Chapter 1419 : The Dragon-Phoenix Ascension Bargain

After a moment of contemplation, she spoke, "Since you, Fellow Daoist, have slain the Dragon Lord of Wei Sea, I presume you possess that Dragon Lord's Dragon Pearl [a crystallized orb of immense draconic power and essence]?"

Eldrin Chen nodded and replied, "That Dragon Pearl is rather extraordinary; I intend to refine it into a High-Grade World-Opening Treasure [a supreme artifact capable of creating or stabilizing a pocket dimension]."

"It has not yet been used?"

A flicker of hope stirred within Violet Flame Immortal Maiden's heart. She spoke without delay, "To be frank, I possess an Elixir Formula [a recipe for crafting a potent spiritual pill] that still requires a Dragon Pearl as a crucial ingredient."

"If you are willing to part with it, name your price."

Upon hearing this, Eldrin Chen's eyes gleamed with subtle interest.

He possessed no suitable Elixir Formula himself. For him, that Dragon Pearl could only be used to forge a single World-Opening Treasure, and due to the limitations of his Artifact Forging Art [a specialized method for crafting magical artifacts], it might not even reach the Superior-Grade [the highest quality tier for magical treasures] tier.

If, however, it could be transformed into a Precious Pill [a rare and potent cultivation elixir] using Violet Flame Immortal Maiden's formula, that might prove far more suitable.

With this thought, Eldrin Chen could not help but inquire, "Might I ask what manner of Precious Pill the formula in your possession yields?"

Without hesitation, Violet Flame Immortal Maiden spoke immediately, "To be frank, the Elixir Formula [a recipe for crafting spiritual pills] in my possession is named the Dragon-Phoenix Ascension Pill [a legendary pill said to grant a cultivator a breakthrough akin to a dragon or phoenix's rebirth]."

"Refining this pill requires the Inner Pill [the condensed spiritual core of a powerful demon beast] from an Eighth Rank High-Grade True Dragon [a supreme dragon of immense power and purity] and an Immortal Phoenix [a mythical firebird of rebirth and immortality]. Consuming it can assist an Eighth Level Earth Immortal in overcoming their bottleneck and breaking through to the realm of Earth Immortal Great Perfection."

As Violet Flame Immortal Maiden explained in detail, Eldrin Chen began to grasp the astonishing nature of this particular Inner Pill.

This was an extremely unique Elixir Formula. It was said that an existence at the Sixfold Heaven of Earth Immortal [a specific, powerful sub-realm within the Earth Immortal stage] who consumed this pill would gain a forty percent increased chance of breaking through to Late Stage Earth Immortal.

Furthermore, an Eighth Level Earth Immortal who consumed it would gain a thirty percent increased chance of breaking through to Earth Immortal Great Perfection.

The preciousness of such a Precious Pill [a term for an exceptionally rare and valuable spiritual pill] was naturally astounding. However, the Dragon Clan was one of the Sovereign [a title for the supreme rulers] among the Demon Race, and the Immortal Phoenix was also a bloodline descendant of a Demon Race Heavenly Emperor [a Heavenly Emperor belonging to the Demon Race]. Few were willing to offend them.

Using the Inner Pill of True Dragon and Immortal Phoenix to refine pills was something only the most powerful orthodox traditions or individuals of shocking status could accomplish.

Despite cultivating for millions of years, Violet Flame Immortal Maiden had only managed to secretly purchase a single Immortal Phoenix Inner Pill, which spoke volumes about the rarity of such a core.

Seeing that Eldrin Chen possessed an Eighth Rank High-Grade Dragon Pearl [a pearl formed from the condensed essence of a dragon, a treasure of immense spiritual power], Violet Flame Immortal Maiden felt a surge of impatience within her heart.

Her foundation was at the Sixfold Heaven level. She had been stuck at the Eighth Level Earth Immortal for millions of years without the slightest progress. A Dragon-Phoenix Ascension Pill was precisely what she desperately needed.

Thinking of this, she could not help but say, "With my alchemy skills, the success rate for refining this pill is roughly thirty percent."

"Thus, from one cauldron, approximately three Precious Pill can be refined. If you, Fellow Daoist, are willing to entrust the Dragon Pearl to me, then regardless of how many pills are successfully refined, I can give one of them to you."

"Oh?"

Eldrin Chen was slightly taken aback. For the Violet Flame Immortal Maiden to have a thirty percent success rate in refining Eighth Rank High-Grade pills—such alchemy skill likely meant she could attempt to refine Eighth Rank Supreme Grade pills.

Considering this, Eldrin Chen pondered briefly before shaking his head. "To be frank, with my current cultivation level, I do not yet require this Dragon-Phoenix Ascension Pill."

"Moreover, given the foundation of my cultivation, this item would likely be useless to me as well."

Upon hearing this, the Violet Flame Immortal Maiden felt her heart sink slightly.

She understood clearly that since Eldrin Chen was capable of slaying two Late Stage Earth Immortal cultivators, ordinary treasures would certainly fail to move him.

Therefore, after much deliberation, she said thoughtfully, "I am willing to trade my unique Elixir Formula [a secret recipe for refining a powerful cultivation elixir] for this transaction. What do you think?"

"Oh?"

Upon hearing this, Eldrin Chen fell into a contemplative silence for a moment.

To be fair, the unique Elixir Formula [a secret recipe for crafting spiritual pills] of the Violet Flame Immortal Maiden was indeed extraordinary.

However, an Elixir Formula was, to a certain degree, merely a piece of paper.

If Eldrin Chen lacked sufficient alchemical skill, obtaining it would be useless. Moreover, the true key to pill refinement lay more in the materials themselves than in the Elixir Formula.

Take the Dragon-Phoenix Ascension Pill [a legendary pill requiring the essence of a dragon and a phoenix] for example. Refining a single cauldron required slaying two Late Stage Earth Immortal [a high-level immortal cultivator] beings from the Demon Race. A Half-Step Celestial Immortal [a cultivator on the verge of ascending to celestial immortality] might not succeed in refining even one or two cauldrons in their entire lifetime.

Thinking this, Eldrin Chen shook his head. "If the Elixir Formula you speak of refers only to this Dragon-Phoenix Ascension Pill, I'm afraid it falls far short of being sufficient."

"I know."

The Violet Flame Immortal Maiden sighed, then retrieved a scroll from her sleeve. "Take a look at this," she said, presenting the Alchemy Manual [a tome containing profound alchemical knowledge].

"Oh?"

Eldrin Chen took the Alchemy Manual and glanced at it. Upon it was inscribed a line of grand characters: "The Great Mystery Alchemy Manual [a legendary compendium of alchemical arts]."

Within this volume of the Alchemy Manual [a comprehensive tome recording the methods and secrets of pill refinement], there are approximately several thousand Elixir Formula [detailed recipes and procedures for crafting spiritual pills]. It contains everything from first-rank Elixir Formula for the Vital Essence Refinement [the foundational stage of cultivation where one refines the body's vital energy] stage, all the way up to eighth-rank Elixir Formula for the World-Opening [a supreme cultivation realm representing the power to shape worlds] stage. Among these, the most precious are sixteen volumes of eighth-rank Elixir Formula.

Of these sixteen Elixir Formula, two are of Eighth Rank Supreme Grade [the pinnacle quality within the eighth rank], five are of Eighth Rank High-Grade [high quality within the eighth rank], and the remainder are eighth-rank Elixir Formula of middle or lower grade.

The two Eighth Rank Supreme Grade Elixir Formula are respectively titled "The Pill of Polarity Enlightenment [a supreme pill that grants profound insights into the fundamental forces of existence]" and "The Primordial Unity Golden Body Pill [a legendary pill that aids in forging an indestructible golden physique]".

Among these two Elixir Formula, the Pill of Polarity Enlightenment is an Eighth Rank Supreme Grade enlightenment pill. It is said that after an Immortal [a being who has transcended mortality and ascended to a higher plane of existence] consumes this pill, they will temporarily achieve Heaven and Earth Resonance [a state of profound harmony with the fundamental laws of the cosmos] with the Immortal Domain [the higher realm where Immortals reside], allowing them to perceive the boundless power of the Path Principle [the fundamental laws and truths that govern reality] within that realm.

In essence, consuming this pill increases one's chances of comprehending a Path Principle by a significant margin.

However, refining this pill is an immensely difficult task, as it requires gathering the dual energies of life and death, known as the Polarity [the fundamental, opposing yet complementary forces of creation and dissolution].

The life energy, or yang energy, is known as the Heaven Trigram Pure Energy [a primordial, pure energy associated with the celestial order and creation], found within the Immortal Domain. The death energy, or yin energy, is the Netherworld Turbid Energy [a dense, profound energy associated with dissolution and the underworld], found in the Depths of the Netherworld [the deepest, most ancient layers of the underworld].

Both of these energies are treasures of incalculable worth. It is said the Heaven Trigram Pure Energy is a manifestation of the Heavenly Path Source Energy [the primordial source energy from which all celestial laws emanate], while the Netherworld Turbid Energy is a form of Netherworld Origin [the foundational essence of the underworld and all things related to death and dissolution].

Such astonishing supreme treasures are coveted even by Celestial Immortal Great Power [powerful beings within the Celestial Immortal realm]. Their grade is at least that of Eighth Rank Supreme Grade rare treasures, making them exceedingly rare.

The Primordial Unity Golden Body Pill, on the other hand, is a Supreme Precious Pill [a pill of the highest order and efficacy] for cultivating the physical body. It is said that consuming this pill can increase one's certainty of successfully forging the Primordial Unity Golden Body [a legendary, nigh-indestructible physical constitution].

Alas, the materials required to refine this elixir are also exceedingly precious.

It requires the legendary Primordial Unity Golden Bamboo Shoot [a shoot of bamboo containing the primordial essence of unity] as its main ingredient, and only through refinement by a high-rank alchemist is there any possibility of success.

As for the Primordial Unity Golden Bamboo Shoot, Eldrin Chen possessed a profound understanding of it.

Currently, Eldrin Chen held in his hands a scroll detailing the Primordial Unity Golden Bamboo Cultivation Method. According to the method's description, after a Jade Marrow Golden Bamboo Shoot [a rare spiritual bamboo shoot with jade-like marrow] advances to the Eighth Rank Realm, it transforms into Jade Marrow Golden Bamboo.

And when a Jade Marrow Golden Bamboo Shoot grows to its absolute limit, it will undergo Nirvana [a rebirth through fiery purification] once more, transforming into a Primordial Unity Golden Bamboo Shoot.

The Primordial Unity [the foundational state of primordial oneness] golden marrow within can be used in alchemy; it is a supreme-grade Eighth Rank Supreme Grade treasure, an Immortal Herb [a herb of immortal grade]. If allowed to grow one step further, it becomes the legendary Primordial Unity Golden Bamboo.

And the Primordial Unity Golden Bamboo is a material for forging Ninth Rank Primordial Unity Immortal Weapon [immortal weapons imbued with primordial unity essence]; its value is self-evident.

"If that is truly the case..."

Gazing at the several scrolls of Elixir Formula [recipes for refining spiritual pills] in his hand, Eldrin Chen could not help but sigh softly. He finally understood why the Violet Flame Immortal Maiden had so generously handed over her exclusive Elixir Formula to him.

It was undeniable that these Elixir Formula were indeed precious. However, unless one had a Supreme Grotto-Heaven [a paramount cultivation paradise] as their backing, gathering these materials bordered on sheer fantasy.

Whether it be the Heaven Trigram Pure Energy [a supreme-grade spiritual energy embodying the eight trigrams of heaven], the Netherworld Turbid Energy [a profound spiritual essence drawn from the depths of the underworld], or that Primordial Unity Golden Bamboo Shoot [a legendary spiritual plant symbolizing primordial unity and purity], all were treasures one could only encounter by fate, not seek by force.

The Violet Flame Immortal Maiden had possessed this Elixir Formula [a recipe for crafting a specific type of immortal pill] for over ten million years, yet she could not even gather the materials for the Dragon-Phoenix Ascension Pill [a legendary pill said to grant ascension, symbolized by the dragon and phoenix], let alone these supreme-grade ingredients.

She had never even glimpsed the shadow of such materials; how could she possibly refine this level of Supreme Precious Pill [a pinnacle-grade pill of immense value and power]?

Conversely, for those Supreme Grotto-Heaven [the highest-tier of immortal paradises and sanctuaries], these Elixir Formula likely were not scarce items.

After all, Elixir Formula were created by people. Eldrin Chen did not believe that a Celestial Immortal Great Power [an immensely powerful immortal who has ascended to the Celestial Immortal realm], whose alchemy had reached the Ninth Rank [the ninth and highest rank of alchemical mastery], would be unable to refine a Supreme Precious Pill upon obtaining a material of Eighth Rank Supreme Grade [the supreme grade of the eighth rank] like the Heaven Trigram [the eight fundamental trigrams representing cosmic principles] energy.

Thinking of this, Eldrin Chen finally sighed, "Even the most skilled cook cannot prepare a meal without rice. These Elixir Formula are excellent, but the alchemical materials are the true key."