When the woman in purple robes revealed her terrifying cultivation level, everyone in the venue paled in shock. Xiao Yan and the others, who were under the barrier, felt an immense sense of crisis. Even Fu Kui, who had also concealed his identity and cultivation level, couldn't help but feel a strong sense of threat from the appearance of the woman in purple robes.
At this moment, among those present, only Chen Xuanling and a few others possessed cultivation levels comparable to the woman in purple robes.
If we only consider the depth of cultivation, none of the Yuan Zun experts on the field believe they are a match for the purple-robed woman, but they are far from being able to instill fear in them. The Yuan Zun experts present are certainly not ordinary people among their peers, given their current level of cultivation.
However, what worried them most was that the eighth-tier Nascent Pill inside the cauldron was struggling under the influence of the snake skull, forcing them to devote considerable effort to suppressing it. At the same time, they also had to be wary of whether the purple-robed woman would suddenly attack one of them. In addition, the huge losses incurred during the previous pill refining process meant that even those among them who were confident in their cultivation dared not confront the purple-robed woman head-on.
As for joining forces, unless it's truly a critical moment, these Yuan Zun experts wouldn't care about holding out for a little longer. After all, without the appearance of the purple-robed woman, even if they successfully refined an eighth-grade pill, it would be quite difficult for them to stand out and win the championship. If they could take this opportunity to eliminate a few opponents, it might pave the way for their championship title.
As for that woman in purple robes, daring to be so arrogant at the Pill Gathering and commit such acts of force and robbery, the Pill Tower will surely not sit idly by and allow her to run rampant at the Pill Gathering.
"Your Excellency truly possesses a fine character. You are the first person to dare to steal a pill at my Pill Tower Grand Gathering!"
After the purple-robed woman defeated the Silver-Scaled Fire Crocodile, Chen Xuanling, outside the barrier, observed the situation inside. Realizing her intention to seize the pill, he laughed angrily. With a wave of his arm, his sleeve swept across the small cauldron in front of him, causing it to emit a bright blue light. He then prepared to smash the gray barrier below. At the same time, Yuwen Zong and the others beside him quickly dispersed and called upon the Pill Tower Elder present to release their abundant Origin Qi. They were ready to capture the purple-robed woman alive once the barrier broke.
Upon seeing this, a considerable murmur of discussion immediately arose from the surrounding stands.
"This is going to be interesting. This woman dares to cause trouble in the Pill Tower. She's probably all looks and no brains. Even if she's Eight-Star Yuan Zun, in front of the Pill Tower, aren't all those below the Yuan Sheng level like ants?"
"I heard that decades ago, an elder of the Pill Tower had his pills stolen on the spot while he was refining them. The clan that person belonged to was quite powerful in the Central Region, but not long after that incident, it was inexplicably wiped out by several forces working together, and the entire clan was razed to the ground. At the time, few dared to discuss this matter. I never thought that something from back then would happen again today, and even at the Pill Gathering!"
"Although the continent is vast and teeming with powerful individuals, there are bound to be some little-known super forces. But what kind of force can rival the Pill Tower? Do these people really think that the Pill Tower's title as the continent's overlord is just a hollow one?"
Amidst a heated exchange, the small cauldron emitting azure light was about to collide with the barrier. But at that very moment, the purple-robed woman within the barrier, still displaying a mocking expression, spoke up:
"It's rumored that the Pill Tower is the holy land of alchemy in the hearts of all alchemists on the continent, with thousands of methods of alchemy. But who would have thought that the truth is so shallow and short-sighted? Without asking a single question, without understanding the real situation, they immediately want to punish people and subdue them by force. How impressive!"
Although the woman in the purple robe's voice was not loud, it was clearly audible to everyone present.
When those present understood the implied meaning in the Fang Yan, they immediately realized that the purple-robed woman's behavior seemed to be some kind of alchemy method. Many people looked at each other in bewilderment, and even the Yuan Zun experts on the platform showed suspicion. Everyone's face was blank.
They might not all be alchemists, but they had all heard of various alchemy techniques to some extent. They couldn't find any alchemy method in their memories that matched the method used by the purple-robed woman. Of course, this didn't necessarily mean that what the purple-robed woman said was just a pretext to stall for time. After all, the various alchemy techniques that had appeared at this Pill Gathering had already broadened their horizons. But if what she said was true, then the only people present who would understand such techniques were naturally the people from the Pill Tower.
Therefore, everyone's attention quickly turned back to Chen Xuanling and the others. If what the woman in purple robes said was true, and Chen Xuanling still insisted on stopping them without explanation, even if they were captured alive, once the news spread after the Pill Gathering, it would likely be spread as falsehoods, which could have a negative impact on the prestige of the Pill Tower.
"Call..."
Chen Xuanling let out a deep breath. The small cauldron he had shot out had already stopped a few feet away from the barrier before the woman in purple robes had even finished speaking. Then, with a thought, the small cauldron returned to her side. While forcibly suppressing the anger in his heart, his thoughts raced. After a moment, he lowered his voice and raised the doubts in the minds of the surrounding audience.
"Now that you've gone this far, you probably have nothing to hide. Tell me, who are you? Your so-called alchemy techniques are unheard of. If your explanation fails to convince us, even if it tarnishes my reputation, I, the Pill Tower, will imprison you here forever!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a terrifying pressure suddenly surged from Chen Xuanling's body, spreading throughout the entire venue in the blink of an eye. Instantly, the audience who had been whispering just a moment ago fell silent. Chen Xuanling frowned and stared intently at the purple-robed woman behind the barrier below, his eyes sharp.
From the moment the purple-robed woman sneered, Chen Xuanling had already discerned the alchemy method she used. She hadn't openly acknowledged it for the sake of the Pill Tower's reputation. However, the snake skull she used and the strange black aura from before were indeed quite different from any alchemy method he had seen before. Combined with the various pieces of information he had gathered from his investigation within the sect not long ago, Chen Xuanling had already formed a judgment about the purple-robed woman's origins.
Hearing the threatening tone in Chen Xuanling's words, the woman in purple seemed to understand that he had discovered her identity. Despite this, she showed no sign of nervousness, instead offering a sneer and coldly snorting:
" The Pill Tower has always prided itself on being the orthodox master of alchemy. Today, I will set the record straight and show you the true essence of my clan's Pill Fusion and Potency Transformation Art!"
As soon as she finished speaking, the woman in purple robes opened her mouth, and a wisp of black energy shot out and merged into the snake's skull in her palm.
With the support of this black aura, the snake's skull emitted a strange and eerie hissing sound. At the same time, the suction force attached to the Nascent Pill in the alchemists' cauldrons became even more ferocious. The faces of the alchemists within the barrier turned much uglier at this moment, especially Xiao Yan Xiao Yan Huoxun Mingcheng, the two Yuan Zong, who were struggling the most and could only secretly lament their predicament.
Chen Xuanling and the other Pill Tower Elder who also witnessed this scene felt a chill in their hearts. They knew that if they could not deal with the woman in purple robes as soon as possible, not only Xiao Yan and the others, but all the Tier Eight Alchemist in the arena would probably fail. If the woman in purple robes really won the championship of the Pill Gathering, then the Pill Tower would really lose face on the continent.