If they fail, not only will the hidden mission fail, but the three of them will also be implicated.
At that time, Zi Lingling's soul, Huang Yi's primordial spirit, and the artifact spirit Jiuji will all be impacted by the energy contained in the giant pill. Minor injuries could lead to severe ones, or even annihilation.
Time slowly passed.
The essence of all medicinal ingredients was slowly compressed into a watermelon-shaped mass that dripped with blood.
"Jiuji! Huang Yi! Condense the pill!"
Zi Lingling let out a soft cry, pouring all her remaining soul power into the giant pill. The hand seals in her hands changed rapidly.
Because the giant pill was wrapped in her blood, as her soul power increased, the space for energy activity within the giant pill was rapidly compressed.
"Yes! Master!"
Huang Yi responded, and the phoenix true fire, which had been like a frog being boiled in warm water, suddenly intensified by three points.
A large amount of impurities was expelled from the giant pill, which shrank at a visible rate, instantly compressing to the size of an old bowl.
As the volume was compressed, the energy within the giant pill immediately began to resist.
It charged and rampaged within the Jiuji Qiankun Ding, causing the Jiuji Qiankun Ding to emit a loud roar and shake violently.
"Jiuji, it's up to you!" Zi Lingling said anxiously.
"Got it! Master!"
Jiuji responded. The cauldron lifted the giant pill into the air, one hundred meters high, and began to spin rapidly.
Due to the extreme speed of rotation, the surrounding space was constantly torn apart, forming cracks.
The energy spilled from the giant pill through the Jiuji Qiankun Ding was also imperceptibly swallowed by these cracks.
After half a cup of tea, the Jiuji Qiankun Ding landed on the ground with a bang, standing steadily.
"Master, the residual energy has been discharged, but the essence of several medicinal ingredients refuses to merge. What should we do?"
The artifact spirit Jiuji's voice carried a hint of exhaustion.
It was clear that controlling the Jiuji Qiankun Ding to tear space and discharge energy had overdrawn a lot of its energy.
"Let me try again!"
Zi Lingling gritted her teeth. Her already scarce soul power surged towards the giant pill again.
The Myriad Poisons Blood on the surface of the giant pill, supported by Zi Lingling's soul, squeezed the internal space of the giant pill once more.
However, no matter how she squeezed, those few medicinal ingredients refused to integrate.
"Master, I'll help you!"
Seeing this, Huang Yi immediately increased the phoenix true fire by another point, which was already the limit.
If it were to increase further, the essence of all medicinal ingredients within the giant pill would turn into nothingness, and it would still be a failure.
However, even with the increased phoenix true fire, the essence of those few medicinal ingredients within the giant pill stubbornly maintained a distance from the already fused medicinal essences.
"This won't do!"
Zi Lingling frowned, her mind racing, trying to find a solution.
She had reread the section on refining giant pills in the "Human Emperor's Medicinal Scripture" multiple times, but found no clues.
A sense of powerlessness arose in Zi Lingling's heart.
Was she going to fail?
A bitter smile spread across her lips.
There was only one quarter of an hour left. If the pill could not be formed, all previous efforts would be in vain.
Should she give up?
"No! Child, if you give up, these people will truly die!"
The gentle voice of the Azure Star Soul echoed in Zi Lingling's mind.
Zi Lingling was shocked, "How is that possible? This is just a test. If the tested person fails, shouldn't everything here return to its original state? And shouldn't these people return to their pre-poisoned state?"
The Azure Star Soul's eyes welled up with tears. "Child, who told you that a test cannot be something that is actually happening?"
A flash of inspiration struck Zi Lingling's mind. "Senior, do you mean this is not an illusion? Is everything here a real ongoing event?"
The Azure Star Soul nodded, her voice choked with sobs, "Child, I hope you can save them, because they... are also my children!"
"Senior Star Soul, I..."
Zi Lingling's heart immediately softened.
She imagined that Star Soul must be feeling like a mother now.
Knowing that her child was about to die, but could only watch helplessly, what pain could be greater than this?
Such love, such an Azure Star Soul, made Zi Lingling unable to utter the words "I am powerless."
"Senior Star Soul, what should I do to succeed?"
Star Soul looked at her with affection. "Child, the power of love is infinite. Do you remember the Ancestor God's words?"
Love?
Ancestor God?
"Chaos Blood, World's Nascent Form!"
"Where the heart points, responsibility lies!"
Suddenly, a beam of light pierced through Zi Lingling's mind. She seemed to feel a powerful force instantly fill her limbs.
She seemed to hear the voices of the entire Fuyuan Town, and also saw the innkeeper of Fuyuan Inn, the Four Evils: Xi Le, A Lan, E You, and Gui Si, and all the people of Fuyuan Town, kneeling on the ground before two statues, praying devoutly.
To Zi Lingling's shock, those two statues were none other than herself and Ye Lingyuan.
As the people of Fuyuan Town continued to pray, the statues of her and Ye Lingyuan shone with a bright white light.
Then, the white light condensed into a long river and flowed directly into her forehead.
As the white light continuously entered Zi Lingling's forehead, the power within her grew stronger and stronger.
"Child, do you understand?"
The Azure Star Soul looked at the power condensed by the white light within Zi Lingling and said with relief.
"This is?" Zi Lingling asked in confusion.
The Azure Star Soul said, "Child, this is the power of faith. Because your Fuyuan Town has gained a new life, they are willing to regard you as a deity and provide you with power."
"Faith? Power? Ancestor God? Love?"
Zi Lingling's mind gradually cleared. She seemed to understand the meaning of the Ancestor God's words, yet she didn't seem to.
"Senior Star Soul, this..."
The Azure Star Soul interrupted her, "Child, Chaos Blood is the source of faith, the beginning of love. It is omnipotent. Do you understand?"
Zi Lingling suddenly realized, "Senior Star Soul, I understand!"
The Azure Star Soul nodded and said, "Go, child!"
Zi Lingling nodded, opened her eyes, and shouted, "Huang Yi! Jiuji! Condense the pill!"
As the words fell, a drop of Chaos Blood was forced out of her body and landed precisely on the giant pill.
Within the giant pill, the few medicinal essences that had refused to merge voluntarily integrated into it the moment the Chaos Blood seeped in.
A terrifying aura surged from the Jiuji Qiankun Ding.
The blood-red pill broke through the lid of the Jiuji Qiankun Ding and floated in the air, extremely radiant.