Li Yundong knew that Wan Zhenyuan’s alchemy chamber was fortified with numerous powerful formations, capable of resisting siege by external spells and artifacts for a long time. However, because alchemy required drawing upon the earth's energy while simultaneously connecting directly to the Nine Heavens, this chamber was connected to the Nine Hells below and the Nine Heavens above—these two points were its most vulnerable sectors.

The one who had managed to enter through the skylight previously must have been a peak-level Nascent Soul master, and the one who drilled up from the medicinal pool must be an expert well-versed in earth-elemental magic.

Among all the cultivation world sects, only the Jinshan Sect was most proficient in earth evasion and earth manipulation techniques. Thus, the moment Li Yundong breached the alchemy chamber, he tested the waters with a loud shout: "Thief from the Jinshan Sect, where are you running!"

Sure enough, the figure who had stolen the Earth Origin Spirit Pill flinched violently, their attempt to flee faltering for a split second. In the blink of an eye, Li Yundong, starting behind, caught up.

Li Yundong let out a cold sneer and sent a palm strike toward the person’s back.

Although the thief clearly felt an immense, surging palm wind strike from behind—as if someone were swinging a massive iron hammer toward his back with terrifying momentum—he merely arched his spine slightly, spread his four limbs, and assumed the form of a Tuó (alligator/crocodile), resembling a giant, tailless crocodilian.

Among cultivators, nine out of ten pathways involve martial arts; nearly every enlightened figure is a martial arts master. Although this Jinshan Sect master who stole the Earth Origin Spirit Pill employed less-than-honorable means, this Tuó form displayed a profound mastery of the essence of Xingyi Quan (Form-Intention Fist).

"Hm? Xingyi's Tuó Form?" Tuó, that is, the Chinese alligator, possesses a back that is supremely hardened, impenetrable to blades and impervious to fire. Li Yundong immediately felt a sense of gravity. He knew that this man appeared defenseless, yet all his protective Gang Jin (Iron Energy) was densely concentrated on his back—first, to gauge the opponent's force, and second, to wait until Li Yundong's palm struck his back, allowing him to instantly deflect the force and flee, or even counterattack instantly!

Li Yundong’s thoughts raced like lightning. He gave a cold laugh, thinking: I’d like to see just how well-tempered your Tuó Form truly is!

Saying that, he not only didn't retract his hand but instead struck even harder toward the opponent's back with his palm.

Li Yundong’s palm strike was as swift as lightning and as fierce as thunder. With a muffled peng, it slammed into the man’s spine.

The man shuddered violently, and a crunching sound echoed from the bones in his back. It was clear the skeleton could not withstand Li Yundong's terrifying impact. Temporarily, the muscles and bones, in a desperate act of self-preservation, frantically worked to disperse the power through his limbs, preventing the spine from shattering under Li Yundong’s blow.

Having taken Li Yundong’s strike, the man plummeted downward, landing deep within the thick residue heap of the medicinal pool.

He tried to drill into the earth to escape again, but Li Yundong’s preceding strike had nearly pulverized his entire skeleton, leaving him momentarily paralyzed and unable to move.

Li Yundong was instantly beside him again, slamming his knee upward, which connected solidly with the man's Ling Tai acupoint on his back.

The man felt a sudden weight settle on his back and a chill grip his heart; he knew instantly: his situation was dire!

He reacted with lightning speed, attempting to shove the hand gripping the Earth Origin Spirit Pill into his own mouth, clearly preferring to swallow it immediately rather than let Li Yundong seize it.

Li Yundong was instantly enraged!

Even after he himself had consumed the Human Origin Golden Elixir, he remained unconscious for a long time, undergoing the refinement of his body. If this man consumed the Earth Origin Spirit Pill now, he would surely enter a deeper state of meditation. The man swallowing the pill at this moment was tantamount to suicide by ingestion!

Yet, this man preferred suicide to letting an outsider take it—a truly self-destructive act!

In his fury, Li Yundong immediately reached out and seized both of the man's cheeks. With a squeeze of his fingers, a kacha sound signaled that he had dislocated the man's jaw. Immediately after, he grabbed the arm holding the pill and violently wrenched it backward!

Knowing his arm was certainly about to be broken by Li Yundong, the man, as he was being pulled back, used the moment of leverage to wrench his fingers free and flick the three Earth Origin Spirit Pills held in his grasp upward, toward the top of the medicinal pool!

Instantly, the Earth Origin Spirit Pills once again saw daylight, and the alchemy chamber was once again filled with shimmering, colorful radiance.

Li Yundong looked up and saw another figure rapidly drilling in through the skylight, staring at the Earth Origin Spirit Pills with greedy awe, swooping toward them.

Li Yundong snorted, plunged one hand downward sharply, and his fingers poof buried themselves deep into the man's back spine. Simultaneously, a flash of electric light erupted beside him as the Six Harmonies Sword instantly shot out, aimed at this treasure-snatching intruder.

The man who broke into the alchemy chamber had seen the room empty save for the Earth Origin Spirit Pills within easy reach. In his ecstasy, how could he have anticipated a terrifying hidden enemy lurking within the medicinal pool?

The Six Harmonies Sword flashed once, and he felt a chill at his waist, followed immediately by searing pain. With a shriek, just less than an inch from the Earth Origin Spirit Pills, his body involuntarily tumbled downward.

However, this man suffered only physical damage. His Nascent Soul quickly emerged from his body, and his hand suddenly stretched an inch further, snatching the Earth Origin Spirit Pills back into his palm.

This man, having secured the Earth Origin Spirit Pills, was overcome with ecstasy. His Nascent Soul rapidly fled through the skylight. Yet, his Nascent Soul was not robust enough to fully conceal the dazzling brilliance of the pills. The seven-colored light instantly pierced through his palm, instantly drawing the gaze of everyone present.

"The Earth Origin Spirit Pills! They're with him!" Some cultivators immediately cried out in shock.

Before this man could celebrate for long, he saw magical artifacts from all directions being hurled down upon him by other cultivators.

Zi Yuan and Zhou Qin had left the top of the alchemy chamber immediately after Li Yundong pursued the thief inside. This was because the moment Li Yundong moved, the surrounding Immovable Fundamental Seal would vanish. If they remained standing there, they would instantly become targets, turning into hedgehogs.

Pitiable was this cultivator who had just obtained the Earth Origin Spirit Pills. As soon as he exited the chamber, he was targeted by countless artifacts and spells, which rained down upon him.

Unlike Li Yundong, who possessed formidable cultivation as a top master, this man could only manage to dodge twice before being utterly pulverized by the innumerable artifacts and spells.

Zhou Qin and Zi Yuan watched as the man was blown to smithereens, yet the Earth Origin Spirit Pills remained intact, floating in the air, even being tossed upward by the powerful gusts.

For a moment, all the surrounding cultivators stared with unblinking, greedy eyes at the Earth Origin Spirit Pills radiating their brilliant seven-colored light. The surroundings suddenly descended into a terrifying, dead silence.

It was like the brief tranquility before a storm, like the momentary calm before a flood bursts, like the stillness an instant before a volcano erupts!

Everyone seemed frozen like stone sculptures, with only the three Earth Origin Spirit Pills tumbling in the air. Their seven-colored brilliance made nearly everyone’s eyes blur and their hearts race!

Suddenly, almost everyone lunged toward the Earth Origin Spirit Pills!

In an instant, Tiandu Peak was filled with chaotic figures and flying magical artifacts!

Just as Zhou Qin and Zi Yuan prepared to make a move, they saw the light of the pills obscured by a dense mass of figures. Only thin slivers of rainbow light pierced through the gaps in the crowd gathered in the sky.

They watched, dumbfounded, as these cultivators fought fiercely over a single Earth Origin Spirit Pill. The first person to grab a pill was immediately killed without mercy by those who followed. The second person who managed to seize one was much smarter: as soon as he grabbed it, he shoved it straight into his mouth!

But just as he was about to swallow, a sharp blade pierced through his chest, hooking upward forcefully, brutally slicing his entire upper body into two halves, his head split from side to side. The Earth Origin Spirit Pill he had just put in his mouth bounced out from his crown, coated in blood, emitting a terrifying, colorful glow.

Zhou Qin was stunned speechless. She shivered involuntarily at the horrifying scene of slaughter unfolding before her. Though she considered herself capable of being iron-blooded, ruthless, and even cruel at times, compared to this indiscriminate, savage killing driven solely by the desire to seize the pills, she felt the cruelty and coldness of the cultivation world for the first time!

No one knew what connections these masked cultivators shared, or what relationships existed between them, but at this moment, no one cared anymore.

Because the event was so sudden, many people rushed here immediately upon hearing the news, without time to prepare or even contact their friends, fearing they would miss the emergence of the Earth Origin Spirit Pills.

But what more people hadn't expected was that Tiandu Peak, the place where the Earth Origin Spirit Pills appeared, would become their graves!

"Heavens…" Zhou Qin whispered, trembling in horror, "Have they all gone mad?"

Zi Yuan also watched the scene with shock. She suddenly said in a cold voice, "I finally understand what kind of wicked scheme Wan Zhenyuan was plotting!"

Zhou Qin’s eyes widened, and she turned to ask, "What?"

Zi Yuan’s face showed a rare, intense fury. Gritting her teeth, she spat out the words through her clenched jaw: "Two Peaches to Kill Three Scholars! Three Pills to Execute the Greedy Crowd!!"

Zhou Qin shuddered. She was no fool and quickly understood the crux of the matter, crying out: "Could it be… Wan Zhenyuan intends for these sects to fight to the death, creating an irreconcilable blood feud, so he can profit from the chaos?"

Zi Yuan spoke angrily, "The cultivation world was finally showing signs of resurgence, yet some people, for their own selfish gain, disregard the bigger picture! After this battle, our Chinese cultivation world might even regress by ten years!!"

"That's not right…" As soon as Zi Yuan finished speaking, a figure flashed past them—it was Li Yundong, emerging from the alchemy chamber, his gaze flickering as he watched the cultivators fighting below.

"What isn't right?" Zi Yuan frowned and asked.

Li Yundong subtly shook his head: "Although Wan Zhenyuan set a deadly trap for me, I don't think he was the one who spread the news of the Earth Origin Spirit Pills emerging. There must be someone else…"

Zi Yuan was instantly taken aback. Suddenly seeming to recall something, her gaze darted rapidly among the crowd. When her eyes locked onto Zheng Yuan, her heart gave a violent jolt. Her face turned pale, and she stammered: "I know! It was Zheng Yuan, no, I accidentally let him guess this news! Damn it, this is my fault for causing trouble!"

Zhou Qin quickly grasped the situation as well, her face turning equally ashen: "No, it was my fault. If I hadn't come here, then…"

Li Yundong’s face was as dark as still water. He immediately barked: "Stop talking! This is not the time for that! Can any man be without fault? Zheng Yuan using the malicious strategy of 'Two Peaches to Kill Three Scholars' is truly detestable and hateful! However, the immediate priority is to quickly quell this turbulent upheaval!"

Zi Yuan composed herself and asked, "Do you have a plan?"

Li Yundong was about to speak when he suddenly heard a familiar voice calling out in surprise and delight from mid-air: "Yundong! I got it, I actually got it!"

Li Yundong was horrified and looked up to see Su Chan suddenly appear amidst the crowd. Relying on her agility, she had actually managed to snatch all three Earth Origin Spirit Pills!

The moment she secured them, the surrounding cultivators went into a frenzy, surging toward her like countless wild beasts, ready to tear her to shreds in the next second!

And at that very moment, Chris, who had been chasing the colorful light, finally set foot on Tiandu Peak…

Supplementary note for yesterday's update: The character is pronounced 'uō' (third tone, using traditional Pinyin for the sound, or 'u' in modern dictionaries depending on context), second tone... M