The Eternal Saint of Alchemy

"When we return to the Pill Tower this time, I will have you summon the leaders of all the major forces. If the Taiyin Pill Master really escapes, it won't just be a single family or sect that suffers. This news must be spread."

Yun Ruoxi nodded and said nothing more.

The boat rocked gently and docked.

On the very night he returned to the North Sea Pill Palace, Xiao Fan wrote a letter detailing the process of sealing the Black Lotus, the past of the Taiyin Pill Master, and the dangers of the nine stone towers.

At the end of the letter, he instructed Yin Tianyuan, in his capacity as the Lord of the Northern Region, to send letters to the Southern Frontier, the Western Region, and the major sects of the Eastern Sea.

Yin Tianyuan took the letter, thought for a moment, and said, "Aren't you worried that the various sects and factions won't believe it?"

Xiao Fan said, "If they don't believe me, then let them investigate for themselves. The sealed area of ​​Qingyun Mountain and the stone tower in the icy sea are still there. They'll only know the truth once they see it with their own eyes."

Yin Tianyuan asked no further questions, put away the letter, and instructed his disciples to send it to the appropriate places as soon as possible.

Early the next morning, Xiao Fan, Yun Ruoxi, and Gu Yuan left the North Sea Pill Palace and set off south.

Before leaving, Yin Tianyuan stood in front of the palace gate and gave Xiao Fan a white jade token.

"With this token, you can ride at any post station in the Northern Region City."

Xiao Fan accepted the token, clasped his hands in thanks, and his face was full of gratitude.

Seeing him mount his horse, Yin Tianyuan suddenly said, "Xiao Fan, you're just like your father, always wanting to shoulder everything yourself. But if your father couldn't do it back then, maybe you can."

Xiao Fan reined in his horse and looked behind him.

Yin Tianyuan said no more, waved his hand, and walked into the wind and snow.

The convoy continued south. Half a month later, Xiao Chen embarked on his journey to the capital, Danta, once again.

Looking at the jade slip and the letter that Xiao Fan brought, Jiang Yuanji remained silent for a long time.

He put down the jade slip, raised his head, and looked at Xiao Fan. The languid look on his face had disappeared, replaced by a clear gaze.

"Nine towers," he said slowly. "The Heaven-Sealing Array was laid out by the Grand Sage of the Void and is spread throughout the world. If someone were to break through them one by one, and all nine towers were destroyed, then the Grand Sage of the Yin Moon would be reborn."

Xiao Fan said, "Therefore, we still need to ask the Tower Master to come forward and summon the leaders of all the major sects."

Jiang Yuanji stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the myriad lights of the city outside. The Pill Dao Conference would be held at the Pill Tower in a month. The leaders of all the major sects would be present.

Xiao Fan breathed a sigh of relief: "Then thank you very much, Tower Master."

For the next twenty-odd days, Xiao Fan stayed in the Pill Tower, extremely busy.

He made a rubbing of the images of the Black Lotus Root and the Ice Sea Stone Tower into a scroll, and then had Jiang Yuanji compare the strange phenomena, poisons, and seals recorded in the ancient records of the Pill Tower one by one.

Master Gu Yuan was also exhausted and cursed, "Do you take me for a donkey?"

Xiao Fan didn't even look up, and said calmly, "After this matter is settled, I'll treat you to three years' worth of peach blossom wine."

"What? It will take at least five years!"

Yun Ruoxi was organizing files nearby when she heard this and a smile appeared on her lips.

Finally, one night, Xiao Fan found some clues in an old book in the Dan Tower.

That was left behind by a Danta disciple who was traveling abroad more than a hundred years ago.

It reads: "In the westernmost part of the Western Regions, there is a desert called the Black Sand Sea. Deep within the Black Sand Sea lies the ruins of an ancient pagoda, half-buried in the yellow sand, pitch black and impossible to approach. Anyone who gets close will suffer excruciating internal heat and will surely die within three days."

Xiao Fan was stunned when he saw those words.

The Black Tower... a poison that burns the body. It is the complete opposite of the power of Yin, yet it is also deadly.

He handed the booklet to Jiang Yuanji. Jiang Yuanji glanced at it and narrowed his eyes: "The Black Sand Sea is now the territory of the Western Regions Fire Refining Sect. It's the sphere of influence of that bald guy Tie Yan."

Thinking of Tie Yan's ashen face at the Pill Refining Conference, Xiao Fan couldn't help but smile wryly: "That makes things easier."

Jiang Yuanji put down the booklet in his hand: "Let's wait until the leaders of the major sects arrive before we talk. If you go to the Western Regions, Tie Yan might not believe you."

Xiao Fan nodded, took the book, and carefully put it away. Yun Ruoxi came in and placed a cup of hot tea beside him.

"Take a nap."

Xiao Fan raised his head and looked out the window. The sky was already turning slightly white.

"It's almost dawn."

Yun Ruoxi didn't say anything more, but sat down next to him and rested her head on his shoulder. Xiao Fan was stunned for a moment, then relaxed his body, letting her lean against him.

As dawn broke through the window, the outline of the capital city was faintly visible through the thin mist.

The Alchemy Conference is about to begin.

In the blink of an eye, a month has passed.

Inside the Imperial Capital's Pill Tower, the lights were bright, and the nine-story white jade tower was covered with colorful banners. Hundreds of tables were set up at the entrance, and alchemy cultivators from all directions came and went in an endless stream.

Early in the morning, Master Gu Yuan stood at the door to greet the guests, his face full of smiles, but he was cursing under his breath, clearly being treated as an errand boy by Jiang Yuanji.

Xiao Fan stood at the window on the ninth floor, looking down at the bustling crowd below, feeling a mixture of anticipation and heaviness in his heart.

Yun Ruoxi walked over with a cup of hot tea and asked, "Nervous?"

"A little." Xiao Fan picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said, "Among these people, some helped voluntarily, some were there to watch the excitement, and some were there to... gather information."

Yun Ruoxi didn't say anything, but just stood quietly beside him, looking like she didn't care about anything.

At 3:45 AM, Jiang Yuanji rang the ancient bell.

The deep tolling of the bell echoed throughout the capital. The clamor in the square gradually subsided, and the leaders of various sects took their seats.

Xiao Fan saw that Granny Miao was sitting at the Southern Border Medicine Sect's seating area. Today, she was wearing a black robe and holding a thick wooden stick. Two young Miao girls were standing next to her.

At the Western Regions Fire Refining Sect's seat, Tie Yan sat there nonchalantly, his bald head gleaming in the sunlight, a pot of wine in his hand, which he gulped down.

Most of the seats in the East Sea Pill Pavilion were empty, with only three middle-aged deacons present, but Liu Ruyan was nowhere to be seen.

At the North Sea Pill Palace, Yin Beishan, dressed in a silver robe, stood expressionless. Upon seeing Xiao Fan, he nodded slightly as a greeting.

In addition, there were many leaders of small and medium-sized forces, some of whom Xiao Fan was familiar with, and some of whom were strangers.

Jiang Yuanji stood on the high platform and first said some polite words, which were nothing more than thanking everyone for coming from afar.

He then changed the subject.

"Everyone, the reason I have gathered you here today is not for a contest of alchemy skills, but for a matter concerning the very survival of alchemy throughout the world." He extended his hand, gesturing for you to speak. "Let Xiao Fan speak first."