On a barren mountain more than ten kilometers from Wutan City, Victor brought Medusa to conduct his business with the soul residing within the ring.
He withdrew the ring he'd obtained from Xiao Yan and examined it carefully. Though he already knew what he'd find, Victor still injected a trace of spiritual consciousness into the ring to verify its contents.
Soon, he sensed a pale remnant soul within, so weak that even a gentle breeze might scatter it if it dared venture outside.
"Is there something special about that ring?"
Medusa's voice pulled Victor from his thoughts.
"You'll find out soon enough." He smiled mysteriously, keeping her in suspense.
Then Victor injected a faint trace of spiritual power into the ring. Though the amount seemed minuscule to him, it was like a vast ocean to the fragile remnant soul inside. With this nourishment, the originally weak soul gradually became fuller and stronger.
In less than a minute, the remnant soul had completely recovered. Just this brief moment equaled the amount of Dou Qi that Yao Chen had absorbed from Xiao Yan over three years.
"Mr. Yao, won't you come out and meet me?" Victor called after several more minutes passed with no response.
A sigh echoed from within the ring.
A transparent soul body floated outâ€"an elderly man wearing flowing white robes. Though his face showed signs of age, his features carried an unusual kindness. Deep eyes radiated wisdom that even the passage of time couldn't conceal, as if he'd witnessed countless vicissitudes of life.
Medusa's eyes widened slightly when she saw the soul body appear.
This person must have been extraordinary when alive. Though merely a soul, he gave her a vague sense of oppression. His power during life must have been formidable indeed.
"How did you find me?" Yao Chen's voice was old yet ethereal, his expression puzzled. "From the very beginning, you came specifically for this ring. You must have been aware of my existence for some time. How did you know?"
Victor smiled. "That's my own secret."
"I didn't wake you to have you pry into mine."
"Oh? Then what do you want from me?"
Yao Chen studied the young man before him with interest, though his thoughts churned with questions.
This person was young, his bone age matched his appearance, so he wasn't some old monster disguising himself. Yet at such a young age, he possessed cultivation that even Yao Chen couldn't see through.
His identity must be extraordinary. Perhaps he's connected to one of the eight ancient clans, or even the next heir of one.
However, this person calls himself Victor Stone, and there's no family with that surname among the eight ancient clans.
Either I guessed wrong and he has nothing to do with the ancient clans, or his name is false.
Yao Chen was more inclined to believe the latter. After all, only the eight ancient clans had the foundation to cultivate such a top-tier genius.
Victor didn't know what Yao Chen was thinking, nor did he care to waste time with pleasantries. He stated his purpose directly, "I woke you because I want to make a deal with you."
"I'm interested in your entire collection. Give me everything you've accumulated, and in exchange, I'll resurrect you."
Surprisingly, Yao Chen showed no shock at this proposal.
He'd already guessed Victor's purpose. Going through so much trouble to wake him could only mean one thingâ€"obtaining his treasures.
"Agreed."
Yao Chen nodded without much hesitation.
"As long as you can resurrect me, I'll give you everything I have."
"Excellent!" Victor hadn't expected such a straightforward response.
"Next, please give me the recipe and ingredients for the Bone-Growing Blood-Melting Pill. I'll refine one for you."
Victor still remembered the resurrection method clearly. First, they needed a Bone-Growing Blood-Melting Pill, which could reshape bones, blood, and flesh. Second, the essence blood of a seventh-tier magical beast to provide the body with powerful vitality. In the original story, Xiao Yan had used essence blood from the Sky Demon Phoenix Clan. Third, the skeleton of a powerful expert, at minimum, someone at the Dou Zong level. In the original timeline, Xiao Yan had obtained the skeleton of a Dou Zun expert from ancient Dou Sheng ruins.
Yao Chen tossed a scroll to Victor. "This is the recipe for the Bone-Growing Blood-Melting Pill. As for the materials needed to refine it, I don't have them. You'll need to collect them yourself."
Victor glanced at the pill formula: Blood Essence Demon Fruit, Evergreen Spirit Vine, and Snow Bone Ginseng.
Though it was a seventh-tier pill, the required materials were surprisingly few. Fortunately, Victor remembered exactly where to find these three items.
He turned to Medusa. "Do you know how to get to the inner courtyard of Canaan Academy?"
If he remembered correctly, the Blood Essence Demon Fruit was located in Canaan Academy's inner courtyard.
Medusa nodded. "Of course I know. The inner courtyard of Canaan Academy is in the Black Horn Region. I've never been there personally, but I know the way."
"Then please show me the direction."
Medusa looked up at the sky, then pointed. "The Black Horn Region should be in that direction."
Just as Victor was about to take flight with his companions, Yao Chen spoke up.
"No need to go through so much trouble. I'll give you the coordinates for the Black Horn Region, you can just teleport there."
In Yao Chen's opinion, since Victor possessed strength no weaker than a Dou Zun, he must have mastered the ability to tear through space and construct spatial bridges. The Black Horn Region wasn't too far from here. With Dou Zun-level strength, one could reach it with just a few spatial movements.
"Alright." Victor nodded.
Yao Chen raised his hand, and a faint wisp of fighting spirit shot from his fingertips. Victor absorbed the strand of Dou Qi and quickly obtained the coordinates.
Then he tore open the space before them and led both companions into the spatial rift. The crack quickly healed after they disappeared.
When the trio emerged from the spatial rift, they'd already arrived in the Black Horn Region.
Yao Chen's eyes widened in shock.
It only took one jump to travel from the Jia Ma Empire to the Black Horn Region!
This person's strength might be even greater than he'd expected. Could he actually be a Dou Sheng?
That's terrifying! To possess Dou Sheng cultivation at such a young age, what kind of monstrous cultivation talent is that?
Unless...
A sudden thought struck Yao Chen, and his pupils contracted. "Do you possess some extraordinary cultivation constitution?" he asked urgently.
Only the legendary powerful Daoist body could enable such rapid cultivation!
Victor smiled and said, "I am the Innate Yellow-Haired Holy Body!"