Chapter 249 - 157: Old Monster Emerges from Seclusion, Pill Hall Shaken

Chapter 249: Chapter 157: Old Monster Emerges from Seclusion, Pill Hall Shaken

"Junior Brother... Junior Brother Qin?"

RUMBLE!!!

In an instant, all three of them looked toward Scripture Peak, their eyes brimming with overwhelming shock.

Pill Saint. These two words carried too much weight—so much so that even if the Human Emperor were to visit in person, he would have to respectfully address such a figure as Daoist Pill Saint.

It was worth noting that this most senior Elder of the Alchemy Path had been among the few with the greatest hope of competing against the Pill Saint of the Divine Pill Pavilion back in the day. The Beardless Sect’s ability to forge an indissoluble bond with the Pill Saint was entirely due to this old man alone.

The Pill Venerable Dao Discourse from seven thousand years ago still seemed to echo in the skies above the Beardless Sect. That discourse had become a lifelong obsession for Qi Daoling, who had lost by a single move. The result of that defeat was that Dao Lingzi, the one most likely to be the first to step into the Pill King realm, remained forever stalled at the Half-step Pill King realm.

Meanwhile, the victor of that year was now the illustrious Pill Saint of the Divine Pill Pavilion, a supreme existence renowned throughout the entire Cultivation Realm as one of the three great Pill Saints. If there was anyone in this world who best understood the potential and talent required to become a Pill Saint, Qi Daoling was undoubtedly one of the rare few.

Hearing their very own Half-step Pill King utter the words "Pill Saint Seed," how could Master Beardless and the other two not be utterly astounded?

"Martial Uncle, are you saying that Junior Brother Qin... he has the potential to become a Pill Saint?"

BOOM!!!

As soon as these words left his mouth, Master Beardless, Master Wugou, and Master Wuchen were so shocked by their own realization that they could barely speak. It was obvious that without reaching Qi Daoling’s level, there were certain things they could neither grasp nor see through.

For a moment, the three supreme Saint Realm experts of the Beardless Sect were dumbfounded. They exchanged glances, all seeing the sheer horror in each other’s eyes.

"Sect Leader Senior Brother, just what kind of existence... what kind of existence did you bring back to the Beardless Sect?"

"A seed with the hope of becoming a Pill Saint... Heavens."

Even Master Wuchen and Master Wugou couldn’t help but gasp.

Pill Saint. What an incredibly rare and exclusive title.

The existence of a single Pill Saint had established the Divine Pill Pavilion. The birth of a single Pill King could shift one-tenth of the Cultivation Realm’s entire power dynamic. If that young man truly proved his Saint Dao in the future and transformed into a Pill Saint, the deterrence brought by his identity as the Beardless Sect’s nominal Eldest Senior Brother would be terrifyingly absolute.

"Senior Brother, has our Beardless Sect... struck gold?" Master Wuchen muttered to himself, the last shred of resentment in his heart seeming to turn to ash and vanish into thin air at this very moment.

Master Beardless was even more dazed. He never imagined that the trivial detail he hadn’t thought highly of could be this terrifying.

A myriad of thoughts flashed through Master Beardless’s mind. He thought, "If the Cyan Mist Sect finds out just what kind of existence they drove away, I wonder if they’ll be green with regret.

"Haha, hahaha! Heaven blesses my Beardless Sect! Heaven blesses my Beardless Sect!

"Could it be that the Heavens took pity on us and specifically sent Junior Brother Qin to turn the tide for our Beardless Sect?

"There truly is a destined order in the unseen world."

The three Saints were thrilled beyond measure. They seemed even more pleasantly surprised than Qi Daoling in this moment, and the way they looked toward the Pill Technique Pavilion underwent an earth-shattering transformation.

However, just because the highest echelons of the Beardless Sect could see this far didn’t mean the lower-level Cultivators could glimpse even the tip of the iceberg of that future. Nevertheless, the entire Beardless Sect was currently plunged into a state of sensation and bewilderment.

Inside the Pill Technique Pavilion.

BOOM!!!

Jiang Hao attempted to execute the *Flame Prison Space*. However, right as his Fire of Heaven and Earth was about to form the technique’s patterns, and just as a faint outline of a blurry blazing space emerged, it ultimately dispersed.

Jiang Hao slowly opened his eyes, looking slightly disappointed as he said, "It seems I was too impatient. How could an Alchemist Secret Technique be so easy to master? Still, given three months, it should be possible for me to unleash half of its power."

Completely oblivious to the outside world, Jiang Hao muttered to himself, the disappointment on his face plain to see.

Little did he know that outside the Pill Technique Pavilion, dozens of elderly figures had already appeared. All clad in Alchemy Robes and seemingly ancient, they stood suspended in the void, frozen like statues. The looks in their eyes as they stared at the Pill Technique Pavilion defied description.

"Was that just now...?"

"The *Flame Prison Space*!"

"What did you say? The Celestial Ninth-level Alchemist Secret Technique, the *Flame Prison Space*?"

"How is that possible? He merely glanced at it, yet he was able to manifest its rudimentary form and condense the technique’s patterns?"

The dozens of Pill Master Elders of the Beardless Sect were practically petrified, astounded as if they had witnessed a god. That young man just now had merely read through the *Flame Prison Space* once, yet he had actually managed to coalesce a faint outline of the secret technique!

How could this be possible?!

"What kind of monstrous talent is this?"

"A Celestial Ninth-level Secret Technique showing initial results after just a single glance... This is simply unimaginable."

For a time, all the Alchemy Dao Elders were stunned. The entire Pill Hall of the Beardless Sect seemed to have been struck by a massive earthquake. Meanwhile, Mu Yunshang, Jun Yichen, and the other eight disciples stood motionless as clay figures and wooden statues as they listened to the words of the ten great Elders.

Across the entirety of Scripture Peak, outside the Pill Technique Pavilion, countless Beardless Sect disciples stared blankly inside, seemingly having forgotten how to think. This was the first time anyone had seen so many Pill Hall Elders appear at once, let alone with such shocked expressions.

Inside the Pill Technique Pavilion.

Completely unaware of all this, Jiang Hao remained immersed in his earlier enlightenment, calculating the approximate time and likelihood of mastering this secret technique. However, the moment he turned around, he was badly startled by Jiang Huaiyu, who was standing right in front of him.

Junior Brother Jiang stood behind Jiang Hao with a vacant stare and a shocked expression. He was sweating profusely, completely drenched as if he had been caught in a downpour.

"Junior Brother Jiang? What’s wrong?" Not yet realizing the gravity of the situation, Jiang Hao asked instinctively.

It wasn’t until his voice rang out that Jiang Huaiyu reacted like a startled bird suddenly jolting awake. He violently retreated over a dozen meters, putting distance between himself and Jiang Hao. Staring at the Eldest Senior Brother who had held the position for less than a day, his lips seemed to tremble.

"E-Eldest... Eldest Senior Brother, what... what was that just now...?" Jiang Huaiyu breathed heavily. Recalling the scene from moments ago, his tongue tied itself in knots, leaving him struggling to speak clearly.

Just moments ago, having found a wide-range Alchemist Secret Technique, he had been walking toward Jiang Hao with it when he was suddenly engulfed by a terrifying wave of heat.

That wasn’t even the most terrifying part. The most terrifying part was that, at the exact moment the outline of the *Flame Prison Space* condensed and formed its patterns, Jiang Huaiyu felt as if he had been thrown straight into an Alchemy Furnace as the temperature spiked drastically. Even though it had only been a brief moment, having accidentally wandered into the *Flame Prison Space*, he felt as though he had almost melted inside it. No matter how much of his full strength he mobilized to resist it, that sensation of imminent annihilation sent a violent chill down his spine.

"Eldest Senior Brother, were... were you executing an Alchemist Secret Technique just now? Was it the secret technique in your hand?"

He thought, "You just got your hands on it! How could you possibly do that in such a short amount of time...?"

Jiang Huaiyu’s gaze toward Jiang Hao filled with absolute terror. This Eldest Senior Brother that the sect had "picked up" seemed a bit... unnatural.

It was only at this moment that Jiang Hao finally realized something was amiss, his gaze instinctively shifting toward the outside of the Pill Technique Pavilion. Ignorance was bliss, for upon looking, he nearly gave himself a heart attack.

Outside the Pill Technique Pavilion, dozens of elderly figures stood in the void, all staring blankly at him. More accurately, countless Cultivators were looking at him. Their gazes directed his way carried an indescribable sense of shock and profound awe.

"Junior Brother Jiang, what just happened?" Jiang Hao gulped hard, blinking as he asked.

Hearing this, Jiang Huaiyu looked utterly bewildered. He thought, "You caused this massive commotion yourself, and you’re asking me what happened? I want to ask you what on earth happened!"

For a moment, the atmosphere atop Scripture Peak grew somewhat bizarre. Everyone stared at the figure inside the Pill Technique Pavilion, not uttering a single word.

Feeling their piercing gazes, Jiang Hao felt completely uncomfortable for the first time in his life. After a brief moment, he finally recalled his actions and realized what had likely transpired. Although he knew he might have caused a scene, being stared at like this wasn’t a solution.

With this in mind, Jiang Hao immediately gestured to Jiang Huaiyu behind him and whispered, "Junior Brother Jiang, let’s head back to Great Ming Peak."

Having said that, the young man maintained a smile as best as he could, biting the bullet as he walked out of the Pill Technique Pavilion.

The moment he stepped out, every gaze followed the white-clad youth, all staring at him with eyes full of horror. Those looks were brimming with all sorts of complex, soul-shaking emotions.