Chapter 2274: Seizing the Pill
Dozens of Great Saints at the Hundred Shackles Great Perfection realm possessed cultivation bases far surpassing other cultivators, thus they were the fastest, charging at the forefront and engaging in fierce competition with one another.
"That Emperor-grade Sacred Intent Pill, our Yama Clan wants it. Whoever wishes to contend for it, first weigh your own capabilities." Yan Huangtu charged at the very front, his voice rumbling like thunder, echoing across the universe.
Beside him flew four Yama Clan Great Saints at the Hundred Shackles Great Perfection realm, each exuding a profound aura.
To subdue the Emperor-grade Sacred Intent Pill, the Yama Clan had evidently made ample preparations. With the strength of five Hundred Shackles Great Perfection Great Saints, they were enough to sweep away all who refused to yield.
Other Yama Clan Hundred Shackles Great Perfection Great Saints did not travel with them but instead went to seize the Quasi-Emperor-grade Sacred Intent Pills and King-grade Sacred Intent Pills.
"Shua!"
"Shua!"
...
Lan Ying, Wu Jiang, and Luo Shengtian were also incredibly fast, each charging toward a Quasi-Emperor-grade Sacred Intent Pill, just as Zhang Ruochen had initially guessed.
The Fortune Black Robe High Priest smiled and said, "The Yama Clan truly lives up to being the supreme clan. With just one word thrown out, even someone as proud as Lan Ying withdrew from the competition. It seems that Emperor-grade Sacred Intent Pill will be Yan Wushen's prize."
The Pill Attendant said, "Lan Ying, Yan Huangtu, Wu Jiang, and Luo Shengtian are all unparalleled prodigies. Unfortunately, they have already cultivated Sacred Intents from the paths they have delved deepest into. Even if they seize that Emperor-grade Sacred Intent Pill, it would be meaningless."
"As for other cultivators, let alone subduing the pill spirit of an Emperor-grade Sacred Intent Pill, even if they succeed, they could not condense any remarkable Sacred Intent from just the pill alone."
The Fortune Black Robe High Priest nodded and said, "That Emperor-grade Sacred Intent Pill can only spark some anticipation if it falls into the hands of Yan Wushen and Zhang Ruochen. Now it seems this challenge should fall upon Yan Wushen."
The Pill Attendant understood that the so-called "anticipation" and "challenge" referred to condensing a Third-rank Sacred Intent from a single Dao, accomplishing what no one before had done.
Only Yan Wushen and Zhang Ruochen, combined with the Emperor-grade Sacred Intent Pill, had a sliver of possibility.
For other cultivators, even obtaining the Emperor-grade Sacred Intent Pill would be futile.
The Pill Attendant said, "The gods should share the same expectation. However, the possibility of condensing a Third-rank Sacred Intent from a single Dao is too slim. I think the gods are more looking forward to seeing if any cultivator can use a Quasi-Emperor-grade Sacred Intent Pill to fuse a Second-rank Sacred Intent. The Hell Realm has not seen a new Second-rank Sacred Intent born in many years."
The Fortune Black Robe High Priest said, "The ten Quasi-Emperor-grade Sacred Intent Pills refined by Tai Shang are peerlessly rare. Only over three hundred thousand years ago did a Pill Dao Tai Shang from the Heavenly Palace refine a few. With their aid, perhaps one or two among Lan Ying, Yan Huangtu, Luo Shengtian, and Wu Jiang might successfully fuse a Second-rank Sacred Intent."
The Pill Attendant's gaze shifted toward the direction of the Pill Qi River, and he said, "I think Zhang Ruochen has a greater chance of fusing a Second-rank Sacred Intent. But... he must first seize a Quasi-Emperor-grade Sacred Intent Pill."
"For him, that will be a tremendous challenge. The competition for the ten Quasi-Emperor-grade Sacred Intent Pills is the most intense and brutal. Many Hundred Shackles Great Perfection Great Saints have already joined forces." The Fortune Black Robe High Priest said.
The appearance of the Sacred Intent Pills had whetted the appetites of the gods of the Hell Realm, sparking intense interest in the outcome of the struggle.
"Xiu! Xiu! Xiu!"
Dozens of Hundred Shackles Great Perfection Great Saints turned into streaks of light, quickly catching up to the hundred thousand top-grade Heaven-grade Sacred Intent Pills. However, they did not stop or collect them but instead pushed forward with all their might.
Although top-grade Heaven-grade Sacred Intent Pills were worth a fortune, each one selling for more than a Divine Stone,
they were of no further use to them.
To waste time collecting top-grade Heaven-grade Sacred Intent Pills and miss the chance to seize a Quasi-Emperor-grade Sacred Intent Pill would be a loss.
"Hualala."
Zhang Ruochen activated Great Space Teleportation. Each time his figure vanished, he reappeared hundreds of miles away. In moments, he surpassed Yan Huangtu, Lan Ying, and the others, charging to the very front.
Lan Ying sneered coldly, "What's the point of an Immortal Realm Great Saint rushing so far ahead? Collecting more Heaven-grade Sacred Intent Pills to sell for Divine Stones is the real path."
The pill spirits of Quasi-Emperor-grade Sacred Intent Pills possessed combat power comparable to early Thousand Questions Realm Great Saints.
Knowing this, although Zhang Ruochen was fast, those Hundred Shackles Great Perfection Great Saints did not see him as a threat.
Could an Immortal Realm Great Saint, relying on his own strength, possibly collect a Thousand Questions Realm Sacred Pill?
Traveling side by side with Zhang Ruochen was Yan Wushen.
Yan Wushen also used Great Space Teleportation, his speed no slower than Zhang Ruochen's. He laughed aloud, "Zhang Ruochen, if you want to collect a Quasi-Emperor-grade Sacred Intent Pill, you should bring Xia Yu along. As long as you achieve your goal, borrowing external strength is nothing shameful."
"And what if I want to seize that Emperor-grade Sacred Intent Pill?" Zhang Ruochen said.
Yan Wushen's pupils contracted deeply, unable to tell whether Zhang Ruochen was speaking truth or falsehood.
Just then, Zhang Ruochen swung his sleeve, sending out a vast tide of light points formed by time imprints, flying toward Yan Wushen.
"Zila."
Yan Wushen extended a golden, shining finger, carving a space rift over ten miles long, which swallowed all the time imprint light points, neutralizing them.
Taking this opportunity, Zhang Ruochen gained the lead, catching up to the ten Quasi-Emperor-grade Sacred Pills.
Seeing that he still showed no sign of stopping, Yan Wushen thought to himself, "What is Zhang Ruochen up to? Does he really have the strength to collect a Quasi-Emperor-grade Sacred Intent Pill, or even an Emperor-grade one? Unless..."
Yan Wushen could only think of one possibility: that the Undying Blood Clan's Supreme Sacred Artifact was in Zhang Ruochen's hands.
Of course, this was nearly impossible.
No one understood Zhang Ruochen's strength better than Yan Wushen. In his view, before Zhang Ruochen broke his first shackle, he still had a considerable gap compared to figures like the Undying Blood Clan's Blade Prison Emperor and Feng Hou.
How could the gods of the Undying Blood Clan possibly entrust the Supreme Sacred Artifact to him?
Moreover, even if Zhang Ruochen wielded the Supreme Sacred Artifact, he could not defeat a peak Thousand Questions Realm pill spirit. If he truly clashed head-on, he would most likely be killed instantly—it would be pure suicide.
Zhang Ruochen found his first target.
It was a Quasi-Emperor-grade Sacred Intent Pill, its pill spirit taking the form of "Yin-Yang Gardenia," with two blossoms, one yin and one yang, like the sun and moon shining together in the sky, extremely gorgeous.
"It should be well-suited to help me fuse the Yin-Yang Five Elements Sacred Intent."
This thought had just flashed through Zhang Ruochen's mind when suddenly, an extremely dangerous aura approached. The scorching heat wave seemed ready to melt his Immortal Sacred Body.
It was one of the Yin-Yang Gardenia's blossoms, pressing down on him from above.
The flower was like a divine sun, its heat similar to that emitted by the Star Divine Sword in Ming Wang's hand, capable of melting all things and destroying an Immortal Sacred Body.
The flames surging from the flower were Emperor-level Purifying Divine Flame, pure white and flawless.
"Boom."
In haste, Zhang Ruochen could only raise his arm and unleash the supremely yang and rigid Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palm, colliding with the Yin-Yang Gardenia's blossom.
A fierce clash ensued.
Immediately, a terrifying force, like an avalanche, struck him from above, sending his body flying downward over a hundred miles.
The blood-red robe on Zhang Ruochen's body was riddled with holes, burned by the Purifying Divine Flame. Some strands of his hair caught fire, and his right arm ached as if it might split. Fortunately, his half-divine body was strong, so he was not injured, though he looked extremely disheveled.
"So this is the power of a Thousand Questions Realm Great Saint. I'm afraid I would need to cultivate to the Hundred Shackles Realm to go toe-to-toe with it." Zhang Ruochen thought to himself.
Behind him, the cultivators of the Hell Realm burst into laughter.
"What's the point of rushing ahead? Overestimating oneself, delusionally trying to collect a Quasi-Emperor-grade Sacred Intent Pill." Wu Jiang snorted, his face full of mockery and ridicule.
"Being able to withstand a blow from the pill spirit shows Zhang Ruochen has some skill."
Xu shook his head and said, "A Thousand Questions Realm pill spirit is not so easy to deal with. Zhang Ruochen overestimated his own strength. However, that Quasi-Emperor-grade Sacred Intent Pill is suitable for me."
Including Xu, a full four Hundred Shackles Great Perfection Great Saints charged toward the Yin-Yang Gardenia.
"Always showing off, now he's lost face big time." Yu Huang glanced in the direction of the Yin-Yang Gardenia, then charged with Yi Xuan Great Saint toward another Quasi-Emperor-grade Sacred Pill.
The four Hundred Shackles Great Perfection Great Saints arrived within a hundred miles of the Yin-Yang Gardenia. Sensing the powerful energy fluctuations erupting from the Quasi-Emperor-grade Sacred Pill, they all stopped and each took out a Monarch Sacred Artifact.
Before they could act, they heard Zhang Ruochen's voice coming from afar.
"All of you, get out of the way."
The four powerhouses looked toward the source of the sound, seeing Zhang Ruochen standing at the other end of the void, pointing a Purple Gold Gourd at them... no, at the Yin-Yang Gardenia.
"You tell us to get out of the way, and we just obey? What a joke." A Shura Clan Hundred Shackles Great Perfection Great Saint said coldly.
Another Hundred Shackles Great Perfection Great Saint from the Corpse Clan suggested, "A mere Immortal Realm jumping clown. How about we cripple him first, then each rely on our own abilities to seize the Sacred Pill?"
"His presence here is indeed a nuisance."
Xu's eyes were fixed on the Purple Gold Gourd in Zhang Ruochen's hand. Suddenly, he sensed a subtle fluctuation in space. His expression changed, and he shot backward like lightning, retreating at top speed.
"Hua—"
From the gourd's mouth, thirty-six million spatial inscriptions were activated by Zhang Ruochen, instantly forming a circular space grand formation covering several hundred miles in radius.
"Not good!"
"How does he have a space formation?"
The other three Hundred Shackles Great Perfection Great Saints realized something was wrong and immediately burst forth with their fastest speed, trying to escape the range of the space grand formation.
"Boom."
The space within several hundred miles collapsed and contracted in an instant, generating a powerful suction force that converged toward the gourd's mouth.
The Quasi-Emperor-grade Sacred Pill's spirit, the Yin-Yang Gardenia, bore the brunt of it. Its massive body rapidly shrank and was sucked into the gourd.
In addition, over a dozen King-grade Sacred Intent Pills within the range of the space grand formation were also drawn in.
Even though he had escaped the range of the space grand formation, Xu was still pulled backward several hundred meters by the Purple Gold Gourd's suction force, his body completely out of his control.
After stabilizing himself, Xu felt his scalp tingle. From a distance, he stared at the gourd in Zhang Ruochen's hand, then immediately fled far away, not daring to stay any longer.
"What a terrifying gourd. Although it's not a Supreme Sacred Artifact, it's more fearsome than some Supreme Sacred Artifacts. This must be Zhang Ruochen's biggest trump card."
The feeling of weightlessness, completely beyond his control, had made Xu extremely uncomfortable.
The other three Hundred Shackles Great Perfection Great Saints narrowly escaped the range of the space grand formation. Like Xu, they stabilized themselves and immediately retreated far away, not daring to get too close to Zhang Ruochen.
Just now, it was fortunate that the Yin-Yang Gardenia's massive body had blocked most of the Purple Gold Gourd's suction; otherwise, the three of them might not have escaped.
"Damn it! What kind of gourd is that Zhang Ruochen has? The suction power is too strong, completely unstoppable."
"I think it's a top-tier Monarch Sacred Artifact with spatial attributes. In the future, when dealing with Zhang Ruochen, it's best to be careful and not get caught off guard."
"Don't be too nervous. In my view, that gourd's suction power is only strongest within three hundred miles. Moreover, activating it takes a considerable amount of time, so it's not really a threat. If we launch long-range attacks or don't give him a chance to activate the gourd, he'll be forced to take a beating."
Just now, Zhang Ruochen had only activated the space grand formation at the gourd's mouth, not unleashing the power of the Destruction Golden Sun and Star Core within the gourd. Thus, it had not released Supreme-level power, and its suction was quite limited.
"This gourd... is quite interesting..."
In the distance, Feng Hou, who had witnessed this scene, showed a hint of surprise in her eyes.
A Quasi-Emperor-grade Sacred Pill had been effortlessly taken away, causing many cultivators to become vigilant and contemplate strategies to deal with that gourd.
Zhang Ruochen did not stop. He charged toward another Quasi-Emperor-grade Sacred Intent Pill.
The pill spirit of that Quasi-Emperor-grade Sacred Intent Pill was also a flower, shaped like a hand, with four fingers clenched and the index finger extended, emitting a bright, vivid red light.
The flower was called "Immortal's Finger."
The cultivator clashing with the Immortal's Finger was Wu Jiang of the Underworld Clan.
The residual energy from the battle between Wu Jiang and the Immortal's Finger turned into layers of energy waves, spreading thousands of miles away.
Besides Wu Jiang, there was no one else.
No cultivator dared to contend with him.
Even with Wu Jiang's formidable cultivation, subduing an early Thousand Questions Realm pill spirit was clearly not an easy task. The one and the flower fought fiercely, causing space to tremble violently.
Zhang Ruochen had only flown five hundred miles away when Wu Jiang detected him.
The commotion caused by Zhang Ruochen using the Purple Gold Gourd to collect the Quasi-Emperor-grade Sacred Pill had been significant, and Wu Jiang had certainly noticed it. Therefore, he did not dare to underestimate him.
"This Quasi-Emperor-grade Sacred Pill is mine. You'd better not interfere."
Wu Jiang transmitted a message in a threatening tone.
Zhang Ruochen was not afraid of him. He said coldly, "You've spent so much time and still haven't subdued the pill spirit. I think you're simply not up to the task. Step aside and let me handle it."
He dared to say he wasn't up to the task?
Subduing a pill spirit was not that easy.
Not only could the pill spirit not be destroyed, but the pill's main body also could not be damaged.
It was even harder than defeating an early Thousand Questions Realm Great Saint, or even killing one.
"Daring to say such words to me, your courage is considerable. Who gave you the nerve?"
Wu Jiang felt that Zhang Ruochen was deliberately provoking him. His eyes turned cold. In the gap between his fight with the Immortal's Finger, he brought his hands together in front of his chest. Behind him, black light bloomed, condensing into a hundred hand shadows arranged in a circular formation.
"Hua—"
A hundred black hand shadows each struck out a palm, transforming into a hundred hand seals, attacking Zhang Ruochen from across the distance.
Each hand seal grew larger and larger.
Finally, they turned into a hundred five-fingered sacred mountains, releasing a bone-chillingly cold power, completely enveloping Zhang Ruochen.