Furnace Refines Great Pill (V)

Furnace Refines Great Pill (V)

Bend his knees, charge!

At 1,440 meters per second, the two Thousand Jun Ant Kings that had just crawled out of a pile of rocks over five hundred meters away had no time to react.

Less than a third of a second later,

Ye Qingcang, like a god or demon, had charged right in front of them.

He was faster than sound itself.

Only when a mushroom-shaped cloud of smoke rose five hundred meters away

did the four sonic booms overlap, as ear-piercing as a knife scraping across glass. Together with the four rings of white shockwaves spreading from start to finish, they delivered an utterly stunning audiovisual spectacle to everyone present.

There was no technique, only power and speed.

The aesthetics of violence had been brought to their utmost limit.

Two black shadows flew out of the mushroom cloud.

Their shrill cries seemed to hint at desperation.

But they only seemed to hint at it. To people like Yue Guan, Guimei, and Dugu Bo, who could not understand ant speech, it truly did sound like desperation. Yet to Ye Qingcang, who could understand it, the meaning behind that shriek was perfectly clear: Run!

If they could not win, they ran.

That was the consistent style of soul beasts.

When facing an opponent only slightly stronger than themselves, these soul beasts did not lack the courage to make a last stand. But when the gap was too great, refusing to linger in battle, conserving their strength, and avoiding the enemy's sharp edge was the best tactical response.

In the Star Dou Great Forest, only the law of the strong devouring the weak mattered.

Even after losing their territory, they could seize another soul beast's territory.

Only life was truly important.

As long as they lived, they possessed everything.

Once dead, they lost everything.

Still, the three Thousand Jun Ant Kings, each over ninety thousand years old, were ultimately brothers. Able to understand human speech and possessing normal human intelligence, they had also developed brotherly bonds between themselves.

After hearing the command issued by the strongest green Thousand Jun Ant King, the purple Thousand Jun Ant King, which had lost one eye, leaped with all its strength. It turned into an afterimage and crashed toward Ye Qingcang from more than seven hundred meters away.

It roared words whose meaning humans could not understand.

Yet through its actions, it fully conveyed its resolve to face death without hesitation.

"Leave?"

"You'll cover their retreat?"

As though he had heard something ridiculous, four more sonic boom clouds burst outward. The destructive power of a one-way charge could never compare to the destructive power of a head-on collision between opponents of the same level. Before this ninety-thousand-year Thousand Jun Ant King, which even Dugu Bo found troublesome, could reach Ye Qingcang more than seven hundred meters away, Ye Qingcang had already turned back and shattered its two spear-like front legs with one punch.

Ye Qingcang stopped.

But this Thousand Jun Ant King did not.

It smashed through two low mountains in succession before landing in a forest two thousand meters away.

Its cries also became weak and feeble.

They had merely not vanished completely.

"Hiss!!!"

The green Thousand Jun Ant King with thin wings on its back swung its limbs and dove toward Ye Qingcang with considerable courage, trying to create an opportunity for its younger brother to escape.

Unfortunately, it possessed no heaven-defying soul skills.

Such as the Titan Giant Ape's gravity control.

Or the Sky Azure Bull Python's Slowing Domain.

Or the two heaven-defying soul skills of the Hundred-Thousand-Year Soft Bone Rabbits represented by Xiao Wu and her mother, Ah Rou: Invincible Golden Body, which was immune to all attacks below the god level, and Intangibility, which was immune to all physical attacks and reduced non-physical damage by fifty percent.

The Thousand Jun Ant race was simply not suited to such absurdly powerful soul skills.

The Thousand Jun Ant race specialized in physical combat.

Its physical offense, physical defense, and magic resistance had all been maxed out.

This advantage gave the Thousand Jun Ant race extraordinarily formidable close-combat abilities, but it also made them exceptionally vulnerable to being worn down to death by kiting tactics.

After directly taking three attacks from Ye Qingcang in Magnetic Field State,

the purple Thousand Jun Ant King still had the strength to cry out.

The crimson Thousand Jun Ant King could still crawl back to its feet.

And the emerald-green Thousand Jun Ant King still had the strength to resist.

Of all the soul beasts Ye Qingcang had encountered, these three had the strongest defense. Even the Hundred-Thousand-Year Blood-Red Nine-Headed Bat King could not take a beating as well as these three ninety-thousand-year Thousand Jun Ant Kings.

Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts and ninety-thousand-year soul beasts were entirely different concepts.

Just as level ninety-nine Titled Douluo and level ninety-eight Titled Douluo were entirely different concepts.

Though they were separated by only a single level,

the level ninety-nine Tang Chen dared call himself Invincible on Land.

The level ninety-nine Qian Daoliu was known as Invincible in the Sky.

And the level ninety-nine Bo Saixi was known as Invincible in the Sea.

Yet the level ninety-eight Golden Crocodile Douluo was nothing special.

Precisely because of this, if this emerald-green Thousand Jun Ant King had broken through the limit of ninety-nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine years and entered the ranks of Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts, even Ye Qingcang in Magnetic Field State would need to spend some effort dealing with it. But this emerald-green Thousand Jun Ant King had not yet reached one hundred thousand years, so it clearly lacked the ability to contend with Ye Qingcang.

"Get back!" Ye Qingcang formed a fist seal and threw a light punch. It was like a surging ocean, roaring as it swept the Thousand Jun Ant King into the depths and suppressed it. A distinct fist mark was branded into the green Thousand Jun Ant King's head, bursting all five of its remaining eyes at once. "I tried talking to you nicely, but you wouldn't listen. Now you want to leave... don't you think it's a little too late?"

The pain of having all its eyes burst and the terror of losing its vision drove this Thousand Jun Ant King into a mad charge. Though it charged in the wrong direction, toward Yue Guan, Guimei, Dugu Bo, and the others, it clearly could no longer care about that.

The others felt rather alarmed.

But Yue Guan and Guimei were filled with fury.

If asked to take down all three ninety-thousand-year Thousand Jun Ant Kings at once, they would only say it could not be done.

But if asked to join forces and kill one ninety-thousand-year Thousand Jun Ant King, they were completely confident.

A beast that had gone blind and even had its skull cracked dared charge at them? Did it really think these two Titled Douluo were soft targets?

They truly could not crack a Thousand Jun Ant King's skull with a single slap like Ye Qingcang, that monstrous freak, but trapping this Thousand Jun Ant King would be child's play!

However, before Yue Guan and Guimei could make a move, a streak of blood-red light cut through the sky. Like a blade through iron, it pierced the Thousand Jun Ant King's hard shell and nailed it to the ground!

The shell that Ye Qingcang needed a fist seal to crack!

The shell that no one below Titled Douluo could even damage!

The shell that gave Titled Douluo like Yue Guan, Guimei, and Dugu Bo such a headache!

Before that streak of red light, it was as fragile as paper!

Only after the dust kicked up by the emerald-green Thousand Jun Ant King's fall dispersed did everyone see what that fleeting red light had been!

A sword!

A two-meter-long sword resembling a Miao saber!

The blade was forged from an unknown material, bearing the colors of ruby and red crystal. Yet the white mixed within the red gave the sword a jade-like quality, gentle and lustrous without losing its Sharp Edge!

At first sight of this sword, everyone was plunged into a landscape of mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

Had the cries of the green Thousand Jun Ant King nailed to the ground not awakened them and frightened them into a cold sweat, this sword might have left a lifelong shadow upon them.

"This is..." Hu Liena pressed her legs together. The sensation of a blade sliding along her spine was simply too stimulating. "His martial soul?"

"Probably." Xie Yue stroked his chin. Even without looking at the sword, the faint, lingering killing intent made him extremely uncomfortable. "I never expected his martial soul to be so powerful, so sharp. If he fought while holding this sword, those three ninety-thousand-year Thousand Jun Ant Kings would probably have been killed long ago... But why can't I see his soul rings?"

Guimei raised a hand to his temple, seemingly wanting to speak but stopping himself.

The corners of Yue Guan's mouth also twitched slightly.

Why could they not see soul rings?

Good question!

"Because that isn't a martial soul at all!" Yue Guan understood the temperament of the strong well, because he himself could be considered a strong man. Ye Qingcang dared to lay his cards on the table with Spirit Hall, which meant he had already obtained enough leverage. Otherwise, Ye Qingcang would not have remained unknown all these years. It showed that Ye Qingcang understood how to keep a low profile; he simply no longer needed to. Therefore, since Ye Qingcang dared reveal this divine weapon, Yue Guan dared introduce it to everyone else.

"Do you know the Angel Holy Sword?"

"The sword enshrined in the Worship Hall."

"The Angel Holy Sword recorded by Spirit Hall as the weapon of the Angel God."

"Do you all remember it?"

Everyone from Spirit Hall nodded.

Dugu Bo, Liu Erlong, Shui Feng, Flender, and the others nodded as well.

Even younger people from the Heaven Dou circle, such as Shui Bing'er, Huo Wu, and Feng Xiaotian, nodded when they heard this story that had existed since their childhood.

"But isn't that just a rumor?" Ning Rongrong had also heard this fairy tale, and she did not understand why Yue Guan, a Titled Douluo, had brought up the Angel Holy Sword. "They say there is another realm above level ninety-nine Titled Douluo: gods. But no one knows whether such beings truly exist. People always take their fantasies for reality..."

"That is not fantasy!"

"You simply haven't come into contact with it!"

"The history of your Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect is too short!"

"Your Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect has never produced a god!"

Yue Guan had submitted to Bibi Dong, but that did not mean he bore any ill will toward the Angel God. On the contrary, he was deeply grateful for what the Angel God had done.

Without the Angel God and without the Spirit Hall established by the Angel God, someone like Guimei would have long been branded an Evil Soul Master. Spirit Hall had given Guimei a new life and taught him how to control his martial soul rather than be controlled by it. For that reason alone, Yue Guan held profound respect for the Angel God who had founded Spirit Hall.

Therefore, he would never allow the Angel God's story to be dismissed as mere fantasy!

That was an insult to the Angel God!

They could choose not to believe it, but they could not slander it!

Yue Guan's vehement response instantly made everyone realize something was wrong!

"Yes, the Angel God truly existed." Guimei admired the sword in the distance. It was two meters long, like a Miao saber, warm and lustrous as jade, yet indescribably sharp. His eyes were filled with envy. "The origin of every story is not merely fantasy. Just because you have not seen something does not mean it does not exist. The evidence for reaching godhood at level one hundred and for the Angel God is recorded in ancient texts. In earlier years, the Great Grand Elder once sailed out according to other records in those texts, searching for the Sea God Island mentioned within them. That was the Sea God's territory. The Sea God and the Angel God were once old friends, only parting ways later because of their differing ideals..."

"So, did he find it?" Ning Rongrong seemed to understand something. She turned to look at the long sword pinning the ninety-thousand-year Thousand Jun Ant King to the ground in the distance. "Could this sword be the Sea God's weapon?"

"He found it." Yue Guan took over. "But unfortunately, this sword is not the Sea God's weapon, because the Sea God's weapon is a trident. Immortal gods will choose successors over the course of their long lives, making them one of this world's guardians. That is a note in the ancient texts. According to the Great Grand Elder, it was written personally by the Angel God, though I do not know whether that is true. You only need to know that when someone bears a mark between the brows, possesses a crystal plaque, and wields an extraordinary weapon, if that person is highly talented, then that person is a God Trial Taker—a God Trial Taker outstanding enough for a god to consider them a possible successor!"

"We do not know which god this sword belongs to, either..." Guimei had no intention of concealing anything. Since Ye Qingcang was no longer hiding it, neither did he need to. Especially because Ye Qingcang's stance leaned toward Spirit Hall. There were many who added flowers to brocade, but few who offered charcoal in the snow. Blue Tyrant Academy had dared befriend Spirit Hall despite such enormous pressure back then, so even if Spirit Hall now sought to win them over as well, the price and sincerity Spirit Hall offered far exceeded that of other factions. "But one thing is certain: Student Ye of Blue Tyrant Academy is definitely a God Trial Taker!"

Everyone rolled their eyes.

What nonsense. With Ye Qingcang's strength to crush three ninety-thousand-year Thousand Jun Ant Kings at level forty, if even he did not qualify, they could not imagine who did.

Still, compared with a fairy tale becoming reality, what they found even harder to accept was the shift in Ye Qingcang's identity. It was both reasonable and absurd.

"Congratulations, Dean Liu." Huo Lie clasped his fists.

"Yes, a mother rose in status through her son." Feng Wuji added.

Shui Feng glanced at Liu Erlong.

After some thought, she decided not to rub salt into her friend's wounds.

But how could Liu Erlong fail to understand Shui Feng's restraint?

Her peripheral vision swept over the Shrek group, whose expressions all differed.

When her gaze passed over Yu Xiaogang, who had forced out a smile, she looked at him as though he were a stranger. What rose in her heart was neither apology toward Yu Xiaogang nor nostalgia for the past, but guilt toward Ye Qingcang.

Meanwhile, on the distant battlefield, Ye Qingcang finally dealt with the last Thousand Jun Ant King.

Dragging along two Thousand Jun Ant Kings whose six legs had all been broken, whose eyes had all gone blind, and who had only a final breath left, he stepped on the air and flew back from afar.

He tossed the two Thousand Jun Ant Kings onto the ground, gripped the Asura Divine Sword in one hand, and pulled it free. A ring like gold foil suddenly appeared in the air behind him and gradually swallowed the Asura Divine Sword.

"Ye Qingcang..." Poor Ning Rongrong still believed Ye Qingcang was her senior brother's friend. Though that was not entirely wrong, because when Qian Renxue had become Ning Fengzhi's disciple, it was Qian Renxue who had taken him as her master, not Xue Qinghe. Ning Fengzhi had only one disciple, and that was Qian Renxue. The relationship was easy to sort out. But Ning Rongrong was wrong to always regard Qian Renxue as Xue Qinghe. Fortunately, Ye Qingcang did not care. "Are you really a God Trial Taker?"

Ye Qingcang had already exited Magnetic Field State.

He sliced backward with his palm.

His long hair instantly returned to being short.

The greater part of the severed hair turned to ashes in the blink of an eye, leaving nothing behind.

Hearing Ning Rongrong speak, he turned around.

He was not surprised, and answered frankly, "Yes. By your terms, I am a God Trial Taker."

"Then what would you call yourself?"

"By my terms, I am certainly Ye Qingcang. Being a God Trial Taker is merely one of my identities, not all that I am. First, I am myself. Then I am someone's son, someone's friend, someone's enemy. Only after that am I a God Trial Taker." The sound of blood surging like a tidal wave came from Ye Qingcang's body. An illusory Qi and Blood Furnace emerged from within him, and he placed the three dying Thousand Jun Ant Kings into it, igniting Blood Flame. "Violet?"

"Understood!" Violet took over a hundred kilograms of gold from her soul tool storage device and placed it on the ground. A miniature alchemy array floated over her palm, converting the gold one by one into the medicinal ingredients Ye Qingcang needed. "Three liang of Soul Devouring Grass, one jin of Tianshan Blood Lotus, half a Dragon Blood Grass, three jin of Ice Heart Bamboo, twenty-five liters of Water of Life, one liang of Fine Gold, four jin of Spirit-Sealing Sea Silver, one jin each of the Five Elements Amber, and twenty jin of Phoenix Blood..."

Thanks to Hei Chen Liang Ren for the one hundred-point tip.