Half an hour later, laughter burst forth from the secret chamber—wild, booming, and unrestrained, as though it carried with it the release of all the pent-up emotions in the heart of the one laughing.
The sound was imbued with terrifying soul power, making the entire chamber tremble slightly. Fortunately, the chamber was sturdy enough that no cracks appeared on the walls.
The old man gradually collected himself, though the smile on his face remained, still caught up in the excitement of rebirth.
He could not stop touching his own skin, his face, his arms—even lifting his clothes to touch his stomach. The actions seemed odd, but understandable.
After consuming the Hundred-Year Longevity Pill, his once withered skin regained vitality. Now, he looked to be about the same age as Le Zheng'en, no longer bearing the decrepit aura of someone at death's door.
"Congratulations, Father!" Le Zheng'en said excitedly.
The old man laughed heartily, patting Le Zheng'en on the shoulder with admiration. "Zheng'en, for me to live another hundred years is all thanks to you."
"This is what a son should do," replied Le Zheng'en. Before his father, there was no trace of his usual majesty as a Three-Star General.
The old man patted his shoulder again, then turned to look at the angel statue. His expression grew reverent, and he bowed respectfully before it.
Le Zheng'en also bowed, following suit. The Le family had always shown the utmost respect to this statue, revering it as divine.
Strictly speaking, it wasn't mere worship—it truly was the likeness of a deity. It was just that this god had fallen some twenty thousand years ago.
In the eyes of the world, this ancestral deity was a villain, an evil figure, and countless insults and condemnations were heaped upon her name.
But to her descendants, she was their pride—the faith of the entire Angel Clan—worthy of eternal veneration.
They never felt she had done anything wrong. If there was any "wrong," it was only that she had lost the divine war against Sea God Tang San twenty thousand years ago.
History is written by the victors. Lose, and you are branded a villain, no matter whether you were truly evil or not. Records of the future would always glorify the victor and spit on the defeated.
Had their ancestor triumphed back then, the ones praised now would be the Angel God and Rakshasa God, and the one despised would have been the Sea God.
"Since I, Le Zhengtian, have been granted another hundred years of life, then I must pursue that higher realm and restore the supreme glory of our Angel Clan." Le Zhengtian's eyes shone with unshakable resolve.…
Meanwhile, at Spirit Transmission Tower, Shrek Academy, and the Tang Sect, everyone had returned to their own bases with the pills safely in hand.
None of the three powers consumed the pills immediately. Instead, they sent them for research, hoping to deduce the formula.
But how could they possibly unravel the recipe behind Yun Ze's pills?
Special instruments scanned the pills, but the results were filled with unknowns—not even a single ingredient could be identified, let alone the entire formula.
Even the best alchemists they summoned were utterly baffled.
Yun Ze's pill-forging methods were unique. Once refined, the ingredients merged so perfectly that it was impossible to separate or identify them.
Not only were these groups helpless—even the Immortal Realm's alchemy masters could never fully analyze such a pill. Their efforts were doomed to failure.
Still, these factions were persistent. Even if they couldn't unravel it for now, they didn't give up and continued their fruitless research.
Only when it proved impossible to decipher would they finally allow those in need to consume the pills.
Gu Ming, who had obtained the fifth Longevity Pill, chose to consume it immediately. Keeping it was courting disaster—it was safer to eat it quickly.
He was also smart enough not to do so secretly. Instead, he had the Federal Research Institute bear witness, so word would naturally spread that the pill had already been used.
This way, no one would covet it from him.
The second pill extended his life by over sixty years, making him look much younger, brimming with vitality once again.
And true to his word, he secured Yun Ze one year of free access to the fifth floor of the library.
This privilege was not easy to obtain. He had to work hard to persuade the Council of Elders.
His reasoning was that Yun Ze was but a child, only six years old. Even if he entered, he wouldn't understand the profound information within.
Moreover, soul tools capable of recording data were not allowed inside, so there was no risk of secret knowledge being leaked.
With these arguments, combined with his status, he convinced the Council to grant Yun Ze one year of access.
In truth, these were also his genuine thoughts. He truly believed Yun Ze couldn't comprehend the fifth floor's materials.
That knowledge wasn't just beyond a child—even many eighth-rank Soul Engineers in their forties or fifties might not grasp it.
It was precisely because of this assumption that he agreed. Otherwise, he would never so casually allow someone access to those invaluable records.
From the very next day after the auction, all manner of powers began visiting the Dragon Phoenix Hall—politicians, powerful soul masters, wealthy tycoons alike.
Their goals were much the same: first, to show goodwill, and second, to inquire about the Hundred-Year Longevity Pill.
At the auction, Di Tian had said vaguely that there might be more of such pills—or perhaps not. This uncertainty gnawed at them, making them desperate to know the truth.
For those unable to cultivate, the desire for the pill was even greater than among soul masters.
After all, if an ordinary person consumed one, it meant extending their lifespan by five to six hundred years! Such temptation was almost impossible to resist.
Some visitors, in private meetings with Di Tian, even declared that they were willing to give up anything to obtain the pill—that was how strong their resolve was.
These were wealthy individuals, though not the wealthiest of all—otherwise, they would have simply bid for it at the auction.
There were also high-ranking politicians, many of them elderly and close to the end of their lifespans, who craved the pill even more desperately.
They hinted at trading political power for it.
When dealing with these non-soul master politicians, Di Tian was a bit clearer with his answers—giving them hope that more pills might indeed exist.
Knowing this, the politicians became much warmer toward him.
Di Tian understood that winning over such figures could not be done in a single day, and he didn't rush to expose his true intentions.
Each conversation lasted only twenty to thirty minutes before he dismissed them, keeping things cordial but limited.
It should be noted: those granted audience with Di Tian were no ordinary figures. They were either Federal Senators, high-ranking military officers, or heads of great clans and major factions.
As for ordinary individuals, even if they were Titled Douluo, without sufficient status, they had no chance of meeting an Ultimate Douluo like Di Tian in person.
In fact, if not for the looming federal election, Di Tian—with his pride—wouldn't have agreed to meet even the Senators or generals. He didn't think much of them at all.
(End of Chapter)