Word Count: 2,723 Words
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Medusa slowly lifted her head. With her powerful perception, she naturally sensed that Xiao Yan had already left Jia Nan Academy.
She took out the brocade box Xiao Yan had given her. Surprisingly, she hadn't consumed even a single one of the Core-Fire Lotus Seeds inside. Additionally, a soul jade piece was hidden beneath the lotus seeds at the bottom of the box.
"Hmph, does this Queen need your rescue?" Medusa snorted coldly, but she didn't throw the jade piece into the fire either.
Whenever she thought of Xiao Yan, an indescribable emotion seemed to tangle in her heart.
"Damn it, it's all because of that strange soul connection," Medusa gritted her teeth. That soul connection left her unable to fully calm her mind for cultivation.
She picked up one of the Core-Fire Lotus Seeds and hesitated for a moment before ultimately consuming it. Instantly, red and green streams of Heavenly Flame energy surged within her body.
With a wave of her hand, the infant-stage Fallen Heart Flame slowly floated to her side.
The Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower had been rebuilt, but this new Fallen Heart Flame remained weak. It needed to stay sealed within the special Heavenly Flame space, absorbing the residual power left by the original Fallen Heart Flame to grow.
Medusa didn't stand on ceremony with Jia Nan Academy. Although the flame itself was feeble, borrowing the power of the Essence Heart Flame would greatly accelerate the condensation of her Heavenly Flame Serpent Body.
Xiao Yan probably hadn't anticipated that due to his unintended actions, Medusa would emerge from her secluded cultivation sooner than he expected.
…
At this moment, Xiao Yan sat on the back of the Little Lion King, while Little Fairy Doctor and Zi Yan rode the Amethyst Winged Lion King as they flew away from the Inner Academy.
"This lion is quite comfortable to ride!" Zi Yan revealed her adorable little tiger teeth as she bounced around on the Amethyst Winged Lion King's back, very pleased with this mount.
Even if the Amethyst Winged Lion King had any complaints, it didn't dare voice them and could only swallow its grievances in silence.
Mao Wu appeared equally content, dozing against the Little Lion King's warm, soft fur like a kitten while cuddling its own tail.
Xiao Yan stroked the Little Lion King's fur. Its strength had improved quite well. Although far from as astonishing as Little Fairy Doctor's, it had now reached the peak of Rank 4 and was close to advancing to Rank 5.
"Not bad at all, Little Lion King. Three years ago, you were only at Rank 3. Now you're about to reach Rank 5."
Roar roar roar! (All thanks to the good person's pills.)
"Haha, don't worry. Once we reach our destination, I'll help you break through to Rank 5." Xiao Yan swept his sleeve in a confident gesture.
Roar!! The Little Lion King gave an excited whoop, flapping its wings so vigorously that it spun twice in midair.
Xiao Yan smiled and touched the row of storage rings on his fingers.
He now looked like a wealthy tycoon, wearing a total of four storage rings!
One was the Bone Flame Ring inherited from his mother; another was the golden storage ring Ya Fei had given him to store various medicinal herbs and a large amount of gold coins; the third was Venerable Tian Huo's pale white ring; and the last was Han Feng's Serene Sea Storage Ring.
With Han Feng dead, that final ring naturally fell into his possession. The soul seal within the storage ring was useless against the Nihility Devouring Flame's abilities.
Han Feng's Serene Sea Storage Ring matched the quality of both the Bone Flame Ring and the pale white ring. It was an extremely high-quality storage ring with a very large internal space. One could imagine how much wealth Han Feng had accumulated over the years in the Black-Corner Region.
However, Xiao Yan had given the miscellaneous Qi Methods and Dou Techniques inside the Serene Sea Storage Ring to Jia Nan Academy, mainly because those were too low-level, and he truly had no interest in them. The only things he kept were two Low Di Class Dou Techniques.
He didn't plan to cultivate them himself but intended to bring them back to enrich the Xiao Clan's collection.
Besides these, the only things left in the Serene Sea Storage Ring were precious medicinal ingredients Han Feng had collected and a medicinal cauldron.
This medicinal cauldron was of excellent quality. Although slightly inferior to the Black Demon Cauldron, if Xiao Yan hadn't judged wrongly, this cauldron was precisely the Ten Thousand Beast Cauldron, ranked last on the Heavenly Cauldron Ranking.
The Ten Thousand Beast Cauldron was entirely crimson in color and engraved with patterns of roaring ferocious beasts. If one listened closely, one could faintly hear strange howling sounds from within. It was a description that matched Han Feng's medicinal cauldron exactly.
The Black Demon Cauldron was a tier 9 medicinal cauldron capable of reaching middle-grade tier 9, while the Ten Thousand Beast Cauldron was a low-grade tier 9 medicinal cauldron.
A medicinal cauldron's tier couldn't be too low. If it were, it wouldn't withstand the temperature when refining high-tier pills and would shatter, leading to failed refinement.
One needed a tier 9 medicinal cauldron from the Heavenly Cauldron Ranking to refine tier 9 pills.
Of course, all of these had now conveniently fallen into Xiao Yan's hands.
Little Fairy Doctor remained serene as ever. She brushed aside the hair tousled by the wind, turned to Xiao Yan, and asked, "Are we heading straight to the Jia Ma Empire?"
Xiao Yan narrowed his eyes upon hearing this and looked toward Peace Town. He shook his head and said, "Not yet. Let's swing by Peace Town first. There's something I need to sell."
He hadn't forgotten that Han Feng's soul was still inside the Soul Command Token. Although the Sea Heart Flame ranked only 15th among Heavenly Flames, it was still a juicy piece of meat.
…
After descending into Peace Town, Xiao Yan asked Little Fairy Doctor and the others to wait on the street. He donned his Soul Robe and swiftly slipped into the alley leading to the Soul Sacrifice Old Shop.
He entered the familiar shop without hesitation. Hun Lao Gui still looked as if he were on the verge of death, resembling an old man at death's door.
Even though his Spiritual Strength had reached the Perfected Mortal State, Xiao Yan still couldn't see through Hun Lao Gui's cultivation level.
"Jie Jie Jie, it's you again. Are you buying or selling this time?" Hun Lao Gui revealed a mouthful of rotten teeth, his eyes half-squinted as he looked at Xiao Yan.
Xiao Yan took out the Soul Command Token and tossed it casually onto the table. "There are two half-step Dou Ancestor soul bodies inside, four Dou Emperors, and eighteen Dou Kings."
"There's also the soul of a peak 6th-tier alchemist, but he possesses a Heavenly Flame. I want you to help me extract the Heavenly Flame."
Hun Lao Gui's eyes showed no fluctuation even after hearing about so many soul bodies and a Heavenly Flame. Like a pool of dead water, they remained calm, as if these things were ordinary in his eyes.
His withered finger lightly touched the Soul Command Token. With a swoosh, the soul bodies of the Gold Silver Elders and the others were instantly released.
"Xiao Yan! I won't let you off even as a ghost!" The slain Mister Silver appeared, glaring at Xiao Yan like a vengeful spirit, his entire being filled with resentment.
"Hmph." Hun Lao Gui let out a cold snort. Instantly, a powerful and unparalleled suction force erupted from the curtain leading to the Soul Path.
"Ahhh!!"
"No, no!!"
The Gold Silver Elders and the others were all sucked into the Soul Path amid their wails. The curtain gradually returned to calm, as if nothing had happened.
Xiao Yan silently calculated in his heart. Back then, Yao Ao's soul body—a high-grade 7th-tier alchemist from the Yao Clan—had been valued at 180,000 soul points.
A low-grade 7th-tier alchemist's soul should be worth around 100,000 soul points. Although the Gold Silver Elders weren't alchemists, they were at least half-step Dou Ancestors, so each should be worth around 30,000 to 40,000 soul points.
Those Black-Corner Region Dou Emperors weren't weak and should be worth about 10,000 soul points each. As for the Dou Kings, Xiao Yan didn't even bother calculating; it would be good if each was worth 1,000 soul points.
"Not bad, a total of 130,000 soul points."
Xiao Yan could only shrug his shoulders upon hearing Hun Lao Gui's words. If not for Jia Nan Academy also wanting revenge against Han Feng, just those three Mighty Huang Pills would have cost him dearly had he funded them himself.
But considering everything, he had still made a small profit.
With a tap, Hun Lao Gui lightly touched the Soul Command Token. Suddenly, a terrifying blue flame burst forth and rushed toward his face. Simultaneously, an ethereal soul body swooshed toward the door. It was none other than Han Feng.
Xiao Yan smiled coldly and crossed his arms, watching silently with no intention to intervene. If Han Feng could escape from Hun Lao Gui's grasp, he would immediately loot this place.
Hun Lao Gui slowly extended his withered old hand and gently clenched it. The terrifying Sea Heart Flame was instantly extinguished. Han Feng's soul body became immobilized, and no matter how he tried to wield the Sea Heart Flame, it was all to no avail.
"This is the Soul Sacrifice Old Shop! I am Han Feng; Venerable Mu Gu once brought me here!" Han Feng immediately tried to invoke connections.
Hun Lao Gui showed no reaction to Han Feng's pleas. That shriveled hand, like a devil's claw, ruthlessly pierced into Han Feng's soul body.
A strange Spiritual Strength that even made Xiao Yan furrow his brows began to circulate slowly.
"Is this a Soul Training Method? Or a Soul Skill?" Xiao Yan observed all of Hun Lao Gui's actions. Of course, Han Feng's screams were automatically filtered out.
After about ten minutes, Han Feng's soul body visibly became more illusory and even shriveled.
It wasn't that Xiao Yan didn't want Han Feng's soul body. But he knew that forcibly extracting the Heavenly Flame from Han Feng's soul would either kill or severely damage it. By then, it wouldn't be worth much, so he might as well do someone a favor.
"Save me... I know I was wrong..." Han Feng's soul body struggled to raise his hand, pleading with Xiao Yan for help.
Xiao Yan merely smiled faintly. "You should put that effort into figuring out what you're going to say to Venerable Yao when you see him in the afterlife."
"No!!"
With a muffled sound, Hun Lao Gui abruptly pulled his hand back. A sea-blue flame floated above his palm. The sounds emanating from the Sea Heart Flame weren't those of burning flames but rather the crashing of ocean waves. As the flame rose, it was accompanied by the sound of waves pounding against reefs. It was a truly wondrous phenomenon.
By now, Han Feng's soul body had completely withered, looking even more miserable than Venerable Tian Huo had back then.
"You can handle the soul imprint within the Sea Heart Flame yourself."
Hun Lao Gui lightly tossed the Sea Heart Flame toward Xiao Yan. The latter hurriedly retrieved the Ten Thousand Beast Cauldron from Han Feng's storage ring and stored the Sea Heart Flame inside.
Soul imprints and seals were trivial matters under the abilities of the Nihility Devouring Flame.
After Xiao Yan stored the Sea Heart Flame in the Ten Thousand Beast Cauldron, Han Feng's soul body was ultimately devoured by the Soul Path under his cold gaze. With that, the man once hailed as the 'Medicine Emperor' of the Black-Corner Region was gone for good.
"Credit the soul points from Han Feng's soul body to Protector Xuan of the Black-Corner Region's Hall of Souls," Xiao Yan said indifferently. Judging by the state of Han Feng's soul, it would be worth 10,000 soul points at most. The forced extraction of the Heavenly Flame had caused significant damage to the soul.
Hun Lao Gui stated flatly, "The cost for extracting the Heavenly Flame is 100,000 soul points."
! ! ! !
"100,000? Why not just rob someone?" Xiao Yan glanced at Hun Lao Gui. This fellow was a crafty merchant, an old fox!
"Jie Jie Jie, this is better than robbing."
Hun Lao Gui's words left Xiao Yan speechless. Indeed, this was better than going through the trouble of robbing someone.
"You're ruthless." Xiao Yan could only grit his teeth and watch as 100,000 points vanished from the 130,000 he had just acquired, leaving him with a meager 30,000.
"What technique did you use a moment ago? May I exchange for it?" Xiao Yan asked.
Hun Lao Gui revealed a meaningful, eerie smile. His ghostly eyes stared straight at Xiao Yan. "Jie Jie Jie, don't you already have the Emperor Soul Technique?"
!?
Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed. He hadn't expected that what Hun Lao Gui had just used was precisely the Emperor Soul Technique! To think that the Emperor Soul Technique could even accomplish such feats!
Truly worthy of being a technique created by Emperor Hun!
Hun Lao Gui flipped his hand, and a small bottle appeared before him. The moment this small bottle appeared, even the faint Dou God Bloodline within Xiao Yan began to stir slightly.
Xiao Yan took out the drop of Dou God Bloodline from his storage ring, which the Seed Flame of the Nihility Devouring Flame had refined.
He only had one drop, but the bottle that Hun Lao Gui took out contained an entire vial!
'Sure enough, the Hun Clan has a way to extract the Dou God Bloodlines from members of other Dou God Clans to enhance the concentration of their own Dou God Bloodline... Is this the power of the Nihility Devouring Flame?'
The Hun Clan wasn't merely hunting soul bodies; they were likely secretly hunting members of other Dou God Clans!
"Can this bottle of blood qualify me to cultivate the Emperor Soul Technique?" Xiao Yan calmed his emotions and asked casually.
"Jie Jie Jie, that's right. My Hun Clan doesn't mistreat those who can get things done. Rewards and punishments are clear. And it's not expensive—just 10 million soul points." Hun Lao Gui chuckled eerily.
"10 million?! Heh, wouldn't that require the soul body of a peak 9-star Dou Venerate? How could I possibly have that?" Xiao Yan rolled his eyes. This price was exorbitant.
"Peak 9-star Dou Venerate? No, even a 9-star ninth-change Dou Venerate wouldn't suffice. This requires the soul body of a Half-Saint to exchange." Hun Lao Gui shattered Xiao Yan's fantasy outright.
Xiao Yan curled his lips and spread his hands helplessly. "Then forget it. Let's not even mention that I don't have one. Even if I did, who knows if what you give has any drugs mixed in? What if you end up brainwashing me?"
Xiao Yan waved his hand and took back the Soul Command Token. Just as he was about to leave the Soul Sacrifice Old Shop, he suddenly remembered something and asked, "By the way, do you have any information about the Clear Soul Nether Orchid?"
This time, he didn't directly ask about the Heavenly Flame, as he already knew where it was. Instead, he inquired about the Clear Soul Nether Orchid to gather additional information.
"10,000 soul points."
Stifling a sigh, Xiao Yan reluctantly passed him the Soul Command Token again. After deducting the fee, Hun Lao Gui handed him a jade tablet.
"The Clear Soul Nether Orchid has appeared in the Profound Nether Valley of the Chu Yun Empire. This contains information about the Clear Soul Nether Orchid and Profound Nether Valley, including some rumors and details on which factions will be heading there."
Xiao Yan accepted the jade tablet, and as his Spiritual Strength penetrated it, a stream of spiritual information was transmitted into his mind.
After reading all the information, his expression turned a bit strange as he muttered, "The Yao Clan? It's you guys again?"