Chapter 418: The Second Refining of the Elixir of Immortality, Part 1
At this moment, the capital of Great Xia is heavily guarded. 500,000 troops have entered the capital, with guards every five steps and posts every ten steps. The entire city is under strict martial law, and no commoners are allowed to enter.
Emperor of Great Xia hurriedly walks over, taking three steps in two, and says, “National Teacher, are the preparations ready?” Emperor of Great Xia is overjoyed, “Excellent! During the alchemical process, can you let me witness it in person?”
In the middle of the palace, there is a huge square with a massive alchemy furnace in the center. Below it, the flames are burning fiercely, making the furnace glow red, and waves of heat wash over.
Any suspicious civilians, those without registered residency, have been temporarily expelled from the capital, or else it might lead to conflicts.
The entire city has been fortified like an iron fortress. Inside the imperial palace, the guards are even stricter, and most of the court’s experts are concentrated here, making it a formidable stronghold.
Even a grandmaster would think twice before attempting to breach it. At this moment, the Emperor of Great Xia is leading civil and military officials in front of a palace, all feeling extremely tense. When the sun is at its zenith, Empty Void Daoist emerges from inside.
He shakes the dust off his robe and bows solemnly, saying, “Your Majesty, everything is prepared. We can start refining the Elixir of Immortality now.”
Emperor of Great Xia asks, “Can we watch?” Empty Void Daoist steps aside and smiles, “Of course! Your Majesty and honored guests, please step inside.”
“Thank you, National Teacher!” They enter excitedly and nervously. Around the alchemy furnace, various rare herbs and treasures collected from all over the world are neatly arranged, including the most precious medicinal catalyst, dragon bones.
“Your Majesty and honored guests,” Empty Void Daoist says with excitement, “Next, I will use this furnace and these herbs to refine the legendary Elixir of Immortality. This is a monumental task and requires full concentration, so I won’t be able to entertain you properly.”
“National Teacher, please focus on your work; you don’t need to worry about us,” Emperor of Great Xia says loudly.
“Thank you, Your Majesty! Additionally, when the elixir is completed, it might attract powerful individuals from all directions, and it might even invite thunderstorms. This…” Emperor of Great Xia laughs heartily, “National Teacher, you don’t need to worry about that. I’ve made preparations!”
With a clap of his hands, a group of experts enters, including three grandmasters and fifty innate experts.
“I have already summoned most of Great Xia’s powerful individuals to protect the palace! Outside the palace, within the Imperial Palace itself, there are 100,000 elite guards who excel in group combat. Even innate experts would find it difficult to break through! Beyond the palace, within the capital, there are 500,000 troops on standby. This combined force is more than capable of dealing with any formidable opponents!” The Emperor of Great Xia exudes confidence.
Empty Void Daoist looks extremely concerned, “Your Majesty, this force should be able to handle formidable opponents, but what about the terrifying thunderbolts that may descend from the sky?” He remembers how the last time he accidentally concocted a divine pill, he was nearly struck down by heavenly thunder, leaving him traumatized. Without proper preparations, the second attempt might prove fatal.
The Emperor of Great Xia smiles confidently, “National Teacher, even against thunderbolts, I have a plan.”
Empty Void Daoist is astonished, “A plan against thunderbolts… Your Majesty, what is it?”
The Emperor of Great Xia claps his hands, and a group of soldiers enter, each holding thick iron rods that they plant into the ground.
Empty Void Daoist remains puzzled, “Your Majesty, what is the meaning of this?”
The Emperor of Great Xia chuckles, “Ever since the National Teacher arrived, I’ve been thinking about how to deal with thunderbolts. After brainstorming, a wise individual suggested that iron rods can attract lightning! If we erect these iron rods high into the air, they will draw the thunderbolts away from us, reducing the danger.”
“I see!” Empty Void Daoist nods, though he may not fully grasp the principles of lightning attraction with iron rods, he is confident that the Emperor of Great Xia wouldn’t joke about the Elixir of Immortality. If the elixir fails, he would be the one to suffer the most. So, he can temporarily set his worries aside and concentrate on alchemy.
Empty Void Daoist takes a deep breath, suppressing his inner excitement, and says, “Since everything is ready, I will begin the alchemy process.”
“National Teacher, please!” The Emperor of Great Xia is equally excited. They, along with the civil and military officials, quietly watch as the National Teacher starts the divine pill’s concoction.
“Wind, come!” Empty Void Daoist shouts.
His body trembles, releasing a burst of energy that creates a strong wind, which stirs the flames in the furnace. The wind fans the flames, causing them to burn vigorously, producing crackling sounds.
“Fire, come!” Empty Void Daoist shouts again.
Then, he forms a ball of flames in his hand and throws it into the furnace. The fire intensifies even further.
“Water, come!” Empty Void Daoist shouts once more.
He conjures water droplets in his hand, turning them into clear water, which he adds to the furnace. Next, Empty Void Daoist tosses the prepared herbs into the furnace in a specific sequence, causing them to quickly melt and blend into a medicinal liquid, all while maintaining a steady rhythm.
Then, his hands gathered true qi as he lifted the glowing red alchemy furnace, all while chanting incantations and vigorously tossing it in the air. Once the furnace descended, he repeated the process, as if performing a continuous rotation.
In essence, the process of creating the Elixir of Immortality mirrored how it was originally conceived. Each step was executed meticulously, without the slightest deviation. Onlookers sheltered under the palace eaves were mesmerized and full of praise.
“The National Teacher’s alchemy technique is truly astounding!”
“Yes, I’ve never seen anyone toss the alchemy furnace in the air like that; it’s quite different from other Qi cultivators.”
“According to the National Teacher, this method is used to absorb the essence of the sun and moon, gathering the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. Only with such a method can the legendary elixir be concocted!”
“Yes, the actions of a master are indeed different!”
Just then, Empty Void Daoist suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, staining the alchemy furnace. Everyone was instantly alarmed.
“Why is the National Teacher coughing up blood?”
“That’s a significant amount of blood, and it’s all over the alchemy furnace!”
“Yes, if an ordinary person coughed up so much blood, they would likely have fainted by now!”
“What’s happening to the National Teacher? Could the alchemy be failing?”
“My lords, don’t panic!”
The Emperor of Great Xia calmly smiled, “The National Teacher explained to me earlier that this is a normal procedure. Because the Elixir of Immortality should not exist in the mortal world, it’s nearly impossible to create it conventionally. Therefore, it requires the National Teacher’s own essence and blood as a catalyst to have a chance at creating the divine pill.”
Everyone suddenly understood.
“So that’s how it is; you had me worried for a moment!”
“I never expected the National Teacher’s essence and blood to have such a remarkable use. Truly, he is an extraordinary individual!”
“It seems the divine pill is about to be completed!”
With their worries eased, everyone continued to enjoy the National Teacher’s “blood-spitting” performance. They saw Empty Void Daoist repeatedly tossing the blazing red alchemy furnace into the air and catching it, spitting out a mouthful of blood every few cycles, spraying it onto the alchemy furnace.
Because he had spat out so much blood, Empty Void Daoist’s face had turned pale.
However, his heart was filled with joy.
Because the legendary divine pill, the Elixir of Immortality, was about to be created under his hands!
But at this stage, they couldn’t afford to be careless.
Because the heavenly tribulation was about to arrive.
Empty Void Daoist’s face gradually became serious, and he shouted loudly, “Your Majesty and honored guests, be cautious! The divine pill is about to be completed, and the weather is about to change drastically. The thunder tribulation is likely coming!”
The Emperor of Great Xia, who had taken refuge under the eaves, loudly called out, “National Teacher, rest assured, we are well-prepared!”
“Good! One more piece of advice. First is the Wind. Last time, when I was concocting the divine pill, there was a gust of eerie wind that affected everyone’s focus. Everyone must be cautious!” After this reminder from Empty Void Daoist, he looked around, anticipating the impending eerie wind.
The Emperor of Great Xia and the others also looked around, but to their surprise, there was no sign of any breeze, and the weather was oppressively hot. Then, they all turned their gaze to Empty Void Daoist, seemingly asking, “Where is the wind? Where did it go?”
Empty Void Daoist also felt puzzled. Last time at this stage, there had indeed been gusts of eerie wind, which had greatly affected his alchemical process. But this time, there was none?
Although the absence of wind was not what he expected, Empty Void Daoist remained calm. Wind or no wind, it didn’t matter. In fact, it was better without it.
Continuing to toss the furnace while coughing up blood, he shouted, “Your Majesty, next, the sky will gather dark clouds, and heavy rain will pour down! This is a sign of the thunder tribulation approaching. Everyone must be careful!”
Saying this, he immediately looked up at the sky, preparing for the impending thunderstorm.
The Emperor of Great Xia and the others also looked up at the sky. However, they found a clear and starry night, with a bright moon hanging high and no sign of dark clouds. The weather was exceptionally good.
Once again, they all turned their gaze towards Empty Void Daoist, seemingly asking, “Where are the clouds? Where is the rain? Where are they?”
Empty Void Daoist felt puzzled once more. Last time at this stage, the sky had been covered in thick, dark clouds, and the rain had poured down heavily. Why was there nothing happening now?
However, despite this minor deviation from his expectations, Empty Void Daoist remained unflustered. The absence of rain was actually more convenient for alchemy.
He continued to toss the alchemy furnace, coughing up another mouthful of blood, his face as pale as paper. He shouted loudly, “Your Majesty and honored guests, the divine pill is about to be completed, and the terrifying thunder tribulation is about to descend, threatening to destroy the divine medicine! You must be vigilant and not let the thunder prevail, or all our efforts will be in vain!”
The Emperor of Great Xia shouted, “National Teacher, rest assured, we are well-prepared!”
Several iron rods had already been erected high into the air, and the experts around the palace had gathered innate true qi, keeping a close watch on the sky.
They were ready to defend against the thunderbolts when they arrived.
However, despite their waiting, the thunderbolts never came. They looked up at the sky again, which remained clear with a bright moon and glittering stars, devoid of any clouds.
This weather scenario didn’t resemble anything close to thunder and rain.
At this moment, Empty Void Daoist finally became anxious!
