Chapter 133: Three-Star Pill

Che Wuyou stared intently at Yun Fan, not daring to miss the slightest detail. Yun Fan was his final straw for survival; if even Yun Fan could not withstand the essence of the earthly fire, the three of them would truly be beyond redemption.

However, as the temperature of the earthly fire continued to rise, screams could be heard echoing from the distance. Yun Fan's protective true essence was slowly being breached by the earthly fire. Even in his unconscious state, Yun Fan could not help but furrow his brow in agony, seemingly enduring inhuman pain.

"Ah... save me... ah... save me..." Yun Fan suddenly snapped his eyes open. This was his first time waking up since entering the second layer, but upon waking, an expression of rare terror surfaced on his face. Facing Che Wuyou, he said in a weak voice, "I don't want any treasures anymore. I beg you, save me, please..."

Che Wuyou looked at Yun Fan with a trace of lingering pity. This was the first time he had ever seen this terrifyingly formidable youth beg anyone, and the first time he had ever heard this youth say he no longer wanted any treasures. For Yun Fan, who treated treasures like his own life, what kind of ordeal must he be experiencing to make him utter such words?

Seeing that Che Wuyou did not reply, Yun Fan's face betrayed utter despair. In the first layer, he had expended far too much true essence for the steel sword, and coupled with the specialized nature of his cultivation technique, *Heart's Dream Without a Trace*, several instances of active self-protection had completely depleted the true essence he had painstakingly accumulated. Now, he had encountered the very thing that countered him most absolutely—the essence of the earthly fire—leaving him with virtually no ability to fight back.

Yet Yun Fan was still young, and he did not want to die just like that. In his mother's words, given his aptitude and fortune, if he could truly mature, he would undoubtedly become a peerless master of a generation. How could he possibly reconcile himself to dying here like this?

"I'll give you... my formless sword. If you can save me, it's yours." Enduring the agonizing torment of the blazing fire, Yun Fan looked at his formless sword with extreme reluctance, then abruptly shoved it toward Che Wuyou. "I beg you, save me... I-I don't want to die." Although Yun Fan vaguely knew he was entrusting himself to the wrong person, Che Wuyou was the closest to him, and no one else could save him.

In a small chamber within the Sword Questioning Pavilion, Li Muchu and Mu Chen sighed softly in unison as they watched. They had managed to find a promising talent with great potential; if properly nurtured, Yun Fan would undoubtedly become a sharp sword for the Qingchi Sword Sect in the future. Yet they had not rejoiced for long before Yun Fan was unluckily targeted by the essence of the earthly fire. Now, all they could do was watch helplessly as Yun Fan met his doom...

This was precisely what made the Tower to Heaven so perverse. Even though Li Muchu and Mu Chen wielded the highest authority in the Qingchi Sword Sect, they were completely powerless before the Tower to Heaven. The two of them now simultaneously began to harbor resentment toward Che Wuyou. If not for this dull-witted boy, would Yun Fan have been locked onto by the essence of the earthly fire? If not for this boy meddling in other people's business, what if Yun Fan hadn't entered the third layer? What if he had been eliminated? Now, to make matters worse, Yun Fan didn't even have the chance to shout out his surrender. Pity that a generational prodigy of their Qingchi Sword Sect had fallen in this place.

Che Wuyou had no idea that he was currently being simultaneously resented by both Li Muchu and Mu Chen. Looking at the formless sword handed to him by Yun Fan, he quickly exerted his utmost strength, enveloping Yun Fan within his own protective barrier as well. Although he knew he could not hold out for much longer himself, he could not simply stand by and watch Yun Fan die.

Shielded by Che Wuyou, Yun Fan visibly relaxed, but his condition appeared extremely listless—worse off than an ordinary person. Amidst such scorching temperatures, he actually began to shiver uncontrollably. Che Wuyou could not help but sigh. No matter how terrifying Yun Fan's strength was, and no matter how mysterious his cultivation technique, when all was said and done, he was still just a child. In truth, Che Wuyou was little more than a child himself; it was just that his experiences and state of mind far surpassed anything Yun Fan could compare to.

"Yun Fan, the two of us have already been targeted by the essence of the earthly fire. Even if we wanted to surrender now, it is no longer possible..." Che Wuyou carefully weighed his words, unsure of how to break the news to this pitiful child. "...I have already done my best. I'm sorry, I cannot save you... But don't be afraid either; at least Miss Zhang and I will keep you company, so the road to the underworld will be lively."

"No, I won't die..." Suddenly finding strength from unknown origins, Yun Fan grabbed the hem of Che Wuyou's robe, a deep terror gleaming in his eyes. "No, I won't die. My mother said I am a person blessed with great fortune... Wuyou, you must have a way, right? You can definitely lead us out of here... What should we do now? I'll listen to everything you say, I'll listen to everything..."

Che Wuyou frowned as he glanced at Yun Fan. How could he possibly want to die? There were still so many things he had yet to accomplish, and his Senior Sister was waiting for him back home... Wondering what his Senior Sister was doing right now, he asked himself if she would often think of him. If she were to learn of his death in the future, would she weep bitterly? Would she build a cenotaph for him and pay her respects every year during the Pure Brightness Festival?

Remembering Liu Lanzhi, Che Wuyou naturally thought of medicinal pills. That was it! Right now, he possessed such a vast quantity of medicinal herbs, and there was ready-made earthly fire right here. Even though the temperature was outrageously high, what if he could refine them into pills? If he truly succeeded in refining medicinal pills, would Yun Fan be able to recover somewhat? By then, he might have a way to break free from the locking mechanism of the earthly fire...

"Quickly give me the herbs..." Knowing he had very little time left, Che Wuyou shouted decisively at Yun Fan. Although the temperature of the earthly fire was extraordinarily high, he had no choice but to take a desperate gamble now.

Though Yun Fan did not understand the reason, he was currently relying entirely on Che Wuyou to save his life. Therefore, he did not doubt Che Wuyou's command in the slightest, hurriedly pulling out his universe bag and dumping a pile of herbs of all sizes onto the ground. Truth be told, the herbs the group had collected were quite substantial, numbering around a hundred stalks of varying sizes. Even under their current circumstances, the sight of them caused Yun Fan's eyes to brighten slightly.

Exerting his utmost to maintain the true essence barrier, Che Wuyou skillfully sorted through more than seventy stalks of herbs. If he wanted to rapidly recover from their injuries, he had to refine Three-Star Pills. Not only were Three-Star Pills immensely beneficial for treating injuries, but they were also second to none in terms of boosting true essence; the only problem was that Three-Star Pills were exceptionally difficult to refine...

The Three-Star Pill belonged to the Yellow-grade premium medicinal pills, and generally only a Tier 2 alchemist could refine it. This was because the temperature required to refine a Three-Star Pill was utterly rigorous; only a Tier 2 alchemist using their own alchemical flame could achieve the required temperature, and only a Tier 2 alchemist's precise control could truly master the heat.

For a Tier 1 alchemist to attempt to refine a Three-Star Pill was considered, in the eyes of alchemists, an act of sheer suicide, because if the flame's temperature was even slightly mismanaged, it would incinerate the very soul into nothingness. How could Che Wuyou not know this principle? Yet the medicinal herbs they had managed to collect could only be used to refine Three-Star Pills; even then, several supplementary ingredients were missing, and he had only managed to find substitutes by racking his brain.