Chapter 87: The Peerless Pill Venerable (15) |
Prison-Suppressing Sacred Land now had a saint of its own!
That very day, Su Chen watched as the Prison-Suppressing Sacred Lord, wielding saint king artifacts, tore open the sky with his bare hands and set off for the Central Continent. He knew exactly where the Sacred Lord was going—to settle accounts with the Song Clan. A saint armed with saint king artifacts was undeniably terrifying. When no saint kings appeared, such a being was invincible across the world.
Across the five domains, saint king-level existences were few and far between. Moreover, with Fang Bubai standing behind Prison-Suppressing Sacred Land, even those above the saint king realm would have to think twice before acting.
One year later, word arrived from the Central Continent. The Prison-Suppressing Sacred Lord had descended upon the Song Clan in person. Wielding saint king artifacts, he slew two saints of the Song Clan in succession, shocking the entire Central Continent.
In the end… the Prison-Suppressing Sacred Lord returned to the sacred land looking disheveled and muttering under his breath: "What bullshit Central Continent—who the hell wants to go there anyway? If they won't let me in, fine! All I did was kill two saints and wipe out one saint clan. How dare they expel a saint from the Central Continent!"
Su Chen's mouth twitched.
After finishing his complaints, the Prison-Suppressing Sacred Lord turned to Su Chen. "Young Su, the Song Clan has been exterminated by this lord. Though I didn't bring back their heads or bones—those old fogeys in the Central Continent are far too petty. Otherwise, I would have brought back the corpses of those two old ghosts from the Song Clan, refined them into an alchemy cauldron for you, and forged a suitable weapon as well."
For a moment, Su Chen wasn't sure whether it was his clan that had been wiped out or the Sacred Lord's.
Su Chen bowed. "Many thanks to the Sacred Lord for avenging this disciple's blood feud."
Su Chen felt genuine warmth in his heart. The ancestral founder was clearly very pleased. With the Song Clan exterminated, the latent crisis hanging over Su Chen had been lifted. No longer did he need to worry about stepping outside only to be ambushed by a saint.
Time flowed swiftly. A hundred years passed.
One day, dark clouds gathered thickly over the Pill Hall of Prison-Suppressing Sacred Land. Terrifying bolts of lightning converged in the sky. The phenomenon roused countless powerhouses throughout the sacred land.
"Is someone undergoing tribulation?"
"Such dreadful lightning power—even a Nirvana tribulation is no more than this!"
While everyone discussed in astonishment, a radiant glow rose into the sky, releasing an intense, refreshing fragrance. When they looked closely, they realized it was a single pill, coiling like a swimming dragon amid the fearsome thunder.
"An eighth-grade pill! That's an eighth-grade pill!"
"Hiss! Could it be that Elder Myriad Forms has refined another eighth-grade pill? No, I can't hold back—the fragrance alone is unbearable. I must beg for one. It's been decades since I last tasted an eighth-grade pill!"
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"That pill… I've never seen Elder Myriad Forms refine this one before… such fragrance! A new variety? Damn it, my tears are flowing from the corners of my mouth!"
"…"
The crowd surged toward Pill Peak in a frenzy.
Myriad Forms Pill Venerable appeared, his face dark as he glared at the mob. "None of you should even think about this pill. It wasn't refined by me."
The crowd looked bewildered. "If not by Elder Myriad Forms, then could it be…"
Realization dawned. Excitement lit up every face.
Someone murmured in awe, "Could it be… Prison-Suppressing Sacred Land is about to gain another eighth-grade Pill Venerable?"
Myriad Forms Pill Venerable nodded proudly, stroking his white beard. "Exactly. Another Pill Venerable is about to rise in our Prison-Suppressing Sacred Land! Under my careful guidance, Su Chen has successfully refined an eighth-grade pill today!"
The crowd rolled their eyes in unison.
Soon, the pill that had survived the thunder tribulation revealed its true form. It radiated an overwhelming draconic aura and gently landed on the shoulder of a white-robed youth.
The crowd offered their congratulations in unison. "Congratulations to Elder Su for successfully refining an eighth-grade pill and ascending to the rank of eighth-grade Pill Venerable!"
Su Chen smiled lightly. "Merely good fortune."
The many alchemists below: "…"
How come good fortune never came to them?
After two thousand years of development, Prison-Suppressing Sacred Land had finally welcomed its second eighth-grade alchemist!
To celebrate Su Chen's advancement to eighth grade, the Prison-Suppressing Sacred Lord emerged from seclusion and hosted a grand banquet. The name Su Chen—silent for a hundred years—once again resounded throughout the Eastern Wasteland, and with it came his revered title.
The Peerless Pill Venerable!
Countless powerhouses crossed the threshold, hoping to request pill refinements from him.
Su Chen formally assumed the position of Vice Hall Master of Pill Hall. He began instructing the sect's disciples in the art of alchemy. In just three hundred years, his students and former disciples spread far and wide.
One day, Su Chen traveled to the Central Continent and arrived at Pill God Hall. The hall remained one of the supreme pill-dao orthodoxies of the Central Continent—unchanged even after more than four hundred years. There he met Song Wanqing once again, along with the now white-haired Ghost Valley Pill Sovereign.
Song Wanqing had become an elder of Pill God Hall. She still carried the same elegant, aloof demeanor.
Su Chen had come to Pill God Hall for one purpose: to find a way to suppress the Nine Nether Profound Flame burning inside him. Over the past three centuries, the flame had grown increasingly dangerous; he had no choice but to seek answers in the greatest sanctuary of the Pill Dao.
Upon learning of his purpose, Pill God Hall had no desire to see such a prodigy fall. They immediately permitted him to search for a method to contain the Nine Nether Profound Flame.
Ten years passed before Su Chen finally found some clues—yet the solution remained extraordinarily difficult. He would either need a yang-attribute Heavenly Fire to counteract the yin-cold nether qi within him, or a saint-grade herb capable of cleansing his marrow and bones, granting him a second life.
Su Chen gave a soft sigh. Neither a Heavenly Fire nor a saint herb was something easily obtained. He left Pill God Hall and met Song Wanqing once more. This time Ghost Valley Pill Sovereign was absent.
When Su Chen asked after him, Song Wanqing's expression darkened with sorrow. "Master sensed his lifespan nearing its end. He left Pill God Hall and returned to the Dragon Firmament Dynasty. He wished to walk among green hills and clear waters, and to be buried among them."
Time was merciless. Even a seventh-grade alchemist like Ghost Valley Pill Sovereign could not resist the erosion of years.
Su Chen felt a quiet pang of regret. Old friends passed so easily. Birth, aging, sickness, and death—he had long grown accustomed to them. After a brief stir of emotion, his heart soon calmed.
Despite Song Wanqing's attempts to persuade him to stay, Su Chen chose to leave Pill God Hall. Their paths had diverged. He returned to Prison-Suppressing Sacred Land.
Another two hundred years passed.
The peak master of Sword-Hiding Peak successfully broke through to the saint realm. Prison-Suppressing Sacred Land now possessed two saints and saint king artifacts. Its ranking among the Eastern Wasteland sacred lands rose to the top five.
Whenever Su Chen saw the Sacred Lord come to pay respects at the ancestral shrine, a deep sense of satisfaction warmed his heart. The only regret was that, after all these years, there had still been no word of Fang Bubai.
The starry void beyond the domains was impossibly vast.
"Perhaps… news of a Heavenly Fire or saint herb can be found beyond the domains!"
Su Chen felt the yin-cold nether qi of the Nine Nether Profound Flame slowly eroding his cultivation base. If he did not resolve it soon, his progress would stall completely. At best, he could hold on for another four or five hundred years.
Success had come through a Heavenly Fire. Defeat might also come through one.