The spiritual essence in all directions became thicker and thicker, turning into small rivers that entered the cauldron. Meanwhile, the silver spiritual flame underground also became more and more exuberant, carrying spiritual essence as it rushed into the cauldron. Water and fire merged, condensing into a Golden Elixir. It vaguely turned into Yin and Yang energy while emitting the sounds of dragons and tigers. The fragrance of the pill filled the air.
This scene left everyone moved. It was too extraordinary. What was refined within the cauldron could no longer be considered pure spiritual medicines. The underground spiritual veins and heavenly essence, together with the lightning that hacked down, had long changed the composition of the spiritual medicines within the cauldron.
"No wonder it's so domineering. Just the pill refinement aura alone is extraordinary. It's so rarely seen!"
Huo Ling'er, the Nine-Headed Lion, and Yun Xi all looked shocked. Such a method was something that not even the old medicine master could master.
Dragons and tigers assisted each other, merging Yin and Yang. It was drawing in underground fire essence and connecting heavenly spiritual liquid. Just like that, everything converged and merged in the same furnace, creating a Golden Elixir that was filled with cultivation aura.
This pill refinement technique was extremely shocking. They finally understood why even Shi Hao's body was cracking apart and almost exploded within the pill furnace. It was because this was a type of qualitative change.
The pill recipe was astonishing. Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled, accompanied by Yin and Yang energy. The product was starting to merge with the essence of the universe, and it contained great energy. Using such energy to make a breakthrough would naturally have shocking effects.
Shi Hao endured the pain to refine his muscles and bones. He took the risk of his body breaking apart and guided the pill energy into his body. With it, he continuously explored the human body's treasury, releasing his potential.
By using the medicinal cauldron to refine his body, he already reached the middle stage of the Formation Arrangement Realm. Right now, he was consolidating his cultivation realm and polishing his flesh, hoping to completely stabilize himself and not leave behind any hidden dangers.
After all, this breakthrough was too aggressive. He had been stuck here for a long time, yet today, he achieved it overnight. The sudden eruption was too fierce, and it shook his foundation.
The greatest hidden danger was reflected in his body. His skin was covered densely in cracks that interweaved together like a spiderweb. He almost collapsed. He needed to be fixed.
"This is a forceful breakthrough! It's extreme and violent. He's tearing open the flesh treasury's entrance to release his potential. A single mistake and both his body and spirit will be wiped out."
Everyone's hearts trembled when they saw this. Normal people wouldn't be able to cultivate like this and would most likely die. Fortunately, Shi Hao's flesh was powerful enough and didn't shatter because of this.
A grain of sand contained a world of its own. Even something as weak as an ant would release endless power if it opened its gateway.
However, how many people could do that? At every turn, their bodies and souls would be destroyed, forever erased from this world.
"In fact, he was injured mainly because his potential was too great. In the past, there were some people who forcefully broke through like this, but the treasury within them wasn't this powerful," said the Nine-Headed Lion.
Everyone nodded. The potential within Shi Hao's body was endless and horrifying. The aura that seeped out from this process just now was enough to leave everyone stupefied. Shi Hao had far surpassed others.
This wasn't only reflected in the strength of his soul, but also the power contained within every inch of his body. It was as boundless as an abyssal sea. Once it was released, it would definitely shock the world.
Within his flesh, formations took form one after another, all successfully engraved. Among them, the symbols of a stalk of grass were full of vitality. Apart from this, the Kun Peng also became more and more agile as if it was injected with life. There was also the Vermilion Bird, Archaic Divine Ape, Zhu Yan, and others.
At this moment, the glistening yellow furnace no longer trembled but was releasing a gentle radiance because the Yin and Yang energy no longer surged. It became calmer and was slowly pouring in.
That was how Yin and Yang truly harmonized and returned to perfection. The Golden Elixir in the cauldron became perfectly round, and the cracks all disappeared.
Shi Hao's cracked skin was also being repaired. It was nourished by a wave of golden multicolored light as if the cracked earth was being watered by sweet dew. It slowly healed and was then full of life force.
The bloody traces disappeared, and his skin became translucent like jade. Moreover, when his blood flowed, it rumbled like thunder. He was full of energy, which was a sign of stabilizing after breaking through.
"He made it!"
Everyone knew that this time, Shi Hao seized the natural luck of heaven and earth, and the breakthrough was successful. The violent aura disappeared, and his body was no longer cracking apart. Instead, a gentle radiance began to nourish his body.
Clang!
The lid of the cauldron fell. Dense energy surrounded the great cauldron, and no one could see the scene inside. This was the final refinement.
Shi Hao sat there without moving. He was wrapped in medicinal paste while carrying out the final consolidation. His flesh was nourished, and his injured body was healing. His aura erupted, and he became more and more powerful.
Cultivation wasn't easy. The further one went, the harder it was to advance. However, with every step forward, one's strength would increase by a large amount.
In addition, Shi Hao's potential was great, and he was known as the supreme youth. Every time he improved, his corresponding strength would soar, far surpassing other experts of the same level.
Crack!
A shattering sound rang out from within the cauldron. This immediately left everyone in the courtyard shocked. They thought that something unexpected had happened. With a loud clanging sound, the cauldron's lid was blasted open. Shi Hao walked out.
"What a waste!" The big red bird cried out miserably.
That Golden Elixir shattered, turning into a faint golden lump. Shi Hao was shining as if he was carved from gemstones. He put on his clothes. His body was full of vitality, and divine force surged. It was clear that he had climbed to the peak of his life.
Everyone knew that Shi Hao had made a breakthrough and was far more powerful than before. In this era where supreme experts couldn't even take care of themselves, he could definitely dominate the world!
Everyone stared at the Golden Elixir fragment in the cauldron and found it such a pity. This was too wasteful. That was refined from nearly fifty stalks of spiritual herbs.
Who would squander things like this? These things were priceless!
"I can still refine it further. I've absorbed eighty percent of the medicinal effects, so there's still twenty percent left," Shi Hao said. He pressed the cauldron lid on and activated the silver spiritual flame to continue refining it.
He went to the rear courtyard, bathed in the clear spring, and changed into a new set of clothes.
When he came out again, Shi Hao was in high spirits. He seemed otherworldly and intelligent. Even though he still looked like a child, he was still a king in the middle stage of the Formation Arrangement Realm with an intangible aura.
The group of people sighed with admiration. Was there a king who was younger than him in the present world? He was only fifteen years old, yet he already reached this cultivation realm. It was unprecedented.
Inside the cauldron, golden light seeped out. The pill fragments were about to condense again.
Meanwhile, two people arrived outside the courtyard and were talking to the owner. In the end, they seemed to have confirmed something.
"A'de, you're quite quick-witted. You found such a big fish." A seemingly valiant middle-aged man praised A'de.
Several days ago, Shi Hao unintentionally bought the True Phoenix Bone and offended vendor A'de, as well as the people behind him. They were here now.
They also suspected that it was Shi Hao who bought forty-eight stalks of spiritual herbs, so they had been paying close attention. Later on, when they asked the owner of this place, they received confirmation that the person inside seemed to have refined a furnace of great medicine, stirring up heaven and earth's spiritual essence.
"A'de, go and report to that person that someone here used forty-eight stalks of spiritual herbs to refine a cauldron of precious pills," said the fierce-looking middle-aged man. He had always suspected that the one that was sold was a piece of phoenix bone, but the buyer had switched it to something else later. He wanted to get revenge.
Of course, he also knew that those who could buy forty-eight stalks of spiritual medicine were anything but ordinary. That was why he had A'de go to the Divine Medicine Sect to report to a great figure. He himself didn't act rashly.
In the courtyard, the medicinal cauldron shone. The Golden Elixir was about to be completed.
The Nine-Headed Lion and the others removed the surrounding formations, no longer needing to cover up for Shi Hao. They allowed the spiritual essence to surge over, converging into the cauldron.
Ten minutes later, the roars of dragons and tigers rang out from within the cauldron. Moreover, the cauldron lid was pushed up by a wave of dense energy, and it slid down on its own. An expanse of golden light blossomed.
"Impressive. A cauldron of pills like this is truly rare. Hey, there are only two. That's less than I expected. Just give me one, then."
A few people walked in from outside the courtyard. Apart from A'de and the middle-aged man, there was a young man, who was the leader of the group. He was the one who spoke, and behind him were a few attendants.
The big red bird sneered and said, "Who do you think you are? You want to take away a Golden Elixir just like that. You think so highly of yourself."
Shi Hao and his friends all frowned. They could already tell that the trouble was brought by the vendor, who was a true villain. He wasn't hiding anything at all and was chuckling.
"You want a Golden Elixir? Sure, give me twenty stalks of spiritual medicine," Shi Hao said expressionlessly.
"You don't know the rules of the Medicine Capital, right? Using my Medicine Capital's underground spiritual flame requires a tax. For you to refine this type of Golden Elixir, you must have used up a large amount of spiritual matter underground, which is why you have to pay for a Golden Elixir," The young man sneered.
"We have to pay a tax just because you say so? Who do you think you are?" The big red bird yelled.
"That's right. It's because I say so. Medicine Capital was first established by the Divine Medicine Sect, and we are one of the forces that set the rules," The young man had an arrogant expression on his face.
At this point, he tried to reach into the medicinal cauldron. There was a lot of medicinal paste residue there, as well as two Golden Elixirs the size of longan fruits. He wanted to seize them all.
Bang!
Shi Hao didn't want to waste his breath. He kicked out. Even though the youngster was extremely powerful among his peers, he still spat out blood. He flew outward as if he saw a ghost. Then, he coughed out blood and fainted.
The vendor A'de and the middle-aged man's expressions changed. They felt that things weren't looking good.
"You are quite unbridled and so unscrupulous. Do you think there is no one in Medicine Capital that can handle you?" A carriage tore through the air, and the passenger was the Divine Medicine Sect's supreme elder.
When he arrived, he saw that young man who had been kicked unconscious. He didn't deal with Shi Hao but instead stared at A'de and that middle-aged man. His eyes glinted, and he said, "You instigated my descendants to come here. How dare you!"
With a Rumble, a large hand reached out. The elder was a peak Formation Arrangement Realm expert. The vendor and the middle-aged man were shocked and cried out.
"My lord, please spare our lives. This person purchased forty-eight stalks of spiritual medicine in one go. We wanted to report to you, but we didn't find you!"
"Even so, you shouldn't have urged my descendant to take action!" The Divine Medicine Sect's supreme elder pressed downward. The two people immediately spat out blood, and their cultivation was destroyed. Their faces were pale and looked miserable.
Then, he turned around, looked at Shi Hao, and smirked. "Even if my descendant crossed the line a bit, it still isn't your place to teach him a lesson. Hand over your medicine and slap yourself."
"You really are courting death." The big red bird shook its head. Even though this person was extremely strong, he was still not Shi Hao's match.
The Nine-Headed Lion, Flame Crow, and the others also remained indifferent as they looked at the elder.
Whoosh.
Shi Hao stuck out a finger. A streak of silver radiance shot out, immediately piercing through the youngster on the ground, crippling his cultivation.
"You…" The Divine Medicine Sect's supreme elder was furious. He smacked forward, the fluctuations terrifying.
Shi Hao met the strike with his fist. With a thump, the elder's large hand was shattered, and blood poured out.
The supreme elder's face became pale. What kind of person was this? He was a teenager! How could he destroy the hand of a peak expert like that?
"I'm sorry. It was my fault." He immediately surrendered because he thought of a terrifying teenager. In the entire wasteland region, only Shi Hao had this kind of divine might.
He didn't linger. Picking up the crippled youngster, he left promptly.
A'de and that valiant middle-aged man's faces were deathly pale, and cold sweat continuously dripped down. Even when their cultivation was crippled, they weren't as terrified as they were now. Even the Divine Medicine Sect's elder had retreated out of fear!
There was a low mountain at the center of the Medicine Capital that was known as the most sacred place in this region. The ancient Medicine Deity underwent nirvana and became a deity here. It was rumored that immortal energy lingered underground and fiery light surged. It was a "gate of life" between heaven and earth.
At this moment, dense multicolored mists rose from an ancient well on the mountain. The well was connected to the depths of the earth. There was an ancient cauldron that rose and fell within as if it were being refined.
Besides the ancient well, a gray-clothed individual sat there, not moving at all. Upon closer inspection, this was a woman. Her skin was spotlessly fair like fine jade, and her loose black hair covered her exceptional face.
If there were supreme experts here, they would be shocked. She had previously charged into the Demonic Spirit Lake alone and brought Shi Yi away. It was as if she entered an uninhabited place.
"Senior, you said that by borrowing the Divine Medicine Sect's ancestral well, you can agree to do something for us. Someone has attacked our sect, so please help us."
When the sect's supreme elder returned, he immediately found this place. With a respectful appearance, he asked this mysterious gray-clothed woman to take action.