When it comes to cultivating immortality, it naturally starts with upgrading the herb garden.

Song Chen was so frightened that he stepped back, but Feng Sancai did not continue to walk towards him. Instead, he disappeared into the darkness with the tumor.

Feng Sancai's voice was filled with heavy breathing: "There's still some preparation work to do, you stay here for a while."

boom!

That was the sound of the door and wall of the alchemy room colliding.

Song Chen was plunged into absolute darkness; he could see nothing.

He took out a lighting talisman, and the room immediately became bright.

Song Chen walked to the door and tried to open it, but found that no matter how hard he tried, the door to the alchemy room wouldn't budge.

Song Chen clearly remembered that this was a rickety wooden door, but at this moment it felt even more sturdy than an iron door.

"Damn it! They've put up a talisman outside!"

Song Chen cursed angrily, immediately realizing that Feng Sancai must have used a door-locking talisman outside.

This is a common household talisman, specifically used to lock doors and prevent cultivators with lower cultivation levels from opening them.

Song Chen did not give up; he could not sit idly by and wait for his doom.

The sealing talisman is not indestructible. Even with low cultivation, it can be broken with enough time.

With this in mind, he began to channel his abundant spiritual energy into the room.

A quarter of an hour, a quarter of an hour, a quarter of an hour.

The spiritual liquid in Song Chen's dantian was almost dried up, but the door remained completely still.

"Just how many sealing charms did that old man put out?"

If Song Chen were outside the door at this moment, he would see that the door frame was covered with several thick layers of door-closing charms.

With that many, no matter how much spiritual energy he consumes, it would be impossible for him to get out in less than a day or two.

"No! We can't waste spiritual energy like this. If Feng Sancai comes back now, I'm afraid I'll definitely die."

In this critical moment, Song Chen's mind raced like lightning: "If there's really no other way, we'll have to try to escape here using the flying boat."

He summoned the Void-Transforming Boat, took a step, jumped onto it, and immediately prepared to run away.

At that moment, a ray of light shone into the dark alchemy room.

The door opened.

"Senior brother, you should leave quickly, Master wants to use you to refine a new disciple."

It was Wang Feng. His face was pale and bloodless, and he had lost a lot of weight. In his hand was a talisman that had just been torn off.

Seeing Wang Feng's expression, Song Chen opened his mouth as if to speak, but no sound came out.

When you're struggling to take care of yourself, it's best to worry less about others.

"Junior brother! Thank you very much! I'll be going now!"

Song Chen did not use the flying boat's ability to break through space, as that would not only consume spiritual energy but also create violent spatial fluctuations, increasing the probability of being discovered by Feng Sancai. It was far better to escape quietly by climbing out of the window as he was doing now.

Song Chen stowed the flying boat and ran to a window, preparing to climb out.

Wang Feng seemed to have mustered all his strength and shouted to Song Chen, "Senior Brother! My dream is to become a Foundation Establishment True Person and a Grade Three Grand Alchemist."

I believe in you, keep going!

Song Chen replied without turning his head.

Upon hearing this, Wang Feng broke into a bright smile: "Thank you! Senior brother! You really are..."

Unexpectedly, the next moment, Wang Feng burst into flames, letting out a painful scream.

"ah!!!"

Song Chen stopped and turned to look at Wang Feng's face, which was contorted and grotesque in the flames.

What's going on?

"Wang Feng? What's wrong?"

Wang Feng couldn't respond; his throat was burning wildly, and he could only scream incoherently, "Ah! Ah! Ah!"

In just three breaths, Wang Feng turned into a withered piece of black charcoal and fell to the ground. His skin completely peeled away, revealing the vine-like spiritual roots inside his body.

The scene of the corpses was too shocking, and the heart-wrenching screams were etched into Song Chen's mind, causing him to temporarily forget his extreme predicament and stand there dumbfounded.

"He broke the contract; this is the effect of the contract magic!"

Luo Xing's leisurely voice came from behind Song Chen.

Song Chen asked mechanically, "Luo Xing! What happened to Wang Feng?"

The only response Song Chen received was the rockets attacking from all directions. He managed to muster a moment of focus and dodge them.

Luo Xing's rocket was thrown at a tricky angle, leaving him no chance to retaliate.

Several more rockets were launched at Song Chen.

When there is no way to avoid it.

Song Chen finally regained his senses, gritted his teeth, and stuck a golden talisman on his body. Spiritual energy condensed around his body, forming a ring of fire, and he withstood the minimum amount of attack.

Taking advantage of that brief moment, Song Chen found a chance to catch his breath and prepare to escape, when a water arrow flew from his side and blocked his way.

It's Zhang Miao.

"Senior brother! Where are you going?"

He smiled, his eyes filled with ferocity, and in his hand was a clump of talisman ash left from the water arrow talisman he had just activated.

It's hard to imagine that this is the same child who used to pretend to wet his pants.

Song Chen was stopped in mid-air, his face grim as he swept his gaze over the two men, his eyes filled with murderous intent: "Those who block my way, die!"

Two high-grade explosive talismans were thrown from his sleeve and flew towards Luo Xing.

The violent explosion instantly engulfed Luo Xing's small body, from which came a pitiful scream.

The power of a high-grade talisman is terrifying. Even though the fireball was forty or fifty meters away from Song Chen, he could still feel a strong recoil force.

Song Chen ignored him and a black hook flew out from the side, heading straight for Zhang Miao, intending to take his life.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Miao summoned a short sword and knocked the black gold hook away, saying smugly, "That's it? My good master..."

Before he could finish speaking, an embroidered dagger emerged from behind him and slit Zhang Miao's throat. His body collapsed uncontrollably, and blood flowed all over the ground.

Song Chen didn't take away the storage bags from the group. He immediately tried to open the window, only to find that it was also covered with door-closing charms.

"Damn it! Has this shop been turned into a prison?"

He quickly attached the Instantaneous Movement Talisman and the Swift Travel Talisman to his body, activating his Wind Boots.

In an instant, his speed became unbelievable; he vanished from his spot and rushed towards the shop's entrance.

"Almost there, almost there! Once we get out, we'll have a chance to escape using the airship!"

Song Chen shouted in his heart.

Just before he rushed out of the store, something unexpected happened.

Feng Sancai, standing not far behind him, laughed and said, "My good disciple! Where are you going?"

The voice was calm, yet it put immense pressure on Song Chen.

Feng Sancai slammed his hand on the ground, and a huge array was activated, with a transparent barrier directly surrounding 'Cai San Pharmacy'.

Song Chen was trapped inside the store by the barrier and could not take a single step outside.

Several bolts of lightning struck the barrier, but the barrier only rippled slightly and quickly returned to its original state.

Upon seeing this, Song Chen's heart sank.

We can't get out!

"It's useless! This is a top-grade formation, a celestial screen. It prevents entry and exit, so from the outside, everything looks normal. Its defensive power is top-notch. Even a peak Qi Refining cultivator would have to stay put!"

Seeing Song Chen's vigorous attack on the barrier, Feng Sancai said calmly.

Song Chen glanced at the scene and noticed a pill furnace in front of Feng Sancai, and said:

"What do you want to refine?"

The alchemy furnace sometimes expanded rapidly, sometimes contracted, and occasionally something would bulge outward, squeezing one side of the furnace wall outward, creating a bizarre and grotesque atmosphere.

Song Chen frowned. What kind of pill refining process was so bizarre?

Feng Sancai laughed and said, "The Newcomer Pill, you can also call it an artificial spiritual root body!"

Song Chen found it unbelievable.

Artificial spiritual root?

The shock of hearing about this thing in the cultivation world is no less than the shock of hearing about artificial organs in my previous life.

Immediately afterwards, the alchemy furnace in front of Feng Sancai suddenly closed up and stabilized.

As soon as things stabilized, Song Chen immediately heard him shout:

"Thirty-seven times! The thirty-seventh attempt was finally successful! After so many years! Hahahaha!"

Then, he turned his head and looked at Song Chen, his gaze not like that of a person, but like that of a large medicinal herb.

Song Chen felt a great calamity was about to befall him, and he unleashed all sorts of talismans and magical artifacts at Feng Sancai without reservation.

Feng Sancai simply affixed a talisman to his body, and all the attacks were blocked:

"Foolish disciple! This is a top-tier talisman. Even if you were at the peak of Qi Refining, let alone the mid-stage Qi Refining realm, it wouldn't be of any use!"

"Stop your futile efforts and obediently become part of the elixir!"

Feng Sancai flashed and instantly appeared in front of Song Chen, grabbed his shoulder, and threw him toward the alchemy furnace.

Song Chen felt a sudden dizziness, and when he came to his senses, he found himself in a scorching world.

An endless inferno of flames; as far as the eye can see, there is nothing but raging fire.

In the center of this purgatory, there was a young man, lost and bewildered.

"Where am I? Why is it so hot?"

Song Chen was panting heavily. He looked around and subconsciously reached for the items in the storage bag, only to find that the storage bag had already disappeared.

Under the scorching heat, large beads of sweat poured from his skin, dripping incessantly onto the ground with the sound of boiling water evaporating.

If this continues, Song Chen will either dehydrate or be roasted alive. We must find a way out as soon as possible.

Suddenly, a ghostly blood shadow flashed past Song Chen's eyes, but quickly disappeared into the flames.

"who!"

Song Chen immediately became alert and quickly took a few steps back.

He was now completely naked except for a few protective and mobile magical artifacts and a small array.

Even when encountering a cultivator at the third level of Qi Refining, they would be completely powerless to fight back.

From within the flames, the ghostly figure finally emerged, and Song Chen saw its true form.

The ghost had countless heads, countless human faces sewn onto its body, and countless limbs extending from all around, including human hands and legs. Its entire body was barely round, and it rolled toward Song Chen.

Song Chen's eyes were bloodshot, and disregarding the heat all over his body, he immediately took off running.

"What monster!"

The ghostly figure relentlessly pursued him, uttering terrifying murmurs that sounded like a mixture of countless wails and cries, making him dizzy and disoriented.

Hearing this made Song Chen's thinking difficult and his actions somewhat affected.

The high temperature continued to erode Song Chen's skin. The skin on the soles of his feet completely ulcerated, exposing the white bones underneath. Every step he took felt like stepping on nails, causing him immense pain.

In such an environment, even breathing is difficult.

The double blow to his body and mind caused Song Chen's physical condition to deteriorate, and his movement speed became increasingly slow.

The distance that Song Chen had painstakingly created was being rapidly shortened by the ghost.

When the ghost was only a step away from Song Chen, the entire fleshy ball suddenly opened its blood-red maw, which was still filled with countless human faces. Each face was involved and was about to engulf his entire body.

Looking at the ghostly figure in despair, Song Chen had a sudden inspiration. A wisp of spiritual energy from his dantian rushed to his calf, and he immediately activated the magic array in his calf. He leaped away, barely dodging the attack, and at the same time created some distance between them.

Although they've created distance, it's just a slow death.

Song Chen's ribs were completely exposed, and every breath felt like a steel nail piercing his lungs.

His eyes were burning and bleeding; he was already blind.

Song Chen's legs had reached their limit, and he could no longer stand. He just kept running ahead.

Before long, Song Chen felt a slight gust of wind in front of him.

He completely lost his five senses.

Feng Sancai stood outside the alchemy furnace and cheered, "It's done! It's done! Using the souls of a hundred people to erode the soul of the main ingredient actually works!"

"There's absolutely no need for peak Qi Refining cultivation as a medicinal catalyst! My improved pill formula is correct!"

Cheers, cheers, two lines of clear tears flowed from Feng Sancai's eyes, and he actually started to cry.

Who can understand the hardships along the way?

He used his remaining spiritual root to reach the peak of Qi Refining, and then used his peak Qi Refining cultivation to refine medicine, but failed miserably.

The pain and the ridicule from others were unknown and unknowable to anyone.

How much effort and time did Feng Sancai put into cultivation!

It takes immense perseverance for someone with the worst qualifications to climb to the top!

"From now on, I am no longer a remnant of the spiritual root! But a unique spiritual root, one in ten thousand—the Blood Spiritual Root!"

Even if I am rejected by heaven and earth, even if I am despised by everyone, I will... persevere!

Feng Sancai gritted his teeth and spat out the words, his eyes filled with madness.

Just then, a sinister pill shot out of the alchemy furnace. The pill was a dull red color, and its patterns were covered with countless screaming human faces.

If you look closely, you'll find that all those faces are subtly transforming into Song Chen's face.

This is a super pill made from the spiritual roots of over a hundred cultivators, plus Song Chen's soul and the body of a pseudo-spiritual root—the Blood Soul Pill!

The effect of this elixir is not to create spiritual roots, but to greatly strengthen the soul in a short period of time.

As for refining spiritual roots, there is one last step!

This step is the most dangerous, but it is the one that must be taken.

Feng Sancai had tried it on other people many times, and all of them succeeded.

During this time, he also practiced this final step repeatedly, but before that, he could not refine the Blood Soul Pill.

Now that the Blood Soul Pill is in place, everything is ready! The east wind is in place!

Feng Sancai grabbed the Blood Soul Pill, then with a flick of his right hand, three corpses appeared before him. He glanced at them and said:

"Three young men and women with remnants of spiritual roots, complementing each other perfectly!"

A complete spiritual root is distributed throughout the body, but a fragmented spiritual root is a spiritual root that is missing some parts.

Feng Sancai would always seek out a fragmented spiritual root that complemented his own to refine a blood spiritual root.

Afterwards, Feng Sancai and the three corpses crawled into the alchemy furnace together...

At this moment, Song Chen's consciousness sank into darkness, and he could see nothing.

He could sense that there were many people around him, yet he also felt as if he couldn't sense anything at all.

His mind was completely blank, devoid of any thoughts.

Suddenly, Feng Sancai's figure appeared in the darkness.

"Song Chen! Your death is near!"

His face was grim as he roared that he wanted to devour Song Chen's soul.

Song Chen was in a state of confusion and had no power to resist at all, so he was swallowed up in one gulp.

But he did not feel it completely dissipate; instead, he felt it becoming increasingly solid.

At the same time, he found that he could think again.

"Where...am I? Am I dead? What a pity, I thought having a system would give me a chance to become an immortal..."

"Forget it, what's the point of thinking about this now that we're already dead?"

Song Chen sensed something else beside him, but the feeling wasn't very real; he just felt a little annoyed.

In addition, he happened to be a little hungry for some reason, so he swallowed the thing whole.

"The taste wasn't great, but it was passable."

Song Chen heard Feng Sancai's shouts, the voice seemed to come from the outside world, or perhaps from his mind.

However, the sound was so fleeting that he lost his composure before returning to his calm.

Song Chen felt like he had been asleep for a long time, and he didn't know how much time had passed before light appeared in front of him.

He discovered that he could feel his physical body again.

"I'm not dead?"

Song Chen opened his eyes blankly, his gaze sweeping around, but apart from the blood on the ground, there was nothing else in sight.

The shop was quiet and deserted. If it weren't for the array outside the shop still being in place, he would have thought yesterday was just a dream.

"What about Feng Sancai?"

Although he didn't know what had happened, he seemed to be safe.

Song Chen's memory stopped at the last moment in the fiery inferno; he couldn't remember anything after that.

If you can't remember, then don't think about it.

Song Chen reached out and touched his waist, but there was still no storage bag. Looking down, he realized he wasn't even wearing any clothes.

Her figure has improved a lot; her muscles are well-defined and her groin is much larger.

Spiritual energy flowed throughout his body, at a speed several times faster than before.

Song Chen raised an eyebrow, immediately realizing:

"This is not my original body. A pseudo-spiritual root does not have spiritual energy fluctuations at this speed."

But he discovered that the temporary array on his body was gone.

At the same time, Song Chen was horrified to discover that his cultivation level had plummeted, leaving him only at the first level of Qi Refining.

This is a big deal.

All this hard work in cultivation these past few days, isn't it all for this cultivation level?

Now that it's gone, Song Chen felt only dejected.

Suddenly, he realized something.

"etc!"

"There's still hope!"

Song Chen hurriedly summoned the system, and only breathed a sigh of relief when the illusory screen appeared before his eyes.

Fortunately.

As long as the system is there, it doesn't matter if his cultivation level drops drastically, because he can always recover it later.

Song Chen walked to the side of the counter, where he found a set of clothes that were a little small, but almost the right size.

He also found four storage bags under the clothes.