Chapter Twenty-Five: The Pill That Defies Heaven

At this moment, beads of sweat dotted Xu Qing’s forehead. After running at full speed for so long, even with his mastery at the subtle stage, he was greatly depleted, and his pace had slowed.

“Damn it, what rotten luck! I, a dignified leader, am being treated like a mere errand boy!” Xu Qing gasped for breath, muttering to himself with frustration.

“If you’re so unwilling, why help him at all?” A sudden voice cut through the air, causing Xu Qing’s expression to change dramatically.

He followed the sound and saw, not far ahead, a youth reclining lazily against a tall tree. The boy’s gaze did not meet his own, but Xu Qing dared not make a single move.

He could sense unmistakably that the youth’s spiritual awareness was locked onto him; should he even think of escaping, the boy would strike him down without hesitation.

Moreover, though the youth appeared only sixteen or seventeen, he did not conceal his aura in the slightest. It was like a sharp sword, its edge relentlessly battering Xu Qing’s resolve.

“Who are you?” Xu Qing asked cautiously.

Long Yun straightened his posture, finally letting his gaze fall upon Xu Qing. He did not answer, but instead opened his palm and said, “Hand over the item. Renounce your cultivation. I’ll spare your life.”

Xu Qing’s eyes narrowed. He was no fool—he understood Long Yun’s words clearly. Surrendering the jade token was not a problem; at worst, he could flee later.

But to destroy his own cultivation—absolutely impossible. Without it, how could he survive in the future?

His gaze hardened, and he spoke coldly, “You are too ruthless. We have no grievances between us. Why not make a deal? You can take the item, but let me live.”

“I’ll only say this once. It’s your final choice: life or death. The decision is yours,” Long Yun replied indifferently, not even bothering to acknowledge Xu Qing as a threat.

Staring into Long Yun’s icy eyes, Xu Qing finally panicked. He sighed deeply and said, “Very well. Since you’ve made yourself clear, I have only one option—”

Before he finished speaking, his hand shot up and dozens of silver lights exploded from his palm, transforming into a storm of needles that swept toward Long Yun.

At the same time, Xu Qing wasted no movement, activating his footwork at full power and fleeing sideways into the underbrush.

“There’s a path to heaven and you refuse to walk it. Seems your choice isn’t very wise,” Long Yun sneered. He bent his arm, and sword energy formed a golden shield three feet before him.

The rain of silver needles struck the shield like bamboo leaves battered by a storm, raising only tiny ripples before falling silently into the grass. Their tips glimmered blue, coated with deadly poison.

Murder gleamed in Long Yun’s eyes. With a speed ten times faster than Xu Qing’s, he surged forward, snatching Xu Qing, who had already half disappeared into the bushes, with an invisible force that pinned him in place.

“A heart as venomous as a snake’s—you have no place in this world,” Long Yun’s brows furrowed. Xu Qing’s attack had truly enraged him, erasing any trace of mercy.

Vast sword energy poured into Xu Qing, ready to shatter his heart meridian. Yet just as this force surged within Xu Qing’s body, a tremendous aura suddenly swept over them like a raging tide. Compared to it, Long Yun’s presence was but a drop in the ocean—utterly insignificant.

“Innate realm?” Long Yun’s expression changed. He quickly sealed Xu Qing’s meridians and, with a flash, dragged Xu Qing into the thickets.

A thunderous boom echoed overhead. The sky was ablaze with fiery clouds—a lingering aftermath of the battle between two great masters.

Two figures wove together in midair, clashing furiously. In mere instants, they exchanged four or five hundred blows, then each retreated to perch atop separate branches of giant trees.

Both appeared to be men in their thirties. One wore azure robes, his sword gleaming coldly in his hand. His face was handsome, his aura righteous and powerful—clearly a master of the orthodox path.

The other was clad in black, his face stiff and severe, a murderous aura flickering between his brows—one accumulated only through countless killings.

From appearance alone, their identities seemed obvious. But Long Yun, having witnessed the hypocrisy of Pang Yuan and Steward Huang, no longer trusted the so-called righteous sects.

“Xu Lie, you’re gravely wounded. Surrender now! Hand over the Divine Pill, and I’ll spare your life,” the master in azure smiled calmly, as if victory was in hand.

Xu Lie’s expression was grim. A flush of red passed fleetingly across his face, betraying his injuries, yet he snorted coldly, “As a disciple of the righteous path, you resort to murder and robbery. Zhu Xuan, is this how you treat your own sect?”

Zhu Xuan laughed loudly. “You call your Little Pill Sect ‘righteous’?”

Little Pill Sect? Long Yun frowned slightly; he had never heard of such a sect, but the presence of an innate realm master suggested its strength surpassed even the Jade Sword Sect.

From their conversation, it seemed Zhu Xuan wanted to seize some kind of pill from Xu Lie—but what manner of pill could draw such powerful cultivators into open conflict?

In truth, Long Yun did not know. The Little Pill Sect was neither fully righteous nor evil; its focus was almost entirely on alchemy. Because it seldom interacted with other sects and its methods were often extreme, it was neither included among the righteous sects nor considered truly evil.

Hearing Zhu Xuan’s words, Xu Lie’s brows knit even tighter. He touched the copper flask containing the Divine Pill in his robe and felt a pang of sorrow.

The sect master of Little Pill Sect, Qiu Ruofeng, was a mad alchemist of his age. After a century of gathering the essence of sun and moon, and countless rare treasures, he tempered them in the earth’s heart fire for eighty-one days, finally producing the legendary “Heaven-Stealing Pill.”

It was said the method came from a peerless ancient shaman. When the pill was completed, heaven and earth changed color, and its effects were beyond description.

Qiu Ruofeng had stumbled upon the recipe by chance, dedicating his life to its creation. On the day the pill was finished, he sacrificed himself to the pill, and when the furnace opened, rainbow clouds descended, bestowing divine powers.

The pill developed its own consciousness and tried to escape. In desperation, Qiu Ruofeng transformed himself into a seal, trapping the Heaven-Stealing Pill within the sect’s treasured “Universe Flask”—and was annihilated in the process.

It was said that whoever consumed the Heaven-Stealing Pill could seize the very workings of heaven and earth, greatly enhance their cultivation, and, thanks to its essence of sun and moon, instantly comprehend the Dao. Even an ordinary person could rise to the pinnacle.

Thus, the Little Pill Sect kept the existence of the Heaven-Stealing Pill a closely guarded secret.

Yet there are no walls in the world that can keep out the wind. News of the pill’s creation eventually leaked, and the sect suffered a calamity.

Xu Lie, shielded by the elders’ desperate efforts, escaped with the Heaven-Stealing Pill but was confronted by Zhu Xuan, who was after the pill as well.

Zhu Xuan hid his intentions deeply, feigning ignorance and helping Xu Lie repel their pursuers. The two fled together, and Xu Lie gradually lowered his guard.

It was during one such battle that Zhu Xuan suddenly betrayed him, gravely wounding Xu Lie. But Xu Lie, being from the Little Pill Sect, had many healing medicines.

With these, he managed to suppress his injuries until now, though he could not fully heal, and his speed dropped greatly, making him unable to escape Zhu Xuan’s relentless pursuit.

Now, his wounds could no longer be suppressed, his medicine was gone, and Zhu Xuan would not relent. His heart filled with despair.

Had he not been so blind in trusting Zhu Xuan, he would never have fallen into such dire straits.

Thinking of this, a faint sorrow crossed Xu Lie’s face. He no longer cared for his own life. Yet if the Heaven-Stealing Pill fell into Zhu Xuan’s hands, the consequences would be unimaginable.