Battle Through the Heavens: Starting with Cao Ying as an apprentice

Yao Dan's chest heaved violently as he forcefully suppressed the urge to nearly explode.

He knew this was no time to act rashly. His gaze swept over the terrifying figure formed of black flames, and he shouted in a deep voice, "Void Devouring Flame! My Medicine Clan and your Soul Clan have always kept to ourselves. Today, you have led your people to forcibly enter my clan's sacred land. What exactly do you intend to do?!"

Delay! We must delay!

He cried out in his heart, "The Medicine Clan has sent an urgent distress signal to the Flame Clan. As long as the Flame Clan's experts arrive, the combined strength of the two clans may be enough to contend with the Soul Clan!"

However, the Void Devouring Flame seemed to see through his thoughts, and a slight smile appeared on its lips: "Medicine Pill, are you stalling for time, waiting for reinforcements?"

His tone was leisurely, with a teasing quality like a cat playing with a mouse: "Do you think... the Yan Clan will come today?"

"What? Could it be..." Upon hearing this, Yao Dan's expression changed drastically, and a vast amount of soul power instantly spread out.

The next moment, his body jolted violently, and an incredulous look of horror finally appeared in his eyes.

[The space has been completely sealed off! Not only is the space where my Medicine Clan resides completely blocked, but the emergency spatial passage leading to the Flame Clan has also been forcibly cut off!]

Just then, a series of extremely shrill screams suddenly erupted from the sect leaders and elders of the various sects watching the ceremony below the stage!

"No! My lord, spare me! Spare me!"

"We are not from the Medicine Clan! We have nothing to do with the Medicine Clan!"

"Help! This fire can't be put out!"

Countless fine black lines of fire, like living venomous snakes, had somehow coiled around the bodies of the guests.

The black flames burned silently, rapidly eroding their fighting spirit, flesh and blood, and even their souls. No matter how much they struggled, howled, or begged for mercy, it was all in vain. They could only watch helplessly as they turned to ashes in despair.

Not only the guests, but also many young members of the Medicine Clan outside the square were not spared. They were engulfed by the suddenly appearing black flames and let out painful roars. The scene instantly descended into hellish chaos.

"Void Devouring Flame! How dare you commit such an act of extermination? Are you trying to wipe out my Medicine Clan?!" Yao Dan's eyes were bloodshot, and his roar echoed throughout the square.

"Isn't it obvious already?" Void Devouring Flame sneered, as if stating a trivial matter.

He paused, his fiery eyes sweeping over the chaotic and desperate members of the Medicine Clan, his tone carrying a condescending mockery: "Of course, I am not a heartless person. If your Medicine Clan is willing to submit, I may grant you leniency and leave you... one or two thin bloodlines."

His voice suddenly turned cold: "After all, wouldn't it be a pity if your alchemy skills were just buried like this?"

"dream!"

Yao Dan roared in fury: "You think you can devour my Yao Clan's millennia-old foundation? Not so easy!"

Before he finished speaking, Yao Dan suddenly formed a hand seal, and the entire alchemy plaza shook violently. Countless hidden runes on the ground suddenly lit up with dazzling light, and an enormous and ancient array with a vast aura suddenly appeared!

With a sudden flick of his sleeve, Yao Dan swung his robe.

In an instant, tens of thousands of pills of various colors transformed into torrents of dazzling light, surging wildly into the center of the operating array.

The immense medicinal power and the power of the formation merged, and the energy of heaven and earth converged wildly.

Under the gaze of countless awestruck eyes, an illusory figure, indescribably magnificent and ancient, slowly coalesced and rose from the center of the great formation.

Although its figure was blurry, it carried an unparalleled majesty that surpassed all living beings. Its mere existence caused the surrounding turbulent space to subtly stabilize.

"Ancestor!"

"It's the Medicine Emperor Ancestor!"

Upon seeing this figure, the surviving members of the Medicine Clan felt as if they had seen the last glimmer of hope. They all knelt on the ground, tears streaming down their faces, and let out excited and sorrowful cries.

However, when the remnant soul of the Medicine Emperor, forcibly awakened by the great formation, slowly swept its illusory gaze over the devastated square, the wailing clansmen, and the arrogant Soul Clan enemies, finally landing on Yao Dan, the eyes that seemed to contain endless medicinal principles revealed not anger or fighting spirit, but a deep, indescribable... disappointment.

When Yao Dan met that gaze, her body trembled violently. All her grief and indignation turned into unbearable shame, and she lowered her head deeply, not daring to meet his eyes.

Meanwhile, at the edge of the square, in a strange corner.

Here, the deadly black flames, upon reaching this place, mysteriously bypassed it, failing to penetrate even a little.

Cao Ying and Little Fairy Doctor stood side by side in this "safe zone," quietly watching the earth-shattering confrontation in the distance.

"The Medicine Clan is indeed incredibly powerful, possessing such a terrifying top-tier formation that can summon the remnant soul of the Medicine Emperor."

Cao Ying's beautiful eyes sparkled as she gazed at the illusory figure radiating boundless pressure, and sighed softly.

"What a pity!" Little Fairy Doctor sighed softly, a hint of regret flashing in her eyes, but more so a calm analysis:

"The formation is powerful, and it does indeed summon an Emperor's soul, but those pills that were used..."

Upon hearing this, Cao Ying nodded slightly, her pretty face serious. They had exceptional eyesight and naturally saw the key point.

Although the number of medicinal pills added to the formation was as numerous as the stars, their grade and the energy they contained were far from sufficient to truly support a remnant soul of a Dou Di to unleash its full power.

This resulted in the Medicine Emperor's remnant soul, which appeared at this moment, having a vast and ancient aura, but the level of power it could actually mobilize was probably only around an eight-star Dou Sheng.

Their master, Su Baichen, had clearly stated that the Void Devouring Flame's true form had reached the early stage of a Nine-Star Dou Sheng!

A difference of just one star often represents an insurmountable gap in the realm of high-level Dou Sheng.

Moreover, as the second-ranked Strange Flame, Void Devouring Flame possesses unpredictable and peculiar characteristics, excelling at devouring and consuming.

"The remnant soul of the Medicine Emperor is like a rootless duckweed, sustained only by the power of formations and pills, which consumes a great deal of energy, while the Void Devouring Flame..." Cao Ying's voice lowered.

Little Fairy Doctor chimed in, her sharp gaze fixed on the Void Devouring Flame:

"He doesn't need to fight at all!"

"As long as we stall for time and continuously deplete the energy, the array's energy will be exhausted and the medicinal power of the pills will be depleted. This remnant soul of the Medicine Emperor will dissipate on its own, or even be devoured!"

Chapter 389 Void Devouring Flame Gets Tricked Again!

The gaze of Void Devouring Flame swept across the Medicine Emperor's ethereal afterimage like a blade.

A moment later, his tightly furrowed brows suddenly relaxed, and the corners of his mouth stretched into an almost ferocious arc.

He sneered, his voice filled with undisguised mockery and ridicule: "What a powerful foundation I had in store for you! Turns out you're nothing but a remnant soul with less than a tenth of its original strength!"

"Medicine pills, oh medicine pills, it seems that even the pills that your Medicine Clan relied on for its fame can't restore the glory of your ancestors!"

Each word was like a needle, piercing the heart of the medicine pill below.

The chieftain of the medicine clan had his head buried deep in his chest, his shoulders and back slightly hunched, and his fingernails almost dug into his palms.

Upon hearing this, the remnant soul of the Medicine Emperor showed a complex sense of melancholy across its illusory face, which ultimately turned into a long sigh.

He stopped looking at the medicinal pills and turned his gaze to the Void Devouring Flame. Although it appeared dim, his eyes still carried the majesty of an emperor in the past: "Even if I am not strong enough, I am not someone that you, with your mere strange fire, can so easily insult!"

"Insult?" The Void Devouring Flame seemed to have heard the biggest joke in the world, and burst into wild laughter:

"Hahaha! Whether or not you can be humiliated is not up to you, a mere remnant soul!"

"By devouring you, my soul realm will be able to truly step into the gate of the Emperor Realm!"

Before the words were even finished, black flames erupted!

Like an abyss that devours light, carrying both scorching heat and chilling cold that destroys everything, it rushes straight towards the remnant soul of the Medicine Emperor!

The remnant soul of the Medicine Emperor was not to be outdone. Although he only possessed the aura of an eight-star Dou Sheng, the laws accompanied his every move, and his fighting skills reached a state of perfection. In fact, at the very beginning of the battle, he subtly suppressed the Void Devouring Flame, which was at the early stage of a nine-star Dou Sheng.

"Now!" Yao Dan suddenly raised his head and roared hoarsely, his voice shaking the entire clan:

"Everyone, channel your fighting spirit into the clan's protective formation! Help our ancestor slay this fiend!"

"Yes!" The instinct for survival and the glory of their bloodline ignited in despair. The remaining members of the Medicine Clan, regardless of age or strength, sat cross-legged, their fighting spirit surging wildly towards the ancient formation that was already riddled with cracks.

The light from the great array suddenly increased!

"Stop them!" Hun Xuzi's icy voice rang out simultaneously. He waved his sleeve, pointing at the Medicine Clan members:

"Help Lord Void devour the remnant soul of the Medicine Emperor!"

"Jie Jie Jie..."

Eerie laughter echoed from all directions, and figures exuding deathly aura and immense pressure tore through space and appeared in the square.

The Soul Clan's Battle Saint powerhouses finally stopped hiding their true colors and, like tigers among sheep, began a bloody harvest.

The bustling alchemy plaza instantly transformed into a brutal battlefield.

The battle aura roared, screams filled the air, and severed limbs and shattered cauldrons flew everywhere.

The original guests and contestants were now forced to fight alongside the Soul Clan in order to survive.

Even Cao Ying and Little Fairy Doctor were caught up in it, and four or five Soul Clan Battle Saints targeted them and attacked them together.

…………

"Lord Hun Xuzi, the ancient jade of the Medicine Clan is here." A Soul Clan Battle Saint flashed to Hun Xuzi's side and respectfully presented a warm and ancient jade.

A burning desire flashed in Hun Xuzi's eyes. He quickly took the pill, stroked it for a moment, and nodded, saying, "Well done. After this is over, I will personally start the furnace to refine pills for you."

Carefully putting away the Tuoshe Ancient Jade, Hunxuzi's sinister gaze began to sweep across the chaotic battlefield.

That blue lotus he longed for, that ninth-grade Xuan Dan that could drive any alchemist mad.

His target is Cao Ying!

…………

As time went on, the remnant soul of the Medicine Emperor grew weaker and weaker.

Seizing the opportunity, Void Devouring Flame transformed into black flames and directly enveloped the remnant soul of the Medicine Emperor.

Within the black flames, the muffled groans of the Medicine Emperor's remnant soul and the fierce shouts of the Void Devouring Flames echoed alternately.

The eerie black flame enveloping the remnant soul sometimes swelled like a giant beast opening its mouth, and sometimes contracted as if to crush everything within it; the two were locked in a most dangerous tug-of-war.

"Old man, still want to resist? Become a part of me obediently!" The voice of Void Devouring Flame carried suppressed excitement.

"Hmph, wishful thinking! Even if you completely dissipate, I'll still knock out a few of your teeth!" The remnant soul of the Medicine Emperor responded resolutely and fiercely.

"You want to self-destruct? Is that even possible!" Void Devouring Flame sneered.

In that stalemate, Hun Xuzi finally seized the opportunity he had been waiting for—Cao Ying's movements faltered for a very brief moment as she dodged an attack!

"A perfect opportunity! The Azure Lotus and the Profound Pill are mine!" Soul Void was overjoyed. His figure disappeared like a ghost, and when he reappeared, his palm, which contained all his fighting spirit, carried a terrifying power that could collapse space, and struck Cao Ying directly in the back of the heart!

This strike is determined to be a kill or a devastating blow!

"Little girl, die!"

"No—!!!"

To everyone's surprise, the first to let out a furious roar was none other than the Void Devouring Flame, who was currently battling the remnant soul of the Medicine Emperor!

His only concern during this trip was Cao Ying and Little Fairy Doctor.