Inside Celestial No. 3 Cultivation Room, on the thirty-sixth floor of the Heaven-Reaching Tower.

Billowing black smoke filled the air, as if the world’s most turbid substances had gathered here. Amidst this black mist, twelve milky-white Elixirs radiated a crystalline glow.

Standing amidst the black mist, Qin Ya smiled in satisfaction. The Muddy Water Black Lotus grew in the most turbid of places, making it one of the most toxic substances in the world. If used properly, one could even refine an Elixir capable of poisoning a King.

However, Qin Ya was not using the Muddy Water Black Lotus to refine a Poison Pill.

What he was refining was the... Divinity Transformation Pill, which could nourish and purify one’s Divine Thought!

Ordinary Alchemists only knew the Muddy Water Black Lotus was an extremely poisonous substance, but they were ignorant of the principle that extremes beget their opposites. Growing in a place of ultimate filth, the Muddy Water Black Lotus contained not only a terrifying toxicity but also a life force of ultimate purity.

Using this life force, Qin Ya had refined twelve Divinity Transformation Pills. They were a cut above the Ninth Grade but not quite Spirit Pills, barely qualifying as Pseudo-Spiritual Pills.

Moreover, Qin Ya had only used the petals of the Muddy Water Black Lotus to refine the Divinity Transformation Pills. He had not yet touched the lotus’s most essential part—the Lotus Seed. Its Medicinal Power was simply too great. If he were to use it in his refining, Qin Ya was certain he could create a Spirit Pill, but that would trigger a Thunder Tribulation and attract far too much attention.

Glancing at the black mist lingering around him, Qin Ya took out an empty Storage Ring. He circulated his True Essence, and the mist was pulled in by an invisible suction, rushing into the Storage Ring like a great river flowing into the sea. A few breaths later, the once pitch-black Cultivation Room was clear again.

At this, Qin Ya smiled faintly. He looked at the Storage Ring, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. This ring contained the Pill Qi produced from the reaction between the Muddy Water Black Lotus and other precious herbs—or rather... poisonous gas!

This poisonous gas was so potent that not even a Celestial Human Martial Artist could withstand it!

Qin Ya put away the Divinity Transformation Pills and swallowed one. A vast wave of Medicinal Power instantly erupted within his body, transforming into streams of clear energy that surged into the Divine Acupoint in his mind. In that instant, he felt a swelling sensation from within his Divine Acupoint.

He sat quietly, enduring the discomfort while circulating his True Essence to refine the Medicinal Power. The Divinity Transformation Pill was a Pseudo-Spiritual Pill, its potency far exceeding any Elixir Qin Ya had ever taken. Even with his Leakless Body, it took him an entire day to almost completely absorb it.

From sunrise to sunset, as night fell, Qin Ya slowly opened his eyes. Feeling that the Divine Thought in his Divine Acupoint was several times stronger than before, his eyes revealed his excitement. Suddenly, with a flicker of his Divine Thought, the scenery within a thousand-meter radius appeared before him in perfect detail. However, Lieyang City was a city of Martial Artists, and many possessed Divine Thought. After sensing his surroundings for a moment, Qin Ya withdrew it.

’A single Divinity Transformation Pill not only expanded the space within my Divine Acupoint considerably, but my Divine Thought’s strength is now approaching that of Sky-Controlling Perfection.’ At this moment, within his Divine Acupoint, his originally formless and colorless Divine Thought now had faint traces of white light flickering within it.

Divine Thought manifesting light—this was the level of a Sky-Controlling Perfection Martial Artist’s Divine Thought. The next step would be its gradual evolution into a physical form, first turning into mist, then condensing into liquid...

Right now, the white light in Qin Ya’s Divine Acupoint was still very faint, but he had taken the first step. He believed it wouldn’t be long before his Divine Thought underwent a complete qualitative change.

’I still have eleven Divinity Transformation Pills. I’ve already taken one today, so I shouldn’t take another so soon. I’ll wait a few days,’ Qin Ya murmured to himself. He then put away the Elixirs and the Pill Furnace, left the Cultivation Room, and decided to go for a walk.

Lin Liyu, worried that he might be targeted for assassination again, offered to accompany him, but Qin Ya refused. With his current trump cards, he was confident he could escape safely from any assassin, as long as they weren’t a King.

Strolling through the main streets of Lieyang City, Qin Ya took in the local sights and sounds. As Lieyang City was populated mainly by Martial Artists, most of its shops sold weapons, Elixirs, and other similar goods. About an hour passed...

Suddenly, the Ting Xiao Sword at Qin Ya’s waist vibrated lightly. Ting Xiao’s voice echoed in his mind, its tone detached. ’Careful, kid. You’ve been surrounded, you know.’

The corner of Qin Ya’s mouth twitched upward. ’I know.’

His Divine Thought had improved so much that he had already noticed something was amiss. He gave no sign, however. A cruel smile touched his lips as he headed toward a more secluded part of the city.

Soon, he arrived in a small forest.

The pitch-black night shrouded the forest, making it seem like a monster with its mouth agape, waiting for its prey to leap inside. Qin Ya suddenly stopped. His eyes swept over his surroundings; the deep darkness could not conceal the killing intent within them.

"There’s no need to hide any longer. Come on out, all of you."

His words faded, answered only by the desolate night wind and the RUSTLE of leaves. For a moment, it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. At this, Qin Ya snorted coldly. Purple lightning suddenly tore through the night, surging outward in all directions like a furious tide.

BOOM! Sand and dirt flew as trees toppled and stones were pulverized.

The area in a radius of dozens of yards around Qin Ya was razed to the ground. The purple glow of lightning had yet to fully dissipate, still dancing in the dark night. Suddenly, more than a dozen sinister gleams of light flashed, forming an inescapable net of blades that descended upon Qin Ya.

"Hmph."

With another cold snort, spear in hand, Qin Ya swept out fiercely. Savage Thunder crackled along the weapon, instantly shredding the net of blades. At the same time, the sound of a spear plunging into flesh rang out. True Essence surged through the weapon, and the target exploded into a bloody mist!

’Nine left!’ The Ting Xiao Sword’s blade vibrated lightly.

"Mm." Qin Ya nodded.

He then moved with a speed that would make any Sky-Controlling Martial Artist despair, charging into their midst. For a Martial Artist who possessed Divine Thought, the night was no different from day. The positions of these assassins could not be hidden from Qin Ya.

His ghostly, unpredictable Spear Technique was once again on display. He was like a wolf among sheep. Though these nine assassins were all Sky-Controlling Perfection Martial Artists, they felt immense pressure. They had no doubt that if they left the slightest opening, that spear would mercilessly plunge into their bodies.

"Into the air!!"

One of the middle-aged assassins barked the order. The others instantly shot upward, soaring into the sky. Qin Ya sneered and shot up after them. The nine assassins then turned in unison, unleashing their killing blows on him.

In an instant, Flame Saber Qi, Frost Sword Qi, Majestic Palm Force...

All sorts of Mysteries rushed toward Qin Ya. If a typical Extraordinary were to face such an onslaught, death would be certain. But Qin Ya just sneered. Boundless Thunder erupted from his body, and he simultaneously layered his Mysteries of Destruction on top of it.

The purple Thunder of Destruction shot toward the heavens. The two forces of energy collided, and a tremendous boom echoed across most of Lieyang City. A brilliant light illuminated the night as a massive shockwave erupted in the air, spreading out like a ripple and churning the clouds.

Just then, Qin Ya burst through the shockwave, his spear dancing in his hand like the most dazzling warrior on a battlefield. A cold gleam flashed as the tip of his spear pierced an assassin’s chest. He withdrew it and, without the slightest pause, swept toward another!

In the blink of an eye, two more assassins had fallen to Qin Ya.

Run, run, run!!

Seeing this, the remaining seven assassins didn’t hesitate for a second, instantly scattering and fleeing in seven different directions. In response, lightning flashed around Qin Ya as dozens of Thunder Spears shot off in two directions, while he himself gave chase to a third.

The Thunder Spears instantly grievously wounded one assassin, while the other was less fortunate and was killed on the spot. Spear in hand, Qin Ya caught up to his target and killed him in the blink of an eye. The other five, however, managed to escape into the vast darkness.

Of the ten assassins, five were dead, one was grievously wounded, and the remaining four were injured. As for their target, Qin Ya... he was completely unscathed!!