Clan Rise: Starting as a Grandfather Chapter 1389 - 884: Refining the Demon Essence Pill

With the establishment of two prosperous shops, business flourished rapidly. Following his attendance at the White Cloud Commerce auction, Yang Zhenshan entrusted the establishments to Cui Yang and Zhang Hexuan before making his way back to Spirit Source Land.

Upon his return to Spirit Source Land, Yang Zhenshan dedicated his complete focus and effort to the arduous task of cultivation and the intricate process of refining Demon Essence Pills.

Five years seemed to vanish in the blink of an eye.

On Flame Mountain, within the confines of the Pill Hall.

Yang Zhenshan assumed a cross-legged position before the powerful Golden Crow Eight Trigrams Furnace, his mind engrossed in meditation and breath regulation. Beside him, the Golden Crow meticulously managed the flames within the pill furnace.

Intense True Sun Fire blazed fiercely, bathing the entire hall in an oppressive, scorching heat.

Streams of multicolored spiritual light cascaded over the Eight Trigrams Furnace, accompanied by a colossal surge of spiritual energy that inundated the furnace in wave after wave.

The Demon Essence Pill stands as one of the most challenging and demanding elixirs Yang Zhenshan has ever undertaken; its complexity stems not only from the inherent properties of its ingredients and its intricate formula but also from the exceptionally long refinement period required.

Previously, the maximum time Yang Zhenshan had spent refining any batch of elixirs was merely a few hours. However, the refinement of a single Demon Essence Pill necessitates over ten days, yielding only one pill per batch.

The primary reason for this extended process is the complete absence of a fixed, established formula for the Demon Essence Pill.

While other elixirs benefit from standardized recipes, perfected and simplified to their utmost through countless trials by previous generations, the Demon Essence Pill deviates significantly.

It lacks a perpetual blueprint; each refinement demands that Yang Zhenshan devise a unique formula on the spot, a formula that, by its very nature, cannot rival those meticulously crafted and evolved over millennia.

Within the Pill Hall, the passage of time was marked only by Yang Zhenshan's unwavering meditation. Eventually, the faint light of dawn seeping through the entrance mingled with the fiery glow of the True Sun Fire. Abruptly, Yang Zhenshan’s eyes snapped open.

"It's ready!"

He rose to his feet, his hands moving in intricate spell gestures, channeling waves of spiritual light into the pill furnace. From within, surges of potent spiritual energy began to emanate.

The emanating ripples intensified, causing even the formidable Golden Crow Eight Trigrams Furnace to vibrate subtly.

Yang Zhenshan understood this phenomenon was due to the sheer, overwhelming medicinal energy contained within the furnace. His immediate task was to meticulously seal this immense medicinal power into the nascent elixir pill.

The Demon Core, being the very essence of a demon beast, embodies nearly all of its accumulated mana.

Post-refinement, this mana transforms into pure medicinal energy. When combined with various Spiritual Objects, its potency surpasses that of the original demon core.

The mana possessed by an Immortal Cultivator in the early stage of Foundation Establishment is comparable to this refined second-order low-grade demon core. This implies that Yang Zhenshan must manage to seal all that potent mana into a minuscule elixir pill – an undertaking of unimaginable difficulty.

Without the aid of the Golden Crow Eight Trigrams Furnace, Yang Zhenshan would find this task utterly impossible.

Even with the furnace's assistance, Yang Zhenshan must still exert himself to his absolute limit.

"Golden Crow, intensify the flames!"

Responding instantly to the command, the Golden Crow unfurled its wings and expelled a torrent of searing True Sun Fire.

Concurrently, a sizable stack of spirit stones situated behind it visibly lost a significant portion of their luster.

In truth, Yang Zhenshan can only barely manage to refine the Demon Essence Pill at this juncture, even with the Golden Crow Eight Trigrams Furnace, and it still necessitates a considerable expenditure of spirit stones.

It is crucial to remember that the Golden Crow Eight Trigrams Furnace is a spiritual artifact, its grade far exceeding that of mere magical treasure-tier pill furnaces. Furthermore, it houses the unique True Sun Fire.

This singular element of True Sun Fire remarkably reduces the effort Yang Zhenshan must personally expend.

The eruption of True Sun Fire dramatically escalated the temperature within the Pill Hall, activating its protective arrays and cloaking the chamber in a golden radiance, as if applying a layer of burnished gold.

Yang Zhenshan remained oblivious to these ambient transformations, relentlessly applying solidifying spell techniques to the furnace while simultaneously manipulating its integrated restriction array to condense the contained medicinal energy.

Fine droplets of sweat beaded on his forehead, yet the brilliance in his eyes intensified.

At that precise moment, he forcefully struck the furnace's body, causing the lid to explosively detach, launching upwards over a meter and nearly brushing against the chamber's domed ceiling.

"Emerge for me!"

Yang Zhenshan employed the Heart Hand technique, enveloping the small elixir pill residing within the furnace with his Divine Soul and mana, drawing it forth.

The diminutive elixir pill radiated a distinct blue-green luminescence as it exited the furnace. Its potent spiritual power radiated outwards, carrying a refreshing and invigorating fragrance that permeated the air.

Yang Zhenshan drew a deep breath of the pill's aroma, feeling an immediate sense of revitalization, and a gratified expression then graced his features.

Even without verifying the elixir pill's grade, its potent aroma alone guaranteed a successful concoction.

Resting upon a jade plate, the elixir pill radiated a blue hue, its surface intricately adorned with cloud patterns, lending it an ethereal appearance.

Yang Zhenshan examined the pill with keen interest.

"Master, it's a success! Haha, this is truly a genuine Demon Essence Pill!" the Golden Crow cheered with palpable excitement.

"Indeed, a second-order mid-grade Demon Essence Pill!" Yang Zhenshan affirmed, a look of satisfaction settling on his features.

The successful transformation of a second-order low-grade demon core into a second-order mid-grade Demon Essence Pill unmistakably demonstrated his considerable advancement in alchemical prowess.

While a degree of fortune played a role, it also underscored a more profound comprehension of the medicinal properties involved.

His gaze shifted to the depleted pile of spirit stones, and he fell into a moment of contemplation.

The Golden Crow's aid was invaluable, yet its demand for spirit stones was equally immense.

This particular refinement had depleted the Golden Crow's reserves by eighty thousand low-grade spirit stones, whereas the resulting Demon Essence Pill was valued at a mere twenty to thirty thousand.

```