The Eternal Saint of Alchemy

After a while, the giant python finally stopped moving.

Xiao Fan, panting heavily, pulled out the short sword.

"That was close." He wiped the sweat from his brow. "If it weren't for the stun grenades, we would have been in real trouble."

He deftly cut open the snake's belly, took out a black inner core the size of a pigeon egg, and put it into his storage bag.

A seventh-tier demon beast core would cost at least three thousand taels of silver on the market.

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps came from deep within the woods.

"Help me! Help me!"

A young man in blue robes stumbled out, covered in blood and with a look of terror on his face.

Two giant wolves followed closely behind, their eyes gleaming green.

Netherworld Wolf, an eighth-tier demonic beast!

Xiao Fan frowned slightly.

The Nether Wolves are pack-living monsters; if there are two, it means there are at least ten or more nearby.

"Over here!" he shouted, pulling two fiery red pills from his pocket and tossing them at the pack of wolves.

boom!boom!

Two fireballs exploded, flames shooting into the sky. The two Nether Wolves howled and fled in disarray.

The young man scrambled to Xiao Fan's side, plopped down on the ground, and panted heavily.

"Thank you... thank you for saving me."

Xiao Fan looked down at him, his heart trembling slightly.

Although the young man was dressed in rags, his clothes were made of fine brocade, and he had a white jade pendant hanging at his waist, which indicated that he came from an extraordinary background.

"Who goes there? Why are you alone in the Netherworld Mountains?"

The young man struggled to his feet, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said, "This junior is Han Fei, from the capital. I went up the mountain to gather herbs, but we encountered a pack of wolves, and all my guards perished..."

From the capital?

Xiao Fan looked at him and asked, "What are you looking for?"

"The Frost Marrow Fruit." Han Fei smiled bitterly. "I heard that such a rare fruit existed deep within the Netherworld Mountains, so I brought people here to investigate, but who knew..."

A strange light flickered in Xiao Fan's eyes.

It's quite a coincidence that I came here for the Cold Marrow Fruit as well.

"What is your cultivation level?"

"Fifth grade of the Spirit Realm".

With a cultivation level of the fifth rank of the Spirit Realm, and accompanied by a group of guards, Han Fei was either incredibly audacious or underestimated the danger.

Xiao Fan said calmly, "Consider yourself lucky. Come on, I'll see you off. But let me make this clear: I also need this Cold Marrow Fruit. Then it'll be up to you how you handle it."

Han Fei nodded and said, "Of course! I will never forget your life-saving grace. As for the Cold Marrow Fruit, I leave it entirely to you, young master."

The two continued deeper into the mountains, one after the other.

After walking for about two hours, the poisonous miasma ahead gradually thinned out, and the view suddenly opened up.

The valley is filled with exotic flowers and rare herbs, their richness almost tangible.

The most eye-catching feature is a towering ancient tree in the center of the valley. This ancient tree is as thick as dozens of people can encircle it, with lush branches and leaves that block out the sun.

Beneath the ancient tree, a white Ganoderma lucidum is emitting a faint glow.

Han Fei: "The Cold Marrow Fruit!"

However, Xiao Fan was not too excited. His gaze swept around the valley, and an ominous premonition arose spontaneously.

It was unusually quiet.

This place should have been a paradise for monsters, but at this moment, there wasn't a single insect in sight.

"Don't move." He reached out to stop Han Fei's movement and said in a low voice, "Someone is watching us."

Just then, a huge head emerged from the canopy of the ancient tree.

It was a snake's head the size of a water vat, its triangular head covered with black scales, and a pair of vertical pupils flashing with a cold, icy light.

The most terrifying thing is that it has a golden horn on its head.

"Golden Horned Python, a ninth-tier demonic beast!"

Xiao Fan exclaimed in surprise.

A ninth-tier demonic beast is comparable to a human at the peak of the Yin Realm!

Let alone the seventh rank of the Spirit Realm, even in his prime in his previous life, it would have been extremely difficult to deal with such a demonic beast.

Han Fei's legs went weak with fear, and his face turned pale: "It's over, it's over..."

The Golden Horned Python slowly emerged from the tree canopy. Its body, over ten zhang long and as thick as a water bucket, coiled around the tree, looking down at the two people from above.

Xiao Fan took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, and then looked at him.

There was no way to escape. The Golden Horned Python was much faster than them, and even if they turned to run away, they would expose their backs to the enemy.

The only option now is to take a gamble.

Three golden pills appeared in his palm.

These are all scraps extracted from the Dragon and Phoenix Pill. Although they cannot be compared with the complete Dragon and Phoenix Pill, the energy contained within them is extremely fierce.

"When I count to three, run to the left, as far as you can, and don't look back."

Han Fei was taken aback: "And what about you?"

"I have my own way of dealing with this."

Before the other party could ask any more questions, Xiao Fan crushed three pills in one go, and a violent golden mist immediately surged out from between his fingers, sweeping towards the Golden Horned Python.

"one!"

The golden-horned black python opened its huge mouth and charged towards them.

"two!"

As Xiao Fan activated his true essence, the golden mist condensed into a golden dragon, which crashed fiercely into the snake's head.

"three!"

boom!

The golden dragon phantom collided with the head of the golden-horned black python, unleashing a deafening roar. A violent burst of medicinal power erupted, sending surrounding trees flying.

The Golden Horned Python let out a miserable cry as its massive body was blasted away, crashing into and breaking seven or eight large trees.

"run!"

Xiao Fan grabbed Han Fei and ran off into the canyon.

The two ran wildly, quickly getting very far away until they could no longer hear any sound, and then they stopped.

Han Fei lay sprawled on a boulder, panting heavily: "What...what is this? Why is it so powerful?"

Xiao Fan was also exhausted, leaning against a big tree, panting heavily.

Although the scraps from the Dragon and Phoenix Pill are very powerful, they also consume an astonishing amount of energy.

That attack just now almost drained all his true energy, leaving his dantian empty and making it difficult for him to even stand.

"Stop talking nonsense and hurry up and heal your injuries." With that, he took out two Rejuvenation Pills, swallowed one, and tossed it to Han Fei.

Han Fei took it, his gaze slightly sharpening.

The Rejuvenation Pill, a third-grade elixir, would cost at least five thousand taels on the market, yet this guy just threw it away without batting an eye.

"A master alchemist?"

Xiao Fan did not answer, closed his eyes, and began to regulate his breathing.

After swallowing the Rejuvenation Pill, its gentle medicinal power nourished his depleted dantian, allowing his true essence to slowly recover.

After an incense stick had burned, he opened his eyes and stood up.

This is no longer the valley as before, but a much deeper place.

Strange plants grew all around, some glowing, others wriggling, which were quite creepy to look at.

"Where am I?" Han Fei had regained some strength. He stood up and looked around.

Xiao Fan stepped forward and placed his hand on the stone wall.

Many patterns are carved on the stone wall, which seem to be an ancient magic array.