Chapter 829: The Planet in My Hand

As everyone had anticipated, Xun Er's Shielding Spirit Array could not withstand that terrifying column of Spiritual Energy—it was as if the heavens had shattered and the cosmos had reversed, an phenomenon even Xiao Yan had never seen before.

This far surpassed the spectacle of his earlier attempt to refine the All-Beings-Breaking-Emperor Pill; the entire Sky of Shang Zhi Da Lu was obscured by a swirling vortex, and though it was broad daylight, the sky had turned pitch black.

The entire Shang Zhi Da Lu plunged into darkness, and at this moment, whether Hidden World Strong Experts or Shang Cheng elites, all were stunned—many once-famous figures were frightened out of their seclusion.

Almost instantly, every strong expert of the Shang Cheng Alliance noticed it; sensing the pure Heavenly Earth Power contained within the celestial vortex, many faces turned to shock, and within less than a minute, the buildings outside Xiao Yan's courtyard and the very Space above were filled with figures.

As they observed up close, some experts finally recognized the origin of the light column, and a chorus of exclamations erupted.

"This is… gathering the essence of the heavens, condensing the cosmos into a pill! Someone in that courtyard is refining a Supreme Divine Pill!!" An elder of the Dan Shen Clan's Shang Cheng instantly recognized it—he knew Xiao Yan was refining a Divine Pill!

On the Dou Qi Continent, Eight Grade Pills require absorbing Heavenly Earth Spirit Qi to gain sentience; Nine Grade Pills gather the continent's Heavenly Earth Power; but at Ten Grade—the so-called Divine-Star Pills of the Great Thousand World—they must absorb the power of the entire boundless universe to be sufficient.

Absorbing only the Heavenly Earth Spirit Qi of a continent is utterly insufficient to refine a Divine-Star Pill; one must draw from the boundless cosmic energy deep within the heavens.

"Though high-grade pills often cause disturbances, only Divine-Star Pills ever produce phenomena this vast, engulfing an entire continent? Could it be a Grandmaster Alchemist refining a Divine-Star Pill?" A robed Alchemist stared at the celestial anomaly with terror.

"The usual disturbance of a Divine-Star Pill isn't this extreme—this absorption of cosmic Spiritual Energy is terrifying; it's already formed a Spiritual Energy black hole vortex. It must be the pinnacle of Divine-Star Pills!" The Dan Shen Clan elder's gaze burned as he fixed it on Xiao Yan's courtyard.

"Hmm, a pill causing such commotion is no ordinary thing—hmm, I wonder which Grandmaster Alchemist is below? Could it be Elder Qi Zong of the Dan Shen Clan?"

"Qi Zong only just entered Grandmaster Alchemist rank—how could he possibly refine a pill of this level? I heard the Nu Shan Medicine Saint recently appeared at the auction—could it be him?"

"The Nu Shan Medicine Saint arrived?! That's indeed possible—he's regarded as the Alchemist closest to a Grandmaster Alchemist."

As more and more experts gathered around the courtyard, whispers multiplied; those who heard them began to gaze at the light column with growing greed—any pill causing such an event was no ordinary thing.

Shhh! Sudden tearing sounds pierced the air, and figures flashed in, hovering in the Sky, eyes wide with astonishment at the Spiritual Energy column descending from above.

"How dare he refine a pill here? I suspect he's now at the critical final stage of pill formation—if disturbed now, the pill might break—but worse, he could be violently backlashed." A gray-robed man sneered with a hoarse voice.

"Heh, what outcome does your ancestor desire? Such a refined Alchemist's perception must be extraordinarily keen, wouldn't you say?" Another beside him smirked with cold intent.

Yet, even as such voices multiplied, a figure appeared like a phantom, slowly materializing above the courtyard.

This figure was not Xiao Yixian or the others—it was Wu Ling Tian Zun.

"Anyone who approaches within a thousand meters of this courtyard—die!"

Wu Ling Tian Zun's figure slowly materialized, his cold eyes sweeping the surroundings, pausing briefly in several directions, then a chilling voice rang out across the heavens!

At the sound of his voice, a vast Spiritual Pressure erupted from his emaciated body; those who felt its overwhelming might all turned pale, cries of shock erupting continuously.

"A Tian Zun Strong Expert?!"

"A Tian Zun! How could a Tian Zun appear here in Shang Cheng?!"

Voices cried out in alarm; elders of major factions all fell silent, feeling the chilling killing intent spreading through the air—many felt their hearts freeze, clamping their mouths shut and retreating hastily.

"Within ten breaths, leave this place!"

As the two Grand Completion Earth Supreme experts who had intended mischief felt shock, Wu Ling Tian Zun's icy gaze lanced toward them—the cold, indifferent killing intent in his eyes made these two battle-hardened, formidable experts feel their blood chill.

Before a Tian Zun, they were mere ants—daring not speak a word, they hastily retreated, fleeing outright from Shang Cheng, abandoning all thoughts of targeting Xiao Yan.

Xiao Yan refining here was no accident—he was Wu Ling Tian Zun's current lifeline, regardless of whether the final transaction succeeded; even if this pill wasn't meant for him, Wu Ling Tian Zun would never allow anyone to harm Xiao Yan.

Thus, Xiao Yan refined here with perfect calm.

"Hmph, this brat is using me as his bodyguard," Wu Ling Tian Zun muttered irritably, yet he had no recourse—even knowing Xiao Yan was a cunning little rascal, he could do nothing.

At this moment, Wu Ling Tian Zun looked up at the colossal Spiritual Energy black hole vortex above, his expression grim as he murmured: "Such terrifying gravity pull—what Supreme Body is he cultivating that can gather cosmic energy on this scale?"

In the Great Thousand World, absorbing Heavenly Energy relies on Supreme Bodies or Spirit Gathering Arrays; even Wu Ling Tian Zun, as a Tian Zun, was astonished—Xiao Yan was like a colossal magnet, drawing cosmic energy from vast distances, with energy from light-years beyond Shang Zhi Da Lu surging wildly into his Alchemy Furnace.

Of course, Xiao Yan wasn't merely using a Supreme Body to absorb energy from all directions—he was also wielding Soul Power to control Heaven and Earth Power.

This was something the Great Thousand World had never seen; now, his Soul Power stretched into the heavens, commanding all cosmic energy within a light-year radius, pulling it relentlessly inward.

Not even Wu Ling Tian Zun could comprehend this—but even the Nu Shan Medicine Saint, himself a peak Grandmaster Alchemist, stared in stunned disbelief: how could a Lower Plane Earth Supreme possibly control cosmic energy on such a scale?!

"Unbelievable—is this truly a Lower Plane Pill Refining Method?!" The Nu Shan Medicine Saint's face changed as he watched the cosmic energy pouring like a leak in heaven—Xiao Yan was redefining the Lower Plane.

The Great Thousand World had no Soul Realm, no Soul Spirit Realm; they prioritized physical cultivation over Soul Power cultivation—as seen in how Tian Zun could cultivate a Tian Zun Spiritual Body, their physical forms were immensely strong, even stronger than the Domain Beyond's demonic clans.

Xiao Yan was truly giving his all in this pill refinement—he'd already used his Fused Strange Fire and his self-created Hundred Generations Refining Heaven during medicinal material extraction; now, to absorb cosmic energy, he'd activated the Evil God Asura Soul Body and even the Evil God's Saint Pupil.

Otherwise, Xiao Yan could never have controlled such a vast expanse of cosmic energy, absorbed it so rapidly, or gathered it so efficiently.

For the Nu Shan Medicine Saint, this lesson was worth every coin—even if he couldn't understand or replicate much of it, even learning a fraction would be enough; he didn't need to start from scratch—he only needed a spark to shatter the ultimate barrier in his own Pill Alchemy.

At this moment, the entire courtyard had become the center of a ten-thousand-li radius—no, of a light-year radius; at this center, it seemed a planet was being born!

If viewed macroscopically, Xiao Yan's Alchemy Furnace now contained the birth of a cosmic explosion—a planet or star system being destroyed and reincarnated within this cataclysm.

Medicinal materials destroyed, the pill reborn—this level of pill refinement perfectly embodied the universe's principle of destruction and reincarnation.

Even with the aid of the Saint Pupil and the Evil God Asura Soul Body, Xiao Yan spent ten days and ten nights absorbing cosmic energy before it finally slowed.

At one moment, the Heavenly Earth Spirit Qi of the entire Shang Zhi Da Lu froze; all things ceased motion; the continent fell utterly silent, not a sound to be heard.

"The pill is complete!" The Nu Shan Medicine Saint cried out, even now feeling as if he were dreaming.

Xiao Yan had succeeded on the first try—and in only one and a half months! His speed was several times faster than his own!

Of course, this didn't mean Xiao Yan's Pill Alchemy surpassed the Nu Shan Medicine Saint by several times—after all, Xiao Yan possessed Strange Fire and the Saint Pupil, which saved immense time in burning medicinal materials and absorbing cosmic energy, things the Nu Shan Medicine Saint lacked.

As the unimaginably vast energy gradually ceased, the celestial black hole vortex vanished, the strange fire within the Alchemy Furnace faded, and a tiny speck of light slowly emerged—like a star, glowing in the dark furnace.

Zzzz! A miracle appeared: beyond the entire Shang Zhi Da Lu, a ring of mist like a celestial halo formed—it was the Pill Fragrance!

From afar, a circle of Pill Fragrance encircled the entire continent—a colossal, absurdly vast ring formed entirely from the pill's aroma; all life on Shang Zhi Da Lu now smelled the Pill Fragrance.

This divine spectacle moved many Alchemists to trembling emotion; they could not help but kneel and prostrate themselves below.

"Pill Mist encircling the continent, Pill Fragrance filling the world! This is a pinnacle Divine Pill!!"

Boom! From the thick clouds above, black thunder streaked with threads of golden light surged like a monstrous Sea Giant Python, its terrifying Heavenly Might making many flinch and draw back their necks.

This was no ordinary Black God Thunder—this Pill Lightning's power rivaled a half-step Tian Zun, proving the extraordinary quality of the pill Xiao Yan had refined.

Boom! The thunderclouds violently churned, and a black lightning bolt, roaring like a world-ending assault, shot straight toward Xiao Yan.

Roar! The thunder dragon tattoo on Xiao Yan's right arm instantly awakened; he gripped the Star Heavy Ruler in his hand, the Nine Mystical Golden Dragon coiling around it, stepped upward into the heavens, and without hesitation, met the terrifying thunder with pure force.

His physique shimmered, Dragon Phoenix Bloodline erupted, Dragon Phoenix Ancient Armor enveloped his body, Golden Thunder flickered.

"Flame Splitting, Devouring Wave Ruler!"

In a thunderous roar, the terrifying Pill Lightning struck Xiao Yan's Star-Weighted Ruler; the Absolute Weapon erupted with terrifying might, and in that instant, golden thunder blazed across Xiao Yan's entire body, the Dragon Phoenix Ancient Armor glowing more fiercely, his body becoming as radiant as polished glass—he stamped one foot down, and even Space was instantly pierced through by lightning!

"What is he trying to do!" Suddenly, Xiao Yan was engulfed by Lei Hai, causing everyone to be utterly horrified.

"Body Tempering Art!! This man must have cultivated a Body Tempering Art—he's planning to use Pill Lightning to temper his body?!" A Body Cultivator who saw this sight turned pale with shock.

"Using Pill Lightning to temper the body! Is that even possible?!"

"It should work—Pill Lightning is a pure form of energy—but I've never seen such a ferocious Alchemist; his Cultivation Realm seems only Upper Earth Supreme!"

Seeing this, the onlooker Body Cultivators all turned pale—Xiao Yan's Golden Glass Body was still improving, and the Nine Mystical Golden Thunder was absorbing the energy of the Pill Lightning—truly two benefits in one!

Xing Tian, who guarded Qiao Shihong nearby, felt a pang of sadness—he too wanted to absorb this Pill Lightning, but at his current Nine-Pin Sovereign strength, even a single spark of it would blast him into dust.

He could only wait until Xiao Yan refined lower-grade Pills to catch a few scraps of Pill Lightning.

"This Pill Lightning feels quite good, but my Golden Glass Body can't keep up—I might need a higher-level Body Tempering Art!" At this moment, golden thunder surged across Xiao Yan's body, his flesh becoming like golden amber—but the Golden Glass Body had clearly reached its limit and could no longer improve.

Most of the Pill Lightning was still fed to the Nine Mystical Golden Thunder.

Xiao Yan returned to his villa, slapped his palm against the Alchemy Furnace, and an emerald-green Pill, like an imperial jade emerald, floated in his hand.

"It feels like holding a planet in my palm." Feeling the Pill in his hand, Xiao Yan had the sensation of grasping a star—it was no longer just a Pill, but a planet.

But Xiao Yan was not wrong—in terms of pure energy alone, the Ancient Earth Mother Divine Pill's power truly rivaled a continent, a planet. Even if inferior to the Celestial Embryo, it was not vastly weaker.

"Brother Xiao Yan!" Xun Er and Xiao Yixian hurried over to check on him.

Xiao Yan smiled faintly, placing the Pill into the Pill Bottle—he was unharmed, and his physical body had even grown slightly stronger.

"You actually succeeded in refining the Ancient Earth Mother Divine Pill on the first try." The Medicine Saint looked at the Pill inside the Pill Bottle, lost in thought.

(End of Chapter)