If you don't give up, I'd like to be your adoptive father.

Chapter 1388 The Pill Tribulation Begins

Even though Xiaoyu's "Fifth Grade Five Lakes Immortal Array" is exceptionally exquisite and can even imbue the water veins with divine charm, making them seem like sentient beings, naturally evolving into an immortal array.

But it was only a fifth-grade immortal, its foundation was just a star lake, and the one who broke the immortal formation was a Great Luo Golden Immortal!

In just the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, Master Jiugong dismantled the "divine craftsmanship" Five Lakes Formation.

Despite breaking the immortal formation in such a short time, Master Jiugong showed no pride or arrogance on his face, only anger and shame.

His thin, bluish face turned pale and then red, and his chest heaved uncontrollably as he roared in fury.

The "unicorn dragon" tricked him and played a trick on him.

His efforts to break through the formation were futile; the great battle had already ended.

"Great Immortal~~~" A battered azure dragon sensed his presence and quickly swam over, crying out, "Old Immortal of the Nine Palaces, you've finally arrived~ Just now, a group of old demons were using their demonic powers in Star Lake."

This enraged the little beast, causing it to completely lose its rationality and go on a killing spree, slaughtering its entire litter of offspring. Waaaaah!
Please, Great Immortal, grant justice to all the spirits of Star Lake!

A murderous glint flashed in the eyes of the Nine Palaces Master.

—Sigh, the Immortal of Forgetfulness has soiled himself, and now I have to clean it up, damn it!
At this moment, his resentment towards "the Immortal of Forgetfulness's unclean deeds" exceeded that towards "the fact that the Unicorn Dragon had escaped."

If the Immortal of Forgetfulness had wreaked havoc on all the creatures in the lake, he could easily claim that a group of old demons had fought a great battle there, causing widespread suffering.

However, a large number of intelligent creatures in the lake came to life.

"Since the old demon used his demonic powers to make you emotionally agitated and lose your mind, why are you fine now?"

He knew he was asking a pointless question, but he had a deep-seated doubt that he couldn't resolve.

Azure Dragon said blankly, "I don't know either. It seems that a great immortal sighed sadly in my ear and chanted a divine incantation. My emotions, which were like wild horses running free, immediately calmed down."

My emotions returned to normal, and my rationality returned as well.

After swimming around the lake again, they met the immortal.

—As expected, it was the "unicorn dragon" who did this "good deed"!
This result did not surprise Master Jiugong.

Even if the Immortal of Forgetfulness dies, his curse will not simply disappear. Someone must have lifted the "Seven Emotions Curse," and that person is neither him nor the Immortal of Forgetfulness, but only the "Unicorn Dragon."

The question is, how did the "Unicorn Dragon" break the curse of the Forgetful Immortal?

Even when he came to break the curse, he had to slowly grind it down with profound incantations.

It takes a lot of care and a long time to wear off the effects of the spell.

"Go back and rest first. Once I find that demon, I will tear him to pieces!" said Master Jiugong.

The Azure Dragon sank into the water and swam away.

Master Jiugong carefully examined Star Lake, but couldn't find even a trace of escaping magic.

Apart from the remains and blood of creatures in the lake, there was nothing else unusual.

Even with his time-reversal ability, he could only see blurry images and hear shrill screams.

Xiao Yu controls the space-time and the primordial energy of heaven and earth within the Five Lakes Formation of the Fifth Rank.

Unless she allows it, time cannot record what happens in this space.

The fact that Master Jiugong could see blurry images and hear screams shows how incredibly powerful he is.

"You can run now, but by noon, when Dong Ye's Nine-Turn Bone-Changing Elixir is complete, do you still dare to shirk the responsibility 'Heaven' has given you?"

With a flick of his sleeve, Master Jiugong instantly left Star Lake.

For this tribulation of Dong Ye's alchemy, Heaven arranged for seven old demons to come and bring about the tribulation.

Led by the Immortal of Forgetfulness, the others are named Bewitching Heart, Soul Devouring, Seven Apertures, Extreme Yin, Xuanyuan, and Heavenly Eye.

The fact that seven celestial demons served Dong Ye alone is enough to show the "love" Heaven had for him.

Xiaoyu volunteered to set up the calamity, and God immediately agreed.

Bewitching Heart was killed by her long ago, Soul Devourer and Extreme Yin died from Demon Eye's Soul Stealing, Forgetful Immortal was killed, and Heavenly Eye destroyed the Heavenly Demon Body, leaving only the rapidly decaying Demon Soul.

In the end, only Xuanyuan and the Seven Apertures remained.

Xuanyuan is an old corpse demon in the tomb, whose seven orifices were transformed from Buddha to demon.

For Xiaoyu, these two old demons were easier to deal with than the other old demons.

The Nine Palaces Immortal took about half a cup of tea's time, roughly six minutes, to break the immortal formation.

In just ten seconds, she annihilated two old demons who had already mastered "N kinds of killing methods," and then spent another ten seconds entering a dream to interrogate the demon souls within it.

After interrogating and breaking the Seven Emotions Curse, she returned to Star Lake and used ten seconds to clear all negative magic and curses from the lake.

Then she floated on the lake, smiling as she watched the Nine Palaces True Man above, who was angry, conflicted, and finally resigned, and began to use Xuanmen techniques to break the formation.

During this time, she silently observed, memorized, and analyzed the techniques of the Nine Palaces Master, and the deduction speed of the "Nine Palaces Strong Killing Method" was accelerating.

Ten seconds before the Five Lakes Formation was broken, Xiaoyu transformed into the Great Free Demon once again and vanished instantly using the "Demon Realm".

After that, she hid in the Nightmare Dimension, digesting the soul power, magic power, and demonic wisdom she had absorbed from the six Demon Ancestors.

She even began to usurp their Dao, preventing them from even achieving normal "transformation of the Dao".

An old demon died, and his "self-created path" merged into the Great Dao of Rahu, but he did not disappear.

Other lesser demons can learn his demonic arts and become the new generation of "Mind-Bewitching Venerable" and "Soul-Devouring Old Demon," possessing the same innate demonic spell as their predecessors.

Now that the Forgetful Immortal and the Celestial Eye Master are dead, other old demons can learn their demonic arts and seize their power.

Meng Shi Xiaoyu had even broken their spell, making it easy for her to learn their demonic arts.

Even without using interrogation techniques, if they were forcibly interrogated, they might, like the Bewitching Venerable, voluntarily transform into the Dao in despair.

She directly devoured them completely with "Strong Kill Will - Alien".

Dream Eater Old Demon, who specializes in devouring old demons!

She devoured six peerless demons, and their magic, soul power, demonic charm, wisdom, and Dao all became her possessions.

Because she had already broken their spell with the Great Destroyer, the effect of the same spell is now even more powerful than the original.

On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, at noon, Dong Ye was about to face the Heavenly Demon, which was this terrifying "Demon of Ten Thousand Demons".

The Great Primordial Heaven of Ultimate Mystery, the Immortal Abode of Zhongyuan.

The other three of the Four Friends of Qionglin came to help their old friend through this tribulation.

Even the old Taoist Mengqi joined the "friends and relatives group" and followed a group of immortals to chant the Golden Light Mantra.

Inside the alchemy room, Dong Ye was preparing to extinguish the fire when wisps of the wonderful fragrance of elixirs began to waft out.

Li Futu, Fuqiu Gong, and Guo Qiong, who looked like a young boy, stood side by side in the courtyard.

Outside the courtyard, the powerful Golden Immortal, Master Su, along with He Ye and his disciples and grand-disciples, were still chanting the "Golden Light Suppressing Demons and Calming the Mind Mantra" in unison.

"Previously, the Great Yuan Heaven of Extreme Profoundness was shrouded in golden light, and all the immortals were chanting divine incantations. Now that we've reached this crucial moment, why have they all stopped?" Li Futu asked.

Fuqiu Gong said calmly, "Because none of them want to be 'fools' and waste their own luck and fortune to help Brother Dong resolve the 'Heavenly Tribulation of Attaining Dao'."

Li Futu paused for a moment, then said, "But the mysterious old demon 'Unicorn Dragon' also harmed them."

Fuqiu Gongdao said, "That's why they gradually stopped chanting the incantation two hours ago. The unicorn dragon disappeared last night."

With no threat from the old demon, they couldn't help but think of how Brother Dong had implicated them.

The thought that they would have to continue expending their good fortune to share Brother Dong's tribulations and help him attain the Great Luo realm caused some people to become resentful.

"How can you blame Brother Dong?" Li Futu said with a laugh, "The unicorn dragon is so ruthless and insane that it is rare in ancient and modern times. If it suffers a disaster, it is a 'natural disaster' and it is just bad luck."

Fuqiu Gong shook his head and said, "Put yourself in our shoes. If Brother Dong were not our close friend, we would also have our Dao heart and primordial spirit corrupted by the unicorn dragon. Would we not have any resentment?"

Increasing magical power is already incredibly difficult. However, injuries to the primordial spirit and the Dao heart are a thousand times, even ten thousand times, more difficult than restoring magical power.

The immortals have already discussed that once Brother Dong's alchemy tribulation is over, Senior Jiugong will lead everyone to the Great Luo Heaven to meet the Dao Ancestor, explain in detail what happened this time, and discuss the new rules for great immortals to undergo tribulations.

It seems that in the future, when the Great Immortal undergoes the Tribulation of Elixir and the Tribulation of Attaining Dao, he will no longer be able to stay in the grotto heaven.

So as not to implicate other fellow cultivators.

Guo Qiong asked in surprise, "Shouldn't the unicorn be considered a special case?"

Fuqiu Gongdao said, "Whether it is the unicorn dragon that is special or the world has changed, we do not know and need to ask the Dao Ancestor."

If the Dao Ancestor says that the unicorn dragon is an exception and that similar things will not happen again in the future, then naturally he will not rewrite the rules.

If the unicorn dragon is not an exception, then the rules for transcending tribulations will most likely need to be revised.

"Alas, if the Unicorn Dragon hadn't died today, regardless of whether he was an exception or not, the immortals of the Xuanmen sect would never again allow Golden Immortals to undergo tribulation within their grotto-heavens."

"Why not go find the Dao Ancestor immediately, instead of waiting for Brother Dong's alchemy tribulation to end?" Li Futu asked in confusion.

Guo Qiong said, "Is that even a question? Of course, we'll wait for the Unicorn Dragon to reappear so that Senior Jiugong can avenge his previous humiliation."

"Heh heh, when I saw him earlier, his face was ashen; he was clearly still furious."

Li Futu looked around, taking in the scenery that stretched for miles.

Sure enough, I saw many immortals looking down on Zhongyuan Immortal Palace from the sky.

Even many powerful immortals from beyond the Great Yuan Heaven came upon hearing the news, ready to watch the spectacle and see the wonder.

"In the end, they still have to take the blame for Brother Dong?" he said with a strange expression.

"You're overthinking it. They're so shrewd, they'll definitely act according to the circumstances. Sigh, Old Dong has really gotten himself into big trouble this time. The Dan Tribulation is terrifying."

"No matter what method we use to avert this calamity for him, it will come at a considerable cost," Guo Qiong sighed.

“But what’s the big deal about stealing the Great Yu’s Divine Cauldron?” Li Futu said.

Guo Qiong said, "The great cauldron belongs to the Great Qin! The Xuzhou cauldron, which does not belong to the Great Qin, was lost long ago."

Since the remaining eight bronze tripods were not lost, it means that their destiny belonged to Qin.

Although Qin lost the Mandate of Heaven, the Qin Dynasty did not perish, and the Qin court remained the legitimate dynasty in the hearts of the people.

When Yu Fengxian, in his capacity as Grand Tutor, presided over the trial of the theft of the cauldron, the people of Shenzhou all recognized Old Dong as the ringleader of the thieves.

What was originally a minor cause and effect has now become a massive karmic retribution.

Li Futu said, "So stealing the cauldron itself is not a big deal. The key is that the theft failed, and he was first publicly tried by Yu Fengxian, and then his case was spread throughout the world in the form of a public proclamation, making Old Dong a universally recognized shameless thief.

Fuqiu Gong looked around and whispered, "You must be careful and on guard later."

I received news that Yu Fengxian desperately needs the Nine-Turn Bone-Changing Pill!

Given her karmic connection with Brother Dong, she could very well have sensed the Pill Tribulation and then infiltrated to steal the Nine-Turn Bone-Changing Pill.

Guo Qiong asked in surprise, "Why would Yu Fengxian need the Nine-Turn Bone-Changing Pill? She doesn't follow the path of the Celestial Immortal at all."

Fuqiu Gongdao said, "It is estimated that her second innate supernatural power, in addition to her sword bone, will require the Nine-Turn Bone-Changing Pill to improve her realm."

Last year, rumors circulated that Yu Fengxian was secretly inquiring about high-grade Bone-Changing Pills.

Li Futu also looked around and said, "No one paid attention to the Dan Tribulation in the past. She has infiltrated unorthodox sects and still has a sliver of a chance to snatch chestnuts from the fire."

A group of powerful immortals are currently watching from the outside of Zhongyuan Immortal Mansion. We should also be on high alert and guard against the old demon.

She's not stupid; why would she come here to die?

"Better safe than sorry! Those unorthodox methods of stealing elixirs may still appear today."

Fuqiu Gong sighed, "Brother Dong collected countless spiritual treasures from the four continents and numerous overseas immortal islands for this Nine-Turn Bone-Changing Pill."

Those who plunder the treasures of heaven and earth will surely incur the wrath of heaven and man, and will suffer the calamity of being plundered themselves.

The onlookers, the sorcerers, will simply watch quietly and will not intervene.

This is not the first time this has happened, and it is not specifically targeted at Dong Ye.

Almost all the high-grade elixirs made by collecting "wild spiritual herbs" from the human world will attract demons.

Even if the alchemists are extremely cautious and secretive, not even informing their friends, unorthodox methods always manage to get wind of it by some twist of fate.

It is clearly the will of Heaven.

You can't blame "God" for being too petty and unable to bear seeing immortals take medicine to become immortals.

Indeed, before internal alchemy became the mainstream path in the immortal realm, for a long time, taking medicine to become an immortal was the most common and universal way to achieve immortality.

Ancient Qi cultivators did not meditate or practice Qi cultivation; instead, they gathered rare and precious herbs and ingested medicinal pills.

Many of the "unique spiritual beings" that represent the laws of nature have been devoured by the locust-like Qi cultivators.

How could Heaven not be angry and not establish new rules?

Those who plunder the life force of living beings to practice their skills will be punished by Heaven; those who plunder the spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth to practice their skills will also be punished.

The three friends from Qionglin whispered a few words to each other and arrived at 12:13 pm.

Dong Ye rose from his seat, waved for the three boys to leave, and solemnly approached the Eight Trigrams Alchemy Furnace.

First, perform a hand seal to extinguish the fire. You can see through the furnace opening that the flames inside quickly change from bright red to dark red.

The fire has clearly subsided.

Just as the fire in the furnace was about to go out, Dong Ye gently tapped the furnace cauldron, "Clang!"

The stove lid flew off, and a plume of colored smoke shot out, flying out of the window.

"Ah, the elixir is trying to escape!" the Fire-Fan Boy exclaimed in a low voice.

Dong Ye remained expressionless, his footsteps light, and he disappeared from the alchemy room.

Once the colored smoke left the alchemy room, it had no chance to escape. Dark clouds immediately gathered in the sky, and with a muffled "boom," a bolt of lightning as thick as a bowl struck the colored smoke.

Dong Ye didn't look at the lightning, but instead cast the Tranquil Mind and Demon-Suppressing Golden Light Mantra, sending a large swath of golden light rushing towards the tribulation clouds.

No screams or curses from the old demon could be heard coming from the clouds of tribulation.

He paused, somewhat at a loss.

"The Pill Tribulation has begun, and the Lightning Tribulation has already struck. Where is the Old Demon?" The Four Friends of Qionglin below were also puzzled.

They had already set up their formations, each making hand seals and chanting incantations, their divine spells for exorcising demons and suppressing evil ready to be unleashed!
(End of this chapter)