Chapter 444: Core Formation Spirit Herb, Shadow Essence Pill's Completion

Chapter 444: Core Formation Spirit Herb, Shadow Essence Pill's Completion

"The quickest way to enter the Ten Thousand Serpent Cavern is through the Snow Valley, but there are too many low-level snow serpents inside, and it's easy to alert them."

"The reason I discovered the Nine-Striped Snake Saliva Fruit back then was by tracking a small serpent that hadn't reached its full potential in the outside world and following it into another place."

"That entrance is very well hidden. When I came to check last time, it hadn't been discovered yet."

"Everyone, try to conceal your presence as much as possible, and push your concealment techniques to the limit. Don't let the demonic beasts detect us."

In the deep and mysterious tunnels.

The group of five advanced quietly.

Fu Jiusheng led the way, occasionally using his spirit perception to transmit messages and explain their doubts.

Luo Chen remained protected in the center of the group.

Listening to Fu Jiusheng's words, his spirit eyes constantly scanned the surroundings.

This place was more like a serpent's path than a tunnel.

The nearby walls were covered in slimy mucus, indicating that even now, demonic beasts still traveled through this passage.

"The Nine-Striped Snake Saliva Fruit matures once every ninety years, and the sign of maturity is the appearance of nine white stripes on the fruit."

"Dan Chenzi, you must be extra careful later!"

"Once the white stripes start turning black, it means the spirit fruit is about to spoil, transforming from a spirit herb into a deadly poison. When it completely turns black, do not touch it with your bare skin under any circumstances."

Listening to Fu Jiusheng's instructions, Luo Chen calmly transmitted his voice, "Thank you, fellow Daoist, for your guidance. I will remember this common knowledge."

After all, this spirit herb was cultivated from the highly toxic saliva of the Seven-Ring Snow Serpent.

Aside from its extraordinary medicinal properties, it also possessed extreme toxicity.

Suddenly, a rustling sound could be heard, accompanied by the crushing of rocks as they fell from the walls.

Rustle, rustle, rustle...

Hearing this sound, the five of them immediately stopped in their tracks.

Each person suppressed their presence to the utmost, leaning against the walls on both sides.

Then, they held their breath and stared intently at what lay ahead.

Soon, a snow serpent with three black rings appeared, slithering towards them.

As it crossed their path, it paused, spitting out a large snake's tongue and sniffing the air before crawling past, confused.

Only after it had left did the five of them finally relax.

Fu Jiusheng watched the long shadow of the serpent disappear into the darkness, and sighed, "The last time I saw this little serpent, it only had two rings, but now it has already cultivated to the three-ring stage. It's probably not far from breaking through to the second rank."

According to cultivators' understanding and records, each ring of the Seven-Ring Snow Serpent corresponds to one minor realm of the human race.

The strongest of these demonic beasts that cultivators have encountered only had seven black rings, comparable to an early third-rank demonic beast, which is equivalent to the initial stage of the Golden Core realm for humans.

It is said that their upper limit is only seven rings.

This is related to their bloodline.

Cultivators talk about spiritual root aptitude, while demonic beasts rely on their bloodline.

The stronger the inherited bloodline, the higher the upper limit.

This Seven-Ring Snow Serpent inherits the bloodline of a fourth-rank Demonic Emperor, the Boneless Black Snake, but only a tiny fraction of its peripheral bloodline.

Therefore, it can only reach the seven-ring stage, which is equivalent to the early third rank.

"From birth, this type of demonic beast has been protected by the Boneless Black Snake, so its combat abilities are not particularly strong."

"However, we still need to be cautious."

"They are best at coiling and strangling, corrosive venom, and have the innate ability to sense and distinguish auras, which is common among serpent-type demonic beasts."

"So, if we engage in combat, the best strategy is to maintain a safe distance and focus on long-range attacks. At the same time, we must be swift and accurate to prevent any news from reaching the outside world."

Fu Jiusheng spoke again, informing everyone about some characteristics of the Seven-Ring Snow Serpent clan.

Although everyone listened attentively, someone eventually grew impatient.

"We've been traveling underground for half a day now. How much longer will it take to reach our destination?"

The speaker was Yinsha Lady.

Fu Jiusheng stopped and turned to look at her.

Yinsha Lady was taken aback, then forced a smile, "Don't mind me. It's just that being in such a dangerous place for so long has made me feel a bit suffocated. Please don't take it to heart, fellow Daoist."

But Fu Jiusheng shook his head.

He pointed to the wall behind him, his lips moving.

"We're here!"

The group stared at the wall, astonished.

But in the next moment, as their spirit perception quietly penetrated the wall, sensing the three surging auras, their spirits were instantly lifted.

"The Nine-Striped Snake Saliva Fruit is the most prized possession of the Seven-Ring Snow Serpent King."

"It is said that this fruit has an incredible effect in helping serpent-type demonic beasts break through their cultivation realms!"

"Therefore, this place is a forbidden area for the snow serpent clan, and three late-stage second-rank great demonic beasts are stationed here year-round to guard it."

"Although this place is deep within the Ten Thousand Serpent Cavern, it is also far from the usual territory of the clan."

"That's why I'm confident that as long as we kill those three great demonic beasts, I can provide some assurance to fellow Daoist Dan Chenzi."

"What we need to do next is to figure out how to kill these three second-rank great demonic beasts without alerting anyone outside."

The last sentence left the group feeling a bit troubled.

They were all outstanding loose cultivators.

Even when facing a second-rank expert from a large sect, they were confident they wouldn't be outmatched.

Killing a second-rank demonic beast wasn't a difficult task for them.

But to do so without making a sound or alerting any other beings...

After all, they had caused quite a stir when they killed that Mountain Borer earlier!

Seeing their troubled expressions, Fu Jiusheng didn't seem surprised.

He flipped his hands, and a compass with dozens of flags appeared in his left hand, suspended in mid-air, while in his right hand was a pale talisman.

"What are those?" Luo Chen asked curiously, looking at the two objects.

"This is the Divine Steel Earth Consolidation Grand Formation, often used by small sects to solidify the foundations when building their sect gates. And this talisman is a third-rank Soundproof Talisman. Once activated, it will prevent any sounds from being transmitted outside the area covered by the talisman."

"Fu Jiusheng gave a brief explanation, then proceeded to assign tasks.

'I will first activate the third-tier soundproof talisman to ensure the sound doesn't leak out. Then, I'll set up a formation to prevent the cave terrain where the Nine-Striped Snake Saliva Fruit grows from being damaged, thus avoiding any harm to the spirit fruit.'

'When I make my move, Lianyun, Xiao, and Yinsha Lady, you three will also strike simultaneously, each choosing a snow serpent and swiftly slaying it!'

'Dan Chenzi, don't stand idly by. Protect the Nine-Striped Snake Saliva Fruit personally to prevent the demonic beasts from going berserk and destroying the spirit herbs.'

'Any objections, everyone?'

The four of them exchanged glances and nodded in unison.

At this critical moment, there was no room for delay.

'Prepare!'

At Fu Jiusheng's command, he channeled his spirit power in front of the four of them.

The wall in front of him quietly melted away, like snow dissolving, without a sound.

At that moment, the cave hidden behind the wall was revealed to everyone.

Three giant serpents, coiled into a small mountain of black and white stripes, were arranged in a triangular formation around a small tree about two feet tall.

As the wall melted, the three giant serpents opened their eyes almost simultaneously.

Awakened from hibernation, they all turned their gaze upwards towards the five human figures above.

Their fist-sized vertical eyes were filled with anger.

'Hiss...'

'Hiss...'

'Hiss...'

Three hisses sounded simultaneously, as if they were about to alert the outside world.

However!

The sound was completely blocked by the hazy white light emitted from the pale talisman above the cave.

Not only that.

One after another, formation flags flew in all directions and quickly pierced into the ground.

Fu Jiusheng held a compass in his hand, floating in mid-air.

Streams of yellow and black light emanated from him, spreading throughout the entire cave.

'If we don't act now, when will we?'

A low shout came from his mouth.

Four figures instantly leaped into the cave.

One of them rushed towards the center, and before landing, a ball of green and blue spirit power emerged from his mouth.

It then transformed into a large bowl, covering the small tree as it flipped over.

Not only that.

He pinched his fingers, and layer upon layer of blue light, like a translucent jade, isolated an area with a radius of one zhang in the middle of the cave.

This was Luo Chen's handiwork.

Seeing his actions, the three giant serpents became enraged.

Their mountainous coiled forms suddenly collapsed, turning into massive serpent bodies.

Each white serpent had six thick, pitch-black rings on its body.

Six-Ring Snow Serpents!

Just as Fu Jiusheng had said, these were indeed three second-tier late-stage great demons.

Moreover, each of their auras was no weaker than a human cultivator at the ninth layer of Foundation Establishment, and their surging auras were even more formidable.

'It's a pity that you're facing a cultivator!'

They were cultivators who had prepared in advance, harboring murderous intentions!

Luo Chen's gaze turned cold as he surveyed the three directions.

The three figures rushing towards him did not shake his mental state in the slightest.

With his strength, he could handle these three demonic beasts alone.

Moreover, there were others present.

The next moment, a shrill shout resounded.

'Despicable beast, die!'

It was still the crimson-red long silk, but this time, it did not stretch for hundreds of zhang. Instead, it transformed into a size similar to the giant serpent.

Although the area had shrunk, its power had become more concentrated.

Slap!

With a swift strike in mid-air, the giant serpent charging towards Luo Chen was flung sideways, flying several zhang away and crashing into the cave wall.

Boom!

A loud rumbling sound echoed, but it was confined within the cave, unable to transmit outside in the slightest.

Yinsha Lady pinched her fingers, summoning spirit power.

A shower of blood suddenly fell from the amber-red silk.

The stench of the blood rain was even more unbearable than the foul smell on the snow serpent's body.

As soon as the blood rain touched the ground, it instantly transformed into a blood dragon.

'Roar!'

The blood dragon pounced towards the snow serpent, biting and tearing at it.

Not only that, the main body of the amber-red silk also flew towards the snow serpent, seeking to bind it.

In an instant, the snow serpent not only had to struggle with the blood dragon but also faced the terrifying corrosive power of the malevolent energy from the amber-red silk.

Luo Chen's eyebrows furrowed.

Was this the killing move of this treasure?

The Water Dragon Summoning Technique, prepared in advance, could summon a spirit dragon with power comparable to that of a cultivator's body.

However, this woman's method of refining was clearly unorthodox.

Instead of using proper spirit power and mental energy for refinement, she relied on external forces, using the blood and flesh of living beings for refinement.

Through this method, she had achieved a level of refinement that was difficult for a Foundation Establishment True Cultivator to attain.

It was almost ninety percent!

He had only seen such a high level of refinement once before, on the Floating Cloud Sleeves of Tao Wan in Green Cauldron Valley.

'The defeat of this serpent was expected. It will only take a few dozen breaths for Yinsha Lady to slay it.'

Soon, Luo Chen discerned the tilt of the balance in the battle.

However, Luo Chen's attention was not solely focused on her side.

After reaching full mastery of the Mind-Conquering Spell, he could easily achieve the state of using one mind for three purposes.

Therefore, his spirit perception was also monitoring the other two battlefields simultaneously.

'Eh!'

A surprised exclamation revealed Luo Chen's inner unease.

At He Lianyun's battlefield, the opponent's moves caused Luo Chen to subconsciously raise his guard.

Soul-breaking Nails! But not just the initial one!

At this moment, three black nails appeared in his hand.

The three black nails flew out, flashing with dark light.

One nail pierced the snow serpent's body, breaking its defenses.

Another nail accumulated on the snow serpent's body, trapping the massive demonic energy within it, as if its tail had been pinned, rendering it unable to move.

The last nail directly pierced the serpent's glabella.

Puff!

A soft sound, followed by a mournful hiss, and the snow serpent collapsed limply onto the ground.

Within the body of the serpent, dark lights flickered and surged.

In just a few breaths, the black nails suddenly shot out from its tail.

He Lianyun reached out and summoned the nails.

The three black nails returned to his hand once more.

The snow serpent was dead, beyond any doubt.

Sensing Luo Chen's gaze, He Lianyun smiled slightly.

"A trivial trick, I apologize for the embarrassment, Fellow Daoist."

Instant kill!

This was the true definition of an instant kill!

Compared to Yinsha Lady's prolonged battle, He Lianyun's combination of moves swiftly and effortlessly slew a demonic beast of the same rank.

This was no trivial trick.

Luo Chen nodded solemnly, assessing how he would defend against He Lianyun's black nail technique if they were to fight.

Armor-Piercing Nail, Qi-Piercing Nail, and Soul-Breaking Nail.

No wonder this person could emerge unscathed from the battlefield of Thunderpile Mountain.

To possess such a skill!

From what he had witnessed, although the set of black nail magical treasures were all low-grade, their potential seemed far greater.

Luo Chen temporarily suppressed his apprehension of the Lianyun Business Alliance's Great Elder and turned his attention to Xiao Sanren's battlefield.

In reality, there was no need to even look.

From the start of the battle, the peculiar flute melody had been continuously playing, never ceasing.

Those outside of the battle could not truly grasp the power of the flute music.

But Xiao Sanren's enemy, the Six-Ring Snow Serpent, had long since stood motionless.

As the flute music became more urgent, the Six-Ring Snow Serpent suddenly moved!

However, instead of attacking Xiao Sanren, it raised its head high.

Xiao Sanren moved, lightly tapping his toe on the serpent's head, and looked down at the crowd.

The Six-Ring Snow Serpent beneath his feet had a blank gaze, devoid of any spirit.

Witnessing this scene, He Lianyun, who had initially felt somewhat proud, couldn't help but change his expression.

"Fellow Daoist, what are you..."

Xiao Sanren smiled slightly, "This kind of demonic beast, although it has some intelligence, is no more than a three-year-old child in front of us cultivators. It's just a minor soul-confusing technique, not worthy of the refined."

"On the contrary, if it hadn't developed intelligence and acted purely on instinct, perhaps I wouldn't have a way to deal with it."

Facing this self-deprecating statement, although it made sense, He Lianyun and the others didn't dare take it seriously.

Luo Chen's eyebrows furrowed, as he found some similarities between his current situation and these demonic beasts.

They all possessed powerful physiques, but their soul foundations were relatively weak.

As they conversed, Yinsha Lady on the other side finally killed her opponent. Drenched in fragrant sweat, half of the snow serpent's corpse remained.

It seemed that Yinsha Lady's method of devouring blood and flesh with the Amber Crimson Silk had its limits!

Luo Chen looked around, his gaze sweeping over the four people. Finally, he realized the reason for their boldness in teaming up with him.

His reputation as a gentleman was one thing.

Their confidence in their own abilities was another.

Whether it was the Soul-Breaking Tridents, the soul-captivating flute music, or Yinsha Lady's Malevolent Energy Crimson Silk magical treasure, they all seemed to be effective against his powerful physique.

As for Fu Jiusheng, he had been relying on his Foundation Establishment Grand Completion realm from the start.

His other abilities remained largely hidden.

Luo Chen quickly assessed their confidence and turned to face the four people surrounding him.

Their gazes fell on the azure light barrier beneath Luo Chen.

Luo Chen waved his hand, dispelling the azure light barrier and the spirit energy shield.

A small tree, only two feet tall, suddenly appeared before everyone.

The tree wasn't tall, and its branches weren't lush.

But hanging from its branches was a fruit that truly caught everyone's attention.

"One, two, three... nine!"

"Nine-Striped Snake Saliva Fruit!"

"Haha, it's almost exactly as I predicted, a freshly ripened fruit indeed!"

Rarely did Fu Jiusheng show such joy.

The other three were also delighted.

Then, their gazes turned to Luo Chen.

"Next, we'll have to rely on Fellow Daoist Dan Chenzi."

"Are you confident?"

"We'll protect you while you refine the Shadow Essence Pill!"

"Are there any other requirements you need to tell us about?"

Facing their eager gazes, Luo Chen pursed his lips and waved his hand.

A palm-sized small compass appeared in his hand.

In front of the others, he embedded five intermediate-grade spirit stones into the compass.

Seeing this, their expressions changed.

"It's not that I don't trust you all, but alchemists dislike others watching or disturbing them while working."

"This compass only engraves a second-rank warning array."

"I hope that while I refine the pill, you won't disturb me."

Luo Chen said with a faint smile.

The four of them stared at him, silent for a long time.

After a while, Fu Jiusheng shook his head and said, "Fellow Daoist Dan Chenzi, focus on refining the pill. I'll set up the Five Elements Confusion Array to prevent other demonic beasts in the Ten Thousand Serpent Valley from discovering us."

He left with a carefree attitude.

However, the other three still hesitated.

Yinsha Lady couldn't help but ask, "What if there are extra Shadow Essence Pills after they're refined? What if you secretly keep them for yourself?"

Luo Chen asked in return, "Don't you trust me?"

Yinsha's tone faltered.

Luo Chen scoffed, "We've come this far, and you're still so suspicious. It's not very appropriate! If I intended to deceive you, I could add something to the Shadow Essence Pills, and when you form your core, wouldn't you suffer a setback?"

"Yinsha Lady's face turned ashen in an instant.

Xiao Sanren shook his head, "It seems we have no choice but to believe. Dan Chenzi, focus on your pill concoction, while I'll take this still-living Six-Ring Snow Serpent to investigate the situation outside."

He Lianyun didn't say much more.

He had invested a lot in this operation, whether it was as a mediator connecting various parties or preparing the necessary materials in advance, it was all a huge expense.

All of this, just for a single Shadow Essence Pill!

Whether Luo Chen had hidden it or not had little to do with him.

He only needed one!

As everyone left to be vigilant against the demonic beasts, Yinsha Lady's expression alternated between paleness and redness, and in the end, she could only stomp her feet in Luo Chen's mocking smile.

"I'm sorry, it's my fault!"

After saying this, she also put some distance between herself and Luo Chen.

Luo Chen chuckled, and the formation plate in his hand was tossed to the ground.

The warning formation specially crafted by Min Longyu for him suddenly expanded, layer upon layer of mist enveloping him.

At this moment, Luo Chen finally breathed a sigh of relief, his gaze slightly intoxicated as he looked at the Nine-Striped Snake Saliva Fruit with its nine veins.

"Everything is ready, Third Rank pill, here I come!"

Opening his mouth, a green light fell into the Royal Cauldron, followed by a loud tremor, and the green light transformed into a blazing flame.

It was the Withering-Flourishing Fire!

He had already refined it, achieving the True Origin Fire.

With this, he only needed to infuse a small amount of spirit energy to easily control the intensity of the fire.

Not needing to use the Foundation Establishment True Fire for pill concoction, this would also help preserve his strength to the greatest extent.

Then, one by one, the processed medicinal materials flew out of Luo Chen's storage bag, all of them falling into the Royal Cauldron.

Luo Chen had already started practicing the concoction of the Shadow Essence Pill nine years ago.

By the fourth year, he felt that his accumulation was sufficient, so he used the system to enter the realm of pill concoction.

For this, Luo Chen spent a total of forty achievement points.

This massive consumption of achievement points was second only to the initial completion of the 'Heavenly Peng Transformation' and the derivation of the 'Ten Thousand Paths Converging' technique.

That time, he had spent forty-five achievement points.

The reason for the lower consumption this time was due to the completeness of the Shadow Essence Pill's formula and Luo Chen's deeper foundation in pill concoction compared to his cultivation in body refinement.

Even so, it was still a huge expense.

"I hope it won't disappoint me!"

Luo Chen muttered, and with a thought, his hands moved swiftly, releasing strands of extremely pure Wood Spirit Energy from his fingertips.

Then, around the small tree, he outlined a path of spirit light.

The Pure Heart Hand at the Grand Completion level of proficiency!

With this pill technique, he could effortlessly pluck the Nine-Striped Snake Saliva Fruit without damaging its purity.

As the large fruit was picked, it slowly descended into the Royal Cauldron under the guidance of the Pure Heart Hand.

A white vein suddenly writhed.

One-ninth of the medicinal power instantly transformed into a small snake, darting into the already refined medicinal liquid.

The two slowly merged, and the prototype of the Shadow Essence Pill seemed to be taking shape.

But Luo Chen knew this was just the beginning!

...

Time slowly passed.

Inside the Spirit Fruit Cavern, the four who had been quietly waiting grew restless.

The atmosphere of impatience had spread without anyone noticing.

"It's been three days!"

"Still no success?"

"Let's wait a little longer! After all, it's a Third Rank pill, it can't be achieved in a single attempt."

"But this is taking too long!"

"The Snow Serpent I was controlling has completely perished, its residual soul unable to hold on any longer. Before its demise, I saw the situation outside, many Snow Serpents were roaming restlessly, as if something major was about to happen outside the Great Snow Mountain."

"It's strange, the route I took was confirmed multiple times, and it was definitely safe. But this time, upon entering the Great Snow Mountain, we encountered intercepting demonic beasts one after another. Those beasts didn't seem to be migrating with a purpose, but rather fleeing towards the mountain as if escaping from some disaster."

"I fear there might be some unknown changes happening deep within the Great Snow Mountain."

"If there are indeed changes, the Seven-Ring Snow Serpent occupying the Ten Thousand Serpent Cavern will not give up this mature Nine-Striped Snake Saliva Fruit. If Luo Chen doesn't succeed soon, something bad might happen!"

"Be patient, let's wait a little longer!"

"Yes, I've been cultivating for over two hundred and thirty years, what's a few more days?"

The soft conversations continued among the four of them.

They spoke in hushed tones, afraid of disturbing Luo Chen in the formation.

But the impatience on their faces was impossible to hide, no matter how composed they tried to be.

After all, this was a matter of Core Formation opportunity!

And in this anxious anticipation...

The fifth day finally arrived.

At the same time, a strange pill fragrance rose from the center of the cavern.

The four of them felt their hearts stir, and their gazes simultaneously fixed on a figure holding four dark pills.

The four pills immediately captured everyone's attention.

The medicinal power, restrained to the extreme, made it hard to discern whether it had the effect of breaking through the Core Formation Stage.

But the occasional flashes of dark azure thunder light were too intriguing, and the four couldn't help but exclaim.

"Dark Azure Thunder Float, Abyssal Sea Primordial Energy!"

Luo Chen smiled, "As expected, the pill is a success!"

I apologize, I've been in a terrible state lately, and I can only manage about a thousand words a day.

Today, I managed to write a chapter of about six thousand six hundred words, and it felt like it took my life.

I don't know why, and I can't bring myself to ask for votes.

All I can say is that in the situation of irregular updates, for those who are still reading, please don't forget that this book is still being updated.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end