Xiao Yan gazed warmly at the flame cauldron, then stood up. This time, the strength of his Imperial Realm soul once again deeply impressed him. In the past, producing the Thunder Storm Pill would have required immense effort—indeed, even after such effort, success was not guaranteed. "Boom!" As Xiao Yan stood, the sky above the cauldron surged violently, gradually coalescing into the form of thunderclouds. Black lightning strands surged like great dragons, weaving through the clouds. "The Pill's thunder," Xiao Yan smiled, unbothered. With a wave of his hand, Northern King stepped out of his meditation seal and instantly became a shadow, rushing into the thundercloud. Instantly, thunder roared across the sky, and amidst the chaos, numerous lightning bolts surged toward a single figure within. This thunderous roar lasted for approximately ten to fifteen minutes before gradually fading away, and then, streams of pure lightning energy poured down from the thunderclouds, fully settling upon the gleaming pill nestled within the fire cauldron. "Buzzzz!" As these streams of lightning flowed into the pill, the final trace of impurities within it were also refined and eliminated. Instantly, a brilliant golden light erupted from the cauldron, forcefully driving open the lid, and the pill of Lightning Calamity transformed into a radiant beam, rushing upward toward the heavens at an astonishing speed. "After all this time and effort, you won't be getting away that easily," Xiang Yan smiled. With a mere thought, the colossal soul figure standing between heaven and earth extended its massive hand, piercing through the void and catching the fleeing golden light in a single palm. Then, the figure shrunk and swiftly moved into Xiang Yan's brow, while the golden pill gently hovered before him. "Hmm..." Staring at the round, golden pill before him, Xiao Yan couldn't help but exhale in relief. He could feel the powerful force within the pill—the quality of this Lei Jie Dan clearly surpassed the ninth-rank xuan dan crafted by the Pharmacists' clan the previous time. After all, it was only natural, given that both in terms of materials and his own strength, Xiao Yan had grown far beyond what he was back then. "How much improvement this one will achieve depends entirely on you," Xiao Yan smiled gently at the golden pill, then raised his hands and closed his eyes. The Lei Jie Dan gradually transformed into a streak of golden light, flowing into him as he opened and closed his lips. "Boom!" As soon as the Lightning Storm Pill entered Xiao Yan's body, an uproar of immense intensity erupted within him. Instantly, gusts of wind and sand swept across the plain, leaving behind a deep depression roughly dozens of zhang in depth and a thousand zhang in width. Xiao Yan stood at the very center of this depression. The tombstone behind him, though, remained upright, supported by a stone pillar, its surface glowing faintly with a soft radiance that protected it from destruction. "Shhh!" Brilliant golden lightning continuously surged from within Xiao Yan's body, eventually spreading across his surface and forming a deep, resonant thunderstorm. Enveloped in this golden lightning, Xiao Yan's long hair flowed freely; what had once been black now shimmered like solid gold. As changes unfolded on the surface of his body, within him, a furious roar surged—violent thunder forces transformed into raging dragons, darting wildly throughout his inner being. Yet no matter how fiercely they collided, they always encountered an impossibly solid, intangible barrier, each one being forcefully rebounded. At the same time, the pure, cleansing lotus妖fire roared within him, employing the most forceful means to devour these turbulent energies, then refining them into pure, flowing combat qi that seamlessly integrated into his body. With the aid of his Emperor-tier soul and the lotus妖fire, the process of refining the Thunder Storm Pill proved remarkably smooth. With his own Qi, generating tides of celestial and terrestrial energy, such prowess is possessed by only a few close acquaintances in this world. Ancient Yuan once summoned such tides as well, yet the scale of his achievement was vastly superior to what Xiao Yan has achieved today—given that Xiao Yan's strength still lags significantly behind Ancient Yuan's. Nevertheless, this feat is already remarkable; for an ordinary Seven-Star Grand Saint, achieving this would be no easy task. Xiao Yan's ability to do so is indeed attributable to the influence of his Imperial-level soul. Numerous energy forms surrounding the plain were likewise stirred, visibly moved by the sight of this modest celestial tide in the sky. "This man truly qualifies as a prodigy born with extraordinary talent. When we first encountered him, he was still at the level of Battle Sovereign, but upon our next meeting, he had already ascended to Battle Saint. Such a rapid progression is truly astonishing. Now, he has further advanced, and who knows—perhaps one day he will even reach the peak level of Xiao Xuan's mastery..." The Blood-Blade Saint murmured, a growing sense of reverence evident in his eyes. Xiao Yan's accomplishments left him utterly convinced. As his feet touched the ground, the light column swiftly dimmed and eventually faded into the heavens. Xiang Yan lifted his head, gazing at the dissipating energy tide in the sky. His hair regained its former form, though golden lightning arcs occasionally flickered within his dark eyes, creating a unique sense of commanding presence. "Seven-Star Battle Saint..." Feeling his internal state, Xiang Yan smiled. The effects of the Thunder Storm Pill had certainly not fallen short—finally enabling him to transcend the Six-Star level and reach the Seven-Star Battle Saint rank. At this level, he could now directly rival the Four Battle Saints of the Soul Clan and the Three Immortals of the Ancient Clan, the elder generation's titans. Of course, should a true battle unfold, Xiang Yan would easily outmatch them, for his Imperial-level soul was no mere ornament. "Indeed, a Nine-Rank Xuandan-level Lightning Trial Pill—worthy of its reputation." Xiao Yan stretched contentedly. If he had simply used ordinary methods to refine the Nine-Xuan Golden Lightning, he would likely only reach the late stage of a Six-Star Battle Saint, making a breakthrough to Seven-Star status quite challenging, for that final step concealed profound potential. "It's time to go. Yet the medicine elder hasn't sent word yet. It seems the Hún clan remains in stillness. What are they waiting for?" Xiao Yan narrowed his eyes, a hint of frost passing through them. It had now been over a dozen days. If recovery were the priority, this period should have been sufficient. After all, the Hún clan should have been most eager to visit the ancient abode of the Tuo She Emperor. Yet their current state seemed rather unusual. Of course, Xiao Yan did not believe that the Spirit Clan had once again deceived the world by simply proceeding directly to open the ancient emperor's sanctuary. With Gu Yuan personally overseeing the situation, he was certain that no one could escape his watchful eye without his awareness. "Spirit Emperor," Xiao Yan murmured with a quiet smile, "I'm eager to see what tricks you can come up with!" He then lightly waved his sleeve, causing a crack to form in the space before him. With a single step, he stepped through the rift and vanished. Deep within this space, above a dark, imposing hall, a figure sits in stillness within the void. Black flames continuously seep from within his body, appearing as an ever-expanding black hole that relentlessly consumes all that exists in the heavens and earth. Below, dense clusters of dark silhouettes shimmer with activity—light orbs steadily drift out from within each of these figures. Though the orbs grow increasingly transparent and colorless, they radiate a pure, potent energy that is astonishing in its intensity. Should Xiao Yan be present, he would instantly recognize these orbs as the very soul essence collected by the Hall of Souls. When Xiao Yan first encountered them, merely absorbing one had elevated his soul power to the peak of the Heavenly Realm. Yet here, the number of such orbs exceeds a hundred. "Hmph!" Above, a black silhouette seated in meditation suddenly emitted a roar of wind. Immediately, waves of black flame surged forth, sweeping across the heavens, drawing the numerous soul-origin light orbs upward with powerful suction. As these soul-origin essences touched the black flame, they were instantly consumed. With more and more soul-origin essences being forcibly absorbed by the figure, a terrifying surge of soul resonance gradually radiated from within the black silhouette. "Roar!" The resonance grew stronger and stronger, eventually becoming tangible—distorting the very space—and a deep, resonant roar issued from the figure's mouth. He then suddenly stood upright, and at that moment, a colossal wave of soul resonance erupted like a volcanic eruption, spreading across the heavens. "Congratulations, Lord Void, on your ascension to the Imperial Soul Realm!" Feeling the overwhelming pressure of the soul, the dense shadows below instantly bowed down, their respectful voices echoing throughout the space like a mountain flood, causing the very earth to tremble. "Hahahaha!" The figure in the sky could not help but laugh heartily, then turned his gaze toward the figure atop the mountain peak, smiling, "Spirit Emperor, it's time to gather the eight jade relics and investigate the location of the ancient Emperor Tuo She's abode!"