Different kinds of lightning bolts burst out from Shen Yi's physique... some white like ice, others red like fire, blue like the sea, and dark like empty space. They hit the floating materials, breaking them down into streams of liquid essence.
The elders were startled, their hearts trembling in shock.
Each lightning bolt had its own temperature, rhythm, and nature. Some burned, some froze, others squeezed or turned things into vapor, yet all worked together perfectly under Shen Yi's control.
In moments, all ninety-nine materials were turned into pure, shining essence, mixing into a swirling ball of glowing liquid above his head.
"Such control..." Elder Zhu Li mumbled, swallowing hard. "Every essence is made perfectly pure. Even a very skilled alchemist would need hours of focus… yet he did it in such a short time instinctively."
The smell of medicine grew strong in the air. Heat waves shimmered across the platform, making space itself look wavy.
Shen Yi's eyes opened suddenly... sharp, deep, and calm like a storm that had accepted its power. He reached into his ring and pulled out two small bottles.
The elders' hearts froze. They could feel the magical energy coming from those bottles... the Essence of Void Ancient Dragon and the Essence of Heavenly Demon Phoenix, treasures that even the oldest clans would protect for generations.
He opened both bottles. The air rippled. Even a small smell of that energy carried the power of divine beasts.
Shen Yi held out his finger, taking out just one drop from each bottle. He put the rest away quickly. Those two drops floated in front of him, glowing with opposite energies... one gold and dragon-like, the other red and ethereal.
Crack!
Crack!
Bolts of pure lightning came down from his palm, cleaning the two essences. The air filled with dragon roars and phoenix cries, but they were soon silenced, refined until no trace of their original will remained... only their basic power.
Above, the huge ball of medicine essence trembled. Shen Yi flicked his fingers again, sending the two purified drops into it.
Grrrhhhhh! Screee!
The reaction was immediate; the ball roared like a living creature, a sound that ripped through the sky. Inside the golden domain, streaks of lightning flashed wildly, squeezing the mixture with incredible pressure.
The dragon's roar mixed with the phoenix's cry, creating a rhythm that shook the hearts of everyone watching.
Then the sky began to change.
Dark clouds rolled across the sky from the edge, blocking the sunlight. The calm island started to shake. Even the ocean beyond the cliffs became restless.
Elder Qing Mu's voice was serious. "The pill tribulation... it's coming."
Shen Yi looked up at the storm gathering above. His face remained peaceful, but his soul power spread out silently, making the golden domain stable as the pill essence formed above his head.
Then…
BOOM!
A thunderbolt split the sky. A column of white-blue lightning as thick as a mountain fell directly onto the stage.
The world turned white.
But instead of breaking, the Golden Domain glowed brightly, soaking up the lightning's energy. The tribulation thunder broke into a thousand tiny arcs, each one guided by Shen Yi's control toward the pill that was forming.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Bolt after bolt came down. Each one stronger, sharper, and more furious than the last. Yet every strike that hit the domain was purified and pulled inward, feeding the growing pill.
Zi Yan's eyes widened as the smell of ozone and divine medicine mixed into one amazing scent.
The ninth bolt fell... heavier than all the others combined. The void above the entire island shook, mountain peaks cracking as heavenly lightning lit up the sea.
When the smoke cleared, the tribulation clouds began to disappear.
Above Shen Yi's head floated a small, glowing pill. Its surface shimmered with living light, naturally carved into a pattern of nine dragons and nine phoenixes, intertwined forever. The faint cries of divine beasts echoed softly from inside it.
Shen Yi held out his hand, and the pill floated into his palm. A faint golden glow surrounded it, pulsing steadily like a heartbeat.
The elders and tribe members held their breath, looking at the miraculous pill, which was tempting them and pushing their desires to the limit.
Shen Yi looked at the pill in his hand for a moment, then turned to Zi Yan, his voice calm but firm.
"Take it now. Absorb it inside your residence… its power will get weaker with every passing moment."
Zi Yan blinked in surprise, then quickly nodded. The pill's energy connected with her bloodline; she could feel the call of the dragon phoenix within the pill.
Without thinking, she took the pill and swallowed it. Her body glowed faintly as dragon and phoenix shadows wrapped around her, then she turned into a streak of golden purple light and vanished into the distance, heading to her room.
Silence fell across the island. The thunder was gone. Only a faint buzz of leftover lightning lingered in the air.
Elder Qing Shan let out a slow breath, breaking the quiet. "Friend Yi... rest now. You must be tired."
Shen Yi looked down; the golden domain dissolved into tiny lights, scattering into the wind. A slight tiredness showed in his eyes, but he remained calm... his energy peaceful, balanced, and immense.
He nodded lightly and turned away, his shape blurring into a streak of lightning that disappeared toward the guest residence.
As he vanished, Elder Qing Mu looked toward the horizon where Zi Yan had gone and whispered, "Tier-Nine Pill... Heavenly Dragon and Phoenix Pill... even the heavens themselves blessed its creation."
The other elders exchanged serious glances; no one spoke further. After sending away the remaining spectators, they started waiting eagerly for Zi Yan's transformation.
On the other hand,
Zi Yan returned to a large hall, which was her residence, and then she sat down cross-legged in the middle.
A purple cocoon covered her figure; the cocoon surface started flickering with red and golden runes describing the images of a dragon and phoenix.
...
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