From a loser to an immortal sage

Chapter 162 After overcoming countless dangers, the elixir is finally obtained.

My fingertips touched the thin mist surrounding the Nine-Turn Golden Lotus, and a searing heat instantly spread throughout my body. I gritted my teeth, enduring the heat, and continued to reach forward. The mist churned even more violently, as if a sleeping beast was awakening. I felt a powerful repulsive force trying to push me away, but I didn't give up and resolutely stretched out my hand.

"Xiao Yao! You can forget about getting the Nine-Turn Golden Lotus!" A loud shout rang out, and Lei Hu's figure rushed out from the thin mist, wielding a huge thunder hammer, and smashed it fiercely towards me.

I quickly dodged to the side, cursing under my breath. This guy is really persistent! I thought he had given up, but I didn't expect him to still be hiding in the shadows, waiting for his chance.

"Lei Hu, why involve the Nine-Turn Golden Lotus in our business?" I said coldly, gathering spiritual power in my hands, preparing to fight.

"Hmph! How could such a precious elixir as the Nine-Turn Golden Lotus fall into the hands of a piece of trash like you!" Lei Hu sneered and swung his thunder hammer at me again.

Just then, a dark figure descended from the sky and blocked my way. I looked closely and saw that it was Elder Xuanfeng! His face was pale, and there was still blood at the corner of his mouth, clearly indicating that his previous injuries had not yet healed.

"Elder Xuanfeng, what do you mean by this?" I asked, puzzled, not understanding why he was helping me.

"Xiao Yao, I have offended you in the past, and I hope you can forgive me." Elder Xuanfeng said weakly, "Now I am exhausted and I only hope to make amends before I die."

I sneered inwardly. This old man is quite the actor. He was targeting me at every turn before, but now he's suddenly changing his tune, saying he wants to make amends. Who would believe that?

Before I could even speak, Zi Ling's figure appeared in the mist. She held a sharp dagger in her hand, her eyes gleaming with a cold light.

"Xiao Yao, do you really think you can get the Nine-Turn Golden Lotus?" Zi Ling said with a sneer. "Don't forget, we haven't settled our score yet!"

My heart sank. It seemed they had conspired all along to deal with me here. I looked around. Lei Hu, Elder Xuan Feng, and Zi Ling, three powerful opponents, surrounded me. I felt like I was in a desperate situation.

The Nine-Turned Golden Lotus is so close, yet I cannot touch it. Am I destined to miss it forever?

No, I will never give up!

I took a deep breath and mobilized all the spiritual energy in my body, preparing to meet their attack.

Just then, an even more powerful force erupted from the Nine-Turn Golden Lotus, blasting all four of us away.

I fell heavily to the ground, feeling as if my internal organs had shifted. I struggled to get up, but found myself completely powerless, unable to even move a single finger.

I looked up in the direction of the Nine-Turn Golden Lotus, and saw that the thin mist around it had dissipated, revealing the golden flowers.

The Nine-Turned Golden Lotus, finally...

“They’re here…” a weak voice came from behind me.

I turned my head with difficulty and saw Pharmacist Mo supporting Elder Xuanfeng as they slowly walked towards me. Elder Xuanfeng's face was even paler, his breath weak, as if he might die at any moment. He looked at me, his eyes filled with complex emotions—regret, resentment, and even a hint of…relief?

“Cough cough… Xiao Yao, this old man… cough cough…” Elder Xuanfeng spoke each word as if he had exhausted all his strength. “This old man knows that he has committed grave sins and should not have coveted the elixir of immortality… cough cough… but this old man has been obsessed with alchemy all his life, and he really… cannot bear… to see the Nine-Turn Golden Lotus… fall into the hands of others…”

I sneered and weakly retorted, "You make it sound so noble, but isn't it all just greed at play?"

Elder Xuanfeng gave a wry smile and remained silent. Pharmacist Mo sighed, helped Elder Xuanfeng to a seat, and began to heal his injuries.

I looked at the Nine-Turn Golden Lotus again; it radiated a dazzling light, as if beckoning me. I struggled to stand up, but found that I didn't even have the strength to move a finger.

Lei Hu and Zi Ling also got up from the ground. Although they were also injured, they were in much better condition than me. They looked at me with greed and murderous intent in their eyes.

"Xiao Yao, you're out of strength. Hand over the Nine-Turn Golden Lotus obediently, and we might give you a quick death!" Lei Hu said with a sinister grin.

"Dream on!" I gritted my teeth, struggling to keep myself from collapsing.

Just then, the ground began to shake violently, and a powerful demonic aura emanated from the direction of the Nine-Turn Golden Lotus.

"Oh no! It's a demonic beast guarding the elixir!" Pharmacist Mo exclaimed.

A huge monster emerged from the ground, its body covered in black scales, with a pair of sharp horns on its head and a fierce glint in its eyes.

This demonic beast's aura is even stronger than that of Lei Hu and Zi Ling combined!

My heart sank; it seemed I was truly doomed.

The monster let out a deafening roar and then charged at me.

I felt like I was in dire straits. My spiritual energy was about to run out, my body was covered in wounds, and I felt incredibly exhausted.

Seeing this, Lei Hu and Zi Ling wore smug smiles. They knew that I was already at my limit and had no chance of withstanding the monster's attack.

I closed my eyes, awaiting death.

However, at that moment, I felt a warm current surging within me. This warm current quickly flowed throughout my body, filling me with strength.

I suddenly opened my eyes, a glint of light flashing in them.

"Roar!" The monster had already rushed in front of me, opening its blood-red maw, wanting to swallow me whole.

I took a deep breath, gathered all the power in my body into my hand, and then threw a punch.

"boom!"

With a loud bang, my fist collided with the monster's gaping maw.

I felt a sharp pain in my arm, but my fist did not flinch.

"Get out of my way!" I roared, unleashing all my power.

"...How is this possible..."

An unprecedented power surged from the depths of my dantian, sweeping through my entire body like a volcanic eruption. This feeling… so familiar, yet so strange. For years, I had been gathering herbs on precipitous cliffs, struggling on the edge of life and death. Every act of perseverance, every breakthrough, had silently accumulated this power. It turned out, I wasn't without spiritual roots; rather, my spiritual roots were connected to the spiritual energy of the plants and trees of this world, merged with my unwavering will!

I felt my body brimming with power; the pain seemed to vanish, replaced by an unprecedented lightness and strength. I suddenly opened my eyes, my gaze flashing like two sharp swords piercing the darkness before me.

“This, how is this possible…” Lei Hu looked at me in horror. The smug look on his face froze instantly, replaced by unbelievable fear.

I ignored his shock and instead turned my gaze to Elder Xuanfeng, Lei Hu, and Zi Ling. They were staring at me menacingly, their eyes gleaming with greed.

"Want the Nine-Turn Golden Lotus? Then get past me first!" I shouted coldly, and with a flash, I rushed towards them like an arrow released from a bow.

My speed was astonishing; they didn't even have time to react before my fist slammed into Elder Xuanfeng's chest.

"Pfft!" Elder Xuanfeng spat out a mouthful of blood, flew backward, and crashed heavily to the ground.

Upon seeing this, Lei Hu and Zi Ling's expressions changed drastically. They no longer dared to underestimate me and unleashed their magical weapons to attack me.

I sneered, neither dodging nor avoiding, letting their attacks fall on me.

"Clang clang clang!"

A clang of metal rang out, and their attacks couldn't even break through my defenses! Although my clothes were torn, my skin was completely unharmed, without even a scratch.

"This...this is impossible!" Lei Hu and Zi Ling were utterly shocked; they couldn't believe their eyes.

I gave them no chance to catch their breath. I flashed again and appeared behind Lei Hu, slapping him on the back with my palm.

"boom!"

Lei Hu let out a miserable cry and flew backward, crashing into a large tree. His fate was unknown.

Upon seeing this, Zi Ling was terrified and turned to run away.

How could I let her have her way? I flashed in front of her and threw a punch.

"what!"

Zi Ling screamed and flew backward, crashing heavily to the ground and losing consciousness.

After dealing with the three of them, I turned around and looked at the huge monster.

Seeing how powerful I was, the monster's eyes flashed with a hint of fear, but it did not back down. Instead, it let out a deafening roar and charged at me again.

My fist collided with the monster's giant claw, producing a deafening roar.

"Roar!"

The monster let out a painful roar as my fist shattered its giant claws.

I pressed my advantage, flashed into the face of the monster, and punched it on the head.

The monster's head exploded like a watermelon, splattering blood everywhere.

The monster's massive body crashed to the ground, kicking up clouds of dust.

I stood there, took a deep breath, and felt completely refreshed.

I have finally defeated all my enemies!

I walked up to the Nine-Turned Golden Lotus, carefully picked it, and put it into my storage bag.

Looking at the Nine-Turned Golden Lotus in my hand, my heart was filled with joy.

I have finally obtained this miraculous herb!

I looked up into the distance, a glint of light flashing in my eyes… This Nine-Turn Golden Lotus was just the beginning…

The moment I held the Nine-Turn Golden Lotus in my hand, a cool sensation spread from my fingertips throughout my body, instantly dispelling my fatigue. I carefully placed it into a specially made jade box and then into the depths of my storage bag. This jade box was a gift from the Alchemist Mo, specifically designed to preserve precious medicinal herbs and lock in their potency to the greatest extent possible. Thinking of Alchemist Mo, I couldn't help but smile. He had once said that if I obtained the Nine-Turn Golden Lotus, he would pass on his life's experience in alchemy to me.

I sat cross-legged, regulated my breathing for a moment, and felt the abundant spiritual energy within my body. This Nine-Turn Golden Lotus truly lived up to its name; merely being near it had already benefited me immensely. I took out some auxiliary medicinal herbs I had collected earlier and examined them carefully. Refining high-grade pills was no easy task; it required precise proportions and control of the heat. The slightest carelessness could lead to failure, or even cause the pill furnace to explode.

The alchemy formulas that Master Mo had taught me, along with the properties and blending methods of various medicinal herbs, floated into my mind. The Nine-Turn Golden Lotus was the main ingredient, which needed to be slowly nurtured over a gentle fire to bring out its medicinal properties. Then, other medicinal herbs were added in sequence, and the heat was carefully controlled to ensure perfect fusion.

I took a deep breath, took out the alchemy furnace, and placed it in front of me. This furnace was purchased with spirit stones I had accumulated over the years. Although it wasn't top-of-the-line, it was enough to refine some high-grade pills. Following the instructions of the alchemist, I first preheated the furnace, and then placed the Nine-Turn Golden Lotus inside.

Pale golden flames licked the bottom of the alchemy furnace, and a faint fragrance wafted through the air. I focused intently on controlling the heat, not daring to slacken my efforts in the slightest. As time passed, the Nine-Turn Golden Lotus gradually melted, turning into a ball of golden liquid that slowly swirled within the furnace.

I added the other medicinal herbs one by one, each addition accompanied by a slight vibration within the furnace. I carefully controlled the heat, ensuring the medicinal properties of each herb were perfectly blended.

Time ticked by, and fine beads of sweat appeared on my forehead. Refining high-grade pills is an extremely demanding process that requires both mental and spiritual energy; the slightest mistake can lead to the loss of all previous efforts.

Finally, the medicinal liquid inside the furnace gradually solidified, turning into golden pills. I was overjoyed and quickly extinguished the flames by performing a hand seal.

After the alchemy furnace cooled down, I couldn't wait to open the lid. A rich aroma of pills wafted out, and nine golden pills lay quietly at the bottom of the furnace, radiating an alluring glow.

I carefully took out the pill and placed it into the jade bottle. Success! I actually refined the Nine-Turn Golden Lotus Pill!

I gripped the jade bottle tightly in my hand, my heart filled with joy and excitement. This Nine-Turn Golden Lotus Pill could not only enhance cultivation but also strengthen the body; it was a rare treasure in the cultivation world.

I looked up into the distance, a determined glint in my eyes. With this Nine-Turn Golden Lotus Pill, my path to immortality will be much smoother!

I put the jade bottle into my storage bag, preparing to leave. However, just as I turned around, I suddenly sensed some faint presences around me... Who was it?

I stopped abruptly and looked around warily...