Yao Chen remained silent for a moment after hearing Hun Changqing's words.
Hun Changqing did not continue either, simply gazing quietly at Yao Chen.
After a long while, Yao Chen finally spoke up to ask.
"Then what is your purpose in bringing me here?"
Seeing Yao Chen speak, Hun Changqing chuckled and said.
"It is very simple. The enemy of my enemy is a friend. Your enemy is the Soul Palace, and I also hold a bone-deep hatred for the Soul Palace. Coming to find you is naturally out of a desire to cooperate with you, to fight against the Soul Palace together."
Hearing Hun Changqing's words, Yao Chen stroked his beard in exasperation for a moment, and said ungraciously to him.
"Cooperate with me? Fight the Soul Palace? Based merely on you, a peak Dou Emperor, who gave you the courage to dare utter such words?"
Hearing Yao Chen's words, which carried a trace of disdain, Hun Changqing did not mind at all, instead smiling as he told him.
"Do not be hasty. Since I already know your basic information, it would be somewhat impolite of me not to introduce myself to you in return."
Hun Changqing licked his lips with his tongue and continued.
"I, Lin Changqing, peak Dou Emperor, have previously slain two Seventh-Rank Magical Beasts, as well as a Seventh-Rank Nine Serenities Netherworld Python. The battle times for all of them did not exceed five minutes, and I am... seventeen years old this year."
"This... This..."
Yao Chen was shocked upon hearing Lin Changqing's words, stumbling over his words for a moment. He had not expected the person before him to possess such terrifying combat records, and the crucial point was that he was only seventeen years old! What was he himself doing when he was seventeen?!
In Yao Chen's impression, not a single person in the Central Plains could reach his achievements at this age-the Eight Clans excluded. Moreover, even within the Yao Clan, only when the bloodline power had not weakened were there people who could rival this person. At present, among the younger generation of the Yao Clan, there was not a single person who was this person's match.
Furthermore, as a member of the Yao Clan, Yao Chen could sense that the person before him possessed no Dou Di Bloodline within his body, meaning he cultivated entirely relying on his own talent. How could Yao Chen not be shocked by this?
As for whether Hun Changqing was lying to him, Yao Chen did not even entertain the thought in that direction. It was not that he deeply trusted Hun Changqing and believed Hun Changqing would not lie to him, but rather that matters like combat prowess and age simply could not be concealed. One could easily reach a conclusion with a casual verification.
Without paying attention to the shocked Yao Chen, Hun Changqing continued.
"Do you know why I took an interest in you in the first place? It was because I inadvertently learned that you are not only an Eighth-Tier Alchemist, but you also possess a Heavenly Flame in your hands-a very peculiar Heavenly Flame."
"Bone Spirit Cold Flame? So what of it, do you want to take my Bone Spirit Cold Flame away?"
Hearing Hun Changqing's words, a trace of vigilance appeared in Yao Chen's gaze.
"No, this Bone Spirit Cold Flame has not the slightest use in my hands. Only in your hands can it display its greatest value-even greater than the value you have recognized in the past."
Hun Changqing waved his hand and said.
"Oh~ what value? Could there still be something special about the Bone Spirit Cold Flame?"
Yao Chen asked with some curiosity.
"Naturally it is special. The most special thing about the Bone Spirit Cold Flame is that it can refine medicinal pills for me."
Hun Changqing said noncommittally.
"Hmph."
Hearing Hun Changqing's words, Yao Chen instantly let out a sneering laugh.
Yao Chen looked at Hun Changqing with disdain, his bizarre expression seeming to say, "Look at you putting on airs."
Ignoring Yao Chen, Hun Changqing continued speaking.
"Do you know? My constitution is somewhat special-extremely yin and extremely cold, to a terrifying degree. My Dou Qi attribute is also intensely cold and gloomy, which is why you felt the aura on my body was gloomy and eerie when you first saw me. This is an issue with my constitution.
And when I absorb energy, it is best for me to absorb energy with an yin-cold attribute; otherwise, it will yield half the result with twice the effort. Therefore, I cannot absorb those medicinal pills refined with violent and fervent flames. The energy transformed from absorbing those medicinal pills is not even as good as me directly absorbing the medicinal herbs used to refine the pills.
So, do you understand my meaning? Ever since I began cultivating, I have only ever absorbed medicinal herbs and have never ingested medicinal pills. On the premise of never having ingested medicinal pills, I cultivated to become a peak Dou Emperor at the age of seventeen, and half my foot has already stepped into Dou Zong."
Hearing Hun Changqing's words, Yao Chen was once again tongue-tied, not knowing what to say. He needed to quietly collect himself right now; this was simply too devastating.
He had originally thought that Hun Changqing was like those disciples with Dou Di Bloodlines, not lacking medicinal pills from childhood to adulthood. Never had he expected that Hun Changqing had never eaten a medicinal pill?
A person without the reinforcement of bloodline power or the ingestion of medicinal pills could actually surpass those disciples of the Eight Clans who not only possessed Dou Di Bloodlines but also had an unlimited supply of medicinal pills.
This made Yao Chen feel somewhat like it was an Arabian Night, feeling as though this world was a bit unreal, no longer the world he was familiar with.
However, after a short while, Yao Chen snapped out of it, and certain crucial points suddenly surfaced in his mind.
"Extremely yin... extremely cold... unable to absorb medicinal pills refined with violent flames... Bone Spirit Cold Flame... Eighth-Tier Alchemist..."
"Hiss!"
Connecting the clues in his mind and thinking of a certain answer, Yao Chen could not help drawing in a breath of cold air, and hurriedly asked.
"You couldn't possibly be thinking..."
"Correct! Since I cannot absorb medicinal pills of normal flames, I will absorb medicinal pills refined from yin-cold flames! You can imagine, if I could reach my current stage without ever ingesting medicinal pills, once I begin taking medicinal pills, what kind of level I will reach!"
After hearing these words, Yao Chen also recovered from his shock, remaining silent with a struggle and hesitation in his gaze.
Although Hun Changqing's talent was heaven-defying and he had now defected from the Soul Palace, bearing a grudge against them, he was the best candidate to help him exact revenge now.
However, Hun Changqing was also once a member of the Soul Palace, an executioner whose hands were stained with blood. His hatred for the Soul Palace was also for personal grievances, and Yao Chen was afraid.
He was afraid that after eliminating one Soul Palace for the Central Plains, he would end up creating an even more terrifying fiend for the Central Plains than the Soul Palace itself!
As for the Soul Palace, he lacked the capability to manage such matters, but he absolutely would not allow a fiend who would plunge the mortal world into chaos to be nurtured through his own hands. This was his own bottom line!
"Sigh, your name is Lin Changqing, is it? I shall call you Changqing. I know you hate the Soul Palace and want revenge, but... sigh, forgive me, I cannot..."
After pondering for a moment, Yao Chen still intended to reject Hun Changqing's request, even though Hun Changqing's talent was so high it made him feel as though revenge was within arm's reach.
Yet he would not nurture a fiend for the sake of his personal vendetta, even if there was only a sliver of a possibility.
Besides, having the previous lesson of Han Feng made him even more hesitant to act rashly.
On second thought, he might as well nurture that little fellow from the Xiao Clan. After all, having absorbed the other person's Dou Qi for three years and causing someone so young to experience such a heavy blow, it truly weighed on his conscience given his temperament.
Furthermore, over these past three years, he had come to understand Xiao Yan's character inside and out, and the boy suited his tastes quite well.
Even that trace of lust was very similar; he was not a heinous, deeply evil person.