Word Count: 3,063 Words
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When Xiao Yan told Little Fairy Doctor that he only had a thirty to forty percent chance of refining an ordinary Tier 9 Mysterious Pill, he had been far too modest. His true success rate was at least seventy percent, perhaps even higher!
The endless stream of Nine Mysterious Golden Lightning energy was steadily refined, and that process continued for nearly a full month. By the time the month ended, every last strand of free-floating Nine Mysterious Golden Lightning had been completely refined!
From the very start of the refinement until now, roughly a month and a half had passed. Once all of the Nine Mysterious Golden Lightning had been refined and merged into the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree, Xiao Yan, who had kept his eyes shut the entire time, slowly opened them. He gazed at the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree glowing with dazzling golden light not far away, and a smile rose to his face.
He had succeeded! Not once had he failed!
And what he had succeeded in was not merely refining a pill. He had also created an alchemy method that truly belonged to him alone, an incomparably powerful technique of his own making!
Xiao Yan then looked toward the Nine Mysterious Golden Lightning's origin essence not far away. "You still have a chance to back out now. If the pill fusion fails, I cannot guarantee what will happen to you."
"And even if the pill fusion succeeds, I still cannot guarantee what you will become, or whether you will be able to become a 'living being' like the Pill Tower's Old Ancestor."
Xiao Yan was now only missing the final step, and that was pill fusion. In truth, once he had reached this stage, the Tier 9 Mysterious Pill could already be considered essentially complete, and Xiao Yan could already be called a Mysterious Pill Guru.
Even if the Nine Mysterious Golden Lightning's origin essence rejected him, he could still press forward with the fusion. The only difference was that the result would merely be an ordinary Lightning Calamity Pill.
Back then, the alchemist who had refined the Pill Tower's Old Ancestor had sacrificed himself to make the medicinal pill mutate, throwing his own body into the Medicinal Cauldron to complete its evolution.
A sharp whoosh cut through the air. The Nine Mysterious Golden Lightning merely glanced at Xiao Yan once before transforming into a streak of golden lightning and flying into the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree without the slightest hesitation.
It had watched for this long. Even without a true spirit, it still possessed intelligence. It was not foolish. How could it fail to recognize a peerless opportunity staring it in the face?
"Good!" Xiao Yan smiled with quiet confidence. His hand seals shifted at once, and his dual Clan Marks erupted. In an instant, his cultivation soared to the late stage of 6-star Dou Saint, while his Spiritual Strength surged straight into the Emperor State!
Terrifying Spiritual Strength and Dou Qi spread like a raging storm. Even the surrounding Black Demon Lightning was forced back, and the entire Void Lightning Pool began to churn violently once more.
"Hundred Lifetimes Pill Fusion Method, fuse!"
Xiao Yan's shout rang out, and the Flame Mantra began circulating wildly. The Dou Qi produced by the God Class Flame Mantra poured into the Bodhisattva Heart within his body. The entire Refining Sky Ancient Formation spun up at once, rotating faster than it ever had before. Berserk energy ravaged the void, and powerful spatial currents tore through everything in their path.
The sound of a beating heart echoed through the region.
Thump. Thump.
The Nine Mysterious Golden Lightning's origin essence now rested inside the main trunk of the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree, much like Xiao Yan himself had once been when he experienced a hundred lifetimes of reincarnation.
Although Xiao Yan could not make others enter a hundred lifetimes of reincarnation the way the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree could, he had drawn inspiration from that very process and fused it into his alchemy technique as the final step of pill fusion!
Buzz!
The golden leaves on the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree began to drift downward. Leaves fell and returned to their roots. A hundred lifetimes, fused into one pill!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!
The Refining Sky Ancient Formation spun madly. Terrifying demon flame surged like an ocean and swallowed everything within the formation. The Bodhisattva Ancient Tree emitted wave after wave of frightening energy fluctuations.
A thunderous boom rang out, and a pillar of golden light shot into the sky, piercing straight into the void above.
"What happened?!"
"It's from the direction of the Void Lightning Pool!"
"Could it be Grandmaster Xiao Yan? He's been inside the Void Lightning Pool for nearly three months now, hasn't he?!"
Countless eyes on Dragon Island turned toward the Void Lightning Pool. Such a heaven-shaking pillar of light naturally drew the attention of the entire island.
Zi Yan stepped out of the palace in her Dragon Emperor robe, tall and graceful. Her long purple hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall of violet silk, and the imperial robe traced the proud rise of her chest and the slim line of her waist, lending her the air of a young empress in full bloom. The moment she laid eyes on that golden pillar, her nose twitched. She blinked, and her eyes spun with sudden thought.
'That's a pill aura... and it seems to be a Tier 9 Mysterious Pill at that!'
The pill fusion lasted a full seven days before the golden light gradually began to fade.
Only then did Xiao Yan disperse the Refining Sky Ancient Formation and withdraw all of the Heavenly Flames. As the demon flame receded, golden radiance filled the air. The Bodhisattva Ancient Tree was gone, and the Nine Mysterious Golden Lightning had vanished as well. In the very center of where the tree had stood, a fist-sized medicinal pill hovered quietly in midair. Its entire body shone like pure gold, and around it, strands of golden lightning continuously seeped outward, accompanied by low, rolling rumbles.
The moment that pill came into view, even Xiao Yan could not suppress the excitement on his face.
The Tier 9 Mysterious Pill, the Lightning Calamity Pill, had finally been successfully refined!
Xiao Yan beckoned with one hand, and the Lightning Calamity Pill obediently flew before him. He examined it carefully from top to bottom, then gave a satisfied nod. The Nine Mysterious Golden Lightning was still slumbering within it and had not yet awakened.
With a wave of his hand, the Nine Dragon Lightning Flame wrapped around the Lightning Calamity Pill. He drew it into his body and began nourishing it with the Nine Dragon Lightning Flame.
The Pill Tower's Old Ancestor? From now on, this pill would be the true Old Ancestor! Only, it would not be the Pill Tower's Old Ancestor. It would be the Yan Alliance's Old Ancestor!
'A 6-star Dou Saint...' Xiao Yan checked his condition and discovered that while refining the Nine Mysterious Golden Lightning, he had unintentionally absorbed a portion of its energy through Mao Wu. Without even realizing it, he had broken through the barrier and stepped into the initial stage of 6-star Dou Saint.
'Now that I've refined a Tier 9 Mysterious Pill, going to the Medicinal Ceremony and casually taking the championship shouldn't be much of a problem, right?' A faintly smug smile settled on his face. This time, the title of champion was his for the taking.
After refining this Lightning Calamity Pill, Xiao Yan found himself looking forward to the Medicinal Ceremony even more than before.
If the Pill Gathering hosted by the Pill Tower selected the most talented genius alchemist, then the champion of the Medicinal Ceremony represented the number one alchemist of the current era on the Dou Qi Continent.
Xiao Yan's desire for the Dou God realm was not especially intense, but the title of Medicine God was another matter entirely. That one, he genuinely coveted. After all, the very first path he had ever walked was Yao Chen's path of alchemy. From the age of four, when he first opened the storage ring, he had begun studying alchemy, poring over the records of medicinal ingredients and the notes Yao Chen had left behind.
As long as he claimed the championship of the Medicinal Ceremony, Hun Tiandi would keep his promise and gather the full power of the Hun Clan to help Xiao Yan break through to an Emperor State soul. Once he possessed Emperor State Spiritual Strength, his power would rise to yet another level entirely.
So for Xiao Yan, rather than scouring the continent for dangerous secret realms and deadly forbidden lands, it was far more practical to cultivate his alchemy properly. Taking resources from the Hun Clan was both safer and more convenient.
Now that he had reached his current level, Xiao Yan had gradually begun to understand Hun Tiandi's state of mind.
Because he himself had started to sense the world's bottleneck. He felt as though he simply could not improve any further. In the past, he had thought the Dou Qi Continent was vast beyond measure, so broad that one could spend a lifetime traveling it and still never reach its end.
But now, crossing the entire Dou Qi Continent would not even take him half a day.
The methods he could still think of to improve his strength had become pitifully few.
If even Xiao Yan felt this way, then what about Hun Tiandi, who had cultivated to the absolute limit? It was only natural for him to be obsessed with becoming a Dou God.
That was the only thing left for him to pursue. His only remaining goal.
'I've been out for long enough. It's about time I headed back to Dragon Island.'
His thoughts shifted, and the Ancient Phoenix Wings spread open behind him. A single flap sent his body shooting toward the end of the void like a meteor, swift as a lightning bolt.
…
When Xiao Yan returned to Dragon Island, the colossal island, vast as a continent and almost entirely reborn, left him surprised and more than a little taken aback. Towering mountains rose from the sprawling landmass, their peaks piercing the clouds. Mist coiled between the cliffs, and from time to time, enormous Ancient Void Dragons swept across the sky. Deep dragon roars rumbled ceaselessly throughout the island.
The current Dragon Island had been formed from the union of the four great Dragon Islands. Not only was its area immense, but the number of clansmen gathered there had reached a scale unseen in thousands of years. In the past, the tribesmen had always been scattered among the four islands, making it extremely rare for them all to appear in one place at once.
Although the tragedy of Northern Dragon Island had caused the Ancient Void Dragon Tribe's strength to decline considerably, it was still many times stronger than Eastern Dragon Island had once been on its own.
'Truly worthy of the Ancient Void Dragon Tribe. Even no longer at its peak, it still cannot be underestimated. It seems the talk that in its heyday, the tribe was capable of contending with ancient clans like the Gu Clan and the Hun Clan was no empty boast after all.' Xiao Yan nodded in quiet admiration.
There had originally been many experts among the four great Dragon Islands. Though they had suffered losses through a great upheaval, when Zi Yan displayed the Dragon Slaying Sword during the surprise assault, some of the older generation from the three Dragon Islands had already begun thinking of submitting to her and withdrawn from the fighting in time.
Those experts who pulled back from the brink were fortunate enough to escape calamity. Now that the four Dragon Islands had merged, all of them had pledged themselves to Zi Yan, and the lineup under her command was naturally not weak.
With that force alone, the Ancient Void Dragon Tribe's title as the number one tribe among magical beasts would likely remain unchallenged.
Xiao Yan felt genuine delight that the Ancient Void Dragon Tribe had preserved such strength. Given his relationship with Zi Yan, the bond between the Yan Alliance and the Ancient Void Dragon Tribe was also remarkably solid.
And with him now a 6-star Dou Saint, even the Pill Tower's Old Ancestor was no longer his match. The Yan Alliance was, without question, the strongest faction on the continent!
The skies above Dragon Island were guarded far more tightly than before. Squad after squad of ancient dragon guards with dragon wings beating at their backs crossed overhead on patrol. Hovering in the air and marveling at the island's transformation, Xiao Yan was quickly noticed. More than a dozen figures rushed toward him at once, but the moment they recognized who he was, the vigilance on their faces melted into respect. They bowed from a distance and promptly withdrew.
Xiao Yan smiled at the sight. His body flickered as he swept into Dragon Island, and a few flashes later, he appeared in a quiet courtyard.
"Xiao Yan."
His sudden appearance startled both women in the courtyard, but they recovered in an instant, pleasant surprise lighting up their faces.
Cai Lin had remained here not only to discuss the arrangements for several secret realms in the Beast Region with Zi Yan, but also out of worry for this particular fellow.
Zi Yan stood in her grown form, her long purple hair cascading freely like a river of violet silk. The Dragon Emperor robe draped her tall, willowy figure with imperial splendor, accentuating the proud curve of her chest and the slender taper of her waist before falling in sweeping lines over legs that seemed to go on forever. She radiated the commanding beauty of a young empress in full bloom.
Cai Lin stood beside her, equally breathtaking in an entirely different way. A close-fitting dress followed every graceful contour of her mature figure, from the supple sweep of her waist to the alluring flare of her hips.
One radiant and noble, the other cold and devastating. Two empresses standing side by side, forming a scene so striking that no brush or pen could hope to capture it.
"In less than two months, Dragon Island has changed this much." Xiao Yan looked at Zi Yan with a grin. "You really do have some ability as Dragon Emperor."
Zi Yan pursed her lips. "You disappear for nearly three months and come back with one sentence of praise, as though that's supposed to be enough? If you'd stayed inside any longer, we really would've sent people into the Void Lightning Pool to drag you out."
Xiao Yan coughed. "There were some unexpected gains during the refinement. It ended up taking longer than I planned."
"You always say that," Zi Yan snorted.
Cai Lin, however, was more perceptive. Her gaze swept over him, and her expression shifted. "Your strength has increased again?"
She had sensed something different about him the moment she laid eyes on him.
"Just broke into 6-star Dou Saint," Xiao Yan said with a light smile, brushing past the matter as though it were nothing remarkable. To him, the real joy was the successful refinement of the Tier 9 Mysterious Pill.
Zi Yan's eyes went wide. "A breakthrough? Again?"
Cai Lin let out a soft, helpless breath. "In less than three months, you've broken through to 6-star Dou Saint. For you, smashing through barriers seems no harder than eating or sleeping."
Zi Yan folded her arms and stared at him. "At this rate, everyone around you is going to lose all confidence in cultivating."
Xiao Yan only grinned, unable to hide his satisfaction. Ever since obtaining the Mysterious Yellow Flame, his luck had indeed been rather good.
"Now that the Ancient Void Dragon Tribe has settled onto the right path and I've broken through as well, I think it's about time we returned to the Yan Alliance," he said, turning his gaze toward Zi Yan.
"You're leaving already..." Zi Yan's brows knit together, and the light in her face dimmed at once, reluctance plain in her eyes.
Cai Lin caught that look, and a subtle glimmer passed through her own eyes. "I'll wait outside. You two talk."
She gave Xiao Yan one long, meaningful look, then flew beyond Dragon Island to give them space.
Xiao Yan looked at Zi Yan's subdued expression and said, "The undercurrents on the Dou Qi Continent are growing stronger by the day. The Ancient Void Dragon Tribe has only just been unified. Right now is exactly the time to recuperate and build strength. The tribe needs you here on Dragon Island to take charge."
"The Ancient Void Dragon Tribe has always repaid its debts of kindness." Zi Yan lifted her gaze and looked straight at him. "You saved our tribe from peril twice. Not a single tribesman will ever forget that debt. No matter what trouble you face, the Ancient Void Dragon Tribe will help you at any cost." Her voice softened. "Besides... you are also the Dragon Emperor of the Ancient Void Dragon Tribe."
Those words left Xiao Yan dumbstruck. Even his famously thick skin couldn't stop a faint flush from creeping across his face. He immediately recalled how Zi Yan had once refused to remain Dragon Emperor and had planned to marry him into the position instead, dumping the entire Ancient Void Dragon Tribe onto his shoulders to manage.
He rubbed his nose and laughed bitterly. "Cough... the Dragon Emperor still has to be you. I'm only human, after all."
Zi Yan stared directly into his eyes. A flush she couldn't quite suppress crept into her cheeks. "Actually... all the elders in the tribe have already agreed to it..."
Xiao Yan sucked in a sharp breath. "I-I think... this sort of thing really isn't something we should be considering right now. The Ancient Void Dragon Tribe still isn't fully settled, and the Dou Qi Continent is far from peaceful. We can wait until the continent is at peace and think it over slowly then. It wouldn't be too late, right?!"
The moment the last word left his mouth, he unfurled the Ancient Phoenix Wings and shot out of Dragon Island in a blind panic, looking very much like a man fleeing for his life.
It had gone completely sideways!