"So, this is a sixth-rank pill?"
****
Name: Empyrean Serpent-Purging Pill
Grade: Perfect Grade Sixth-Rank
Description:
A pill crafted using the essence of ten-thousand-year Serpentbane Vine, Phoenix Marrow Root, and a drop of Sky-Dew Flame Essence. It is a supreme-grade healing and detoxification pill capable of purging even ancient soul-based poisons. Unlike most pills, this one aligns with both demonic and righteous cultivation paths, making it incredibly rare.
*****
Alex gazed at the pill in his hand, awe momentarily flickering across his face.
The pale green pill glowed with an ethereal radiance.
But there was no time for admiration.
With a deep breath, he forced his focus and, after a brief hesitation, steeled his resolve.
Without another thought, he swallowed the pill.
The moment it touched his tongue, a surge of heat spread through his body, searing down his throat like liquid fire.
But rather than pain, it was a sensation of purity—like his entire body was being cleansed from the inside out.
The poison that had been ravaging his body—the insidious Five Serpent Poison—sizzled and crackled inside him as if it couldn't withstand the overwhelming energy of the Empyrean Serpent-Purging Pill.
His veins burned with a bright green glow as the toxin started to dissolve.
This sight filled Alex with immense happiness, but he didn't let it distract him.
He continued refining the pill.
What Alex hadn't expected was for the pill's effects to remain after the poison had been cleared, hours later.
It left him both overjoyed and confused.
"The remnants of the pill are still inside me, but my body seems too weak to contain its full power." It was regretful.
Alex felt it was a waste of such divine medicine.
Who knew when he'd come across one again?
Then, it clicked.
"Silly me! I can refine it to increase my cultivation!"
With the poison finally gone and the suffocating weight of death lifting from him, Alex was able to think clearly again.
The sixth-rank pill not only healed but also had an effect on the soul.
While its primary use was for restoration, that didn't mean it couldn't be refined for other purposes.
Momentarily forgetting his hastily gotten first disciple, Alex focused entirely on using the remnants of the Empyrean Serpent-Purging Pill to the best of his abilities.
********
"When will Master come out?"
Evelyn muttered wearily as she gazed at the cave entrance of the mountain peak behind her.
She had been standing for about ten hours now.
Green Dragon Peak.
This was the peak Elder Alex was responsible for.
Though it was said he was in charge of the peak, Evelyn, one of the disciples that have been tasked with maintaining the mountain for years now, knew that aside from her master, it was almost an empty place.
Elder Alex was said to be a favored son of heaven due to his prodigious talent.
Reaching the Nascent Soul stage by age 50 was indeed a remarkable feat.
But such cultivation didn't appear out of nowhere.
Elder Alex himself was rumored to be a cultivation fanatic.
If it wasn't related to his cultivation, it was said to be of no concern to him.
Evelyn thought of the rumors about her master, and her heart grew uneasy once more.
She truly had no idea what she had done to catch the eye of such a powerful man.
She glanced at the pill clutched tightly in her hand, her thoughts racing.
Through the glass, she could see the appearance of the fourth-grade pill.
Evelyn could tell it was extraordinary at first glance.
After all, she was still in the Body Tempering stage and had taken her fair share of pills.
But none of those she had taken before seemed as precious as the one she now held.
Evelyn felt a mix of happiness and conflict.
She was, after all, in a demonic sect, and her master was an elder.
It was still too early to say whether she was lucky or not.
Elder Alex didn't seem to have a reputation for cruelty.
Only his obsession with cultivation was mostly known.
However, Evelyn had heard of the dark deeds committed by the other peak masters.
As an orphan who grew up under the influence of a demonic sect, Evelyn wouldn't claim to be innocent, but even evil recognized greater evil.
All she wanted was to live a life free of fear—a life where she didn't have to worry about becoming a human pill due to someone's whim.
Evelyn's mind was still preoccupied with thoughts of her master's when a heavy pressure suddenly descended upon her from behind, making it difficult for her to breathe.
Before she could wonder what was happening, a woman dressed in red appeared above her in mid-air.
The woman's presence was imposing, and Evelyn could sense her incredible power.
The woman's gaze was piercing, and Evelyn felt like an insect under a microscope.
She tried to speak, but her voice caught in her throat.
With a surge of fear, Evelyn managed to stammer out a greeting, "M-master isn't receiving visitors."
Evelyn only managed to speak before a crushing pressure forced her to her knees, blood spilling from her mouth.
"An ant dares to speak to me?"