The four were all refining Nine-Tier Xuandan. At the foremost seat, Elder Pharmacis Dan watched these anomalous phenomena in the sky, an involuntary odd expression spreading across his face as he observed. With his level of perception, it wasn’t hard to discern that these figures were locked in an unspoken duel. He might have been vague about the others, but Wanhuo Elder—there were no secrets left in that regard. While the old flame’s skill in concoction was not shallow by any means, when it came to Nine-Tier Xuandan, the chances of his success likely wouldn’t surpass a meager twenty percent. Moreover, to refine Nine-Tier Xuandan, one required the gathering of vast, terrifying streams of Heaven’s and Earth’s energies. The energy within the lands surrounding Pill Mountain for thousands of miles was indeed remarkably dense, but not enough to refine a single piece of Dan medicinal art in ideal form, let alone four at once—there was no way around that conclusion.
“If crafting these Nine-Tier Xuandans were as simple as all that, then they would certainly not exist in such pitiable scarcity.” Elder Pharmacis Dan shook his head gently; to him, none of the four figures up there showed any indication of true success on the horizon. Hence, this round of contest would probably end in an unblemished drawn loss among all involved. Naturally, his eye was sharp—able to discern nuances few others dared comprehend. But to those others below, such insights were far from reach, leaving many staring skyward now, faces flushed with both astonishment and elation.
At this grand gathering, Elder Medica’s brows also knitted slightly inward. He was fully aware that just days prior to departure, Xiaoyan had acquired from the revered Elder of Dan-Tower a long-hidden recipe for the exceedingly rare Nine-Tier Xuandan formula—an heirloom treasure among the Pill Tower archives—and yet never did he envision that萧炎 would have so openly positioned its refinement as his core ambition.
Though both the Nine-Tier Baodan and the Nine-Tier Xuandan diverged through merely an ideogram in their naming, these two were, indeed, like heaven separated from earth. Across the continent, those alchemical crafters truly qualified to produce the Baodan level Nine were uncommon—yet not altogether unheard of. But the legendary Nine-Tier Xuandan… In over the past single century, not a solitary name of anyone having pulled off such a monumental feat had even reached Elder Medica’s long-experienced ears.
High up in the firmament above, wild torrents of energy thunderously roared, eventually coalescing into four monstrous spiral gales. The root of each storm extended outward, binding itself to its master’s cauldron below while its sky-reaching end continued to mercilessly pull massive streams of surrounding power into the furnace with unstoppable hunger. Such an intense and unrestrained draw upon surrounding mana did cause even nearby spectators to feel their qi churning wildly inside their chests in protest—desperately straining against its vessels, threatening to rip clear from fleshly restraints to flee heavenward into the void.
As one, gasps of panic rippled among the masses, and instinctively, figures sprang into retreat—fearful of losing the fruits of their entire lifetimes of painful cultivation to the merciless pull emanating from the four celestial whirlpools.
This surreal spectacle overhead persisted unchanged—nearly stretching the better part of a full three-day cycle. Three solid suns worth of time during which none could quantify just how much ambient Heaven/Earth qi had been devoured—just that every soul standing around found their personal energy stores suddenly thinner, the residual etheric currents of air now feeling sparse to the point of near absence. The very medicinal grasses scattered around the platform were already showing distress—leaves wilting into yellowing brittleness—the vital qi from these lifeforms forcibly sucked completely dry.
For what were artificial heavenly treasures—humanity’s greatest miracles of formulation—the energy required to crystallize such medicinal divinities could shake even the most venerable of斗圣-level beings. According to ancient chronicles from a far more ancient epoch, when Nine-Tier Xuandan had appeared in eons past, entire provinces spanning over a thousand li fell into complete desolation. Every single vestige of ambient ether surrounding that creation had been vacuumed in to empower it during emergence. Thus, even at birth, these rare丹药 carried unfathomedly developed intuitive intelligence. Of course, to aspire to the same magnitude as Lesser Dan Tower’s Forebear—an alchemical life essence so potent one spoke of it as being nearly sacred—such achievement demanded levels of improbability straining at sheer divine blessing. Forego such miraculous fortune, and it would be practically impossible for one such丹灵 to naturally evolve to such unprecedented potential.
In terms of these now desiccated herb plots surrounding their alchemy summit, many amongst the Medicine Ancestry clan felt a degree of sorrow and lament in their loss, but there was simply nothing left they could do about the consequences. Several of the senior medicinal keepers even took time amidst this crisis to hurriedly enchant protective runes upon some of Pill Mountain’s more valuable botanical fields—lest the entirety suffer a fate of eternal devastation come this grand trial’s end.
Such unceasing consumption went on—unremitting for that entire triad of days. At mid-morning on the final day’s light breaking open the horizon—only gradually did the assembled masses sense a strange calming hush settle over skies previously writhing ceaselessly above them. Tilting their gazes high, they found where once had swirled those four monolithic tornadoes, a deep, pervasive stillness now reigned. Instead of their spinning tempest rage, four grand flame-bounded furnaces—each standing nearly hundreds of meters tall—hovered motionless in celestial air, their surfaces shimmering with energies so colossal they sent ripples vibrating even through the hearts of the four refiners, forcing grim caution tight across their lips.
“…At this point, the Heaven Earth force within the lands stretching a thousand li about us must surely now be completely drained…”
Elder Dan extended his hand forward, fingers curling as if testing nothingness for mana’s presence—an action that yielded zero sensation. Then, shaking head resignedly, his voice confirmed what all could by now easily verify. The air itself had thinned until its once palpable vibrancy had vanished so completely it bordered nearly on the grotesquely desolate. Rejuvenating such depletion to past vibrancies would easily demand months or more.
“No remaining ether… their elixirs failed.”
Several of Medicine Ancestry’s Elder Masters exhaled exasperated laughter. Each furnace still clung with incomplete medicinal forms—mere halfway completed—yet across these past entire thousand li of space, all remaining qi reserves lay exhausted. With the heavens themselves now offering nothing, the chances of these alchemists’ ambitions completing fully were reduced to slim hopes on slim.
The Four had barely surpassed their mortal physical limits and approached Divine Realm soul mastery—but even with that, merely commanding ethereal flux over single thousand-mile spans. Truly divine control awaited souls capable of transcending legend into the long-mythical Emperor Realm, wherein an entity’s sheer mental focus dictated how far across lands divine power obeyed call. Ancient records told that one fabled sage from a primeval eon ago once summoned near half of Central Plains’ Heaven Earth Qi with a moment’s thought—demonstrating powers so great they bordered horror to contemplate.
It was just this moment that萧炎 and the trio each slowly opened tightly closed eyes, all gazes fixed downward at their barely formed medicinal core patterns. Their brows furrowed in concert—should their ability to manipulate the grand external currents collapse completely, none could possibly hope to finish, with their personal danti energy alone standing zero chance against those immense losses.
“Looks like this match remains draw again.” Wanhuo finally allowed bitter humor escape his lips with a shake of the head.
“Not so quickly… Perhaps things may still shift unexpectedly.” The words scarcely left Wanhuo’s mouth when Hunxuzi’s expression twisted slightly—a curious smirk curving at the edge of his face—as the seals at his hands underwent a sudden shifting. Then—his palm came crashing down into his furnace with thunderous intent.
Instantly from that fiery crucible burst three thick pillars composed purely of black wildfire, which then swirled toward Xiaoyan’s furnace hovering nearby—each twisting into immense blackholes rotating with terrifying hunger, their vortexes pulsating with gravitational force far deadlier in design than those from before.
Almost immediately, the massive wells of energy painstakingly captured over many sunsets by Xiaoyan et al poured upward through radiant torrents toward those voids overhead—stolen in violation by merciless pull.
The moment that transformation unfolded above, the three refined figures each froze in rage—never for an instant having foreseen the brazenness with which Hunxuzi would seize at this theft of theirs. Elder Shengnong and Wanhuo bellowed curses in unchained fury, their Sacred Embers and Nine Abyss Wind Blaze both erupting simultaneously as walls of flame slammed into those devouring voids—
—but to absolute horror, the two blazing forces of alchemical might didn’t weaken or dispel but only hastened the voids’ spinning rotations, those void spirals actually pulling in and consuming a portion of these fireforms outright.
Blocked yet with no success, Elder Shengnong’s and Wanhuo’s complexions now shifted entirely towards dread. Sacred Embers, while respected in its standing, owed its fame to its supplementary powers far more than combative prowess—a quality easily exploited by Hunxuzi’s Void Consuming Flame. Similarly, Nine Abyss Wind Blaze ranked a distant number tenth amongst sacred alchemical fires—its capabilities simply pale in contrast to an elite flame with which the gulf proved impossible to bridge without further refinement.
“Hmph… You two actually imagine you stand any hope in suppressing the Void Consuming Flame? This… is a foolhardy endeavor,” Hunxuzi mocked with unrestrained derision, his tone brimming with smug pride.
But his laugh only lasted a split of an instant before his expression darkened abruptly. Hurriedly his gaze snapped toward the vortex still floating over the fire cauldron of Xiaoyan—and it was then that matters truly turned sour.
Out from Xiaoyan’s furnace, a ribbon of bright fire erupted forward—a small child form alighting amidst its blazing trail. The infant wielded contempt across his features, and with a casual flick of his hand, a surge of brilliant pink flames emerged forth—with a purity unmatched—as swiftly as the inferno surged outward, those tendrils wrapped the consuming voids within a burning circle—consuming not with raw greed, but with immaculate purity, the devouring force of those vortexes instantly weakening as those opposing energies met, eroded, and finally vanished in the wake of these purifying streams.
The Void Consuming Flame thrived off raw consumption, while Lotus Flame of Holy Seduction thrived exclusively off its unique, refined form of purification.
While fundamentally of equal standing in principle, the latter currently possessed by Xiaoyan was no longer merely flame—but true Primordial Origin Fire, complete to include the sacred alchemic soul entity of the legendary “Xiao Yi.” Comparing its sheer superiority against mere subordinate embers—albeit powerful ones—such as Hunxuzi manipulated? It was truly like the moon eclipsed by noon’s sun.
“Hehehe… Elder Hunxuzi, I must truly thank you most sincerely for the kind generosity bestowed just now. May I humbly ask for the honor of accepting early this sacred energy you freely offered to me just then…”
At this, Xiaoyan smiled slightly as he manipulated a final purifying step, converting all blackfire to untainted power while injecting every drop within a single decisive surge inside his furnace—
—and suddenly his whole crucible flared with radiant luminescence unparalleled. That previously wavy form of Dan now gradually coalesced fully into solid definition, the medicinal shape sharpening, the form finally completing its core structure!
“That child again…”
Watching from some distant distance above, Hunxuzi’s demeanor darkened considerably, the plan having cost more than gain—having neither managed to secure a trace of Xiaoyan’s essence nor achieving anything meaningful beyond having an entire child-fire essence form destroyed. He inwardly grunted in annoyance—the lesson clearly taken in harsh tones to not test his fortune once more recklessly against Xiaoyan without superior forces.
Though the flames belonging to Void Consumption certainly sufficed when opposing the might and wisdom embodied by Elder Shengnong and Wanhuo, Xiaoyan himself commanded such power far surpassing that in scope. Hence… the gap could never be easily bridged.
“Heh…” Hunxuzi narrowed gaze in moment’s deep thinking. After which expression hardened anew—his seal twisting once more. Upon this action, the great vortexes that originally consumed the energies from the Elder Shengnong’s and the Wanhuo’s cauldon’s energy intensified further still! With every moment that elapsed, the flow of stolen power pouring into Hunxuze’s alchemy vessel accelerated beyond bounds—the form within gradually becoming brighter and brighter, clearer—and with this rate maintaining, the first of their creations was seemingly on verge of crystallization into perfected Nine Tier!
“Now! This is it!” Hunxuzi immediately felt a surge of exhilaration.
However, the first glimpse of joy barely broke through his face before calamity struck.
Suddenly—an errant pink blaze drifted lazily through space before accelerating. Then—a tiny inferno-form emerged once again in child figure, standing now atop Hunxuzi’s own medicinal furnace.
Looking up, it threw Hunxuzi the most arrogant of contempt-filled looks. A moment later, with a loud smacking bang—the lid to Hunxuzi’s sacred vessel shot flying away, torn free.
Before his still-stupefied eyes fully refocused upon this violation:
A tiny blazing hand lashed forward, seizing the still-forming medicine with an iron grip—before dashing back into the expanse of sky without a single breath passing in warning!
“This you… dare challenge me to death!!!” Hunxuzi finally exploded—a bellow erupting from lips as his rage reached critical point!
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