[Flaming Mountain].
Raging flames boiled between heaven and earth, reflecting upon the floating heavens above and penetrating the nether earth below. They heavily enveloped the pill cauldron nestled among the perilous peaks, the dancing flames wreaking havoc to their heart's content.
Outside the pill cauldron, the Pill Maiden's eyes were filled with hatred. She muttered under her breath, then formed a hand seal and slammed her hand heavily onto the cauldron's lid. Instantly, the sky-filling fiery qi was poured into the cauldron. This fiery qi damaged one's life force; even if a Great Perfected Lord was tainted by it, they would face the danger of perishing if exposed for a long time.
"Pill Maiden, wait a moment."
At this moment, the Cauldron Boy suddenly spoke up: "Don't refine this person to death just yet. We still can't be sure if he is the person mentioned in the [Dragon and Tiger Pill Scripture]."
"He definitely isn't!" The Pill Maiden shook her head decisively.
"Don't forget, this person's profound wonders are extremely high. If it weren't for the pill fire Master left behind being able to burn away illusions, we would have probably handed everything over on a silver platter."
"As expected, Senior Brother Baihe must have also fallen victim to his poisonous hands. He robbed his possessions and stole Master's fortuitous encounter. He must be a disciple of the Demonic Sect. Fortunately, he was too confident in his own stature and profound wonders, and our reactions were fast enough to successfully trick him into the pill cauldron."
"How could such an evil villain be the person mentioned in the [Dragon and Tiger Pill Scripture]?"
"But..."
The Cauldron Boy was still hesitating. Seeing this, the Pill Maiden immediately changed the subject: "Taking a step back, the words of the [Dragon and Tiger Pill Scripture] should be absolutely infallible."
"If it says someone will come, then someone will definitely come."
"By the same logic, this is also a test. If we can refine him to death, we can prove that he is definitely not the person mentioned in the [Dragon and Tiger Pill Scripture]!"
"...That's true."
The Cauldron Boy thought about it and felt it made sense, so he stopped resisting. He also formed a hand seal and began cooperating with the Pill Maiden to concoct Lu Yang, who was trapped deep inside the pill cauldron.
"Ah——!"
Inside the pill cauldron, under the scorching of the endless fiery qi, Lu Yang's mouth was wide open. His skin and flesh were completely melted away, revealing a skeleton of interwoven gold and red.
Screams of agony rang out endlessly.
Seeing this scene, the Pill Maiden's eyes were filled with pleasure. The hatred accumulated over the years erupted all at once. At this moment, only one vicious thought remained in her heart:
"Refine him to death!"
As her voice faded, she further activated her spiritual power, and the Cauldron Boy could only cooperate. As the pill cauldron trembled, billowing black smoke could be seen tumbling and soaring inside.
Before long, the two children were sweating profusely, beads of sweat glistening on their skin. This was because the fiery qi was relative. Although the vast majority of it had been directed into the pill cauldron, a tiny bit of fiery qi still leaked out, eroding their Dharma Bodies. They also had no extra spiritual power to isolate it.
Fortunately, they were not alone.
"Are you alright?"
The next second, a towel was handed over from the side. Upon noticing that the Pill Maiden was unable to move, the person even kindly helped wipe away the sweat rolling down her forehead.
"Thank you."
Seeing this, the Pill Maiden cast a moved glance at the black-robed young man beside her, who wore a gentle smile: "Help us stand guard. We must refine this demon to death today."
"You got it."
The black-robed young man responded enthusiastically, then continued to wipe the sweat for the Pill Maiden and the Cauldron Boy, occasionally handing them a cup of water to dissolve the erosion of the fiery qi.
Just like that, a full three double-hours passed.
Inside the pill cauldron, Lu Yang's screams completely ceased. With a swirl of black smoke, only floating ash drifted out. It appeared that his form and spirit had been completely extinguished, leaving not even a true spirit behind.
"Phew..."
After seeing this scene, the Pill Maiden finally breathed a sigh of relief. She dispelled her hand seal, and the towering pill cauldron transformed once more, reverting back to the spacious pavilion from before.
Immediately after, she smiled at the Cauldron Boy and said, "See, I told you that demon wasn't the person mentioned in the [Dragon and Tiger Pill Scripture], right? If he was, how could we have refined him to death? Since he has now turned into flying ash, it proves that he was just a demon with malicious intentions."
The black-robed young man beside them immediately nodded in agreement:
"Exactly, exactly!"
Seeing someone echo her, the Pill Maiden grew even happier. She affectionately patted the black-robed young man and said proudly, "See, even he thinks I'm right!"
The Cauldron Boy shook his head upon seeing this:
"Regardless, this accident never appeared in the [Dragon and Tiger Pill Scripture] before. Let's hurry and ask for instructions. I'm worried something unexpected has happened."
The black-robed young man immediately agreed:
"We really should go check."
As his voice faded, the three of them walked into the pavilion again. This time, however, they bypassed the pill cauldron in the pavilion and held the golden book engraved with countless talismans in their hands.
"Senior, please give us instructions."
The Cauldron Boy held the golden scripture, formed a hand seal, and then respectfully said: "You mentioned before that the deadline for the [Nascent Soul Pill] needed to be compressed to within three years."
"Although the side of [Mount Longhu] has already agreed to this, an uninvited guest was sent over. He is suspected to be a disciple of the Demonic Sect from the Mortal World. There was no related warning about this prior. Besides this, the date for the [Nascent Soul Pill] is approaching, yet the predestined person to refine the pill has still not appeared..."
The Cauldron Boy raised several questions in succession.
Along with his questions, the talismanic characters on the golden scripture began to shift and transform again, intertwining and outlining until they finally combined into a short sentence:
[Then why don't you look behind you?]
"...Eh?"
The moment they saw this line of text, the Cauldron Boy and the Pill Maiden froze. It was like a heavy hammer that fiercely awakened their slumbering minds.
All illusions instantly faded away.
In an instant, a massive wave of terror surged into their hearts, causing the golden scripture in their hands to fall. Fortunately, the black-robed young man was there. He reached out in time to catch the falling golden scripture, brought it up to his eyes, and examined it carefully for a moment before praising with a smile:
"It actually does have some capability!"
His tone was light and cheerful, completely devoid of malice.
However, falling on the ears of the Pill Maiden and the Cauldron Boy, it sounded like a deafening thunderclap, shattering their minds into pieces and leaving their brains completely blank.
It's that demon!
He isn't dead? The [Purple-Azure Doushuai Fire] didn't refine him to death?
Impossible!
But...
For a moment, the two couldn't utter a single word. Their bodies seemed frozen stiff, and even the spiritual power in their bodies stopped circulating at this moment.
On the other side, Lu Yang paid no attention to their reactions. He merely gently stroked the golden scripture in his hands. Only after a long time did he speak in an eerie tone:
"Senior knew I would come?"
[I didn't know before, but I know now.]
[Because from the moment Fellow Daoist appeared in the Netherworld, the established trajectory was completely thrown into chaos. Fellow Daoist is the greatest variable in the Netherworld.]
"Established trajectory?"
Lu Yang stroked his chin. "So if I hadn't come, there actually should have been another person coming to refine the [Nascent Soul Pill]? Who is that person?"
[Fellow Daoist knows him as well.]
Lu Yang nodded slightly. That meant it was definitely [Sky-shrouding]. After all, without him, [Sky-shrouding] probably would have stayed in the Netherworld all along.
"Second question."
Lu Yang lowered his eyelids. The profound wonders of the [Overturned Lamp Flame] were pushed to their absolute limits, following his gaze to land on the golden scripture, attempting to uncover its deepest hidden secrets.
"Senior, what exactly are you?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the characters on the golden scripture immediately began to flicker and shift, ultimately forming a line of text that did not exceed Lu Yang's expectations.
[I am the Ancestral Dragon's Remnant Bloodline.]