"You!..."
Hearing Ye Yunfei's words, Huang Shang grew furious.
It had to be known that the Three Crow Dark Fire was something he had spent untold effort and time to obtain, having faced life-and-death perils in the process.
He had even lost his life because of the Three Crow Dark Fire, leaving only a Remnant Soul.
It could be said that in his mind, the Three Crow Dark Fire was extremely precious.
"No matter how precious the Three Crow Dark Fire is, it cannot compare to your life, can it?"
Ye Yunfei naturally understood Huang Shang's sentiment and spoke calmly.
"What?!"
Huang Shang couldn't help but tremble, staring at Ye Yunfei with a look of disbelief.
"Are you saying you can rebuild my physical body for me? Impossible! Unless a Great Golden Immortal were to arrive, there might be a chance. Otherwise, it cannot be done."
Originally, after death, a Soul Body could not exist for long within the world; it would quickly dissipate.
However, Huang Shang was an Eighth-Grade Alchemist, and his Soul Power was far stronger than an ordinary martial artist's.
Moreover, this Pill Cauldron's quality was excellent, its interior engraved with formations specifically designed to protect Soul Bodies.
That was why Huang Shang's Remnant Soul had managed to survive until now.
But to rebuild his physical body and regain life? That was something he dared not even consider.
"You don't need a Great Golden Immortal; I can do it."
Ye Yunfei continued, his voice flat.
"As long as your Remnant Soul doesn't dissipate, in the future, I can refine some Soul-strengthening elixirs to slowly fortify this Remnant Soul of yours."
"Then, by collecting several necessary Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, when the time comes, helping you rebuild your physical body isn't an impossibility either."
"Of course, you can refuse this transaction."
"Get out of this Pill Cauldron immediately and don't appear before me again."
"Young man, are you certain you have the ability to rebuild my physical body for me?"
Huang Shang's gaze locked onto Ye Yunfei as he asked word by word.
"It's not a matter of ability. The most crucial part is having the opportunity to gather those key Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures."
Ye Yunfei replied, his voice very plain yet exuding a peerless confidence.
"If the materials are complete, I have full confidence in rebuilding a body for you."
"Good!"
Huang Shang gritted his teeth and made a decision.
"Young man, I believe you!"
"The Three Crow Dark Fire… I can give it to you."
"As long as you promise to rebuild my physical body!"
To rebuild his body and live again? What an enticing prospect that was.
"The Three Crow Dark Fire… I hid it in a corner at the headquarters of Tongsheng Gate in the Eastern Region."
"That corner is extremely well-concealed. I carved layer upon layer of formations there. An outsider would never find it without knowing the location."
"However… Tongsheng Gate is one of the major sects of the Eastern Region. It's full of experts. With your strength…"
Huang Shang began.
"Good. Deal."
Ye Yunfei cut him off.
"When I have the time, I will go with you to Tongsheng Gate's headquarters to retrieve that Three Crow Dark Fire."
"A mere major sect of the Eastern Region… I don't hold it in my regard."
Huang Shang sighed and nodded.
He didn't know where Ye Yunfei's confidence came from.
"I guess your current state is somewhat similar to this Pill Cauldron's Artifact Spirit, is it not?"
Ye Yunfei suddenly asked.
"Correct."
Huang Shang confirmed.
"Back then, I precisely used my Remnant Soul as the Artifact Spirit and refined it into this Pill Cauldron. Otherwise, how would it have been possible to survive until now?"
"Since that's the case, you can help me in the future when refining pills."
Ye Yunfei said.
"Speed up the refining process."
"That's not a problem."
Huang Shang readily agreed.
"For me, it's merely a trivial effort."
As the Artifact Spirit of this Pill Cauldron and a former Eighth-Grade Alchemist, offering some assistance during the pill-refining process was simplicity itself.
"Young Master Ye Yunfei, the evening banquet is ready. The Third Prince has sent this humble maid to invite you."
Just at that moment, a soft, sweet, and slightly seductive female voice sounded outside the small building.
"Fine."
Ye Yunfei stood up.
"Master, I will still enter the inner elixir to meditate."
Hu Miao entered Ye Yunfei's room.
"I need to recover my demonic power origin as soon as possible."
"Good."
Ye Yunfei nodded.
"Within the next two days, I will refine a batch of elixirs for you to use."
Hu Miao transformed into a wisp of demonic mist and drifted into the inner elixir within Ye Yunfei's body.
Ye Yunfei walked out of the small building.
Outside, a clear-featured maidservant stood with her hands respectfully folded, waiting before the building.
"Please follow me."
The maidservant spoke respectfully, then led Ye Yunfei, twisting and turning through corridors and passing halls, arriving outside a grand and imposing great hall.
Under the eaves outside the hall, hundreds of exquisite small lanterns hung. A rosy-red light softly spilled from them, spilling onto the ground.
Several dozen beautiful maidservants stood at the entrance, attending to guests.
"Young Master Ye Yunfei, please."
The maidservant who led the way gave a slight bow, making a gesture of invitation towards Ye Yunfei.
Ye Yunfei didn't stand on ceremony and directly stepped into the great hall.
As he passed the entrance, the dozen-plus attending maidservants knelt and bowed together, their voices sounding like melodious nightingales.
"Please enter, Young Master Ye Yunfei."
"Brother Ye, please, quickly, come in!"
No sooner had he entered the hall than the Third Prince was already welcoming him, his face beaming with smiles.
The Third Prince warmly pulled Ye Yunfei towards a massive solid wood dining table in the center of the hall.
The table was dozens of meters long and several meters wide, with over a hundred men and women seated around it.
At that moment, over a hundred pairs of eyes swept towards Ye Yunfei uniformly.
Accompanying those gazes were layers of either indifferent or ferocious auras and pressures, crashing down onto Ye Yunfei's head in a concentrated wave!
Ye Yunfei also lifted his gaze to look.
He saw that over a hundred men and women all had sharp, fierce auras. Their eyes gleamed with a fierce light, their expressions ranging from curious, to coldly mocking, to disdainful...
Clearly, every single one of them was no good-natured person or devout believer.
"Brother Ye, these are all the various skilled warriors I've recruited over these years, just like you, assisting me in my great undertaking."
The Third Prince explained to Ye Yunfei.
"Therefore, tonight I've specially arranged this banquet so that everyone can get to know each other."
Ye Yunfei gave a faint nod, not bothering to look at those seated at the table at all.
"Third Prince, is this the new alchemist you recruited?"
Suddenly, a portly, big-eared middle-aged woman stood up, speaking in a sarcastic, insinuating tone.
"His face is very unfamiliar. Within the Great Qin Empire, I've heard of nearly all alchemists of even slight repute."
"However, I've never heard of a character named Ye Yunfei."
"Judging by his appearance, he's nothing but a green brat."
"Third Prince, if you want to win this Alchemy Competition, how could you recruit such garbage?"
"Hahaha…"
The several hundred people all broke into wild laughter.
"Third Prince, hurry up and make this child clear off."
Another voice jeered.
"With Apothecary Guo and Apothecary Lin present, it's already sufficient for this Alchemy Competition."
"No matter how high this child's alchemy level is, it's limited. Having him participate in the Alchemy Competition would be like sending a chicken or duck to be slaughtered!"
"Exactly! Third Prince, having this boy step onto the competition stage will only become a joke about the Third Prince's Mansion, resulting in more loss than gain."
"..."
Around the dining table, those men and women, one after another, sneered with biting sarcasm and sharp tongues.
Among them, two men didn't speak, merely shaking their heads with light smiles. Their gazes towards Ye Yunfei were full of utter disdain.