“What elixir do you intend to refine?” Ye Fan wanted to stall for time as long as possible — even now, he had not given up.

“Naturally, an immortal elixir capable of crossing the Bitter Sea, traversing the Divine Bridge, and reaching the Other Shore.” Elder Han seemed to see through his intentions. He let out a faint cold laugh. “There is no need to rack your brain for ways to delay. No one will come to save you. Just settle down and resign yourself to being refined as the primary ingredient.”

“Are you not afraid that the knight will appear again?” Ye Fan showed no panic, no fear — on the contrary, he was perfectly calm. “Perhaps you do not yet know that person’s identity.”

Elder Han’s expression remained unchanged. “And what is his identity?”

“He comes from an ancient primordial clan — the Jiang Family.” Ye Fan let out a light sigh. “You have brought great calamity upon the Nether Void Grotto Heaven. Perhaps you also do not know my true identity — I have a certain connection with the Jiang Family. That knight came in search of me…”

Ye Fan spoke with conviction, continuing to lay out his story.

Elder Han remained expressionless and listened quietly to the end. At last, he said coldly, “On what basis could someone like you possibly have any connection with the Jiang Family?”

“I once saved a young daughter of the Jiang Family who had become separated from her kin — thus forming a great bond of gratitude with them. If you don’t believe me, you may go to Misty Haze Grotto Heaven and make inquiries — see whether I’m lying. Not long ago, I once jointly ventured through Misty Haze Grotto Heaven alongside the Jiang Family.”

“This…” Elder Han’s complexion visibly changed on the spot. The Nether Void Grotto Heaven, as one of the six major sects of the Yan Region, naturally knew of the Jiang Family’s incursion into Misty Haze Grotto Heaven.

Elder Han gritted his teeth. “Whatever you say, you cannot escape with your life.”

Ye Fan wore a solemn, earnest expression. “Elder Han, you had better think carefully about what happens to those who offend an ancient primordial clan. Do not assume you can do this without anyone finding out. Remember — today you already came to blows with a Jiang Family knight. They will certainly be able to trace the clues.”

“You’re quite the crafty little thing — quite a bit of cunning for someone your age. Do you think you can deceive me with this? You underestimate me far too much.” Elder Han suddenly let out a sinister laugh. “Words spoken in excess betray a man. Now I finally understand what has happened. That knight is indeed from the Jiang Family — he recently tore through Purple Yang Grotto Heaven as well. He is definitely hunting you!”

Elder Han had lived so long that there were hollow hairs even on his eyelashes. Piecing together recent events, he had deduced the full picture almost immediately.

Ye Fan’s heart turned utterly cold. “You’re far too self-assured, Elder Han. Just wait for catastrophe to befall you.”

“You’re quite composed for a little brat — still trying to deceive me even now. Just wait while I slowly refine you.” Elder Han smiled sinisterly, hoisted Ye Fan up, and said, “Rest assured — no one will disturb us here. I have inscribed endless Dao Markings throughout this place. From the moment I stepped into the cave dwelling, this location became completely sealed from the outside world. No one can find us.”

The fact that the Jiang Family knight was pursuing Ye Fan puzzled Elder Han greatly and gave him some cause for unease — after all, he had snatched a morsel from someone else’s mouth. He searched Ye Fan from head to toe.

“Nothing but useless things on you.” First, he picked up the chipped, cracked jade piece and turned it over again and again before tossing it on the ground.

Ye Fan inwardly cursed that unscrupulous Daoist at length. That obese scoundrel had been perfectly convincing at the time, insisting that the jade pendant would save his life in a moment of crisis — but it had proven entirely useless.

“Duan De, Duan De, you shameless scoundrel — you truly are lacking in virtue!”

“What is this?” Elder Han held the Bodhi Seed and examined the image of the Buddha naturally formed in its markings. “A pattern woven from natural grain lines… this bald fellow looks strangely familiar — there seem to be beings of this kind beyond the Eastern Desolation.”

“Bald fellow…” Ye Fan was momentarily at a loss for words.

Elder Han pocketed the Bodhi Seed, then turned to face Ye Fan. “Very well. It is time to send you into the cauldron.”

“Elder Han — I am about to die anyway. Could I at least have one last full meal?”

“Don’t waste your efforts. Even if you drag out a few more moments, what difference does it make? Get into the cauldron.” Elder Han carried Ye Fan to the row of pill cauldrons. “Choose one yourself. This is the only right you have.”

Knowing there was no opportunity left, Ye Fan began to curse at the top of his lungs: “You old fossil! I curse your ancestors to eighteen generations, and send my regards to every female relative you have…”

Elder Han was as still as a deep, ancient well — deaf to it all. He threw Ye Fan directly into a cauldron, then walked to a corner of the stone chamber, carried over several large ceramic jars, and emptied their contents — glug glug glug — into the cauldron, pouring in an unidentifiable liquid.

“What is this?” Ye Fan felt waves of fragrance flooding his nose and mouth.

“This is a liquid extracted from various medicinal herbs — an essential component of pill refinement. If further purified, it becomes the Hundred-Herb Fluid.” As he spoke, Elder Han emptied all the large ceramic jars into the cauldron.

Elder Han then brought the cabinet’s rare spirit medicines over and said, “All the spirit medicines are gathered at last. I hope I can successfully refine the divine elixir I require.”

With that, he first took out the lotus seed produced by the Black Jade Divine Lotus — the pigeon-egg-sized seed jet-black and lustrous, crystalline and translucent, radiating a flow of dark light. The fragrance alone was so penetrating it felt as though it rushed directly into one’s viscera, leaving even the simple act of inhaling it refreshingly invigorating.

“Little brat, do you want to swallow it in one gulp?” Elder Han fixed Ye Fan with a cold smile. “Do not harbor unrealistic fantasies.” With that, he placed the lotus seed into the cauldron and then drew a dagger — thud — plunging it into Ye Fan’s left arm. As it was withdrawn, blood welled out and flowed freely.

“You—”

“Refinement — refinement. You are the primary ingredient. Your essence lies within blood and flesh — naturally your blood must flow to consecrate the cauldron first.” Elder Han revealed his most ruthless side in this moment. He touched his severed arm and said, “To find you, I lost an arm today. I will refine you thoroughly — this must succeed; there is no room for failure!”

Thud!

Blood splattered. Elder Han drove the dagger through Ye Fan’s right arm; blood surged out and stained the interior of the cauldron red. He shed all trace of his deathly stillness, a ferocious nature fully exposed — two chilling rays of light shooting from his eyes — and then he pierced both of Ye Fan’s legs as well.

Ye Fan felt agonizing pain in all four limbs, his face going slightly pale.

“Do not hope for any miracles!” Having said this, Elder Han drove the dagger directly into Ye Fan’s chest, saying with grim coldness: “I will not pierce your heart — I will not let you die immediately. Soaked in the Hundred-Herb Fluid, you should be able to survive for a long time. I will keep you lucid, and slowly refine you into the divine medicine I require.”

Elder Han looked like a vicious ghost incarnate. He extended his withered tongue and licked the blood from the blade — an expression of complete grotesqueness — and said, “A sweet flavor. I greatly look forward to the day the elixir is complete.”

“You undying wretch…” Ye Fan glared through gritted teeth, feeling agonizing pain throughout his entire body, his life slowly ebbing away.

At this point, Elder Han opened an ancient jade case and took out the green-jade-like, crystal-brilliant fruit of the Azure Jade Snow Lotus, placing it into the cauldron. The divine green radiance made the fluid inside gleam with dazzling brilliance.

“Consider yourself fortunate, little brat — to be fused together with so many rare spirit medicines is the blessing of ten lifetimes of cultivation.”

“Blessing my grandfather — and regards to all the women in your family…” Ye Fan cursed furiously, wishing he could flay Elder Han alive. Blood kept flowing, and he felt his life slowly fading.

Then Elder Han picked up the nine-leafed divine herb — like a carving of red jade, blazing with crimson radiance and magnificent brilliance. Legend had it that only pure earth touched by phoenix divine blood could grow this supremely rare spirit medicine.

After placing the Nine-Leafed Phoenix Divine Herb into the cauldron, he suddenly knitted his brows and murmured, “No — putting all these spirit medicines in at once is too risky. If I fail, I will have drawn water in a basket for nothing…” He hesitated and said, “Perhaps I should first refine the primary ingredient alone — if successful, I can then add the other spirit medicines.”

He stopped after adding only three of the rare spirit medicines.

The medicine cabinet blazed with radiant splendor, filling the air with fragrance — every color of extraordinary spirit medicine wrapped in shimmering haze, every one of them no less precious than the three herbs he had just placed into the cauldron.

“First refine these three spirit medicines together with the primary ingredient and see how it goes.” Elder Han made up his mind and stowed away all the remaining brilliantly glowing spirit medicines.

“Little brat — any last words?” Elder Han wore a mocking expression as he fetched the cauldron lid, preparing to seal it.

Ye Fan was extremely weak. “Old fossil, can’t you just smash your head against this cauldron and be done with it?”

Bang!

Elder Han pressed the bronze lid down onto the cauldron, then began to draw fire for the refinement. Ordinary mortal flame could never refine a divine elixir — he drew upon Fire-Sha from deep underground, a force that flickered with milky silver radiance, blazing and dancing beneath the great cauldron.

The reason he had excavated this secret cave dwelling here was precisely because of the Fire-Sha beneath the ground — the most powerful flame he could command at his current realm of cultivation.

“Little brat — to find you, I lost my left arm. I will refine you for seven days and seven nights, to make you suffer every torment, before you transform into the elixir!” Elder Han touched his severed arm, his words bone-chillingly cold.