"Mr. Xiao Yan, perhaps I know the location of the Soul-Congealing Fruit."
Just as Xiao Yan frowned, the gray-robed old man in front of him hesitated for a moment before speaking to Xiao Yan with some uncertainty.
However, the moment the old man finished speaking, Xiao Yan Xiao Yan raised his dark eyes, staring intently at the gray-robed old man before him, his emotions fully displayed on his face.
"You said... you know where the Soul-Congealing Fruit is?"
After a long while, Xiao Yan finally asked in a slightly uncertain tone.
Upon hearing this, the old man in the brocade robe also turned his curious gaze toward the old man in the gray robe.
Noticing the gazes directed at him by the two men, the gray-robed elder hesitated again, as he himself was quite uncertain about the information he possessed.
After a long while, the gray-robed elder finally raised his gaze, his brows furrowed, and looked at Xiao Yan. After a moment's consideration, he truthfully replied:
"A friend of mine told me this. When the ruins were first discovered, many powerful individuals rushed in. However, it seems they triggered the formation within the ruins, and most of those who entered died there. Only a very small number managed to escape. My friend happened to be one of those who escaped, and he was also a Dou Di expert."
The old man spoke with a solemn expression, and at the end of his sentence, he added a note about his friend's strength.
"Although he escaped by chance, the price he paid was terrible. Not only was his strength unable to recover for a period of time, but he also lost an arm as a result."
Upon hearing the gray-robed elder's words, Xiao Yan's expression changed slightly. Although the elder's words were not very detailed, he could already imagine the miserable state his friend had been in.
At the same time, Xiao Yan couldn't help but feel a sense of shock.
The fact that it could force a Dou Di expert to flee in such a sorry state, even losing an arm and suffering a loss of strength, suggests that the interior of these ruins is not as simple and easy as it appears to them now.
Who knows, his friend might have encountered some terrifying creature in the Ancient Forest within these ruins.
Sure enough, the gray-robed elder spoke again immediately afterward, saying:
"According to my friend, after entering the ruins, most people passed through the outermost Boulder Hall very smoothly and reached the Ancient Forest. The vastness of that place far surpasses anything described by this heartbreak, and of course, the treasures it contains are truly precious. It was there that my friend seemed to have found something similar to the Soul-Congealing Fruit Tree."
"Um?!"
Upon hearing about the Soul-Congealing Fruit Tree, Xiao Yan's expression immediately hardened, and a fervent glint appeared deep within his eyes.
The Soul-Congealing Fruit Tree is the ultimate source of the Soul-Congealing Fruit. It is the Soul-Congealing Fruit Tree that gives birth to the Soul-Congealing Fruit, which contains powerful Spiritual Strength.
What moved and excited Xiao Yan the most at this moment was that if Soul-Congealing Fruit Tree really appeared, it would mean that there might be more than one Soul-Congealing Fruit growing on that Soul-Congealing Fruit Tree!
Upon thinking of this, Xiao Yan's heart was immediately filled with tremendous turmoil. If that were the case, a single Soul-Congealing Fruit could allow Xiao Yan to successfully advance to the Third-Tier Alchemist. What if there were two or three? Wouldn't Xiao Yan be able to raise his Spiritual Strength to the level of Fourth-Tier Alchemist in a short period of time?
Thinking of this, Xiao Yan's heart burned even hotter.
Fourth-Tier Alchemist —that level of alchemist is probably only found within the Alchemist Alliance throughout the entire Western Region. And now, if he can obtain three Soul-Congealing Fruit, he is absolutely confident that he can raise his Spiritual Strength to the level of Fourth-Tier Alchemist!
Of course, in the end, this was just a beautiful fantasy in Xiao Yan's mind. The Soul-Congealing Fruit Tree only bears fruit once every five hundred years, and only one fruit at a time, for a total of only three. Whenever a new Soul-Congealing Fruit is about to grow, the other two are already close to rotting. Therefore, there can only be one Soul-Congealing Fruit on a Soul-Congealing Fruit Tree, and there can never be more than that. That's why Xiao Yan's idea was just a beautiful fantasy.
Immediately afterward, the gray-robed elder frowned slightly, carefully recalling all the information his friend had told him, and then said to Xiao Yan:
"Although he saw the thing, he only caught a glimpse of it from afar. When he got closer, he discovered that the Soul-Congealing Fruit Tree was on a separate island, surrounded by a huge lake. The reason he was injured was because of that lake."
Having said all that, Xiao Yan and his companion could easily guess, without the old man needing to say more, that the reason his friend was injured was probably because there was a Dou Di- level magical beast in that lake!
Thinking of this, Xiao Yan's eyes flickered slightly, and his heart sank a little. If that were really the case, obtaining the Soul-Congealing Fruit would probably not be easy!
The fact that this single-headed demonic beast could cause a Dou Di powerhouse to flee in panic and ultimately end up in such a state suggests that its strength is extraordinary!
"I wonder if my Northern King can fight him."
Xiao Yan's expression was solemn, and he couldn't help but compare the situation in his mind. If the Northern King was capable of fighting that demonic beast, he might have a chance to obtain the Soul-Congealing Fruit. But if not, he was afraid that his only trump card would be lost!
Seemingly sensing the gravity in Xiao Yan's heart, the gray-robed elder pondered for a moment, then said:
"From what I understand, the demonic beast in the lake is an Ancient Nether Demon Python, whose strength is equivalent to a human expert at the Late One-Star Dou Di. My friend is slightly stronger than me, having reached the Mid One-Star Dou Di, yet even so, he couldn't last a hundred moves against that creature..."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan's heart sank. Defeating a magical beast whose strength had reached the Late One-Star Dou Di was no easy task, especially since it was a magical beast with naturally powerful physical strength. Even the Northern King would likely find it difficult to fight it. After all, in summary, the Northern King's current strength was at most comparable to that of an ordinary Early One-Star Dou Di expert. Even defeating it would be extremely difficult, let alone facing the Ancient Nether Demon Python, whose strength had reached the Late One-Star Dou Di.