Breaking the Masked Man

Hun Xuzi was somewhat worried about this.

After all, having too many different powers is not a good thing. If one cannot control them, one may suffer a backlash. However, as it stands, Yao Yan's body is not in any problems. The fusion is extremely perfect. Whether it is his physical body, soul power, or battle qi, they have all reached a perfect level.

"With your words, Master, I am relieved. Next, I plan to start with the Heavenly Phoenix Clan. Fortunately, I possess a flight combat technique refined from their clan's wings." Yao Yan said slowly, a smile appearing on his lips.

"Take it easy, don't go too far. If you provoke the Dou Sheng of the Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan, it will cause some trouble," Hun Xuzi warned.

"Disciple understands," Yao Yan replied, bowing.

"...Break through to Dou Zun as soon as possible. The day of the clan's bloodline baptism is only a few years away. If you miss it, you don't know when the next one will be." Hun Xuzi was silent for a while, then suddenly said.

"Hmm!" Yao Yan was taken aback, then quickly replied.

Although the details of the Soul Clan's bloodline baptism are unknown, the fact that Soul Void Prince values ​​it so highly suggests that the benefits of this baptism are considerable, perhaps enough to elevate his strength to the peak of Dou Zun in a short period of time!

"Remember my words." Hun Xuzi uttered these words before his figure vanished and disappeared into the jade tablet.

As the black flames disappeared, the jade pendant fell to the ground, but Yao Yan caught it steadily with both hands.

“If I listen to Hun Xuzi, the next bloodline baptism might be canceled… It seems the Soul Clan is planning to take action against the major imperial clans. Even without Xiao Yan’s appearance in the original story, the Soul Emperor obviously didn’t intend to wait any longer. Well, after planning for a thousand years, how can he wait indefinitely? This might also be an opportunity for me!” Yao Yan thought to himself as he looked at the jade tablet in his hand.

A moment later, he gripped the jade token tightly, knowing that he didn't have much time left to improve his strength. (End of Chapter)

Chapter 231 Selling Blood

In the void, countless black flames rose continuously, scorching the space as it constantly cracked and repaired itself. Those countless flames were like living things, constantly vanishing and disappearing.

In the center, two figures sat cross-legged. One of them seemed to be the master of this world, surrounded by countless flames that bowed to him. The other person beside him was Yao Yan's teacher, Hun Xuzi, the chief alchemist of the Soul Clan.

As Hun Xuzi opened his eyes, a black flame appeared in his eyes, vanishing in an instant. At the same time, a faint smile appeared on his lips, as if he were in a rather good mood.

"It seems your disciple has brought you another surprise." The figure opposite Hun Xuzi seemed to sense his change in mood and spoke.

"Lord Void is right." Soul Void smiled and said, "Watching a work gradually move towards perfection, it's inevitable to feel some emotional turmoil."

Indeed, in Hun Xuzi's eyes, Yao Yan has always been a work of art. How could someone like him care about the so-called master-disciple relationship? In this world, everything is false, only one's own strength is real, and the strong can decide everything!

"Be more restrained. I'm not far from that point. At this crucial juncture, don't cause any trouble. In recent years, those races have been paying too much attention to the Soul Clan." Void Devouring Flame's words were calm and unwavering, merely a gentle admonition.

He knew that Hunxuzi had created a unique 'hybrid', but as a different kind of fire, he obviously had no interest in human hybrids.

Now, all he wants to do is advance his soul power to the Emperor Realm; nothing else can distract him.

Strength is fundamental.

"Yes." Hun Xuzi's smile faded, and he replied respectfully.

However, a hint of sinister intent surfaced deep in his eyes, clearly indicating that his respect for Void Devouring Flame was not genuine, but merely due to the other party's strength. Otherwise, he would have truly wanted to refine the other party for his own use, but unfortunately, the Soul Clan still couldn't do without him.

After finishing speaking, Void Devouring Flame fell silent again, as if silently accumulating something.

This kind of sitting in meditation has continued for nearly a thousand years.

……

……

Unnamed mountain range.

Yao Yan slowly stepped out of the cave, looking at the azure sky and feeling the energy nurtured by heaven and earth. If he could, he would prefer the carefree life of a hermit. In some ways, he and Yao Lao were quite similar in personality. But sometimes life doesn't offer choices, especially in a fantasy world where a slight misstep can turn even one's soul into someone else's plaything.

“Since there’s no other choice, then we can only go all the way.” A glint of light flashed in Yao Yan’s eyes. As his storage ring flickered, the blood-red dragon jade that recorded the coordinates of Ancient Dragon Island appeared in his hand. As his soul power surged into it, the dragon jade instantly shimmered with a faint purplish-red halo. At the same time, a general location appeared in Yao Yan’s mind, guiding him to a void.

As Long Yu relayed the information, Yao Yan's expression also became strange. He discovered that if he wanted to go to Ancient Dragon Island, he would first have to go through a void traversal, and to do a void traversal, one's strength would have to reach at least the Dou Zun level.

Below the level of Dou Zun, even the slightest carelessness can lead to being shattered by the power of space.

In the endless void, violent spatial forces would occasionally surge forth. That power was enough to crush most Dou Zongs. Even if one was lucky, it was easy to get lost in the void, and some might even fall into other regions.

"Truly worthy of being the Ancient Void Dragon Clan. To even set foot on their territory, one must at least reach the Dou Zun level." Yao Yan thought to himself, then stepped forward, the surrounding space distorted, and his figure instantly disappeared into the endless void.

An ordinary Dou Zong might not be able to go to Ancient Dragon Island unless they take a risk.

Yao Yan didn't have this worry. Although his control over spatial power was not yet sufficient for spatial travel, his soul power was strong enough, far surpassing some Dou Zun level experts, so he didn't need to worry about the risks of traveling through the void.

Even if they encounter something they cannot resist, they might simply tear through space to escape.

Enveloped in his soul power, Yao Yan traveled through the endless void following the coordinates. The scenery along the way reminded him of some things from back then. He wondered how Yao Nong was doing now. He knew that Yao Nong would surely be punished by the Yao Clan for what happened back then, but he should be out of danger.

After a moment, Yao Yan suppressed these distracting thoughts. With insufficient strength, thinking about these things was pointless.

One day, he will return to the Medicine Clan in all his glory.

Calming her mind, Yao Yan quickened her pace. The scenery before her was as dark as ever, devoid of any color except for the occasional flash of silver light. The darkness was enough to chill one to the bone. If she didn't have the coordinates in her hand, probably no one would enjoy traversing through it meaninglessly.

No, that's not right. The Ancient Dragon Clan of the Void seems to enjoy doing this kind of thing...

Time passed slowly, and after an unknown amount of time, the dragon jade in Yao Yan's hand suddenly trembled. The next moment, an enormous dragon shadow appeared in front of Yao Yan. It was pitch black, with scales that shimmered with a faint purple light. It lay there in the void, and with each breath, it caused the surrounding space to distort.

"brush!"

A dragon head, as large as a mountain, descended, its cold and violent eyes silently staring at him, while an invisible pressure instantly swept over him.

The oppressive force made Yao Yan feel as if a death star was flashing, and two jade tablets instantly appeared in his palm. If things were hopeless, he would have no choice but to call for help. His first choice would naturally be Xuan Yi and the others, and his second choice would be Hun Xuzi... However, once he called for Hun Xuzi, he would have no choice but to kill him to silence him.

"Human race?"

With a sound that shook the space, the massive ancient dragon in front of him was surrounded by a blackish-purple light. The next moment, a burly figure entered Yao Yan's field of vision.

The man, a man in his prime with broad shoulders and a burly build, exuding a fierce aura, scrutinized Yao Yan with interest. He paused slightly upon seeing the Pill Tower badge on Yao Yan's chest, then asked, "Boy, are you from the Pill Tower? And a Rank 8 alchemist at that?!"

As he said this, a hint of surprise appeared in his eyes. He clearly hadn't expected an eighth-grade alchemist from the Pill Tower to come here, especially since this eighth-grade alchemist was unusually young.

"Yes, I encountered an ancient dragon bear in the Dan Tower Realm and obtained the coordinates of Ancient Dragon Island from it, so I came here to try my luck." Yao Yan nodded and explained his purpose.

"Heh, you've got guts." The burly man chuckled, sizing up Yao Yan, and said, "What's up? We don't welcome outsiders here. You're lucky this time to have run into me. If it were any of those scum from other islands, you might have been captured and forced into hard labor... Tsk, an eighth-grade alchemist, I'm even a little tempted."

As he spoke, his gaze toward Yao Yan gradually became more intense. After all, the strength of this eighth-grade alchemist in front of him was too weak. He could easily capture him and keep him around to refine pills for him. Even if the other party tampered with the pills, the physique of the Taixu Ancient Dragon Clan would not be a problem, as long as there was enough energy.

"Are you sure? Actually, I have another identity. I am a member of the Medicine Clan. If the Ancient Dragon Clan of the Void doesn't mind going to war with the Medicine Clan, they can take me back." Yao Yan directly invoked the Medicine Clan's name, and the intimidation power of the word "Imperial Clan" was obviously more effective than that of the Pill Tower.

Medicine Clan?!

The burning desire in the burly man's eyes vanished instantly. He knew very well the domineering nature of those imperial clans. If this kid got into trouble here, given the Medicine Clan's protective instincts, they would definitely come to cause trouble. This was obviously not good news for the Taixu Ancient Dragon Clan.

What a hassle!

However, Yao Yan's words were full of threat, making him lose face: "Kid, you're using the Yao Clan to threaten me? You think I'm afraid of the Yao Clan?!"

“Of course you’re not afraid, senior, so I was just saying.” Yao Yan chuckled, giving both sides a way out.

The burly man's expression softened somewhat. He looked Yao Yan up and down again and asked, "Are you really a member of the Yao Clan?"

“That was true before, but I’ve joined the Pill Tower now.” Yao Yan omitted the middle part and continued, “I came to the Taixu Ancient Dragon Clan this time to find some pure dragon blood essence for alchemy. In exchange, I can refine some Grade 8 pills for the Taixu Ancient Dragon Clan.”

Upon hearing the first half of the sentence, the burly man was about to roar, but upon hearing the rest of Yao Yan's words, his anger instantly subsided, and his mouth even became dry. As a member of the Taixu Ancient Dragon Clan, he used to swallow medicinal herbs raw and had almost forgotten the taste of fine chaff.

"How much do you want?" The burly man's eyes flickered, and he immediately began making a deal with Yao Yan.

It's just a little bit of essence blood; he can afford to sell it, as long as Yao Yan can afford the price... He's never even met an eighth-grade alchemist before. In the past, when Dragon Island needed pills, it was always the old man who contacted the Yao Clan. That's why he held back his temper.

Selling blood is not shameful, because the clan elders had organized clansmen to sell blood before.

Otherwise, where do you think the dragon blood of the various imperial clans came from?

Each major family has a Dou Sheng-level expert. Compared to fighting and killing, peaceful trade is obviously better, allowing everyone to get what they need.

However, Yao Yan was unaware of this matter. He was also shocked when he heard the other party's words. He did not expect that the burly man in front of him would be so unscrupulous, selling his blood so decisively. However, considering the other party's huge body before, a little bit of essence blood did seem to be nothing.

“Three drops of essence blood are enough,” Yao Yan said directly, his eyes flashing slightly.

Just then, Yao Yan was planning to refine a Yin-Yang Profound Dragon Pill. With his current alchemy skills, he could completely upgrade Yao Lao's pill formula. For example, the essence blood of the Taixu Ancient Dragon in front of him was definitely of better quality than the magic core or essence blood of ordinary dragon beasts.

"Fine, but you have to refine three Rank 8 pills for me!" The burly man stared fiercely at Yao Yan and said in a deep voice.

“One.” Yao Yan shook his head and said calmly.

"No way, three! I'm an eight-star Dou Zun, and my true form is the Ancient Void Dragon. My essence blood is extremely precious. One? Are you trying to fob me off?!" The burly man said with a ferocious expression and an angry tone.

"One. Either we trade, or we give up. I believe there are members of the Ancient Dragon Clan who are willing to trade."

Yao Yan wasn't buying it and said calmly.

"Damn it!" The burly man was instantly silenced. He stared intently at Yao Yan, wanting to devour him, but the other party's special status made it impossible for him to do anything. Moreover, he had also noticed the jade pendant in the other party's hand, which meant that if he made a move, the other party would definitely call for help.

As for spatial sealing... this method is very effective against those below the Dou Sheng level, but it is obviously ineffective against Dou Sheng experts.

The two are not even on the same level.

Most importantly, he knew about his own clan's affairs. Those brats didn't have his backbone; a single Rank 8 pill was enough to make them sell a dragon leg.

"Ahem, I'll listen to you, brother. One is fine, just three drops of essence blood. I can afford it!" The burly man suddenly laughed, then changed the subject and said warmly, without feeling embarrassed at all. After a pause, he continued, "I haven't asked your name yet. My name is Hei Qing. I am currently an elder of Donglong Island, in charge of this area."

Black Engine?!

Yao Yan's eyes flickered slightly as he thought of some plot points from the original novel, but he didn't stop talking and continued to climb up the ladder provided by the other party: "Brother Yao Yan greets Brother Hei Qing."

Yao Yan... is indeed a member of the Yao clan.

Hei Qing's eyes grew even warmer. With Yao Yan's status as an eighth-grade alchemist, he was more than qualified to be his brother. As for saving face, beastmen weren't as pretentious as humans. He smiled and said, "This isn't the place to talk. Come on, let me take you to Dragon Island."

"Brother Hei Qing, don't you need to keep an eye on this area anymore?" Yao Yan asked.

"It's alright, we'll just have a little guy come over and keep an eye on things later," Hei Qing said with a chuckle. He then raised his hand and waved it, and a silver passage instantly condensed in the endless void in front of him, as if it led directly to another world.

Seeing the opponent's methods, Yao Yan couldn't help but admire the Taixu Ancient Dragon Clan's talent in space. Even a peak Nine-Turn Dou Zun might not be able to do something like this, which allows them to condense spatial wormholes at will.