Time flew by, four years passing in the blink of an eye. During this period, Xia Feng had been continuously refining the method to concoct the Hunyuan Pill.
With only one of the two crucial medicinal ingredients available, any failed attempt meant starting all over again.
Success was imperative; failure meant losing the precious ingredient and having to search anew.
In these four years, Lü Siyao had also advanced to the rank of a sixth-grade alchemist, her talent for alchemy indeed exceptional.
After another four years of constant companionship, spending every day and night together, Xia Feng found himself developing quite favorable feelings for the young girl, Lü Siyao.
With only a few months left before the deadline, Xia Feng prepared to commence the alchemy process.
Over the past four years, he had simulated the process countless times in his mind, reaching a point of perfect mastery.
"Xia Feng, you are fully capable of refining the Hunyuan Pill now. There's no need to worry excessively. With your skill, you can form the pill in an instant. Just focus on calmly enduring the heavenly tribulation," Wujizi consoled him from the side.
He understood the significance of the Hunyuan Pill to Xia Feng and knew, from Xia Feng's own words, that this pill was being prepared for his sister. What true happiness it was to have such a brother, a powerful Immortal Emperor.
"Yes, elder brother is right. I also feel there will be no issues," Xia Feng nodded in agreement.
Having practiced the process tens of thousands of times, Xia Feng was now completely at ease, his control over it effortless.
"Go ahead. We'll wait outside for your good news," Wujizi said, looking at Xia Feng.
"Alright," Xia Feng nodded and walked towards the alchemy chamber.
"Big Brother Xia, keep going! You'll definitely succeed!" Lü Siyao cheered him on from the side.
Xia Feng smiled, nodded, and entered the alchemy chamber to begin his secluded refinement.
Watching Xia Feng disappear inside, Lü Siyao asked worriedly, "Master, are the ingredients for the Hunyuan Pill that difficult to find?"
"The other ingredients are manageable, and the Pill Sect has them. However, the Naiwei grass is exceptionally hard to find, almost extinct. Otherwise, Xia Feng wouldn't have had to snatch it from Emperor Can Ye," Wujizi shook his head before finding a stable spot to lie down and wait for Xia Feng to emerge.
"Mm-hmm," Lü Siyao nodded.
"Siyao, you've been with Xia Feng for seven or eight years. Do you perhaps like him?" Wujizi, with nothing better to do, began teasing his disciple.
"Ah..." Lü Siyao's face turned crimson upon hearing this. She quickly waved her hands, saying, "Master, you're talking nonsense! Nothing of the sort. I see Big Brother Xia as an elder brother."
"Haha... I already know the answer," Wujizi chuckled heartily. Lü Siyao buried her head so deeply she could barely see.
"Alas..." Wujizi then sighed.
"Master, what's wrong?" Lü Siyao asked with concern.
"Xia Feng is about to leave the Heavenly Profound Continent," Wujizi said slowly.
Leave the Heavenly Profound Continent?
Lü Siyao was confused and asked, "Master, what do you mean by that?"
"As you know, your Big Brother Xia comes from the lower realm. He's about to return there," Wujizi stroked his beard, delivering this thunderous news to Lü Siyao.
Lü Siyao froze upon hearing this, her eyes welling up with tears. She asked, "Then... then will we never be able to see each other again?"
"That, I don't know," Wujizi replied, then closed his eyes and remained silent.
Lü Siyao seemed to have lost her soul, her gaze vacant.
Xia Feng practiced continuously in the alchemy chamber for three months before finally starting the refining process.
The entire procedure was already etched into his memory. After igniting the fire, he directly tossed the medicinal ingredients into the alchemy furnace, carefully controlling the heat to refine them.
The Hunyuan Pill was also a ninth-grade high-tier pill. While it was of the same tier as the Po Yuan Wu Ji Pill he had refined previously, the Wu Ji Pill could be refined without the power of an Immortal Emperor.
From this perspective, the difficulty of the Hunyuan Pill was considerably greater.
As time passed, by noon three days later, the sky suddenly darkened, accompanied by thunder and lightning.
The Hunyuan Pill's purpose was to alter the rules of the Heavenly Dao, enabling those unable to cultivate to begin doing so. This was a transgression against the Heavenly Dao.
Therefore, refining this pill attracted the attention of the Heavenly Dao, requiring the strength of an Immortal Emperor to resist it.
Wujizi, who had been lying on the stone chair, suddenly opened his eyes and declared sternly, "It's here."
As soon as he finished speaking, he flew above the alchemy chamber, activating the defensive formation, and then grabbed Lü Siyao, flying far away with her.
The sky grew increasingly dim. The daytime sky turned completely black, and dark clouds roiled above the Pill Sect.
A giant, eye-like cloud formation appeared in the sky. Thunder boomed, and lightning flashed, suddenly descending a heavy divine punishment towards the alchemy chamber.
Due to the defensive formation, the first three bolts of lightning were completely blocked.
When the fourth bolt struck, it directly shattered the defensive formation.
"Now, Xia Feng must rely on himself to withstand the Heavenly Dao's divine punishment," Wujizi's eyes were filled with dread.
Even from a distance, he could feel the divine punishment descending from the Heavenly Dao. Although he was in the late stage of the Immortal Venerable realm, he knew he wouldn't be able to withstand even a single bolt.
Lü Siyao's eyes were filled with worry as she watched the alchemy chamber, her heart filled with complex emotions.
As the descending divine punishment grew thicker and larger, the previously thin bolts of lightning became as thick as buckets. The fifth divine punishment descended.
Xia Feng's aura surged to its peak. He stood protectively above the alchemy furnace, directly enduring the divine punishment.
"Master... this is only the fifth divine punishment, and there are still three more," Lü Siyao's eyes were filled with fear. The fifth divine punishment was already so massive; wouldn't the remaining three be even more ferocious?
As soon as Lü Siyao finished speaking, thunder rumbled in the sky, and the sixth divine punishment descended.
Then came the seventh, as winds and clouds churned.
Xia Feng was struck by the Heavenly Dao three consecutive times, his body beginning to emit smoke. The Heavenly Dao's power was truly formidable.
The final divine punishment, the eighth, brewed for a long time before finally arriving.
This bolt of lightning was purple, appearing as if the end of the world had arrived, chilling the soul.
Xia Feng circulated his true energy to its limit, his power elevated to its maximum.
The purple lightning descended, striking Xia Feng directly. He suddenly felt dizzy, almost unable to endure it. He couldn't give up on the final hurdle. Xia Feng bit his tongue, using an immensely strong will to withstand the eighth divine punishment.
As the divine punishment ended, the sky gradually returned to sunlight, devoid of the feeling of impending doom.
Seeing that the divine punishment had ceased, Xia Feng collapsed onto the ground, utterly exhausted. This was the second time in his cultivation that he had been in such a disheveled state.
The first time was when he saved Earth; this time, it was when he withstood the Heavenly Dao.
Xia Feng heard a humming sound from within the alchemy furnace, and a smile appeared on his face. The pill had been formed.
Upon seeing this, Wujizi returned with Lü Siyao to the outside of the alchemy chamber.
"Master, will Big Brother Xia be alright?" Lü Siyao asked anxiously.
"He'll be fine. At most, he'll sustain some injuries, nothing serious," Wujizi said earnestly while looking at the spot where the Heavenly Dao had dissipated.
If Xia Feng hadn't endured, the alchemy chamber would have been destroyed by the Heavenly Dao long ago, and the alchemy furnace would have exploded, rather than remaining intact as it was now.
Wujizi let out a long breath. Finally, it was successful.