Chapter 73: The Realm-Breaking Pill

This novel is translated and hosted on BCatranslation.

“We’re entering the Ten-Thousand-Fathom Gorge soon! Everyone, stay alert!”

Chen Tian Dong’s voice carried through the caravan, cutting through the sound of the wind.

In the tense and foreboding atmosphere, the caravan slowly advanced into the region of the Ten-Thousand-Fathom Gorge.

The peaks flanking the gorge might not truly tower ten thousand fathoms, but they soared high into the clouds, their steep and majestic appearance creating a palpable sense of pressure. Walking amidst these towering cliffs, one couldn’t help but feel the weight of heaven and earth pressing down.

Yu Zhao thought to herself, no wonder Chen Tian Dong was so cautious. This truly was a prime spot for an ambush.

The thought had barely crossed her mind when, suddenly, the weather shifted. The once clear skies darkened abruptly as thick black mist rapidly spread toward the caravan from the distance.

“Be careful! Enemy attack!”

Chen Tian Dong’s warning rang out, but before it could fully register, two figures on Yu Zhao’s carriage sprang into action. One, a man with a bulbous nose, punched through the carriage roof and leaped out. The other, a man with triangular eyes, drew a sharp blade and pointed it at Yu Zhao, sneering, “Stay still if you want to live!”

Yu Zhao nodded obediently.

Meanwhile, the black mist had already enveloped the skies above the Ten-Thousand-Fathom Gorge, plunging the area into darkness as chilling winds howled through the valley.

“Chen family brat, hand over the Realm-Breaking Pill, and I’ll spare your lives!”

An ancient voice echoed from nowhere in particular, its tone filled with authority and menace.

At the front of the caravan, Chen Tian Dong’s face darkened. Despite all precautions, the news had still leaked.

Yu Zhao raised an eyebrow.

The Realm-Breaking Pill was a third-grade spiritual pill that allowed cultivators to break through from the Foundation Establishment stage to the Golden Core stage. However, it came with a thirty percent failure rate.

Such pills were incredibly coveted in the cultivation world for their ability to aid in advancing realms. A single Realm-Breaking Pill could fetch at least five hundred mid-grade spirit stones, yet it remained an item of scarcity despite its high price.

Yu Zhao wondered how many such pills the Chen family caravan possessed to attract even a Golden Core Realm cultivator to descend to banditry.

“Senior, the Chen family doesn’t have any Realm-Breaking Pills. You must have been misinformed,” Chen Tian Dong shouted.

“Chen family brat, if I’ve laid an ambush, it means I already know about the Realm-Breaking Pills. If you refuse to hand them over, none of you will leave this gorge alive!”

Chen Tian Dong’s expression turned grim. There was no way to conceal the truth now.

“Grandfather, why waste words with them? Let’s just kill them all!”

The voice belonged to the bulbous-nosed man, who stood atop the middle carriage, glaring down at everyone with a vicious expression.

The triangular-eyed man let out a sinister laugh upon hearing this. “Big Brother, the others can be killed at will, but leave this woman who’s been riding with us. We’ll keep her alive!”

Yu Zhao’s lips twitched slightly.

She wasn’t angry at the triangular-eyed man’s words but was instead surprised that two such distinct-looking men were actually brothers.

The bulbous-nosed man glanced in Yu Zhao’s direction and nodded approvingly. “Second Brother is right. She’ll make a fine furnace cauldron for us.”

“The last one couldn’t endure more than two years before dying. Let’s hope this little beauty lasts a bit longer.”

The two brothers spoke as if no one else was present, openly deciding Yu Zhao’s fate in their conversation.

Yet Yu Zhao remained calm, sitting motionlessly in her carriage as if she hadn’t heard a word.

“Chen family brat, I’ll ask you one last time: Will you hand it over or not?”

“Hand it over or not!”

“Not handing it over!”

The deep voice echoed through the gorge, reverberating off the towering cliffs.

Several of the Chen family’s Foundation Establishment mid-stage guards turned pale, their stances faltering under the oppressive pressure.

Chen Tian Dong gritted his teeth. “Even if we give up the Realm-Breaking Pills, you won’t let us go. We might as well fight to the death! Brothers, kill, kill, kill!”

“Kill, kill, kill!”

The Chen family members shouted in unison, their voices rising to a crescendo of defiance.

At that moment, the guard driving Yu Zhao’s carriage sprang from his seat, his scabbard flying off as he drew a blade that glinted coldly in the dim light. In a flash, he slashed at the triangular-eyed man.

Simultaneously, several other guards launched an attack on the bulbous-nosed man.

The triangular-eyed man and the garlic-nosed man stood motionless in the face of the sudden assault, even smiling at the attacking guards.

“Fools who overestimate themselves!”

The elder roared, and the guards’ blades, as if striking an indestructible object, suddenly shattered. The fragmented weapons recoiled, their hilts smashing into the guards’ chests, sending many flying backward. Cries of pain filled the air as they landed heavily on the ground.

Chen Tian Dong and the remaining guards looked on in horror.

From the swirling black mist, an elderly man in a black robe slowly emerged. The triangular-eyed man and garlic-nosed man quickly moved to stand at either side of the elder.

“The Black-Robed Elder!” Chen Tian Dong exclaimed, his voice trembling at the sight of the man’s attire.

The elder smiled smugly. “Indeed, it is I!”

Chen Tian Dong immediately realized that all hope was lost. This was an unwinnable situation. The Black-Robed Elder was a long-renowned figure whose mastery of the Black Mist Technique had claimed countless lives. More terrifyingly, he had already been a mid-stage Golden Core cultivator fifty years ago. Crushing them would be no harder than squashing ants.

Desperate, Chen Tian Dong produced a square wooden box from his robes. “Senior, the Realm-Breaking Pill is here. Please, spare us, and the Chen family will offer you generous rewards!”

The triangular-eyed and garlic-nosed men’s expressions grew greedy as they eyed the pill. Suspicion and wariness flashed between them—they were both mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators, but there was only one Realm-Breaking Pill. Each harbored intentions of keeping it for themselves.

The elder laughed heartily. “Well said, well said. Now, hand over the Realm-Breaking Pill!”

Chen Tian Dong’s heart sank as he realized the elder had no intention of honoring his plea. He was merely hurrying to claim the pill. In the ruthless cultivation world, where the strong preyed on the weak, Chen Tian Dong knew he had no room for negotiation.

Taking a deep breath, he stepped forward heavily, moving toward the Black-Robed Elder one slow step at a time.

“I think it’s better if that Realm-Breaking Pill comes to me,” came a voice.

Startled, Chen Tian Dong turned to see Yu Zhao standing beside him, casually holding the wooden box. At some point, she had snatched it from his hands. Stunned, he could only gape at her.

“You’re here for the Realm-Breaking Pill, too?” he asked.

Yu Zhao shook her head lightly. “Not initially, but now, I think I might be.”

Chen Tian Dong was speechless. Yu Zhao’s cultivation level was the same as his—late-stage Foundation Establishment. How could she hope to contend with the Black-Robed Elder? Did she not realize the elder already intended to make her his captive?

The elder himself was momentarily stunned by her audacity before his face twisted with rage. The black robe surrounding him surged wildly with spiritual energy.

“Wait!” Yu Zhao raised her hand and called out.

The elder’s imposing aura paused. “What, do you wish to leave a few last words?”

“No,” Yu Zhao replied, a sly smile on her lips. “I just wanted to ask—since you have two grandsons here, which one should I give the Realm-Breaking Pill to?”

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