Chapter 1419 : A Dragon Pearl's Fateful Bargain

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

Eldrin Chen nodded and replied, "That Dragon Pearl is quite extraordinary. I intend to refine it into a top-grade World-Opening Treasure [a supreme treasure capable of manifesting or stabilizing a pocket dimension]."

"It has not yet been used?"

A flicker of joy stirred within Violet Flame Immortal Maiden's heart. Without hesitation, she stated, "To speak plainly, I possess a pill formula that still lacks a Dragon Pearl as a crucial ingredient."

"If you are willing to entrust it to me, name your price freely." Hearing this, Eldrin Chen's eyes glinted with subtle interest.

He possessed no suitable pill formula himself. For him, this Dragon Pearl could indeed only be used to forge a World-Opening Treasure.

Furthermore, limited by his current artifact-forging skills, he might not even achieve a top-grade result. If, however, it were refined into a precious pill using Violet Flame Immortal Maiden's formula, the outcome might be far more suitable.

With this thought, Eldrin Chen could not help but inquire, "Might I ask, Immortal Maiden, what manner of precious pill is described by the formula you hold?"

Violet Flame Immortal Maiden did not hesitate. She answered directly, "To speak truthfully, the formula I possess is named the Dragon-Phoenix Ascension Pill [a legendary elixir forged from the essence of dragon and phoenix, said to catalyze a profound ascension]."

"This pill requires the inner cores of an Eighth Rank High Grade [a pinnacle-tier demon beast] True Dragon [a pure-blooded dragon of immense power] and an Immortal Phoenix [a mythical bird of rebirth and flame] to be refined together. Upon consumption, it is potent enough to assist an Eighth Level Earth Immortal [an Earth Immortal at the eighth stage of cultivation] in shattering their bottleneck and breaking through to the realm of Earth Immortal Great Perfection [the perfected, pinnacle stage of the Earth Immortal realm]."

As Violet Flame Immortal Maiden [an immortal maiden skilled in alchemy] recounted the tale, Eldrin Chen [the protagonist, a powerful cultivator] began to grasp the astonishing nature of this particular inner elixir.

It was an exceedingly rare pill formula. It was said that an existence at the Sixth Heaven Earth Immortal [the sixth layer of the Earth Immortal realm] who consumed such a pill would gain a forty percent increased chance of a breakthrough to the Late Stage Earth Immortal [the seventh to ninth layers of the Earth Immortal realm].

Furthermore, an existence at the Eighth Level Earth Immortal [the eighth layer of the Earth Immortal realm] who consumed it would also gain a thirty percent increased chance of breaking through to Earth Immortal Great Perfection [the pinnacle of the Earth Immortal realm, the ninth layer].

Such a precious pill was naturally of staggering value. However, the Dragon Race [a powerful race of dragon demons] was one of the sovereign powers among the Demon Race [the collective term for demonic beings], and the Immortal Phoenix [a mythical phoenix demon beast] was a bloodline descendant of the Demon Race Celestial Emperor [the supreme ruler of the demon race]. Few were willing to incur their wrath.

To refine a pill using the inner elixir of a True Dragon [a pure-blooded dragon] or an Immortal Phoenix was an act only the most formidable orthodoxies or individuals of truly shocking status could dare to undertake.

In her tens of millions of years of cultivation, Violet Flame Immortal Maiden had only managed to secretly procure a single Immortal Phoenix inner elixir, a testament to their profound rarity.

Seeing that Eldrin Chen possessed an Eighth Rank High Grade [a classification denoting the eighth rank and high quality] Dragon Pearl [a condensed spiritual essence from a dragon], Violet Flame Immortal Maiden felt a surge of impatient anticipation.

Her foundation was that of the Sixth Heaven [the sixth layer], and she had been trapped at the Eighth Level Earth Immortal for several million years without the slightest progress. A Dragon-Phoenix Ascension Pill [a legendary pill that aids in ascension] was precisely what she desperately needed.

This thought spurred her to speak, unable to contain herself. "With this humble one's alchemical skill, the success rate for refining this pill is roughly thirty percent."

"A single cauldron batch should yield approximately three precious pills. If you, Fellow Daoist, are willing to entrust the Dragon Pearl to me, then regardless of how many pills are successfully refined, I shall grant one of them to you."

"Oh?"

Eldrin Chen paused for a moment. For Violet Flame Immortal Maiden to have a thirty percent success rate in refining Eighth Rank High Grade elixirs [pills that aid in cultivation and possess immense spiritual power], her alchemical skill was truly formidable. With such prowess, she could likely attempt to refine Eighth Rank Supreme Grade elixirs [the highest quality pills within the eighth rank, possessing near-perfect purity and efficacy].

Considering this, Eldrin Chen pondered briefly before shaking his head. "To be frank," he said, "with my current level of cultivation, I have no need for the Dragon-Phoenix Ascension Pill [a legendary pill said to grant a profound breakthrough, drawing power from the essence of dragons and phoenixes]."

"Moreover, given the nature of my foundation, such an item would likely prove useless to me."

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

She understood clearly: Eldrin Chen, who had slain two Late Stage Earth Immortal [cultivators who have reached the advanced phase of the Earth Immortal realm, possessing immense power and longevity], would not be swayed by ordinary treasures.

After much deliberation, she spoke thoughtfully, "I am willing to trade my unique elixir formula for this transaction. What do you think?"

"Oh?"

Eldrin Chen fell into contemplation once more upon hearing her offer.

In all fairness, the unique elixir formula possessed by Violet Flame Immortal Maiden was undoubtedly extraordinary. However, an elixir formula, to a certain extent, was merely a piece of parchment—its true value lay in the rare materials and profound skill required to bring it to life.

If Eldrin Chen lacked sufficient alchemical skill, obtaining such a formula would be useless. Moreover, the true key to pill refinement lies more in the materials themselves than in the mere recipe.

Take this Dragon-Phoenix Ascension Pill for instance. Refining a single cauldron requires slaying two Late Stage Earth Immortal beings of the Demon Race. It is likely that a Half-Step Celestial Immortal existence might not succeed in refining even one or two cauldrons in their entire lifetime.

Thinking this, Eldrin Chen shook his head and said, "If the pill formulas you refer to are only this Dragon-Phoenix Ascension Pill, I'm afraid they fall far short."

"I know,"

Violet Flame Immortal Maiden sighed, then withdrew a scroll from her sleeve. "Take a look at this," she said.

"Oh?"

Eldrin Chen took the alchemy tome and glanced at it, finding a line of large characters inscribed upon it: "The Supreme Mystery Alchemy Tome".

This alchemical scroll contained roughly several thousand pill formulas. It encompassed everything from first-rank formulas for the Qi Refining stage to eighth-rank formulas for the World Creation stage. Among them, the most precious were sixteen eighth-rank formulas.

Of these sixteen formulas, two were of Eighth Rank Supreme Grade quality, five were Eighth Rank High Grade, and the remainder were of middle or lower eighth-rank grade. The two Eighth Rank Supreme Grade formulas were named the Yin-Yang Enlightenment Pill and the Primordial Gold Body Pill.

Among these two, the Yin-Yang Enlightenment Pill was an Eighth Rank Supreme Grade Enlightenment Pill. It was said that after an Immortal consumed this pill, they would temporarily resonate with the heavens and earth of the Immortal Domain, gaining insight into the boundless power of the Immortal Domain's Dao Principles.

It can be said that after consuming this pill, the possibility of comprehending the Dao Principles [the fundamental laws governing reality and cultivation] increases by several degrees.

However, the refinement of this pill is exceedingly difficult, as it requires gathering the two vital breaths of Yin-Yang Life and Death Qi [the primordial energies representing the duality of life and death, yin and yang].

Among them, the Yang Qi is known as the Heaven's Pure Qi [the purest celestial energy] from the Immortal Domain [the realm of immortals], while the Death Qi is the Netherworld Turbid Qi [the murky, death-aspected energy] from the Depths of the Netherworld [the deepest layers of the underworld].

Both of these energies are treasures of boundless value. It is said the Heaven's Pure Qi is transformed from the Heavenly Dao Source Qi [the primordial source energy of the Heavenly Dao], while the Netherworld Turbid Qi is a form of the Netherworld Origin [the foundational essence of the underworld]. Such astonishing supreme treasures are coveted even by Heavenly Immortal Paragon [the pinnacle masters of the Heavenly Immortal realm]; their grade is at least that of an Eighth Rank Supreme Grade [the highest quality within the eighth rank] rare wonder, making them truly far too rare.

As for the Primordial Gold Body Pill [a supreme pill for cultivating the physical body], it is said that consuming it can increase one's certainty in successfully cultivating the Primordial Gold Body [a legendary, indestructible golden physique]. Unfortunately, the materials required to refine this pill are also extremely precious. It requires the legendary Primordial Gold Bamboo Shoot [a shoot from the mythical Primordial Gold Bamboo] as its main ingredient, and only a high-rank alchemist has any possibility of successfully refining it.

Regarding this Primordial Gold Bamboo Shoot, Eldrin Chen possessed a profound understanding.

Currently, in Eldrin Chen's possession was a cultivation method for the Primordial Gold Bamboo [the mythical golden bamboo of primordial origin].

According to the method's description, the Jade Marrow Gold Bamboo Shoot [a golden bamboo shoot containing jade-like marrow], upon Ascension [breaking through] to the eighth rank, would transform into the Jade Marrow Gold Bamboo [the mature form of the Jade Marrow Gold Bamboo].

And when the Jade Marrow Gold Bamboo Shoot grew to its ultimate limit, it would undergo a process of Nirvana [a rebirth through destruction] and transform back into the Primordial Gold Bamboo Shoot.

The Primordial Gold Marrow [the marrow essence of the Primordial Gold Bamboo] can be used in alchemy; it is a supreme immortal medicine of Eighth Rank Supreme Grade. If one waits for it to grow a step further, it will transform into the legendary Primordial Gold Bamboo.

And the Primordial Gold Bamboo is a refining material for Ninth Rank Primordial Immortal Weapon, its value is, of course, self-evident.

"If that is truly the case..."

Looking at the several pill formulas in his hand, Eldrin Chen could not help but sigh softly, finally understanding why Violet Flame Immortal Maiden had so generously handed over her exclusive formulas to him.

It was undeniable that these formulas were indeed precious. However, unless one had a Supreme Grotto-Heaven [a paramount realm of spiritual energy and cultivation] as their backing, gathering these materials was nearly a fool's dream.

Whether it was the Heaven's Pure Qi [the purest, most refined spiritual energy of the heavens], the Netherworld Turbid Qi [the dense, chaotic spiritual energy of the underworld], or the Primordial Gold Bamboo Shoot, all were treasures one could only encounter by fate, not by seeking.

Violet Flame Immortal Maiden had possessed this pill formula for over ten million years, yet she could not even gather the materials for the Dragon-Phoenix Ascension Pill, let alone these supreme-grade ingredients.

She had never even glimpsed the shadow of these materials, so how could she possibly refine such a peerless treasure pill?

Conversely, for those Supreme Grotto-Heaven, these pill formulas were likely not scarce items at all.

After all, pill formulas were created by people. Eldrin Chen did not believe that a Heavenly Immortal Paragon [a supreme immortal who has reached the pinnacle of the Heavenly Immortal realm] whose alchemy had reached the Ninth Rank realm, upon obtaining supreme materials like the Qi of the Heaven Realm [the celestial realm, source of purest spiritual energy] which were of Eighth Rank Supreme Grade quality, would fail to refine a peerless treasure pill.

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