"Master Yao, please."
"Don't worry, it's all a piece of cake. I'm a Dou Zun after all. I'll deliver all these resources to them one by one."
Under the starry sky, Chen Guan bid farewell to Skyfire Venerable.
With his current six-star Dou Zun strength, he couldn't imagine any risks on this trip.
Hearing this, Chen Guan said nothing more, nodded, and watched Skyfire Venerable tear open the spatial passage and depart.
Pausing for a moment, Chen Guan shook his thoughts away and flashed back to the courtyard. After meeting Xiao Yan, who had been waiting for him, he put up a sign announcing his retreat.
In the days that followed, free from urgent matters, Chen Guan was able to calm down and focus on both alchemy and cultivation, striving to improve himself.
Time passed, and after more than a month of settling in, the heated discussion of Xuankongzi accepting another disciple finally came to an end, replaced by the upcoming assessment of the five major families.
Among them, the Ye family, with only one chance left, was undoubtedly thrust into the spotlight.
But somewhat surprisingly, the Ye family, usually so gloomy at this time, had recently been beaming with joy, showing no sign of nervousness at all. This inevitably surprised some of the families preparing to replace them.
While the outside world was bustling, the courtyard was as quiet as a dormant volcano.
It wasn't until another month had passed, the assessments for the five major families had concluded, and Xiao Yan had gained some fame, that the dormant volcano finally erupted. Under the bright blue sky, dark clouds gathered, and thunder rumbled.
When the stern puppet soared into the sky, many people immediately guessed the culprit behind the commotion.
"Look at the intensity of this pill thunder. It's already taking on a faint cyan hue. If nothing unexpected happens, it must be a top-tier elixir, close to the eighth grade!"
"One Cao Ying was enough to make us despair, and now here comes Chen Guan. Are we destined to be mere supporting characters?"
"Hmph, they're just relying on Elder Xuankongzi. If I could become his disciple, I could do the same!"
"But I heard this one was already seventh grade when he became his disciple?"
Amidst the flurry of discussions among the alchemists, the heart-wrenching pill thunder died down.
They had thought the alchemists would withdraw and come out to enjoy the adulation, but to their disappointment, they waited from day to night, but no one emerged.
A peak seventh-grade elixir once again made Chen Guan a hot topic. The discussion had raged for days, but just as it was about to die down, another explosion suddenly erupted from the sky.
A familiar location, a familiar courtyard.
"It's him again. This time, the elixir's quality is slightly lower, probably around the high-grade seventh-tier."
"Since when can a high-grade seventh-tier elixir be described as just that?"
"Look, there's movement over there too. If I remember correctly, that should be the Cao family's residence."
One after another, as if gathering their strength, from that day on, two courtyards facing each other erupted in thunder.
Influenced by the two, many alchemists who loved to join in the fun joined in, so that Shengdan City was filled with constant thunder every day.
Some alchemists who had traveled from far away were stunned by the spectacle, muttering to themselves, almost thinking the alchemy conference had begun.
"This atmosphere is truly worthy of being an alchemist's holy land!"
...
In a flash, two and a half months passed.
On this day, Chen Guan, rarely absent from alchemy, sat cross-legged on his bed with his eyes closed. As his cultivation technique rapidly progressed, the energy of heaven and earth surged in.
This state lasted for a few seconds, until his body trembled slightly, and a thicker aura emanated from within, then quietly receded.
Two-star Dou Zong!
Opening his eyes, sensing the power within him, Chen Guan nodded slightly.
This breakthrough had taken several months, much slower than before, certainly not comparable to Little Medical Immortal's afflicted poison body, but still quite fast compared to an average person.
"Congratulations, Junior Brother, on reaching the next level! Your speed of improvement puts a lot of pressure on me, your Senior Sister,"
a cheerful female voice echoed. It was Cao Ying, sitting in the courtyard.
Chen Guan smiled, unsurprisingly.
After all, with puppets guarding the area outside, Cao Ying couldn't enter without his permission.
"It's just a small improvement, nothing to write home about. With Senior Sister's talent, it was only a matter of time."
This wasn't flattery; it was the truth.
The Dou Zong barrier might seem daunting to ordinary people, but for Cao Ying, it wasn't much of a challenge.
With her talent, Dou Zong wasn't even her limit.
"Then I'll take your kind words, Junior Brother. Let's go and see Teacher. The materials for Yao Zun's revival are ready, and we need your help."
"Okay,"
Chen Guan nodded, not refusing to refuse, and stood up to walk alongside Cao Ying.
With the backing of both Danta and Xingyun Pavilion, it was no surprise that Yao Chen was able to gather the materials so quickly.
"By the way, Junior Brother, are you connected to Yin Valley?" Cao Ying suddenly tilted her head and asked, her curiosity etched in her face as they walked.
"Yin Valley? One of the Three Valleys?"
Chen Guan was slightly taken aback, then thought about it briefly before shaking his head decisively. "No, I've only been in Zhongzhou for a short time, and I haven't come into contact with many other forces."
"That's strange. Someone from Yin Valley came to see Teacher today, saying they came specifically to see you."
"Do you know what it is?"
"I don't know. I just happened to run into them on my way to see Teacher," Cao Ying replied, shaking her head.
Chen Guan was completely bewildered.
Of course, he was equally curious.
In Zhongzhou, the saying of one palace, one pagoda, two sects, three valleys, and four square pavilions is well known.
Among them, Chen Guan knew something about almost all the forces, but he knew very little about the most mysterious Sound Valley.
"Then I'll ask the teacher later."
"Yes."
While chatting with Cao Ying, they soon arrived at Xuan Kongzi's study on the top floor.
Knocked on the door and entered. As expected, Xiao Yan and his apprentice, Feng Zunzhe, and Xuan Yi were all there. Every look they gave him was so eager.
Seeing this scene, Chen Guan could only put aside the matter of Sound Valley for the time being and bowed to each one of them.
"My young friend, please take care of my resurrection."
After a simple greeting, Yao Chen, the person involved, stepped forward first.
Feng Zunzun, Xuan Yi, and Xiao Yan beside him also looked expectant.
"You are too polite, Mr. Yao. I have never forgotten the agreement we made."
Chen Guan smiled back, reassuring them.
Seeing his attitude, several of them also smiled.
"There's no time to lose. I've prepared the body, the Bone-Growing Blood-Melting Pill, and the beast's essence and blood. Young friend, how about we begin now?"
Even Yao Lao couldn't help but feel a little anxious at this moment, as his own resurrection was at stake.
He had waited so many years for this day.
Both were spirits, but Yao Chen's situation was different from that of Skyfire Venerable.
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Initially, Venerable Skyfire had little thought of resurrection, only wanting to leave the underground magma world. It was only after meeting Chen Guan that he felt the desire to revive.
Yao Chen, however, had never given up on resurrection from the very beginning, obsessed with it. Though he died later, his inner urgency far surpassed Venerable Skyfire's.
Knowing his past, Chen Guan didn't hesitate.
"I'm ready anytime."
"Since everything is ready, there's no need to waste time. Follow me."
Xuankongzi, who was sitting at the desk, stood up and led the group out. Outside the Dan Tower, he saw a massive hand tear open, and a temporary spatial passage suddenly appeared.
Everyone stepped into it, and after about ten minutes, they finally reached the end.
Emerging from the spatial passage, they saw a small basin surrounded by four towering peaks, lush with flowers and plants, and a very quiet environment.
"Yao Chen, stay here. With us guarding you, your safety is guaranteed. I originally wanted to take you into the dimension of the Small Dan Pagoda, but unfortunately, those old guys got so sarcastic the moment they heard your name that I gave up,"
Xuan Kongzi said, shaking his head.
Yao Chen nodded, bowing with a rare serious expression of thanks.
"This place will do."
Such caution was simply a precaution.
After all, unlike Skyfire Venerable, he was a man the Soul Palace greatly desired...
If the Soul Palace learned of his planned resurrection today, they might force a move.
With everything in place and prepared, Chen Guan stepped forward.
"Brother Guan, please,"
Xiao Yan bowed, then retreated to the periphery with the others.
With only two people left in the arena, Yao Chen waved his hand, and all the materials materialized.
Chen Guan took a quick glance and could roughly determine that the frozen body had also been a Dou Zun powerhouse in life. However, judging by its lingering aura, it was far inferior to the one he had given to Skyfire Venerable.
However, the magical beast essence contained within the jade bottle was truly astonishing. Through the bottle, one could discern the vivid, silent roar of an eight-winged tiger. A
mutated eighth-tier magical beast, the Evil-winged White Tiger!
Mentally estimating Yao Chen's strength after his resurrection, Chen Guan sat cross-legged.
"Yao Lao, follow my instructions later."
"I understand."
With a simple instruction, Chen Guan immediately mobilized the strange fire to envelop the body.
Perhaps because he was more relaxed than when he had resurrected Skyfire Venerable, or perhaps because practice was new, Chen Guan actually felt that resurrecting Skyfire Venerable was even easier than that. It took less than an hour to complete the task.
The Soul Palace, always on guard, also did not appear.
The entire process was as smooth as diarrhea.
The final step lasted for about half a quarter of an hour. Under the gaze of several people, the body within the strange fire suddenly opened its eyes. The aura it emanated seemed to Chen Guan to be not much different from the resurrection of Skyfire Venerable.
"Just as expected, Six-Star Dou Zun, thank you, young friend."
Stepping out of the strange fire and restraining his aura, Yao Chen, moving his body in an unsuitable position, thanked him.
Although his current strength was far from his peak, if the resurrection was successful, with his alchemy skills, he would surely be able to recover quickly.
Chen Guan chuckled and shook his head, retracting the strange fire within his body. He easily retreated to the edge to join Xuan Kongzi and Cao Ying, giving space to the excited Xiao Yan, Feng Zunzun, and the others.
"Well done," Xuan Kongzi praised with a smile.
The thought that Yao Chen, this arrogant old man, had ultimately relied on his own disciples to resurrect him made his face smile.
Let's see how he brags in front of me later!
Chen Guan didn't say more on the subject. With a flip of his hand, two jade bottles fell into his hands.
"Keep it for yourself. I'm not even interested in looking at any elixir below the eighth grade. I'll talk about it later when I refine an eighth-grade one."
Glancing at Chen Guan's movements, Xuan Kongzi spoke with a look of pride.
This pretense was quite sudden.
Seeing this, Chen Guan could only reluctantly retract the ring.
"Teacher, I heard from Senior Sister earlier that someone from Yin Valley was looking for me?"
"Yes, a little girl. From what she said, a friend of yours went to Yin Valley and is looking for you. I don't know the details. The Yunlai Inn in Shengdan City is owned by Yin Valley. She should be there now. You'll find out if you go and see her yourself." Xuan Kongzi nodded.
"I understand, Teacher, Senior Sister, I'll go check it out first."
Noting down the inn's name, Chen Guan didn't hesitate. After greeting the two, he prepared to leave first.
Xuan Kongzi didn't stop him, but watched him go.
Only after Chen Guan completely disappeared from his sight did he mutter something casually.
"The one who's staying in Yin Valley temporarily must be a woman. She's come all this way to find him, so they must have a close relationship. He's quite a playboy, but that's normal for young people."
Cao Ying, standing beside him, felt like she was about to hold her forehead in her hand and couldn't help but add,
"There's another one back at the Ye family."
Elsewhere, Chen Guan was rushing towards Shengdan City, wondering who this friend could be.
Confused, he sped for half an hour before finally arriving back in Shengdan City.
Arriving at the inn Xuan Kongzi had mentioned, he found the usually bustling establishment eerily quiet. The lobby was empty, devoid of any guests.
Upon seeing Chen Guan enter, the innkeeper was about to speak, but then, as if recognizing him, he stopped and continued his work.
Chen Guan, slightly startled, observed the scene for himself.
He didn't need to ask; a woman standing by a pillar on the second floor quickly caught his attention.
The woman wore a veil, revealing a pair of bright and captivating eyes. She was dressed in a pure white dress, her slender waist bound by a green silk ribbon, highlighting her graceful figure.
As her skirt fluttered, she looked like a fairy descending from the sky, revealing skin as white as snow, as translucent as jade, and as smooth as cream, a breathtaking sight to behold the beauty of heaven's creation.
Standing there quietly, she was like a holy blue lotus, isolated and detached from the world, making it difficult for anyone to harbor any desire to desecrate her.
The moment he saw her, Chen Guan was almost certain it was her!
He imagined that the mysterious Sound Valley should behave in the same way.
Recovering his composure, Chen Guan ascended the stairs.
To his surprise, he sensed that her strength was not much lower than his own, already at the level of a One-Star Dou Zong, a true child of destiny.
However, it wasn't until Chen Guan ascended to the second floor and came within ten feet of him that the woman noticed the movement and turned around hastily.
Could it be that she had just been...
dazed?
"Excuse me for disturbing you, but I'm Chen Guan. Are you from Yin Gu?"
Chen Guan was already certain, but since it was their first meeting, he still had to be a little polite.
Hearing the greeting, the veiled woman quickly adjusted herself, suppressed the sadness in her eyes, and returned the greeting gracefully.
"Yin Gu, Ran Qingchen, greetings to Mr. Chen Guan."