With a raise of his hand, two storage rings floated from the opponent's corpse. His soul power extended, and seeing the rich collection inside, Jiang Yun's mouth finally curved into a smile.
He hit the jackpot! As an Alchemist, he was embarrassingly poor due to lacking proper justification. He had no prescriptions and relied entirely on his own deductions. Zi Yan even had to subsidize his medicinal ingredients, and he often wished he could split one set of ingredients into two for refining.
However, all these problems were now easily solved. Leaving Fan Lao aside, Yuan Yi, as the sect master of the Eight Gates, owned an auction house with all sorts of strange and rare items.
Jiang Yun saw more than a dozen prescriptions, all of which were Grade Four or above!
Only such precious prescriptions would be kept close to him. One must know that in the Black-Corner Region, things were safest only when kept on oneself.
But, this all benefited Jiang Yun!
"Little Yun, we're rich!" Just then, a joyful voice came. A purple figure sped towards Jiang Yun, her face filled with excitement. Looking closely,
He saw her holding a stack of storage rings.
Just now, Jiang Yun dealt with Fan Lao and Yuan Yi, while Zi Yan handled their subordinates. With Zi Yan's peak Fifth Rank strength, in the absence of a Dou Huang, it was simply two words:
Massacre!
The stack of storage rings in her arms, almost too many to hold, was proof!
"Are you hurt?"
Glancing at the storage rings in Zi Yan's arms, Jiang Yun raised his hand to clean the dirt from her hands and asked softly
"No." Jiang Yun's palm glowed with a white holy flame full of life force. The comfortable feeling made Zi Yan squint her eyes in pleasure, her voice a little soft and languid
She herself was startled. At this moment, she felt as if she was sick, her heart seemingly not her own. Like an electric shock, she pulled her hand back from Jiang Yun's palm, forcefully suppressing the strange feeling in her heart, and said smugly,
"How could those smelly fish and rotten shrimp possibly trouble me?"
Jiang Yun was a little surprised by Zi Yan's reaction, but he didn't delve deeper. He put away the storage rings and looked at the somewhat dim black token. At this moment, the Great Demon Refining Array, which had just displayed immense power, had become dull and lifeless
The erosion of endless years had almost completely worn it down. Today, a forceful strike from Jiang Yun had extinguished all its power.
"Little Yun, that Bodhi Transformation Saliva was snatched by that guy named Han Feng. Should we go after him?" Zi Yan, who had finished counting the medicinal ingredients in the storage rings, skipped happily to Jiang Yun's side and asked.
Jiang Yun turned back, his deep gaze revealing a peculiar light. After a moment, he replied, "No need. Let Han Feng keep it for us for a while!"
Zi Yan looked at the enigmatic Jiang Yun with some confusion, nodding as if she understood, yet not quite. Regardless, listening to Little Yun was always right. Just then, Jiang Yun said softly,
"Zi Yan, do you want to see the true appearance of this secret realm?"
"Hmm?" Zi Yan turned her head, somewhat puzzled, and asked, "Is this a fake secret realm then?"
"To be precise, this is only the periphery of the secret realm. The true secret realm is hidden deeper within!"
"I want to go, I want to go." Hearing this, Zi Yan's eyes immediately lit up. If the periphery had so many good things, what about the interior?
Zi Yan said excitedly.
Jiang Yun nodded, placed the token in his palm, and formed a hand seal. Immediately, an obscure, hidden fluctuation spread outwards.
"Rumble—"
A tremor sounded. In Jiang Yun and Zi Yan's eyes, the surrounding space shattered. Faintly, a milky white halo formed in the fractured space.
"Once we're inside, you must hold my arm tightly and don't run around, understand?" Even though he was fully confident, Jiang Yun still cautiously reminded her before entering.
"Understood!" Seeing Jiang Yun's serious gaze, Zi Yan, for once, didn't cause trouble and replied with equal seriousness.
Nodding, Jiang Yun said in his mind, "I'll trouble you, Grandpa Qing Ming."
"Hehe! I'm also very curious about what's down there." Qing Ming's figure slowly appeared, a faint smile on his face, his eyes filled with unstoppable curiosity.
A faint green light surged from Jiang Yun's chest, enveloping both of them tightly under Zi Yan's curious gaze.
"Go—"
As his voice fell, Jiang Yun's figure moved, transforming into a streak of light, carrying Zi Yan, and streaking into the halo like lightning.
The moment their bodies entered the halo, the skin on both of them suddenly tightened. After the light in front of them flickered slightly, the surrounding space had already changed.
"Where's Zi Yan?" Immediately, Jiang Yun realized Zi Yan was gone, a little startled. However, upon seeing the milky white flames around him, his heart already understood.
"I didn't expect that even so, I would fall into your trap!" Feeling the dry and hot aura within the space, Jiang Yun sighed with emotion.
"But I don't have time to waste!" Jiang Yun's heart stirred, and a crack suddenly appeared between his eyebrows. A terrifying eyeball slowly emerged.
"Break—"
A soft shout rang out, and a strange black light swept across the surrounding space, immediately shattering it.
Jiang Yun slowly opened his tightly closed eyes and immediately saw Zi Yan, whom he was holding. At this moment, her eyes were tightly shut, her expression somewhat pained.
It seemed she was experiencing something unpleasant!
"Wake up!" Jiang Yun held Zi Yan's shoulders, their foreheads touching, and a low shout rang out. A purplish-black pattern slowly emerged between his eyebrows.
The shout was mixed with terrifying soul fluctuations, and the sound waves directly entered Zi Yan's ears, finally crashing heavily against her soul.
This caused her tightly closed eyes to suddenly open at this moment.
"Little Yun." As soon as she opened her eyes and saw Jiang Yun beside her, Zi Yan's eyes immediately turned red.
"It's alright, those were all fake!" Knowing that Zi Yan's illusion was definitely not a good thing, Jiang Yun rubbed her head and gently comforted her.
Under Jiang Yun's gentle comfort, Zi Yan slowly recovered her emotions and said angrily, "What a scoundrel, to make me see such a scene! Little Yun, let's go quickly, I'm going to tear down the tomb of this secret realm's owner."
"Hehe—" Looking at the fuming Zi Yan, Jiang Yun chuckled softly, pulling her along as they slowly advanced.
As the two moved forward, illusory scenes appeared before their eyes.
A man sat cross-legged on a giant lotus flower emitting an eerie aura, his expression calm, his gaze deep as he looked at a certain spot.
Below him, there seemed to be a city, and the residents in the city seemed to be experiencing various hardships, as the expressions on their faces were all very painful.
Countless more scenes followed, all depicting the man's life experiences, from weakness to being a peerless expert on the continent. Jiang Yun and Zi Yan witnessed the life of a supreme powerhouse together.
Jiang Yun already knew the man's identity. From the moment he saw that eerie fire lotus, the man's identity was no longer a secret.
It was precisely that Half-Emperor powerhouse who dominated an era, the Pure Lotus Demon Saint!
The scenes continued to flow until a special one appeared!
Suddenly, a black-clad figure emanating monstrous evil energy appeared between heaven and earth. The figure stood in the air, and an aura as if he were the master of heaven and earth slowly spread from his body.
Under the influence of this aura, even heaven and earth began to appear somewhat insignificant.
"Fiend Clan!" Jiang Yun was all too familiar with this aura; it was indeed the Fiend Clan. However, which specific race, Jiang Yun couldn't quite determine. "It seems this is the owner of the secret realm!"
"It should be someone from the Soul Devouring Clan!" Just then, Qing Ming's voice slowly came.
"Soul Devouring Clan?" Jiang Yun was a little puzzled. The races of the Fiend Clan were far more than the Thirty-Two Great Clans. There were countless other groups, just like the Evil Demon Race that invaded the Tian Xuan Continent, which didn't even have a Heavenly Sovereign within their ranks. They were an inconspicuous small clan, countless among the Evil Clan.
"The Soul Devouring Clan's strength doesn't rank among the top hundred within the Evil Clan, but their racial talent is somewhat terrifying. They can devour others' souls for cultivation, and they are extremely bloodthirsty. This applies not only to people of the Great Thousand World but also to their own kind. Therefore, they are somewhat disliked within the Evil Clan."
Facing Jiang Yun's question, Qing Ming patiently answered him.
Jiang Yun's face showed understanding, and he said with a cold expression, "They truly deserve to be killed!"
Due to the awkward situation of the Demonic Spirit Clan, Jiang Yun had no good feelings for such creatures that cannibalized their own kind.
"Such a hateful aura!" Unlike Jiang Yun, Zi Yan seemed to inherently dislike evil energy from outside the territory. She frowned slightly, her eyes revealing a look of disgust.
"Little Yun, this guy is so strong!" Zi Yan, rubbing her palms uncomfortably, tugged at Jiang Yun's sleeve and pointed at the black-clad figure in the scene, saying.
"This should be the owner of the secret realm, a Dou Sheng!" Jiang Yun turned back and softly explained to Zi Yan.
"He is a Dou Sheng!" Zi Yan looked at the black-clad figure in the scene with some surprise, not expecting this to be the legendary Dou Sheng.
Zi Yan carefully examined the black shadow. Although it was just an image, that aura made her soul tremble.
"Roar—" Just as Zi Yan was uncomfortable, before Jiang Yun could even act, a strong purple light suddenly burst from her body, and a faint dragon roar echoed.
"Zi Yan!" Jiang Yun looked at Zi Yan with some alarm, not expecting her bloodline to be stimulated into awakening at this moment.
"Little Yun!" Jiang Yun's call brought the dazed Zi Yan back. She looked at Jiang Yun with some confusion.
"Zi Yan, do you feel any discomfort?"
Looking at the somewhat anxious Jiang Yun, Zi Yan replied strangely, "No!" She rubbed her swollen head and continued, "I just feel like there's more stuff in my mind."
Jiang Yun immediately understood at this moment. It should be that the ancient dragon inheritance within Zi Yan's body was accidentally stimulated and awakened. He just didn't know how much had awakened.
"It's a good thing. Don't think about it for now. Investigate it after you've stabilized!"
"Mm!" Zi Yan nodded gently, then suddenly exclaimed, "Look quickly, that lotus man appeared!"
Lotus man?
Jiang Yun looked at the Pure Lotus Demon Saint, who had just been given a nickname, with a strange expression. He wondered if this senior, if he knew he was being ridiculed by a junior in such a way, would be so angry as to come back to life?
In the scene, the Pure Lotus Demon Saint appeared and fought fiercely with the person from the Soul Devouring Clan. Both of them were peak Dou Sheng. Although the Soul Devouring Clan's methods were endless, they still couldn't withstand the Pure Lotus Demon Flame of the Pure Lotus Demon Saint.
He was eventually killed by the Pure Lotus Demon Saint, but the characteristic difficulty of eradicating the Evil Clan was fully displayed. Even after death, the Soul Devouring Clan still emitted evil energy, polluting the Dou Qi Continent.
If left unchecked, after several years, the Dou Qi Continent would likely be assimilated.
The Pure Lotus Demon Saint, enduring his injured body, found a thousand-zhang giant tree, emerald green and surrounded by clear energy.
"Bodhi Ancient Tree!" The moment he saw it, Jiang Yun immediately exclaimed. Such a sacred giant tree could only make Jiang Yun think of the Bodhi Ancient Tree, which ranked third on the list of heavenly treasures.
"So it's a Bodhi Tree!" At the same time, Qing Ming's enlightened voice came.
"Hmm? Bodhi Tree!" Jiang Yun pondered. One must know that a Bodhi Tree and a Bodhi Ancient Tree were two different things. Although they only differed by one word, the gap between them was simply immense.
Bodhi Trees may often appear in the world, but there has only ever been one Bodhi Ancient Tree from ancient times until now.
The Bodhi Ancient Tree, after countless years, gradually condensed into a mass, forming a Bodhi Heart that could allow one to instantly become a Saint. However, a Bodhi Tree did not possess such great ability. This Bodhi Transformation Saliva was the 'Bodhi Heart' condensed by a Bodhi Tree.
"What, what? What is a Bodhi Tree? A Bodhi Ancient Tree's?" Zi Yan, with her keen hearing, heard Jiang Yun's murmur and eagerly asked.
Jiang Yun once again gave Zi Yan a basic science lesson on the difference between the two, which made Zi Yan drool.
At this moment, the images in the scene kept flickering. With the Bodhi Tree, the Pure Lotus Demon Saint used it as the core of a grand array, utilizing the Bodhi Tree's pure energy and time to wear down the Soul Devouring Clan's evil energy.
After setting up everything, he seemed unable to hold on any longer. He hastily left behind a token, a portion of Bodhi Transformation Saliva, and a damaged map, then departed.
The scene ended here. Jiang Yun estimated that what followed should be the backlash of the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame.
With a Half-Emperor body, in his prime, the rebellious Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame would never dare to betray the Pure Lotus Demon Saint.
The Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame and the Nihility Devouring Flame, as the third and second on the Heavenly Flame Ranking list, were comparable in quality and strength.
With the help of the Hun Clan, the Nihility Devouring Flame took ten thousand years to reach the Nine-Star Dou Sheng. The Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame, this unlucky fellow who was refined by the Pure Lotus Demon Saint as soon as it appeared, definitely wouldn't have the strength to backlash the Pure Lotus Demon Saint in his prime.
But the severely injured Pure Lotus Demon Saint at this moment gave it an opportunity!
The Pure Lotus Demon Saint might have sensed this, which is why he left a quarter of the damaged map as a contingency, and also hoped that a suitable successor would appear in later generations.
To help him completely resolve the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame and the Evil Clan's demonic energy!
After clarifying everything, Jiang Yun said to Zi Yan, "Let's go, see if Senior Demon Saint left anything behind!"
"Let's go, let's go!" Zi Yan's eyes immediately lit up, and she raised her hand excitedly. At this moment, she already knew the Pure Lotus Demon Saint's strength. Such a great figure, whatever he casually left behind, would be enough for her and Jiang Yun to be well-fed.