Breaking the Masked Man

After only a moment of contemplation, Yao Yan suddenly gripped the jade tablet, and a surge of powerful soul energy emanated from between his brows, sealing off the surrounding void before activating the jade tablet.

"Om~"

The moment Yao Yan's soul power entered the jade tablet, it trembled instantly, and a jet-black flame appeared, swallowing all fluctuations and energy, as if it were in another void. Accompanied by the surging black flame, a figure with crimson eyes appeared in front of Yao Yan.

There was no aura or pressure, but just by standing there, one could feel a sense of oppression.

"Master!" Yao Yan stood up to greet him and bowed respectfully.

"Nine-star Dou Zong peak? Your cultivation speed is quite fast~" Hun Xuzi glanced at Yao Yan and instantly judged Yao Yan's strength. He chuckled. He was very satisfied that Yao Yan could improve his strength so quickly without his support.

Compared to Yao Yan, those few prodigies in the Soul Clan who are praised to the skies seem to be nothing special. It will probably be quite interesting when they meet Yao Yan.

Yao Yan obediently lowered his head, letting Hun Xuzi scrutinize him.

Hun Xuzi nodded slightly and said calmly, "You suddenly contacted your master. Is there some trouble you've encountered?"

"Today, I accompanied the three giants of the Pill Tower to take a look at the Three Thousand Burning Flames. Its main body is extremely large and its strength is far beyond what I can handle at present. According to the Pill Tower, they are willing to help me extract the main body of the Three Thousand Burning Flames, but I must exchange it for ten Grade 8 pills of seven colors or higher... I have calculated that even with good luck, it will take three years!" Yao Yan said in a deep voice.

"Ten Grade 8 pills with seven or more colors? Ha, those old foxes in the Pill Tower really don't want to do unprofitable business." Hun Xuzi sneered, then continued, "I've also seen the Three Thousand Burning Flames. It has long been raised by the Pill Tower into a ferocious beast. If the seal is completely broken, even a half-saint would feel a headache at its peak."

Different flames are different from human flames. Their power depends on their own accumulation. The Three Thousand Burning Flames accumulated power in the starry sky for thousands of years without any loss. This shows how much it has grown. Only the Pill Tower, with its wealth and many powerful figures, can seal it in the star field. Any other force would have blown it up long ago.

He paused, then looked at Yao Yan, a faint red glint in his eyes, and said in a sinister tone, "If you don't want to wait these three years, there's a way. I'll have the Soul Hall cooperate with you to break all the seals on the Three Thousand Burning Flames. Then, the Pill Tower will send powerful experts to deal with it. Given the ferocity of the Three Thousand Burning Flames, it will definitely wreak havoc in Holy Pill City... Don't worry about the Pill Tower's Dou Sheng; I'll send Dou Sheng to keep an eye on them. You just need to wait. Once the Three Thousand Burning Flames' true form is forced out, you can join forces with the Soul Hall to take it away... It's a pity that the Little Pill Tower has many seals set up inside, otherwise I really would like to plunder the Pill Tower's treasure vault as well!"

"Teacher, isn't this making a bit too much noise?" Yao Yan said with some concern.

"My dear disciple, you may not know what the Soul Clan means... Remember, you are my disciple, Soul Void Child. In the Dou Qi Continent, you don't need to worry about anything. The so-called Soul Palace is nothing more than a dog that my clan keeps on the outside world, hehehe~"

Hun Xuzi let out a strange laugh, his voice arrogant and indifferent, revealing an attitude of regarding all things as mere straw dogs.

"I will do as you wish, teacher," Yao Yan said with a faint smile and cupped her hands in greeting.

At this moment, he felt no reluctance, because he was not on the same side as Yao Lao, Dan Ta, and others. Once the bloodline of the Devouring Spirit Clan was exposed, only the Soul Clan could protect him. If even the Soul Clan was hostile to him, then he would truly be an enemy of the world, with nowhere to hide.

Although the daily life with Yao Lao and others was very comfortable and warm, dreams eventually come to an end.

To become stronger, you always have to give up something; no one can have it all.

"Not bad eyes~" Hun Xuzi was very satisfied with Yao Yan's eyes. He appreciated Yao Yan's unhesitating agreement even more. A strong person should have the demeanor of a strong person. If you always associate with some ants, you will eventually become an ant yourself.

He continued, "Once things are settled here, I will personally escort you back to the Soul Clan. With your strength, there's no need for you to continue training in the outside world!"

“Okay!” Yao Yan nodded in agreement.

Hun Xuzi nodded, his figure transforming into a wisp of flame and disappearing into the jade tablet.

Yao Yan's hand holding the jade pendant tightened slightly, his eyes turned slightly cold, and he suppressed all his emotions. Morality, bottom line, family ties... Only the living have the right to discuss these things. When have the weak ever had the right to enjoy these things? Do you expect those strong people who can slap you to death to pity you?

The strong and the weak never empathize with each other.

As for waiting three years... he was afraid he couldn't afford to wait; the soft-heartedness and kindness of the weak are never worth mentioning.

"In the end, we will have to go our separate ways." Yao Yan suddenly felt a little fortunate that Yao Lao and the others had chosen to go into seclusion. If they had all come out of seclusion, he might have really had a headache, because he was not sure he could actually take action against them.

Yao Yan withdrew the soul power that covered the surroundings and prepared to go to Saint Pill City to raise the bounty price. He needed to refine the pill as soon as possible.

……

……

Zhongzhou, Northern Territory.

The Soul Palace and the Heavenly Palace.

A magnificent hall nestled deep in the mountains suddenly emitted several terrifying auras. The mere glimpse of these auras caused the energy of heaven and earth to pause, as if it could not withstand the pressure.

As a figure appeared on the high platform, more than a dozen figures around him rose and bowed in greeting: "Palace Master!"

"A disciple of one of our clansmen is plotting to seize the Three Thousand Burning Flames from the Pill Tower. We need the cooperation of the Soul Hall. The Vice Hall Master and several Celestial Venerables need to make a trip to help him break the seal on the Three Thousand Burning Flames and bring it back to our clan." The middle-aged man on the high platform slowly opened his eyes, his calm eyes devoid of any emotional fluctuation, and spoke indifferently.

"Palace Master, should we escalate this further? There are quite a few alchemists in the Pill Tower." The Vice Palace Master, a man with a cold and sinister appearance, asked in a low voice.

"Don't go too far. For now, we should focus on lying low. It's not time to go to war with the Pill Tower yet... If that lord hadn't personally spoken up, I wouldn't have agreed!" Hun Miesheng shook his head slightly and said calmly.

Priorities must be clearly distinguished. The Soul Palace has not yet completed its grand plan for the clan, so everything should naturally follow the original plan. As for dirty work like this, Soul Extinction would not have bothered unless Soul Void personally spoke up.

Since Hun Xuzi is the chief alchemist of the Soul Clan, his ability to improve his strength depends on the other party's attitude.

Once one's strength reaches the level of a Dou Sheng, each small advancement requires a massive amount of energy. Relying solely on one's own cultivation would take an extremely long time to accumulate, measured in centuries. To bypass this process, one can only rely on ninth-grade pills. However, the number of ninth-grade alchemists in the world is extremely rare, and they are all at odds with the Soul Clan. Those who understand, understand.

This also makes Hun Xuzi's status in the Soul Clan transcendent, almost irreplaceable.

"That's a real pity," the Great Celestial Venerable said wistfully.

“There are plenty of opportunities. There’s no need to keep focusing on the Pill Tower. There are plenty of alchemists outside too… It’s a pity we can’t take action against the Medicine Clan. They have so many alchemists there.” A Celestial Venerable sighed. Once you reach their level of strength, there are not many secrets left in this world. The Imperial Clan is naturally no stranger to them.

"We'll make our move against them sooner or later!" another Celestial Venerable said coldly, seemingly disliking the Medicine Clan.

Hun Miesheng did not stop the group from communicating. The Soul Palace was originally a lackey raised by the Soul Clan, specializing in doing dirty and tiring work. It was the most notorious force in the entire Dou Qi Continent. Even the major imperial clans were extremely hostile to it and even secretly supported the Pill Tower.

The major imperial clans have always been like this, never personally getting involved, living in their own realms, detached from the world.

"Get ready, everyone. Try to keep things quiet. Those above the Dou Sheng level should avoid making a move if possible. This rule cannot be broken, at least not now!" Hun Miesheng interrupted the idle chatter and solemnly instructed.

Once someone above the Dou Sheng level makes a move, the commotion will be enormous, attracting the attention of even the major imperial clans, which will cause considerable trouble.

"Understood. I will keep a close eye on those old guys in the Pill Tower!"

"Count me in, I haven't chatted with them in ages, hehehe~"

For a moment, the entire hall was like a ghost town, with strange laughter rising and falling.

……

While the Soul Palace was making preparations, Yao Yan had also collected all the necessary medicinal materials. Being in Saint Pill City, as long as one could afford a few, there was almost no medicinal material that could not be bought here, even some nearly extinct medicinal materials.

"The demon core of the eighth-tier Xuanbing Toad King, the life-severing grass, the Yin-Yang extinction fruit... I've finally collected all the ingredients for refining the Seven Absolute Pill!" Yao Yan looked at the ingredients in front of him and sighed softly.

The Seven Deadly Pills are a high-grade eighth-rank pill made from seven extremely yin-attribute materials. They can sever all life force, including energy and strange fire. They are a pill specifically designed to assist in cultivation or the refining of strange fire, and can suppress the indestructible attribute of the Three Thousand Burning Flames.

"Let's begin~" Yao Yan casually tossed the refined medicinal herbs into the Myriad Beasts Cauldron. As the azure flames rose, each precious herb transformed into a crystalline droplet, radiating bursts of energy that collided with the Myriad Beasts Cauldron.

Yao Yan remained focused, extracting the ingredients with unwavering concentration.

Time seemed to speed up at this moment... (End of Chapter)

Chapter 248 We, the Heavenly Venerables of the Soul Palace, greet Young Master!

Half a month later, a jet-black nascent pill was formed and floated in the azure fusion flame, emitting an extremely cold aura. Even the surrounding flames dimmed a bit. As it took shape, the pill lightning that never fails to appear in the sky also appeared, and the terrifying thunderous pressure shook the world.

However, it did not wreak havoc for long.

Just as the seven-colored thunderclouds were mostly formed, an invisible giant hand pressed down, shattering the massive thunderclouds.

Yao Yan knew that Xuan Yi had made his move. His alchemy courtyard was not far from Xuan Yi's residence, so it was normal for the other party to make a move when he saw the seven-colored thundercloud. After all, the pill thunder had reached this level, which had exceeded the limit that the Heavenly Demon Puppet could withstand. Once it rampaged down, it would surely smash this world to pieces.

"Hey~"

The Seven Deadly Pills possessed extremely strong spirituality as soon as they were refined. As if aware of its own destiny, it directly broke through space, attempting to escape Yao Yan's control.

Seeing this, Yao Yan's lips curled slightly. When refining such high-grade pills, he would naturally have a backup plan. This move was learned from Yao Lao to prevent such highly spiritual pills from escaping. Don't think that these pills are not a threat just because they have just been formed. Some special pills have remarkable abilities as soon as they are born, and they can even reach the strength of Dou Zong or Dou Zun after a little growth.

"Buzz~" Dozens of sky-blue flame threads suddenly exploded in a void, simultaneously freezing the Seven Absolute Pill that had just escaped the Myriad Beasts Cauldron in place.

"Destroy~"

Yao Yan did not give the other party a chance to take human form. He directly used the method of collecting pills to destroy its intelligence. As his lips moved slightly, the thin flames around him disappeared into the Seven Absolute Pill one after another, like a large net, binding it tightly. There were even some sounds of soul annihilation coming from within it.

Yao Yan felt nothing about this; alchemists wouldn't pity the pills they concocted.

Of course, those who have been together for a long time are another matter.

He raised his hand and absorbed the Seven Deadly Pills into his palm. Then, as if he had prepared them beforehand, he looked at the Seven Deadly Pills he had successfully refined, a hint of coldness flashing in his eyes.

A moment later, Yao Yan got up and walked out of the house. Xuan Yi and Xuan Kongzi were already standing outside, both of them looking at Yao Yan with smiles on their faces. A high-level eighth-grade alchemist like Yao Yan, who could frequently refine eighth-grade pills and maintain an extremely high success rate, was really too rare.

Xuan Kongzi and Xuan Yi didn't have such abilities when they were young.

"It seems everything is going smoothly~" Xuan Kongzi stroked his white beard and looked at Yao Yan with a smile, as if he were looking at a junior of his own.

"Don't stay in the house all day refining pills. You can go out and explore when you have time. There are many interesting things in this world besides refining pills." Xuan Yi's gaze was incredibly gentle as she softly advised. Looking at Yao Yan, she seemed to see a younger version of Yao Chen. That old man was just like that when he was young, doing nothing but refining pills, almost to the point of neglecting to eat and sleep.

Yao Yan has been working on this for a while now. In just over three months, he has refined four Grade 8 pills, a terrifying efficiency.

"Aunt Xuan, what brings you here?" Yao Yan asked the two of them with some surprise.

"If you hadn't come, were you still planning to continue refining pills?" Xuan Yi said softly.

"I plan to rest for a few days," Yao Yan shook her head.

“Perfect timing… There’s an eighth-rank Dou Zun who wants to refine a high-grade eighth-rank pill. He specifically asked you to refine it. Are you interested? The reward is quite substantial~” Xuan Kongzi asked Yao Yan with a smile.

Yao Yan's eyes flickered slightly, and he nodded in response: "Let's see what kind of pills he wants to refine first. If it's beyond my ability, then I can only apologize."

“That’s natural.” Xuan Kongzi nodded in response. He was also very curious as to why the other party had approached Yao Yan, but since it was the other party’s wish, he obviously didn’t need to ask any more questions. Most importantly, being in the Pill Tower, he wasn’t afraid that the other party might have any ulterior motives.

Throughout the entire Central Continent, apart from the Soul Palace, the Pill Tower fears no other power.

"President, please wait a moment. I'll go in and tidy up." Yao Yan said politely to Xuan Kongzi before turning around and going back into the house.

A moment later, he came out again and left the Little Pill Tower domain with Xuan Kongzi. When he reappeared, he was standing on the top floor of the Pill Tower, overlooking the entire Holy Pill City. The towering Pill Tower seemed to connect heaven and earth.

A man in black robes was standing among them. When Yao Yan and Xuan Kongzi appeared, his gaze was instantly fixed on Yao Yan.

"Is this young friend the newly promoted eighth-grade advanced alchemist of the Pill Tower?" His voice was hoarse, tinged with curiosity.