The Imperial Martial Pill Venerable

Outside Liubo Island, several Profound Vessels were moored on the sea’s surface. Many Martial Artists stood on their bows, observing the distant island, paying special attention to an unmarked Profound Vessel docked by its shore. These were the people monitoring Qin Ya.

Just then, several massive Sea Beasts surfaced, carrying seven or eight Extraordinary Martial Artists. After they boarded a Profound Vessel, a few other Extraordinary Martial Artists jumped onto the Sea Beasts and dove beneath the waves, extending their surveillance network to the very seabed.

"Tch. Stuck at the bottom of the sea all day. It’s boring me to death."

After one of the Extraordinary Martial Artists leaped onto the Profound Vessel, he snorted coldly and casually wrapped an arm around a glamorous woman, his hands roaming freely over her. He glanced up at the few Martial Artists patrolling the sky and huffed, "It’s been eight days. Why isn’t that kid out yet? Does he really plan to spend the rest of his life on Liubo Island?"

The seductive woman in his arms chuckled. "Don’t you worry. Even if he wanted to stay forever, the Ancient King wouldn’t allow it. He’ll probably be kicked out soon." 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

"That kid... he couldn’t have run off, could he?"

A large man standing nearby said, his voice laced with alarm and uncertainty.

"Run? Where could he possibly run?"

The Martial Artist holding the seductive woman sneered, "Besides us, who knows how many other factions are watching him? Every day, there are at least a hundred people monitoring from the sky and the sea. Where could he possibly go?"

"Besides, his Profound Vessel is still there. What’s there to be afraid of?"

The temptation Qin Ya represented was simply too great. Whether it was the million catties of Primordial Stones, the Spiritual Artifacts, or the unknown quantity of High-Level Elixirs, it was a massive fortune for these Extraordinary Martial Artists. No one was willing to give up easily.

"That’s true."

Meanwhile, high in the sky not far away, a massive, whale-like Sea Beast swam through the air. It was the mount exclusive to Merfolk Nobles... a Kun Beast.

Atop the Kun, the Merfolk Race’s Second Prince, Bo Wen, sat on a magnificent chair made of crystal. He held a crystal cup while a handmaiden beside him, holding a Golden Wine Pot, slowly poured red wine into it.

The vibrant, blood-red wine filled the crystal cup, glinting with a clear, translucent luster under the sun, as beautiful as a ruby—so beautiful one almost couldn’t bear to drink it. The corners of Bo Wen’s mouth curled up. "This wine, meticulously brewed by the Merfolk from undersea blood grapes, is countless times better than any of the Ancient King’s vintages."

He then took a light sip, a look of pleasure spreading across his face.

"Your Highness, why are we still lingering here?"

A guard beside Bo Wen asked calmly.

"Because it’s fun," Bo Wen chuckled softly.

"Don’t you find that Human named Qin Ya interesting?"

The guard hesitated for a moment before replying, "That Human is indeed a rare prodigy, even more outstanding than most of the geniuses in our own race. But he’s far too arrogant. The Human Race has a saying: ’Possessing a treasure invites trouble.’ He has a million catties of Primordial Stones and Spiritual Artifacts on him. The Martial Artists outside the island will not let him go."

"Mm, you’re right. This is greed."

Bo Wen took another sip of wine and smiled faintly. "For personal gain, these people would turn on their own."

"Then why does Your Highness insist on staying? Never mind these ordinary Extraordinary Martial Artists—according to my senses, there are at least six auras of the Celestial Human Realm spying on Liubo Island. With that Human’s strength, there’s no way he can survive."

"Because... I have a feeling this Human... is not so simple."

Bo Wen’s golden eyes suddenly grew profound. Gazing at the distant Liubo Island, he said slowly, "I just have a feeling he won’t die so easily."

"What if he just stays on Liubo Island and never comes out?"

"Ten days. If he hasn’t come out in ten days, it just means I misjudged him, and we’ll head back. I’ve been out for so long... I’m really starting to miss my dear little wife," Bo Wen said, putting down his crystal cup and stretching lazily.

Just then, a faint, clean fragrance wafted over.

"Huh? What is that scent?" Bo Wen asked in surprise.

The guards behind him sniffed the air. "Your Highness," one said, "this scent seems to be that of an Elixir. It looks like it’s coming from Liubo Island."

’Coming from the island,’ Bo Wen mused.

It wasn’t just the Merfolk; the other Human Race Martial Artists also noticed the scent.

"What a peculiar fragrance. It’s actually dispelling my fatigue."

"It’s coming from the island. Could it be Master Yur refining an elixir?"

"This fragrance is spreading out from Liubo Island for a hundred li! For it to travel this far, the grade of this elixir must be high indeed! Master Yur is truly incredible."

Following the fragrance, the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi began to surge. One Pill Cloud after another formed high above the center of Liubo Island, resembling a vast sea of clouds. Immediately, countless ferocious birds were attracted by the Pill Clouds, flocking from all directions. Among them were even Beast Kings.

Everyone who witnessed this was utterly shocked.

The Extraordinary Martial Artists patrolling the skies quickly descended, terrified of being torn to shreds by one of the powerful, hundred-zhang-long Beast Kings if they weren’t careful.

"My goodness, what in the world is going on with that Pill Cloud?"

"A Pill Cloud that can attract Beast Kings... no matter how you look at it, this elixir can’t possibly be an ordinary item. To think Master Yur’s skill in the Alchemy Dao is this profound!"

"And the Pill Cloud is still spreading, which means the elixir is still being refined. If it can cause such a stir before it’s even successfully refined, what will happen when the pill is complete?"

The many Extraordinary Martial Artists stared, their faces filled with disbelief, at the flock of giant, ferocious birds soaring freely within the Pill Cloud, letting out excited cries from time to-time.

Even the Celestial Human Realm Martial Artists hidden in the shadows couldn’t help but be shocked.

Naturally, they all assumed that the one causing this phenomenon was Liubo Island’s only Ninth-Grade Alchemist, Yur Piaoyun. They would never have guessed in a million years that the one creating such a spectacle was not him, but the very person they had been monitoring for days, the one they planned to capture, the one whose great treasures they already considered their own: Qin Ya.

Meanwhile, the refining of the Spirit Pill on Liubo Island was already mostly complete.

Qin Ya tossed the final medicinal ingredient into the Pill Furnace. Immediately, the entire furnace began to shake violently, emitting waves of thunderous vibrations.

BOOM, BOOM, BOOM...

Suddenly, the ferocious birds soaring through the sea of clouds began to shriek uneasily. Even the massive Beast Kings were no exception. They all scattered, fleeing frantically away from the cloud sea as if they had encountered some terrifying presence within it.

The Ancient King, Lin Yuan, and the crowd of Martial Artists on the sea were all stunned. ’What’s going on? A moment ago they were rushing over excitedly, so why are they now fleeing in such a panic?’

All sorts of ferocious birds flapped their wings wildly. This was especially true for the hundred-zhang-long kings among them; a single flap of their wings could kick up a powerful gale. Now, with several of them fleeing madly at once, the winds they stirred up were like a full-blown storm.

The smaller ferocious birds were sent tumbling chaotically, their feathers flying everywhere.

Even on a normal day, they wouldn’t dare retaliate against a Beast King, let alone now. All they could think about was escaping this terrifying sea of clouds as fast as possible.

They could feel it: in the center of the cloud sea, a terrifying energy was gathering—an energy that felt as if it could destroy the heavens and extinguish the earth.

The sea of clouds suddenly began to change. The expanse, which had been continuously expanding, now started to contract rapidly.