Battle Through the Heavens: Marry Cao Ying, Reward is Devouring Ancestral Symbol

Chapter 359 Achieving Ninth Rank!First came the wind.

It wasn’t ordinary wind, but wind carrying a rich medicinal fragrance. That fragrance permeated from the supreme cauldron, spreading through the entire square with the wind, and then to the entire Pill City.

One sniff made one feel refreshed. Two sniffs made the Dou Qi in one’s body circulate a bit faster.

Then came the light.

A faint golden light emanated from the supreme cauldron, growing brighter and more intense, enveloping the entire stone platform in a warm halo.

Finally, there was the power of heaven and earth.

The energy between heaven and earth began to riot. Countless stray energies gathered from all directions, frantically surging into the supreme cauldron, forming a massive energy vortex at the cauldron’s mouth.

The vortex’s rotation speed grew faster and its suction stronger, so much so that the cauldrons of the surrounding Alchemists were trembling slightly.

Shen Wen’s face turned slightly pale, but the movements of his hands remained as steady as a rock.

He didn’t use any Heavenly Flame, simply using his own Dou Qi fire to drive the supreme cauldron. That wisp of ordinary flame burned quietly in the cauldron, yet it carried a power sufficient to make heaven and earth change color.

Time continued to pass.

The ninth day.

The tenth day.

The eleventh day.

The power of heaven and earth grew increasingly violent, and the energy vortex above the supreme cauldron grew larger, expanding from the initial ten feet to a hundred feet, then from a hundred feet to a thousand feet.

The heaven and earth energy of the entire Pill City was stirred up.

Dark clouds began to condense in the sky—not the usual Pill Lightning dark clouds, but a color nearly ink-black. Those clouds were as thick as if they were solid, and black lightning flickered faintly within as they churned.

”Black Demon Lightning.”

Someone spoke those three words, their voice trembling.

On the square, everyone’s expression changed.

Black Demon Lightning, the hallmark of a Ninth Grade Pill.

Not the nine-colored Pill Lightning that touched the threshold like those of the Eighth Grade Peak, but the true Black Demon Lightning belonging to a Ninth Grade Pill.

Shen Wen was truly refining a Ninth Grade Pill.

The dark clouds gathered thicker and thicker, spreading from above Pill City all the way to the horizon; within ten thousand miles, all was ink-black.

Black lightning streaked through the clouds, letting out low rumbles—not loud, but carrying a pressure that struck directly at the Soul.

The entire Pill City was trembling.

On the stone platform, those Alchemists who had already finished refining their pills retreated one after another to the edge of the square.

Those still refining didn’t care whether their pills would succeed or not; they hurriedly extinguished their fires and ran.

No one wanted to be caught in the Black Demon Lightning.

That was something capable of severely wounding a Dou Sheng.

Shen Wen stood in the center of the stone platform, looking up at the ten-thousand-mile dark clouds in the sky, taking a deep breath.

He did not retreat.

Within the supreme cauldron, the Medicinal Pill taking shape emitted an increasingly intense light, echoing the Black Demon Lightning in the sky.

Almost there.

Just one last step.

Shen Wen moved.

Not with grand movements, but with subtle tremors of his fingertips; every tremor was accompanied by a wisp of medicinal power circulating and a slight adjustment of the heat.

His techniques were so fast and complex that even those old fellows who had been immersed in Alchemy for decades were dazzled.

Those techniques appeared alternately at his fingertips, sometimes switching several times in a single breath, sometimes with several techniques being performed simultaneously—interweaving, fusing, and transforming, gradually departing from everything he had learned and turning into a brand new Alchemy method that belonged only to him.

No one could understand it.

Even Old Man Shennong’s brow furrowed, his cloudy old eyes full of confusion.

He knew to what extent this kid’s Alchemy had reached.

But these techniques before him, he had never seen them, nor had he taught them.

Xuan Danzi also remained silent, his youthful face carrying a hint of daze.

He recognized the techniques of the Cao Family and the Dan Family. He also recognized the techniques of the Medicine Clan.

But after these things were crushed, reforged, and fused together by Shen Wen, he no longer recognized them.

In the center of the stone platform, Shen Wen’s expression remained calm.

He didn’t care about the surrounding gazes, nor did he even care about the ten-thousand-mile dark clouds brewing in the sky.

His entire mind was immersed in the supreme cauldron, immersed in that Medicinal Pill that was taking shape.

All the medicinal ingredients had long since entered the cauldron.

Thirty-six main ingredients and seventy-two auxiliary ingredients had now completely merged into one, turning into a ball of pale-golden semi-solid liquid the size of a baby’s fist.

That liquid rotated slowly in the cauldron; with every rotation, a wisp of Impurities was expelled, and with every rotation, a trace of heaven and earth energy was absorbed.

Shen Wen’s hands pressed lightly against the cauldron, his Soul Power surging in like a tide, precisely controlling the final step of the medicinal power Fusion.

That ball of liquid began to solidify.

From the outside in, layer by layer, like the surface of a frozen lake.

Every layer of solidification was accompanied by the Formation of a rune; those runes were layered and connected, constructing an extremely complex Formation inside the Medicinal Pill.

Everything merged into one at this moment.

Inside the Medicinal Pill, the final rune lit up.

The entire Formation roared into operation.

The Medicinal Pill was complete.

Pale golden light erupted from the cauldron, shooting straight into the clouds, even brightening the ten-thousand-mile dark clouds slightly.

In the sky, the Black Demon Lightning moved.

Not one bolt, but three.

Three bolts of lightning as black as ink crashed down from the clouds, each as thick as a water bucket, carrying a world-destroying might as they smashed directly toward the newly formed Medicinal Pill in the supreme cauldron!

On the square, everyone’s face turned pale.

Black Demon Lightning.

Three bolts.

That was something that could severely wound a Dou Sheng; now that three were falling together, let alone a Medicinal Pill, even the entire stone platform could be blasted into powder.

But Xuan Danzi and Old Man Shennong did not move.

The rules of the Pill Assembly had been set since the day of its founding. During the Alchemy process, no one is allowed to lend assistance.

Dealing with the Pill Lightning was something the Alchemist had to face themselves.

The three bolts of Black Demon Lightning drew closer and closer—

Shen Wen looked up and glanced at the three bolts of lightning.

Then he raised his hand.

Not to block, not to dodge, just raising his hand.

Palm facing up, five fingers slightly spread.

The great dao treasure bottle condensed into shape above his palm, its mouth facing up, the ink-black vortex slowly rotating.

The three bolts of Black Demon Lightning fell into the mouth of the bottle simultaneously.

No explosion, no roar.

Those three bolts of lightning capable of severely wounding a Dou Sheng were swallowed just like that, silently.

The great dao treasure bottle vibrated slightly, the runes on the bottle’s body lighting up for a moment before returning to calm.

A wisp of extremely pure energy was fed back from the bottom of the bottle, flowing into Shen Wen’s body through his arm. He squinted slightly, revealing a hint of comfort, as if what he had just swallowed wasn’t life-threatening Black Demon Lightning, but a sip of warm tea.

On the square, there was a deathly silence.

Everyone’s gaze fell on that small black bottle floating in mid-air, their mouths open, yet unable to make a sound.

Black Demon Lightning.

Three bolts.

Just swallowed like that?

Without even a sound?

Shen Wen ignored those gazes. He withdrew the great dao treasure bottle and beckoned with his hand.

From the supreme cauldron, a golden light soared into the sky!

It was a Medicinal Pill the size of a longan, pale golden all over, with countless fine patterns flowing on its surface. Those patterns were layered, faintly forming a miniature Formation, emitting a warm and ancient aura.

Bodhi Great Restoration Pill.

A Ninth-Grade Treasure Pill.

The moment the Medicinal Pill rushed out of the cauldron’s mouth, the golden light suddenly surged. That ball of golden light tumbled, twisted, and expanded in the air, transforming into a pale-golden exotic beast in the blink of an eye.

The exotic beast resembled a Qilin, with two horns on its head and four hooves treading on fire, with faint golden runes flowing around its body. It let out a long roar that shook the surroundings, then kicked its four hooves, turning into a streak of golden light and fleeing frantically toward the horizon.

A Ninth Grade Pill already possesses spirituality.

It did not want to be eaten.

Shen Wen looked at the golden light that was rapidly distancing itself, his expression unchanged.

He simply raised his hand and made a grasping motion.

The power of the space ancestral talisman erupted, silver-gray light instantly enveloping the space within a thousand feet.

The fleeing golden exotic beast seemed to hit an invisible wall, its figure suddenly halting, frozen in mid-air, unable to move an inch.

Shen Wen slightly closed his fingers, and the exotic beast was like a small creature gripped by an invisible hand, forcibly dragged back. It struggled and roared, its four hooves kicking wildly in the air, but it simply couldn’t break free from the shackles of that power.

The golden light gradually faded, and the exotic beast transformed back into a Medicinal Pill, lying quietly in Shen Wen’s palm.

He looked down at it, nodded slightly, and casually put the Medicinal Pill into a jade bottle.

On the square, it was still pin-drop silent.

From the fall of the Black Demon Lightning to the collection of the Medicinal Pill, only a few breaths had passed.

In those few breaths, three bolts of Black Demon Lightning capable of wounding a Dou Sheng were casually wiped away, and a Ninth-Grade Treasure Pill was forcibly restrained.

And the person who did all this was standing in the center of the stone platform, his expression as calm as if he had just taken a walk.

No one spoke.

It wasn’t that they didn’t want to speak, but they didn’t know what to say.

Those who had previously questioned Shen Wen for not having a Heavenly Flame were now pale-faced, wishing they could find a hole to crawl into.

Those who had previously mocked Shen Wen for ”neglecting the basics for the trifles” now kept their mouths shut tighter than clam shells.

Those who had previously bet on whether Shen Wen could make it into the top three now even lightened their breathing.

A Ninth-Grade Treasure Pill.

A twenty-year-old Ninth-Grade Alchemist.

This could no longer be described by words like ”Genius” or ”Prodigy.” This was a living legend, an existence that had never appeared in the thousand-year history of the Pill Tower.

Yao Tian stood at the edge of the stone platform, still clutching the Medicinal Pill that had produced the nine-colored Pill Lightning.

He looked down at his own Medicinal Pill, then looked up at the jade bottle in Shen Wen’s palm; after a moment of silence, he put his Medicinal Pill into his storage ring.

Nine-colored Pill Lightning was only one step away from the Ninth Grade.

He had thought he would soon be able to cross this step.

But now he knew that this step was not just a step, but a chasm.

Yao Ling stood beside her brother, her eyes, born in the Heavenly State, full of shock, along with a hint of admiration she hadn’t even noticed herself.

She thought of the things Shen Wen had taught her these past few days, thought of every word he had said, and suddenly felt a bit dazed.

It turned out he had long been ahead of everyone.

Huo Xuan and Huo Zhi looked at each other, both seeing the same meaning in each other’s eyes.

They had come to the Pill Assembly originally wanting to see what ability this young man, whom the Gu Clan valued, actually possessed.

Now they had seen it, clearly.

Huo Zhi opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but found her throat incredibly dry.

She thought of the fire control methods Shen Wen had mentioned, thought of his tone when he said ”Heavenly Flames are ultimately external objects,” and suddenly felt that it wasn’t some kind of arrogance, but simply stating a fact.

Huo Xuan did not speak, simply putting away the Eight Desolation Destruction Flame in his palm.

Xiao Yan stood at the very edge of the square, looking at the jade bottle in Shen Wen’s palm from afar, silent for a long time.

”Revered Master.” He called out in his heart.

Yao Lao’s voice sounded in his ear, carrying a hint of bitterness: ”Don’t compare yourself anymore. His Alchemy is no longer something you can reach.”

Xiao Yan nodded and did not speak.

He thought of the scene when he first met Shen Wen in the Northwest years ago.

He thought that by chasing desperately all these years, the gap should have narrowed quite a bit.

Now it seemed the gap was only growing larger.

On the high platform, Old Man Shennong leaned on his cane, looking at Shen Wen and suddenly smiled.

That smile carried relief, sentiment, and a few hints of an indescribable pride.

”This kid.” He said softly, his voice carrying a smile.

Xuan Danzi stood beside him, his youthful face rarely showing a smile.

He turned to look at Old Man Shennong, and the two looked at each other, both seeing the same meaning in each other’s eyes.

This Disciple was well worth taking in.

Xuan Kongzi and Tian Leizi stood to the side, neither of them speaking. They were the giants of the Pill Tower, famous for over a hundred years, having seen countless Geniuses and countless Prodigies.

But someone like Shen Wen, they had never seen, nor even heard of.