Myriad Dragon Divine Sovereign

Xiaxia completely ignored the murmurs around her, gritting her teeth as her eyes remained glued to the Pill Furnace before her.

”Rise!”

Xiaxia slowly extracted the Medicinal Essence, and the Pill Furnace began to spin at high speed.

’What is this technique?’ Liu Qing frowned, watching Xiaxia’s Pill Furnace in confusion.

As the alchemy process neared its end, sweat began to bead on Xiaxia’s forehead, but her hand movements didn’t slow in the slightest.

’My fate is my own to decide, not heaven’s...’

Xiaxia fiercely activated her Pill Furnace, slowly channeling all of her Primordial Qi into the Pill Fire for one final push.

Everyone knew this was the final, critical moment. Although most of them had already assumed the outcome, they couldn’t help but hold their breath, a knot of nervousness tightening in their chests.

Time continued to pass.

CLANK!

As the last of the Pill Fire vanished and the Pill Furnace settled, Xiaxia took a deep breath. Her face was pale from the excessive drain on her Primordial Qi.

”The Pill Fragrance... there’s no Pill Fragrance! Could it be a First-Grade Pill?”

”See? I told you. How old is that little girl? How could she possibly compare to Master Liu Qing?”

”A pill with no Pill Fragrance... Looks like this Xiaxia is about to lose her limbs.”

As everyone knew, pills of any notable grade would emit a rich Pill Fragrance upon successful refinement. But at this moment, the crowd couldn’t smell even a hint of one, so they couldn’t help but sigh.

While the members of the Xia Family were pale as ghosts, the Yue Family members were ecstatic.

Yue Shan burst out laughing. ”No Pill Fragrance? Hahaha, what kind of pill is that? A gradeless one? I’ve never heard of such a thing!”

”Hahahaha!”

All the members of the Yue Family roared with laughter.

”Ignorant!” Xiaxia said, sweeping a cold glance over the Yue Family. ”The world is filled with millions of medicinal herbs and countless Heavenly and Earthly Treasures. The number of pills is beyond reckoning. How could pathetic clowns like you possibly understand the marvels of the Alchemy Dao?”

”You!?” Yue Shan’s laughter died in his throat. He was furious, being ridiculed by a seventeen-year-old girl in front of everyone.

Liu Qing nodded. ”You are correct. This vast world has given rise to the infinite possibilities of the Alchemy Dao. I am, in fact, quite curious to see your pill.”

”Then watch closely.”

With a sharp wave of her arm, Xiaxia opened the Pill Furnace. A pill shot into the air. It was a dark, ordinary, and unremarkable-looking thing, except for a faint red gleam on two opposing sides, like a thread running through its core, almost invisible to the casual eye.

”What kind of pill is that? It doesn’t look special at all.”

”It looks like an ordinary pill, just like the First-Grade Channel Unblocking Pills my dog eats.”

”Exactly. What’s so special about this pill?”

The commoners muttered amongst themselves as they looked at the pill before Xiaxia, completely unable to recognize it.

”This... This is the long-lost Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill!?”

An elderly Second-Grade Alchemist pointed a trembling finger at the pill before Xiaxia, his voice quavering as he spoke.

The Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill!

The Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill was the pinnacle of all Fifth-Grade Pills, and its recipe had been lost for an unknown number of years.

The hearts of all the Pill Masters present trembled as they craned their necks to get a better look.

”Heavens, it really is the Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill, lost for a millennium!”

”To have the privilege of seeing the Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill today... it’s the honor of a lifetime!”

”The Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill... It purifies the essence and cleanses the marrow—the absolute pinnacle of Fifth-Grade Pills!”

All the Pill Masters were now staring at the pill before Xiaxia, utterly awestruck.

The commoners didn’t understand the significance, but seeing the Pill Masters’ reactions, they knew the pill was something extraordinary. A few who had heard tales of the Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill were equally astonished.

When Liu Qing saw Xiaxia’s pill, the color drained from his face, leaving it deathly white.

Liu Qing walked up to Xiaxia, took a deep breath, and said, ”May I have a look?”

With a flick of her hand, Xiaxia sent the Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill flying into Liu Qing’s palm.

Liu Qing stared at the pill in his hand, his heart shuddering. ’It really is the Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill. It’s real.’

Liu Qing spoke with a bitter expression. ”It truly is the long-lost Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill. This time... I have lost.”

An uproar swept through the crowd.

A shock went through everyone as they heard Liu Qing’s words, and all eyes turned to the seventeen-year-old girl.

A hint of joy finally appeared in Xiaxia’s eyes. She hadn’t expected to actually succeed in refining the Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill. She knew luck had played a part.

But she had dared to take the gamble. ’Who else would have?’ At that thought, Xiaxia couldn’t help but lift her chin, a faint smile touching her lips.

The members of the Yue Family were now deathly pale, especially Yue Shan. He stood there, stunned into silence. Xiaxia had actually refined a Fifth-Grade Pill—and not just any, but the pinnacle of them all, the Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill. He let out a deep sigh. He knew the Yue Family could no longer remain in Feiyun City.

The crowd watched Xiaxia as she stood tall against the wind, their eyes filled with a mixture of awe, curiosity, and shock.

’Who on earth is Xiaxia’s master? An eighteen-year-old Fifth Grade Alchemist... This is enough to shake the entire Celestial Martial Country!’

Liu Qing said quietly, ”I wanted to meet your master, to see what kind of person he is. It seems I won’t have that chance now.”

Liu Qing gritted his teeth and shouted to the man with the blade below the stage, ”Bring me the blade!”

A burly man walked onto the stage, a large blade resting on his shoulder. Without a word, Liu Qing took the weapon from him.

SLICE!

Liu Qing swung the blade down. The crowd saw only a flash of steel, and then he collapsed to the ground. He clenched his teeth, his robes instantly soaked through with sweat.

Everyone knew Liu Qing was fulfilling the terms of the bet. Xiaxia looked out over the crowd, then up at the sky, her hands clasped behind her back. ’Master,’ she thought, ’I haven’t brought you shame!’

Wen Qingye continued to wander among the ruins, searching for any clues.

’If there were any obvious clues, they would have been found long ago,’ Wen Qingye thought. ’Perhaps I’ll find something in a more remote area.’

However, the more remote areas of North Mountain were now overrun with Demon Beasts, making it exceedingly difficult for Wen Qingye to explore them.

’A treasure was lost here but has never been found. The Demon Beasts are rampaging... Could it be related to them?’

Wen Qingye suddenly considered a possibility. ’What if a Demon Beast found it?’ He frowned deeply at the thought. If a Demon Beast had the treasure, reclaiming it would be impossible with his current level of strength.

WHOOSH!

A sound suddenly pierced the air from above.

Wen Qingye couldn’t help but look up. A giant bird was circling high in the air. Its plumage was mostly blackish-brown. Its head was covered in dirty brown down, its flight feathers were blackish-brown, and its tail feathers were a dark, dusky brown. It had a blackish-brown beak, gray feet, and black talons; the creature was almost entirely black.

”A Black Vulture!”

’A Black Vulture, a Refining Spirit Stage Demon Beast,’ Wen Qingye recalled. ’They prefer to eat rotten flesh. Typically, after killing their prey, they wait for the carcass to putrefy before they begin to feast. They’re known for their extremely cruel and violent nature.’

Seeing the giant bird overhead, Wen Qingye felt a jolt of alarm. He knew he had most likely become the Black Vulture’s target.