Price of Power
Price of Power
There wasn't anything special about its appearance, one might even mistake it for a smooth rock.
However, there was one thing that set it apart from the rest, one aspect that was proof enough of its extraordinary effects.
It was its aura.
The pill gave off tremendous power, so much so that everyone could feel its presence. Even the regular citizens of Heaven's Gate could sense it, looking right in the direction of the pill.
Elder Hua still held it in the tongs but she called for her disciples.
"Someone get me something to contain this!"
They all moved quickly, returning with numerous pill boxes. Different materials and sizes, some were wood, some were made of various stones, and others were made of precious metals.
"Give me that, the Polar Jade Box."
Her eyes glossed over everything before choosing one of them. The disciple holding it quickly approached her while opening the box, helping her put the pill inside before closing it.
The box itself was made entirely of jade. But instead of the usual green color, the jade was snow-white in color and it was cold to the touch. The moment, the box closed, the pill's aura was contained no longer open for everyone to feel.
Elder Hua put the tongs away before holding the box in her hands. She turned and started walking to Ming Yue, everyone that was in her way parted immediately.
Standing before her, the Medicinal Elder handed the box over to the young cultivator.
"There it is, the pill."
Elder Hua staggered back a few steps and hr disciples suddenly swarmed her, rushing to support their master.
"I'm fine, I'm fine. I'm just feeling a bit tired from making that pill", she said, steadying herself.
Ming Yue looked up at the elder, making sure that she was safe first before turning her attention to the pill box.
"I wonder what sort of effect it has."
She opened the box and studied the pill, examining the aura that it exuded.
"I don't know what consuming that pill will do but... I know that it will give you the power you need, for a hefty price", Elder Hua mentioned.
Ming Yue looked at her before turning to Elder Xiang, who was silent. He said nothing, respecting her decision. And it was obvious what she would pick.
Looking back at the pill, she picked it up with two fingers and popped it into her mouth. Ming Yue swallowed it while and gulped down, letting the pill dissolve within her.
And it instantly took effect as energy flooded out of the pill and spread across her entire body. It was like a flowing river, a giant flowing river, that never seemed to end.
She didn't say another word, crossing her legs and closing her eyes to focus, absorbing and refining all of it. Every meridian in her body was constantly filled with energy.
The room was silent but everyone started to exit the room, letting her concentrate in peace. She was practically in a trance, her mind was empty as all she did was refine and absorb.
The inner core grew at an alarming pace.
From having just one sky, a second one formed, then the third, then the fourth, and finally the fifth one. Just like that, she went from the First Sky to the Fifth Sky and she was a step away from the Heaven Realm.
But from the Sky Realm onward, it wasn't about technique or one's comprehension anymore. It was about raw power. If one knew how the world worked, all they needed was the power to influence it.
With each level of the Sky Realm, the amount of energy needed to break through increased by a staggering amount. And each sky would increase one's lifespan by two hundred years. At the Fifth Sky, one would have a total of a thousand years to live. A thousand years to reach the Heaven Realm and for many, a thousand years was not enough.
The amount of energy needed to reach the Heaven Realm from the Fifth Sky was more than what was needed to go from the First all the way to the Fifth.
And at this very moment, Ming Yue was closing in on the Heaven Realm. Whether or not, she'd reach it was up to her.
With the Fifth Sky formed, the heavens of her inner core began to form.
She was alone in the Medicinal Hall for quite some time but then, someone was there. Just barely floating above the ground, the Grand Elder stood before her and watched the young cultivator.
His eyes seemed to flash before revealing a strange look.
"Is that how it is? That is the price of consuming the pill. What a terrible price", he muttered quietly, standing there and watching her.
Ming Yue didn't notice him at all. All of her focus was on forming the Heavens of her inner core.
From the five layers of clouds, the layer that represented the Heavens started out as just a few clouds.
"The pill's almost fully dissolved, will there be enough to reach the Heaven Realm?"
That was the concern looming over her head.
Was it enough?
She continued to refine, building up on the sixth layer.
More and more clouds continued to form while rays of light started to peek through them. It continued to expand more and more, growing as it encapsulated her core in a layer of clouds and light. And then, when the clouds finished forming, the light began to gather and form a thin shell around everything.
Ming Yue channeled all of the pill's remaining power toward it until it was all gone. It was very thin and almost transparent but it was there.
And once that energy was used up, her eyes flashed open. She was frozen in place, staring forward before seeing the Grand Elder before her.
"Mm, so you've finished absorbing all of it?" he asked her.
She nodded before looking inwardly at herself. Examining her own body, she noticed several things.
Aside from the changes to her inner core due to all of the breakthroughs, her meridians had grown much larger to accommodate all of that power. Everything seemed fine, in fact, things seemed great.
"I was expecting some sort of backlash", she said, "But my body, there's nothing wrong with it. No pain, not even some sort of tribulation, nothing."
She folded and unfolded her hands, taking a moment to stretch her entire body. From there, the young cultivator held a hand up and snapped her fingers.
There was a spark of lightning between them while a thunderous boom echoed from outside. Ming Yue turned and looked out of the window, snapping her finger again.
The next instant, a massive bolt of lightning shot down from the skies, striking the blackened ground.
She looked shocked.
"That... all it took to activate Mortal Lightning was a snap of my finger?!" she exclaimed.
Her strongest and most destructive technique was so easily used like that. She barely felt any strain at all.
"Indeed, the difference is immense", said the Grand Elder.
Hearing his voice, she broke out of this daze, turning around to greet him.
"Grand Elder Huang", she cupped her fists and lowered her head.
"Mm, there's really no need for that", he told her.
Lifting her head up, she was face to face with him, looking straight into his golden eyes. He looked at her for a few moments before speaking.
"As of right now, you are not at the Heaven Realm. You're just a hair away from reaching it but there is one more matter that you must know."
"What is it?" she asked.
There was a grim expression on his face when he looked at her.
"Even though you feel fine and your body is healthy, the pill had taken its price. It is your lifespan, instead of a thousand years, you only have one hundred years to live."