"If you dare provoke me again next time, it won't be so easily settled. Wiping out a clan is not something I'm incapable of."
Ye Chen's voice instantly sent chills down the spines of the Dan Emperor Clan powerhouses.
They could all tell that the Battle Saint King was not joking; he was serious.
Moreover, given the Battle Saint King's current capabilities, with the Qin Imperial Clan and the Golden Crow Imperial Clan standing behind him—one an Emperor existence, the other an ancient Great Emperor who had returned against the world—wiping out the Dan Emperor Clan was not an impossibility.
Suddenly, the Dan Emperor Clan powerhouses were overwhelmed with intense regret. If they had aided the Battle Saint King outside the Dan Emperor Clan back then, their relationship would not be one of opposition but of mutual goodwill. What a favorable situation that would have been.
Alas, there was never any such thing as "if" in this world.
The Divine King of the Dan Emperor Clan seemed to have aged considerably, sighing, "All of you, be more careful from now on. Do not provoke the human race again. With the Imperial Daughter Ancestor not here and the Monarch Ancient Ancestor in the Ten Heavens Ancient Domain, we are not the Dan Emperor Clan of the outside world. We must proceed with caution in everything."
The many talents and prodigies of the Dan Emperor Clan felt deeply aggrieved. They were imperial clan prodigies, born into the most extraordinary Dan Emperor Clan, always figures of renown. When had they ever been so aggrieved, needing to tread so carefully? Yet now, matters had come to this.
The Battle Saint King was too domineering, possessing an invincible aura. His personal invincibility was something even the various imperial clans, immortal clans, and mythical domains had to regard with caution.
"My lord, the Emperor Ancestor requests your presence in the hall."
At that moment, the guard returned.
"My thanks." Ye Chen cupped his fists and then stepped into the Imperial Hall.
Behind him, the people of the Dan Emperor Clan, unwilling to fall behind, quickly entered the Imperial Hall as well.
The Imperial Hall was majestic and vast, also one of the Golden Crow Great Emperor's former dao grounds, imbued with the aura of a Great Emperor. The deeper one's cultivation, the more one could comprehend here, and the more awe one felt, not daring to show any disrespect.
The Golden Crow Great Emperor was not seated on the imperial throne but stood in the center of the hall. An ancient cauldron lay horizontally there, carved with countless patterns and ancient designs, clearly a cauldron of great antiquity, exuding faint threads of imperial dao aura.
This was the cauldron the Golden Crow Great Emperor used for alchemy in the past. Though he was not originally from the Alchemy Dao, having reached the level of an ancient Great Emperor, he naturally mastered alchemy techniques, studied some, and while not comparable to the Alchemy Emperor, his attainments in the Alchemy Dao were still profound.
Seeing Ye Chen and the others arrive, he gave a slight nod.
Before Ye Chen could speak, Dan Yang, behind him, stepped forward first and said respectfully, "Great Emperor, I have heard that you wish to refine a divine pill, requiring many treasures, especially spiritual herbs. Therefore, my Dan Emperor Clan ventures to come forward, hoping to contribute to your alchemical endeavor. Whether it be pill formulas or medicinal ingredients, please speak freely, Great Emperor. My Dan Emperor Clan will surely assist you with all our might to ensure the pill's successful refinement."
The Golden Crow Great Emperor's expression remained calm. "It is said that the Alchemy Emperor is the foremost alchemist in the Chaos Sea, with profound and miraculous attainments in the Alchemy Dao, even capable of reviving fallen ancient Great Emperors and supreme immortals against the world. As his descendant imperial clan, you must surely possess extraordinary alchemical techniques. I hope for some guidance during the refinement later."
"We dare not, we dare not! You flatter us, Great Emperor!"
Hearing such praise from the Golden Crow Great Emperor, the Dan Emperor Clan powerhouses showed delight and hurriedly waved their hands, claiming they dared not accept such words.
Ye Chen, standing to the side, smiled slightly. Though he frowned slightly at Dan Yang's earlier words, since it concerned the Golden Crow Great Emperor's alchemy, he also hoped for success and said, "Senior, as it happens, this junior has some slight understanding of alchemy. I once obtained the Alchemy Inheritance from Senior Alchemy Emperor, and in the past, I also collected many spiritual herbs, even some Life Essence. If you have any need, senior, this junior will naturally offer it."
"The Alchemy Emperor's Alchemy Inheritance, and Life Essence!?"
The Golden Crow Great Emperor revealed a hint of joy. He naturally knew much about such supreme treasures of heaven and earth, but he hadn't expected Ye Chen to possess even this Life Essence.
And more importantly, he had actually obtained the Alchemy Emperor's Alchemy Inheritance. This was no ordinary matter.
An alchemist's inheritance was not easily bestowed, especially the Alchemy Emperor's. Probably, among the many clansmen of the Dan Emperor Clan, those who could obtain the inheritance amounted to only one or two out of ten; very few could master it completely.
Ye Chen had actually obtained it, and the Golden Crow Great Emperor trusted his character, so he naturally wouldn't be speaking idly.
"It just so happens that I need some Life Essence. You have truly been a great help, little friend. Later, when I refine the pill, I may also need your assistance."
"You honor me, senior," Ye Chen said.
The Dan Emperor Clan powerhouses on the side felt quite helpless. Their moment had been completely stolen by the Battle Saint King, yet they could do nothing about it.
"May I ask what pill you are refining, senior?" Ye Chen inquired.
"The Heavenborn Pill!" The Golden Crow Great Emperor did not conceal it.
Upon hearing this, both Ye Chen and the Dan Emperor Clan powerhouses were startled.
The Heavenborn Pill was a relatively obscure type of pill. Even most alchemists had never heard of it and would be puzzled, but those whose alchemical attainments had reached a certain level knew it was an exceptionally difficult pill to refine.
This pill's rank was also extraordinarily high, belonging to the Eighth Rank high-grade, but in a sense, it also belonged to the Ninth Rank.
Because the requirements for refining this pill were not just strict; they demanded not only that the alchemist possess the level of an Eighth Rank high-grade Alchemy Master but also that their Soul Divine Power reach the peak Divine King level.
Similarly, Soul Divine Power at that peak Divine King level was also the standard for an Alchemy Grandmaster.
It could be said that Ye Chen could not be considered an Alchemy Grandmaster because his Soul Divine Power had not yet reached that level. Being able to refine Ninth Rank pills was merely by chance.
To refine the Heavenborn Pill, one must possess Soul Divine Power comparable to a peak Divine King's, at the grandmaster level. One could imagine how difficult refining this pill was.
Moreover, the Heavenborn Pill, in a sense, belonged to the Ninth Rank not just for this reason. Another reason was that the Heavenborn Pill was often not refined one pill at a time but directly in a batch, with at least over ten pills per batch.
This was an extremely rare multi-pill batch in alchemy. Wanting to refine multiple Eighth Rank high-grade Heavenborn Pills simultaneously in one batch meant the difficulty of refinement was, in some respects, no less than that of a Ninth Rank pill.
The sole Divine King of the Dan Emperor Clan was naturally also an alchemist, and moreover, a peak-level Alchemy Master, very close to being a grandmaster. Hearing that the Golden Crow Great Emperor intended to refine the Heavenborn Pill, he couldn't help but frown inwardly, thinking, "The Heavenborn Pill, a multi-pill batch, requires Soul Divine Power comparable to a peak Divine King's at the grandmaster level, as well as extremely precise soul manipulation, multi-tasking—all indispensable."
"And the medicinal ingredients are numerous, at least over a thousand types. A multi-pill batch, with divided focus, has a high failure rate. Even Alchemy Grandmasters have a success rate of barely over half, not to mention other difficulties."
In short, the difficulty of refining the Heavenborn Pill was no less than that of some initial Ninth Rank pills, and in some aspects, even greater.