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

The Second Elder's face turned from pale to ashen.

She lay on the reef, her dantian sealed, her spiritual power suppressed, unable to move even a finger. But in her beautiful eyes burned an unprecedented rage.

"Sect Leader, we have known each other for hundreds of years, and I believe I have never done anything to wrong you."

The Second Elder's voice was laced with venom: "You're willing to use me as a furnace for a mere Golden Core disciple?"

The sect leader looked down at her, his eyes behind the black veil devoid of any emotion, his voice eerily calm: "Second Elder, you are also a member of the Joyful Union Sect. Being in the Joyful Union Sect means you must be prepared to be a pawn."

The second elder paused.

The sect leader continued, "You think I'm harming you? I'm helping you. How many years have you been stuck at the mid-Nascent Soul stage? Fifty years? Eighty years? Where have you used all the resources I've given you?"

The second elder bit his lip, unable to speak.

"You have enjoyed the privileges of an elder in the Hehuan Sect for hundreds of years; now it is time for you to give back."

The sect leader's voice sharpened, "What, you're unwilling?"

The Second Elder stared at her, her eyes filled with resentment: "Why me? The First Elder is also in the mid-Nascent Soul stage, why didn't you just take him?"

"Because it can only be you," the sect leader said calmly. "The Grand Elder needs to be kept around to restrain the Heavenly Demon Sect. You're different. You're dispensable in the sect, and you haven't made any progress over the years. Keeping you around would be a waste of resources."

The Second Elder's face flushed crimson. The Sect Master's words were like a knife, stabbing precisely at her sore spot. She had indeed been stuck at the mid-Nascent Soul stage for many years, making no progress whatsoever. But that didn't mean she was willing to be treated as a pawn to be discarded.

"Sect Master, if you truly wish for my death, then simply kill me." The Second Elder's voice calmed, but a resolute glint flashed in her beautiful eyes. "I, Luo Ying, have lived for hundreds of years and have never feared death."

As she spoke, she actually began to activate the remaining spiritual power in her dantian, attempting to detonate her nascent soul.

The sect leader frowned, raised his hand and cast a spell. Black spiritual light entered the Second Elder's brow, sealing away her last remaining spiritual power.

"You can't bear to part with it." The sect leader's voice returned to calm. "After hundreds of years of arduous cultivation, I refuse to believe you're worthy of this fate."

The Second Elder's body stiffened, and the resolve in his eyes gradually turned into despair.

She truly couldn't bear to part with him. After cultivating for hundreds of years, finally rising from a mortal to the Nascent Soul stage, how could she bear to die like this?

She still had so much to do. She hadn't been to the Central Continent, hadn't seen the prosperity of the main sect, and hadn't experienced the power of a Nascent Soul cultivator.

She couldn't bear to part with it.

The sect leader crouched down, looking at her, his tone suddenly softening: "Second Elder, I promise you, after the matter of the Heavenly Demon Sect is resolved, I will take you to the main sect. Given our achievements in unifying the Northern Wilderness, the main sect will certainly make an exception and grant us entry. At that time, you will no longer be an elder of the Joyful Union Sect, but a disciple of the main sect, enjoying the resources of the Central Continent and cultivating even more profound techniques."

A flicker of doubt crossed the Second Elder's eyes.

Going to the main sect was something she had always dreamed of. She had cultivated for hundreds of years and was already tired of the barren land of the Northern Wilderness.

The sacred land of cultivation in the Central Continent was the place she truly longed for.

If she could go to the main sect, she would be willing to be drained of her essence even if it was only once, let alone ten times.

"Sect Master, you swear by your Dao heart." Her voice was hoarse, as if she had used up her last bit of strength.

The sect leader nodded, raised three fingers, and solemnly said, "This sect swears an oath with our Daoist hearts; if we break this oath, may we be struck down by heaven and earth, and our souls scattered."

The Second Elder stared at her for a long while, seemingly trying to determine the truthfulness of her words. Finally, she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and then opened them to look at Li Hanshan.

"bring it on."

Her voice was very soft, so soft it sounded like it was being squeezed out of her throat.

Li Hanshan stood there, watching this scene, but felt no joy whatsoever.

He was thinking about something else.

Yin Book.

What the sect leader had just sent into his mind was none other than the Yin Book.

That was the cultivation method the girl had told him about, integrated with the Yang Manual. The girl said the Yin Manual had been lost in the Hehuan Sect for a long time, and only the founder was proficient in it. How could the sect leader have it?

Countless questions churned in his mind, but none could be answered. He dared not ask Luo Li in his dream, fearing it would trigger that life-or-death crisis. He could only suppress these questions in his heart, waiting for a chance to unravel them later.

But his bigger problem now is the Divine Infant.

Luo Li had said that to form a divine infant, one must possess the divine sense of the Nascent Soul stage. Although his divine sense had reached the ninth level of the Nascent Soul stage, only one step away from the Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul stage, it was still a long way from the Divine Transformation stage.

If one were to rashly attempt to break through to the Nascent Soul stage now, at most one could only form an ordinary Nascent Soul, not a Divine Nascent Soul.

This made him very resentful.

Over the years, he has been preparing for the Divine Infant, condensing spiritual power and tempering the soul, spending countless efforts.

He was unwilling to give up so easily. But the current situation left him no room for refusal.

The sect leader was watching from the side. The second elder had already agreed, and if he said "no" again, the sect leader would likely take action himself.

"Li Hanshan, what are you standing there for?"

The sect leader urged.

Li Hanshan took a deep breath, clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Master, I have a request."

The sect leader frowned slightly: "Speak."

"Even with the Second Elder's Nascent Soul essence assisting me, I'm not very confident I can break through to the Nascent Soul stage," Li Hanshan said carefully, emphasizing each word. "I need time."

The sect leader looked at him, remained silent for a moment, and then asked, "How long?"

"At least three months."

The sect leader remained silent. She glanced at Li Hanshan, then at the Second Elder lying on the ground, seemingly weighing her options. Finally, she nodded.

"Alright. I'll give you three months. Within these three months, you must break through to the Nascent Soul stage."

Li Hanshan felt relieved and clasped his hands in thanks, saying, "Thank you, Master."

The sect leader stood up, his gaze sweeping over the surrounding reefs and the distant sea, and said calmly, "For the next three months, members of our sect and the Heavenly Demon Sect will be stationed nearby. You will cultivate within the formation, while we will protect you from the outside."

Li Hanshan was taken aback: "Master, you're going to stay here for three months?"

"Otherwise what?" The sect leader glanced at him. "Right now, we don't even know if that demon is secretly watching us. If he returns, and we scatter, he'll only pick us off one by one. If we stay together, at least we still have a fighting chance."

Li Hanshan nodded, agreeing with the sect leader's reasoning. But another thought surfaced in his mind—what if, after he broke through to the Nascent Soul stage, the sect leader really would devour him whole, just as the second elder had said?

He glanced at the Second Elder instinctively. The Second Elder lay on the ground, her eyes closed, seemingly resigned to her fate. But the faint, cold smile on her lips made Li Hanshan's heart tighten.

The sect leader seemed to see through his thoughts and said calmly, "Li Hanshan, rest assured. This sect will not harm you."

Li Hanshan didn't speak, but the doubt in his eyes didn't completely disappear.

The sect leader sighed, walked up to him, and lowered his voice, saying, "If I truly wanted to harm you, I wouldn't need to go through all this trouble. I could have drained you dry before you even broke through to the Golden Core stage. But I didn't. I took you as my disciple, gave you resources, and helped you seize furnaces, not to fatten you up before killing you. I truly need you."

She looked into his eyes, a rare seriousness flashing in those deep gazes: "Your pure Yang energy has a miraculous effect on repairing the Nascent Soul. Our sect needs you to break through to the Nascent Soul stage, and then use your pure Yang energy to help our sect repair its Nascent Soul. Once our sect's injuries are healed, we'll be confident in dealing with the Heavenly Demon Sect."

Li Hanshan looked into her eyes, remained silent for a moment, and slowly said, "Master, you swear an oath with your Dao heart."

The sect leader paused for a moment, then nodded, raised three fingers, and solemnly said, "I swear on my Dao heart that if I harm Li Hanshan after breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage, may I be struck down by heaven and earth, and my soul be scattered."

As the vow was uttered, an invisible force of heavenly power descended from the sky and entered the space between their brows.

Li Hanshan felt somewhat relieved. Although the oath of Dao Heart wasn't particularly binding on demonic cultivators, he didn't have a better option at the moment.

Let's take it one step at a time.

"Your disciple obeys," he said, clasping his hands in a fist salute.

The sect leader nodded and turned to walk away into the distance.

"I will go set up the formation. You all prepare well; it will begin tomorrow."

Li Hanshan watched her figure disappear among the rocks before turning to the Second Elder. The Second Elder was still lying on the ground, eyes closed, breathing steadily, as if he were asleep.

"Second Elder," he said softly.

The Second Elder opened her eyes, her beautiful eyes filled with complex emotions. She looked at Li Hanshan, a faint smile appearing on her lips.

"What, you've finally decided to make a move?"

Li Hanshan sat down beside her and whispered, "Second Elder, I'm sorry."

The Second Elder remained silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled. His smile held a hint of self-mockery, yet also a touch of relief.

"There's nothing to apologize for. Having spent so many years in the Joyful Union Sect, I, this elder, long ago expected this day to come. I just never imagined it would be you."

She paused, her gaze turning serious: "Li Hanshan, listen carefully. This elder agrees to cooperate with you, but not because of the sect leader's promise. This elder believes in you."

Li Hanshan was taken aback: "Trust me?"

"You may be ruthless at times, but you never mistreat your own people," the Second Elder said, looking into his eyes and enunciating each word clearly. "I've been in the Joyful Union Sect for hundreds of years and have seen countless cultivators. But someone like you is the first I've ever met."