A single thought from Fang Han, and mist billowed from his body—dense clouds that shimmered with phantasmal light. Fish, dragons, and mountains flickered within, illusions twisting and overlapping until the entire bronze hall was shrouded in dreamlike haze. Fang Han, the witch, and Long Xuan vanished within it, their figures melting into mirage-like ripples.
It was the Mirage Array, one of the formations within the Five Hells King Cauldron, designed to obscure both the cauldron and its wielder from prying eyes. This was necessary—after all, they were inside Wan Gui Immortal Island's Black Tortoise Hall. There would surely be magical wards watching every corner.
Fang Han was certain that Hai Shan had hidden scrying talismans somewhere in this hall. Now, with the Mirage Array active, any attempt to peek inside would reveal nothing but swirling fog.
The Five Hells King Cauldron was a supreme treasure, refined from the life's work and demonic essence of the Five Hells Great Devil King. Within it were 999 formations—each with its own mysterious function. Fang Han had already begun to understand a few: the Five Fires Divine Thunder Array, the Void-Shifting Array, and this Mirage Array. He had reached the point where he could use them practically, but true mastery would take time, power, and experience.
Every bit of progress he made in mastering the cauldron's arrays also deepened his understanding of formations themselves—crucial knowledge for one day transcending into the Heaven-Man Realm.
Right now, though, he didn't need the cauldron's full might—only its alchemical functions.
With a flick of his hand, Wood Emperor True Qi gathered at his fingertips, sweeping out like invisible claws. The herbs stored in crystal vats flew into the air, their colors dazzling, before being sucked into his sleeve and drawn into the Five Hells King Cauldron within the Yellow Springs Diagram.
A moment later, the house-sized cauldron materialized in the hall's center, towering and majestic.
Thankfully, this bronze hall was spacious enough to contain it. Otherwise, even bringing it out would have been impossible. This explained why the Deadly Island Lord had rarely carried it with him—it was too cumbersome without a spatial artifact like Fang Han's Yellow Springs Diagram, which could store such massive objects effortlessly.
Once the herbs were gathered inside, Fang Han leapt into the cauldron himself.
"Mountains and Rivers, arise!"
Long Xuan's power split into seven strands, surging into the seven sentient jellyfish that floated within crystal tanks. The jellyfish trembled, resisting with psychic might, but they could not withstand a Mystic Realm cultivator's strength. One after another, they burst apart, releasing seven streams of crystalline water that wrapped around Long Xuan like ribbons of living silk.
Her task done, she too jumped into the cauldron.
"Pulverize the herbs!"
Fang Han ignored her cultivation and focused on his own. The countless medicinal ingredients were drawn before a strange bronze screen within the cauldron. A beam of light shot forth from it—wherever it touched, herbs shattered into powder finer than dust.
It was the Shattering Array, a smaller formation used to grind materials. Originally a demonic art called The Great Pulverizing Magic, it was perfect for refining ingredients without burning away their essence.
Such sophistication could never be found in ordinary furnaces. Most alchemists relied on fire alone, losing much potency in the process. But the Five Hells Cauldron could preserve every drop of spiritual essence—truly the work of a genius craftsman.
"Refining Array—purify the essence!"
Once the herbs were reduced to dust, Fang Han infused more energy. A whirling cyclone erupted, spinning the powders until they dissolved into streams of liquid fire. Soon, rich colors filled the air—amber, jade, gold—pure medicinal essence rising like smoke, while dull residue fell away as ash.
"Excellent! Such efficiency—it would've taken me months in a normal furnace!" Fang Han laughed, watching the array work.
In conventional refining, separating essence from dross could take weeks of sleepless labor. Here, it was done in moments. The difference between a master's cauldron and an ordinary one was like heaven and earth.
Naked now, Fang Han's physique gleamed like carved jade as he absorbed the roiling medicinal vapors. Each pore drank in power from the essence of Lunar Earthworms, Millennial Silver-Scaled Pangolins, and more. His body swelled with vigor, muscles tightening, bones creaking as if being reforged.
Then came the Five Fires Divine Thunder Array—but this time, it burned softly. Threads of orange-red flame coiled around his body like silk. This was Gentle Fire, warm yet perilous. His skin hissed and smoked, pain lancing through him—but beneath the agony, the transformation began.
The medicinal essence fused with his flesh, turning his blood dark gold, earthy and rich with the scent of soil and stone. His Yama Golden Body was evolving once more—ascending to a new level.
He felt himself standing upon boundless earth, roots spreading from his feet into the soil, anchoring him to the world. Nothing could topple him.
"Earth stands at the center of the five elements—it gives birth to wood, holds water, hides metal, and cradles fire… it embraces all things."
A deep understanding bloomed in his mind. His breath grew steady, vast, his power surging as his Wood Emperor True Qi began to crystallize, shimmering within his meridians like solid jade.
Until now, cultivating the Yama Golden Body had always conflicted with his Wood Emperor Qi, threatening to drive him mad. But this revelation changed everything.
"Of course! Trees grow from the earth. My body feeds the wood, and the wood nourishes my body—they are one!"
He smiled faintly. "I have grasped the true meaning of Earth's Hidden Power! From now on, my Wood Emperor Qi will nurture my flesh, while the Yama Golden Body fuels my Qi—they shall grow together!"
As the last of the flames sank into his skin, his power erupted.
Boom!
The air cracked as his fist punched forward, creating a shockwave so dense it howled like spirits wailing. White ripples of compressed air exploded outward.
"With just my body alone, without even using Qi—I'm this strong?" Fang Han's eyes widened in awe. His sheer physical strength now rivaled that of a low-tier divine transformation expert—perhaps fifty warhorses' worth of might.
He clenched his fists, grinning. "Even a flying sword—I could crush with a single punch."