A few miles away from Divine Medicine Valley.
On a mountain peak, Jiang Bingjun and Shen Mulan stood together.
Both stared blankly at the scene inside the valley.
"Master, you've seen Heaven's Mandate Sons from other worlds. Have any of them ever been as monstrous as Crown Prince Yang?"
After a long silence, Shen Mulan finally spoke.
Jiang Bingjun swallowed hard. "It seems… not quite."
In truth, what he wanted to say was that they were far, far inferior.
But for the sake of pride, he only said "not quite."
Even if one was Heaven's Mandate, this was too abnormal.
It could only be said that though the Wilderness Realm was but a mayfly world, it truly was the ancient source land. Even the Heaven's Mandate here were monstrous to an extreme.
"And compared with Zuo Qiuming…" Shen Mulan asked.
"There's no doubt."
Jiang Bingjun's expression firmed again. "In martial dao, perhaps Zuo Qiuming really isn't as strong as Crown Prince Yang. But Zuo Qiuming is an alchemist, not a warrior."
"Even if Crown Prince Yang is the Heaven's Mandate Son of the Wilderness Realm, he's ultimately limited to this realm. Once he leaves, he may not be so heaven-defying anymore."
"But Zuo Qiuming, even if he leaves the Wilderness Realm, will still be the reincarnation of Zuo Mingqiu."
Shen Mulan fell silent, though inwardly her faith in Jiang Bingjun's words wavered.
The invincible bearing Yang Cheng had just shown had struck her too deeply.
She didn't know what kind of brilliance Zuo Qiuming might show.
But she knew that if she were someone's daughter, she would surely fall for Yang Cheng.
At the edge of the crowd of onlookers.
A veiled woman in a bamboo hat stood quietly.
"How can this be?"
She could hardly believe it.
She was Lu Jingshu.
She had come to Divine Medicine Valley intending to help Yang Xiu forge stronger ties with Zuo Qiuming.
But she had never thought she would witness such an earth-shaking battle.
Hearing the crowd whisper that Yang Cheng was the "Heaven's Mandate Son," she felt dazed.
Clearly Yang Xiu was supposed to be the Heaven's Mandate Son. Why was everyone calling Yang Cheng that?
And indeed, Yang Cheng was too monstrous.
"The Heavenly Secret Divine Stone shows the future growing more and more chaotic. What I saw—was it truly the future?"
Lu Jingshu was confused.
More and more, what she witnessed in reality clashed with what she had seen in the Heavenly Secret Divine Stone.
"But still, many things match the visions in the stone."
She took a deep breath. "And though Yang Cheng is monstrous, Yang Xiu is also growing faster and faster. This means fate itself is adjusting."
"According to the Heavenly Secret Divine Stone, Yang Xiu never obtained the Heaven-Devouring Divine Cauldron and had to share the Azure Emperor's legacy with Chu Chen."
"Now Yang Xiu not only has the Heaven-Devouring Divine Cauldron, he enjoys the Azure Emperor's legacy alone."
In this short time, Yang Xiu's growth had been like ten thousand li in a single day.
Now his cultivation had already reached the eighth-realm Martial Emperor, far beyond what the original future had foretold.
She decided to remain patient, waiting for Yang Xiu's reversal.
Inside Divine Medicine Valley.
Deputy Valley Master Tan and the rest lowered their heads even further.
Heaven's Mandate!
There was no doubt—Yang Cheng was the Heaven's Mandate Son of the Wilderness Realm.
Only that could explain why he was so heaven-defying.
Bowing to Heaven's Mandate was no disgrace.
"Compensation?"
Yang Cheng's expression stayed calm. "This palace has killed so many of your Divine Medicine Valley people, and you don't want revenge?"
Mo Qingxuan's heart bled, yet he could only endure. "Even in grief, we know Heaven's Mandate cannot be defied. Earlier, we went against fate by opposing Crown Prince Yang, and the heavy losses we suffered were punishment we deserved."
"Then bring me the Dragon-Tiger Golden Pill and the Black Tiger Furnace."
Yang Cheng didn't care if their words were sincere or false.
Regardless, he would take what he came for. That was what mattered most.
"Please follow us, Crown Prince Yang," Mo Qingxuan said.
The rest stayed silent.
As long as even a sliver of hope to resist Yang Cheng had existed, none of them would have willingly surrendered the Dragon-Tiger Golden Pill.
But now, they really had no choice.
The Valley Master and Zuo Qiuming were still inside the Starfall Secret Realm.
Every other force they could muster had already been used, and all had been broken by Yang Cheng.
They didn't want to die, nor see Divine Medicine Valley destroyed. That left only one option—to hand over the Dragon-Tiger Golden Pill.
They arrived at the sect's secret treasury.
Yang Cheng followed Mo Qingxuan and the others into a grand hall.
At the center of the hall rested a golden pill.
Even before stepping inside, Yang Cheng could sense an extraordinary aura flowing from it.
It wasn't just a pill—it was the very embodiment of pill dao itself.
His heart shook in awe.
This was the first time he had ever laid eyes on the Dragon-Tiger Golden Pill.
There was no doubt. This was a divine pill.
Even with his mastery at the Perfection level, he could never refine something like this.
"You mean to tell me no one in Divine Medicine Valley ever thought about swallowing this pill?" Yang Cheng asked.
"It's not that no one thought about it—it's that no one could," said Deputy Valley Master Tan. "A divine pill has its own spirit. Anyone who tries to eat it not only fails but suffers for it."
Yang Cheng's eyes narrowed, then he chuckled. "So you thought this palace couldn't possibly subdue this pill. That's why you so generously led me here."
The higher-ups of Divine Medicine Valley all avoided his gaze.
Clearly, Yang Cheng had pierced right through their scheme.
Deputy Valley Master Tan quickly said, "We truly wish to present this pill to Crown Prince Yang. We have no other intentions."
Yang Cheng didn't bother arguing with them.
Before coming here, he already knew the method to subdue the Dragon-Tiger Golden Pill.
In his memory, a hundred years later, Zuo Qiuming had obtained this method inside the Starfall Secret Realm.
It was simple.
One only needed to call the pill by name.
And indeed, the Dragon-Tiger Golden Pill was never meant to be swallowed.
It had intelligence. It could transform into a "pill boy," possessing god-level alchemy skills.
In truth, it was no different from a Pill God.
To eat it would be sheer waste.
Moreover, within it was hidden a supreme breathing technique—the Dragon-Tiger Breathing Technique.
In the future, Zuo Qiuming cultivated this very art, growing even more powerful because of it.
Yang Cheng walked up to the pill, speaking calmly. "Guapi, get over here."
It was said that the Dragon-Tiger Golden Pill had been refined by the founder of Divine Medicine Valley, Zuo Jurong.
After refining it, he often made it serve as his pill boy.
Because he found it clumsy, he constantly scolded it as "Guapi."
And so, the pill eventually accepted "Guapi" as its own name.
Buzz!
After lying motionless for so long, the Dragon-Tiger Golden Pill suddenly trembled, then flew off the pedestal.
It circled around Yang Cheng, as if carefully inspecting him.
The crowd from Divine Medicine Valley stood frozen in shock.
What was happening?
They had worshipped the Dragon-Tiger Golden Pill for over 10,000 years, yet no one had ever stirred it.
Why did it rise so easily the moment Yang Cheng appeared?
Could it be that the Heaven's Mandate Son truly defied all reason?
Yang Cheng extended his hand toward it.
In his palm, unseen to others, burned the Samadhi True Fire.
The second step to subduing the Dragon-Tiger Golden Pill—show it a strange flame.
Whereas ordinary beings feared strange flames, the Dragon-Tiger Golden Pill loved them.
The stronger the flame, the more it rejoiced.
Such fire could hasten its growth.
And Yang Cheng's Samadhi True Fire was far stronger than Zuo Qiuming's Xuanhuang Ancient Flame.
If Zuo Qiuming could subdue it, Yang Cheng had no doubt he could do the same with even greater certainty.
And indeed, the truth proved it.
The Dragon-Tiger Golden Pill could no longer restrain itself. With a swoosh, it darted straight into Yang Cheng's palm.
At that moment—
The hearts of the Divine Medicine Valley crowd felt as if they had shattered.