It had reached adulthood now, yet for some unknown reason, its power had failed to ascend to the Venerable Realm. The Heavenly Dragon Clan was the most formidable race; typically, they required no true cultivation; simply reaching maturity as a dragon was usually enough to attain the Venerable level.

This particular Heavenly Dragon, however, never reached that status, though its strength was terrifyingly close to it. Had it not been gravely wounded by Fang Zhentian’s men during the Soul Combat, capturing it would never have been so effortless for me.

This was a gift from heaven itself. Back then, I was persecuted by Fang Zhentian until I was nearly annihilated, my soul scattered. Now, again because of Fang Zhentian, I have captured what is likely the last surviving Heavenly Dragon in this entire plane. If this isn’t destiny, what is?

My physical body was long destroyed; only a sliver of my remnant soul managed to escape. I was forced to cultivate the Archaic Ghost Immortal Sutra passed down through the ages. Due to the absence of [Missing element for Yin-Yang balance], I could not achieve the necessary complementary balance, leading to an overabundance of Yin energy. Every time I faced tribulation, the difficulty was several times that of other True Immortals. I endured nine lightning tribulations, each time barely escaping utter annihilation.

This final one will be the Grand Convergence Tribulation, its difficulty exponentially greater than the sum of the previous nine. Even with the numerous magical artifacts I have accumulated over the years, I have no confidence in surviving it.

Although the extreme difficulty of the lightning tribulations I overcame has boosted my strength far beyond that of other potential Nine-Tribulation True Immortals—even granting me the power to contend with a Venerable expert—without passing the Grand Convergence Tribulation to achieve the Divine Immortal status, I can never slay Fang Zhentian and reclaim what is rightfully mine.

A Divine Immortal! That is a being spoken of in ancient myth and legend, an entity that can summon the wind and rain, move mountains and drain seas with a mere gesture.

To successfully pass the celestial tribulation and ascend to the Divine Immortal rank, Fang Guyou has scoured the entire world over the years. Finally, within an ancient cave dwelling, he discovered the formula for refining the Tribulation Elixir. He possessed most of the spiritual medicines listed, save for a few critical primary ingredients that were exceedingly rare. Yet, no sooner had he acquired the Heavenly Dragon than the other crucial components—the Violet Flame Blood, the Gluttonous Beast Soul, and the Pure Spirit Body—appeared all at once. Could this be anything other than heaven paving the way for me?

Perhaps I will become the first Divine Immortal to pass through the Nine Lightning Tribulations in millennia.

The thought of the supreme power awaiting him after achieving godhood made Fang Guyou's smile grow ever more triumphant.

“The time is almost upon us. Ignite the furnace…” He glanced at the scorching sun now directly overhead and suddenly spoke.

The moment his words fell, he flicked his finger, sending forth a streak of firelight. A burst of blue flame erupted beneath the alchemic cauldron.

The cauldron, already emitting thick plumes of vapor, began to boil furiously. The others watched with rapt attention, each executing the strange hand seals Fang Guyou had commanded.

Only Xuanyuan Ruoxing huddled miserably in a corner. Although his strength had advanced by leaps and bounds with Mr. Yu’s assistance, and he could now manifest a solid form, his cultivation period was still too brief. To exist as a mere soul form directly under the harsh sunlight remained profoundly difficult, especially now when the Yang energy peaked. If Fang Guyou hadn't just bestowed upon him a Spirit Condensing Pill, he might have already been scorched into nothingness.

This was the fundamental difference between cultivating as a Ghost Immortal and a Soul Immortal.

Beams of light shot forth from the hands of the eighteen True Immortals, plunging entirely into the massive cauldron. The entire vessel began to spin continuously, radiating streaks of cyan light.

“Sacrifice the Heart!” Fang Guyou shouted softly, suddenly reaching out with one hand, and an immense force surged forth…

“Pffft…” The chests of the nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine pairs of virgin boys and girls simultaneously exploded into clouds of sanguine mist, yielding nineteen thousand, nine hundred and ninety-eight fist-sized crimson hearts. The bodies of that many young boys and girls slowly slumped downward…

Whether it was Ye Jingyu or Zhuge Yishi, sensing all of this from within the lake, both were profoundly shaken. These were nineteen thousand, nine hundred and ninety-eight human lives, ripped out in the blink of an eye, their hearts extracted before they could utter a single scream.

Ye Jingyu’s eyes flashed blood-red, his heart choked with self-reproach. Though he was no saint, watching so many youths perish before him brought an unbearable weight of conscience.

But he knew this was absolutely not the moment to strike. Fang Guyou’s power was too immense; without absolute certainty, he dared not intervene, lest he sacrifice his own life and ensure the deaths of Luo Ling’er and the others.

Endure. He absolutely had to endure…

Forgive me, he thought silently to the deceased youths, and Ye Jingyu’s aura subsided once more.

Those nearly twenty thousand crimson hearts converged in the sky, all sinking into the alchemic cauldron. The vessel, which appeared to be only slightly over three zhang wide, now seemed like a bottomless pit, swallowing every single heart.

The cauldron, previously emitting white mist, instantly turned blood-red as the nearly twenty thousand hearts were absorbed. A thick, sanguine fog dispersed outward, and Ye Jingyu’s Eye of Reincarnation could perceive countless vengeful spirits churning within that bloody haze…

Fang Guyou’s body settled into a cross-legged position, suspended in the void, his lips constantly chanting incantations. The eighteen True Immortals maintained their hand seals, pouring their soul power relentlessly into the cauldron, beads of sweat gradually appearing on their foreheads…

“Boom…” At that moment, a deafening sound erupted from within the cauldron, and a sphere of red light shot forth. Fang Guyou’s eyes flashed sharply, and he uttered a soft cry: “Sacrifice the Pill!”

He then snatched out with a claw, tearing directly into the Heavenly Dragon’s body, and yanked out a golden Dragon Core.

“Aooo! Aooo! Aooo!” As if suffering unbearable agony, the near-dead Heavenly Dragon let loose a tremendous roar. Its colossal body writhed violently, struggling as if trying to break free from the entire process.

And it was at this very moment that the roar awakened the Gluttonous Beast, Luo Ling’er, Hei Ming Shixuan, Zhuge Siyu, and the others. Sensing the doom approaching them, they too began to struggle desperately. Simultaneously, Ye Jingyu, hidden in the shadows, and Zhuge Yishi, concealed in the lake, bolted out of their positions…

(Uploaded at: :23) [Ti: Dear 3Z readers, the current chapter has reached the final page of this book]