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The Ye Family.

At Ye Ling'er's Spiritual Path Peak, the scenery was picturesque with lush mountains and clear waters. The Spiritual Qi was dense-an excellent cave heaven and blessed land.

Three years ago, the Ye Family defeated the Empress Lin Shuwang, dismantled the Demon Race coalition army, and rendered unparalleled meritorious service.

After deliberation among several Holy Lands, the Ye Family was successfully promoted to an Immortal Aristocratic Family, taking charge of ninety-nine Spirit Veins across the world.

Thus, the Ye Family's cultivation resources were extremely abundant and substantial. Moreover, since there were not many direct-line disciples in the Ye Family, whether it was Pills, cultivation techniques, Dharma Treasures, scrolls, talismans, Formations, or various Spirit Grasses and Heavenly and Earthly Spirit Objects...

Ye Ling'er and the others lacked for nothing in their cultivation. It was no exaggeration to say they were cultivating while soaking in a honey pot.

But at this moment, Spiritual Path Peak had lost its usual peaceful and tranquil atmosphere. Instead...

Boom!

A violent explosion sounded, and a plume of black smoke rose from Spiritual Path Peak.

Startled, birds flapped their wings and hastily fled the mountain.

Boom!!

Less than half an hour after the first explosion, another earth-shaking sound rang out.

Another thick plume of black smoke rose into the air.

Boom!!

This time, only the time it takes to drink a cup of tea had passed before another explosion resounded throughout Spiritual Path Peak.

...

"This Fire Spirit Pill is merely a Middle Grade Yellow Tier Pill. I am a third-rank Alchemist; how could I possibly fail to refine it?"

"I succeeded in refining it before, so why can't I refine it now? And... I even blew up the cauldron?!"

At the summit of Spiritual Path Peak.

Ye Ling'er stared at the three shattered alchemy cauldrons before her, her face full of worry and confusion.

Spirit Objects and Pills on the Desolate Ancient Continent were divided into six major tiers:

Mortal Tier, Spirit Tier, Yellow Tier, Profound Tier, Earth Tier, and Heaven Tier!

Each tier was further divided into High Grade, Middle Grade, and Low Grade.

The rank of an Alchemist was closely related to the Pills they could refine.

Those who could refine Mortal Tier Pills were called first-rank Alchemists.

Those who could refine Spirit Tier Pills were called second-rank Alchemists.

...

And so on. Those who could refine Earth Tier Pills were called fifth-rank Alchemists.

Heaven Tier Pills were extremely rare and scarce, and their refinement process could even trigger Heavenly Punishment.

Therefore, those who could refine Low Grade Heaven Tier Pills were called sixth-rank Alchemists.

Those who could refine Middle Grade Heaven Tier Pills were seventh-rank Alchemists.

Those who could refine High Grade Heaven Tier Pills were called eighth-rank Alchemists.

Those who could refine Pills above High Grade Heaven Tier were called ninth-rank Alchemists.

However, such Alchemists were as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns across the entire Desolate Ancient Continent.

Ye Ling'er was a third-rank Alchemist. Logically, she could refine all Yellow Tier Pills.

She had even refined High Grade Yellow Tier Pills a few times.

But the Fire Spirit Pill was merely a Low Grade Yellow Tier Pill. She had tried to refine it three times today and failed three times. Even the cauldron...

She had blown up three cauldrons!!

Who would believe such a thing?

One must know that Ye Ling'er's soul power was extremely formidable. Within the entire Ye Family, if she claimed to be second in alchemy talent, no one dared to claim first.

Even...

Even the Ye Family's Heaven-Reaching Mirror, that supreme Imperial Weapon capable of knowing the past and peering into the future, had once made a prophecy.

She, Ye Ling'er, would become a Pill Grandmaster renowned across the entire Desolate Ancient Continent.

What was a Pill Grandmaster?

It was an existence that surpassed ninth-rank Alchemists, capable of refining legendary Immortal Tier Pills!!

It was precisely because of this that Ye Ling'er could walk sideways in the Ye Family. Who wouldn't try to flatter her when they saw her?

Her willful, arrogant, and conceited nature was entirely the result of being spoiled.

But in the past, Ye Ling'er had the confidence and capital to back up this willfulness and arrogance.

After all, she was a future Pill Grandmaster who would refine Immortal Tier Pills. Wherever she went, people would flatter and praise her.

But now...

Now, this future Pill Grandmaster actually... actually couldn't even refine an ordinary High Grade Yellow Tier Pill, and she...

She had even blown up the alchemy cauldron. And not just one, but three.

"Sniff... Why? Why is this happening?"

Looking at the fragments of the alchemy cauldrons and the medicinal dregs scattered on the ground, Ye Ling'er could no longer hold back and began to sob quietly.

Even when crying, she didn't dare to wail out loud.

If someone saw her like this, how could she, a future Pill Grandmaster, have the face to live on?

But if she didn't cry...

If she didn't cry, she simply couldn't hold it in!

"Sniff..."

"Sniff..."

After crying for a while, Ye Ling'er, as a future Pill Grandmaster, began to analyze the reasons for her failure.

"This shouldn't be happening. I am a third-rank Alchemist. This Fire Spirit Pill is the simplest Low Grade Yellow Tier Pill. Not to mention third-rank Alchemists, even some second-rank Alchemists with slightly better flame control can refine it. Where exactly is the problem?"

The Fire Spirit Pill simply refined Spirit Grasses rich in fire-attribute Spiritual Qi, such as Fire Cultivation Grass and Extreme Blazing Flower, into a Pill for fire-attribute cultivators to absorb and refine.

This Pill was extremely ordinary and common. Ye Ling'er was herself a fire-attribute cultivator and often refined Fire Spirit Pills for her own use. In the past, she succeeded effortlessly every time, easily refining a large batch in one go.

But her recent attempts at alchemy...

Had all ended in failure!!

"I know! Chu Chen! It must be Chu Chen!!"

After pondering for a long time, the "clever" Ye Ling'er immediately deduced the reason for her alchemy failure:

"That bastard Chu Chen sought his own death by rebelling against the Ye Family, only to die at Heavenly Demon Gorge, devoured alive by Demon Beasts."

"Counting the days, it's exactly the time of that bastard's seventh-day memorial."

"No wonder I've been feeling so restless during alchemy lately. It must be because that bastard Chu Chen died with grievances, turned into a vengeful ghost, and is still coming to harm me!"

"Hmph! How outrageous! Simply outrageous!"

"In my entire life, I have never seen such a shameless person. When he was alive, he clung to us stubbornly and couldn't be driven away. Now that he's dead, he's still like a lapdog, his ghost lingering on!!"

...

Having deduced that her failure in alchemy was not due to her own lack of skill, but rather Chu Chen's lingering ghost, Ye Ling'er felt much better.

With a wave of her hand, the medicinal dregs and cauldron fragments scattered on the ground were wrapped in Spiritual Qi and thrown off the cliff. She didn't want anyone to know about her alchemy failure; she couldn't afford to lose face.

"Hmph, once the seventh day passes, that bastard Chu Chen's ghost will dissipate, and then I'll be a Pill Grandmaster again~"

Then, humming a little tune, Ye Ling'er stepped onto her flying sword and flew away from Spiritual Path Peak, heading towards Frost Peak where her fifth sister, Ye Han, resided.

"That annoying Chu Chen ruined my mood. I'll go play with Fifth Sister~"

"I remember Fifth Sister made a breakthrough in the Dao of Formations half a month ago. She's probably a fourth-rank Formation Master by now."

"Perfect timing to ask Fifth Sister to draw a Formation scroll for me to increase the Spiritual Qi on my Spiritual Path Peak."

Murmuring to herself, Ye Ling'er regained her usual confidence and cheerfulness. Humming a little tune, she flew straight towards Frost Peak.

Since her failure to refine Pills was entirely due to Chu Chen's ghost causing trouble, once his ghost dissipated, everything would be fine.

The Ye Family would still be the invincible Ye Family, and she, Ye Ling'er, would still be the future Pill Grandmaster capable of refining Immortal Tier Pills.

Admired by tens of thousands!

...

Before Ye Ling'er even got close to Frost Peak, she felt violent fluctuations of Spiritual Qi surrounding it.

The various motley elemental energies-Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth, Wind, and Lightning-floating in the air seemed to have lost their balance. Dark clouds gathered over the entirety of Frost Peak, and a fierce wind howled.

Boom!

Before Ye Ling'er could react, a violent explosion suddenly erupted from the depths of Frost Peak.

"This... this couldn't be..."

A terrifying thought arose in Ye Ling'er's heart. She lightly covered her chest, her eyes widening as she involuntarily swallowed hard. Her pretty face was filled with disbelief.

"F-Fifth Sister! Fifth Sister, where are you?"

Without time to think further, Ye Ling'er drove her flying sword straight into the depths of Frost Peak, finally spotting her fifth sister, Ye Han, at the summit.

"Ling... Ling'er, don't come over!"

Ye Han, who was holding a brush and outlining a Formation on a scroll, looked up at the sound. Upon seeing that it was Ye Ling'er, her tone softened slightly, but her face remained covered in frost.

"I am currently outlining the [Wind-Thunder-Frost Formation]. I'm about to reach the finishing stage. Do not make any noise!"

Hearing this, Ye Ling'er nodded and obediently stood several meters away, nervously watching Ye Han as she outlined the Formation.

This [Wind-Thunder-Frost Formation] was a third-rank defensive Formation Diagram, generally used to protect mountain gates and Dao grounds.

Once the Formation was complete, it could summon wind, frost, thunder, and lightning in a specific area to strike down intruders.

"Strange, isn't this [Wind-Thunder-Frost Formation] the Formation scroll that Fifth Sister is best at and most skilled in?"

"In the past, Fifth Sister could multitask, chatting and discussing the Dao with me and Xiao Xuan while drawing and outlining this [Wind-Thunder-Frost Formation]. She was extremely fast, with a one hundred percent success rate and zero failures."

"But today..."

As she pondered, Ye Ling'er looked down and staggered back several steps.

It turned out that at Ye Han's feet lay six or seven ruined Formation scrolls.

"Boom!!"

Before Ye Ling'er could recover her senses, Ye Han finished outlining the final stroke of the [Wind-Thunder-Frost Formation]. But immediately, the Spiritual Qi on the Formation scroll lost its balance, and a violent burst of energy exploded. Wind, frost, thunder, and lightning flashed in an instant, backlashing directly into Ye Han's body.

"Pfft!!"

Ye Han opened her mouth and spat out a mouthful of bright red blood, her aura instantly wilting.

Who could tell them!

What kind of retribution was this?!

What exactly was happening to the Ye Family?!

...