The roars outside the Pill God Palace drew closer and closer. The ground trembled faintly as dense dark energy surged in like a tide, clashing fiercely with the Pill Realm's pure Pill Essence and making a sizzling sound.
"They're here!" Xiao Yan put away the Heart of the Pill Realm fragment. Four colors of Heavenly Flames instantly blazed to life on the Heavy Xuan Ruler-the Green Lotus Core Flame, Fallen Heart Flame, Netherworld Core Flame, and the newly subdued Netherworld Ghost Flame. The four flames intertwined, radiating a might far greater than before.
Mo Chen also brought out his pill cauldron. Pill fire blazed within it as he watched the palace gates with a grave expression.
A moment later, a group of twisted dark creatures charged into the Pill God Palace. They resembled lizards, but had three pairs of wings and bodies covered in black scales. Corrosive saliva dripped from their mouths. They were the Domain of Darkness's Bone-Eroding Winged Lizards, ranging in strength from Initial to Advanced Origin Emperor. Their leader was particularly enormous, its presence already approaching Peak Origin Emperor.
"Kill!"
With a low shout, Xiao Yan charged out first. The Heavy Xuan Ruler swept across, sending a four-colored stream of flame roaring forth like a giant dragon. It engulfed three Bone-Eroding Winged Lizards in an instant. They let out piercing screams as their black scales rapidly melted in the flames and their bodies burned to ash.
Mo Chen controlled his pill cauldron, which floated in the air and continuously spat out small bursts of pill fire. Like a precise rain of arrows, they shot down the winged lizards trying to circle around Xiao Yan and launch sneak attacks. The power of Pill Essence contained in the pill fire was exceptionally effective against dark creatures, often severely wounding them in a single strike.
The two worked together seamlessly. Xiao Yan attacked head-on while Mo Chen supported him from afar, and before long they had slain more than half the Bone-Eroding Winged Lizards.
"Roar!"
Seeing this, the Peak Origin Emperor winged lizard leading them flashed a vicious look. With a beat of its wings, it became a black shadow and rushed at Xiao Yan with incredible speed, spitting a mouthful of black venom. Wherever the venom passed, it corroded even the air, leaving a black trail.
Xiao Yan's gaze sharpened. Rather than retreat, he advanced, gathering the four-colored Heavenly Flames into a shield of fire before him. The venom landed on the shield and instantly vaporized in the flames, giving off acrid black smoke.
Seizing the chance, Xiao Yan darted aside to evade the winged lizard's pounce. He swung the Heavy Xuan Ruler backhanded, smashing it precisely into the base of the creature's wing.
"Crack!"
Bones broke with a crisp snap. One of the winged lizard's wings had been forcibly broken, and the agony drew a wretched howl from it. Its flight path immediately became erratic.
"Now!" Mo Chen seized the opportunity. His pill cauldron suddenly expanded and descended over the winged lizard like a giant bell.
Unable to dodge in time, the winged lizard was trapped beneath the cauldron. The pill fire inside surged, and amid the creature's desperate roars, it soon fell silent.
Having dealt with all the Bone-Eroding Winged Lizards, the two breathed a sigh of relief, but the heaviness in their hearts had not diminished in the least. Though these dark creatures were not among the strongest, they proved the truth of the Pill God's message-dark forces really were lurking in the Pill Realm.
"It seems we have to find the other Heart of the Pill Realm fragments and reforge the seal as quickly as possible," Mo Chen said, his tone heavy.
Xiao Yan nodded, his gaze sweeping across the Pill God Palace before finally settling on a tattered map on the wall. The Pill Realm's terrain had been painted on it in gold. One tower-shaped structure, marked in red, stood out in particular. Beside it were the words: Blazing Sky Tower.
"It's the Blazing Sky Tower!" Xiao Yan's heart stirred. "Senior Pill God said the final Heavenly Flame is at the top of the Blazing Sky Tower!"
Mo Chen came over and studied the map carefully. "The Blazing Sky Tower lies in the northwest of the Pill Realm, near the Mist Swamp. The map marks a powerful guardian beast there."
"No matter what's there, we have to go." Xiao Yan's gaze was firm. "We need to obtain the Heavenly Flame, and see whether there are any Heart of the Pill Realm fragments there."
The two wasted no more time. Following the map's directions, they set off toward the Blazing Sky Tower.
The Pill Realm was far vaster than they had imagined, and the sights along the way grew ever stranger. They passed through a forest of enormous medicinal herbs, each more than ten zhang tall, with leaves like canopies and a rich medicinal fragrance. They crossed a river flowing with seven-colored spiritual liquid, which contained pure energy. Just getting a little on their skin made them feel their Origin Qi circulating somewhat faster.
But the deeper they ventured into the Pill Realm, the more dark creatures they encountered. Sometimes they were Shadow Worms lurking underground, sometimes swarms of Soul-Devouring Bats. They even encountered a Dark Giant Bear whose strength had reached Peak Origin Emperor, and it took the strength of nine oxen and two tigers to slay it.
The presence of these dark creatures made the two even more certain that the Pill Realm's seal had loosened to an extreme degree.
Along the way, they found a second Heart of the Pill Realm fragment in an abandoned alchemist city. The fragment was hidden in a statue at the city's center. The statue bore the Pill God's likeness and held a broken crystal ball in its hands. Xiao Yan placed the fragment in it, and the crystal ball gave off a soft light. Evidently, they had found a matching piece.
"It seems most of the Heart of the Pill Realm fragments are hidden in places connected to the Pill God," Xiao Yan surmised.
Mo Chen nodded. "As a landmark of the Pill Realm, the Blazing Sky Tower is very likely to hold more fragments."
Seven days later, the two finally reached the edge of the Mist Swamp.
A thick layer of gray mist shrouded the swamp. It contained a faint trace of dark energy, and visibility was less than ten zhang. Deep within the swamp, they could just make out the shadow of a black tower soaring into the clouds. Red flame patterns wound around it-it was the Blazing Sky Tower.
"The dark energy is so dense." Xiao Yan frowned. "I'm afraid this swamp has already been corrupted by darkness."
"And look at these footprints," Mo Chen said, pointing at the ground along the swamp's edge.
Many enormous footprints were scattered across the ground, sunk deep into the earth, with black claw marks left around their edges. They had clearly been made by some kind of massive creature, and there was more than one.
"Guardian beasts," Xiao Yan said gravely. "It seems the map was right."
Just then, heavy footsteps sounded from the mist, and two monsters the size of small mountains slowly emerged. They resembled crocodiles, but had four thick, powerful legs. Their backs were covered in shells like rock, their mouths were full of sharp fangs, and eerie green flames burned in their eyes. They were the swamp's guardian beasts, the Rotting Swamp Crocodile Dragons, and both had actually reached Peak Origin Emperor!
"Two Peak Origin Emperors..." Mo Chen's expression changed slightly. "This is trouble."
Xiao Yan's expression was grave. He could sense that these two Rotting Swamp Crocodile Dragons were stronger than the Dark Giant Bear they had encountered earlier. In particular, the shells on their backs had a hard sheen to them and would likely be difficult to break through.
"Take them separately!" Xiao Yan made an immediate decision. "I'll handle the one on the left. Keep the one on the right occupied, and watch out for their venom!"
"Right!"
Before the words had faded, the Rotting Swamp Crocodile Dragon on the left abruptly spat a mouthful of dark green venom. It formed countless poison arrows in the air and shot toward Xiao Yan.
Xiao Yan darted aside, forming a barrier of four-colored Heavenly Flames before him to block every poison arrow. At the same time, he channeled the power of the Origin Stabilizing Divine Stone into his feet and glided over the swamp like a ghost, avoiding the mud beneath him as he rapidly closed in on the crocodile dragon.
Seeing this, the Rotting Swamp Crocodile Dragon swept its enormous tail at him with a howl that tore through the air, trying to flatten him.
Xiao Yan neither dodged nor evaded. He raised the Heavy Xuan Ruler high as the four-colored flames burned wildly, while quietly infusing the energy of the Heart of the Pill Realm fragment into them. The Pill Realm's source power contained in the fragment combined with the Heavenly Flames, and a faint trace of gold appeared in the fire!
"Heavenly Flames: Pill Realm Blazing Sky Slash!"
This was a new move he had created by combining the Pill Realm's Pill Essence with Heavenly Flames, and its power far surpassed his previous flame attacks. The stream of golden fire, carrying a might that could purify all things, slashed viciously into the Rotting Swamp Crocodile Dragon's tail!
"Splurt!"
With a sharp sound, the Rotting Swamp Crocodile Dragon's hard tail scales were instantly severed, and blood gushed out.
"Roar!"
The Rotting Swamp Crocodile Dragon let out an agonized roar, the vicious light in its eyes growing fiercer. It opened its enormous jaws and lunged at Xiao Yan.
Xiao Yan seized the opportunity and leaped onto the crocodile dragon's back, smashing the Heavy Xuan Ruler down on its shell. Golden flames surged wildly into the gaps in the shell, scorching it from within.
The Rotting Swamp Crocodile Dragon rolled madly in the swamp, trying to throw Xiao Yan off. But Xiao Yan clung tightly to its dorsal fin, remaining unmoved no matter how it struggled. The Heavy Xuan Ruler in his hand fell again and again, each blow accompanied by the crocodile dragon's anguished howls.
Elsewhere, Mo Chen was locked in a fierce struggle with the other Rotting Swamp Crocodile Dragon. His strength was somewhat inferior, so he could only rely on nimble footwork to keep dodging and occasionally counterattack. Though he could not severely wound the crocodile dragon, he succeeded in keeping it occupied.
Half a shichen later, Xiao Yan finally found the Rotting Swamp Crocodile Dragon's weak point-the joint in the shell at its neck. He concentrated all his strength into the Heavy Xuan Ruler, and the golden flames erupted to their limit as he brought it crashing down!
"Crack!"
The shell broke, and the Heavy Xuan Ruler followed through, piercing the crocodile dragon's neck and extinguishing its life completely.
Having dealt with one crocodile dragon, Xiao Yan immediately turned to support Mo Chen. With Xiao Yan's help, the other crocodile dragon was soon slain as well.
The two collapsed at the edge of the swamp, panting heavily. Their faces were covered in mud, leaving them looking somewhat disheveled, but their eyes shone with the joy of victory.
"Finally... dealt with them." Mo Chen wiped the sweat from his face and gave a wry smile.
Xiao Yan nodded and looked toward the Blazing Sky Tower deep in the mist. "Once we cross this swamp, we'll be at the Blazing Sky Tower."
The mist in the swamp seemed to have thinned somewhat after the deaths of the two crocodile dragons, making the outline of the Blazing Sky Tower clearer. The flame patterns on its walls seemed to have come alive, giving off a faint red glow as though calling to them.
"Let's go." Xiao Yan stood and patted the dirt from his clothes. "Let's see exactly what's hidden at the top of the Blazing Sky Tower."
Mo Chen also rose and walked alongside Xiao Yan toward the Blazing Sky Tower deep in the mist.
The dark energy grew denser deeper in the swamp, and strange whispers could faintly be heard, as though countless wronged souls were telling of their suffering. But the two did not slow their steps in the least, for they knew that the closer they came to their goal, the greater the danger-and the less they could afford to back down.
The shadow of the Blazing Sky Tower drew closer. More bones lay scattered on the ground around its base, some belonging to dark creatures and others to humans. A brutal battle had clearly taken place here.
At last, the two reached the foot of the Blazing Sky Tower.
The tower stood a thousand zhang high, built entirely of black rock. The flame patterns on its walls extended from the base all the way to the top, radiating ancient, immense flame energy. Its gates were tightly shut, and an enormous flame rune was carved into them. Embedded in the center of the rune was a crystal flashing with red light-the third Heart of the Pill Realm fragment!
"It really is here!" Xiao Yan and Mo Chen exchanged a glance, each seeing delight in the other's eyes.
But just as Xiao Yan was about to remove the fragment, a violent tremor suddenly came from the top of the Blazing Sky Tower. A presence denser than all the dark energy they had encountered before awakened like a sleeping behemoth!
"Oh no!" Xiao Yan's expression changed drastically. "There's something else inside the tower!"