This is a mysterious world, where the rich energy of heaven and earth seems to permeate the entire universe, countless times more concentrated than that of the Holy Pill City at the very center of the Central Continent. The air is invigorating, and it seems that even a deep breath can greatly enhance one's cultivation.
On the ground, mountain ranges like giant dragons stretch and wind, their towering peaks like sharp swords piercing the clouds, their summits obscured by swirling mists.
This is the Ancient Realm. Below the mountains lies an endless plain, the home of millions of descendants. Within the mountains are the secluded cultivation grounds of countless ancient clans' powerful figures. Countless institutions and powerful individuals of the ancient clans are hidden within these seemingly endless peaks.
On one of the peaks, on a cultivation platform constructed of smooth blue stone, Xiao Xun'er sits upright, the rich energy of heaven and earth flowing into her body with each breath.
Just then, the mists shift slightly, and a dark figure appears and disappears in the white smoke.
"Elder Ling, what brings you here?" Xiao Xun'er asked calmly, her eyes slightly raised. Her cultivation had been interrupted, and she needed an explanation.
"If there's nothing else, how could I dare disturb Miss's cultivation..." Ling Ying replied respectfully. This man was Xiao Xun'er's guard, Ling Ying, who had confronted Lü Yu several times at Canaan Academy.
"Speak. I have no interest in clan affairs," Xiao Xun'er said indifferently. She had already withdrawn from the Black Annihilation Army, ignoring those complicated matters, and had even had a dispute with the Elder Council, so their relationship wasn't good.
Xiao Xun'er didn't care about this. The Elder Council could suppress her for a while, but could they suppress her forever? "
I am not yet strong enough; when I am strong enough, things will change!"
"Yes!" Ling Ying coughed lightly and said, "According to my latest news, a young man named Xiao Yan has appeared in Zhongzhou..."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Xun'er's face showed no joy, but instead darkened, her delicate face filled with displeasure: "Is it that guy who claims to have the potential to become a Dou Di?"
"Elder Ling, don't you know that bastard is Lü Qiu?"
Xiao Xun'er said irritably. When she first heard about Xiao Yan's potential to become a Dou Di, she was so excited that she wished she could grow wings and fly to the Northern Region of Zhongzhou. Then... she quickly realized something was wrong.
Brother Xiao Yan was not such an arrogant person, and the time when this reputation spread coincided with the time when Lü Qiu left. After investigating, it was indeed true.
It was that bastard Lü Qiu who was behind it!
Now, within the ancient imperial clans, Xiao Yan's reputation for having the potential to become a Dou Di was spreading like wildfire. Coupled with his previous battle with Hun Yu, where they were evenly matched, and his eventual use of a scheme to take Hun Yu away, within the eight ancient imperial clans, not to mention the strong, even ordinary descendants knew about Xiao Yan's reputation for having the potential to become a Dou Di.
Within the eight imperial clans, countless powerful figures and younger generations coveted Xiao Yan, ready to challenge this legendary Dou Di talent, this formidable figure who had personally defeated the Soul Clan genius, Hun Yu.
Xiao Xun'er was furious, wishing she could personally teach Lü Qiu a lesson. "It's all your fault, you bastard!
" "Ahem...Miss, you've misunderstood..." Ling Ying waved her hands frantically, explaining, "I mean, recently a genius in alchemy named Lü Qiu has appeared in Zhongzhou, claiming to be the pinnacle of alchemy, looking down on all others..."
Xiao Xun'er's face darkened further. Lü Qiu again...wait a minute?
Xiao Xun'er's eyebrows twitched. Lü Qiu usually wouldn't use his own name so openly, meaning there was another reason?
"Elder Ling, you mean Xiao Yan came to Zhongzhou and used Lü Qiu's name, right?" Xiao Xun'er was no ordinary person; her mind raced, instantly connecting the two events.
"Yes!"
Ling Ying hurriedly replied. He had been interrupted twice before he could finish a sentence, which was quite frustrating. Fortunately, his young lady was exceptionally intelligent and immediately guessed what he wanted to say.
"Tell me everything again!" Xiao Xun'er immediately said, a look of surprise appearing on her pretty face.
Brother Xiao Yan had finally come to Zhongzhou!
"Yes!" Ling Ying said in a deep voice, and immediately recounted the information he had obtained, including Mu Gu's pursuit, Yao Chen's capture, Feng Zun's swift rescue, and then the rise of Tianmu Mountain's fame.
Hearing this series of events, Xiao Xun'er's eyes lit up, and her face lit up with joy: "Give the order, I want to leave the Ancient Realm!"
"Yes!"
...
Ye City, outside the Yang Huo Ancient Altar, Zi Yan sat on Medusa's lap, chin in hand, her short legs swinging back and forth: "So boring! Sister Lü Qiu, Sister Little Doctor Fairy, and Sister Yun Yun have been together for almost an hour, why aren't they done yet?"
She wanted to eat pills, medicinal food, and delicious food; she was so hungry!
Medusa rolled her eyes. Although she knew you were talking about the poison pill method, it still sounded a bit strange.
"Quiet down, we're protecting Lü Yu and Little Fairy Doctor!" Medusa gave Zi Yan a light flick on the forehead, annoyed.
Actually, Medusa knew that she didn't really need to protect them. In Ye City, the Ancient Void Dragon Hei Qing was stationed on the outskirts with a storage ring containing the soul of the Heavenly Fire Venerable. If anything happened, news would have already come.
Moreover, unless the Soul Palace's army pressed in, no one could break through Ye City, which was guarded by the Eight-Star Dou Zun Ancient Void Dragon.
Thinking of this, Medusa's full red lips pursed slightly. The Ancient Void Dragon's predecessor had appeared, which meant... Zi Yan was likely to have to part ways with them!
After spending so much time together, Medusa had long regarded Zi Yan as her younger sister, and she felt inexplicably lost at the impending separation.
"I'm getting more and more sentimental..." Medusa rubbed her temples, smiling helplessly. She never used to have such worries. She'd kill anyone she didn't like, and no one she liked...
She never used to be interested in humans or anyone else.
Just then, a figure flashed in the distance, and two figures emerged from the altar—it was Lü Qiu and Yun Yun. However, Yun Yun's complexion looked pale.
She could manipulate the Fallen Heart Flame in battle, but although she had refined a portion of the soul essence, enhancing her soul power, she hadn't specialized in soul power like an alchemist. For her, the consumption was still quite high.
"Lü Qiu!" Zi Yan's eyes lit up, and with a leap, she jumped into Lü Qiu's arms, occupying the perfect spot that both Medusa and Yun Yun wanted.
"I want to eat... Huh? You have something delicious!" Zi Yan's eyes suddenly lit up. Hugging Lü Qiu, she began to twitch her nose, carefully searching for the source of the good smell.
Lu Lu's face darkened, and he grabbed her by the back of her collar, lifting her up.
"Hurry up, let me see what good stuff you have!" Zi Yan shouted excitedly, waving her arms.
"It's a Bodhi seed!" Lu Lu said irritably, sitting down next to Medusa, and then took out a jade-green bead.
When he used the Poison Pill technique earlier, Lu Lu had slightly heated the Bodhi Transformation Saliva with his strange fire, and unexpectedly, the small sediments within it had indeed given birth to a Bodhi seed, just like in the original story.
The bodhi seed was slightly cloudy, neither clear nor round, but rather quite rough, and didn't look very good. However, it emitted a strange fragrance, as if it contained vibrant life.
Zi Yan's big eyes lit up, staring at the bodhi seed with drooling desire, almost drooling. Although it didn't look good, it seemed delicious.
*Smack!*
Lü Qiu gave her a light tap on the head: "I can't give you this, it's still useful!"
Zi Yan immediately snapped back to reality, pouting and glaring at Lü Qiu, then jumped onto Lü Qiu's face with a "woof," angrily starting to gnaw on it.
Don't worry about this guy getting hurt; Lü Qiu's skin was thick and tough, even stronger than a magical beast's body.
"Oh dear...stop it! I have something good for you!" Lü Lu quickly lifted Zi Yan down, rolling his eyes. This little brat, what can you do besides spit all over my face?
"What is it?" Zi Yan stopped abruptly, her small body clinging to Lü Lu's hand, looking at him expectantly.
Lü Lu flicked his finger, and a bottle of slightly warm, golden pills appeared. Zi Yan was overjoyed, quickly taking them and chewing a few, her big eyes narrowing into slits.
"There's more, let's see what's inside." Lü Lu smiled, spreading his fingers to reveal a snow-white storage ring emanating a faint chill.
Hearing this, Zi Yan was immediately delighted. She loved touching her enemies' storage rings; it gave her a thrilling treasure hunt feeling.
"Let me see, let me see!" Zi Yan hurriedly took the ring, even forgetting about the pills she had been longing for.
Lu Tu watched with a smile as he took the storage ring. The Ice River Venerable wasn't truly dead; he had merely changed form, and his soul imprint remained. With Lu Tu's soul power, forcibly destroying it wouldn't be difficult, but it would certainly alert the Ice River Venerable.
In contrast, Zi Yan was different. She could easily pass through the spatial barrier and retrieve the contents of her storage ring.
A faint purple light emanated from Zi Yan's slender, fair hand, and the snow-white storage ring entered easily, as if it were a low-grade storage ring without any hindrance.
Yun Yun and Medusa quickly gathered around; they were also very interested in the wealth of a leader of a major power in Central Continent.
"Ugh… more poison!" Zi Yan grimaced, her face full of disgust. With a flick of her finger, countless high-quality jade boxes gushed out.
Lu Tu waved his sleeve, his soul power surging, steadily holding them all back.
"Indeed, it's top-quality poison!" Lü Qiu raised an eyebrow. Little Fairy Doctor now had her cultivation resources; there was no need to worry about running out of poison. The Ice River Venerable's collection consisted of rare and precious items, unearthed from the deep mountains by Ice River Valley at great expense of manpower and resources.
"And there's more, Ice River Valley's cultivation techniques." Zi Yan said, tossing out a white jade scroll radiating a chilling aura. On it were engraved three large, icy blue characters: Ice Venerable Force!
"A high-level Earth-rank cultivation technique... and so many matching combat skills?" Lü Qiu raised an eyebrow, a look of delight appearing on his face. Good stuff! Qing Lin's battle qi attribute was ice. Once Qing Lin arrived from the Northwest Continent, he would give her the Ice Venerable Force to cultivate.
"Ah... I finally found a treasure!" Zi Yan exclaimed excitedly, waving her hand. A large number of medicinal herbs flew out one after another, hovering in the sky like the poisons before.
This was exactly what she wanted!
"Little girl, I'll make you a medicinal meal tonight!" Lü Qiu patted her head and said with a smile.
"Okay, okay!" Zi Yan nodded happily, but she overlooked one problem: why at night instead of now?
...
In the northwest of the Central Region, a magnificent city wall rose from the flat ground. Beneath the towering city gates, people flowed back and forth in a constant stream. On the city wall, soldiers clad in fiery red armor patrolled.
"This is the area ruled by the Burning Flame Valley. Here, the Burning Flame Valley is the only one who has the final say," Lin Yan explained to Xiao Yan beside him. The
Burning Flame Valley was like an empire, appointing a city lord to each city within its sphere of influence, as an extension of the Burning Flame Valley's ruling will.
To be honest, Lin Yan was somewhat speechless. Why didn't Xiao Yan do any research before coming to the Central Region? This kid not only couldn't recognize the powerful forces in the Central Region, but sometimes he couldn't even tell directions. It was truly hard to know how to evaluate him.
"So the Liu Qing family is under the jurisdiction of the Burning Flame Valley..." Xiao Yan suddenly realized. No wonder Lin Yan said he had a place to go in the Burning Flame Valley.
"Hmm?" At this moment, Xiao Yan's eyebrows twitched suddenly, and he looked into the distance with some surprise.
"What's wrong?" Lin Yan asked in confusion. Xiao Yan was now a low-level seventh-grade alchemist with incredibly strong soul perception, able to sense things that his eyes couldn't see.
"I sensed Liu Qing's aura, but there are quite a few people over there. It seems he's in trouble." Xiao Yan said, his brows slightly furrowed.
"Let's go take a look!" Lin Yan immediately shouted, and he and Xiao Yan took off together, flying towards the city center.
...
"Cheng Yao, according to the rules, this year's spatial wormhole is under the control of my Liu family. What do you mean by this?" Liu Qing glared angrily and shouted loudly at a well-dressed middle-aged man in the distance.
"Heh heh...you greenhorn, you'll never know what it means to have keen insight into the situation," the middle-aged man known as "Cheng Yao" chuckled lightly. "The news that Burning Flame Valley needed to find an alchemist had already spread. It's your own fault for not seizing the opportunity; you can't blame anyone else."
"Young man from the Liu family, it is indeed related to an alchemist," an elderly man in crimson robes said calmly in the center of the plaza, his powerful voice echoing throughout the entire area. "The Valley Master needs an alchemist, and the Cheng family has found one; they deserve a reward."
"Elder Crimson Flame, the matter is urgent; could you grant us some time..." Liu Qing's face turned ashen. He had only taken over the family a few months ago; consolidating his authority was his top priority. Besides, no one in the clan had even mentioned this news.
"Where did you get the idea that this was an emergency?" Elder Chi Huo frowned, somewhat displeased, and reprimanded him:
"The valley has already sent out notices to all the major cities and families. Interested families and affiliated forces have already recommended suitable candidates. This matter has been widely discussed for a month now, and even the neighboring Ice River Valley knows about it!"
Liu Qing's face turned pale, then red. There were traitors within the family!
Not only traitors, but also rats! And treacherous dogs who were betraying their own family and causing trouble!
"Hahaha... Liu Qing, so what if you're an alchemist? What's troubling you?" Just then, a loud laugh came from the sky. Lin Yan laughed heartily, "Have you forgotten? Isn't there still Lü Qiu?"
"What? Lü Qiu?"
"That alchemy genius? The one who claims to be at the pinnacle of alchemy?"
"Such an arrogant tone, but I wonder how much he's really capable of?"
"Shut up. When the news of Xiao Yan, who had the potential to become a Dou Di, came out, you said the same thing. And now?"
"Oh, you're right. Let's wait and see!"
Instantly, countless people in Tianhuang City changed their expressions and began to discuss among themselves. Even Elder Chi Huo raised an eyebrow and looked at the black-clad youth beside Lin Yan with slight surprise. He sensed a powerful soul force on this person, and thought that this person must be the legendary alchemy genius Lü Qiu.
Beside Liu Qing, Liu Fei tilted her head slightly, glancing at the two figures floating in the sky. A look of annoyance and bewilderment crossed her charming face. "What Lü Qiu? Isn't that Xiao Yan?"
Liu Fei muttered to herself, "I thought Lü Qiu had really come. What a waste of my excitement..."
...
Outside Tianhuang City, in the dense forest, a wisp of black smoke drifted by: "Hehehe, Lü Qiu... no, Xiao Yan, I've found you..."
"Hehehe!"