Chapter 1798: Taking Pill (II)

Rumble!

Faint thunder finally rumbled within the billowing dark clouds as flurries of snow descended from the sky. The two voices let out high, thin laughter that gradually faded away and vanished.

Yuanshang raised his head, his luminous white eyes piercing through the great void and seeing every figure with perfect clarity. Tears still streamed down his cheeks as he took a step forward. His throat moved, and he finally swallowed the pill before murmuring an incantation.

"The elixir radiance of Supreme Yin lies hidden in heaven, suffusing the One Purity with warmth. The Supreme Radiance ushers in the dawn, penetrating the earth and illuminating the Ninefold Light. Behold the descent of the Exalted Immortal, refining the void into the three qi, riding upon crimson clouds and coursing through the five forms..."

The dark clouds in the sky abruptly faded, revealing a brilliant moon. It shifted unpredictably between fullness and waning, transforming within a hazy glow, while a sky full of twinkling stars cast down their dazzling radiance alongside it.

[Palace Tower Renewal]!

In an instant, without exception, every divine ability cultivator within the great void fixed their gaze upon him. The same thought arose in all their minds:

He has begun seeking the Golden Core Realm!

Layer upon layer of vast palaces began to emerge beneath his feet, followed by moon-white bridges and long hills bathed in pale splendor. These visions swept past, revealing a moon-white jade gate with three large words hanging above it, [Morning Jade Palace].

A commotion stirred across the horizon, while the two indistinct figures whispered to each other.

"Surely it is not this Dao."

"No. This is [Palace Tower Renewal]. Had it been cultivated through [Supreme Yin Moonlight], it should have been [Attaining Supreme Simplicity]!"

The moonlight shone brilliantly as scattered flakes of snow drifted upon the wind. Faint, intermittent sounds of movement could be heard, accompanied by the continual echo of a toad's croak as iridescent light flowed back upon itself.

[Startled Magpie Realm]!

Yuanshang took a step through the sky as fluttering magpie feathers mingled with the snow and descended together. Li Ximing was already standing within the great void, shielding the two juniors as he watched in a daze.

He was deeply preoccupied. Even when Daoist Master Tianhuo arrived beside him, Li Ximing had little inclination to respond and merely nodded slightly. His heart grew heavy as he wondered, Retribution... What retribution?

Thrum!

Brilliant light illuminated heaven and earth. Daoist Master Yuanshang stood with his hands clasped behind his back as his dharma body crumbled from head to toe like an avalanche. Strands and wisps of silvery-white light broke away from it, condensing into a tiny bright moon high in the sky!

[Profound Pearl Bestowal].

Unlike True Monarch Shangyuan's magnificent [White Jade Disk], which had once enveloped the sky, this moon was only the size of a thumb. Gleaming white like a pill and dazzling to behold, it rested between his cupped hands like a Dao Fruit upon which myriad rays of light converged!

When this divine ability appeared, Li Ximing blinked faintly and remained silent.

Yet from the darkness amid the hazy gray clouds came that same high, thin voice, laughing from the sky. "Wrong... All of them are wrong... They are all lower-grade..."

"Where could he possibly have obtained the [Supreme Yin Moonlight] needed to cultivate a high-grade divine ability?!"

Yet as the divine abilities converged and the moonlight shone brilliantly, a vast radiance of talismanic script suddenly soared into the heavens. It stretched across the sky like a profound veil over heaven and earth, descending to envelop the world and illuminating every direction in magnificent splendor!

[Congealed Jade Scripture]!

This divine ability possessed boundless profundities. Countless intricate runes lay concealed within its radiance, seemingly containing the true workings of the Great Dao. Everyone turned to look, staring as though bewitched while alarm rose in their hearts.

"What an extraordinary divine ability! This must be the Fundamental Dharma of the Chunyi Dao Gate!"

Even the shrill voices on either side paused briefly and gazed at it for a long while. "[Congealed Jade Scripture]... At last, an authentic one has appeared!"

The two made no effort to conceal their voices. Li Ximing narrowed his eyes slightly and studied the divine ability closely, remaining silent for a long time as a sudden sense of familiarity arose within him...

It actually possesses something of the same profound quality as the patterns of the Upper Firmament Pavilion...

He stared in a daze as Tianhuo praised from beside him, "Far more than merely authentic. This is a Great Dao personally bestowed by Qingxuan Dao lineage. Among the many immortal-grade Fundamental Dharmas of the ancient Immortal Dao, the Moonward Ascension Art was the predecessor of [Congealed Jade Scripture]...

"In the past, figures from Three Yin, Cold Essence, and Mansion Water all attained the Dao through this Fundamental Dharma... No wonder he chose to cultivate this Dao!"

His background was exalted, and out of respect for the True Monarch, few dared make trouble for him.

The figures from the Underworld's judiciary on either side turned toward him and praised, "Young master, what remarkable insight!"

Thrum!

As heaven and earth trembled, all the iridescent light converged into a single point.

[Cold Beyond Endurance]!

The entire sky was instantly enveloped in iridescent light. The silhouettes of laurel trees appeared within it, seemingly as distant as the horizon yet also close enough to touch. The white pill formed by [Profound Pearl Bestowal] truly resembled a pill of the Great Dao, shining with exceptional brilliance amid the myriad colors. Even the sweet dew continually emerging in the sky converged on it.

There was neither water nor fire, neither illusion nor reality, and neither purity nor turbidity. There was only endless condensation and elevation, continually resonating with the great void as though answering some unseen presence!

Li Ximing's expression gradually changed, and his gaze swiftly swept across the faces of those around him.

The envoys of the Underworld's judiciary, who had previously commented so freely, now remained silent. The smiling Tianhuo lowered his eyes, and carried himself with extreme restraint. Qing Zhuo, the Changhuai Gate cultivator standing apart from the crowd, had even closed his eyes and said nothing!

These figures, each backed by a Dao lineage of towering stature, were quieter than the last, to the point that they even appeared nervous! In contrast, the many unaffiliated rogue cultivators who had come of their own accord, as well as invited clan cultivators such as Chen Yin and Lingu Lanying, whispered among themselves. Most looked bewildered and confused, their brows tightly furrowed.

What... is happening?

Everything in the sky froze for an instant, as though a crisp sound had rung out. Li Ximing distinctly sensed Tianhuo beside him breathe a sigh of relief. Then came the deeply suppressed, anguished sobs from Daoist Master Yuanshang.

The sound of his sobbing grew increasingly tremulous and faint, soon disappearing amid the trembling of his lips and teeth.

Finally, Yuanshang began to laugh. "Hahahahaha!"

The old man's smile grew ever more frenzied. He seized the gleaming Dao Fruit pill before him, condensed to its utmost limit, and laughed shrilly. "I will take it! I will take it, then!"

Clang!

Layer upon layer of ghostly towers had already emerged within the dark clouds, yet they still could not withstand the intense cold light shining upon them. Even under the suppression of the dharma relic, the old man continued to laugh ever louder, growing more and more frenzied. His gaze crossed the sky and pierced through the great void, ultimately landing directly upon Li Ximing.

He has become a demonic entity!

Li Ximing shuddered in alarm. He sealed the six senses of the two juniors and immediately fled!

"Master!"

Fuxuan's grief-stricken cry rang throughout the night sky. Before it had even faded, the terrifying sounds of clashing arts were already reverberating above the entire island.

Rumble!

A waterfall-like rain of laurel blossoms blanketed hundreds upon hundreds of kilometers of sea, dyeing its entire surface pure white. Countless cultivators were engulfed by the floral rain and raised their heads in a daze.

A divine ability cultivator has fallen!