Chapter 680: Semi-Emperor Level: Emperor Tier Pill
Inside the Ancient Emperor's Mansion.
The plaza was vast, so enormous that walking through it made everyone feel like tiny ants in a desert, with no end in sight.
"Hm?"
As they walked, the group suddenly stopped, turning their gaze toward the top of a stone pillar ahead. At the top, a deep yellow flame flickered. Everyone immediately recognized it as the Xuanhuang Flame, ranked 23rd on the Heavenly Flame Ranking.
Though it was a low-ranking Heavenly Flame, no one paid it much attention and continued forward. A hundred meters later, they encountered another towering stone pillar, atop which another flame burned.
"Ten Thousand Beast Flame, ranked 22nd on the Heavenly Flame Ranking…"
Xiao Yan, observing the fiery mass resembling countless beasts in the red flames, noticed something, and his eyes flickered with recognition. Without a word, he quickened his pace.
Seeing this, Mo Yu narrowed his eyes slightly. He knew Xiao Yan had probably realized something—after all, the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame had once escaped from this very place.
They continued walking, and more stone pillars emerged, each one crowned with a different Heavenly Flame.
"Look at these flames…" Gu Yuan and the others were astonished by the sight.
"The further we go, the higher the rank of the flames…" Xiao Yan muttered softly.
With this realization, the group quickened their pace, and more towering pillars appeared one after another. On each pillar, a Heavenly Flame from the ranking list burned, captivating everyone's attention.
"It seems Tuo She Ancient Emperor had quite the passion for collecting Heavenly Flames," Gu Yuan remarked when they came across the Eight Desolation Destruction Flame, ranked sixth on the Heavenly Flame Ranking.
"I wonder if the top three ranked Heavenly Flames will appear here," Lei Ying mused curiously.
"There shouldn't be more than one of them," Yan Jin replied, frowning. Although Heavenly Flames were rare, they weren't entirely unique. However, the top three—Purifying Lotus Demon Flame, Void Devouring Flame, and the number one flame—were unique. As long as one existed in the world, no other would.
"Let's go!"
Clearly, Lei Ying wasn't the only one wondering about this, as even the Soul Clan members exchanged glances and quickened their pace.
Both sides rushed across the massive plaza, and after some time, everyone suddenly stopped.
They had finally reached the end of the plaza. After encountering the Golden Emperor Heaven Burning Flame, ranked fourth, there were two final towering stone pillars. But this time, when they looked at the tops of the pillars, they found them empty. Neither the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame nor the Void Devouring Flame appeared here, indicating that Tuo She Ancient Emperor hadn't managed to collect them.
Everyone sighed softly, slightly disappointed.
"These are the last two pillars. It seems even Tuo She Ancient Emperor couldn't acquire the number one ranked flame," Gu Yuan remarked as he gazed at the end of the plaza.
Mo Yu didn't say anything, though he knew that the number one flame was actually Tuo She Ancient Emperor himself.
"These flames, though they possess the source of the original Heavenly Flames, seem to have lost much of their power. They're nothing more than mere replicas now," Xiao Yan commented softly.
The group nodded in agreement as they surveyed their surroundings. Their true goal wasn't these diminished flames, after all.
"What about the Emperor Tier Pill?" Hun Tiandi asked, turning to Void Devouring Flame.
Void Devouring Flame looked toward the stone hall at the end of the plaza, shrouded in thick mist that obscured its interior.
"Whoosh!"
Void Devouring Flame opened his mouth, and a powerful suction force swept through the area, drawing the dense mist into his body.
As the mist cleared, a massive shadow suddenly loomed over the plaza. The group quickly looked up, their eyes widening in shock as they saw a giant stone statue, thousands of meters tall, standing before them.
The statue depicted an elderly man, a face Mo Yu and the others were already familiar with—it was the likeness of Tuo She Ancient Emperor, the legendary master of the Ancient Emperor's Mansion.
The stone statue stood tall and imposing, exuding a supreme aura as if it ruled over heaven and earth. Under its pressure, even the likes of Mo Yu and the others felt as though they were being crushed by a mountain.
Some of the weaker individuals dropped to their knees, the impact shattering the stone slabs beneath them.
Around the statue, numerous glowing orbs floated, shining brilliantly from a distance.
"Are those… cultivation techniques and battle skills?"
Staring at the glowing orbs, the group realized that these contained powerful techniques and skills, comparable to the highest-grade Heaven-Tier methods from the outside world.
Hundreds of Heaven-Tier techniques and battle skills—this sight would have been rare even in ancient clans like the Gu Clan and the Soul Clan. Yet here, they were as common as stones on the ground.
Although such techniques were enticing, they didn't hold much interest for powerful figures like Gu Yuan and Hun Tiandi. Their real goal remained the Emperor Tier Pill, which was still nowhere to be found.
"This space hasn't been this lively in a long time…"
As the group pondered, a soft, elderly voice suddenly echoed from the sky, reverberating in everyone's ears.
The sudden voice startled everyone, and they quickly looked toward the shoulder of the stone statue, where an old figure stood with his hands behind his back. His gaze was indifferent, as though he were looking at mere ants.
"Tuo She Ancient Emperor!" the group gasped in shock.
"Is he still alive?" They stared in disbelief at the elder, who radiated an aura of unmatched strength, a power that seemed to transcend heaven and earth.
Mo Yu narrowed his eyes, studying the elder closely. After a moment, he spoke. "That's not Tuo She Ancient Emperor… He's the Emperor Tier Pill!"
Hun Tiandi, Gu Yuan, and the others were taken aback, their eyes gleaming as they locked onto the elder.
"How did you know that?!" the elder on the statue's shoulder exclaimed angrily, his expression twisting. Then, as if realizing something, he turned to glare at Void Devouring Flame. "Void Devouring Flame! All these years, I've been waiting for you! Have you forgotten our agreement?!"
"Agreement? What nonsense! I don't even know you!" Void Devouring Flame snapped back, irritated. This Emperor Tier Pill must have spent too long trapped in the mansion and lost his mind.
"Fool! If it weren't for me, you and the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame would never have escaped the mansion's confinement. You both promised to rescue me as well!" the elder—no, the Emperor Tier Pill—shouted in fury.
His words sent a shockwave through the group, who turned their stunned gazes toward Void Devouring Flame and the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame perched on Xiao Yan's shoulder. They had been trapped here before?!
Void Devouring Flame's expression shifted slightly, and after a moment of thought, he frowned and said, "Sorry, I don't remember anything about that. But…"
He trailed off, then smiled coldly. "But this time, I really am here to free you. Come with me."
The Emperor Tier Pill's face darkened, his eyes filled with suspicion. He turned his gaze to the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame on Xiao Yan's shoulder and asked, "Do you remember our deal?"
"Huh?" Little Yi blinked in confusion, clutching Xiao Yan's shoulder. "I've never met you."
Hearing this, the Emperor Tier Pill's face contorted with anger and frustration. After a moment, he glanced at the stone statue beside him, muttering bitterly, "So this was your plan all along…"
"Come with us," Void Devouring Flame said with a smirk.
"Hmph, what you want is me, isn't it?" the Emperor Tier Pill scoffed as he stared coldly at Void Devouring Flame.
Void Devouring Flame grinned, and his expression turned sinister. "Attack!"
"Boom!"
As soon as Void Devouring Flame gave the command, Hun Tiandi shot forward, unleashing a torrent of powerful Dou Qi that transformed into a massive tidal wave, crashing toward the Emperor Tier Pill.
"Such weak tricks." The Emperor Tier Pill sneered, raising a finger. With a simple gesture, the tidal wave of energy was split in two.
"This Emperor Tier Pill is difficult to deal with. We must capture him before Hun Tiandi does," Zhu Kun said grimly.
"Agreed. Watch the rest of the Soul Clan while we attack," Gu Yuan instructed Mo Yu and Xiao Yan before charging forward.
With that, the battle erupted. Energy raged across the sky as four of the most powerful beings on the continent—Hun Tiandi, Void Devouring Flame, Zhu Kun, and Gu Yuan—launched their attacks at the Emperor Tier Pill.
Despite the overwhelming power of his enemies, the Emperor Tier Pill remained unfazed. With every casual move, he unleashed terrifying energy waves that blocked the combined assaults of all four attackers.
As the onlookers watched in awe, they couldn't help but marvel at the Emperor Tier Pill's ability to hold his ground against such formidable opponents. The sheer strength of this single pill was terrifying—what kind of unimaginable power would the fully formed Emperor Tier Pill possess?
While the battle raged in the sky, the Soul Clan's remaining forces seemed ready to make a move. Mo Yu and Xiao Yan exchanged glances before leading their allies—Yan Jin and the others—to intercept them, blocking the Soul Clan's advance.
The Soul Clan warriors hesitated for a moment but didn't engage, clearly waiting for the outcome of the battle above. They understood that the victor in that clash would determine the entire battle's outcome.
The power of the Emperor Tier Pill was the key to victory.
In the sky, the battle reached a fever pitch. The five combatants clashed again and again, unleashing devastating waves of energy that tore apart the heavens. Even from a distance, the watching warriors could feel their hearts pounding in fear.
Mo Yu held back the urge to join the fight, knowing that the Emperor Tier Pill couldn't be easily dealt with. Not without…
"Emperor Pill Palm!"
Suddenly, the Emperor Tier Pill's eyes snapped open, and he soared into the air, thrusting his palm toward his four opponents. A dazzling orb of light, about the size of a human head, appeared in his hand.
"Boom!"
As the radiant orb emerged, the very energy of the heavens and earth seemed to ignite. The sky became a sea of flames, turning the entire world into a blazing furnace.
Even Gu Yuan and the others felt the immense danger as they hastily gathered their energy to defend themselves.
The Emperor Tier Pill's cold gaze sharpened, and with a push of his hands, the blazing orb of destruction shot downward.
The next instant, the orb exploded, engulfing the entire battlefield in blinding light and searing flames. In the aftermath, the sky was consumed by fire, leaving the ground far below in utter ruin.
When the light finally faded, four figures—Gu Yuan, Hun Tiandi, Void Devouring Flame, and Zhu Kun—rose from the wreckage, their once formidable defenses shattered. The ground beneath them had been torn apart, leaving gaping fissures thousands of meters deep.
The watching warriors gasped in shock, none of them expecting the Emperor Tier Pill to stand toe-to-toe with four peak powerhouses of the continent.
Floating in the sky, the Emperor Tier Pill looked down coldly at the deep chasms below. From within those cracks, the four powerful figures slowly rose, though they now looked much more battered and worn.
"You're not strong enough to refine me," the Emperor Tier Pill said disdainfully, casting an icy glance at his four would-be captors.
(End of Chapter)
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