Inside the cave, Xiao Yan sat cross-legged, his powerful aura resembling a coiled dragon. With the complete fusion of the Heavenly Flames, Xiao Yan's strength was firmly established at the Peak of the Late Two-Star Dou Di Stage. However, at this very moment, a sudden change occurred deep within Xiao Yan's body and mind.
In his mind, the jet-black Soul Bead stood gracefully. The extreme solidity of his Spiritual Strength made the Soul Bead even more profound. At the same time, with the increase in Xiao Yan's strength, his own Spiritual Strength had also improved considerably. As it stands now, Xiao Yan's Spiritual Strength is probably considered outstanding among all Third-Tier Alchemist.
Just as Xiao Yan broke through to the Peak of the Late Two-Star Dou Di Stage, an extremely subtle aura suddenly surged out from within that pitch-black Soul Bead.
The moment Xiao Yan sensed this aura, he felt no worry whatsoever; instead, a cold smile filled his heart, as if he had expected it all along.
"You finally came out? I've been waiting for you!"
Xiao Yan sneered inwardly, and at that moment, the Soul Bead in his mind trembled violently. A surge of powerful Spiritual Strength spread outward uncontrollably. Then, a wisp of black smoke rose slowly from within the Soul Bead, and after several transformations, it condensed into a slightly illusory human figure.
"Gah gah gah gah! Xiao Yan, do you still remember me?! Gah gah gah gah!"
A piercing, eerie laugh echoed endlessly in Xiao Yan's mind, followed by a thick black mist that spread out and enveloped the Soul Bead within his mind.
Xiao Yan focused his mind inward, Spiritual Strength within the Soul Bead rapidly surged outward, condensing into a phantom image of himself, standing opposite Xiao Yan Hei Mu, smiling at the latter.
" Hei Mu, it's been a long time!"
Xiao Yan smiled slightly and spoke in a calm tone, without any emotional fluctuation in his words, as if he had long expected this moment to come.
Indeed, this thick, black fog is none other than the Hei Mu that should have been reduced to ashes long ago in the Southern Region Ginseng Spirit Realm!
"Hmph, feigning composure. I've been hiding within you for so long, all for this day. How could you possibly discover it so easily!"
Hei Mu sneered disdainfully. He didn't believe that Xiao Yan could remain calm in front of him at such a crucial moment.
It's just a pity that he overlooked one person before this.
Gu You
Xiao Yan couldn't detect Hei Mu's existence, but that didn't mean Gu You couldn't either. With the latter's extraordinary abilities, Hei Mu, a mere remnant soul, could crush him as easily as squashing an ant. However, Gu You didn't do that.
According to what Elder Luo said, they found a fragment of a Ginseng Spirit Root in the Ginseng Spirit Space. However, the powerful energy originally contained in that piece of Ginseng Spirit Root had completely disappeared, and the root itself had also been rendered useless.
The disappearance of energy from the Ginseng Spirit Root immediately reminded Gu You Hei Mu. Unless the latter had taken away the powerful energy from the Ginseng Spirit Root while separating the remnant soul from it, the Ginseng Spirit Root could not have been reduced to a piece of waste.
But if that's really the case, then Hei Mu's remnant soul would be a considerable fortune for Xiao Yan!
Given the circumstances, Gu You did not forcibly extract Hei Mu's remnant soul from Xiao Yan's body immediately. Firstly, it was to avoid damaging Xiao Yan 'Xiao Yan essence and affecting his future cultivation. Secondly, the power contained in the Ginseng Spirit Root was extremely vast, and Xiao Yan's strength at the time was insufficient to contain it; otherwise, he might accidentally explode and die.
Therefore, in order for Xiao Yan to make the most of this energy, Gu You instructed Xiao Yan to preserve the remnant soul of Hei Mu, all in preparation for the day when Hei Mu would appear on his own.
As long as Hei Mu dares to leave Xiao Yan's source depth on its own, then everything will be under Gu You's control. Coincidentally, the time when Hei Mu would appear, which Gu You had predicted, is now, after Xiao Yan has refined and fused the Bone Spirit Cold Flame!
Without Gu You's protection, Xiao Yan is all alone. If Hei Mu catches him off guard, he is confident that he can erase Xiao Yan Xiao Yan's consciousness and devour his Soul Origin to achieve rebirth.
Unfortunately, all of this was exactly what Gu You had expected.
"Drink!"
Suddenly, Hei Mu mist, let out a roar and charged forward with a burst of energy.
A vast expanse of black mist swept towards Xiao Yan with overwhelming force, but in the very center of this black mist were only Xiao Yan and the pitch-black Soul Bead.
Facing Hei Mu's attack, Xiao Yan remained calm until the latter's body was close enough that he smiled slightly and slowly raised one hand, palm facing the latter.
"Making a big fuss!"
With a hateful sneer, Hei Mu charged forward even faster, and in the blink of an eye, he was only two steps away from Xiao Yan's raised palm.
At that very moment, Xiao Yan's Xiao Yan hand suddenly clenched, and in an instant, a large patch of pale white flames rose up within the space around him, transforming his Xiao Yan into a sea of fire.
A raging fire rose up, its pale white flames interspersed with a few brilliant wisps of fire, like a dazzling flower stamen nestled beneath snow-white petals.
Under the chilling white flames, the Hei Mu was quickly burned away. The once formidable Hei Mu was now left with nothing but his bare hands, with no means of resistance left.
"This... this is!"
The moment the flames rose, Hei Mu's heart trembled violently, and a deep sense of fear surged forth from the depths of his heart.
"Heh, it's true that I couldn't detect your presence. But don't forget, Elder Gu's strength is even greater than yours at its peak. Therefore, before he lost his sentience, he had already tailored a plan specifically for you."
"What!"
Upon hearing Xiao Yan's words, Hei Mu was filled with even greater terror. He never imagined that his hidden presence deep within Xiao Yan's soul had already been discovered by Gu You, and that his purpose had been completely exploited by the latter!
"You... no... that old bastard! And you! You... you're all too ruthless!"
Hei Mu couldn't help but roar in anger, and Xiao Yan, upon hearing this, let out a mocking sneer and said:
"You call us terrifying? Aren't you even more terrifying, having devoured the souls of others?"
After saying that, Xiao Yan suddenly pulled back his clenched fist, and immediately, the eerie white flames quickly converged on the Hei Mu.
"Hehe, I just happen to be a little short of energy to break through to the Three-Star Dou Di. So, I'll borrow your energy to help me break through to the three-star realm!"