672: All medicines have their own properties.

Space shifted, and light and shadows flowed.

In the next instant, the view before them suddenly opened up!

A thick, inseparable scent of ancient medicinal fragrance wafted over them, as if they were instantly transported to the core of a ten-thousand-year-old medicinal garden!

Everyone landed on solid ground, finding themselves standing upon a white jade plaza of such grandeur that it defied description!

The plaza was so vast it seemed like an endless plain! The ground was paved with warm, flawless spiritual jade, emitting a soft halo of light.

Looking up, the ceiling was not a rocky sky but a deep, vast void that seemed to contain endless stars!

Countless streaks of light shuttled and intertwined in the void, forming mysterious runic bands of light that emitted ancient and majestic energy fluctuations.

Surrounding the plaza stood eighty-one colossal stone pillars that reached from the heavens to the earth.

Each pillar was carved with various Divine Beasts and celestial birds, exotic flowers and rare herbs, as well as countless complex and profound alchemical runes!

Merely being here made one feel as small as a speck of dust, while simultaneously feeling infinite awe for that legendary Peak of the Alchemical Dao!

"Buzz—!"

Just as tens of thousands of Cultivators and members of the Yao Race flooded into the plaza, rendered speechless by the magnificent sight, the void in the center of the plaza suddenly twisted violently!

An incredibly massive figure, radiating nine-colored divine light, slowly coalesced into form!

The figure's face was indistinct, wearing a simple Alchemist's robe, with a stature as upright as a solitary Peak.

He was surrounded by countless rotating phantoms of Medicinal Pills, each seemingly containing a world within!

The aura emitted by the phantoms alone contained unspeakable truths of heaven and earth, causing the Pill Fire within every Alchemist to throb and bow in worship!

A low, grand voice, sounding as if it came from the primordial era, echoed throughout the plaza:

"I am 'Xuan Yang Pill Venerable', a Ninth-Rank Pill Saint, a half-step Pill Immortal."

Boom—!

The entire plaza instantly erupted in an uproar!

"Xuan Yang Pill Venerable?! Heavens! It's that supreme existence of the Human Race's Alchemical Dao from ten thousand years ago!"

"Legend has it that he already ascended to the Immortal Realm, didn't he? To think he left a Legacy here!"

"A Ninth-Rank Pill Saint! A half-step Pill Immortal! This... the value of this Secret Realm is far beyond imagination!"

The Loose Cultivators trembled with excitement, their eyes turning blood-red! A Pill Saint's Legacy! Even a few scraps would be enough for them to reach the heavens in a single bound!

Their previous fear of the Demon King was significantly diluted by this overwhelming Opportunity!

The phantom's grand voice continued to ring out, carrying an indifference that looked down upon all living beings:

"I have left my Legacy here, awaiting those destined for it. The Secret Realm consists of three trials, each with its corresponding rewards."

"The final victor shall obtain all that I have learned in the Alchemical Dao throughout my life, as well as... my collection!"

"Whoosh—!"

"A Legacy! It's a complete Pill Saint's Legacy!" "And a collection! A Pill Saint's collection!" The crowd boiled over completely!

Even the Void Refining experts from top-tier powers like Myriad Sword Valley and Nine Nether Sect found their breathing becoming heavy! This temptation was irresistible!

"A Dao Artifact!" Just then, the crisp and slightly excited voice of You Yuan, the Dao Artifact's spirit, rang out in Yao Delong's mind.

"Kid! I sense it! Deep within this Secret Realm, there are fluctuations of a Dao Artifact of the same level!"

"The aura is ancient and majestic, carrying pure Laws of the Alchemical Dao. It's likely the core treasure left by Xuan Yang Pill Venerable for his successor!"

Hearing this, a sharp light flashed in Yao Delong's deep eyes! A Pill Saint's Legacy plus a Dao Artifact?

If he could obtain them on this trip, it would be enough to cause a qualitative leap in his foundations!

The Yin-Yang Harmony System plus a Pill Saint's Legacy... this combination was practically tailor-made for him!

Some were joyful, while others were worried.

After a brief moment of ecstasy, the faces of the vast majority of Cultivators turned grim. Trials?

One could tell even with their toes that a Pill Saint's trials would definitely be related to Alchemy!

"It's over! I am a Sword Cultivator; I only know how to cut people down, not how to refine pills!"

"I've been refining my body for centuries, yet I've barely touched a Medicine Cauldron a few times..."

"I can only hope the Alchemists in our team live up to expectations!"

Sky-Splitting Demon King's massive demon body stood at the forefront of the Yao Race, his blood-red eyes sweeping over the constipated expressions on the human Cultivators' faces.

He bared his mouth, revealing savage fangs, and let out a disdainful cold snort.

His massive claw patted a tall, thin man beside him with greenish skin,

vertical pupils, and a thick aura of vegetation—the Peak Ninth-Rank Demon Marshal, Savage Demon Green Dragon.

"Green Dragon! Did you hear that?" Sky-Splitting Demon King's voice was like muffled thunder.

"The nine aperture spirit nurturing pill! I sense it; the aura of that precious pill is right behind this Legacy!"

"Seize it for me! This trial depends on your 'Wood Spirit Saint Body' skills! Succeed, and you will be handsomely rewarded! Fail, and... hmph!"

Savage Demon Green Dragon, whose true form was a rare Dragon-Transforming Wood, flicked his forked tongue, a confident green light flashing in his vertical pupils:

"Rest assured, Great King! I have long been able to refine seventh-rank Medicinal Pills, and my alchemical attainments are among the best in the Demon Transformation Mountain Range!"

"No matter how difficult this Pill Saint's trial is, it won't stump me! I will surely present the nine aperture spirit nurturing pill to you with both hands!"

Over at the Nine Nether Sect, Tu Wanxiong' fleshy face turned as black as the bottom of a pot! He irritably scratched his bald head with his fan-sized palm:

"Alchemical Dao?! What kind of Alchemical Dao trial is this! I only know how to forge iron and kill people!"

He glared fiercely at several trembling Nine Nether Sect Disciples behind him wearing Alchemist robes:

"You lot! You'd better live up to my expectations! If you can't even pass the first trial, I'll throw you into the Myriad Ghost Cave to feed the vengeful ghosts when we get back!"

Li Canglan of Myriad Sword Valley also frowned slightly; though his sword heart was clear, he only had a superficial understanding of the Alchemical Dao.

He looked back at a steady-looking Elder with white hair and beard in the team, the Myriad Sword Valley's Alchemy Hall Elder: "Elder Chen, I'll have to trouble you."

"Rest assured, Hall Master Li, I will certainly do my utmost." Elder Chen nodded with a solemn expression.

Only on Yao Delong's side was the atmosphere completely different.

Upon hearing the words "Alchemical Dao trial," the Elders and Disciples led by Liu Ruyan,

instead of showing worry, each wore a strange, even "benevolent" smile.

Alchemical Dao? This was their specialty! Coming to a Pill Saint's Secret Realm was exactly in their wheelhouse, wasn't it?

Although Han Yun primarily focused on combat, as a Core Disciple, her foundational alchemical knowledge was extremely solid, and she was full of confidence at this moment.

She subconsciously looked toward Yao Delong.

Sensing her gaze, Yao Delong returned a calm and composed smile, as if saying: It's just a small matter.

Buzz!

Just then, the massive stone pillars around the plaza lit up simultaneously!

Countless beams of light shot out from the pillars, outlining dozens of massive light gates emitting spatial fluctuations at the edge of the plaza!

"The first trial, 'Ten Thousand Herbs Returning to Their Nature'!" The phantom of Xuan Yang Pill Venerable spoke again, his voice indifferent.

"Only those who enter this gate are qualified to participate in the subsequent trials. Time limit: one hour."

"Ten Thousand Herbs Returning to Their Nature?" Hearing this, everyone vaguely guessed the content.

"Medicinal herb identification?"

"It sounds simple, but since it's a Pill Saint's trial..."

"Quick! Go in and see!"

Many impatient Cultivators and members of the Yao Race were already rushing toward the light gates!

Yao Delong waved his hand: "We're going in too." He led the people of the Yin Yang Sect into the nearest light gate.

With a flash of light, the scene changed once more!

A valley where it was spring all year round!

This was no longer a cold white jade plaza, but a medicinal valley like a fairyland!

The Spiritual Qi was so dense it almost turned into liquid, and every breath carried the sweetness of plant essence.

In the valley, ten thousand herbs were like a forest, competing in beauty!

There was Star Grass rooted in the void, absorbing the essence of the sun and moon; Earth Fire Lotuses flowing with crimson lava and emitting scorching heat;

Rainbow Garment Flowers swaying with seven-colored rays of light, dreamlike and ethereal; and many more strange plants with unique forms that had never been heard of before!

Above the entire valley, the thick medicinal Qi had even condensed into colorful auspicious clouds, radiant and breathtakingly beautiful!