The Dao of Reincarnation (87-88) (Patreon)

Chapter 87: The Peerless Pill Venerable (Part 15)

Prison-Suppressing Sacred Land now had a saint of its own!

That very day, Su Chen watched as the Prison-Suppressing Sacred Lord, wielding saint king artifacts, tore open the sky with his bare hands and set off for the Central Continent. He knew exactly where the Sacred Lord was going—to settle accounts with the Song Clan. A saint armed with saint king artifacts was undeniably terrifying. When no saint kings appeared, such a being was invincible across the world.

Across the five domains, saint king-level existences were few and far between. Moreover, with Fang Bubai standing behind Prison-Suppressing Sacred Land, even those above the saint king realm would have to think twice before acting.

One year later, word arrived from the Central Continent. The Prison-Suppressing Sacred Lord had descended upon the Song Clan in person. Wielding saint king artifacts, he slew two saints of the Song Clan in succession, shocking the entire Central Continent.

In the end… the Prison-Suppressing Sacred Lord returned to the sacred land looking disheveled and muttering under his breath: "What bullshit Central Continent—who the hell wants to go there anyway? If they won't let me in, fine! All I did was kill two saints and wipe out one saint clan. How dare they expel a saint from the Central Continent!"

Su Chen's mouth twitched.

After finishing his complaints, the Prison-Suppressing Sacred Lord turned to Su Chen. "Young Su, the Song Clan has been exterminated by this lord. Though I didn't bring back their heads or bones—those old fogeys in the Central Continent are far too petty. Otherwise, I would have brought back the corpses of those two old ghosts from the Song Clan, refined them into an alchemy cauldron for you, and forged a suitable weapon as well."

For a moment, Su Chen wasn't sure whether it was his clan that had been wiped out or the Sacred Lord's.

Su Chen bowed. "Many thanks to the Sacred Lord for avenging this disciple's blood feud."

The Prison-Suppressing Sacred Lord beamed with delight. "If Prison-Suppressing Sacred Land cannot even protect its own alchemist, then even if this lord dies and descends to the nine netherworlds, I would have no face to meet our ancestral founder or the successive generations of the sacred land! After this battle, anyone who dares covet Prison-Suppressing Sacred Land will have to weigh whether they can withstand saint king artifacts."

Su Chen felt genuine warmth in his heart. The ancestral founder was clearly very pleased. With the Song Clan exterminated, the latent crisis hanging over Su Chen had been lifted. No longer did he need to worry about stepping outside only to be ambushed by a saint.

Time flowed swiftly. A hundred years passed.

One day, dark clouds gathered thickly over the Pill Hall of Prison-Suppressing Sacred Land. Terrifying bolts of lightning converged in the sky. The phenomenon roused countless powerhouses throughout the sacred land.

"Is someone undergoing tribulation?"

"Such dreadful lightning power—even a Nirvana tribulation is no more than this!"

While everyone discussed in astonishment, a radiant glow rose into the sky, releasing an intense, refreshing fragrance. When they looked closely, they realized it was a single pill, coiling like a swimming dragon amid the fearsome thunder.

"An eighth-grade pill! That's an eighth-grade pill!"

"Hiss! Could it be that Elder Myriad Forms has refined another eighth-grade pill? No, I can't hold back—the fragrance alone is unbearable. I must beg for one. It's been decades since I last tasted an eighth-grade pill!"

"That pill… I've never seen Elder Myriad Forms refine this one before… such fragrance! A new variety? Damn it, my tears are flowing from the corners of my mouth!"

"…"

The crowd surged toward Pill Peak in a frenzy.

Myriad Forms Pill Venerable appeared, his face dark as he glared at the mob. "None of you should even think about this pill. It wasn't refined by me."

The crowd looked bewildered. "If not by Elder Myriad Forms, then could it be…"

Realization dawned. Excitement lit up every face.

Someone murmured in awe, "Could it be… Prison-Suppressing Sacred Land is about to gain another eighth-grade Pill Venerable?"

Myriad Forms Pill Venerable nodded proudly, stroking his white beard. "Exactly. Another Pill Venerable is about to rise in our Prison-Suppressing Sacred Land! Under my careful guidance, Su Chen has successfully refined an eighth-grade pill today!"

The crowd rolled their eyes in unison.

Soon, the pill that had survived the thunder tribulation revealed its true form. It radiated an overwhelming draconic aura and gently landed on the shoulder of a white-robed youth.

The crowd offered their congratulations in unison. "Congratulations to Elder Su for successfully refining an eighth-grade pill and ascending to the rank of eighth-grade Pill Venerable!"

Su Chen smiled lightly. "Merely good fortune."

The many alchemists below: "…"

How come good fortune never came to them?

After two thousand years of development, Prison-Suppressing Sacred Land had finally welcomed its second eighth-grade alchemist!

To celebrate Su Chen's advancement to eighth grade, the Prison-Suppressing Sacred Lord emerged from seclusion and hosted a grand banquet. The name Su Chen—silent for a hundred years—once again resounded throughout the Eastern Wasteland, and with it came his revered title.

The Peerless Pill Venerable!

Countless powerhouses crossed the threshold, hoping to request pill refinements from him.

Su Chen formally assumed the position of Vice Hall Master of Pill Hall. He began instructing the sect's disciples in the art of alchemy. In just three hundred years, his students and former disciples spread far and wide.

One day, Su Chen traveled to the Central Continent and arrived at Pill God Hall. The hall remained one of the supreme pill-dao orthodoxies of the Central Continent—unchanged even after more than four hundred years. There he met Song Wanqing once again, along with the now white-haired Ghost Valley Pill Sovereign.

Song Wanqing had become an elder of Pill God Hall. She still carried the same elegant, aloof demeanor.

Su Chen had come to Pill God Hall for one purpose: to find a way to suppress the Nine Nether Profound Flame burning inside him. Over the past three centuries, the flame had grown increasingly dangerous; he had no choice but to seek answers in the greatest sanctuary of the Pill Dao.

Upon learning of his purpose, Pill God Hall had no desire to see such a prodigy fall. They immediately permitted him to search for a method to contain the Nine Nether Profound Flame.

Ten years passed before Su Chen finally found some clues—yet the solution remained extraordinarily difficult. He would either need a yang-attribute Heavenly Fire to counteract the yin-cold nether qi within him, or a saint-grade herb capable of cleansing his marrow and bones, granting him a second life.

Su Chen gave a soft sigh. Neither a Heavenly Fire nor a saint herb was something easily obtained. He left Pill God Hall and met Song Wanqing once more. This time Ghost Valley Pill Sovereign was absent.

When Su Chen asked after him, Song Wanqing's expression darkened with sorrow. "Master sensed his lifespan nearing its end. He left Pill God Hall and returned to the Dragon Firmament Dynasty. He wished to walk among green hills and clear waters, and to be buried among them."

Time was merciless. Even a seventh-grade alchemist like Ghost Valley Pill Sovereign could not resist the erosion of years.

Su Chen felt a quiet pang of regret. Old friends passed so easily. Birth, aging, sickness, and death—he had long grown accustomed to them. After a brief stir of emotion, his heart soon calmed.

Despite Song Wanqing's attempts to persuade him to stay, Su Chen chose to leave Pill God Hall. Their paths had diverged. He returned to Prison-Suppressing Sacred Land.

Another two hundred years passed.

The peak master of Sword-Hiding Peak successfully broke through to the saint realm. Prison-Suppressing Sacred Land now possessed two saints and saint king artifacts. Its ranking among the Eastern Wasteland sacred lands rose to the top five.

Whenever Su Chen saw the Sacred Lord come to pay respects at the ancestral shrine, a deep sense of satisfaction warmed his heart. The only regret was that, after all these years, there had still been no word of Fang Bubai.

The starry void beyond the domains was impossibly vast.

"Perhaps… news of a Heavenly Fire or saint herb can be found beyond the domains!"

Su Chen felt the yin-cold nether qi of the Nine Nether Profound Flame slowly eroding his cultivation base. If he did not resolve it soon, his progress would stall completely. At best, he could hold on for another four or five hundred years.

Success had come through a Heavenly Fire. Defeat might also come through one.

Chapter 88: The Peerless Pill Venerable (Finale)

Eight hundred years later.

Prison-Suppressing Sacred Land welcomed its third eighth-grade Pill Venerable.

The sacred land flourished like never before.

That same year, word reached Su Chen: an ancient saint's ruins had appeared somewhere beyond the domains. The saint had been a Pill Saint in life—and had possessed a Heavenly Fire.

Beyond the domains, myriad races stood in fierce competition. The place was perilous beyond imagination.

Su Chen understood—this was his final chance.

"Everyone dies eventually."

The murmur rose in his heart. He refused to stop here. He still wanted to glimpse the threshold of Pill Saint! This time, he would not abandon the ancient saint's ruins.

Su Chen gathered thirteen Nirvana Realm Venerables and persuaded the peak master of Sword-Hiding Peak—the saint himself—to personally escort him in the hunt for the Heavenly Fire.

Everything was ready. Once more, Su Chen stepped into the starry void beyond the domains.

…

Outside the Heavenly Profound Domain, countless realms coexisted, and myriad races vied for supremacy. This was not Su Chen's first venture into the outer void. Yet the sight still filled him with lingering dread.

The ancient saint's ruins lay on a desolate ancient star. Terrifying tides of spiritual energy surged across its surface. Already, numerous powers had arrived and sealed off the surrounding space, intent on claiming the ruins for themselves. Any race lacking sufficient strength or a saint-grade powerhouse would be devoured the moment they set foot here. The law of the jungle among the myriad races was laid bare in all its brutality.

With a saint overseeing them, Prison-Suppressing Sacred Land naturally ranked among the stronger factions. No one dared provoke them after sensing the saint's terrifying presence.

Su Chen observed the scenes of carnage and silently calculated the forces vying for the ruins. Every power capable of reaching the core zone had—at minimum—a saint of their own. And yet… suddenly a heart-rending scream tore through the void.

Su Chen focused his gaze. A powerful winged being—no weaker than a saint—had just been ripped apart by a horrifying existence.

"That is… the War God Hall!"

Su Chen's pupils shrank sharply. How could he ever forget the emblem of the War God Hall? Lin Zhan had not died after all. He had rebuilt the War God Hall—and within it now stood such a terrifying saint, one who seemed infinitely close to the saint king realm!

"The War God Hall… I didn't expect them to show up and stir the pot, too. The War God Hall's master, Lin Zhan, truly is a legend. Ten years ago, he fought the Great Saint of the Sea-Covering Dragon Clan and killed him outright—terrifying!"

"The people of War God Hall are utterly ruthless. Anyone who blocks their path faces retaliation. That saint of the Winged Clan was truly unfortunate to provoke those lunatics and perish here!"

"…"

The saint from Sword-Hiding Peak looked grim. He spoke quietly to Su Chen. "Elder Su, that one is extremely dangerous…!"

Su Chen's expression grew solemn, though he also let out a quiet breath of relief. Because the one who had come was not Lin Zhan himself.

After waiting more than half a year, the entrance to the ancient saint's ruins finally opened.

Su Chen led the Prison-Suppressing delegation inside to search for traces of the Heavenly Fire. Within the ruins, enemies lurked on every side. The group endured repeated ambushes. Nearly half their Nirvana Realm Venerables fell.

Without the saint from Sword-Hiding Peak fighting with full force, Su Chen's party would have been buried in the secret realm long ago.

Inside the ruins, Su Chen witnessed countless treasures.

An ancient saint scripture appeared, sparking ferocious battles among the saints. A saint-grade puppet emerged, drawing yet another clash of saints. A garden of great saint herbs was discovered and plundered by a horde of powerhouses. Su Chen joined the fray and seized several rare eighth-grade herbs, though no saint-grade herb ever appeared.

As more and more restrictions were shattered in the fighting between powerhouses, at last, Su Chen witnessed the moment the sky filled with blazing firelight.

"Nine Yang True Flame! It's a Heavenly Fire!"

Su Chen's determination was absolute. The moment the Heavenly Fire appeared, every eye in the ruins turned toward it. The value of a powerful Heavenly Fire was no less than that of a saint herb. Especially one as renowned as the Nine Yang True Flame, which ranked high on the Heavenly Fire list.

The saint from Sword-Hiding Peak drew a deep breath. "Elder Su, if I fall in the struggle for the Heavenly Fire, do not look back. Leave the ancient saint ruins immediately!"

Su Chen nodded. The remaining Nirvana Realm Venerables formed a protective ring around him. The Sword-Hiding Peak saint raised his sword and charged toward the flame.

Without a saint to shield them, hostile races that had long harbored grudges against humans emerged from the shadows and began their assault on Su Chen's group.

"A human eighth-grade alchemist… he absolutely cannot be allowed to live!"

After fierce combat, two more of Su Chen's Nirvana Realm protectors fell. There was no time for grief. The battle for the Heavenly Fire had ended.

A blood-soaked figure appeared—one arm severed, yet the other hand firmly clutched a sun-like flame.

"Run!"

The Sword-Hiding Peak saint had no time for more words. He thrust the Nine Yang True Flame into Su Chen's hands and burned every ounce of his strength to carve open an escape path for the survivors.

Su Chen wasted no words. Clutching the flame, he stepped into the passage.

From a distance, a figure radiating overwhelming pressure appeared. A palm slammed toward the tunnel. "People from the Heavenly Profound Domain? You think you can seize a Heavenly Fire and leave? Have you asked the War God Hall?"

Space itself seemed ready to collapse. In that instant, a terrifying aura erupted from the Sword-Hiding Peak saint. He burned everything—life, cultivation, soul—to block the dreadful figure.

At the same time, several hidden saints moved to intercept Su Chen. The Sword-Hiding Peak saint's sword light severed their advance. The shockwaves of their clash tore the spatial passage into ruin.

In the final moment, Su Chen still managed to escape the ancient saint ruins. When he awoke from unconsciousness, he lay on a desolate ancient star. He had obtained the Nine Yang True Flame—at the cost of one saint from the Prison-Suppressing Sacred Land.

Cause and effect turned in circles; retribution came as it always did.

"These injuries… really are severe."

Su Chen gave a wry smile. The spatial passage had collapsed, and the terrifying spatial power had nearly shredded his body. Fortunately, he had swallowed a pill in advance and survived. The remaining Nirvana Realm companions—whether killed by the spatial storm or scattered to unknown places—had vanished without a trace.

In his current state, crossing the void was impossible. This ancient star was barren beyond measure, its spiritual qi so thin it filled Su Chen with despair. Even if he searched every inch of this world for treasures, he could not recover even a tenth of his injuries. Returning to the Heavenly Profound Domain had become a distant dream.

With no other choice, Su Chen began to explore the star—only to discover that the strongest beings here were merely at the Spirit Sea Realm. No matter what he found, it could not heal him. The yin-cold nether qi of the Nine Nether Profound Flame grew denser within him. Perhaps in less than a century, it would devour him completely. In desperation, he decided to take the risk and attempt to refine the Nine Yang True Flame.

Thirty years later…

Su Chen had aged dramatically. His body was shrouded in darkness, the Nine Nether Profound Flame and Nine Yang True Flame raging wildly inside him.

"Heaven does not wait for me… Heaven does not wait for Su Chen!"

Su Chen's heart was filled with bitter unwillingness. He had been so close—just one step away! Yet this place lacked the spiritual qi to sustain the simultaneous suppression of two opposing Heavenly Fires.

After three long sighs of helplessness, Su Chen began to arrange his affairs. Though he did not know the name of this star, he still erected a stone monument and carved the story of his life upon it.

[If any descendant should obtain my inheritance, I beseech you to return my remains to the Heavenly Profound Domain. Prison-Suppressing Sacred Land will surely offer generous rewards.]

Planting good karma… planting good karma…

Su Chen gazed up at the starry sky. The power within him could no longer contain the two violent Heavenly Fires. One yin, one yang, they erupted from beneath his skin in blazing fire.

The stars blazed brilliantly—beautiful beyond words.

Many years later, perhaps someone would find the inheritance left by a man from another realm known as the Peerless Pill Venerable. And in that continent, a new storm would rise.