The Eternal Saint of Alchemy

The further down you go, the hotter the air becomes, carrying the smell of minerals. Every breath you exhale feels like it's on fire.

At the end of the stone steps was a naturally formed underground space, about four or five zhang in size, with dark red rocks on all four sides that gleamed faintly under the high temperature.

There was a thin layer of warm liquid under my feet, the temperature was just right, just above my ankles, and the water had a faint red glow, as if the whole ground was transparent, and there was a ball of fire slowly burning underneath.

"The main vein of the fire spring is right here."

Wei Huoshou stood at the edge of the steps, not following them down. "There are cultivation grounds here, as well as furnaces for refining Yin Fire materials. The flames at the bottom of the valley are stable; as long as you don't touch the core of the earth's veins, you can use them freely."

He placed a heavy cloth bag at the entrance of the stone steps. "This is a collection of Yin Fire materials accumulated by the Earth Fire Hall over the years. There are quite a few ingredients inside. Although the purity varies, it's enough for you to refine for ten to fifteen days. I'll bring the finished product over in a month."

After saying that, he turned and went up the stairs, slamming the door shut.

The entire underground space was deathly silent.

Xiao Fan stood in the shallow water, waiting quietly.

Warm spring water, carrying a rich fire elemental energy, gushed out from somewhere and slowly climbed up his legs.

This gentle yet inexhaustible spiritual energy is completely different from the cultivation environment on the ground, as if one is immersed in warm spiritual liquid.

He didn't rush to refine these Yin Fire materials.

He placed the cloth bag on the stone steps, sat cross-legged in the shallow pool, closed his eyes, and circulated the Qiankun Refining Spirit Technique to bring himself to peak condition.

Within the sea of ​​consciousness, the purplish-gray array base floated silently, surrounded by layers upon layers of Creation Fire.

Since leaving the Black Sand Sea, this array base has been in a semi-dormant state, seemingly lacking an opportunity to be fully activated.

This main vein of earth fire is the best opportunity; the high temperature, pressure, and pure fire-attribute spiritual energy are perfect for setting up the array's core.

He drew upon the power of the earth's fire, which slowly rose, enveloping the array base within his sea of ​​consciousness.

The grayish-purple ball of light trembled slightly upon contact with the earth fire, and then, like parched land absorbing rainwater, it began to slowly absorb the heat.

At the same time, he took out some Yin Fire Miscellaneous Materials from the cloth bag and, under the influence of the Creation Fire, let them sink into the hot spring water at his feet.

The temperature inside the water is much higher than on the surface. As soon as these impurities fall into the water, they are immediately enveloped by the high temperature, soften, separate, and become purer.

Wisps of dark purple, smoky substance seeped from the turbid ore, gradually solidifying and becoming brighter under the influence of the Creation Fire.

He was multitasking, drawing on the earth fire to stabilize the array base, purifying the impurities of the yin fire, and maintaining the circulation of true qi within his body.

These three things are independent of each other, yet they share a common spiritual source, forming a subtle cycle within his meridians.

After the first night, the edges of the array base became more solid, and the originally rough surface became incredibly smooth under the tempering of the earth fire, emitting a faint, eerie glow.

The impurities from the Yin Fire at the bottom of the water have been purified to about one-tenth of their original state, and the purple substance has changed from a gaseous state to a liquid state, lying quietly at the bottom of the water.

Xiao Fan opened his eyes, shook his stiff shoulders, and then let out a long sigh.

The underground temperature made him break out in a cold sweat, but the true energy in his dantian seemed to have become even more profound after being tempered by the earth fire.

He silently calculated his progress.

At this rate, it will take about fifteen to twenty days to fully take shape, while the impurities of the Yin Fire will take twenty to thirty days. The two complement each other, and cultivation will improve significantly.

This month is enough for him to do a lot.

For the next few days, the only sounds in the underground space were the faint flow of the fire spring and the low hum of the Creation Fire burning.

Xiao Fan maintained a fixed daily routine. In the morning, he used earth fire to nurture the array base; in the afternoon, he refined various Yin fire materials; in the evening, he cultivated the Qiankun Refining God Technique to consolidate his true energy; and at night, he rested to recover his divine sense.

Day after day, time seemed to slow down incredibly in the underground world.

Seven days later, the base of the array had undergone obvious changes.

The grayish-purple light was no longer still, but began to rotate slowly according to some kind of pattern.

As it rotates, a fine texture appears on the surface of the array base, seemingly compressed to the size of a palm, with the veins of a mountain range faintly visible.

When Xiao Fan first saw these patterns, he almost lost his composure. The patterns were almost identical to the parchment map of the Grandmaster of the Void, but they were even more detailed. He could even clearly see some tiny branches that were not marked on the parchment.

There was a map on this base.

He suppressed his shock, carefully examined the patterns, memorized them, and then continued to guide the earth fire to nourish it.

From that day on, he would spend half an hour every day carefully observing the changes in the patterns on the array base. The more he observed, the more he discovered that this array base was inextricably linked to the Nine Towers Seal.

At the same time, the impurities from the yin fire at the bottom of the water are being continuously purified.

At the beginning, the refining speed was the slowest, but by the tenth day, his technique had become more and more skillful, and his efficiency had increased exponentially.

He peeled away the originally murky impurities layer by layer, leaving only a clump of deep purple liquid, which, under the influence of the Creation Fire, condensed into a dozen or so finger-sized crystal beads.

Each bead was crystal clear, like jade that had been soaked in subterranean fire for a thousand years. Xiao Fan counted them; there were fifteen in total, more than he had agreed to Wei Huoshou's request.

On the eighteenth day, something happened.

That afternoon, when he introduced the last batch of materials into the earth fire for refining, the array base in his sea of ​​consciousness suddenly trembled violently, and the patterns on it emitted a dazzling light.

The next moment, his divine sense involuntarily spread outward along the array base, passing through the thick rock layers, crossing the Flame Abyss ley lines, and rushing towards the southwest.

It was a long, narrow rift valley, with a faint light shimmering at the bottom. The surrounding earth vein energy was thin and scattered, as if it had been forgotten for countless years.

He recognized him.

That was an unmarked node five hundred miles southwest of Yan Yuan. The area on the parchment was empty, with nothing there, but his divine sense, guided by the array base, accurately pointed to that place.

The white light lasted for about ten breaths before slowly dissipating. Xiao Fan opened his eyes, his palms were covered in cold sweat, and his heart was pounding.

The array base was complete. This allowed him to see something that wasn't on the map.