Cultivating Immortality Begins with Rejuvenation.

Chapter 273 Rejuvenation

As the blood pill was refined.

The aged appearance of the Pure Yuan Immortal was rapidly recovering at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The wrinkles smoothed out, the dark spots disappeared, and her complexion gradually became rosy, full of youthful vitality.

In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the old man withered and aged was gone, replaced by a handsome young man.

Li Ji'an could sense his transformation from the inside out; it wasn't a simple disguise, but a true rejuvenation, a return to youth!
"Congratulations, Elder, on regaining your youth!"

"Hahaha~" Pure Yuan Zhenren laughed heartily, his voice becoming younger, more energetic and vibrant.

"Pfft~" But before the laughter could stop, a mouthful of blood mist suddenly spurted out.

"Elder!" Li Ji'an exclaimed instantly.

Pure Yuan Zhenren's expression suddenly changed. He hurriedly held his breath and focused his mind. At the same time, a three-legged square cauldron appeared around him, emitting rings of earth-yellow light to protect him.

Upon sensing its power, Li Ji'an realized that its aura was comparable to the two magic swords he had obtained. He immediately suppressed any inappropriate thoughts and could only hope for a backlash from the human pill.

Having witnessed the entire process, and drawing upon his over a hundred years of experience in alchemy across two lifetimes, Li Ji'an now had a general idea of ​​the formula and essentials of refining the Human Elixir.

At the same time, the efficacy of this elixir is being analyzed.

This kind of elixir should be a great medicine that can reverse life force and truly achieve rejuvenation. However, Li Ji'an believes that it is like draining the pond to catch all the fish. Although it is made by refining the essence of young boys and girls to return to the original state of true qi, it is ultimately just a guide. The fundamental source still lies in one's own life force.

Each time one takes Ren Dan, the depletion of life force intensifies and becomes increasingly severe, and the interval between each dose of Ren Dan will become shorter.

"Pfft~"

"How could this be?"

"Which medicine is the problem?" After a long while, Master Chun Yuan forced out another mouthful of black blood, his eyes were violent, and he muttered to himself.

"Elder!" Li Ji'an's face showed fear and concern.

"It's alright, just do your own thing." Master Chunyuan glanced at Li Ji'an, but didn't suspect him of tampering with things.

A mere Qi Refining ant couldn't possibly possess any special abilities. Moreover, having already consumed the Heart-Eroding Pill he himself had refined, there was absolutely no way he would betray him.

"Hmph, those brats can't wait? They're destined to disappoint you, hahaha..." Pure Yuan Zhenren looked towards the direction of the Holy Palace Pill Peak, where his disciples and grand-disciples gathered, and some of the medicinal materials for this alchemy were sent from there.

"Take this. If you need anything, I'll send you a message. Go now." He then tossed Li Ji'an a communication talisman and began to meditate alone.

Li Ji'an took the communication talisman, feeling secretly disappointed. At this moment, Chun Yuan Zhenren had only suffered a backlash to his internal abdomen. He only needed to rest for a few days and use his magic power to repair himself, and he would be fine.

After all, he only added two ingredients and, to avoid being detected, the dosage was very small.

He had no other choice. Otherwise, if he added too much, or if it could cause a huge backlash, it would be easy for him to detect it. He could be called the King of Pills, not only because of his late-stage Core Formation Pill Fire, but also because of his exceptional pill-making skills and pharmacology.

Li Ji'an put away the communication talisman, took his leave, and departed.

Before they even descended the mountain, a sudden thought stirred within their consciousness.

The croaking sounded an alarm.

"Oh no!" The next moment, Gou Lian Guagua sensed countless extremely subtle auras rapidly approaching from above.

This aura is definitely not that of a human cultivator.

hum~
Before Li Ji'an could react, countless tiny insects suddenly appeared in Guagua's field of vision.

Each insect is only the size of a grain of rice, completely black, except for one eye on each of its head, abdomen, and tail that glows with a faint red light.

"A spirit insect!" Li Ji'an was startled.

Aside from sealing his soul with soul-suppressing ants in his previous life, he had hardly studied spirit insects in depth. After all, the way of controlling insects was too unorthodox, and according to some ancient books unearthed from antiquity, the ultimate fate of insect masters was to become nourishment and nests for spirit insects, resulting in a tragic end. Unless there was no other choice, few people were willing to become insect masters.

"Sizzle sizzle sizzle..." Before the quack could even move, a dense swarm of tiny insects began to attack it.

"Croak~" After being cooped up underground for more than four months, the croaking creature now revealed its fierce nature, opening its mouth and using its tongue to wrap around a group of spirit insects.

However, before it could retract its tongue from its mouth, it cried out in pain and hurriedly flicked its tongue away.

Through the croaking insects' vision, Li Ji'an could clearly see that the group of spirit insects had already pierced through the croaking insects' tongue, leaving countless small holes on its originally pink tongue.

"Hmph, you little beast, you dare to swallow my Gold-Eating Insect?" Just then, a majestic voice appeared, and at the same time, the pressure of the mid-stage Core Formation cultivator locked onto Guagua.

"Run!" Li Ji'an's heart tightened.

The quack immediately burrowed away.

Boom~
The moment he moved, a muffled thud exploded on the spot.

Fortunately, this insect master's earth-escape technique was not very strong, and Guagua quickly escaped its locked range.

However, the swarm of gold-eating insects behind them were not slow at all, piercing through soil and stone, and tightly biting Guagua.

Soon, swarms of gold-eating insects blocked Guagua's path again.

The real person behind them was about to catch up.

"Make your move!" In this critical moment, Li Ji'an had no choice but to let the little fire spirit take action. Otherwise, let alone Pure Yuan Zhenren, he wouldn't even be able to get past the insect master in front of him.

"Boom!" As the baby opened its mouth, a cloud of fire shot out.

The dense swarm of gold-devouring insects emitted rapid chirping sounds and instantly fell to the ground, filling the entire underground space with a burnt smell.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Guagua fled far away, once again escaping the Mushishi's lock-on.

"Whoosh~" Just as Li Ji'an was watching Guagua escape a calamity, the violent aura of Pure Yuan Zhenren came from Feixian Peak, and a divine rainbow was seen heading towards Guagua's location at a speed far exceeding that of Li Ji'an.

Clearly, the little fire spirit's attack had once again triggered the response of Pure Yuan True Person's third-tier spirit flame.

Li Ji'an's expression tightened as he watched Chun Yuan Zhenren's retreating figure.

Then, he suddenly raised an eyebrow, a hint of joy flashing in his eyes.

Pure Yuan Zhenren suffered a backlash from the elixir. If he rests quietly for a few days, he should be fine. However, if he were to unleash his magic power again now, he would definitely suffer a great loss.

Moreover... Master Chun Yuan has always claimed that what he is looking for is another spiritual flame, not the Holy Spirit.

Furthermore, having witnessed the alchemy process firsthand and knowing the nature and character of the person, Li Ji'an was certain that the person would not allow the matter of the Holy Spirit to be known by others.

Without further hesitation, Li Ji'an quickly left the Wanfa Palace.

Heading towards the direction of Guagua.

At the same time, he ordered Guagua to rush straight to the northeast to block the barrier, and also instructed Little Fire Spirit to occasionally reveal its aura.

An hour later, Guagua arrived not far from the barrier, having already completely shaken off the swarm of gold-devouring insects.

As for the soul mark that the insect master placed on Guagua, it was burned away by the little fire spirit and disappeared without a trace.

The little fire spirit revealed its aura once more before charging straight at the sealing barrier.

It was only a temporary setup, and at most, the sensing array barrier shattered instantly.

The patrolling disciples reacted swiftly and all gave chase in that direction.

However, before the disciples could catch up, the aura of True Person Chun Yuan came from the First Heaven, and at the same time ordered them to return to repair the formation, and that he would deal with this demon.

With his late-stage Core Formation cultivation, he believed it was impossible for the little fire spirit to escape.

The Spirit Flame can only sense a Holy Spirit if the opponent's flame power is weaker than its own. The fact that its third-tier Spirit Flame could sense the opponent is enough to show that the fire spirit in front of it must be below the third tier.

When Li Ji'an arrived at the sealing barrier, the disciples inside had just repaired the array's restrictions. "Following the elder's orders, get out of the way immediately!" Li Ji'an, holding the Pure Yuan True Person token, passed through without hindrance.

As Li Ji'an passed through the barrier, he also saw the third-tier insect master from the Holy Palace.

A lean old man with a pointed mouth and monkey-like cheeks.

Seeing that this person also did not chase after them, Li Ji'an breathed a sigh of relief.

At this moment, Guagua had already traveled nearly a thousand miles and arrived at a lake.

Pure Yuan Zhenren followed closely behind, moving at an extremely fast speed, his divine sense already locking onto it.

"Go underground!" Li Ji'an immediately ordered Guagua to go underground into the lake.

Boom~
Just as it disappeared into the bottom of the lake, the lake trembled violently, and a fireball resembling a meteorite shot down from the sky.

In an instant, the water in the lake began to boil, followed by a cloud of steam and a sweltering heat wave.

The lake bought Guagua time, and taking advantage of this opportunity, it once again darted into the earth beneath the lake.

With its talent for concealment, as long as it can go deeper than thirty feet, it has the hope of deceiving the divine sense of a late-stage Core Formation cultivator.

Boom boom boom~
However, they still underestimated Chun Yuan Zhenren's determination. He pushed his magical power to the limit and completely disregarded the backlash he was suffering, attacking like a madman.

The water in a small lake was burned dry by Chun Yuan Zhenren's fire magic in just a few breaths.

At this moment, Guagua had already disappeared ten feet underground.

"You beast, surrender now!" Pure Yuan Zhenren's face revealed a ferocious ecstasy as he summoned his natal magic cauldron and smashed it violently towards the bottom of the lake.

Bang!
The power of a single strike from a top-grade magic weapon caused Li Ji'an, who was traveling at high speed a hundred miles away, to feel a spatial tremor.

The cracked earth at the bottom of the lake instantly split into four pieces, and a three-foot-wide fissure stretched for hundreds of feet from east to west, reaching a depth of eight or nine feet, only a few feet away from where Guagua was.

However, even though there was still a distance of several feet, Guagua felt as if it had been struck by a heavy hammer.

"Croak~" Its limbs were stretched out by the immense power, as if it were stuck in the earth, while blood kept gushing from its mouth, and its internal abdomen was severely injured.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh~" Immediately afterwards, several sounds of air being cut rang out all around.

A light curtain formed instantly.

A third-order restriction array sealed off a ten-zhang radius around the frog.

Seeing this, Li Ji'an's joy at finally escaping the barrier that had trapped him for months sank to the bottom once again.

The late stage of Core Formation is truly terrifying!
Li Ji'an knew that even if he used all his trump cards, he would have difficulty countering Chun Yuan Zhenren's attack.

Now, Guagua is trapped inside a third-order restriction array, and on its own, there is absolutely no chance of it escaping.

"Small fire!" In the critical moment, Li Ji'an made a decision instantly.

Without hesitation, the little fire spirit burst out of the universe within the croaking frog's mouth and immediately crashed into the third-tier restriction.

"Tsk tsk! A little beast can actually keep company with a noble holy spirit? This has truly broadened my horizons." Pure Yuan Zhenren saw the little fire spirit emerge from the baby's mouth with his divine sense. Although he had expected it, he was still very surprised.

"Little darling, come to me. I will provide you with the best resources and help you advance in your career..."

"I still have a third-tier spirit flame essence shed by a high-level holy spirit, which you can devour..."

Finally seeing the true form of the Little Fire Spirit, Master Chun Yuan's eyes were almost glazed over as he stared intently at the Little Fire Spirit.

The little fire spirit ignored everything and unleashed its spiritual flames to attack the third-tier restriction.

Three breaths later, the third-order restriction could no longer withstand the burning of the little fire spirit, and a hole appeared.

"Truly a holy spirit of the world!" Upon seeing this, Pure Yuan Zhenren was not angry but pleased, and his possessiveness swelled even more.

"My little darling, don't be afraid, I won't hurt you."

However, the little fire spirit showed no intention of communicating with him. After leaving the barrier, it fled rapidly to the north.

"Naughty!" Pure Yuan Zhenren chuckled, activating a Spirit-Suppressing Talisman in his hand.

In an instant, the spiritual energy within a ten-foot radius around the little fire spirit was completely isolated.

Whether it is a spirit flame or a holy spirit, both rely on the spiritual energy of the fire element of heaven and earth as their energy source. If it is a spirit flame, it will instantly lose its ability to move after being enveloped by the spirit-suppressing talisman.

Even the Holy Spirit will lose its source of energy.

The little fire spirit's speed suddenly slowed down, and its swift escape became a slow-motion motion.

Pure Yuan Zhenren then laughed heartily and landed in front of the Spirit-Severing Talisman.

He meticulously observed the little fire spirit, comparing it with all the information about the Holy Spirit recorded in ancient books.

"Little darling, look what this is?" Immediately, True Person Chun Yuan released the third-tier spiritual flame.

As soon as the third-tier spirit flame appeared, the flame flickered. It had a natural affinity for the little fire spirit within the Spirit-Severing Array, but also a natural fear of it.

The Spirit Flame is the original shell shed by the Fire Spirit, and from then on, it can take the best cultivation body for all living beings.

However, this shed original shell is the best nourishment for the unformed Holy Spirit.

However, only the original embryonic shell, which is of a higher rank than the Holy Spirit, will be effective and capable of resonating.

The little fire spirit sensed the nearby third-tier spirit flame, and its holy nature compelled it to devour it.

"Yes, yes, my little darling, as long as you follow me from now on, you can swallow this spirit flame."

Lingyan sensed the approach of the little fire spirit and instinctively tried to escape, attempting to hide in Chun Yuan Zhenren's dantian. However, Chun Yuan Zhenren ruthlessly refused and commanded it not to move with the spirit wedge.

The little fire spirit slowly stepped forward, its flickering flames indicating its extreme desire.

"Swallow!" Seeing the little fire spirit arrive in front of the third-tier spirit flame, Li Ji'an gave the order without hesitation.

He understood Chun Yuan Zhenren's intentions and decided to play along.

"Boom!" The little fire spirit's entire body burst into flames, engulfing the third-tier spirit flame in front of it.

"Pfft~" The spirit flame bound to the spirit contract was devoured, and Pure Yuan Zhenren immediately suffered a backlash, spitting out another mouthful of essence blood.

However, a hint of joy flashed in his eyes, and he immediately suppressed the backlash, his divine sense suddenly enveloping the little fire spirit.

This is similar to when Li Ji'an made a contract with the little fire spirit back then; both times, he took the spirit spirit by surprise and bound it with a spirit wedge.

Once the spirit contract is established, everything will be fine.

Otherwise, given the fire-elemental holy spirit's ability to incinerate all things, even if it were captured or imprisoned for a hundred years, no one could forcibly bind a spiritual contract with it if it did not wish to, not even the primordial spirit of a Nascent Soul True Monarch.

Therefore, True Person Chun Yuan did not hesitate to let the little fire spirit devour the spiritual flame that had accompanied him for hundreds of years.

When a fire spirit devours a spirit flame, it undergoes a brief fusion. During this period, the fire spirit is in an unconscious state, making it the most suitable time to bind a spirit wedge.

Of course, as long as he possesses a fire-type holy spirit, the third-tier spirit flame will inevitably serve as food for the fire spirit, so it's not a pity.

"Hmm?" However, just as Pure Yuan Zhenren was about to bind the spirit contract despite the backlash of his Dharma body and the shock of his soul, his intrusion into the little fire spirit's consciousness suddenly stopped!
"What...what's going on? How...how come someone beat me to it?" When he tried to bind the spirit contract with his divine sense, he encountered an extremely strong sense of rejection. He forced his way in and was surprised to find that the little fire spirit already had a spirit contract, and the divine sense that bound the spirit contract was not weak, comparable to the divine sense of a mid-stage Core Formation cultivator.

If there were no spirit contract binding, he could take this opportunity to instantly complete the spirit contract.

However, if a spiritual contract has already been formed, he must first erase the other party's consciousness if he wants to form a new one.

Even if the little fire spirit had given him only ten breaths, or even an hour, he might not have been able to erase the other party's consciousness!
"Who is it?" Master Chun Yuan roared!

(End of this chapter)