"Didn't I just give you some pills? What, you've already finished them?" Xiao Yan asked as he gathered the remaining medicinal ingredients into his storage ring. It looked like he'd need to have the subordinates collect more Tier Seven ingredients. But if he wanted to conduct mass refinement like this time, it would probably take at least another year or two to prepare.
"Hehe, I'm not here for pills this time. I came to give you an idea." Zi Yan rested her chin in her palm, grinning cheekily. "You want to refine pills, right? I know a place—plenty of herbs there, enough for you to burn as you please."
"Where is it?" Xiao Yan raised a brow, curious.
"Jia Nan Academy." Zi Yan flipped her long purple ponytail. "There's an herb vault in the Inner Academy. It's got every kind of rare herb you can imagine. I guarantee it holds way more than what we found in the Fallen Grounds."
"I wouldn't doubt that." Xiao Yan nodded slightly. Jia Nan Academy had stood tall on the Dou Qi Continent for ages—its collections would naturally be abundant. Back in his previous life, when he wiped out the Academy, he'd scavenged a fair amount, but many items were hidden too deeply. His strength at the time hadn't been what it was now, so he didn't manage to take all the real treasures.
"But do you think Jia Nan Academy will hand over those herbs willingly?" He frowned.
"That's what I'm here for! With me guiding you, we'll sneak in, take a few herbs, and split them fifty-fifty." Zi Yan rubbed her hands together excitedly. "I've been at Jia Nan Academy for years—I know exactly where the good stuff is. With me leading the way, no one will catch us."
"...Jia Nan Academy is truly blessed to have a student like you," Xiao Yan said dryly. He had to admit, her proposal was tempting—and frankly, it was quite in line with how he usually operated. However, his ambitions didn't stop at just the herb vault. He was also eyeing the Heavenly Flame in Jia Nan Academy. Because of that, he could only suppress the urge for now.
"Forget it," Xiao Yan shook his head. "You've stayed at Jia Nan Academy for so long, and Elder Su Qian's always looked after you. If we did that, it'd feel too dishonorable... Let's do this instead—I'll return to Jia Nan Academy with you and speak to Elder Su Qian directly. I'll trade pills, Dou Techniques, or cultivation methods at equal value for the herbs. How about that?"
Zi Yan blinked, surprised. She knew Xiao Yan well enough by now—under normal circumstances, it'd be a miracle if he didn't just raid the whole vault. But today, he actually suggested making a fair trade?
'Is he… doing this for me?' she thought, a bit dazed. Zi Yan didn't know that Xiao Yan still intended to steal the Heavenly Flame. He just planned to play the long game. Her conclusion, though mistaken, left a rare glimmer of warmth in her usually mischievous eyes.
In truth, Xiao Yan had always intended to find a way into Jia Nan Academy again. The Heavenly Flame was too important. And having Zi Yan personally lead him inside was certainly the most reasonable method.
As for whether or not he could obtain the flame, he wasn't worried. As long as the mysterious Headmaster didn't return, none of the Academy's current experts could stop him. In fact, he wouldn't even need to act—his three puppets alone could probably sweep the place.
After being tempered by repeated Pill Lightning, all three puppets had been upgraded to Dou Zong strength. However, since the original materials were only Dou Huang-level, they capped out at around four- to five-star Dou Zong before the strain became too great. If he continued letting them absorb lightning, they'd probably collapse.
Still, even at that level, they could easily roam freely in the Black-Corner Region without resistance.
Once Hai Bodong returned from the Jia Ma Empire, Xiao Yan dumped all of Xiao Sect's affairs on him—poor guy had barely rested before getting thrown back into labor. Xiao Yan then took Zi Yan and Qing Lin and left.
Hai Bodong had just finished settling the elite members of the Mittel Clan when he heard that Xiao Yan had gone off on another trip. The old man nearly spat blood. Once again, he resumed his miserable job as a glorified errand runner.
At least this time, Hai Bodong had brought plenty of people, so he wouldn't be overwhelmed like before. Even so, he couldn't help but curse Xiao Yan internally.
Unbeknownst to him, someone else was cursing even more viciously.
That person was Hun Molie, a member of the Hun Clan personally dispatched by Hun Dai'er to track down Xiao Yan. She had been chasing him for years, and this was the closest she had ever gotten.
Hun Molie possessed a unique secret art that allowed her to lock onto a person's aura and trace their path like a living GPS. However, there was a drawback—it only worked by following the exact trail the target had taken.
And so, tragedy struck.
She tracked Xiao Yan from the Magic Beast Mountain Range to the Cloud Empire, traversed three major forbidden zones, and even ventured into the Heavenly Scorpion Tomb, which Xiao Yan had flooded with poison gas. After finally catching a faint trace of his aura, she followed it to the Tager Desert.
After flying all the way there, she started scouring the area where Xiao Yan had lingered longest. And then… she fell into lava.
Someone—probably that wretched Xiao Yan—had dug a tunnel straight to a magma chamber and didn't even bother sealing it. It was so well hidden that even she didn't notice it. If not for her quick reflexes and protective Dou Qi, she would have melted on the spot.
After climbing out of the lava, she tracked him to a place called Mo City, only to sense that he'd left for the Black-Corner Region. She had no choice but to set off again. On her way through the Black Region Plains, she got caught in a massive storm and nearly lost her way.
'Is this guy insane?' she thought. 'Everywhere he goes is a death trap… does he have some kind of curse?'
But it wasn't over.
When she finally emerged from the plains, Xiao Yan's aura led her into the sea. She plunged into the depths and followed the trail into the Fallen Grounds—only to be sealed inside. It took countless spatial scrolls and a massive expenditure of strength just to escape.
After all that, she finally tracked him to Xiao Sect, only to find out that… he had just left.
'You've gotta be kidding me…' Hun Molie nearly collapsed.
(End of Chapter)
---
This Fanfiction Has Been Completed on Patreon.
Support me if you like this Fanfiction.
Patreon,com/Fallen_Archangel_
(Remove comma for dot.)
Leave a 5 star Review and a Power Stone.