Chapter 1448 - Third-Level Void Realm

As Liu Wuxie lifted the lid of the porcelain bottle, a savage surge of power burst out and condensed into a phantom that tried to escape.

"Was that the phantom of an Azure Phoenix?" Qiao Bian asked, uncertainty in his gaze as he glanced at the other two. He could swear he had just seen an Azure Phoenix rush out of the bottle and vanish.

Phoenixes had many branches in their lineage, with the Golden Phoenix standing as the noblest among them. The Azure Phoenix belonged to a secondary bloodline of the phoenix clan, its heritage far less pure than that of the Golden Phoenixes.

Aside from those two, there were also the Blue Luan Bird and the Blood Phoenix, other offshoots of the phoenix clan. The dragon clan shared a similar structure, with branches such as the Azure Dragons, Red Dragons, and Desolate Dragons.

Even though the Azure Dragon didn't possess the purest bloodline, it still ranked among the pinnacle existences within the Indigo Bamboo Astral Domain. Fiery belonged to the Qilin Clan, which stood shoulder to shoulder with the phoenix clans, so many people had been coveting it recently.

"That's right. This is a pill refined from the Azure Phoenix's blood essence. It's comparable to the finest among eighth-grade spiritual pills," Liu Wuxie said with a nod.

Unfortunately, only a single Azure Phoenix Pill remained, which meant that only one of them could take it.

"Brother Liu, you should be the one to take it. We're still at the Primal Origin Realm, and there's no way we can withstand the energy," Han Feizi and Qiao Bian said at the same time.

Liu Wuxie held the highest cultivation and possessed the strongest physique among them, so the pill's effects would benefit him the most.

"Okay," Liu Wuxie replied, not bothering with false modesty, as he did not need that with these two.

He set the Azure Phoenix Pill carefully to one side and then reached for the next porcelain bottle, planning to decide whether to make a breakthrough only after examining everything they had found.

When he picked up the fifth bottle and opened it, a powerful wave of soul energy rolled out from its mouth.

"Soul Nurturing Pills! They're refined by gathering an immense amount of soul energy, and they're a rare treasure that can nourish our soul energy," Liu Wuxie said. The bottle contained four pills, and he poured out three, distributing one to each of them.

Once they swallowed the pills, a mighty surge of soul energy washed over their soul seas. Liu Wuxie's soul sea was already vast and deep, and under the Soul Nurturing Pill's nourishment, a faint river began to form and flow within it.

It was the River of Destiny appearing once more. This wasn't its first manifestation, and the mysterious pull he kept sensing came from this river.

As Liu Wuxie's soul energy climbed, he estimated that his current soul strength now rivaled that of a fourth-level Earth Immortal Realm cultivator.

Meanwhile, Han Feizi and Qiao Bian's soul seas expanded dramatically under the pill's influence, and powerful radiance surged from their soul seas like waves.

It took them two whole hours to digest the initial surge of energy, and even then, they still hadn't fully refined the medicinal power, which meant the pills would continue to strengthen their soul seas for a long time to come.

When Liu Wuxie moved on to the sixth porcelain bottle, but this one remained silent as he uncorked it, with no vision or pressure spilling out of it.

"These are Form Transformation Pills meant for demonic beasts to help them take on the human form," Liu Wuxie explained. The three dead experts had probably kept their lifebound beasts beside them, but those beasts were long gone by now, leaving five pills behind.

The three of them then turned their attention to the last porcelain bottle, their gazes filled with anticipation. Aside from the useless Nine Nether Pill, all the treasures they had uncovered so far held immense value.

Liu Wuxie could have used a Form Transformation Pill on Fiery, but Fiery would one day transform into human form on its own.

Once Fiery reached the Earth Immortal Realm, it would naturally be able to take on a human shape without relying on any pill.

When Liu Wuxie opened the final porcelain bottle, a concentrated wave of great profundity energy roared out.

"It's the Great Profundity Pill!" Liu Wuxie said, smiling when he saw the pills inside. Alchemists refined these pills with great profundity energy, and they also stood at the pinnacle among eighth-grade spiritual pills.

The three deceased experts had each reached at least the pinnacle of the Earth Immortal Realm, so the treasures they carried were naturally not ordinary.

Liu Wuxie poured the Great Profundity Pills out into his palm and found two in total—one azure and one white.

"This azure Great Profundity Pill suits Brother Qiao, and Brother Han can take the white one," Liu Wuxie said. The power sealed within both pills differed significantly.

The azure Great Profundity Pill contained a wisp of an azure dragon's aura, while the white pill held a wisp of creation aura. Since Han Feizi possessed the Spirit-Sealing Physique, an ancient constitution, the creation aura would synergize well with him.

The energy contained in the Great Profundity Pills wasn't as wild and violent as that of the Azure Phoenix Pill, making them perfect for the other two. With these pills, they even stood a good chance of stepping directly into the Void Realm.

Qiao Bian and Han Feizi didn't possess a desolate world, and their physiques weren't as monstrous as Liu Wuxie's, so an eighth-grade spiritual pill could push them through several consecutive breakthroughs. Moreover, in this sealed underground world, they did not need to worry about anyone interrupting their cultivation.

After Qiao Bian and Han Feizi swallowed the Great Profundity Pills, Liu Wuxie also took out the Azure Phoenix Pill and tossed it into the Sky Devouring Divine Cauldron, as using the cauldron to refine it would significantly accelerate the process.

Inside the cauldron, the Azure Phoenix Pill transformed into a soaring Azure Phoenix and tried to break free, only for the cauldron's might to suppress it forcefully. The phoenix then dissolved into pure azure energy that flowed straight into the desolate world.

The next instant, Liu Wuxie's aura surged upward, and the Azure Phoenix Pill proved worthy of being a supreme eighth-grade spiritual pill. However, as his cultivation continued to rise, the pills he needed for future breakthroughs would also become increasingly rare and precious.

The Azure Phoenix Pill had slumbered here for millions of years, yet it still retained considerable medicinal potency. If they had found it in peak condition, Liu Wuxie would have needed to think twice before daring to consume it.

As expected, Han Feizi and Qiao Bian broke through to the Void Realm faster than Liu Wuxie. Then again, their talent was in no way inferior to his.

......

Time flowed by in silence, and only two days remained before the trading event ended. Huang Li grew anxious as he waited; if he failed to sign a contract with Liu Wuxie, all his efforts to this point would go to waste.

During this period of time, many cultivators from the Spirit Martial Astral Domain arrived one after another, but they weren't in a rush to place orders with the Heavenly Dao Society.

......

The power contained within an eighth-grade spiritual pill proved to be quite overwhelming. It continued to work even after pushing Liu Wuxie's cultivation to the late phase of the third-level Void Realm. Now, he stood only a single step away from the pinnacle of the third level.

The desolate world and the Sky Devouring Divine Cauldron had already devoured most of the pill's energy, while Liu Wuxie himself had absorbed only a fraction of it. If he had taken in all of the pill's power, he would have reached the fourth-level Void Realm by now.

One day later, Qiao Bian and Han Feizi both advanced to the second-level Void Realm. Without a desolate world or the Sky Devouring Divine Cauldron, they had absorbed every bit of power from their respective Great Profundity Pills.

When the three of them opened their eyes again, they all smiled brightly as they sensed how much they had changed.

"As expected of an eighth-grade spiritual pill. I can tell that I still haven't absorbed all of its energy, as a large amount still rests in my body, waiting for me to refine it during future breakthroughs," Qiao Bian exclaimed, shock twisting his features.

Han Feizi nodded in agreement, feeling the same way. He had also yet to fully refine all the power contained in the Great Profundity Pill.

"Use all the remaining energy to temper your physiques. Don't be in such a hurry to increase your cultivation," Liu Wuxie advised. Once a pill passed its peak window of effectiveness, continued absorption would yield far weaker results.

𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

The two of them followed Liu Wuxie's guidance and immediately focused on tempering their physiques with the remaining energy. At the same time, the Soul Nurturing Pills quietly nourished their soul energy, allowing their soul seas to expand at a shocking pace.

"Brother Liu, there's only one day left until the next segment. We need to hurry up and get out of here," Han Feizi said once he calmed down from the excitement of his breakthrough.

All three understood why Liu Wuxie had come to Nightmare City in the first place. If they missed this opportunity, the Heavenly Dao Society's efforts for the past month would go to waste.

"Agreed. We have to leave this place as soon as possible," Qiao Bian replied with a nod. They had already been gone for ten days, and everyone outside had to be worried sick about them.

"Let's go," Liu Wuxie said. He hadn't spent these days idly; throughout their stay, he had been analyzing their surroundings and had finally found some clues.

Just as he had speculated, Nightmare City was an incomplete immortal artifact, only a single step away from becoming an actual immortal artifact. In its current state, it already counts as a Quasi-Immortal Artifact.

With his current strength, he had no way to refine a Quasi-Immortal Artifact, nor could he hope to control the city unless he reached the Heaven Gaze Realm.

For ordinary cultivators, refining this city was out of the question, especially since it teemed with evil energy born from countless ghosts and evil spirits.

Qiao Bian and Han Feizi followed closely behind Liu Wuxie as the three of them shot through the underground world like streaks of light.

At this moment, Liu Wuxie finally understood that the mysterious attraction originated from the very depths of Nightmare City. After flying for roughly half a day, they arrived before a massive ball of light.

"This is..." Qiao Bian and Han Feizi stared in shock at the enormous sphere shining before them.

"It looks similar to the spherical structure floating above the plaza," Han Feizi said, taking a deep breath as realization dawned on him.

"This is Nightmare City's artifact spirit, but someone has sealed it for now. As long as we communicate with it, we can have it open a path out for us," Liu Wuxie said.

The pull he had felt all this time came from the artifact spirit itself. It hadn't died yet; it simply slumbered under a seal, and judging from its current appearance, that seal had already begun to weaken.

Once Nightmare City broke free from its restraints, it would turn into a true nightmare for the Indigo Bamboo Astral Domain, devouring countless cultivators. The city grew stronger by consuming the blood and flesh of cultivators, and it could already be considered a demonic artifact.

"Brother Liu, if the artifact spirit remains sealed, won't we die here if we awaken it?" Qiao Bian asked with a frown. They had personally experienced how twisted this city was, and even an expert at the pinnacle of the Earth Immortal Realm would struggle to escape from it.

If they tried to communicate with the artifact spirit recklessly, a single mistake could doom them to eternal damnation.

"I'm going to sign a contract with it," Liu Wuxie said with a devilish smile. From the very first time he saw Nightmare City, he had felt the urge to claim it. If he managed to refine such a colossal city, it could become an impenetrable headquarters for the Heavenly Dao Society.

"Signing a contract with it?" Han Feizi and Qiao Bian asked, stunned. This was the first time they had ever heard of someone wanting to sign a contract with an artifact spirit.

After all, Nightmare City's artifact spirit possessed power comparable to the Quasi-Immortal Realm, and attempting to sign a contract with it sounded no different from seeking death.

"That's right, a contract with it. You two step back," Liu Wuxie said. Time ran short, and he needed to establish contact with the artifact spirit as quickly as possible.

Ever since the trio's arrival, the ball of light had been trembling nonstop. It was massive, blazing like a burning sun, and as Liu Wuxie faced it, he began to form a series of hand seals while streams of golden light gathered above—faith energy.

Faith energy was indispensable for a Quasi-Immortal Artifact to evolve into a true Immortal Artifact, and the same principle applied to cultivation; the higher the realm, the more crucial faith energy became.

An immortal rune slowly took shape in the air, inscribed by Liu Wuxie's hand. The moment the immortal rune fully formed, the surrounding space began to crumble.

The artifact spirit hovering in the void trembled violently, drawn irresistibly toward the immortal rune. To a Quasi-Immortal Artifact, an immortal rune was like a lavish feast to a starving man, like a table with a luxurious spread of food.