The pill chamber.
Sushang was exceptionally bright. Under Xie Feng's guidance, she quickly got the hang of things and could largely control the flames according to his wishes, which surprised him considerably.
Amid the emerald flames, a pale red pill with an uneven surface gradually took shape above the pitch-black Pill Furnace.
It was merely a pill because the refinement was not yet complete. It barely had a shape and could only be called a "pill," not an "elixir."
Xie Feng took out the final medicinal ingredient, lifeless amber. It came from a ten-thousand-year-old pine in the medicinal garden on the rear mountain, growing one inch every thousand years. After repeated harvesting over the years, only six or seven inches remained.
Xie Feng placed the translucent, jade-colored amber inside the Pill Furnace. The Northern Nether Illusory Flame coiled toward it like an azure dragon and swiftly enveloped it.
At the same time, Xie Feng focused, pouring all his ocean-vast soul power onto the pill to slowly help it take shape.
"Sushang, full flame! Open the furnace vents!" Xie Feng said.
"Ah, huh?"
"The last step requires intense flames to refine it. Fetch the coal hook and open the fire vents!"
"Yes!"
Sushang quickly found a three-foot-long hook on the floor. It was silver all over, with a sharp, slightly curved hook at its tip. She did not know what material it was made from, but it felt very warm in her hand.
What was rather strange was that ordinary coal hooks blackened at the tip after prolonged use, yet this one remained silvery white, even shimmering with a mysterious luster.
Sushang had little experience and did not understand why. She simply did as she was told, using the coal hook to open the Pill Furnace's eight fire vents.
The emerald flames surged like furious waves, growing all the more turbulent. With the vast soul power Xie Feng poured in to assist, a scarlet elixir gradually took shape, becoming round and smooth, developing markings, until it radiated a heaven-shaking presence!
It was the Nine Luminaries Restriction-Dissolving Pill!
Hum!
The Pill Furnace gave a boiling hum, and red light shook the surrounding space. Xie Feng swept his sleeve with the momentum, opening the furnace. The elixir was complete!
Rumble!
Suddenly, a thunderous crash rang out outside. In an instant, the sky and earth darkened. Rain clouds densely covered the sky, heralding a storm!
Heavy black clouds piled up above Xuanji Mountain. Lightning rampaged ceaselessly within them, bursting with deep purple light.
Purple pill lightning!
Ordinary pill lightning was silver or yellow, while eighth-grade lightning was purple, ninth-grade black, and tenth-grade multicolored!
This purple was so deep that black showed through it. An elixir at the great perfection of the eighth grade, almost half a step into the ninth! If pill lightning of this caliber struck, it would absolutely destroy all of Xuanji Mountain and even shake this Nameless Domain!
Sushang's eyes widened in shock at the tremendous commotion. The tiger ears atop her head stood up nervously, too. Her delicate brows knitted tightly, and she gripped the coal hook as though preparing for battle.
"Don't be afraid, little girl. Here, take the elixir."
"But outside..."
"That pill lightning..." Xie Feng glanced over calmly. Within Xuanji Mountain, lightning danced wildly amid the black clouds, its violent presence sweeping out and knocking a few leaves off Purple Bamboo in the sect master's courtyard.
"Someone will deal with the pill lightning. Swallow the elixir, and I'll protect you."
Withdrawing his gaze, Xie Feng smiled serenely. With a slight shift of his mind, the Nine Luminaries Restriction-Dissolving Pill flew over on its own. Sushang put other matters aside and swallowed it trustingly.
Once inside her body, the elixir turned into energy as warm and gentle as a tranquil sea, covering her entire body before gathering its greatest strength to scour Sushang's heart-the location of the restriction!
A surge of violent energy appeared. It was the power of the restriction!
The elixir's energy instantly grew domineering, transforming into the image of a crimson dragon. The restriction's power transformed into a giant black sword, and the two began a fierce battle!
"Ugh-"
Sushang cried out in pain, instantly drenched in sweat. As the two forces fought, they were also destroying her body! Xie Feng immediately had her sit cross-legged and circulated energy through his hands, protecting the little girl's meridians and safeguarding her.
At the same moment-
The purple pill lightning outside came howling down!
Xuanji Mountain shook!
The pill lightning roared toward it like fierce tigers and flood dragons, throwing the entire expanse of heaven and earth into a frenzy.
Suddenly!
A few purple bamboo leaves rose on the wind, sweeping across heaven and earth like a purple hurricane.
The hurricane spun wildly, transforming into a shield that blotted out the sky and sun. The pill lightning struck ferociously, yet every bolt was blocked by the shield and vanished!
Ten thousand miles above, the clouds churned furiously. Even fiercer pill lightning descended, still to no avail! Finally, the pill lightning exhausted itself, at last subsiding and slowly retreating. The surrounding space grew calm again.
Inside the courtyard, a purple bamboo rustled.
The Heavenly Ranking had descended into the world and revealed its top ten, shaking the Three Thousand Worlds. Three months remained until the second round of rankings.
During this time, countless eyes and schemes were fixed on those listed, and undercurrents had already begun to flow. Yet two days later, the Heavenly Ranking manifested again, revealing an astonishing change!
The Heavenly Ranking stretched across the firmament, appearing amid towering golden light. Its world-shaking voice rang out again-
"The Heavenly Ranking's standings have changed!
"Updating!"
These words shook the world's powerful figures and sparked enormous disputes.
"The Heavenly Ranking's standings changed? Could someone be about to fall?"
"I think someone's about to make the list!"
"No, no, look!"
Amid the uproar, someone pointed at the Heavenly Ranking and cried shrilly.
Originally, apart from the unknown first place, the Heavenly Ranking had listed specific standings. Now, every name flashed wildly, wreathed in light and shifting unpredictably!
Seeing this, Xuan Tugu of the Azure Dragon Clan was inwardly startled. A vague sense of foreboding even arose within her. She tightened her grip on her scepter and narrowed her aged eyes slightly. "The Heavenly Ranking's standings are changing? Is someone joining the list, or... falling off it! Could it be my grandson?!"
The Azure Luan Clan.
Qiuye stood beneath a green pine. Having finished meditating, she gently opened her phoenix eyes. Clear Qi passed across her pupils, lending her an added measure of fresh beauty and radiance.
Gu Chen approached with somewhat hurried steps. Qiuye smoothed her ink-blue short skirt and rose lightly. Lifting her eyes languidly, she smiled. "Clan King, you've come hurrying to my Cloud Cliff. It seems you have something important to discuss?"
Gu Chen frowned. "The Heavenly Ranking is about to change! I suspect it has something to do with the Azure Dragon Clan's young master!"
Qiuye raised her fine brows slightly. "Qu Jiangxuan?"
Gu Chen said, "I've obtained secret information. He's preparing to go to the Land of Blood Slaughter!"
Qiuye said, "You mean that hundred-thousand-year forbidden land, where a demonic dragon once fell?!"
Gu Chen nodded. "That's right. That forbidden land holds tremendous fortune. Combined with the Ancestral Dragon Great Dao Bone in his possession, it may very well stimulate his bloodline to evolve again!
"And now the Heavenly Ranking is changing. Perhaps it has something to do with Qu Jiangxuan! If his bloodline is awakened to eighty percent, he'll possess the Ancestral Dragon Physique, surpassing even your azure luan immortality!
"The fortune of that hundred-thousand-year forbidden land is the best catalyst for a bloodline. We need it too!"
Gu Chen grew solemn, his eyes flickering, leaving his thoughts impossible to guess.
The Azure Cloud Holy Land.
Beneath a red maple, as dawn emerged from the clouds, Ye Yuan of the Double Pupils sat upright beside a chessboard, studying Great Thousand Chess. He looked toward the changing Heavenly Ranking and raised his brows slightly.
"The Heavenly Ranking has changed. Has someone lost their patience, or is a new figure about to appear?"
The Xuanji Sect.
The pill chamber.
With Xie Feng protecting her, Sushang gradually calmed down. Within her body, under the powerful medicinal effects of the Nine Luminaries Restriction-Dissolving Pill, the restrictive energy gradually fell behind, until the elixir's energy completely devoured and destroyed it.
As the restriction broke, a vast surge of energy silently spread. That presence came from the deepest reaches of her soul, like a savage beast released from its gates, like towering tidal waves. Once unleashed, it was a force that could destroy heaven and earth!
Terrifying energy swirled before Sushang, suddenly transforming into a ferocious white tiger. Its imposing body and domineering eyes carried a vast, boundless presence, as though it had come from ancient times!
"Mmm-"
A murmur sounded.
Sushang floated in midair, her body growing rapidly. Silver hair cascaded like a waterfall to her bare ankles. Her eyes were gently closed, her lashes lowered like feathered wings. Her figure was slender and graceful, and a silver-blue battle dress drifted down, majestic and noble.
In the blink of an eye, she had grown from a little girl into a stunning beauty with a willowy figure!
At the same time, her cultivation soared!
First stage of the Qi Refining Realm!
Tenth stage of the Qi Refining Realm!
First stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm!
Tenth stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm!
Her cultivation surged almost an entire realm at a time. Countless streams of spiritual fortune erupted from her, stirring the energy in the pill chamber into ceaseless turmoil!
Once a physique suppressed for over a decade awakens, it truly is terrifying... Even Xie Feng could not help marveling inwardly. His hand curled slightly, and formidable energy spiraled out, ready to save her at any moment if anything went wrong.
Sushang's strength was still climbing wildly.
First stage of Tribulation Crossing!
Second stage of Tribulation Crossing!
Third stage of Tribulation Crossing!
At last, the little girl's cultivation stopped there!
Anyone else who suddenly soared through five major realms would have exploded and died, but her heaven-defying physique could fully withstand such terrifying energy!
"The little girl's awakened physique is too powerful. This transformation should be due to her energy overflowing.
"But who sealed her physique?"
Xie Feng murmured.