"So this is the might of an Emperor-Grade Pill? Pathetically weak."
In the vastness of the heavens, a thunderous boom echoed, shaking the void. Atop a great alchemical cauldron, the Emperor-Grade Pill quivered. A powerful sense of impending doom surged up from beneath it.
Looking down, the pill beheld the ancient cauldron's crimson aura flicker with streaks of silvery light. Each glimmer carried a chill so deep it seemed to pierce the soul. The massive cauldron beneath its feet began to blur, reality seeming to unravel.
Fragrant alchemical vapors swirled. In the pill's eyes, a divine light flared and shot toward the cauldron, slamming into the source of the silver light. A deafening explosion followed, yet the silver radiance remained undimmed.
The pill's gaze sharpened, unease rising in its heart. With a step back, its figure instantly withdrew.
"Ha!"
Just as it retreated, a mighty voice erupted from within the cauldron. The colossal vessel, tens of thousands of feet tall, began to quake violently. The surrounding heavens trembled as an overwhelming force burst forth.
A dragon's roar echoed through the nine heavens.
The void trembled, and torrents of Heaven and Earth Dou Qi surged. Golden light flooded outward as nine golden Heavenly Dragons burst from the cauldron, coiling into the skies and roaring through the void toward the heavens above.
The shift in aura transformed the entire world. A pulse of terrifying energy began to condense between Heaven and Earth.
BOOM—BOOM—BOOM…
Thunder boomed. Within the massive cauldron, flames surged like a raging sea. Amidst the inferno, brilliant silver light exploded continuously. The void inside the cauldron buckled under the clash of fire and silver radiance.
Crack… crack…
The ferocious energy hammered the cauldron. In moments, cracks spread across its ancient surface. Flames seeped through the fractures, and the temperature of the world soared. The heat twisted the very fabric of space.
Shuu! Shuu! Shuu!
Silver beams burst from the heart of the firestorm. In the blink of an eye, the silver light engulfed the cauldron entirely. Energy waves roared, annihilating all in their path. The flames, overwhelmed, scattered and transformed into embers, vanishing into the void.
"Break."
A single word rang from within the silver radiance.
Then, from behind that brilliant light, a colossal phantom emerged—its scale unimaginable. Towering to the heavens and rooted in the earth, it was the image of a branch swaying alongside flowing willow tendrils.
Where the willow swayed, the void unraveled. The silver light blazed like a second sun, illuminating the heavens.
A breath of primordial chaos spread forth, as if the world had returned to the moment before the heavens were split open. Within the silver glow, all reverted to formless chaos. The Dao of Space flowed, reverberating across the infinite void.
The grand cauldron shattered, reduced to countless fragments, which melted into nothing beneath the silvery light.
From within Chen Xiaoming, the power of his bloodline surged. Bathed in divine silver brilliance, his eyes shimmered with visions of space collapsing and reforming. With a mere gesture, he seemed to command the void itself.
"Impossible…"
The Emperor-Grade Pill was frozen in shock.
The force surging within Chen Xiaoming far exceeded even that of the ancient Tou She Ancient God. In a world without Origin Qi, such power should not exist.
Fear blossomed.
This foe surpassed all expectations. Continuing to fight would mean certain death.
After all the effort to evolve into an Emperor Pill, surrender was unthinkable.
Escape. He had to escape!
Resolving himself, the pill wasted no time. With a surge of inner energy, it tore open a spatial rift before it.
Though the mansion was as solid as the heavens, impossible for even a Nine-Star Dou Saint to rend, for him—now an Emperor Pill—it posed little difficulty.
"Hmph."
Just as the pill was about to move, a cold snort echoed.
Twin beams of silver divine light shot from Chen Xiaoming's eyes, freezing space in an instant.
With a flicker, his figure vanished and reappeared beside the pill. A palm swept out—silver brilliance flew like a heavenly blade, tearing through the void.
"A Bloom in a Single Thought!"
The dazzling silver light cleaved the heavens like divine ink across paper. The void split like rice paper beneath a master's brush—calligraphy flowing with fierce elegance. Around the Emperor Pill, space transformed into a magnificent scroll.
Silver light danced across the scroll, and beneath its divine glow, blossoms of silver petals bloomed. Heaven and Earth Dou Qi flooded in—each blossom birthing a world of its own.
"No!"
A terrified scream tore through the air. The space around the Emperor Pill compressed under the radiance. No matter how it struggled, it couldn't break free.
Alchemical power surged from within it, fighting to shatter the seal. But it was as if it bore the weight of a world—utterly immobile.
"Perish."
The same technique used in the Shrouding the Heavens plane—now wielded with far greater power.
Gazing upon the bound Emperor Pill, Chen Xiaoming uttered a single word.
Behind him, the willow tendrils swept forth. A cascade of silver light burst out, slicing through the void like a painter's final stroke.
The entire world split apart. The Emperor Pill, sealed within the painting of space, could not resist.
"Seal."
Chen Xiaoming extended his right hand.
The nine golden dragons spiraled down from the heavens. The silver radiance gathered, and the scroll of space—the world around the pill—folded inward.
Silver sparkled upon the scroll, golden dragons forming its edges. Slowly, it settled into Chen Xiaoming's palm.
"Gulp…"
In the distance, the old Dragon Emperor, Zhu Kun, could no longer form a coherent thought.
Who was this terrifying figure, capable of annihilating an Emperor Pill in an instant?
The realization that he had once plotted against this man made Zhu Kun feel as though his blood were freezing in his veins.
"This is bad—we need to leave!"
Soul Emperor, having recognized Chen Xiaoming long ago, had been waiting for both sides to exhaust themselves.
But now, witnessing the instant annihilation of the Emperor Pill, dread consumed him.
Chen Xiaoming had become a Dou God. Staying any longer would be courting death.
The void rippled.
In a few flickers of light, Soul Emperor vanished without a trace.
Hovering high above, Chen Xiaoming glanced in his direction—utterly uninterested in giving chase.
Lowering his gaze to the Emperor-Grade Nascent Pill in his hand, Chen Xiaoming felt a wave of listlessness wash over him. After a moment of contemplation, all he could do was let out a bitter chuckle.
Even with his cultivation so heavily suppressed... why was he still unbeatable so soon?
Sigh—these days, the world really is too cruel. Can't a villain last a little longer?
He truly just wanted a pure, blood-pumping fight...
"Ah, forget it. Might as well go back to sleep."
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