Yue Longsha was determined to acquire the Divine Lightwings. She hadn’t previously considered any of the pill masters to be a threat and was confident that she’d be able to defeat even Master Gu Zun, an adept who could refine supreme rank pills. However, two unexpected threats had emerged in her way—Lu Yun and Wayfarer.

……

Thus commenced the second auction. The participants were to extract the essence of all thousand and eighty herbs.

For most pill masters, that was a much more difficult task than identifying ingredients, since each herb required a different extraction method. Knowing what it was didn’t mean one could distill it. More importantly, the Panorama Pavilion had set a new rule: only those who had processed at least ten herbs could enter the auction for the Divine Lightwings.

As soon as Qing Xun explained the rules, many pill masters bent to the task at hand, focusing on the herbs they’d identified.

“I suggest you back out of this now, young man,” Gu Zun sneered at Lu Yun. “You can’t cheat at this stage.”

The man plainly resented Lu Yun for his earlier words. Once he left Panorama Paradise, he would undoubtedly use his connections against Lu Yun. After all, a pill master at his level wielded great influence over the major factions of the world.

Without sparing the young man another glance, Gu Zun brought out his cauldron and set up a defense formation before getting to work.

The Panorama Pavilion had more than one portion of the thousand and eighty herbs. Even if the participating pill masters failed in their extraction attempts, the pavilion could provide them with more.

“Gu Zun is one of Zhao Shenguang’s men.” Qing Han’s expression darkened. Though he’d been grounded by the Qing Clan after setting foot back in Nephrite Capital, he knew what Zhao Shenguang had been up to.

The celestial emperor-in-waiting had started building his inner circle immediately following the imperial succession decree, and Gu Zun was one of the elites he’d recruited.

“Shenguang means divine light.” Lu Shenhou curled his lip. “Zhao Shenguang probably thinks the Divine Lightwings are fated to be his, which is why he sent in Gu Zun. What a fool.”

As someone about to take the throne, Zhao Shenguang didn’t need to send his own people to fight for the treasures. Even if he didn’t say anything, whoever gained his namesake treasure would likely present it as a gift afterward.

That was a common refrain in most of the participants’ minds.

Sending Gu Zun had not only revealed his trump card, but also attracted derision for his lack of intelligence.

“My cousin wouldn’t have broken his legs and hung him on the city wall if he weren’t a fool,” Qing Han commented dryly.

Zhao Shenguang was a completely useless fop with mediocre cultivation and potential. He lacked ambition and motivation, and hardly knew what strategies were. Stirring up trouble was his only great talent. If he hadn’t been born in the imperial family, he would’ve long been beaten to death.

During a chance encounter with Chen Xiao, the two had ended up brawling with each other. The ruthless Chen scion didn’t care who the hell Zhao Shenguang was. He broke both of the young man’s legs and even tore down one of the great halls within the Nephrite Palace.

Every following princely attempt at retaliation had failed. In the end, Chen Xiao stripped him naked and hung him from Xiankan’s city wall. To everyone’s great surprise, Zhao Shenguang then became one of Chen Xiao’s sidekicks and did everything the man told him to do.

Irritation rose in Qing Han’s heart. Gu Zun was loyal to Zhao Shenguang, while Lun Yun was his close friend. Qing Han could clearly feel the blatant hatred aimed at his friend from the old master, thoroughly out in the open!

Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do at the moment. Chen Xiao and Qing Buyi weren’t in Xiankan, leaving no one that could bring the soon-to-be celestial emperor under control.

“Why does it seem to me that Nephrite Major’s future suddenly looks dimmer?” remarked Mo Qitian with a half-smile. The nine majors in the world of immortals were rivals and, as a top genius of Lazuli Major, he was more than happy to see Nephrite poised for decline.

“His Majesty has long wanted to pass the throne onto my cousin, but my cousin turned him down. This is just another roundabout way to hand the reins of power over to Chen Xiao.” Qing Han calmed himself and shook his head. “Just wait for my cousin and big brother to return.”

He shifted his gaze back to Lu Yun on the elevated stage, while those around him fidgeted when they heard the name Chen Xiao.

……

Lu Yun, Yue Longsha, and Wayfarer remained unmoving with bemused expressions, all three of them considering something.

The herbs contain corrupted principles of the immortal dao, thought Lu Yun. What good will it do even if we extract the essence? Identify the ingredients and extract their essence, then refine pills…. Are they looking for ways to distill the ingredients in order to restore a pill recipe?

This seemed highly likely to him.

There’s a certain synergy between the effects of the herbs. Clearly, they’re part of some heaven-defying pill recipe. That must be what the Panorama Pavilion is trying to reconstruct!

Further contemplation increased his confidence in his speculations.

The Panorama Pavilion must’ve happened upon an ancient ruin where shards of the ancient immortal dao are preserved. That’s how they can grow these herbs!

The ancient world of immortals consisted not only of nine majors, ten lands, and four immortal seas, but also a mysterious central world. All of them had combined to form a complete greater world.

The war a hundred thousand years ago had left the world in shambles, and the immortal dao in tatters. However, many ruins from the ancient times remained, preserving shards of the dao from the era. The shards themselves weren’t enough to repair the path of cultivation, but they could nurture some of the ancient herbs.

There must be such a ruin within the Panorama Pavilion. There’s got to be more herbs they haven’t shown us if they’re planning to restore an ancient pill recipe. There will definitely be more than one auction! Let’s see what pill they’re trying to recreate! Lu Yun manifested a yellow immortal fire when he opened his eyes.

Daevic Skyfire!

Its emergence immediately stirred great waves of heat in the air, transmuting the herbs into a river of ingredients that entered the fire.

“Daevic Skyfire!” exclaimed Gu Zun. “That fire is supposedly sealed in the supreme treasure, the Profile of Harmony. How is it in your possession?!”

Greed flickered through his eyes.

Emerald Mistfire, Lucent Voidfire, and Daevic Skyfire were some of the highest ranked fires in the word. Acquiring any one of them would propel a pill or treasure refiner to much greater heights in their respective expertise.

Lu Yun bringing out the flame stunned the crowd, and their jaws dropped even further when he decided to refine all thousand and eighty herbs at the same time. This was something no pill master would dare attempt!