Maiden Of The Splitting Moon - Chapter 749: Pill Tribulation

There was silence in the room as both elders stared at her, sensing the resolution in her voice.

“In that case, I’ll see what I can do with this recipe. I’m not sure how long it will take but… I will give it my all.”

Taking all of the ingredients for the pill recipe, Elder Hua quickly went to work, using her personal tools for this.

With the snap of her finger, flames burst out of the furnace while she dumped cold spring water into the cauldron on top. Ignoring everything else, she held the recipe in her hand, checking over the ingredients and the order in which they should be added. Her face was full of concentration. She even called for some of her disciples to aid her, helping to maintain the flames and stir the cauldron.

Ming Yue leaned forward to stand up before being stopped by Elder Xiang.

The Sword Elder used his scabbard to force her to sit, lightly pressing against her shoulder.

“I know that you want to help but you are in no state to do so. You must focus on recovery, calm your heart, collect your heart, rushing things will do you no good”, he told her.

Ming Yue seemed unwilling at first, wanting to help with the pill-making. But she settled down and did what the elder advised, crossing her legs to meditate instead. seeing her do this, he lowered his scabbard and kept watch making sure that her recovery was going smoothly.

But as time passed, her eyes suddenly opened as she felt something in the air.

Almost everyone paused to do the same, making sure that it wasn’t their imagination. The disciples all had an uncomfortable look while Elder Xiang checked their surroundings before looking up at the sky. The only person that kept moving was Elder Hua, whose focus was centered on the cauldron and the furnace.

“This is a pill tribulation.”

Someone else’s voice echoed out, causing Ming Yue’s gaze to snap toward the source of that voice.

Standing there in the Medicinal Hall was none other than the Grand Elder of Heaven’s Gate, one of the few Heaven Realm cultivators still alive. His appearance was the same as before, a young man with golden hair with freckles. He was quite boyish in looks but Ming Yue had a closer look now that he was in the same room.

Floating just barely above the floor, his eyes glowed while his pupils were of a swirling gold and white energy. His clothes, while not lavish, were elegant. Flowing robes and multiple layers that made him seem much larger than he was.

It was somewhat vexing, seeing someone looking as young as him with an expression befitting of a great sage. Looking around the room, he saw Elder Hua hard at work. Then his gaze moved to others that were present, landing on Ming Yue last.

“Ah, Ming Yue, you’re here. I figured that there’d be a catalyst for a pill tribulation to happen but I didn’t think it’d be you.”

Elder Xiang looked to the Grand Elder, lowering his head to greet him.

“Grand Elder, what are you here for? A pill tribulation is not something that needs your attention does it?”

Elder Huang looked at him and shook his head.

“That is if it were a normal one but this tribulation… this is dangerous territory.”

He looked out of the windows as did everyone else watching as the view started to darken. The blue skies slowly turned yellow then orange and finally a deep red color.

“I’ve already sent the word out to everyone else. All Elders and Disciples are to help in evacuating the people to our doors. The Four Gates Formation and the Black Tortoise Barrier will also be activated. I will go reinforce the two shields but I want all of you to stay here with Elder Hua. Should the barriers fail, the Heavens will come for her and the cauldron.”

Elder Xiang nodded.

“Of course!”

Having said his piece, Elder Huang floated away before stopping to look at Ming Yue.

“Once this is over, I believe that you will have to make a difficult decision”, he said to her.

With this parting message, the Grand Elder floated towards the window which opened with the flick of his finger. And it promptly closed once he crossed through.

Ming Yue watched him go, getting up and walking towards the window. This time, Elder Xiang did not stop her but joined her instead, peering out of the window as well.

Her eyes widened with shock.

“This… this is a pill tribulation?!” she exclaimed.

The red skies were paired with thundering black clouds that covered everything like a thin veil. Even the sun was different. It looked like an eclipse, it was pitch black but encircled with a crimson ring. It looked as if they had been transported to another world!

Even Elder Xiang looked surprised at this scene.

“What sort of pill is being made? Does it defy Heaven to a level that it would look like Hell had come?!” he said.

They watched as the entire city hummed with power. The walls glowed as four gates were projected upwards, forming a translucent shield. And then a grayish barrier formed underneath it, covered in scale patterns like a tortoise shell.

Finally, there was the Grand Elder, who floated above the tallest point of Heaven’s Gate. He raised his hands up, concentrating while muttering a few words.

His hands glowed before a sphere of golden energy manifested above him.

The thin clouds started to gather and grow, forming a massive one that thundered.

Moments later, lightning struck the barrier!

It was only once, a small red streak that didn’t even scratch the first barrier. However, that was just the beginning. As the black clouds moved, things turned violent quickly.

That one bolt wasn’t even a taste of what followed.

It was just one bolt but this one was a dozen times larger and it was in the shape of a dragon. Before this one was complete, the next one had already arrived. This time its shape was more defined and detailed.

And then the third, then the fourth, and it was the same. A single bolt of red lightning with each one having a stronger likeness to a dragon.

“This… what is this?” Ming Yue wondered, “I’ve never seen a tribulation such as this. It’s like… a drum.”

Indeed, that was what she thought of.

The red lightning dragons would come at the same time, smashing into the barrier with a resounding bang. It was like the beat of a drum. But after the tenth one, the lightning dragons came down quicker and the beating was faster.

The barrier started to show several cracks after enduring such an assault.

Seconds later, the lightning dragons came down at such speed that the barrier suddenly shattered!

And to match this sudden destruction, the clouds suddenly parted, revealing the sun and a dragon made of red lightning. Compared to the previous ones, this one was even larger than the others at least a hundred times bigger than the first lightning bolt.

Meanwhile, Elder Hua suddenly shouted whilst working on the pill.

“It’s almost ready! I just need a bit more time!”

As if hearing her words, the dragon snarled. It seemed to curl around the black and red sun, staring down at Heaven’s Gate. Then this great beast let out a deafening roar that echoed across the land before uncurling and flying straight down.

Within its four claws was a small sphere of energy, each one resembling the sun in its current state.

Coming for the city, the lightning dragon opened its jaws, clamping down on the second barrier tightly. And while the Black Tortoise Barrier was powerful, it shattered after enduring the bite for less than a minute.

Now there was only the Grand Elder’s barrier left.