Chapter 585: The Divine Pill is Made, Reaching the Skies
"It's the truth. The Li Yun Pill hasn't been successfully refined for nearly twenty thousand years. We are fortunate to witness its creation," one alchemist remarked with profound respect.
"The path of alchemy must not be rigid. Only through diversity can we achieve greater heights. During the refinement of the Li Yun Pill, I demonstrated one thousand two hundred and twenty-four techniques. Even if you didn't master them all, you should have gained some insights. Pass this pill around and study it," the Tiger Dragon Pill Saint generously offered.
"Thank you, Tiger Dragon Pill Saint!" everyone responded respectfully.
The Li Yun Pill was placed on a jade plate and passed around. These were the top alchemists in Shenzhou; even by just smelling the pill, they could glean some understanding. Though this was an exaggeration, they could undoubtedly learn much from closely examining the pill.
Relieved from the scrutiny, the Tiger Dragon Pill Saint exhaled deeply. The two and a half months of pill refinement had been exhausting.
Turning to look at the Eternal Alchemy Platform, he noticed Gan Bao'er and Xu Fu. During the refinement process, he had paid attention to their techniques and realized their pills were on par with his.
A violent black dragon, a hundred cranes singing in harmony. What were they refining?
He had never heard of such things before!
"Second Uncle, congratulations!" Lan Tianwei approached with a smile.
"Oh? You've been here all this time?" the Pill Saint raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, the Ten Thousand Elixirs Conference happens only once every thousand years. I had to observe and learn," Lan Tianwei said.
The Pill Saint took a deep breath and shook his head. "No matter how high the art of alchemy, it is a minor path. Your path is that of an eternal emperor. Do not lose sight of your main goal."
"Yes, I understand," Lan Tianwei replied, slightly embarrassed.
Seeing Lan Tianwei's expression, the Pill Saint shook his head, unsure of what to say.
An hour later, after bathing and changing, the Pill Saint returned. The Li Yun Pill was still being passed around.
The Pill Saint sat near Zhong Shan, watching Gan Bao'er and Xu Fu on the platform. Suddenly, he stood up in surprise.
"What technique is this?" the Pill Saint whispered in astonishment.
As he watched Bao'er and Xu Fu, his eyes filled with wonder.
He observed for an entire day and night, completely engrossed in their techniques. It wasn't until the next day that he seemed to wake from a trance.
Looking at the two once more, the Pill Saint turned to Zhong Shan and his group.
He approached Zhong Shan.
"Emperor Zhong!" the Pill Saint greeted politely.
"Oh?" Zhong Shan looked at the Pill Saint.
"I have a question and would like Emperor Zhong to enlighten me," the Pill Saint began.
"Please, ask away," Zhong Shan nodded.
"It's like this. Perhaps it's my ignorance, but I've encountered many alchemical techniques throughout the world. Even if I don't fully understand them, I recognize their names. However, the techniques used by those two above—Xu Fu and Gan Bao'er—I don't recognize most of them. Let's set aside Xu Fu for now. Gan Bao'er's techniques resemble known alchemical methods but are more refined and profound. These techniques, while similar to common Shenzhou methods, have never been seen before. Are these Gan Bao'er's own creations?" the Pill Saint asked seriously.
His own creations? These were techniques recorded in Bao'er's Ancient Pill Scroll, from which countless alchemical methods had been derived. It was only natural that Bao'er's techniques were more intricate.
"Hehe, you'd have to ask Bao'er about that. I'm not entirely sure since I don't practice alchemy," Zhong Shan replied straightforwardly.
"Uh?"
The Pill Saint was momentarily taken aback, then nodded thoughtfully. "My apologies for being presumptuous. Emperor Zhong, as the ruler of an empire, naturally has no need to practice alchemy."
"It's too complicated for me to remember," Zhong Shan said politely.
"Emperor Zhong is being modest. Among all the paths, the path of the emperor is the most complex. It is the great path of heaven and earth. It's fine if you don't delve into the minor path of alchemy," the Pill Saint shook his head.
"What do you think of Xu Fu's alchemical methods?" Zhong Shan asked curiously.
"Strange!" the Pill Saint said.
"Oh?"
"Xu Fu's methods are even more mysterious. I've never seen anything like them. While Gan Bao'er's techniques still bear traces of Shenzhou's alchemical methods, Xu Fu's techniques are fundamentally different. Many of his methods are completely contrary to traditional practices. It's unimaginable that such techniques could produce pills. In the past, I would never have believed it. But Xu Fu executes them with such proficiency. I must be ignorant," the Pill Saint sighed, shaking his head.
"You mean Xu Fu's alchemical techniques aren't from Shenzhou?" Zhong Shan narrowed his eyes, pondering.
"Perhaps I am simply ignorant," the Pill Saint replied, shaking his head again in self-deprecation.
"Thank you, Tiger Dragon Pill Saint," Zhong Shan nodded.
"Emperor Zhong, you're welcome," the Pill Saint replied.
Everyone continued to wait patiently for four more days, during which the Li Yun Pill was returned to the Pill Saint.
On this day, everyone was quietly waiting.
Suddenly, Xu Fu made a gesture with his hands.
"Break!"
Xu Fu shouted, and a black light shot from his fingers into the furnace.
"Roaaarrr!"
The black dragon, formed from pill breath, roared and dove into the furnace. A vast heavenly aura arose.
"Boom!"
The sky suddenly filled with dark clouds, and countless thunderclouds gathered over the Eternal Alchemy Platform.
At almost the same moment, Bao'er reached the final stage of her process.
"Go!"
Bao'er shouted, and a green light shot from her fingers into the Heaven and Earth Mysterious Yellow Cauldron. The hundred celestial cranes formed from pill breath flapped their wings and dove into the cauldron.
"Boom!"
The sky grew even darker, densely packed with thunderclouds, as if the world were ending.
"Heavenly Tribulation?" the Tiger Dragon Pill Saint exclaimed.
With his shout, nearly all the alchemists echoed in surprise.
"Heavenly Tribulation?"
"How could there be a Heavenly Tribulation? Heavenly thunder destroying the world—who is reaching the Heavenly Extreme Realm? Who is undergoing tribulation?"
The crowd was abuzz with fear. People wanted to flee, at least to quickly get away from Blue Flame City. Undergoing a tribulation in such a densely populated area was courting disaster. The more people, the greater the tribulation's strength. Stronger tribulation means it's harder to survive. Attempting it in a crowd was sheer madness.
People were desperate to escape; they didn't want to risk their lives because someone else was courting death. Swiftly leaving this place was the only option to avoid misfortune.
"No, this isn't a heavenly tribulation; it's a pill tribulation!" Amidst the commotion, the Tiger Dragon Pill Saint suddenly exclaimed.
A pill tribulation?
This declaration struck everyone like a cold wave, freezing their hearts and making them momentarily stop.
A pill tribulation? A pill tribulation occurs when the grade of the pill exceeds the ninth grade, reaching the level of a celestial pill, triggering a heavenly tribulation.
That was the stuff of ancient legends, a mythical occurrence in the annals of alchemy. It was said that ten thousand years ago, someone had refined a celestial pill. Ten thousand years—a time so distant it seemed eternal.
For others, a pill tribulation might be terrifying, but for these grandmasters dedicated to alchemy, it was an unmissable moment.
Pill tribulation! Was it truly a pill tribulation?
Everyone looked at the Tiger Dragon Pill Saint, but he was too absorbed to explain, staring intently at the Eternal Alchemy Platform.
No one ran anymore; they all held their breath, watching the platform with the reverence and excitement of mortals witnessing an ancient celestial being.
Celestial pills? The legendary celestial pills that could transform a person into an immortal. Could it be true? Had someone really refined such pills?
The two alchemists seemed to be reaching the final stage simultaneously. Whose pill would truly be a celestial pill?
At nearly the same moment, the two alchemists opened their furnace lids with a wave of their hands.
"Roaaarrr!"
From Xu Fu's furnace, a phantom image of a vast black river surged out, a torrent of endless black water shooting into the sky, piercing the clouds. Within this black river, a black dragon ascended.
In the sky, dark clouds swirled around the black river's phantom column, crackling with endless lightning, ready to strike at any moment.
On the other side, as Bao'er opened her Heaven and Earth Mysterious Yellow Cauldron, a similar phantom beam shot into the sky, piercing the thunderclouds and forming an immense vortex.
Bao'er's phantom beam wasn't a black river but a column of entwined white and black lights, resonating with the cries of countless cranes.
Two furnaces producing celestial pills?
Everyone was dumbfounded. Celestial pills had become mythical because of their rarity. It was said that only one appeared every ten thousand years, making them infinitely scarce, existing only in legends. Without seeing one, people doubted their existence.
But now, the pill tribulation confirmed the existence of celestial pills. That alone was an astonishing rarity. And now, to see that both these individuals had refined celestial pills?
How could the gathered alchemy grandmasters cope with such an unprecedented event?
Despite their disbelief, the alchemists couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement and admiration. Even the Tiger Dragon Pill Saint's lips trembled uncontrollably. Celestial pills—true celestial pills! The creation of celestial pills had pierced the heavens!