Shu Han, seeing that the old man still hadn't opened the furnace lid, felt an inexplicable dread creeping up. He had deliberately disguised his breakthrough as the phenomenon of pill formation. Why hadn't this old man opened the furnace to retrieve the pill? Could it be that his disguise was too sloppy and had been detected by the elder? If he didn't seize the opportunity to attack him off guard when the elder lifted the lid, he would surely lose!

Meanwhile, Elder Lu was equally anxious.

Why had the pill formed prematurely? If the quality of the pill wasn't up to the mark and he rashly opened the furnace, the spirit of the pill could be lost. What would he do about all the precious herbs he had used?

Maybe he should wait a bit longer and continue nurturing the pill with the Earth Dragon Fire? This was his only chance, and he couldn't afford to mess it up.

Inside the furnace, Shu Han grew more and more restless. Suddenly, he heard Elder Lu exclaim from outside, "Zhu Tianyu! How did you find my cave?"

Following that, there was a sound of the air tearing apart. The alchemy furnace felt like it was hit hard by something, causing Shu Han to be dizzied by the impact.

What had happened? Who was Zhu Tianyu?

Feeling that the situation outside had taken another turn, Shu Han didn't think twice. He flew to the top of the furnace, using his immense late-stage spiritual power to lift the lid, which was held down by array patterns. He then crawled out, stark naked, from the furnace.

To his surprise, he found himself in a pitch-dark cave. At the entrance of the cave stood a disheveled old man.

Joy surged in Shu Han's heart. It was the mad elder who had come to his rescue. Looking down, he saw Elder Lu, with his chest caved in and lying below the furnace, spitting blood.

With the mad elder present, Shu Han felt completely at ease. For a cultivator like Elder Lu, who was barely in the initial phase of Core Formation, the mad elder could incapacitate him with just a slap.

Standing atop the furnace, Shu Han shouted, "Senior! This man harbored evil intentions and wanted to use me for alchemy! Please lend me a hand and slay this fiend!"

Upon hearing this, a sharp glint flashed in the mad elder's eyes, and he stared menacingly at Elder Lu.

Seeing Shu Han emerge unharmed from the furnace, Elder Lu was so taken aback that he spat out another mouthful of old blood.

However, in a flash, the mad elder was in front of him, his clean fist raised, ready to strike. Just when Shu Han believed Elder Lu's head would be crushed, the mad elder's fist suddenly stopped inches from Lu's face, seemingly unable to land the blow.

What was going on?

Elder Lu laughed heartily, blood dripping from his mouth. "Zhu Tianyu, do you wish to commit the same sins you did two thousand years ago? Have you forgotten how your master, mistress, and fellow elders died by your hands?"

His words, though spoken in a deep and quiet tone without any spiritual power, carried a bizarrely demonic power.

The mad elder suddenly screamed in agony. His body shook uncontrollably, his eyes darting wildly. Both hands grabbed and pulled out his hair, strand by strand, blood oozing profusely.

"They're dead! All dead!"

The mad elder shouted hysterically, running amok without direction.

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"They're dead! Dead!"

His physical form, defying all logic, passed through the mountain, creating a tunnel in the dark mountain mass, vanishing from sight.

"What..."

Stunned, Shu Han watched the mad elder's frenzied departure through the mountain. But he quickly realized that now was not the time for confusion. With a fierce look at Elder Lu below, Shu Han used the Shrinking Earth into Inches technique, turning himself into a phantom. His fingertip, covered with dark patterns and harnessing all his strength, shot straight for Elder Lu's head.

"Hmph!"

Buzz!

Elder Lu's withered Golden Core emerged from his crown, radiating layers of golden light.

When Shu Han's finger touched the golden radiance, it seemed to sink in, making no progress upon contact with the Golden Core.

"Presumptuous! A mere Foundation Establishment junior dares to act recklessly in my presence!"

Suddenly, a crackling sound echoed. A fissure erupted on Elder Lu's Golden Core.

His face turned ashen, dodging hastily. In shock, he stared at Shu Han, "How can a Foundation Establishment cultivator possess such power?"

Seeing Elder Lu's fluctuating aura, the damage on his Golden Core, and the sunken patch on his chest, Shu Han knew this was his chance. Immediately, he activated the Triple Rotation Avatar Technique, splitting into three, and launched a ferocious assault from three directions.

Currently stark naked without any magical treasures, Shu Han could only rely on his dark-patterned finger to attack!

The Shrinking Earth into Inches-modified Cloud-walking Step technique created phantoms. In the tight confines of the cave, Shu Han's illusions appeared from every direction.

Using his finger as a sword, Shu Han executed the Sky-aspiring Sword Technique in the cave.

Elder Lu's brows furrowed deeply. Each of the three Shu Hans seemed real and lethal. His protective golden light crumbled under Shu Han's relentless attacks, and the wound on his Golden Core deepened.

"Impudent!"

Stomping his foot, Elder Lu unleashed three golden ropes that chased the rapidly moving Shu Han. However, in such a confined space, Shu Han was too agile. With Elder Lu also severely injured, he couldn't catch Shu Han.

"Take this!"

At the same moment, the three Shu Han avatars, each emanating a dark glow, pointed towards Elder Lu's head. Their fingers, sharp as freshly honed swords, were infused with boiling Black Abyssal Fire. They pierced through layers of golden light, aiming straight for his forehead.

Elder Lu, alarmed, roared, "Wishful thinking!"

With a flick of his withered finger, suddenly, Shu Han felt as if he bore the weight of a mountain on his back. And with every moment, it felt like more mountains were falling upon him, the pressure multiplying.

Suddenly, the knees of his three avatars began to bend under the weight. First, they knelt on one knee, then, unable to withstand the terrifying pressure, they lay prone on the ground, immobilized. Not only was Shu Han's physical body pressed down, but his consciousness and spiritual power were also firmly suppressed.

Glancing sideways, Shu Han saw layers of golden bricks descending from the sky, forming a wall encircling Elder Lu, with himself being pinned down by this golden brick wall.

Elder Lu, looking at Shu Han, sneered, "Forcing me to use my lifebound magical treasure, you're quite impressive for someone at the Foundation Establishment stage. I don't know how you survived the alchemy furnace, but it doesn't matter now. I will devour you alive to prevent future troubles!"

Shu Han struggled desperately but couldn't escape from the golden bricks. Feeling helpless and recognizing it might not be the ideal moment, he decided to bet on releasing the power of the Dragon and Phoenix.

Suddenly, a whooshing sound pierced the air. A stone smashed through the golden brick wall, hitting Elder Lu's forehead, and shearing off half his head.

Instantly, Shu Han felt the overwhelming pressure release. Combining his avatars into one, he pushed aside the piles of golden bricks and quickly seized Elder Lu's life-bound Golden Core.

The dark patterns on his wrist surged with power, and the power of the Dragon-Phoenix emerged from his dantian, gathering in his right hand.

The cave immediately echoed with the clear calls of a phoenix and the roar of a dragon. Shu Han's hand shone brilliantly.

"Die!"

Crack!

Elder Lu's already fractured Golden Core, under the impact of the Dragon and Phoenix power, disintegrated into fine powder.

With a choked cry, Elder Lu, with his one remaining eye rolling back, fell limp like a marionette with cut strings, collapsing like a pile of mud.

Seeing Elder Lu finally perish, Shu Han, whose heart had been in suspense, finally relaxed. Turning his head, he saw a figure fleeting at the end of the tunnel created by the mad elder.

He couldn't help but bow respectfully in that direction, uttering weakly, "Thank you, senior, for saving my life."

Eventually, he slumped to the ground, staring at Elder Lu's corpse, lost in thought for a long while.

The residual power of the Dragon and Phoenix in his right hand retreated back deep into his dantian.

Although Shu Han was not physically injured, he felt mentally and physically drained. This experience was truly a brush with death!