Since the Nine-Souls Calamity Ascension Pill was meant to help one's Soul Embryo break its shackles and finally see through the veil of the Dao to step into the Sage realm, it had a powerful effect on one's soul in general. As such, the medicinal essence used to refine them had the same properties. Considering that less than half the pills had been forged, a lot of medicinal essence remained in the cauldron, it was completely raw and didn't have the same quality. However, used by an alchemist, this was still a very useful bath.
Without much hesitation, Cao Yun dived into the cauldron. His body didn't mind the intense heat. In fact, it felt extremely pleasant. After testing it, Cao Yun realized that this medicinal bath had a positive impact on his own soul. Unfortunately, it was barely noticeable considering his current cultivation and his recent breakthroughs. That being said, it would be much more noticeable and profitable to other cultivators. In particular, alchemists who relied on their perception a lot would be greatly helped by even a small improvement of their soul.
After making sure that everything was safe, Cao Yun sent the command. Sun Liao took down the array formation. Then, everyone saw Cao Yun floating above the cauldron. Obviously, Cao Yun had put on new clothes and didn't seem exhausted at all. Inside, he only wanted to rest and even sleep. For a late Spirit Warrior who didn't need to sleep for entire years, it showed how tired he actually was. However, he put up a front before the crowd. Although all the alchemists were excited, they kept their composure, unsure whether it was totally over or not. No one wanted to mess this up so close to the end.
Cao Yun would have loved to show the five pills, but they weren't ready yet. Indeed, for now, he had simply sealed them. He would need to spend some time working on them to completely tame them and erase any awareness within them. Thankfully, Dian Mo was a master of seals. As such, he would be exceptionally useful in this endeavor. In fact, this was the most dangerous step for the pills. After all, they had to erase a part of the pills without damaging them. Although it wasn't as arduous as refining the pill, it was nerve-wracking, as any mistake would destroy all the work done before. However, Cao Yun trusted Dian Mo and was not worried at all. Neither was Dian Mo, for that matter. After seeing the pills himself, he was absolutely confident he could deal with them. The only unknown was how much time it would take, but it wouldn't be more than a month for the five pills combined.
Sensing the excitement within the crowd, Cao Yun announced the success.
"Five 5-star Spirit pills have been successfully refined! Congratulations!"
For an instant, the silence became much heavier than it had been before. Then, the entire audience suddenly erupted. Even old alchemists couldn't contain themselves and acted like hot-headed brats. They had just witnessed a miracle. This wasn't just a page of history that had been written. For alchemists, it was much more than that. Some alchemists had spent entire centuries unable to refine even the simplest of 1-star Spirit pills. Although Spirit Masters Xiao and Hua had been able to break this curse, they had never been able to refine any higher pill, and even the few pills they had refined since then had not exceeded the Life Boiling Cradle pill. In other words, they had just budged the boundary a little.
Today, though, alchemists felt like they had obliterated the barrier. They had helped refine five 5-star Spirit pills. No matter their quality, this was absolutely prodigious. Besides, they were all aware that those pills could potentially help a cultivator break through to the Sage realm. In other words, it was possible that Emperor Weide, Matriarch Huang, and Sect Leader Xuan would all become Sages. Indeed, five pills were enough for all of them and some more. After so many years of war, the Hongchen Kingdom might actually win. Besides, the most talented alchemists who had helped refine the pills, including Cao Yun, were all very young, not even a millennium old for the most part. Cao Yun, Mei Hua, and Feng Yingyue weren't even a century old. Thus, they might be able to refine other incredible pills. Maybe the curse of the Forsaken Dao Era was finally over. The younger alchemists already imagined that they might break through and become Sages. Some even imagined that they could become Immortals and soar through the vastness of the cosmos.
Unfortunately, most of those thoughts were fantasy and not very realistic. However, no one wanted reality now. They were witnessing a miracle, and they simply wanted to bask in its glory. Even if the coming months, years, or decades would prove disappointing, they didn't want to think about it.
Sensing the fervor of the crowd, Cao Yun didn't hesitate at all. He took over the contents of the Thirteen Celestial Pyre and threw it all into the crowd. Drops of the medicinal bath floated above every alchemist. They were in suspension in the air. Without Cao Yun having to say anything, all the alchemists began to absorb the medicinal essence within those drops. Of course, the effects were very different from one alchemist to another, but there were still effects for everyone, no matter how small they were.
The excitement and this incredible bath washed away most of the fatigue from everyone. Apart from Song Guixiang, who was busy doing other things, no alchemist had left unless they were seriously injured or unconscious. Any alchemist who could stay had stayed. Now, they felt as if they were being rewarded. In a sense, they were.
For several days, huge celebrations happened all throughout the Golden Flowery Fragrance Institute. During this time, Cao Yun simply rested. Although his brothers and sister were worried about him, it was only Feng Yingyue who stayed by his side. She nurtured him back to his full strength. Honestly, it was extremely pleasant. Unfortunately, Cao Yun felt that time itself was his enemy, he could feel it in his flesh. Emperor Weide had obviously received the news of the success. Very soon, Cao Yun would have to confront him. As the moment was getting closer, the young man's plans were simultaneously getting sturdier and weaker at the same time.
Indeed, Cao Yun now had a very clear picture of what would happen, thanks in great part to Sun Liao's intel. However, he also felt a tingling sensation in the back of his mind. Everything seemed too good to be true. He feared that everything would come crashing down around him. All his efforts would come to ruin. Cao Yun could almost see the broken corpse of his sister before him and the blade of Emperor Weide through his chest. Sometimes, Cao Yun could barely breathe. Without his mind cultivation, he wouldn't have been able to keep going forward. Thankfully, his brothers and sister, as well as Feng Yingyue, were all there for him. Hopefully, it was just anxiety and everything would go well, but he sincerely doubted it. It was to the point where he had hidden a trump card within the Nine-Souls Calamity Ascension Pill, which no one but him knew about. Dian Mo was most likely aware of it, but Cao Yun had not talked to him about it.
As soon as he was ready, Cao Yun left his bed and began to work on the five pills with Dian Mo. Feng Yingyue was worried about him as she could tell that something heavy was crushing him. However, she didn't say a thing. After all, she could imagine what he was feeling thanks to their dual cultivation. For a long time, they had become one, flesh and soul. As such, it was almost as if Cao Huiying were her own sister. Understanding Cao Yun's anguish, she didn't want to bother him. That being said, she did stay at his side while he worked on the five pills. Even if she did nothing, her mere presence comforted Cao Yun, and she could feel it.
Thankfully, it didn't take an entire month. Cao Yun left the unstable pill and the best pill aside at the beginning. He began to work on the lesser of the remaining pills. After he was successful, thanks to Dian Mo, he went on to the other two pills. Each time, the souls within were fighting, but the very first seal he had placed on them made the souls very docile. Besides, Cao Yun had a very good understanding of souls, while Dian Mo was an absolute expert when it came to seals. Although it did take some time and a lot of concentration, they moved smoothly forward. After less than ten days, Cao Yun had finalized all five pills, even the best one, Emperor Weide's gift.
Now that everything was over, he announced the official results. No pill exceeded ten percent of toxins, it was very good. In fact, the best one had only two percent of toxins. Of course, if one were to take into account the poison intentionally put inside of it, the toxins would soar to more than thirty percent, but they were very well hidden. The unstable pill had been able to get to sixty-eight percent of the medicinal essence. So it was a success for sure since the bar was sixty percent, but it wasn't very good. The other pills were at eighty-one percent, eighty-eight percent, and ninety-two percent, a Perfect pill. Finally, the best pill of the batch was at ninety-five percent, the exact number to qualify as a Pure pill. In fact, it might be a bit short of being a Pure pill, but it was extremely close, so it was officially declared a Pure pill. After all, it was good for everyone's morale.
Emperor Weide was made aware of the great success of the refinement process. Director Hua contacted him in person using the communication array formation from her Golden Flowery Fragrance Institute. Since he was expecting the news, Jian Zhenli immediately rushed to Emperor Weide, who personally talked with Director Hua. Although he was busy with Yong Ke, he didn't hesitate to leave the chambers. Yong Ke was still in a deep state of meditation and was getting increasingly closer to the stage required for her sacrifice. In fact, it was now clear that she would break through before the pill would be delivered. As such, Emperor Weide could take the pill almost immediately and begin the ritual. Finally, he would become a Sage. There was no doubt in his mind.
Even without the pill, Yong Ke's Soul Embryo had been prepared specifically for him. With every resource he had used to nurture her, her Soul Embryo was extremely compatible with him. Besides, he had also prepared himself. Short of sharing the same blood as her, he couldn't be more compatible. Adding this Nine-Souls Calamity Ascension Pill on top of it, there was no way he would fail. Soon, he would break the Forsaken Dao Era. He would save mankind from the demons and bring it to an even more prosperous era.
Emperor Weide could see the faces and hear the screams of all the innocent people who had been slaughtered because of him, so that he could reach this moment. In a whisper, he talked to them.
"It was worth it... Your sacrifice won't be ignored or forgotten. You have saved the Hongchen Kingdom. May you find the peace that you deserve in your next life. You're the quiet heroes of our kind."
Then, he got to the array formation and received the news directly from Director Hua. The quality of the pill exceeded everything he had been hoping for. Emperor Weide could see himself soar high in the heavens. He would rain death and destruction upon the enemies of mankind. All of mankind would soar with him. A small sacrifice had been necessary, a lot of pain and torment had been visited upon mankind. But, in the end, they would prevail. They would follow in the steps of Emperor Nuwa. He could see this glorious future. With such talented alchemists, more and more cultivators would break the curse of the Forsaken Dao Era. Finally, mankind would be able to crush its immortal tormentor, and the beast would be slain for good this time.
Emperor Weide envisioned a great campaign in the heart of the territory of mankind's enemy. At last, Emperor Nuwa's vision could come true. Although many had suffered, it would be worth it, he had not sinned or erred. The successful refinement of this 5-star Spirit pill proved to Emperor Weide that his actions had been just, he had no more reason to doubt. One more body would pave the road to his dream. It was a hard choice, but he had to make it. In fact, he had already made it. Despite how affectionate he feigned to be with Yong Ke, in his eyes, she was already dead, for the greater good of all mankind. If she knew it, she would gladly give her life anyway, so he had no reason to plague her with those thoughts. She would live happily until the very end. This was his mercy...
Despite his dream, Emperor Weide couldn't silence a terrible feeling in the back of his mind. Everything was too good to be true. Maybe it could all come crashing down around him. If the enemy of mankind attacked him during the ritual, it would be a disaster. On one side, he saw a glorious future. On the other side, he saw total annihilation of the Hongchen Kingdom. He could see mankind delivered to its eternal enemy in renewed chains. He could see every man, woman, and child defiled and tortured to death in horrendous fashions by the hordes of demons.
The closer he was getting to his triumph, the more afraid Emperor Weide was. It was as if he were walking on glass. At any moment, it could crack, and everything he had built for decades would be crushed. All the people he had tormented and slaughtered for the greater good would have suffered for nothing. He would have no other choice but to face his own cruelty with no justification left to keep praising himself as a great emperor. Honestly, this was the fear that was seizing his heart, much more than the fate of mankind. He was terrified that he would have to face his own actions with no way of justifying them.