Deep within the Heavenly Tomb, Xiao Yan stood alone before the solitary tombstone rising upon the plain. He first bowed respectfully to the stone, then raised his gaze to survey the surroundings. Around the plain, numerous energy entities were present, yet none had ventured within a thousand feet of Xiao Yan. Their gazes toward him carried an unmistakable sense of reverence. Even without considering that Xiao Yan had now become the steward of the Heavenly Tomb, the mere fact that he was a soul who had ascended to the Emperor's Realm was enough to send these entities trembling. These energy beings were indeed native inhabitants of the Heavenly Tomb—most of them had been powerful figures in life. Yet now, they existed only as energy forms sustained by the tomb's miraculous capabilities. As for them, Xiao Yan had also investigated their capabilities—among them, there were indeed a dozen or so who had reached the level of Battle Saint. Yet unfortunately, none of them possessed the strength comparable to their ancestor, Xiao Xuan. Upon forming this thought, Xiao Yan found himself momentarily at a loss, almost unable to suppress a quiet smile. If there had been any energy-bodied beings here capable of matching his ancestor, then the celestial tomb's soul would not have been able to dominate the scene so freely. "Though there are numerous energy beings within the Heavenly Tomb, Xiao Yan does not place much trust in most of them. The only one he truly knows well is the Blood-Blade Saint, for whom he has deliberately entrusted the responsibility of maintaining order within the Tomb." "Yes," the distant figure in blood robes promptly replied with respectful deference. Upon closer inspection, it was indeed the Blood-Blade Saint. Currently, the Blood-Blade holds a notably high status within the Heavenly Tomb, as most energy beings recognize his close ties with the Tomb's new master, Xiao Yan. Even those who surpass him in strength now treat him with considerable courtesy. The Blood-Blade Saint welcomes this shift in status, though he is aware that he is essentially riding on Xiao Yan's coattails. When dealing with Xiao Yan, he thus displays the utmost respect, fully embracing the role of a subordinate. After offering a few instructions, Xiao Yan also formed a hand seal. Instantly, Xiao Yi materialized on his shoulder, and without being summoned, opened its mouth to emit a beam of golden light. "Boom! Boom!" As the golden light surged forth, the sky roared with thunderous sounds. The light surged against the wind, expanding within mere moments into a colossal golden thunder dragon stretching thousands of paces in length. Massive thunder arcs flashed wildly across its body, and the booming sounds swept across the sky, triggering waves of thunderstorms. Gazing at the towering golden thunder dragon, which radiated an overwhelming sense of pressure, several energy beings grew pale and quickly retreated, fearing that even a single strike from the lightning would obliterate many of them. "Roar!" The thunder dragon roared across the sky, yet its golden eyes held no emotion—after all, at this moment, it was merely pure energy, devoid of any intelligence. Xiao Yan gazed at the thunder dragon raging across the sky, a faint smile playing on his lips. He could clearly feel the raw fury and immense power of that energy. In the past, he might have only occasionally drawn upon it, and fully integrating it would have been an exceedingly difficult feat. Fortunately, his ascension to the Emperor Realm Soul had transformed the once-fearsome Nine-Heaven Golden Thunder into something far more ordinary. The more vast and potent the energy, the faster it enhanced his own strength. At this very moment, what he needed most was even greater strength. "I'm eager to see just how fierce you can become..." With a change in his hand seals, a soul power from his brow—deep and boundless as the ocean—broke forth like a storm. In an instant, a colossal form, several times larger than the thunder dragon, stood firmly between heaven and earth. The figure's appearance was identical to Xiao Yan's, yet the overwhelming pressure radiating from its body was several times stronger than that of the Thunder Dragon. Simply gazing upon that immense form stirred a trembling sensation deep within the soul, as though encountering a sovereign of the soul—only by bowing could one avoid the crushing weight of that pressure. "Roar!" Even the otherwise intelligent Golden-Light Thunder Dragon, beneath that colossal figure, seemed to feel the pressure, its roar no longer as fierce as before. Even the brilliant flashes of lightning that once adorned its body had subtly dimmed. The towering figure surveyed the Thunder Dragon from above. Suddenly, two massive hands, like mountains, emerged from the clouds and reached down, grasping the dragon firmly. Boom! Boom! Boom! Upon seeing the colossal hand descend, the golden lightning dragon's entire body of scales stood rigidly upright. As it opened its massive maw, a cascade of golden lightning spheres, each hundreds of feet in diameter, erupted and struck the great hand with tremendous force, producing a thunderous roar. Golden lightning arcs flashed wildly across the sky, forming a shimmering expanse like a golden storm cloud. Yet, just as the cloud took shape, it was instantly torn asunder. A pair of immense hands, radiating an overwhelming pressure, swept downward and seized the dragon's body. "Ssshh!" The dragon writhed violently, its golden lightning bolts continuously striking the great hand, crackling with sharp sounds, yet the hand remained motionless. "Hmph! Break!" The towering figure gazed at the struggling dragon and roared sharply, then surged with immense strength. A thunderous boom echoed across the sky, and the golden lightning dragon was crushed and shattered mid-air. Lei Long burst forth, instantly transforming into a vast expanse of viscous golden liquid floating in the sky, radiating powerful and resounding energy waves. "Whoa!" As the golden liquid rose, Xiao Yi suddenly leapt from the shoulder of Xiao Xin, her body swaying and expanding into a colossal fire cauldron, a thousand zhang in height. The lid of the cauldron opened wide, its suction force surging forth, and the golden liquid ocean that spread across the sky flowed like golden rivers cascading from the heavens, pouring entirely into the cauldron. With the final drop of golden liquid entering the cauldron, vibrant pink flames erupted, roaring and fiercely refining the liquid within. At the same time, beneath them, Xiao Xin raised his hand, and thousands of herbs shot forth from his storage seal, eventually forming a sea of medicinal plants that hovered in the sky. This time, when refining the Jiuxuan Golden Thunder, Xiao Yan did not merely consume it using ordinary methods. He understood that even if he directly absorbed and refined it with his current strength, he might only reach the late stage of a Six-Star Battle Saint—yet Xiao Yan was not content with that. Instead, he employed a different approach: he used the Jiuxuan Golden Thunder as the primary ingredient to create a pill. This pill, known as the Lei Jie Pill, is indeed a rather unique type of medicinal pill. Its primary ingredient is not ordinary—it is the Divine Thunder. By refining the Divine Thunder with various medicinal herbs and their core essences, the resulting pill becomes truly exceptional. The Lei Jie Pill comes in different grades—there are Eighth-Pill varieties, as well as Ninth-Pill Precious Pills and Ninth-Pill Supreme Pills. Ultimately, the quality of the final Lei Jie Pill largely depends on the quality of its primary ingredient. Similar to Xiao Yan's current approach of directly using the Jiuxuan Jinlei as the primary ingredient, the resulting Lei Jie Dan is expected to reach the ninth-rank Xuan Dan level. Xiao Yan had only once successfully produced a ninth-rank Xuan Dan before, and even then it was with a certain degree of luck. However, this time, he possessed an overwhelming sense of confidence—primarily because he had now entered the Imperial Realm of the soul. At this level, the likelihood of any flaws or inconsistencies in the alchemical process is extremely rare. Under the vigilant oversight of an Imperial Soul, any potential disturbances can be detected and prevented well in advance. Thus, Xiao Yan did not overly worry about wasting his sole Jiuxuan Jinlei, as the strength of his Imperial Soul provided him with solid assurance. Above, the medicinal sea spiraled around the fire cauldron, continuously projecting its essence into it. As soon as these herbs entered the cauldron, they instantly transformed into the most refined medicinal energies, seamlessly blending into the golden liquid within. As more and more herbs were immersed into those golden liquids, the liquids gradually took on a more vibrant, colorful hue, and occasionally, flashes of thunder rippled across their surfaces, appearing remarkably magical. Refining a Nine-Rank Xuandan was no overnight achievement, but fortunately, Xiao Yan had prepared in advance, which is why the location was chosen at the Heavenly Tomb. With the time difference afforded by this site, the Thunder-Storm Dan should be successfully crafted within a few months at the Tomb. Thus, throughout the following period, the Heavenly Tomb resounded with continuous thunder. A massive cauldron floated high in the distant sky, its spreading rose-colored flames instilling genuine fear in many energy beings. And this scene persisted for nearly a month—though in the Central Plains, it had only lasted six days. When the refining process gradually reached about a month and a half, Xiao Yan, who had been quietly closed his eyes, slowly opened them, gazing upward at the fiery cauldron above, a gentle smile forming on his lips. Inside the cauldron, golden light spread throughout, and the golden liquid had completely dried up. Yet at the very center where the liquid once stood, a pill the size of a clenched fist, shimmering brilliantly like solid gold, floated quietly. Golden lightning continuously surged around the pill, radiating thunderous roars. The Nine-Rank Immortal Pill, the Pill of Thunder, had finally been successfully refined!