Chapter 160: A Name That Shakes the Central Plains!
As his hand seals transformed, the Dou Qi within Jiang Yun's body, along with his soul power, began to be consumed at a furious rate. Inside the cauldron, the medicinal liquids of various colors traced arcs as they converged toward the center.
Bang!
In that instant, the surging medicinal powers of different natures suddenly made contact and immediately began to clash violently. Fierce ripples of energy spread outward, causing the flames to shudder and the cauldron to tremble from the impact.
But under Jiang Yun's control, it ultimately stabilized. A mass of jade-green, brilliant radiance appeared within the cauldron. Strange, wondrous light surged, radiating a mysterious, extraordinary fluctuation.
"Spirit Gathering!"
Jiang Yun's eyes blazed. The full force of his peak Spirit Realm soul power erupted. In the 'world' within his eyes, specks and dots of bright light surged madly toward the medicinal liquid, gradually fusing with it strand by strand.
As the spiritual energy was continuously infused, that mass of jade-green medicinal liquid seemed, as if in a trance, to pulsate with a regular rhythm—like a beating heart.
"Jiang Yun has succeeded!" As Jiang Yun entered the final stage—pill gestation—Xiao Yi Xian, who had been nervously watching everything from the side, abruptly breathed a sigh of relief. Having reached this step, it meant the pill was already ninety percent successful. From here on, they only needed to wait patiently.
Three days later.
Jiang Yun, who had kept his eyes closed, slowly opened those star-bright eyes of his. Inside the cauldron, white flames encircled a cyan-colored pill, which ceaselessly bobbed up and down within the flames.
A bright light flickered in Jiang Yun's eyes. A crisp 'humming' sound rippled out from the Ten Thousand Beast Cauldron, and a terrifying, imposing aura spread forth.
What accompanied it was an exceptionally dense pill fragrance that suddenly erupted from the cauldron like a volcano.
With a "bang," the cauldron lid was directly blasted open. A cyan pillar of light shot into the sky.
Within the pillar of light, a cyan luan soared upward along it. An astonishing energy fluctuation spread outward.
Almost instantaneously, drawn by such a dense pill fragrance, dark clouds rapidly gathered in the sky above.
Countless alchemists in Holy Pill City raised their heads at the same time!
In this single moment, the entire city could see it. And the terrifying energy fluctuations contained within made quite a few experts shudder in fear.
Countless gazes looked in this direction, brimming with excitement, desire, greed...
"Boom! Boom!"
In the already somewhat sweltering air between heaven and earth, low, muffled rumbles of thunder suddenly resounded across the sky.
"This is... the fluctuation of pill lightning?"
"Pill lightning? A seventh-tier pill has been born?!"
Countless gazes hurriedly shifted upward. There, in the sky, a mass of dark clouds had appeared at some unknown moment. Yet now, from within those dark clouds, the low rumbling of thunder could actually be heard. That appearance was unmistakably the formation of pill lightning.
And a small handful of those with profound alchemy skills, gazing at the heaven-piercing pillar of light, revealed expressions of shock on their faces. They understood even more clearly just how terrifying the pill contained within that pillar of light was.
What's more, that cyan luan was unmistakably the method of Condensed Form Pill Nurturing—a technique that required one's flame control and soul power to reach an exceedingly exacting level. Even for an eighth-tier alchemist, they would only just barely meet the threshold to employ such a method.
"Boom!!!"
The power of heaven and earth surged madly toward this spot. Amidst the shifting winds and clouds, under the gaze of countless onlookers, as they churned, thunderclouds rapidly converged from all directions.
"This doesn't seem like the fluctuation of a seventh-tier pill?"
"This old man once had the fortune of seeing a Pill Tower elder refine an eighth-tier pill. This is unmistakably the birth of an eighth-tier pill! Which Pill Tower senior is making a move?"
Seeing the pill lightning grow increasingly terrifying, the crowd finally came back to their senses, staring at the sky in horrified awe.
An eighth-tier pill...
On the streets, on the rooftops, in the sky—figures could be seen flying over from everywhere, restlessly wanting to draw near this place.
Just then, everyone's expressions abruptly changed. Within a radius of ten thousand meters around Jiang Yun's room, a terrifying spatial seal had appeared. It sent chills down everyone's spines, as if taking a single step forward would result in being torn to shreds.
"From this moment on, until the pill is born, no one is permitted to approach this place. Violators... will be killed!"
A clear, cold, and indifferent voice rang out beside every single person's ear. That flat, even tone only made it all the more hair-raising.
Looking from afar, a graceful, elegant white silhouette could be seen standing silently in midair. The Dou Qi wings behind her back indicated the newcomer's strength. Yet the feeling just now was absolutely not something a mere Dou Huang could possess.
A mysterious identity, a terrifying expert acting as a protector, and a heavenly beauty as an attendant?
In their hearts, everyone silently labeled this mysterious alchemist as someone not to be trifled with.
At the center of Holy Pill City, a black tower nearly a hundred zhang tall stood towering. The tip of the massive tower pierced deep into the clouds. At a single glance, the top was nearly impossible to see. Wreathed in clouds and mist, it appeared exceptionally mysterious.
At this moment, atop the giant tower, three figures stood silently.
The three were precisely the three great heads of the Pill Tower—Xuan Kongzi, Xuan Yi, and Tian Leizi. Such a massive commotion caused by Jiang Yun had naturally drawn their attention as well.
Now, watching the crowd gathering below, Xuan Kongzi laughed, "It's been a long time since things were this lively!"
Xuan Yi nodded. Then, gazing at the pill lightning that was still madly amassing energy, she chuckled lightly, "How many colors of pill lightning do you think this will be?"
Xuan Kongzi and Tian Leizi mused for a moment upon hearing this. Xuan Kongzi was the first to speak: "I have never seen this pill before, but judging by the spiritual fluctuations it's emitting, it will be at least four-colored pill lightning!"
"My view is the same as Xuan Kongzi's. However, I'd guess five colors!" Tian Leizi nodded and spoke gruffly.
"Four- or five-colored pill lightning... It's been a while since we've seen that. I wonder which old friend is refining it?"
Xuan Kongzi and Tian Leizi were equally curious as they gazed at the distant thunderclouds.
"Boom!!!"
The crowd did not keep waiting long. Only a deafening clap of thunder was heard. In an instant, six colors appeared simultaneously. In that split second, the very winds and clouds changed color. Everything within a hundred li was intensely affected. An oppressive aura permeated the air.
"To think it's actually a six-colored pill lightning!" Xuan Kongzi and the other two exclaimed in surprise. Exchanging glances, traces of astonishment flickered through their eyes.
"This is bad! The power of six-colored pill lightning is too great. If it falls upon Holy Pill City, I fear it will cause unnecessary casualties!"
Then, recalling something, Xuan Kongzi's expression abruptly changed. In the next moment, his entire figure tore through the void and vanished from beside Xuan Yi and Tian Leizi.
"It's actually six-colored pill lightning!"
Similarly, within Holy Pill City, countless people saw this scene. Cheers, shouts—it shook the entire city. Under the gazes of who knew how many pairs of excited eyes, the tribulation clouds of the six-colored pill lightning hung suspended high in the firmament.
At the same time!
Jiang Yun's figure appeared abruptly beside Xiao Yi Xian. Raising his head, he gazed at the rolling thunderclouds. Looking at Xiao Yi Xian, he said, "Get further away. I'll handle this pill lightning... Hm?"
Sensing something, Jiang Yun chuckled lightly. "It seems that won't be necessary. Someone has come to help us."
"Rip—"
Xuan Kongzi's figure appeared before the two of them. Looking at the youthful Jiang Yun, a look of shock flashed through Xuan Kongzi's eyes. He marveled, "Indeed, every generation produces its talents! For one so young to actually summon six-colored pill lightning!"
"President Xuan Kongzi, why not deal with the pill lightning first? We can talk in detail afterward."
Jiang Yun glanced at the token at Xuan Kongzi's waist, cupped his fists, and looked toward the sky, where the pill lightning was poised to strike.
As his voice fell, a "boom" rang out. A bolt of six-colored thunder hurtled downward with a furious roar, slashing toward the cyan luan with the force of a thunderclap.
A destructive aura swept over. It tore through space with brutal ferocity as it descended, bringing with it a terrifying ripping sound, plunging straight down.
As the pill lightning descended, Xuan Kongzi had no time to ponder further. Raising his hand, he tore. In the next moment, a terrifying force surged forth. The sky seemed to have a gash ripped open. The pill lightning was shredded to pieces by the horrifying spatial power Xuan Kongzi had unleashed.
With Xuan Kongzi, this 'worker,' making a move, Jiang Yun was perfectly happy to take it easy. Watching Xuan Kongzi display his divine might, the six-colored pill lightning could not stir the slightest ripple in the face of this Nine-Transition Dou Zun.
In just a short time, it struck over a hundred times in total!
Rumble!
A deafening roar rang out. Yet no more thunderbolts fell. Instead, the already thinned thunderclouds dispersed and vanished into thin air.
In midair,
the cyan pill spun round and round. As it tumbled, the pill qi within it surged out violently, coiling around it and condensing into a lively little cyan luan.
Within its large eyes, a hint of joy surfaced. Then, its wings fluttered, and picking a random direction, it shot off like lightning.
The higher the grade of the pill, the greater its own spiritual nature and the closer its intelligence to that of a human. It knew that Jiang Yun was its creator—and could also be its destroyer.
Survival was the instinct of every living creature. Thus, after a pill was successfully refined, its very first action was always to flee.
Seeing the pill fly away, the surrounding crowd began to stir restlessly!
"Heh heh, where do you think you're going?" Just then, Jiang Yun's indifferent voice rang out. A terrifying oppressive force erupted from within his body. Everyone's hearts trembled slightly. They stared at Jiang Yun with horrified awe.
He was actually a Dou Zun expert as well!
At this moment, everyone sobered up, realizing that this was not something they could afford to covet.
Before Jiang Yun's voice had even faded, on the path the little cyan luan was desperately fleeing along, ripples suddenly spread out like waves. A large hand reached out. At the same time, a complex pattern formed in its palm. The little cyan luan instantly collapsed and reformed into the cyan pill.
After putting away the pill, Jiang Yun looked at Xuan Kongzi and cupped his fists. "Many thanks to President Xuan Kongzi for lending a hand!"
"No need. I did it for Holy Pill City as well. However, I must ask—what pill is this, young friend? I have never seen or heard of it before!" Xuan Kongzi stroked his long beard, gazing at Jiang Yun with appreciation. Unable to restrain his curiosity, he asked.
The moment Xuan Kongzi spoke these words, everyone around pricked up their ears. They, too, were very curious—just what pill had Jiang Yun refined?
Jiang Yun chuckled lightly and said, "This is the Sovereign King Pill, which I modified and improved from the Sovereign Origin Pill. It can raise a Dou Zun by two stars, and has a certain probability of raising them by three stars!"
"Whoosh—"
The moment Jiang Yun spoke, everyone present fell utterly silent. In the next instant, countless gazes stared feverishly at Jiang Yun—and at the pill in his hand!
"Are those words true?" Xuan Kongzi's heart was shaken—not only because this six-colored pill lightning pill had been created by Jiang Yun himself, but also because of its effects.
If this pill were real, then presumably, the entire Central Plains would go mad. The threshold of Jiang Yun's home would be trampled flat.
"Would the Pill Tower be interested in testing the medicine?" Jiang Yun toyed with the pill in his hand, a smile in his eyes as he looked at Xuan Kongzi.
"Hahaha! Since young friend is so generous, the Pill Tower naturally cannot be stingy!" Xuan Kongzi was briefly taken aback by these words, then burst into hearty laughter.
Afterward, under the gazes of countless fervent onlookers, Jiang Yun and Xiao Yi Xian followed Xuan Kongzi toward the Pill Tower headquarters.
After the three left, news of Jiang Yun and the Sovereign King Pill spread at lightning speed to every corner of the Central Plains. Upon receiving the news, countless people set out and rushed toward Holy Pill City.
And at this moment, under Xuan Kongzi's introduction, Jiang Yun had already become acquainted with many of the Pill Tower's elders, including the other two great heads, Xuan Yi and Tian Leizi.
In the end, the Pill Tower offered a price brimming with sincerity and traded for the Sovereign King Pill in Jiang Yun's hand.
A completely new pill—in the eyes of these people, it was absolutely precious beyond measure. The pharmacological principles and refining techniques within it were all worthy of study. Who knew—perhaps one day, inspiration might strike, and a breakthrough might be achieved!
Afterward, Jiang Yun also began discussions with the many elders of the Pill Tower, exchanging discourse on alchemy. Every elder here possessed a unique inherited tradition and had deeply cultivated the art of alchemy for many years. They gave Jiang Yun a great deal of inspiration.
At the same time, Jiang Yun also brought the crowd many shocks. Like a sponge, Jiang Yun rapidly absorbed everyone's knowledge and was even able to draw inferences from one instance to another. For the first time, the elders of the Pill Tower felt the pressure of facing a top student.
As the days of Jiang Yun's alchemy discourse at the Pill Tower passed, the news of the Sovereign King Pill continued to ferment. Particularly half a month ago, when an elder of the Pill Tower had obtained the Sovereign King Pill and, after refining it, leapt from a six-star Dou Zun to a nine-star Dou Zun in one bound, the popularity of this pill once again soared.
Along with it, Jiang Yun also became the apple of countless Dou Zuns' eyes. More and more Dou Zuns gathered outside the Pill Tower, seeking an audience with Jiang Yun.
Some even offered an Earth Class mid-level Dou Technique, just for a single chance to meet Jiang Yun. It was sheer madness.
It could be said that during this period, Jiang Yun was the biggest sensation in the Central Plains.
On this very day, a group of people arrived at Jiang Yun's residence!
At their head were the eight great elders of the Pill Tower and the Cao clan's Former Clan Leader. Behind them followed Cao Cheng, as well as the pale-faced, agonized Cao Xuan.
Of course, what drew the most attention was a graceful, alluring figure among them.
The young woman had a tall, slender figure. Dressed in a black dress, she exuded a faint, cold, and prideful aura. Her skin was like snow. Three thousand strands of black hair were casually draped over her fragrant shoulders. Her cheeks were slightly thin, yet exceptionally exquisite—like porcelain, giving one the feeling of being unable to put her down.
A pair of long, narrow, and slightly languid eyes gazed around. They carried a trace of enchantment—seductive and captivating.
After Jiang Yun appeared, at the corner of the young woman's slender lips, a faint arc slowly lifted. The instant this arc appeared, that thin yet charming face was instantly brimming with an alluring, bewitching air.
Although she was still young and there was a hint of girlishness between her brows, it was precisely because of this—the blend of youthful innocence and sultry charm—that added three more parts of allure to her.
Seeing the arrivals, Jiang Yun wore a faint smile on his face and chuckled lightly, "I wondered who it might be. So it's Elder Cao gracing us with his presence!"