Word Count: 2,175 Words
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Xiao Yan's expression was solemn as he silently circulated his Dou Qi. He had anticipated from the start that merging a Heavenly Flame into the Poison Pill, combined with the Spirit Ascension Method, would elevate the Poison Pill to the tier 8 level.
After all, the original Poison Pill Method, in both materials and refining techniques, had already reached the pinnacle of tier 7.
Using Heavenly Flames as medicinal ingredients was a mad concept he only dared to conceive because his Flame Mantra allowed him to continuously devour Heavenly Flames and enhance his own strength.
For ordinary alchemists, obtaining even a single Heavenly Flame was a gift from the heavens, something to be revered like an ancestral treasure. To use it directly in alchemy? That was sheer lunacy.
What Xiao Yan hadn't foreseen, however, was that while his Heavenly Flame Poison Pill perfectly countered the Woeful Poison Body, it had also provoked the wrath of the heavens themselves.
He had mentally prepared himself to face the colored Pill Lightning of a tier 8 pill, but this gray Pill Lightning of a Forbidden Pill posed a far greater challenge.
Although Venerable Yao hadn't left any Forbidden Pill recipes in the storage ring, ancient texts mentioned that whenever a pill's refinement defied the natural order, it would summon this ominous gray Pill Lightning.
The power of this Pill Lightning would not change. Under normal circumstances, by Xiao Yan's estimation, the Heavenly Flame Poison Pill, after undergoing Spirit Ascension, should have attracted Pill Lightning of four or five colors.
The true danger of the gray Pill Lightning lay in its relentlessness. This form of Pill Lightning, akin to Heavenly Punishment, would not cease until both the alchemist and the pill were utterly destroyed!
Xiao Yan turned his head and glanced at Little Fairy Doctor, who remained seated cross-legged. The Heavenly Flame Poison Pill had been fully refined, yet even he couldn't predict what would happen next.
'Little Fairy Doctor looks surprisingly fitting in an alchemist's robe,' he thought with a faint smile. He recalled how her childhood dream had been to become an alchemist, only to be hindered by a lack of talent.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
At that very moment, the gray thunderclouds in the sky could no longer be restrained. A bolt of lightning, as thick as an entire mountain range, suddenly crashed down. If it struck, forget the Book Collection Hall; the entire sealed space might be obliterated in an instant!
"Tier 8 Pill Lightning!"
"A strike equal to a Dou Venerate's attack!"
Elder Qian and Elder Bai's expressions shifted dramatically. This was tier 8 Pill Lightning, its might comparable to a full blow from an ordinary Dou Venerate!
Though both elders were at the half-step Dou Venerate level, the chasm between half-step and true Dou Venerate was vast. This was evident from how even Little Fairy Doctor, with her Woeful Poison Body, couldn't overcome a newly advanced Dou Venerate like She Tianhuang.
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!!!
Across the entire Inner Academy, the ground lit up with intricate patterns of light. All the elders swiftly positioned themselves at the formation's nodes. Even Wu Hao, Hu Jia, Xiao Ning, and Xiao Yu contributed their strength.
"Thousand Layer Guardian Formation, activate!"
First Elder Su Qian shouted as he stood at the center of the formation. This was the guardian formation left behind by the mysterious Headmaster. Back when the Fallen Heart Flame erupted, Su Qian and the Inner Academy elders had joined forces to form this formation. Without it, Xiao Yan and Cai Lin would never have subdued the Fallen Heart Flame.
With a resonant hum, countless streams of Dou Qi converged, forming a celestial mirror that materialized above the Book Collection Hall. Endless light cascaded from the mirror, transforming into an immensely powerful defense to shield Xiao Yan from the heavens' wrathful tribulation!
Su Qian and the others placed their trust in Xiao Yan, confident he would never refine a pill that defied the natural order.
Boom!
The gray lightning slammed into the celestial mirror with a thunderous impact. To everyone's astonishment, the Guardian Grand Formation, established by the Headmaster himself, actually withstood the gray Pill Lightning this time!
"It held!"
"No, wait, look!"
Crack, crack, crack. A chilling sound echoed from the sky. The guardian formation, infused with the Dou Qi of every Inner Academy expert and personally crafted by the Headmaster, began to visibly turn to stone!
Within mere moments, the once-radiant celestial mirror lost all its brilliance, becoming a lifeless block of rock. With a shattering boom, the gray heavenly lightning demolished the entire Inner Academy's formation.
Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed slightly. This gray heavenly lightning was far more terrifying than he had imagined. Its threat wasn't merely in its raw power!
Contained within the gray Pill Lightning was a dreadful force of death. If touched by this energy, no matter one's cultivation, even a Dou Saint would age instantly, as though decades had passed in a single breath.
It could strip away one's very lifespan!
Resisting with Dou Qi was futile. No matter how vast or powerful, the moment it contacted this horrifying force, it would be corroded instantly. Even an endless well of Dou Qi would be consumed until nothing remained but a withered corpse.
After all, refining Forbidden Pills was not permitted. If one could simply have a Dou Saint stand guard, wouldn't that allow for the unscrupulous refinement of Forbidden Pills?
How could the heavens permit such a loophole? Thus, the gray heavenly tribulation couldn't be countered by brute force alone. Any power would be stripped away by that grayness, just as the vibrant colors of ordinary Pill Lightning were erased. Naturally, this included human life itself!
With the formation shattered, First Elder Su Qian bore the brunt of the backlash. He spat out a mouthful of fresh blood and sighed, 'Alas, Xiao Yan, the rest is up to your fate.'
Seeing the power and terror of the gray heavenly tribulation, determination flashed in the eyes of Elder Qian and Elder Bai. Their gazes hardened, and they stepped forward together, exchanging a glance. Two pairs of withered hands slowly emerged from their sleeves, forming strange hand seals.
As they moved, intense spatial fluctuations suddenly emanated from around them. The space itself rippled and twisted, as if covered in countless wrinkles, distorting even the line of sight.
Their combined power was actually no less than that of a Dou Venerate!
With a hum, the entire Book Collection Hall erupted with intense light. The hall now resembled an exquisite pagoda, its entire body enveloped in a special radiance.
The Space Lock on the Book Collection Hall instantly activated!
The Book Collection Hall was the most important place in Jia Nan Academy, and its protection was the strongest!
Boom!
Another bolt of gray heavenly tribulation struck, causing the entire Book Collection Hall to shake violently, but it blocked the strike!
Having blocked one bolt, the thundercloud seemed to grow enraged. With another deafening roar, the lightning struck with irresistible force, instantly stirring up spatial turbulence like stormy waves, and smashed the Space Lock apart in one blow.
Xiao Yan tensed slightly while standing within the Book Collection Hall, gripping the Heavy Xuan Ruler tightly. He knew the only way to break this deadly impasse was to resolve the thundercloud above.
Those thunderclouds contained countless strands of gray deathly power. Any Dou Technique that touched them would instantly petrify, corrode, and disintegrate into natural energy. Breaking through the thunderclouds by force was impossible.
But he had a chance!
While all Dou Techniques were ineffective, he could touch it! Because he possessed Heavenly Flames! And currently, he had eight different kinds!
The power within the thundercloud was similar to the death flame aspect of the Yin-Yang Twin Flame. If Xiao Yan were a Dou Saint now, perhaps he could resolve the thundercloud relying solely on the Yin-Yang Twin Flame.
However, charging into the sky meant that the slightest misstep would lead to utter annihilation.
"Xiao Yan! The Book Collection Hall's protection is about to give way!" Elder Qian's voice echoed in Xiao Yan's mind. The hall's crystal-clear protective light membrane was already growing dim.
"If there's truly no other way, destroy the pill yourself!" Elder Bai's urgent voice followed immediately.
Being able to withstand two such terrifying strikes was already the limit for the Book Collection Hall's protection! Even if Venerable Tian Huo were present, he would likely struggle to block two blows.
"Many thanks to Elder Qian, Elder Bai, and all the Inner Academy elders for your assistance. Xiao Yan is endlessly grateful." Having finished speaking, Xiao Yan formed a hand seal. The back of his upper garment instantly burst open, and a pair of domineering, lightning-flickering Bone Wings appeared behind him.
With a thought, he unleashed the Skyfire Three Mysterious Change. Eight-colored Heavenly Flames erupted from his body, then instantly returned inside him, surging through his meridians. An aura at the Dou Ancestor level suddenly exploded from within him, and it was still rising.
This was the first time Xiao Yan had used all his Heavenly Flames to perform the Skyfire Three Mysterious Change since his battle with Ling Quan!
The terrifying power of the Heavenly Flames made his entire body feel as if it were being torn apart.
But this was still not enough. One tier 7 medicinal pill after another was poured directly into his mouth as if they cost nothing. Emperor Strength Purple Pill, Life Returning Pill, Great Dragon Strength Pill, Great Ancestor Qi Recovery Pill, any pill that could temporarily boost strength, were all swallowed at once, transforming into a fierce medicinal effect that filled his body.
In Xiao Yan's dictionary, the word 'retreat' simply did not exist!
Outside, Elder Qian and Elder Bai watched in shock as the third bolt of gray heavenly tribulation descended. In just a fleeting moment, the Book Collection Hall's protection, capable of withstanding a Dou Venerate's assault, shattered completely. Even the Space Lock was smashed into fragments!
"Flame Splitting Tsunami!!"
A powerful shout rang out from within the Book Collection Hall. Immediately, an astonishingly massive eight-colored ruler's radiance shot forth like lightning, tearing through space along its path. Even the faint energy that leaked out was enough to rend the surrounding space!
Though the Flame Splitting Tsunami was merely a Low Di Class Dou Technique, it was one of the few techniques Xiao Yan had mastered to perfection. Now, it was augmented with the power of eight Heavenly Flames!
The Flame Splitting Tsunami, rivaling the size of the thunderclouds above, collided heavily with the gray lightning under the astonished gazes of Elder Qian and Elder Bai.
BOOM!!!
Two incredibly terrifying attacks clashed like meteors colliding in a cataclysmic explosion!
What shocked Elder Qian and Elder Bai was that the dazzling multi-colored Heavenly Flames were actually not robbed of their colors by the gray power!!
The power of Heavenly Flames could not be stolen or erased, not even by Heavenly Punishment!!
For Heavenly Flames, too, were among the most powerful forces born of heaven and earth!
The two energy masses expanded rapidly. Soon, the light spots grew increasingly blinding, and the spatial fluctuations intensified further. A horrifying explosion detonated in mid-air, forming a bizarre energy cluster.
On one side shimmered the dazzling, multi-colored hues of the Heavenly Flames, while the other bore the colorless void of the tribulation lightning.
Just as the two forces mutually annihilated each other, a sharp sound of air being pierced rang out. Xiao Yan's speed, enhanced by the Three Thousand Lightning Movement and his Bone Wings with his boosted cultivation, was now no less than that of a Dou Venerate. He transformed into a blurred shadow and charged recklessly toward the thunderclouds in the sky!
"Xiao Yan!!"
"Could that be Senior Brother Xiao Yan?!"
Many sharp-eyed onlookers exclaimed in shock as they saw Xiao Yan's figure burst forth from the shattered Space Lock.
"What is Senior Brother Xiao Yan trying to do?!"
"He intends to charge straight into that thundercloud!"
Xiao Yu clenched her hands tightly as she witnessed this scene, her eyes brimming with worry. 'Xiao Yan, please be safe.'
"I don't care if you're the true heavens or just a pretender. Today, I, Xiao Yan, will ensure this pill's success!" Xiao Yan roared with unyielding fury. In that instant, his soul unleashed completely, and a terrifying dark Spiritual Strength enveloped his entire body once more!
Xiao Yan transformed into an Asura yet again!
"Asura!"
Unlike the last time, his Spiritual State had now reached the Soul Realm!
This time, there was no support from Venerable Tian Huo's Spiritual Strength, but his own Spiritual Strength had long since grown beyond comparison!
With the full eruption of his Soul Realm Spiritual Strength and the third form of the Asura Soul Reaping Technique, Xiao Yan's cultivation surged once more like one driven by madness! Fueled by the triple boost of medicinal pills, Heavenly Flames, and Spiritual Strength, his cultivation astonishingly soared to the terrifying height of a 9-star Dou Ancestor!!