The medicinal herbs were tossed into the void.
Xu Zimo did not refine them one by one; instead, he merged them all at once.
As the azure flames burned, the tens of thousands of threads under his control had already arranged the order of fusion.
But with the blazing azure fire enveloping everything, no one else could see clearly.
He threw in the three main ingredients together.
The first, the demon core of the Nine-Lives Cat Demon.
This was a legendary beast, said to possess nine lives. Each death marked a metamorphosis.
After nine transformations, it could directly ascend into the God Meridian Realm, making it exceedingly rare.
When the cat demon’s core rose into the air, a phantom of the Nine-Lives Cat Demon appeared, screeching.
Its sharp claws frantically tore at the void, trying to escape.
The second main ingredient was the Dragon Pearl of a Ten-Thousand-Year Golden Dragon.
But “ten-thousand years” did not literally mean ten thousand.
It meant a million years of life.
For dragons, a year was not the same as for humans.
For humans, a year was 365 days, but for Golden Dragons, one year equalled 36,500 days.
Thus, a Ten-Thousand-Year Golden Dragon lived for about a million human years.
The dragon pearl exuded boundless might, its dragon’s majesty shaking the heavens and stirring storms.
In the vast void, the cat demon and golden dragon roared together, their deafening cries swallowing the world.
The final main ingredient, a wisp of Immortal Essence.
What was Immortal Essence?
In the Nine Heavens, there existed Immortal Monarchs, who could battle Grand Emperors.
A Grand Emperor possessed a Dao Source, while an Immortal Monarch had an Immortal Spring.
Countless strands of Immortal Essence condensed into the Immortal Spring, just as gas condenses into liquid. Such energy could only belong to an Immortal Monarch.
Witnessing Xu Zimo’s grand display, the crowd erupted in chatter.
“Who is this guy?”
“Didn’t they say the Demon Faction was scraping the bottom of the barrel? What kind of ‘bottom of the barrel’ is this?”
“He and Green Cloud have completely overshadowed everyone else.”
“At first, I thought this match was hopeless. Now it looks like things just got interesting.”
On the stands, the Buddha Faction’s side, who had been certain of victory, now showed visible unease.
Ghost Buddha glanced at the young man beside him.
This youth was the leader of the Buddha Faction’s group, yet since arriving he had not spoken, only watching quietly.
“I knew that brat wasn’t simple,” Ghost Buddha snorted.
“Don’t be anxious. Keep watching,” the youth replied with a smile.
“Trust in Green Cloud.”
Meanwhile, Thousand-Slaughters finally exhaled, wiping the cold sweat from his brow.
Although the outcome was still uncertain, at least there was suspense now, not like before, where they were immediately crushed.
Judging from the scale, Xu Zimo was also refining a ninth-grade pill.
If it had only been eighth-grade, even success wouldn’t matter, the difference in grade was an innate disadvantage.
While refining, Green Cloud also spared glances at the others. The other four were making eighth-grade pills, unworthy of concern.
Only Xu Zimo puzzled him, he could not fathom his pill technique.
To divide his focus into ten thousand parts, controlling so many threads at once, Green Cloud admitted he could not do that.
“It seems coming to this Myriad Alchemy Gathering was not in vain,” Green Cloud laughed loudly.
He raised his hand toward the sky. Within the Golden Crow Furnace, blazing solar fire raged.
His hands quickly formed seals, one after another, striking the furnace.
Above his head, thunderclouds began to gather.
Clear skies darkened instantly.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Bolts of silver-white lightning rolled within the clouds, thunder rumbling, flashes darting about.
The dark clouds above grew denser and denser, like black clouds pressing a city to ruin.
Around the central plaza, the nine Alchemy Dragon Pillars seemed to respond to the aura.
Golden power surged upon them.
The nine pillars linked together.
At the critical moment of the Golden Crow Furnace, a deafening boom split the air.
A blinding thunderbolt fell, like dawn light tearing through darkness.
It crackled violently through the void.
At the same time, from the nine Alchemy Dragon Pillars, nine golden dragons soared into the sky.
Their roars resounded through Brahma City.
Brilliant golden radiance filled the heavens, blocking the thunderbolts.
But the lightning would not relent, more bolts struck down amidst thunderous roars.
They tried to shatter the barrier of the dragon pillars, but to no avail.
For those nine pillars existed precisely to counter pill tribulations.
From within the Golden Crow Furnace came harsh noises, its tremors growing more violent.
As it shook, the surrounding void was incinerated, nothing could draw near.
After five or six minutes, Green Cloud’s aura surged to its peak. His robes billowed, his long hair danced without wind.
The furnace once again transformed into the phantom of the golden crow, soaring through the sky.
During all this, the lightning tribulation above never ceased.
The golden crow cried out as it flapped, and Green Cloud opened his palm.
The crow flew into his hand, instantly dissipating.
In its place was a single black pill, resting in his palm.
As the pill took shape, the thunder above gradually faded.
When the pill was complete, the tribulation naturally dispersed.
Opening his hand, Green Cloud revealed the black pill. Visions swirled endlessly around it.
Like a hellish purgatory, the Nine Ghosts Soul-Devouring Pill bore nine distinct ghost heads, each emerging vividly.
Every ghost head was different, chilling to behold.
“A ninth-grade pill!” gasps erupted from the crowd.
As each of the nine ghost heads roared in turn, nine radiant pill marks lit up.
Green Cloud smiled with satisfaction, putting the pill away.
Then he turned his gaze toward Xu Zimo.
He saw Xu Zimo was in no hurry, even stifling a yawn.
No pill furnace, only azure flames burning around the materials.
No thunder tribulation had yet appeared.
Just as Green Cloud thought this, the skies suddenly darkened.
By this time, the others had finished their pills too.
But compared to Green Cloud’s Nine Ghosts Soul-Devouring Pill, they caused no stir.
Each quietly stepped back, all eyes now fixed on Xu Zimo.
He alone remained.
“Green Cloud’s chances of winning are high,” Ghost Buddha said with a grin.
The Alchemy Sage nodded slightly.
Even if Xu Zimo refined a ninth-grade pill, what of it?
Judgment was based on grade, pill marks, and time.
In grade, both were ninth-grade, so a tie.
In pill marks, nine was the limit, again, a tie.
As for time, it was obvious Green Cloud had finished first.
Xu Zimo casually fused the flames.
From within the azure fire radiated immense power.
Above, the thunder tribulation loomed, and Xu Zimo raised his head slightly, gazing at the heavens.
Finally, lightning began to stir.
The golden dragons of the Alchemy Dragon Pillars roared.
Within the azure flames, a dragon’s roar also echoed, it was the Dragon Pearl of the Ten-Thousand-Year Golden Dragon, faintly resonating with the pillars.
For a moment, dragon roars resounded across heaven and earth.