Sun Yun’s lament proved true. In a mere three days, Wang Lin attempted the alchemical process sixteen times, failing in all but the last. Each failure was met with silent contemplation as he sought the cause, before emerging from the cottage to gather more herbs.

Gazing upon the once vibrant herb garden, now a desolate expanse, Sun Yun’s heart clenched. This garden was the fruit of her tireless devotion, where even her own alchemical endeavors were undertaken with the utmost care.

Yet, in three short days, the herbs were all but gone. Though no explosions had shattered the silence, Sun Yun would have preferred such a cataclysm, even if it had ravaged the garden. Such a destructive event would be easier to endure than this slow, agonizing depletion.

Her eyes fixed on the cottage, now a source of dread, she could bear it no longer. She stormed forth, flinging open the door to find Wang Lin seated in meditation, a single, finished pill held delicately in his hand.

What infuriated her most was the smile playing on his lips as he regarded the pill. This smile, in Sun Yun’s eyes, was a spark to the tinder of her rage. “Zeng Niu!” she hissed, drawing a deep breath as she recalled her suspicions of his true power, forcing herself to suppress her anger.

Smoothing a stray lock of hair behind her ear, Sun Yun spoke with forced sweetness, “Zeng Niu, congratulations on finally crafting a pill. May I see it?”

Fifteen failed attempts, a ruined garden, and a beastly spirit subjected to countless fusions until it begged for death’s release, all for this single success.

As Wang Lin gazed at the pill in his hand, he was filled with contemplation. The alchemy of the Cloud Sea required a delicate dance with the beastial spirit, a dance not detailed in any scroll but learned through trial and error.

Hearing Sun Yun’s words, Wang Lin instinctively touched his nose, his gaze drifting past her form to the ravaged garden. Even with his millennia of experience, a twinge of shame pricked him.

With a flick of his wrist, he tossed the pill to Sun Yun, about to offer an explanation, but his words were cut short by a piercing shriek.

Sun Yun’s eyes widened as she stared at the pill in her hand. The dam of her rage burst. The image of the white-haired figure, the memory of that single, powerful finger, the acknowledgement of his vast cultivation, were all swept aside by the tide of her fury. Three days of torment, watching her cherished herbs torn away, all culminated in this.

A mere third-grade pill! Though valuable for those of the Yang Solidification realm, the garden’s bounty could have yielded a fourth-grade elixir. Under the hand of her Uncle Li, even a fifth-grade result was within reach. “Zeng Niu! You shall repay me for my herbs!” she roared, her eyes brimming with tears, ready to confront him. But as she lifted her gaze, she found the cottage empty. Zeng Niu was gone.

High above the Moro Continent, Wang Lin reappeared, again touching his nose, a wry smile on his face as Sun Yun’s voice still echoed in his ears. “Bah, it was just a garden of herbs…” he muttered, shaking his head. With a flicker, he transformed into a streak of light, vanishing into the sky.

Piercing the protective layers of the Moro Continent, Wang Lin was met by the star-strewn Cloud Sea. The jade scrolls of the Returning Origin Sect spoke of alchemy and spirit beasts, but also of the Moro Continent’s location within a Fifth Order Starfield. Within the swirling star mist of this realm, beyond the populated continents, lay the so-called Savage Lands.

Similar to the Savage Stars of the Thunder and Rain realms, these continents lacked protective barriers and were perpetually shrouded in mist, havens for savage beasts. Within these lands, rare herbs could be found.

Guided by the star map in his mind, Wang Lin plunged into the star mist, flying swiftly, as the swirling clouds obscured his vision and limited his divine sense. Unfamiliar with this region, his pace slowed.

The nearest Savage Lands, long since exploited by the Returning Origin Sect as a testing ground, held few beasts and even fewer herbs.

Wang Lin sought a more distant continent, one teeming with formidable beasts where he could find the medicinal ingredients he required.

He accelerated, his form a blur of light that tore through the mist, though his divine sense could only extend a thousand feet. Here, even a Peering Nirvana cultivator could only reach a hundred feet. Within his range, strange beasts appeared: scale-covered, fish-like horrors with tooth-filled maws and a reeking stench.

There were dragon-like creatures, swift as crimson lightning, that traveled in packs of dozens, and shades resembling the Nether Beasts he had seen in the Domain of the Immortals, but smaller, which even the crimson lightning-beasts gave way to.

Also, there were tadpole-like, black beasts, like the Ludi spirit-beast, exuding a pressure of strength. These creatures recoiled upon entering Wang Lin’s divine sense, hastily retreating.

Suddenly, Wang Lin’s eyes flashed. He waved his right hand, creating a tear in space, and with a buzzing swarm of delight, the mosquito beasts emerged.

The insects buzzed in circles, expressing joy. The purple mosquito beast was excited.

Wang Lin sat upon the purple mosquito beast, which raced into the stars with its fellows.

Time seemed endless in the starfield. Days blurred, replaced only by the slow swirl of the star mist.

After three days of travel, Wang Lin left the Moro Continent behind and approached a marked area that contained a dangerous Savage Land.

Soon, a massive shadow appeared in his divine sense, large enough to blot out the stars, and as Wang Lin approached, he heard distant howls.

Wang Lin’s eyes glinted, as did the mosquito. At last, the looming shadow came into focus. It was a sprawling Savage Land.

Wang Lin leaped from the mosquito beast, broke the star mist, and landed on the solid ground of the Savage Land. The landscape was a foggy black as indistinguishable from the space in the sky. A few howls suggested something existed on this land.

The black ground was sandy. He walked forward slowly until he found a ruin of a city. The houses were dilapidated, and the walls had dried, dark red stains.

Suddenly, a dark shadow burst from one of the houses with a roar. It was only dozens of feet big, but it closed in with a bolt of lightning.

Wang Lin remained calm. Without him moving, one of the mosquito beasts became a shadow and moved for the beast. With a bang, a proboscis pierced its head and sucked it into a bag of blood. The mosquito beast returned with disdain.

Wang Lin stroked the big head of the insect, pointed forward, and the insect flew forward with its comrades.

As they flew, the black shadow that was dozens in number rushed into the ruins and howled.

From Wang Lin’s perspective, he could see they were black apes that were similar to the beastial spirit from the pills Sun Yun took.

“Leave the souls!” Wang Lin intoned and echoed throughout the ruins. The battle between the mosquito beasts and ape beasts was one-sided. The ape beasts were killed and turned into pools of blood.

A dozen mosquito beasts returned to Wang Lin and spat out the souls that Wang Lin took.

The blood caused more ferocious beasts to growl in the distance. The ground shook and the winds howled. Wang Lin searched the ruins but did not find herbs. So he turned and left.

His figure was one with the mist. His aura was strong, and his ferocity was greater than any beast. The sounds of the beasts in the distance grew fewer until there were none. The tremors ceased and the winds dissipated.