Chapter Four Hundred and Nine: The Cauldron Completed!
Five months passed in the blink of an eye, and in that time, Yang Haoran never took a single step outside the barrier.
During this period, some people tried to contact him, such as Xu Meijing, Old Master Wu, and Bai Xue. They all called Yang Haoran, but due to the poor signal in the Place of Extreme Yin and his complete focus on refining the Soul-Refining Cauldron, their conversations were limited to brief updates on each other's well-being.
Inside the barrier, Yang Haoran floated cross-legged in the air. Before him, a small, fist-sized cauldron hovered – precisely the Soul-Refining Cauldron he so desperately wished to complete.
The current Soul-Refining Cauldron was vastly different from its former self. Though its size remained unchanged, every other aspect had transformed.
When he first obtained the Soul-Refining Cauldron from Xu Meijing, it was an ashen gray, resembling a crudely carved stone cauldron. Its craftsmanship was poor; it was exceedingly rough and entirely unrefined.
Now, however, the Soul-Refining Cauldron was entirely an inky black, its surface smooth and gleaming as if coated in a layer of oil. It appeared remarkably exquisite, a stark contrast to its previous state.
This dramatic transformation of the Soul-Refining Cauldron was due to its continuous absorption of Yin Qi. As it absorbed more Yin Qi, its rough exterior gradually faded, becoming smoother with each increment.
Concurrently, as the Soul-Refining Cauldron absorbed more and more Yin Qi, its color shifted from ashen gray, gradually transforming towards black.
Judging by its current color and the smoothness of its surface, the Soul-Refining Cauldron was likely not far from being fully refined.
However, although this place was no longer a Place of Extreme Yin, its Yin Qi had not been completely absorbed by the Soul-Refining Cauldron; a small amount still remained. Quanwang. 78z.
Yang Haoran gazed at the Soul-Refining Cauldron hovering before him, his face drenched in sweat, his breath ragged. Yet, a smile graced his lips, and his eyes burned with an intense fervor.
At this point, the Soul-Refining Cauldron's absorption of Yin Qi had become incredibly slow, far from its initial rapid pace. Even with Yang Haoran exerting his full power to urge it on, this situation remained utterly unchanged.
Yang Haoran knew that this was happening because the Soul-Refining Cauldron was nearing saturation. In this state, every trace of Yin Qi it absorbed was immensely difficult, which was why its speed had slowed.
Of course, he, who was powering the Soul-Refining Cauldron, was the one truly struggling. It was precisely because of the immense effort required that his face was covered in sweat and he continually gasped for air.
The current state of the Soul-Refining Cauldron was like Yang Haoran's past experiences downloading movies online: the film was on the verge of completion, yet it stubbornly crawled forward at a snail's pace during the final stretch. This filled him with anticipation, excitement, urgency, and even a touch of anxiety, fearing the download might fail.
“Just a little more, just a little more until it’s complete! ”
Ignoring the rapid depletion of Spirit Power within him, Yang Haoran pushed his power to the absolute maximum, hoping only to complete this final step swiftly.
Who knew how long had passed, but Yang Haoran felt his Spirit Power was once again on the verge of exhaustion. This left him somewhat speechless. If his Spirit Power completely ran out before the Soul-Refining Cauldron was successfully refined, he would have to spend time recovering his depleted Spirit Power before he could continue the refinement.
In that case, the matter would be delayed by another day or two.
Just as he was fretting over this, the Soul-Refining Cauldron, hovering before him, suddenly gave a slight tremor. This subtle change immediately captured his attention.
Yang Haoran's eyes lit up. Disregarding the sweat dripping into his eyes, he stared unblinkingly at the Soul-Refining Cauldron suspended before him.
Under his scrutiny, he discovered that the Soul-Refining Cauldron had ceased absorbing the Yin Qi from the surroundings. Even with his full power urging it on, it absorbed not a single trace more of Yin Qi.
“It’s done! ”
A surge of excitement echoed in his heart, and as if to confirm his inner judgment, the Soul-Refining Cauldron suddenly erupted with a pillar of black light!
Fortunately, a double-layered barrier had been laid out here; the black pillar of light was blocked by the first layer. Otherwise, if this black light pillar had suddenly shot into the sky, it was uncertain whether it would have drawn the attention of others. And if it had been noticed by someone with ill intentions, it certainly wouldn’t have boded well for Yang Haoran.
Gazing at the Soul-Refining Cauldron within the black light, and sensing the strange and oppressive power fluctuations emanating from it, Yang Haoran's smile deepened. His eyes involuntarily curved into crescent moons, and he felt a rare surge of excitement.
After nearly a year of continuous effort, Yang Haoran had finally succeeded in refining the Soul-Refining Cauldron, right here, right now. The surge of emotion in his heart was inevitable.
In truth, the fact that Yang Haoran was able to refine the Soul-Refining Cauldron in such a short period was primarily due to luck. Without sufficient luck, he might not have even found the Sunken Yin Stone by now, let alone begun refining the Soul-Refining Cauldron.
Even if Xu Meijing had found the Sunken Yin Stone and given him an embryonic Soul-Refining Cauldron, without enough luck to find a Place of Extreme Yin or a region rich in Yin Qi, he still wouldn't have been able to refine the Soul-Refining Cauldron in such a short time. Forget less than a year; even three to five years might not have been enough to successfully refine it.
Carrying his inner excitement, Yang Haoran began to control the Soul-Refining Cauldron according to the methods he knew. After a short while, the black pillar of light retracted back into the Soul-Refining Cauldron.
Although under Yang Haoran's control the Soul-Refining Cauldron no longer erupted with black light, it still emitted Yin Qi visible to the naked eye.
At a glance, the Soul-Refining Cauldron was enveloped in a dense mass of black Yin Qi, appearing incredibly sinister. One could tell immediately that it was not an item used by those of the righteous path.
With a smile plastered on his face, Yang Haoran grasped the Soul-Refining Cauldron before him, then examined it meticulously, unable to put it down.
He didn't care about righteous paths or unrighteous ones; all he needed was power, immense power.
Besides, he was an Underworld Official. According to the laws of their Underworld Office, they, the Underworld Officials, represented justice, represented the righteous path!
At this moment, Yang Haoran was eager to test the Soul-Refining Cauldron's ability to refine Soul Pills. However, he ultimately forced down his inner urge. After all, this was not a place to linger.
Moreover, his Spirit Power was running low. If he were to refine Soul Pills here and something unexpected occurred, he might very well "capsize in a ditch."
Therefore, the idea of refining Soul Pills here to test the Soul-Refining Cauldron's unique ability was merely a thought. Given Yang Haoran's character, he certainly wouldn't actually do it.
Carefully storing the Soul-Refining Cauldron into his independent space, Yang Haoran's heart remained unsettled for a long time. With this Soul-Refining Cauldron, he essentially had a cheat code. From now on, as long as he had enough souls, the gap between him and other Underworld Officials would steadily shrink.
Ultimately, the strength of other Underworld Officials might even be left far behind him!
Taking a deep breath, Yang Haoran closed his eyes to compose himself, and incidentally, to recover as much Spirit Power as possible. After about an hour, he slowly opened his eyes.
By then, his heart had completely calmed. The joy and excitement the Soul-Refining Cauldron brought him were now tucked away in his mind, not a trace showing on his face.
He had returned to his normal self, looking no different from usual: the familiar smile, the familiar crescent eyes, the familiar "dagger hidden in a smile" demeanor.
“I’ve been out for so long, it’s time to head back. ”
A calm voice issued from Yang Haoran's lips. He then dispelled the restrictive barrier he had set up in this place, and subsequently destroyed the restrictive barrier Zhao Hong had originally laid down.
Having completed all this, the place finally revealed its true, unadorned state: withered trees and plants, blackened stones, no birds in the sky, no beasts on the ground—a scene of utter desolation.
This appearance was due to the prolonged and intense influence of Yin Qi on the area. Fortunately, not much Yin Qi remained now.
Yang Haoran waved a hand, and a strong gust of Yin wind swept through, dispersing the remaining Yin Qi in the area.
Without Yin Qi, it was only a matter of time before this place returned to normal.
Taking one last look at the place, Yang Haoran, a smile on his face, tore open a spatial rift and decisively departed.
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