24: Chapter 24 Using One's Body as a Furnace, Astounding the Alchemist

The fire was about to burn through his stomach.

It was not just pain, but a terrifying sense of being devoured, as if his very shell were being burned to ash as firewood.

He had to eat.

No matter what it was, as long as it contained Spiritual Qi, it all had to be shoved inside to fill this bottomless pit.

Ye Feng grabbed a blackened piece of Angelica from the medicine cabinet beside him and stuffed it into his mouth, dirt and all.

It was dry, hard, and bitter, as if he were chewing on rotten wood.

But he only let out a beast-like low wheeze from his throat; he couldn't even be bothered to chew properly and forced it down.

Not enough.

Still not enough.

Withered Polygonatum, worm-eaten Lingzhi, and even a shriveled piece of snake skin that had been sitting there for who knows how many years.

Master Ling Xu huddled in the corner, watching helplessly as the youth, like a starving ghost reincarnated, frantically shoved those waste medicinal dregs—things that would normally be thrown into the trash—into his mouth.

As he swallowed, Ye Feng's skin, originally as red as a branding iron, began to ooze black grease.

These were the Impurities being forcibly expelled from his pores by the Sword Qi.

A foul, fishy stench filled the air, nauseating in this cramped, dilapidated room.

The already precarious rotten wooden door was kicked open, and half of the door panel flew in, smashing into the medicine cabinet and sending dust billowing everywhere.

"I was wondering where the smell of medicine was coming from in this slum; so it's just a bunch of stinking rats stealing food."

A sharp voice rang out, accompanied by the sound of footsteps.

Light flooded in, illuminating the newcomer dressed in brocade robes, with a small bronze tripod embroidered on his chest that shimmered in the sunlight.

Han Tie, the Alchemist retained by the Third Prince's estate.

He was followed by several ferocious servants carrying sealing strips and clubs.

Han Tie covered his nose with a silk handkerchief and scanned the room with disgust. His gaze landed on Ye Feng, who was covered in black grime and grabbing a handful of withered grass to stuff into his mouth, and he couldn't help but sneer:

"Using the body as a furnace? Swallowing Spiritual Plants raw?"

"What kind of wild, unorthodox method is this? Aren't you afraid of bursting your stomach? Alchemy is a great Dao. If one could produce a Medicinal Pill by just eating like a savage, what use would we Alchemists have?"

Ye Feng paid him no mind.

The Earth Vein Fire Essence within him had reached the critical point of eruption, and his Meridians felt as if they were being sliced by knives.

Just then, his hand touched a chill in the deepest part of the cabinet.

It was a broken wooden box, inside which lay a Blood Ginseng with broken roots.

Although it was only fifty years old and had lost most of its Spiritual Qi, in Ye Feng's eyes, it was the final bucket of cold water needed to suppress the fire poison.

"That is... Blood Ginseng?"

The sharp-eyed Han Tie instantly saw the item in the wooden box, and his previously disgusted gaze turned greedy.

The Third Prince recently needed such medicinal ingredients to replenish Qi and blood, and although the quality was a bit poor, it was at least fifty years old.

"If you don't want to die, put that thing down."

Han Tie stepped forward, pointing his folding fan at Ye Feng, his tone brooking no argument. "This pharmacy is hereby requisitioned by the Prince's estate. Everything in here, even the rat droppings, belongs to His Highness, let alone the ginseng."

Several servants grinned viciously and surrounded him, tapping their clubs against their palms.

Put it down?

Ye Feng lifted his eyelids; golden-red flames danced in his eyes, like two volcanic craters about to erupt.

Under Han Tie's stunned gaze, he grabbed the Blood Ginseng and, without even wiping off the mud, stuffed it directly into his mouth.

"How dare you!"

Han Tie was furious; this was simply a waste of a heavenly treasure!

Gulp.

His Adam's apple rolled as the Blood Ginseng entered his stomach.

It was as if a basin of cold water had been poured into a pot of boiling oil.

The violent Earth Vein Fire poison within Ye Feng instantly found an outlet. Carrying the gentle medicinal power of the Blood Ginseng, it began to spin rapidly under the frantic churning of his Chaos Devouring Sword Body.

No Pill Furnace?

Then this physical shell shall be the best furnace of heaven and earth!

No Alchemy fire?

Then this sharp and peerless Sword Intent shall be the best refined fire!

"Condense... for me!"

Ye Feng let out a low roar, and a blinding red light erupted from his abdomen. The surrounding air was instantly distorted by the high temperature, and even the light became bizarre and surreal.

Heatwaves surged outward like a tide.

Han Tie, who bore the brunt of it, felt a scorching wave of air hit his face, and his eyebrows instantly curled and singed yellow.

Crack.

A crisp sound came from his waist.

Han Tie looked down in terror, only to see that his prized small bronze tripod, which he carried with him to nurture his Medicinal Pills, could not withstand this extremely pure, high-temperature Sword Intent, and cracks like spiderwebs had appeared on it.

"My Cloud Flow Tripod!"

Han Tie shrieked, his face twitching in anguish.

This was a Magical Artifact-grade Pill Furnace! Even the true fire of a Cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Stage couldn't burn it, so how could it be cracked by a mere remnant of heat?

However, in the next second, a scene that made him doubt his own existence occurred.

Ye Feng opened his mouth and spat.

Three streams of light, carrying scorching heat, landed in his filth-covered palm.

They were not waste dregs.

They were three round, plump Medicinal Pills, with threads of sharp Sword Qi flowing across their surfaces.

The fragrance of the pills overflowed, instantly dispersing the stench in the room.

"Top... Top-grade Marrow Cleansing Pill?"

Han Tie's eyes were about to pop out of their sockets. That pure luster, those natural pill patterns—even his Master, who was a fourth-grade Alchemist, might not be able to achieve such a success rate!

Is this kid human or ghost?

Just as Han Tie was so shocked that he kept retreating.

The red light on Ye Feng's body suddenly dimmed; it was the brief period of exhaustion after forming the pills.

This momentary drop in aura might go unnoticed by ordinary people, but for the poisonous snake lurking in the shadows, it was a once-in-a-thousand-year opportunity.

In the shadow cast by the roof beam, a point of cold light bloomed without warning.

The shadow that had not shown itself until now moved.

Too fast.

Even three times faster than it had been at the city gate earlier.

The dagger, quenched in "See-Blood-Seal-Throat" poison, was like a viper flicking its tongue, aiming straight for the unguarded Dazhui acupoint on the back of Ye Feng's neck.

As long as it pierced even a little bit of skin, the toxin would instantly paralyze the central nervous system, and not even a Grand Unity Golden Immortal could save him.

Die.

The shadow's cold eyes already reflected the image of Ye Feng falling.

However.

The seemingly weak youth didn't even turn his head.

His left hand, as if it had eyes on the back, reached backward at a strange angle.

It wasn't the sound of flesh being pierced, but the crisp sound of metal clashing.

Ye Feng's five fingers were like iron pincers, locking tightly onto the sharp blade.

The moment the dark green venom touched his wound, it was instantly swallowed up completely by a suction force emerging from the wound.

To the Chaos Devouring Sword Body, everything in this world, except for Sword Qi, was nourishment.

That was a supplement with extra ingredients.

"You..."

The shadow's pupils constricted violently. He wanted to withdraw the dagger and retreat, but found that the dagger seemed welded into the opponent's hand.

"Too weak."

Ye Feng's voice was hoarse, carrying a metallic texture.

He twisted his hand, and the dagger made of refined steel snapped in two with a clatter.

Immediately after, the seemingly frail body leaned back violently. With his right hand balled into a fist, utilizing the twist of his waist, he delivered a heavy, unadorned punch straight into the shadow's chest.

There was a muffled sound of ribs shattering and lungs bursting.

The shadow didn't even have time to scream before his entire body, like a flattened fly, flew backward and slammed into the earthen wall behind him.

The wall collapsed, and dust filled the air.

The shadow was deeply embedded in the broken bricks and mud, his chest caved in significantly, and blood sprayed wildly from his mouth. His once-prized black stealth suit had now become the most ridiculous burial shroud.

The entire scene was deathly silent.

Han Tie and the servants froze in place, their legs shaking as if they had seen a living ghost.

How is this an Alchemist?

This is clearly a Vicious Beast in human skin!

Ye Feng casually tossed away the broken dagger and slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air carrying sparks.

The agitation within his body had calmed, replaced by an unprecedented sense of fullness.

Through the damaged wooden door, he looked toward the distant cluster of buildings, bright with lights and filled with singing and dancing.

That was the Third Prince's estate, and also the source of the original owner's nightmares.

"Since you've come, don't bother leaving."

Ye Feng shook the dirty blood off his hand and walked step by step toward the shadow, which was still twitching embedded in the wall.