When Xu Yue'er, Night Rain, and Yan Xiaoyu offered up the Yin–Yang Longevity Pills they had earned, Fang Han smiled faintly. He didn't pretend to refuse. A simple gesture drew the three shimmering pills into his palm.
The Yin–Yang Longevity Pill was a rare heaven-rank elixir that strengthened the body and extended life. Even a genius like Hua Tiandu—with a Dao-artifact furnace at his disposal—could not refine such a thing. Only cultivators who had entered the Longevity Realm could forge it, and even then it demanded immense time and effort.
It stood side by side in prestige with the Nine-Aperture Golden Core and the Thunder-Bone Relic.
Fang Han had once received one the previous year, but he'd given it to Long Xuan when he was still weak and could not spare it. Now his foundation was solid, and such a treasure was truly useful—especially since he had never taken one before.
Elixirs came in five grades: Mortal, Spirit, Earth, Heaven, and Immortal.
Mortal-rank pills were like food for qi—essential nourishment. The other four ranks offered profound effects: enhancing power, extending life, expanding the mind, or transforming the body. However, most of these potent pills could only be taken once; a second dose would be nearly useless.
Take the Sacred Law Relic, for example—devouring it granted spellforce like a stampede of ten thousand horses. Fang Han could refine two more using the essence of the Golden Core masters he had slain, the Moon-Piercing Thief and the Star-Destroying Thief, but he couldn't consume them; their effect on him would be negligible.
But the Yin–Yang Longevity Pill?
He'd never tasted its power. Now it would hit him with full force—strengthening his physique, adding six centuries to his life, and letting him unleash the White Emperor Golden-Sovereign Slash with instant movement without worrying about his body tearing apart.
His duel with Meng Shaobai had taught him that nothing mattered more than a body strong enough to endure his teleportation techniques.
Other cultivators teleported via their flying swords during instant-kill techniques—each jump straining the blade to its limit. Even a treasure-grade weapon would shatter after several repetitions.
But Fang Han teleported with his body.
To survive that, he needed flesh stronger than swords.
After accepting the pills, Fang Han flicked one into his mouth. Instantly, black-and-white currents surged from his stomach, spiraling through his limbs, soaking into skin, bone, and marrow.
With his prior experience refining the Thunder-Bone Relic, he guided the medicinal force with ease. The power seeped into his blood, dispersed through his body, and fused into his bones, hardening them further.
Grind…
His whole body rumbled like a millstone turning. Colors rippled across his skin—gold, then violet, then black-and-white—sometimes crackling with thunder.
The strange sight left the women staring speechlessly. None could imagine what terrifying cultivation art he was practicing.
Only after a long time did the inner radiance settle. His skin returned to normal, but everyone could feel the overwhelming force coiled within him—an aura that seemed capable of seizing another's life at any moment. His hands were broad and solid, each finger carrying the weight of a mountain.
The women found themselves struggling to breathe under the sheer pressure.
"Your body just grew even stronger," Yan suddenly boomed in his mind. "You can't reach the Undying Body yet, of course—but your White Emperor Golden-Sovereign Slash will now erupt at three hundred times the speed of sound! Three thousand years ago, the Yuhua Sect Master attained the Undying Body and reached three thousand times. You're already one-tenth of that. Impressive!"
"The Undying Body is still far away," Fang Han replied with mental laughter. "That realm belongs to the second layer of the Longevity Mysteries. Legends say decapitation can't kill you, the body can reform even from flesh pulp—and if only a single speck of dust remains, it can regenerate. If my head gets cut off right now, I'm certainly finished."
Still, he couldn't hide his satisfaction.
"With instant movement at three hundred times sonic speed, I can kill—but also escape. The Yin–Yang Longevity Pill truly is miraculous. Six hundred more years… My lifespan must be past three thousand by now. Once I condense my Golden Core, it'll soar again. Five or six thousand years should be enough to reach the Longevity Realm."
"When you hit the Tenth Layer of Divine Ability—Defying Fate—you'll literally see your lifespan," Yan chuckled. "Day by day, year by year, slipping through your fingers. That pressure drives everyone to madness-level cultivation. Most who reach that realm shut themselves in seclusion and stop bothering with worldly disputes."
Fang Han exhaled softly, withdrawing all leaking aura. Once he fully absorbed the pill's power, he turned to the women.
"You've all broken into the Divine Ability Realm. When you greet the Transmission Elders, you'll become true disciples. The sect will grant each of you a mountain to oversee. But turbulent times are coming—and danger with them. So I'm giving you each a formation treasure to guard your peak."
With a wave of his sleeve, three treasure sets flew outward.
Yes—complete sets.
The first was sixty-four white banners—the White Cloud Pennants.
Each one was a mid-grade treasure capable of summoning clouds that blocked blades, poison, fire, even lightning. Combined, they formed a barrier that could seal an entire mountain.
The other two were sword formations: the twenty-four-sword Fish-Dragon Array, and the Heaven-Severing Demon-Slaughter Array Fang Han had once wanted for himself—treasures originally used by the Heaven-Severing Demon Palace's true disciples.
All of these came from the hoard left behind by the six God-Monarchs. Fang Han was currently poor—he couldn't throw away ultimate-grade formations like the Moon-Extension Sword Array. Besides, true disciples below the Heaven Realm could not even activate such treasures.
Still, the women were stunned speechless.
These three formations contained over a hundred treasure-weapons in total.
A single sword or banner might be mediocre, but together their power multiplied—tenfold, a hundredfold. A lone Fish-Dragon Sword was unremarkable, but twenty-four swords plus the array diagram could annihilate enemies far beyond its rank.
With such formations, plus some refinement of the mountain's natural veins, a Divine Ability cultivator could withstand even Heaven-Realm attackers.
Fang Han continued, "Once your peaks are established and your herb gardens planted, I'll summon another rain of the Blue Emperor to enrich your spiritual fields."
"Thank you, Senior Brother!" they cried in unison.
Life grew peaceful after that.
Crane Fairy and Princess Hongyi became true disciples immediately, and the Heavenly-Craft Elder sent divine laborers to build their peaks. Hongyi also received the first-place reward: the Great Annihilation Spear-King Array—stronger than anything Fang Han had bestowed.
Crane Fairy received many treasures of her own, but Fang Han still granted her a formation: the Dark-Serpent Devouring-Sun Array—one hundred swords forming a spectral serpent, rivaling the Spear-King Array in might.
All of these originated from the six God-Monarchs' leftover troves—treasures likely intended to bribe traitors in various sects. Fang Han had inherited their entire vault.
Only now did he fully understand why major sects were so short on treasures—and why the Yuhua Sect yearned so desperately for the Taiyuan Immortal Mansion. Rewarding every Divine Ability disciple like this was something even the mighty Taiyi Sect could barely afford.
Yet without treasures, Divine Ability disciples were simply too vulnerable.
Fang Han also bestowed Blue Emperor Rain upon the peaks of his followers, causing countless medicinal spirits to sprout. Though winter storms blanketed the region, the formations sealed the mountains, while the Blue Emperor Wood-Sovereign Art nurtured life, reversing the seasons entirely.
Hongyi, Crane Fairy, Xu Yue'er, Night Rain, Yan Xiaoyu—five women became true disciples and built their peaks. In addition, the four disciples secretly cultivated by Hua Tiandu also emerged as true disciples. They had hidden during the Mountain River Ranking, but now revealed their Divine Ability cultivation.
Nine Divine Ability breakthroughs in a single year.
A harvest unmatched by any sect except the Taiyi Sect itself.
Originally, Fang Man, Fang Rui, and Fang Lie would have made it twelve—but Fang Han had killed all three.
Once his followers were settled, Fang Han finally relaxed.
He meditated, refined spells, brewed elixirs, and discussed stellar techniques with Nebula Baby. He even fed the little creature a Yin–Yang Longevity Pill and a Divine Ability Fruit. Though Nebula Baby's body grew stronger, it stubbornly refused to break through to the Heaven Realm.
The Divine Ability Fruit held power washed by the World Tree. Fang Han had reached the Heaven Realm because of that very power—so why couldn't Nebula Baby?
Only now did Fang Han understand:
Pills can help, but breakthroughs must still come from within.