The art of the Soul Pill, while greatly aiding in the formation of the Golden Elixir, is not an easy feat to master. In fact, it can be said that its difficulty rivals that of forming the Golden Elixir itself. Condensing a Soul Pill requires an immense amount of soul power, which means that only soul cultivators can attempt it. However, soul cultivators are few and far between in the entire cultivation world, and in many regions, their existence is considered taboo. Even among soul cultivators, success is not guaranteed. According to the jade slip, Xi Cangqiong achieved success by cultivating the Heart Cleansing Formula to an extremely high level and using the Soul Calming Jar to refine a large amount of soul power. Yuan Ming, despite having cultivated the Death Moon method to the fourth level, still lacks sufficient soul power. Since embarking on the path of soul cultivation, the Stealing Heaven Cauldron has been of great help, mainly in restoring soul power, but it lacks the ability to refine others’ souls and feed back to oneself like the Soul Calming Jar. In other words, if he wants to cultivate the Soul Pill, he needs to find a way to enhance his soul power.

After a moment of contemplation, Yuan Ming gradually calmed down. Despite his mediocre aptitude, he has a high talent for soul cultivation. Using soul power to condense the elixir could be a promising way to successfully form the Golden Elixir in the future. Yuan Ming withdrew his soul from the white jade slip, which once again emitted a faint white light, hiding the secret technique of the Soul Pill. He put the jade slip back into the wooden box and began planning his future cultivation. Since he decided to cultivate the Soul Pill technique, he needed to increase the time spent on the Death Moon method, produce a large amount of Nourishing Soul Incense, and see if the willingness collected by the Stealing Heaven Cauldron could be directly absorbed and integrated with his spiritual consciousness. If possible, the cultivation of the Death Moon method could be greatly accelerated.

With this in mind, Yuan Ming instructed Lei Yu to continue heading north while taking out the Stealing Heaven Cauldron and holding it in his arms, starting to operate the Death Moon method. As soon as he activated the Death Moon method, he could more clearly sense the willingness gathering around the Stealing Heaven Cauldron. Yuan Ming extended his soul power from his sea of consciousness, enveloping a strand of willingness, attempting to draw it into his sea of consciousness. The process was unexpectedly smooth. Under the pull of his soul power, the strand of willingness was successfully drawn into his sea of consciousness. Yuan Ming operated the Death Moon method, and a vortex of soul power appeared in his sea of consciousness, enveloping the willingness and beginning to refine it. Soon, it was completely absorbed, and his soul power increased slightly. He felt a surge of joy, but then a shock followed. The absorbed strand of willingness contained a strong and complex mix of emotions, including fear, unease, despair, and worship. Yuan Ming felt a throbbing pain in his forehead, and the various emotions lingered in his heart, unable to dissipate for a long time.

“Ah, so willingness carries emotions? Of course, willingness is inherently mixed with various emotions.” After a long while, Yuan Ming finally recovered and exhaled a breath of turbid air. The willingness flowing from the Stealing Heaven Cauldron, however, did not carry any emotional burden. It seemed that the Stealing Heaven Cauldron had some secret that could refine these willingnesses. Yuan Ming speculated silently. Although the willingness from the outside was difficult to refine, using this method to enhance soul power was much faster than simply cultivating the Death Moon method. Yuan Ming steadied his mind and continued to try to draw willingness into his body and refine it.

Under the azure sky, the scorching sun hung high. The endless yellow sand covered the ground, with undulating dunes resembling waves in the sea. From a distance, they appeared exceptionally smooth, like a glassy mirror without any flaws. In the caravan, a dark-skinned man named Tala tightened the white cloth wrapped around his head, his gaze climbing along the bright yellow sand. Seeing the distant horizon where the yellow and blue met, the sky and the sand seemed to blend yet remain distinct, he breathed a sigh of relief.

“Everyone, let’s push on while the weather is good and try to reach Quicksand City as soon as possible!” he shouted to those behind him. The others in the caravan responded weakly, their voices uneven, and their steps did not quicken. Although avoiding a sandstorm was a relief, the cloudless sky and the scorching sun were also unbearable. After nearly a day of travel, most of the caravan members were physically and mentally exhausted, their feet burning on the hot sand as if walking on a red-hot iron plate, leaving them with no energy to hasten their pace. Not everyone could be like Tala, the caravan leader, riding a camel. However, riding a camel was not exclusive to Tala. In the caravan, four others also sat atop camels, showing no signs of fatigue. The others in the caravan dared not show any dissatisfaction towards them, as these were esteemed cultivators. If not for their duty of escorting the goods, they would have flown to Quicksand City on their magical artifacts, rather than wasting time with these mortals.

However, there was an exception. A handsome young man, who seemed unweathered by hardship, scrutinized the four cultivators on camels and then quietly asked, “Hu Ji, why do we have cultivators accompanying a mere mortal caravan?” The man he addressed, Hu Ji, was a middle-aged man with a rough face and a scar below his left eye. Recognizing the young man as Yuan Ming, a newcomer recruited within Zhao Country, Hu Ji casually explained, “The Black Wind Desert is full of dangers, with beasts that could appear at any moment. Without the protection of cultivators, no mortal would dare venture here. But cultivators have no interest in mortal gold and silver. How did the caravan owner manage to hire them?” Yuan Ming asked curiously. “Kid, remember, the Black Wind Desert is different from the outside world. Without the protection of cultivators, mortals can’t survive here. The towns in the desert are built for cultivators, and we mortals are just their servants. The real owner of this caravan is also a cultivator, so he naturally has ways to hire other cultivators,” Hu Ji whispered.

“If the conditions are so harsh, why don’t you leave and settle elsewhere?” Yuan Ming asked in surprise. “Have you ever seen a master tolerate runaway slaves? And to be honest, there are only three types of mortals living in this cursed place: those lured by high wages like you, criminals or fugitives from Qin, Zhao, or the Northern Wastes, and those captured or sold as slaves. Once you enter the city, you’ll be branded, trapped in the Black Wind Desert forever, with no freedom. Even your descendants won’t escape. And even if you do get out, people will see the brand and report you to the authorities, who will send you back. There’s no escape,” Hu Ji explained with a self-deprecating smile.

Hearing this, Yuan Ming remained silent for a long time before sighing deeply. Hu Ji looked at him, expecting to see regret and fear in his eyes, but instead saw a trace of pity. Hu Ji was taken aback, muttering “strange person” to himself, and stopped paying attention to Yuan Ming. Yuan Ming also lost interest in continuing the conversation. After arriving at the Zhao Country border, he had disguised himself as a mortal and joined the caravan, entering the Black Wind Desert. In this lawless area, even if he used his real name and acted openly, no one would care, let alone the Changchun Temple.

As the sun set, the sky was painted with an orange-red hue, and the sand became an extension of the sky. Standing on a dune, it was hard to distinguish where the sky ended and the earth began. On the other side of the dune, the caravan finally set up camp after a day’s journey, allowing everyone to rest. The previously exhausted members regained some energy. Yuan Ming gazed at the endless dunes, calculating that he had ventured deep into the desert and no longer needed to follow the mortal caravan. He only needed to use illusion to find out the location of Quicksand City from the caravan leader and then leave on his own. With this decision, he descended the dune, intending to find Tala, but ran into Hu Ji, who had spoken to him earlier. Hu Ji was carrying two wooden boxes filled with food. Seeing Yuan Ming, he immediately approached, “Where have you been? I’ve been looking for you. Here, I brought you some food.” “No need, I’m not very hungry,” Yuan Ming smiled, refusing his kindness. Hu Ji sighed, “I know my words earlier upset you, but since you’re here, you might as well make the best of it. Working in the caravan is already a good deal.”

Just as Yuan Ming was about to use illusion to escape, the surroundings suddenly darkened, and someone nearby shouted, “Oh no! It’s the Black Wind! The Black Wind is coming!” Yuan Ming turned to see the once clear sky now covered with dark clouds, the sunset and sun gone, replaced by a chilling wind. The dunes in the distance seemed to come alive, racing across the land like waves crashing against invisible reefs and shores. The ground trembled, and the sand under Yuan Ming’s feet began to jump. The caravan members were all filled with fear and despair.

At that moment, four streaks of light suddenly appeared in the camp. The four Qi refining cultivators had simultaneously taken out their magical artifacts and were fleeing into the distance. Seeing this, Yuan Ming was shocked and, without hesitation, summoned Lei Yu and climbed on. As he prepared to take off, he noticed the dazed Hu Ji nearby. Without hesitation, he grabbed Hu Ji by the collar and pulled him onto Lei Yu’s back, then directed Lei Yu to chase after the fleeing cultivators.