Chapter 213: Preparing a Gift?
On the top of Tianmu Mountain, bizarre rocks stood tall.
As soon as Yao Yan entered the mountaintop area, he noticed the mist around him dissipate, replaced by a very dense energy tide. It gathered in the sky, emanating a terrifying energy pressure that sent a chill down his spine.
However, the energy tide seemed to be in a gathering state and had not fully consolidated yet. It was emitting a faint, colorful, ethereal glow.
"This place really is unique," Yao Yan's eyes flickered as he looked toward the volcano's crater. He was curious whether there was something hidden inside the volcano, but that thought quickly faded. Since Pill Master had studied it back in the day, it meant this was just a naturally formed area, and there were no special opportunities hidden within.
If it were related to a Dou Sheng or Dou Di, it wouldn't have been controlled by the Golden Rat Clan all this time.
Yao Yan followed Jin Gu toward the crater. As they got closer, the surrounding energy began to turn fiery, and just a slight absorption of this energy caused a burning sensation in his meridians, similar to the Heavenly Burning Refining Tower.
Soon, the two arrived at the mountaintop.
At the top of the mountain, an elder in gray robes was waiting. His face was more upright than Jin Gu's, and he smiled at Yao Yan, saying, "I am Jin Shi, the patriarch of the Golden Rat Clan. I've already heard of your arrival. I never expected the Pill Master to be safe and sound. This is likely going to shock quite a few people."
As he spoke, he laughed, as if he was familiar with Pill Master.
"I contacted the patriarch beforehand. This is one of our Golden Rat Clan's special abilities. We usually handle information gathering. If you ever need anything in the future, you can come to us," Jin Gu eagerly promoted the idea to Yao Yan. The person was a descendant of the Pill Master, and given his young age and exceptional abilities, including his possession of heavenly flame, it was clear that he was also an alchemist. Building a good relationship with him would be beneficial for the Golden Rat Clan.
"Could you help me gather information on the Taixu Gu Dragon Clan?" Yao Yan asked.
"Taixu Gu Dragon?!"
As soon as Yao Yan spoke, both Jin Shi and Jin Gu were taken aback, their expressions changing drastically. They had not expected this young human man to speak so boldly. The Taixu Gu Dragon Clan was an absolute ruler in the magical beast world. Even though the magical beast world now boasted three major clans, it was only because the Taixu Gu Dragon Clan had withdrawn. Otherwise, the other two clans wouldn't have amounted to much.
Yao Yan, observing their reactions, asked curiously, "Is it difficult?"
"May I ask why you are looking for information on this clan?" Jin Shi asked after a moment of silence.
"I'm just curious. The Taixu Gu Dragon Clan has been silent for many years, and I'd like to know if you can find any news about them. If not, that's fine," Yao Yan responded casually.
The curiosity of a young master... Jin Shi and Jin Gu exchanged a glance, understanding that the young man's curiosity was quite normal.
After thinking for a while, Jin Shi slowly said, "The Taixu Gu Dragon Clan was once the overlord of the magical beast world. The information about them doesn't come cheap… If it's just some basic news, I can give it to you for free."
"No, I don't like owing people favors, and I believe free things are usually not that good," Yao Yan replied, pretending to be generous, acting very much like a rich young master.
"Do you have any methods to remove fire poison?" Jin Shi's eyes flashed, and his tone became slightly urgent as he asked.
He didn't want to waste the Pill Master's favor so easily. If he could get a solution from Yao Yan, he could save the favor for when he would need it to break through to Dou Zun.
"Yes, I have a seventh-grade pill recipe that can perfectly remove fire poison," Yao Yan said, raising his hand and tossing over a pill recipe.
Jin Shi caught the recipe, his expression growing excited, but he quickly suppressed his emotions. After all, just having the recipe wasn't enough. To refine a seventh-grade pill, they would need a seventh-grade alchemist, and the cost would be high enough to make the Golden Rat Clan spend quite a bit.
He thought for a moment before looking up at Yao Yan and asking, "Young master, can you refine it yourself?"
"Naturally," Yao Yan nodded.
Jin Shi was overjoyed and immediately said, "Young master, if you go into seclusion, I will prepare the medicinal materials. As for the information you need, I will send someone to gather the latest news to ensure its accuracy… Is there anything else you need to inquire about?"
"No, I'll go into seclusion first. The sooner I break through to Dou Zong, the more control I will have when refining pills for you," Yao Yan said with a light smile.
"Yes, young master," Jin Shi nodded, then took out a dark golden skull from his spatial ring and handed it to Yao Yan, "There is a spatial barrier under the Heavenly Mountain Blood Pool that our Golden Rat Clan set up. You must use this to enter."
"Mm," Yao Yan took the skull, turned into a streak of light, and flew toward the volcano.
Since it hadn't yet reached the three-year mark, the blood pool at the volcano's mouth was still shallow, and the fire poison was even more intense than before. However, this obviously didn't stop Yao Yan, who had multiple heavenly flames. His body was covered in sky-blue flames as he plunged into the pool, disappearing from view.
"Sky-blue... Is there such a color in heavenly flames?" Jin Shi said in surprise as he watched.
"I don't know... but this kid's heavenly flames are indeed terrifying. My men were all frightened," Jin Gu said with a serious expression, no longer resembling his previous lecherous self. His voice was deep as he spoke.
"The descendant of that one, it's only natural for him to be special... I just didn't expect the Pill Master to still be alive," Jin Shi remarked with a sigh.
"Whether he's alive or not has nothing to do with us. The Hun Palace isn't to be trifled with, and it's deeply connected to that clan. We can't provoke them," Jin Gu said with a calm expression.
"Power... If our clan were stronger, we wouldn't have to endure this. But sadly, after losing so many clan members, we now let outsiders benefit," Jin Shi said helplessly.
"Forget it. That place is nothing but trouble. With your power, you almost fell into it. Keep cultivating, I don't think you'll last much longer," Jin Gu said bluntly.
"No choice. My strength is not enough to suppress the fire poison within. To improve quickly, I can only go deeper into the blood pool..."
Jin Shi laughed bitterly. Since that one time driven by greed, he couldn't stop, as though he were bewitched.
"Our clan relies on the Heavenly Mountain Blood Pool. Sooner or later, a gifted junior will break through to Dou Zun. There's no need to rush, take it slowly," Jin Gu said slowly. He clearly understood that pushing ahead without the necessary talent would only lead to self-destruction.
Jin Shi remained silent, unwilling to settle for Dou Zong. His goal had always been Dou Zun. Only with Dou Zun status could one stand tall in the Central Plains without having to look at others' faces.
...
The moment Yao Yan dove into the blood pool.
He immediately felt a terrifyingly pure energy, enveloping his body like flowing water. It seemed that just by circulating his cultivation technique, his meridians would be instantly filled. He had never encountered such pure energy before.
However, these energies contained faint traces of blood, which was the so-called fire poison. If it couldn't be removed, it would cling to the body like parasites. If the amount increased, it would turn into a horrifying poison that could even erode the bones.
"A more powerful version of the Heavenly Burning Refining Tower..." Yao Yan's eyes flickered as he looked at the glowing skull in his hand. Then, his back sprouted bone wings, and with a flash, he shot toward the deepest part of the pool.
The deeper he went, the darker the red color became, and the fire poison intensified. This fire poison wasn't naturally contained in the energy; it was emanated from the volcano.
The Heavenly Mountain Blood Pool was located at the heart of the volcano's crater, and the fire poison that had been leaking out for years was truly terrifying.
The sky-blue flame surrounded his body, and the deep red energy around him was completely evaporated, turning into threads of pure energy that flowed into his body, strengthening his aura at a terrifying rate. But this was still far from the limit of this place.
He continued descending for a few more minutes, and the dark golden skull in his hand suddenly became scorching hot. Before him, a unique space appeared, seemingly a part of the area separated from this place.
Clearly, this was the spatial barrier mentioned by the patriarch of the Golden Rat Clan.
Yao Yan placed the skull against it, and soon a passage large enough for one person to pass through appeared. With a flash, he entered.
As he entered, crackling sounds surrounded him, and the air was filled with thick, dark red liquid. The fire poison here was several times more intense than the outer layers. But as the fire poison was purified, the dark red energy flowed into Yao Yan's body, instantly adding a vast amount of pure energy into his limbs, enhancing his aura.
"This is a good place!" Yao Yan's eyes flashed, and he couldn't help but sincerely praise.
He immediately stopped admiring the surroundings and took out the Green Lotus Heartfire's lotus platform from his spatial ring. He sat down and began absorbing the surrounding energy with full force. As he fully unleashed, the sky-blue flames in his body erupted, connecting with the lotus platform and starting to inhale the surrounding energy, purifying the fire poison, and pouring the purified energy into his body.
With this immense energy flowing into his body, Yao Yan could clearly feel his body and Dou Qi rapidly increasing. The body-tempering effect of the dark red energy was still effective, and his power grew at an astonishing rate.
The pleasure of rapid progress in strength was intoxicating.
This was his first time fully unleashing his cultivation, and it felt incredibly smooth.
As Yao Yan fell into cultivation, a massive black hole seemed to form around his body, wildly devouring the surrounding energy. The fire poison, which even Dou Zongs would fear, was now like an accessory and was completely devoured by the Green Lotus, making its color even more vibrant.
...
...
In the dim space, a black flame suddenly tore through the air and turned into a figure. As the figure appeared, the entire space seemed to freeze.
"What is it?" The figure's voice was extremely cold, without a hint of emotion.
"Master, the young master has entered the Central Plains, currently in the Tianmu Mountain Range in the northern region. If nothing goes wrong, the young master is probably seeking an opportunity to break through to Dou Zong."
Upon hearing this, the black flames surrounding the figure trembled slightly, as though disturbed by this news. The figure's kneeling followers became even more reverent.
"He's about to break through to Dou Zong? His speed is impressive. It seems I need to prepare a gift for him. I hope he will like it."
"Hehe~"
(END CHAPTER)
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