brief gesture in the air. Following his command, various herbs began to rise slowly, suspended by an invisible force. The roots trembled, releasing small sparks of medicinal energy that glimmered in the air like spiritual fireflies. Then, one by one, the herbs were thrown into the flaming cauldron.
The Blazing Sun Lotus was the first to be devoured by the flames, emitting a low, vibrant sound, like the distant roar of a sleeping dragon. Soon after, the Nine Yin Moon Flower was absorbed, and a blue-silver mist enveloped the cauldron, blending with the red light and creating a spectacle of colors that seemed to defy logic. The Thousand Souls Herb, the Miren Celestial Root, the Lunar Flame Leaf... all followed the same fate.
Inside the cauldron, each herb was broken down into pure essence and blended with the others under his meticulous control.
His expression remained indifferent, but his eyes gleamed with absolute concentration.
No error would be tolerated.
The air grew thick with the scent of combusting medicinal essences.
A thin layer of golden light began to emerge from the cauldron, undulating in circles that resembled the rising and setting of the sun—the perfect symbol of the [Sun and Moon Pill].
Ren Zu adjusted the intensity of the flames, reducing it until the fire became almost transparent. Within it, small spheres began to form, orbiting one another like two celestial bodies in perfect harmony.
When the process reached the ideal point, he raised his finger and made a quick seal in the air.
The cauldron responded immediately, condensing all the accumulated energy into a single point.
Ren Zu merged the two pills into a single incandescent sphere, and in that instant, the surrounding air seemed to tremble. The golden and silver glow intertwined in a whirlwind of energy that lightly distorted space, as if the world itself resisted the formation of something so unnatural.
Droplets of sweat trickled from his forehead and slid down his chin, evaporating before they even touched the ground. If not for his absolute mastery over his profound energy, he would already have been consumed by exhaustion. Refining a pill like that, even an inferior version, was something that surpassed the limits of what a practitioner in the Emperor Profound Realm could achieve.
Ren Zu maintained the seal formed with his fingers, his eyes fixed on the sphere of light hovering before him.
Within it, gold and silver fused into an intense white glow, a light pure enough to blind a mortal. It was like witnessing the birth of a new sun.
The fusion finally reached the critical point. A low hum reverberated through the garden, and the flames began to slowly retract, sucked back into the central sphere. The fire cauldron vanished silently, leaving only a white light suspended in the air, flickering like a living flame.
Finally, the light began to dissipate, revealing a single pill.
It was the size of a pearl, yet it emanated a presence that transcended any mortal understanding. Its surface constantly alternated between golden and silver tones, and inside, a small sun and moon seemed to orbit in perfect harmony. Even the surrounding air seemed to bow.
Ren Zu extended his hand and held it between his fingers. He observed it for a long time, the artifact's glow reflecting in his calm eyes.
"Perfect."
A part of him felt proud to have succeeded in creating such a pill—something no other living being, except him, could achieve at that moment in the Primordial Chaos.
With the [Sun and Moon Pill], the Little Demon Empress would no longer need to worry about the burden of death for at least ten thousand years.
Ren Zu gently turned his hand, and a small white jade box appeared before him, floating above his palm. Carefully, he placed the [Sun and Moon Pill] inside it. As soon as the lid closed, the little box emitted a faint golden glow and vanished into the air.
After storing the [Sun and Moon Pill], he sat cross-legged on the garden grass, eyes closed, immersing himself in silence to recover the profound energy consumed earlier.
The moonlight fell upon him, highlighting the immortal features of his face. The aroma of the surrounding herbs floated through the air, mingling with the gentle night breeze, yet carrying a medicinal purity that seemed to nourish even the soul.
Time passed slowly. When he opened his eyes again, all exhaustion had vanished.
He rose slowly, and a faint smile formed on his lips.
Soon, he would leave that place to reside in the Palace, by the side of the Little Demon Empress. Therefore, before departing, he intended to use all the herbs in his garden—besides, there were still pills he wanted to refine.
With a sweep of his arm, several herbs rose from the ground. They floated until forming a perfect circle in front of him, exuding a dense and refined fragrance.
Ren Zu created the [Vermilion Bird Divine Cauldron] once more.
He wanted to refine some [Overlord Pills].
It possessed the power to allow a profound practitioner at the peak of the Emperor Profound Realm to instantly surpass their limitations and ascend to the Tyrant Profound Realm. He intended to use it only when he reached the tenth level of the Emperor Profound Realm, which would likely happen in a few months. Thus, he decided to prepare it now, while he still had time and tranquility, as he would be occupied in the coming months.
Although the materials required to make an Overlord Pill were precious and rare, they were not rare to the point of being incomparably precious. While these materials were valuable treasures that were difficult to buy with money for the common man, for powers at the level of a Guardian Family or a Duke Palace, they could be considered extremely common. Their foundation of over ten thousand years was not just for show.
But the reason the Overlord Pill was so valuable—that even Guardian Families and Duke Palaces desired it—was because its refinement method was simply far too difficult. Refining each pill would consume an immeasurable amount of effort and time. In addition, the refinement period for each Overlord Pill could be as long as fifty years! Not only that, but during those fifty years, the individual had to meticulously control the heat, the amount of ingredients used, and the precise timing at which the ingredients were added. Everything had to be extremely precise. Moreover, morning dew and evening dew had to be used each day to purify it, and the most suitable profound energy had to be used to guide its medicinal power...
And during those fifty years, a single misstep would render all prior efforts wasted.
In the entire Illusory Demon Realm, there were currently only two people who had the skill to refine an Overlord Pill. Those two people had to expend all their energy to refine just one. Although they worked on it with the utmost meticulous care for fifty years, the success rate of refining an Overlord Pill was only fifty percent.
Thus, in a hundred years, Duke Bao Qing Palace, which was capable of producing such pills, could produce at most two Overlord Pills.
It was no exaggeration to say that each Overlord Pill was refined using the lives of the members of Duke Bao Qing Palace.
Although the difficulty was great for others, that did not mean it was for him, who could be comparable.
Ren Zu maintained the same calm and indifferent gaze as the [Vermilion Bird Divine Cauldron] floated before him, made entirely of living flames.
Twelve sets of herbs hovered in a circle, each prepared to become an [Overlord Pill]. The mere sight would be enough to make anyone capable of refining it faint from shock. Refining one was already a task that required decades; he, however, would refine twelve... in a single session.
With a gesture, the [Vermilion Bird Flames] burned furiously.
The twelve portions of herbs were sucked into the flaming cauldron, dissolving into a storm of colors.
Inside the cauldron, the process that would take others fifty years unfolded at an unimaginable pace. The spiritual essences collided, fused, and purified in perfect cycles.
His hand seals changed in a fluid sequence. The cauldron responded, compressing the twelve essences into gleaming cores. Each core spun in opposite directions, balancing the energy flow and preventing mutual annihilation.
One hour passed.
Just one.
The flames abruptly ceased, retracting into the cauldron. The fire vanished, and in the air remained only twelve pills floating side by side.
Ren Zu randomly picked up one pill and gave it a cursory glance... all the refined medicinal pills were of the highest quality. Just the glow and aura alone were several degrees purer than those pills refined by Duke Bao Qing Palace. As for effectiveness and medicinal gentleness, it was far, far superior.
Not only that, the amount of materials consumed was only a quarter of what Duke Bao Qing Palace used. After all, the refinement methods of ordinary people would inevitably cause a large portion of the medicinal effect to be lost in the process. But with the [Vermilion Bird Flames] and his own profound alchemy art, no medicinal effect would be lost.
He gently moved his hand, and the twelve pills aligned in a row before him. With a gesture, a long crimson jade box materialized in the air.
The pills slowly descended and rested inside it. As soon as the lid closed, the jade glowed faintly and then disappeared.
Silence returned to the garden.
Only the distant sound of the night wind remained.
Ren Zu sighed, lightly cracking his neck.
"One hour of work, fifty years of effort saved... I suppose that already counts as efficiency."
He paused briefly, as if reflecting on something, before speaking again:
"By the way, Caiyi... what are you doing here?"
His tone carried no surprise or reproach, only tranquil curiosity, as if he had known of her presence long before calling her. Indeed, he had sensed her a while ago; his spiritual perception was abnormally sharp. In the entire Illusory Demon Realm, no one could approach him without being noticed.
Less than five steps away, a small and delicate figure stood among the garden's glowing herbs, as if she had emerged from nowhere. The gentle breeze swayed her long black strands, and the silvery moonlight outlined her fine and proud features. A pair of deep eyes, akin to a silent and starry night, stared at him coldly.
It was the Little Demon Empress.
_________________
(A/N: Hey everyone! If you're enjoying my stories and want to support my work, consider checking out my Patreon! There, you'll get access to three exclusive stories, each with ten chapters already available: [Fairy Tail: I am Natsu Dragneel?], [The Vampire Diaries: I am Sukuna?], [DxD: The Search for Freedom and Eternity].
In addition, I post daily chapters of my main series: [My Unique Skill is Fate Gacha(DxD)], [I Was Reincarnated as a Side Character, So I Decided to Become the Villain(ATG)] e [Blue Lock: I am Isagi Yoichi?!]
Your support helps me keep writing every day and bring you even more content! ❤️
My Patreon: patreon.com/Adam_Kadmon
📚 For $5.99, you get full access to ALL content, no holding back.)