Ch. 95 - Clouds of Auspicious Light

Elder Han had never been so overjoyed in his life, his wrinkled old face practically smoothed out from smiling. He was dancing with excitement, laughing loudly without restraint.

At the same time, Ye Fan remained calm and composed, quietly focused on expanding his Bitter Sea, fully immersed in cultivation.

The sound of crashing waves continued endlessly. Thunder roared through the chamber. Elder Han was full of longing, wishing the seven days would pass more quickly.

The bronze cauldron was wrapped in silver flames, steadily absorbing spiritual energy. Holy light radiated outward, enveloping the entire stone chamber in a misty glow.

This continued for over two hours before the sound of the ocean gradually subsided. The deafening thunder slowly faded, and peace returned to the cauldron, though the silver flames still blazed.

Elder Han wasn’t concerned. He knew it would take seven days and nights to complete the refining. The unusual signs couldn’t last the entire time. In his heart, he had already concluded that this was a batch of supreme-grade elixirs, identical to what ancient texts described.

Another day and night passed. The cauldron remained calm. Only the Hellfire continued to flicker, its milky-white radiance pulsing steadily.

Inside the bronze cauldron, Ye Fan had entered a state of spiritual clarity. At last, he began to awaken. His golden Bitter Sea had expanded significantly, it was now the size of a peeled lychee. Gleaming gold, it looked like a brilliant star plucked from the heavens and fixed inside his body.

Twenty-seven new godrunes had formed, resembling chains of divine iron or streaks of lightning across the Bitter Sea. Most remarkably, faint ripples had appeared at the center of the sea. Bubbles emerged one after another, and upon bursting, released a misty rainbow-colored fog that hovered above the golden sea.

Ye Fan opened his eyes and clearly felt the transformation in his Bitter Sea. A vigorous vitality surged through his body. Two bright beams shot from his eyes. Not yet satisfied, he reached out and grabbed the Green Jade Snow Lotus.

The egg-sized green fruit shimmered with a dazzling emerald hue. It was as if it had been carved from divine jade, glowing softly and radiating a soothing brilliance.

This fruit was extremely rare. The mother plant only grew on snow-capped mountains tens of thousands of meters high, where sunlight never reached for a thousand years, and was guarded by fierce beasts. It had taken Elder Han eight full years to obtain it.

The moment Ye Fan held the fruit, he felt a bone-chilling cold. Even the boiling medicinal solution in the cauldron couldn’t dissolve it. He took a careful bite, savoring it like an apple. This time, he made no sound whatsoever. After all, more than a day and night had passed, by all appearances, he should have been thoroughly boiled by now.

The fruit tasted sweet and refreshing, though icy cold. It made Ye Fan tremble involuntarily. Its potent life energy quickly spread throughout his entire body.

Soon, beams of green light enveloped him. His skin glowed like jade, shimmering mysteriously. The cauldron's temperature dropped rapidly, and the liquid stopped boiling.

Half an hour later, the roar of ocean waves returned inside the bronze cauldron, louder than ever, accompanied by thunder and lightning. The cauldron itself began to tremble.

The entire chamber rumbled. Elder Han felt as if he were facing an endless, raging ocean. His emotions surged, and he muttered, “Another omen, this pill will surely succeed!”

Elder Han looked as if he had regained ten years of youth. He laughed heartily, eyes filled with anticipation, eager for the seven-day wait to end.

Waves crashed. Thunder boomed. Lightning tore across the sky. The stone chamber shook violently.

“When the pill is complete, I will break through!” Elder Han was brimming with confidence. With a supreme-grade elixir in hand, he believed breaking past his bottleneck would be a matter of course.

Inside the bronze cauldron, the noise was deafening, and the signs of success were overwhelming. Outside, Elder Han could only hear the sounds but not see the process. He paced around the cauldron, overcome with excitement.

This time, the thunderous waves lasted a full three hours before gradually fading. The stone chamber returned to calm.

“The cauldron can’t be opened once sealed, it must wait seven days…” Elder Han regretted only one thing: being too cautious and not placing all the rare herbs inside. If he had, even more miraculous signs might have appeared, perhaps even the auspicious light from the heavens described in ancient texts.

Even so, Elder Han was full of confidence. He believed he had seized a great fortune and that nothing could go wrong.

Another day and night passed. Ye Fan slowly opened his eyes, his gaze shining with divine brilliance. His body teemed with vitality. The wounds on his limbs and chest were completely healed, without even a scar left behind.

His golden Bitter Sea had grown even larger. At the center, the ripples intensified. Bubbles surged like a spring, releasing dense rainbow fog that completely veiled the area, making the sea look mysterious and divine.

At this moment, Ye Fan felt just as Elder Han did, full of satisfaction and accomplishment. Their moods, ironically, were in perfect sync.

Still not content, Ye Fan reached for the Nine-Leaf Phoenix Grass. It burned hot in his hand, radiating waves of divine power. According to legend, this rare herb could only grow on land touched by phoenix blood. Elder Han had spent over ten years wandering ancient lands and ruins to obtain it, truly priceless.

The Nine-Leaf Phoenix Grass glowed like red agate, emitting a rich fragrance that calmed the soul and intoxicated the senses.

Ye Fan placed it in his mouth. After just a few chews, the herb dissolved into a brilliant scarlet mist that surged into his body, enveloping him in a red glow like a divine flame.

Any ordinary body would’ve turned to ash instantly, but Ye Fan’s physique was extraordinary. His Bitter Sea was like a bottomless pit, devouring the scarlet mist completely.

In this moment, his flesh, organs, and bones sparkled with brilliance, flawless and pure like a work of art. His skin shimmered with radiant light. Life force flowed through him like a sacred river.

When the roaring waves and thunder returned again, Elder Han jumped up in alarm, circling the cauldron. “The heavens truly favor me…”

As Ye Fan emerged from this transformation, he found that his golden Bitter Sea had grown again, though not as much as before. The deeper the cultivation, the harder the progress. The medicinal effects of the three herbs were relatively equal, so the first transformation had been the most dramatic.

After refining these three rare herbs, his Bitter Sea underwent astounding changes. At its center, multicolored mist rose, entwining countless godrunes. Beneath the sea, it was as if a volcano were awakening, bubbles surged constantly, and glowing light burst forth like a volcanic eruption.

Ye Fan understood what was happening and felt no confusion.

Cultivators in the Bitter Sea realm must go through several phases. Initially, only a small amount of life energy floats above the sea. Over time, this energy forms godrunes, like iron chains crossing the sky.

As the sea expands and cultivation deepens, bubbles emerge and burst, forming colorful clouds. Later, these bubbles surge like a spring, resembling a volcano awakening, filling the sky with radiant mist.

One day, when the "volcano" beneath the sea fully erupts, the colorful mist will condense into liquid. That moment marks the beginning of the breakthrough into the Life Spring realm. If successful, a divine spring will gush forth from the “volcano’s mouth.”

A Bitter Sea cultivator must complete all three stages before attempting to enter the Life Spring realm. Today, Ye Fan had reached the second stage. At the center of his golden sea, the mist churned, the bubbles surged like a spring, light burst forth constantly, it was like a volcano preparing to erupt.

“If I refine all the ten-plus rare herbs Elder Han collected, then find a place to cultivate in seclusion and meditate on the Dao Scripture, I might reach the Life Spring realm in a year or two…” Ye Fan thought, hope rising in his heart.

But first, he had to survive, if he couldn’t escape the current danger, all of this would mean nothing.

After refining the three rare herbs, Ye Fan remained still, patiently waiting for an opportunity. Three days had passed, four more remained until the cauldron could be opened.

The liquid inside the bronze cauldron, used to refine Hundred Herb Essence, was still half full. Though not as potent as the rare herbs, it was rich in life energy. With time still on his side, Ye Fan didn’t waste it. He sat quietly and absorbed every drop of it into his body.

Two days later, Elder Han began to feel suspicious. No more omens had appeared, and the aroma from the cauldron was fading fast, until there was almost no scent left.

“What’s going on…?” he muttered, puzzled. Then, as if recalling something, he said to himself, “Could it be… the pill has formed and the essence has contracted?”

“Yes, that must be it! The ancient texts say that when a supreme-grade elixir is about to form, all its essence contracts inward. It emits no scent, wasting not a single drop.” Elder Han was elated. “It’s confirmed. I’ve refined a legendary supreme elixir!”

Over the past two days, Ye Fan had absorbed every bit of essence from the cauldron. His Bitter Sea surged with energy. Mist rose like steam, the signs of a volcano awakening. Auspicious clouds swirled, godpower surrounded him, and a multicolored haze filled the air.

By his count, two days remained before the cauldron could be opened. Ye Fan remained calm, waiting for the perfect chance. He began to refine the spiritual energy of the Hellfire, letting streams of silver light flow into his body.

Time passed quickly, and the final two days flew by. Elder Han laughed loudly, his voice like an eerie owl’s cry. He was ready to open the cauldron and retrieve the “elixir.”

“You little brat, too bad you ate that legendary fruit and springwater. Maybe next life you’ll be born into a better family. This life was meant to complete me.”

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