Word Count: 2,941 Words
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A thunderous boom shook the air as the golden puppet drove its fist forward with the terrifying speed of a 2-star Dou Venerate. In that split second of lightning and flint, the punch carried overwhelming force that shredded space inch by inch. Light throughout the entire plaza seemed to distort and dim under this single strike. Countless onlookers felt their souls nearly flee their bodies at the sight of such devastation.
The entire plaza trembled. When everyone regained their senses, they saw that Xiao Yan had caught this world-ending punch with a single, empty hand. His left arm remained clasped casually behind his back while his right palm effortlessly blocked the strike, as if the terrifying force meant nothing at all.
It might as well have been a child's punch rather than that of a 2-star Dou Venerate.
"5-star... Dou Venerate?!"
"How is this possible!"
Venerable Lei, Elder Huang Xuan of the Heaven Demon Phoenix Tribe, and Tang Zhen all stood dumbfounded. The entire plaza fell into stunned silence.
Xiao Yan had used his Spiritual Strength to conceal his true strength. None of them had realized his strength had already reached the 5-star Dou Venerate stage, placing him on equal footing with experts like Huang Xuan and Tang Zhen!
'What a pity. If these were ten Sky Demon Puppets, that would have been a huge profit.' Xiao Yan merely smiled faintly. He hadn't even circulated his Dou Qi; he had caught the punch with raw physical strength alone.
His current physical strength already rivaled that of an early Rank 8 Ancient Void Dragon. A mere puppet truly posed no challenge.
Xiao Yan's palm gripped the puppet's fist like a prison. No matter how hard it struggled, it couldn't break free. A low hum resonated through the air. His eyes sharpened, and a wave of Spiritual Strength erupted from him. The might of his Heavenly State soul invaded the puppet almost instantly, tracing along the formation to replace all ten soul imprints with his own.
With a wave of his hand, all the puppets vanished into his storage ring.
"He actually subdued all the puppets that quickly?"
What truly shocked everyone was not that he had taken control of ten peak Dou Ancestor puppets, but rather his revealed 5-star Dou Venerate strength!
"That kid has actually reached 5-star Dou Venerate!" Hua Jin, the acting Sect Leader of the Flower Sect standing beside Yun Yun, could not hide the astonishment that flashed through her beautiful eyes.
She shot Yun Yun a cold look tinged with anger and snorted. "Hmph! And you kept saying you had no interest in the Flower Sect Leader position. So you'd already arranged backup. This 5-star Dou Venerate brat must be your lover."
Yun Yun's cheeks flushed prettily. "That's not true."
As for what exactly wasn't true, she didn't elaborate.
"A mere 5-star Dou Venerate is nothing. My man is a 6-star Dou Venerate. When the time comes, he'll cut your lover down with a single sword. We're leaving!" Hua Jin glanced sidelong at Xiao Yan before leading the two elders deeper into the ruin, abandoning Yun Yun.
The heavy door behind them naturally opened now that Xiao Yan had subdued the puppets. Countless people had already rushed into the great hall's depths, seeking treasure.
"You weren't really planning to face a 4-star and a 6-star Dou Venerate alone, were you?" Xiao Yan made no move to rush into the depths. Throughout this entire ruin, perhaps only two or three items would catch his eye, and such prizes wouldn't be easily found. Entering too early served no purpose; it was better to lag behind.
Yun Yun felt momentarily lost as he approached, her heart fluttering like a startled deer. Catching Nalan Yanran watching her, she raised a hand and said to him, "Stay there."
Xiao Yan hovered in midair, meeting her gaze. Yun Yun's eyes darted away as she stammered, "I... I wasn't thinking of going alone."
"You can't even lie properly," Xiao Yan complained. "Fine, fine. If you say so. In that case, there's no problem with me helping you, right?"
Yun Yun started to speak, but he cut her off with a teasing smile. "Besides, according to the Yan Alliance pact, if any member faction faces suppression or attack from external forces, the other members must form a joint defense. You haven't forgotten that, have you?"
"I—"
Xiao Yan spread his hands with a pitiful expression. "Alas, if the Sect Leader of the Misty Cloud Sect, one of the Yan Alliance's four founding factions, refuses to abide by the pact, it would ruin our credibility. The Yan Alliance might even disband. Then thousands upon thousands of Misty Cloud Sect disciples would be displaced and homeless, lonely and helpless. Ah, how tragic that would be."
When it came to sophistry, how could Yun Yun possibly match him? Within moments, he had argued her into speechlessness.
She finally glared at him helplessly. "Do as you please."
Xiao Yan brightened instantly. "Then come with us."
Yun Yun glanced from Nalan Yanran to the serene, elegant Little Fairy Doctor standing quietly atop the Little Lion King. As expected, she shook her head. "I'll be fine on my own. Don't worry, I won't compete for the Tian Class Dou Technique. I'll just search for some medicinal pills and treasures suitable for Yanran. I won't overextend myself."
Xiao Yan wasn't surprised. Yun Yun always placed others before herself. She probably felt guilty that Nalan Yanran had followed her for so long without gaining any significant opportunities, which was why she had agreed to come to this ancient ruin in the first place, to find some for her disciple.
"Master... Yanran will accompany you," Nalan Yanran said as she flew over.
"No, Yanran, you go with Xiao Yan. His strength is greater," Yun Yun replied, shaking her head.
As her master, how could she not see certain things?
"Fine, but on one condition: take these puppets with you." Xiao Yan waved his hand, releasing eleven puppets, including Xing Tian.
With the formation, they could likely match a 4-star Dou Venerate, more than enough to ensure her safety.
Warmth filled Yun Yun's heart as she saw the eleven puppets. She could only reluctantly agree. Without lingering, she flew through the doorway, leaving behind nothing but a faint, lingering fragrance.
Now only Xiao Yan's group remained in the plaza.
Xiao Yan watched Yun Yun's departing figure and sighed helplessly. But that was simply who she was. She wasn't being deceitful or putting on an act of self-sacrifice; she was genuinely like that.
"I thought you'd kill that Hua Jin outright," Venerable Tian Huo commented. He knew Xiao Yan's true strength well. Against the Flower Sect's lineup of one 4-star and two 5-star Dou Venerates, he could have slain Hua Jin effortlessly.
"Elder Yao is joking. Those are Flower Sect experts. Since a wager was made, we'll abide by it. The Flower Sect is one of the Two Sects, after all. Yun Yun becoming their leader would be a good thing for the Yan Alliance," Xiao Yan said with a faint smile.
It seemed he would indeed need to pay a visit to the Flower Sect.
"Let's go." Xiao Yan waved his hand, and the Little Lion King carried them all through the great door.
The group moved quickly, plunging through the stone door almost instantaneously. They slowed their pace once inside, staring in amazement at the sight before them.
What greeted them was a colossal hall, so vast it made them feel incredibly small by comparison. Looking around, they noticed numerous deep corridors extending from the hall's perimeter, leading to unknown destinations.
"It seems this great hall branches into multiple areas," Hai Bodong observed, his brows furrowed as he studied the corridors.
Xiao Yan swept the area with his Spiritual Strength, then revealed a meaningful smile. Pointing to one of the passages, he said, "We'll take that one."
Everyone looked at him curiously. Nalan Yanran asked, "Do you know which way to go?"
"Not at all." Xiao Yan shrugged with a grin. "But someone's leading the way for us."
This response left everyone confused, not understanding his meaning. But trusting his judgment, they raised no objections and followed his direction.
The hall's corridors were incredibly spacious; the few of them flying through were like small birds. Along the way, they encountered other experts seeking treasure, but Xiao Yan's group paid them no mind.
Tall pavilions occasionally appeared, and swarms of people would ransack them like bandits, searching every inch. Though the behavior was savage, some lucky individuals did find Qi Methods and Dou Techniques. The grades weren't very high—the best barely reached Low Di Class—but even so, those who found treasures drew envious glances from others.
Generally, those below Dou Venerate focused on finding such scraps rather than aiming for the Dou Saint's inheritance.
The Little Lion King followed Xiao Yan's directions. After roughly ten minutes of flight, they finally reached a massive stone door.
The door appeared incredibly ancient, with moss climbing over its surface in thick patches. The dark green color evoked a profound sense of the passage of time. Though the door was tightly shut, Xiao Yan knew someone had already entered, deliberately closing it behind them and even leaving a sealing formation.
"This should be it. Those guys have some methods. There's a faint scent of medicinal herbs here." Xiao Yan smiled as he waved his hand. His Heavenly State soul easily dispelled the defensive formation.
"The herb scent is quite fresh." Little Fairy Doctor's nose twitched slightly as excitement flashed in her beautiful eyes.
With a low rumble, the heavy, moss-covered door slowly gave way under his push. A thick, fragrant medicinal aroma, sealed away for countless years, surged out immediately, invigorating everyone who breathed it in.
Smelling this fragrance, joy flashed through Xiao Yan's eyes. He increased the force in his hands, pushing the stone door completely open.
The instant the door opened fully, dazzling, brilliant light shot out from within, causing them to narrow their eyes and quickly take two steps back. The Dou Qi in their bodies began circulating rapidly, ready for any sudden situation.
The light gradually weakened, and their eyes opened again. Then, they all sucked in a sharp breath of cold air.
Beyond the stone door was not the stone chamber they had imagined, but a forest... an ancient forest constructed entirely from all kinds of rare medicinal ingredients!
"Wow..." Even the typically composed Little Fairy Doctor couldn't help but exclaim at the sight revealed through the narrow opening.
"How amazing. It's all precious medicinal ingredients." Even Nalan Yanran, who wasn't an alchemist, understood the significance of what lay beyond the door.
Let alone Xiao Yan, an alchemist. This was nothing short of a treasure trove.
"This life... was worth preserving," he murmured to himself.
"Look, there seems to be something over there!"
"Quick, something good has been found!"
Xiao Yan's actions naturally drew the attention of others in the corridor, who began flying toward the doorway.
Cold light flashed through Xiao Yan's eyes as he sensed their approach. The moment he opened this door, everything inside belonged to him!
"Hmph!" Xiao Yan circulated his Dou Qi and activated the Ancient Dragon Roar. His cold snort resounded like a dragon's roar, rolling like thunder through the entire corridor.
Puff puff puff!
Some of the closer Dou Emperors and Dou Ancestors spat out blood, staring at Xiao Yan in astonishment. A mere cold snort possessed such terrifying power!
"This place was discovered by my Yan Alliance. Trespassers will die!" Xiao Yan tossed out a Yan Alliance flag and planted it in the ground. The flag radiated the pressure of a 5-star Dou Venerate.
Absolutely domineering!
This kind of practice wasn't uncommon. When powerful factions discovered a treasure land, they often did this. Unless one had the strength to contend with them, ordinary wandering cultivators and small factions would generally detour and search elsewhere.
Many of the cultivators gnashed their teeth at his actions, but they had no recourse. After all, everyone had just witnessed his strength firsthand.
A 5-star Dou Venerate was undoubtedly among the strongest present.
There had been many corridors visible from outside. From the start, the top-tier factions like the Nine Serene Deep Ground Python Tribe and the Burning Flame Valley had maintained a tacit understanding to each take a separate path, not competing with each other. It was equivalent to carving up the entire ruin first, before competing for Saint Zhao Hua's inheritance.
After intimidating everyone, Xiao Yan's group entered and closed the door behind them with a heavy thud.
"Damn it! I just caught a whiff of medicinal fragrance. There must be a lot of herbs in there!"
"What's the use? That's the Yan Alliance. Do you want to make enemies of them?"
"Forget it. Xiao Yan is the Pill Gathering champion after all. It's normal for him to want medicinal ingredients, and they aren't much use to us anyway. It's good enough he's not competing with us for Qi Methods, Dou Techniques, or Monster Cores. Let's just keep searching for those."
Xiao Yan hadn't been ruthless. He hadn't even entered the pavilions containing Qi Methods and Dou Techniques or the small halls storing weapons he'd passed. He would eat the meat but leave some soup for others.
But if someone tried to compete for his meat, they were finished.
Once inside, Xiao Yan had to admit his amazement. This ancient medicinal herb forest was even more astonishing than the Ten Thousand Medicinal Mountain Range in the Pill Realm.
If Xiong Zhan's medicinal plaza, which contained all the top-grade herbs from the Ten Thousand Medicinal Mountain Range, were placed here, it would be like a single hair from a bull!
"The natural energy here is incredibly dense. This great hall sits atop the Bone Mountain Range, absorbing the earth vein power and channeling it all here," Little Fairy Doctor observed. The herb forest reminded her of her own small valley.
The only difference was that her small valley had formed naturally, while this ancient medicinal herb forest had been created by artificially directing all the earth vein power to form this special environment.
Xiao Yan smiled at the envious look on her face. "Don't worry. I'll package it all up for you later."
"Huh?" Little Fairy Doctor's eyes opened wide in surprise. How could he possibly package all this?!
She was not interested in worldly affairs, so it's no surprise she was unaware that he had once packaged a whole small world and taken it with him.
Xiao Yan just smiled mysteriously, deliberately keeping her in suspense, which earned him a glare from her.
Xiao Yan's Spiritual Strength swept out and detected some soul traces. However, he was not in a hurry. He sensed that the other party was still moving, meaning they had not yet reached their destination.
This ancient forest was not small. Even traveling at high speed, they had not reached its end after nearly ten minutes. This showed how grand the handiwork of that ancient Dou Saint was.
Along the way, though they discovered quite a few fine items, none reached a level that made Xiao Yan covet them. These things were all his anyway, so there was no rush.
"Eh? A Soul Baby Demon Tree?" Xiao Yan suddenly spotted a peculiar fruit tree.
In the distance was a lake about hundred feet wide. The water was abnormally clear, yet one could not see the bottom. In the lake's center was a small floating patch of land, like an island, upon which grew a tree with an extremely bizarre shape.
The small tree was completely grayish-silver. Its intertwining branches resembled vines. These branches extended and outlined to form a strange arc. From a distance, the tree's posture resembled that of a pregnant woman with a large belly. And within the 'belly' formed by the dense branches, a faint golden light was overflowing.
"This must be the grand prize of this ancient medicinal forest." Venerable Tian Huo was amazed. This was not just one fruit, but an entire fruit tree!
Nurturing such a heavenly treasure would likely take a thousand years and require an immense amount of natural energy and Spiritual Strength.
After their long journey, this Soul Baby Demon Tree was the most precious discovery yet.
"There's a peak Rank 7 flood dragon beneath the surface."
No sooner had Xiao Yan spoken than the calm lake erupted with monstrous waves. A huge shadow rapidly surfaced, and with a great splash, it broke through the water. Its massive eyes flashed with a vicious glint as it scanned its surroundings.
Venerable Tian Huo's eyes showed surprise. "A Heaven Reaching Semi-Dragon. This type of semi-dragon went extinct long ago. I didn't expect to find one here."
Xiao Yan nodded. Although this Heaven Reaching Semi-Dragon's bloodline was inferior to the Ancient Void Dragon's, it was much stronger than the Jia Ma Empire's imperial family's Serene Sea Scaly Beast.
"Let's collect the Soul Baby Demon Tree first, lest this Heaven Reaching Semi-Dragon destroy it."
Just as Xiao Yan was about to instantly kill the Heaven Reaching Semi-Dragon, Hai Bodong suddenly spoke. "Hehe, in that case, let this old man handle it."
Under everyone's dumbfounded stares, Hai Bodong clasped his hands behind his back. An ice staircase materialized in the sky. The temperature throughout the surrounding space plummeted as ice flowers began drifting down!
Hai Bodong descended step by measured step, his frigid gaze fixed on the Heaven Reaching Semi-Dragon below. "It's been far too long since I've felt this refreshed."