"All four of them are refining ninth-rank spiritual pills..." At the foremost position, the pharmacist gazed upward at this unusual sight, his expression growing somewhat strange. With his keen eyesight, he couldn't fail to notice that the four were competing against one another. While he wasn't entirely clear on the others, he knew well the Wanhuo Elder—though the latter's alchemical skills were solid, the success rate for refining ninth-rank spiritual pills likely wouldn't exceed twenty percent. Moreover, refining ninth-rank spiritual pills required an exceptionally powerful absorption of celestial and terrestrial energies. Although the energies within the surrounding ten thousand li of the medicinal mountain were extremely dense, they clearly wouldn't be sufficient to support the formation of four such pills. Based on his estimation, even if they fully absorbed all available energies within that range, producing just one ninth-rank spiritual pill would already be a challenge—let alone the fact that now, as soon as they began their work, four pills were being attempted simultaneously. "If the Nine-Rank Supreme Dan is this easily produced, then its scarcity would hardly make sense..." The herbalist shook his head. In his mind, he didn't believe any of the four could successfully craft it—thus, this competition would likely end in a draw for all. Of course, his vision was sharp and far-reaching, but the others lacked such insight. As a result, they all stared in astonishment and delight at the sky, witnessing a rare and unprecedented phenomenon in alchemical creation. On the dais, the senior herbalist also furrowed his brows. Though he knew that before setting out, Xiao Yan had obtained from the Grand Elder of the Dan Tower a rare scroll—among the few remaining—containing the formula for the Nine-Rank Supreme Dan, he hadn't expected Xiao Yan to actually make it his primary objective. Though only a single character apart, the difference between a Nine-Rank Supreme Dan and a Nine-Rank Supreme Herb Dan was truly vast. Although highly rare, master alchemists capable of crafting ninth-rank precious pills are not entirely absent on the mainland; yet, as for ninth-rank xuan pills, the elderly alchemist has yet to hear of any successful creation within the past century—this alone clearly illustrates the immense difficulty involved in crafting such pills. ... High above, energy roared wildly, eventually coalescing into four massive whirlwind storms. At one end of each storm, a fire cauldron was firmly connected, while the other end relentlessly absorbed the rich celestial and terrestrial energies, continuously channeling them into the cauldrons. Faced with the four of them pulling so desperately and almost recklessly, people surrounding the plaza suddenly felt a clear sign that their internal ki was beginning to burst through their bodies. Startled and alarmed, they hurried to retreat, fearing that the carefully cultivated ki within them would likewise be drawn away by the four storm-like forces above—something that would truly represent a massive loss. This extraordinary phenomenon in the sky persisted for nearly three days. During that time, the people had no way of knowing how much energy the heavens had been siphoned off. The only sensation they could perceive was that the ambient energy flowing through the air had grown noticeably thinner. Even the medicinal herbs near the plaza had begun to turn yellow, their own energy forcibly extracted. The Nine-Rank Xuandan is inherently a man-made divine artifact. The energy required for its formation is so immense that even many Dousheng-level masters are stunned. Ancient texts record that in the distant past, wherever a Nine-Rank Xuandan emerged, the land around it would become barren for miles, as all the energy of that region was absorbed into the pill. Precisely because of this, the Nine-Rank Xuandan possesses remarkable spiritual intelligence upon its first appearance. However, achieving the level of the Small Dan Tower Elder is no easy feat—his formation was itself somewhat fortunate, as it incorporated a portion of his master’s soul at the time of creation, which caused a mutation in the Dan Tower Elder. After thousands of years of cultivation, he has only reached his current state. Thus, he is truly a unique existence. Though the herbalists felt pained at the withering of the herbs, they could do little but watch helplessly. Some elder members of the herbal family seized the opportunity to swiftly establish seals over several particularly valuable medicinal fields within the mountain, lest, when the elixirs were finally prepared, the entire mountain should eventually become barren. "The celestial and terrestrial energy within this thousand-li radius has been completely absorbed..." Yu Dan raised his palm before him, then shook his head in resignation. The energy now contained in the air was thin to an alarming degree; it would take at least several months to restore the richness of the medicinal mountain as it had been previously. "The celestial and terrestrial energy is depleted... the alchemical process has failed..." Many of the elder members of the medicinal clans found themselves at a loss—only halfway through forming the initial shapes of the pills in the four cauldrons, yet the celestial and terrestrial energy across this entire ten-thousand-li radius had now been fully drawn off, leaving insufficient energy to sustain their alchemical work. The soul of the Heavenly Realm's Great Perfection could at best enable four individuals to manipulate terrestrial and celestial energies within a range of ten thousand li. Of course, should the soul ascend to the legendary Imperial Realm, it would represent a completely different level—then, wherever the soul's awareness reached, it could command terrestrial and celestial energies at will. It is said that in ancient times, there once existed a supreme master whose soul had entered the Imperial Realm; with a mere thought, he controlled the energies of nearly half the Central Province. Such a level is simply awe-inspiring to contemplate. "Hey, that's not necessarily true..." As the Wan Huo elder's words had just finished, a strange smile appeared on the distant Hounxu Zi's face. With a sudden change in his hand seal, he firmly pressed his palm against the fire cauldron before him, and instantly, three columns of black flame surged forth. Eventually, they coalesced above the fire cauldrons of Xiao Yan and his two companions, forming three rapidly spinning black holes that radiated an overwhelming force of consumption. The immense energy absorbed by the three cauldrons over several days was suddenly transformed into radiant beams and forcibly drawn into these black holes. "Hounxu Zi, you dare!" Witnessing this, the three of them instantly grew pale. They had not anticipated that Hounxu Zi would be so bold—directly targeting them all. Senior Shen Nong and Senior Wan Huo roared simultaneously, launching the Vital Flame and the Nine-Depths Wind Flame directly at the black hole, crashing into it with tremendous force. Yet, in response to their powerful assaults, the black hole spun ever faster, its devouring power surging intensely—so much so that it began to consume portions of both their unique flames. Seeing their efforts to block fail, Senior Shen Nong and Senior Wan Huo's faces grew grave. Though the Vital Flame ranked highly, it was renowned more for its supportive capabilities; in actual combat, it simply could not match the power of the Void-Devouring Flame. As for the Nine-Depths Wind Flame, which ranked only tenth, the gap between it and the Void-Devouring Flame remained insurmountable. "Hah! With flames of this caliber, you expect to halt the Void-Devouring Flame? That's like a fool talking to himself!" Hun Xuzi laughed heartily, yet as soon as his laughter settled, his expression changed abruptly, and his gaze swiftly turned toward the black void hovering above Xiao Yan's fire cauldron. A streak of flame surged from the cauldron and transformed into a young fire infant. With a dismissive wave of its small hand, the fire infant sent out a cascade of rosy flames that immediately encircled the black void. Upon encountering the rosy flames, the void's inherent devouring power was instantly neutralized by the unique purifying force. Hun Xuzi's Void Devouring Flame possessed devouring strength, while Xiao Yan's Pure Lotus Demon Flame carried purifying power—though the two were equally matched, the current Pure Lotus Demon Flame in Xiao Yan's hands not only embodied the spirit of the rare fire spirit but also represented the true essence of the original flame. In contrast, Hun Xuzi's flame, though no ordinary offspring flame, remained merely a secondary one, clearly unable to rival the genuine, foundational flame transformed by Xiao Yan's little Yi. "Master Hounxu, thank you so much for your generous gift. I'll take the energy from this strange fire right away..." Xiao Yan smiled slightly, purifying the black flame into pure energy and channeling it entirely into the fire cauldron. Instantly, the cauldron glowed brilliantly, and the shadow of the medicinal pill began to grow more solid and defined. "This young man..." At a distance, Master Hounxu's expression grew serious. He hadn't expected not only to fail in absorbing any energy from Xiao Yan, but also to lose a branch of his own sub-flame. Though this setback had dampened his initial intentions to confront Xiao Yan, he now found himself unable to press forward—his ethereal, flame-consuming sub-flame, while formidable enough to challenge the Shen Nong Elder and the Ten-Thousand-Flame Elder, still fell short when facing Xiao Yan's pure, lotus-inspired flame. "Hmph, you won't be able to boast for long..." Huixu Zi's eyes flickered slightly, then he flashed a cold smile, changing his hand seal. The black hole that had been steadily consuming the energy within the Divine Flame Cauldron of Shennong Elder and Wanhuo Elder suddenly surged with vastly increased power. As more and more energy poured into it, the nascent shape of the pill within the cauldron grew ever more radiant—progressing so steadily that it now clearly showed signs of solidifying. "It's almost ready..." Seeing this, a look of satisfaction spread across Huixu Zi's face. Yet, just as that joy appeared, a slow, rosy flame streaked in, materializing into a young flame-infant standing atop his cauldron. The infant first gave him a dismissive flick of the tongue, then slapped the cauldron's lid aside with a single palm, and, in Huixu Zi's stunned gaze, caught the still-forming pill shape firmly before leaping off with a swift dash. "You're dead! A moment of stillness passed, and then the voice of Hounxu, nearly bursting with rage, echoed across the sky.