Gou Zai Fei Men made up myths

The one leading the exploration was Zhao Qingyan, a steward of the Array Hall.

She was accompanied by Li Xiaocao, as well as four other late-stage Qi Refining disciples who were talented in array formations or alchemy.

A soft, flowing cloud-like light enveloped everyone, a protective array set up by Zhao Qingyan using her access to the secret realm, barely resisting the omnipresent Geng metal evil energy.

"Senior Sister Qingyan, the golden spiritual energy here is incredibly rich! Moreover... it seems to contain a peculiar 'sharpness' artistic conception!" A disciple from the Array Hall excitedly sensed his surroundings. He possessed a rare golden spiritual root and was perfectly at home in this place.

Zhao Qingyan's beautiful eyes gleamed with the light of deduction, her fingertips continuously tracing miniature array patterns as she sensed the unique aura of this place:

"Indeed. This place must have been formed by Ancestor Liuyun using his supreme power to extract the 'Innate Geng Metal Ore Marrow' from the depths of the earth's veins. Not only is the metal spiritual energy extremely abundant, but it also retains traces of the Ancestor's tempering of sword intent and honing of array techniques. It is an unparalleled treasure land for cultivating metal-based techniques, swordsmanship, and even forging metal-attribute magical artifacts and array plates!"

Li Xiaocao squatted down and carefully used a jade shovel to dig out a strange little grass that grew in the gaps of the metal, shaped like a small sword and entirely silver-white, her face full of surprise:

"Sister Qingyan, look! Isn't this the 'Sword Heart Grass' recorded in the ancient texts? It contains pure sword intent and is one of the main ingredients for refining the 'Sword Enlightenment Pill'! And over there, that's the 'Golden-Patterned Iron Bone Flower'! A top-grade auxiliary ingredient for refining body cultivation pills!"

As if she had discovered a treasure, she kept identifying various metallic spiritual herbs and minerals that had long since disappeared from the outside world.

"This place is indeed rich in resources, but it is also extremely dangerous." Zhao Qingyan said solemnly, pointing to the depths of the Golden Stone Forest.

There, several puppets made entirely of metal could be vaguely seen wandering about. Their movements were stiff, but the aura they emitted was comparable to that of the early Foundation Establishment stage! Deeper still, there seemed to be even more terrifying spiritual energy fluctuations emerging.

"The founder must have had a purpose in setting up such a dangerous place. Perhaps it was to hone his disciples through these stone golems and natural killing formations, or to protect something."

Zhao Qingyan pondered for a moment and said, "Let's explore the outer perimeter first, draw a map, and collect resources. We can't venture too far in rashly. Xiao Cao, you focus on collecting the unique spiritual plants of this place and see if you can improve the pill formula. The rest of you, record the distribution of metals and stones and the spiritual energy nodes in this area, and try to analyze the natural formations of this place."

"Yes, Senior Sister!" everyone responded in unison and got to work.

This exploration was a new area that Shen Mo barely managed to open after breaking through to the late stage of Foundation Establishment and improving his control over the secret realm. Its value far exceeded the difficulty of the previous "Gale" and "Raging Waves", but the risks also increased exponentially.

Zhao Qingyan was well aware of the great responsibility she bore, and she took every step with extreme caution.

Just as her exploration of Jinshilin was beginning to bear fruit, Li Xiaocao faced a major challenge in her alchemy career in the main peak's alchemy room.

In the center of the Earth Fire Chamber, a bronze alchemy furnace, about half a person's height, hummed, and the cloud patterns on the furnace wall seemed to come alive, constantly flowing.

Inside the furnace, dozens of precious spiritual herbs gradually melted into a crystal-clear medicinal liquid under the blazing earth fire and Li Xiaocao's skillful manipulation of the Wood elemental energy, emitting a refreshing and invigorating fragrance. The air was filled with the faint sounds of wind and thunder gathering.

Li Xiaocao sat cross-legged in front of the furnace, her face as pale as paper, her hair soaked with sweat, but her eyes were surprisingly bright, her whole mind was immersed in the furnace.

What she was refining was not an ordinary pill, but a second-grade high-quality spiritual pill that could change the fate of the sect—the Foundation Establishment Pill!

She had been preparing for this moment for far too long. The newly discovered auxiliary medicines in the Flowing Cloud Secret Realm, the core main medicine "Jade Marrow Vermilion Fruit" that Shen Mo had secretly obtained from the Treasure Pavilion, and her own increasingly profound understanding of alchemy finally gave her a sliver of confidence in success.

"Condensing the core... right now!" Li Xiaocao silently chanted in his heart, his hands forming hand seals at an accelerated speed, and his spiritual power surged into the alchemy furnace like a tidal wave!

"Buzz—!"

The alchemy furnace trembled violently. The shimmering light from the cracks in the furnace lid suddenly contracted, and a powerful suction force emanated from within, frantically devouring the surrounding spiritual energy! It even triggered a slight resonance in the mountain-protecting array!

Outside the Earth Fire Gate, Han Lin, Su Xiao, and several core disciples of the Pill Hall waited anxiously, sensing the increasingly powerful phenomenon of pill formation, not daring to even breathe loudly.

"Is it going to work?" a young disciple whispered excitedly.

"Silence!" Han Lin hissed, his old eyes fixed on the stone door.

Inside the furnace, under extreme pressure and spiritual energy compression, the medicinal liquid finally began to condense! A pill the size of a longan, with faint cloud patterns on its surface, slowly took shape!

However, just as the elixir was about to completely solidify, a sudden change occurred!

The alchemy furnace trembled violently, the balance inside was broken, and a burst of violent energy suddenly erupted!

"Oh no! The furnace is going to explode!" Li Xiaocao's expression changed drastically. She used the last bit of her divine sense and spiritual power to try to stabilize the situation, but the backlash was like a flood breaking through a dam, instantly destroying her defenses!

"Pfft!" She suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, and her delicate body slumped backward.

"Little Grass!" Su Xiao exclaimed, rushing into the room to support Li Xiaocao. At the same time, he struck out with a palm, using gentle yet powerful spiritual energy to forcefully suppress the raging furnace!

"Boom!"

With a muffled thud, the lid of the alchemy furnace was flung open, and a burnt smell filled the air. Inside, only a pile of black residue remained.

Failed.

The room was completely silent. Li Xiaocao leaned against Su Xiao's chest, looking at the ruined furnace of pills, tears silently streaming down her face, filled with resentment and self-blame.

"Silly girl, why are you crying?" Su Xiao gently wiped away her tears. "A second-grade high-quality spirit pill isn't so easy to refine. It's already remarkable that you were able to trigger such a phenomenon. Failure is the mother of success. Learn from this experience and try again next time."

Han Lin also came in, examined the residue in the alchemy furnace, and comforted him, "Your control over the fire has reached a state of perfection. It's just that the timing of the fusion of the medicinal properties of the 'Jade Marrow Vermilion Fruit' was slightly off when you were finally condensing the pill. It's alright. Although the materials are precious, the sect can still afford it. Your alchemy skills will surely make great progress after this battle."

With everyone's comforting words, Li Xiaocao gradually stopped crying, her eyes regaining their resolve. She struggled to her feet and bowed deeply to the ruined core, saying, "Xiaocao will certainly learn from this lesson and live up to the expectations of our sect leader and everyone else!"

Just as the Qingyun Sect was secretly accumulating strength and making gains and setbacks, the flames of war in the Black Wind Mountains spread to a wider area at an alarming speed.

The Golden Core cultivators of the Heavenly Sword Sect and the Profound Yin Sect seem to have truly clashed, no longer confined to the Black Wind Mountains. After several exchanges of blows from afar, the flames of war have begun to spread to the border region where the two factions' forces intersect.

Several mid-sized families and cultivation cities affiliated with the two factions were caught up in the chaos, suffering heavy casualties. Refugees cultivators and mortals swarmed towards the relatively calmer areas like locusts.

A sense of oppressive panic, like a plague, spread throughout the southern region of the Eastern Wilderness. The great battle had completely spiraled out of control.

On this day, Su Xiao received another urgent secret report from Chen Hao of the Hundred Treasures Pavilion and came to the sect leader's hall with a solemn expression.

"Sect Leader, breaking news! The third disciple of the Ghost Mother Granny of the Xuan Yin Sect, 'Hundred Poisons Child,' has led a 'Ten Thousand Poisons Camp' composed of poison masters and breached the Iron Sword Pass, a key border town of the Heavenly Sword Sect. All 30,000 cultivators, soldiers, and civilians inside the pass have been poisoned and died, leaving no one alive!"

"The Heavenly Sword Sect is furious. Its Enforcement Elder, 'Absolute Sword,' has personally led a team to the border, vowing revenge!"

Upon hearing this, Shen Mo remained silent for a long time before slowly saying, "The wrath of a Golden Core cultivator can cause the deaths of millions. The heavens of the Southern Region of the Eastern Wilderness... are truly about to change."