Hell Emperor.

Chapter 480: Nan Linghe - Alchemy
Inside the quiet room, the fire was burning. A bronze three-legged alchemy furnace stood there. The fire was burning, and the aroma of herbs filled the air from time to time.

Under the guidance of Fairy Yaoyin, Nan Linghe carefully put the processed materials into it, from large ones like Ganoderma lucidum and Polygonum multiflorum to small ones like red fruit and mulberries, all were added in order.

Nan Linghe took a small bottle and poured the dark green juice in the bottle into the furnace. He didn't know what the juice triggered, but the fire suddenly surged. Under the scorching fire, Nan Linghe shrank his arms and subconsciously retreated.

Yao Yin's calm words came from behind her:

"Don't be afraid. If you want to refine this soul-healing pill, the last step is particularly crucial. Abandon all distractions and focus all your attention on observing the shape of the pill embryo and controlling the temperature of the furnace. Silently recite the pill formula I taught you in your heart. The world is upside down, water and fire are simmering together. Lead flies and mercury runs, tigers roar and dragons spin. The sun and the moon are the cover, and the mountains and rivers are the rafters. One pill is completed, and it can change the world..."

As a reward for Ye Jie taking the Divine Fire Pill at the risk of his life, Yao Yin was earnestly teaching Nan Linghe the art of alchemy.

As a saint of alchemy, Yao Yin had a far superior understanding of alchemy. It was a very precious opportunity to receive her true teachings. If she was willing to establish a school, the practitioners who came would probably fight to the death, and the queues would stretch all the way to Dongsheng Shenzhou.

Nan Linghe opened his eyes wide, the leaping elixir fire reflected in his bright pupils, and he carefully sensed the subtle changes in the elixir embryo.

The shriveled and tiny Dan embryo, nourished by the Dan fire and the essence of the materials, is swelling up little by little, becoming plump and swollen, and the surface is also showing a warm and white luster.

"Success..."

Seeing the pill embryo gradually taking shape, Nan Linghe smiled, unable to contain the joy in his heart any longer:
"With this Soul Healing Pill, I can cure Brother Jie's weak soul... He should be very happy after receiving this pill, right? I wonder how he will thank me. As his wife-to-be, these are what I should do. But, when does he plan to marry me? Does he have to wait until he rescues Sister Xia Wei..."

"What are you daydreaming about? Get rid of all those distracting thoughts!"

Yao Yin's admonishment awakened Nan Linghe's consciousness. She looked up and her face suddenly turned pale.

The pill embryo that had just become round now collapsed at a faster rate. The warm surface was no longer there, and instead, there was only a dark area, like a burnt scorch mark.

Not only that, the entire alchemy furnace began to vibrate violently. An overwhelming force gathered in it. The huge medicinal power could not be condensed, but was instead released indiscriminately in all directions.

Seeing that the furnace was about to explode, Yao Yin pointed his fingers like swords, and with a clang, the heavy furnace cover was completely lifted up, and billowing black smoke rose up. The danger of the furnace exploding was then averted.

Yao Yin raised her hand and wiped the sweat from her head. It was obvious that if she had refined the Soul-Healing Pill herself, it would not have taken any effort at all. However, when it was given to Nan Linghe, it became a very severe test, and the furnace almost exploded.

"Ah...how could this happen?"

It was not until the black smoke cleared and Nan Linghe realized what had happened when he looked at the black, burnt-smelling waste elixir in the furnace, and there was a hint of loss in his eyes.

This time, the alchemy failed.

"I heard some noise here, are you guys okay?"

The familiar tone coming from behind made Nan Linghe shudder all over. She turned her head tremblingly, only to see Ye Jie, who looked haggard, walking slowly towards her.

"Palace Master Ye, your injuries have not healed yet. The weakness caused by the extraction of the tail tendon is not so easy to recover. It is better not to hang around and concentrate on nourishing your soul."

Seeing Ye Jie coming, Yao Yin spoke respectfully.

Ye Jie waved his hand and said with a smile: "I have the innate magical power of the Holy Body of Transformation. This injury is not a big deal. Even if the characteristic parts are missing after the transformation, I only need to rest for a while to recover. It's okay to stroll around for a while."

After a pause, Ye Jie spoke again. Even though he looked weak, he could not hide his excitement:

"After extracting the Zhulong tail tendon, I have one of the three main materials for making the Moon Shooting Crossbow. Once I gather the other two, I can make this legendary second-grade artifact, shoot down the moon, and rescue Xia Wei. The Divine Dragon Transformation at the Hongmeng level is enough for me to transform into a divine dragon freely and take the unique materials that only divine dragons have. Compared to this, it doesn't matter if I am a little weaker."

Nan Linghe pursed her lips and looked at Ye Jie, her bright eyes full of concern: "Are you okay... Really, why do you want to hurt yourself like this? I... I'm worried about you."

She pursed her lips slightly, her pupils trembling, reflecting an uneasy light. From her expression, Ye Jie also felt a bit of family-like warmth and smiled:

"Don't worry, I'm fine now. By the way, didn't you say that you wanted to learn the art of alchemy from Fairy Yaoyin and make the Soul Healing Pill for me? How's the progress?"

It would have been fine if Ye Jie hadn't mentioned it. As soon as he mentioned it, Nan Linghe couldn't help but hunch his shoulders. With a look of embarrassment in his eyes, he took the black, smoking waste pill and said, "Here... the pill is here. Come and have a taste."

Ye Jie: “…”

The round black pill stayed in Ye Jie's palm. No matter how he looked at it, what Nan Linghe gave him was a useless pill, right? Was it really made by her? Could it be some kind of magical pill with unique effects that he didn't see?

Just as Ye Jie was looking at the Wasted Pill in deep thought, Yao Yin spoke up, breaking the silence:
"Palace Master Ye, Miss He's attempt to refine the elixir this time ended in failure. What you have in your hand is just a useless elixir. After you eat it, not only will it not heal your soul, but it will be harmful to your body. I'm afraid you will vomit all over the place. It's better not to try it."

Hearing this, Nan Linghe also showed an embarrassed look: "I'm sorry, my refining failed... It turns out that I am still not suitable for the way of alchemy."

Her eyes were dim, revealing a bit of loss. Seeing this, Ye Jie patted her shoulder and comforted her:

"Don't blame yourself for this. The path of alchemy is quite complicated. I don't know how many talented alchemists have never been able to comprehend the deep meaning of it in their entire lives. You have just started trying, so it is normal to fail. With your talent, I believe that one day you will be able to refine a real elixir."

With Ye Jie's comfort, Nan Linghe raised a slight curve at the corner of her mouth. No matter how many times she failed, Ye Jie would always trust her. Knowing this was enough for her.

After packing up, Ye Jie reminded: "Are you ready? It's time to set off."

Nan Linghe blinked and asked curiously, "Where are we going next?" "To the Nether Spirit Palace, which is the territory of the Xuannv Sect. Qingge and E'er have been punished by the ancestor and must report back to the sect. They have been delayed for a long time. If they don't return, the punishment will be even heavier."

Nan Linghe's heart was also lifted: "Sister Qingge, and Sister Fei'e, will they be okay?"

Thinking of the possible punishment they might face, Ye Jie felt sorry for them and couldn't help but sigh: "It's hard to say... In addition, the Netherworld Soil related to my promotion is said to exist in the Netherworld Palace. I hope this trip will yield some results."

Nan Linghe nodded vigorously. Treasure hunting was something she was best at. She made up her mind to help Ye Jie get what he needed.

Ye Jie stroked his forehead, and felt a headache when he thought about the precious materials that were currently missing:
"Whether it's the underworld soil or the black tortoise shell, there are ways to obtain them, but the laurel wood for making the moon-shooting crossbow is the real problem. Laurel wood does not exist in the human world, but grows on the distant moon. How can we obtain it?"

Yao Yin raised her eyebrows and glanced at Ye Jie, as if she knew something, but she did not mention it. Instead, she changed the subject:
"Moon Shooting Crossbow?... Shooting down the ancient stars is not something that an ordinary divine weapon can do. It requires unimaginable power to support it. I heard that in ancient times, there was a miracle of ten suns in the sky. A strong man shot down nine of them, which saved the earth from drought and all living things from dying."

Nan Linghe opened his mouth wide, somewhat surprised, "You mean, someone shot down the suns in the sky? Where did those suns fall to? The suns are so hot, if they fall, won't they burn the earth?"

Yao Yin pondered, "The whereabouts of those suns are unknown, maybe they were refined by other powerful people. However, according to the records in the classics of my sect, there is a sun that fell near the Goguryeo Kingdom in Dongsheng Shenzhou. The people there can always feel the warmth of the sun more clearly."

Nan Linghe nodded ignorantly, and after packing up, it was time to set off.

Upon learning that Ye Jie and his party were preparing to leave, the people from Tianji Sect also came out to see them off.

The Great Elder stood in front of everyone, with a hint of respect in his eyes, and spoke slowly:
"Master Ziwei, you have helped Tianji Sect overcome dangers many times. No matter what happens in the future, you will always be a distinguished guest of Tianji Sect. Whenever you return to Tianji Sect, you will receive the highest standard of reception in the sect."

Ye Jie clasped his fists in return, then took out a black token with the word Jie engraved on it. As soon as it appeared, it brought up a chilling cold wind:

"With the words of the Great Elder, I feel relieved. If there are enemies attacking Tianji Sect again in the future, just take out the token and report my name."

After taking the token, the Great Elder's eyes flickered, and were replaced by ecstasy from the bottom of his heart.

Although the token itself is not very impressive, it is engraved with the aura of Ye Jie's soul. Anyone who sees this token can understand the relationship between the holder and Ye Jie.

With this token, as long as Ye Jie's soul is still there, no villain will dare to covet the Tianji Sect. Under the protection of this token, the Tianji Sect will be able to prosper for at least hundreds of years, or even longer.

After realizing how precious the thing Ye Jie took out was, the look in the Great Elder's eyes when he looked at him also changed slightly, and the respect in his eyes became even stronger.

Tian Ming also came over and said embarrassedly: "Master Ziwei, I wanted to leave with you and go to the Nether Spirit Palace. Unfortunately, as the sect master, I have many things to do, and I need to deal with the Candle Dragon Tail Tendon. I am afraid I don't have this opportunity."

Ye Jie smiled and said, "Come to think of it, I also want to thank you for giving us the spiritual boat 'Tianji', which made our journey much more convenient. Otherwise, I'm afraid we would have to fly all the way to the Netherworld Palace. This spiritual boat is so precious, I don't know how to thank you."

Ye Jie looked back, his eyes also fell on the wooden spirit boat that was a hundred meters wide. The spirit boat was a hundred meters above the ground, floating in the sky. It had excellent quality and was at the level of a fourth-grade magical weapon.

In other places, a spiritual boat like this one could not be obtained without billions of merits. It was not something that a single cultivator could own. Only by gathering the strength of the entire sect could one own one. But now it was given to Ye Jie.

Compared to flying a sword, the spirit boat is not only more comfortable as a means of transportation, but also more comprehensive in function.

If you just fly a sword, no matter how big the sword is, everyone is crowded on the same plane and has no space of their own. However, the spirit boat is filled with various rooms, which makes it much more convenient to do anything.

For example, the quiet room that Nan Linghe and Yao Yin used to make the elixir just now was one of the rooms on the top floor of Tianji. In the kitchen on the lower floor of Tianji, the maids from the wine country also found their own jobs, where they continued to cook delicious spiritual delicacies.

The spiritual boat can be used not only when traveling far away, but also for daily living. It is a rare and good place to live for those who are homeless after the fall of Ziwei Palace.

Facing Ye Jie's thanks, Tian Ming just said: "Palace Master Ziwei, you are too kind. If it weren't for your help along the way, I'm afraid that Tianji Sect would have ceased to exist long ago, and all the disciples and elders in the sect would have been unable to escape this disaster. Compared with your help to Tianji Sect, a mere spiritual boat is really nothing."

After a pause, Tian Ming continued: "When the Master of Ziwei Palace has collected all the materials for refining the weapon, don't forget to return to Tianji Gate and let me make a magic weapon for you."

Ye Jie nodded. He naturally had great trust in Tian Ming's forging skills. "If everything goes well, maybe we can come back soon."

After a farewell, the time of separation finally arrived. As the Tianji set sail, the figures of the people from the Tianji Sect below became more and more blurred. In the end, they were almost the size of ants.

Nan Linghe stood on the top deck and leaned out tremblingly. A strong feeling of dizziness overwhelmed her head and her body fell to the side unconsciously. Fortunately, Ye Jie was quick to support her and prevented her from falling off the Tianji.

"Are you okay?" Ye Jie asked with concern. "I remember that you were very afraid of the sky before. Now that you have become a ghost fairy, you can obviously fly with fairy energy, so why are you still so afraid of heights?"

"Woo..."

The only one who answered Ye Jie was Nan Linghe's soft sobbing. She leaned against Ye Jie, closed her eyes tightly, and refused to look down again no matter what.

At the side, Hua Xiaomei raised her head and said with some concern: "Since the spiritual boat can lead everyone to fly, can we use this magic weapon to fly directly to the moon?"

Su Miao said unhappily, "Do you think it's that easy to travel through the universe? Only a sixth-level immortal can travel the universe with his immortal body. With the power of this fourth-grade spirit boat, I'm afraid it can't even withstand a blow from a sixth-level immortal, so forget about it for others."

Hearing this, Hua Xiaomei gave up awkwardly. It seemed that it would not be so easy to reunite with Xia Wei.

(End of this chapter)