Chapter Thirty: The Emergence of the Emperor Pill, Stirring the Great Sacred Grounds

In an instant, a thunderous roar erupted from the depths of the clouds, carrying the weight of world-ending power. As the crowd in the plaza retreated in terror, Jiang Cheng remained unmoved. Channeling the True Yang Qi of the Nine Dragons within him and bolstered by the automatic defenses of the "Emperor's Cauldron," he forcibly contained the thunder within a tiny space.

Xuanji froze, her lips trembling. "An Emperor Pill? No... this is impossible..."

Her own Holy Pill was supposed to be the pinnacle of alchemy in this realm, but the intensity of the tribulation clouds before her far exceeded anything she could have imagined—it was ten times more potent than her own pill's aura!

Before the eyes of the multitude, the lightning of the pill tribulation struck the elixir Jiang Cheng was refining like a waterfall. Unfortunately for the heavens, the pill was inside an alchemy furnace with the system attribute of an "Invisible Emperor."

The Emperor Pill could not even fly away. Could it be that even the Heavenly Dao could not perceive this furnace?

The thunder was gradually dissolved by golden waves of energy. As the final flicker of lightning was swallowed by nine dragon shadows, it transformed into layers of spiritual energy that were absorbed by the furnace to nourish the pill. Suddenly, the pill split into two.

"BOOM!"

A grand bell toll echoed across the horizon. The Heavenly Gate seemed to be shaken open, and brilliant streams of light poured out, as if the Heavenly Dao itself had descended.

In mid-air, the two pills were bathed in divine radiance, suffused with an aura of imperial majesty. They nestled against one another like stars surrounding the moon, radiating a presence so profound it shook the soul, compelling those present to bow in reverence.

Many cultivators in the square felt their knees go weak. "An Emperor Pill... it truly is an Emperor Pill!"

The so-called Holy Pill of the Danxia Saintess was instantly eclipsed, appearing as dim as a firefly before the sun. More shocking still, the "Holy Pill" Xuanji had forcibly condensed was caught in the aftershocks of the Heavenly Gate, and a wisp of golden radiance fell upon it.

"Hum!" A subtle resonance sounded. Her pill, borrowing the residual light of the Emperor Pill’s tribulation, barely managed to evolve into a "Pseudo-Emperor Pill."

"This is..." Xuanji was utterly dazed. The Holy Pill she had exhausted everything to create had now "borrowed the light" from Jiang Cheng’s tribulation—a gift that felt like an insult, leaving her unsure whether to be happy or devastated.

The thunderclouds dispersed, and the Heavenly Gate slowly closed. The plaza was silent enough to hear a pin drop. Everyone stared at Jiang Cheng, who held the "Emperor Pill" as if he were a god descended to the mortal realm.

Meanwhile, Xuanji stumbled, her soul and spiritual power shaken by the immense impact. The high spirits she had held moments ago plummeted to the depths of despair. She had believed that even if her pill, forged with her own "essence and blood," were defeated, it would not be a crushing loss. She had never expected Jiang Cheng to trigger an "Emperor Pill Tribulation" and forge a true Emperor Pill!

Furthermore, it had split into two—an ancient miracle! In comparison, her Holy Pill was nothing more than a minor trick.

"I... have lost... completely... lost..."

A final trace of unwillingness flashed in her eyes before she coughed up a mouthful of blood and collapsed forward. In her daze, she saw Jiang Cheng’s face—that cold, unreachable countenance—catching her as she fell.

"What are you doing..." she struggled internally, but she was too weak to speak, and she lost consciousness entirely. It was not just the competition she had lost; she had lost herself. She had lost the honor of the Alchemy Saint she had only just attained. Beaten into shame by the "Emperor Pill Tribulation," her Dao heart was stained, and her spirit shattered.

"The victor is decided!"

The crowd was in an uproar. "His Majesty has won both matches! And the Danxia Saintess... has she fainted?"

Jiang Cheng held the unconscious Xuanji and sighed lightly. "It seems my wager must be fulfilled. What a pity. With such pride, yet in the end... alas... how lonely it is to be invincible."

He handed her to Su Ruoxi. "Wife, I leave her to you. Don't let her die. I still need her to refine pills for me!"

The spectacular sight of the Emperor Pill’s manifestation had shaken the entire capital of the Xia Kingdom. The brilliant imperial light lingered in the night sky, declaring Jiang Cheng’s supreme authority in the path of alchemy. Perhaps no one cared that the Saintess had lost; they only knew that from this moment on, the name of Jiang Cheng would shake the alchemy world of the Chenguang Realm to its core.

The Emperor Pill’s tribulation also rang an alarm for higher-level powerhouses. A greater storm might be quietly approaching.

Within the celestial pavilions of the Danxia Sect, the Danxia Sect Master suddenly sensed a disturbance in the heavens and the earth. The massive energy of the pill tribulation had changed the color of the sky.

"This is a pill tribulation. Could an Emperor Pill have been born?" The astonished Danxia Sect Master looked toward the horizon, paused, and then nodded with a joyful expression, muttering to himself, "Saintess Xuanji has lived up to expectations. The future of the Danxia Sect is bright, truly bright."

The joyful Danxia Sect Master mistakenly believed this tribulation was caused by Saintess Xuanji. When he had previously sent her to the Xia Kingdom to gather information, he had provided her with precious medicinal ingredients, intending to use the Danxia Sect’s finest alchemical techniques to probe the situation. He never imagined that by now, Saintess Xuanji had already been defeated, her Dao heart unstable, lying unconscious in Jiang Cheng’s room.

"The Danxia Saintess is truly worthy of her reputation. With such momentum, it must be the Saintess's doing. But the scale of this Emperor Pill's formation is too great; I fear the various Sect Masters will be alarmed," a Danxia Saint interjected.

The Danxia Sect Master thought for a moment and immediately issued orders for someone to retrieve Saintess Xuanji, lest she be intercepted by other sects on her return. Relieved, he thought to himself, "If Saintess Xuanji has refined a Ninth-Grade Peak Creation Pill, the threshold that has blocked me for years will finally be within reach."

Breaking through the Dao One Realm to reach the Supreme Realm was the Danxia Sect Master’s lifelong dream. The Linglong Sect Master, his rival, was likely feeling just as restless.

At the same moment, in the Linglong Sect, the reclusive Linglong Sect Master opened her eyes. Sensing a powerful surge of spiritual energy and the signs of the Heavenly Gate being breached, she exclaimed, "Could that old man have refined an Emperor Pill?"

"No, that’s impossible. How could that old thing have such attainments? Could it be the special constitution of Saintess Xuanji?"

After a moment of thought, the Linglong Sect Master shouted, "Come here! Send people to the Xia Kingdom to investigate the anomaly caused by this pill tribulation. If necessary, seize it."

The Linglong Sect Master knew the gravity of the situation. If a Creation Pill appeared and that old man obtained it, wouldn't he suppress her sect? She arranged for a powerful Elder of the Sect to go—a "Guardian Elder," one of Linglong’s protectors and a powerhouse of the Tribulation Annihilation Realm, known to the world as "Emperor Zhao." He was the greatest expert under the Linglong Sect Master, and normally, he would never be sent out of the sect.

"Does the Sect Master really think that little Saintess could refine a Creation Pill?" Beneath Emperor Zhao’s handsome face, there was not a trace of an old man, but rather the appearance of a youthful boy. However, beneath that exterior lay a monster thousands of years old.

"It is an Emperor Pill, after all. Better to be safe than sorry. You go as well, to make things easier." The Linglong Sect Master looked at a beautiful woman among those who had arrived.

"Sect Master, I heard that Saintess Xuanji went to the Xia Kingdom to probe that Emperor of Xia. With this sudden development, the Xia Kingdom’s alchemical reputation must be in ruins. Why be so concerned?"

The Linglong Sect Master smiled. "My sect’s Saintess marrying such a piece of trash—though there are rumors, they are not to be trusted. And we must guard against the Danxia Saintess. I am sending you because you are close to Su Ruoxi; you can bring her back as well."

"The Sect Master means? To strike directly? That imperial aura from before..." As one of the Linglong Sect’s Saintesses, Ling'er still felt lingering fear from that powerful imperial pressure.

"If they truly obtained some Great Emperor’s inheritance, they are merely using that power to act recklessly. Your mission is twofold: investigate the truth and bring back Su Ruoxi."

"As for Elder Zhao, he will secretly investigate the pill the Danxia Saintess refined. If it is a Creation Pill, bring it back at any cost. Do not worry; I will deal with that old man afterward."

After the arrangements were made, Saintess Ling'er felt at ease. Even if there were danger, she at least had a Guardian Elder behind her and could request help if needed.

"I am curious, too. How could this rumored piece of trash cause the Su family to suffer such a crushing defeat, with so many Saint-level cultivators captured? I truly want to see what kind of trash could make Su Ruoxi marry him."