Chương 88: The Peerless Pill Venerable (Finale)

Eight hundred years later. Prison-Suppressing Sacred Land welcomed its third eighth-grade Pill Venerable. The sacred land flourished like never before. That same year, word reached Su Chen: an ancient saint's ruins had appeared somewhere beyond the domains. The saint had been a Pill Saint in life—and had possessed a Heavenly Fire. Beyond the domains, myriad races stood in fierce competition. The place was perilous beyond imagination. Su Chen understood—this was his final chance.

"Everyone dies eventually." The murmur rose in his heart. He refused to stop here. He still wanted to glimpse the threshold of Pill Saint! This time, he would not abandon the ancient saint's ruins. Su Chen gathered thirteen Nirvana Realm Venerables and persuaded the peak master of Sword-Hiding Peak—the saint himself—to personally escort him in the hunt for the Heavenly Fire. Everything was ready. Once more, Su Chen stepped into the starry void beyond the domains. …

Outside the Heavenly Profound Domain, countless realms coexisted, and myriad races vied for supremacy. This was not Su Chen's first venture into the outer void. Yet the sight still filled him with lingering dread. The ancient saint's ruins lay on a desolate ancient star. Terrifying tides of spiritual energy surged across its surface. Already, numerous powers had arrived and sealed off the surrounding space, intent on claiming the ruins for themselves.

Any race lacking sufficient strength or a saint-grade powerhouse would be devoured the moment they set foot here. The law of the jungle among the myriad races was laid bare in all its brutality. With a saint overseeing them, Prison-Suppressing Sacred Land naturally ranked among the stronger factions. No one dared provoke them after sensing the saint's terrifying presence. Su Chen observed the scenes of carnage and silently calculated the forces vying for the ruins.

Every power capable of reaching the core zone had—at minimum—a saint of their own. And yet… suddenly a heart-rending scream tore through the void. Su Chen focused his gaze. A powerful winged being—no weaker than a saint—had just been ripped apart by a horrifying existence.

"That is… the War God Hall!" Su Chen's pupils shrank sharply. How could he ever forget the emblem of the War God Hall? Lin Zhan had not died after all. He had rebuilt the War God Hall—and within it now stood such a terrifying saint, one who seemed infinitely close to the saint king realm!

"The War God Hall… I didn't expect them to show up and stir the pot, too. The War God Hall's master, Lin Zhan, truly is a legend. Ten years ago, he fought the Great Saint of the Sea-Covering Dragon Clan and killed him outright—terrifying!"

"The people of War God Hall are utterly ruthless. Anyone who blocks their path faces retaliation. That saint of the Winged Clan was truly unfortunate to provoke those lunatics and perish here!"

"…" The saint from Sword-Hiding Peak looked grim. He spoke quietly to Su Chen.

"Elder Su, that one is extremely dangerous…!" Su Chen's expression grew solemn, though he also let out a quiet breath of relief. Because the one who had come was not Lin Zhan himself. After waiting more than half a year, the entrance to the ancient saint's ruins finally opened. Su Chen led the Prison-Suppressing delegation inside to search for traces of the Heavenly Fire. Within the ruins, enemies lurked on every side. The group endured repeated ambushes. Nearly half their Nirvana Realm Venerables fell.

This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work. Without the saint from Sword-Hiding Peak fighting with full force, Su Chen's party would have been buried in the secret realm long ago. Inside the ruins, Su Chen witnessed countless treasures. An ancient saint scripture appeared, sparking ferocious battles among the saints. A saint-grade puppet emerged, drawing yet another clash of saints.

A garden of great saint herbs was discovered and plundered by a horde of powerhouses. Su Chen joined the fray and seized several rare eighth-grade herbs, though no saint-grade herb ever appeared. As more and more restrictions were shattered in the fighting between powerhouses, at last, Su Chen witnessed the moment the sky filled with blazing firelight.

"Nine Yang True Flame! It's a Heavenly Fire!" Su Chen's determination was absolute. The moment the Heavenly Fire appeared, every eye in the ruins turned toward it. The value of a powerful Heavenly Fire was no less than that of a saint herb. Especially one as renowned as the Nine Yang True Flame, which ranked high on the Heavenly Fire list. The saint from Sword-Hiding Peak drew a deep breath.

"Elder Su, if I fall in the struggle for the Heavenly Fire, do not look back. Leave the ancient saint ruins immediately!" Su Chen nodded. The remaining Nirvana Realm Venerables formed a protective ring around him. The Sword-Hiding Peak saint raised his sword and charged toward the flame. Without a saint to shield them, hostile races that had long harbored grudges against humans emerged from the shadows and began their assault on Su Chen's group.

"A human eighth-grade alchemist… he absolutely cannot be allowed to live!" After fierce combat, two more of Su Chen's Nirvana Realm protectors fell. There was no time for grief. The battle for the Heavenly Fire had ended. A blood-soaked figure appeared—one arm severed, yet the other hand firmly clutched a sun-like flame.

"Run!" The Sword-Hiding Peak saint had no time for more words. He thrust the Nine Yang True Flame into Su Chen's hands and burned every ounce of his strength to carve open an escape path for the survivors. Su Chen wasted no words. Clutching the flame, he stepped into the passage. From a distance, a figure radiating overwhelming pressure appeared. A palm slammed toward the tunnel.

"People from the Heavenly Profound Domain? You think you can seize a Heavenly Fire and leave? Have you asked the War God Hall?" Space itself seemed ready to collapse. In that instant, a terrifying aura erupted from the Sword-Hiding Peak saint. He burned everything—life, cultivation, soul—to block the dreadful figure. At the same time, several hidden saints moved to intercept Su Chen. The Sword-Hiding Peak saint's sword light severed their advance. The shockwaves of their clash tore the spatial passage into ruin.

In the final moment, Su Chen still managed to escape the ancient saint ruins. When he awoke from unconsciousness, he lay on a desolate ancient star. He had obtained the Nine Yang True Flame—at the cost of one saint from the Prison-Suppressing Sacred Land. Cause and effect turned in circles; retribution came as it always did.

"These injuries… really are severe." Su Chen gave a wry smile. The spatial passage had collapsed, and the terrifying spatial power had nearly shredded his body. Fortunately, he had swallowed a pill in advance and survived. The remaining Nirvana Realm companions—whether killed by the spatial storm or scattered to unknown places—had vanished without a trace. In his current state, crossing the void was impossible. This ancient star was barren beyond measure, its spiritual qi so thin it filled Su Chen with despair.

Even if he searched every inch of this world for treasures, he could not recover even a tenth of his injuries. Returning to the Heavenly Profound Domain had become a distant dream. With no other choice, Su Chen began to explore the star—only to discover that the strongest beings here were merely at the Spirit Sea Realm. No matter what he found, it could not heal him. The yin-cold nether qi of the Nine Nether Profound Flame grew denser within him. Perhaps in less than a century, it would devour him completely.

In desperation, he decided to take the risk and attempt to refine the Nine Yang True Flame. Thirty years later… Su Chen had aged dramatically. His body was shrouded in darkness, the Nine Nether Profound Flame and Nine Yang True Flame raging wildly inside him.

"Heaven does not wait for me… Heaven does not wait for Su Chen!" Su Chen's heart was filled with bitter unwillingness. He had been so close—just one step away! Yet this place lacked the spiritual qi to sustain the simultaneous suppression of two opposing Heavenly Fires. After three long sighs of helplessness, Su Chen began to arrange his affairs. Though he did not know the name of this star, he still erected a stone monument and carved the story of his life upon it.

[If any descendant should obtain my inheritance, I beseech you to return my remains to the Heavenly Profound Domain. Prison-Suppressing Sacred Land will surely offer generous rewards.] Planting good karma… planting good karma… Su Chen gazed up at the starry sky. The power within him could no longer contain the two violent Heavenly Fires. One yin, one yang, they erupted from beneath his skin in blazing fire. The stars blazed brilliantly—beautiful beyond words.

Many years later, perhaps someone would find the inheritance left by a man from another realm known as the Peerless Pill Venerable. And in that continent, a new storm would rise.