"Huh? I... I was saying this pill tastes so good, heehee!"
Zi Yan grabbed a handful of pills and stuffed them into her mouth.
Her cheeks puffed out, and paired with her baby face, she looked especially adorable.
"Senior, have you finished what you needed to do?"
Yao Chen asked.
Xiao Xuan replied, "Not yet. There's something I may need her help with, so I came back to bring her along."
"Great! I thought you'd come back especially to see me, but it turns out you just want to order me around!"
Zi Yan turned her head away in displeasure, pouting as if to say she was angry.
She looked even cuter.
Xiao Xuan smiled. "It's not like I'm going to make you work for nothing. Once we find some good natural treasures, I'll have Yao Chen make you some tasty pills. How does that sound?"
Yao Chen could only smile wryly.
He was reputed to be the greatest alchemist on the continent, and now people were treating him like a tool for placating children.
If some of his old friends found out, their jaws would drop!
Of course, if they learned that the one giving the orders was Xiao Xuan, ninety-nine percent of the alchemists in Central Plains would probably rush to become his tools!
Hearing Xiao Xuan's offer, Zi Yan turned around and stared at him suspiciously. "Really? You're not lying to me, are you?!"
"Do I look like I'm lying?"
"Then... fine. I'll trust you one more time, for now."
Zi Yan beamed.
She grabbed another handful of pills, stuffed them into her mouth, and crunched away.
Xiao Xuan went over to one side and flicked a finger. Two bodies appeared on the ground.
Yao Chen recognized them at a glance.
"These are... Saint Hun Qing of the Soul Hall! And Venerable Blood River of the Soul Hall!"
One was a Dou Venerable, the other a Dou Sheng!
"These are the ingredients needed to refine the pills for making bodies. Go ahead and refine them yourself!"
"Senior, why are there two bodies?"
Yao Chen was puzzled.
Could it be...
Xiao Xuan intended to use Saint Hun Qing's body?
That didn't seem fitting for someone of his status!
"Sorry, there's one more body. It's... mine."
Sky Fire Venerable's figure appeared, his round, fair face covered in embarrassment.
He hadn't expected Xiao Xuan to remember his promise.
Yao Chen didn't ask any questions.
But how should they divide the two bodies?
"Saint Hun Qing's body goes to you. Venerable Blood River's body goes to Sky Fire."
"Understood, Senior."
Yao Chen was thrilled.
He was already at the Peak Dou Zun level!
Now, with this Dou Sheng body, he was confident that once he regained his own body, he could reach the late stage of one-star Dou Sheng, or perhaps even two-star!
At present, Xiao Xuan had acquired several Heavenly Flames through his formidable strength!
All Yao Chen needed to do to help restore their bodies was refine the pills.
"Senior, I recently refined this Eighth-Tier Nine-Colored Pill, the Crimson Crystal Soul-Returning Pill."
"Once your body is restored, you should be able to refine Ninth-grade Pills, right?"
"I should be able to, but... the Northwest Continent is impoverished. I'm afraid there won't be enough energy to support it."
"Never mind. At worst, we can make a trip to the far north or south of the continent."
Xiao Xuan waved a hand dismissively.
After repeatedly devouring the souls collected by the Soul Hall branch during this time, along with the souls of Saint Hun Qing and the others, and devouring and refining the medicinal ingredients and pills from the Ancient Clan's Earth Treasury, his body restoration progress had now reached seventy-one percent.
The two were still talking when Xun'er, having heard that Xiao Xuan was back, hurried over.
"Teacher, you're finally back. I've waited so long, the flowers have all wilted."
"..."
"Teacher, what's that look for? Don't tell me... you're going to go back on your word?"
The corners of Xun'er's mouth drooped, and tears instantly welled in her eyes!
She looked as if she might burst into tears at any moment!
Zi Yan rolled her eyes. "Little brat, always on the verge of tears. You're such a mood-killer."
"?" Xun'er.
Xun'er shot back, "You call me a little brat? How much older than me are you?"
"I'm... I'm... a lot older!"
Zi Yan didn't even know how old she was.
Xiao Xuan silently added, She might even be older than your father, Gu Yuan!
"Really? But you're not any taller than me!"
Xun'er refused to back down.
Zi Yan quickly swallowed the pills in her mouth and ran over to Xun'er.
She puffed out her chest and held her head high.
Then she reached out, measuring from the top of Xun'er's head to herself.
"See? I'm a whole head taller than you!"
"Hmph!"
Xun'er gave a haughty snort and stubbornly rose onto her tiptoes.
Unfortunately, Zi Yan happened to catch her in the act.
"Oho, why are you on your tiptoes? Think I didn't see that?"
Xun'er craned her neck and refused to admit it.
"Who's on tiptoes? Who is?!"
Zi Yan pointed at Xun'er's feet.
"You won't admit it? Look for yourself. You're on your tiptoes, aren't you?"
"I'm not!"
"You are! I saw you!"
And so, right in front of Xiao Xuan and Yao Chen, the two of them bickered back and forth!
Their faces turned red, but neither would give an inch!
Xiao Xuan didn't intervene. He and Yao Chen left together.
"Where's Teacher?"
"This is all your fault!"
"Your fault!"
"You..."
Then the two of them started bickering again!
Meanwhile,
in Central Plains!
Dou Venerable experts began disappearing without a trace with increasing frequency!
At first there had been only one or two; now there were dozens!
And the numbers kept climbing!
Among the one tower, one hall, two sects, three valleys, and four pavilions that made up the prominent powers, Dou Venerable experts—including the sect masters, pavilion masters, and elders of Yellow Springs Pavilion, Wind Lightning Pavilion, Ice River Valley, and Sound Valley—were vanishing mysteriously one after another!
For a time!
Apart from top-tier forces like Pill Tower and the Soul Hall,
the rest of the powers were gripped by fear.
Quite a few even packed their bags and left Central Plains!
Only forces like Starfall Pavilion and Burning Flame Valley remained.
Starfall Pavilion.
"Deputy Pavilion Master, are we... still not leaving?"
An elder of Starfall Pavilion asked.
"You all can go. This is the fruit of my and Brother Chen's labor. I'll live or die with Starfall Pavilion."
Venerable Wind shook his head, a resolute look in his eyes.
"Deputy Pavilion Master, why put yourself through this? The Pavilion Master has been missing for decades. Maybe..."
"If he hadn't been there back then, I might have died long ago. So... don't try to talk me out of it."
"Alas."
The elder sighed deeply and reluctantly turned to leave.
Soon, Venerable Wind was the only one left in Starfall Pavilion.
"Brother Chen, I refuse to believe you're really dead..."
Burning Flame Valley.
"Valley Master, among the one tower, one hall, two sects, three valleys, and four pavilions in the Central Plains, aside from Pill Tower and Soul Hall, only we and Starfall Pavilion have yet to leave!"
An elder of Burning Flame Valley reported.
"Starfall Pavilion? Isn't that the force Yao Chen founded all those years ago?"
Tang Zhen murmured.
Back when Yao Chen had made a name for himself, Tang Zhen had only been a Dou Zong.
In the blink of an eye, decades had passed.
"Valley Master, what about us? Do we hold out or leave the Central Plains?"
The elder asked.
Tang Zhen looked at the red-haired old man beside him.
"Why are you looking at me? Of course we're staying. We'll see which bastard is behind this!"
As a Dou Sheng expert, Fire Cloud Ancestor naturally had little to fear.
Besides, he had the life-saving item Xiao Xuan had left him.
What was there to fear?
Just then,
a voice suddenly boomed in their ears!
"Hehe, as expected of Fire Cloud Ancestor. Even I have to admit I can't match that courage."
Before you continue