Chapter 453 - 422: Pill Completed, Artifact Completed

After sending off Huang Shiwo, Chen Che worked without pause, pouring all his energy into Alchemy and Artifact Casting.

After all, he had no choice but to go to Faqian City, so he had to make preparations in advance.

Upon hearing this, everyone understood the gravity of the situation.

Meng Changtu and Chen Xi, among others, offered to accompany him. However, Chen Che refused them all, stating that they should finish refining the pills first.

If he were to leave, this batch in the Pill Furnace would be ruined. Yu Yunko had even specially brought over two Golden Core cultivators from her clan to help, solving the dilemma of not having enough Alchemy Masters. This was where the advantage of numbers became clear.

At practically every moment, four Golden Core cultivators stood guard outside the Pill Furnace.

Though working around the clock left everyone utterly exhausted, their progress was undeniably fast. In just twelve days, they had refined most of the Fierce Beast in the furnace, simmering it down into Pill Liquid.

All that remained was to let it simmer slowly over a low flame.

During the rest of the refining, they would continuously remove impurities before finally Solidifying the Pill. What Chen Che found regrettable was that his Realm was still a hindrance. 'If only I could have fused this entire furnace of Pill Liquid into a single pill,' he thought, 'I might have been able to refine it into a Tier Four Low Grade, or even Middle Grade, Elixir.'

Meanwhile, Yu Qian was also making rapid progress.

As soon as Chen Che decided to have a Magical Artifact for Divine Soul attacks forged, Yu Qian had an idea for what to make.

He hadn't altered the main body of the eyeball. Instead, he had been using his Divine Sense to endlessly carve Talismans and Magic Arrays inside it. Now, the massive eyeball was filled everywhere with Talismans that swam about like chains, looking exceptionally mystical.

Then, he happened to learn that Liang Yuan and his master had once used the Spiritual Infusion Technique to forge a Tier Three Magical Artifact. After this discovery, he specifically requested the Red Dragon Lock Chain from Chen Che.

"Such a waste!"

After studying the chain, which had been torn into several pieces by the Mudskipper Shrimp, Yu Qian's eyes filled with regret.

"This is just too crude. The materials for this chain are all top-grade, and they even used a Demon Soul, yet it barely reached Tier Three after Forging. What an absolute waste of precious resources! If it were me, I could have forged a Tier Three Low Grade artifact without using a Divine Soul at all."

His words made the members of Jinyun Valley lower their heads in shame.

After all, this Magical Artifact had been a collective effort, so even Chen Che found it hard to hide his embarrassment. However, Yu Qian's next sentence filled him with delight.

"Ah, forget it. I'll rework this chain. I might be able to salvage it."

For the next while, Yu Qian was responsible for instructing Liang Yuan on how to re-forge the Red Dragon Lock Chain. Meanwhile, he personally extracted the Red Flood Dragon Divine Soul, preparing to embed it into the Fierce Flood Dragon's eyeball to enhance the Magical Artifact's power.

Another half-month of intense work flew by.

The Magical Artifact was completed first.

After carving nonstop day and night, Yu Qian finally finished the Magic Arrays within the eyeball. The completed giant eye was filled with dense, strange runes, making it look less like flesh and more like metal.

Now came the most critical step:

Spiritual Infusion!

"Go!"

Yu Qian explosively circulated his True Essence, grabbed the Red Flood Dragon Divine Soul, and hurled it into the giant eye.

A brilliant light suddenly erupted from the metallic giant eye. Like adding the eyes to a painted dragon, the move was a finishing touch; countless runes seemed to come alive, rapidly swimming and circulating within.

"These Fierce Eyes, after a month of refining, are finally complete."

Yu Qian breathed a sigh of relief.

Just then, however, the eyeball trembled. A massive, illusory figure suddenly emerged from within. For a terrifying instant, it was as if the Three-Headed Fierce Flood Dragon had appeared, ready to devour someone at a moment's notice. When the phantom vanished, the crowd was shocked to find that the Red Flood Dragon Divine Soul had changed...

Its appearance had grown more savage, and it was even beginning to take on the form of the Fierce Flood Dragon.

At the same time, the giant eye before them no longer looked like it had been plucked out. Instead, it seemed to still reside within a Demon Beast's socket, blinking slowly. A single glance felt like being stared down by a Fierce Beast, enough to make one's hair stand on end.

"This..."

Everyone present jumped in fright.

"Why did this happen?"

Yu Yunko asked, her brow furrowed.

'This is the first Magical Artifact the Yu Clan has refined for Jinyun Valley,' she worried. 'It absolutely cannot have any problems.'

Chen Che also turned to look at Yu Qian, who studied the artifact for a moment before explaining:

"It's not a problem. In my view, the Red Flood Dragon and the Fierce Flood Dragon share a bloodline connection."

"Therefore, after its Divine Soul entered the eyeball, it was influenced by the Fierce Flood Dragon's bloodline. In turn, the Red Flood Dragon's Divine Soul also influenced the eyeball. Overall, the Magical Artifact is fine. In fact, its power has increased by a large margin."

As he spoke, he formed a hand sign for a Spell.

"Retract!"

The eyeball gradually condensed into a perfectly round Pill.

This Pill seemed to be made of gold, yet it was not; of jade, yet it was not. Its surface was covered in countless minuscule Talismans. Upon closer inspection, a Fierce Beast seemed to lie dormant within its pupil, giving it a mysterious and ancient aura.

"This Magical Artifact is actually Tier Three High Grade?"

Chen Che examined it. The more he looked, the more satisfied he became, though he couldn't help but be astonished at its grade.

"It was a stroke of luck."

Yu Qian didn't take the credit, explaining honestly:

"The eyeball itself is a natural treasure. Even a shoddy job would have resulted in a Tier Three Middle Grade artifact. Then the Red Flood Dragon's Soul elevated its quality another notch. You could call it a blessing in disguise."

"Valley Master Chen, how about you test its power?"

At these words, Chen Che gripped the Fierce Eyes. A sharp glint flashed in his own eyes, and in an instant, his Divine Sense enveloped all of Jinyun Valley. At the same time, it began spreading madly in all directions.

It continued to extend until it swept past the Yu Family estate in Chi State, only then beginning to show signs of faltering.

After absorbing the objects of faith sent by the Lu and Chen Families, Chen Che's Divine Sense, while not yet at the Seventh Layer, had progressed about 40% of the way. Its range could cover 170,000 zhang.

But with the amplification from the Fierce Eyes, his range approached 400,000 zhang, reaching the standard of the Golden Core Eighth Layer.

'In other words, the amplification is close to 140%,' he calculated.

Chen Che was very satisfied with this result.

At his level, Low Tier Magical Artifacts were almost useless, simply unable to withstand his Divine Sense.

He couldn't be more satisfied to now have such a suitable instrument. In the midst of battle, suddenly unleashing a Divine Sense several realms beyond his Cultivation would be a fatal blow to any opponent.

Not to mention, with this item in hand, his control over his Sword Pill could rise to another level entirely.

After accepting the Fierce Eyes, Chen Che devoted himself completely to Alchemy.

As for Yu Qian, he began methodically reworking the Red Dragon Lock Chain. After its Divine Soul was removed, Yu Qian added half a Fierce Flood Dragon's tooth and some scrap materials. These additions were well within the artifact's capacity to handle.

When the work was done, the Red Dragon Lock Chain had naturally become a Tier Three Middle Grade Magical Artifact. Its appearance grew simple and unadorned, taking on the aesthetic of a Fierce Flood Dragon. It could also shrink to the size of a black bracelet.

However, this was its limit.

It had no further potential for improvement.

「On this very day.」

After being tirelessly refined day and night by the numerous Golden Core cultivators, this batch of pills was finally complete.

BOOM—

The sound erupted directly from the Pill Furnace.

The True Essence Lock Chain wrapped around the Pill Furnace could no longer contain the Pill Qi inside; hundreds of chains snapped all at once. A surge of rosy light shot into the sky as a powerful aura burst from the Pill Furnace, transforming into an invisible shockwave that rolled outward in all directions.

The massive wave of energy felt just like the aura released by a Golden Core master. It swept outward, shattering the ground inch by inch and instantly grinding countless trees to dust.

Even Chen Che, standing guard before the furnace, was staggered by the blast. With the Chixia True Cauldron at its epicenter, the surrounding area looked like it had been hit by a typhoon. If not for the restraining Array, the shockwave would have likely engulfed the entirety of Jinyun Valley.

"It's finally done!"

Everyone was overjoyed as they gazed at the pills floating above the Pill Furnace.

One could tell just from the Spiritual Light and immense medicinal power emanating from the pills that this was a batch of Tier Three High Grade Fierce Beast Pills. There were four to five hundred in total—even when divided, everyone would receive a handsome share.

'What a pity,' Only Chen Che felt a secret sense of regret.

He had thought that with the boost from the Fierce Eyes, he could refine a batch of Tier Four Elixirs. But something still went wrong during the Solidifying Pill stage; his Cultivation was insufficient to condense the entire furnace of Pill Liquid into a single whole.

'Still, this is enough.'

Chen Che took the pills and distributed them.

"Valley Master Chen, are you leaving for Faqian City now? Do you need us to accompany you?" Yu Yunko asked as she accepted her share of the pills.

At her words, all eyes turned to him.

"Not for now. The situation is unclear. If we all swarm Faqian City at once, it might just create more trouble. I'll go alone first. I'll contact you if I need help."

Chen Che waved his hand, signaling for everyone to remain calm. He then turned to Yu Qian and cupped his fists.

"Fellow Daoist Yu, I would like to borrow a Magical Artifact from you."

...