Chapter 124: Refining Artifacts and the Counter-Kill

"Hmph!" Feeling the scorching heat radiating from his palm, Yun Tian frowned and let out a soft grunt. A surge of powerful soul energy poured directly into the pill furnace, causing the flames rising within it to flicker as if a gust of wind were about to extinguish a campfire.

The red-clothed boy, who had been staring in astonishment, collapsed into a streak of red light and vanished into the furnace. Soon after, the furnace’s aura withdrew, and it settled steadily in Yun Tian's hand.

"Impossible! Impossible! How can your soul be so powerful? And it contains such immense might—could you be a reincarnated immortal? Cursed be! Even if you were a powerful loose immortal reincarnated, the chances of you ever becoming a Heaven Immortal are slim. You are not qualified to be my master! I am a powerful top-grade Pure Yang magic treasure; how dare you attempt to refine me?" The red-clothed boy’s voice, filled with shock and rage, echoed from within the furnace. "Hmph, once you fail your Heaven Immortal tribulation and perish, I shall be free once more, and then I can find a true powerhouse to be my master."

"Is that so? If I fail my Heaven Immortal or Heaven God tribulation, I will certainly erase your consciousness. Therefore, you had better hope that I succeed in my tribulation," Yun Tian’s calm and indifferent voice left the red-clothed boy instantly speechless.

Yun Tian could not be bothered to dwell on this arrogant and prideful treasure spirit. He gently stroked the dark red furnace, his eyes filled with joy. "The Divine Flame Furnace, a top-grade Pure Yang magic treasure. With it, even after I ascend to become a Heaven Immortal, Heaven God, or True God Dao Ancestor, it will suffice for my alchemy and weapon crafting."

*On the way to Antan City, I carefully studied the Mortal-grade and Earth-grade magic treasures I obtained, as well as the Silver Dragon Sword. I have gained some insight into the world's methods of weapon crafting. Next, I shall focus on refining! I will craft some treasures to sell in exchange for elemental liquid, so I can improve my cultivation as quickly as possible.* With this thought, Yun Tian began by using ordinary materials to craft magic treasures.

At first, seeing Yun Tian use only common materials to refine Mortal-grade treasures, the red-clothed boy felt humiliated. It was a top-grade Pure Yang treasure; its previous master had used it to craft Immortal-grade treasures and precious elixirs. To be used for such low-quality junk was deeply frustrating.

However, as time passed, the boy watched in disbelief as Yun Tian effortlessly turned what it considered to be scraps into Earth-grade and Heaven-grade treasures. When Yun Tian used a piece of Purple Crow Gold to craft an Immortal-grade high-tier magic seal, the boy was stunned. Heavens! Even its previous master lacked such skill! Purple Crow Gold was merely a spiritual material for Heaven-grade treasures, yet Yun Tian had forcefully refined it into an Immortal-grade treasure. Given that Yun Tian’s cultivation was clearly still quite low, this defied all logic.

It was fortunate that Yun Tian had obtained the Divine Flame Furnace, as its internal divine fire was incredibly powerful; otherwise, with his current cultivation, refining a Heaven-grade treasure without the aid of such flames would have been no easy feat.

"Master, could you be a reincarnated Heaven God or True Immortal?" After his shock subsided, the red-clothed boy’s attitude shifted, his tone becoming fawning and curious. Seeing Yun Tian remain indifferent, the boy could not help but tremble as he asked, "Could you be a True God Dao Ancestor? Oh, my heavens!"

"If you keep babbling, I will erase you," Yun Tian said, narrowing his eyes at the illusory figure of the boy appearing on the furnace. His cold tone caused the boy to cover his mouth with both hands and vanish back into the furnace as a streak of red light.

Having successfully crafted the high-tier Immortal-grade magic seal—which he somewhat tackily named the "Heaven-Turning Seal"—Yun Tian concluded his seclusion. He summoned Yun Chen via divine sense and handed over most of the Mortal-grade and several Earth-grade treasures he had crafted, asking him to sell them in exchange for elemental liquid.

Yun Chen had lived in Antan City for many years and knew how to navigate these matters. Through various channels, he quickly sold the treasures, netting over twenty thousand catties of elemental liquid. Yun Tian gave him a hundred catties as a reward for his efforts, leaving him overjoyed.

Having tasted success, Yun Tian had Yun Chen purchase ordinary crafting materials. Batch after batch of Mortal-grade treasures were crafted and sold for a tidy profit. In just over two months, Yun Tian had accumulated a hundred thousand catties of elemental liquid. However, wealth attracts greed. Though Yun Chen was discreet, the frequent sale of so many treasures had caught the attention of those with ulterior motives.

Under the night sky, the western district of Antan City remained bustling and lively, but the residence of the Yun clan branch where Yun Tian stayed was deathly quiet.

In the alleyway outside the residence, two ghostly figures suddenly appeared: a cold-eyed man in black robes with a hooked nose and a handsome youth in purple robes who looked as delicate as a woman.

"Is this the place?" The hook-nosed man squinted at the modest residence, his voice raspy.

The handsome youth in purple nodded, "Indeed! I have verified it clearly. This is a branch of a clan called the Yun clan. They only have one Primordial Spirit Daoist; they are not a formidable clan. Recently, a young master named Yun Tian seems to have arrived, and the treasures likely came from him. Yun Chen has sold treasures totaling one hundred thousand catties of elemental liquid. That young master Yun Tian is still staying here, so the liquid must be in his possession. This is a fortune! Don't tell me you're getting cold feet now that we're here?"

"I'm not getting cold feet! Hmph, a young master of a minor clan is at most a Wanxiang True Person; dealing with him won't be difficult," the hook-nosed man said cautiously, squinting his eyes. "However, to avoid making a scene or letting him escape, we should set up a sealing and space-locking formation before we strike."

The handsome youth smiled and nodded. "Of course! I have already prepared everything. It will be foolproof."

As the two began to set up their formation and flew into the residence without alerting Yun Chen or anyone else, Yun Tian—who had been meditating in his quiet room—opened his eyes, sensing their presence. His figure blurred and vanished from the room.

The next moment, in the courtyard, just as the two men landed, Yun Tian appeared before them.

"Huh?" The two men’s expressions changed, and they subconsciously stepped back. But upon sensing Yun Tian’s cultivation, which appeared to be only at the Purple Mansion level, they exchanged glances and laughed. A mere Purple Mansion cultivator? Even if he had discovered them, what could he do? They were both Wanxiang True Persons, and highly skilled ones at that; they had nothing to fear from a mere Purple Mansion practitioner.

However, they had overestimated themselves and severely underestimated Yun Tian. Yun Tian had no intention of engaging them. With a mere thought, his overwhelming divine sense surged toward them with terrifying power. Their eyes went wide with horror, and before they could even move, their souls collapsed, and their vitality faded instantly.

Ever since his soul had awakened, Yun Tian’s consciousness had grown stronger with his physical cultivation and his insights into the Dao. Over a month ago, it had already reached the level of "Divine Sense." His current consciousness was strong enough to sweep away any Primordial Spirit Daoist, let alone two Wanxiang True Persons. A single pulse of his divine sense had scattered their souls entirely.

Having killed them silently, Yun Tian summoned a wisp of divine fire from the Divine Flame Furnace to burn their bodies to ash. He collected the treasures they left behind and the formation flags they had used, then returned to his guest room without alerting Yun Chen.

The two poor Wanxiang True Persons had intended to kill for loot, but instead, they had unwittingly delivered a windfall to Yun Tian.