From the Fu Kui used his gray-white flames to eliminate all the Tier Seven Alchemist on the field, to his verbal exchange with Wu Tian, and finally to Yuwen Zong's intervention, the entire process took only a blink of an eye.
At the same moment, facing the rapidly spreading gray-white flames, all the alchemy masters present used their respective methods to resist the erosion of the gray-white flames.
Xiao Yan and Xu Qinghe need no further explanation. Although the gray-white flames were extremely strange, they were not worthy of competing with the Heavenly Flames. Old Freak Zhong had already formed his Nascent Pill, so he did not need to worry about such fleeting effects. Moreover, he possessed the cultivation of Yuan Zun, and the power of the Silver Shard Flame was also considerable, so he was completely fearless.
Huoxun Mingcheng, as expected of someone from an ancient clan, possessed an exceptionally profound fire control technique passed down through his clan. Not only did he effortlessly protect the flames within his cauldron, but he also used a gentle force to easily control the incoming grayish-white flames, reducing them to nothingness with a few twists and turns. Even more peculiarly, a faint suction force had inexplicably emerged from within Huoxun Mingcheng's body. It was almost imperceptible from the outside, but if one were to probe it with their Spiritual Strength, they would be astonished to discover that this suction force had an extremely terrifying control over Spiritual Strength. Fortunately, under Huoxun Mingcheng's deliberate control, it did not affect anyone else. What was even more noteworthy was the fragrance emanating from the pill about to condense into Nascent Pill elixir within the cauldron in front of him, indicating that Huoxun Mingcheng was refining an eighth-grade elixir.
Upon realizing this, Xiao Yan felt a chill run down his spine. He knew beforehand that Huoxun Mingcheng was Tier Seven Alchemist, and the fact that the other party chose to refine an eighth-level pill at this moment clearly indicated that he had come prepared. Of course, it was also possible that Huoxun Mingcheng had a similar fortuitous encounter with him in the secret realm, but Xiao Yan had no intention of investigating the other party's background at the moment.
Besides these individuals, there were several other Tier Eight Alchemist on the field who used various methods to neutralize the gray-white flames in front of them. However, judging from the slightly unpleasant expressions on their faces afterward, the power of the gray-white flames had clearly exceeded their expectations.
The most eye-catching figure was the elder from the Qi Clan of the Northern Territory. Facing the rapidly approaching gray-white flames, the elder kept his eyes half-closed and didn't even raise his head. With a talisman he casually cast, it split into more than a dozen slightly illusory talismans in front of his medicine cauldron, from which bursts of flames shot out. These flames then exploded, forming a merging and converging wave of fire that completely blocked the oncoming gray-white flames.
This dashing scene drew envy from many spectators.
Once the gray flames had completely dissipated, only the Tier Eight Alchemist remained sitting quietly on the field. The woman in purple robes, who was in a corner of the arena, frowned and glared at the Fu Kui as she watched the arena become empty in the blink of an eye. After thinking for a while, she finally calmed her mind and waited patiently once again.
Whether it was the departure of the Tier Seven Alchemist that made the arena somewhat deserted, or the imminent formation of numerous eighth-tier Nascent Pill that caused the surrounding audience to become tense as well, the entire Pill Gathering arena became unusually quiet. So much so that even from a great distance, one could clearly hear the crackling of the raging flames burning inside the cauldrons.
As time went by, the already pervasive fragrance of medicinal herbs in the venue grew stronger and stronger. Then, at a certain moment, a medicinal cauldron in the venue suddenly trembled, and a rich fragrance of medicinal herbs shot out from it. After spinning rapidly around the cauldron, it condensed into a small dragon of medicinal Pill Qi, which caused a stir among the audience.
The silence was abruptly broken, and the medicine cauldrons on the field seemed to respond as if summoned, with small dragons of Pill Qi continuously condensing. Exclamations from the outside world echoed incessantly. These eighth-grade pills, which were rarely seen even once in the outside world, now appeared in more than ten forms. Although they were still in the Nascent Pill, everyone knew that with the abilities of these alchemy masters on the field, this Pill Gathering was destined to be an eye-opener for everyone present.
As the last Nascent Pill was formed in the medicine cauldron in front of Huoxun Mingcheng, everyone knew that this year's Pill Gathering enter its final competition. At this moment, the purple-robed woman who had been silently observing from the corner finally curled her alluring red lips into a satisfied smile, and deep green triangular pupils emerged from the depths of her bright eyes, while a wisp of black energy flashed through them.
"Not good!"
Almost simultaneously, Chen Xuanling, who had finally managed to calm himself down on the platform, seemed to suddenly realize something. He telepathically shouted to the people beside him, and in the instant Ji Yao and the others reacted, he had already appeared above the arena. His sharp gaze shot directly at the purple-robed woman below, and at the same time, a small cauldron flashed in the air to one side. However, it was all too late. Just as the small cauldron appeared, a ball of black mist suddenly shot out from the arena below, rising into the air above the arena at an extremely fast speed, and then quickly spreading and enveloping the surroundings. By the time Ji Yao and the others appeared beside Chen Xuanling, the ball of black mist had already condensed into a huge, hazy gray barrier, enveloping the entire arena below and all the alchemists within it.
This sudden turn of events also startled the alchemists on the field. While they were distracted in controlling the Nascent Pill pills in the cauldrons in front of them, their surprised and suspicious gazes fell on a purple-robed woman who was slowly standing up in a corner of the arena.
"My friend, what does this mean?"
The first to speak was still Old Freak Zhong in his white robe. His Nascent Pill pill was the first to be completed, and now that the pill was almost finished, he had even drawn most of the Pill Rune. Naturally, he didn't want anything to go wrong at such a crucial moment. Even if there was any accident, it would be best to wait until he entered the talisman and retrieved the pill.
However, the woman in purple robes seemed to ignore Old Freak Zhong's questions. She floated into the air and, with a flick of her slender, white hand, produced a snake skull the size of her palm. Then, she performed a series of intricate hand seals. Under the infusion of her abundant Origin Qi, the snake skull in front of her seemed to come alive, opening its fang-filled mouth. At the same time, a terrifying and eerie suction force suddenly spread out from it.
In an instant, all the alchemists in the arena changed their expressions drastically. The moment the suction force surged out, they were horrified to find that the Nascent Pill in the medicine cauldron in front of them had begun to tremble and pull uncontrollably, as if they were about to rush out of the medicine cauldron and head straight for the snake skull.
"Not good!"
Realizing this, the alchemists hurriedly released large amounts of their internal Origin Qi to suppress the pills in their cauldrons. They looked at the purple-robed woman with shock and anger, while also glancing at the other alchemists around them. When they found that everyone was in the same situation, they were even more horrified. This purple-robed woman's target was actually all the alchemists present!
"Your actions have gone too far. Aren't you afraid of incurring public wrath?"
Among the alchemists present, Old Freak Zhong particularly furious. With the championship of the Pill Gathering within reach, such a sudden and dramatic change was impossible for anyone to calm down easily.
As soon as his angry roar subsided, violent silver-white flames surged wildly above his head, instantly transforming into a massive Silver-Scaled Fire Crocodile, its fiery pressure even greater than when they first met.
In order to deter the invading enemy in one fell swoop, Old Freak Zhong decisively released the Silver Shard Flame Origin Fire within his body!
Immediately following Old Freak Zhong's command, the Silver-Scaled Fire Crocodile swung its massive body into the air, charging towards the purple-robed woman. However, the latter merely glanced at it with slightly lowered eyelids. Just as the Silver-Scaled Fire Crocodile was about to close in, a terrifying and boundless Origin Qi suddenly surged from within the purple-robed woman's body, instantly transforming into a thick snake tail. With a single strike, it shattered the charging Silver-Scaled Fire Crocodile, and at the same time, its terrifying cultivation aura instantly spread throughout the entire venue.
A solemn exclamation followed immediately.
" Eight-Star Yuan Zun!"