Nine Heavens Martial Emperor Chapter 88 - 85: Imminent Disaster

"This..." Lin Hao hesitated.

The Nine Dragon God Refining Pill had never before appeared on the Celestial Yang Continent, so Lin Hao wasn’t worried about them recognizing it. What made him hesitate was that the fewer people who ca into contact with the pill, the better.

Legend had it that the Nine Dragon Flower was sentient; if too many auras tainted it, the chances of observing its ninefold blossoming would be drastically reduced.

Seeing this reaction, Wu Kui beca even more certain of his suspicions. "What? Is my Senior Brother afraid to let anyone see the pill he refined?"

’This guy...’

Lin Hao shook his head, speechless. Wu Kui wouldn’t recognize this pill even if he saw it. If Lin Hao were to explain its effects, Wu Kui’s face would probably swell up from the taphorical slap.

’He’s just asking to be humiliated.’

"You may look, but you absolutely must not touch it!" Lin Hao’s expression was grave; this concerned his very bloodline.

Wu Taichu’s heart pounded in his chest. ’It seems Martial Grand-uncle truly knows Alchemy!’

On the entire Celestial Yang Continent, the vast Heaven-Stepping Sect only had one half-baked Alchemy Master like Wu Kui. One could only imagine how precious true Alchemy Masters were. If Lin Hao could perform Alchemy, Wu Taichu’s heart pounded just at the thought.

"Xiaokui, do you hear ? If you dare ignore your... your Senior Brother’s words, I will expel you from the sect!" Wu Taichu said to Wu Kui as he nodded.

He knew that while Wu Kui had little interest in the Martial Dao, he was incredibly passionate about Alchemy. He was afraid Wu Kui would, in a mont of carelessness, ruin Martial Grand-uncle’s important work.

"Yes, Master," Wu Kui replied ekly, his voice full of grievance.

’Why am I always the one who gets hurt?’

Seeing that the two had agreed, Lin Hao opened his palm.

The two of them then saw a bizarrely ford pill.

Unlike other pills that were a single, uniform color, this one’s surface was covered in intricate, multicolored patterns.

The patterns crisscrossed, giving the pill a ferocious, almost frightening, appearance.

Wu Taichu knew even less about pills than Wu Kui. After staring at it for a mont, he felt that aside from a savage aura, there was nothing particularly special about it.

Wu Kui, however, stared with wide eyes, utterly incredulous.

His first instinct was to mock Lin Hao. ’Who makes a pill this ugly?’

But he suddenly recalled what an Alchemy Master at the Heaven-Stepping Sect had once said: once ford, a pill will only ever have a single color.

And yet, the surface of Lin Hao’s pill had crisscrossing patterns. It defied all conventional wisdom.

What astonished him even more was that the closer he looked, the more marvelous the patterns beca. It was as if they were living creatures flowing across the pill’s surface, circulating with a magical Dao Rhy.

Overco with professional curiosity, Wu Kui’s hand instinctively reached for the pill in Lin Hao’s palm.

Lin Hao snatched his hand back and took a step away.

"Senior Brother, what is this pill?" Wu Kui snapped back to reality, asking Lin Hao with a look of utter shock.

Lin Hao gave a faint smile. "A failed pill."

Wu Kui’s face instantly flushed red.

’Even though I don’t recognize this pill, there’s no way it’s a failed one.’

’Lin Hao’s words are a direct slap in my face.’

Though Wu Kui disliked Lin Hao, the allure of such a pill was simply too great. Gritting his teeth, he conceded, "Senior Brother, I was wrong before. Please accept my apology."

’First, I need to find out about this pill. I can get my revenge for today’s humiliation later.’

Lin Hao was taken aback. He hadn’t expected Wu Kui to be able to swallow his pride so easily.

However, when Lin Hao saw the faint trace of resentnt deep in Wu Kui’s eyes, it all made sense. ’This guy just pays lip service; he’s not convinced at all.’

"I was just ssing around when I made it. A pill like this doesn’t have a na," Lin Hao said with a slight smirk, deliberately keeping Wu Kui in the dark.

Before Wu Kui could even reply, a new voice suddenly rang out. "Making a pill just by ’ssing around’? I’ve lived a long, long ti and never heard of such a thing. Let this old man have a look."

As the voice faded, an old man suddenly appeared inside Pill Cloud Hall.

The man wasn’t tall and wore a tattered Daoist robe. The mont he appeared, his small eyes began to dart around the room.

Wu Taichu’s body went ramrod straight, then relaxed once he got a clear look at the old man’s face. He bowed respectfully as a junior and said, "This junior, Wu Taichu, pays his respects to Master Shan Dan."

"So stuffy. Just call Elder Dan."

Wu Taichu gave a wry smile. "Master Shan Dan, why didn’t you inform us of your visit to our Heaven-Stepping Sect? I would have made proper arrangents."

The old man’s surna was Shan and his given na was Dan. His status was terrifyingly high. He was an elder of the Danling Sect, a full generation senior to their current Sect Leader.

The Danling Sect was one of the five great sects of the Southern Border Prefecture, renowned for its Alchemy.

The Danling Sect’s overall martial strength wasn’t formidable, but it was absolutely one of the sects that the other powers in the Southern Border Prefecture were most reluctant to provoke.

This was because a Martial Artist’s cultivation was inseparable from the support of pills, and many of those pills could only be purchased from the Danling Sect.

Other sects’ annual conventions were internal affairs filled with martial contests. But the Danling Sect’s annual convention was a grand affair for the entire Southern Border Prefecture.

Every year at their convention, they auctioned off all sorts of pills.

These pills were sold only to other sects, who could purchase them with silver banknotes or trade for them with Crystal Stones, refined iron, Cultivation Techniques, martial arts manuals, Spirit Grass, or Demon Pills.

The Danling Sect was the most business-savvy of all the sects; no one knew just how much wealth they had accumulated to date.

Through this wealth, the Danling Sect had even managed to establish ties with one of the five great Divine Sects of the Cangnan Empire.

In the Southern Border Prefecture, offending the Danling Sect was tantamount to digging your own grave.

Master Shan Dan was a titan in the Alchemy Realm of the Southern Border Prefecture. As a re mortal-grade Pill Master, Wu Kui was imdiately flustered upon seeing him.

"This humble one, Wu Kui, pays his respects to Master Shan Dan." After bowing respectfully, Wu Kui turned to Lin Hao. "Senior Brother, quick! Show the Master your pill."