The Pill Fairy was no longer the warm and gentle Pill Fairy. Even her voice had become harsher.
“Divine daughter… we might not make it in time.” Elder Tianqi was sweating and his voice shuddered.
“Why not?!” demanded the Pill Fairy, anger in her eyes.
“Divine daughter, please don’t misunderstand. It’s not that we don’t want to disperse the formation but that we just used the divine energy of the two G.o.d statues. With their energy within the formation, it will take some time to disperse…” Elder Tianqi didn’t even dare to look the Pill Fairy in her eyes.
The process of sending the divine energy back to the statues was complicated and took a long time. Elder Tianqi was filled with regret. If he had known that Long Chen possessed such power, he would have used the power of the divine statues from the start.
However, that energy was the faith energy of Pill Valley’s disciples and their tribute to the G.o.ds. Unless they had absolutely no choice, they wouldn’t use it. If the G.o.ds learned of it, it would displease them. Their divine punishment wasn’t something that they could bear.
The Pill Fairy’s expression darkened. “How long will it take?”
“Even at the fastest pace… it will take six hours,” said Elder Tianqi nervously.
Six hours. By then, Long Chen would have been long gone. There would be no way to chase him.
“Elder Tianqi, you’ve grown old. You should take a good break.” The Pill Fairy’s white sword suddenly slashed down.
“Divine daughter!”
Elder Tianqi cried out in shock. He hadn’t expected the divine daughter to actually kill him. He tried to retreat, but he found that he couldn’t move.
That was the influence of his soul. His reverence and fear for the G.o.ds meant that the divine daughter could kill him regardless of his cultivation base or combat power.
He had just understood this point when he was cut in two by that sharp sword. There was no blood that flowed. Before he even fell, he was turned to ash.
“Heavens!”
The countless experts that had been gathered here were stunned by that sight. Then they looked around at the deplorable state of the plaza and the giant pillar that had slammed into it. The surrounding buildings were broken. There was blood. The only thing that wasn’t there was Long Chen.
Their hearts pounded wildly. They guessed something, but they acted like they didn’t know anything, controlling their own expressions to avoid provoking a calamity.
“Your continuous failures are not worthy of Pill Valley. You were played with by Long Chen like this, ruining Pill Valley’s name and humiliating the G.o.ds. Killing you is letting you off easy,” said the Pill Fairy coldly. Her sword slowly vanished.
The other Elders didn’t dare to say a word. Many of them had watched the Pill Fairy grow up. She was known for her good temperament, her kindness, and her dislike of fighting. But after becoming the divine daughter, she had completely changed. No one dared to speak to her.
“Since Long Chen has fled, let him live for a few more days. Once I come out of seclusion, I’ll take his head,” said the Pill Fairy. Her gaze swept over everyone once. However, she then stopped upon spotting a pretty maiden.
This maiden was known as Pill Valley’s number two beauty. She was very close to the Pill Fairy and was like her younger sister.
Within Pill Valley, she was second only to the Pill Fairy in beauty and alchemy. She was Wan Qing. Now she was called Fairy Wan Qing by Pill Valley’s disciples.
The current Wan Qing had a pained expression as she looked at the Pill Fairy. Her mouth was pursed, but she had tears in her eyes.
Back then, if it hadn’t been for Long Chen, she would have been bullied to death. It had been Long Chen who had looked after her and taught her alchemy arts, and then introduced her to the Pill Fairy.
At that time, the three of them had laughed and talked. Long Chen liked to joke around, drawing out the Pill Fairy’s laughter. He had even told her the story of the Warriors of the Starry Sky. The three of them had been like a family.
At that time, she hadn’t understood, but as time pa.s.sed, she came to understand the feelings between the Pill Fairy and Long Chen.
Upon returning from the Jade Lake Sacred Land, the Pill Fairy had often looked at the Jewel Blood Jade Orchid that Long Chen had given her. During those times, she would sometimes smile brightly, sometimes bitterly. As for Wan Qing herself, she was no longer that immature little girl. She and the Pill Fairy were like sisters. Although the Pill Fairy had never mentioned Long Chen to her, she knew that the Pill Fairy was thinking of him.
However, after going through the divine blessing, the Pill Fairy had become icy. More and more, she was growing unlike herself. The two of them never spoke like they used to.
Just now, Wan Qing had clearly witnessed Long Chen leaving. Just as she grew happy that he had escaped, the Pill Fairy arrived, saying that she would hunt him down. Then she had killed Elder Tianqi. That ruthless heart of hers made Wan Qing feel even more like a stranger. The Pill Fairy had completely changed.
When the Pill Fairy saw Wan Qing, the sharpness in her eyes gradually softened. Finally, a warmer expression appeared on her face. She walked over to Wan Qing.
“I’m going into seclusion. Don’t laze around. I will transmit some alchemy arts to you. Slowly comprehend them.” The Pill Fairy pressed a finger against Wan Qing’s forehead, Spiritual Strength pouring into her mind-sea.
She then turned and left. Wan Qing’s mind was filled with new pill formulas and alchemy arts, but seeing the Pill Fairy’s departing figure, tears streamed down her face.
As for the disciples that had come to Pill Valley for the Brahma secret realm, they were apprehensive. At first, they were filled with hatred for Pill Valley since the latter had conned them, but then seeing Pill Valley in its wretched state, their furious expressions vanished. Even Elder Tianqi had been killed by the Pill Fairy. What if Pill Valley turned their fury toward them?
Long Chen was too powerful. When he had been Long San, he had caused immense damage by drawing out a monster from the Heaven Dragon Flame Region. Now he once more caused immense damage, destroying the Brahma secret realm’s inheritances and then escaping just like this.
Although no one told them that Long Chen had escaped, seeing the expressions of these experts, they knew what had happened.
Those disciples all felt admiration for Long Chen. He was truly worthy of being a legendary figure of the Martial Heaven Continent. He always managed to shake heaven and earth. They had personally witnessed it.
The Pill Fairy didn’t leave behind any other directives before going into seclusion. The valley master was also in seclusion. The one who had been temporarily in charge, Elder Tianqi, was also dead. There was no one to lead them.
Pill Valley entered a tense state. None of them dared to go ask the Pill Fairy for instruction. They wanted to live.
The various Elders secretly gathered, even pulling in Wan Qing. Wan Qing didn’t say a word. She knew what the Elders were doing by pulling her in. It was to leave themselves an opening. If there was a problem and the Pill Fairy was infuriated, by using her, perhaps they could avoid punishment.
There were over a million disciples gathered here, and they couldn’t force them to stay. But if they let them go just like this, they were afraid of being blamed by the Pill Fairy.
They didn’t know what to do. They couldn’t make them stay until the valley master came out of seclusion. They were guests, not prisoners. If they did that, Pill Valley would have offended the entire continent.
After their meeting, they came to a decision. They would open the formation after seven days. These disciples would have to first rest within Pill Valley.
In truth, under normal circ.u.mstances, dispersing the formation wouldn’t even take a day. However, this was to give them some buffer room, winning seven days for them. If the valley master came out of seclusion or the Pill Fairy gave some directions during this time, they would have saved themselves. If the valley master didn’t come out and the Pill Fairy didn’t pa.s.s any instructions, then they couldn’t blame them for acting on their own after waiting a whole seven days.
Just like that, Pill Valley slowly began dispersing their formation, firmly saying that these disciples would have to wait until the seven days were up.
Even after seven days, Yu Xiaoyun didn’t come out of seclusion, and the Pill Fairy didn’t say anything, so Pill Valley finally let these disciples out.
Once they were out, heaven-shaking news instantly spread throughout the continent.
Long Chen had charged into Pill Valley, played with Elder Tianqi, and managed to sneak into the Brahma secret realm. There, he had collected a fee to enter, broken the divine pillars, entered the palace, fought with thirteen Empyreans with awakened manifestations, and killed Leng Wufeng and Lu Zichuan. If the Pill Fairy hadn’t come, the remaining Empyreans might also have died.
The entire continent was shaken. When it came to courting death, if Long Chen claimed he was number two, no one would dare claim to be number one.
The entire continent began looking for Long Chen. They knew that his injuries were serious. It was unknown if he was even still alive.
Some people began to spread word that Long Chen had succ.u.mbed to his injuries. If they could find him, perhaps they could obtain his secrets and become a second Long Chen.
Whether it was those that cared for Long Chen or those that wished to harm him, everyone was in motion, searching for him.
…
After fleeing from Pill Valley, Long Chen was carried away by the Heaven Flipping Seal. He couldn’t endure any longer and fainted.