With Yao Dan's shout, the grand formation finally began.
However, the power of the Void Devouring Flame far exceeded their imaginations.
The towering, demon-like figure waved his sleeves, and the raging black flames above him surged violently, transforming into a dense black rain of fire that descended upon the formation.
"Swish!" "Swish!" "Swish!"
The black rain of fire poured down like a meteor, and the lush mountains instantly turned withered and yellow, as if all life had been devoured. Puffs of white mist erupted from the vast ancient formation, and everyone could feel the formation's energy rapidly fading.
"Ah!"
"No!"
"Lord Xuwu, I'm not from the Medicine Clan."
The black rain of fire enveloped the entire Yao Mountain, instantly sweeping away many guests in the square. Those below the rank of Dou Sheng were rapidly fading like sand washed away by the waves.
Even Dou Sheng masters, threatened by the relentless rain of fire, felt the imminent threat of death and cried out in protest.
Unfortunately, the clamor for mercy had no effect on Void Devouring Flame; from beginning to end, no one cared about their fate.
"My Yao Clan holds thousands of years of heritage. Show me!"
Yao Dan, unconcerned with the lives of those below, a ferocious brilliance flickered across his aged face. With a single stern shout, several beams of light erupted from the mountain of medicine, charging directly into the formation.
Chen Guan, Elder Shennong, and the others saw clearly that within those beams were a dense mass of various elixirs, a terrifying quantity that could number in the billions!
With the influx of elixirs, the formation's radiance suddenly intensified, and Yao Dan's expression took on a new look of determination!
"Myriad elixirs transform the heavens. In the name of elixir, the ancestor returns!"
The ancestor of the Yao Clan, without a doubt, was the Medicine Emperor.
"Boom!"
Countless medicinal pills poured into the formation, rapidly disintegrating into powerful energy. Eventually, the energy within the formation condensed into a liquid ocean, its flow emitting a deep, thunderous roar.
"The Ancestor has returned!"
"Please bless us!"
"Please bless us!"
Yao Dan shouted again, and countless members of the Yao Clan responded with a roar. The sound surged to the heavens, reverberating throughout the vast expanse.
At this moment, everyone felt an inexplicable palpitation, and the stronger the soul, the more vivid the feeling.
It was as if, from the shadows, there were invisible eyes, a supreme consciousness watching over them. There was no escape, no escape, no hiding.
Chen Guan felt the same way. He felt a strange sensation, as if all his emotions were laid out before the Supreme Consciousness, being thoroughly seen through.
This was the terror of a Dou Di powerhouse. Even a mere remnant of its soul could inflict unimaginable psychological pressure!
"Ask for the ancestor's protection!"
Yao Dan's face was stern, his hands forming a series of hand seals as he shouted again.
Boom!
Finally, the Transformation Medicine Formation sprang into action, its mystical patterns unleashing dazzling rays of light, bringing light back to the gloomy world of medicine.
The blinding light was hard to look at, but after several breaths, it converged and softened like a firefly.
Immediately, a massive figure, over a thousand feet tall, loomed in the light, gradually solidifying!
Finally, it solidified into the phantom of an old man.
Clad in a white linen robe, his hair brimming with silver, his aged face seemingly ordinary, yet possessed a magical power that compelled anyone who beheld him, no matter how high they were, to raise their heads in awe.
Seeing this phantom, the souls of all the Medicine Clan members present trembled spontaneously. The pressure stemming from their bloodline instantly brought countless figures to their knees across the mountain range.
"Ancestor!"
Many of the Medicine Clan elders were overcome with emotion, tears streaming down their faces. They slammed their heads against the ground, the fervor on their faces moving everyone who saw them.
This was the Medicine Emperor!
In their hearts, the Medicine Emperor was like a god, invincible and inviolable!
"The Medicine Clan..."
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the bewilderment in the Medicine Emperor's eyes gradually faded. While not as severe as that of an ordinary person, he possessed a certain spiritual aura.
"The Medicine Clan... has fallen..."
His calm voice betrayed neither emotion nor anger, yet the sense of vicissitudes of life remained unshaken. Perhaps this outcome was within his expectations.
However, Yao Dan and the other Medicine Clan elders blushed with shame upon hearing these words, feeling they had failed the Ancestor's hopes.
Void Devouring Flame sized up the Medicine Emperor's remnant soul. Not a member of the Medicine Clan, it naturally didn't share their sentiments. Its brief moment of distraction was merely a jolt from the Emperor's realm.
By now, it had fully recovered.
"Yes, as a Dou Emperor's remnant soul, you're more powerful than the Spirit Emperor and Stone Emperor's, though not by much. The Spirit Emperor and Stone Emperor's remnants couldn't even sustain a single attack. Medicine Emperor, what about you?"
"Void Devouring Flame..."
The Medicine Emperor's shadowy gaze swept across the scene, instantly comprehending the situation. With a flick of his sleeve, a radiant light erupted from the formation, forcibly dispersing the black flames clinging to it, devouring its energy.
The Medicine Emperor, unaware of the later emergence of the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor, still held Void Devouring Flame at the top of the list of Strange Fires. As the
Nine-Star Dou Sheng's supreme Strange Fire, it was no wonder it could force the Medicine Clan into such a predicament!
"Yan Jin, junior of the Yan Clan, greets the Medicine Emperor!"
"Lei Ying, junior of the Thunder Clan, greets the Medicine Emperor!"
The two clan leaders bowed respectfully, as did those not of the Medicine Clan below. Even Chen Guan and the other two, their eyes filled with reverence.
A Dou Emperor!
This is the pinnacle of cultivation on the Dou Qi Continent!
"Ancestor, bless our Medicine Clan!" Yao Dan knelt down in the sky, bellowing respectfully.
"Hehe, just a remnant soul, muddleheaded and like a puppet. I'm afraid it can't save your Medicine Clan. Well, I'll help it to the end. Take this remnant soul. I think it's worth the complete souls of tens of millions of ordinary people."
Void Devouring Flame sneered, his tone devoid of awe.
The next moment, Void Devouring Flame suddenly struck, his hand extending like lightning, and a finger covered in black runes pointed downwards.
"Boom!"
As Void Devouring Flame pointed its finger, the world suddenly collapsed and the earth cracked. Amidst the swirling black flames, a massive black flaming finger, nearly obscuring half the mountain range, descended from the sky and pressed down fiercely against the formation. The entire universe exploded under that finger.
Clearly, it had realized that the Heaven-Transforming Medicine Formation was the current Medicine Emperor's energy source. If it were broken, the Medicine Emperor's remaining soul would be reduced to a rootless duckweed.
Witnessing the terrifying power of this finger, many people paled.
The black finger descended from the sky, and just as it was about to land on the formation, the Medicine Emperor's phantom finally raised his hand. With a wave of his hand, a phantom medicine cauldron, no less massive than the giant finger, was inverted upon the formation. Strange patterns covered the cauldron, making it appear as if it were tangible. An ancient aura emanated from it.
"Bang!"
The giant finger pressed down hard on the cauldron, and suddenly, a roar echoed throughout the world.
The black finger vanished, leaving the giant cauldron unmoved!
Even so, the relatively weaker members of the Medicine Clan, protected within, were still shaken to the point of vomiting blood.
Passively absorbing Void Devouring Flame's attack, the massive cauldron grew even more ethereal. The Medicine Emperor's shadowy presence in the sky also dimmed, evidently expending considerable energy.
"Void Devouring Flame, retreat! You are no match for me."
"Hahaha, just bluffing! I've got you, this remnant soul, ready to defeat you today! Let's see how many times you can hold me back!"
Void Devouring Flame saw through the Medicine Emperor's remnant's state. Black flames roared, their ferocity intensifying. He pressed his fingers into the air, shaking the earth. Several giant fingers descended from the sky, slamming into the giant cauldron in a continuous barrage.
"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!"
Accompanied by earth-shattering sounds, the cauldron was blasted with cracks.
A flicker of helplessness flashed across the Medicine Emperor's eyes, and a hint of anger crossed his otherwise calm face.
"You're not the only one in this medicine world who covets my remaining soul. You're not worthy enough to devour me!"
As his words fell, the massive cauldron looming over the Medicine Mountain erupted with a humming sound, wielding a terrifying destructive force as it charged towards Void Devouring Flame.
"Kill!"
"Yan Jin, come and lend a hand, Senior!"
"Me too!"
Simultaneously, Yao Dan, Yan Jin, and Lei Ying erupted in a chorus, closing in from all sides.
The terrifying, earth-shattering fighting spirit that assaulted Hunxu's son, Hun Qianmo, suddenly paled, and he quickly dodged, hiding behind Void Devouring Flame.
Void Devouring Flame was no fool. He knew the Medicine Emperor's remaining soul wouldn't last much longer. Seeing the attacks coming from all sides, he waved his flaming robe, and a cloud of black flames rose up, enveloping the two Soul Clan members and lifting them a thousand feet into the air, out of the reach of the enemy.
Black flames converged before Void Devouring Flame, melding and twisting, a massive python coalesced into being, fiercely repelling the pursuing Yan Jin and his companions!
"Did you really think I would come to your Medicine Clan alone, unprepared?"
The moment these words uttered, Yao Dan and his companions had a foreboding premonition.
Sure enough, the next moment, four breaches appeared in the pitch-black sky, and four vast gates of death suddenly emerged.
Instantly, a dark world enveloped Yao Mountain for tens of thousands of miles, as if the legendary gate of death had been opened. The aura of death, like a floodgate released, surged uncontrollably, pouring into the Medicine Realm.
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"Gate of Death!"
"Death Realm Formation?!"
Lei Ying and the other two paled. They had never expected the Soul Clan to be so magnanimous.
This was a notorious artifact from ancient times. Each Gate of Death required countless lives to create.
And the Soul Clan had actually used four to create the Death Realm Formation!
"Hahaha..."
Void Devouring Flame laughed wildly. With a wave of his sleeves, the entire Medicine Realm suddenly trembled. Then, everyone watched in horror as dense balls of black flame rose into the air outside the formation, eventually merging into the sky-filled black flames. Instantly, countless shrill screams echoed throughout the world.
Within those dense balls of light were the frantically struggling figures of several people. Those people were, surprisingly, descendants of the Medicine Clan!
As these tribesmen were sucked into the black flame clouds, their bodies could be seen instantly dissolving into blood and water, ultimately being completely devoured, becoming part of the Void Devouring Flame's energy.
"Boom!"
Void Devouring Flame's ferocity surged, and with a sudden, unleashed punch, black flames filled the sky like dragons, brazenly meeting the giant cauldron's renewed attack.
A deafening roar of impact followed, this time evenly matched with the giant cauldron's!
"You have the power of the Yao Clan, and so do I!"
"Void Devouring Flame!!! My Yao Clan will swear vengeance against you!"
Within the formation, Yao Dan's eyes flashed blood red, his hair and beard dancing wildly. He pushed his Dou Qi to its limit, frantically attacking Void Devouring Flame.
However, he could never reach Void Devouring Flame. Amidst
the pervasive aura of death, countless powerful figures with chilling auras emerged one after another. Like puppets, their bodies stiffened, their faces pale, and a thick aura of death permeated them. Without exception, each one possessed a strength exceeding that of a Dou Sheng!
Fueled by the aura of death, this ferocious aura continued to grow!
"Bang!" "Bang!" "Puff!"
Two consecutive clashes echoed, sending Yao Dan flying backwards, gushing blood.
Yan Jin and Lei Ying quickly responded, both horrified by Yao Dan's appearance.
While Yao Dan's strength wasn't as great as theirs, he was still a true Seven-Star Dou Sheng.
Even if his temper had just lost control and exposed a flaw, he was still far beyond the reach of ordinary humans.
"Hun Yuantian, Hun Shengtian, Hun Yao, Hun You, you four old ghosts aren't even dead yet!"
Yan Jin and Lei Ying's piercing gazes swept through the gloom, quickly locking onto four figures amidst the puppet-like forms, and exclaimed in disbelief.
The aura these four exuded was simply too overwhelming.
Four Eight-Star Dou Shengs!
And as far as they knew, these four had long since perished. How could they still be here?
"We died long ago at Xiao Xuan's hands. Now we're nothing more than the living dead. The Soul Clan needs our help, so here we are."
An eerily calm voice emanated from an old man, his hands moving without a pause. Filled with boundless death, he attacked the three with a desperate air.
Four eight-star Dou Shengs attacked two eight-star Dou Shengs and one seven-star Dou Sheng with reckless abandon.
The outcome was self-evident.
This was destined to be a battle of total domination!
"Ah!" "Ah!"
Screams echoed from the formation as the puppet-like Soul Clan warriors slaughtered the crowd.
Gu Nanhai protected Gu Qingyang, while Huo Xuan, Huo Zhi, Lei Dong, and Yao Tian and Yao Ling of the Medicine Clan gathered together, struggling to survive.
"Boom!" "Boom!"
Continuously devouring the members of the Medicine Clan, the Void Devouring Flame's power seemed endless. It single-handedly held the Medicine Emperor's remaining soul, making it appear even more ethereal.
It's easy to foresee that if this continues, Void Devouring Flame will inevitably stand the test.
"Nine-Layered Thunder Tribulation Palm!"
"Fire Emperor Profound Canon!"
"Puff!"
Under the relentless assault of four late-stage eight-star Dou Sheng masters, including Hun Yuantian, Yan Jin and Lei Ying were left unable to cope. They had to unleash their true strength to barely maintain their balance.
Meanwhile, Yao Dan was coughing up blood, his wounds aggravating. He was in critical condition, facing imminent death.
The entire pharmaceutical world was in turmoil!
Even Elder Shennong was forced into the fray, struggling alone to deal with over a dozen puppet-like Soul Clan masters, chased and driven.
Despite possessing the strength of a six-star Dou Sheng, he was truly unskilled in combat!
Only Chen Guan and the other two, perched on the platform, seemed to be in a different world from them. No Soul Clan member attacked them, standing out from the crowd, conspicuous.
"Hunxuzi! Hun Qianmo!!"
Suddenly, a roar of rage and resentment echoed from the formation, followed by a deafening explosion.
"Wanhuo!"
"Elder Wanhuo!"
Voices of grief and indignation echoed from all corners of the formation.
Elder Wanhuo, a six-star Dou Sheng, was the first to fall under the siege of Hunxuzi and Hun Qianmo!
Elder Wanhuo's fall was like the straw that broke the camel's back, and the Yao Clan's power collapsed at that moment.
"No!"
Another piercing cry.
Yao Wangui, die!
With Hunxuzi and Hun Qianmo free, the two men were now unstoppable, slaying gods and slaying Buddhas!
Chen Guan witnessed all this, his mental power quietly released, drawing the Nine Nether Wind Flame, temporarily ownerless and floating across the battlefield, towards him.
Without hesitation, he thrust it directly into his mouth.
With the all-purifying power of the Pure Lotus Demon Fire and the devouring power of the Void Devouring Flame, along with sufficient Dou Qi and spiritual strength to support him, he could now directly ingest and refine even an energy-explosive Thunder Tribulation Pill, let alone a single Nine Nether Wind Flame.
"Hunxuzi! Hun Qianmo! I have no grudge against your Soul Clan, yet you are determined to exterminate me?"
Elder Shennong's furious voice reached his ears, and Chen Guan, distracted by his gaze, looked up.
He saw that Elder Shennong, who had previously been able to protect himself, was now trapped between Hunxuzi and Hun Qianmo, with no escape.
Even with his formidable self-preservation methods, the sheer disparity in power made it difficult for him to escape.
"Elder Shennong, at this point, can't you see the situation clearly? Hand over the Flame of Life and return with us obediently. From now on, you can serve our clan peacefully and avoid physical suffering."
Hunxuzi spoke with undisguised greed.
He hadn't found the time to absorb and refine the Nine Nether Wind Flame just now. He had noticed it when Chen Guan pulled it over, but he didn't say anything.
He figured it was only temporarily stored with Chen Guan, and the Medicine Clan would naturally take it back when it was ready.
The Flame of Life was different. He coveted this strange fire too much, and he couldn't rest easy until he got it himself.
Elder Shennong's eyes were filled with regret. Had he known how dangerous this pharmacopoeia was, he would never have participated.
But it was too late.
Looking at Hunxuzi, Hun Qianmo, and the expressionless Soul Clan warriors closing in from all sides, Elder Shennong lamented bitterly.
"Can you give me some time to think about it?"
"What do you say?"
Forced by the situation, Elder Shennong dared not speak in anger.
But Elder Shennong was deeply reluctant to accept what Hunxuzi had said.
It wasn't that he felt he could sacrifice his life for the Flame of Life, but rather that he simply couldn't trust the Soul Clan.
Despite his exceptional alchemy skills, if he joined the Soul Clan, he would only become a tool for alchemy, his life uncertain, let alone his freedom.
What to do? What to do!
Suddenly, Elder Shennong noticed the An Yi trio standing on the podium, standing out from the crowd.
A flicker of hope immediately washed over him.
"Young friend, I hear you have a deep grudge against the Soul Clan. You wouldn't want the Flame of Life to fall into their hands, would you? I'm willing to repay you with the Flame of Life. How about you spare my life? I'll never forget your great kindness!"
Chen Guan grinned upon receiving the message.
This time, his ambitions were immense, and he was determined to achieve his ultimate goal.
The Ninth-grade Profound Pill, the myriad exotic fires, even the Medicine Emperor's remnant soul—he wanted it all!
How wonderful it would be if everyone could be as sensible as Shennong.
(End of this chapter)