Battle Through the Heavens: Harmony of Flame and Shadow

After pondering for a moment, Jiang Yun rubbed his temples and once again donned that carefree look as if nothing could trouble him. He chuckled lightly.

"Why not?"

"Uh..." Su Qian was taken aback by Jiang Yun's words, staring wide-eyed and speechless. "We are talking about a force with two Dou Zongs and several Dou Huangs. Don't think that just because you've ascended to Dou Wang, you can look down upon everyone."

Although Su Qian's tone was not very pleasant, Jiang Yun could still sense the deep concern in his words.

"Han Feng gathering so many powerful people must have a significant purpose, and in the Black-Corner Region, what he considers worth such attention is only—"

"Are you saying..." Jiang Yun's words immediately raised Su Qian's alertness. In the Black-Corner Region, only the Jia Nan Academy could muster such a number of experts.

Thinking that the target of so many people in Feng City might be Jia Nan Academy, even Su Qian couldn't help but feel a chill. Although without the appearance of a Dou Zun, the Jia Nan Academy wouldn't be destroyed, the two old men of the Thousand Two Elders were recluses who wouldn't come out unless the academy faced a life-and-death crisis.

Even if they did come out to settle things in the end, the damage caused would be enough to make Su Qian's heart ache.

"This is just my speculation. The truth is not yet determined!" Seeing that Su Qian was frightened, Jiang Yun shook his head, dispelling the assumption.

Indeed, Han Feng's abnormal actions surprised him. Now that he had gathered so many strongmen, it made sense if it was for self-protection. After all, in facing the wolves of the Black-Corner Region, the stronger one's power, the safer it was.

Moreover, he had offended the force of Demon Flame Valley, a wealth that could move people's hearts. It was not impossible that even the old demon might personally engage.

As for the Dou Zong by his side, Jiang Yun had a few guesses in his heart.

"This..." Su Qian hesitated. What Jiang Yun said made sense. It was indeed rash for the academy to go to war with Feng City over a mere speculation.

War meant casualties. In such a battlefield, even Su Qian's death would not be surprising.

"Great Elder, no need to worry. Since I've set Feng City as a target, naturally I have a plan." Seeing Su Qian's worry and hesitation, Jiang Yun spoke at the right time.

"Oh~~~, tell me about it!" Su Qian's attention was drawn by Jiang Yun's words, and he couldn't help but ask curiously.

Jiang Yun smiled mysteriously without replying. Instead, he took out a piece of paper filled with words.

Receiving it with a puzzled expression, Su Qian scanned the herbs listed on it and his face twitched. He grumbled, "You want to empty out the academy, don't you? These are all materials for refining sixth-grade pills. Can you refine sixth-grade pills?"

"It's worth a try!" Jiang Yun's confident voice came through. In fact, after refining the Fallen Heart Flame, not only had his Dou Qi advanced significantly, but even his soul power had surged. At this moment, his soul power had also reached a bottleneck.

Jiang Yun knew that it was the barrier of the Soul Realm. As long as he continued to cultivate the soul methods passed down in his clan and accumulated enough soul energy, he could advance to the Soul Realm.

With his current peak Mortal Soul power, he could refine all the pills below the eighth grade.

"You, just what kind of monster did this old man pick up!" Su Qian looked at Jiang Yun in disbelief and muttered dejectedly.

"What kind of pill is this? Why do I feel it's somewhat familiar?" After a long while, Su Qian finally collected himself and looked at the list again, feeling more and more like it was something he had seen before.

"These are the materials needed to refine the Royal Extreme Pill and the Breaking Through the Sect Pill. Some of them I already have, and others require the academy's assistance." Jiang Yun said flatly, causing Su Qian to go crazy.

"Breaking Through the Sect Pill—"

"You actually want to refine the Breaking Through the Sect Pill—"

The Breaking Through the Sect Pill, as the name implies, could increase the success rate of a Dou Huang at the peak when breaking through to Dou Zong by ten percent, ensuring that even if the breakthrough failed, their strength would be maintained at the level before the attempt without any degradation!

Though that ten percent might seem low, it was enough to drive a peak Dou Huang mad!

The Breaking Through the Sect Pill could be considered the pinnacle creation of sixth-grade pills, capable of driving any peak Dou Huang wild, and its difficulty of refinement was also one of the most challenging among sixth-grade pills.

Jiang Yun actually had the confidence to refine the Breaking Through the Sect Pill. Su Qian couldn't help but scrutinize Jiang Yun, a thirteen or fourteen-year-old sixth-grade alchemist, probably unique on the continent!

"You intend..." At this moment, Su Qian understood Jiang Yun's plan.

Jiang Yun smiled and nodded at Su Qian.

The academy wouldn't recklessly go to war with Feng City for him, so he would use the Breaking Through the Sect Pill and the Royal Extreme Pill to enlist the assistance of several Dou Huangs and peak Dou Huangs.

He believed the elders of the academy wouldn't refuse, especially Elder Qing, Hu Qian, and Wu Tianlang, they might even fight for the opportunity.

Su Qian hesitated for a while. In the end, he sighed, "All I can say is, I won't stop them."

"I wonder what you will use to 'invite' this old man to act?" At this moment, Su Qian suddenly turned into an old mischievous troublemaker, looking at Jiang Yun with great interest while rubbing his hands.

Jiang Yun found it amusing. Su Qian had turned extremely mercenary, although he knew Su Qian would act even without any reward. But since he decided to make a deal with the academy, Jiang Yun naturally wouldn't go back on his word.

"This is a fifth-grade Spirit Gathering Array diagram. I wonder if it's enough to invite the Great Elder." Taking out a scroll, Jiang Yun smilingly handed it to Su Qian.

"Enough, absolutely enough!" Su Qian widened his eyes and swiftly put away the array diagram with a swish, smiling so happily that his eyes nearly turned into slits.

"Alright then, just leave it to this old man. I'll gather the materials you need within three days." After smiling enough, Su Qian's expression turned more serious.

"Thank you, Great Elder!" Jiang Yun cupped his hands in gratitude.

Three days passed in a flash!

In a tranquil valley, Jiang Yun sat cross-legged on an open space. In front of him were various herbs neatly arranged.

These herbs were quite rare. If put in the Black-Corner Region, they would definitely fetch a good price, and the amount was so significant that one couldn't help but marvel at the deep resources of the Jia Nan Academy.

A pale yellow, ancient-looking cauldron floated out. It was one of the treasures of the Jia Nan Academy's Alchemy Department, a seventh-level cauldron, specially brought by Su Qian to assist Jiang Yun.

The pill recipe for the Breaking Through the Sect Pill floated in midair, with a light and shadow displaying the refining method repeatedly.

After what seemed like forever, Jiang Yun finally made up his mind to start. In his pitch-black eyes, white flames rose up.

"Boom—"

With a subtle sound, a wisp of white flame shot out from Jiang Yun's Qi vortex. Flicking his fingers, the flame turned into a stream of light, darting into the cauldron.

As soon as the flame entered the cauldron, it suddenly expanded. In just an instant, the small flame turned into a blazing fire, raging within the cauldron.

He hadn't practiced alchemy for long, relying on his strong soul power and the annotations left by predecessors on the pill recipe, methodically trying to refine.

Now, the Breaking Through the Sect Pill was already considered an advanced pill, and following the recipe verbatim was no longer effective. From now on, everything would depend on himself.

The white flame, like a small sun, emitted its light. A faint herbal fragrance seeped out from the cauldron.

Jiang Yun summoned a leafless branch that resembled a crafted ice sculpture, tossing it into the cauldron.

This was one of the main herbs for the Breaking Through the Sect Pill, called 'Cold Marrow Branch.'

"It's started!" On a distant hill, a few figures watched the Cold Marrow Branch drop into the cauldron, saying excitedly.

"Can Jiang Yun succeed?"

"Not necessarily. After all, it's a sixth-grade pinnacle pill. It's normal to fail a few times. Old Man Qing, you need to stay calm. If it doesn't work this time, there's always next time. Jiang Yun will definitely succeed."

"Insolent! I mentored your generation, and now that you've become the Deputy Dean and a peak Dou Huang, you no longer respect your elders. I ought to thrash you!"

"Teacher Qing, Teacher Qing, I was wrong..."

"At this age, you're still so frivolous. Great Elder, don't you agree?" Watching the two arguing, Wu Tianlang, who stood on the side, looked on disdainfully.

"You seem composed, but why is your leg shaking?" Su Qian asked, grinning.

Following his gaze, Wu Tianlang noticed his leg trembling involuntarily, clearly betraying his inner calm.

"..."

"Humph, ignorant fellows, how could Xiao Yun fail?" In the distance, a young lady dressed in purple sat on a large rock. She ate greedily while casting disdainful glances at the group.

She gazed at Jiang Yun, who was seriously refining the pill, her eyes full of mirth. "I wonder how Royal Extreme Pills taste. Now that I'm a Dou Huang, I should ask Xiao Yun to make me a few bottles to taste."

Upon hearing Jiang Yun was going to refine the Breaking Through the Sect Pill, these people got excited and insisted on coming to protect him. Thus, Jiang Yun had the strongest protection team ever.

All Dou Huangs!

At the moment, Jiang Yun was battling the Cold Marrow Branch. Facing the scorching flames, the Cold Marrow Branch did not sit idle; instead, it continuously emitted waves of chilling mist, counteracting the high temperatures.

The mist and flame eroded each other, producing a faint white fog inside the cauldron.

"Indeed, advanced pills are not so easy to refine. Just melting the herbs takes considerable effort." Watching the scene inside the cauldron, Jiang Yun clicked his tongue, increasing the temperature with a thought.

Under the increasingly intense flames, the Cold Marrow Branch finally couldn't hold out and began to slowly melt.

After half an hour, the Cold Marrow Branch completely melted. Jiang Yun flipped his palm and added another herb.

Time ticked by as Jiang Yun continued refining methodically, and the herbs in front of him gradually diminished. A mixed, dense herbal fragrance lingered in the cauldron like mist.

After overcoming several crises with his formidable soul power, the Breaking Through the Sect Pill was finally nearing completion, with just the final condensation left.

The red-hot cauldron spun gently in midair, and the white flames billowed fiercely within.

"Condense—" At some point, Jiang Yun shouted, and a vast amount of soul power surged into the cauldron, where numerous refined medicinal liquids began to merge.

A colorful ball of liquid, about half the size of a fist, slowly formed inside the cauldron, emitting a continuous flow of fine energy ripples.

These energy ripples, centered on the cauldron, expanded outward in circular waves. Inside the flaming cauldron, a round pill embryo gradually took shape as the flames nurtured it.

As the pill embryo formed, impurities were continuously expelled.

In the tedious waiting, Jiang Yun dared not relax a bit. Indeed, refining advanced pills consumed a lot of energy.

An hour passed in a flash, and the pill's impurities were finally expelled. At this moment, the surrounding energy in the heavens and earth surged suddenly.

"Boom—" A half-foot energy beam shot out from the cauldron, piercing straight into the sky.

Watching the beam of light shooting towards the sky, the people in the distance were slightly startled, followed by immense joy.

"This... This is success?"

"The light beam is filled with the fragrance of the pill. Jiang Yun has successfully refined the Breaking Through the Sect Pill!"

"The commotion caused by a high-grade pill's birth signals that Jia Nan Academy is about to usher in another great alchemist."

"Overreacting. I told you, Xiao Yun would succeed!"

Jiang Yun stared at the light mass within the cauldron. As it expanded, more energy ripples spread out, causing rocks to roll and trees to break in half.

Such power was no less devastating than a Dou Ling's!

Black-Corner Region!

In a pavilion, Han Feng, who had just broken through to Dou Zong, looked up slightly, focusing on the source of the energy eruption.

"This kind of fluctuation appears only when a sixth-grade pill is formed. The direction is Jia Nan Academy. Is it Old Man Huo? This level of fluctuation, could it be a new sixth-grade alchemist? Another unknown sixth-grade alchemist?" Han Feng frowned slightly, mumbling.

"Never mind, just another sixth-grade alchemist. It's nothing significant. Perhaps that fellow will be even happier." Shaking his head, Han Feng slowly turned around, a bizarre smile crept on his lips.

This surge was not just noticed by Han Feng, but many strong figures in the Black-Corner Region reacted too, each in their own ways.

On a vast plain, a massive cloud of black mist emerged, quickly gathering in the sky, forming a dark-robed figure shrouded in deep black smoke. A pair of somewhat crimson eyes gazed out from the abyss, looking at the distant fluctuation with a sinister grin.

"Hehehe—, a sixth-grade alchemist, what a pleasant surprise."