Chapter Eighty-One: On the Brink of Eruption

Bang!

The female qi refiner could not withstand the will of the Thunder Ancestor. She exploded like a watermelon, her blood and essence, however, retracting into the innate elixir amidst the blast. The elixir spun in the air, circling back into the great cauldron, its medicinal strength even more potent than before.

The crowd, witnessing this, was struck with terror. One by one, thoughts of retreat filled their hearts, and they surged toward the exit. Yet the moment they reached it, they froze in place.

All twelve statues before the palace sprang to life—Four Symbols, Four Fiends, the True Phoenix and True Vermilion Bird, the Yellow Dragon, and the Qilin. These beings chased after the qi refiners, and those who could not flee fast enough were devoured in a single breath, their flesh and blood essence sucked clean, leaving only empty skins fluttering in the wind.

Xu Zhong did not see Fang Yuan and the others; he had no idea if they were dead or alive. At that moment, a woman suddenly appeared behind him. Though influenced by the innate elixir, she still retained some feminine traits, a sign she had not been entirely consumed by Yi Xuanji.

Her cultivation was terrifying, but now, with most of her strength devoured by the elixir, not even a tenth remained. She struck at the back of Xu Zhong’s head.

“Yue Qinglang, you, a qi refiner of the Transcendent Realm, would stoop to attack a qi refiner of the Keeper Realm?” Yun Yong appeared behind Xu Zhong, casting a spell to block the blow.

Yue Qinglang was infamous in the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths for her poisonous hands, her arts manifest in her palms—palm, seal, finger, and fist, known as the Four Perfections. She unleashed her Asura Seven Fingers, targeting several vital points on Xu Zhong’s chest.

If struck, Xu Zhong’s soul would be wrenched from his body, and he would die on the spot.

Yue Qinglang glanced at Yun Yong, saying, “You do not understand.” Then she looked at Xu Zhong. “It’s not that I wish to harm him; all I want is his body.”

A chill ran through Xu Zhong’s heart.

“This innate elixir is incomplete—it lacks a catalyst,” her eyes brimmed with murderous intent, “and he is that catalyst.”

Her words drew the gaze of the other surviving qi refiners. In terms of both knowledge and cultivation, they far surpassed ordinary folk, and instantly perceived the blazing sun-like yang energy within Xu Zhong, radiant as a great sun. A strange fragrance wafted from him, stirring their hunger, while also harmonizing with the innate elixir within them—a truly profound effect.

Had Xu Zhong known their thoughts, he could have guessed most of it. He was the yang aspect of the Thunder Ancestor, while the innate elixirs were akin to the yin aspect. Yin cannot endure alone; it must be balanced by yang. The principle was simple.

“We do not ask for much,” Yue Qinglang spoke coldly, “just a small piece of flesh from him each. We’ll be swift—he will feel no pain.”

Yun Yong frowned deeply. More and more qi refiners were closing in. Though they had lost most of their power to the elixir, even a tenth of their strength was formidable, and now they held the advantage of numbers.

“It seems I am the catalyst for the innate elixir,” Xu Zhong laughed aloud. “Now that you have your catalyst, you need not worry anymore. Why wait to kill and seize treasures when they are weak? Or do you intend to regret it only after you’ve slain me and refined the elixir?”

His words stirred the greed of some qi refiners. Indeed, now that their power had been drained, this was the perfect moment to strike.

As for Xu Zhong, his realm would not change, remaining a constant, while the others were variables. If the constant does not alter, why focus on it?

Suddenly, a qi refiner cast a spell, wielding a treasured sword to cleave a Transcendent Realm refiner in two, snatching the innate elixir from his body. Two other qi refiners beside him also struck viciously.

People are prone to follow. The first to act set off the conflict.

“Well done, Li Feiyu.” That first attacker was Li Feiyu, and those who followed were Fang Yuan and Tang Yuan—they were still alive.

There was no time for joy—Xu Zhong saw Yue Qinglang leap lightly from the earth, her palms fluttering like butterflies, conjuring endless power into swarms of red butterflies. In the blink of an eye, she struck three times.

Waves of butterflies surged, igniting ghostly underworld fire that fell upon Xu Zhong. The Xuan Yuan True Water shield around him barely withstood the infernal flames; he grunted and was sent flying, rolling twice on the ground before using her palm’s force to open a gap of several yards between them.

Missing her mark, Yue Qinglang sprang up again, unleashing another torrent of butterfly flames—each red butterfly a handful of ghostly fire, forming a blazing sea.

Xu Zhong summoned the Six-Footed Pearl and the Tricolored Water Lotus, barely fending off the onslaught. Next, he brought forth the Cloud-Swallowing Sword and the Purple Jade Gourd.

A mighty river surged; sword aura rolled forth. Three hundred sixty flying swords formed a grand formation, besieging Yue Qinglang.

She raised her head, palms layered in seals, and behind her appeared a colossal red butterfly. It beat its four wings, each stroke thickening the ghostly flames and strengthening her aura.

After only five steps, her momentum was like a rainbow piercing the sun, suppressing Xu Zhong, rendering him motionless. The fiery sea even ignited his sword aura torrent.

She pressed her attack, ready to strike him down in an instant.

Yet Xu Zhong was calm. Wiping blood from the corner of his mouth, he watched Yue Qinglang draw nearer, raising his hand to reveal a round cauldron.

Sensing danger, Yue Qinglang felt an overwhelming power from the cauldron—a supreme divine might.

This treasure, nurtured by Wei Yan’s blood for a million years and bathed in the essence of sun and moon, was already an unparalleled divine weapon.

Xu Zhong’s use of the cauldron was direct: he swung its ear before him.

With a sudden clang, the cauldron shattered the ghostly flames, turning the scene into a rain of ashen red—like fine ghost fire pouring down.

Yue Qinglang cried out in alarm. The innate elixir within her shuddered, releasing a surge of power. Her body, unable to bear it, began to lose its feminine features bit by bit.

It happened suddenly, but Yue Qinglang was a top master, her cultivation profound. Her form shifted with blinding speed, splitting into six or seven afterimages before Xu Zhong’s eyes.

These were remnants born of extreme speed. With such swiftness, she dodged the cauldron and struck at Xu Zhong.

She used her fingers like plucking strings—grasping, brushing, picking.

In an instant, a cascade of crackling sounds erupted as thunderous serpents shot from her hands, ferocious and terrifying, lunging at Xu Zhong.

With the Xuan Yuan True Water shield, Six-Footed Pearl, Tricolored Water Lotus, and spells of Vital Light and Protective Vestment, he was able to withstand her magic head-on.

The thunderbolts struck him, causing only a shudder—no further harm.

Xu Zhong raised the Wave Drum and shook it.

Instantly, within ninety feet around him, every qi refiner felt their soul struck.

Yue Qinglang, her soul condensed, endured the first blow unharmed. But after the second and third, she could no longer bear it. Her speed faltered, and her true form was revealed.

Several qi refiners were blasted from their bodies, some even having their souls shattered.

In the next moment, a jade ruyi appeared above Yue Qinglang’s head. It struck her, staggering her, while a flying sword howled forth, scattering a myriad of cold sword lights. The astral river’s sword aura surged, intertwined with yin and yang—waves crashing higher and higher against her.

In an instant, Yue Qinglang was enveloped in sword qi, which rampaged through her body, damaging her meridians. Stumbling backward, she spat a mouthful of blood yet forced herself to stand.

Her expression darkened. As a Transcendent Realm qi refiner, she could not subdue a Keeper Realm refiner—an intolerable humiliation.

Moreover, within her, the innate elixir had become a miniature Yi Xuanji. The innate energy swelled and burst forth unceasingly, filling her body like an overinflated balloon.

She knew that if she could not defeat Xu Zhong soon, she would die.

Yue Qinglang unleashed her fists, wind howling as countless shadows rained toward Xu Zhong’s face.

Xu Zhong blocked with the Tricolored Water Lotus. Yue Qinglang’s fist shattered it with a crunch, sending the lotus flying, then did the same to the Six-Footed Pearl.

Cracks appeared in the Xuan Yuan True Water shield. She pressed her attack—the ghostly flames transformed into a ferocious dragon under her fists, finally piercing the shield and closing in.

With a heavy thud, Xu Zhong was sent flying, his chest caved in and stained with ghost fire, which corroded his flesh and blood.

Yue Qinglang seized her chance and charged.

Xu Zhong suddenly smiled.

Yue Qinglang sensed something amiss but could not pinpoint it.

She turned, and Xu Zhong smiled at her, his face eerie in the moonlight.

Behind her, Yun Yong emerged from nowhere, swinging the round cauldron into the back of her head.

Her skull was smashed to pieces.

The Yi Xuanji within her, formed by the innate elixir, drew in her blood and energy, reverted to a round elixir, and flew into the great cauldron.

“Run!” Yun Yong thrust the cauldron into Xu Zhong’s hands, whispering urgently, passing him several bottles of healing elixirs as well.

At the same time, most of the other Transcendent Realm qi refiners were being killed by the mob.

Those who gained the innate elixir now set their sights on Xu Zhong, approaching with murderous intent.

Without hesitation, Xu Zhong headed into the palace. The crowd followed, rushing inside.

As soon as they were gone, the dormant Bō Yí awakened.