At the same time, at the entrance of the stone bridge Yuan Ming just crossed.

Ouyang Qiang held a palm-sized black Mystic Tower in her hand, surrounded by electrical light, and leaped down from the bridge, landing on the opposite shore.

Behind her, only Huangfu Jue and a woman followed, precisely Yun Luo Fairy.

Her whole body was wrapped with a white silk that emitted a faint glow, covered in scorch marks from fire and lightning strikes, looking extremely disheveled.

Huangfu Jue also appeared quite disheveled, but his condition was much better than Yun Luo Fairy's.

As for the tall and short mask-wearing elders, they were nowhere to be seen.

"Yunluo Island Master, you've hidden your abilities well, to have such means?" Huangfu Jue stared at Yun Luo Fairy, looking somewhat surprised.

"My humble skills are nothing compared to Vice Palace Master Huangfu. If not for the Palace Master's aid during the illusion challenge, I would never have gotten through it," Yun Luo Fairy said breathlessly, her face looking somewhat unpleasant.

Huangfu Jue smiled and did not ask further.

Ouyang Qiang paid no attention to the conversation behind her, standing still by the riverbank, her gaze fixed on the ground in front of her.

The ground was covered with many chaotic footprints, spreading forward, but these footprints appeared rather indistinct.

"Let's go." Ouyang Qiang spoke softly as if to herself and began running along the footprints, not flying through the air.

Yun Luo Fairy and Huangfu Jue hurriedly followed.

The three soon arrived at the Redwood Pavilion.

The groups from Luo Jia Mountain, Azure Dragon Pond, and Black Evil Sect were all there, seemingly just having arrived not long ago.

The three groups had also suffered heavy losses; from Black Evil Sect, only Mao Yi, a hunched-back man, and a black-armored man who was actually a black dragon turtle remained.

Mao Yi looked unharmed, the hunched-back man was charred all over, emitting the scent of burnt flesh, while the black-armored man showed no obvious wounds but appeared slightly fatigued, evidently not faring well either.

From Luo Jia Mountain, three people emerged—Bai Yuan, Dian Xiaosan, and the golden-haired strong man Gao Feng.

Bai Yuan seemed fine, but Dian Xiaosan and Gao Feng were severely injured, sitting on the ground for breathing control.

From Azure Dragon Pond, only two survived, Zhu Yu and a blue-haired, blue-eyed female devil cultivator covered in blue scales.

She was a Level 5 peak devil cultivator, her scales covered in scars from fire and lightning, also healing her wounds with her eyes closed.

The three groups seemed not to have entered the pavilion, each guarding their wounded while wary of each other.

Seeing the three from Dongji Palace approach, Bai Yuan and Zhu Yu glanced over before withdrawing their gazes, ignoring them.

Mao Yi's expression turned somewhat awkward.

The Black Evil Sect had joined forces with Dongji Palace, but when he saw people from Azure Dragon Pond and Luo Jia Mountain boarding the stone bridge, he immediately followed without notifying the people from Dongji Palace, which was rather unscrupulous.

Ouyang Qiang cast a cold glance at Mao Yi, refraining from complaining out loud, but clearly, the cooperation between the parties had come to an end.

Her gaze shifted to the stele next to the pavilion, her eyes brightening slightly.

However, she did not go in immediately, finding an empty spot at a distance from the other three parties, signaling Huangfu Jue and Yun Luo Fairy to heal quickly.

About two hours later, as the blue-haired female devil cultivator from Azure Dragon Pond stood up first, others also stopped their breathing control simultaneously, and everyone rushed into the Redwood Pavilion.

The hunched-back man, however, stood still, frowning slightly. Enjoy the story by reading on *.

Mao Yi also halted, glanced at the black-armored man who had entered the pavilion, moved his lips in transmission, and asked, "Kuang Lan Demon Son, you..."

"This is Emperor Yan's Mausoleum, don't call me that name!" the hunched-back man suddenly looked over, interrupting Mao Yi.

"My apologies." Mao Yi expressed in transmission, hastily lowering his head.

"The Pill King Pavilion was destroyed by the Holy Sect back then, and we are mortal enemies. Although Emperor Yan has long been dead, he was a peak Dharma manifestation existence in life, and could have left behind methods against demon cultivators. Even in transmission, use my alias from now on," the hunched-back man transmitted.

"Yes, Lord Jiang Liu." Mao Yi responded in transmission.

The hunched-back man shifted his gaze forward.

"Lord Jiang Liu, the Exchange Treasure Pavilion in the Fire Refining Secret Realm is here; Emperor Yan took half of the Pill King Pavilion back then. There may be good things there to add to your holdings, we should hurry in before the good items are taken," Mao Yi glanced inside the pavilion and said.

"No need, the things inside are useless to me. You go ahead; I have more important matters to attend to," the hunched-back man said.

After saying this, not waiting for Mao Yi to agree, he transformed into a streak of silver light and darted forward, disappearing instantly.

Mao Yi opened his mouth, but the hunched-back man had vanished, so he swallowed his words, quickly entering the Redwood Pavilion.

...

On the other side, after Yuan Ming passed through the stone wall, he found an empty space in front of him and landed back on the ground.

He instinctively activated the Demon Image Prison Suppression Skill, mobilizing Qi Blood Power to protect himself. A flash of spirit light appeared above his head, and a yellow mountain peak about a foot high materialized, its surface faintly shimmering with yellow runes. Although small in size, it projected an immovable and unbreakable aura.

Beams of yellow light descended from the yellow mountain peak, enveloping his body.

This item was precisely the Houtu Peak Magic Treasure, completely refined over the past hundred years. Sixteen defensive runes were inscribed inside of it, making it stand unrivaled in defense among his many magic treasures.

After finishing these preparations, Yuan Ming's gaze swept around the surroundings.

He found himself in a well-lit and spacious grand hall.

After waiting for a moment and seeing no danger coming, Yuan Ming finally relaxed a little, his gaze settling on a tall redwood table directly ahead.

On either side of the table, two items were placed.

On the left, there was a somewhat oddly shaped crimson three-legged round cauldron, over a person's height, adorned with openwork patterns and peculiar runes. Around the furnace body were twelve slightly larger openings seemingly inlaid with gems glowing in twelve different colors, making it extremely beautiful and exquisite.

The scorching high temperature emanating from the crimson round cauldron made Yuan Ming feel as if he were standing amidst a volcano, causing needle-like pain throughout his body, with even the Houtu Peak and Blood Gang Shield unable to resist.

Aside from the terrifying heat, an unusual fragrance wafted from within the cauldron, invigorating the spirit of anyone who inhaled it.

"What kind of cauldron is this? It seems to be an alchemy furnace, incredibly fine and much superior to the Sun and Moon Flame Sunrise Furnace!" Yuan Ming couldn't help but exclaim.

His gaze then shifted to the right side of the table, where a half-finger-thick golden book was placed. Its material seemed like silk yet jade, with the cover inscribed with four large ancient seal script characters: "Pill King Secret Manual".

Yuan Ming's pupils slightly contracted, a flash of excitement crossing his eyes.

Indeed, this was the inheritance place of the Pill King Pavilion. Could the Pill King Secret Manual record numerous Dan Recipes collected by the Pill King Pavilion?

Despite his heart racing, Yuan Ming didn't rashly step forward to take the treasures. Instead, his gaze fell behind the table.

Placed there was a Taishi Chair on which sat a withered corpse in a grand manner.

The corpse was emaciated, its eye sockets sunken. Sparse white hair tied into a somewhat comical topknot, dressed in a wide black robe embroidered with golden patterns that appeared intact yet mismatched with the corpse.

Though Yuan Ming sensed no life force from the withered corpse, he faintly perceived a trace of Divine Soul spiritual light, different from a Residual Soul, resembling more of a Divine Thought preserved through secret techniques.

Such preserved Divine Thoughts often represented some form of obsession or last wish from the deceased's lifetime.

The identity of the corpse was not hard to guess, so Yuan Ming was about to step forward when the previously lifeless corpse suddenly moved, an immensely powerful aura manifesting and filling the grand hall instantly.

Yuan Ming was forced back by this forceful aura, retreating more than ten steps before barely steadying himself.

The withered corpse slowly stood up, air currents swirling around it, supporting the fallen black robe embroidered with golden patterns. Two faint spirit lights ignited within its deeply sunk eye sockets, gazing at Yuan Ming.

Yuan Ming's body tensed up, and he instinctively clenched his fist.

The withered corpse's gaze quickly shifted, landing on the Emperor Yan's Ruyi Scepter in Yuan Ming's right hand, raising its hand in a beckoning gesture.

The Emperor Yan's Ruyi Scepter flew out of Yuan Ming's grip, silently and effortlessly burning through the Houtu Peak protective shield, sailing toward the withered corpse.

Yuan Ming was alarmed, wishing to retrieve his belonging, yet the overwhelming pressure from the corpse made it difficult for him to move, leaving him with no choice but to watch as the scepter fell into the opponent's hands.

"You have returned..." the withered corpse softly caressed the short scepter with its fingers and spoke gently, as if chatting with an old friend.

Red light flickered constantly on the Emperor Yan's Ruyi Scepter, as if communicating with the withered corpse.

Yuan Ming was bewildered upon witnessing this scene.

Could the Emperor Yan's Ruyi Scepter contain an Artifact Spirit? Despite having investigated the scepter many times over the years, he had never discovered an Artifact Spirit within.

"Could it be that you are the senior Emperor Yan? It is a privilege to meet you," Yuan Ming couldn't help but speak after waiting a while as the withered corpse continued caressing the Emperor Yan's Ruyi Scepter.

The others could come at any moment, and he didn't have much time to waste.

"I am indeed Emperor Yan. What is your name?" The withered corpse returned to its senses, glancing at Yuan Ming, and a dignified voice echoed within Yuan Ming's Sea of Consciousness.

As the voice sounded, the oppressive force covering the entire grand hall intensified once more.

"I am Yuan Ming, from Dongji Sea. I greet the senior," Yuan Ming hurriedly operated his Sea of Consciousness Soul Power to resist the pressure, barely maintaining a steady voice.

"Your mana is mediocre, yet your physical body is well-tempered, and your Divine Soul is quite strong. No wonder you can barely withstand half of my pressure. Are you a Soul Cultivator?" Emperor Yan scrutinized Yuan Ming from head to toe, the terrifying aura around him receding like the tide.

"Yes," Yuan Ming breathed a sigh of relief, not hiding the truth.

"A stronger Divine Soul indeed grants some benefits in Alchemy. To which branch of the Pill King Pavilion do you belong as a disciple? What level has your Alchemy Technique reached?" Emperor Yan asked once more.

"I fear I will disappoint you, senior. I am merely a Loose Cultivator from Dongji Sea, not an heir of the Pill King Pavilion. As for Alchemy, I have only dabbled in Alchemy Technique, and am not formally an Alchemist," Yuan Ming hesitated briefly before deciding to reveal the truth.