After Wu Tianjun completed his tribulation and vanished back into Demon Dragon City, the Saint Ancestors of the Demon Race, though they had sensed the commotion, were too far away. Unwilling to risk being caught in the residual lightning storm, they remained ignorant of his identity and how he had departed.
"So, that fellow has departed," one Saint Ancestor remarked.
"Hmph! Most likely! Those old monsters who choose to re-cultivate always have countless tricks up their sleeves for their return. I fear that man had already reached the ninth step of the Saint Ancestor realm in his previous life!" another Saint Ancestor said warily. He himself was an incredibly powerful cultivator, having reached the formidable third step of the Saint Ancestor realm.
"Indeed. I wonder who it could be? Anyone with the courage to undergo re-cultivation is bound to be a legendary figure!" another added, his voice trembling slightly.
"Have you considered this? No lightning tribulations have appeared since ancient times, yet now we have witnessed two in quick succession. I suspect this is not mere re-cultivation, but perhaps the reincarnation of an ancient, supreme power. He might have surpassed the Saint realm in his past life!" a Saint Ancestor posited, sounding quite profound.
"That is indeed possible..." several other mighty figures agreed.
"Could it be the rebirth of an expert from the Primordial Era?!" a Saint Ancestor suddenly gasped. His speculation was not without merit; since ancient times, no one had been able to withstand such a terrifying lightning tribulation. Furthermore, only during the Primordial Era did cultivators exist who could surpass the Saint Ancestor realm.
A heavy silence fell over the crowd. In truth, they could hardly be blamed for their ignorance. The Primordial Era had long since ended, leaving only a fraction of the races behind. With the cycle of reincarnation shattered, it should have been impossible for supreme powers to be reborn. Much of what they knew came only from the sparse, surviving ancient texts of that bygone era; even the concept of a supreme power's rebirth was something they had only read about, never witnessed firsthand.
Meanwhile, back inside the cultivation chamber of Demon Dragon City.
"Young Master, are you saying... you failed to refine God Lord-grade pills?" Chi Danzi gasped, his voice trembling. After hearing Wu Tianjun's explanation, the onlookers were utterly speechless, unable to find the words to describe him.
"Yes. I followed the recipe exactly, but the cauldron ended up exploding. Fortunately, I managed to escape in time," Wu Tianjun said nonchalantly. The more he pondered it, the less he understood why the cauldron had failed so spectacularly.
"Young Master! What about the God-grade pills? The Spirit-connecting ones..." Chi Danzi asked again, wondering if Wu Tianjun had simply overlooked them.
"Oh, those? I already refined them. Nothing special," Wu Tianjun said, glancing at him. "They're in that storage ring over there." He pointed to the ring he had casually tossed to a few nearby spirit bodies.
Chi Danzi immediately snatched the storage ring, sending his powerful spiritual sense sweeping inside to inspect its contents.
"Su... Supreme-grade pills! God-grade, sixth-tier?!" When Chi Danzi's spiritual sense penetrated the ring, he was greeted by rows of bottles and jars filled with pills—mostly of Supreme-grade, with only a few of High-grade! He stood frozen in sheer disbelief for a long moment before shivering and snapping back to reality. "Young Master! Just how many pills did you manage to refine in a single batch?" Looking at the sheer quantity of pills, he found the number simply staggering.
"Oh, sometimes nine, sometimes twelve. I didn't pay much attention," Wu Tianjun replied rather lazily. At the time, his mind had been entirely occupied with how to improve the pill formula!
The eleven old eccentrics stared wide-eyed at Wu Tianjun. The Young Master sure knew how to strike where it hurt! At their level, almost all of them knew a thing or two about alchemy and artifact forging! They understood what kind of monstrous efficiency it was to refine nine pills in one go, let alone twelve—and what's more, they were mostly Supreme Grade! Damn it, what did he mean by "I don't pay much attention to it"? If he *did* put his mind to it, wouldn't they all be Supreme Grade? Refining twelve Supreme Grade pills in one go? A normal refinement usually only yielded three pills; exceeding three was already rare. As for nine pills, even a Saint Ancestor-level alchemist wouldn't dare to guarantee it!
"Alright! What are you staring at me for? Tell me, why did I fail?" Wu Tianjun looked at the old eccentrics with a hint of boredom. *Does this Young Master have flowers growing on his face or something, for you to keep staring at me like that?* he thought to himself.
"Uh... Young Master! The key to refining God-Lord level pills is World Force! At your current stage, since you cannot utilize World Force, you cannot refine God-Lord level pills!" Chi Danzi said solemnly. The Young Master's talent, whether in cultivation or alchemy, always left him sighing with a mix of admiration and helplessness. However, the prerequisite to becoming a God-Lord level alchemist was reaching the God-Venerate realm, because only at the God-Venerate realm could one utilize World Force for alchemy.
"Oh! Is that so? Hmm... So I can only continue alchemy once I reach the God-Venerate realm? Tsk! In that case, Mo Lian, start teaching me artifact forging!" Wu Tianjun said with a hint of disappointment upon hearing the reason, but he quickly dismissed it and turned his gaze to Mo Lian.
"..." The group of old eccentrics looked at one another. The Young Master didn't want to rest for even a moment!
"Young Master..." At this moment, Wu Zixuan stepped forward and bowed respectfully to Wu Tianjun.
"Oh? Grand Protector, do you have something to say?" Wu Tianjun turned to him and asked, wondering what it could be.
"Uh... Nothing! I just came to pay my respects to you today." Wu Zixuan felt as if he had punched a wall of cotton, leaving him utterly deflated.
"Hmph! If there's nothing, then hurry up and go cultivate! Second Protector, let's go!" Wu Tianjun immediately headed toward the artifact forging room. After a few steps, he turned back and spoke to the spirit bodies. "After you've opened all eighty-one meridians, don't rush to Gather Essence. Consolidate your foundation as thoroughly as possible. Gathering Essence is just a stepping stone; once you've opened eighty-one meridians, you can immediately break through to the Human Pill realm after Gathering Essence, so there's no need to rush!" Wu Tianjun explained. "Oh, and if Xiao Qing wakes up, tell it to continue cultivating. Next time, I'll take it out to play!" He suddenly remembered Xiao Qing. They hadn't seen each other in a long time, even though they were only separated by a few walls.
"Yes, Young Master!" The entire group immediately went to cultivate. The old geezers were ecstatic; the Young Master had given each of them five thousand drops of Tribulation Lightning Fluid! Their cultivation speed was not just a hundred times faster than normal. Chi Danzi was already on the verge of breaking through to the Saint Ancestor realm!
Wu Tianjun began his apprenticeship in artifact forging under Mo Lian. His progress was much the same as when he had studied alchemy; within eight days, he was the sole occupant remaining in the forging chamber. To Wu Tianjun, artifact forging and alchemy shared many similarities. In fact, after his previous grueling, frenetic sessions of refining pills, he found forging to be comparatively easy. The primary distinction lay in the ability to inscribe formations onto the forged items to enhance their power. This sparked a desire in Wu Tianjun to learn the art of formations as well, and he wondered if any of the old eccentrics outside were Formation Masters.
Two months flew by after Wu Tianjun began his forging studies. Deep within the cultivation grounds, Chi Danzi, who had been in silent meditation, suddenly snapped his eyes open.
"Ah! I can no longer suppress it. It is time for my tribulation," he muttered. Turning to the other old monsters, he added, "You all should come out as well and guard me!"
"Haha! Third Brother is about to face his tribulation as well!" the Sixth Protector laughed.
"Indeed! Let us go out and protect him," Mo Lian said solemnly. They all understood that the heavenly tribulation would manifest as a Thunder Rain. While ordinary onlookers would flee as far as possible upon seeing it, they could not afford to do so. Once the tribulation ended, there would be a period of extreme vulnerability; if anyone were to launch a sneak attack during this time, the consequences would be unthinkable. Although they were currently within the Primeval Wood Star Forest, which was teeming with the Demon Race, undergoing a tribulation here meant they had to remain highly vigilant against powerful demon experts—a perilous endeavor indeed. Fortunately, they were no pushovers themselves. Still, if conflict could be avoided, it was always best to do so.
"Should we wake the Young Master?" the Eighth Protector, Wang Qianshan, asked.
"There is no need," the First Protector, Wu Zixuan, replied. "He is already aware, but simply chooses not to emerge from his seclusion. It seems he trusts us to handle this ourselves. Besides, with the Crimson Pill Master's strength, a Saint Ancestor-level heavenly tribulation will not pose too much of a challenge."
"Agreed. We should head out now," the Fifth Protector added. With that, they departed from Demon Dragon City, dispersing in all directions to form a protective perimeter around the Crimson Pill Master.
"So, the Crimson Pill Master is about to ascend to Saintship as well..." Inside, Wu Tianjun paused his forging and peered outside. He chose not to intervene because he wanted them to act on their own initiative. After all, these were top-tier powerhouses who would eventually guard their own territories; they could not rely on his direct commands forever. Wu Tianjun had no desire to micromanage them.
"Another two months and those fellows will have formed their cores! Heheh, this Young Master will guide you all the way to the Earth Core Realm, and then I'll throw you out to wrestle with demon beasts!" Wu Tianjun looked at the spirit bodies and chuckled. He believed these entities were born to fight far above their weight class, and under his guidance, they would surely unleash their maximum potential.
Outside Demon Dragon City, Crimson Pill Master released his aura, and very quickly, the lightning tribulation descended. Dark thunderclouds gathered, intertwined with lightning bolts. Crimson Pill Master stood with his hands clasped behind his back, looking at the sky expressionlessly. At this moment, he was confident he would overcome the lightning tribulation! Recently, their perfect cultivation environment and abundant tribulation liquid had made them considerably stronger. Their increased strength also brought much greater confidence. He felt that he was even stronger than Mo Lian and Wu Zixuan when they underwent their tribulations! This tribulation could no longer intimidate him!
“A Saint Ancestor’s tribulation…” From afar, a powerful Demon Race expert immediately said with a solemn expression. When he released his spiritual sense to investigate, it was blocked by another spiritual sense no weaker than his own. He possessed half-step Saint Ancestor cultivation!
“Hmm! There’s a Saint Ancestor realm expert guarding that person’s tribulation, it’s not simple!” A Saint Ancestor level Demon Race member said sternly. Saint Ancestor realm experts were already the power-holders of the Starry Sky at this time. Of course, most were only at the first, second, or third steps. Those at the fourth step were already few, and from the seventh step upwards, even powerful races like the Human Race at this moment didn’t have more than a hundred individuals! Therefore, Saint Ancestor realm experts from various races rarely engaged in direct combat. After all, the consequences of Saint Ancestor realm experts fighting were very serious.
“…” On the Demon Race side, not many people paid attention anymore.
“Haha, come on then…” Crimson Pill Master floated in mid-air, a massive alchemy furnace hovering above his head, as he laughed heartily, looking at the lightning tribulation. His Saint Ancestor realm lightning tribulation had arrived!
“Rumble…” The sky seemed to explode, and the lightning tribulation struck down directly onto Crimson Pill Master.
In a distant place, which has recently become a destination for many cultivators to come and observe, it is said that a great expert made a move, leaving behind a strange power that destroys any other power it comes into contact with. Some speculate that the great expert intends to seal this planet. This place is none other than the Six Demon Star that Wu Tianjun sealed nearly a year ago.
"I wonder who made that move!" a cultivator exclaimed in awe, looking at the energy barrier surrounding the Six Demon Star.
"How could you possibly know such a great expert? I heard that yesterday, a Saint Ancestor attacked and then immediately left. Some speculate that the Saint Ancestor was afraid of angering that great expert, which is why he left." Another cultivator also shared what he knew.
"Why would he seal this Six Demon Star, I wonder?"
"Haha, do you really think a shrimp like you could understand the actions of such a great expert?" someone scoffed.
"Hmph..."
Today, a young man appeared outside the Green Demon Star. He wore white robes, ethereal and refined, with a face like jade, a handsome and elegant demeanor, and a tall, imposing figure. In his arms, he held a small white cat. A faint halo seemed to shimmer around him. As he walked through the crowd, like a crane among chickens, the eyes of countless female cultivators lit up like torches, ceaselessly speculating which noble clan's prodigy he might be.
"Oh... So handsome!" a young girl, who had come with her elder to witness the strange phenomenon, exclaimed. She was immediately silenced by a glare from her elder. At this moment, with countless races present, it was best not to stir up trouble.
"Young brother, may I ask which family's young master you are?" A woman, appearing to be in her mid-twenties, cast a flirtatious glance at the young man. She actually possessed a formidable cultivation at the fourth stage of the Divine Realm, so her true age was clearly not what it appeared to be.
The young man looked up at the woman and smiled. Immediately, countless eyes stared intently at him! He did not reply but walked past everyone, approaching the energy barrier and reaching out to touch it.
"Don't! Anything that touches it will disintegrate," the woman from before warned again.
"Fool! Do you want to die?" someone else, envious of the young man, sneered.
The young man merely turned back to look at the woman, smiled, and continued to reach out to touch the light barrier. When his hand touched it, it did not disintegrate as the woman had said. Everyone who witnessed it widened their eyes in shock and fear. Even a Saint Ancestor had fled in terror, yet this young man was unharmed. Was he a great expert from some race?
The young man's eyes narrowed. "Reincarnation power?!?" he murmured. Then he looked into the void and said, "You should consider yourselves fortunate. The person who left this power—if you can comprehend it, that would be your great fortune! To think that dignified Saint Ancestor-level experts are secretly watching from there, unwilling to show their faces, huh?"
The young man's words left everyone present bewildered. Of course, they hadn't heard him say it was 'Reincarnation power'. The young man said the power left behind could be comprehended? A great fortune?!? In the next sentence, he mentioned Saint Ancestors again. Some quick-witted individuals understood and gasped, sucking in a breath of cold air. What kind of power was this, so mighty that even for a Saint Ancestor-level expert to comprehend it would be a great fortune? Immediately, quite a few people sat down to try and comprehend that mysterious power, which appeared subtle yet was incredibly potent and profound.
After speaking, the young man did not linger but stepped into the starry void. Miraculously, no one tried to stop him; even Saint Ancestor-level experts did not reveal themselves to block his path. They simply couldn't fathom this young man. He quickly vanished into the boundless starry void!