I'll make you the furnace and the cauldron, so you can refine Yin and Yang and prove the Great

The sect leader led Li Hanshan to a place dozens of miles away.

It was a group of reefs far from the coast, surrounded by jagged black rocks, with waves crashing against the reef walls, creating a deafening roar. The sect leader sat cross-legged on a flat rock and gestured for Li Hanshan to sit opposite her.

Li Hanshan sat down as instructed, but alarm bells were ringing in his mind.

He recalled the Second Elder's words, the Blood Slave's words, and the millions of skeletons in the canyon. Had the Sect Master been so kind to him just to wait for this day?

He quietly pushed his Pure Yang Meridian to its limit, his divine sense ready to erupt at any moment. If the sect leader really attacked him, although he couldn't defeat him, he could at least fight to the death.

"Relax." The sect leader seemed to sense his tension and said calmly, "I will not harm you."

Li Hanshan's expression remained unchanged, but his vigilance did not lessen in the slightest.

The sect leader raised his hand and slowly unwrapped the bandage on his left arm. Beneath the bandage was a shocking wound. The wound stretched from his shoulder to his elbow, its edges blackened, emanating a strong aura of malevolent energy. This malevolent energy writhed within the wound like living things, constantly eroding the surrounding flesh, preventing it from healing.

"Do you see that?" The sect leader pointed to the wound, his tone calm. "That demon's Yin energy has invaded our sect's meridians. If it's not expelled in time, this arm of ours will be useless soon."

Li Hanshan frowned as he looked at the wound. He could tell, of course, that the sect leader wasn't acting. The severity of the wound far exceeded his expectations. If it wasn't treated quickly, not only would his arm suffer irreversible damage, but even his meridians would be severely injured.

"Master, what should I do?" he asked.

The sect leader rolled up his sleeves, revealing his fair arms, and said calmly, "Use your pure yang energy to force the yin energy out of my body."

Li Hanshan nodded and placed his hand on the sect leader's arm.

Pure Yang energy surged from his palm, slowly probing into the sect leader's meridians. The sect leader's arm was icy cold, his meridians filled with intense Yin energy, which, like countless ice needles, pierced his pure Yang energy, making a hissing sound.

Li Hanshan carefully pushed forward the pure Yang energy, gradually peeling away and expelling the Yin energy from his meridians. This process was extremely slow; each wisp of Yin energy seemed to have taken root, clinging tightly to the meridian walls, requiring him to repeatedly burn it off with pure Yang energy.

The sect leader groaned, fine beads of sweat appearing on her forehead. But she gritted her teeth, remaining silent and letting Li Hanshan do as he pleased.

An hour later, Li Hanshan finally expelled all the Yin energy from his left arm and withdrew his hand. His face was somewhat pale; an hour of continuous output had significantly depleted his spiritual energy.

"Master, my left arm is healed," he said. "What about my right arm and back?"

The sect leader nodded, but did not continue to heal him. Instead, she took out a pill from her storage bag, swallowed it, and closed her eyes to regulate her breathing for a moment. After her breathing stabilized, she opened her eyes, looked at Li Hanshan, and her gaze was somewhat complicated.

"Li Hanshan, I have a question for you." Her voice was very low, so low that only the two of them could hear it.

Li Hanshan's heart skipped a beat: "Master, please speak."

"Do you think the people from the Heavenly Demon Sect are trustworthy?"

Li Hanshan was taken aback. He hadn't expected the sect leader to ask this question. The Heavenly Demon Sect was an ally of the Joyful Union Sect; the two sects had joined forces to destroy the Blood Fiend Sect and had also hunted down the Nascent Soul Demon together, so their relationship seemed quite good. But the sect leader's question was clearly not just a casual remark.

"This disciple believes it is unbelievable." He carefully chose his words, emphasizing each one: "Among the demonic sects, there are no eternal friends, only eternal interests."

The sect leader nodded, a faint smile appearing on his lips: "You see things quite clearly."

She paused, then suddenly lowered her head and coughed.

A mouthful of black blood spurted from her mouth, landing on the reef with a hissing sound, corroding a small pit in the rock.

Li Hanshan's expression changed: "Master, what's wrong?"

The sect leader waved his hand, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with his sleeve, and said in a weaker voice, "It's nothing. My injuries are more serious than you think."

Li Hanshan was shocked when he saw her pale face. He thought the sect leader's injuries were only external wounds on her arms and back, but he didn't expect the internal injuries to be more serious. That mouthful of black blood just now was clearly a sign of damage to her internal organs.

"Master, your injury..." he asked tentatively.

The sect leader remained silent for a moment before slowly speaking: "Our sect's dantian has been invaded by that demon's Yin energy. There is a crack on the surface of our nascent soul. If it is not repaired in time, our cultivation will continue to decline."

The surface of the nascent soul has cracks!

Li Hanshan gasped. The Nascent Soul is the foundation of a Nascent Soul cultivator. Damage to the Nascent Soul can lead to a drop in cultivation level, or even the collapse of one's realm, or even the dissipation of one's soul. The sect leader's injury was more than a hundred times more serious than he had imagined.

"Master, why didn't you say so sooner?" His voice had changed.

The sect leader shook his head, his gaze sweeping over the Heavenly Demon Sect members in the distance. He lowered his voice and said, "We can't say. The Heavenly Demon Sect people are here. If they know that our sect is so badly injured, they might take the opportunity to attack."

Li Hanshan's heart skipped a beat.

The sect leader is right. Although the Heavenly Demon Sect and the Joyful Union Sect are allies, there has never been any true trust between demonic sects. If the Heavenly Demon Sect leader knew that the Joyful Union Sect leader was seriously injured and on the verge of death, he might take advantage of the situation and swallow the Joyful Union Sect in one fell swoop.

"Master, isn't the Heavenly Demon Sect afraid of retaliation from the main sect?" he asked.

The sect leader sneered, "Main sect? The main sect is far away in the Central Continent and has no say in the affairs of the Northern Wilderness. Besides, the Heavenly Demon Sect also has a main sect in the Central Continent. As long as their Nascent Soul cultivators don't directly break the rules, even if they destroy the Joyful Union Sect, the main sect won't say anything."

She paused, her gaze sharpening: "Our sect even intends to take this opportunity to annihilate the Heavenly Demon Sect, leaving only the Joyful Union Sect in the Northern Wilderness."

Li Hanshan's heart skipped a beat. The sect leader's words revealed considerable ambition. Of the several sects in the Northern Wilderness, the Yinming Sect and the Blood Fiend Sect had been destroyed, and the righteous immortal sects were almost nowhere to be seen, leaving only the Joyful Union Sect and the Heavenly Demon Sect as the two strongest forces standing side by side.

If the Heavenly Demon Sect can be destroyed, the Joyful Union Sect will be able to unify the Northern Wilderness and become the sole overlord of this land.

"Master, are you sure?" he asked.

The sect leader shook his head: "No. My sect is too badly injured and won't recover in a short time. While the Heavenly Demon Sect leader is also injured, his injuries are not as severe as ours. If we make a move now, we will only lose."

She sighed, a hint of resentment flashing in her eyes: "If we can destroy the Heavenly Demon Sect, even if our sect can't break through to the Nascent Soul stage, we can still go to the main sect. With the achievement of unifying the Northern Wilderness, the main sect will definitely make an exception and accept our sect."

Li Hanshan was silent for a moment, then asked, "Master, are you really that unconfident about breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage?"

The sect leader looked at him, a hint of bitterness flashing in his deep eyes.

"It's not that easy." Her voice was very soft, as if she were talking to herself. "Our sect has been stuck at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage for hundreds of years. We've tried all sorts of methods, but we still can't take that step. The Divine Transformation stage isn't a matter of accumulating spiritual power; it's about comprehending the laws of Heaven. Our sect's talent is limited, and I'm afraid we'll never break through to the Divine Transformation stage in this lifetime."

Looking at the sect leader's face veiled in black, Li Hanshan felt a surge of complex emotions. The sect leader was the strongest person in the Hehuan Sect, a peak Nascent Soul cultivator, already standing at the top of the pyramid in the Northern Wilderness. But before the Nascent Soul stage, she was still a loser, a pitiful person abandoned by the Heavenly Dao.

"Master, let me help you," he said, thinking to himself that since he couldn't escape anyway, he might as well give it a try.

The sect leader shook his head: "You can't help this sect now."

"Oh?"

"If you can break through to the Nascent Soul stage, you will be of greater help to our sect." The sect leader looked at him with a hint of expectation in his eyes. "Your pure Yang energy has a miraculous effect on repairing the Nascent Soul. As long as you break through to the Nascent Soul stage and use your pure Yang energy to help our sect nurture the Nascent Soul, our sect's injuries will have a chance to heal."

Breakthrough to Nascent Soul stage.

Li Hanshan smiled wryly: "Master, breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage is too difficult. I'm only at the late Golden Core stage now."

"Late stage of Golden Core? Li Hanshan, do you really think I can't see through your cultivation level?"

The sect leader said calmly.

Li Hanshan was startled.

He hid it so well, yet the sect leader suddenly saw through it?

The sect leader looked at him, his gaze full of meaning: "Your concealment technique is indeed very powerful. However, sometimes you can't hide your cultivation level just by concealing your breath. As long as you make a move, there will be traces to follow."

Li Hanshan sighed: "Master, your disciple has now reached the Great Perfection of the Golden Core stage."

His frankness initially surprised the sect leader.

Immediately, the sect leader revealed a satisfied expression: "That's right, I can help you break through to the Nascent Soul stage."

Li Hanshan's heart skipped a beat. The sect leader wanted to help him break through to the Nascent Soul stage? How? Could it be... that she would use her body to help him?

Countless thoughts flashed through his mind, but the sect leader's next words made him realize that he was overthinking things.

"Our sect will set up a grand formation to help you condense your spiritual power and temper your soul." The sect leader took out a jade slip from his sleeve and handed it to him. "This is the formation diagram of the 'Spirit Gathering and Nascent Soul Formation Formation,' which our sect obtained in an ancient ruin many years ago. This formation can greatly increase the success rate of breaking through the core and forming a nascent soul, by at least 30%."

Li Hanshan took the jade slip and probed it with his divine sense, his heart trembling. The complexity of this array far surpassed any array he had ever seen; the array base alone required thirty-six points, each requiring a large amount of spirit stones and rare treasures for support. If he could truly set up this array, his chances of breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage would indeed increase greatly.

"Thank you, Master," he said, clasping his hands in a fist salute.

The sect leader waved his hand, took out a communication talisman from his sleeve, and infused it with spiritual power. A moment later, the talisman transformed into a streak of light and flew towards the Second Elder.

"I'll summon the Second Elder to help you set up the formation," the sect leader said calmly. "She's an expert in formations, and with her here, the setup will be much faster."

Li Hanshan nodded, but a question lingered in his mind. Why wasn't the sect leader called the First Elder, but the Second Elder? The First Elder's cultivation was higher than the Second Elder's, and his understanding of formations was also quite good. But the sect leader had chosen the Second Elder, which made him vaguely feel that something was amiss.

Before long, a red streak of light flew down from the sky and landed on the reef. The Second Elder still looked as languid as ever, his red robes disheveled, his hair loose over his shoulders, and his right leg still wrapped in bandages, but he seemed to be in good spirits.

"Sect Master, you were looking for me?" The Second Elder leaned against the reef, arms crossed, a half-smile playing on his lips.

The sect leader nodded and pointed at Li Hanshan, saying, "This sect will help him break through to the Nascent Soul stage. You are proficient in formations, so come and help set up the formation."

The Second Elder's gaze swept over Li Hanshan, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, before he resumed his lazy demeanor.

"Formation? What formation?"

The sect leader handed her the array diagram. The second elder took the jade slip, probed it with her divine sense, and her expression changed slightly after a moment.

"A Spirit Gathering and Nascent Soul Formation Array?" Her voice held a hint of surprise. "Sect Master, this is an ancient array, extremely difficult to set up. Moreover, it requires a vast amount of rare and precious materials. Do we have enough resources at hand?"

The sect leader said calmly, "Our sect has its own methods. You just need to set up the formation."

The Second Elder was silent for a moment, then nodded: "Alright. I'll go prepare."

As she turned to leave, the sect leader suddenly called out to her.

"Second Elder, come here for a moment. There is something I need to discuss with you privately."

The Second Elder paused, turned around, and walked to the Sect Master. She crouched down, leaned closer, and lowered her voice, saying, "Sect Master, what is it?"

In that instant, the sect leader suddenly raised his hand and slapped the second elder in the lower abdomen.

The black palm print, carrying the immense spiritual power of a peak Nascent Soul cultivator, solidly imprinted itself on the Second Elder's dantian. The Second Elder groaned, his entire body sent flying backward, crashing heavily onto the reef, a trace of blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

"Sect Master, you—" The Second Elder's expression changed drastically. He struggled to stand up, but found that the spiritual energy in his dantian was completely sealed and could not be mobilized at all.

The sect leader withdrew his hand, stood up, and looked down at her, his eyes behind the black veil devoid of any emotion.

"Second Elder, please forgive me."

The Second Elder's face turned pale instantly, her beautiful eyes filled with disbelief.

She stared at the sect leader, her voice trembling, "Sect leader, what do you want to do?"

The sect leader did not answer, but quickly cast a magic seal, which rushed into Li Hanshan's face.

Li Hanshan's expression changed.

This seal clearly contains a cultivation technique.

A method of absorbing and replenishing one's energy.

"Isn't this the Book of Darkness?"

Li Hanshan was greatly shocked.

because.

This technique was none other than the Yin Book that the maid had once told Li Hanshan.

How come the sect leader has a book of secrets?

In an instant, countless thoughts and speculations flashed through Li Hanshan's mind.

"Could it be that this girl is really Master Luo?"

But how could that be?

The girl is a righteous cultivator who hates evil as if it were her enemy, and she despises the Demonic Sect to the core.

How did she come to establish the Hehuan Sect?

But if not, where did the sect leader get this Book of the Underworld?

Besides, the timeline doesn't match up.

Could it be that Li Hanshan's dream can travel through time and space?

"Li Hanshan, this is an unparalleled secret technique left by the patriarch. It is not difficult for you to learn. Learn it quickly and then use it to take advantage of the Second Elder."

As Li Hanshan pondered these thoughts, the sect leader spoke calmly.

Li Hanshan was startled again.

The sect leader's intention was actually to have him take advantage of the Second Elder!

The sect leader summoned him not to help him set up an array to break through to the Nascent Soul stage, but to have him absorb the essence of the Second Elder.

"Master, what's wrong with you...?" His voice was a little hoarse.

The sect leader's voice was eerily calm: "The Second Elder is in the mid-Nascent Soul stage. Her Nascent Soul essence will greatly benefit your breakthrough to the Nascent Soul stage. If you take her essence, your chances of breaking through will increase by at least 50%."