Although it was late at night, the liveliness in Glazed City was no less than that during the day.
Between the deep night sky and the brightly lit streets, Xiao Yan sat alone on the rooftop, staring blankly into the distance. The events that had occurred in the Twin Saint Mountain Range kept flashing through his mind, and his heart couldn't help but feel heavy.
The Green Demon's move signifies that the behemoth behind him, whose overall strength is second only to the Pill Tower the entire continent... the Ghost Gate, has finally made its move against him. From now on, the opponents he faces will be far more formidable than before, and before he can truly clash with those inhuman and ghostly beings, he must possess sufficient strength!
"Call..."
Slowly exhaling the breath that had been buried deep in his chest, Xiao Yan's thoughts returned. As he opened and closed his palms, the Origin Qi condensed in his palms transformed into an unparalleled face, reflected in his dark pupils, exuding endless tenderness.
" Xun'er..."
Such a beautiful face naturally belonged to Xun'er, whom Xiao Yan had been longing for. The latter was currently in the Ghost Gate, and her situation was unpredictable. However, the appearance of the Ghost Gate's experts gave Xiao Yan a premonition that the day he would see Xun'er again might not be far off.
The next day.
After a night's rest, Xiao Yan and his group were back to their peak condition. As dawn broke, Glazed City bustled with activity once more. Dense crowds surged through the city, eventually converging on the massive plaza at the end of the street. With the activation of the teleportation array, amidst a humming sound of violent energy fluctuations and the rising and falling of dazzling golden light, the figures within the array vanished...
Pill City.
High above in the void, a series of giant stone plazas stood in the air. At a certain moment, golden light suddenly shone from one of the plazas. A moment later, as the light faded, a group of figures with various gazes appeared there. Xiao Yan and his two companions stood among them.
Everyone stared intently, and exclamations of surprise followed immediately. The scene before them was truly shocking. Even Xiao Yan couldn't help but widen his eyes, staring in astonishment at the world that appeared before him. Even someone as knowledgeable as him, who was used to the grandeur of the Xiao Clan, couldn't help but lose his composure upon seeing such a sight.
From the location of those giant stone plazas in the sky, the group found themselves in a vast, boundless mountain range. The continuous mountain ranges converged like pillars supporting the Holding Up the Heavens, and in the center, directly below Xiao Yan and the others, lay an extremely expansive lake. The ethereal clouds above it, drawn together by some kind of energy, gathered into a column of air that soared upwards, connecting with a city—a magnificent city suspended high in the air, exuding an aura of dominance— Pill City!
What an overbearing city!
"Truly worthy of being called the Pill Tower! Even its headquarters constantly proclaims its status as the continent's overlord!"
After a long pause, a series of awe-inspiring words finally rang out from the crowd. At the same time, people also began to emerge from other plazas in the surrounding void. The previous scene began to repeat itself in this world.
Seeing that more and more people were gathering, the crowd on the field no longer hesitated and set off towards the entrance of Pill City. Seeing this, Xiao Yan and his two companions exchanged glances, nodded slightly, and with a leap, they also transformed into light and shadow. In a few flashes, they appeared in front of the city entrance.
Upon approaching, Xiao Yan noticed that the area was already completely dark.
Before the magnificent city gate, an invisible barrier kept countless people outside, no matter how hard they tried, it was all in vain.
" The Pill Tower is known as the holy land in the hearts of all alchemists, but it seems that not just anyone can enter here."
Xiao Yan sensed the oppressive force of the barrier; he feared that even a Tier Six Alchemist or anyone with a cultivation level below the Origin Emperor would be unable to pass through it.
" The Pill Tower has stood on the continent for many years, naturally it has its own unique methods of selection. Whether you want to use it to make a name for yourself or to rise to the top, you must first have enough qualifications to make it take you seriously."
In response to Xiao Yan's words, Xiao Ming spoke calmly. Upon hearing this, the former frowned slightly, shook his head, and sighed:
"It is this very qualification that makes so many people yearn for the Pill Tower from afar, spending their entire lives standing before its gates, never able to see the true Pill Tower until their death."
Therefore, the Pill Tower remains the most powerful force on the continent.
After speaking, Xiao Ming glanced at Xiao Yan slightly, then strode forward. The two behind him exchanged glances, remained silent for a moment, and then followed in his footsteps.
The selection process of choosing the best without regard to merit is so harsh that it would cause any clan to perish. However, the Pill Tower, a super power standing tall on the continent, has always maintained its awe-inspiring status by virtue of this very principle.
Faced with the throng of people, Xiao Ming only needed to give a glance, and the invisible pressure caused the people in front to quickly make way. Then, under the watchful eyes of those around them, the three of them entered the city with light steps.
Upon entering the city, the streets immediately opened up considerably. Although a great many people from all sides had been flocking to Pill City during this period, it seemed to have had no impact on the city.
Xiao Ming walked forward with ease, while Xiao Siyu introduced the city to Xiao Yan with great interest. Compared to the latter, the former truly knew the Pill City like the back of his hand.
When Xiao Siyu mentioned their next destination, Xiao Yan's eyebrows twitched, and he finally became interested.
"So, the testing hall is the opportunity you mentioned?"
"I suppose so. Although there are many rumors, no one has ever proven that there is indeed an opportunity left behind by a powerful figure from the Pill Tower within that Nine-Character Soul Stele. There are only two possible outcomes, so most people are just taking a chance and thinking, 'Why not give it a try?'"
Xiao Siyu smiled gently. She had only made a casual remark the other day because she saw how obsessed Xiao Yan was with the Soul Stone Iron Scroll, but she didn't expect Xiao Yan to remember it so fondly.
As the two talked, they wandered around the city for nearly half an hour amidst the surrounding noise, finally stopping in front of a grand hall in the south of the city. However, compared to other places, this place was already crowded with people.
A bustling crowd filled the plaza in front of the main hall. Powerful figures of all kinds waited obediently outside the hall. No matter what strength or status they possessed in the outside world, here they could only obediently queue up. Even when Xiao Yan carefully observed the crowd, he could faintly sense several terrifying auras at the Yuan Zun level.
"Even Yuan Zun experts are no exception..."
Thinking to himself, Xiao Yan felt a pang of shame at the power of the Pill Tower. However, Xiao Ming suddenly flicked his finger, and a white streak of light shot out, swiftly passing over the heads of everyone present and directly into the main hall. A few minutes later, an old man emerged quickly, approaching the three and respectfully returning a white jade tablet engraved with the character 'Xiao' to Xiao Ming, before saying:
"Please, sir!"
Upon seeing this, Xiao Yan was stunned. This jade token was issued by his family, and he also had one, but he never expected it to have such a use.