I Can Devour Spirits

Inside a massive cave with crimson stone walls.

Scorching magma gushed out, pooling in the stone pit beneath a gigantic pill furnace...

The pill furnace was entirely black, over ten feet tall, shaped like a gourd with two layers, connected with intricate mechanical springs.

Here, the searing magma had heated the bottom of the pill furnace to a glowing red.

Duan Rong and Yin Cong were perched on two wooden ladders, guarding the two medicine ports on the second layer of the furnace.

While Pan Yong, Chen Hu, and Tang Zhu surrounded the three medicine ports on the first layer.

Shang Xiangyu stood next to the pill furnace, gazing intently through a circle of large, transparent Water Jade embedded in the belly of the furnace...

The interior of the pill furnace was ablaze, red light filtered through the Water Jade, casting a blood-like hue on Shang Xiangyu’s face.

Suddenly, Shang Xiangyu’s expression shifted, and he said in a deep voice, ”Medicine Port One. Earth Emperor Essence!”

Upon hearing this, Pan Yong immediately picked up a white porcelain bottle, uncorked it, and using his beast-hide gloved right hand, opened the blisteringly hot black iron lid of the medicine port and poured the liquid from the porcelain bottle in.

Once Pan Yong finished adding the medicine, he promptly closed the lid of the medicine port.

At this moment, the red glow reflecting on Shang Xiangyu’s face dissipated significantly.

Through the circle of Water Jade, one could see the interior of the pill furnace filled with white mist.

After the white mist had spread for a moment, Shang Xiangyu said, ”Medicine Port Four, Heavenly Heart Flower! Medicine Port Five, Snow Seeing Grass!”

Tang Zhu and Chen Hu each picked a bundle of herbs from the pile behind them and handed it to Duan Rong and Yin Cong, who were standing on the ladders.

On Chen Hu’s side, Pan Yong didn’t intervene. But when Tang Zhu picked the herbs, Pan Yong clearly glanced over, worried Tang Zhu might choose incorrectly.

The bundle of Snow Seeing Grass in Duan Rong’s hand was entirely snow-white, but its roots were black, easily distinguishable; Tang Zhu couldn’t possibly choose wrong.

Duan Rong, using his beast-hide gloved hand, opened the scalding lid and tossed the bundle of herbs inside the furnace.

Following Shang Xiangyu’s orders, the five of them guarded the five medicine ports and added the herbs accordingly.

Duan Rong quickly realized that he and Yin Cong, guarding the two medicine ports on the second layer of the furnace, were mostly adding unprocessed herbs.

Whereas Pan Yong, Chen Hu, and Tang Zhu, guarding the three medicine ports on the first layer, were primarily adding processed medicines from bottles and jars.

As time went on, the temperature of the pill furnace increased steadily, and the herbs Duan Rong added through the medicine port were instantly ignited, vaporizing in the heat, floating on the upper layer of the furnace, slowly turning to ash that tumbled and rolled with the hot air...

An incense stick’s time passed, and the densely packed medicines surrounding the pill furnace were almost depleted.

Shang Xiangyu stood by the pill furnace, eyes fixated through the Water Jade, observing the interior intently.

Layers of strange, faint fluorescence rolled over the thin layer of medicinal broth boiling at the bottom of the furnace...

As the color of the fluorescence suddenly changed, Shang Xiangyu shouted, ”Medicine Port One! Jade Dragon Saliva!”

Pan Yong picked up a brown porcelain bottle and poured the contents into the furnace.

With the addition of Jade Dragon Saliva, the color of the medicinal broth inside the furnace transformed once again.

Shang Xiangyu’s expression relaxed slightly, wiping the fine sweat from his forehead, he straightened up and said to Pan Yong, ”Go crush the Black Blood Fruit.”

Pan Yong immediately walked to a large stone cauldron not far behind him and picked out a fruit emitting a faint red glow.

Pan Yong placed the Black Blood Fruit into a mortar, picked up a stone pestle, and slowly crushed the fruit.

Once Pan Yong finished crushing, he had just stood up.

Shang Xiangyu asked, ”Is it ready?”

”Ready.”

Shang Xiangyu leaned closer to the Water Jade, scrutinizing the boiling medicinal broth at the bottom of the furnace, suddenly commanded, ”Add it in!”

Pan Yong held the mortar and used a small wooden spoon to add the crushed pulp to the pill furnace.

With the addition of Black Blood Fruit, the medicinal broth at the bottom of the furnace immediately roiled violently, strands of visible luminous threads rose up from the bottom...

The moment those light threads ascended, Shang Xiangyu’s face filled with sudden joy. The medicinal power of Black Blood Fruit had been extracted!

Once the light threads filled the furnace, Shang Xiangyu shouted fiercely, ”Add all the remaining medicines!”

Chen Hu and Tang Zhu first handed the remaining herb bundles from behind them to Duan Rong and Yin Cong on the ladders, then picked up the remaining bottles of medicine at their feet, ready to add them to the furnace.

At this moment, the pill furnace suddenly began to tremble.

Initially, it quivered a little, then abruptly escalated violently, like sifting chaff...

”What is this?!” Shang Xiangyu looked utterly bewildered, hair standing on end, a wave of numbness spurring through him.

”Bang!”

Just then, a thunderous crash resounded, akin to mountains collapsing.

The pill furnace toppled, and the two layers burst open!

The violent Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi surged instantly; those around the pill furnace were blasted away like fallen leaves.

The furnace had exploded!

At the moment of the explosion, Duan Rong felt a surge of violent energy hitting him, felling him backward.

Within an instant, blood began oozing from his mouth and nose.

Duan Rong attempted to maneuver in mid-air but found that the True Qi within his Dantian had been disrupted into chaos by the sudden surge of violent energy, rendering it unusable...

Duan Rong drifted away like a leaf, letting his form be blown back...

The lower layer of the furnace toppled, but the upper layer was directly hurled away.

In mid-air, Chen Hu witnessed a massive black shadow flying toward him, the second layer of the pill furnace that had been blown away.