Celestial Refining Divine Scripture

Seven days later.

Bai Jie came again.

She brought a total of twelve Hundred Refinement Immortal Gang Elixirs, as well as two first-tier Immortal Pills: Four-Star Concentration Elixirs.

The Four-Star Concentration Elixir, a first-tier Immortal Pill at the True Immortal level, is especially beneficial for True Immortal Martial Artists in cultivation.

Its refining conditions are also rather special.

It is best refined at night, formed by drawing the energies of four stars from the sky.

Of course, if one’s cultivation is sufficient, such as a top-tier first-tier Alchemist, it can be refined even in daylight.

However, making it at night is significantly easier.

In addition to the elixirs, there were also four Immortal Beast Corpses at the peak of the Immortal Soldier stage, and one Immortal Beast Corpse at the Early Stage of True Immortal Realm.

They nearly filled Xu Yang’s Storage Ring to the brim, a sudden surge of resources.

With just these five Immortal Beast Corpses, his cultivation could improve by a great margin.

As for the two first-tier Immortal Pills—

Bai Jie said that if Xu Yang managed to purify them, they would be his gifts.

This gesture made Xu Yang deeply delighted.

However, to drive away the impurity from a first-tier Immortal Pill is dozens of times harder than with the Hundred Refinement Immortal Gang Elixir.

For now, he stored away the Four-Star Concentration Elixir. Xu Yang cultivated while purifying the Hundred Refinement Immortal Gang Elixir.

During this time, Bai Hua would also visit from time to time, bringing some medicinal ingredients.

Time slipped by like a white steed passing a crevice.

Several months quietly passed.

Although forbidden freedom, Xu Yang could still endure such a period.

He wasn’t impatient, refining pills and cultivating hand in hand.

In the blink of an eye, four months went by.

There were still a little over two months until the assessment at Black Fire Immortal Mountain.

The twelve Hundred Refinement Immortal Gang Elixirs had already been delivered to Bai Jie. Her cultivation was hidden well, but Xu Yang sensed that she was just a step away from the True Immortal Realm.

Reaching the True Immortal Realm before the Black Fire Immortal Mountain assessment shouldn’t be an issue.

As for himself, his progress was equally swift.

In comparison, if the creation of a grade-twelve Immortal Foundation was a journey up ten thousand steps, then only three thousand remained.

He’d already traveled more than half the way.

On this day—

Xu Yang sat cross-legged in his room, expression grave.

At the edge of the yard, he even left a mark; any sign of change would promptly wake him.

"Only two months remain. I can’t wait any longer with the first-tier Immortal Pill."

If he could refine the impurity out of the Four-Star Concentration Elixir, just one would propel him over a thousand steps along the path of forging his Immortal Foundation.

Xu Yang took out a Four-Star Concentration Elixir and cast it into the Celestial Refining Divine Tripod.

At once, he skillfully summoned the Heaven-Burning Divine Fire.

"Heaven-locking Intent!"

With a single thought, all was sealed.

The divine fire condensed into threads.

The spiritual threads pierced into the impure parts of the pill.

This process was something Xu Yang had personally attempted over a dozen times—his skill was virtually boundless.

But this time, he didn’t dare let down his guard in the slightest.

In no time, bean-sized sweat beads drenched Xu Yang’s forehead.

"As expected, even with a considerable increase in strength, the impurities of a first-tier Immortal Pill are not easily expelled!"

"But whatever happens, I must try."

There were two great difficulties.

The first was sustaining the Heaven-locking Intent!

If the Heaven-locking Intent wavered, the fusion of the Divine Fire’s threads with the impurity would surge violently, affecting the entire pill—failure.

The second was sustaining the Divine Fire’s threads, which consumed immense Primordial Spirit power.

This smelting was several dozen times more difficult than with the Hundred Refinement Immortal Gang Elixir.

Time and energy!

Xu Yang did not pause.

Once begun, retreat was no longer an option.

Buzz!!

Faint ripples spread out from the Divine Tripod.

The divine fire flickered; thread after thread wove into the pill.

Under his control, the smelting of impurity continued endlessly.

Were it not for the Heaven-Burning Divine Fire’s might, not a sliver would be possible.

Time flowed swiftly by.

Three hours passed.

Xu Yang’s vision darkened, body drenched through, teetering unsteadily.

His energy had been stretched to its limit for nearly half an hour.

Primordial Spirit, bodily strength, mental focus—all trembled on the edge of exhaustion.

Yet only a third of the Four-Star Concentration Elixir’s impurity had been refined.

At a certain moment—

Xu Yang bit harshly at his tongue. Blood seeped from his lips, barely keeping him conscious.

But in another brief moment, fatigue and weakness crashed in again, even fiercer.

"Damn it, I can’t hold on!"

Even a true first-tier Alchemist would not have made it this far after over three hours.

Give up?

Xu Yang’s gaze locked hard on the pill within the tripod, his vision growing blurry.

He could not accept defeat.

Even with two months remaining, cultivation within that time would not be enough to face Lu Chuan.

"Heaven-locking Intent... keep me awake!!"

Bang!

The Divine Tripod shuddered violently.

A flash of madness flickered in Xu Yang’s eyes.

He’d thought of a way out.

Whoosh!

Within the tripod, both pill and divine fire vanished without trace in an instant.

Xu Yang’s consciousness followed the pill and fire to the boundaries of the Divine Tripod’s realm.

Bang!

With a single thought, he shook the heavens and earth.

Chain after chain emerged.

"Come here!"

Xu Yang rasped, his roar hoarse. Chains surged forth.

The pill trembled violently, buzzing and chiming, about to crack apart.

But in the next moment, the Heaven-locking Intent, several times mightier, surged forth, binding the pill firmly.

Meanwhile, ancient Evil Qi began to seep out.

Xu Yang let out a muffled groan, his weakened will abruptly clearing by several degrees.

The divine fire roiled, nearly losing control.

Xu Yang reacted swiftly, barely managing to suppress it.

"Still not enough!"

His consciousness plunged into the Divine Tripod’s realm, roaring aloud: "The Immortal Lord has fallen, but the ancient immortals reign. Your deaths are meaningless! Can you truly be content?"

Bang!

Roar!

Heaven and earth trembled, evil qi surged to the sky.

Xu Yang saw that in the mountains of corpses and sea of blood, wild flames were ignited, and the surging evil qi swept up remnants of will, unleashing instinctive howls and wails.

For a moment, inside the Divine Tripod’s realm, it was as if demons were dancing in chaos.

Pff!

Xu Yang was struck as though by a thunderbolt, blood spurting from his mouth.

He did not fully withdraw from the realm, but clung to the world’s barrier, enduring the clash of ancient, shattered wills in agony.

Wave after wave—endless, inexhaustible, surging relentlessly.

The pain was unbearable, nearly impossible even to faint.

But in this instant, Xu Yang had never been so clear-headed.

All fatigue and weakness were ruthlessly suppressed.

Throwing everything aside, he clung to the smelting of impurity by the threads of divine fire.

Half an hour, an hour, two hours...

In the end, Xu Yang forgot all else.

Only instinct remained—persevere, burn away the impurity!

The assault of ancient Evil Qi and shattered will became hollow and illusory, now close, now far, as though wandering in a dream.

No telling how much time passed.

A torrent of rich Immortal Spirit Qi surged out.

Xu Yang’s whole body trembled. In a daze, it was as if he saw a flawless elixir, crystalline as jade, shrouded in starlight.

Bang!

A thunderous roar crashed in, tearing through the haze with world-shaking fury.

Xu Yang had no strength to resist. In an instant, his consciousness fell into Asura Hell.

Vague, mutilated beams of light and shadow lunged at him hideously, brimming with endless unwillingness, rage, fighting spirit, and killing intent—regarding Xu Yang as their lifelong nemesis, seeking to tear him apart.

"Ancient shattered will!"

"You want me dead? You’ve been dead for countless years—what’s the point of lingering here?"

Xu Yang roared in frenzy, charging in without fear.

Tearing, biting, raving like a beast!

Either you die, or I perish!

Xu Yang was like a rampaging wild beast, unleashing a boundless fighting will, indomitable, shredding and devouring every last remnant of will.

Until in the end, within that void, no fragment of will remained—only stillness.