While Venerable Yao was using his spirit power to communicate with Xiao Yan, Xiao Se and Medusa also discovered them.
"It seems a little mouse has snuck in." Medusa glanced at Xiao Yan, who was disguised as a snake-woman at the back of the Snake-People Tribe, and said to Xiao Se.
Experts identify people by their aura, and only then by appearance. Xiao Yan's aura was clearly distinct from the Snake-People, so Medusa could tell at a glance.
"It's Xiao Yan from the Xiao Family of Wutan City. As long as he doesn't cause trouble, there's no need to worry about him." Xiao Se smiled slightly, took Medusa's hand, and boarded the carriage. Then, Qian Renxue and Die, who were standing behind them, also boarded the carriage.
The Snake-People automatically cleared a path for the carriage to pass. When they passed by where Xiao Yan was, the four of them looked at Xiao Yan in unison, the corners of their mouths slightly raised, and continued on.
"Teacher, they wouldn't have discovered me, would they?" Xiao Yan swallowed hard.
"It seems so. Their spirit power is extremely strong. Even with me masking your aura, you still couldn't escape their perception." Venerable Yao said with a bitter smile.
Speaking of this, he couldn't help but feel a bit relieved. Fortunately, Xiao Se was here; otherwise, they would have truly walked into a den of tigers and wolves.
With Queen Medusa, a Dou Zong, present, they had almost no chance of escape.
"Dad, don't we need to worry about that kid just now?" Qian Renxue held a bouquet and said to Xiao Se with a smile.
"No need to worry about him. There will be a use for him in the future," Xiao Se replied.
"Oh." Qian Renxue deeply agreed. In her understanding, whatever Xiao Se did, he had his own considerations. What she liked was this kind of strong self-confidence.
The lively wedding lasted until night, and it only ended after the Snake-People were dead drunk.
Xiao Se was not stingy; he took out a batch of Medicinal Pill he had refined in the Magical Beast Mountain Range a few months ago as a wedding gift for the Snake-People Tribe. This made the elders of the Snake-People Tribe overjoyed because with Xiao Se's Medicinal Pill, the Snake-People Tribe would be able to give birth to another Dou Huang expert within a few years.
"Teacher, now that the Snake-People are all drunk, we can almost start our move." Looking at the drunk Snake-People sprawled across the streets, Xiao Yan whispered.
He still hadn't given up on that Heavenly Flame that most likely existed.
"Be careful. I perceive that there are no fewer than six Dou Huang experts and eight Dou Wang experts in this Holy City of the Snake-People, otherwise these Snake-People wouldn't be drinking themselves into such a stupor." Venerable Yao warned.
"Six Dou Huang experts, eight Dou Wang experts." Xiao Yan took a deep breath, feeling like his worldview was about to collapse.
Just then, a hand lightly patted Xiao Yan on his back shoulder.
Xiao Yan's pupils shrank violently. He subconsciously turned around and threw a punch, but it hit empty air.
"Could it be my imagination?" Xiao Yan shrugged slightly, thinking that he might have been too tense during this period.
However, before he could breathe a sigh of relief, he felt his shoulder being patted again. He turned around suddenly, but there was still no one there.
"What on earth is going on? Teacher, it seems like someone patted me just now." Xiao Yan said with a trembling voice. Oh my, don't tell me it's haunted!
"Hehe, young friend, come out. Why bother teasing my Disciple? After all, you are of the same race."
A wisp of white light floated out from the black storage ring in Xiao Yan's hand, landed on the ground, and transformed into the aged figure of Venerable Yao.
"Senior's spirit power is truly monstrous; I estimate it has already reached the Heavenly Realm."
A red figure flashed out of thin air and appeared in front of Venerable Yao and Xiao Yan. It was none other than Xiao Se.
"Young friend, you flatter me. I am just a Soul body, barely hanging on." Mentioning spirit power, a hint of pride appeared in Venerable Yao's eyes. He said with a smile, "Young friend, you are truly blessed to have conquered even Queen Medusa of the Snake-People Tribe."
"Conquered is a strong word. It was just a coincidence that we fell in love with each other." Xiao Se narrowed his eyes, "I still don't know why Senior snuck into the Snake-People Tribe?"
"Just wandering around. I happened to run into young friend's wedding, so I wanted to come over for a wedding drink." Venerable Yao said vaguely.
"If that's the case, then Xiao Se naturally welcomes you. But it would be better for Senior to tell the truth. It doesn't matter to me, but my wife has a bad temper. After all, this is the Snake-People Tribe, and it concerns the safety of her clansmen, so I shouldn't interfere too much." Xiao Se pointed behind him and said with a smile.
Upon hearing this, Venerable Yao and Xiao Yan looked up at the building behind Xiao Se. There, Medusa stood on the roof, her beautiful hair swaying in the wind, her gaze sharp. Her proud figure was fully revealed against the backdrop of her red dress; her chest was full, her waist was like a willow, and her legs were straight and slender, full of beauty. She was heroic and spirited, giving people endless reverie.
However, at this moment, they were in no mood to appreciate it.
Venerable Yao knew that they wouldn't be able to leave safely today without explaining clearly. Not to mention what Xiao Se would do, even Queen Medusa would never let them leave safely.
Compared to Venerable Yao, Xiao Yan's mood was much more complicated. From the moment Xiao Se and Venerable Yao began talking, he was almost completely ignored by Xiao Se. If it were a stranger, that would be fine, but it happened to be the discarded son of the Xiao Family whom he once disdained.
The person who had no presence, yet won Xun'er's heart.
Now seeing Medusa standing behind Xiao Se, it ignited an inexplicable fire in his heart, as if everything Xiao Se possessed should have belonged to him, but was now snatched away.
"To tell you the truth, we were attracted by the big explosion in the depths of the Tagor Desert two months ago." The situation was stronger than the person; Venerable Yao naturally wouldn't honestly admit that they were here to look for the Heavenly Flame. What if Xiao Se didn't know there was a Heavenly Flame in the Tagor Desert? So he attributed the reason to the giant pit created by Xiao Se's Five Round Li Fire Method.
Hearing Venerable Yao's obvious lie, Xiao Se almost laughed out loud. That giant pit wasn't blown out, but burned out directly by the Five Round Li Fire Array formed by the Five Round Li Fire Method; there was no sound at all. Unsurprisingly, Venerable Yao had sensed the aura of the Heavenly Flame.
Xiao Se didn't intend to expose him. "In that case, I misunderstood Senior. Senior, please feel free to leave."
"Farewell." Venerable Yao didn't expect Xiao Se to be unexpectedly easy to talk to. He didn't think much of it immediately; his whereabouts had been exposed, and the priority was to leave this place of trouble.
Just as Venerable Yao was about to return to Xiao Yan's ring, Xiao Se's voice sounded in his ear again: "Senior, please wait a moment."
"Did you change your mind?" Venerable Yao narrowed his eyes. Being threatened by a junior, he felt a bit angry.
The corners of Xiao Se's mouth slightly raised: "Senior, you misunderstood. You are a Senior, and as long as you don't do anything that harms my wife's clansmen, we won't make things difficult for you. I just want to make another deal with you."
"Oh, why don't you tell me?" Hearing Xiao Se's words, Venerable Yao became interested. He was quite satisfied with the last deal.
A bloody light flashed from Xiao Se's right eye and drifted into Xiao Yan's eyes. The latter instantly froze in place, his eyes vacant.
"Please don't blame me, Senior. Some things are not for Xiao Yan to be exposed to right now." Xiao Se cupped his hands.
Venerable Yao nodded: "If you have something to say, just say it."
"Heavenly Flame. I want the Heavenly Flame on you." Xiao Se said with a smile.
Venerable Yao frowned: "Young friend, you are not joking, are you?"
Although he was wary of Xiao Se and Medusa, wariness was just wariness.
The Bone Chilling Flame was the foundation of his survival now, and he would absolutely not hand it over. If pushed too far, he would fight to the death.
"Senior, don't you want to hear what I am willing to trade with?" Xiao Se threw out a scroll, which recorded the resurrection method mentioned in the Flame Mantra.
"Where did you get this?" Taking the scroll and opening it to look, he could no longer remain calm.
"Oh? It seems Senior has heard of it too. I got this from killing a guy who betrayed his master and ancestors." Xiao Se feigned surprise.
"Who is he?" Hearing this, Venerable Yao asked.
"Han Feng." Xiao Se spat out two words lightly, then looked Venerable Yao up and down, and asked with a face full of surprise: "Could Senior be that... Venerable Yao, who is known as the number one Alchemist on the continent?"
"That's right." Venerable Yao nodded, a hint of pride flashing in his eyes, then asked with a solemn expression: "Did you really kill Han Feng?"
Xiao Se said sternly: "This matter has already spread in the Black-Corner Region; you can go and confirm it at any time."
"I really didn't expect that beast to end up dying at your hands." Venerable Yao took a deep breath, his tone carrying a faint sense of regret and sorrow.
"I wonder what Senior has decided? A Heavenly Flame that is dispensable to you now, in exchange for a chance at Rebirth—you are not at a disadvantage." Xiao Se said lightly.
Venerable Yao looked at the dazed Xiao Yan, then at Xiao Se. Having lived in a daze as a Soul body for decades, to be honest, he was already tempted. After all, his original intention for training Xiao Yan was for his own resurrection.
"Did you really succeed in cultivating it?" Venerable Yao asked uncertainly.
"That is natural." Xiao Se lowered his eyelids. With a thought, one cyan, one pink, one milky white, and one deep blue—four clusters of flames circled around him. In an instant, the surrounding temperature soared.
"Fallen Heart Flame, Green Lotus Core Flame, Sea Heart Flame, and a type of Heavenly Flame I have never seen before. Four kinds of Heavenly Flames, you..." Venerable Yao gasped. Now he finally understood why Xiao Se, despite having similar talent to Xiao Yan, was able to advance from a small Dou Practitioner to a Dou Huang Peak and even a half-step Dou Zong in just four years. With such an Opportunity, if he were to swallow any other Heavenly Flame, he would likely step directly into the Dou Zong level.
Venerable Yao looked at Medusa, then at Xiao Se, seeming to understand something. Then he recalled how Xiao Se didn't care at all when he obtained the Poison Pill Method, and suddenly realized: "No wonder, no wonder. Young friend is truly blessed with great Luck."
"I wonder what Senior has decided? If you agree, once I gather the Materials, I can start to resurrect you." Xiao Se said: "With my current ability, I may not be able to refine an eighth-grade Life Bone Fusion Blood Pill, but I have a great chance of refining a seventh-grade Yin and Yang Life Soul Pill. Of course, if Senior gives me the Heavenly Flame and teaches me the alchemy secret technique'Spirit Ascension', after breaking through to Dou Zong, there is a great hope of refining the Life Bone Fusion Blood Pill. As for the corpse, getting a complete Dou Zong skeleton is not difficult for me."
"I have to say your conditions are very tempting, and your future is limitless, but you are too mysterious. I cannot fully trust you, and besides," Venerable Yao looked at Xiao Yan and pondered slightly, "I trust him."
"That is a pity." Xiao Se's tone held a hint of regret, but he didn't show any surprise. After experiencing Han Feng's betrayal, it would be strange if he trusted people so easily. "Since Senior is unwilling, I won't force you. Please go ahead."
Xiao Se snapped his fingers, dispelling the illusion on Xiao Yan.
Venerable Yao nodded slightly. After a moment of hesitation, he took out a scroll from the black storage ring in Xiao Yan's hand and flicked his finger; the scroll automatically floated towards Xiao Se.
Xiao Se opened it and saw that it was indeed the'Spirit Ascension' secret technique. A secret technique that could raise the grade of a Medicinal Pill. He asked with some surprise: "Senior, what is this?"
Venerable Yao said: "I never like to owe favors. This is the reward for you cleaning up the sect for me."
While speaking, under Xiao Yan's stunned gaze, Venerable Yao possessed the latter's body. Xiao Yan's cultivation base instantly skyrocketed. He opened his pale white Qi wings, flapped them once, and turned into a stream of light, disappearing into the dark sky.
"Why didn't you keep him? Although that old guy was powerful during his lifetime, with the strength of the two of us, we could definitely keep him. Also, that kid named Xiao Yan seemed to show hostility towards you. I don't think you didn't notice, right?" At this time, Queen Medusa flew to Xiao Se's side and asked, puzzled.
"Don't underestimate Venerable Yao. During his lifetime, he was a Dou Zun Peak expert. If we push him too hard and he decides to self-destruct, we might be fine, but the citizens of the Snake-People Tribe would suffer. Moreover, our real enemy is not Venerable Yao, and it's not worth falling out with him over a mere Heavenly Flame for now. As for that kid Xiao Yan, we still need him to attract the attention of the Hun Clan for us, so let him toss around for now." Xiao Se sneered. With his intervention, Xiao Yan could still struggle in the early stages, but his upper limit had already been strangled in the cradle.
Not only was the Heavenly Flame gone, but that great Opportunity in the Heavenly Tomb was also completely out of his reach.
On the other side, Venerable Yao controlled Xiao Yan's body and flew towards Stone Desert City.
"Teacher, what did Xiao Se just talk to you about? And what was that favor about?" Just now, he felt his mind trance for a moment, and by the time he woke up, Xiao Se had already finished talking with Venerable Yao.
"This is not something you should be exposed to yet. When you reach a certain level of strength, I will naturally tell you." Venerable Yao pondered slightly and replied.
"Then Teacher, where are we going next?" Seeing that Venerable Yao was unwilling to mention it, Xiao Yan didn't ask further. His primary goal was to improve his strength to deal with the three-year agreement a year later. He would get back at Xiao Se for the 'hatred of stealing his wife' in the future.
"Magical Beast Mountain Range." Venerable Yao said lightly.
"Magical Beast Mountain Range?" Xiao Yan was puzzled. They had only left the Magical Beast Mountain Range for less than three months. Why go back again?
"Yes, this is a stupid method. The Heavenly Flame in the Tagor Desert has already been refined by Xiao Se, so you can only settle for the next best thing and refine Beast Fire. The power of Beast Fire is far inferior to Heavenly Flame; perhaps a hundred, a thousand, or ten thousand Beast Fires cannot compare to one Heavenly Flame, but in terms of improving cultivation, you can win by quantity. If you want to defeat Nalan Yanran in a year, you must at least raise your cultivation to the Great Dou Master level. The Beast Fire of those Rank 5, Rank 4, and even Rank 3 Demonic Beasts in the Magical Beast Mountain Range is the only way for you to quickly improve your strength right now." Originally, he intended to take Xiao Yan to Jia Nan Academy, but since the Fallen Heart Flame was already in Xiao Se's hands, going there would be in vain.
(End of Chapter)
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