"The Magical Beast Mountain Range is quite close. It's been a long time since I've been back."
Yan Qingshan bypassed Xiao Yan and walked straight to the edge of the cliff, sighing as he gazed at the distant Magical Beast Mountain Range. Then, he turned to Xiao Yan, "Xiao Yan, do you know that the mistake you made today is huge, extremely huge—so huge that it could lead to the demise of the entire Xiao family."
"You... what do you mean by that?" Xiao Yan met Yan Qingshan's gaze. The sharp-edged Yan Qingshan made him instinctively avoid eye contact. After recoiling slightly, he spoke with a stutter.
"Do you understand the Misty Cloud Sect?" Yan Qingshan simply smiled faintly, then posed a question.
Xiao Yan had now calmed down, his mouth twitching. He calmly replied, "The Misty Cloud Sect is the number one sect in the Jia Ma Empire. It's said to have power no less than the imperial family.
The Sect Master, Yun Yun, is the only female Dou Emperor in the Jia Ma Empire, and there are several elders at the Dou King level..."
Xiao Yan recounted what he knew. The Misty Cloud Sect was powerful, and he had naturally yearned for it in the past. Unfortunately, problems arose with his cultivation later, preventing him from joining either the Jia Nan Academy or the Misty Cloud Sect.
"Some of what you said is right, but not entirely." Yan Qingshan smiled faintly and turned his head. "The Misty Cloud Sect originated from a rare genius, Yun Po Tian. In his hands, the Misty Cloud Sect at its peak even became a first-class force on the Dou Qi Continent. Unfortunately, good times don't last.
After Yun Po Tian's death, the Misty Cloud Sect rapidly declined. By the time Yun Yun took over, the sect only had two Dou Emperors left. But with their strength, they still dominated Jia Ma.
Even the imperial family couldn't contend with them, only able to win over forces like the three great clans. Nalan Yanran comes from the Nalan clan, which is one of the empire's three great clans.
Do you think there might have been other considerations when Yun Yun accepted her as a disciple? And your actions seem to have dragged the Xiao family into the upper-echelon power struggles of the entire Jia Ma Empire. Do you truly believe this is a good thing?"
Yan Qingshan's words made Xiao Yan's face sink. At the time, he had simply acted on impulse, delivering an unparalleled verbal assault and making such an agreement. Now, having calmed down, it seemed he had been incredibly reckless.
"The empire has other forces to counterbalance the Misty Cloud Sect. As long as I formally fulfill the agreement, the Misty Cloud Sect surely won't act recklessly," Xiao Yan wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, speaking these words as if answering Yan Qingshan, or perhaps simply comforting himself.
Yan Qingshan then smiled again. "Moreover, I've received news that the Misty Cloud Sect's Old Sect Master, Yun Shan, seems to have gained some opportunities in recent years and successfully broken through to the Dou Ancestor realm.
Dou Ancestor and Dou Emperor are two completely different concepts. In a place like the Jia Ma Empire, a Dou Ancestor expert is enough to sweep aside all dissent. At that point, the Xiao family, opposing the Misty Cloud Sect, might just..."
Yan Qingshan shook his head slightly. Xiao Yan's face grew even uglier after understanding his meaning, his back feeling almost completely chilled.
He had never imagined that a mere impulsive decision of his could lead to such consequences. Xiao Yan muttered to himself, trying to comfort himself, his mind in turmoil.
"No, the Misty Cloud Sect is a great sect, they wouldn't dare to act recklessly..."
"Little brat, wake up, wake up!!!" An old man's voice echoed from the cliff. A familiar figure appeared beside Xiao Yan. The old man stroked his sparse beard and smiled, "Kid, you're not playing fair. Using this little brat to test this old man—that's not a righteous thing to do."
Yao Lao's voice reached Xiao Yan's ears, and he awoke from his nightmarish state, looking at Yan Qingshan with a hint of fear.
"Yesterday, I tried using the Soul Cultivating Saliva, and it was subtly absorbed by someone. It was clearly under someone's control, so, Senior, that's even more unfair,"
Yan Qingshan spoke again. Xiao Yan's gaze towards Yao Lao instantly changed. This old man had just claimed to have just woken up, but according to Yan Qingshan, he had clearly been awake for a long time. This filled Xiao Yan with a sense of betrayal and anger.
Xiao Yan couldn't help but point at Yao Lao and shout, "Old man, so you were awake all along, and you still absorbed my Dou Qi for three years?!"
Yao Lao glanced at Yan Qingshan, then at Xiao Yan, and chuckled awkwardly, "Little fellow, calm down, calm down a bit. This old man just woke up a tiny bit earlier. Haven't I appeared now?"
Yao Lao then looked at Yan Qingshan. "Which family's little brat are you? To have such cultivation at such a young age, even the younger generation of those ancient clans might not be as impressive!"
Yan Qingshan was even more direct, pointing out the Medicine Saint's identity. "My meager cultivation is but a drop in the ocean compared to the Medicine Saint (saint = zun = Venerate) at his peak, renowned across the continent as an Eighth-Grade Peak Alchemist."
Xiao Yan listened, bewildered. A Venerate? This seemingly dilapidated old man, could he be the legendary Dou Venerate?
Moreover, Yan Qingshan had just mentioned alchemists, which made his gaze towards Yao Lao even more eager. On the Dou Qi Continent, alchemists were rare and highly esteemed, with a clear ranking system divided into one to nine grades.
The owner of the Qi Gathering Powder in the hall earlier, Pill King Gu He, was a Sixth-Grade Alchemist, hailed as the foremost alchemist in the Jia Ma Empire.
In this backwater of the Jia Ma Empire, let alone above Sixth-Grade, even a Sixth-Grade Alchemist was a rare sight, once in a century.
Didn't the president of the Jia Ma Empire's Alchemist Association, Fa Ma, with cultivation nearing the peak of Dou Emperor, remain stuck at the peak of Fifth-Grade with almost no progress?
The transition from Fifth-Grade to Sixth-Grade was a watershed moment. This level truly depended on talent. For instance, Pill King Gu He possessed sufficient talent, breaking through to Sixth-Grade Alchemist while still a Dou King, and later even growing to Seventh-Grade on his own. And an Eighth-Grade Alchemist?
That was absolutely a legendary figure! Not to mention the Jia Ma Empire, the entire Northwest Region might not have a second one. How could Xiao Yan not be shocked?!
The Medicine Saint's smile faded. He stared at Yan Qingshan and said in a deep voice, "How did you recognize this old man? And what force do you belong to?"
"The Bone Chilling Flame, its color pure white, a convergence of cold and heat, ranked eleventh on the Heavenly Flame Ranking. And its owner, naturally, is the renowned Medicine Saint."
Yan Qingshan cupped his hands and bowed. "I come from the Black Corner Region, a student of the inner academy of Jia Nan Academy. In the Black Corner Region, the current Medicine Emperor Han Feng can be said to be dominating, and his Black Alliance is immensely powerful.
This humble one also has a small Qingwang City in the Black Corner Region, currently contending against the Black Alliance, so I naturally paid close attention to Han Feng."
Yao Lao stared at Yan Qingshan and said, "Qingwang City, Azure King. It seems this 'King' title will soon change to 'Emperor,' won't it? Such a solid foundation, your talent is the greatest this old man has ever seen in his life."
Yan Qingshan smiled faintly, "The Medicine Saint overpraises me. Both 'King' and 'Emperor' are but empty titles. Without reaching Dou Ancestor, one cannot be called a true powerhouse!"
Yao Lao was taken aback. He scrutinized Yan Qingshan as if seeing him anew, then sighed, "Kid, I have to admit, a person like you, no matter where you go, can carve out your own world. If you weren't primarily wood-attributed, this old man would even be tempted!"
"Tempted? Old? Gay?" Xiao Yan, from an information-saturated era, immediately thought wrong upon hearing this, quietly shuffling a step to distance himself from Yao Lao.
Yao Lao, however, didn't notice Xiao Yan's peculiarity. Instead, he looked at Yan Qingshan, "Since you've had contact with Han Feng, you naturally know that scoundrel's treacherous nature.
Back then, this old man was momentarily careless and was ambushed and killed by him in collusion with outsiders, then ended up here.
You've come looking for this old man, surely not just to ask me to clean up my own mess, right? Although this old man still has some strength, it's far from what it used to be!"
"Your soul origin is heavily damaged now, so your strength is naturally inferior to Han Feng. That villain even acquired a Heavenly Flame after coming to the Black Corner Region, the Sea Heart Flame, ranked fifteenth on the Heavenly Flame Ranking. With his current strength, he is enough to contend with a Dou Ancestor without defeat."
Upon hearing Yan Qingshan's words, Yao Lao couldn't help but clench his fists. Although his ethereal soul body didn't make much sound, judging by the tremor of his beard, he was definitely not in a good mood.
Yao Lao looked at Yan Qingshan again, "That beast, I truly underestimated him. He has indeed grown quite powerful. Kid, tell me, what exactly do you want from this old man? I don't believe you showed up in the middle of the night just to tell me about Han Feng."
Yan Qingshan didn't beat around the bush this time. He flipped his hand and pulled out the Soul Cultivating Saliva he had given Xiao Yan yesterday from his storage ring. Then, he spoke loudly, "Fifth-Grade Soul Cultivating Saliva. I have several portions prepared here, which should be enough to restore the Medicine Saint's soul to its normal state.
With your peak Dou Venerate cultivation, your soul body should also be comparable to high-level, or even peak, Dou Ancestor, right?"
Yao Lao's eyes flashed as he listened to Yan Qingshan's words. He had thought about collecting spirit medicines to nourish his soul over the years, but he was trapped within the storage ring, and those with insufficient soul power couldn't even perceive him.
Moreover, spirit medicines for nourishing the soul were incredibly valuable and simply beyond the means of ordinary people. The Medicine Saint now only had his soul left, making him practically unable to trust anyone. He didn't even dare to meet his old friend, Venerable Feng, let alone have anyone help him gather spirit medicines.
"You brat, what information about Han Feng do you want to get from this old man? I'll tell you beforehand, although Han Feng was raised by my own hand, he's as wild as a wolf and cunning in his schemes. Even I don't know too much about him."
The Medicine Saint thought Yan Qingshan wanted information about Han Feng from him. At this moment, he showed no hesitation in selling out his disciple. This rebellious disciple had already betrayed him, leading to his death, so what sentiment was left to speak of?
"I don't need information about Han Feng. I want all information regarding the Woeful Poison Body that the Venerate possesses, including the method to condense the Poison Pill and the whereabouts of the inheritance of a senior with the Woeful Poison Body in Central Plains."
Upon hearing Yan Qingshan's words, Yao Lao was stunned. He wasn't surprised that Yan Qingshan knew he had information about the Woeful Poison Body, as the other party had surely investigated him beforehand.
But what he completely failed to understand now was why Yan Qingshan had gone to such great lengths and beat around the bush earlier. If he had simply presented the Soul Cultivating Saliva in exchange for the Woeful Poison Body from the start, he wouldn't have disagreed!
Yao Lao's confusion remained unanswered. Yan Qingshan directly presented the Soul Cultivating Saliva to Yao Lao. "Senior, shall we make the exchange?"