Niu Gao picked up the jade bottle and opened its cap. A rich medicinal fragrance rushed toward him.
He poured out a pill. It was golden, round, and smooth, giving off a faint chrysanthemum scent.
"What is this?"
"Singular Velvet Pill. The Hall Master personally refined it. It can strengthen the body and clear the meridians. One pill is worth three years of bitter cultivation."
Niu Gao's pupils contracted slightly.
Though he was not an alchemist, he was knowledgeable enough.
The quality of this pill surpassed every medicinal pill he had ever seen by more than one level.
"Dugu Bo... has that kind of skill?"
"There's still plenty about the Hall Master that you don't know."
Yang Wudi returned the pill to the jade bottle and pushed it back in front of Niu Gao. "Old Ox, how has the Defense Clan been doing in the Xingluo Empire?"
Niu Gao fell silent.
Were they doing well?
No.
Spirit Hall's suppression was everywhere, and the Defense Clan's business worsened with every passing year.
Though they were doing somewhat better than the Breaking Clan, it was not by much.
The younger members of the clan had no resources for cultivation, while the elders' health worsened day by day.
As clan leader, he had been holding on with great difficulty.
"The Hall Master said that if the Defense Clan joins Nine Nether Hall, then cultivation methods, resources, and protection—whatever the Breaking Clan has, the Defense Clan will have as well."
Yang Wudi looked into Niu Gao's eyes. "Old Ox, I'm not forcing you. I came here only to pass along the Hall Master's message. Whether you go or not is your own decision."
He rose to his feet and patted Niu Gao on the shoulder.
"I'll wait for you at the old place."
Yang