"What?"
Seeing the Undaunted Pill Ghost exuding a terrifying aura, Zhang Daoling's previously calm and dismissive expression finally changed.
He stared at the Undaunted Pill Ghost in disbelief, muttering, "Clearly a flock of caged birds, why have you suddenly become sea falcons?"
He was clearly perplexed by the change in the demon puppets, which were supposed to be at his mercy.
Finally, his gaze turned to Ying Chen.
"It was that talisman of yours!"
"Who exactly are you? To be able to draw talismans that even I don't recognize, and to achieve things that I cannot! You are definitely not as simple as you appear!"
Ying Chen sneered, "If you want to know who I am, you just need to honestly admit your mistake and hand over the golden core you are about to refine. Then, I might consider leaving a sliver of your soul for you to witness that day.
"Otherwise, I will shatter your remnant soul, and your plan of eighteen hundred years will be for naught!"
Hearing this, Zhang Daoling's face changed drastically again.
"You actually know about that day?"
"Interesting, I'm becoming more and more curious about your identity. It doesn't matter, whether you tell me or not, you'll be a dead man anyway, and there will be no need to worry about identity!"
Saying this, Zhang Daoling suddenly swung his arms.
Hum!
With a hum, the Zifu Heavenly Master Sword on the sundial flew up and into Zhang Daoling's hand!
At the same time, the Yangping Zhidugong Seal rotated leisurely.
Immediately, two phantom images, one dragon and one tiger, were cast from the seal and landed on the ceremonial robe Zhang Daoling was wearing.
Instantly, Zhang Daoling's aura surged, and brilliant divine light filled the entire hall, as if his true form had descended, restoring his full strength!
Anyone else might have been terrified and fled in disarray.
After all, a Zhang Daoling who had recovered his full strength was the pinnacle of sorcery, and it was impossible not to be defeated.
But Ying Chen sneered repeatedly.
In this era, everyone's cultivation ceiling was severely suppressed. Even for Ying Chen, the strongest alchemist from two thousand years ago!
How could Zhang Daoling, by what right, break through this cultivation suppression and recover his full power?
Not to mention that the Zhang Daoling before him was merely a remnant soul!
"I can give you one last chance..." Zhang Daoling's aura flowed, like a celestial being looking down on Ying Chen, and said.
Ying Chen, too lazy to bother, simply made a gesture he had just learned from modern times towards Zhang Daoling.
The middle finger.
Zhang Daoling was stunned for a moment, clearly not understanding the meaning of the gesture.
However, he could see the disdain and contempt in Ying Chen's eyes.
He sneered and said, "Since you refuse a toast and insist on a \"damned toast\", then don't blame me."
"This venerable one will send you..."
Before Zhang Daoling could finish the word "on your way," a roar that shook the netherworld echoed in his ears.
The Undaunted Pill Ghost, unable to bear it any longer, had already pounced on Zhang Daoling!
The souls of the demon puppets that formed the Undaunted Pill Ghost had suffered greatly under Zhang Daoling's suppression for millennia, harboring deep resentment.
Now that they were being used as pill ingredients by Zhang Daoling, how could they let him go?
Naturally, they would risk their lives for revenge.
"Heh, you are truly bold!"
"Have you forgotten how this venerable one suppressed you with a stroke of my brush and a single sword?"
Zhang Daoling looked at the charging Undaunted Pill Ghost with a mocking expression.
This mockery only made the Undaunted Pill Ghost even more furious, its malevolence soaring.
In an instant, the entire void was filled with extremely dense demonic and bloody energy.
The massive body of the Undaunted Pill Ghost blotted out the sun, covering the entire hall.
A powerful ripple spread from the center of the Undaunted Pill Ghost's body, like the shockwave of a devastating bomb!
Seeing this ripple, the mocking expression on Zhang Daoling's lips finally disappeared, replaced by shock.
"Are you crazy? You want to self-detonate and take me with you?"
"I suppressed you for eighteen hundred years, not for you to self-detonate at this moment!"
"Where will I find so many pill ingredients after you self-detonate?"
"Be good and turn into pills!"
Zhang Daoling stopped maintaining his condescending Heavenly Master demeanor, a ferocious glint flashing in his eyes, and his expression becoming slightly distorted.
He raised the Zifu Heavenly Master Sword with both hands, then abruptly inverted it, thrusting the blade directly towards the ground!
Chiiii!
As the Zifu Heavenly Master Sword pierced the ground, a vast surge of sword intent shot into the sky.
Like splashing waves, it rushed towards the Undaunted Pill Ghost!
"Aoooo..."
The Undaunted Pill Ghost let out a mournful cry.
It had been injured by the sword intent, its massive body torn in half!
Yet, even so, the Undaunted Pill Ghost showed no signs of stopping its self-detonation.
It continued to emit dense energy fluctuations, a terrifying and awe-inspiring pressure permeating the entire hall.
The Undaunted Pill Ghost seemed determined not to let Zhang Daoling escape without it.
"Hmm?" Zhang Daoling's eyes twitched violently, clearly angered.
Did a group of phantoms he had suppressed for a thousand years dare to rebel?
His eyes blazed with a cold, merciless killing intent. He raised his hand and beckoned towards the sky.
The next second, the Yangping Zhidugong Seal, embedded in the formation diagram on the ceiling, appeared in Zhang Daoling's hand.
In his lifetime, Zhang Daoling had possessed countless magical artifacts, such as the Zhengyi Mengwei Talisman and the Sanwu Zhanxie Twin Swords, but the only one that could truly be called his natal artifact and possessed the greatest power was the Yangping Zhidugong Seal!
Even in Ying Chen's era, this magical seal could be considered a top-tier artifact.
As for the current era, although the depletion of spiritual energy and the passage of time had caused most of its power to be lost, it could still be called the foremost magical artifact of its time!
Unless Ying Chen could find the Azure Sky with Moon and reshape it!
With the seal in hand, Zhang Daoling seemed to have truly transformed back into the decisive demon-slaying Heavenly Master.
His gaze was cold as he stared at the Undaunted Pill Ghost.
He uttered a cold sentence, "You could have died with glory, but you refused; now, you will be utterly shattered!"
"Besides, for alchemy, a whole ingredient and a shattered ingredient make no difference!"
With that, Zhang Daoling hurled the magical seal.
Instantly, the bottom of the seal began to glow red. The seal characters at the bottom of the artifact seemed to come alive like dragons and snakes.
A powerful pressure emanated from the seal characters. This pressure seemed to originate from the birth of heaven and earth, from the very source of life's evolution, exerting an irresistible suppressive force on anomalies of heaven and earth, and evil spirits like the Undaunted Pill Ghost!
The Undaunted Pill Ghost clearly sensed this suppressive force and let out an enraged roar.
It struggled to reassemble its body, which had been torn in half.
However, under the radiance of the seal, the Undaunted Pill Ghost could not move at all!
Rumble!
Sounds of thunder echoed.
The seal characters at the bottom of the artifact had detached from the seal and transformed into dragons and snakes that commanded lightning, lunging towards the Undaunted Pill Ghost!
The Undaunted Pill Ghost showed a look of fear, and a trembling wail escaped its throat.
In its final moments, the entity formed by the indomitable will of myriad demons finally felt fear.
Yet, within the fear, there was a trace of unwillingness.
They had tried their best to resist, they had done all they could, but why couldn't they change their fate in the slightest?
Were demons and evil beings destined to be suppressed?
Just as the Undaunted Pill Ghost despaired, a voice drifted leisurely, "Borrowing your indomitable strength, I shall forge my unbreakable body. I will avenge you."