Inside the secret chamber, Xiao Yan sat quietly cross-legged on the Bluestone Platform. In the surrounding space, strands of heaven and earth energy gradually flowed into his body with his breath. At a certain moment, when he opened his tightly closed eyes, a scorching flame burst forth from his eyes, easily piercing the void in front of him before disappearing.
"Call..."
Exhaling the stale air that had been trapped in his chest, Xiao Yan's sleeves billowed slightly, and in the blink of an eye, he appeared in front of a stone platform in the secret chamber, where an oval-shaped crystal lay prominently.
As half a month passed, most of the energy in the outer layer of the crystal embryo had been consumed, leaving only a thin layer, and its size was significantly smaller than before.
The Giant Rock Horned Rhino cub inside, whose originally pink body has now turned a pale white, with a darker color on its back, will likely absorb all the remaining energy within ten days. When the rhinoceros cub survives and is born, it will be time for Xiao Yan to harvest the Rock Rhino Horn Marrow.
As Xiao Yan carefully examined the scene before him, he felt quite strange, and at the same time, he also felt a sense of pride, as if this little beast was his own creation.
Initially, Xiao Yan himself had no confidence in using the Heavenly Flames to help the rhinoceros calf's embryo continue to grow and develop. After all, this operation was different from healing his own injuries, and developing an embryo with external force was simply going against the heavens. However, after seeing the results, Xiao Yan couldn't help but be amazed.
A moment later.
Inside the main hall of Langfang, Xiao Siyu and others were prominently displayed.
Upon hearing Xiao Yan's words, both Mu Leng and Murong Qianqian's expressions became extremely solemn. Xiao Siyu couldn't help but slam the tea table beside her to pieces, gritting her teeth and angrily saying:
"These people from the Ghost Gate are becoming increasingly audacious, daring to openly commit violence against my Xiao Clan in Pill City! Does he really think my Xiao Clan is a pushover?"
"At this point, getting angry is useless. Since he's already hiding in Pill City, there's no escaping him. The only concern is that if he's also an alchemist and Pill Gathering, that would be a real problem."
Xiao Yan shook his head with a wry smile, saying with some helplessness.
When asked why the Ghost Gate member had approached him, Xiao Yan explained that the person was after the Heavenly Flames. While this was a valid explanation, he still carefully avoided mentioning the Tou She Ancient God Jade. After all, this matter was of great importance, and he absolutely could not reveal it to anyone before he had the ability to fully protect himself.
"That's right. According to what Xiao Yan just said, that Ghost Gate expert's cultivation level is at least Four-Star Yuan Zun, and his comprehension and control of the Power of the Great Dao far surpasses that of other experts of the same level. It is said that there is a secret realm in the Pill Tower, and many attendees will go there. If you happen to encounter him there, it would be quite bad."
Even with Xiao Ming's aloof nature, he was quite concerned about the Ghost Gate Yuan Zun at this moment. After what happened last time, Xiao Ming had been extra cautious lately, and he would even pay extra attention when Mu Leng and the other went out.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan frowned and nodded. With the Pill Gathering imminent, it was clearly impossible to make any further preparations at this point. He could only take it one step at a time.
After a moment of silence, Xiao Yan lightly tapped the tea table beside him, drawing everyone back to reality, and said:
"Forget it, there's no point in thinking about it anymore. I might as well go out for a stroll. I've been in Pill City for over a month, but I haven't seen what treasures this place has yet."
As they spoke, Xiao Yan was about to stand up, but Xiao Siyu, opposite him, seemed to suddenly remember something. She called out, then flicked her jade finger, and a stream of light shot out, transforming into a Storage Ring that hovered in the air in front of Xiao Yan. Just as Xiao Yan looked on with suspicion, Xiao Siyu pursed her lips slightly and slowly said:
"These are the seventh-grade medicinal herbs you requested. I don't know if it's enough, but Qianqian and I have already emptied our coffers. If you want more, you'll have to rely on yourself."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan was slightly taken aback, then couldn't help but chuckle awkwardly, realizing he had forgotten to remind them that the medicinal herbs had already been collected.
Seeing Xiao Yan's behavior, the people opposite him exchanged suspicious glances. Xiao Yan quickly thanked them and, after briefly checking the quantity of medicinal herbs in his Storage Ring, his eyelids twitched involuntarily.
A full twelve thousand seventh-grade medicinal herbs!
Such a massive quantity would be enough for a sect to accumulate for years or even decades in the outside world, yet it appeared so casually before us, which was truly astonishing.
Xiao Yan ultimately only selected a portion of the medicinal herbs he needed, returning the rest to Xiao Siyu. Mu Leng also received quite a few; one could tell from the latter's almost stunned expression that he was overjoyed. After all, if he were to search for over a hundred seventh-grade medicinal herbs on his own, he probably wouldn't be able to gather such a quantity even in a hundred years.
As for Murong Qianqian, since she was not an alchemist, Xiao Yan took out a lot of pills from his Storage Ring for her, which also made Mu Leng was standing to the side, show a face full of envy.
In the following days, the group relaxed considerably. Under Xiao Ming's close protection, they explored the entire vast Pill City until four days before the Pill Gathering.
"Buzz!"
Above the center of Pill City, several powerful auras swept through, once again startling everyone in the city.
Xiao Yan and his group stood in mid-air, looking up at the scene in the sky.
There, four figures stood in four different directions in the sky, hundreds of feet apart. At this moment, each of them controlled a small cauldron about ten inches in size. As the four of them formed hand seals, a huge amount of Origin Qi was continuously poured into the cauldrons, and the size of the small cauldrons expanded rapidly in front of the naked eye until they were about ten feet in size before slowly stopping. After a short while, the top cover suddenly opened with a bang, and four different energy beams shot out from the cauldrons and shot straight into the sky.
However, just as the beam of light was about to pierce through the high-altitude clouds, it suddenly spread out, intertwining and merging together, eventually forming a huge circular ring. At the same time, a terrifying energy aura that shook the soul emanated from it, causing all the powerful figures in the city to feel a chill run down their spines.
"Huh? I do remember those three. How come there's another one today? I heard people call them the Five Dao Sons of the Pill Tower. So there should be five of them. Are we missing one?"
Looking at the scene in the sky, Xiao Yan couldn't help but ask with some curiosity.
"Indeed, judging from that person's figure, it's Wu Changfu. Among these five, he is the most warlike, but also the weakest in cultivation. As for the one who hasn't appeared, he's called Nian Sheng. Although Chen Xuanling is the leader in everything among the Five Dao Sons of the Pill Tower, he is the strongest in terms of cultivation and strength."
Xiao Ming nodded and began to explain. After speaking, his gaze swept carefully over the four pillars of light high in the sky. He hesitated for a moment, then asked suspiciously:
"Judging from their appearance, they're preparing to open Fallen Immortal City. Strange, in previous Pill Gathering, all five of them would open the passage together, so why are there only four of them this time?"
" Fallen Immortal City?"
Upon hearing this name for the first time, Xiao Yan couldn't help but be somewhat surprised. Xiao Siyu, standing beside him, stared intently at the scene in the sky, explaining with a hint of excitement:
"It's the place where the Pill Gathering is held. Although Pill City is the center of the Pill Tower, only Fallen Immortal City is the true core of the Pill Tower. It's a world jointly created by generations of powerful figures in the Pill Tower, embodying the pinnacle of the Pill Tower's efforts. The rare and precious herbs within are countless. Any medicinal material that can't be found outside can definitely be found in Fallen Immortal City. And if a medicinal material doesn't exist in Fallen Immortal City, it's absolutely impossible for it to exist outside."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan immediately understood, a look of realization appearing on his face. At the same time, he was somewhat surprised, thinking that the vast Xiao Clan also existed in an independent world created by their ancestors. He wondered how the core of the Pill Tower compared to the Xiao Clan.