The Eternal Saint of Alchemy

The riverbed was mostly dry, revealing a deep purple surface that shimmered faintly in the sunlight.

The area around the ferry crossing was desolate, with only a stone pavilion that had been abandoned for many years standing alone on the riverbank, its thatched roof blown clean by the wind.

Xiao Fan arrived early and stood on a purple rock.

Yun Ruoxi and Gu Yuan hid behind a hill half a mile away, while Han Fei squatted on a large tree in the distance, keeping watch.

As the sun rose into the sky, dust billowed up on the gravel road to the south.

Three carriages stopped at the ferry crossing. The first person to jump off was a middle-aged man wearing a dark red robe. He looked to be in his forties and had an ordinary appearance, but his eyes were sharp and his spiritual pressure was released without reservation. His cultivation level of the second rank of the Tribulation Realm made the surrounding air feel oppressive.

Wei Huoshou wasn't as tall as Xiao Fan had imagined, but he walked steadily, leaving a shallow scorch mark on the purple rock beneath his feet, demonstrating that his fire-attribute spiritual power had reached an extremely high level.

Behind him followed six people, each with magical artifacts hanging from their waists, appearing well-trained. Among them were two elderly men with particularly powerful auras, both possessing the strength of the early Tribulation Realm, but they were considerably weaker than Wei Huoshou.

Wei Huoshou stopped ten feet in front of Xiao Fan, looked him up and down, and said with slight surprise, "Ninth Rank of Yang Realm. How could you possibly obtain a Fire Crystal Stone? Even I couldn't sense its presence in the secret realm."

Xiao Fan smiled slightly: "Luck is a kind of ability, isn't it? Hall Master Wei just witnessed the whole process, so he probably knows that I found the Fire Source Crystal myself in the secret realm, and it has nothing to do with the Earth Fire Hall."

Wei Huoshou waved his hand dismissively, "Don't say such things in front of me. Fire Source Crystal is a fire-attribute treasure, not very useful to a Yang Realm cultivator like you. The Earth Fire Hall didn't take it for nothing; you spent a lot of money on this trip west. How about I give you three times the travel expenses?"

Xiao Fan smiled and shook his head: "Not for sale."

Wei Huoshou's face darkened. Behind him, an old man stepped forward, holding a short, crimson cane, pointing it at Xiao Fan: "The hall master kindly advised you, yet you don't know what's good for you?"

Xiao Fan glanced at him and said calmly, "I came here this time to tell Hall Master Wei that the Fire Source Crystal has been integrated into your body. If you want to obtain it, you must take it out of my dantian."

"However, those three throwing knives of yours couldn't even break through my protective aura. Are you sure you can cut through it?"

Wei Huoshou narrowed his eyes, and his spiritual pressure suddenly erupted. The pebbles on the Purple Rock Riverbed began to tremble, and a burnt smell filled the air.

He walked towards Xiao Fan step by step, and with each step he took, a crack would appear in the ground, accompanied by a loud cracking sound.

"You reckless brat."

A tiger-shaped phantom of flame, accompanied by rolling waves of fire, swept towards Xiao Fan. At the full power of a second-stage Tribulation Realm cultivator, the phantom of flame was a full ten feet in size, completely blocking all of Xiao Fan's escape routes.

Xiao Fan neither dodged nor avoided.

He stopped in his tracks, and the Creation Fire in his sea of ​​consciousness and the Immaculate Fire sealed in his dantian surged into his meridians at the same time. Crimson gold and moon white light intertwined between his palms, forming a rotating vortex of light.

He struck out with his palm, heading straight towards the illusory image of flames.

The three colors of light—red, gold, and silver—collided, producing a deafening roar.

The pebbles splashed on the river were lifted four or five zhang into the air by the shockwave, and the remaining pillars of the stone pavilion next to the ferry were cut in half by the shockwave and collapsed with a crash.

The fire tiger phantom that Wei Huoshou had transformed into was pierced through with several cracks the moment it touched it. Golden flames of creation flowed down along the cracks, tearing the tiger to pieces from the inside out.

Wei Huoshou's expression changed drastically. He stumbled back three steps before finally regaining his footing. His palms were burned red, and blood was seeping from the base of his thumb.

"Creation Fire?" His eyes were filled with disbelief as he stared intently at the ball of crimson-gold flame in Xiao Fan's hand. "How is this possible? You're only at the Yang Realm, how could you possess such a flame?"

Xiao Fan shook his slightly numb wrist, drawing the remaining flame power back into his meridians.

Although the Creation Flame is pure and extremely powerful, even a second-grade Tribulation Realm expert's arm suffered considerable impact from his full-force attack, given his current cultivation level.

However, under the neutralization of the Immaculate Fire, the burning sensation in his meridians was much less than he had imagined. Now, he was able to fight against a powerhouse in the early stages of the Tribulation Realm.

Seeing their leader at a disadvantage, the two elders behind Wei Huoshou unleashed their magical weapons, attempting to subdue him. "Wei Huoshou, bullying a junior in front of me? Are you trying to disgrace our Earth Fire Hall?"

Liu Changgeng slowly walked down the hillside.

He wore a dark green robe and exuded a heavy spiritual pressure. His cultivation level had reached the middle stage of the Tribulation Realm, even surpassing Wei Huoshou.

Wei Huoshou's face turned pale and then red, and finally he let out a heavy groan as he slowly dissipated the spiritual energy in his palm.

He knew that this time the odds were against him. Liu Changgeng was protecting him in front of him, and Xiao Fan also had a strange fire on him. If he forced his way in, it would only cause him greater losses.

"You're in luck today." He glanced coldly at Xiao Fan, then turned and walked towards the carriage. Two old men put away their magical artifacts and followed closely behind, their expressions somewhat grim.

The three carriages turned around, left the ferry, and disappeared into the distance, raising a cloud of dust.

As Xiao Fan watched the convoy disappear from sight, he slowly moved his slightly sore shoulders.

Liu Changgeng stepped forward, took a scroll from his sleeve, and handed it to him: "This is what I found after searching through books for three days. It's enough for you. And..."

At this point, he looked at Xiao Fan with a half-smile, "You took that palm strike well just now, but next time you encounter a second-level Tribulation Realm cultivator, don't try to take it head-on. Stay as far away as possible. I'm so old, and I've gone through so much trouble to save you."

Xiao Fan took the scroll, smiled slightly, and cupped his hands in thanks, saying, "Thank you."

That night, the group rested in Crimson Cloud City. Early the next morning, he broke camp and set off for the Pill Tower in the north, carrying with him the grafting technique fragments he had obtained from Liu Changgeng, as well as some spare spiritual materials.

The journey back to Danta was much smoother than the way there. Heading north, the road became flatter, and there were more and more inns and towns along the way.

More than half a month later, the familiar green hills and clear waters reappeared in his sight, and the nauseating smell of sulfur in the air had been completely replaced by the fragrance of plants.

However, before Xiao Fan even entered the room, he vaguely sensed that something was amiss.