**: Joint Assault on Purple Sun**

Sun Lie looked at Meng Chong and said irritably, "Your grandfather gave the order for me to help you dissipate your cultivation power as quickly as possible."

"Using my method, you can lose all your cultivation overnight. What, are you scared?"

Meng Chong immediately raised his eyebrows and puffed out his chest. "Why would I be scared?!"

Sun Lie laughed heartily. "Good! I haven't misjudged you." Changing the subject, he continued, "Actually, cultivating using a pill furnace has a long history."

"You must have heard of the supernatural power, the Fiery Eyes and Golden Pupils."

"To master this ability, one must first possess the innate talent for either Fiery Eyes or Golden Pupils, then enter an ancient pill furnace."

"After the furnace is lit, the cultivator must endure torment for seven times seven days—forty-nine days in total. They cannot close their eyes the entire time, only blink at most. They must fully withstand the smoke and fire, enduring the intense pain."

"You need to be mentally prepared for entering the furnace this time."

Meng Chong nodded with a grave expression.

Sun Lie opened his storage pouch and took out a large bowl and a small glass vial. The bowl contained an amber-like, viscous substance, orange-yellow and crystalline. The vial held red and yellow granular powder.

Sun Lie instructed, "Come on, take all your clothes off."

"First, apply the contents of this bowl all over yourself. Then, sprinkle the medicinal powder from the vial evenly across your entire body."

Meng Chong grunted in acknowledgment, stripped completely naked, and took the bowl and vial. He first applied the sticky substance from the bowl, then evenly sprinkled the powder from the vial.

He gradually began to feel something was amiss. Sniffing, he said, "Elder Sun, why does this smell like honey... and cumin?"

Sun Lie threw his head back, took a big swig of wine from his gourd, and laughed. "Haha, you only noticed now? Your grandfather said you were terrible at all the Hundred Crafts of cultivation; he wasn't wrong!"

Meng Chong's face immediately darkened. "I'm not skilled at alchemy, but I've eaten plenty of pills. I've eaten even more spirit food."

Sun Lie nodded. "Since ancient times, food and medicine have been intertwined."

"The best tonic is dietary nourishment."

"What's the real difference between spirit food, spirit chefs, and spirit pills, alchemists?"

At this point, he winked mischievously at Meng Chong. "You're not worried I'm trying to harm you, to roast you until you're fragrant and crispy, are you?"

Although he hadn't met Meng Chong many times, he had accurately grasped the latter's personality.

Meng Chong was younger than Ning Zhuo, only fourteen years old, though he looked eighteen or nineteen. He had a youthful, competitive spirit, took great pride in the Meng family name, and held his family's honor in high regard.

"Don't look down on me!" Meng Chong glared at Sun Lie and directly climbed into the Purple Sun Furnace.

Sun Lie let out a boozy belch, followed closely behind, and slammed the furnace door shut.

The sound of the door closing made Meng Chong's heart jump.

Although sealed, the furnace had a dim light inside.

Meng Chong stood by the door, scanning his surroundings, and immediately noticed that the bottom of the furnace was already spread with various medicinal herbs.

Seeing this, Meng Chong felt slightly reassured; it showed Sun Lie had prepared in advance.

Just slathering him with honey and cumin seemed a bit unreliable. But considering Sun Lie's status as a Grand Alchemy Artisan, these arrangements surely had a purpose.

Immediately, Meng Chong walked to the center of the furnace and sat down cross-legged.

Outside the Purple Sun Furnace, Sun Lie tilted his head back, gulped down a large mouthful of wine, and then spat it out.

*Whoosh!*

A stream of flaming liquor surged out, igniting the Purple Sun Furnace.

Within a few breaths, the air temperature soared rapidly. The crimson flames illuminated Sun Lie's face, turning it red.

"It's starting," Meng Chong sensed the temperature skyrocketing.

The previously dim interior of the furnace instantly brightened, filled with a crimson glow.

Meng Chong's body temperature rapidly increased. The honey on his surface began to melt, the cumin granules released their aroma wildly, and simultaneously, vast amounts of his spiritual power began steaming out through his pores like misty smoke.

At this very moment, outside the Purple Sun Villa, Sun Lingtong's eyes shimmered with a strange light.

His Spirit Pupils pierced through multiple walls, allowing him to see a blurry scene.

"Excellent. Sun Lie is refining pills; this is the perfect time to strike," he thought excitedly.

Once pill refinement begins, the alchemist usually cannot leave their post.

This meant Sun Lie, a peak Foundation Establishment stage combatant, was effectively neutralized for the time being!

"Array-Breaking Talisman, go!"

Sun Lingtong acted decisively, immediately employing his strongest method.

Sensing the attack, the Purple Sun Villa's defensive formation activated instantly, forming a hemispherical light shield.

The Array-Breaking Talisman seemed small and insignificant, but upon touching the light shield, it immediately disintegrated. The resulting specks of light directly dissolved the hemispherical shield.

The Purple Sun Villa's defensive formation was disabled!

"Go!" Ning Zhuo, who had been waiting for this moment, flung open his cloak.

A large number of mechanized Thunder-Silent Birds shot out.

They streaked across the sky, leaving trails of lightning, covering the front courtyard.

*Clang! Clang! Clang!*

Ear-piercing alarm bells erupted within the Purple Sun Villa.

Ning Zhuo's heartbeat quickened slightly. He untied two storage pouches from his waist, held them by the bottom, opened the mouths, and shook out all their contents.

One mechanical construct after another grew from small to large, landing on the ground and returning to their actual size.

Twenty brass mechanical men and forty red-copper mechanical beasts formed orderly ranks and charged towards the Purple Sun Villa.

The Purple Sun Villa naturally had its own guards.

Four early Foundation Establishment cultivators and eighteen late Qi Refining cultivators were alerted.

The Foundation Establishment cultivators cast spells, clearing away the mechanized Thunder-Silent Birds.

The eighteen late Qi Refining cultivators formed a battle formation, unleashing power surpassing that of a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator, holding their ground firmly.

The mechanical constructs surged forward like a tide, while the battle formation stood firm like a reef by the sea, unmoved despite the relentless impact.

"Brother, Sun Lie is in the alchemy room refining pills!" Sun Lingtong's voice secretly transmitted to Ning Zhuo.

Ning Zhuo's mind stirred. He immediately split off a portion of his constructs, sending them swarming directly towards the alchemy room.

Attack what the enemy must defend!

"Damn it!" The four early Foundation Establishment cultivators cursed but did not move.

A mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator suddenly emerged from the shadows, holding a magical mirror. He released a beam of light from the mirror, enveloping all the incoming mechanical constructs.

The mirror shook, and its surface suddenly revealed the hidden Chuimao Ke (Ning Zhuo's alias).

"He's over there!" the mirror-wielding mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator shouted, pointing out Ning Zhuo's exact location to his companions.

Immediately, a figure shot towards Ning Zhuo's position like lightning.

"Another hidden mid-Foundation Establishment expert!" Ning Zhuo's pupils contracted. Thunder-Silent Birds swirled around him protectively, and his Chuimao Hanging Whip rose like a black python, ready for battle.

Soon, the sounds of intense combat erupted from the dark alley where he was hiding.

"Hmph! I hope this person is as skilled as Sun Lingtong claims." Han Ming glanced towards Ning Zhuo's direction before also springing into action.

She was surrounded by a Yin wind, moving swiftly and silently like a ghostly shadow.

The ghostly figure darted first towards the alchemy room. Seeing another Foundation Establishment cultivator appear at the alchemy room door, she abruptly changed course and charged towards the medicine storage room.

Unexpectedly, halfway there, sword light flashed, and a flying sword shot out, intercepting the ghostly Han Ming.

A peak Foundation Establishment cultivator slowly revealed himself.

"Tonight, I only seek pills, not injuries," Han Ming narrowed her eyes and stated.

The response she received was a sharp, piercing sword light.

(End of )