Chapter 539: The Tragedy of the Yao n
Back at the Pill Tower, Xiao Ming did not immediately go into seclusion to refine the Demonic me. Instead, he attended to a few crucial matters.
Firstly, he issued a stern warning to the Pill Tower members, emphasizing the need for caution in their actions. He sensed that the Hun n would likely expedite their ns.
Though he didn''t interfere much this time, he did reveal some of his strength. Hun Tiandi might not move to eliminate him right away, but it would undoubtedly elerate their n.
Considering Hun Tiandi''s strong desire for the Tuo She Ancient God Jade, he might resort to unscrupulous methods. After all, the Tuo She Ancient God''s Jade in Xiao Ming''s possession was not as easily essible as that of the Ancient ns, as its exact location remained unknown.
Killing him wouldn''t necessarily guarantee that the piece of Tuo She Ancient God''s Jade would be obtained.
In such a scenario, coercive tactics simr to what happened to Xiao Zhan in the original timeline maye into y.
Currently, there were several potential avenues of threat against Xiao Ming, such as the Xiao family, the Jia Nan Academy, members of the Heavenly Court, and his wives and daughters.
He had already made preparations to mitigate most of these potential threats. However, a few loose ends remained.
For instance, the Heavenly Court needed to operate and safeguard specific locations, which required having some experts present.
If the Hun n moved to capture these individuals, Xiao Ming might be able to handle one or two, but if they seized too many and used them as leverage topel him to surrender the Tuo She Ancient God''s Jade, his options would be limited.
Xiao Ming was not all that indifferent to most situations at the end of the day.
Of course, this stance was also based on the assurance that as long as Gu Yuan and Zhu Kun were still alive, even if Hun Tiandi gainedplete control over the Tuo She Ancient God''s Jade, he could still reverse the situation.
However, if he were to hand over the Tuo She Ancient God''s Jade and risk the lives of everyone around him, there was no way he wouldply.
This time, not only did Xiao Ming instruct the members of the Heavenly Court to be cautious, but he also sent people to the four Ancient ns, advising them to remain vignt against the Hun n. It might not be possible to prevent the Tuo She Ancient God''s Jade from being taken. However, he only hoped that the moment of its taking would be dyed for a longer period of time.
This dy would give him the necessary time to devour the Purifying Demonic Lotus me. Originally, he had nned to take advantage of the conflict between the Hun n and the other Ancient ns. However, it would not be feasible if he went into seclusion now.
Nheless, this didn''t deter him; once he reached the Nine-Star Stage, Hun Tiandi would no longer pose a significant threat!
After everything was arranged, Xiao Ming entered seclusion within the Small Pill Tower.
...
During the month that Xiao Ming spent in seclusion, and while Hun Tiandi was recovering from his injuries, news of the Purifying Demonic Lotus me''s descent and Xiao Ming''s sessful acquisition of it spread rapidly, bing a prevalent topic of discussion throughout the Central ins.
Simultaneously, another significant matter drew widespread attention – the Pill Gathering Competition.
Thepetition proceeded smoothly throughout its duration, and to the amazement of the entire continent, Cao Ying, the Witch of the Cao n, emerged as the champion. In the final stage, she won by sessfully refining a six-colored Eighth-Tier Pill!
For the veteran alchemists who had entered thepetition with the aspiration of iming first ce and obtaining guidance from a Grandmaster Alchemist, their frustration knew no bounds. This was amplified when another member of the younger generation, Dan Chen, took second ce by refining a four-colored Eighth-Tier Pill.
Observing the younger generation outshining their predecessors in the field of Alchemy was a rarity. However, in this event, two young prodigies seeded in making their names known across the entire continent.
During the final stage of refinement, however, many spectators were surprised to see some familiar puppets assisting Cao Ying in resisting the Pill Lightning.
These puppets were identical to those of Xiao Ming, the Alliance Leader of the Heavenly Court!
Their curiosity was instantly aroused. They couldn''t help but specte about the rtionship between this charming youngdy and the Alliance Leader...
Regardless of their rtionship, Cao Ying''s outstanding ability to refine a six-colored eighth-tier pill at such a tender age marked her as a prodigious talent with limitless potential. The substantial rewards for first ce filled many hearts with envy and jealousy.
However, for some inexplicable reason, Cao Ying chose not to attempt to refine the Three Thousand Burning me. Meanwhile, the rest of the top ten contestants failed to subdue the Heavenly me. This brought a certain amount of relief to those who had fallen short of the top ten rankings.
While the excitement surrounding the Purifying Demonic Lotus me and the Pill Gathering continued to resonate, the Yao n found itself ensnared in a life-or-death crisis...
...
The Yao n, at the peak of Medicinal Mountain!
This was the most magnificent ce in the Yao n.
The area was covered with vast fields of precious medicinal herbs on normal days. The intense fragrance of these herbs was so strong that being among them was like being immersed in a sea of medicinal herbs.
There was a floating square at the mountain peak. This was where the Yao n held their important ceremonies on regr days. However, at this moment, it had been transformed into a bloody hell.
The sky overhead was shrouded in imprable darkness, devoid of any trace of light. The sun was obscured by a pitch-ck me that enveloped the entire sky.
In the midst of the darkness, only a few faint sources of light remained in the sky. They were locked in a fierce conflict at this moment.
Among these light sources stood a colossal figure thousands of meters tall, radiating an aura of tranquility andpassion. It was Emperor Yao''s remnant soul. He emitted terrifying energy fluctuations strong enough to shake the world.
Confronting Emperor Yao''s remnant soul was Nihility Devouring me. The fearsome pitch-ck mes shed with the soul me emanating from Emperor Yao''s remnant soul, each collision scorching the surrounding space.
Emerging from the me-shrouded space channel came numerous cold and terrifyingly strong figures. They were as thin as skeletons, with ashen faces and rich, deathly auras, akin to walking corpses. However, their formidable auras seemed amplified by some external force, continuously growing in intensity.
Subsequently, an unrelenting massacre unfolded upon the Yao n.
Battle cries and shes echoed throughout Medicinal Mountain, transforming it into the most brutal of battlegrounds. Here, life held little value, and even the mighty were reduced to mere ants. In this blood-soaked soil, the blossoms that unfurled were those of crimson.
Yao Dan, the head of the Yao n, found himself entangled and unable to break free.
"Hun Jing, Hun Yan... two of the Four Demon Saints of the Hun n have actually appeared together. Your Hun n really thinks highly of my Yao n!"Yao Dan''s voice was deep and full of hatred as he addressed the elder leading the group.
The elder leading the group chuckled weakly in response.
"Yao Dan, your Yao n''s alchemy skills still hold value for our Hun n. If you agree to make the Yao n an affiliated n of my Hun n, you might still be able to preserve some bloodline."
"Even if my Yao n were to sacrifice itsst drop of blood, we would never endure the humiliation of affiliating with your Hun n!"
Yao Dan spoke with a heavy voice. As members of the Yao n, they had their own pride. No one would agree with that whatever affiliation!
"In that case... we have no choice but to kill you all." The elder showed no surprise at Yao Dan''s resolute stance. He grinned slightly, and his attacks intensified.
Hispanions joined in the assault, driving Yao Dan to retreat step by step. Even the use of a desperate secret technique with severe side effects proved futile. His defeat was only a matter of time.
Yao Dan was rtively fortunatepared to the other members of the Yao n. They were either reduced to dry bones by the invading ck mes or in by the Hun n. Their blood stained the sky.
Emperor Yao maintained a calm expression in the sky, though a trace of sorrow lingered in his eyes. This was the Yao Realm, and the people here were considered his descendants.
Now they were being brutally ughtered.
He was but a remnant soul, summoned back into the world with the aid of the Heaven Transforming Yao Formation to protect the Yao n onest time. He spared no effort in this battle.
The intense confrontation between the Nihility Devouring me and Emperor Yao''s remnant soul had reached its zenith.
"Withoutplete memory and an iplete soul, you resemble a puppet in your muddled state. To see Emperor Yao in such a condition is truly sigh-inducing."
The Nihility Devouring me smiled faintly in the sky. There was not the slightest bit of fear or respect in his tone. His hand was outstretched, his finger covered in ck symbols pointing down.
<em>Bang!</em>
The whole ce crumbled instantly as the Nihility Devouring me pointed its finger forward. A colossal ck me finger that seemed to cover half of the mountain range descended from the ck me that spread across the sky. This entire space seemed to havepletely cracked under the finger.
However, just as the ck finger was about to strike therge formation, Emperor Yao raised his hand. A medicinal cauldron appeared above the formation that was no smaller than the giant finger. It was covered with various mysterious lines. At first nce, it seemed as if it was a real thing. An ancient aura spread out from it.
<em>Hum!</em>
The giant finger pressed heavily on therge cauldron. Immediately, a humming sound resounded in the sky.
<em>Grug!</em>
Some of the weaker individuals immediately spat out a mouthful of fresh blood under the terrifying humming sound. Some of their eardrums were even shattered. Blood continued to flow from their ears, giving them an extremely miserable appearance.
Another move was intercepted, but Nihility Devouring me showed no surprise.
With a wave of his sleeve, the entire Yao Realm began to tremble. Everyone was shocked to see that there were dense ck me clusters rising from outside the formation. Eventually, they entered the ck me in the sky. An eruption of anguished screams resounded from within the mes.
With another wave of his hand, a blood ball began to form. It expanded at a terrifying speed. The Yao n members could unmistakably discern a familiar scent emanating from within the blood ball.
These densely packed ck me clusters contained countless human figures struggling wildly. These people were all the descendant citizens of the Yao n!
There were at least millions of descendant citizens in this Yao Realm. Yet they were all being devoured by the Nihility Devouring me!
"Explode!"
An indescribably dreadful energy attack descended from the sky, shattering the ancient colossal cauldron upon impact. It eventually melted away under the relentless onught of the ck mes. The residual destructive shockwave then ruthlessly struck the guardian formation that maintained Emperor Yao''s remnant soul.
"The grand formation is on the verge of copse..."
Observing the increasingly illusory grand formation, the hearts of the remaining Yao n members resisting the assault quickly turned cold with dread.
The illusory Emperor Yao dressed in rough linen at the center of the formation also sighed softly as he watched this scene. His murmured words reached the ears of all present.
"This cmity cannot be avoided..."
He abruptly surged out of the formation as his voice sounded, transforming into an illusory streak of light that sliced through the ckened cloud of mes with a speed surpassing even that of light itself. Finally, he shot into the body of the Nihility Devouring me.
<em>Thud!</em>
The collision between the two produced only a faint, muffled sound. However, the Nihility Devouring me''s body shook violently, and for the first time, anger crept into his voice.
"You... damned old ghost, vanish from this world!"
ck mes erupted from his body in all directions. Immediately, a faint sound was heard. It was as if a soul had been shattered...
It was a soft noise, but the bodies of all the Yao n members stiffened as they sensed something quietly dissipating from their bloodline.
"Founding Ancestor..."
Yao Dan''s scarlet eyes gazed vacantly at the sky. It was as if his beliefs had crumbled at this moment.
<em>Crack!</em>
The formation began to tremble even more in front of the stunned faces of the Yao n members. Finally, it emitted a cracking sound and exploded in front of many shocked eyes...
"The formation has been broken..."
The dissipation of Emperor Yao''s remnant soul dealt a devastating blow to the Yao n, but it served as an encouragement to the Hun n.
"Intensify the attack, leave no one alive!"
...
Not long after, Hun Huzi, one of the key members of the Hun n this time, reported to Nihility Devouring me.
"Lord Nihility, except for those who are currently away, the Yao n has beenpletely wiped out."
"Hmm, the Yao n is much more difficult to deal withpared to the Shi and Ling ns. Fortunately, the n Head made the move a bit earlier this time. Hehe, once the n Heades out of seclusion, we can let the undercover agents embedded in the Three ns begin their actions. You may go back."
"Understood!"