Crushing with a Raise of the Hand, Taking It Down with Ease!

Crimson flames swept forth!

Flank and Otto's faces instantly changed color.

"Master! Don't..."

But before their words could leave their mouths, Xiao Yan's gaze shifted over.

"Do you think,"

"that fooling a Rank 5 Alchemist comes without a price?"

The two fell silent at once.

They turned and cast a pitying glance at Gute.

Then, at top speed, they retreated to the edge of the room.

Xiao Yi Xian followed close behind—she couldn't help much yet.

Staying nearby would only hinder Xiao Yan's performance!

As for Gute, he was already frozen in shock.

Dou Ling cultivation!

And a Strange... Strange Fire!?

Damn it! How could something like that appear on a youth!

Was this kid really a Rank 5 Alchemist?

But at this moment, he had no time left to think!

So what if it was Dou Ling!

Gute gritted his teeth and crushed a blood-red jade talisman inside his sleeve.

A blinding blue light suddenly erupted from beneath the floorboards, and arcane array patterns materialized before his eyes.

They enveloped the entire small building, and seven pitch-black iron chains burst forth like venomous pythons breaking through the earth!

Each chain bore engraved azure runes that flared to life, filling the air with a bone-piercing chill.

"Mysterious Crystal Demon-Binding Chain?"

"This is... the Seven Banishment Spirit Locking Array?"

Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow slightly. With a light tap of his foot, his fire wings flared three zhang of crimson flame.

"Old bastard's got quite the stash."

The moment the chains coiled around his wrists, the unique cold of the Thousand Year Mysterious Crystal Sand surged through his meridians straight toward his heart.

Gute grinned wide, his tone arrogant.

"Kid, so what if you're a Dou Ling!"

"This chain was forged with three Fifth-Order Ice Element Magic Cores—even a Dou Ling would—"

Before he could finish, the Kirin Mark on Xiao Yan's back suddenly blazed bright.

A crimson radiance surged from his Dantian, and the cold energy that had just entered his body, before it could take effect, dissolved into nothing in an instant.

The runes on the demon-binding chains exploded one after another!

The jade token in Gute's hand, controlling the array, cracked with a "crack" as spiderweb fissures spread across it.

"Fifth-Order Magic Core?"

The youth sneered, the Heavy Black Ruler cleaving down through the air.

"That's it?"

Before the ruler's edge even struck, a Dark Gold Fire Wave had already melted through three of the chains.

Gute hurriedly bit his tongue and spat out a mist of blood. The remaining four chains transformed into Ice Crystal Giant Pythons.

They lunged fiercely, coiling toward Xiao Yan!

Xiao Yan opened his hand and gently clenched it. The crimson flames burst forth violently!

The moment the Ice Crystal Giant Pythons touched the crimson flames, they were instantly vaporized into mist.

Xiao Yan flicked his sleeve lightly, and the array's runes shattered inch by inch.

"Bang!"

A piercing explosion rang out, and in an instant, the array collapsed completely.

Gute rolled toward the corner in the chaos, raised his hand, and slapped a hidden compartment mechanism.

Hundreds of Marrow-Gnawing Poisonous Insects surged from the cracks in the floor, their mouthparts gleaming with purple-black venom, heading straight for Xiao Yi Xian.

Gute's eyes gleamed with cruelty.

That woman seems close to that brat.

If I take this woman first and use her life as leverage, I'd still have a chance!

"Miss, watch out!"

Otto's cry barely faded when Xiao Yi Xian's slender fingers tapped the poison pouch at her waist.

Dou Qi surged, and the purple toxin exploded outward violently!

The Marrow-Gnawing Poisonous Insects that touched the poison mist began to rot instantly.

They tore into each other, and in moments, severed limbs and broken wings littered the blue bricks.

"Showing off before a master."

The young woman sneered, her pupils cold.

Xiao Yan's mouth twitched too:

Using poison insects against a Calamity Poison Body?

Gute was a genius!

A smile on his face, but Xiao Yan's eyes turned utterly cold:

Regardless of the outcome, he'd originally planned to spare his life.

But since he dared to lay a hand on those close to him, this was already a death sentence!

"Boom!"

The blue stone floor shattered instantly. Xiao Yan decided to stop playing around.

The black ruler in his hand blurred into a shadow. Gute, only at the Da Dou Shi level, couldn't even see Xiao Yan's figure before both his palms flew off.

Blood gushed like a fountain. Only when the searing pain shot up his nerves did he react.

"Ah!"

The scream had just left his throat when Xiao Yan slapped his neck, and he passed out instantly.

The formation was broken.

Xiao Yan unleashed his Soul Perception, which had reached Mortal Realm Peak.

He searched carefully.

Before long, his eyes lit up!

He hurled the Heavy Black Ruler at the floor:

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Three layers of floorboards gave way. Xiao Yan leaped down into the secret chamber at the lowest level.

When he emerged again, he held two jade boxes in his hands.

He turned to look at Otto and Flank, who were waiting nearby.

Their gazes toward Xiao Yan now carried wariness.

But Xiao Yan smiled lightly, his tone calm yet carrying an irresistible allure:

"Gute's collection is indeed rich."

"But I'll only take these two items."

"I've already broken the seals. As for the rest..."

"I'll leave them for someone fated."

With that, Xiao Yan turned and left with Xiao Yi Xian.

But Flank and Otto didn't move. From the moment Xiao Yan spoke his first words, their expressions had shifted.

They both looked at Gute, collapsed on the ground, a glint of darkness flickering in their eyes.

The next day, Xiao Yan and Xiao Yi Xian had already boarded a Flying Magical Beast from the Flying Transport Guild.

They left Black Rock City. Inside the wooden cabin on the beast's back, Xiao Yan sat cross-legged on the ground, the Black Demon Cauldron floating before him.

The Flame Spirit Fire Crystal sank and rose within the cauldron, shedding a layer of impurities with each breath.

"First forging, leave fire to temper the form."

Xiao Yan formed a hand seal, and nine Fire Rings rose from the bottom of the cauldron.

Cyan-black impurities seeped from the cracks on the crystal's surface, igniting on contact with the flame.

Xiao Yan waved his sleeve to disperse the foul smoke.

"Third forging, kan water to solidify the source."

Xiao Yan's left pupil flickered with icy blue light as the Fire Cloud Water Flame coiled around the crystal core like a swimming dragon.

The scorching crystal core shrank abruptly under the extreme cold, letting out a metallic clang as fragments scattered like a rain of stars beneath the moonlight.

When the seventh forging flame sank into the crystal core, a sudden change occurred!

A blinding blood-red light burst from within the fire crystal, condensing into a crystalline red medicinal liquid.

This was the purest quality of medicinal power!

"Not bad!"

Old Yao's soul form floated nearby, stroking his beard and nodding.

Xiao Yan wasted no time, tossing the medicinal ingredients one by one into the cauldron.

Under the scorching Fire Cloud Water Flame, they instantly transformed into the purest medicinal liquid.

When the ninefold fire reached perfection, a thick Pill Fragrance spread through the air.

A brilliant red glow bloomed from within the cauldron:

A Pill Formation Phenomenon!

Xiao Yan lifted the cauldron lid, and a pill as round and bewitchingly red as fresh blood emerged.

Old Yao reached out and took it, a hint of admiration in his voice:

"A top-grade pill formed—not bad, not bad!"

"It seems entrusting you with the Water Flame Nine Forging Method was a wise choice."

"Thump! Thump! Thump!"

But before Xiao Yan could humbly respond, a frantic knocking came from the door:

The little doctor's voice carried a note of weakness:

"Xiao..."