Venerable Supreme of Myriad Dragons

When the Tianze Emperor made his announcement, none of the civil and military officials of Tianze present were surprised. It was as if they had known all along, and they certainly had no objections.

Although the people of Tianze were quite xenophobic, Elder Xu had been in Tianze for many years and had long since fostered good relations with the officials. Furthermore, everyone knew of the deep friendship between Elder Xu and His Majesty. Who would dare object?

Moreover, Elder Xu was an exceedingly rare sixth-grade Alchemy Master. For many years, nearly every Elixir in Tianze, great or small, had come from his hands, and he had helped countless people.

In truth, the nation of Tianze could no longer do without Elder Xu.

"Hehehehe!"

Elder Xu stepped forward with a kindly air, his face wreathed in smiles. "I am but an old man with one foot in the grave. What could I possibly know of governing a nation? I only understand a little of the Alchemy Skill. However, as I have been blessed by His Majesty’s favor and appointed National Preceptor, I shall naturally do what I can to contribute my humble efforts to Tianze."

As he spoke, Elder Xu gave a gentle smile and waved his hand. A simple, ancient Furnace Cauldron slowly flew out from within his sleeve.

The Furnace Cauldron shimmered with iridescent light and glowed with immortal energy. Its lid slowly opened, and one by one, translucent, sparkling Elixirs flew out.

"These are Cyan Profound Pills, precious fifth-grade Elixirs that took this old man forty-nine days to refine. I hope they can help you all comprehend the Celestial Secret and achieve a breakthrough in your cultivation."

With another light wave of his sleeve, Elder Xu sent the Cyan Profound Pills flying into the hands of everyone present.

Instantly, the civil and military officials below were overjoyed.

Shen Daoxing looked at the cyan Elixir hovering and spinning before him, sparkling and translucent. He was rather surprised; he hadn’t expected Elder Xu to be so generous.

Beside him, He Yong had already tucked a Cyan Profound Pill away. He turned his head and said joyfully, "Yang, why haven’t you taken it yet? Hehehe, this is a fifth-grade Elixir personally refined by Elder Xu! He’s usually very reluctant to part with these. If you don’t want it, I’ll take it."

As he spoke, He Yong reached out to grab the cyan Elixir. But Shen Daoxing was faster. With a flick of his wrist, he stored the Cyan Profound Pill in his Sumeru Ring.

The others nearby all joyfully accepted their Cyan Profound Pills.

Only the Eldest Prince, He Yu, snorted as if he didn’t care. But after a moment of silence, he still reached out and took the Cyan Profound Pill, tucking it away.

On the altar, the Tianze Emperor saw that no one objected and nodded in satisfaction. He then turned slowly to Elder Xu. "Next, I must ask our National Preceptor to open the mountain for Tianze."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Elder Xu nodded respectfully. He then walked slowly to the edge of the altar and gazed down the mountainside.

Elder Xu slowly extended a single finger and pointed at the sky.

"RUMBLE!"

In that instant, the sky before Shen Daoxing’s eyes suddenly seemed to tremble.

No.

It wasn’t the sky that was trembling, but the entire mountain beneath his feet.

"RUMBLE!"

The earth quaked and the mountains shook as a clap of thunder exploded through the air.

Shen Daoxing felt the entire mountain shaking violently. Then, his vision darkened as a colossal rock wall appeared before him.

No, it was another mountain entirely, one that rose from the ground to tower over Ancestor Mountain, appearing before the crowd like a peerless peak connecting heaven and earth.

In the next moment, Elder Xu flicked his sleeve, and a silvery-white Duster shot out.

Elder Xu caught the Duster and simply swiped it lightly across the sky.

A golden line suddenly appeared, bisecting the sky from top to bottom. The line shot forward, and in a mere moment, it had sliced through the colossal mountain peak.

"BANG!"

With a world-shaking bang, the magnificent mountain peak suddenly split apart, and in an instant, it had been cleaved in two.

Then, a magnificent, golden-tiled palace appeared in the very center of the split mountain peak.

Without any visible action from Elder Xu, the majestic palace suddenly erupted in a blinding radiance, with golden light shooting out in all directions.

Then, the eaves of the great hall flew upward and its four walls cracked open.

A massive, majestic Pill Furnace, as large as a behemoth, slowly rose from the ground, appearing before the crowd.

The Pill Furnace was so immense it seemed to connect heaven and earth, like a mountain peak itself.

It shone with a brilliant golden light, and carved upon its surface were two flying dragons, each with a jade pearl in its mouth, circling it as if they were alive.

The moment this mountain-sized Pill Furnace appeared, the surrounding crowd erupted in an uproar, like a volcano blowing its top.

"So that’s for the Creation Pill! The peerless, sixth-grade Immortal Pill Elder Xu has been refining for ten years!"

"Does this mean it’s almost finished and he’s about to open the furnace?"

"That’s an Immortal Pill that can help an expert at the peak of the Earth Profound Realm break through to the Refining Dust Realm!"

"I heard His Majesty had an entire Celestial Essence Mine rendered down for this!"

The crowd buzzed with discussion, their faces filled with hope, especially the old-timers who were nearing the end of their lives.

After all, over the many years, the nation of Tianze had produced several experts who had reached the Ninth Layer of the Earth Profound Realm.

But the Refining Dust Realm was beyond the Mortal Realm. Reaching it was a feat that defied the heavens and seized creation itself—an incredibly difficult task.

For hundreds of years.

Without a single exception, all of Tianze’s geniuses had gotten stuck at the Ninth Layer of the Earth Profound Realm. They remained there for years, unable to break through, until their lifespans were exhausted and they died of old age.

But if the Creation Pill was successfully refined, the Ninth Layer of the Earth Profound Realm would no longer be an insurmountable chasm. The power of the Tianze nation could then rise to a whole new level.

The Tianze Emperor gazed silently at the mountain-like Furnace Cauldron. His expression was serene and calm, but his slightly trembling eyes betrayed his excitement.

If the Creation Pill was a success, he would achieve what his forefathers never could. He would step into the Refining Dust Realm and become the first person in Tianze’s history to do so, second only to the First Ancestor.

And in the future, the Tianze nation would no longer have to rely entirely on their Ancestor’s protection.

The Tianze Emperor suppressed his excitement and turned to Elder Xu. "Will it be a success?"

"Of course!"

Elder Xu’s expression was calm and completely self-assured. "Your Majesty, with me personally overseeing this, do you still have doubts? It is merely a matter of time. In another day or two, the Creation Pill, the culmination of ten years of my painstaking effort, will be ready."

"With your assurance, National Preceptor, I am at ease."

A look of delight appeared on the Tianze Emperor’s face.

Then, the Tianze Emperor suddenly called out, "Peng Yue."

"Your Majesty."

A figure clad in battle armor slowly emerged from the crowd—it was Peng Yue.

"From this moment on, station your men here and guard this place around the clock. Until the furnace is opened, no one is to come near it."

The Tianze Emperor commanded.

"Yes!"

Peng Yue nodded in acknowledgement.

Immediately, a large contingent of soldiers in silver armor marched out and completely surrounded the hill-sized Pill Furnace.

While the crowd gazed at the mountain-like Pill Furnace with excitement and hope, Shen Daoxing wore a strange expression, because this Pill Furnace was all too familiar to him.

It was the very place from which he and the Golden-Eyed Treasure-Seeking Rat had emerged. As for the unfinished Creation Pill that had been inside, it had long since been absorbed and refined by him.

...

The Ancestor-Summoning Ceremony continued. However, since the Ancestor of Tianze was unwilling to appear, the Tianze Emperor spoke a few perfunctory words, and the ceremony was hastily concluded.

The Tianze Emperor and Elder Xu chatted amiably as they were the first to leave the summit, followed by all the civil and military officials of the court.

Finally, the rest of the crowd slowly began to depart from the summit.