Chapter 363: A First Glimpse at the Five Elements (2/2)
“In Mount Alchemy in the Eastern Lands, we don’t concoct pills with plants,” said Yan Song coolly. “We use the five elements as the foundation. By procuring objects which conform to the five elements, then reducing them to powder, we can use the power of the five elements to concoct pills. This is the true great path of the Dao of alchemy!” His pill furnace began to emit intense rumbling sounds. Suddenly, dark clouds began to gather in the sky above and peals of thunder rang out.
Zhou Dekun’s heart began to race with alarm. It was obvious that the clouds up above were Pill Tribulation!
The surrounding Cultivators were shocked, and the four Grand Elders were breathing raggedly. They didn’t understand much about the Dao of alchemy, but they had heard of Pill Tribulation. To see it with their own eyes caused their hearts to tremble.
Yan Song glanced up proudly at the Tribulation. “In the Eastern Lands, we don’t worry about Pill Tribulation. In fact, inducing Pill Tribulation lets us harness the power of lightning, allowing the full power of the five elements to be unleashed!” As he spoke, booming sounds filled the air as multiple bolts of lightning shot down toward the pill furnace. In the blink of an eye, the lightning bolts merged together into a massive sheet of lightning
Yan Song lifted his head up and howled. He slapped the pill furnace with his left hand, causing the lid to open. A six-colored medicinal pill flew out, which Yan Song grabbed. Immediately, the clouds up above dissipated. However, the lightning continued to fall downward, slamming into the ground around Yan Song, making him look completely shocking.
“Unfortunately, the process was a bit rushed,” said Yan Song, glancing over at Meng Hao. “The end result is not the best it could be.” He then looked at Zhou Dekun, his eyes flashing, as if he were throwing down the proverbial gauntlet.
Zhou Dekun maintained his noble visage, but his heart was trembling violently.
Meng Hao’s eyes flickered in thought for a moment. Then, he waved his right hand to produce a pill furnace.
Yan Song glanced at Meng Hao’s pill furnace, and his previous tranquil expression began to fill with a proud aura. This was a look he hadn’t displayed when interacting with Zhou Dekun. Now that he was dealing with Meng Hao, however, he naturally acted differently.
However, after looking at the pill furnace for a moment, a look of surprise flitted across Yan Song’s face momentarily. This was the pill furnace Meng Hao had acquired in the Black Sieve Sect, the Ten Thousand Refinements furnace. [2. Meng Hao got the Ten Thousand Refinements furnace in chapter 257]
The instant Zhou Dekun saw the pill furnace, his mind began to spin. He had seen a Ten Thousand Refinements furnace before that looked almost exactly like the one Meng Hao currently held in his hand. When it came to pill furnaces, to find two that looked exactly the same, especially a Ten Thousand Refinements furnace, might not be a common occurrence, but wasn’t impossible.
Zhou Dekun hesitated for a moment and then suppressed his suspicions.
As for Meng Hao, his eyes glittered as he hefted the pill furnace in his right hand. Inside of him, the East Pill Everburning Flame kindled to life and then emerged to fill his palm. The flame itself was invisible, but the air around Meng Hao’s hand twisted and distorted.
The sight of it caused Yan Song’s eyes to narrow. For the first time, a look of doubt appeared on his face.
Based on an alchemist’s concocting technique, it was possible to get a vague impression of his Dao of alchemy. Yan Song could instantly see that Meng Hao’s techniques were beyond ordinary. That was especially true of the intangible flame which Meng Hao wielded. His heart filled with shock.
“That flame….” he thought. His heart filled with hesitation.
It was not the first time that Zhou Dekun saw Meng Hao’s invisible flame, but this time, he examined it more closely than the before. After detailed examination, his heart began to flutter. However, his face was still plastered with the same enigmatic expression. He sported a slight smile, along with a look of commendation, as if watching someone of the junior generation concoct pills made him very happy.
The look on his face made everyone in the audience feel reassured that everything that was happening was all part of Zhou Dekun’s plan, and that he really felt it beneath his dignity to let Yan Song look at his medicinal pill.
Inwardly, Zhou Dekun sighed. He felt bitter and nervous, and yet, also a bit proud. What he didn’t notice was that Hanxue Zong was looking at him with an expression of intense interest.
Meanwhile, after a moment’s thought, Meng Hao slapped his bag of holding to produce a medicinal plant. As soon as it appeared, he crushed it into a powder and fed it into the pill furnace.
For him to do so with only one medicinal plant was nothing special. However, Meng Hao subsequently pulled out one medicinal plant after another. Each one he crushed up into a powder before placing it into the pill furnace. This caused Yan Song to frown, and then smile coldly.
“So you want to imitate my five elements method of pill concoction,” said Yan Song coolly. “Well, I think you really overestimate your capabilities. You might be good at concocting pills, but when it comes to my five elements concoction method, unless your skill in the Dao of alchemy exceeds mine, then you will never succeed!” However, as soon as he looked at Zhou Dekun, his heart began to pound. Zhou Dekun’s expression was one of complete calm. His profoundly mysterious aura made Yan Song suddenly feel a bit uncertain.
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This chapter was sponsored by Terrance Sims, Pedro Pulido, and Daniel Swisher
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Yan Song’s name in Chinese is 严嵩 yán sōng - Yan is a surname that also means “strict” or “severe.” Song means “lofty” or “a high mountain.”