Chapter 888 - 886: Securing the Top-Tier Supreme Treasure

Chapter 888: Chapter 886: Securing the Top-Tier Supreme Treasure

BOOM!

The world changed colors as the winds surged and clouds roiled. Nine tripods hung in the sky, arranged in a ring, exuding an intensely oppressive aura. Standing beneath them, Xu Yang finally understood what Yv Feng had experienced. Even before they unleashed the Nine Tripods Grotto Heaven, the sheer pressure made his Flawless Pure Body twist as if it were about to tear apart.

"Nine third-tier Grotto Heaven Guards... this is definitely bullying," Xu Yang sighed inwardly.

There was absolutely no shame in losing to these nine Venerable Grotto Heaven Guards. Among everyone present—barring the immensely powerful older generation experts at the Peak of Late-stage Golden Immortal—no one could withstand them. Let alone fighting solo, even two or three taking them on together would find it hard to hold their ground.

Xu Yang’s expression turned grave. Staring at the nine tripods, he summoned the Celestial Refining Divine Tripod with a single thought. If he wanted to obtain the Black and White Meteor Tower, he could only rely on this.

The moment the pill tripod appeared, it immediately drew everyone’s gaze. Xu Yang’s confidence in stepping onto the battlefield stemmed entirely from this very vessel. Yet, as the crowd observed it, their faces filled with bewilderment.

"It doesn’t look like anything special."

"It doesn’t emit any fluctuations, and it doesn’t even have any engraved patterns. It’s completely bare."

"He plans to resist the Nine Tripods Grotto Heaven with this? Isn’t Xu Yang taking things a bit too for granted?"

"How bizarre. With my cultivation, I actually can’t pry into the slightest mystery of this pill tripod."

"It seems to have returned to a state of natural simplicity. The more ordinary it looks, the more extraordinary it must be."

"There’s something strange about this tripod."

The Golden Immortal Extreme Realm experts all put on serious expressions. The fact that they couldn’t discern the slightest clue with their level of cultivation and strength was the biggest problem in itself. That is, unless this tripod was truly just a mundane vessel without any hidden depths. But was that even possible?

"Pure delusion," Yang Yuan sneered coldly, gnashing his teeth. He felt a renewed surge of confidence. This time, he was absolutely certain that Xu Yang wouldn’t be able to block the Nine Tripods Grotto Heaven.

BUZZ!

The oppression from the nine tripods grew increasingly intense. The nine Venerable Grotto Heaven Guards leaped into the air, hovering above the tripods. As power surged wildly from within their bodies, they continuously formed hand seals.

WHOOSH!

Rippling waves of energy poured out, linking and weaving between the nine tripods. Within a few breaths, a membrane of light connected them, gradually forming a majestic and towering ancient world. The nine tripods were distributed across nine directions, anchoring the realm like the Tripod of Heaven and Earth.

Although the Grotto Heaven world was illusory, under the empowerment of the nine tripods, its oppressive weight felt terrifyingly real.

CRACK!

The instant the Nine Tripods Grotto Heaven fully manifested, the surrounding space let out a harsh, explosive ringing before shattering inch by inch. Facing this horrifying oppression once again, the onlookers trembled, still unable to control themselves. Xu Yang shook like a leaf in the wind. The pressure was simply too immense; it was fundamentally beyond anything he could currently contend with.

"I’m relying entirely on you," Xu Yang muttered through gritted teeth, hoisting up the Celestial Refining Divine Tripod.

HUM!

The Celestial Refining Divine Tripod rapidly expanded, the ancient divine might within it slowly awakening.

"Suppress!" the nine men roared in unison.

With a deafening RUMBLE, the Nine Tripods Grotto Heaven crashed down like a bolt of lightning. The spatial fabric fractured forcefully as if crushed by a massive millstone, leaving it riddled with gaping holes. The explosions caused by the sheer compression made everyone’s hearts pound with dread. It was an eerie, full-body discomfort, as if they were the ones trapped inside, their own flesh on the verge of tearing apart.

By now, the Celestial Refining Divine Tripod had expanded until it was even more massive and expansive than the Nine Tripods Grotto Heaven. As the entire Grotto Heaven pressed down, it plunged directly into the divine tripod.

In an instant, that terrifying oppression dissipated completely.

Joy flashing across his face, Xu Yang immediately sealed the divine tripod. Had this been a life-or-death battle, the Grotto Heaven Guards naturally wouldn’t have been so careless as to smash their Nine Tripods Grotto Heaven right into another tripod. But this was merely a friendly spar, and they held boundless confidence in their technique.

BOOM!

The Celestial Refining Divine Tripod shuddered violently. Xu Yang activated the barrier of his Minor Immortal Realm, and the Heaven-Locking Divine Chain erupted. Leveraging the might of the Celestial Refining Divine Tripod, he firmly locked the Nine Tripods Grotto Heaven inside the vessel.

PFFT!

The nine Venerable Grotto Heaven Guards looked as if they had been struck by lightning. Spraying blood in unison, they plummeted from the sky.

"How is this possible?" Their auras plummeted drastically, their eyes going as wide as saucers as if they had just seen a ghost.

"Damn it, my connection with the Grotto Heaven Ancient Tripod has been severed!"

"That’s impossible."

"How could his pill tripod forcefully sever the connection?"

"I can’t feel anything at all!"

The panicked cries of the Grotto Heaven Guards left everyone dumbfounded. Severing the connection between the Nine Tripods Grotto Heaven and the Grotto Heaven Guards? Everyone’s first reaction was that such a thing was impossible. But seeing the guards coughing up blood as their auras drastically weakened proved it was undeniably real.

Countless gazes fixed upon the Celestial Refining Divine Tripod in horror, their expressions shifting wildly. There had been hardly any fluctuations or commotion. And just like that, it was severed? The Nine Tripods Grotto Heaven was rendered useless?

Yv Feng’s jaw dropped, his mind going completely blank. Exactly what tier was this pill tripod? It was no exaggeration to say that the suppressive might unleashed by the Nine Tripods Grotto Heaven was at least comparable to a top-tier third-grade high-rank treasure, perhaps even bordering on a supreme artifact. Swallowed in a single gulp, and then nothing? Even Yv Feng found it utterly absurd.

Every single Golden Immortal Extreme Realm expert paled in shock. Even they couldn’t discern the slightest clue about how it was done.

Yang Yuan’s sneer froze on his face inch by inch. Boundless resentment and killing intent spewed from his eyes. "This bastard is covered in treasures!" he fumed internally.

Looking at the Grotto Heaven Guards, Xu Yang asked slowly, "Shall we continue?"

The nine Venerable Grotto Heaven Guards exchanged glances. Finally, their leader forcefully suppressed his shock and smiled bitterly. "We have lost this battle."

Without the Nine Tripods Grotto Heaven, they were done for. Although all nine of them were Late-stage Golden Immortals, their strength was now severely impaired. Even if they joined forces, they couldn’t possibly be a match for Xu Yang.

He had won.

Xu Yang was overjoyed. Although he had relied on special methods, he was already thoroughly satisfied. As long as he got the Black and White Meteor Tower, that was all that mattered.

"Thank you for yielding," Xu Yang said, offering a cupped-fist salute. With a mere thought, he then released the Nine Tripods Grotto Heaven.

SWISH SWISH SWISH!

The illusory phantom of the Grotto Heaven had already been torn apart; only the nine tripods flew out, hovering mid-air. The nine Venerable Grotto Heaven Guards instantly sensed a faint connection. Although it had been blocked earlier, they had refined these Grotto Heaven Ancient Tripods over many years until they were intrinsically linked. Even the Celestial Refining Divine Tripod couldn’t completely obliterate all ties in such a short time.

Breathing a collective sigh of relief, the Grotto Heaven Guards hurriedly recalled their Grotto Heaven Ancient Tripods.

"Now, it’ll take at least a month or so to re-refine them."

"That pill tripod is absolutely a supreme artifact, and an incredibly ancient one at that."

The leading expert took a deep, lingering look at the Celestial Refining Divine Tripod, his eyes brimming with lingering dread. The most terrifying part was that, from beginning to end, they hadn’t been able to pry into the slightest mystery of the Celestial Refining Divine Tripod. It was simply too terrifying and bizarre.

As Xu Yang returned to the spectator stands, he could hardly conceal his joy.

Yv Feng sighed and shook his head slightly. He wasn’t exactly resentful. While the Black and White Meteor Tower was astonishing, what he couldn’t obtain, he simply couldn’t obtain. As for Xu Yang possessing such a treasure, that was just another part of his strength. Right now, he was far more shocked by Xu Yang’s identity as an Alchemist.

"This guy is practically an all-rounder. In the future, he’ll be even more monstrous than Di Qinghe," Yv Feng thought.

While the crowd was still in a daze, Hong Yichuan and Hong Xiaoxing both spoke up. After a series of announcements, this grand coming-of-age ceremony finally came to an end. However, if the various factions weren’t in a hurry, there was no need for them to leave Hongtian Prefecture immediately. They were welcome to stay and continue exchanging pointers and mingling.

Even so, the majority chose to bid their farewells.

"Xu Yang, I’ll be taking my leave first. If you have the chance, come visit Celestial Sword Mountain as a guest," Yv Feng said as he stood up.

"I definitely will."

Watching Yv Feng lead the cultivators of Celestial Sword Mountain away, Xu Yang slowly exhaled and swept his gaze around the venue. Many familiar faces were bidding farewell and departing—Yang Yuan, Jiang Yue Long, Situ Ke, Song Tianlin, and the rest.

"Xu Yang, over here!" Hong Xiaoxing waved at Xu Yang from a distance.