Battle Through the Heavens: The Alchemist Starting from the Ye Family

Page 101

In this rocky mountain, one could occasionally see stiff, black figures moving by, and one could hear their occasional roars...

These are all demonic beings who have strayed into this place over countless years and been corrupted and transformed by the black mist. They are the only living beings in the mountains and also the strongest line of defense for these mountains.

Ignoring the howling demons around him, Protector Wu swiftly traversed the passage. In less than a quarter of an hour, a giant valley surrounded by mountains appeared before him. Inside the valley, a massive black palace, hundreds of feet in size, resembled a crouching, ferocious beast. A chilling and terrifying aura permeated the darkness within.

Upon entering the hall, Protector Wu went straight to the hall master without any hesitation.

……

……

Go back to five days ago.

After the Ice Venerable chose to bow down to the Ye family, or rather, to the Pill Tower, the conflict between the Ye family and the Ice River Valley was considered to have come to a complete end.

Next, both sides began to wrap up their work.

On the Ice River Valley side, all the Ice River Valley disciples, under the command of the elders, began to collect the corpses, treat the wounded, and then discuss how much benefit they should offer to satisfy the greedy grandfather and grandson of the Ye family.

Although everyone in Ice River Valley felt extremely aggrieved, no one dared to say anything. After all, everyone could see their Valley Master's face, which was as cold as ice. At this moment, no one dared to jump out and court death.

As for the Ye family...

Although the Ye family can be said to have won a great victory this time, some sacrifices are still necessary.

At the very least, the expense of giving each of the dozens of Dou Zong experts who came this time two Rank 7 pills is a huge sum of money...

In addition, there were injuries and deaths, all of which required the Ye family to pay real money as compensation. Therefore, the Ye family has suffered a huge loss this time.

"Elder, this time the Ye family has contributed a total of 132 Grade 7 pills, of which 35 are high-grade Grade 7 pills, and there are more than 500 Grade 6 pills. The Ye family has almost used up half of its reserves of high-grade pills..."

At this moment, within the Ye family compound, the Second Elder, who was in charge of internal affairs, walked out with a grim expression, took out a thick list, and reported to Ye Zhong in a deep voice.

After he finished speaking, all the higher-ups in the Ye family below were startled by this terrifying number...

Chapter 226 Obtaining the Earth Core Pearl

The figures reported by the Second Elder shocked all the senior members of the Ye family. They had not expected that the conflict with Ice River Valley would cost the Ye family so much.

Of course, the only ones who can still maintain a calm mindset right now are Ye Zhong and Ye Chen, the grandfather and grandson.

The former was prepared for this, while the latter didn't feel the cost was too high...

It's important to understand that what the Ye family gained this time was not just the fame of defeating Ice River Valley. The sudden appearance of the Soul Palace gave Ye Chen a golden opportunity, a chance for him to extort Ice River Valley without restraint!

Although Ice River Valley certainly wouldn't let Ye Chen make such an exorbitant demand, under the threat of the Pill Tower, Ice River Valley would definitely have to bleed heavily this time...

Ye Chen couldn't imagine just how strong the foundation of a top-tier power that had been passed down for hundreds of years in Zhongzhou was, but he knew that he could definitely squeeze something out of them that would be enough to make up for the Ye family's losses this time!

However, these are not the most important things for now...

"Third brother, has the news of the Soul Palace's appearance been relayed to Saint Pill City?" Ye Zhong turned to the Third Elder and asked.

The Third Elder quickly stood up and said, "The message has already been sent, and it is said that President Xuan Kong attaches great importance to this and has already dispatched a powerful expert, who will probably arrive in Ye City within the next day or two..."

These words made Ye Zhong breathe a long sigh of relief.

However, compared to Ye Zhong's concern, Ye Chen was not actually too worried.

The Soul Hall's strength is undoubtedly terrifying, a fact Ye Chen understands even better than Ye Zhong. However, since Ye City is in the Pill Domain, unless the Soul Hall is truly preparing for war with the Pill Tower, a large-scale attack is unlikely...

Besides, he wasn't without strong protectors around him, so he wouldn't be in any real danger.

Of course, now that he and the Ye family are being targeted by the Soul Hall, they will probably have to be much more careful in the future. It's unlikely that they will be able to travel freely across the continent as before...

At the very least, before he has the ability to protect himself, even Ye Chen himself wouldn't really joke about his own life.

"Grandpa, have the materials for the architectural space nodes I mentioned before been prepared?" Ye Chen asked.

Now that things have come to this, many things need to be put on the agenda.

Ye Zhong nodded solemnly and said, "It's all ready."

This spatial node connects to Misty Valley and is considered a private passage for the Ye family, open only to family members. Therefore, it doesn't need to be built too large; it just needs to be sturdy enough.

"Very well, once the experts from the Pill Tower arrive, I will ask them to join forces to build a stable spatial passage for my Ye family. From now on, all qualified disciples of my Ye family will be sent to the Misty Valley for secluded cultivation. Those who do not meet the standards will not be allowed to leave the valley!"

These words brought a smile to Ye Zhong's face. He had actually wanted to do this for a long time. After all, he had personally visited the Misty Valley and found its environment to be very suitable for cultivation. If the family's disciples could cultivate there, it would definitely accelerate their growth.

"Of course, before that, I need to resolve the issue of my Ye family's Yang Fire Ancient Altar..."

The importance of the Yang Fire Ancient Altar to the Ye family is self-evident. So many powerful figures and alchemists in the Ye family rely on that Yang Fire for cultivation and alchemy.

The Ye family has consumed so many high-grade pills this time that even without considering losses, and with all the high-level alchemists in the Ye family working at full capacity, it will still take a considerable amount of time to replenish them as quickly as possible.

Ye Chen's words filled Ye Zhong with immense joy. He immediately stood up, disregarding the meeting, and grabbed his grandson's hand.

He said repeatedly, "Let's go, let's go and deal with the matter of the Yanghuo Ancient Altar first!"

The other elders and high-ranking members of the Ye family did not stop them either, and they all showed joy on their faces.

In recent years, without the assistance of the Yang Fire generated by the Yang Fire Ancient Altar, their cultivation and alchemy skills have been significantly affected, so they are extremely concerned about this.

……

……

After opening the Yanghuo Ancient Altar, Ye Chen moved the stone tablet aside and looked down at the deep, dark eye of the earth...

As far as the eye could see, all that could be seen was endless darkness. Where this eye of the earth led, probably no one but its creator knew.

However, at this moment, the dense fire-attribute energy could still be felt in the eye of the earth, but no flames could be seen emerging from it.

"Chen'er, do you know what the problem is with this ancient altar?" Ye Zhong asked in a deep voice.

Ye Chen nodded slightly and said, "I've already explored this area before. It seems there's something blocking the Earth's core fire beneath this hole, preventing the flames from rising and igniting sunlight. To solve this, we just need to remove the obstruction..."

"However, the poison of the underground fire below is too terrifying. With my previous soul power, I was unable to forcefully clear it. Now that I have broken through to the Spirit Realm, my soul power has greatly increased, so I should be able to take that thing out."

Ye Zhong nodded solemnly and said, "Good, it's good that you're confident. But don't hurt yourself!"

The matter of the soul is inherently dangerous. Although Ye Chen had broken through to the Spirit Realm, Ye Zhong still didn't want his grandson to take risks. However, the Yang Fire Ancient Altar was too important to the Ye family, so in the end he could only offer a word of advice.

Ye Chen smiled slightly and said confidently, "Grandpa, don't worry."

With his eyes slightly closed, a vast amount of soul power slowly spread out from between Ye Chen's brows, then transformed into a wisp and shot towards the eye of the earth like lightning...

As his soul power surged into the eye of the earth, Ye Chen's soul power immediately felt a familiar heat. However, compared to before, Ye Chen's soul power was completely different, so this heat did not cause any harm to his soul.

The speed of soul power was extremely fast, and after a moment, the red light emitted by the Earth Core Pearl appeared in Ye Chen's soul vision.

Compared to the previous time when he was caught off guard and left immediately, this time Ye Chen clearly felt the terror of the surrounding red liquid, but he did not feel the same threat as before, obviously because his soul power was stronger.

After making contact with the Earth Core Pearl, Ye Chen did not act rashly. Instead, he observed it for a while and discovered that the violent energy within the viscous liquid had intermittent strengths and weaknesses. The indicator of these strengths and weaknesses was the intensity of the flames on its surface...

This discovery delighted Ye Chen, who then stationed his soul power there, silently searching for an opportunity...

An invisible soul force slowly writhed. This silence lasted for an unknown period of time. Suddenly, the flames on the surface of the flickering viscous liquid dimmed to their faintest level.

"laugh!"

Just as the crimson liquid suddenly dimmed, the soul power that had been coiled on it burst forth like a cheetah pouncing, transforming into lightning!

"puff!"

The speed of the soul power was terrifying. In less than a breath, it rushed into the blood-red liquid. A soft popping sound rang out as the soul power rushed in!

The moment Ye Chen's soul power came into contact with the viscous liquid, he felt as if he had entered magma, with a scorching heat constantly eroding the depths of his soul.

In just a moment, a gray mist surged out from Ye Chen's soul, completely blocking the scorching heat and preventing it from causing any harm to his soul.

Chapter 227 Ye Chen's Decision

In an instant, Ye Chen's soul power rushed to the side of the Earth Core Pearl. His soul power surged like lightning, then turned around and shot wildly towards the exit of the Earth Eye!

"Oh!"

As soon as the Earth Core Pearl burst out of the blood-red viscous liquid under the sweep of Ye Chen's soul power, the latter seemed to sense it, and a terrifying and violent energy transformed into a blood-red torrent, rushing towards the fleeing soul power like lightning.

Sensing the intense, violent energy emanating from behind, even Ye Chen dared not underestimate it. If he were struck by this violent energy in such a confined space, even with the protection of spiritual energy, he would likely not fare well…

Therefore, Ye Chen gritted his teeth and pushed his speed to the limit, rushing towards the mouth of the earth's eye with a whoosh.

Soul speed is inherently swift, and under Ye Chen's full power, the soul power shot out of the earth's eye like lightning, then drilled into his brow, and the earth core bead was also grabbed in his palm!

As his soul returned to his body, Ye Chen's eyes snapped open. With a flick of his wrist, a powerful suction force surged forth, instantly causing the dark stone tablet beside him to move closer and quickly conceal the earth's eye.

"Oh!"

The moment the black stone tablet was placed on the earth's eye, it trembled violently. However, since the black stone tablet was originally left to suppress the earth's eye, it naturally withstood the impact of the violent energy below immediately.

Swish!Swish!

As the stone tablet withstood the impact, the numerous beams of light on the surrounding altar suddenly shifted and then covered the stone tablet, like a jack, firmly suppressing the Earth Eye!

With the help of the sunlight, the trembling of the stone tablet gradually weakened, and after a moment, it finally disappeared completely.

Ye Zhong, who had been watching all of this from the sidelines, felt his heart leap into his throat...

Especially when Ye Chen's soul power brought out the Earth Core Pearl, Ye Zhong was already poised to personally suppress the violent energy in the Earth Core Pearl.

Fortunately, all of this turned out without any serious harm, which finally allowed Ye Zhong to breathe a sigh of relief.

"Is this the Earth Core Pearl?" After the close call, Ye Zhong breathed a sigh of relief and looked at the red-glowing pearl in Ye Chen's hand, and said softly.

He had heard of this thing before, but this was the first time he had ever seen it.

Ye Chen played with the fiery red bead in his hand, gently squeezing it, and a scorching heat emanated from the Earth Core Bead...

More importantly, as Ye Chen held it, he was surprised to find that the fire-attribute energy around him seemed to be gathering towards him in a subtle way.

Sensing the changes in the energy around him, Ye Chen couldn't help but whisper, "Huh, this thing actually has the miraculous effect of attracting surrounding fire-attribute energy? If fire-attribute cultivators and alchemists obtained this item to aid their cultivation, wouldn't it achieve twice the result with half the effort?"

Ye Zhong was also very surprised, not expecting that the Earth Core Pearl would have such an effect.

"How do you plan to use this Earth Core Pearl?"

Ye Chen pondered for a moment. He realized that he didn't seem to be in a very safe situation right now. In that case, he might as well use this item as a trump card to save his life...

"I plan to refine this Earth Core Pearl into the Earth Core Thunder Pearl."

& nb

The Earth Core Thunder Pearl is not a pill, but rather a very unorthodox method of refining it.

What is being described is a strange refining method used to temper the Earth Core Pearl. If the tempering is successful, it will be possible to refine the Earth Core Thunder Pearl...

This thing cannot be consumed by humans, but it possesses extremely terrifying power. If one is hit by it head-on, even a Dou Zun powerhouse will be severely injured, if not killed.

Ye Zhong also knew of its use, but the method for refining the Earth Core Thunder Pearl was extremely rare. Even the Ye family had not learned anything about it over the years...

"Do you know how to refine the Earth Core Thunder Pearl?" Ye Zhong asked curiously after hearing his grandson's words.

Nodding, Ye Chen said, "My teacher gave me a book on alchemy before, which included the method for making this Earth Core Thunder Pearl..."

As a peak eighth-grade alchemist and one of the three giants of the Pill Tower, Xuan Kongzi had access to even more and broader knowledge about alchemy than Yao Lao.

Although he was born into the Medicine Clan, Yao Chen had already left the clan in his youth, and he could not inherit many advanced alchemy skills from his parents. Therefore, in terms of background, Yao Chen was actually at a disadvantage compared to Xuan Kongzi, who had the Pill Tower as his backer.

Although Yao Chen, with his terrifying talent, single-handedly suppressed the Pill Tower and his peers, there are many things that talent alone cannot change.

"That's good. But you still need to be careful from now on. After things are settled in Misty Valley, you should return to the Pill Tower to go into seclusion..."

Ye Chen glanced at his grandfather speechlessly. He had only just come out of seclusion after three years, and now he was going back to seclusion?

Furthermore, he also needs to improve his Star Chart. It's been so long since he's properly strengthened his cheat ability, and the most direct consequence is that his genius level has plummeted...

Nowadays, Ye Chen has focused almost all his efforts on his soul; his battle qi cultivation is not particularly outstanding in Zhongzhou.

It was only because of his identity as an alchemist that this "flaw" was not so conspicuous, and everyone's attention was focused on his terrifying improvement in alchemy skills and soul power.

"There's no rush to return to the Pill Tower; I still have some things to do. But don't worry, Grandpa, I won't wander off. I plan to stay in the Misty Valley for a while, so there shouldn't be any major danger..."

Ye Zhong frowned. After listening to his grandson's words, he knew it would be difficult to change his mind, so he could only sigh inwardly and say, "Alright then, it's good that you have your own arrangements. But I still have to remind you, the terror of the Soul Palace far exceeds your imagination, so you must protect yourself!"

Ye Chen simply nodded, but in his heart he thought: Just how terrifying is the Soul Palace? I probably don't know as much as the entire Pill Tower does...

After leaving the Yanghuo Ancient Altar, Ye Chen went directly to Qin Yan, the sect leader of the Blackfire Sect, who was still in Ye City.

"Sect Master Qin, you will be able to enter the Yang Fire Ancient Altar to cultivate in three days."

These were conditions that had been agreed upon beforehand. Although Qin Yan did not actually kill the Heavenly Serpent, Ye Chen did not care too much about it.

"Thank you!" Qin Yan said, his expression somewhat excited, as he clasped his hands in thanks to Ye Chen.