After greeting Yun Shan, Lin Yuan turned his gaze toward Queen Medusa and said solemnly, "Your Majesty, once today's matter is concluded, I will honor my promise and remove the poison from the Fourth Elder. I ask that Your Majesty relay this to the four great elders and ensure that no one comes to disturb this place."
Queen Medusa looked at him deeply, her tone still cold. "I hope you keep your word—and that you live long enough to do so. Your request will be conveyed."
Before her words had even faded, Queen Medusa's figure flickered and vanished from the sight of Lin Yuan and Yun Shan.
Yun Shan studied the young man before him with interest. Despite his youth, Lin Yuan already radiated the aura of a high-star Dou King, which truly surprised him slightly. However, having already stepped into the ranks of Dou Ancestor, the echelon of true powerhouses on the continent, Yun Shan's mindset was no longer what it once was. This alone was far from enough to make him wary.
What truly drew Yun Shan's attention was Queen Medusa's attitude toward Lin Yuan, as well as the information revealed in their exchange. It sparked a strong interest in this young man.
"And you are?" Yun Shan asked Lin Yuan with a warm smile.
"An alchemist elder of the Serpent-People Tribe, Sect Master Yun Shan," Lin Yuan replied with a smile.
"From what Medusa said, the capture of my Misty Cloud Sect's sect master and chief alchemist was your scheme. Is this true?" Yun Shan asked calmly, though a hint of danger seeped into his tone.
Hearing this, Lin Yuan nodded and said frankly, "It is true. I planned everything myself. I did this solely to have Sect Master Yun Shan come to meet me in person and I have been waiting for quite some time."
"Oh?" Yun Shan raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised by Lin Yuan's candor. He had not expected this young man to admit so calmly that he had schemed against the Misty Cloud Sect while facing a Dou Ancestor powerhouse. This only made Yun Shan more curious about Lin Yuan's true purpose.
"You went to such lengths just to meet me. There must be something behind this," Yun Shan said.
"Indeed. My objective is very clear, it is to save the Misty Cloud Sect and Sect Master Yun. If things continue as they are now, the Misty Cloud Sect faces destruction, and Sect Master Yun will face a life-and-death calamity," Lin Yuan said astonishingly, his gaze fixed firmly on Yun Shan.
"Impudent fool! How dare you spout such alarmist nonsense here!" Yun Shan roared in anger as the mighty pressure of a Dou Ancestor surged forth, bearing down on Lin Yuan.
Yet this oppressive aura seemed to have no effect on Lin Yuan whatsoever. He chuckled lightly and said, "Whether it is alarmist nonsense or not, Sect Master Yun knows best. After all, you have already made contact with them, haven't you?"
"And your breakthrough to Dou Ancestor wasn't it related to them as well? Once you get entangled with them, nothing that happens would be surprising."
Yun Shan's aura faltered, and his gaze toward Lin Yuan grew extremely grave. He could sense the deeper meaning in Lin Yuan's words. For this youth to say such things, he was clearly no simple character—certainly not someone who had stumbled upon the truth by chance. It was more as if he knew some inner secrets. Yun Shan forcefully suppressed the turmoil in his heart and spoke as calmly as possible. "Them? I don't know what you're talking about."
"If Sect Master Yun refuses to say it outright, then I'll be even clearer," Lin Yuan said with an indifferent smile. "The Soul Hall."
At this point, Yun Shan no longer feigned ignorance. In a grave tone, he asked, "Who exactly are you? And what is your purpose?"
Lin Yuan's voice sank, turning serious. "An alchemist elder of the Serpent-People Tribe, here to help you and the Misty Cloud Sect. In addition, I hope we can establish a cooperative relationship."
"Oh? Cooperation?" Yun Shan replied. "A nine-star Dou King and an alchemist—interesting. Then tell me, what can you help me with? And what do you want from me?" He scrutinized Lin Yuan closely, his tone carrying a probing intent. Though the youth knew many secrets, he was ultimately only at the Dou King level, far from comparable to a Dou Ancestor like himself.
Lin Yuan raised an eyebrow. He clearly saw through the probing in Yun Shan's words—this was an attempt to assess the power behind him and whether cooperation was worthwhile. To cooperate, and to hold the initiative, strength was ultimately required. And in Yun Shan's eyes, Lin Yuan's mere Dou King cultivation was far from sufficient.
'So in the end, it still comes down to strength,' Lin Yuan sighed inwardly. As his eyes opened and closed, resolve had already formed. His clear gaze locked onto Yun Shan, his tone turning indifferent. "Sect Master Yun, there's no need to probe. The one cooperating with you is me, not any force behind me. You have no right to refuse. Do you really think that after all the effort I spent luring you here, I would allow you to refuse so easily?"
"Arrogant!" Yun Shan roared in fury. A mere Dou King dared to speak so insolently to him. His Dou Ancestor-level Dou Qi surged violently, releasing terrifying energy that formed a crushing pressure, rolling toward Lin Yuan like a tidal wave.
"Boring. Don't use such childish tricks on me," Lin Yuan said calmly, looking at Yun Shan. Pressure-based intimidation was utterly useless against him, whose Dou Qi was extremely condensed and whose physical body was exceptionally powerful.
"Whether I'm arrogant or not will be seen in the battle between us that follows," Lin Yuan said coldly.
"Yun Yun and Gu He have already been poisoned by me. Even if you rescue them, it will be meaningless. Once they leave my side, they will die within three days. You also heard my conversation with Queen Medusa earlier, there's no need to doubt my abilities as a poison master. The fact that I can command the Serpent-People Tribe despite being human is the best proof."
'This person is definitely not an ordinary Dou King,,' Yun Shan thought as he watched the calm, expressionless youth, his vigilance rising. "So, what exactly do you want to do?"
Lin Yuan chuckled lightly and said, "Sect Master Yun Shan, I'll give you a choice. Take one move from me, and you, Yun Yun, and Gu He can all leave here unharmed. Otherwise, Sect Master Yun will have to cooperate with me for a long time to come."
Hearing Lin Yuan's terms, Yun Shan could not help but laugh. A young man who did not know the immensity of heaven and earth, nor the abyssal gap between a Dou King and a Dou Ancestor.
At the same time, he felt much more at ease. It seemed that the other party had no intention of becoming enemies with the Misty Cloud Sect. Although he did not believe that the other party could cross the natural chasm between Dou King and Dou Ancestor, even if he truly could, it would not be a loss for Yun Shan. If the other party really had the ability to prove his value, then having one more powerful collaborator would not be a bad thing.
Yun Shan looked deeply at Lin Yuan and sneered, "Heh, a mere nine-star Dou King dares to speak so arrogantly. Forget one move—even ten moves, a hundred moves, I can easily take them all."
Lin Yuan glanced lightly at Yun Yun and Gu He, the corners of his mouth curling into a smile. "Since that's the case, then follow me. I assume you don't want our battle to affect them."
As he spoke, Lin Yuan used his soul power to lock onto Yun Shan's movements, preventing any sneak attacks. Then his figure flickered as he flew toward the distance. Yun Shan followed closely behind. The two soon arrived in a vast, boundless sea of sand, standing opposite each other.
Yun Shan swept his sleeve, his grandmasterly bearing fully displayed. "Come. Let me see the capital behind your arrogance."
"One move, to let you know how vast this world truly is." Lin Yuan looked at Yun Shan indifferently.
Taking a step forward, the medicinal power of the Breaking Origin Increase Qi Pill sealed within Lin Yuan's body began to dissolve. Vast energy surged through his body. His aura instantly crossed the threshold of Dou Emperor, his cultivation—recently raised to the late stage of nine-star Dou King, soaring to the level of a three-star Dou Emperor.
A Sixth-Grade pill, the Breaking Origin Increase Qi Pill, allowed the user's Dou Qi to surge explosively for a period of time. It was one of the few pill formulas Lin Yuan had obtained from that Eighth-Grade alchemist's inheritance. Using both his own reserves and those of the Serpent-People Tribe, he had only managed to refine two pills, one of which he had sealed within his body.
Lin Yuan had hesitated for a long time over whether to use it in this battle. After all, pills, unlike secret arts, were expensive consumables. However, when he wrote Ten Victories and Ten Defeats, he made his decision—this time, he would defeat Yun Shan with absolute power and absolute superiority, securing the initiative in all future cooperation.
"Qi Origin Transformation!"
Taking another step, the secret art for temporarily boosting cultivation that Lin Yuan had cultivated for a long time—obtained from First Elder Su Qian, began to operate. The circulation of Dou Qi within Lin Yuan's body accelerated dramatically, his aura rising to the level of a six-star Dou Emperor.
"Blood Origin Transformation!"
Taking yet another step, Lin Yuan activated Blood Origin Transformation, a derivative version of the Blood God Transformation that he had developed to enable the simultaneous operation of two secret arts. The perfected Hundred Beasts Spirit-Refining Art granted Lin Yuan a physical body powerful enough to withstand the parallel operation of both techniques. His aura surged once more, rising all the way to the level of a nine-star Dou Emperor.
"Spirit Purifying Art · Void Clarity!"
With the final step, Lin Yuan entered the Void Clarity state. His computational ability was fully unleashed, and his gaze became incomparably lofty at that moment. The vastly surging Dou Qi was now as obedient as his own limbs, flowing in orderly currents within his body and providing him with power unlike anything he had ever possessed before.
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