Chapter 1668: Dark Assassination
In the clearing of the mystical forest, a figure sat cross-legged. In front of him, there was a dark red medicine tripod, within which floated a light blue, liquid-like substance.
This figure was naturally Yun Xiao. It had been a full seven days since he subdued the Golden Grade Sky Demon and began enhancing the grade of the Heavenly Void Soul Liquid.
During these seven days, Yun Xiao continuously added some Heavenly Rank Advanced Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, most of which were beneficial to the soul.
If some ordinary Heavenly Rank Meridian Refining Masters, even if they were Heavenly Rank Advanced Masters, saw Yun Xiao's actions during these seven days, they would probably think he was insane.
Because from the perspective of ordinary Meridian Masters, the Heavenly Void Soul Liquid, already at the fixed level of Intermediate Heavenly Rank, was impossible to enhance further. Such reckless actions would likely result in the waste of the Intermediate Heavenly Rank Heavenly Void Soul Liquid.
However, Yun Xiao was not an ordinary Meridian Master. Although the body he was reincarnated into was extraordinary, the most crucial factor was that he possessed the refining theories of a Holy Rank Advanced Peak from his previous life.
It was precisely because of these means that Yun Xiao was so confident. After all, the Intermediate Heavenly Rank Heavenly Void Soul Liquid was of little use to his soul power, which had already reached the Peak of Advanced Heavenly Rank.
If he did not raise the grade of the Heavenly Void Soul Liquid to Advanced Heavenly Rank, using this liquid to nurture his soul would at best yield a slight improvement, which was not his ultimate goal.
Boom!
At a certain moment, a powerful soul fluctuation erupted from the medicine tripod, shooting straight into the sky. Immediately, a strong gust of wind surged, almost blowing all the clouds in the sky to this location.
Generally speaking, the emergence of treasures reaching the Heavenly Rank often attracts Pill Thunder, with the Heavenly Tribulation varying from one to several paths. Heavenly Rank Intermediate pills can even attract more than seven paths of Alchemy Dao Thunder Tribulation.
At this moment, although Yun Xiao was not refining pills, forcibly enhancing a Heavenly Rank Intermediate Heavenly Material and Earthly Treasure to Advanced Heavenly Rank was in itself a heaven-defying act and naturally would invite the judgment of the heavens.
In a sense, the Heavenly Void Soul Liquid, now enhanced to Advanced Heavenly Rank, was different from before. It was a newly emerging treasure, so attracting the Heavenly Dao Thunder Tribulation was to be expected.
......
In a distant part of the mountain forest, as the anomalies in the sky surged, a figure suddenly lifted his head, revealing a young face with an expression of shock.
"Is this... the emergence of a Heavenly Rank Advanced treasure?"
Peering through the branches and leaves of the towering trees, the young man first sensed carefully, then uttered in excitement, seemingly detecting something extraordinary from the auras of the thunderous clouds.
"Tsk tsk, who would have thought, before finding the Nangong Family's treasure, there would be such a surprise. That Heavenly Rank Advanced treasure—I've got to have it!"
After confirming his sensing once more, the young man uttered a series of sounds, and his figure flashed, disappearing into the mystical forest as if he had never been there.
At the same moment, the cultivators drawn to this mountain range for some reason all noticed the gathering storm of the clouded sky, showing joy on their faces, and rushed towards the mystical forest's location.
......
At the critical moment of enhancing the Heavenly Void Soul Liquid, Yun Xiao naturally did not know that the descending Heavenly Tribulation would attract so many unexpected visitors. Regardless, the challenge he faced now was merely the Heavenly Tribulation Lightning.
Boom boom boom boom boom boom!
When the thundercoulds in the sky reached a frightening density, a series of flickering silver lightning bolts descended from the sky, almost engulfing the entire area he was in.
The magnitude of the phenomenon was far greater than when Yun Xiao participated in the Meridian Refining Conference on the Tenglong Continent, where he merely refined a Heavenly Rank Intermediate pill that attracted seven paths of Pill Thunder.
And the first wave of Heavenly Tribulation descending from the sky consisted of six entire bolts. Following the havoc of these six Tribulation Lightnings, another wave of six promptly followed, causing Yun Xiao's expression to grow serious.
Considering Yun Xiao's understanding of his current enhancement of the Heavenly Void Soul Liquid, he feared that twelve Tribulation Lightnings wouldn't nearly suffice. The emergence of an Advanced Heavenly Rank pill would at least attract thirteen paths, and the Advanced Heavenly Rank Heavenly Void Soul Liquid would be no exception.
Yun Xiao himself was curious about how many Tribulation Lightnings the Advanced Heavenly Rank Heavenly Void Soul Liquid could attract—maybe surpassing an ordinary Advanced Heavenly Rank pill.
Crash! Crash! Crash!
Under Yun Xiao's expectant and grave gaze, three more silver lightning bolts descended like dragons, bringing the total Heavenly Dao Thunder Tribulations attracted by the Advanced Heavenly Rank Heavenly Void Soul Liquid to fifteen in all.
Yun Xiao was already quite satisfied with this result, as it met his minimum expectations. Every subsequent lightning bolt would be another pleasant surprise for him.
Crash! Crash!
Two silver beams of lightning followed closely behind, and the tempering from the fifteen Heavenly Tribulations made the smile on Yun Xiao's face grow more intense. He believed that under such tempering of seventeen Heavenly Tribulations, the power of the Heavenly Void Soul Liquid would certainly receive the greatest enhancement.
Boom!
Under Yun Xiao's attentive gaze, a silver lightning bolt almost twice as thick as the previous one suddenly descended. Looking at the dissipating Thunder Cloud in the sky, Yun Xiao had every reason to believe that this was the final Heavenly Tribulation tempering the Heavenly Void Soul Liquid would undergo.
"Eighteen Heavenly Tribulations, not bad, really not bad!"
Though a trace of regret lingered in his heart, Yun Xiao knew that one should not be overly greedy. Being able to summon eighteen Heavenly Tribulations showed that his improvement this time was a complete success; this was the most perfect state of an Advanced Heavenly Rank treasure.
If a nineteenth Heavenly Tribulation could be summoned, it would no longer be something of the Heavenly Rank but would break through to the Holy Rank. At least, with Yun Xiao's current level of Meridian Refining Technique, he couldn't reach such a level.
A mass of green liquid, enveloped by lightning, rolled continuously within the dark red Medicine Tripod. It looked entirely different from normal Elixirs, yet its aura became increasingly astonishing.
Clang!
At a certain moment, Yun Xiao directly reached out and slapped the lid of the Medicine Tripod. Then, with a beckoning gesture, the Advanced Heavenly Rank Heavenly Void Soul Liquid obediently flew into his palm.
Meanwhile, Yun Xiao had already stored the Medicine Tripod away, making it seem as if he had just found a pool of Advanced Heavenly Rank Heavenly Void Soul Liquid, laying the groundwork for some individuals to make a move.
"Advanced Heavenly Rank Heavenly Void Soul Liquid, indeed... huh?"
Just as Yun Xiao held the Heavenly Void Soul Liquid, feeling the special force that made his soul feel refreshed with just a gentle inhalation, his expression suddenly changed.
"Roar!"
At the same time, the Intermediate Golden Grade Heavenly Spirit that had been guarding nearby suddenly stood up and roared like a tiger, its eyes flashing with a trace of danger.
Whoosh!
At the moment when both human and demon sensed this, a cold gleam abruptly flashed from behind Yun Xiao, stabbing toward the vital point of Yun Xiao's rear neck with lightning speed.
If someone were watching the battle from the side, they might notice that the cold gleam was actually a sharp and pointed short spike, and its other end was gripped in the hand of a young man.
The sudden ambush, were it someone other than a Cultivator coming, might have resulted in an instant death from a pierced throat. But who was Yun Xiao? His Power of Soul had long reached the Advanced Heavenly Rank, a sensing ability and reaction speed not comparable to ordinary people.
"Ha, the Advanced Heavenly Rank Heavenly Void Soul Liquid is mine!"
The young man gripping the short spike was extremely confident in his strike. He laughed out loud in triumph, and the short spike had already plunged into the rear neck of that roughly clothed young man.
The young man, upon arrival, saw the Heavenly Void Soul Liquid in Yun Xiao's hand. He did not witness the previous scene where Yun Xiao refined the Heavenly Void Soul Liquid and thought this roughly clothed youth was surprisingly lucky to have found a pool of Advanced Heavenly Rank Heavenly Void Soul Liquid in this dense forest.
Such an Advanced Heavenly Rank Supreme Treasure, especially one useful for the Power of Soul, how could this poorly dressed kid have the qualifications to own it?
Hence, the young man acted immediately, and his attack was of thunderous force. He intended to kill with one strike, as, aside from him, there were other greedy loiterers just arriving.
The short spike entering the neck made the young man instinctively feel the matter was settled, but in the next instant, his expression changed as he suddenly discovered that the sense of the stab didn't feel like stabbing into ordinary flesh at all.
"It's just an afterimage?!"
The young man was quick to react, realizing within a flash from the feedback through his short spike the fact, his face suddenly turning extremely grim.
Swoosh!
Coinciding with the young man's realizations, a powerful sound of wind-breaking suddenly resonated, making him instinctively sidestep without thinking anything else.
A black beam swept past the side of the young man, and upon seeing the substance of the beam, a surge of shame and anger rose in him because it turned out to be merely a wooden sword akin to a child's toy, with even the sword tip somewhat rounded.
The one employing the Shadow Clone Meridian Techniques and simultaneously thrusting out this sword was naturally Yun Xiao. However, he hadn't anticipated the opponent's reaction to be equally swift, this Dragon Taming Sword thrust did not harm him in the least.
Yet, amidst the fleeting exchange of blows, Yun Xiao was already able to sense that the young man's Meridian Qi Cultivation was indisputably at the Heavenly Realm Middle Stage level, identical to his own.
This realization allowed Yun Xiao to infer that the young man's background might be extraordinary; after all, in a small place like Yulong City, the strongest of the younger generation was merely at the Floating Life Realm Early Stage like Prince Wang Zifu.