Several months later.

Mozi looked through the gathered intelligence reports and waved his hand impatiently.

"Not a single useful lead! I told you to find disciples from Mount Shushan, and this is what you bring back?!"

"What do you mean 'suspected Mount Shushan disciple'?!"

"Have I been too lenient with you people?"

Mozi's voice thundered like lightning, with actual thunder cracking behind him.

The disciples dared not speak, fearing they might provoke his anger and face soul-destroying consequences.

After a long while, Mozi gradually calmed his temper.

In truth, he understood in his heart just how vast this world was.

If the other party hid anywhere randomly, he would have nowhere to search.

Just then, Mozi's gaze fell upon a jade slip.

The jade slip contained intelligence brought back by a disciple - Snowveil Commerce had discovered an exceptional alchemist refining pills, creating cauldron phantom images that covered an extensive area.

The suspicious part was that Snowveil Commerce had never possessed such a high-level alchemist before.

Reliable sources claimed it was an alchemist brought back by Caishen, with extraordinary pill refinement skills.

Mozi narrowed his eyes slightly.

Pill refinement?

Snowveil Commerce?

Mozi quickly seized upon these two keywords, his mind stirring.

"You go investigate. Only return to me with reliable information. The rest of you, keep searching!"

"Yes!!"

"..........."

Li Xuanxiao's eyes erupted with brilliant golden light, the power around him reaching its limit.

"Refine for me now!!"

Li Xuanxiao roared angrily.

The world within the cauldron churned violently. Follow current ɴᴏᴠᴇʟs on novel⟡fire.net

His immense spiritual consciousness transformed into billions of invisible threads that, under Li Xuanxiao's forceful control,

Guided the violent energy to circulate according to established patterns.

At this moment, if the cauldron could be considered a miniature universe,

Then the pill Li Xuanxiao was refining represented a star being born at the universe's center.

After a long and arduous refinement process, the pill embryo finally successfully took form!

With the appearance of the first pill pattern, the entire refinement process reached a critical turning point.

Carving this first pill pattern proved exceptionally difficult, requiring tremendous effort and patience.

However, once the first pattern was successfully engraved, the subsequent work became relatively easier.

Soon after, the second, third... pill patterns flowed like clouds and water across the pill embryo.

These patterns not only represented the pill's quality and grade but also symbolized the deepest-level fusion of medicinal essences with different properties.

With each additional pattern, the pill's radiance grew more restrained.

Time passed minute by minute.

Finally, a peculiar medicinal aroma began to emanate from within the cauldron.

The fragrance was fresh and pleasant, yet contained boundless medicinal power.

Success!!

But then with a thunderous boom!!

A white light shot up from the cauldron.

The white light soared straight into the sky, fleeing into the distance.

Li Xuanxiao's eyes narrowed slightly.

The moment the pill completed, it had already given birth to a pill spirit.

This pill spirit naturally refused to surrender willingly - its survival instinct drove it to flee instinctively into the distance.

Having nearly exhausted all his power, Li Xuanxiao now appeared as if he had aged centuries.

He no longer had strength left for anything else.

But before the white light could escape, just as it shot through the sky aiming to soar beyond the nine heavens,

It was caught in a large net.

This was Li Xuanxiao's prepared contingency, worried that a pill spirit might emerge upon the pill's completion.

Guided the violent energy to circulate according to established patterns.

All this effort would have been wasted for nothing.

As the net tightened around it,

Li Xuanxiao spread open his palm, and the net containing the pill returned to his hand.

Li Xuanxiao let out a long sigh.

Finally over - this had cost him nearly half his lifespan.

But it could be considered... repaying Di Nü Feng's life-saving grace.

As he thought this, Li Xuanxiao suddenly sensed something.

Movement?

"............."

In the back mountains, four disciples from Zhongzhou had already infiltrated the area.

They had been sent by Mozi to investigate the situation.

"Heaven help us, I hope this is really the Mount Shushan disciple's hiding place!"

One of them said.

"If we don't find any leads this time, none of us will survive."

Another complained: "This Cangzhou world is so vast, finding one person is incredibly difficult, no different than fishing for a needle in the ocean.

The ancestor told us to investigate recent strange occurrences, but there are plenty of strange things happening. Who knows which one was caused by the Mount Shushan disciple."

"Enough, instead of complaining, we should hurry and search. Regroup here after one incense stick's time."

The four immediately dispersed.

After one incense stick's time, only one person returned to the meeting point.

That person released his spiritual sense.

"Where is everyone?"

The moment this thought arose, a large hand grabbed his head from behind.

Li Xuanxiao's hand skin now appeared dry like tree bark, completely devoid of moisture.

Kill, then soul search.

"Cough cough cough!"

Li Xuanxiao couldn't stop coughing up large amounts of blood, then forcibly took another alchemy pill.

This type of pill shouldn't be taken more than twice within a month.

Yet Li Xuanxiao had taken seven in a single day.

The damage to his body went without saying.

Li Xuanxiao collected the other's soul - still searching for me?

This Mozi truly pursues me relentlessly.

Li Xuanxiao summoned a soul refinement pearl and absorbed the soul into it.

Only then did he take the pill and leave the area.

He didn't go find Cao Changjing immediately - the current priority

Was to have Di Nü Feng take this pill as soon as possible, to avoid complications.

To this end, Li Xuanxiao specifically pretended the pill refinement wasn't complete yet, to deceive others.

Meanwhile, he had already found Di Nü Feng.

"............"

"Li... Li Xuanxiao?"

Di Nü Feng looked astonished at the person before her.

For a moment, she actually didn't recognize the man in front of her.

At this time, neither Li Xuanxiao nor Di Nü Feng looked particularly presentable.

Li Xuanxiao smiled, with a somewhat commiserating feeling.

Li Xuanxiao reached out and gently tapped her forehead, then brought the pill to her lips.

"How did you become like this? Are you poisoned too?"

Li Xuanxiao ignored her question and placed the pill in her mouth.

"Take this and you'll be fine."

As the pill went down her throat, Di Nü Feng first felt a cooling sensation, then sensed power drilling directly into her meridians.

"Don't resist this power. Guide it."

"Can I use spiritual energy now?" Di Nü Feng asked instinctively.

Since Li Xuanxiao had previously forbidden her from using spiritual energy, she had obediently complied.

"Of course."

Li Xuanxiao watched Di Nü Feng with both anticipation and nervousness.

Although he had great confidence in his alchemy skills and the detoxification secret method recorded in the poison classic, nothing was ever one hundred percent certain.

Only when he saw the green veins on Di Nü Feng's neck receding at a visible rate did Li Xuanxiao feel joy.

But he didn't vocalize it, not wanting to disturb Di Nü Feng's toxin expulsion.

After approximately half an hour.

Beads of sweat suddenly formed on Di Nü Feng's body - not white sweat, but bluish-green droplets that fell to the ground one by one.

Ancient Snake God poison!!!

Li Xuanxiao immediately recognized it, quickly taking out a container for the venom and collecting the bluish-green toxic liquid.