Chen Xuanling's sudden movement also drew the curious gazes of the other three people beside him.
"What, did you get any unexpected gains?"
Ji Yao and Yuwen Zong exchanged a glance, then asked in surprise.
The strange expression on Chen Xuanling's face gradually subsided, and he simply sighed softly and said with a wry smile:
"There was nothing to gain. I just explored the illusions where those people were. Except for the ones where I was worried about being discovered by those Yuan Zun, I observed most of the Yuan Zong's illusions. Only Xiao Yan were blocked by a special restriction before I could even enter."
"Oh?"
Upon hearing this, the three people beside him exchanged glances, their faces showing surprise.
This Pill Sea Illusion Realm was created by the powerful figures of their Pill Tower through a special secret method combined with the lake of Pill Qi. The key to controlling the illusion is the small cauldron they each possess. Even Yuan Zun could never forcibly sever their connection with the illusion, let alone Xiao Yan, whose cultivation is only at the Yuan Zong.
"Could it be that that kid concealed his cultivation level from us, which is why he blocked your probe as soon as you tried to investigate?"
After frowning and pondering for a moment, Wu Changfu boldly made his guess.
"No, Yuwen Zong and I witnessed Xiao Yan being ambushed by the Yuan Zun. If he were also Yuan Zun expert, why would he deliberately conceal his cultivation at that time? Wouldn't that be disregarding his own life? Moreover, Ji Yao's cultivation technique is special, making her extremely sensitive to both Spiritual Strength and cultivation level. She personally spoke with Xiao Yan at the time, so she wouldn't have failed to notice anything unusual."
Chen Xuanling slowly shook his head, denying Wu Changfu's guess. Upon hearing this, Yuwen Zong and Ji Yao nodded repeatedly. Based on their observation, Xiao Yan's cultivation was indeed at the Peak Yuan Zong. As for what had just happened, it was indeed difficult to fathom.
Yuwen Zong gently stroked his chin, pondering:
" Xiao Yan possesses Heavenly Flames, and the Fallen Heart Flame was also devoured by it. That kind of Heavenly Flames has a very special effect on Spiritual Strength. Moreover, this illusion itself is connected to the Soul Origin of the one who enters it. Could it be because the Heavenly Flames is protecting its master?"
Upon hearing this, the group exchanged bewildered glances, then fell silent in a tacit agreement.
They did not devour the Heavenly Flames, and even the effects of the Heavenly Flames were obtained from some ancient books. What is the reason for this? Whether it is true or not, how can they explain it?
Meanwhile, in the illusion, Xiao Yan stared in astonishment at the incense stick that floated out of his body, and then at the illusory body that had been easily frightened away by the incense. For a moment, he was at a loss.
This fragrance was none other than the Soul-Guiding Incense that Xiao Yan had obtained from the Nine-Character Soul Stele.
The Soul-Guiding Incense incense dispersed and slowly coalesced into a somewhat illusory human figure. As the figure gradually solidified, an old man materialized and appeared.
"You! Who are you?"
The phantom body saw the strangely appearing old man, its ashen face showing lingering shock. The other party seemed to be just a Soul-Guiding Incense, which naturally had a great deterrent effect on him, who had condensed into a physical form using this illusion.
At this moment, Xiao Yan himself also showed a look of surprise. After obtaining the Soul-Guiding Incense, he had carefully examined it, but he had not found anything special about it. However, he did not expect that it would appear on its own in the illusion of the Pill Tower, and it seemed to have some mystery.
"Hehe, times have changed. There are probably very few people in this world who still remember my real name. If you mention Master Qing Li, perhaps some name can be found."
Upon hearing this, the old man glanced at Xiao Yan and smiled.
" Master Qing Li?"
Xiao Yan was indeed unfamiliar with this name. He had read many ancient books in the Xiao Clan and believed that he had some understanding of some past secrets of the Central Region. However, he could not find any trace of this Master Qing Li in his memory. Nevertheless, he still bowed respectfully to her.
The fact that the other party could retain the Soul Power through the Soul-Guiding Incense without being detected was certainly not something an ordinary expert could do. Moreover, this person was an elder in the Pill Tower when they were still alive. With such a status and position, it was not a big deal for them to exchange a moment of courtesy with Xiao Yan.
"Haha, it's alright. I never expected to go down in history anyway. In my current state, I'm nothing more than a wisp of lingering will left behind in the Soul-Guiding Incense before my death. Young friend, there's no need for such formalities."
Master Qing Li smiled faintly, but his expression became much richer. Without waiting for the illusory body to make any move, he stretched out two fingers, pinched the Soul-Guiding Incense in front of him, and gently tossed it into the air. At the same time, a wisp of green smoke quickly spread out from it, and all the white mist disappeared instantly in its path.
Upon seeing this, the illusory form immediately showed a look of horror, but dared not resist it in the slightest. As it turned its body, it transformed into a streak of light and rushed towards the depths of the illusion.
Master Qing Li paid no attention to this, and after a moment she withdrew the Soul-Guiding Incense, then slowly smiled at Xiao Yan in front of her:
"The reason I left this Soul-Guiding Incense inside the stone tablet is that I hope my insights can one day return to the world. Although it's not a world-destroying method, it's enough for you to make further progress in alchemy in the future."
As soon as he finished speaking, the Soul-Guiding Incense in front of him rippled gently, and a strange fluctuation immediately spread out. At the same time, a peculiar pulling force subtly connected with Xiao Yan's Soul Origin. The moment Xiao Yan sensed this strange energy, his expression changed drastically, and he exclaimed in surprise:
" Pill Soul Realm!"
Xiao Yan was no stranger to this strange perception; he had entered it several times in the past when refining pills. It was quite mysterious. Under this state, the success rate of refining pills would be greatly increased. The only pity was that this state could only be achieved by chance and could not be intervened by human intervention. Otherwise, there would not be so many high-level pills that were difficult to refine on this continent.
Seeing the shocked expression on Xiao Yan's face, Master Qing Li simply smiled and continued:
"This strange state is indeed the Pill Soul Realm, but I prefer to call it the Pill Profound Realm. This is not something formed by the chance of heaven and earth, but something I have painstakingly studied for hundreds of Suiyue before successfully manipulating and controlling with human power. Therefore, I hope to distinguish it from the former, which can be considered as the last trace of myself in this world."