"Whoa!" Hearing Gu Yuan's words, everyone present gasped, their eyes filled with astonishment. Could anyone in the current realm truly master the art of crafting Imperial-grade elixirs? After all, Houn Tian was not even a pharmacist—how could he possibly accomplish this? "The elixir has already taken on a basic form, and the most crucial steps of the alchemical process have already been completed by Todhe Imperial. If Houn Tian can successfully carry out the final step—refining this nascent Imperial elixir into a true Imperial-grade elixir—it would indeed be no impossible feat," Xiao Yan said, slowly licking his lips. "We truly underestimated the ambitions of the Spirit Emperor. Although the Imperial-grade seed pill is powerful, it only offers a certain probability of enabling him to reach the Battle Emperor level. However, if he successfully refines the seed pill into a genuine Imperial-grade pill, that probability would be exponentially amplified—indeed, once he obtains the finished Imperial-grade pill, he would be able to leap directly over the barrier that has hindered him for a thousand years." Hearing this from a man widely regarded as the foremost alchemist of the current Battle Qi Continent, those who had initially harbored doubts now fell silent, realizing that the Imperial-grade seed pill was not what the Spirit Emperor truly sought—he actually needed a fully refined Imperial-grade pill! "Then, for us, this may indeed be a favorable moment. Since the Spirit Emperor must complete the final stage of refining his seed pill, he will surely appear. If we act at that time and intervene, we can effectively block his progress!" Lei Ying stated firmly. "The current Hu Tian Di has employed some secret method to fully integrate the Imperial-grade Ju Dan into his very being. His current strength is such that even if I and Zhu Kun join forces, we may find it difficult to withstand him." Gu Yuan shook his head, pausing briefly, then added, "I believe, if it weren't for the present urgency of crafting the Imperial-grade Dan, the Huan clan would have already been invaded by a large army by now..." Hearing this, everyone felt a sudden chill. The situation was deteriorating rapidly. At first, they had managed to hold their own, even gaining the upper hand after Zhu Kun's arrival. Yet, in just a short time, that advantage had completely vanished. "What now? Can we really just watch as he successfully transforms the Imperial-grade Ju Dan into a full Imperial-grade Dan? We still have a chance now, but once the final step is completed, Hu Tian Di will truly become unstoppable," Lei Ying said firmly. Hearing what he had said, everyone nodded in agreement. The situation had now reached its worst—unless action was taken immediately, things would truly come to a complete collapse. Gu Yuan stood with his hands behind his back, his expression grave as he stared at the immense light chalice hovering above Zhongzhou, so vast and imposing it was impossible to describe. After a moment, he said, "For now, let's just observe. Crafting imperial-grade medicinal pills is no overnight achievement; we need to carefully plan the optimal moment to act!" Upon hearing this, the others paused and nodded in turn. Though the situation was dire, they could not afford to lose composure. ... At the same time, Zhongzhou itself was experiencing significant unrest, and the source of this disturbance was undoubtedly the massive light chalice forming in the sky. The subtle waves emanating from within it were causing growing unease among many of the stronger figures. About half a day after the appearance of Guang Ding, a streak of black light suddenly emerged from afar on the horizon, then burst forth in a vast array of black beams under the watchful eyes of countless observers. These beams, spreading out like the threads of a spider's web, formed an immense and intricate array across the sky. At the very center of this array, a figure with long, flowing hair appeared. "Lord Huo Tian!" As soon as the figure emerged within the array, the ancient figures who had been closely observing the developments—especially Gu Yuan—stiffened, their eyes narrowing and then fixed firmly upon the array. "Gu Yuan, have you ever regretted not agreeing to my proposal of cooperation at that time?" A calm voice, piercing through the clouds and resonating throughout the Central Plains, projected from within the array, carrying an undercurrent of profound and terrifying authority. Gu Yuan remained motionless, his face as still as water, his hands tightly clasped, yet silent. "Years of preparation—finally, it's time to put them into action... A thousand-year struggle, and in the end, it's all been won by me..." As the words of the Spirit Emperor fell, sudden beams of light erupted from the vast array encircling Zhongzhou, plunging directly into the earth across the region. "Boom! Boom!" The beams struck the ground, and the entire Zhongzhou seemed to tremble as if experiencing a massive earthquake, shaking violently. Under the glow of the black light column, figures throughout the city suddenly exploded, their bodies bursting open, blood mist and splintered flesh spraying forth. The sudden upheaval left everyone stunned, gazing at the forms that had turned into swirling pools of blood mere feet away—fear and awe surged through them like a tidal wave. Amidst this terror, the city erupted into chaos. People scrambled wildly toward the city gates, some stronger ones even leaping into the air. Yet before they reached the gates, the wave of panic spread rapidly, and within moments, the city was engulfed in a thick mist of blood and splintered flesh, half-submerged beneath the rising tide. The black light column now hovered over the sea of blood, and one by one, blood-colored currents rose gently, coalescing into luminous blood columns that soared into the sky and penetrated the vast array spell enveloping the Central Plains. A surge of blood surged forth, and the dark glow faded, leaving behind the city choked with an intense, nauseating scent of blood. "Creak…" Those who had just reached the city gates, gazing at the slowly opening gates, saw their faces still filled with anticipation—yet their eyes were instantly overwhelmed by the surging tide of blood. Instantly, piercing cries rang out. …… The same scene was unfolding across numerous cities throughout the Central Plains at this very moment. The thick atmosphere of blood now enveloped the entire region, even seeping into the very air, thick with the scent of gore. The Central Plains trembled with panic. …… Above a city not far from the headquarters of the Heavenly Capital Alliance, Gu Yuan and the others materialized, their faces pale as they gazed upon the blood-soaked expanse below. "What on earth is going on?" Inhaling sharply, Injin also asked. Gu Yu stood with a stern expression, sweeping his sleeve—thus forcibly widening the cracks within the city, and dispersing the sea of blood that had gathered. As the cracks spread, a blood-red array emerged from beneath the earth, filled with rows of stark white bones, radiating a chilling, intense aura. "Phasing the Spirit and Severing Life Array,"炎烬 and the others exclaimed in stunned awe, their faces filled with astonishment. "Such a ruthless tactic," Lei Ying gritted his teeth. The Phasing the Spirit and Severing Life Array—a profoundly toxic ancient technique—was capable of transforming all living beings within its range into blood mist, then forcibly siphoning energy from their blood. Due to its extreme cruelty and potency, the array had long since been destroyed. Yet here, the Hu Men clan managed to revive and deploy it! "These array formations were arranged by the Soul Palace. It appears that, while publicly tasked with gathering soul bodies, the Soul Palace has, in fact, quietly established numerous Phagocytic Life-Extinction Arrays deep beneath the Central Plains over time." Gu Yuan said solemnly. "Indeed, the Soul Clan has clearly been well-prepared for this moment..." "With so many Phagocytic Life-Extinction Arrays drawing energy continuously, the Soul Emperor's pace in crafting Imperial-grade pills must have accelerated considerably." Xiao Yan raised his head, gazing at the vast array stretching across the sky above. "Yet, each Phagocytic Life-Extinction Array requires immense energy to operate—let alone so many of them. I believe the Soul Clan has now exhausted all its available strength. They are truly gambling everything on this." "Let us return to the headquarters to deliberate on our strategy. Having inflicted such widespread devastation, the Soul Clan has now effectively become an adversary to all. If they gather their full strength, a confrontation is certainly possible." Gu Yuan waved his hand and then took off toward the headquarters, with everyone else quickly following. Xiao Yan glanced at their backs and sighed lightly. Though numbers mattered, if the Spirit Emperor truly ascended to the level of a Battle Emperor, then even with just his own strength, he would be able to challenge the might of all the other heroes across the land. That, indeed, was the terrifying power of a Battle Emperor! "All we can do is give it our best..." "But as soon as he said it, he couldn't help but chuckle苦笑. To the Heavenly Emperor, ordinary strong ones were no more than insects. Yet, how many such strong ones could he find across the Continent of Qi? 'Now... that's the only option left. Once the Heavenly Emperor ascends to the rank of Supreme Emperor, it will all be over.' Xiao Yan sighed.