Judgement Day
Judgement Day . . .
Before the awe-inspiring edifice of the Pill Emperor Hall, a young man draped in pristine white stood with an air of unwavering determination, his hands clasped nonchalantly behind his back. His unwavering gaze bore into the monumental structure before him, seemingly undaunted by its imposing presence.
Passersby couldn't help but glance at the enigmatic figure, their expressions ranging from curiosity to amusement. Was he yet another ambitious aspirant of the younger generation seeking to join the ranks of Pill Emperor Hall's devoted disciples?
At the hall's entrance, a group of individuals materialized, one of them taking a pointed step forward, raising an accusatory finger towards the young man. "No loitering here. Kindly depart immediately," he demanded, his tone stern and unwavering.
Qin Wentian met their demands with an unflinching resolve. Ignoring their protests, he continued his ascent, each step carrying him closer to the hall's imposing entrance.
Pill Emperor Hall—his long-awaited destination—awaited his arrival.
"IMPERTINENT!" The Pill Emperor Hall disciples bristled with hostility, surging forward to confront Qin Wentian, their formidable Yuanfu power surging to the fore.
"BOOM!"
Qin Wentian's foot landed with thunderous force, and a mysterious power slammed his would-be assailants onto the stairway, causing them to cough up gouts of blood.
"Intruder alert! Someone is trespassing into the Pill Emperor Hall!" A voice resounded with anger, and onlookers gasped as realization dawned: A severe transgression was unfolding before their eyes, for entering the Pill Emperor Hall uninvited was a crime punishable by death.
Spectators gawked, their interest piqued. Who was this audacious individual, daring to breach the sanctity of the Pill Emperor Hall, seemingly with little regard for their own life?
Among the crowd, Shu Ruanyu's heart swelled with tumultuous emotions as she watched Qin Wentian ascend the steps with unwavering resolve. He was, without a doubt, recreating history, intending to infiltrate the Pill Emperor Hall alone, just as he had done in the past.
Within the hallowed halls of the Pill Emperor Hall, a figure soared through the air, their booming voice echoing before their arrival. "WHO DARES TO BE SO AUDACIOUS? SHOW NO MERCY!"
The voice reverberated with a chilling intent, but when the figure finally set eyes on Qin Wentian, their demeanor shifted abruptly. An ashen pallor washed over them, and their body quaked involuntarily.
Qin Wentian had returned, and with him, a solemn promise he'd made before his departure: The day he returned would mark the Pill Emperor Hall's reckoning.
Was today that day?
Their scouts had vigilantly monitored the Azure Emperor Palace, where Fairy Qingmei and other experts still resided. Yet here was Qin Wentian, appearing unannounced. Did he intend to obliterate the Pill Emperor Hall single-handedly?
Beside the Pill Emperor Hall's emissaries, a few seasoned individuals who had previously encountered Qin Wentian gazed upon him with sheer terror. His actions from the past had left an indelible mark on their memories. They had watched from afar as Qin Wentian wielded the demon sword to cleave through the grandest hall of the Pill Emperor Hall.
Now, he had returned, more formidable than ever. He didn't require the crutch of the demon sword to vanquish Ouyang Mutian, an ascendant of the Ouyang Aristocrat Clan. With ruthless efficiency, he had eliminated three ascendants of the Ouyang Aristocrat Clan, sparing none. He had subsequently assumed control of the Azure Emperor Palace, with the palace lord himself bowing in deference.
A realization dawned upon the crowd, and their hearts throbbed with anticipation. Could it be...?
A singular, youthful silhouette, one that could strike fear into even the most seasoned of Pill Emperor Hall's experts. Amid the vast expanse of Grand Xia, only one name could evoke such a reaction.
"Qin Wentian!" A collective whisper of recognition rippled through the crowd. The figure in white ascending the Pill Emperor Hall's imposing steps was none other than the prodigious Qin Wentian. He had returned, and he was making his audacious solo ascent.
Yet, Qin Wentian remained oblivious to the stir his presence had ignited among the onlookers. His focus was unwavering, and with each step he took, a tempestuous whirlwind of sword qi swirled around him.
BOOM!
As his foot touched down, the very air crackled with sword intent, and high above him, an unfortunate expert was engulfed in a maelstrom of a thousand phantom blades. His anguished expression mirrored the sensation of a thousand swords piercing his heart, and his visage drained of color.
BOOM!
Another step, another calamity. The Pill Emperor Hall's disciples in the air suffered an agonizing torment, and despair clouded their eyes. Bodies tumbled from the heavens, lifeless and pale.
"They're dead!"
The growing crowd below quaked in terror. Qin Wentian's return had ushered in an era of unprecedented dread. His newfound power surpassed all expectations, sending shivers down the spine of every witness.
Qin Wentian continued his ascent, no longer impeded by the living obstacles. The Pill Emperor Hall's experts in the air, sensing his relentless approach, gathered their strength, preparing to launch a coordinated assault.
Astral souls and astral novas erupted into existence, converging into a swirling vortex of annihilation aimed at Qin Wentian.
"KILL HIM!"
The command echoed through the Pill Emperor Hall's forces, and a menacing current of destructive energy surged forth, a sea of black energy wreaking havoc in its path.
"How formidable!" A collective gasp escaped the crowd's lips. The Pill Emperor Hall had deployed the majority of its experts in a bid to eliminate Qin Wentian.
Yet, at this critical juncture, Qin Wentian simply inclined his head, extending his palms. Radiant light coursed within them, a power capable of seizing stars and plucking down the moon.
Above the assembled experts, a colossal and resplendent palm imprint materialized in the heavens. It descended upon the Pill Emperor Hall's forces like an unassailable verdict.
BOOM!
A deafening thunderclap echoed through the atmosphere as countless experts vanished in its wake.
"So potent!"
"His strength has burgeoned exponentially!"
Although the tales of Qin Wentian's exploits had spread throughout Grand Xia, witnessing his might firsthand invoked a sense of disbelief. At the tender age of twenty-eight, his strength defied the very heavens.
Without uttering a word, Qin Wentian swiftly dispatched the opposition. His demeanor remained tranquil, but his eyes held an otherworldly power that left spectators awestruck.
Retreat became the only viable option for the survivors. As Qin Wentian ascended higher into the heavens, they retreated further, their fear compelling them to distance themselves.
In that moment, Qin Wentian embodied a deity of destruction, a force before which none dared to stand.
Finally, Qin Wentian reached the summit of the staircase, stepping into the hallowed halls of the Pill Emperor Hall. His gaze swept over the countless faces before him, unyielding and resolute.
Among the onlookers, Luo He's presence was unmistakable. She regarded Qin Wentian with a sense of numbness, her heart heavy with realization. When Qin Wentian had previously stormed the Pill Emperor Hall, wielding the demon sword as he carved a path of bloodshed, Luo He had been oblivious to the gravity of her mistake. She had treated him as a junior, never once casting a direct gaze upon him, even when he ascended to the pinnacle of the Heavenly Fate Rankings.
But now, years later, as she beheld Qin Wentian, she found herself humbled. She, Luo He, was compelled to acknowledge the ascendancy of this young man from the junior generation.
In the grand chambers of the Pill Emperor Hall, a hushed tension hung in the air. The lone figure in white, a harbinger of fear, dominated the scene. No other force in the world could have induced such paralyzing dread among the Pill Emperor Hall's seasoned experts.
The name that quivered on their trembling lips was a testament to the terror: Qin Wentian. Only he, with his unparalleled might, could command such fear, rendering even the Pill Emperor Hall powerless to resist.
As the realization of his identity rippled through the assembly, one figure within the hall bore the weight of her own guilt. Luo He, her name a whisper on the lips of those who knew her past deeds, sighed in regret.
But Qin Wentian was unrelenting. He turned his icy gaze towards her, his words slicing through the heavy silence like a blade. "Luo He, you still dare to show your face?"
Luo He, her resolve steeled, defended herself with a deep breath. "Everything I did was for the sake of the Pill Emperor Hall," she proclaimed, her voice trembling slightly. She had once granted Mo Qingcheng a chance to escape her grim fate, but with hindsight, that choice now seemed utterly preposterous.
"Qingcheng has ascended to the rank of a fifth-ranked alchemist," Qin Wentian declared coldly. His words landed like a thunderbolt in Luo He's heart, sending shockwaves through her very being. The realization hit her like a tidal wave, causing her to gasp for breath.
With wide eyes and a pallid complexion, Luo He absorbed the staggering revelation. The disciple she had sacrificed to sate the insatiable evil skeleton had ascended to the rank of a fifth-ranked alchemist—a feat matched only by the Pill Emperor himself. The cruel irony of the situation was not lost on her.
Doubt did not taint her perception of Qin Wentian's words. There was no reason for him to deceive her now, given his elevated status and unrivaled power.
"I have failed Qingcheng," Luo He admitted, her voice heavy with regret. "She is an exceptional disciple, loyal and obedient, save for the matter concerning you. If not for your intervention in Chu, she might not have survived. Perhaps her gratitude has kept her silent. You saved her life once, after all. With Qingcheng's standing in the Royal Sacred Region, she has the power to obliterate ten Pill Emperor Halls."
A hint of bitterness crept into Qin Wentian's eyes. "Qingcheng never mentioned you or the Pill Emperor Hall to me. Considering what you did to her in the past, you deserved death. But in Chu, you saved her life. Perhaps that's why she struggles with how to regard you. You once rescued her, but you also once doomed her. For that, I will spare your life. Renounce your cultivation and live as a mortal."
Luo He remained silent, a single tear tracing a mournful path down her cheek. Her emotions were inscrutable, her internal turmoil unfathomable. Luo He was a woman burdened with guilt; no one else could comprehend the complex emotions that gripped her.
"Aren't you overly confident?" a voice challenged, causing constellations to shimmer in the sky. The Pill Emperor and the ancient elder of the Pill Emperor Hall appeared, bearing the weight of their authority.
But Qin Wentian's unwavering gaze remained fixed on Luo He. "This is your last chance for redemption," he warned her. "Do not force my hand."
Luo He held her silence, tears in her eyes. In the corner of her eye, a solitary teardrop slipped down her cheek, the embodiment of her inner turmoil. Luo He was a sinner in the eyes of the Pill Emperor Hall, responsible for destroying the most promising disciple it had ever known. She had once held the power to unite Mo Qingcheng with Qin Wentian, but her arrogance and pride had shattered that possibility.
She was the architect of her own downfall, a tragic figure haunted by her past actions.
As the minutes passed, a hollow laughter spilled from Luo He's lips. "Very well."
"Luo He!" the Pill Emperor bellowed, his rage transcending the confines of the Pill Emperor Hall. With fiery resolve, he hurled himself at Qin Wentian, the embodiment of vengeance.
Amid the tense standoff, the moment of reckoning arrived. Qin Wentian, an unstoppable force, stirred from his seemingly tranquil demeanor. Like a streak of lightning, he surged forward in a definitive direction, igniting the very air with his aura. Sword qi cascaded around him, an ethereal storm of deadly radiance.
As torrents of sword-light descended upon him, Qin Wentian's palms thundered into action, creating sonic booms that echoed through the heavens. His sheer power obliterated everything in his path, reducing the onslaught of sword-light to naught.
From above, a colossal fiery palm, a last-ditch effort to thwart his advance, descended with implacable force. It clawed hungrily at him, aiming to crush him in its fiery grip.
But Qin Wentian was no ordinary opponent. He raised his palms to meet the formidable assault. His aura blazed with a resplendent light, a radiant shield that repelled the fiery behemoth. With an explosive rupture, the palm imprint disintegrated, scattering like sparks in the wind.
With a relentless resolve, Qin Wentian surged forward, his movements akin to a celestial roc soaring through the heavens. In the blink of an eye, he arrived at the hallowed ground where the demon sword was embedded.
Gazing at the weapon, he extended his fingers and delicately drew a drop of blood, offering it as a tribute. The demon sword responded, its blade pulsating with newfound vitality as it bathed in his crimson offering.
"You loathe the confines of heaven and earth, do you?" Qin Wentian murmured, his grip on the sword tightening. "Then, let us ascend together, cleaving through the firmament to challenge gods and demons alike!"
With an exultant roar, he hoisted the demon sword aloft. His life essence coursed through its ancient steel, his blood infused with boundless determination. As the blade's brilliance surged, he soared to a dizzying height of a thousand meters above the earth, leaving the world below to marvel at his audacity.