Breaking the Masked Man

Upon hearing this, Cai Lin pursed her extremely beautiful red lips, a hint of worry appearing in her eyes, and asked in a low voice, "Will this process last a long time?"

"It depends on his control over the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame. If all goes well, it should only take a day or two."

The old doctor's eyes flickered slightly, and he spoke slowly.

It must be said that the old doctor's eyesight was extremely accurate. His judgment time was almost exactly the same as the time it took for Yao Yan to refine the medicine. About two days later, when night fell and the moonlight was dim, the Black Demon Cauldron, which had been calm for a long time, finally changed. The six solidified objects inside cracked open, and at the same time, a powerful energy wave surged out from them, hitting the cauldron and making a crisp sound.

This also startled Cai Lin and Yao Lao, who were sitting cross-legged on one side.

"This is……"

Cai Lin looked at the spot where Yao Yan was refining pills with some surprise. At this moment, the Black Demon Cauldron was constantly emitting loud rumbling sounds, as if something inside was constantly exploding.

"The next step is the most crucial one. If we can suppress these energies, we can continue refining. If not..." The old man's expression became more solemn as he slowly said. Right now, no one can help Yao Yan. This step can only be taken by himself.

Yao Yan calmly watched the energy within the medicine cauldron gradually become more violent, his expression completely unmoved. A slight smile even appeared at the corner of his mouth as he said with interest, "This is getting more interesting~"

Alchemy is actually a very interesting thing, especially the alchemy of high-grade pills. These pills already have a spirit, and those of the ninth grade and above have a spirit that is no different from that of humans. They even have considerable power from birth. Although the seventh grade pills have not yet reached that level, they have entered that level in the beginning. The alchemy process is naturally different from that of low-grade pills.

He watched quietly as the turbulent medicinal essence shattered, revealing six crystal-clear essences. Unlike ordinary medicinal liquids, these essences possessed a spiritual quality and even released energy on their own, seemingly resisting the refining power of the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame.

However, these few acts of resistance were clearly too weak to change their fate.

After about half an hour, the restless energy gradually weakened. At the same time, Yao Yan's powerful soul force surged into the six spiritual essences as if it had spotted its prey, suppressing them and then kneading them together. His method was bold and brutal, which surprised Yao Lao, who was watching from the side.

He considered himself to have seen many alchemy techniques of seventh-grade alchemists, including some elite disciples of the Pill Tower, but he had never seen alchemy techniques like Yao Yan's before.

But he actually managed to knead it successfully!

Within the azure flames, a pill resembling an ice crystal floated, its body shimmering with faint starlight. It was extremely mystical, even possessing a certain spirituality as it absorbed and exhaled the energy around it. Perhaps born from a strange fire, it now exhibited extremely strong resistance to the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame, remaining completely unaffected by its scorching heat.

"It actually worked..." The old alchemist was a little doubtful of life. When did alchemy become so brutal? The path the other party was taking was obviously different from his own.

Upon hearing this, Cai Lin couldn't help but ask, "Did you succeed?"

"It's almost over. The most difficult step is behind us. All that's left is to wait for him to collect the pill. However, the final pill lightning should be very powerful!" Elder Yao reminded him. Different pills produce different pill lightning. The seventh-grade Ice Heart Pill that Yao Yan is refining is not an ordinary seventh-grade pill. With its spirituality, the pill lightning condensed by heaven and earth will probably be exceptionally strong. Even ordinary Dou Zong might not dare to withstand it head-on.

As if to verify Yao Lao's words, the originally clear night sky gradually became covered with dark clouds, and a terrifying power of heaven and earth began to gather in space, its position being directly above the Black Demon Cauldron, seemingly preventing the pills inside from being conceived.

"Danlei..."

As Yao Lao gazed at the dark clouds in the sky and felt the power of heaven and earth, he became somewhat lost in thought, as if recalling past events. For an alchemist, pill lightning was a symbol of success and a source of pride, representing one's achievements.

An eighteen-year-old seventh-grade alchemist, what terrifying talent in alchemy... The old alchemist looked at Yao Yan again, his expression becoming more complicated.

"Should we intervene and stop them?!"

Cai Lin raised her snow-white chin, her phoenix eyes staring coldly at the dark, cloud-covered sky, where countless bolts of lightning were emerging, like silver dragons churning within, exuding a dangerous aura.

"If he can't hold him off, then we'll make our move." Yao Lao took a deep breath and said in a deep voice. At the same time, his vast soul power emanated, enveloping the surrounding world. If anything unexpected happened later, he would definitely step in to save Yao Yan.

Cai Lin nodded, a hint of nervousness in her eyes.

At this moment, Yao Yan was surrounded by heavy dark clouds, within which silver lightning swirled and occasionally collided, creating a tremendous thunderous roar. The sheer power of the heavens was enough to make anyone tremble with fear.

Yao Yan didn't seem to care much about this, and even had the mind to check on the Ice Heart Pill being nurtured in the Black Demon Cauldron. It was in the final stages of being ready, but perhaps sensing the danger outside, the little guy actually knew to conceal his aura, though his technique was far too crude.

Refining pills is no different from creating living beings... Yao Yan sighed inwardly. Compared to the Instant Qi Pill he refined last time, this Ice Heart Pill was clearly made with more effort. It was his masterpiece. At this moment, he suddenly understood Hun Xuzi's feelings. That kind of pursuit and obsession with perfection is what most true alchemists are like.

"Boom~"

A silver beam as thick as an arm shot out from the dark clouds, its dazzling light illuminating the gloomy world. Clearly, the aura of the Ice Heart Pill could no longer be concealed, and even with its spiritual power, the Ice Heart Pill could not escape the lock-on of the pill lightning.

Yao Yan looked up at the thick, dark clouds that seemed almost within reach, and the thunder rumbling within them sounded as if it were exploding right next to his ears, causing a buzzing sensation in his eardrums.

He flexed his wrists and smiled at the old apothecary beside him, "Could you please keep an eye on the Black Demon Cauldron, and make sure this little guy doesn't escape?"

As soon as he finished speaking, wings of battle aura appeared behind him, transforming into a streak of light and rushing towards the dark clouds. This was because the first bolt of pill lightning had begun to form within them, and if he didn't deal with it soon, the pill lightning would inevitably strike down, interfering with the final step of the Ice Heart Pill process.

At the same time, Yao Yan also wanted to try using Dan Lei to temper his body. Since Dan Lei could temper the Heavenly Demon Puppet in the original work, there was no reason why it couldn't temper his current physical body.

He is quite looking forward to it.

However, this scene seemed a bit excessive to Cai Lin and Yao Lao. Both of them stared at him in surprise and doubt. They saw that Yao Yan, who was flying in mid-air, had his skin rapidly turning silvery at a speed visible to the naked eye. At the same time, a powerful aura no weaker than that of a Dou Zong was emanating from him. It was not the pressure of Dou Qi, but the pressure of the blood and qi of the physical body, a pressure belonging to the life level.

"boom!"

Almost the instant Yao Yan unleashed his Vajra Indestructible Body, a bolt of lightning as thick as a bucket descended from the swirling dark clouds, crashing down upon Yao Yan as if to crush this man who had challenged his authority.

"bring it on!"

Yao Yan did not resist, allowing the lightning to strike him. Instantly, he was bathed in lightning, and the terrifying power of the lightning continuously tore his body apart. At the same time, it stimulated the vast life force within him. Between destruction and regeneration, his body naturally underwent a peculiar transformation...

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 155 Almost Killed by a Strike

"boom!"

Accompanied by intense pain, an irresistible force slammed Yao Yan down from mid-air, crashing heavily onto the rock wall with a deafening roar. At the same time, the silver light shimmering around his body seemed to dim considerably. Faced with the pill lightning triggered by the seventh-grade pill, his current physical body was clearly no match.

However, there are advantages to taking the thunderbolt head-on with one's own body. The power of thunder is a force full of destruction and life, and it contains the mystery of rebirth.

Yao Yan's body was clearly perfectly suited to it, and the immense life force contained within it was continuously stimulated amidst the destruction of Dan Lei, allowing his physical body to evolve towards a higher level between destruction and rebirth. The silver light that shimmered on his body surface gradually penetrated into his flesh and blood, and the light was no longer dazzling, becoming much more restrained, but the power surging from his body became increasingly terrifying.

However, Cai Lin was obviously unaware of all this. As she watched Yao Yan being shot down, she couldn't help but clench her fist and want to rush over, but was stopped by Yao Lao.

"No need to go over there. Feel his life force. Does he look like he's been seriously injured?"

Yao Lao shook his head slightly and slowly said, gazing at the rock wall in the distance where a deep pit had been smashed. He couldn't help but sigh in his heart, "What a little monster. It's one thing that his talent for alchemy is so terrifying, but his physical body is also ridiculously strong. If he didn't know that the other party was human, he would probably suspect that Yao Yan was a powerful magical beast in human form."

The life force emanating from that body was so vigorous that, in his soul's perception, it was like a small sun. Especially after being baptized by the Dan Lei, the body seemed to have produced an emergency response.

"Wow~"

At the same time, Yao Yan, who had been knocked down, soared into the sky again, even laughing heartily. He reached out and tore his tattered clothes to shreds, staring intently at the dense dark clouds in the sky, and said, "Again!"

As he spoke, he threw a punch towards the sky. The terrifying force created a vacuum in front of him, and the air inside instantly condensed out, turning into an air cannon that shot towards the dark clouds in the sky.

"Zi La~"

The power of this punch was not weak; it pierced through a patch of dark cloud. However, this action seemed to have thoroughly enraged the dark cloud that was constantly generating thunder, and countless silver thunder dragons began to churn within it. The terrifying power of thunder swept across the heavens and the earth, and the air seemed to become much more oppressive.

The old apothecary frowned and said in a deep voice, "This kid disrupted the process of the pill lightning's formation, causing the falling pill lightning to become disordered..."

"What will happen then?"

Cai Lin was startled upon hearing this and couldn't help but ask.

The old doctor stroked his beard, shook his head slightly, and slowly said, "The power of the Dan Lei will increase, and the interval between its falls will be much shorter than before. Similarly, it will end much faster... He should know this!"

An ordinary alchemist might not know these things, but Yao Yan is clearly not among ordinary alchemists. Moreover, he was born into the Yao Clan and should be familiar with Dan Lei. After all, the Yao Clan's academy would never lack seventh-grade alchemists, and he would definitely have attended the ceremony many times in previous years.

Therefore, it is highly likely that Yao Yan deliberately provoked the Dan Lei to increase its power, thereby increasing the efficiency of his body tempering.

I have to say, this kid is really ruthless to himself.

"boom!"

As the two were talking, the dark clouds in the sky suddenly became thicker and heavier, as black as ink, with silver lightning flashing erratically. The next moment, a bolt of lightning several times thicker than before suddenly fell from the sky. Its speed gave Yao Yan no chance to react, instantly enveloping him and slamming him heavily against the rock wall, producing a deafening roar. Countless bolts of lightning raged outwards.

The scene was visually striking.

Unlike the previous lightning bolts that dissipated after striking, this lightning bolt, comparable to a waterfall of thunder, lasted for several full breaths before dissipating.

As the smoke and dust dissipated, a patch of scorched earth came into Cai Lin's view. Her delicate brows furrowed slightly, and her hands, clasped together at her lower abdomen, clenched involuntarily. Even though she could sense that Yao Yan's aura had not weakened, it was clearly impossible for Yao Yan to be unharmed in the face of this scene.

However, he quickly suppressed the slight impatience in his heart, seemingly unwilling to let the old apothecary on the side see anything.

Yao Yan, who was struck by lightning in the distance, naturally couldn't focus his attention on Cai Lin. At this moment, he felt sore all over, but an indescribable feeling of pleasure swept through his body. Perhaps those who cultivate their bodies are all abnormal, and he was also somewhat inclined in this regard at this moment, even vaguely hoping that the lightning would strike even harder.

This is not a masochistic tendency, but a necessary process in body tempering. To make the physical body stronger, one must constantly wear down the originally fragile body. Only in this way can the newly formed body become stronger.

"Whoo~"

He slowly rose to his feet. His skin had lost its silvery luster and turned as black as charcoal. Even when he breathed, blackish-gray smoke drifted out. However, he grinned, revealing his white teeth, and looked at the sky with increasingly bright eyes. The dark clouds that had gathered there had not dissipated and were still accumulating a bolt of lightning.

Dan Lei is truly a wonderful thing… Yao Yan felt the enhancement in his physical body and couldn’t help but sigh. Compared to using the power of space to temper the body, Dan Lei is obviously more direct and tempers the body inside and out. Its destructive power is comparable to that of a strange fire. However, a strange fire can only have an effect when it is first absorbed. After it merges with the body in the later stages, it becomes immune to it. Dan Lei is different.

Don't forget that above ordinary pill lightning there is nine-colored pill lightning, and above that there is black demon lightning, and so on.

"As expected, compared to the Dan Lei which contains the power of heaven and earth, the Demon Poison Spots are a bit lacking~" Yao Yan felt the Demon Poison Spots in his body disappearing by more than half, and his mood became more and more comfortable. At this moment, the Demon Poison Spots purified by Dan Lei transformed into the purest energy to nourish his body, allowing his physical body to continuously transform and strengthen.

"boom!"

Dan Lei didn't give Yao Yan much time to catch his breath. After about ten breaths, another bolt of lightning, as thick as a bucket, suddenly fell from the dark clouds, still locking onto Yao Yan. It seemed that Dan Lei had no interest in the Ice Heart Pill in the Black Demon Cauldron anymore.

"Awesome! Keep going, I can handle it!" Yao Yan laughed wildly and roared to the sky.

"boom!"

Another, even thicker bolt of lightning struck, its power several times greater than the previous one, directly pressing Yao Yan deep into the rock wall, causing the surrounding rock walls to crystallize due to the high temperature.

"boom!"

"boom!"

This time it was a double strike, with the two bolts of lightning less than ten breaths apart. The violent lightning even drowned out Yao Yan's arrogant laughter. In this space sealed by Yao Lao, it seemed that only the sound of lightning falling could be heard. Time and time again, it lasted for a full quarter of an hour, and the number of lightning bolts falling was close to three digits.

At this moment, the old medicine master was dumbfounded, staring at everything in astonishment. In his understanding, even if the pill lightning was interfered with the gestation process, it shouldn't have been striking for so long. That seventh-grade Ice Heart Pill wasn't some extremely heaven-defying eighth-grade pill, so how could it have attracted so much pill lightning?

Could it be that this kid's talent has angered the heavens, causing him to be struck by lightning?!

Cai Lin couldn't help but ask, "Does the Dan Lei usually last this long?"

She didn't know much about Dan Lei. The only time she had seen it was when Yao Yan refined the Instant Qi Pill. However, compared to the Dan Lei of the last time, this Dan Lei was obviously more terrifying. It made her scalp tingle. If she were in Yao Yan's position, she definitely wouldn't have been able to withstand it for so long.