I am in Yellow Maple Valley, and I have a demonic beast clone!

Chapter 154 Nascent Soul Pill!

A dark, golden light tore through the twilight, carrying Zhou Ding away from the sea where the fierce battle had taken place.

Xiao Jin flew at full speed, pushing its speed to the limit, until it penetrated deep into the vast darkness of the outer star sea. After flying hundreds of miles again, Zhou Ding's tense mind finally relaxed a little.

He sat cross-legged on Xiao Jin's broad back, looking back at the road he had come from. Under the leaden sky, there was only the ceaseless roar of the waves.

Although the brief confrontation with the Nascent Soul cultivator ended with him forcing the opponent to retreat, the gray-robed old man's final resentful gaze and threat lingered in his heart like a cold, venomous snake.

The pursuit of a Nascent Soul cultivator is no child's play; having suffered such a great loss, the other party will certainly not let it go easily.

The exposure of Xiao Jin and the "Six Jia Heavenly Ding Talisman" could lead to endless troubles.

"That old guy's final Blood Escape Technique came at a great cost, and he probably won't be able to recover in a short time, let alone pinpoint our location. But he'll likely return to his cave or contact his helpers to set up ambushes at several key points connecting the Outer Sea to the Inner Sea, especially—near the teleportation array on Black Rock Island." Zhou Ding's mind raced as he analyzed the situation.

Returning directly to Blackrock Island and taking the teleportation array back to Tianxing City is undoubtedly the fastest way back, but it is also the riskiest.

"We can't go straight back," Zhou Ding concluded.

But instead of fleeing immediately, he manipulated Little Gold to return.

In the heat of the battle, they took the demon core and the material from the body and left without exploring the lair in detail.

Now that the formidable enemy has temporarily retreated, perhaps we can return and see if there are any other undiscovered treasures hidden in the lair of this level eight demon beast.

After all, the lair of an eighth-level demon beast, especially the lair of a beast that has been seriously injured and is healing, is likely to contain a treasure trove.

Xiao Jin changed direction and, relying on his strong sense of direction and the faint residual sensation of the "Heavenly Hearing Technique," silently returned to the island where the Azure Feather Crow was located.

Half an hour later, the man and the beast reappeared on the outskirts of the island like ghosts.

Zhou Ding concealed all his aura, and his divine sense, like the finest tentacle, probed into the island first.

After confirming that the old man in the gray robe had long since vanished without a trace, and that apart from the remaining traces of battle and the cold, enormous corpse of the Azure-feathered Black Crow, there were no other powerful life forms or abnormal fluctuations on the island, Xiao Jin and he quietly landed.

Instead of touching the now worthless monster carcass, they stealthily made their way to the center of the island, to the mountain peak that the Azure-feathered Black Crow had used as its nest.

Inside the mountain, a rather spacious cave had indeed been carved out.

The entrance to the cave was partially destroyed by the aftershocks of the battle, leaving the interior in a mess. It was filled with a strong stench of blood, medicine, and the unique stench of demonic beasts, as well as a lot of dregs and broken materials that had lost their spiritual power and were carelessly discarded by the Azure Feather Black Crow during its healing.

Zhou Ding entered the cave, his brows furrowing slightly.

This place had clearly been used as a temporary recuperation spot by the old crow, and many things had not yet been tidied up.

He gestured for Xiao Jin to use the "Heavenly Hearing Technique" again.

A pale golden light flowed within Xiao Jin's dark golden vertical pupils, and an invisible probe swept across every corner of the cave.

Soon, it let out a low growl and turned its huge head toward the depths of the cave, to a seemingly ordinary corner of the stone wall that was half-hidden by rocks.

Zhou Ding stepped forward, waved his hand to clear away the rocks, revealing the hard mountain rocks behind them.

However, his powerful divine sense had already sensed that there seemed to be faint spatial fluctuations and residual isolation restrictions behind this rocky area.

He pointed his fingers like a sword, gathered his magical power, and gently tapped an inconspicuous protrusion on the rock wall.

With a soft "click," the rock wall caved inward, revealing a narrow opening just wide enough for one person to pass through. Faint light and an even denser spiritual energy emanated from within the opening.

A man and a beast filed in.

Behind the cave entrance is a narrow downward passage, at the end of which is a hidden stone chamber only a few feet in diameter.

In the center of the stone chamber, there is a simple stone platform carved from a single piece of "Warm Soul Jade," which is clearly where the Azure Feather Black Crow usually stores its most precious items.

At this moment, several items were scattered on the stone platform.

The most eye-catching items were two jade boxes, each about a foot long. Zhou Ding opened the first one, and a clear, icy, yet vibrant medicinal fragrance wafted out. Inside the box lay two strangely shaped spiritual herbs.

A plant with a deep blue body, nine narrow ice crystal leaves, and a sapphire-like fruit the size of a longan in the center of the leaves, radiating pure water and yin attribute spiritual power, and its age is over three thousand five hundred years old - "Nine-Leaf Mystic Ice Fruit"!

The other one resembles coral, with gnarled branches, a dark red color, and fine golden patterns on its surface. It feels warm to the touch and exudes a rich energy of blood and earth veins. It is also around three thousand years old—"Earth Vein Blood Coral"!

Both of these spiritual herbs are top-grade medicinal herbs used to refine high-level pills or to assist in cultivating corresponding attribute techniques; their value is immeasurable.

Upon opening the second jade box, one finds a strange metal the size of a human head, with a deep, dark gold color and naturally occurring, mysterious patterns resembling swirling stars on its surface.

This object is extremely heavy, with a faint metallic clang emanating from within, and it exudes a terrifying aura that is refined, sharp, and indestructible.

"Starry Vortex Iron!"

A hint of surprise flashed in Zhou Ding's eyes.

This is a top-tier material for refining metallic magical artifacts, especially flying swords. When incorporated into a magical artifact, it can greatly enhance its sharpness, sturdiness, and ability to break through magic, and can even draw upon a trace of stellar power.

Its rarity surpasses even those two three-thousand-year-old spiritual herbs.

Besides the two jade boxes, there were also several high-quality spirit stones scattered on the stone platform, as well as a few fragments of bone recording demon race techniques or secret arts, which were of little use to Zhou Ding.

"As expected of an eighth-level demon beast's treasure, it's extraordinary." Zhou Ding carefully put away the two spiritual herbs and the Star Vortex Iron, feeling delighted.

These two spiritual herbs were the two brighter orbs besides the Azure-feathered Black Crow that the "Heavenly Hearing Technique" sensed.

Blue luster.

The star-swirling gold and iron, on the other hand, emitted a deeper, almost purple, precious light.

This return trip was very fruitful and worthwhile.

After sweeping away all the valuables and making sure nothing was left behind, Zhou Ding didn't linger. He quickly left the cave with Xiao Jin, then once again mounted his escape light and sped away in a direction far from Black Rock Island, without looking back.

This time, he did not return to any known islands or routes.

Instead, relying on their powerful divine sense and the "Heavenly Hearing Technique" to explore, they specifically selected those remote, inconspicuous, spiritually sparse, and even low-level demonic beasts-infested micro-islands or reefs as temporary footholds in the vast, boundless, and monster-infested depths of the alien sea.

He needs time.

Time to recover from the exhaustion, time to digest what has been gained, time to avoid possible pursuit and waiting for the prey to come to us.

Finally, thousands of miles away from the Azure Crow's nest, Zhou Ding found a secluded place surrounded by several huge black reefs, with a small reef platform in the center that protruded above the sea and was shrouded in thick fog all year round.

The spiritual energy here is scarce and the environment is harsh; even seabirds are unwilling to nest here, making it an excellent hiding place.

He landed on the rocky platform, first carefully explored it with his divine sense to confirm that there were no hidden dangers, and then began to take action.

He took out several sets of array flags and array plates.

Some were from Xin Ruyin, some were purchased from Tianxing City, and some were even ancient array tools obtained from the storage bag of Tianjing Sanren.

With his current mastery of formations, and in conjunction with these exquisite formation tools, he spent several days setting up a complex array of concealment, protection, illusion, and spirit gathering formations in this rocky area that was only a few dozen feet in diameter.

The formation was activated, making the thick fog even more ethereal and minimizing the presence of this area. From the outside, it looked no different from the other reefs around it, and even divine sense could not easily penetrate it.

The interior was carved out into a simple but fully functional temporary cave dwelling, with a meditation room, an alchemy room, and living quarters.

"That old guy suffered a great loss and will never give up easily. He will most likely send someone to keep an eye on the teleportation array on Black Rock Island, or even infiltrate it himself. He might even ask other Nascent Soul cultivators for help."

Zhou Ding sat cross-legged in the quiet room, pondering in his mind.

"I cannot walk into a trap. Rather than risk my life, I should temporarily avoid the limelight. The outer sea is vast and boundless. Even if he is a Nascent Soul cultivator, he cannot stay there forever, much less search every inch of the sea. I will hide here for a few years, cultivating, refining pills and weapons, and improving my strength. When the storm has passed, or when my strength has improved further, it will not be too late to plan my return."

He was not afraid of the Nascent Soul elder.

With Xiao Jin and the "Six Jia Heavenly Soldiers Talisman" in hand, he is more than capable of protecting himself.

But he worried that the other party might bring friends or set up a more insidious trap.

He has too many secrets: Little Gold, the "Heavenly Hearing Technique," the inheritance of the Heavenly Mirror Hermit, the Six Jia Heavenly Soldiers Talisman—any one of them, if exposed, could bring about even bigger and more difficult troubles.

The best strategy is to remain low-key, digest what you've learned, and enhance your strength.

Time flies, and the sky over the outer sea seems to be forever a mix of leaden gray and dark blue, indistinguishable from dawn to dusk and seasons.

Only the ceaseless waves and the howling wind bear witness to the passage of time.

Zhou Ding lay dormant in his temporary cave dwelling for three years.

He did not waste these three years.

Most of the time, he was immersed in cultivation and studying and digesting his various gains.

He comprehended the "Concealment Technique" and, with his powerful divine sense, had already begun to grasp its essence, greatly increasing his ability to hide. He studied the "Qiankun Array Canon" and the "Tianyuan Array Canon," further elevating his mastery of array formations. He refined the three newly acquired top-tier ancient treasures, the "Star Concealment Cloak," the "Nine Flames Exquisite Pagoda," and the "Soul-Breaking Spear." Although limited by his cultivation level, he could not unleash their full power, he had already begun to refine them and mastered several of their wonderful uses.

Most importantly, he used these three years to combine what he gained from this extraterrestrial sea to begin making crucial preparations for his future attempt to break through to the Nascent Soul realm.

On this day, inside the alchemy room of the temporary cave dwelling, a high-quality mid-grade alchemy furnace was suspended above the earth fire, activated by an array. The furnace body was crimson and emitted a scorching high temperature.

A hazy glow of light wafted through the gaps in the furnace lid, mingling with a unique and intoxicating fragrance that contained both refreshing and potent medicinal properties, permeating the entire alchemy room.

Zhou Ding sat cross-legged in front of the alchemy furnace, his expression more solemn than ever before.

His eyes were closed, but his powerful divine sense was like the most precise instrument, closely monitoring the fusion of every bit of medicinal power and the changes in every wisp of spiritual energy within the alchemy furnace. His hands constantly cast exquisite fire control and pill condensation spells, guiding the medicinal liquid in the furnace to evolve along a predetermined trajectory.

Inside the alchemy furnace, the demon core of the eighth-level demon beast "Azure Feather Crow" was being used as the main ingredient, supplemented with the essence of "Nine-Leaf Mystic Ice Fruit," "Earth Vein Blood Coral," and several other rare auxiliary medicines that were over a thousand years old, to refine a batch of crucial pills.

This pill is called the "Infant Condensation Pill"!

It is not comparable to the ordinary pills circulating in the cultivation world that help cultivators form their Nascent Soul.

This elixir formula comes from the first part of the "Tian Yuan Dan Shu" (Book of Heavenly Origin Elixir).

Its efficacy far surpasses that of the "Infant Transformation Pill" and "Infant Cultivation Pill" circulating in the market.

Not only can it provide a vast amount of pure spiritual energy and a fragment of the laws of heaven and earth to cultivators when they condense their Nascent Soul, greatly increasing the success rate of Nascent Soul formation, but it can also use its unique medicinal power to temper and stabilize the origin of the Nascent Soul during the Nascent Soul formation process, enhancing the Nascent Soul's aptitude and potential, which has immeasurable benefits for future Nascent Soul stage cultivation.

It can be said that the value of a "Nascent Soul Pill" is almost equivalent to that of a top-tier Nascent Soul Spiritual Object!

For some cultivators with deep roots and lofty aspirations, its significance is even greater.

By sheer chance, Zhou Ding obtained an eighth-level demon core and several thousand-year-old medicinal herbs. He also possessed the ancient alchemy inheritance of the "Heavenly Origin Pill Book" and had the powerful divine sense of a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator to ensure his ability to control fire and condense the pill. Only then did he have the qualifications and possibility to refine this pill.

However, the process of refining the "Infant Condensation Pill" is also extremely dangerous and difficult.

The requirements for spiritual awareness, fire control, and timing are extremely demanding.

The slightest mistake could destroy the elixir and the furnace, reducing the precious main ingredient to ashes.

Time passed slowly under Zhou Ding's focused control. The glow within the alchemy furnace grew increasingly brilliant, the fragrance of the medicine became more intense, and even the faint sounds of wind and thunder emanated from within the furnace—signs that the essence of the medicine was about to completely fuse and transform into the elixir.

Zhou Ding's forehead was covered with fine beads of sweat, and his face was slightly pale.

The high-intensity manipulation of his divine sense and output of his magic power over the past few days had taken a toll on him, even with his abilities.

But his eyes remained clear and sharp, and the hand seals he used changed steadily as before.

"Freeze!"

Suddenly, Zhou Ding's eyes flashed with a sharp light, he uttered a single word of truth, and his hands clasped together, unleashing the last and most crucial pill-forming technique!

"Buzz—!!"

The alchemy furnace trembled violently, and the lid was flung open by an invisible force!

In an instant, seven colors of light—red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple—mixed with an indescribable, rich fragrance of elixir, shot up from the furnace mouth like a volcanic eruption, illuminating the entire alchemy room with dazzling brilliance, like a dream!

Amidst the rosy glow, three milky-white pills, each the size of a longan, perfectly round, with natural cloud patterns flowing across their surfaces and seemingly containing miniature infant phantoms sitting cross-legged inside, spun rapidly as they slowly rose from the furnace, emanating a breathtakingly powerful spiritual pressure and profound Daoist charm!

Dan Cheng!

Three "Infant Condensation Pills"!

Zhou Ding's face instantly lit up with uncontrollable ecstasy. He quickly took out three top-grade cold jade bottles that he had prepared beforehand, and carefully placed the three milky-white pills that emitted an alluring glow into the jade bottles one by one, and then affixed the strongest spirit-sealing talisman.

"It's done! It's finally done!" Holding the jade bottle, feeling the immense vitality and Dao essence contained within the pills, Zhou Ding was overjoyed. With these three "Nascent Soul Pills," his chances of breaking through to the Nascent Soul realm had increased by at least 30%! Moreover, the Nascent Soul he condensed would have far greater quality and potential than ordinary ones.

Although this trip to the outer star sea was fraught with danger and even offended a Nascent Soul cultivator, the rewards were so abundant that they would make any cultivator envious.

With the legacy of the Heavenly Mirror Hermit, three top-tier ancient treasures, numerous millennium-old spiritual herbs, and rare materials, plus these three "Infant Condensation Pills"—it can be said that the path to the Nascent Soul stage has become even more certain.

What's lacking is simply to raise one's cultivation to the peak of the late Core Formation stage, and a suitable place and opportunity for seclusion.