Chapter 692

Cai Lin's jade hand pulled hard, her left hand gripping Xiao Yan as she leaned down and kissed him, completely seizing the initiative.

After a long while, Cai Lin reluctantly pulled away, her beautiful eyes fixed on Xiao Yan as she spoke with an undeniable tone: "Wang does not permit her husband to fail—return to the world and astonish them all."

Xiao Yan smiled and said: "Don't worry, I won't fail."

Xiao Yan slowly stepped back two paces, looking at the friends and family before him: besides the three women, Nalan Yanran, Yun Yun, Zi Yan, Qing Lin, and Xiao Yu were all present, and even Feng Qing'er stood at a distance, gazing far off at Xiao Yan.

By now, conflict had become meaningless.

In addition, Xiao Yan's father Xiao Zhan, his eldest and second brothers Xiao Ding and Xiao Li, Xiao Chen, Xiao Mei, Xiao Ning, and other members of the Xiao Clan, along with Hai Bodong, Yao Lao, even the Lion King and his mate, Cao Ying, Dan Chen, Yao Ye, and the Yue Er sisters had all come to witness this moment.

After bowing his hands, Xiao Yan leapt forward in one stride, soaring to the sky above Jia Nan Academy, where Hun Tian Di, Gu Yuan, and Zhu Kun stood in a triangular formation.

Xiao Yan was about to refine the Imperial Grade Embryonic Pill—if he succeeded, no one knew what might happen; even Hun Tian Di and Gu Yuan might strike to seize it. Only mutual deterrence among the three would ensure safety.

Gu Yuan did not wish Hun Tian Di to become Emperor, while Hun Tian Di had a transaction with Xiao Yan; though obtaining the Imperial Grade Pill would be ideal, Gu Yuan and Zhu Kun would never allow Hun Tian Di to take it.

Moreover, even if one seized the Imperial Grade Pill now, with Tuoshe Ancient Emperor's legacy, Xiao Yan himself might ascend to Emperor—so the outcome would not necessarily be best.

Between them, a strange balance remained.

Xiao Yan slowly donned the Alchemist Long Robe, then drew from its pocket a necklace bearing an ancient ring—specifically given to him by Xuan Yi.

For Xiao Yan, the Bone Flame Ring now held no practical use—it was empty, devoid of Pill Formulas, Medicinal Materials, notes, or Spiritual Soul.

Yet, to Xiao Yan, this ring was his talisman for Alchemy.

Xiao Yan hung the necklace around his neck, then exhaled deeply, his mind instantly entering a mirror-like stillness.

One does not reflect in flowing water, but in still water; only stillness can still all stillness.

In an instant, Xiao Yan swept his hand—twenty-two Heavenly Flames burst forth from his body, their positions identical to those on the Heavenly Flame Square! Though Swallowing Flame had not been refined by Xiao Yan, Mao Wu stood precisely in its place!

Xiao Yan formed a hand seal, and his Imperial Soul Force surged like an impassable abyss, spreading across the entire Dou Qi Continent, radiating in all directions!

At this moment, Xiao Yan stood like a god—by thought alone, he could command the Heavenly Energy of half the Dou Qi Continent!

ZZZZZZ!! The Burning Scripture spun like a turbine at breakneck speed; with Xun Er's Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame added, it burned fiercer than any ordinary Emperor Rank Cultivation Method, and Heavenly Energy poured down like a waterfall!

"Such a powerful Cultivation Method!" Yan Jin cried out below, stunned—the Scripture surpassed even the Fire Emperor Mystery Scripture left by their Ancestor; if ranked, this Burning Scripture had already surpassed Emperor Grade Beginner and now stood at Emperor Grade Intermediate!

"Refining Heaven Ancient Formation!" Xiao Yan's mind shifted—twenty-two Heavenly Flames instantly reverted to their primal forms, becoming swirling flames that hummed as each emitted fiery threads, rapidly weaving into two arrays—one above, one below.

With Xiao Yan's current strength, the power of the Burning Scripture, and the twenty-two Heavenly Flames, the Refining Heaven Ancient Formation he summoned had unquestionably surpassed the Pure Lotus Demon Saint, its Founder!

With a sweep of his hand, millions of Medicinal Materials surged forth from Ya Fei's storage ring like a flood.

These Medicinal Materials ranged from Rank One to Rank Nine, all harvested from the Dou Qi Continent—gathered, cultivated, or acquired over the years by Yan Alliance disciples from the Shan Mai.

In an instant, a wave of medicinal fragrance drowned the space, and the Medicinal Materials swirled like a vortex around Xiao Yan.

Even though the Refining Heaven Ancient Formation stretched tens of thousands of zhang wide, the sheer volume of Medicinal Materials now exceeded its capacity!

"Surely such a vast quantity isn't needed just to form a Pill!" Cao Ying gazed upward in astonishment.

"Xiao Yan Brother may not merely intend to form a Pill," Dan Chen replied timidly.

"Does he mean to improve the Imperial Grade Embryonic Pill?!" With her high Alchemy talent, she quickly understood: Xiao Yan wasn't just aiming to form a Pill.

After all, Xiao Yan didn't even know the function of the Imperial Grade Embryonic Pill refined by Tuoshe Ancient Emperor, nor did he possess its Pill Formula—he had to deduce its effects and transform it accordingly to succeed.

As Xiao Yan's Medicinal Materials appeared, the sky erupted in thunderous roars—the twenty-two Heavenly Flames surged violently, their booming echoes summoning lightning storms across the heavens, and the Infernal Heat of the entire world rose relentlessly!

Just as the Refining Heaven Ancient Formation's name implied—Refining Heaven!!!

Xiao Yan took a deep breath, adjusting his state to its absolute peak.

In an instant, his hand seals flashed like lightning—his heart throbbed violently. Thump. Thump. A streak of emerald light erupted from his center.

Bodhi Heart! That was the Bodhi Heart Xiao Yan had refined!

The Bodhi Heart could pierce all illusions and grant wisdom; activating it allowed its wielder to enter a state of absolute calm and unwavering focus—the perfect state for Pill Alchemy.

With a hiss, Xiao Yan shot the Imperial Grade Embryonic Pill into the Refining Heaven Ancient Formation. As his hand seals changed, fiery threads shot from the Formation, precisely piercing the Embryonic Pill.

Under Xiao Yan's exquisitely precise Fire Control Power, the Imperial Grade Embryonic Pill began cracking—once the size of a football, it fractured, unleashing a terrifying energy like a raging gale that battered the entire Refining Heaven Ancient Formation.

Thud! Xiao Yan's blood surged violently, his throat sweet with blood—merely the aura alone could injure him, revealing the ferocity contained within the Imperial Grade Embryonic Pill.

Xiao Yan's gaze hardened; he forcibly swallowed the blood in his throat and continued guiding the fiery threads to slowly separate the Embryonic Pill's spiritual essence.

Xiao Yan's Fire Control Power and Soul Power were immensely refined—he worked like the most skilled surgeon, peeling away fragments without damaging the Pill's integrity.

Below, all present—including Hun Xu Zi, Shen Nong the Elder, and the Dan Tower Ancestor—stared intently at Xiao Yan's actions. Every Alchemist understood: collaborating with Xiao Yan on Pill Alchemy was impossible; even the second-best Alchemist on the Dou Qi Continent, Hun Xu Zi, was unfit to assist him.

He was beyond their reach!

Time passed second by second, flowing like water—soon a month had passed. On the fortieth day, a sudden hum rang out from above.

Xiao Yan altered his hand seals—the twenty-two Heavenly Flames curled inward, and a gray-black Pill, no larger than a Dragon Eye, appeared within the Refining Heaven Ancient Formation.

It was not the Imperial Grade Embryonic Pill—it was the essence separated from it.

Xiao Yan swept his hand, and Xing Tian appeared within the Refining Heaven Ancient Formation.

"You've been stripped from the Imperial Grade Embryonic Pill—effectively losing your body. This golem can serve as your new vessel." Xiao Yan pushed forward, merging the separated spiritual essence into Xing Tian.

As the Imperial Grade Embryonic Pill's essence fused with Xing Tian, an ancient, primordial aura surged from the golem. Though Xing Tian lacked a head, eyes, or facial features, all present sensed the golem now possessed life.

Xing Tian—or the spiritual essence of the Imperial Grade Embryonic Pill—looked at Xiao Yan. He had never expected to escape refinement; Xiao Yan had truly freed him from Tuoshe Ancient Emperor's prison!

Xing Tian did not depart. Instead, he stood silently behind Xiao Yan, guarding him as he refined the Pill. Though he now lacked Source Qi and was weaker than before, his power had surged to Nine Star Dou Sheng—he could still fend off any surprise attack.

Separating the essence was merely the first step. Xiao Yan turned his gaze to the remaining Imperial Grade Embryonic Pill—its surface now resembled the moon's cratered terrain.

"Introduce Medicinal Materials!"

Xiao Yan's Soul Force began manipulating the floating Medicinal Materials, locking onto them, then directing the torrent of herbs to continuously flow into the Refining Heaven Ancient Formation.

As the Medicinal Materials entered, the Refining Heaven Ancient Formation began to rotate slowly—its twenty-two Heavenly Flames forming a celestial mill, incinerating the incoming herbs, drowning and extracting their medicinal properties.

One by one, the Medicinal Materials entered the Formation in orderly fashion; as it turned, they transformed into powders of varying colors.

Yet strangely, once extracted, these medicinal substances were not set aside—they were enveloped by Heavenly Flames with distinct properties, then drawn like absorbed fluids along a special path from the roots of the Bodhi Ancient Tree.

Finally, catalyzed by Life Flame, and purified through the Bodhi Ancient Tree's cycle, they reached the most perfect state Xiao Yan required.

"Life Flame can be used this way?!" Shen Nong the Elder stared in shock—he had wielded Life Flame for so long, yet never achieved this level.

With a puff, a single leaf slowly grew from the Bodhi Ancient Tree, composed of the medicinal properties extracted from the materials, and then more and more leaves appeared.

The Dou Qi Continent hosts millions—even hundreds of millions—of medicinal materials; even when dealing with low-grade Grade One herbs, Xiao Yan dared not slack off, using the most precise control to refine them.

Just this step of refining medicinal materials took Xiao Yan half a year!

For a full half year, Xiao Yan worked without sleep or rest, refining medicinal materials; had his Soul Force not reached the Emperor Soul Realm and his Cultivation Realm not reached Star Eight Dou Sheng, no one could have completed such a workload.

Among the onlookers, those with weaker Cultivation Realms had long since collapsed.

When the final herb was fully refined, everyone's spirits surged—the moment Xiao Yan focused his mind, the pitted, wormhole-like Imperial Grade Embryonic Pills within the Refining Heaven Ancient Formation were sent into the Bodhi Ancient Tree.

Xiao Yan did not need to forge an entire Imperial Grade Pill from scratch—he only needed to complete the medicinal properties of the Imperial Grade Embryonic Pill and then form the final pill!

The instant the Imperial Grade Embryonic Pills entered the Bodhi Ancient Tree within the Refining Heaven Ancient Formation, heaven and earth darkened, and slender threads of peculiar energy slowly emerged from the Embryonic Pills.

The moment this peculiar energy appeared, Hun Tian Di, Gu Yuan, and Zhu Kun all narrowed their eyes and involuntarily took a step forward—what made their Cultivation Realms tremble and their bodies crave desperately was Source Qi!!!

Fortunately, all three were no ordinary beings, and they quickly suppressed their inner urges.

At this moment, Gu Yuan and Zhu Kun exchanged glances, both impressed by how clearly Xiao Yan saw through it all—if an Imperial Grade Pill were truly forged, and Hun Tian Di interfered, no one knew what desperate acts might arise!

It would surely become a bloody battle.

The Source Qi slowly drifted out of the Imperial Grade Embryonic Pills; Xiao Yan focused his mind, and his Imperial Soul Force controlled the Source Qi.

Only an Imperial Soul could control Source Qi.

Time passed second by second; another hundred days passed. Under Xiao Yan's control, the Source Qi seeping from the Imperial Grade Embryonic Pills became fine threads, connecting through the veins of the Bodhi Ancient Tree to countless medicinal leaves.

At this moment, tens of millions of medicinal substances—transformed from medicinal materials—were all linked to the Imperial Grade Embryonic Pills!

"It's time to form the pill!" When Hun Xu Zi spoke, everyone's hearts clenched in their throats.

Whether Xiao Yan could forge an Imperial Grade Pill depended on this very moment!

"Merge the Pills!"

Xiao Yan roared, the Emperor Grade Burning Scripture raging in motion; the Dou Qi generated by the Emperor Grade Burning Scripture surged into Xiao Yan's Bodhi Heart. The entire Refining Heaven Ancient Formation spun violently, its speed faster than ever before, wild energy ravaging Space, powerful Space Turbulence tearing through everything.

Thump-thump-thump—the sound of pounding hearts echoed everywhere.

Not only were the Pills merging, but also the Strange Flames! At this moment, twenty-two Strange Flames were merging!

Hum! The multicolored leaves on the Bodhi Ancient Tree began to fall, leaves returning to their roots, a hundred lifetimes merging into one pill!

Boom! Boom! Boom!! The Refining Heaven Ancient Formation spun wildly, terrifying "Emperor Flame" flooded the entire formation like an ocean, the Bodhi Ancient Tree radiating terrifying energy waves.

This terrifying flame even engulfed Xiao Yan!

"Brother Xiao Yan!!" Seeing Xiao Yan swallowed by the Strange Flames, Xun Er's heart stopped; she cried out in alarm.

Cai Lin gripped Xun Er's arm and nodded: "Trust him—he has never let anyone down."

(End of Chapter)