Although He Yiming hadn't taken the pill in his hand, merely smelling its aroma gave him a certain degree of confidence. Back when he was bathed in the light emanating from White Stone, he felt as if he had inexhaustible True Qi and energy, and now, catching the scent of the spirit elixir, he felt an identical sensation.

The slightest fatigue lingering from the recent pill refinement vanished entirely, and his eyes held a faint glimmer of yearning. His throat bobbed, letting out a small, guttural sound.

This aroma actually stirred a powerful appetite within him. Of course, what he craved wasn't ordinary fine cuisine, but the twelve spirit pills held in his grasp.

Shaking his head, He Yiming produced a jade vial, carefully placing the pills inside one by one. He then tucked away the remaining Snow Fox Blood.

There was no fixed amount detailing how many pills could be refined from a single measure of Snow Fox Blood. However, the formula provided by Yi Zhongtian was quite detailed, outlining not only the components of the medicine but also the approximate yield.

For a high-level Alchemist, failure during a batch refinement meant the end of the road. But if successful, one furnace of Snow Fox Spirit Pills typically yielded around twenty in total.

Naturally, this quantity referred to the entirety of the Snow Fox Blood, not just one-fifth of it. The reason He Yiming managed to refine such a large number of pills was entirely due to utilizing the divine artifact Nine Dragon Furnace and the nine small fire dragons assisting him from start to finish.

Without this prerequisite, he would have been utterly incapable of purifying the vital life force within the Snow Fox Blood to such an astonishing degree. It was precisely because every trace of wondrous power contained within the Snow Fox Blood was fully extracted that He Yiming could achieve the terrifying total of twelve pills using only one-fifth of the required blood.

In this day and age, besides himself, it would be utterly impossible for even Fan Shuo of the Grotto-Heaven Blessed Land or Hao Tong of the Lingxiao Treasure Hall to accomplish such a feat. He Yiming held the jade vial, pondering for a long while.

Although twelve pills capable of instantly restoring the True Qi of a Dao Realm master were technically sufficient, he still felt a knot of unease in his heart. After all, Yuan Lixun would be facing a genuine divine artifact.

Even though this artifact wouldn't harm her, given her Ice Body constitution and the replica artifact she possessed, the sheer expenditure of True Qi required to divert the artifact's light would be unparalleled. When it came to Snow Fox Spirit Pills, the more, the better.

With this thought in mind, He Yiming settled back into a cross-legged position and resumed the refinement process. Having gained experience from the first attempt, he was now an old hand.

When the second batch of Snow Fox Spirit Pills was complete, not only was the pill count increased by one more, but the speed of refinement had also shortened by about a fifth. Two rounds of high-intensity refinement naturally left He Yiming feeling a touch of exhaustion.

It was fortunate that his martial cultivation had already reached the peak of the Human Dao Realm. If anyone else had used the Nine Dragon Furnace, simultaneously controlling the nine small fire dragons within for alchemy, let alone whether they could manage it at all, but if they could barely succeed, they would have devoured all the Snow Fox Spirit Pills from the first batch before the second batch was even finished.

This was the gap in sheer capability. In the past, He Yiming was the one envious of others, but now the tables had completely turned.

Satisfied, He Yiming carefully stored all twenty-five spirit pills. He closed his eyes, quietly regulating his breath, slowly absorbing the mysterious power emanating from the heavens and earth.

This was the Power of Heaven and Earth; under its replenishment, He Yiming’s energy and depleted True Qi gradually recovered. However, just then, his ears twitched sharply, and his expression shifted subtly.

Outside, the world had already descended into the cold embrace of night. Aside from the continuous, roaring gale, there seemed to be no other sound.

Even the city guards, gazing into the distance, held a look of listlessness. Yet, they failed to notice that in the far distance, thousands upon thousands of giant, grayish-white bears were slowly and densely converging upon the city.

Veiled by the deepening gloom of twilight, these great beasts surprisingly made no sound of roaring, merely advancing silently. Furthermore, their footfalls were light; despite their enormous numbers, they failed to generate the earth-shaking, drum-like sound one might expect.

He Yiming was no stranger to these giant bears; after entering the Ice Fields, he often encountered these massive bears native to the northern regions. Among all the fierce beasts, the combat prowess of these giant bears was exceptionally formidable.

They were almost a mirror image of the Northwest Fox Bear, possessing the immense strength of a bear combined with the agility of a fox. When these two attributes merged, even cultivators at the eighth or ninth layer of Inner Strength might hesitate to claim victory.

Moreover, when these bears mobilized in such numbers, the power they could unleash would undoubtedly grow exponentially, as the ranks now included not only ordinary spirit beasts but also Millennium Spirit Beasts. And, toward the rear of the bear horde, He Yiming vaguely sensed a terrifying aura—an aura belonging absolutely to a Saint Beast.

He Yiming furrowed his brow in thought for a moment, then suddenly understood. Yi Zhongtian within Peng City must have received this news long ago, which was why he had ordered all the innate experts in the city to gather.

However, the intelligence Yi Zhongtian received was likely inaccurate; perhaps he didn't know precisely when the beasts would attack, which is why he hadn't disclosed the information during their first meeting. Slightly shaking his head, He Yiming extended his consciousness subtly and immediately located Yi Zhongtian's position within the mansion.

“Brother Yi, I have matters to discuss; might I request a moment of your time?” At that moment, Yi Zhongtian was seated in a parlor with a man of similar age, the two engaged in a hushed discussion. Suddenly, Yi Zhongtian sprang up, his eyes wide with alarm.

He scanned his surroundings, his True Qi surging, presenting an image of intense vigilance. His sudden movement clearly startled his companion.

The man cautiously swept his gaze around the area and listened intently, yet detected nothing. He asked suspiciously, “Brother Yi, what are you doing?” Yi Zhongtian’s expression was one of confused uncertainty as he stated gravely, “Brother Sun, did you just hear something?” The Brother Sun shook his head blankly, “I heard nothing.” Yi Zhongtian’s expression grew increasingly strange.

He shook his head, inwardly chiding himself for perhaps growing too fatigued lately and experiencing auditory hallucinations. However, as soon as this thought crossed his mind, the same voice sounded in his ears once more.

“Brother Yi, I request a moment of your time.” This second voice carried an immense, irresistible force. Yi Zhongtian’s body trembled slightly; he finally confirmed this was not a hallucination but a real sound he had heard.

A young face instantly surfaced in his mind. He immediately realized that this person was absolutely not an ordinary innate expert.

His cultivation must be profoundly deep, far beyond what he and his current colleague could attain. “Brother Sun, I have urgent matters requiring my attention.

I must take my leave now. Farewell.” Yi Zhongtian bowed slightly and hurried away as if fleeing.

The man surnamed Sun instinctively returned the courtesy but grew even more perplexed. In his memory, Yi Zhongtian was one of the calmest and most composed managers of the Holy Land’s branch halls in the Northern Border.

Yet now, he appeared jumpy and erratic. Could the news he brought have truly terrified him into a frenzy?

Yi Zhongtian, of course, was unaware of his companion’s thoughts. He took quick, long strides directly to He Yiming’s door.

However, this time, he certainly dared not be presumptuous and address him as 'Brother' again. Though he didn't know the exact extent of He Yiming’s cultivation, the fact that he was vastly more powerful was a certainty.

Arriving at the doorway, Yi Zhongtian kept his hands respectfully at his sides and said with deference, “Senior He has summoned me; may I inquire as to your command?” The door opened without a breeze, and He Yiming’s voice drifted out, “Please come in, Brother Yi.” Yi Zhongtian stepped inside without hesitation. He Yiming’s spectral maneuvering had utterly subdued him; he harbored no fear whatsoever, knowing that if He Yiming wished to end his life, it would be the easiest thing in the world.

“Brother Yi, did you summon the innate masters of the city this time to guard against the Ice Field beasts?” He Yiming asked directly. Yi Zhongtian replied respectfully, “Senior’s insight is keen.

This city received news that a horde of northern bears is migrating south. They will reach Peng City within three days, and Peng City lies directly on their path.

Therefore, this battle is unavoidable.” He Yiming nodded slowly. “Do you know the strength of this bear horde?” Yi Zhongtian offered a bitter smile.

“It is rumored that within the horde, there are about five spirit beasts, perhaps even one Millennium Spirit Beast among them. Upon receiving the intelligence, this city immediately invited experts from all sides to rush here.

But as of now, we only have five innate masters in the city—only two from the Northern Border, and three, including yourself, are experts from the East here on a hunting expedition.” He Yiming rapidly calculated in his mind. If five innate masters dealt with five ordinary spirit beasts, it should be manageable.

However, the presence of one Millennium Spirit Beast, equivalent to a Heaven-Piercing Realm expert, meant no one could be certain of surviving this catastrophe. He coughed lightly, and He Yiming said slowly, “Brother Yi, I have just observed the situation; your information might be slightly off.” Yi Zhongtian’s face changed drastically, and he hastily urged, “Please enlighten me, Senior.” “Those bears are already a few miles away; they will reach the city walls by dawn at the latest,” He Yiming stated unhurriedly.

All color drained from Yi Zhongtian’s face. If He Yiming’s words were true, they faced total annihilation if caught completely unprepared.

He Yiming seemed not to notice his expression, continuing casually, “There appear to be even stronger spirit beasts hidden within that horde, Brother Yi. You had best be extra cautious.” Yi Zhongtian’s facial muscles twitched slightly; he could barely articulate a word.

Ps: It’s the Mid-Autumn Festival, happy holidays to all my brothers and sisters ^_^