At the moment the black-robed elder discovered the unusual phenomenon of Dan Lei deep in the mountains, far away in the chaotic region on the other side of the mountain range
, within a secluded pavilion, a man in a long green robe embroidered with a maple leaf raised his head slightly, his gaze fixed on the very spot where Dan Lei had appeared.
The green-robed man had a handsome face, with long black hair falling to his shoulders. A strange medicinal fragrance seemed to linger around him constantly, inviting a sense of closeness.
"Dan Lei! How could it be possible? How could a seventh-grade elixir appear in the Black Horn Region?" A low, incredulous murmur slowly emanated from the green-robed man's mouth. The appearance of a seventh-grade elixir would have been enough to cause a sensation, not only in the Black Horn Region, but even in Central China.
After a moment, the green-robed man frowned, his expression uncertain. He said, "That mountain range should be within Canaan Academy. Old Huo? Impossible! He can't even refine a sixth-grade elixir, how could he possibly refine a seventh-grade one?"
The green-robed man slowly turned around. On his chest was a simple medicine cauldron emblem, and six strange golden ripples shimmered faintly above it.
In the alchemy world, only sixth-grade alchemists were worthy of wearing these six golden patterns. Yet, the man before him, looking no more than thirty, could already carry one. In the Black Horn Region, there was only one clear example!
The Medicine King, Han Feng!
A seventh-grade alchemist! If not for... A flicker of resentment flashed in Han Feng's eyes. He had been only one step away from becoming a seventh-grade alchemist, but that man had ruined it! Now, he could only languish in the Black Horn Region!
Han Feng took a deep breath, suppressing the rage within him. A seventh-grade elixir had appeared within Canaan Academy, and he couldn't investigate without permission. If those old men discovered it, it would be troublesome. Furthermore, he had no idea who could have refined a seventh-grade elixir.
As for someone from Canaan Academy, Han Feng simply didn't believe it. As a unique institution within the Black Horn Region, Canaan Academy had the attention of nearly every prominent faction. If a seventh-grade alchemist existed before, there wouldn't have been any news.
The Black Horn Region was about to change! First, there was the sudden rise of Yu Pavilion, whose leader was suspected to be a Dou Zong powerhouse and who also had a sixth-grade alchemist within it. And now, a mysterious seventh-grade alchemist had appeared. All of this foreshadowed the beginnings of chaos within the Black Horn Region.
Han Feng paced the pavilion, pondering how to respond to all this. Ever since the incident, he'd felt extremely insecure, secretly recruiting numerous powerful individuals. Therefore, despite the sudden rise of Yu Pavilion, even though it also boasted a sixth-grade alchemist, he hadn't taken it too seriously.
But now, a mysterious seventh-grade alchemist held influence and a terrifying appeal far beyond the reach of a sixth-grade alchemist. To put it bluntly, a seventh-grade alchemist determined to bring down a power or nation, such as the Black Horn Region, could simply make a promise and countless Dou Zong masters would descend upon them, without them having to do anything themselves.
This was the terrifying power of a high-level alchemist: a simple word could decide the fate of countless people. As a former disciple of that person, Han Feng understood the terrifying power of a high-level alchemist all too well.
...
Above the vast mountains and boundless forests, a terrifying blood-red sword beam collided with silver lightning, its blinding light splitting the entire sky and earth into two colors.
Above the silver thunderbolt, a dazzling silver light shone; beneath the sword's gleam, a boundless blood-red hue.
"Bang!"
After a tremendous explosion, the sword's light and thunder vanished, leaving ripples of terrifying blood-red energy spreading and spreading. Simultaneously, countless tiny flashes of lightning flashed, densely packed like silver snakes.
Zi Yan, standing nearby, saw Liu Yu shatter the silver thunderbolt with a single blow and couldn't help but beam with joy. As expected of her boss!
As if dissatisfied with the silver thunderbolt's instant destruction, the dark clouds churned even more violently. A moment later, a crackling sound echoed again, and silver thunderbolt, twice as powerful as before, descended from the black clouds once more!
Compared to the last time he refined the Transformation Pill, which had only resulted in a single thunderbolt, a stroke of luck, this time there was no chance of success.
But Liu Yu was undaunted. He even considered trying to shatter both the thunderbolt and the black cloud!
As Liu Yu's mind moved, icy-blue flames erupted from his body. A searing yet icy destructive aura emanated from him, lingering between heaven and earth, distorting space and confronting the overwhelming might of heaven and earth!
The blood-red Dou Qi within him surged forth, and the boundless energy of heaven and earth converged. A chilling icy-blue flame gathered above Liu Yu.
Instantly, a giant, three-colored finger, reaching for the sky, appeared above the clearing.
Space itself trembled at its appearance, ice crystals, sparks, and bloody energy erupting between heaven and earth.
"Wind-Evolving Soul-Destroying Finger!"
With a single thrust of his finger, a tricolor giant finger, obscuring the sky and sun, ripped through space and instantly met the silver lightning.
The moment the silver lightning made contact with the tricolor finger, it was annihilated by the flames swirling around it.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
After Liu Yu shattered two silver lightning bolts in quick succession, the dark clouds seemed to grow even more furious. Countless silver rays flashed, and bolts of lightning, like silver pythons, broke through the clouds's constraints, one after another, blasting towards the giant finger.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
A massive thunderclap erupted, and several more silver lightning bolts were annihilated by the giant finger. However, this wasn't the end. Silver lightning continued to pour down from the sky, a scene reminiscent of an apocalypse, filling the air with a deep sense of dread.
Below, Zi Yan clenched her small hands. Though terrified by the boundless thunder, she silently prayed, hoping that the giant finger condensed by the boss would shatter these lightning bolts and, ideally, shatter the dark clouds as well.
Boundless lightning continued to bombard the three-colored giant finger. Even with its destructive power, the giant finger finally dissipated after resisting dozens of silver lightning bolts.
The dark clouds also gradually ceased to roll, their color slowly fading. Clearly, the Pill Thunder had ended.
As the clouds dissipated, the oppressive feeling that had enveloped the boundless forest suddenly vanished. As the first rays of sunlight streamed through the sky, Zi Yan breathed a sigh of relief. The overwhelming might of the sky had been too much.
Suddenly, a flash of azure light emanated from the Red Dragon Cauldron and fled toward the horizon. But an invisible, soul-like hand snatched it away and returned it to Liu Yu.
Playing with the azure pill, Liu Yu looked up at the sky. A big fish had arrived!
In the distant sky, a blurry black figure suddenly appeared in mid-air. With a subtle ripple of space, the figure landed on the clearing.
"Zi Yan, why are you here?" The black-robed elder, who had appeared, looked surprised upon seeing Zi Yan.
Seeing the sudden appearance of the Great Elder, Zi Yan flapped her purple wings and approached the old man. She ignored his question and said, "Old Su, what are you doing here? Look, these are my pills. They're delicious!"
Before Su Qian could reply, Zi Yan spoke again, "Hey, Old Su, I'm telling you, I have a backer now!"
Backer? Su Qian glanced at Liu Yu with a hint of surprise and solemnity in his seemingly calm, turbid eyes. So young, so hard to read.
On his way here, he had naturally noticed the terrifying collision of the three-colored giant finger and the boundless thunder. The destructive aura sent a shiver through him. And this "young man" before him, looking no more than seventeen or eighteen, seemed to be the instigator.
Zi Yan flew directly to Liu Yu's side and explained, "Boss, this is the Great Elder of the Inner Court, Old Su."
"You must be the one refining the pills!" Su Qian asked, approaching Liu Yu.
"I was indeed the one who refined that seventh-grade elixir. I accidentally triggered the elixir thunder, causing a disturbance to your academy," Liu Yu replied softly.
"Master, you're wrong. It's an honor for our inner courtyard to have you come to refine the elixir." A faint smile crossed Su Qian's aged face. He had no regard for Liu Yu's uninvited visit. Canaan Academy, without its dean, couldn't afford to offend a seventh-grade alchemist.
Furthermore, Zi Yan seemed to have a good relationship with the master. While it was unclear how Zi Yan met the seventh-grade alchemist, Su Qian didn't believe there was anything about Zi Yan that a seventh-grade alchemist would covet.
Zi Yan's greatest secret was that she was a mysterious demon beast, but that wasn't enough to provoke a seventh-grade alchemist to come to the inner courtyard. Therefore, Su Qian reasoned that the alchemist had stumbled upon the inner courtyard and encountered Zi Yan, who was stealing herbs in the mountains behind the inner courtyard. Zi Yan's innocent demeanor had won his favor...
He didn't need anyone to explain; Su Qian had already figured it all out.
"Elder Su, your inner courtyard should have some kind of divine artifact like Strange Fire," Liu Yu said bluntly.
Su Qian, who had been beaming, frowned upon hearing Liu Yu's words. Could it be that this seventh-grade alchemist had come for the Fallen Heart Flame? He couldn't help but think of the last time the Fallen Heart Flame erupted. Perhaps it was that incident that leaked the Strange Fire's aura, drawing the alchemist's attention.
Strange Fire's allure to alchemists was fatal, and this Fallen Heart Flame was so vital to the inner courtyard that it couldn't possibly be handed over to anyone else.
"Elder Su, don't worry. I don't want the entire Strange Fire, but only some of its origin."
Looking at Su Qian, whose expression suddenly became somewhat solemn, Liu Yu chuckled and explained lightly. Then his tone changed, as if reminding, but also warning: "Relying on the blockade of the spatial cage, keeping the Strange Fire in captivity and constantly demanding benefits from the Strange Fire, but this is ultimately temporary. The Strange Fire is a strange fire born between heaven and earth, with true destructive power. If it suddenly erupts, hehe..."
Su Qian was silent. He naturally knew that keeping the Strange Fire in captivity was a very dangerous thing. If he was not careful, the entire inner courtyard would be destroyed. But there was nothing he could do. The inner courtyard was famous because of the Tianfen Refining Qi Tower, and the foundation of the Tianfen Refining Qi Tower was the Fallen Heart Flame!
If the dean was here, no matter how the Fallen Heart Flame made trouble, the inner courtyard would be fine. But the dean had disappeared for too long, and he didn't know where to find him.
"Master, what do you want with that strange fire origin?" Su Qian asked cautiously, fearing the alchemist might, under the guise of some origin, directly subdue the Fallen Heart Flame. That would be a real dilemma.
"Of course, I want my strange fire to devour it!" As Liu Yu finished speaking, an icy blue flame imbued with a destructive aura erupted from his hand.
"Strange fire!" Su Qian was somewhat surprised. Strange fire, as a divine object of heaven and earth, was rarely seen by most, let alone subdued. Despite the transcendent status of a seventh-grade alchemist, strange fire was also something they found difficult to obtain. Unexpectedly...
Moreover, the aura of this strange fire, alone, was more terrifying than that of the Fallen Heart Flame. Even more bizarre, this icy blue flame contained two impossible extremes: extreme cold and scorching heat!
"Elder Su, you should know that alien fires can devour each other. I'm here this time simply to obtain some essence from your inner courtyard's alien fires to feed them. This will also benefit your inner courtyard. At least, for a long time, you won't have to worry about alien fire rebellions."
Liu Yu retracted the Black Lotus Ice Flame and looked at Su Qian.
"Then, Master, thank you for your help!" Having come to this point, Su Qian had no choice but to agree. It was impossible for a person to possess two alien fires simultaneously. As for whether Liu Yu would devour the entire Fallen Heart Flame, he doubted it.
If he truly committed such a treacherous act, he would mobilize the entire academy to make him realize that Canaan Academy is not a pushover!
Zi Yan, standing nearby, breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that the boss and Old Man Su had reached an agreement. The tense atmosphere just now had made her heart skip a beat.
...
Tianfen Refining Qi Tower. Liu Yu entered the black tower again, but this time, he did so openly.
The entire Tianfen Qi Refining Tower was deserted, save for Liu Yu, Zi Yan, and Su Qian. Before Liu Yu entered the black tower, Su Qian had already announced that the Tianfen Qi Refining Tower would be temporarily in use for the day, and that all elders on all levels would retreat outside.
Outside, the spacious open space was filled with people, while the elders from each level of the Tianfen Qi Refining Tower maintained order.
The inner court students, though displeased at the sudden interruption of their training, dared not say anything under the elders' overwhelming authority. They grumbled briefly before beginning to discuss Liu Yu and Zi Yan, who had appeared beside the Grand Elder.
"
Master Liu, do you need me to open this spatial cage for you?" Su Qian asked. Zi Yan had already provided him with some information about Liu Yu.
While opening the spatial cage might allow the Fallen Heart Flame to break free, Su Qian wasn't overly concerned. He sensed that Liu Yu's icy blue flame was stronger than the Fallen Heart Flame, so there shouldn't be any major problems. Even if there were, he would close the spatial cage immediately.