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"Damn it!"
Watching the black-robed man leave so easily, Tian Huo Zun Zhe couldn't help but curse, his expression full of frustration and unwillingness. If only he had recovered to his peak state, there was no way the other party could have come and gone so casually.
"Elder Yao, let it go." Xiao Yan put away the shattered Earth Demon Puppet, waved his hand, and then turned his gaze to Wei Yang with a hint of questioning in his eyes.
He knew that Wei Yang could have stopped the other man from leaving, yet he had chosen to simply stand aside.
Wei Yang gave him a look that clearly said "I'll explain later." His aura slowly retracted, the blood flames and arcs of lightning on his body fading away. Then, he lifted his gaze toward the brilliant starry sky above.
Xiao Yan slightly nodded, also raising his head toward the stars. He clasped his hands respectfully and said in a solemn voice: "Thank you, senior, for lending a hand."
As his words fell, the starlight in the sky began to condense, slowly forming into a blurred, ancient figure of light.
The aged voice came again, calm and steady: "My true body cannot come, I can only send a trace of divine sense to intimidate. That man's movements are extremely secretive, you must be cautious. If you have the time, come to the Pill Tower. There, you will be safe."
"Thank you, senior." Xiao Yan once again bowed.
This figure of ancient light was named Xuan Kongzi, one of the legendary three giants of the Pill Tower.
"A disciple of an old friend, of course I will take care of you."
As he spoke, the blurred old figure shifted his gaze to Wei Yang, who was standing in midair. Smiling faintly, he said: "You must be Wei Yang?"
Wei Yang nodded and clasped his hands. "Wei Yang greets senior Xuan Kongzi."
"I've heard of your deeds. Truly, the younger generation is formidable." The old figure sighed softly, "Yao Chen is quite fortunate, to have taken in such a student."
"Be careful of the Profound Sky Sect, they seem to have set their eyes on you."
With that, the old figure smiled faintly, and as the starlight rippled, it slowly dissipated into nothingness.
"Profound Sky Sect?" Wei Yang chuckled coldly as his body descended from the sky.
Xiao Yan looked at the spot where the starlight figure had vanished and whispered: "Brother Wei, it seems master had a pretty good relationship with those people from the Pill Tower."
"Yao Lao was from the same era as them, and at one point, he was even a candidate for one of the three giants of the Pill Tower." Wei Yang explained casually.
"No wonder." Xiao Yan suddenly understood.
Then, with a hint of doubt in his voice, he asked in a low tone: "Brother Wei, just now?"
"That Mu Gu wasn't acting alone. Right now, in Holy Pill City, there are several Dou Zun from the Hall of Souls hidden in the shadows, watching everything.
Their purpose should be the Three Thousand Burning Flames. The Hall of Souls's scheme is clearly aimed at this Pill Gathering organized by the Pill Tower."
Wei Yang's voice entered Xiao Yan's mind: "That Mu Gu may have acted privately, but if he had really faced danger, those hidden Dou Zun would have intervened. If that happened, it would've turned into utter chaos.
Not worth it. And if the Hall of Souls were alarmed too early, when the time comes to fight for the Three Thousand Burning Flames, more unforeseen trouble might occur."
"That's why I let Mu Gu leave. Until we secure the Three Thousand Burning Flames, there's no need to stir up unnecessary conflict."
"Got it." Xiao Yan nodded.
Indeed, the most urgent matter now was the Three Thousand Burning Flames. Everything else could be set aside for the time being.
"Xiao Yan, this is the senior brother you told me about before, Wei Yang?" Tian Huo Zun Zhe looked at Wei Yang, smiling as he asked.
"Yes." Xiao Yan smiled and nodded, then introduced him: "Brother Wei, this is Elder Yao. He's helped me many times."
"Greetings, Elder Yao." Wei Yang clasped his hands politely.
"Hehe, no need to be so formal." Tian Huo Zun Zhe waved with a cheerful smile.
Facing this young man who stood at the peak of Nine-Star Dou Zong, Tian Huo Zun Zhe dared not put on any airs. The fact that this youth could protect Xiao Yan even under Mu Gu's assault proved that his strength was far from ordinary.
Moreover, at such close distance, Tian Huo Zun Zhe could faintly feel a pressure emanating from this young man's body. It made him admit that Xiao Yan had not been exaggerating.
At first, he had thought Xiao Yan's performance was already outstanding and dazzling enough. To hear there was someone even more monstrous than Xiao Yan, he had doubted it.
Especially since this so-called "monster" had also come from the tiny Jia Ma Empire—it seemed absurd. But now, he realized he had simply been too narrow-minded.
"Xiao Yan once did me a great favor. I promised him I would protect him for a time. But tonight, I failed my duty, I'm ashamed." Tian Huo Zun Zhe admitted awkwardly.
To have someone sneak so close without his notice—his old face felt rather embarrassed.
"That man is from the Hall of Souls, and not only that, he's a Tier 8 alchemist. His soul power is refined to the extreme, and on top of that, he wields a sub-flame of the Nihility Devouring Flame."
Wei Yang chuckled and said: "Only with such means could he set up a soul barrier under your very nose. With his careful scheming against your unpreparedness, senior failing to notice is only natural."
"He's a Tier 8 alchemist?!"
Both Xiao Yan and Tian Huo Zun Zhe were shocked.
A Tier 8 alchemist—such figures were as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns, even across the entire continent.
"That pitch-black flame, no wonder it looked so strange. To think it was actually a sub-flame of the legendary Nihility Devouring Flame, ranked second among Heavenly Flames!"
Tian Huo Zun Zhe stroked his beard with a sigh, "It's said that flame is unique under the heavens. Even just a single sub-flame possesses such power. In that case, my defeat this time isn't so undeserved."
His tone carried a hint of self-mockery.
Xiao Yan silently nodded.
That flame truly was far too strange. Even his Flame Splitting Tsunami, a strike unleashed at full strength, had been swallowed by that flame.
"Since the other party is not only a Tier 8 alchemist but also wields a Nihility Devouring Flame sub-flame,"
Tian Huo Zun Zhe frowned and said, "Xiao Yan, this time at the Pill Gathering, you may be in for trouble."
"It's indeed going to be troublesome." Though a heavy pressure welled in his heart, after taking a deep breath, Xiao Yan's gaze burned as he looked at Wei Yang, smiling, "But in my mind, my greatest opponent in this Pill Gathering is still you, Brother Wei."
"Uh." Wei Yang was momentarily stunned, then let out a dry laugh.
"If you want to beat me, you'll have to work hard." He chuckled, "When the Pill Gathering begins, I won't be holding back in the slightest."
"That's exactly what makes it interesting!" A surge of heroic spirit rose in Xiao Yan's chest, his blood faintly boiling, eyes blazing, "I'm looking forward to it. You know, I've been waiting for this day for a very long time!"
From the very day of the Alchemist Grand Meeting in the Jia Ma Imperial Capital, he had been quietly anticipating this. That one day, he could compete against Wei Yang on the same stage.
No—earlier than that.
Back in the Tagore Desert, he had already faintly nurtured this expectation.
He had never envied Wei Yang for being stronger. On the contrary, he felt glad that on this road of cultivation and alchemy, there was such a target ahead of him, constantly urging him onward.
After all, as the saying goes, "In literature there is no first place, in martial arts there is no second."
Alchemy was the same.
Xiao Yan had confidence in his own alchemy talent. And in his heart, among his peers, the only one who could truly bring him pressure, give him motivation, someone worth striving to surpass—from beginning to end—was Wei Yang alone.
As for the rest of his peers he had encountered, truth be told, none of them could give Xiao Yan this kind of feeling, this passion.
Wei Yang looked at Xiao Yan with a smile, and a trace of anticipation flashed in his eyes. The Pill Gathering, competing on the same stage with Xiao Yan—he too was full of expectations for it.
Geniuses are often lonely, solitary.
Not only Xiao Yan—Wei Yang, on his own path, had never once encountered a peer who could bring him even the slightest sense of pressure.
In that desolate feeling of drawing his sword, looking all around, and finding no opponent in sight—at last, Xiao Yan had finally caught up. He had been lonely for far too long.
In this moment, as their gazes met, both pairs of eyes carried anticipation. Then, they both laughed heartily.
"Wei Yang is also a Tier 8 alchemist? Two absolute monsters." Tian Huo Zun Zhe couldn't help but mutter quietly as he watched.
At the same time, he couldn't help but feel a little envious of Yao Chen, to have nurtured two disciples of such outstanding caliber.
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