Seizing Destiny From Heavens Hands

Chapter 254: The Five-Cauldron Elder's Token—Xiao Fan Has Arrived

Shen Mo gazed thoughtfully at the geothermal vent before him.

Just as he had seen on Ye Yan's life panel, the geothermal energy beneath the Fire Pill Palace was destined to erupt in the future.

Through the observation of this geothermal vent, he had already noticed subtle signs of instability.

However, most others believed the eruption was still three to five years away.

By then, the Fire Pill Palace would be in a sealed state.

Even if the eruption occurred, it would pose no threat. On the contrary, it might even bring forth numerous underground minerals and enable the growth of rare herbs that thrive in high-temperature environments.

Shen Mo steadied his mind, refraining from overthinking, and immediately stepped into the geothermal furnace.

Suddenly—

A howl echoed!

Before he could even plant his feet firmly, two fiery red shadows lunged at him.

Their claws bared, they aimed straight for his throat!

Shen Mo remained composed, flipping his hand to draw out the Yin-Yang Sword.

Swish! Swish!

A sinister, piercing energy erupted from the blade, as sharp and elusive as two venomous serpents coiling toward their targets.

Pff! Pff!

Scalding blood splattered onto the ground.

With a final howl, the two fire beasts collapsed lifelessly.

Shen Mo casually sheathed his sword and hung it at his waist.

Lying on the ground were the corpses of two fire wolves.

These wolves, their fur fiery red, looked as though they were ablaze when in motion—an astonishingly beautiful sight.

Both were fifth-tier beasts of the intermediate level.

Born in such a scorching environment, they naturally possessed a remarkable resistance to fire-based martial arts.

If they were to face off against four beasts of the same level in the outside world, they would undoubtedly emerge victorious.

Their ambush location had been particularly cunning, situated squarely in Shen Mo's blind spot.

Had it been an ordinary Nascent Soul-stage cultivator, they would have been alarmed, retreating repeatedly.

Even if death were avoided, significant injuries would have been inevitable.

Unfortunately for the two fire wolves, their adversary was Shen Mo.

With his top-tier Heavenly Flame Physique, Shen Mo's sensitivity to fire elemental energy far surpassed that of any other type of spiritual energy.

For him, the two fire wolves, despite hiding in his blind spot, were as conspicuous as small suns.

Shen Mo retrieved a small blade and casually pierced the abdomens of the two fire wolves.

Disappointed, he shook his head. "No fire beast monster core again."

"These are far rarer than ordinary cores."

Fire beast monster cores are found within fire beasts and contain a uniquely concentrated fire energy.

They are ideal for cultivators with fire-based physiques like Shen Mo, perfect for absorption and refinement.

They also serve as excellent fuel for alchemy.

A single fire beast monster core is equivalent to three regular monster cores of the same tier.

Unfortunately, such cores only form in particularly powerful fire beasts.

Ordinary fire beasts contain nothing at all.

Stepping over the fire wolves' corpses, Shen Mo ventured deeper into the geothermal furnace.

He summoned a gust of wind to clear away the sand and debris within the furnace.

After carefully searching, he eventually found a Nine-Turn Alchemy Sect Elder Token hidden in a concealed corner.

This token bore the image of five small cauldrons, signifying that it belonged to a Five-Cauldron Elder.

The Upper Clarity Sect, Jade Cauldron Sect, and Pill River Sect had united to destroy the Nine-Turn Alchemy Sect, yet they still learned much from it.

This included the ranking system for elders.

Similar to the Nine-Turn Alchemy Sect, the elder rankings for the three sects ranged from one cauldron to six cauldrons.

"With this token, I don't need to worry about the various formations in the Fire Pill Palace."

Shen Mo pondered for a moment before tucking the token into his robes. Then, he hung the disciple token he had received before entering the Fire Pill Palace on his waist.

This way, to outsiders, he would appear to be merely an inner sect disciple.

As Shen Mo glanced at the fire wolves' corpses, he noticed that their internal blood had already been rapidly dried by the intense heat.

Now, they had turned into two stiff, desiccated corpses.

Shen Mo clicked his tongue in amazement.

The intense heat of this place had no effect on him, but he imagined it would cause discomfort for most others.

"Next, I need to head to Furnace No. 5. There's a fire wolf nest there."

After orienting himself, Shen Mo dashed towards Furnace No. 5.

He needed to hurry.

If he delayed, Ye Yan might seize the opportunity meant for him.

One day after Shen Mo left Furnace No. 4, a figure clad in fiery red arrived leisurely.

It was Ye Yan.

Along the way, he had encountered numerous fire beasts blocking his path and had narrowly avoided a deadly trap formation.

This had significantly slowed his progress.

"There might still be treasures in the collapsed geothermal furnace," Ye Yan thought to himself as he stepped into Furnace No. 4.

However, upon entering, his eyes immediately fell on the two fire wolf corpses lying on the ground, now dried and mummified.

Ye Yan frowned.

Due to the intense heat, he couldn't tell if these fire wolves had died recently or decades ago.

"My speed isn't slow; I should have been the first to arrive. It's impossible for anyone to have gotten here before me."

Ye Yan calmed himself and began searching every corner of the furnace.

After half a day of meticulous searching, all he found was a torn and incomplete pill formula.

"This formula might at best exchange for a Ding-grade contribution…"

Shaking his head, Ye Yan sighed in frustration and left Furnace No. 4 to search elsewhere.

On the surface—

Under the cover of night, a lone figure approached the Fire Pill Palace.

He wasn't heading for the main entrance, but rather toward the back.

"Dan Lao, does the Fire Pill Palace really have a secret passage?" Xiao Fan asked, puzzled.

A voice echoed in his mind—it was Dan Lao speaking. "Have you forgotten? I was the Grand Elder of the Nine-Turn Alchemy Sect."

"I personally oversaw the construction of the Fire Pill Palace."

"I could still draw you a complete map of it right now."

Xiao Fan slapped his forehead, laughing awkwardly. "That's true."

"Up ahead, the second row, third brick. Place your palm on it and activate the technique I taught you," Dan Lao instructed.

Xiao Fan quickly moved forward.

Before him stood a towering stone wall.

Each brick was half a person's height, and despite the passage of countless years, the wall remained intact, standing firmly to guard the ruins of the Fire Pill Palace.

Following Dan Lao's instructions, Xiao Fan placed his hand on the designated brick and activated the Earth-tier technique of the Nine-Turn Alchemy Sect.

After a few breaths, the stone brick silently split apart, revealing a deep, dark passageway!

The passage sloped downward, resembling the gullet of some giant beast.

"This is it. Once you enter this passage, you'll emerge directly inside Furnace No. 10," Dan Lao explained.

"If I remember correctly, there should still be an elder's token I left behind there."

"With that elder's token, you'll be free to move around the Fire Pill Palace without hindrance."

Dan Lao chuckled.

Xiao Fan nodded firmly. "Thank you, Dan Lao!"

Dan Lao's tone turned serious. "It's no trouble. But I have only one request—you must obtain the Nine-Turn Alchemy Manual."

"That manual is the foundation of the Nine-Turn Alchemy Sect. It contains the secrets to countless techniques and martial skills."

"With it, everything can begin anew."

"We can even rebuild the Nine-Turn Alchemy Sect together!"

Xiao Fan nodded resolutely. "Rest assured, Dan Lao. I will not fail you!"

With that, he stepped into the passageway.

Behind him, the stone brick closed seamlessly, leaving no trace of its existence.

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