"Old Yun Shan really does love pulling these little tricks! Good thing I was prepared."
Jia Xingtian spat and pulled a bamboo flute from his pocket, handing it to Xiao Zhan.
"Clan Chief Xiao, I don't have any other congratulatory gifts. This is a sixth-tier magical beast summoning flute our family has kept for years. Just blow it, and the beast will appear at once. I'll give it to you as a mount."
"?" Mu Chen.
Mittel Tengshan: "??"
"Shameless old thief! Giving away one thing twice—what a shameless bastard!" Yun Shan cursed furiously to himself.
Xiao Zhan cupped his fists in thanks. "Many thanks, Brother Yun Shan, and many thanks to Jia... Jia..."
Jia Xingtian smiled and finished for him. "Old Man Jia. Just call me Old Man Jia. That's what everyone calls me."
"By the way, didn't that lord come with you?" Yun Shan asked as they made their way up the mountain.
Xiao Zhan shook his head. "The senior has something to take care of and may not be back for some time. But he gave me something to pass on to you. He said to infuse it with Dou Qi, and an extremely powerful formation would appear around the Misty Cloud Sect!"
"This is... a formation disk!" Yun Shan's breathing quickened. He examined it for a moment, then immediately poured Dou Qi into it.
Hummm!
Hummm!
In an instant, the scarlet formation disk began to hum!
Then a beam of visible light shot out from it and burst apart hundreds of meters in the sky, scattering into countless sparks of energy that formed a barrier!
The barrier enclosed all of Misty Cloud Mountain!
"What an incredible formation!" Jia Xingtian couldn't help exclaiming.
"More powerful than any formation I've ever seen!" Fa Ma nodded in amazement.
They didn't know exactly how sturdy the barrier was, but they could be sure that even if they all attacked together, they wouldn't be able to shake it in the slightest!
With this, the Misty Cloud Sect's... no, the Xiao Family's safety was assured!
Meanwhile, elsewhere.
Xiao Xuan brought Yao Chen to the Magical Beast Mountain Range.
"Senior, weren't we going to the Tianxin Empire? Why have we come to the Magical Beast Mountain Range?"
After becoming more familiar with Xiao Xuan, Yao Chen had grown comfortable enough to speak to him first.
"There's Companion Amethyst Source here."
Xiao Xuan appeared inside the Amethyst Winged Lion King's cave!
The Amethyst Winged Lion King was sprawled on the ground, fast asleep.
Nearby, the Little Amethyst Winged Lion King hugged its father's massive foot, drooling.
Father and son were sleeping soundly.
"There really... really is Companion Amethyst Source!"
Yao Lao stared at the head-sized purple orb beneath the Little Amethyst Winged Lion King in disbelief.
Back then, he'd searched eight Amethyst Winged Lion King caves without finding this treasure.
Xiao Xuan reached out and grabbed at the purple orb from a distance!
He casually tossed the Little Amethyst Winged Lion King into a corner of the cave.
Bang!
The Little Amethyst Winged Lion King woke up and roared a warning at Xiao Xuan and Yao Chen, while also trying to wake its father!
Just then, the Amethyst Winged Lion King's ears twitched at the disturbance, and it abruptly opened its eyes!
It saw two unwelcome human intruders in its cave.
At once, its purple scales gleamed with a blinding light!
"You actually dared trespass in this king's cave and disturb my rest! Are you looking to die?!"
"What a noisy beast! Die!"
Xiao Xuan pointed a finger. His mighty soul power gathered into a transparent arrow that shot toward the Amethyst Winged Lion King!
"Arrogant human! You really think this king is—"
The Amethyst Winged Lion King snorted, but before it could finish—
Thwack!
The arrow pierced its skull and pinned it to the cave wall!
The Little Amethyst Winged Lion King trembled with fear.
Xiao Xuan flashed onto the stone platform.
He reached down and grabbed at the ground!
Boom!
The ground shook violently. The Companion Amethyst Source embedded in the stone platform was wrenched out whole by a mighty force!
"Is this the Emperor Realm Soul? It's truly terrifying!"
Yao Chen was secretly shocked.
If it had been him, he could only have used Purple Spirit Crystal to break apart the stone shell around the Companion Amethyst Source and take it out. Even then, he would've wasted a great deal!
Xiao Xuan put away the Companion Amethyst Source, took the Purple Spirit Crystal as well, and handed it to Yao Chen.
"Keep it safe."
Then, under Yao Chen's horrified gaze—
Xiao Xuan swallowed both Amethyst Winged Lion Kings whole!
"I... I've lived for so many years, but this is the first time I've seen someone swallow magical beasts whole!"
Even magical beasts didn't swallow each other like that!
Yao Chen's understanding of the world had been turned upside down.
After swallowing the Amethyst Winged Lion Kings, Xiao Xuan sat cross-legged in midair and began refining them!
Two and a half hours later.
[Ding, detected that the host has devoured one sixth-rank magical beast and one third-rank magical beast. Physical recovery progress: +0.1%; 99.9% remaining.]
"Damn!"
Xiao Xuan couldn't help cursing inwardly.
How many magical beasts would he have to swallow to get his progress to 100%?!
Maybe he should find a suitable body to possess first?
Having obtained the main ingredient for refining the Red Fire Pill—the Companion Amethyst Source—Xiao Xuan didn't linger.
He took Yao Chen along, searching for medicinal ingredients and all kinds of rare treasures needed to restore his body and refine pills.
Half a month later.
Xiao Xuan arrived in the Tianxin Empire.
After asking around, he finally found Heaven Burial Ravine and stopped at a nearby mountain range.
Xiao Xuan tossed a dark red fruit to Yao Chen.
"This is a spirit-restoring medicine. Take some first to recover, then you can refine the pill."
Yao Chen looked at the fruit in his hand, visibly excited. "Th-this couldn't be the legendary Red Crystal Soul-Nurturing Fruit, could it? I never thought I'd see something like this in my lifetime!"
He'd only ever seen it mentioned in ancient records from the Yao Clan.
It was said to be incredibly rare, growing only in places rich in souls!
It contained tremendous energy and was an excellent supplement for restoring the soul—an unfathomable treasure that could only be found by chance.
Xiao Xuan said, "As long as you do your job, don't think that a mere Red Crystal Soul-Nurturing Fruit is all I can give you. Getting you a Dou Venerable or Dou Sheng body would be no trouble either."
He'd stumbled upon the fruit in a place in the Central Plains.
"Senior, I'll remember your great kindness for the rest of my life."
Yao Chen swallowed the Red Crystal Soul-Nurturing Fruit and began refining it to restore his soul power!
Time passed second by second. Yao Chen's nearly transparent body grew more and more solid.
At the same time, his strength recovered from the Dou Ling level all the way to Peak Dou Zong!
Yao Chen had never dreamed he'd recover to this level so easily!
He didn't waste words. Following Xiao Xuan's instructions, he took out the Black Demon Cauldron and began refining pills.
Xiao Xuan didn't stay nearby. He hid somewhere and quietly waited for the fish to bite.
In the blink of an eye, seven days passed.
An enticing pill fragrance drifted from the Black Demon Cauldron.
The magical beasts within a hundred miles were all drawn by the fragrance.
At the same time!
The enormous commotion nearby drew the attention of many surrounding forces!
Among them was a branch hall of the Soul Hall hidden deep within Heaven Burial Ravine!
"This aura..."
Deep within the Soul Hall branch hall, a gaunt old man with a sinister face abruptly opened his eyes and looked in a certain direction!
Before you continue