Seizing Destiny From Heavens Hands

Chapter 253: If You Find Good Wine, Save Some for Me

Whoosh!

Three streaks of light descended from the sky, landing in the center of the martial arena.

The arrivals were the Grand Elder in charge of the Disciplinary Hall, the Third Elder overseeing alchemy, and the Seventh Elder, who also specialized in alchemy.

The Grand Elder glanced around and spoke solemnly. "Everyone, the Fire Pill Palace is brimming with fire spirit energy, showing signs of an early activation."

"Any elders who have yet to arrive will forfeit their qualifications to enter the Fire Pill Palace."

"Follow me immediately."

With that, he rose into the air and flew northward.

The crowd quickly followed suit.

...

The Fire Pill Palace wasn't located in Taishan Prefecture but in the neighboring Mianshan Prefecture to the north.

Even at full speed, it still took three days for the Nascent Soul cultivators to arrive under the Grand Elder's lead.

For lower-level Core Formation cultivators, the journey would have taken at least half a month.

Before long, the group descended in front of a massive crimson palace.

Centered around the palace, the surrounding hundred-mile radius was scorched and barren, with only charred earth and few signs of life.

Only a handful of heat-resistant demonic beasts and plants managed to survive in such a harsh environment.

As the group landed, three figures emerged from the palace to greet them respectfully.

The Grand Elder asked in a stern voice, "Liu Qiang, as the resident elder of the Fire Pill Palace, have there been any abnormalities in the last ten years?"

After the betrayal of Assistant Elder Zhang Feng at Bloodvine Valley, the Grand Elder had grown more vigilant.

Elder Liu Qiang had already undergone multiple secret investigations by the Disciplinary Hall, confirming his loyalty to the Jade Cauldron Sect.

Liu Qiang respectfully replied, "Reporting to the Grand Elder, starting thirty years ago, the fire spirit energy in the Fire Pill Palace began to recover at a rapid pace."

"I believe it's likely due to signs of an active volcano beneath the palace beginning to awaken."

"As a result, the number and strength of fire beasts within the palace have significantly increased."

"However, unless external factors intervene, the volcano is unlikely to erupt for at least five more years. You can rest assured, Grand Elder."

The Grand Elder nodded slightly. "Take out all the tokens you've prepared over the years."

"Understood." Liu Qiang waved his hand, and numerous tokens flew out from his storage ring, landing in front of Shen Mo and the others.

Shen Mo examined the tokens. The front bore the characters "Nine Turns," while the back read "Inner Sect Disciple."

These were tokens from the Nine-Turn Alchemy Sect, signifying the status of inner sect disciples.

Looking around, Shen Mo noticed that everyone else had similar tokens.

The Third and Seventh Elders, at the forefront, each received tokens marked for true disciples of the Nine-Turn Alchemy Sect.

Because the Fire Pill Palace contained numerous formations, including deadly ones, carrying a token from the Nine-Turn Alchemy Sect was essential for safety.

Without at least an inner sect disciple token, entry to the Fire Pill Palace was impossible.

The higher the rank of the token, the more areas one could access within the palace.

Additionally, tokens from the Fire Pill Palace were scattered inside. Finding an elder-level token allowed almost unrestricted movement within the palace.

Shen Mo recalled that in Ye Yan's predetermined fate, he had found an elder token shortly after entering the palace.

This token enabled Ye Yan to freely explore the palace and search for treasures without being attacked by formations.

The Grand Elder scanned the group and said in a deep voice, "The Fire Pill Palace will remain open for one year. After that, I will be here to receive you all."

"Understood," everyone responded.

The Grand Elder nodded before departing.

"Everyone, please enter," Liu Qiang, the resident elder, said with a smile.

Shen Mo and the others filed in, descending a slanted staircase into the underground Fire Pill Palace.

As they descended deeper, the temperature steadily rose.

Many elders began to feel uncomfortable, resorting to expending spiritual energy to resist the heat.

However, Shen Mo, with his fire attribute constitution, found the temperature no more troublesome than warm water.

The group continued downward.

After descending roughly two hundred zhang, they reached the end of the staircase.

What lay before them was a scene of decay and ruin.

Above them stretched a towering dome, black smoke swirling like a dark night sky.

The air, distorted by the intense heat, created an almost surreal atmosphere.

The ground was littered with broken walls and crumbling ruins.

Everywhere one looked, there were remnants of a past grandeur, now reduced to rubble.

The barren ground had no trace of vegetation, only coarse gravel.

In the distance, waves of blazing fire erupted into the air from time to time.

Roars of tigers and howls of wolves mingled with the chaotic cries of various demonic beasts, creating a cacophony of sound.

This was the Fire Pill Palace—an underground wasteland dominated by red, heat, and disorder.

Many couldn't help but blink a few times.

The predominant red hue of this desolate place was overwhelming, straining the eyes after prolonged exposure.

The Third and Seventh Elders split off, heading toward separate earth furnaces.

Their purpose in entering the Fire Pill Palace was to refine pills—a rare opportunity that came only once every ten years and was not to be wasted.

Unless they succeeded in their pill refining and completed their tasks, they wouldn't leave the furnaces for a moment.

"Gathering together will slow us down. Let's split up. Take care, junior brother."

Lü Dongxuan patted Shen Mo on the shoulder before dashing into the ruins.

However, he hadn't gone far before he suddenly sprinted back even faster, leaving He Tianchou, Ouyang Wei, Liu Ruyun, and the others utterly confused.

Lü Dongxuan chuckled. "Oh, right. I remembered something! The Nine-Turn Alchemy Sect had a wine called Blazing Fire Brew. Drinking it feels like swallowing flames, and it was made right here in the Fire Pill Palace."

"Junior brother, and you all—if you happen to find some, save it for me. We can negotiate the price!"

Shen Mo smiled faintly, already guessing what Lü Dongxuan was going to say.

He nodded. "Don't worry, senior brother. I'll make sure to save some for you."

He Tianchou and the others, both amused and exasperated, also nodded in agreement.

Satisfied with their response, Lü Dongxuan finally dashed back into the ruins.

Ye Yan followed shortly after, speeding off in a different direction.

The other elders quickly dispersed as well.

Those confident in their abilities ventured alone, while the less confident formed groups of two or three to explore together.

Shen Mo, naturally, chose not to team up with anyone.

After orienting himself, he headed straight for Furnace No. 4.

The Fire Pill Palace originally had fifteen earth furnaces, named numerically from No. 1 to No. 15.

However, the protracted war that raged here in the past had caused twelve of the furnaces to collapse.

Only three furnaces remained usable.

Furnace No. 4, on the other hand, was one of the collapsed furnaces.

The journey to Furnace No. 4 was far from smooth.

The Fire Pill Palace was expansive, and the presence of numerous formations greatly reduced the flying speed of Nascent Soul cultivators.

Along the way, Shen Mo faced repeated attacks from fire beasts.

As a result, it took him a full two days to reach Furnace No. 4.

"There it is!"

Shen Mo's spirits lifted as he looked ahead.

A massive stone furnace, fifty zhang tall, was half-buried in gravel.

The furnace was riddled with cracks and damage.

Over thousands of years, the gravel and remnants of herbs had fused together, becoming indistinguishable from one another.

At the base of the furnace lay a pitch-black pit.

This was the earthfire vent.

From the vent, flames occasionally surged, alternating between weak flickers and powerful bursts, resembling the vigor of a lively child.

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