Btth: Tie Xiao Xun'er at the beginning and get ten times feedback

Chapter 522: Desolate Miles

Near Xiao Xuan's mausoleum, a massive golden cauldron hovered in the void, radiating a grand and majestic aura. Xiao Ze stood before the cauldron, contemplating the formidable power of Black Demon Thunder that would be attracted if the ninth-grade mystical pill were successfully refined. It wasn't feasible to perform the refinement within Xiao Xuan's ancestral mausoleum, so he chose a spot nearby.

Xun'er and a projection of Xiao Xuan stood not far away, guarding against any unforeseen incidents. Watching Xiao Ze fluidly add an array of heavenly and earthly treasures into the cauldron, Xiao Xuan nodded in approval. At his level, Xiao Xuan was qualified to understand and connect various fields, and his past experience of forcefully suppressing three different mystical fires had given him a solid foundation in alchemy. He recognized that Xiao Ze's seemingly ordinary actions—so fluid, like flowing clouds and water—were beyond the reach of most alchemists. Ordinary alchemists, even with hundreds of thousands of practice sessions, could not achieve such fluidity; they might mimic the form but never capture the essence. To reach this level, one must thoroughly understand the properties of all ingredients and possess effortless alchemy skills. From what Xiao Xuan had seen during his travels across the Dou Qi Continent, only a handful of alchemists exhibited such mastery.

Xiao Ze remained composed. Though the success rate of refining a ninth-grade mystical pill was only fifty percent, he maintained a calm demeanor, unaffected by joy or sorrow. Under the influence of his soul power, a vibrant Dragon Pattern Jade Grass flew into the golden cauldron, quickly enveloped by the Origin Emperor Flame. The intense heat instantly burned away all impurities in the herb, leaving behind only a thumb-sized essence. Xiao Ze's control over the flame was unmatched across the continent, enhanced further by the terrifying temperature of the Origin Emperor Flame, which allowed him to refine materials at an astonishing rate. Within just a few days, he had processed thousands of precious ingredients.

As he prepared for the next steps, unlike other pills, the refinement of a ninth-grade mystical pill involved an additional process: the coalescence of heavenly and earthly powers to forge the mystical pill. From the ninth-grade onwards, condensing these forces was necessary to create a mystical pill. Xiao Ze's hand seals transformed, and his soul power surged out, drawing in the energy of the surrounding tens of thousands of miles toward the golden cauldron. The cauldron acted like a black hole, devouring massive amounts of energy and creating a vast energy storm above it, funneling continuous power into the cauldron.

"This is the process of refining a ninth-grade mystical pill? It even requires the gathering of heavenly and earthly forces!" Xun'er marveled, momentarily overwhelmed by the storm's intensity. "The refinement process of a ninth-grade mystical pill is incredibly challenging, with the gathering of these forces being the most crucial step," Xiao Xuan's projection observed, unaffected by the tumult. "The required energy is immense; in places with less abundant energy, even drawing from tens of thousands of miles may not meet the needs of a ninth-grade mystical pill. This is why such pills are so rare and highly coveted by Dou Sheng powerhouses."

Nodding in agreement, Xun'er was still astonished. "No wonder the ancient texts describe ninth-grade mystical pills as so extraordinary, claiming 'where the mystical pill appears, miles become desolate.' With such a rate of energy consumption, the energy within thousands of miles will likely be severely depleted by the time the pill is formed."

If Xiao Ze and Xiao Xuan were amazed, other beings within the third layer of the Heavenly Tomb were panicked, mistakenly thinking Xiao Xuan was breaking the tomb's restrictions for a major purge. Such a tremendous disturbance, mobilizing the energy of tens of thousands of miles, startled many. Dou Shengs who recognized the phenomenon associated with the refinement of a ninth-grade mystical pill were intrigued, knowing how rare such alchemists were. However, wary of Xiao Xuan, they dared not approach the deep layers of the tomb.

Those less knowledgeable beings, on the other hand, viewed the unusual event with anxiety, unsettled by the unfamiliar and potentially dangerous. A single act of alchemy had touched the nerves of many across the third layer of the Heavenly Tomb.

Yet, Xiao Ze paid them no mind, continuing to harness the vast energies of the realm with his soul power at the peak of the Heavenly Realm, laying the foundation for the ninth-grade mystical pill. This process, marked by relentless absorption of heavenly and earthly energies, continued for days, thinning the energy of the area significantly. Fortunately, the abundance of energy in the depths of the tomb was enough to meet the pill's demanding requirements.

As the energies were absorbed, the golden flames within the cauldron seemed to incubate something monstrous, trembling slightly. Within Xiao Ze's soul perception, a glimmer appeared in the amalgam of essences within the cauldron, heralding a change in the weather above. The skies, cleared momentarily by Xiao Ze's energy absorption, rapidly darkened again with looming storm clouds, shrouding the light and reducing visibility to near nothing. The clouds amassed a destructive force, signaling an apocalyptic threat.

Looking up at the terrifying storm clouds, Xiao Ze recognized a scale of threat he had never encountered before. "Is this the thundercloud of a ninth-grade mystical pill? So terrifying!"

(End of Chapter 522)

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