Chapter 1423: Dan Saint vs. Dan Emperor

"Sheng Ti is truly straightforward," Dan Zun Shen Zi said with a mocking smile, turning his head to look at Jiu Xiao Zhen Ren. "I ask the senior to serve as a witness and remain impartial. This junior only seeks fairness."

Jiu Xiao Zhen Ren couldn't help but laugh, utterly disgusted by Dan Zun Shen Zi's character. To make something as serious as a witness sound so casual showed he had overestimated the young man.

Even though he felt displeased, Jiu Xiao Zhen Ren waved his hand and summoned his life-bound sword, setting up two barriers—one enclosing Ye Chen and the other enclosing Dan Zun Shen Zi. "During the pill refining duel, I hope all fellow daoists refrain from entering carelessly."

Without him needing to say it, everyone present understood. With bloody examples from before, no one dared to seek trouble. Those were zones of death; even a Great Saint entering would likely be reduced to ashes.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Dan Zun Shen Zi put away his folding fan and glanced disdainfully at Ye Chen across from him. He then raised his hand and summoned a silver pill furnace, a terrifying sacred artifact.

Next, he brought out numerous medicinal herbs, totaling several thousand, each one far from ordinary. Some were extremely rare, all brimming with potent essence, making the onlookers' eyes gleam with interest.

"Eight Pattern Pills," Ye Chen murmured to himself as he saw the quantity of herbs Dan Zun Shen Zi had taken out. He didn't know what kind of pill the other was refining, but it was at least at the eight-pattern level.

As for his true fire, it was a purple flame, incredibly domineering, distorting the surrounding space.

Ye Chen slowly withdrew his gaze and waved his hand to summon his immortal fire, shaping it into a refining furnace.

He then produced various materials for pill refining, including immortal herbs, spiritual roots, jade dew, and exotic flowers. The quantity was no less than Dan Zun Shen Zi's, and none of them were ordinary.

"How presumptuous," Dan Zun Shen Zi sneered, his lips curling as he methodically added materials into his furnace. His technique was skilled, clearly not his first time refining this pill.

"Dan Huang's skills are truly extraordinary," the surrounding cultivators remarked as they watched Dan Zun Shen Zi, seeing him refine pills for the first time. As the direct disciple of Dan Zun, he was even more impressive than imagined.

"In terms of combat strength, Ye Chen surpasses Dan Zun Shen Zi, but when it comes to pill refining, Dan Zun Shen Zi probably leaves Sheng Ti far behind," the old veterans murmured among themselves, their tones full of certainty.

"This time, let's see what you have to say," the Feng Huang Clan Great Saint and the other Great Saints outside the barrier said with cold laughs, glancing at Jiu Xiao Zhen Ren. "Protecting Sheng Ti is nothing but foolish delusion."

"Grandpa, you should beat them up," Xiao Jiu Xian grumbled, clearly annoyed.

"Their elders aren't easy to mess with," Jiu Xiao Zhen Ren replied with a laugh, shaking his head.

"Then at least protect Ye Chen later," Xiao Jiu Xian said, blinking her big eyes at Jiu Xiao Zhen Ren. "Sheng Ti appears only once every hundred thousand years—I don't want him to die just like that."

"For now, let's just watch," Jiu Xiao Zhen Ren said, stroking his beard, seemingly grappling with a decision.

"Shen Zi is only bringing honor to Dan Zun Hall. I hope the Shen Nv won't oppose him anymore," the two elders from Dan Zun Hall said, looking at Hong Chen Xue. "Harmony is the best path."

"Release the seal on those two," Hong Chen Xue replied coolly. The two she referred to were undoubtedly the purple-haired youth and the bald old man, both still bound at the moment.

"We must regretfully decline," the black-and-white elders said with a smile, shaking their heads. "Shen Zi specifically instructed us to watch them before he went up. To avoid any mishaps, we'll release them after the duel."

"In your eyes, this so-called Shen Nv has always been nothing but a figurehead," Hong Chen Xue said with a cold smile, no longer pleading. She lifted her gaze toward the misty void above.

Compared to the others present, she still favored Ye Chen. Although Dan Zun Shen Zi's pill refining skills were exceptional, Ye Chen wasn't to be underestimated either. The title of Dan Sheng wasn't given lightly.

As for Ye Chen's safety, she wasn't worried at all. With the Heavenly Dao escape technique, even a quasi-earthly figure couldn't touch him. If Ye Chen wanted to flee, even Jiu Xiao Zhen Ren couldn't stop him, let alone a group of Great Saints.

The reason he stayed for this duel was to ensure the safety of the reincarnated ones. Only by openly defeating Dan Zun Shen Zi could he rightfully save them—this was a necessary move.

High in the void, Ye Chen and Dan Zun Shen Zi still stood in their respective positions, controlling their flames to refine pills.

During this time, Ye Chen glanced at his opponent more than once. Dan Zun Shen Zi might be scheming and petty, but his pill refining skills were genuine and reached the peak of mastery.

When Ye Chen looked at him, Dan Zun Shen Zi slightly raised his head, his eyes filled with contempt and provocation. His mocking smile carried a hint of menace.

"You're far from my level."

Ye Chen ignored him completely, focusing intently on his refining. Dan Zun Shen Zi might be impressive, but he wasn't incompetent either.

The world fell into silence once more, time slipping away quietly as night fell.

The surrounding cultivators, perhaps tired of watching, conjured cloud platforms behind them and sat down casually. Some even pulled out wine flasks and side dishes, drinking heartily.

On another side, Feng Huang Shen Zi, Shen Clan Shen Zi, and Yao Clan Shen Zi woke up one after another, their faces twisted in ferocity as they grabbed their killing swords and tried to charge in, only to be held back by their own Great Saints.

Refining an eight-pattern pill took far longer than expected. By the time the eastern horizon glowed with the first light, neither Ye Chen nor Dan Zun Shen Zi had produced their pills yet, only the faint aroma of medicine drifting through the heavens.

Many were surprised, especially those looking at Ye Chen. He had refined without a single mistake all night, appearing as composed as Dan Zun Shen Zi from start to finish.

Little did they know that on a certain day in the past, the Ye Chen they underestimated had once refined a double pill in one furnace, earning the title of Dan Sheng. His talents were otherworldly.

Over the past two hundred years, despite his wandering life, Ye Chen hadn't neglected pill refining. His skills were on par with Dan Zun Shen Zi's, and as a self-taught master, he might not lose this duel.

In the midst of utter silence, another day and night passed, leaving the onlookers' eyes numb from watching.

It wasn't until the third morning that Dan Zun Shen Zi's furnace trembled with a hum, accompanied by the resounding roar of a dragon—majestic and deep—as the rich pill aroma spread across the heavens.

The observers all stood up, staring intently.

"Dan Zun Shen Zi is about to produce his pill."

Sure enough, as soon as the words were spoken, a thunderous boom echoed from the nine heavens. Rolling black fog gathered rapidly, with lightning tearing through it like silver snakes slithering in the dark clouds.

"Dan Lei?" the crowd exclaimed in astonishment, with many pill refiners recognizing the phenomenon. Cultivators could trigger heavenly tribulations, and pills had spirits too, so they also faced tribulations—like this Dan Lei.

"Produce the pill," Dan Zun Shen Zi shouted, slamming his palm on the furnace. His command stirred the will of the heavens, resonating with authority throughout the world.

He produced the pill—a beam of light shot skyward from the furnace, piercing the clouds and transforming into a silver dragon. It coiled amid the lightning, tumbling through the dark clouds and soaring into the nine heavens.

"It's an eight-pattern Fortune Pill," many veterans gasped, as if they knew exactly what Dan Zun Shen Zi had refined. It was a pill that replenished lifespan.

"Dan Huang is truly Dan Huang—even at the quasi-saint level, he refines an eight-pattern pill. His skills are heaven-defying," the pill refiners present said with reverence, many of them elders.

"Shen Zi has not disgraced Dan Zun's name," the black-and-white elders from Dan Zun Hall said proudly, stroking their beards and standing tall with an air of superiority.

Listening to the crowd's exclamations and seeing their reverent gazes, Dan Zun Shen Zi pulled out his folding fan again, gently fanning himself with a mocking smile. He relished the feeling of being looked up to.

"This time, it should be Dan Zun Shen Zi's victory," many said, glancing toward Ye Chen's direction.

But to their surprise, Ye Chen's furnace trembled as well. Another Dan Lei manifested in the sky, and amid the thunder, a pill rainbow rose, transforming into a golden dragon.

"It's also an eight-pattern pill," the cultivators said, stunned as they stared at the void above.