When the shattered beam of light from the outer battlefield crashed atop the Holy Mountain, the entire Shinobi World trembled without ceasing—not from the collision of tectonic plates, but from the heart-pounding throbbing of countless people along with that beam of light. News of the interstellar battlefield spread to every corner of the Shinobi World's major planets through various media, even being broadcast in taverns and on the streets.
"The Holy Lord has won... and returned?"
"Judging from Lingguang's appearance, he must be seriously injured!"
"And the Insect God! It's said that the Insect God's projection has descended? That's a legendary being even more powerful than the Holy Venerable!"
" The Insect Race enemy has fled? They couldn't even stop the Holy Lord. Is it possible they'll invade again?"
Whispers turned into earth-shattering discussions, and panic spread like a plague. Who was Tsubasa? He was the Sea God of the Shinobi World, a mountain pressing down on all threats. Since his sudden appearance, uniting the Shinobi World's power and resisting the invasion from another world, he had long been a symbol of "invincibility" in everyone's hearts. But now, this mountain had been "severely injured," failing to even leave behind the enemy, causing the confidence in countless people to collapse in an instant.
The Kage of major nations, the heads of hidden clans, and key figures from the Medical Temple and the Scientific Ninja Tools Bureau rushed to the Holy Mountain almost the instant the light touched the ground. Tsunade medicine chest, moved so fast that she left afterimages. Her usually somewhat lazy face was now filled with solemnity, and the Chakra of the Strength of a Hundred Technique was already flowing in her palms, ready to intervene at any moment. Orochimaru, on the other hand, was a different story. In his Zombie Monarch form, his dark purple skin gleamed with a cold light, and his scarlet vertical pupils flickered with complex light, reflecting both his investigation into Tsubasa's injuries and his fanaticism for the terms " Insect God Projection" and " Saint Level Insect Race."
Outside the temple atop the Holy Mountain, Tsubasa sat cross-legged on a pile of rubble. His white robes were stained with dark red blood, and beneath the tattered fabric, several deep wounds, exposing bone, were visible. Black insect venom still writhed at the edges of the wounds, emitting a nauseating stench. His face was ashen, but his eyes still shone with an astonishing light, like starlight that had extinguished all darkness. However, his aura was much weaker than usual; his once vast and boundless Saint Power was now like the receding tide, leaving only shallow ripples.
"Your Majesty!" Tsunade was the first to rush forward, crouching down to examine the wound. "Quick, I brought the best healing medicine; suppress the insect venom first!"
Tsubasa raised his hand to stop her, his voice tinged with weariness, yet still steady and powerful, booming like thunder in everyone's ears. "It's alright, the insect venom has been temporarily sealed, the injury is not fatal."
He slowly stood up, his movements still somewhat stiff, but instantly calming everyone present. The panicked glances and whispers ceased the moment he stood. Tsubasa glanced at the high-ranking Shinobi World surrounding him, his gaze sharp as a knife, and slowly spoke, "In the battle outside the boundary, although we didn't kill any powerful enemies, we severely injured the Insect God's projection and forced back the main force of the Insect Race. However, they will come again sooner or later. The strength of the Shinobi World must be further enhanced!"
The moment the words left his mouth, everyone present was stunned. Having just endured a great battle, the Holy Lord was deeply wounded, and powerful enemies remained undefeated. Instead of discussing recuperation, they wanted to increase their strength?
Before anyone could react, Tsubasa's voice rang out again, carrying an undeniable authority. "Pass on my order—immediately mobilize all forces to collect all the remains of the Saint Level Insect Race left over from this great battle! Whether it's insect legs, armor, wings, or even the smallest scrap of flesh or drop of bodily fluid, not a single gram can be wasted!"
"What?!"
A gasp erupted from the crowd, and even Orochimaru couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, his vertical pupils flashing with even greater fervor.
The remains of Saint Level Insect Race!
These words were like a red-hot branding iron, searing the hearts of everyone present. Every one of them was a top figure in the Shinobi World, and naturally knew what the corpse of Saint Level being meant. It was a treasure containing endless energy and life essence, an excellent material for refining top-tier healing and breakthrough pills, and an unparalleled divine material for forging divine weapons. Ordinary ninjas would treasure even a small piece of a True Immortal Level beast's remains as a family heirloom; now, it was the complete remains of Saint Level Insect Race —it was practically a gold nugget fallen from the sky!
"Holy Lord, you mean... to use those insect corpses?" The Fourth Raikage A, asked in a deep voice, his face full of excitement, his muscles trembling slightly. As a powerhouse who had been stuck at the Peak Immortal King for many years, he knew better than anyone how many opportunities such divine materials represented for breakthroughs.
"Not bad." Tsubasa nodded, his gaze sweeping over everyone. "Since the Insect Race dared to invade, they should leave behind enough 'toll money.' These Saint Level Zerg corpses are their big gift to the Shinobi World."
Tsunade immediately understood Tsubasa's meaning, a glint of light flashing in her eyes. " The Medical Temple is willing to cooperate fully! The life essence of the Saint Level Insect Race has unimaginable effects on healing and strengthening the body's foundation. If we can refine a pill, it can not only heal the wounded but also help the strong break through!"
"Heh..." Orochimaru let out his signature chilling laugh, licking his lips. " The Scientific Ninja Tools Bureau can also lend a hand. My Corpse Jutsu can analyze the genes and body structure of the Insect Race, extracting their energy cores. Moreover, my forging workshop can forge the insectoid armor into the hardest weapons."
Seeing the two of them working together, the other high-ranking members also chimed in. Uchiha Itachi's eyes were deep as he pondered whether this pill could help him break through his long-standing bottleneck; Hinata Hyuga's cheeks flushed slightly as she clenched her fists, thinking that her Byakugan might be able to advance further; Nagato Uzumaki looked down at his Rinnegan, silent, but the anticipation in his eyes was unmistakable.
"Very good." Tsubasa nodded in satisfaction. "This matter will be jointly led by the Medical Temple and the Scientific Ninja Tools Bureau. Tsunade, you will be responsible for coordinating the pill refining formula and energy blending; Orochimaru, you will be responsible for dismantling the insect corpses, extracting their cores, and operating the forging workshop. The necessary rare and precious materials can be freely obtained from the Shinobi World Treasury. Make sure to prepare everything in the shortest possible time."
"Yes, sir!" Tsunade and Orochimaru bowed simultaneously to accept the order.
In the days that followed, the Shinobi World was thrown into an unprecedented frenzy. Countless ninjas were mobilized to the edge of the battlefield beyond the boundary, carefully collecting the remains of the Saint Level Insect Race. These enormous insect corpses lay across the land like mountains, their hard armor gleaming with metallic luster, radiating a chilling pressure even in death. The ninjas dared not be careless, using specialized tools to cut, pack, and seal the remains with Sealing Jutsu, continuously transporting them to the exclusive refining workshop at the foot of the Holy Mountain.
Inside the workshop, the atmosphere was bustling with activity. Tsunade, along with top healers from the Medical Temple, meticulously analyzed the Insect Race remains, extracting their life essence and energy fluids, which were then combined with rare and precious herbs from the Shinobi World, such as thousand-year-old ginseng, snow lotus from Tianshan, and dragon blood vine. Meanwhile, in a nearby laboratory, Orochimaru used his unique Corpse Jutsu to decompose the insect corpses' genetic chains, refining the hardest insect armor into a molten state, and extracting the violent energy contained within the insect corpses' cores, attempting to tame them.
" Orochimaru, the energy you extracted is too violent; it will damage the stability of the elixir!" Tsunade said to Orochimaru, frowning as she held a test report.
Orochimaru peeked out from behind a pile of instruments, a hint of arrogance on his face. " Princess Tsunade, how can energy without being violent break through the barrier of Immortal King Level? I've already neutralized a portion with corpse energy; the rest will be tempered by the Holy Venerable's Saint Fire."
"Hmph, just don't let anything go wrong." Tsunade snorted coldly, ignoring him and turning back to continue adjusting the formula.
Although the two often bickered, they worked together with remarkable synergy. Tsunade's medical skills were superb, and she had an innate sensitivity to the harmonization of energy; Orochimaru's technology and Ninjutsu were unpredictable, and he could always find ways to extract the purest energy. With their concerted efforts, the preliminary preparations for refining the elixir progressed rapidly.
Seven days later, everything was ready.
In the center of the refining workshop stood a massive alchemy furnace, its body crafted from ten-thousand-year-old black iron, covered with densely packed runes, exuding an ancient and majestic aura. Beneath the furnace, a raging fire burned—a wisp of Saint Fire specially left behind by Tsubasa, its temperature high enough to melt all things in the world.
Tsubasa personally came to the workshop. At this moment, his injuries had mostly healed, and although his Saint Power had not fully recovered, it was still as vast as the sea. He walked to the alchemy furnace, raised his hand, and countless blended natural treasures and extracted Insect Race essence instantly flew into the furnace, turning into streams of light.
"Seal the furnace!"
With a low shout from Tsubasa, the lid of the alchemy furnace slowly closed, and the runes instantly lit up, forming a huge sealing barrier that enveloped the furnace. Tsubasa sat cross-legged in front of the furnace, his hands forming a hand Hand Seals. The Saint Fire within his body continuously poured into the flames beneath the furnace, causing the furnace's temperature to soar instantly, even distorting the surrounding air.
"Next comes the forty-nine days of tempering." Tsubasa closed his eyes, his mind completely immersed in the alchemy furnace, sensing the changes in energy within, and adjusting the temperature of the Saint Fire and the Saint Power injected at any time.
As Tenten passed, the energy within the alchemy furnace grew increasingly abundant. Initially, only a faint halo emanated from the furnace, but later, the entire workshop was enveloped in a layer of seven-colored light, and a rich medicinal fragrance wafted through the air, not only refreshing the mind but also nourishing cultivation. The vegetation around the workshop grew wildly, and birds and beasts gathered nearby, enjoying the nourishment of the medicinal fragrance.
People throughout the Shinobi World were also paying close attention to the progress of the alchemy. Every day, people came to the foot of the Holy Mountain, gazing at the workshop shrouded in seven-colored light, their faces full of anticipation. Speculation about the elixir was also increasing. Some said that the elixir could allow people to break through to the Immortal King directly, some said that it could grant immortality, and others said that it could allow ordinary ninjas to ascend to the heavens in one step.
"Tell me, what's the name of this pill?" a young ninja asked his companion curiously.
"I don't know, the Holy Lord hasn't named it yet." His companion shook his head. "But since it's made from Saint Level Starry Sky Saint Insect, maybe it'll be called ' Holy Insect Pill '?"
" The Holy Insect Pill... that sounds amazing!"
Such discussions could be heard throughout the Shinobi World; everyone was eagerly awaiting the day the elixir would be completed.
Before the alchemy furnace, Tsubasa's expression grew increasingly grave. The energy within the furnace had reached a terrifying critical point, with various energies intertwined. Although they were gradually fusing under the tempering of his Saint Fire, there was still a risk of them spiraling out of control. He had to devote more of his attention to guiding the flow of energy with his Saint Power, eliminating those unstable factors one by one.