At my age, I am ready to risk everything.
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Crack!
Suddenly, everyone present seemed to hear an inexplicable sound. Xiang Yin, seeing the pill embryo about to coalesce successfully, felt a jolt in his heart—a faint unease rising within him.
This sound, somehow familiar from ten thousand years ago.
As he recalled more closely, a look of shock spread, flooding into his elongated spindle-shaped pupils.
"Impossible. Why would the will of Heaven open its eyes and descend calamity here?" As this thought struck him, his breath grew heavy. Looking again at Qin Chuan, his gaze burned with fervor. "Could it be... this pill defies the heavens and is rejected by the world?"
Who is he, to possess such a treasure!
His heart pounded; this man, this pill—never mind a mere magic sword or heavenly tribulation, even if a great catastrophe descended, I would protect him!
The energies between heaven and earth suddenly shifted; a surge of dread washed over him, as though a starving tiger from the shadows had locked its gaze on him.
Heaven’s will opened its eyes, descending calamity upon this forbidden Dao pill.
The cracking sound grew ever denser, finally merging into a continuous roar! With each crack, Xiang Yin’s face paled further.
"Brat, what kind of calamity is this? Could it truly be a great tribulation?"
The spell of heavenly thunder tribulation bore the word 'calamity,' yet was not a true thunder tribulation. Its cloud vortex had already gathered and solidified, saving the trouble of summoning disaster clouds.
"Crack."
"Crack, crack!..."
From within the original blue thunder, a streak of purple suddenly appeared—the "Azure Thunder and Violet Lightning" most familiar to everyone.
This thunder and lightning was common for cultivators at the Foundation Establishment stage; with proper preparation, it could be endured. Seeing this, Xiang Yin finally exhaled in relief.
As the Azure Thunder and Violet Lightning struck atop Qin Chuan’s head, he formed seals with both hands and slammed them fiercely onto the ground!
A web of jet-black threads, as fine as hair, rose around Qin Chuan, interweaving into a great net that shrouded his head.
The Azure Thunder and Violet Lightning, shaped like a three-pronged trident of the young sun, crashed down; rivers of blue and purple light flooded the vision, rendering all before them a blinding white.
The roaring thunder was relentless; his mind buzzed, scalp tingling, the earth quaking beneath him robbed him of balance.
In a single breath, more than ten thousand bolts struck!
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At first, Xiang Yin still maintained a casual expression, but witnessing the onslaught, he dared not be complacent. He continuously formed seals and struck the ground, eventually pounding out a deep pit.
When the Azure Thunder and Violet Lightning eased slightly, he barely had time to catch his breath before he saw eight more vortices split from the cloud!
His heart sank—this was the end...
This was not a great tribulation, but the elusive Nine Tribulations. Their power could range from weak to overwhelming; the strongest could destroy an entire continent, while the weakest could be chased away by a mortal wielding a broom.
Xiang Yin cried out in despair, a bitter smile on his face. The greater the power of this tribulation, the more miraculous the Dao pill.
What he did not know was that Qin Chuan had once prayed to heaven and earth, seeking the path of immortals, and had entered Heaven’s gaze, becoming a disciple of the world. Now, this Dao pill was not tolerated by Heaven, akin to betraying one’s master—thus, the blazing divine wrath descended.
The eight rapidly spinning vortices spread to the eight extremities, their edges expanding swiftly outward. Along with the first cloud vortex, they obscured the sky, stretching beyond the horizon.
From each pitch-black vortex, a giant phoenix claw extended, slowly taking shape.
Nine phoenix claws in total, blood-red as fire, their tips sharp and hidden, each more than thirty feet long.
The phoenix claws poised for attack, a sense of extreme danger rising in Xiang Yin’s heart.
"They must not strike together! If all nine phoenix claws hit at once, I fear not even I can withstand it... I must strike first!"
Though Xiang Yin had not dueled anyone in ten thousand years, the old master’s experience remained sharp and resolute; he chose to attack without hesitation.
He snapped his ten fingers, and in the blink of an eye, ten streams of energy split into ten serpentine forms—jet-black, scale-boned serpents! Whistling and coiling, fierce and unrivaled, nine tails surged toward the nine tribulations, while the last hovered above Qin Chuan.
His true form then sat cross-legged, calming his mind as his body trembled—clearly, managing ten tasks at once was no simple feat.
"Spit, spit!..."
He spat four mouthfuls of turbid blood; four black serpents fell, their massive bodies shattered, dissolving into wisps of smoke midair, returning to Xiang Yin, restoring some color to his face.
The remaining six phoenix claws had not fully formed and were directly shredded by the black serpents.
Both sides suffered losses, but the phoenix claws were clearly at a disadvantage, struck down one by one.
These vortices were not easily entangled; the three surviving black serpents—excluding the tail above Qin Chuan—struck together, but made little progress, merely slowing the vortices’ rotation.
The targeted vortex wobbled for a moment, hesitated, then recovered. In fact, the thunderous roar grew even faster, as if mocking Xiang Yin.
Furious, Xiang Yin shouted, "Hateful, detestable!"
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He quickly calmed himself, his gaze toward Qin Chuan growing more resolute. Having paid such a tremendous price, this Dao pill was his for the taking!
At this moment, the vortices changed further, their darkness deepening, and a faint "zzzz" sound echoed within.
"This is the Azure-Eyed Ghost Bat!"
Xiang Yin’s soul quivered; he stepped back half a pace in respect.
"Fight, fight!" he suddenly lay flat on the ground, writhing back and forth. A moment later, he stood, holding a piece of snakeskin, faintly streaked with blood!
"This snakeskin, which should have shed fully a hundred years from now, must be cast off early!"
He bit his fingertip, forcing blood out with his internal energy, drawing blood-red runes upon the snakeskin. Finally, he shouted, "Go!"
The blood armor of snakeskin abruptly enveloped Qin Chuan overhead, blazing with a yard-high crimson flame, illuminating the entire realm.
Amid wild cries and piercing shrieks, eight vortices and one cloud vortex—a total of nine "dragons"—burst forth.
With keen eyesight, one would see that these nine azure dragons were packed with ghost bats, their fangs three inches long, bodies a foot in length.
Xiang Yin was well prepared, waiting for this moment.
The blood armor above Qin Chuan suddenly surged, flames reaching three yards high!
Even the nearby companions felt their faces scorched, their vision nearly melting.
To protect the Dao pill’s formation, Xiang Yin could not retreat; he fought desperately. Meanwhile, Qin Chuan had reached the critical moment!
The two pill embryos had nearly devoured all the dust and energy accumulated over ten thousand years within a thousand-mile radius. As if in illusion, Qin Chuan heard a satisfied burp.
The black energy was like a natural furnace, enveloping the pill embryos in fierce combustion, even beyond Qin Chuan’s control.
Yet his heart trembled with joy—this was truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
If he could record the entire process of the Dao pill’s formation, even without mastering it fully, his path of alchemy would surely ascend by leaps and bounds!
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