The Heaven-Mending Pill Falls; Nascent Soul Cultivators Reveal Themselves

The moment the pill appeared, chaos erupted in the sky above.

Those who had already been inclined to cease fighting and seek a truce immediately transformed into several long rainbows of light, shooting straight toward the five-colored orb. But halfway there, the beams of flying light clashed, tangling into a knot that none could break through.

In an instant, brilliant rays flew everywhere, demonic qi writhed wildly. The intensity of battle tripled what it had been before!

And the five-colored orb floated lightly above the cave entrance, completely motionless, as if it could be grasped at any moment.

Everyone could now see clearly: a pill the size of an inch slowly revolved at the center of the orb. Every rotation caused the orb to contract and flicker, as if it were alive. The hearts of both orthodox and demonic cultivators burned even hotter at the sight.

Wu Chou and the Profound Bone Saint both seemed frozen, staring blankly at the battle in the sky.

“Fool! What are you gawking at? Go retrieve the Heaven-Mending Pill at once!” Wu Chou’s ear suddenly received the ice-cold voice of Extreme Yin Patriarch.

Startled, Wu Chou snapped alert. He immediately transformed into a mass of black qi and shot toward the five-colored orb.

But at that moment, the Profound Bone Saint also made his move. He did not aim for the Heaven-Mending Pill, however. Instead, with both hands flicking, two strange green snakes shot from his sleeves, streaking straight at Wu Chou’s back.

Wu Chou was alert enough. Although the green snakes’ attack was utterly silent, he still detected it in time. Enraged and startled, he abandoned his forward charge, twisted his body, and hastily parried.

“You seek death! How dare you attack me!” Wu Chou could no longer suppress his fury. Profound Yin demonic qi roared out, filling the air around him as he lunged toward the Profound Bone Saint.

The Profound Bone Saint let out a series of cold chuckles. Without a word, he conjured a green ghostly aura and met the attack head-on.

“Man Brutal Beard! What is your nephew doing?” Extreme Yin naturally saw Wu Chou being blocked. Furious beyond measure, he bellowed at Man Brutal Beard.

“What is he doing? Naturally, I’m preventing you from monopolizing the Heaven-Mending Pill. You didn’t really think that just because we’re both of the demonic path, I would let you have the pill, did you?” Man Brutal Beard laughed heartily while his enormous golden hand continued to strike at Wan Tianming from a distance.

“You…” Extreme Yin’s face went white with rage.

Man Brutal Beard’s words all but declared the dissolution of the demonic path alliance. From now on, the Heaven-Mending Pill was fair game for whoever could seize it.

But this outcome was only a matter of time.

With the Void Heaven Cauldron still unrecovered, only a single Heaven-Mending Pill had appeared. Naturally, everyone wanted it. Not just the demonic cultivators—even the three orthodox experts across from them were surely harboring their own schemes by now.

Extreme Yin knew it was pointless to argue with Man Brutal Beard. In resigned anger, he considered sending out the Heavenly Capital Corpse-Refined to seize the pill. But the black, withered elder’s techniques were terrifyingly bizarre. Every time he tried to release the corpse-refined, the elder’s green threads would immediately entangle it as if predicted, preventing any escape. This only deepened Extreme Yin’s hatred for both the withered elder and Man Brutal Beard.

In truth, Extreme Yin was not alone in this predicament. The others were all in similar straits.

On one hand, they were doing everything possible to entangle their opponent; on the other, they were racking their brains for a separate way to claim the treasure.

But unfortunately, every old monster present was cunning and experienced. No one could get what they wanted—after all, entangling an opponent was far easier than breaking free of one.

While the Nascent Soul cultivators above were locked in a chaotic melee, no one noticed that Han Li, standing before the barrier wall, wore an expression of extreme complexity.

He had just survived a sword thrust through the heart from that Star Palace elder, an outcome that had caught even himself by surprise. After all, he had taken a solid hit from a Nascent Soul cultivator’s magical treasure!

When he came back to his senses and looked down at his chest, he found that he had been saved by the “Imperial Scale Armor” Man Brutal Beard had loaned him. The outer layer of his robe was already charred black, only half remaining. Beneath it, silver scales glittered; the armor was slightly dented at the point where the sword had struck.

Seeing this, Han Li felt a flicker of relief. He had known the Void Heaven Palace was fraught with danger, so after examining the armor with his spiritual sense and finding no issues, he had put it on directly under his clothes early on. It had just saved his life.

Still, he was well aware that the greater credit for surviving the white rainbow’s strike belonged to that jade ruyi inlaid with red and yellow colors. When he had barely managed to block the blow with the ruyi, he had vaguely seen a silver wolf head emerge from its tip. That wolf head had neutralised most of the white rainbow’s power. Otherwise, even the astonishing defense of the Imperial Scale Armor could not have safely endured that strike. Even if he hadn’t been run through, he would have been gravely wounded.

Han Li wanted to study the ruyi’s true effects, but this was hardly the time. He would have to put it away in his storage pouch for now.

Only then did he feel the excruciating pain in his tiger’s mouth. He bared his teeth slightly; a white flash shone over both his hands, and the wounds healed at a rate visible to the naked eye.

At the same time, he warily swept his gaze over the battle in the sky and, briefly, the bloody corpse of the Bloodjade Spider lying dead on the altar. A flicker of sorrow and gloom passed through his eyes. Then his brows twitched, and a resolute expression settled on his face.

He began to fly silently along the edge of the high platform’s barrier wall, toward the stone steps in the distance.

Relying on his exceptional memory, he believed that as long as the guardian puppets had not been redeployed so quickly, he could risk fleeing back to the first floor by following the same path. That would be far better than staying here stupidly, letting these Nascent Soul old demons push him around at will. He had already provided the Bloodjade Spider to crack the seal, and the spider was now dead—his value was exhausted. Without a protective talisman, he had no intention of entrusting his life to the other party’s sudden surge of conscience.

Better to keep his own life in his own hands!

Moreover, the Void Heaven Cauldron had not been successfully retrieved. The old demons who ended up without the Heaven-Mending Pill were bound to be full of pent-up frustration, and ten to one they would take it out on him.

With this thought, Han Li’s movements became even more furtive. He flew backward in utter silence. But when he had barely retreated a dozen zhang and was about to accelerate regardless of consequences, a voice rang in his ear.

“Han Li, where are you going?”

The Profound Bone Saint’s voice was not loud, flat and cold. But it was enough for Extreme Yin and the others in the sky to hear clearly.

Instantly, the frigid gazes of Extreme Yin, Man Brutal Beard, and the rest swept over Han Li.

Han Li’s movements stalled. He stopped in place.

The Profound Bone Saint was one thing. But having witnessed the power of Nascent Soul cultivators firsthand, Han Li had no confidence whatsoever that he could dodge a fully committed strike from these old monsters. Breaking through the barrier at the entrance would take at least a brief delay, and that little delay would be enough for Extreme Yin to kill him several times over.

He glanced at the stone steps faintly visible in the distance and let out a bitter laugh. Reluctantly, he drifted back to his original spot.

Seeing this, the Profound Bone Saint, who had been monitoring Han Li with his spiritual sense, curled his lips in a cold smile. He was clearly more than a match for Wu Chou, yet he made no move to break free and seize the Heaven-Mending Pill. What scheme he was hatching was anyone’s guess.

The returned Han Li cast him a hateful glare. Doubt also rose in his own mind.

“Man Brutal Beard, if you don’t get out of the way now, don’t blame me for using the Heaven-Entwining True Thunder!” Wan Tianming could see the five-colored orb just below, but every time he tried to approach, Man Brutal Beard’s golden hand sent him flying back in defeat. After several futile attempts, he finally threatened in exasperation.

“Heaven-Entwining True Thunder! Extreme Yin and Patriarch Qing Yi are afraid of that thing, but I, your lord, would like to see just how powerful it really is. I’m just afraid that you, fellow Daoist, can’t bear to let me have a taste of it!” Man Brutal Beard was startled at first, but then he laughed coldly, obviously not believing that his opponent would actually use such a treasure.

“Fine, fine! Man Brutal Beard, you forced my hand. Let me show you the true power of the Heaven-Entwining True Thunder!” Wan Tianming’s face was ashen with fury. He shot one last greedy glance at the five-colored orb, then gritted his teeth with a vicious expression.

Without further hesitation, he slapped the crown of his head. A clear chime rang out; a sliver of purple light burst from his scalp, and then a naked infant, two inches tall, appeared three feet above him.

The infant was tender and delicate, wrapped in purple light. Even more astonishingly, its features were identical to Wan Tianming’s, and in its tiny hands it clutched two purple pearls, crystal clear and softly luminous.

“Nascent Soul Ejection! Wan Tianming, are you truly courting destruction?” Man Brutal Beard’s previously nonchalant expression abruptly changed. His eyes glittered as he spoke with cold severity.

“If I cannot obtain the Heaven-Mending Pill, my lifespan will soon run out anyway. What difference does it make whether I die a little sooner or a little later? At worst, I’ll have Fellow Daoist Man help me dissolve my body!” The voice came from the purple infant, thin and indistinct. Just saying those few words caused it to pant, as if speaking was a great strain.

Meanwhile, Wan Tianming’s original physical body, the moment the infant appeared, had closed its eyes and gone completely motionless, as if unconscious.

(I have to visit my parents’ home this evening. Whether there will be a second chapter today depends on how early I get back. The chances are slim. I hope everyone will be understanding during this special period!)