Chapter 22: A Single Pill, Creating Saints on the Spot!

General Zhang looked at the pill Luo Bingyao handed over,

His whole body froze.

His body trembled slightly,

not from fear,

but from an uncontainable excitement.

His name is Zhang Cheng, the most outstanding commander among the younger generation of humanity,

He followed the Empress in her southern and northern campaigns, earning great military merit.

He possessed extraordinary talent,

At a young age he had cultivated to the peak of the 13th realm,

and was hailed as the genius most likely to enter the Saint Realm within a hundred years.

But only he himself knew,

That single step away, to him, was like a heavenly chasm.

He had been stuck in this bottleneck for a full fifty years.

In those fifty years he tried countless methods,

He had closed himself off in death passes, charged through deadly grounds,

and even at the risk of nine deaths to one life obtained a single saint herb,

yet none of it helped.

The Saint Realm is an invisible, intangible threshold,

yet it truly exists,

firmly barring him from the gate.

And now the Empress told him,

this small pill before him,

could let him directly cross this threshold?

How could that be possible?

He did not doubt the Empress,

but he dared not believe,

that such a heaven-defying thing exists in this world!

"How? General Zhang, you don't dare?"

Luo Bingyao looked at him, her voice calm yet carrying an undeniable force,

"or do you think I would use a poison pill to harm you?"

"This subordinate does not dare!"

Zhang Cheng shuddered all over and hastily dropped to one knee,

"This subordinate merely… merely finds it too unbelievable! This subordinate is willing to test it for Your Majesty!"

A flash of resolve passed through his eyes.

Even if it were a poison pill, what then?

His life was originally saved by Your Majesty!

To verify the pill's authenticity for Your Majesty, he would die without regret!

What's more, what if… what if it were real?

That is the Saint Realm!

The realm he has dreamed of!

Thinking this, Zhang Cheng hesitated no longer,

he stretched out his trembling hands,

from Luo Bingyao's palm,

and received that Saint-Shattering Pill.

He had no hesitation whatsoever,

under the gaze of tens of thousands of eyes, he raised his head and swallowed the pill!

The pill melted upon entry,

turning into a warm, gentle current,

instantly flowing through his limbs and bones.

There was none of the imagined violent energy,

nor any pain.

Zhang Cheng even felt no change at all,

as if he had merely taken a sip of warm water.

He froze.

Could it be… fake?

Those around him also held their breath,

each craning their necks, staring fixedly at Zhang Cheng,

wanting to see what reaction he would have.

One breath.

Two breaths.

Three breaths.

Nothing happened.

Zhang Cheng is still the Zhang Cheng at the peak of the 13th realm.

"Alas…"

In the crowd, a faint, barely perceptible sigh rose.

Many people's faces showed disappointment.

Sure enough, there is no such miraculous pill in this world.

It seems, Her Majesty the Empress,

was also deceived by that celestial outsider.

On the face of that young general,

a trace of bitter smile also appeared,

as he prepared to plead guilt before the Empress.

Boom!!!

A terrifying, unparalleled aura,

suddenly erupted from within Zhang Cheng without any sign!

Golden holy light, like a volcanic eruption, surged skyward,

directly tearing through the clouds above the Tianxuan Sacred Land,

creating a massive hole!

The laws between heaven and earth,

at this moment, seemed summoned,

wildly converging onto Zhang Cheng's body!

Mysterious holy Dao runes,

manifested and encircled him, emitting resonant sounds of the Great Dao!

"This… this is… a sign of Sainthood!"

The old Saint Lord was the first to react,

his eyes widened, his mouth opened wide enough to fit a fist,

pointing at Zhang Cheng enveloped by holy light,

his voice sharpened with excitement!

"He… he really is about to breakthrough!"

Everyone was stunned!

A moment ago there was no movement,

and the next moment, it directly triggered a Sainthood phenomenon?

This… this is way too fast!

This simply defies normal logic!

Ordinary people breaking through the Saint Realm must prepare for decades in advance, undergo purification, and adjust their condition,

then seclude themselves for years, even decades,

and only after facing near‑death repeatedly can they possibly discern that subtle mystery?

But what about Zhang Cheng?

He just swallowed a pill, stood here,

and within a few breaths, is about to become a Saint?

Where is this a breakthrough?

This is clearly as simple as eating and drinking!

Under everyone's horrified gaze,

Zhang Cheng slowly rose into the air,

his eyes closed,

feeling the endless, continuous flow within his body,

as if an infinite power.

He could clearly sense,

the bottleneck that had plagued him for fifty years,

in front of that pill's power, was like paper,

easily pierced through!

His spirit was ascending!

His flesh was metamorphosing!

His comprehension of the Dao of Heaven and Earth,

soared wildly at an incomprehensible speed!

Saint Realm!

This is the power of the Saint Realm!

"Ah—!"

Zhang Cheng looked to the heavens and let out a long howl, the sound like a dragon's chant, shaking the nine heavens!

He suddenly opened his eyes,

Two solid-like golden divine rays burst forth,

The entire Tianxuan Sacred Land,

trembles ever so slightly under his holy aura!

He succeeded!

He truly stepped into the 14th realm, the Quasi‑Saint Realm!

Moreover,

his aura continues to climb steadily at a terrifying speed!

Quasi‑Saint Realm, early stage!

Quasi‑Saint Realm, middle stage!

Only when it reaches the late stage does it slowly halt!

One pill,

not only lets him leap across the Heavenly Rift from the Divine Dao realm to the Saint Dao realm,

but also shatters three minor realms,

directly attaining the cultivation of the late Saint Realm!

Silence.

The whole Tianxuan Sacred Land,

deadly quiet.

Everyone seems as if bound by a fixing spell,

staring dumbfounded at the figure in the sky radiating overwhelming holy might,

their minds a blank.

Divine miracle!

This is no longer a miracle!

This is a legend!

A legend that can overturn everyone's perception and worldview!

"Thump!"

Zhang Cheng drops from the sky without any hesitation,

directly toward Luo Bingyao,

toward the empty space behind her, prostrating himself,

He hammers down heavily!

"Sinner Zhang Cheng, kneels to thank the Young Master for the rebirth grace!"

"From now on, this life of Zhang Cheng belongs to the Young Master! If the Young Master orders me east, I will never go west! If the Young Master orders me to kill anyone, I will not even raise an eyebrow!"

His voice no longer contains any dissent, only endless zeal and… devotion!

At this moment, he finally understands the true meaning of Luo Bingyao's words, "This is not humiliation, this is glory."

To follow such a being is more than just glory?

It is simply the supreme gift bestowed by Heaven's Dao!

Looking at the newly ascended saint Zhang Cheng kneeling on the ground,

all the human cultivators present have no further doubts.

Their gazes, in unison, turn toward Luo Bingyao,

looking at the jade bottle in her hand, filled with the same fervor as Zhang Cheng's.

"Thump!"

"Thump!"

Led by the Old Saint Lord, tens of thousands of human cultivators present kneel down in unison.

"We, wish to follow Her Majesty the Empress!"

"We, wish to die serving the Young Master!"

Voices like mountain roars and sea tsunamis echo through the heavens!

Luo Bingyao watches this scene before her,

her heart also surges wildly.

She knows,

from this moment onward,

the Xuanti Continent will be twisted into a single rope,

with no voice remaining,

who dares to question her decision,

who dares to question the Young Master's will!

"Everyone, rise."

Luo Bingyao lifts her hand,

her voice regains the Empress's authority and calm.

"Old Saint Lord, General Zhang."

"I am here!"

"The rear general is here!"

Both answer in unison.

Immediately gather all soldiers still able to fight, take stock of all usable supplies; before dawn, follow me and set out for the Burial Heaven Ancient Ground.

"Yes, sir!" The two had no hesitation, immediately departed to carry out the order.

"Your Majesty, what are we going to the Burial Heaven Ancient Ground for?" an elder asked curiously.

Luo Bingyao glanced toward the direction of the forbidden area, which had been dug up into a pitted mess.

A bitter smile curled at the corner of their mouth, one they themselves hadn't even noticed.

"Go… go help the young master… clean up the battlefield, carry off the spoils."