harleyscars Chapter 96 Imperial Grade Saint Pill
Chapter 96 Imperial Grade Saint Pill
The Heavenly Court, the Palace of Gathering Elixir.
This auction venue, located in the heart of the Heavenly Palace, is the exclusive setting for the Grand Assembly of Alchemy. The hall is constructed of millennia-old black jade, with its dome inlaid with billions of star marrow. Inside, there are cloud-patterned private rooms, each a world unto itself. Every inch of the hall is filled with a faint fragrance of pills, the residual energy of various sacred and divine pills accumulated over countless years. Ordinary cultivators can sit here for a moment to solidify their foundation and benefit their cultivation.
The grand finale auction of the Sacred Pill Banquet was held here, with forces from all realms gathering. The private rooms were filled with dignitaries and cultivators from the top worlds, creating a lively yet solemn atmosphere. All eyes were fixed on the auction stage in the hall, where fierce bidding was taking place for various sacred pills.
In a private room on the east side, several dukes from the Great Tang Dynasty of the Primordial World sat together, looking at the Hundred Cauldrons Divine Elephant Giant Strength Pills neatly arranged on the table. Each of them had a rosy face, and their eyes were full of undisguised joy and excitement. Their auras trembled slightly with excitement.
These hundred sacred pills are all top-grade Heavenly Pills, with potent medicinal power. They are supreme sacred pills specifically designed to temper the physical body. They are treasures that the Great Tang Dynasty spent hundreds of thousands of divine stones to acquire, and they are the core foundation for the Great Tang Dynasty to stand firm in the Heavenly Court and consolidate its foundation for tens of thousands of years to come.
Duke Lu, Cheng Zhijie, was a burly man with a rugged face. He took a big gulp from his wine gourd, then laughed loudly, his voice so bold that the incense in the private room seemed to vibrate: "Hahaha, with this batch of sacred pills, the formation of my Great Tang Xuanjia Army will be just around the corner! Once all the soldiers have consumed the Divine Elephant Giant Strength Pill and cultivated bodies above the Saint King realm, when we form the Xuanjia Army formation, who below the Divine Realm can stand against us?"
"Duke Lu is absolutely right!"
Another duke stroked his beard and nodded, his tone resounding and full of anticipation: "The Xuanjia Army is the prototype of our Great Tang Holy Army. Once it is fully trained and the army is in formation, even a true god can stand against it head-on! Now, our Great Tang secular world finally has the hard power to stand on the Heavenly Court. Let's see who will dare to underestimate our Great Tang's shallow foundation in the future!"
"The Zhang family of the Holy Ming Dynasty, inheriting the legacy of the Immovable King, possesses the Divine Machine Battalion, whose size has long exceeded ten thousand; the Liu family of the Great Han Dynasty is a top-tier divine clan in the Kunlun Realm, with ancestors who included powerful figures from various heavens, and their Imperial Guard is equally renowned throughout the land. Only our Great Tang Dynasty has yet to reach full strength in its Holy Army, constantly subject to others' control, and lacks the power to suppress worldly affairs." Duke Xu Shiji of Yingguo spoke with a calm gaze and a relieved tone, "Now, with this batch of Holy Pills, the Xuanjia Army is nearing full strength. Our Great Tang Dynasty finally possesses invincible fighting power in worldly conflicts, and we can finally report back to His Majesty with peace of mind!"
In the universe, a fully formed holy army is the anchor of every divine dynasty and great realm, and the core source of confidence in the struggle for secular territories.
The Holy Army is composed entirely of cultivators at the Saint level or above, cultivating their own unique military formations under the command of Great Saints. With everyone united and their combat power amplified, even the most outstanding geniuses and top-tier gods would have to avoid a direct confrontation with a complete Holy Army led by a Great Saint, ultimately meeting their demise. The resources required to assemble and maintain a Holy Army are astronomical. Elixirs, sacred artifacts, cultivation techniques, and even a base of operations all consume massive amounts of divine stones. Looking across the entire Heavenly Court's eight thousand realms, only the top hundred ranked great realms and ruling worlds have the resources to support a Holy Army; ordinary small and weak realms wouldn't even dare to dream of it.
The Great Tang Dynasty was a newly emerging divine dynasty in the primordial world, and its foundation was far less profound than that of the Ming and Han dynasties.
The Zhang family of Shengming originated from an ancient clan in the Kunlun Realm. Their ancestor was the Immovable King, a supreme being who ruled the universe, possessing profound and deep-rooted power. The Liu family of the Great Han Dynasty is also an old-established divine clan in the Kunlun Realm. Fifty thousand years ago, before the chaos in the Kunlun Realm, the clan had more than a dozen True Gods in charge, and many ancient clans were attached to them, making their power immense.
Only the Great Tang Dynasty, having risen to power relatively recently, still possesses a weak foundation, despite the allegiance of the seven ancient clans of the Kunlun Realm and the loyal assistance of the twenty-four dukes of the Lingyan Pavilion. While there are a few sage masters in the court specializing in talisman and array techniques, those who also cultivate alchemy are extremely rare. They struggle to even produce basic Earth-grade sage pills, let alone refine Heaven-grade sage pills. This is why the dukes of the Great Tang Dynasty are willing to spend their entire fortune to bid on a hundred cauldrons of sage pills; they cannot rely solely on the support of Zhenyu and others.
Cheng Zhijie stroked his chin, looking at the hundred cauldrons of sacred pills before him, grinning from ear to ear: "The First Guard of the Xuanjia Army, commanded by Old Cheng, has been waiting for this batch of pills for a long time. The soldiers are all eager to fight. With the Divine Elephant Giant Strength Pill to assist in their cultivation, their physical strength will soon be able to catch up with that of a Great Sage. In the future, when they fight in the Hell Realm, they will have more resources to protect themselves!"
Xu Shiji remained calm, his brows furrowed, and his tone grave: "Gentlemen, do not be overjoyed. In this auction, our Great Tang has spent hundreds of thousands of divine stones, almost emptying the national treasury. These divine stones are all the spoils we obtained in the last Starfield Battle, when we fought to the death to kill several top Great Saints from the Hell Realm. If we continue, our Great Tang will face a financial crisis. From now on, we must find ways to increase revenue and reduce expenditure; otherwise, let alone expanding the Holy Army, even the daily cultivation resources will be difficult to sustain."
Upon hearing this, the joy on the faces of the dukes gradually faded, and they all nodded in agreement. They all knew that the Holy Army's consumption was a bottomless pit. Daily cultivation, elixir replenishment, and the repair of sacred artifacts all required a massive amount of divine stones. The Tang Dynasty's current resources could not withstand excessive consumption.
In stark contrast to the jubilation on the Tang side, the scene inside a top-tier private room on the west side was quite different.
Ston, from the Titan Temple in the Heavenly Realm, sat there, his face ashen, burning with rage. His hands gripped the jade railing of the box so tightly that his knuckles turned white and veins bulged. If the jade railing hadn't been engraved with defensive divine runes, it would probably have been snapped in two by his fury long ago.
He stared intently at the private room in the Primordial Realm, his eyes filled with resentment and bitterness, his heart churning with rage: "Damn the Great Tang Divine Dynasty! They're just a newly emerging small dynasty in the Primordial Realm, where did they get so many divine stones? It's just a hundred-cauldron Heavenly Grade Saint Pill, yet they've outbid me time and time again, driving the price up so high, they're simply insane!"
In this bidding war for the Divine Elephant Might Pill, Ston made bids every time, but was consistently outbid by the Tang Dynasty cultivators. Not only did he fail to win the pill, but he also drove the price to an astronomical level. Now, other forces from various realms mistakenly believe he is a plant arranged by the Heavenly Palace to deliberately inflate the price and disrupt the bidding, and the mockery is incessant. But only Ston himself knows that he truly lacks the financial resources to bid further and can only watch helplessly as the Tang Dynasty wins the bid for this batch of sacred pills, feeling extremely frustrated.
"They shouldn't have the strength to compete for the quasi-Emperor grade Saint Pills later, right?" Ston gritted his teeth and thought to himself, still unwilling, but he could only accept reality.
Just then, on the auction stage, the auctioneer, dressed in a robe adorned with crimson patterns, spoke loudly. His voice, carried through the divine patterns, resounded throughout the entire Gathering Pill Palace, silencing the murmurs of the crowd: "Fellow Daoists, the auctions of Heavenly Grade and King Grade Sacred Pills have concluded. Next, we will proceed with the highlight of this Sacred Pill Banquet—the auction of Quasi-Emperor Grade Sacred Pills! Quasi-Emperor Grade Sacred Pills possess extraordinary medicinal power; even for a True God at the Heaven-Mending Realm, they are rare treasures, priceless and unavailable! The first item to be auctioned is the Creation Rejuvenation Pill, with a starting price of ten thousand divine stones! Ladies and gentlemen, please place your bids!"
The moment the words were spoken, the entire venue erupted in cheers!
Quasi-Emperor Grade Saint Pill is a heaven-defying treasure second only to Emperor Grade Saint Pill. In the entire Heavenly Court, only a handful of alchemy masters can refine it. Each one is a rare treasure, enough to drive true gods of all realms crazy.
"I will offer 30,000 divine stones!"
"Thirty-five thousand!"
"forty thousand!"
Bidding calls echoed from various private rooms, one after another. Those who made the bids were all top-tier forces from the top 100 of the Heavenly Court's major realms and ancient clans, or top experts whose cultivation had reached the True God Realm. Ordinary forces didn't even have the right to speak.
Inside a private room on the top floor of the Judan Palace, the Tang Emperor of the Great Tang Dynasty was sitting cross-legged with several true gods from the Western Buddhist Realm and the Heavenly Dragon Realm, discussing Taoism and sipping tea in a peaceful atmosphere.
Emperor Tang, clad in a black dragon robe, possessed an elegant yet dignified air, his gaze deep and penetrating. Looking at the quasi-emperor-grade Saint Pill on the auction stage, his eyes held both longing and a hint of helplessness and embarrassment.
In order to raise sacred pills for the Xuanjia Army, he had already emptied the Tang Dynasty's treasury and brought out all his privately hoarded divine stones and treasures. Now he was penniless and even though he coveted the quasi-emperor grade sacred pills, he was unable to participate in the auction.
Beside him, the True God Ao from the Heavenly Dragon Realm immediately noticed Emperor Tang's embarrassment and jokingly said, "Brother Li, your dukes just now spent hundreds of thousands of divine stones to bid for a hundred cauldrons of sacred pills. Their spirit was astonishing. Why are you not interested in this Creation Rejuvenation Pill? This is a supreme healing treasure. Even a True God in the Heaven-Mending Realm can quickly repair his divine body after taking it. It is a first-class life-saving sacred pill."
Emperor Tang gave a wry smile, waved his hand, and said with a tone full of helplessness, "Brother Ao, you flatter me. In order to build the Holy Army, I have already emptied my coffers and am now penniless. This Quasi-Emperor Grade Holy Pill is ultimately out of my reach."
Upon hearing this, several True Gods from the Heavenly Dragon Realm and the Western Heavenly Buddhist Realm offered words of comfort, but these were merely words of consolation. Divine stones and supreme treasures were fundamental to cultivation, and lending them to Emperor Tang to compete for Quasi-Emperor-grade Saint Pills was absolutely out of the question. They themselves were all eyeing the final Emperor-grade Saint Pill and were unwilling to waste a single penny of their resources.
The bidding remained fierce. In less than a quarter of an hour, the Creation Rejuvenation Pill was bought by a true god from the Demon God Realm for the astronomical price of 80,000 divine stones.
Emperor Tang was secretly amazed when he saw the price. He had only spent 300,000 divine stones to buy a hundred cauldrons of Heavenly Grade Saint Pills. The price of a single Quasi-Emperor Grade Saint Pill was equivalent to that of dozens of cauldrons of Heavenly Grade Saint Pills, which showed how precious it was.
The True God of the Heavenly Dragon Realm who lost the bid looked annoyed and sighed, "This pill is of great benefit to our healing and can save our lives. It's just a pity that the bastard from the Demon God Realm offered too high a price, so we have to give up."
Upon seeing this, the Tang emperor offered words of comfort, displaying great magnanimity.
Following that, one after another, Quasi-Emperor-grade Saint Pills were unveiled, each with different uses such as healing, breaking through realms, and enhancing spiritual power. They were all rare treasures, and the bidding was fierce, with prices soaring.
All ten Quasi-Emperor grade Saint Pills were auctioned off, with the most sought-after being the Quasi-Emperor grade Saint Intent Pill, personally refined by Zhen Yu. This pill could help cultivators comprehend, condense, and fuse Saint Intent, making it a heaven-defying treasure for top geniuses. In the end, this pill was purchased by the Xuanyuan family of the Myriad Ruins Realm for the astronomical price of 300,000 divine stones, setting a record for the auction of Quasi-Emperor grade Saint Pills.
The true god of the Heavenly Dragon Realm looked at this scene with emotion: "The alchemy skills of the True Universe God are indeed unparalleled in all the heavens. He can even easily refine the Quasi-Emperor Grade Saint Intent Pill. The Xuanyuan family is willing to spend 300,000 divine stones, presumably to use this pill to cultivate a Yuanhui Heavenly Pride."
Emperor Tang shook his head slightly, his tone resolute: "A prodigy of the Yuanhui is a rare find, not something that can be created by simply piling up resources. Favorable timing, location, and human factors, along with one's own talent, temperament, and opportunities, are all indispensable. It is difficult for even one prodigy to emerge in a single Yuanhui."
As a representative of the Yuanhui, he knew best the difficulties involved.
Fifty thousand years ago, the Heavenly Court and the Hell Realm were embroiled in endless war, and countless heroes emerged from all the heavens. In that era of great upheaval, which was a once-in-a-millennium event, only two Yuanhui geniuses, Xue Jue and Huang Tian, were born, which shows how rare they were.
Emperor Tang was originally a disciple of the Linglong Li clan, an ancient clan in the Northern Region, born out of wedlock. According to his original destiny, he might have spent his entire life trapped in the Fish-Dragon Realm. If Ling Che hadn't appeared out of nowhere and disrupted the space-time continuum, using the method of raising Gu to give birth to a large number of geniuses, he would not have been able to transform from a carp into a dragon, growing from a mere mortal cultivator into the current Emperor of the Great Tang Dynasty, an unparalleled true god.
He still remembers that when his cultivation was still at the Earthly Realm, he was unable to reach the third level due to a flaw in his cultivation method. He was frustrated while facing the wall on the edge of a cliff when he met that young Taoist, which changed the course of his life.
This is precisely why he deeply understands the terrifying and rare nature of Yuanhui prodigies; they cannot be created by a single Quasi-Emperor-grade Saintly Will Pill. He himself had consumed a Quasi-Emperor-grade Saintly Will Pill to condense a second, third-grade Saintly Will, but he was still unable to fuse a fourth Saintly Will, breaking through the insurmountable barrier of a second-grade Saintly Will. Even top prodigies like the Martial Emperor and the True Sovereign Dao Emperor were stuck at this hurdle, unable to overcome it. A single Quasi-Emperor-grade Saintly Will Pill is far from enough; only an Emperor-grade Saintly Will Pill offers a glimmer of hope.
"What Emperor Tang said is absolutely right." The high god of the Heavenly Dragon Realm nodded in agreement. "However, the Xuanyuan family has a strong foundation. With the help of this pill, even if they cannot cultivate a Yuanhui genius, they can still create a top-level Yuanhui representative. This deal is not a loss."
A true Buddha from the Western Paradise clasped his hands together, his eyes gleaming with a sharp light, and his tone was full of anticipation: "Amitabha, this humble monk does not care about the Quasi-Emperor Grade Saint Pill, but only anticipates the final Emperor Grade Saint Pill. If I can obtain this pill, my cultivation will surely reach a higher level, and breaking through the bottleneck will be just around the corner."
After saying that, he looked at Emperor Tang, his eyes full of curiosity and anticipation: "It is rumored that Your Majesty Emperor Tang has a close relationship with Divine Lord Zhenyu. Your Majesty must already know the details of this final imperial-grade holy pill. Could you please enlighten us?"
The other True Gods also turned their gazes to Emperor Tang, their eyes filled with eager anticipation, clearly having long awaited this Emperor-grade Saint Pill.
The Tang Emperor looked at everyone, nodded slightly, and said in a steady tone: "I do know the details of this pill. This pill was made by the True Universe Divine Lord with countless efforts and rare treasures. It is called the 'Heaven-Reaching Divine Pill'!"
Meanwhile, inside the Tongming Hall of the Lingxiao Heavenly Palace.
As the Thousand Star Ancestor was chatting with the gods, he heard the words "Heavenly Supreme Divine Pill." His relaxed expression changed drastically in an instant. He stood up abruptly, his star power surging around him, and looked at Zhenyu with shock. His voice trembled slightly as he asked, "Zhenyu, what did you say? The Emperor-grade Saint Pill that you refined this time is actually the Heavenly Supreme Divine Pill from the Heavenly Divine Temple in the Kunlun Realm back then?"
Zhenyu smiled slightly, nodded gently, and said calmly, "What the Thousand Star God Ancestor said is correct. It is indeed the Heaven-Reaching Divine Pill. I was lucky enough to refine such an Emperor-grade Saint Pill by chance."
Upon hearing this, the Thousand Star God Ancestor instantly deflated, slumped back into his seat, his face full of annoyance and regret, pounding his chest and stamping his feet: "You brat, why didn't you say so earlier! If I had known it was such a treasure, I would have had the entire clan spare no effort to bid for it! Now, Yu Xiaosheng has only a limited number of divine stones, and he has no chance against the forces of the four major world rulers. He has missed out on a treasure, what a pity!"
The Lord of the Temple of Truth also showed surprise, and the Daoist aura around him trembled. He looked at Zhen Yu with astonishment: "It is actually the Heavenly Supreme Divine Pill! This pill is an ancient treasure of alchemy in the Kunlun Realm. It has been lost for countless years. I never thought that you would be able to refine it. Now the auction of the Pill Gathering Palace is going to go completely crazy!"
Even the usually composed and shrewd Merchant Ancestor of the Heavenly Realm showed surprise upon hearing this, his eyes narrowed slightly, and his Daoist aura flowed around him, clearly shocked by the name of this Emperor-grade Saint Pill.
The fact that a single Emperor-grade Saint Pill could move several top-tier giants of the Heavenly Court, who were at the level of Immortal Limitless and Perfect Heaven, demonstrates the extraordinary and heaven-defying nature of the Supreme God Pill.