For the next few days, Xiao Yan stayed in Tian Ying's cave. Murong Qianqian and the Tian Ying two were also temporarily in seclusion due to their injuries, leaving Xiao Yan alone in the spacious cave.
Amidst the ethereal mist, a stone platform floated in the void, upon which Xiao Yan sat cross-legged, his hands forming cultivation hand seals. The Flame Mantra within his body circulated rapidly, and powerful energies from Xiao Yan and earth quickly gathered towards him.
This stone platform was originally a stone platform dedicated to Tianying's daily practice. If it could be chosen by him, the energy of heaven and earth gathered around this stone platform was naturally extremely rich. However, as Tianying retreated, Xiao Yan took advantage of it.
After some cultivation, when Xiao Yan opened his eyes again, his aura had once again reached its peak. Xiao Yan's seated body moved slightly, and he could even feel a faint energy fluctuation spreading out from the void around him.
Taking a deep breath, Xiao Yan stretched his body slightly and then began to assess the battle with the three Tian Ying.
The Heavenly Severing Steps have reached the Great Completion of the Wind Movement Realm, which is undoubtedly a significant boost for Xiao Yan at this point.
With the Heavenly Severing Steps at his disposal, below the Dou Di, absolutely no one can match Xiao Yan's speed. Coupled with Xiao Yan's terrifying combat power that surpasses his own, as reflected in his recent battle with Tian Ying and the other two, below the Dou Di, Xiao Yan no longer fears anyone. And this time, he can rely entirely on his own strength, without even needing to send the Northern King to help.
It has to be said that Xiao Yan's current combat strength is no less than that of a Nine-Star Half-Emperor!
Of course, even so, Xiao Yan still felt immense pressure. After all, what he was about to face was not just Half-Emperor. Within the Four Great Sects, there were countless Nine-Star Half-Emperor, and even more true Dou Di experts. If he could not improve his strength as soon as possible and relied solely on combat power, it would not be a long-term solution. Therefore, only true strength could save Xiao Yan from disaster!
If one wants to gain strength as quickly as possible, there is currently only one path to choose from.
Ice Spirit Pill!
Although Xiao Yan did not want to lose Gu You, who had been with him for many years and was both his teacher and friend, it was just as Gu You said that this was his duty, and even Xiao Yan could not shirk it.
"Well..."
With a complex mix of emotions, Xiao Yan stood up, pondered for a moment, and then flew away from the cave of the Tian Ying.
A short while later, Xiao Yan appeared in front of a volcano.
The volcano's height was no less than that of the Tian Ying Mountain. Within a radius of hundreds of miles around the volcano was a crimson region. Gushes of lava flowed from the fissures around the volcano, forming a lava river that slowly flowed into the distance. Every now and then, a huge bubble would surge out from beneath the lava and then burst with a bang, releasing a burst of scorching gas, making the temperature of this place even more terrifying.
Standing directly above the crater, even from a distance of hundreds of feet, Xiao Yan could still feel the terrifying temperature and violent energy contained within the magma.
Of course, this was nothing to Xiao Yan. With his Heavenly Flames, this magma was nothing to him. Even the bottom of the magma, which seemed inaccessible to outsiders, was like an empty place to Xiao Yan.
Indeed, Xiao Yan's purpose in this trip was to reach the bottom of this volcano.
To be precise, it should be the Yan Shi at the bottom of this volcano.
Looking down at the volcano, a smile slowly appeared on Xiao Yan's lips. Then, with a swift movement, he appeared on the scorching lava in the blink of an eye.
Looking at the scorching magma beneath his feet, Xiao Yan smiled again. With a wave of his hand, Heavenly Flames rose up from his palm with a "poof." With a thought, the Heavenly Flames also surged. At the same time, the scorching magma beneath Xiao Yan's feet quickly separated, making way for Xiao Yan to walk straight down.
Without further hesitation, Xiao Yan moved, instantly using the Heavenly Severing Steps, and swiftly flew down towards the bottom of the magma.
After a long while, when Xiao Yan had flown nearly a thousand feet straight towards the bottom of the magma, a Dou Qi shield emitting a dazzling light finally appeared in Xiao Yan's eyes.
"Arrive..."
With a smile in his heart, Xiao Yan suddenly accelerated his descent, and in the blink of an eye, he appeared outside the light barrier.
Meanwhile, somewhere inside the light barrier, Yan Shi, who was meditating cross-legged, also sensed Xiao Yan's aura. He immediately frowned slightly, withdrew from his meditation, and then, with a thought, the Dou Qi barrier in front of Xiao Yan automatically parted to create a passage just wide enough for one person to pass through. Xiao Yan took a step and entered.
"Haha, I didn't expect Brother Xiao Yan to come to my boring and irritating place. May I ask what brings you here?"
Upon meeting, Yan Shi's deep, hearty laughter boomed like thunder.
Yan Shi was a straightforward person. After several encounters, he not only regarded Xiao Yan as a strong person of the same level, but also as a friend. Therefore, he was not as reserved as he was at the beginning when he spoke.
Xiao Yan wasn't offended by Yan Shi's tone; on the contrary, he felt it would help him get along better with the latter.
In response to the latter, Xiao Yan laughed a few times, then took a deep breath, raised his gaze to the Yan Shi in front of him, and smiled:
"Hehe, not bad. As the saying goes, no one visits a temple without a reason. I have indeed come here today because I need Brother Yan Shi's help with something."
Hearing Xiao Yan call him "brother," Yan Shi felt a surge of joy and laughed loudly:
"Since you have something to say, Brother Xiao Yan, please just say it. Besides, Miss has said that as long as you ask for it and we can do it, we will definitely help! Hahahaha!"
Seeing this, Xiao Yan couldn't help but smile again, but his expression quickly returned to normal. After a moment's thought, Xiao Yan took a deep breath before saying:
"I see that Brother Yan Shi possesses exceptionally strong fire power here, so this volcano must have a long history..."
Xiao Yan paused slightly, and Yan Shi nodded, signaling Xiao Yan to continue.
"So, I wanted to ask if Brother Yan Shi has a few things I need."
Upon hearing this, Yan Shi raised an eyebrow, then smiled with relief, put his hands on his hips, and laughed loudly at Xiao Yan:
"Haha, I almost forgot, Brother Xiao Yan is an alchemist! In that case, Brother Xiao Yan, please feel free to ask. I may not have much else here, but as long as it's fire-attribute, I can easily find you a few thousand-year-old medicinal herbs or several hundred-year-old Flame Crystal!"
"Hehe, I'm not bragging, but if you can name any of them, I guarantee I can get them for you. When it comes to medicinal herb reserves, hehe, even Tian Ying and Xiong Gang combined might not have as many as me, haha!"
After his boasting, Yan Shi's face revealed a hint of arrogance. Seeing this, Xiao Yan breathed a sigh of relief. Although he had come with a purpose, he couldn't guarantee that Yan Shi would actually have the things he was looking for. However, after hearing the latter's words, Xiao Yan felt a surge of excitement.
After briefly organizing his thoughts, Xiao Yan looked at the Yan Shi before him with a surprised expression, cupped his hands in greeting, and said with a smile:
"In that case, I'll thank Brother Yan Shi in advance!"
After thanking him, Xiao Yan no longer hesitated and told the Yan Shi about the medicinal herbs he needed, as well as several special Flame Crystal used to refine his avatar.
" Molten Flame Fruit, Blazing Fire Essence Vine..."
However, as Xiao Yan uttered the names of one medicinal herb after another, the expression on Yan Shi's face changed from a relaxed and carefree look at the beginning to a blank and wooden look at the end.