Deep within the Xilin Mountain Range, at the base of a volcano, the Yan Shi stared blankly at Xiao Yan with its mouth agape. The expression on its face at that moment was quite remarkable.
Xiao Yan, standing before him, kept naming various medicinal herbs, numbering nearly a hundred.
Although Yan Shi was indifferent to most of the medicinal herbs, his expression couldn't help but change as Xiao Yan Shi talking.
The medicinal herbs that Xiao Yan spat out have evolved in value and medicinal properties, from the initial hundred-year-old and lowest-grade herbs to those aged a thousand years, or even several thousand years.
Even Yan Shi himself would treat medicinal herbs of this age as his lifeblood. Yet Xiao Yan, with just a few words, forcibly took away half of all the precious medicinal herbs he had collected over the years. No one would be able to accept such a thing!
The person standing in front of Yan Shi at this moment was Xiao Yan. If it were anyone else, Yan Shi would probably have already gone berserk.
When Xiao Yan uttered the last word, Yan Shi's face was expressionless. He simply nodded blankly at Xiao Yan, a look of despair in his reddish-brown eyes.
Helplessly, watching his family's wealth being taken away, how could he possibly be happy?
Upon seeing the expression on Yan Shi's face, Xiao Yan was slightly taken aback, but then chuckled and laughed loudly at Yan Shi:
"Hehe, Brother Yan Shi, please rest assured, I certainly won't take your things for nothing. You only promised me one thing, and I will only take that one thing from you. How about this, I will exchange the rest for Emperor Grade Pill, how about that?"
"Well..."
Upon hearing Xiao Yan's words, Yan Shi's expression froze for a moment, but then his mood immediately improved, and a joyful smile quickly spread across his rugged face.
Although those medicinal herbs were extremely precious and he regarded them as treasures, what also frustrated Yan Shi was that the violent energy contained in those herbs prevented him from refining them and making them his own.
Therefore, although these medicinal herbs were precious, in the end, they were like a poisonous mushroom in Yan Shi's hands—visible but inedible. So, when he heard that Xiao Yan was willing to exchange them for pills, Yan Shi was naturally overjoyed.
After laughing a few times, Yan Shi's expression changed completely. He then swept his sleeves and led the way for Xiao Yan, laughing as he spoke:
"Brother Xiao Yan, please come with me!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Yan Shi took the lead and led the way for Xiao Yan. Xiao Yan smiled and nodded, then followed closely behind.
It was only at this moment that Xiao Yan had the opportunity to appreciate the peculiar space beneath the magma before him.
Contrary to expectations, the space before them was not desolate because of the magma outside the Dou Qi aura barrier; on the contrary, it looked full of life.
In Xiao Yan's line of sight, there was a small grove of trees—yes, a grove of trees.
Each tree in the forest appears to be at least several hundred years old, with crimson branches and leaves, making them look like a perpetually burning fire from above ground level, quite imposing.
And this is just a small patch of woods. It's hard to imagine what a breathtaking and magnificent scene it would be if such a large area of forest were occupied by it.
The strange creature lingered in the trees below for a moment, then Xiao Yan followed the Yan Shi, flying through the air above the trees for a short while before appearing outside a cave.
"Haha, my place can't compare to Tian Ying's, Brother Xiao Yan, please don't look down on it, haha."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan smiled and shook his head, indicating that he didn't care at all. Then, he immediately entered the cave.
Inside the cave was a staircase leading deep underground. Although it went deep underground, the reddish-glowing rock walls made the cave appear less dark.
Although the cave was simple, when Xiao Yan first stepped inside, he was met with an extremely intense gale.
The sudden gust of wind caused Xiao Yan's expression to change slightly, and even his breathing paused for a moment. But Xiao Yan quickly recovered and felt the gust of Xiao Yan coming towards him, feeling a little surprised.
The sheer terror of this gale was enough to easily incinerate ordinary things, and the fire-attribute energy it contained even made Xiao Yan gasp in amazement.
"Hehe, Brother Yan Shi's cave dwelling may not be as impressive as Brother Tian Ying's, but if one were to cultivate here, the results would likely be even greater than what one would gain from Tian Ying!"
"Hehe, this only applies to fire-attribute cultivators like us. But I really feel lucky. Although I can't devour and refine those medicinal herbs, the energy they attracted has been a great help to me. That's why I didn't put those herbs in my Storage Ring, but instead transplanted them into this cave."
Upon hearing Xiao Yan's words, Yan Shi couldn't help but smile, and then he took another step and headed into the cave.
A short while later, Xiao Yan and Yan Shi had reached the depths of the cave. After passing through several stone doors, when Yan Shi opened the last stone door by forming hand seals, the expression on Xiao Yan's face finally froze.
Standing before the stone gate, what rushed towards them was not only the even more intense gale, but also an extremely strong medicinal fragrance. The fragrance was so strong that Xiao Yan couldn't help but sneeze on the spot. This scene made Yan Shi, who was already used to the environment here, laugh out loud. Yan Shi didn't care about such things.
As Xiao Yan looked around, all he could see were dazzling medicinal herbs, as well as piles of rare materials and Flame Crystal that made his heart flutter.
All the medicinal herbs in front of Xiao Yan were fire-attribute herbs. Most of them were so rare that they would be priceless and unavailable in the outside world. Apart from a few less important ones, almost all the herbs that Xiao Yan needed were gathered here.
" Blazing Flame Flower... Dragon Fire Whisker Fruit... and Fire Qilin Stem..."
Staring blankly at the medicinal herbs before him, Xiao Yan was deeply shaken with each name he uttered. What shocked him most was that even among these herbs, there were still several that he couldn't identify. Judging from the rich medicinal fragrance they emitted, those herbs were undoubtedly the most precious ones in this patch of herbs.
"Haha! Brother Xiao Yan Xiao Yan, don't be so polite. I'm just keeping these medicinal herbs anyway, they're not of much use. As long as you don't mind, take as many as you want!"
Seeing the shocked look on Xiao Yan's face, Yan Shi immediately burst into laughter, looking at Xiao Yan with a magnanimous expression, pointing with his big finger at the medicinal herbs in the stone cave in front of him, and laughing loudly.
Hearing Yan Shi's words, Xiao Yan's heart stirred even more. However, in the end, he suppressed his excitement, clasped his hands in a deep fist salute to Yan Shi, and said in a solemn voice:
"Brother Yan Shi..."
The words Xiao Yan was about to say had barely left his mouth when Yan Shi burst into laughter again, patted Xiao Yan's shoulder forcefully, and shouted:
"Hehe, don't be shy, just take it. But remember, when you refine the Emperor Grade Pill, don't forget me, hahaha!"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan nodded emphatically, then clasped his hands in a fist salute to the Yan Shi again, and said:
"Brother Yan Shi, rest assured, I, Xiao Yan, hereby promise you that before I leave the Western Region, I will definitely refine an Yan Shi Emperor Tribulation Pill and present it to you!"
Upon hearing this, Yan Shi's expression froze for a moment, then his brown-red eyes flashed with wild joy. He had said so much and was willing to give all his possessions to Xiao Yan, part of which was naturally to get closer to Xiao Yan, but another reason was for the Emperor Tribulation Pill.
Yan Shi had been at the level of Nine-Star Half-Emperor for several hundred years, but the reason he hadn't been able to break through was because he was worried about the so-called Emperor Tribulation.
The terror of the Emperor Tribulation was far greater than they had imagined. Back then, the three of them had personally witnessed a powerful expert of the same level die tragically under the Emperor Tribulation in order to break through to the Dou Di. In the end, he didn't even leave a trace of his breath; he died completely.
Having witnessed the former's example, the three of Tian Ying naturally dared not easily attempt to break through, and thus, the Emperor Tribulation Pill became something they longed for.
The Emperor Tribulation Pill is a miraculous pill that is said to increase the chances of breaking through to the Dou Di realm. Its efficacy is sought after by all living beings on the entire continent, Tian Ying and his two companions are no exception.
However, as magical beasts, alchemy is not their forte. Furthermore, their relationship with humans is not friendly, and they have long been at war with the Four Great Sects. Therefore, they can only think about the Emperor Tribulation Pill, but have nowhere to find it.
Now, after all that effort, Xiao Yan finally spoke up and said what they wanted most, so all his efforts were worthwhile.
"Hahaha! Alright! Then I'll thank Brother Xiao Yan in advance, and as for these medicinal herbs, they're all a gift to Brother Xiao Yan! Hahaha!"
After a hearty laugh, Yan Shi finally stood aside with a joyful expression, while Xiao Yan once again turned his gaze to the medicinal herbs, his eyes revealing a deep sense of delight.