The Eternal Saint of Alchemy

Within his body, the true essence in his dantian had reached its peak, and the flame of creation within his sea of ​​consciousness had become even brighter, faintly displaying a mixture of red and blue.

He leaped up, feeling an unprecedented surge of power coursing through his body. With a wave of his hand, a red and blue flame condensed in his palm, burning silently.

Xiao Fan extinguished the fire, feeling both excited and much more sober.

The trip to Crimson Cloud Mountain was incredibly fruitful, beyond any expectation. Not only did they obtain the method of fire control, but they also acquired millennium-old spiritual materials, and their cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds, bringing them to within a single step of the Tribulation Realm.

He returned the way he came, left the rift valley, and reunited with Yun Ruoxi and the others who were waiting outside.

Upon seeing him, Gu Yuan's eyes widened immediately: "Good heavens, your aura... you've actually broken through again?"

Xiao Fan smiled slightly and nodded, saying, "I encountered some fortuitous opportunities in the secret realm, which caused a slight delay. We'll set off for the south tomorrow."

After traveling south from Chixia Mountain for three days, we finally saw the sea.

Compared to the East China Sea, the South China Sea has a deeper, darker water with a rich, inky blue hue.

Under the sunlight, the sea surface shimmered, but upon closer inspection, a faint shadow could be seen moving slowly, as if some enormous creature was hidden beneath.

Xiao Fan stood on a rock on the shore, took out the bronze ball, and confirmed his location.

In the Nine Towers diagram, the outline of the far south has become clear. Through the sensation transmitted from the surface of the copper sphere, it can be determined that this tower has penetrated three or four days into the sea.

"Everything is ready." Han Fei ran over from afar, holding a canvas in his hand. "I found an old seagoing vessel. The owner is an old fisherman who has been to the sea many times. Although he has never been there before, he knows how to get there."

Xiao Fan nodded, put away the bronze ball, and said, "We'll set off first thing tomorrow morning."

That evening, the group found a small fishing village by the sea to stay in.

Xiao Fan sat under an old banyan tree at the village entrance, holding the red token that Liu Changgeng had given him, and kept playing with it.

Before leaving, Liu Changgeng added, "If you encounter any Fire Watchers from the depths of the South China Sea, do not easily trust them, and even more so, do not make enemies with them. There must be a reason why the Grandmaster of the Void said they are neither enemies nor friends."

He put away the token and turned his gaze to the distant sea. The sea was pitch black at night, and he couldn't see anything, but he always felt that a gaze was watching him from the darkness.

Yun Ruoxi brought over a bowl of hot soup and sat down beside him: "What are you thinking about?"

Xiao Fan picked up a bowl of soup, took a sip, and warmed himself up.

"Neither enemy nor friend, then who is it?"

Yun Ruoxi paused, then said, "Although she's not on your side, she has no reason to harm you. It's also possible that their goals are different from yours, and they just don't have any conflict right now."

"What if a conflict breaks out?"

"Then let's wait and see," Yun Ruoxi said calmly, her tone leaving no room for doubt.

Xiao Fan turned to look at her. Under the moonlight, her eyes were still as cold as ever, but within that coldness, there was a touch of tenderness that he was becoming more and more familiar with.

He reached out and took her hand, without saying a word.

The ship left the port the next morning, heading towards the Sea of ​​No Light.

For a day and a night, there was no wind or waves, and the sea was as smooth as a mirror. The following evening, Han Fei suddenly pointed to the distant sea and shouted, "There's fog!"

Xiao Fan walked to the bow of the ship and looked into the distance. Sure enough, he saw a white mist rising from the sea in the distance. This white mist was much denser than that of Thousand Mist Mountain. It was like a sky curtain that covered the sky and swallowed up all the light.

The boat entered the fog, and all around became silent.

The wind stopped, the sound of the waves ceased, and even the faint rustling of the boat's hull cutting through the water became almost imperceptible. The entire world was reduced to endless white mist and the dim glow of the oil lamp at the bow.

Gu Yuan touched the hair on his arm: "This place is even more eerie than the Ice Sea. I don't even know where this place is. At least the Ice Sea has ice, but here there's nothing, just fog."

Xiao Fan spread his divine sense, only to find it sluggish in the thick fog, as if under great suppression. He continued to look down and finally sensed a faint fluctuation of spiritual energy.

The fluctuation was steady and long, like an ancient pulse emanating from the depths of the earth.

"It's just ahead." Xiao Fan pointed ahead. "Full speed ahead."

The ship broke through the fog and slowly sailed into the darkness.

The large ship sailed through the thick fog all night.

The surrounding fog was so thick it resembled a clump of solidified cotton, and the light from the oil lamp on the bow of the ship was compressed to about three feet, as if the whole world had become a small island in the fog.

While steering the ship, Han Fei kept his eyes wide open, constantly adjusting the direction according to Xiao Fan's instructions and the compass.

Xiao Fan stood at the bow of the ship, constantly probing the mist with his divine sense.

The spiritual energy fluctuations emanating from afar grew clearer, more stable, and longer, like a sleeping behemoth.

He keenly sensed that this fluctuation seemed to resonate subtly with the Creation Fire within his sea of ​​consciousness, like two magnets attracting each other.

Master Gu Yuan, wrapped in a thick cotton robe, walked out of the cabin and trembled as he approached Xiao Fan: "This fog is too eerie. I just took a nap and found myself trapped in a room full of mirrors, and I can't get out no matter what I do."

Xiao Fan turned his head. "You had a strange dream too?"

"Also?" Gu Yuan was taken aback.

Xiao Fan nodded: "Last night, when I closed my eyes, I vaguely saw a vision, an endless expanse of black water, with a pair of eyes staring at me. When I woke up, I felt as if my soul had been ripped away."

The monk Gu Yuan's expression changed slightly: "This mist can actually affect a person's consciousness?"

"It's probably not just as simple as harassment."

Xiao Fan raised his head, looking into the depths of the mist, and said, "This tower is called the Heart-Suppressing Tower. The Grandmaster of the Void once said that what you encountered was not a tower, but yourself. Its effects may not be the Yin energy, but rather those targeting the soul. The closer you get, the easier it is to disturb your mind."

With a soft creak, Yun Ruoxi walked out from inside.

Her face was a little pale, but her eyes were bright: "I also had a strange dream just now, but after waking up, I used my spiritual power to sort through all the meridians in my body, and then I realized that those illusions were not without reason. On the contrary, they amplified the deepest doubts in my heart tenfold..."