Chapter 217: Heading to the Pill Tower
"Whoosh~"
With a ripple in space, Yao Yan's figure swiftly darted through the space like a fish. Although he could not tear the fabric of space for long-distance teleportation, his speed now was many times faster than before. This was the benefit brought by his control over spatial force. As his strength grew, distances would gradually become irrelevant.
In just a few moments, Yao Yan appeared outside the Tianmu Mountain Range. A surge of his immense Hun power swept through the area, covering everything within a radius of several dozen miles. It all entered his mind without any difficulty, and he could expand it even further if needed.
"Did it work?!"
With a hearty laugh, Feng Zun appeared by Yao Yan's side. He gazed at Yao Yan with a mixture of surprise and curiosity.
At this moment, the aura emanating from Yao Yan was incredibly powerful, far surpassing what an ordinary Dou Zong could achieve.
And his Hun power... even Feng Zun, a Dou Zun, felt a bit of pressure from it.
Thinking about Yao Yan's age, Feng Zun couldn't help but be amazed. Just as his old friend had said, Yao Yan's talent in alchemy was even greater than his talent in cultivation. Especially the rate at which his Hun power was growing, it was truly mind-boggling.
Most alchemists' Hun power would hardly grow much, even by the time they died. But Yao Yan's Hun power seemed boundless, always in a state of rapid growth.
When Yao Yan had first met Yaolao, he was just a young boy barely entering the Spirit Realm.
In just a few years...
Yao Yan had already reached the Heavenly Realm level.
This kind of Hun talent was truly shocking.
"Luck~" Yao Yan gave a humble smile, quickly retracting the Hun power he had released. He then felt the Dou Qi within him, and the sense of comfort was indescribable. Especially since the speed of his strength growth hadn't slowed down after his breakthrough to Dou Zong, it had actually increased exponentially.
Perhaps his breakthrough to Dou Zun would happen sooner than he thought.
"Stop being modest, if this is luck, then no one else would need to seek breakthroughs." Feng Zun smiled slightly, "But this time, your breakthrough made quite a big noise. The energy from the Heavenly Mountain Blood Pool was almost completely drained by you. The Blood Pool can't open this year; I'll need to deal with it."
Feng Zun lightly stroked his beard, his face showing a bit of amusement as he spoke.
"Sorry for the trouble, Senior Feng!" Yao Yan cupped his hands respectfully.
"Not trouble at all. But I am curious about your current strength... How many stars are you at in Dou Zong?" Feng Zun glanced up and down at Yao Yan, his curiosity piqued. Over the past year, Yao Yan had transformed so completely that Feng Zun could feel the immense difference in his aura.
"Peak Four-Star Dou Zong, just one step away from Five-Star. I could break through anytime, but the breakthrough came too fast. I plan to adapt for a while before I push for it," Yao Yan clenched his fist without using any force. The space around his hand slightly distorted, showing how much his power had grown.
At this point, if he encountered the Earth Demon Old Ghost again, Yao Yan was confident he could defeat him in a few exchanges, without relying on the power of the Heavenly Lotus.
"Tsk tsk, what a little monster," Feng Zun said, his eyes wide with a touch of disbelief. Yao Yan's performance was so exaggerated that it made sense the Heavenly Mountain Blood Pool had been drained. How could the energy meant for the Nine-Star Dou Huang's baptism withstand someone like Yao Yan?
Moreover, Yao Yan's foundation was far beyond that of an average Dou Zong, and his Dou Qi had expanded dramatically.
"Let's head back and talk. Yaolao probably can't wait any longer," Feng Zun smiled and waved his hand, forming a massive Qing Luan beneath them. As the bird flapped its wings, the space around them twisted, creating what seemed like a spatial wormhole, and in an instant, they disappeared from their position and sped towards the Southern Region of the Central Plains.
During the journey, Yao Yan sat cross-legged and began organizing the information on the Tai Xu Gu Dragon Clan.
There was very little information available about this former beast clan, and most of it came from the vassal races of the Tai Xu Gu Dragon Clan. After all, the Golden Rat Clan didn't have the qualification to directly contact such colossal beings.
To be frank, the adult members of the Tai Xu Gu Dragon Clan were almost all at the Dou Zun level, with their strongest members being Dou Sheng experts.
This clan was as powerful as any imperial family.
The strongest member of the Golden Rat Clan was only at the Dou Zong level. They could only receive information from the vassal races of the Tai Xu Gu Dragon Clan, and there were a few unusual groups among these vassals, including the Gu Dragon Bears, which contained a trace of dragon blood.
However, these magical beasts were extremely rare, and according to the available information, only one had been recorded—a Dragon Bear with the strength of an Eight-Star Dou Zong, currently in the vicinity of the Pill Tower, but its whereabouts were unknown.
According to the original storyline, this Gu Dragon Bear was likely the subordinate of Zi Yan from the original work, named Xiong Zhan!
Other vassal races knew very little about the Tai Xu Gu Dragon Clan, only about some internal conflicts, like the division among the Dragon Kings. This information had been recorded over a thousand years ago, and no one knew the current status of the Tai Xu Gu Dragon Clan.
"This information has very little useful news," Yao Yan sighed inwardly. But he could understand. Relying on the Golden Rat Clan to investigate the Tai Xu Gu Dragon Clan's information was unrealistic. After all, that clan lived in the void, and only Dou Zun-level experts could even have the qualification to enter.
"Help Yaolao revive first, then consider this matter!"
Yao Yan quickly made up his mind. With his current strength, without using the Hun Clan's power, it would be impossible to challenge the Tai Xu Gu Dragon Clan. And this level of identity clearly couldn't be used in the open, so the only support he could rely on was Yaolao.
Given Yaolao's previous Nine-Turn Peak strength, if the materials for revival were sufficient, he might attempt to break through to the Semi-Sage level.
Refining pills would be easy, and a Dou Zun corpse could be prepared. He could even hunt special magical beasts for their blood. Worst case, he could use himself as bait and lure the Tian Yao Huang Clan. But before that, he needed to join the Pill Tower first.
With the Pill Tower's endorsement, even the Tian Yao Huang Clan wouldn't dare act recklessly.
One could say, Yao Yan was very much interested in tasting the Tian Yao Huang Clan's abilities. If he devoured their royal bloodlines and the Tai Xu Gu Dragon Clan's, perhaps he could awaken the Heavenly Phoenix Wings and Gu Dragon Body, laying the groundwork for his future "Chaos Body."
He didn't think too long before making a decision.
...
Several days passed quickly.
That day, Yao Yan and Feng Zun arrived at the Starfall Pavilion. The interior hadn't changed much since his departure, but Yao Yan, who had been away, had changed greatly. Zi Yan widened her eyes, seemingly not recognizing her big brother anymore.
"Big Brother?" Zi Yan blinked, her voice full of doubt.
Yao Yan was still the same, but the aura around him had changed drastically. She couldn't pinpoint exactly what was different, but she could feel the change, which was clearly related to the Yan Clan's Dou Emperor bloodline.
"Half a year without seeing me, don't recognize me now?" Yao Yan walked over, gently rubbing Zi Yan's head with a smile.
"Big Brother, you've changed a lot~"
Zi Yan stuck out her tongue and spoke honestly. The change wasn't just in his strength.
"Have you tested your bloodline rank before?" Yaolao circled around Yao Yan, as if thinking of something, and asked.
The rank of Dou Emperor bloodlines wasn't fixed. The outstanding ones would continue to evolve during cultivation, eventually becoming divine-ranked bloodlines. However, such anomalies were extremely rare. Even among the imperial families, only a few emerged in thousands of years.
Most only advanced one or two ranks, and their bloodline would stabilize once they reached adulthood, with no further progress possible.
Yao Yan's changes now resembled the evolution of his bloodline.
Yaolao himself had a high-ranking Dou Emperor bloodline. Although an accident in his youth had caused his bloodline rank to drop, it had still supported him in his later years, allowing him to break through to Dou Zun without encountering major bottlenecks. One could imagine the benefits of a Dou Emperor bloodline.
The higher one's strength, the more one could feel the benefits of a Dou Emperor bloodline.
"When I tested it before, it wasn't that high. As for now... I'm not sure," Yao Yan spoke truthfully, also curious about his current Dou Emperor bloodline rank.
"Good luck, it seems your imperial bloodline has advanced. Very good. With this, your breakthrough to Dou Zun will have almost no bottlenecks, and even the speed of your cultivation will increase, so make sure to seize this stage and push your strength as high as you can!" Yaolao's eyes gleamed with excitement, and his tone became more serious.
Everyone has a period of rapid strength growth. For some, it's brief and might even be wasted, while others can seize the opportunity. Once they do, they will leave their peers far behind.
Yao Yan nodded. His expression was calm. He understood his body's changes better than Yaolao. However, growth in strength required an adaptation process. If he completely released his devouring abilities, he could probably break through to Dou Zun in the shortest time possible. But the consequences would be disastrous, and he could very likely become a corrupted being controlled by desire.
The bloodline of the Hun Devouring Clan wasn't easy to control and was full of dark intentions, easily triggering the deepest desires of the human heart.
Desires for beauty, power, and greed for treasures...
Luckily, Yao Yan's Hun power was growing fast enough, or else he might have been influenced by this desire.
"Since you've broken through, it's time for us to head to the Pill Tower. I'm quite interested in it," Feng Zun lightly stroked his beard, his large belly sticking out as he smiled.
After some time away, it seemed that Feng Zun had grown quite a bit.
"You've gotten fatter?" Yao Yan said, somewhat incredulously.
"Fat? I've just grown stronger," Feng Zun coughed and said, slightly irritated.
Hearing this, everyone laughed.
Yaolao gently stroked his white beard and said, "Let's set off. I also want to meet some old friends. They should know I'm still alive. Hehe, it's time to repay the favors they owe me."
After saying that, a glint of light flashed in his eyes. This trip to the Pill Tower was also to prepare for revival.
"Either we don't do it, or we do it perfectly."
He also wanted to see if he could really break through to that level!
For this, joining the Pill Tower was not a bad option. After all, strength was the most important thing. With the things Yao Yan had stirred up, even the peak of Nine-Turn Dou Zun might not be enough.
"I won't go. This kid's breakthrough has caused quite a stir. I have to go clean up his mess," Feng Zun said with a smile. With Tianhuo Zun beside him, he wasn't worried about Yaolao's safety. Once they reached the Pill Tower's domain, Yaolao would be safer than anyone.
Though Yaolao had made many enemies in the past, he had more people owing him favors.
Moreover...
The current Pill Tower's top three leaders, Xuan Yi, was still an old friend of his.
Who could be safer than him?
"This kid got into trouble again?" Yaolao asked in surprise.
"He almost drained the Heavenly Mountain Blood Pool. This year's Blood Pool can't be opened. I need to go take care of things with the Four Directions Pavilion," Feng Zun explained helplessly, but after a moment, he couldn't help but chuckle.
"Those old guys must look terrible. Haha."
"Seems like you made quite a commotion," Yaolao chuckled, looking at Yao Yan. He knew Yao Yan wouldn't be content. With his talent, he would eventually make a name for himself in the Central Plains. The question was whether this would bring benefits or problems.
Yao Yan continued to rub Zi Yan's head, saying, "Let's set off."
Yaolao nodded.
With that, everyone left the Starfall Pavilion. Yao Yan and his group boarded a spatial ship, traveling through the spatial tunnels, heading toward the Pill Tower. Meanwhile, Yaolao asked a question that had been on his mind, "Has the Bone Spirit Cold Fire been devoured?"
"Yes, and Fendao has evolved. It should now be considered a quasi-Heavenly tier technique, just a bit short of the real Heavenly tier," Yao Yan replied, his eyes filled with the glow of sky-blue flames. There was a faint hint of white light flickering, an unusual beauty.
"Quasi-Heavenly tier? That's good. If it really evolves into Heavenly tier, I'd be worried you couldn't control it," Yaolao's tone became lighter.
Not all techniques get stronger as they grow. Especially when someone lacks the strength, rashly cultivating high-level techniques could lead to disastrous results. For Yao Yan, gradually progressing with a quasi-Heavenly tier technique suited his current strength perfectly.
While others had to worry about side effects from changing techniques, Yao Yan didn't have those concerns.
Fendao was more terrifying and incredible than he had imagined!
(END CHAPTER)
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