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**
Holy Pill City.
Within the courtyard garden of the Wei Mansion.
An elderly figure sat cross-legged upon the grass, his face full of warmth and kindness as he watched the two little children playing and chasing each other nearby.
Under the gentle sunlight, the old man's figure appeared somewhat illusory, yet from within him faintly emanated a vast soul pressure, quietly spreading across the area.
Now, within the Wei Mansion, there was only one person who possessed such an immense soul power—Yao Lao. Although his Essence Spiritual Qi had been damaged, his cultivation realm remained solid and unshaken.
"Old man, you sure know how to enjoy yourself. Meanwhile, I have to head out every morning to gather news." A man dressed in a cyan robe, Feng Zun Zhe, walked over with a grin.
"With Wei Yang and Ah Da accompanying them on this trip, I have no reason to worry." Yao Lao smiled lightly. "You don't have to be so tense, running around every day to gather information."
Hearing that, Feng Zun Zhe nodded slightly. "Seems I was being too anxious."
He sat down beside Yao Lao, paused for a moment, and then said, "They've gone to the Beast Region for quite some time now. I wonder if they've managed to obtain the Soul Baby Fruit. From what I've heard so far, quite a number of powerful experts were drawn to that ruin this time."
"Just relax." Yao Lao smiled faintly, his tone calm and steady.
"Well, Wei Yang and Ah Da are both at the peak of Nine-Star Dou Zun, so there shouldn't be much of a problem." Feng Zun Zhe also smiled, feeling far more at ease.
The two chatted casually for a while.
Hmm?
Yao Lao's half-closed eyes suddenly opened, and his gaze turned toward the main gate of the residence. There, the spatial barrier rippled faintly.
Feng Zun Zhe was taken aback, and his eyes followed in that direction as he muttered, "Someone's coming. Don't tell me that old fellow Xuan Kongzi is here again to scrounge something off us?"
Yao Lao's expression instantly darkened at those words, but soon after, it brightened again.
The spatial barrier slowly split open, and at the same time, the bronze gates of the residence creaked open as several familiar figures stepped through.
Judging by their appearance, who else could it be but Wei Yang and the others, returning from the Beast Region covered in dust and travel-weariness?
"They're back." Feng Zun Zhe laughed joyfully, murmuring, "Old man, congratulations. It looks like you'll soon be resurrected."
At the end, he spoke softly with a hint of envy, "You're really lucky to have met two such outstanding young men."
"Indeed, quite fortunate. Heaven hasn't treated me too badly after all." Yao Lao smiled, slowly standing up.
"Daddy, Mommy~"
"Daddy, Mommy, you're back~"
The moment Wei Yang and his group stepped into the garden, the two little ones cheered and ran toward them with excitement. Wei Yang and Qing Lin both bent down, each scooping up one of the children rushing toward them.
"You little rascal, were you behaving at home?" Wei Yang lightly patted Da Bao's small bottom as he asked.
"I was! My sister and I behaved really well. If you don't believe me, ask Grandmaster." Da Bao nodded hard.
"Mm-hmm." The little girl in Qing Lin's arms, Xiao Bao, also nodded like a pecking chick.
"Haha~"
Xian'er had been in seclusion lately, attempting to step into the One-Change Dou Zun, so during Wei Yang and Qing Lin's absence, the two children had been looked after by Yao Lao.
The group stepped forward, gazing at the smiling old man standing on the grass, who was already watching them warmly.
Xiao Yan smiled and said, "Master, we did not fail your expectations."
Upon hearing that, Feng Zun Zhe let out a long breath of relief and gave them a thumbs up, laughing. "Well done! I knew you guys would make it back just fine."
"It's good to see you all safe. Everyone's fine, I hope?" Yao Lao asked with a smile.
"More or less a narrow escape." Xiao Yan shrugged and then briefly explained what had happened within the ruins.
"Dou Sheng Skeleton…" When they heard that part, both Yao Lao and Feng Zun Zhe couldn't help but take in a sharp breath, their hearts filled with lingering fear.
With just a single strike, the enormous ancient hall had vanished completely—and along with it, more than ten Dou Zun experts, including a high-level Tian Zun from the Hall of Souls!
That Dou Sheng's remnant soul was far too terrifying.
Fortunately, everyone had returned safely. Wei Yang had even managed to trick the Hall of Souls once again, costing them another high-level Tian Zun.
At this rate, the Hall of Souls might not be able to endure much longer. Xiao Yan flipped his palm, and a rough-looking wooden box appeared in his hand.
With a flick of his finger, the wooden box floated up into the air, lightly hovering in front of Yao Lao before its lid automatically opened. A flash of golden light spilled out, revealing within it a golden fruit that looked just like a newborn infant.
"This is indeed the Soul Baby Fruit—and it's even of the highest quality, a Gold-grade Soul Baby Fruit." Even with Yao Lao's usual composure, a trace of uncontrollable delight flickered in his eyes upon seeing that golden fruit. Everyone around smiled and nodded.
The Soul Baby Fruit came in two grades—the Silver-grade and the Gold-grade. The Silver-grade was slightly inferior, while the Gold-grade had the strongest medicinal effects. This time, what Wei Yang and the others had brought back was precisely a Gold-grade one.
"With this Gold-grade Soul Baby Fruit, the loss to your Essence Spiritual Qi should be able to be fully restored." Feng Zun Zhe stroked his beard and laughed.
"Yao Lao, you should go into seclusion and recover today. Try to restore your Essence Spiritual Qi as soon as possible. Once that's done, we'll be able to begin refining a physical body for you—to bring you truly back to life." Wei Yang said.
"Besides, Master, we've also prepared a big surprise for you." Xiao Yan added with a smile.
"A surprise? Very well." Yao Lao nodded with a faint smile.
He didn't bother with false modesty. Since this was something his disciples had prepared for him, he would simply accept it with a full heart. Resurrection—that was his greatest wish and obsession at this point.
From the very beginning, the reason he had taken Xiao Yan as a disciple had been so that one day, the boy could help him come back to life.
Even when he later taught Wei Yang the art of alchemy so earnestly—aside from Wei Yang's extraordinary talent—it wasn't without a touch of contingency, or perhaps an extra layer of insurance.
Of course, that had only been Yao Lao's mindset at the start. By now, things had changed completely. After all, people have emotions. Relationships evolve—from unfamiliarity to deep connection.
In this world, there are no truly selfless saints.
Besides, even when Yao Lao had fallen from grace, he was once the great Yao Zun Zhe—the foremost alchemist of the Central Plains, and a peak Nine-Change Dou Zun.
Back then, meeting two young boys in a small place like the Jia Ma Empire—especially after being betrayed by his own disciple—it was only natural that he might hold some personal intentions in his heart at first.
So, there was nothing wrong with that. After all, would you truly care about the ants beneath your feet?
After obtaining the Soul Baby Fruit, Yao Lao immediately chose to enter seclusion that very day. As long as his Essence Spiritual Qi recovered, he could begin his resurrection immediately.
Once Yao Lao entered seclusion, Wei Yang and the others finally relaxed. They rested properly for two days.
Two days later.
Inside a spacious secret chamber.
Wei Yang and Xiao Yan sat cross-legged opposite each other on the ground. After a brief moment of silence, Wei Yang flipped his palm, and a jade-white skeleton appeared before them, floating in midair.
The Dou Sheng Skeleton.
Looking at the complete skeleton, both men's expressions turned solemn. Their gazes shifted to the rib area, where three ribs looked distinctly different from the rest. Upon them were densely packed, strange and tiny characters that squirmed slightly and emitted a faint glow.
Heaven Grade Dou Technique: Great Heaven Creation Palm!
Even now, they could never forget the terrifying might that had been unleashed when that Dou Sheng remnant soul had used this Heaven Grade Dou Technique.
Both of them reached out to touch the three ribs. The surface felt cool and smooth—completely unlike ordinary bones. In fact, it was as though they were touching flawless jade, sleek and cool to the touch, giving off an oddly pleasant sensation.
The ribs were covered in fine, mysterious inscriptions that seemed to be engraved deep within the bone itself. These characters were extraordinarily profound, giving off an obscure and unfathomable aura.
The two carefully examined all three ribs, memorizing every strange character within their minds—yet they could not decipher them. It was a language they had never encountered before—an ancient script long lost to time.
"Looks like ordinary means won't be enough to obtain this Heaven Grade Dou Technique." Both men fell silent, thoughtful expressions on their faces. Staring at the three ribs, they couldn't help scratching their heads.
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