The two rode a flying artifact and quickly returned to Medicine King Heaven. Upon arrival, Gavin White, now in the main hall, said to Evan Yang, "Alright, you can go now."
"Huh? I actually wanted to chat with you a bit more, senior." Evan hesitated, wanting to learn more about the story behind the Alchemy Canon, so he spoke slowly.
"My father? Absolutely not. If he sees you, he'll definitely kill you." Gavin White directly refused.
"Why?" Evan asked, confused.
Gavin White, now restored to his male appearance, explained, "If my father finds out you've seen my real face, he definitely won't let you off."
Evan, understanding the situation, laughed and said, "If you don't tell, and I don't tell, then no one will ever know."
"It's useless. He still has ways to find out," Gavin said. Evan grew curious—if neither of them spoke, yet the other party would still know, then what kind of monster was her father?
"Really can't meet him?" Evan asked suspiciously.
"Yeah, you should go. It's best not to show up in front of him. When there's a chance, I'll find you." Gavin said to Evan.
Since Gavin wasn't willing, Evan didn't push the issue and could only say, "Alright, then I'll head back." But just as he was halfway out, Gavin stopped him and said, "Consider this my thanks to you."
Gavin tossed the four-dragon furnace to Evan. Evan frowned and said, "But this is your precious artifact. How can I accept it?"
"You helped me so much, just take it as a gift. It's no big deal. Besides, your Fire-Burning Furnace needs this, doesn't it?" Gavin smiled at Evan, knowing full well how much he needed this artifact.
Looking at the furnace, Evan was silent for a moment before saying, "Thank you. If you ever need my help in the future, just let me know."
"Alright." Gavin nodded. Evan then turned and left. Watching his back, Gavin felt complicated emotions, but she knew her priority was still to save her father. She collected herself and headed into the rear hall.
In the rear hall, the maids saw Gavin return and immediately started bombarding her with questions, eager to know how things went. Gavin smiled, "Everything went smoothly. The pill is finished."
"That guy was really so powerful? He actually succeeded? A Saint Pill?" Lana asked in disbelief, staring at Gavin.
Even Gavin found Evan's pill-refining method hard to believe, but it didn't matter anymore—she had the pills. She smiled, "I'm going to see my father first. You all stay here and keep watch. If anything happens, contact me immediately."
"Alright," Lana and the others nodded.
Gavin then entered a room within the sealed space. The room was pitch black, but in the very center was a glowing circular altar. Floating above the altar was a soul, currently sleeping.
As Gavin entered, the soul awoke from slumber and opened its eyes. "You're here?"
"Father, are you feeling any better?" Gavin asked.
"How could I be? Ever since that last battle, my body was destroyed and my soul damaged. Now, except for a Saint Pill, there's almost no way to recover." The soul sounded weary and helpless, knowing full well that Saint Pills were nearly impossible to refine—even he couldn't do it.
He had given up hope, but Gavin had already taken out a box containing ten pills. When the soul saw the box and the pills inside, he stared in disbelief, asking, "Are these Saint Pills, or some other kind of pill?"
"Father, these are Saint Pills," Gavin replied with a smile.
With Gavin's confirmation, the soul showed a look of wild joy. "Wonderful! I can finally repair my soul and revive!"
Gavin handed the pills to the soul, and after his excitement settled, he asked curiously, "Where did these come from?"
"They were refined by a man. People call him the pill-refining marvel," Gavin said.
The soul realized the refiner must be extraordinary—otherwise, how could he create such pills? He began asking Gavin about Evan Yang.
As for Evan, after leaving the main hall, he originally planned to leave immediately, since he still had to watch out for the Strange Alchemist who bore him a grudge. But remembering he still lacked some ingredients to refine the Sky-Severing Talisman antidote, he decided to try his luck here in Medicine King Heaven, a famous alchemy sect with no shortage of herbs.
The first place he thought of was Herb Haven, which housed many precious ingredients. Maybe he could find what he needed there, so Evan decided to check it out. Unfortunately, Herb Haven was heavily guarded at the moment, with many people blocking outsiders from entering.
Evan walked confidently up to the entrance. The guards sized him up and one asked, "Who are you?"
"I'm from Fire-Top Mountain, just here to collect some herbs. Hope that's not a problem?" Evan replied with a smile.
"Fire-Top Mountain? I've never seen you before," the guard said, curious.
"Oh? Really? Then just check with Fire-Top Mountain," Evan smiled. The guard thought for a moment, deciding it was best to verify—if Evan was legitimate, offending him would be bad; if not, Herb Haven had just had trouble, and he didn't want more. So he told a companion, "Go check if Fire-Top Mountain has someone like him. By the way, what's your name?"
"I'm Mu Yi. People call me the pill-refining marvel," Evan replied.
"Pill-refining marvel? I think I've heard of that before, but it's safer to double-check," the guard said, sending his companion off.
The messenger quickly returned and said, "There really is such a person."
"Alright, you can go in," the guard said.
Evan stepped inside and began searching for herbs. As for Fire-Top Mountain and the Strange Alchemist, the latter had plenty of informants throughout Medicine King Heaven. Hearing someone ask about the pill-refining marvel from Fire-Top Mountain, he had been waiting for Evan's return and quickly learned Evan was now at Herb Haven.
"You brat, so you've come back. Let's see where you run this time." Knowing Evan was at Herb Haven—so long as he wasn't in the main hall, no one would help him—the Strange Alchemist flashed over to Herb Haven's entrance.
Outside Herb Haven, the Strange Alchemist arrived. The guards at the gate recognized him immediately and let him in without any questions. He stormed inside, furious.
He soon spotted Evan searching for something. Delighted, he shouted, "Brat, you finally got what's coming to you! Let's see who can save you now."
Evan recognized the voice instantly. He turned, saw the Strange Alchemist, and smiled, "So it's senior Strange Alchemist. What, you found me here so quickly? Looks like your network isn't weak at all."
"I've been here for years, you've only just arrived. You're overestimating yourself. Anyway, you're dead today—for daring to trick me with your pill-refining, and then refining pills for others. You deserve to die," the Strange Alchemist said angrily.
"You have no proof I helped others refine pills. And how did I trick you? You just couldn't use the method properly," Evan replied with a smile. He wasn't afraid, even though the Strange Alchemist was a Heavenly Dao expert, because he knew power couldn't be used here—he'd been here before, and in Herb Haven, everyone was just an ordinary person.
Hearing Evan's words, the Strange Alchemist grew even angrier. "You dare say I'm incompetent? Today I'll show you what real ability is."
He tried to gather power, but then remembered the rules—combat was forbidden here to protect the precious herbs, and a huge formation restricted fighting. Here, only ordinary actions were allowed.
"What's wrong? Can't gather your power? So here, you still can't do anything to me," Evan said with a smile.
Seeing Evan's smug look, the Strange Alchemist shouted angrily, "Just you wait! If you have guts, stay in Herb Haven forever!"
"Yeah, that's exactly my plan—unless you leave," Evan replied with a smile.
Hearing Evan's words, the Strange Alchemist was furious. But the only way to catch Evan was to lure him outside—otherwise, it would be nearly impossible. So he decided to make Evan think he'd left.
The Strange Alchemist growled, "Just you wait. I'll find a way to deal with you." With that, he stormed off.
Watching the Strange Alchemist leave in anger, Evan chuckled. "I knew you'd show up. Good thing this place is so amazing."
After that, Evan continued searching for the herbs he needed. The Strange Alchemist had left Herb Haven, but secretly kept watch outside, ready to strike the moment Evan appeared.
A Heavenly Dao expert's thunderous strike—no matter how strong Evan was, he couldn't withstand it. The Strange Alchemist was confident Evan would be doomed the moment he stepped outside.
Evan, meanwhile, had no idea what the Strange Alchemist was planning. He focused solely on searching for herbs.
After several hours, Evan finally found all the herbs he needed. Looking at them, he muttered, "Let's refine these pills and see how they turn out."
Evan took out his Fire-Heaven Furnace, prepared the herbs, and began refining pills right there in Herb Haven. Only Evan would dare to do such a thing, but since he couldn't use his own power here, he relied on the fire-gathering formation, which allowed pill refinement without using personal strength.
Soon, Evan's furnace opened, releasing a rich medicinal fragrance. He quickly bottled the pills—over a hundred in total.
"Whew, all done," Evan said with a smile, satisfied with his work. Now he could finally give Yang Huo an answer.
He sent the pills to the Sky-Piercing Tower. When Yang Huo saw them, she asked about their origin, and Evan explained the whole process. They all laughed.
If Evan weren't inside Herb Haven, he would have let Yang Huo out, but it wasn't possible right now. Having finished his business, Evan tidied up and prepared to leave Herb Haven—his mission was complete.