Chapter 2162: Beitang Xue

The largest square in the Ghost Soul Imperial City, though the appointed time had not yet arrived, was already packed with a sea of people. Zhang Xuan had previously thought a hundred thousand was the limit, but the scene before him far exceeded that number.

Apart from the platform that had been erected long ago, the square was filled with people everywhere, and many were even riding flying spirit beasts, hovering in the air.

“The number of people here… must have exceeded five hundred thousand!”

An old man in gray robes sat on the back of a flying spirit beast, frowning as he looked at the dense crowd before him.

“It just shows how immense the influence of the Beauty Pill is!” replied an old man in black robes beside him.

“Indeed. I specially bought this pill to study it. In appearance, it’s just an ordinary low-grade Divine Origin Pill—identical in medicinal ingredients, refining technique, and heat control—yet for some reason, it has astonishing effects!”

The gray-robed old man shook his head.

The Beauty Pill had taken the imperial city by storm. He had specially sent someone to buy it and studied it for three full days, finally concluding that it was… an ordinary low-grade Divine Origin Pill!

At that moment… he felt like he had been screwed over.

A low-grade Divine Origin Pill could be bought for one divine coin, but this thing cost a full 1,500 times more… If you called it a scam, it wasn’t—he had taken it himself and could clearly feel the effects!

A hidden injury from a past accident was easily healed, his skin was indeed much better than before, and he looked much younger.

But taking an ordinary Divine Origin Pill had no effect at all…

After studying it for several days, he still couldn’t figure out what was going on.

That was why he had come specially, wanting to see with his own eyes who could refine such a pill.

“I studied it too, and came to the same conclusion as you…” The black-robed old man gave a bitter smile. “And from what I know, it’s not just us—the entire Alchemist Guild of the imperial city is studying it, and their conclusion is similar to ours. I hear the guild master is about to go mad.”

“You mean Alchemist Zhou Feng?” The gray-robed old man looked over.

“Yes!” The black-robed old man nodded.

“Zhou Feng is a personal disciple of Fu Jiangchen, and his alchemy skills surpass even ours. He couldn’t figure it out either?” The gray-robed old man found it hard to believe.

Fu Jiangchen was the most famous grandmaster alchemist in the Divine Realm, said to have once refined pills for an Emperor Lord.

His disciples were spread across the Divine Realm, each renowned. Zhou Feng was among the foremost of them.

“A former disciple of mine, now in their guild, told me in person. It seems that as soon as the Beauty Pill appeared, they bought three pills through special channels and reverse-engineered the medicinal ingredients and refining heat. It was exactly the same as the refining method for low-grade Divine Origin Pills, with no difference!”

The gray-robed old man said.

Reverse-engineering medicinal ingredients means using special methods to deduce the pill’s composition and the heat used in refining.

Reverse-engineering a finished product requires extremely advanced alchemical knowledge; even they would need a lot of time to do it.

“Yes. Unfortunately, this Beauty Pill is indeed not a Divine Origin Pill; there must be something we can’t detect…” Hearing that even the guild master of the Alchemist Guild was as baffled as they were, the black-robed old man breathed a sigh of relief.

If even he couldn’t figure it out, it didn’t mean their alchemy was inferior, but that the alchemist who refined this pill was simply too powerful.

Just as he was sighing and about to finish his words, he heard the gray-robed old man’s urgent voice: “Look quickly, isn’t that… Grandmaster Alchemist Fu Jiangchen?”

The black-robed old man quickly looked up and saw a flying spirit beast not far away. At the very front sat an old man with graying beard, with several figures standing behind him, not daring to sit.

Among them, the one closest to the front was none other than the Alchemist Zhou Feng they had just mentioned.

“It’s him!”

The black-robed old man was full of disbelief: “When I traveled the heavens before, I was fortunate enough to meet him once and attend a lecture. His masterly demeanor was captivating… But why would he come in person?”

“Indeed. He is a God King… and he came in person! Could it be that he also studied the Beauty Pill and couldn’t figure it out?” The gray-robed old man hesitated before speaking.

That was the only reason he could think of.

“It’s possible… Even the most famous alchemist in the Divine Realm couldn’t figure it out… How powerful is the person who refined this Beauty Pill?”

The black-robed elder looked at the platform again, full of disbelief.

This was Fu Jiangchen… a God King-level powerhouse who had once refined pills for an Emperor Lord!

If even he couldn’t figure it out, who on earth was the creator of the Beauty Pill?

…

“Since this Beauty Pill is so amazing, why not sneak over, capture the alchemist, and get the refining method?”

A middle-aged man in the crowd looked at his companion with some confusion: “Don’t tell me you’re worried about the rules of the Ghost Soul Heaven or that this is the Ghost Soul Imperial City, so you don’t dare act?”

As the capital of the Ghost Soul Heaven, although there were many rules here, theft and robbery still occurred.

The Beauty Pill was clearly a business with huge profits, and once it appeared, it had stolen the livelihoods of countless people. How could the many experts of the imperial city allow this person to remain safe and even appear publicly here?

“When interests are at stake, who cares about so much…”

The companion beside him gave a bitter smile: “I sent out my most powerful subordinates—three upper-grade Heavenly God experts—and none of them returned; they were all easily killed.”

“Three upper-grade Heavenly Gods were killed? Is this alchemist that powerful?” The middle-aged man’s pupils contracted.

Upper-grade Heavenly Gods were already considered top experts in the Divine Realm. For three of them to be killed together, could it be that the alchemist was a God King-level powerhouse?

“It’s not that he’s powerful, but… the Qi family!” The companion said.

“The Qi family?”

“Yes. A God King of the Qi family publicly declared that harming this person means harming the Qi family. A God King who didn’t believe it was severely injured and driven away before even getting close. It is said that the family’s ancestor made the move,” the companion said.

“The Qi family ancestor… You mean the titled God King Qi Meng…” The middle-aged man’s face turned pale.

Earlier, he had thought that if the pill was as miraculous as the legends said, he might find an opportunity to capture the person and force out the formula… He never expected that the Qi family ancestor had intervened!

This Qi Meng was an extraordinary figure who had once fought alongside the Emperor Lord to conquer the world. In the Ghost Soul Heaven, he was among the top; unless the Emperor Lord acted, no one could stop him.

With such a person protecting him, anyone who dared cause trouble was definitely tired of living!

“Yes. I advise you to put away your little schemes, or you’ll die without knowing how!” The companion warned.

If someone dared to sell such a powerful pill without some means of self-protection, they would have been killed long ago, not even leaving a chance for them.

In the Divine Realm, even the Ghost Soul Imperial City was not as peaceful as one might imagine.

…

“Ancestor, I have investigated the matter. It was indeed the Qi family ancestor who made the move.”

Inside a vast floating mansion in the Ghost Soul Heaven, a middle-aged man stood before a room, clasping his fists.

“Qi Meng and I are alike—we were injured before, and our lifespans are nearly at an end. He has always ignored worldly affairs. Why would he suddenly protect a pill seller? Even if his pills are miraculous, they shouldn’t be of much use to a titled God King, right?”

A puzzled voice came from inside the room.

It was another titled God King of the Ghost Soul Heaven, Beitang Xue!

At their level of cultivation, few things could attract their attention.

Normally, they would go into seclusion and ignore worldly matters, seeking only to live a little longer. So why would he suddenly protect a pill seller?

Not only that, but he personally acted against a God King and severely injured him…

Such an act would offend the forces behind that God King and could easily lead to greater conflicts.

“I don’t know the specifics. I only know that the Qi family bought a full thousand Beauty Pills, and the younger generation who took the medicine saw a significant increase in both talent and strength. Especially that Qi Yue—it is said he has glimpsed the mysteries of the God King realm and is about to break through!”

The middle-aged man outside the door said respectfully.

“About to break through?” Beitang Xue was taken aback. “Is this pill really that miraculous?”

“Yes!” The middle-aged man flipped his wrist, and a jade box appeared in his palm: “I bought this specially. Please take a look, Ancestor!”

Whoosh!

The jade box flew over.

Beitang Xue inside the room took the pill between his fingers, looked at it for a while with confusion, then swallowed it.

“This…”

Beitang Xue’s pupils contracted: “There is the aura of an Emperor Lord in this!”

“Emperor Lord?” The middle-aged man was startled.

“Yes. If I’m not mistaken, this pill is just an ordinary low-grade Divine Origin Pill, but it contains Emperor Lord True Qi, which only Emperor Lords can cultivate, giving it its unique effects…”

Beitang Xue’s expression turned serious: “Of course, this is just speculation. True Emperor Lord True Qi is purer than this, yet… it doesn’t have the effect of healing hidden injuries! To know for sure, I may need to meet Qi Meng.”

He had fought alongside the Emperor Lord and had seen Emperor Lord powerhouses in action.

Their power was pure and carried the oppressive pressure of heaven and earth.

The pill before him also gave that feeling, but its power was clearly many times weaker.

“Ancestor wants to meet the Qi family ancestor?” The middle-aged man was stunned.

“Yes. I always thought this old fellow ignored everything, but now it seems I’ve fallen behind. The person who refined this pill, even if not an Emperor Lord, must be closely related to one… One step behind, every step behind. If I don’t know, so be it, but now that I do, if I ignore it, our Beitang family will be completely left behind by the Qi family, with no chance to catch up!”

Beitang Xue stood up.

Although he didn’t know how this pill was made, its effects proved it was real.

If something real was beyond his understanding, it must involve an Emperor Lord.

Involving such a level, even as a titled God King, he dared not say much. The best course was to find a way to get involved; otherwise, if he missed the opportunity, it would truly be too late.