The Man in Black stood in the darkness, his gaze fixed on the blood qi and flames churning within the Jade Tide Condensing Pill Furnace. As time passed, the aura within the furnace continued to rise. After absorbing the blood and vitality of so many younger demons, Wang Quan's life force grew stronger and stronger-yet once that aura reached a certain threshold, it stopped advancing, as though an invisible barrier had shut it out.
The Man in Black slowly shook his head, a barely perceptible trace of agitation in his voice. "Still a little short... a little short... why is it always just that little bit?"
Hearing this, the four Old Ancestors moved closer to the pill furnace, carefully sensing the changes in the aura within. Sure enough, although Wang Quan's aura had reached an extraordinarily high level, it remained a hair's breadth short of the true ninth realm. It was as though only a thin sheet of window paper stood in the way, yet they simply could not pierce it.
"What's going on?" Bull Demon Old Ancestor scratched his head, his face full of confusion. "He's absorbed so much blood and vitality, so why is he still a little short? What exactly is missing?"
Lion Old Ancestor frowned, pondering in silence. Flying Fish Old Ancestor circled the pill furnace twice, looking it over from every angle, but could make nothing of it either. The Wolf Race Old Ancestor anxiously rubbed his claws together, muttering under his breath.
The four Old Ancestors exchanged a glance, then turned in unison toward the figure in the darkness and cupped their hands. "My lord, may we ask what is missing? Just give the word, and we'll find a way! We've come this far-we must not let all our efforts collapse at the final