Celestial Refining Divine Scripture

The cauldron's interior was like a world unto itself!

Though Yuan Mie was not a Pill Master, as a Golden Immortal, his knowledge and experience were vast beyond measure—he had never heard of any pill cauldron possessing an inner world akin to the heavens and earth.

Coupled with the earlier display of the ancient cauldron's overwhelming power and its aura of ancient Evil Qi, his imagination ran wild.

This cauldron was likely beyond comprehension.

Its interior akin to the heavens, with ancient Evil Qi within—could it be some ancient land's shattered fragment?

Or perhaps the ancient treasure bequeathed by some mighty cultivator, containing an entire world inside.

Yet Xu Yang could not truly wield its power.

As formidable as he was, he was still much too weak.

Thinking thus, Yuan Mie's heart began to stir. Perhaps…

As for offending Dan Qi?

He was a Golden Immortal, after all.

Spare Xu Yang's life, and that would suffice.

Take the opportunity and leave—at worst, flee far and wide with his disciple.

Would Dan Qi really be able to find him?

At that thought, Yuan Mie let out a sinister chuckle and abruptly flicked a finger at Xu Yang.

Xu Yang's whole body quivered, bound tight and unable to move.

"You—what are you trying to do?"

Xu Yang's eyes widened in terror.

"You'll find out soon enough."

"Boy, since you refuse to speak, this old man will have to see for himself."

"Damn it!"

"My master is Dan Qi! I'm a Core Disciple of Black Fire Immortal Mountain! Even if you're a Golden Immortal, how dare you risk offending my master and Black Fire Immortal Mountain?" Xu Yang struggled violently, roaring in fury.

The more Xu Yang resisted, the more suspicious Yuan Mie became.

He cast Xu Yang a long, searching look, then soared straight into the void inside the divine cauldron.

Seeing this, the anger in Xu Yang's eyes flashed and vanished, replaced by a sly, twisted grin.

Swoosh!

Pa!

Yuan Mie unleashed his Golden Immortal might, piercing the void and delving deeper within.

The further he went, the more shaken he became within.

"Boundless emptiness, vast and mighty— even I find it unfathomable. This is simply unbelievable."

"A fourth-tier ancient cauldron?"

Yuan Mie, startled but exuberant, stretched his senses to the limit and pressed on ceaselessly.

In that moment,

He saw the Small-Immortal World.

Limitless barriers, mottled and ancient.

An intangible aura made Yuan Mie's whole body tremble; eyes bulged wide, unable to believe what he was seeing.

"It's— it's an entire, self-contained minor world."

"Such a timeworn aura—it's at least ten thousand years old, at the very least."

"That ancient Evil Qi from before, it must've surged forth from this world."

"To have accumulated such Evil Qi… with this boy's strength, he could barely manage to draw out a hint of it."

Yuan Mie licked his lips and flickered over to the world's barrier, inspecting it closely.

The more he examined, the more disturbed he felt.

The mottled scars left him feeling dazed, unable to glimpse the truth.

Just what kind of existence could have forged such a world?

What treasures and opportunities lay inside?

Yuan Mie suddenly took a deep breath, forcing himself to remain calm. He refrained from recklessness, carefully curling his hand to press against the barrier.

Splash!

Veils of phantom chains appeared, exuding a dense intent of sealing and confinement.

Yuan Mie's eyes widened in shock and he instinctively stepped back several paces.

Then, seeing the countless chains only appeared on the surface of the barrier, unable to break free, he let out a small sigh of relief.

Suddenly, a thought struck him; with a flick of his sleeve, he forcibly drew Xu Yang over from outside.

"Boy, don't try anything stupid."

"Or else I'll make you suffer in ways you can't imagine."

Yuan Mie glared threateningly at Xu Yang.

Xu Yang gritted his teeth. "You can't get in."

"This world is shrouded in chains, sealed completely. Even I cannot manage it."

"Heh."

"Just because you can't doesn't mean I can't."

Yuan Mie's eyes gleamed. He grinned, "Boy, control these chains—don't try telling me you can't do it."

Xu Yang's face contorted, wavering with hesitation.

Yuan Mie's gaze grew impatient; his hand suddenly tensed.

"Wait."

Xu Yang's face changed drastically. Fear flickered in his eyes before he clenched his teeth, stepped up to the barrier, regarded the countless chains, and slowly unfurled his Heaven Locking intent.

Buzz!

Clatter, clatter!!

The countless chains seemed stirred by some force—churning violently.

Yuan Mie was deeply alarmed, staring fixedly at the chains, quietly sensing the waves of power emanating from their agitation.

Profound in the extreme; ancient and arcane.

Though the sealing intent manifested overtly could be easily sensed, its subtleties, however, eluded his grasp.

As the chains writhed, he felt them begin to show signs of freeing themselves.

Suddenly, Yuan Mie's eyes turned cold.

"Boy, you seek death."

A thunderous bellow echoed through the void.

Yuan Mie struck in an instant—a massive hand clawing for Xu Yang.

But Xu Yang's body flickered, and he lunged headlong toward the Small-Immortal World.

Thud!

The countless chains instantly stilled as he plunged, whole, into the Small-Immortal World and vanished.

The terrifying palm landed upon the world's barrier, stirring barely a faint ripple.

"Old bastard, if you've got the guts then come inside."

The warped barrier swiftly healed over, and Xu Yang's mocking sneer spilled out from within.

"You little brat!"

Yuan Mie shook with fury, ablaze with rage, and strode up to the barrier once more.

But again, he hesitated.

After a long silence, Yuan Mie's face turned grave. He slowly curled his hand— the moment he touched the barrier, his whole body grew taut, bracing for the unexpected, prepared for anything.

Swish!

This time, chains appeared, but not in a dense mass as before—only where his palm met the barrier.

The chains twisted, barring his path.

Yuan Mie's hand paused, then he smirked in surprise. "Doesn't seem that strong, after all."

At that, his body shook, surging with Golden Immortal might.

Rumble!

The palm's shadow warped, instantly shattering layer after layer of chains. The barrier deformed, like a swirling vortex.

Yuan Mie kept his palm pressed, and after hesitating for ten breaths, finally made up his mind. His figure flickered, and he stepped inside.

A force of resistance roiled within the twisting barrier, but Yuan Mie just snorted coldly and shattered it apart, stepping into the Small-Immortal World by a hair's breadth.

"What is this…"

Yuan Mie's whole body shook; his heart and mind fell silent in shock as he gazed upon everything within the Small-Immortal World.

The mottled and desolate lands, corpses heaped like mountains, the boundless ancient Evil Qi… everything testified to this world's unfathomable age and extraordinariness.

Even the lingering aftershocks from those corpses left him with his hair standing on end.

In life, they without question surpassed even Golden Immortal level.

Gulp!

Yuan Mie could not help but swallow.

"This place is literally an ancient battlefield—transformed into a world."

"So many mighty beings have fallen here… how many ancient treasures might lie scattered here?"

"I've struck it rich, I really have!"

"Even if I kill that brat, snatch this treasure, and escape with my disciple to the ends of the earth, it'll all be worth it."

Yuan Mie brimmed with murderous intent—by now, he had no plans to spare Xu Yang at all.

This cauldron was far too astonishing.

"Old man, you're dreaming if you think it'll be so easy."

A mocking voice suddenly echoed out.

Yuan Mie turned sharply, catching sight of Xu Yang.

His face was no longer pale, not a trace of weakness remaining.

Yuan Mie's face darkened. "You—"

Xu Yang bared his teeth in a wicked grin. "That's right—just now it was all an act. It was for you to discover the cauldron's profundity and step inside."

"This cauldron is many times more astonishing than you think."

"This is the ancient battlefield of hundreds of thousands of years past; even the weakest who fell here exceeded Golden Immortal."

"But unfortunately for you, there's not a single treasure here—not even a wisp of Immortal Spirit Qi."

"This world holds no vital force—it is a place of absolute death!"

A dead zone?

Yuan Mie's brows knitted in deep suspicion.

"You damned little wretch, ignorant of life and death."

"I will not spare you."

Yuan Mie's eyes turned icy. No matter what, he would first capture Xu Yang and interrogate him thoroughly.

As his voice fell, he vanished from where he stood.