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"I admit the Grand Empress is stunning, if we were to rank all the emperors of the Imperial Era, she would definitely be in the top ten," Xu Zimo nodded. He added matter-of-factly, "But the Primordial Heartlands are ancient beyond measure. Isn’t the Grand Empress herself just another speck of dust in this vast starry sky?"
"We're all specks of dust," Xu Qingshan laughed.
Perhaps that was true. To individuals, they might become powerful, but to the entire Primordial Heartlands, they really were just dust.
"That’s why, Dad, I want to become one of the strongest on the Primordial Heartlands. So what if she's the Grand Empress?" Xu Zimo said with a smile.
On the arena, Baili Xiao stood coldly.
On the other side, the Dan Imperial Imperial Clan's Holy Son, Dan Qingyang, slowly walked up.
He wore a loose green robe and had a laid-back, casual demeanor as he walked.
With a grin, he looked at Baili Xiao and said, "Miss, after this match, would you care to have a meal with me?"
"Has it started?" Baili Xiao asked the judge beside her.
"Start," the judge quickly nodded.
In the next moment, Baili Xiao dashed forward and charged directly at Dan Qingyang.
Her blue robe fluttered in the wind as she shattered the void and pressed her jade-like palms against Dan Qingyang’s chest.
"Miss, don’t be in such a hurry. We’ve got plenty of time," Dan Qingyang chuckled.
Suddenly, his body leaned backward as eight pills appeared, orbiting around him.
"Eight-Star Demon-Locking Pill," those below the stage murmured in surprise.
"And it’s a perfected Eight-Star Demon-Locking Pill, already sealed with eight demons."
The crowd buzzed with amazement.
As a family of alchemists, the Dan Imperial Clan was considered the best alchemy family in the Eastern Continent.
But alchemists traditionally had one major weakness, they spent their lives studying pill crafting and refining medicines, but lacked combat strength.
They rarely focused on fighting.
As the saying goes, you can't have both the fish and the bear’s paw.
This situation persisted for tens of millions of years. Since Zhen Wu founded the Imperial Era, this flaw had existed.
Most alchemists would bring one or two powerful bodyguards to protect them.
In return, they would refine pills for those protectors for free.
But no matter how strong others were, it didn’t change the alchemist’s own weakness.
Later, all the alchemists on the Primordial Heartlands worked together to solve this problem.
The wheel of history slowly turned, erasing all power within it.
As the saying goes, a single spark can start a prairie fire.
Methods to strengthen alchemists emerged one after another, some good, some bad, but there was never a unified solution.
Until one day, the young Alchemy Emperor, a rare genius, emerged.
He not only bore the Heaven’s Will of that generation as an alchemist but also solved this problem that had plagued alchemists for millions of years.
The solution: the Eight-Star Demon-Locking Pill.
All things have spirits, plants, animals, humans, and beasts alike.
The same principle applied to pills. They were made from plants or from demon cores.
If during the refining process, one could seal the demonic energy and soul of a beast inside a demon pill, it would allow an alchemist to use the power of beasts, resulting in a real increase in combat strength.
As more demon pills were refined and evolved, the power alchemists could gain from them increased as well.
The only challenge was how to refine such evolved demon pills and seal both the power and soul of a creature within them.
The Alchemy Emperor solved this and didn’t keep it secret. He shared the method of crafting Eight-Star Demon-Locking Pills with all alchemists.
Eight-Star Demon-Locking Pills could contain up to eight pills, that was the Alchemy Emperor's limit back then.
For Dan Qingyang to reproduce eight pills now was impressive and a testament to his talent.
……
Dan Qingyang waved his hands, and the Eight-Star Demon-Locking Pills spun around him, finally forming a deep vortex.
Baili Xiao remained calm throughout.
As each demon pill shattered, a powerful force infused into Dan Qingyang’s body.
Some became fire, others turned into wind or surging water, each of the eight pills represented a different type of power.
Dan Qingyang’s aura kept growing stronger, pressing against the void with explosive sounds.
The Eight-Star Demon-Locking Pills included an ancient rhinoceros for strength, a purple cloud eagle for speed, and a woolly mammoth for defense.
Each type of beast attribute was present, now enhancing Dan Qingyang’s body. He had undergone a transformation.
"I wonder how Baili Xiao will handle this," someone nearby commented.
"Just keep watching."
Baili Xiao dashed forward again, spiritforce surging in her palms as she attacked Dan Qingyang.
Dan Qingyang let out a cold snort and met her head-on. The two clashed.
But the anticipated even battle never happened. Even with the support of the Eight-Star Demon-Locking Pills, Dan Qingyang was still blown away.
"How... how is this possible?" Dan Qingyang asked in confusion.
He looked at the woman before him, his expression changing.
"Idiot," Baili Xiao snorted coldly.
Ripples spread from her palms. Each strike seemed connected to the next.
With each strike, the waves never ceased, leaving Dan Qingyang breathless.
"Stop, stop, I surrender, alright?" Dan Qingyang shouted as he dodged in panic.
Baili Xiao landed another palm strike, sending Dan Qingyang flying once again.
"Baili Xiao wins," the referee announced, and the crowd erupted in surprise.
"That was too easy, we couldn’t even see what happened."
Below the arena, Dan Qingyang rubbed his aching shoulder. The Dan Imperial Clan elder looked displeased.
"Qingyang, that’s not your full strength, is it?"
"There’s still a lot I didn’t use," Dan Qingyang replied with a smile.
"But there’s no need anymore."
"Do you even know what you’re saying?" the Dan Imperial Clan elder frowned.
"Elder Dan, if she hadn’t held back just now, I might already be dead," Dan Qingyang said. "So I admit defeat willingly."
Watching Dan Qingyang walk away, the elder frowned slightly.
Held back? He hadn’t seen anything just now.
Beneath the arena, Xu Zimo watched the scene and chuckled lightly.
"Did you understand that, Holy Son?" Sword Monarch asked beside him.
"It can only be sensed, not explained," Xu Zimo smiled.
The fifth match was between the Myriad Beasts Sect’s Holy Son, Kuang Qianshan, and Xiang Qianheng.
The True Martial Sacred Ground placed great importance on this match.
But Xu Zimo had little interest in the upcoming fights, so he left the arena and walked toward the outside of the Heaven-Genesis Microcosm.
Just as he exited, someone was already waiting for him.