Heaven-Splitting Three Forms

It measured a hundred zhang in length, width, and height, like a vast, majestic hall.

This was Xia Yu's first time seeing a Heaven and Earth Ring, but he had seen something similar: a Heaven and Earth Bag. City Lord Zhu of Huai City owned one.

Heaven and Earth Bags were said to be extremely expensive, beyond the reach of ordinary people, and very troublesome to craft.

Presumably, this Heaven and Earth Ring was much the same as a Heaven and Earth Bag.

Xia Yu's reasoning was sound, except for one thing: the storage space in the Heaven and Earth Bag was worlds apart from that of this Heaven and Earth Ring.

The enormous space was empty, making Xia Yu's heart sink. He had thought he would strike it rich, finding countless spirit stones, gold, or even emperor-grade cultivation methods and martial techniques.

Yet all he saw inside were a few bottles and jars, along with a single unremarkable jade slip.

The Spirit Pills inside the bottles and jars had long since turned to dust.

"These are the good things you mentioned?" Xia Yu was speechless.

"Master, take a look at the jade slip."

Xia Yu picked up the jade slip and sent a strand of his consciousness into it.

In an instant, he froze.

The jade slip was divided into two sections. The first recorded a spear art.

Heaven-Splitting Three Forms!

First form: Heaven-Breaking!

Break through a surface with a single point, concentrating all power at the spear's tip to pierce through all things. Cultivated to its pinnacle, it could break open space at a single point.

Second form: Heaven-Splitting!

An explosive, sweeping force that combined all the body's Origin Force with its physical strength, using the spear's tip to tear through an opponent's defenses. Cultivated to its pinnacle, it could tear open space.

Third form: Heaven-Shattering!

It could attack a single target or a group, unleashing countless Heaven-Breaking or Heaven-Splitting strikes in an instant to trap one enemy-or an entire group-within a space formed by countless spear rays, holding their lives and deaths in the wielder's hands.

Cultivated to its pinnacle, it could shatter a stretch of the void in an instant.

The jade slip's second section recorded the art of alchemy.

Countless unfamiliar memories flooded into Xia Yu's mind. Once he had absorbed them all, they would instantly turn him from an alchemy novice into a king of alchemy.

Of course, that was purely in terms of theory.

The jade slip's contents filled Xia Yu with astonishment and delight.

This time, he had reaped a tremendous harvest.

Even setting aside the Heaven-Splitting Spear Art, whose description alone promised boundless power, this alchemical knowledge was priceless.

Huai City also had a Pill Master, a second-rank Pill Master.

Whether it was the heads of the four great Lineages-Xu, Gong, Zhang, and Xia-or the city lord of North Huai City, they all treated this second-rank alchemist with courtesy and great respect.

This second-rank Pill Master was also said to be very wealthy.

Rich and highly respected—that was Xia Yu's first impression of Pill Masters.

Yet a second-rank Pill Master was merely a low-rank Pill Master. Pill Masters were graded from the first rank to the ninth.

Pill Masters below the fifth rank were all considered low-rank Pill Masters.

Sixth-rank Pill Masters, also known as King-Tier Alchemists, could refine pills for King Realm cultivators and were considered mid-rank Pill Masters.

Seventh-rank alchemists were also known as Emperor-Rank Alchemists and belonged to the high ranks.

Eighth-rank Pill Masters were also known as Saint-Rank Alchemists and belonged to the Saint Tier.

The ninth rank was also known as the sovereign rank, equivalent to supreme experts in the Sovereign Realm, and belonged to the realm of legend.

This alchemical knowledge covered everything from the king tier to the sovereign rank, along with some pill recipes.

Xia Yu was utterly stunned. If these memories were made public, everyone would go mad over them.

Boom...

Suddenly, another tremendous crash rang out. The cavern shook repeatedly, and loose rocks rained down.

"Master, let's go. Someone's fighting outside. The cavern's formation has failed, and it might not hold out much longer."

Xia Yu nodded, turned, and left.

Suddenly, he remembered something. He went into another cavern and put the Pill Furnace there into his Heaven and Earth Ring.

The moment he rushed out of the cavern, Xia Yu was stunned by the sight before him.

The cavern lay at the foot of a great mountain. Countless towering trees had originally stood before it, but now the area had been razed flat.

A giant python more than ten zhang long, with a head as large as a bushel measure and a fleshy growth on its crown, flicked its long tongue. Before it, a sword-wielding White-Clad Woman hovered in midair.

The White-Clad Woman's long hair fluttered, and she radiated an ethereal grace.

Even seeing only her profile, Xia Yu was certain she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

A dim circle of light two zhang across lay beneath the White-Clad Woman's feet.

Xia Yu could make out faint bloodstains on her white robes.

Was she injured?

"Wow, a beauty! I haven't seen a beauty in thousands of years! Boohoo... this is wonderful! She's an absolute masterpiece!"

"Master, go! Take this woman, sleep with her, conquer her! Then spread your branches and leaves, and have descendants for ten thousand generations!"

Suddenly, the Sin Dragon Spear began trembling, practically bursting with excitement.

Xia Yu froze when he heard the message from the Sin Dragon Spear.

You're a spear, and you're this lecherous?

At that moment, Xia Yu suddenly felt that the name Sin Dragon Spear suited this weapon perfectly.

Just then, the giant python suddenly thrust its scarlet tongue at the White-Clad Woman.

Its scarlet tongue was like two crimson spears, swift and fierce.

At the same time, the python swept its tail out, fast as lightning.

Several sword rays blossomed from the White-Clad Woman's hand like flowers of sword light, meeting the snake's tongue.

The White-Clad Woman herself darted rapidly about.

Boom...

The sword rays collided with the snake's tongue, producing a deafening roar.

The tremendous force shook the air, forming invisible shock waves that spread in every direction.

That force also sent the White-Clad Woman abruptly dropping lower.

At precisely that moment, the snake's tail swept toward her. The White-Clad Woman had nowhere left to dodge.

A dazzling streak of sword light shot skyward from her hand, then slashed viciously down onto the snake's tail.

The giant python hissed in pain. A jet of blood spurted from its tail as it slammed hard into the ground.

The earth trembled and the mountain shook!

Now Xia Yu knew what had caused the tremors inside the cavern.

The circle of light beneath the White-Clad Woman's feet dimmed further. She was driven back more than ten zhang, blood seeping from the corner of her mouth.

Woman and snake faced off once more.

"Go, Master! A hero saves a beauty, and the beauty pledges herself to him! This is your chance! Kill that thieving snake that stole the pills!"

The Sin Dragon Spear trembled again, eager to stir up trouble.

"A thieving snake that stole the pills?" Xia Yu was puzzled.

"Yes! It stole the Spirit Pill in Master's Pill Furnace. Otherwise, how could an ordinary little snake have transformed into a python? Its bloodline is too poor. Hundreds of years have passed, and it still hasn't fully absorbed the pill's medicinal power."

"Otherwise, it would have developed a trace of dragon blood. See that fleshy growth on its head? Once it absorbs all the medicinal power and that growth becomes a golden horn, it can transform into a flood dragon."

Xia Yu's eyes instantly lit up. He patted his stomach and said, "Little Furnace, a great tonic is here."

The Heaven-Incinerating Furnace trembled wildly!

Protest!

I'm not Little Furnace! I'm the Heaven-Incinerating Furnace, the Great Dao Furnace!

"Little Dragon, can you kill this little snake?"

"Master, you've gone too far! Who do you think you're looking down on? If your strength weren't so low, I could break the heavens with a single thrust!"

"What does a little snake like this amount to?"

The Sin Dragon Spear was immediately displeased.

Xia Yu said nothing. He gripped the Sin Dragon Spear and quietly waited for an opening.

A moment later, the giant python attacked again.

The White-Clad Woman struck proudly with her sword!

Now! Without a sound, Xia Yu flickered and vanished from where he stood.