Chapter 169: Shen Nong Halts the Battle!
"Seeking death!"
Seeing Jiang Yun seize the other half of the Three Thousand Burning Flame, Yun Yi let out a cold shout. Black mist surged behind him. Then, the clattering of iron chains rang out, and a sinister, chilling fierce wind shot straight toward Jiang Yun's face.
Sensing that vicious, cunning force, Jiang Yun furrowed his brow. Within his eyes, purple light flashed. A terrifying soul power blazed forth.
In an instant, a transparent purple longsword shot out from Jiang Yun's eyes, slashing toward the center of Yun Yi's brow.
"What terrifying soul power!"
The instant Jiang Yun's soul power erupted, the surrounding onlookers once again revealed expressions of shock. They had lost count of how many times Jiang Yun had astonished them now.
"Soul power is already brushing against the Heaven Realm... Did he start cultivating in his mother's womb?!"
The Soul Hall's First Heavenly Venerable sensed Jiang Yun's soul power and stared at the soul storm behind him with a face full of utter disbelief, momentarily questioning reality itself.
"A soul technique—and its grade is not low, at that!" Compared to the others, Hun Mie Sheng's focus was entirely different. His gaze burned as he stared at the purple longsword shooting from Jiang Yun's eyes. Inwardly, he began trying to deduce which mighty figure Jiang Yun might be connected to.
Soul techniques were exceedingly scarce on the Dou Qi Continent. Only the few great imperial clans possessed relatively complete inheritances of them. And among them, the Hun clan held the most information on related subjects.
Yet even so, he could not discern the origin of Jiang Yun's soul technique.
"Hmph! You think having a soul technique is enough to do anything to me?!" Faced with Jiang Yun's attack, Yun Yi merely snorted coldly and let out a long howl. "Devouring Marvelous Armor!"
Weng! Weng!
Pitch-black flames seeped out from within his body and, finally, slowly coalesced over the surface of his body into an extremely vicious, terrifying black demonic armor.
The demonic armor covered nearly Yun Yi's entire body. Across the armor, lines as sharp and fierce as forged steel extended outward. Every single curve was brimming with a sense of dreadful ferocity and savagery.
Bang!
The tiny purple sword slashed onto Yun Yi's body. A crisp metallic clang erupted. Strangely, the force, upon landing on Yun Yi's body, actually began to slowly dissipate.
In contrast, Yun Yi's aura experienced a slight, marginal rise.
It was as if the attack had been devoured!
With his attack swallowed, Jiang Yun showed not the slightest panic. Raising his hand, he once again sent another violent attack smashing directly toward Yun Yi's face.
The two once more launched into a frenzied, ferocious clash. For a time, whether in the sky above or on the ground below, every corner became their battlefield.
Locked in fierce combat, neither of them noticed that the Three Thousand Burning Flame, seized by both of them, was beginning to show signs of splitting apart.
"Ah—!"
Just then, an agonized roar resounded throughout the entire battlefield. In the battle circle led by the two Half-Saint elders of the Small Pill Tower against Saint Hun Qing, the mid-level Half-Saint elder had his physical body blasted to pieces by a single palm from Hun Qing. Not even his soul managed to escape—Hun Qing seized it and stuffed it directly into a soul pouch.
"Third Elder!"
Waves of grief and fury immediately rang out from the Pill Tower's side. Everyone's hearts jolted violently. No one had expected that the Pill Tower would be the first to lose a member.
Indeed—the forces the Soul Hall had deployed held an overwhelming advantage. Had Hun Mie Sheng not been holding back from acting at this moment, the Pill Tower's total annihilation would have been a matter of mere moments.
But if it came to that, it would push the Pill Tower Ancestor beyond the brink—and the Gu clan might not necessarily agree to it either.
"Soul Hall—!"
The hot-tempered Second Elder, watching the Third Elder die before his very eyes, instantly saw his eyes turn blood-red. Violent, raging Dou Qi surged through his entire body. With a frenzied palm strike, he blasted toward Hun Qing.
"Heh... If it weren't for the sake of harvesting your souls intact, did you think this old man would have played with you for so long?"
Hun Qing stowed away the Third Elder's soul. Watching the berserk Second Elder, he sneered coldly and launched a casual palm strike in return, instantly disintegrating the Second Elder's full-force attack.
Such was the gap between a Dou Sheng and a Half-Saint!
Before long, the Fifth Elder of the Small Pill Tower, a Nine-Transition Dou Zun, once again fell at Hun Qing's hands, sending another violent shockwave through the crowd.
"Ah—!"
Watching colleague after colleague die before his eyes, the Second Elder's eyes nearly split from fury. He wished he could tear Hun Qing apart and devour him raw.
"Soul Hall—you have gone far too far!"
Just then, a voice—youthful, yet brimming with fury—rang out. In the next instant, the onlookers' vision blurred. The Pill Tower Ancestor had abruptly appeared right before Hun Qing's eyes.
At this moment, within the Pill Tower Ancestor's ancient, weathered eyes, faint traces of anger actually surfaced. Though his body was somewhat battered and tattered at the moment, it did nothing to hinder the heaven-soaring aura radiating from him. Right now, he was like a maddened lion, about to tear apart every enemy before him.
With a sudden, fierce palm strike toward Hun Qing, space quaked. The entire Holy Pill City shuddered, as if it had sunk considerably.
"Hall Master! Save me!" Feeling his body utterly immobilized, watching the berserk Pill Tower Ancestor before him, Hun Qing's face was filled with sheer terror. A sharp, terrified cry escaped him.
"Old monster—my people aren't so easy to kill!" Hun Mie Sheng abruptly appeared before Hun Qing. Staring solemnly at the descending palm seal, Dou Qi surged wildly through his body.
Within his pupils, the child flame of the Nihility Devouring Flame, radiating a bizarre devouring power, flickered and danced. Then, his palm slowly extended forward. A mass of eerie black flame abruptly surged forth. The black flame churned. Faintly, it coalesced into a human face. Wave after wave of devouring power erupted violently from that face's mouth.
The instant that human-faced black flame appeared, the Pill Tower Ancestor's pupils abruptly constricted to the size of pinholes.
"The Nihility Devouring Flame!"
"Boom—"
Under the Pill Tower Ancestor's attack, the eerie black flame blazed. Then, under the astonished gazes of the crowd, it was slowly devoured—completely and utterly.
"The Nihility Devouring Flame... Impossible! There is absolutely no way you could have refined the Nihility Devouring Flame!" The Pill Tower Ancestor stared at Hun Mie Sheng with a grave expression, shaking his head in denial.
He had clashed with the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame who knew how many times. He deeply understood the terror of such heavenly flames. They were almost impossible for a person to absorb and refine.
"Jie, jie... Old monster—you nearly got me with that one!" Just then, a dark, displeased voice rang out. Hun Qianmo, looking thoroughly disheveled, slowly materialized beside Hun Mie Sheng.
The Pill Tower Ancestor had just led him into a trap, sending him tumbling into the turbulent void. To someone of his caliber, the void turbulence posed no real harm at all—but it had left him looking rather wretched.
Like the Pill Tower Ancestor, the Dou Qi within his body had been depleted to a rather terrifying degree. Otherwise, such a petty trick would never have worked on him in the first place.
The Pill Tower Ancestor looked at Hun Mie Sheng and Hun Qianmo, staring at him like tigers watching their prey. Then, sensing the Pill Tower's battle situation on the field—completely and utterly suppressed—his heart sank violently. Today... the Pill Tower might truly be finished!
"Roar—"
From the distant horizon, an enormous dragon roar suddenly erupted. The Three Thousand Burning Flame, contested between Jiang Yun and Yun Yi, had actually exploded apart with a thunderous boom! Each of the two now held forty percent of its origin in their hands. And within the void, a tiny, miniature dragon was fleeing in a blind panic, darting frantically into the distance.
"Where do you think you're going?!"
Seeing it about to escape, Yun Yi bellowed and shot out a giant energy hand to seize the little dragon.
"Heh heh... What a lively scene this is. This old man's luck isn't bad at all—to encounter such a harvest right upon arriving. It seems I truly ought to come out and take a proper stroll after all!"
Just then, from the distant horizon, an ancient, weathered voice rang out. The voice slowly echoed and reverberated across the heavens and earth. And upon hearing this voice—
Hun Mie Sheng, Hun Qianmo, and the others' expressions immediately changed drastically. The Pill Tower Ancestor, in contrast, visibly relaxed, his heart settling completely.
In the next instant, a fragrance of medicinal pills—so dense and rich it reached the absolute extreme—wafted over. Whoever caught a whiff of that pill fragrance instantly felt their entire body jolt. The injuries within them seemed to recover, if only slightly.
Then, everyone saw a flash of green light on the horizon. Within a few fleeting moments, a pale-green medicinal cauldron came speeding through the air.
Atop that medicinal cauldron sat an elder dressed in simple, coarse linen robes. In the elder's hand, he leaned on a walking stick that seemed woven from medicinal herbs. Hanging from the walking stick were many jade bottles that clinked and jingled crisply as they swayed.
At this very moment, the elder happened to appear directly on the Three Thousand Burning Flame's escape path. An aged, weathered hand reached out. The Three Thousand Burning Flame immediately became as docile as a little kitten, falling into his grasp—utterly and completely meek.
As for the giant hand Yun Yi had extended toward the elder—the moment it drew within three zhang of his body, it shattered apart with a thunderous boom.
Toying with the little dragon in his hand, the elder seemed not to feel the heavenly flame's temperature in the slightest. His gaze fell upon Jiang Yun and Yun Yi. "As expected, heroes emerge from the young. Had I not come out, this old man would never have known that the continent had produced so many heavenly geniuses and outstanding talents!"
Then, when his gaze landed on Jiang Yun, he nodded with satisfaction. "Half-step Heaven Realm soul, nine-star Dou Zun, an unidentified heavenly flame... and that faint pill fragrance emanating from you—you are clearly an alchemist. For the alchemy world to have a junior like you is truly a great blessing!"
"This little dragon—I shall gift it to you." Glancing at the forty percent of origin flame in Jiang Yun's hand, the elder chuckled lightly. With a wave of his hand, the Three Thousand Burning Flame that had been docilely circling in his palm immediately flew over and landed in Jiang Yun's hand.
"Many thanks, Senior!" Looking at the elder, Jiang Yun cupped his fists and thanked him, neither servile nor overbearing.
"Good... good..." Looking at Jiang Yun, the elder nodded with exceptional satisfaction, his gaze that of an elder looking upon a beloved junior.
"Shen Nong, the Old Man of Agriculture! What is that old fossil doing here?!" Staring at the elder, Hun Qianmo's pupils abruptly constricted. His expression darkened instantly as he spoke in a low, grave tone.
Shen Nong turned his head to look at the battlefield. His brow furrowed. "Hun clan... this time, you have indeed gone too far."
As his voice fell, a sweep of his sleeve followed. Instantly, an earth-shaking transformation occurred on the field. Regardless of who they were, all were separated in an instant without the slightest ability to resist.
After being separated, the two sides looked around with faces full of bewilderment.
Among the Gu clan and the Pill Tower, some recognized Shen Nong and stared at him with expressions of shock.
To think even this personage had been stirred!
"We pay respects to Senior Shen Nong!"
The members of the Pill Tower and the Gu clan cupped their fists respectfully toward Shen Nong.
"What terrifying spatial mastery... If he advances even one step further, he'll likely reach seven-star Dou Sheng!" Sensing the subtle, profound spatial fluctuations, Hun Qianmo spoke with the utmost gravity.
"Old friend—your condition doesn't seem too good!" Shen Nong nodded with a beaming smile, then looked toward the Pill Tower Ancestor and teased.
"Sigh..." Hearing this, the Pill Tower Ancestor could only offer a bitter smile.
"Shen Nong, do you also intend to meddle in the affairs between my Soul Hall and the Pill Tower?!" Hun Mie Sheng stared at Shen Nong with a furrowed brow and asked in a solemn voice.
"This old man absolutely cannot stand by and watch the Pill Tower be destroyed. What's more, your Hun clan has already violated the pact of the Saint realm. Even if this old man were to act against you, Hun Tiandi himself could hardly say much about it!" Shen Nong looked at Hun Mie Sheng and the others and spoke with perfect calm.
Hearing the thinly veiled threat in Shen Nong's words, Hun Mie Sheng and the others furrowed their brows deeply. The situation at this moment had already completely tilted in the Pill Tower's favor.
Moreover, they had already collected enough souls to make up for their losses—and then some. Though they had only obtained half of the Three Thousand Burning Flame, that still barely met their original expectations.
Having weighed the matter, Hun Mie Sheng swept a calm, indifferent glance over the crowd. With a cold snort, he said, "We're leaving!"
Hun Qianmo watched all this with a faint smile. He turned his gaze toward the Pill Tower Ancestor and sneered darkly, "The next time we clash, your Pill Tower won't be so fortunate!"
As his voice fell, he flicked his sleeve and stepped into the spatial rift behind him.
Just as Yun Yi was about to step through, he turned his head and looked at Jiang Yun with an indifferent, detached gaze. "This time, it's a draw. Next time—you won't be so lucky!"
"At your service, anytime," Jiang Yun replied with a faint smile, his gaze calm and steady.
The Soul Hall's forces left—left bearing the posture of victors. In this war, had the Gu clan and Shen Nong not appeared, the Pill Tower would absolutely have suffered the Soul Hall's brutal torment.
Watching the departing Soul Hall army, the surviving members of the Pill Tower immediately felt their taut nerves relax. A joy at having survived a calamity surged in all their hearts. Some even wept tears of joy.
The Pill Tower Ancestor gazed down at Holy Pill City, more than half destroyed by the ravages of battle. Turning his head, he looked at the Grand Elder beside him and said, "Xiao Mo, arrange the post-war cleanup. Do not treat those who fought for the Pill Tower unfairly."
"Yes!" The Grand Elder nodded in acknowledgment. Glancing at the remaining Second Elder, Sixth Elder, and Seventh Elder beside him, for a moment, his heart was filled with sorrow.
Of the seven great elders of the Small Pill Tower, through this single battle, three had fallen. Among them were even two Half-Saints. It could be said their vitality was severely damaged. Who knew how long it would take to recover?
"Xuan Kongzi..."
While the Grand Elder was arranging post-war matters, the Pill Tower Ancestor, along with Shen Nong and the Gu clan members, departed first.
Jiang Yun, having no assigned tasks, took the Three Thousand Burning Flame and headed toward his own residence.
The moment he arrived home, he saw a white-clad, elegant silhouette gazing at him with a face full of joyful surprise. Before he could even speak, Xiao Yi Xian threw herself impatiently into his arms.
Her trembling, delicate frame betrayed the turbulence within her heart!
Seeing this, Jiang Yun could not help but sigh. Reaching out, he wrapped his arms around the young woman's slender waist and comforted her softly.
In just three short days,
news of the great battle at Holy Pill City had spread to every corner of the Central Plains.
The outcome vastly exceeded everyone's expectations. Who could have imagined that the Pill Tower—renowned alongside the Soul Hall—would prove so utterly fragile and powerless before the Soul Hall's true might? (Ordinary people did not know the difference between the Soul Hall and the Hun clan!)
Had it not been for powerful reinforcements, the Pill Tower would have very nearly been swept to total annihilation by the Soul Hall!
To the point that the Pill Tower's prestige plummeted overnight!
Everyone suddenly felt a sense of danger closing in. After all, the Soul Hall was no benevolent, kind-hearted power!
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