Chapter 666: Eyes Wide Open

Xiao Yan certainly remembered the Great Soul Purple-Black Pill—he had won the Sect Grand Competition against Feng Nu Long Yan using it.

Hun Xu Zi slammed his Spiritual Soul essence into the Alchemy Furnace, then let out a loud laugh: "Jiejiejie! This is my greatest masterpiece—the Devouring Heaven Soul Pill!"

"Soul Devouring Pill Method—Soul Gathering into Pill!!"

When Hun Xu Zi slammed his Spiritual Soul essence into the Earth Sub Flame of Void Devouring Infernal Flame, everything changed—instantly, the Heavenly Energy of the entire Yao Mountain froze, the Pill Rain drawn by Xiao Yan's Mystical Pill halted, and within ten thousand li, even the entire Yao Realm was shrouded in a thick mist of Pill Qi.

Within this Pill Qi, a unique Pill Fragrance emanated—this Fragrance was vastly different from ordinary Pill Fragrance; at first sniff, it was sharp, like eating chili peppers or applying wind oil.

But upon inhaling this Pill Fragrance, one instantly felt a piercing, clarifying surge deep into the Spiritual Soul, a sudden burst of mental vigor—as if anyone who smelled it had been rejuvenated by decades, an utterly extraordinary sensation.

"Jiejiejie!! It's done! Finally done!!" Even Hun Xu Zi himself was ecstatic, wild with excitement—though he had created this Pill Formula, his own success rate had always been low.

This time, perhaps because of Xiao Yan as a rival, he had produced a perfectly refined Pill!

Moreover, as the Pill Qi grew denser, faint, eerie wails began echoing within it—as if the gates of the Underworld had been opened, filling all with a chilling dread of unseen ghosts behind them.

Seeing Hun Xu Zi truly on the verge of completing his Pill, Yao Dan, Shen Nong the Elder, and others could not help but grow grim and resentful, yet mostly helpless—no matter how unwilling they were to believe or admit it, they all had to acknowledge: Hun Xu Zi's Pill Alchemy was truly formidable.

Even if Yao Dan stepped down, he could not forge a Mystical Pill surpassing Hun Xu Zi's Devouring Heaven Soul Pill!

Boom—a purple-black Pill Fragrance column shot skyward, instantly drawing countless clouds into the heavens; when the clouds gathered like an ocean, a vortex appeared above Hun Xu Zi's head, and from within it, a sound emerged—growing louder and louder.

A Pill Cloud formed, vaster and grander than the one above Xiao Yan's head!

Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh! Purple-black Pill Rain poured down instantly; though the rain's color seemed bizarre, when the droplets touched skin, everyone felt a soothing nourishment to their Spiritual Soul, and their Dou Qi stirred slightly.

Unlike Xiao Yan's healing Elixirs, Hun Xu Zi's Devouring Heaven Soul Pill resembled a Thunder Tribulation Pill—a Nine Grade Profound Pill that refined special energy substances to directly enhance strength!

"The energy contained in this Nine Grade Profound Pill would unquestionably elevate a Six-Star Sage Emperor by one star—it stands among the pinnacle of all Mystical Pills!"

The gap between each Star of a Sage Emperor was immense, requiring colossal energy—this alone proved the extraordinary grade of Hun Xu Zi's Pill.

Even Shen Nong the Elder sighed inwardly: the world truly had no eyes—only the strong ruled.

As all Yao Clan members fell silent, unwilling to see Hun Xu Zi claim the Pill Champion title, Yao Ling unwittingly glanced toward Xiao Yan's direction.

!!?

There, Xiao Yan's expression was calm, serene—he gazed at Hun Xu Zi, his bright, clear eyes carrying a hint of confident composure!

"Good thing you succeeded in refining a Pill of this caliber—if you hadn't, it would've been too boring," Xiao Yan said, his voice utterly unruffled.

!!!!

Xiao Yan's voice was quiet—even beneath the thunder and rain, ordinary people would've missed it—but no one here was ordinary; every person heard him.

Hun Xu Zi snatched the Pill, sneering: "Jiejiejie! Xiao Yan, at your age you've already forged a Nine Grade Profound Pill—honestly, in the future, I may fall behind you. But right now, my Pill Alchemy still surpasses yours!"

Hun Xu Zi was honest enough—given Xiao Yan's growth rate and age, Xiao Yan would surely forge a Nine Grade Golden Pill someday.

Xiao Yan smiled faintly: "You're right—right now, it's true. And yes, in the future, I will surpass you. But… the future has arrived."

!?

Zizizizi—suddenly, streams of silver lightning erupted from Xiao Yan's body, each streak carrying silver flames—that was the Nine Dragon Thunder Flame's lightning-flame!

Xiao Yan slowly opened his mouth, and a golden Pill, wrapped in Nine Dragon Thunder Flame, floated out.

"What is that?!"

"A Pill? A Pill nurtured by Infernal Flames?!"

"What is Xiao Yan doing? Pulling out a finished Pill now?!"

Mystical Pill formed—Pill Rain fell! But when Xiao Yan forged the Thunder Tribulation Pill before, no Pill Rain had fallen!!

That meant Xiao Yan's Thunder Tribulation Pill was still incomplete—it was still a Primitive Pill. Yet unlike ordinary ones, this one was nearly complete—even the Fusion and Finalization steps were done; calling it a Pill was acceptable.

The instant Xiao Yan retracted the Nine Dragon Thunder Flame, a terrifying golden lightning exploded from the Thunder Tribulation Pill—dense, thick as countless torrents of Nine Mystery Golden Thunder, raging across heaven and earth!

"Golden lightning? Is that Nine Mystery Golden Thunder?!" Yao Wanhuo's face paled—his Pill Alchemy and experience could not comprehend what Xiao Yan was doing; he had no idea what came next!

"That's a Nine Grade Profound Pill… is it a Thunder Tribulation Pill? This kid actually succeeded in forging a Nine Grade Profound Pill?!" Shen Nong the Elder's expression was a mix of shock and disbelief—he'd thought Hun Xu Zi was unbeatable, and now Xiao Yan was pulling another stunt!

Shen Nong the Elder couldn't guess Xiao Yan's intent, but he knew one thing: Xiao Yan never acted without purpose.

"That's no ordinary Mystical Pill—it doesn't even look like one! A Pill this far advanced—what is Xiao Yan planning?!" Yao Dan frowned tightly; the Pill Canon didn't actually forbid using a Primitive Pill!

The Pill Canon's purpose was to select the strongest Alchemist—if Xiao Yan first forged a Primitive Pill, then completed it, and no one else could replicate his Pill, then he was unquestionably the strongest Alchemist!

But the problem was—this Pill was already fully formed.

Only Hun Xu Zi's pupils dilated, his heart pounding—he gasped: "Are you planning to forge a Nine Grade Golden Pill?!"

Xiao Yan waved his hand—Pure Lotus Phantom Fire and Mao Wu appeared simultaneously; he formed a hand seal, and instantly a ten-thousand-zhang Refining Heaven Ancient Formation materialized. When Pure Lotus Phantom Fire and Mao Wu stood atop and beneath the center of the Formation, it spun at blinding speed.

Shhh! Xiao Yan hurled the freshly forged Mystical Pill into the Refining Heaven Ancient Formation, then looked at the Golden Pill before him and said: "I told you—meeting is fate. Whether you grasp this opportunity depends on you."

Roar! Roar! Roar!! A deafening Dragon Roar echoed across the entire Yao Realm; an indescribable power erupted from the Golden Pill, and boundless lightning coalesced—dense golden Lei Dian forming a ten-thousand-zhang Golden True Dragon!!

"Nine Mystery Golden Thunder?! Is that the Nine Mystery Golden Thunder that only appears when forging a Golden Pill?!"

"That's not a Pill—how is this possible?!"

As everyone stared, dumbfounded, the Thunder Tribulation Pill let out a thunderous Dragon Roar, then transformed into a colossal golden dragon and plunged into the Refining Heaven Ancient Formation, opening its jaws wide to devour the Mystical Pill.

Sensing the danger, the Mystical Pill shot skyward like a streak of light—the Nine Mystery Golden Thunder chased relentlessly, like a True Dragon pursuing its Pearl!

At that moment, Xiao Yan's eyes flickered with a strange glint; he instinctively touched his finger—where a ring had once rested.

"Master, watch over me."

Eyes half-closed, Xiao Yan drew a deep breath, then snapped them open—his hand seals exploded into motion, a staggering energy surge radiated outward, making the entire Refining Heaven Ancient Formation tremble!

Hu—hu—hu!! Pale-white flames emerged silently—Bone Spirit Cold Fire surged wildly; all Three Infernal Flames appeared at once!

"What the hell is Xiao Yan doing?!" Yao Wanhuo stared, stunned—why use three Infernal Flames to refine a Pill?!

Before anyone could react, Xiao Yan's mind moved—the three flames darted out and slammed violently together; before countless horrified gazes, the Three Infernal Flames instantly engulfed the entire Refining Heaven Ancient Formation.

As the three flames collided, a near-apocalyptic aura surfaced—but before it could spread, a vast Spiritual Soul pressure erupted from Xiao Yan's third eye, wrapping the flames like a heavenly net, then forcing the Refining Heaven Ancient Formation into a furious spin.

"This guy's insane!"

"He wants to destroy the Pill?!"

Xiao Yan's actions triggered chaos across the arena—countless onlookers stared in disbelief—was this guy trying to destroy the Pill?!

Seeing Xiao Yan's move, Yao Wan Gui suddenly stood up, for he thought he recognized this technique!

Yao Dan, his old eyes wide, stared at the man clad in the silver-white Alchemist Long Robe; for a moment, he wasn't sure if he was seeing double.

"This is… Yao Chen's…"

Xiao Yan clasped his hands together, his voice booming across the entire Yao Realm.

"Yao Clan, open your eyes and look closely—this is the Alchemy Technique created by my teacher, the outcast you abandoned." As Xiao Yan finished speaking, the Nine Mystical Golden Thunder roared, swallowing the Mystical Pill Xiao Yan had just refined; the terrifying Nine Mystical Golden Thunder refined that Mystical Pill.

The Mystical Pill instantly released a terrifying surge of energy!

"Rise—Spirit!"

At this moment, if any Alchemist could use Soul Perception to scan the Pill up close, they would discover that the Thunder Tribulation Pill within the Nine Mystical Golden Thunder was undergoing an extraordinarily unique transformation!

"Puff!"

Xiao Yan's expression turned grave; suddenly, he bit down hard on his tongue and spat out a mist of blood, which slowly drifted and finally settled entirely into the Refining Heaven Ancient Formation.

As the blood mist fell, Xiao Yan's face grew faintly pale; he let out a low roar, and the golden thunder flickering intermittently along the body of the Nine Mystical Golden Dragon began to retract, the golden lightning solidifying into countless blinding, real dragon scales!

The golden dragon, once somewhat illusory, now became real—so real that the eye could no longer distinguish truth from illusion!!

It became more spirited, more lifelike, indistinguishable from a true dragon.

As the Nine Mystical Golden Dragon solidified, the two clouds of Elixir Rain high in the Sky, as if pulled by some unseen force, suddenly churned violently again—and the two clouds of Elixir Rain merged!

A colossal thundercloud, nearly covering the entire Yao Realm, appeared—and within it glowed Golden Light!

This sight exploded like a bomb—Boom! —plunging the entire Guang Chang into a sea of shock.

"The thunderclouds in the Sky are changing!"

"G-Golden lightning!"

"Am I dreaming? The Nine Mystical Golden Thunder… does that mean—"

"Ji Pin Golden Pill!?"

"Kuang!!"

A chorus of incredulous cries suddenly rang through the heavens, and countless eyes instantly locked onto the thundercloud above Xiao Yan's head—sure enough, as the cloud churned, more and more golden lightning emerged.

Watching this miraculous scene, countless faces turned slack with astonishment—Xiao Yan had actually done it—he had refined the Nine Mystical Golden Pill!

For a thousand years, not a single person on the Dou Qi Continent had ever refined a Golden Pill alone!

Yet laymen saw spectacle, experts saw depth; at this moment, Shen Nong the Elder, Yao Dan, and Hun Xu Zi wore expressions of utter disbelief—even terror. Even these three, the pinnacle Alchemists who had lived countless ages, could not believe what they saw.

What they could not believe was not that Xiao Yan had refined a Ji Pin Golden Pill—the previous Ji Pin Golden Pill had been refined by the former Clan Leader of the Yao Clan, and Hun Xu Zi had once succeeded, albeit after many failures, using the power of Swallowing Flame.

But!

This was no ordinary Ji Pin Golden Pill!

"It has a Spirit… No—it has life, a complete self-awareness."

A Ji Pin Dan Yao is still just a Pill—it is not like the Ancient Ancestor of Dan Tower or Tuan Tuan. Tuan Tuan has combat power—he is a Sage Emperor, possesses self-awareness, and is a living entity.

The Ancient Ancestor of Dan Tower is even more so—refining a Mystical Pill does not make one like the Ancient Ancestor of Dan Tower; Xiao Yan and Hun Xu Zi's recent efforts proved that.

"The legendary bestowal of life! He has reached the legendary realm!" Hun Xu Zi now felt he was going mad—a Ji Pin Golden Pill with complete self-awareness and life.

Unheard of!

Moreover, Xiao Yan had refined it already possessing complete life—this surpassed ordinary Ji Pin Golden Pills!

Gazing at the golden thundercloud above, Xiao Yan smiled, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth: "The thunderclap of this Nine Mystical Golden Thunder—my teacher in Heaven must have heard it too."

The Nine Mystical Golden Thunder appears—the Ji Pin Golden Pill is complete!

At this moment, without any dispute or doubt, the First Alchemist of the Dou Qi Continent is Xiao Yan!

The update time for these next few days is tentatively set for noon; I'll gradually shift it earlier.

(End of Chapter)