Obtaining the Pharmacopoeia

The Breaking Clan was also a renowned soul master clan on the Douluo Continent. As a former affiliated clan of the Clear Sky Sect, it had been famous for generations for researching poisons and medicinal herbs. Though its current residence was hidden, it was not cut off from the world, and its location had long ceased to be a secret among the major powers.

As an honored advisor of the Balak Kingdom, Liu Tianfeng naturally knew where the Breaking Clan was located.

Liu Tianfeng took Xue Tianxing and flew on his sword, never concealing their auras along the way—both to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings and to let the Breaking Clan know of their arrival in advance.

In less than half a day, a village surrounded by mountains appeared in their view. Tall wooden fences stood around the village, wrapped in unknown poisonous herbs that faintly exuded a dangerous aura. This was the residence of the Breaking Clan.

The moment the two landed outside the fence, they saw a tall, upright figure stride quickly out of the village.

The man wore coarse black clothing and had a resolute face, with a trace of arrogance between his brows. An ancient short blade hung at his waist, and the Soul Power fluctuations around him were steady and heavy—he was Yang Wudi, the patriarch of the Breaking Clan and a Spirit Douluo-level expert.

Clearly, the Soul Power fluctuations Liu Tianfeng had emitted while flying had already alerted the clan members, which was why Yang Wudi had waited at the entrance in advance.

Yang Wudi's gaze fell upon Liu Tianfeng. He frowned slightly, his tone somewhat distant.

"Liu Tianfeng, shouldn't you be in the Balak Kingdom protecting the Balak Kingdom? What are you doing here at my Breaking Clan?"

Liu Tianfeng did not beat around the bush. He stepped forward and went straight to the point.

"Yang Wudi, let's speak plainly. I know that your Breaking Clan has passed down a Pharmacopoeia through the generations, one that records information on countless medicinal herbs and poisons, including some rare and extraordinary medicines.

"His Highness Tianxing of our Balak Kingdom urgently needs it. We would like to borrow the Pharmacopoeia for a time, and once we are finished, we will return it completely intact.

"As long as you are willing to lend it to us, we can represent the Balak Kingdom and grant your Breaking Clan one reasonable condition—whether it is resource assistance or help resolving certain difficulties within your clan, everything can be discussed."

"Borrow the Pharmacopoeia?"

Yang Wudi's expression instantly darkened.

That Pharmacopoeia was the foundation of the Breaking Clan. It had been passed down since their ancestors' time and continuously refined and expanded by generations of clan members. It not only recorded the properties and uses of more than a thousand medicinal herbs, but also contained poison formulas and antidote methods the Breaking Clan had studied for many years. It was the clan's most vital secret treasure.

As Yang Wudi looked at the unyielding Liu Tianfeng, he felt displeased as well.

In Yang Wudi's eyes, if this had been a few years ago, when the Clear Sky Sect had not yet gone into seclusion and the Breaking Clan was still its affiliated clan, with abundant talent within the clan and even some confidence when facing Spirit Hall, he would have refused Liu Tianfeng without hesitation.

But things were different now—the Clear Sky Sect had been forced by Spirit Hall to shut its doors and had completely abandoned affiliated clans like theirs.

The Breaking Clan had suffered grievous losses under Spirit Hall's pursuit. The clan's backbone had nearly been wiped out, and now he alone, a Spirit Douluo, was struggling to support it. The clan lacked resources, and even cultivation for the younger generation had become a problem.

If he refused the Balak Kingdom, then with their current strength, they simply could not bear the hostility of an entire kingdom.

But if he lent out the Pharmacopoeia, he truly could not bear to part with it—it was the painstaking effort of countless generations of clan members.

Yang Wudi remained silent for a long time, his fingers unconsciously brushing the short blade at his waist. He looked at Liu Tianfeng with a complicated expression and said, "Are you... certain you will return it completely intact after you are done? You will not touch the poison formulas recorded within?"

"You can rest assured about that."

Liu Tianfeng spoke to Yang Wudi in a firm tone.

"We only want the Pharmacopoeia to identify certain rare medicinal herbs. We have no interest whatsoever in your poison formulas. His Highness Tianxing is here as well and can testify for me—the Balak Kingdom has always kept its word and will never commit an act of bad faith."

Xue Tianxing also stepped forward at the right moment. He gave Yang Wudi a slight nod, then said, "Patriarch Yang, I guarantee you in my capacity as a prince of the Balak Kingdom that once we are done using the Pharmacopoeia, we will return it immediately. We will not keep it any longer than necessary, nor will we reveal any information recorded within."

Yang Wudi looked into Xue Tianxing's frank eyes, then recalled the clan's current predicament—if they could use this opportunity to obtain some resource assistance from the Balak Kingdom, perhaps life for the clan members would improve somewhat.

In the end, Yang Wudi gritted his teeth and turned to give an order to the clan members behind him.

"Go and bring out the clan's Pharmacopoeia."

Before long, a clan member emerged carrying an ancient wooden box.

Yang Wudi took the wooden box. His fingers lightly tapped its surface several times, his eyes full of reluctance, as though he were bidding farewell to an old friend.

Yang Wudi took a deep breath and held the wooden box out before Liu Tianfeng.

"This is the Pharmacopoeia of our Breaking Clan. You must keep it safe and return it immediately when you are finished."

Liu Tianfeng accepted the wooden box and nodded solemnly.

"Rest assured, we will keep it safe. As for the conditions of your Breaking Clan, take your time to consider them. Once you have decided, send someone directly to the royal palace in Barak City to find me. As long as the request is reasonable, the Balak Kingdom will certainly fulfill it."

Yang Wudi nodded and said nothing more. His heart was filled with mixed feelings at that moment—reluctance to part with the Pharmacopoeia, and uncertainty over the future of his clan.

Liu Tianfeng handed the wooden box to Xue Tianxing, then cupped his hands toward Yang Wudi.

"Thank you, Patriarch Yang, for your understanding. We will not disturb you any longer. Farewell."

With that, Liu Tianfeng led Xue Tianxing away. Soul Power surged beneath their feet, and they once again took to the air on their swords, flying toward Heaven Dou City.

Yang Wudi remained where he was, watching the two figures recede into the distance. Only after they had completely vanished beyond the horizon did he slowly clench his fist—hopefully, lending out the Pharmacopoeia this time would win the Breaking Clan a sliver of hope for survival.

During the flight, Xue Tianxing carefully opened the wooden box and found a yellowed ancient book inside. Two archaic characters were written on its cover: "Pharmacopoeia."

Xue Tianxing gently turned a page. Inside were densely packed illustrations and records of all kinds of medicinal herbs. Even the growing environments and changes in medicinal properties of certain rare herbs were noted with absolute clarity.

Then Xue Tianxing saw familiar names such as "Lovesick Heartbreak Red" and "Aromatic Silk Beauty," along with illustrations and effects of the immortal-grade herbs beneath those names.

Xue Tianxing knew that they had obtained the right Pharmacopoeia.

At that moment, Xue Tianxing thought to himself:

This is great! With this Pharmacopoeia, I can accurately identify the Immortal Herbs at the Ice-Fire Yin Yang Well!

Overjoyed, Xue Tianxing hurriedly put away the Pharmacopoeia, his eyes filled with anticipation—before long, he would obtain the Immortal Herbs he had long dreamed of, and his strength would rise to another level!