Word Count: 3,116 Words
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The spiritual message from Venerable Tian Huo arrived, and Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed, a sharp gleam flickering within their depths.
The Hall of Souls planning to destroy Holy Pill City was hardly surprising. In truth, they had always harbored this ambition. Holy Pill City teemed with powerful alchemists, each one a walking treasure trove of soul points.
Now, with the Pill Gathering freshly concluded, the continent's most accomplished alchemists had all converged within the city's walls. Though the competition had ended, excitement still filled the streets as people discussed the results and speculated about who would ultimately claim the Three Thousand Burning Flame.
To strike now, unleashing chaos within the city, would yield an unprecedented harvest of powerful souls! If the Hall of Souls could eliminate all these alchemists in one fell swoop, their grand scheme might even be accelerated.
"What's wrong?" Cai Lin keenly noticed the shift in Xiao Yan's expression.
Xiao Yan sighed inwardly. "It seems I can't stay by your side and our children's any longer. I must return to Holy Pill City tomorrow. Ah, I had hoped to spend a few more days here..."
There were still several days before the Star Region opened, but as the saying goes, man proposes, heaven disposes. He needed to return immediately to discover precisely what the Hall Chief was plotting.
After all, the Three Thousand Burning Flame was something he, Xiao Yan, was determined to obtain, and no one would stand in his way.
"Tomorrow?" A hint of reluctance flashed in Cai Lin's beautiful eyes. These past twenty-odd days, Xiao Yan had truly embraced his roles as husband and father, remaining constantly at their side.
His paternity leave was ending. Venerable Yan had work to do.
"Mm." Xiao Yan nodded, gently teasing Xiao Xiao and Xiao Cai as they slept peacefully in Cai Lin's embrace. Xiao Cai even flicked his finger away with her tiny tail in annoyance.
Cai Lin would have liked to accompany him, but her strength had only just begun recovering, making her unfit for battle. More importantly, her cultivation remained stagnant at half-step Dou Venerate. She needed time to catch up.
Xiao Yan could see the frustration burning in her eyes. She had once been the Yan Alliance's strongest empress, yet now both Little Fairy Doctor and Venerable Tian Huo had surpassed her. Even Zi Yan and Qing Lin's strength continued to rise steadily.
Zi Yan possessed the royal bloodline of the Ancient Void Dragon Tribe and the power of the Ancestral Dragon, while Qing Lin, with Xiao Yan and Little Fairy Doctor's assistance, now controlled a 1-star Dou Venerate serpent slave.
In comparison, Cai Lin's cultivation had stagnated for two and a half years.
"I'm sorry, for Xiao Xiao and Xiao Cai…" Having spent so much time together, Xiao Yan understood Cai Lin's pride better than anyone. She was a woman of immense strength and imperial bearing.
For someone like her, falling behind was the most difficult thing to accept.
Cai Lin shot him a cold look. "They're my daughters too."
"Mm. I believe that with your Heavenly Flame Serpent Body and having absorbed the Half-Saint Essence Blood, you'll reach the Dou Venerate realm soon enough. I've left medicinal pills for you. If time permits, I'll refine a tier 8 body-forging pill and have Elder Yao deliver it." Xiao Yan gently tucked away a strand of hair that the wind had tousled across her face.
He knew this departure would keep him away for quite some time.
Sensing his reluctance, warmth flickered in Cai Lin's beautiful eyes. She bit her red lips with her pearly teeth and said in a barely audible voice, "Come to my chambers tonight."
!!!!!!!!!!
Xiao Yan's body instantly stiffened. Truly worthy of being Queen Medusa—with just a few simple words, she had set his heart racing wildly, his breathing becoming ragged.
They were husband and wife now. Wasn't this only natural?
Their wedding ceremony had been merely a simple meal without a proper wedding night! And due to Cai Lin's pregnancy, their first intimate encounter had also been their last... until now!
He swallowed hard as Cai Lin's cheeks flushed red as ripe apples. Despite her naturally seductive and incomparably charming appearance, she had experienced such intimacy only once before.
"Mm..."
…
After dinner, as night descended, Xiao Yan entrusted Xiao Xiao and Xiao Cai to Qing Lin and Ya Fei before quietly slipping away from the Xiao Clan compound.
Ya Fei watched as Cai Lin and Xiao Yan departed one after the other, a complex mixture of envy and longing shadowing her beautiful eyes. Cradling Xiao Xiao against her chest, she murmured softly, "A child... sigh."
The melancholy that touched her features only enhanced her allure rather than diminishing it. Her beauty possessed a different quality than the otherworldly perfection of Xun Er or the cold majesty of Cai Lin—hers was the ripened elegance of a woman in full bloom.
The silk fabric of her evening robes, while modest in design, seemed to caress every curve of her voluptuous figure. The way the material draped across her full breasts and narrow waist created an almost artistic display of feminine perfection. Her long, shapely legs were partially visible beneath the flowing hem as she shifted to better support the child in her arms.
The soft lamplight played across her skin, lending it a warm, honey-colored glow that made her appear almost luminous. Her thick, lustrous hair cascaded in waves over one shoulder, framing the elegant line of her neck and the tantalizing glimpse of her collarbone where her robes parted slightly.
Holding the infant against her generous bosom created an image of maternal tenderness that was both innocent and deeply sensual. Several younger disciples of the Xiao Clan found themselves shifting uncomfortably, desperately trying to control their bodies' responses to her unconscious display of feminine power.
Ya Fei had always understood that addressing Xiao Yan as "little brother" was merely a social convention. The gap in their ages had narrowed considerably as he matured, and her feelings had evolved far beyond sisterly affection. Watching Cai Lin claim the position she had secretly coveted stirred a dangerous mixture of jealousy and determination within her heart.
…
Meanwhile, blissfully unaware that his clumsy attempts at stealth had been observed, Xiao Yan employed his powerful Spiritual Strength to slip past the Snake-People guards. Just as he had when infiltrating their holy city years ago, he moved with all the subtlety of an amateur thief, eventually reaching Cai Lin's private chambers.
"Do you really need to sneak around like this?" Cai Lin's voice carried a note of disdain as he slipped inside. "Why are you acting as if we're having an illicit affair?"
She sat poised on the edge of her bed, draped in a red silk nightgown that made her appear like a bride awaiting her groom. The crimson fabric perfectly complemented her pale skin while subtly revealing her perfect figure beneath the translucent material. Even she felt somewhat embarrassed by Xiao Yan's intense stare.
If Xiao Yan showed no reaction at this moment, he would not be a man. He could say with certainty that even if he became a Dou God, he could never resist Cai Lin's allure.
After all, it was an allure she revealed only for him.
He stepped closer, and with each approaching step, Cai Lin could feel the heat emanating from him like a furnace. Her heart began to race with anticipation.
In truth, Xiao Yan had little experience in such matters. Now, he could only trust his instincts as a man!
He took her jade-like hand gently in his and spoke with magnetic warmth. "Cai Lin, you're beautiful."
With a sweeping gesture, he unleashed his Soul State Spiritual Strength, sealing off the surrounding space completely. The Ten Thousand Beast Flame ignited, stirring the beast blood within him until it boiled. A dragon's roar echoed through the night.
Venerable Yan would yield to none!
…
The next morning brought golden sunlight streaming through the chamber windows. Hua She Er, one of Cai Lin's personal guards, approached the door with her usual punctuality.
"Your Majesty, it's time for the morning court session," she called softly, then frowned when no response came. "Your Majesty?"
She pushed open the door and immediately took in the scene of beautiful chaos. Scorch marks decorated the walls where flames had danced during the night's passion. A shattered vase lay on its side.
Upon seeing her empress sleeping beneath rumpled covers, her face bearing an expression of profound satisfaction and contentment, Hua She Er immediately understood. Her Majesty would not be holding court today.
Not far away, Xiao Yan emerged from the chambers looking somewhat fatigued but deeply satisfied.
'Now I absolutely must obtain the Three Thousand Burning Flame,' he thought to himself. The legends claimed that possessing it would allow continuous absorption of stellar power, granting recovery abilities comparable to an immortal body.
Venerable Yan had discovered an entirely new application for the Three Thousand Burning Flame.
Shaking his head to clear away lingering memories of the night's passion, he turned his thoughts to more pressing matters.
…
At the Hall of Souls within the Misty Cloud Sect, Xiao Yan donned his Soul Robe and entered the familiar Space Lock. Along the way, countless black-robed Soul Envoys and Protectors knelt in reverence.
Over the years, under Xiao Li's management, this hall had developed into a branch second only to the Disha Hall.
Xiao Yan had come today to use the Soul Offering Altar to contact Hun Huzi.
Proceeding unimpeded, he arrived at the deepest part of the hall. Unlike before, the Soul Offering Altar was now shrouded in pitch-black fog from which cries of anguish and hatred occasionally emanated.
One could imagine how many souls this hall branch had collected over the years to cause such changes in the altar!
Xiao Yan was not one for sentimentality. In this world where strength reigned supreme, this was simply the natural order. Moreover, with the Yan Alliance's vast territories came many enemies—the Wind Lightning Pavilion, the Nine Serene Deep Ground Python Tribe, even remnants of Ice River Valley.
Even after becoming the Pill Gathering champion, these factions wouldn't suddenly curry favor with the Yan Alliance, nor would Xiao Yan trust them.
He had confidence that his second brother would handle things well, making good use of the Hall of Souls' power to eliminate any who opposed them.
Swoosh!
Xiao Yan tossed his Soul Command Token into the Soul Offering Altar. Instantly, terrifying Spiritual Strength surged in, activating the token.
Soon, the black fog around the altar began to distort. A Spiritual Strength so terrifying it made even Xiao Yan's heart palpitate emerged from the altar, and a pitch-black soul path instantly appeared before him!
"Jie Jie Jie, shouldn't I first congratulate you on winning the Pill Gathering championship?"
That familiar voice, that overwhelming power—the Hun Clan's Pill Saint, Hun Huzi!
This was his true body!
Even Xiao Yan's expression grew solemn when he saw Hun Huzi's true body descend. He was certain that even the elite Dou Saint monitoring him from the Pill Tower couldn't compare to Hun Huzi.
Even now, he was still unable to see through Hun Huzi's true strength!
However, he roughly estimated that Hun Huzi's strength definitely surpassed ordinary Dou Saints, perhaps even reaching the high-star Dou Saint stage! His alchemy skills must exceed Tier 9 Treasure Pill Guru, reaching at least Tier 9 Mysterious Pill… or perhaps even Tier 9 Golden Pill level!
"Spare me the congratulations. Let's talk about something practical." Xiao Yan composed himself and looked directly at Hun Huzi.
Though his cultivation, influence, and alchemy skills were all far inferior to Hun Huzi's, he still had the courage to meet him as an equal!
This was precisely why Xiao Yan looked down on Mu Gu, who constantly addressed others as 'Lord' this and 'Lord' that. What the Hun Clan needed was an alchemist who could match Hun Huzi's strength, a second Hun Huzi to jointly refine a Di Tier Pill!
Currently, Xiao Yan was the only candidate for this Di Pill Plan. He possessed sufficient value and had no need to be subservient.
The Hun Clan needed him, and he also needed the Hun Clan!
Hun Huzi's eyes narrowed slightly as his lips curved into an unsettling smile. "Jie Jie Jie, what a fine Little Clan Leader of the Xiao Clan. You do indeed resemble Xiao Xuan in some ways. It seems that even though the Xiao Clan's Dou God Bloodline has dried up, certain qualities can still be passed down."
Xiao Yan shrugged indifferently. "Let's get back to the main topic. I've won the Pill Gathering championship. What's the pill recipe you want? Where in the Pill Tower is it?"
He hadn't forgotten that Hun Huzi wanted him to enter the Pill Tower to obtain a specific pill recipe. When Hun Huzi had infiltrated the Pill Tower in the past, he wasn't just learning alchemy; he was also seeking this very recipe.
Xiao Yan was intensely curious about what kind of pill recipe could make Hun Huzi, or rather the entire Hun Clan, willing to go to war with the Pill Tower.
Hun Huzi smiled, a sharp light flashing in his eyes. "You should have guessed some of it already.
A pill recipe that my Hun Clan values so highly could only be one type."
Xiao Yan's expression grew grave. "God Breaking Pill."
Pills with 'Breaking' in their names, like the Zong Breaking Pill, all shared the same effect: helping cultivators break through certain realms more easily.
And what the Hun Clan cared about so deeply could only be related to the Dou God realm!
The three elements of alchemy: the person, the medicinal ingredients, and the pill recipe; not one could be missing!
Xiao Yan didn't know where the Hun Clan had obtained the ingredients. As for the people, there were two right here. Clearly, the Hun Clan still lacked the pill recipe.
"Perhaps," Hun Huzi replied. "That pill recipe has no name. More precisely, it hasn't been completed yet. It was created by the founders of the Pill Tower."
Xiao Yan frowned in confusion. "Before the God Desolate Era, there should have been numerous Dou Gods on the Dou Qi Continent, right? The Yao Clan's Dou God should still have been around then. Wasn't there any pill recipe left behind to help break through to the Dou God realm?"
Throughout his journey, Xiao Yan had gradually uncovered secrets about the Dou Qi Continent. For instance, there had once been many Dou Gods, and far more Dou God Clans than now existed. Yet for unknown reasons, all Dou Gods had suddenly vanished.
That being the case, the Yao Clan, which had existed since ancient times, should logically have recipes to help Dou Saints break through to the Dou God realm.
Xiao Yan refused to believe that all past Dou Gods had cultivated entirely on their own. There must have been such medicinal pills. How could the Yao Clan's Emperor Yao not have created a pill recipe to help break through to Dou God?
Hun Huzi glanced at Xiao Yan and smiled. This question was common knowledge among Dou God clans. It was only because the Xiao Clan's inheritance had been interrupted that Xiao Yan harbored such doubts.
"The reason is simple: they were lost to time," Hun Huzi offered no deception.
Xiao Yan's eyes widened, but understanding quickly followed.
Whether pill recipes, Dou Techniques, or Qi Method scrolls, these things could indeed be lost over time. To create a scroll, the creator must first have perfect mastery of that pill's refinement, that Dou Technique, or that Qi Method—or be the original creator.
Dou Techniques were classified as entry-level, minor level, major level, and perfection. Only upon reaching perfection could one create accurate scrolls. Otherwise, if you hadn't mastered it yourself, the scrolls you created would inevitably be flawed, leading to their eventual corruption and loss.
It was just like the Xiao Clan's 'Breaking Through the Heavens.' Xiao Yan suspected that by the time it was passed down to his ancestor Xiao Xuan, it differed greatly from the original, which was why he could never successfully cultivate it.
The same applied to pill recipes. At minimum, one needed to have refined pills of perfect quality before creating an identical recipe. Therefore, pill recipes were extremely precious, as achieving perfect quality was no simple feat.
Undoubtedly, after all the Dou Gods vanished, after Emperor Yao disappeared, recipes related to the Dou God realm had naturally been lost. Reading a recipe consumed its spiritual information, and even without being read, this spiritual information would eventually dissipate over time.
The Yao Clan lacked anyone who could refine a perfect Di Tier Pill, leading to its loss.
Never mind Di Tier, Xiao Yan imagined that even recipes for Tier 9 Golden Pills must be quite rare by now.
The cultivation system of the Dou Qi Continent was gradually breaking down.
A thought flashed through Xiao Yan's mind. "Then why has the Hall Chief ordered the destruction of Holy Pill City? Isn't he afraid the recipe will be destroyed along with it?"
Hun Huzi smiled dismissively. "Hun Mie Sheng merely intends to create chaos, using the opportunity to capture more soul bodies. Besides, the recipe is hidden within the Small Pill Tower. Even if all of Holy Pill City and the Pill Tower itself were destroyed, the Small Pill Tower would remain untouched."
Just as Xiao Yan had suspected, there was more to the Pill Tower than met the eye. A place called the Small Pill Tower existed, which was the true core of the Pill Tower.
And the Hall Chief, Hun Mie Sheng, clearly knew this. His goal was simply to create chaos and harvest more souls!
As if seeing through Xiao Yan completely, Hun Huzi let out his eerie laugh. "Jie Jie Jie, you intend to absorb the Three Thousand Burning Flame to evolve that strange Qi Method of yours?"
!?
Xiao Yan stepped back instinctively, adopting a defensive posture.
Xiao Yan's futile vigilance was met with sneer from Hun Huzi, who clasped his hands behind his back, "All techniques below God Class are trash."
With a slight movement of his finger, Xiao Yan's Soul Command Token flew from the Soul Offering Altar into Hun Huzi's hand. He lightly tapped it, infusing a terrifying Spiritual Strength from his fingertip. Above the character '尊' (Zun) that radiated Dou Venerate might on the token, a small character '天' (Tian) appeared in the upper left corner!
Tianzun!
"One year from now, come to the Tian Gang Hall."