Within the mountains outside the Jia Nan Academy.
Inside a secluded mountain cave, Xiao Yan's aura was gradually rising.
When Xiao Huohuo came out of the Inner Academy, he felt the gradual connection between his soul and Xiao Yan's, and flew towards the depths of the mountains.
Soon, they found the location of the cave where Xiao Yan was healing.
Xiao Huohuo stood outside the cave, not in a hurry to go in.
Although his soul perception was not as refined as Xiao Yan's, he could still vaguely sense that the aura inside the cave was slowly rising.
He was relieved to see that Xiao Yan's aura had stabilized.
He didn't make a sound to disturb them, but simply found a rock at the cave entrance to sit down, took out the jade bottle that sealed Han Feng's soul from his Storage Ring, and looked at it in the morning light.
The transparent figure inside the bottle was still struggling silently under the scorching heat of the Fallen Heart Flame, each struggle causing the Heavenly Flames seal at the bottle's opening to flicker.
Xiao Huohuo smirked, put the jade bottle back into his Storage Ring, then leaned against the stone wall at the cave entrance and closed his eyes to rest.
Deep in the dense forest not far away, a colorful figure was hidden in the shadows of the tree canopy.
Queen Medusa was still not far away; she leaned against the trunk of an ancient tree, her arms crossed over her chest.
Those long, narrow snake eyes were half-closed, as if they were dozing, or as if they were on guard.
Xiao Huohuo knew she was there, but didn't point it out.
About two hours later, Xiao Yan's aura inside the cave finally stabilized at level sixty-seven.
Xiao Yan slowly opened his eyes, a glint of light flashing in his dark pupils.
The internal injuries have recovered to about 70-80%, and what remains are old injuries left by the backlash deep within the meridians.
The level 67 Soul Power flowed gently through his meridians, becoming even more solid than before he was injured.
He exhaled a breath of stale air and waved his hand to remove the barrier at the cave entrance.
"Come in."
Xiao Yan's voice was calm, as if he were waiting for an old friend with whom he had made a long-awaited appointment.
Xiao Huohuo poked his head in from the cave entrance, a standard, smug grin on his face:
"Wow, you broke through? Congratulations!"
I also brought you a Ganoderma lucidum, saying it was for your health.
Although it doesn't look very appealing, once you refine it into a Lingzhi pill, its medicinal effects will at least double.
As Xiao Huohuo spoke, he handed the Ganoderma lucidum in his hand to Xiao Yan.
Xiao Yan took the Ganoderma lucidum, looked at the roots that had been torn into a mess, and a rare, slight smile appeared on his lips.
Xiao Huohuo sat cross-legged opposite Xiao Yan, took out two jugs of wine from his Storage Ring, and tossed one of them to Xiao Yan.
"Tell me, what exactly happened?"
Xiao Huohuo's voice was soft, yet it carried an undeniable seriousness.
"When you stepped out of the Gate of the Mystic Realm, your state was not right."
I spent two years immersed in lava, so I'm more sensitive to killing intent than anyone else.
Your state at the time felt somewhat unfamiliar even to me.
And those wounds on your body...
What exactly happened on the Douluo Continent?
Xiao Yan remained silent for a considerable period of time.
Only the faint blue light emanating from the Moonlight Stone between the two figures in the cave cast a shadow of their identical faces onto the opposite stone wall, where the shadows distorted slightly due to the uneven surface of the wall.
Xiao Huohuo didn't urge him, but waited quietly.
He knew that Xiao Yan was not someone who would easily open his heart to others.
But he also knew that if he didn't tell someone what he had kept inside for so long, it would eventually crush him.
After a long silence, Xiao Yan spoke.
His voice was calm, but Xiao Huohuo could sense the heaviness and pain within it.
Xiao Yan begins his story with Spirit City.
He recounted how he and Zhu Zhuqing rebuilt the Dark Hall at the Cangling Manor and formed an alliance with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect;
When he talked about his decision to go to the Slaughter City for training, Zhu Zhuqing said to him, "I'll go with you," and his cold eyes shone through.
Then he talked about the ruins of the Slaughter City.
That mad old man, with his blood-red Clear Sky Hammer, which was larger than his entire body, shattered his Gate of the Mystic Realm with that single blow, and also shattered Zhu Zhuqing's claws.
The story goes that Zhu Zhuqing stood in front of him at the last moment, taking the blow for him with her own body.
After listening, Xiao Huohuo remained silent for a long time.
He didn't say anything like the pointless comforting words, "Everything will be alright."
He simply placed the wine jug on the ground, stood up, walked to the cave entrance, turned his back to Xiao Yan, and gazed at the dense forest outside the cave illuminated by the morning light.
After a long silence, he finally spoke, his voice hoarse and low:
"That old monster, when are you planning to go back and settle the score with him?"
Call me when the time comes.
He didn't turn his head, but Xiao Yan could tell his emotions from his clenched fists.
Just then, a soft white halo slowly appeared in Xiao Yan's right palm.
The figure of the Yao Lao coalesced from the halo, his translucent soul radiating a warm glow in the dark cave.
His aged and thin face no longer held its usual composure and calmness; instead, it displayed an extremely complex expression.
"Kid,"
The Yao Lao slowly floated to Xiao Yan's side, his eyes, which had seen the world, were filled with love and compassion, and his voice was much softer than usual.
"I have lived for so many years and have witnessed countless partings and deaths."
But I must tell you—that girl Zhu Zhuqing may not be dead yet.
The cultivation system in the Douluo Continent seems to be different from that in the Dou Qi Continent, but as you said...
In the end, her injuries miraculously healed, which means that she didn't die for some reason at the time, so there's still a chance, isn't there?
When you were cornered by that mad old man in the Slaughter City, she shielded you with her own body.
What you need to do now is trust her.
I'm not trying to comfort you; I'm just telling you a fact.
You can't give up! Go back and find her!
Xiao Yan's fingers, gripping the wine pot, trembled slightly.
He paused for a moment and then nodded.
Then, he took out the bluish-black stone that the Venerable Feng had left him from the Black Dragon Ring.
The stone was covered with a dense network of cracks.
After unleashing that earth-shattering sword strike, the wind-attribute primal power contained within it was completely exhausted, leaving only a very faint trace of residual energy slowly circulating deep within the stone core.
He placed the stone on his lap, gently tracing the cracks with his fingers, and then briefly recounted his encounter with Venerable Feng at the Starfall Pavilion.
He recounted how Venerable Feng rescued him Wind Lightning City and Venerable Feng took care of him while he was recuperating at the Starfall Pavilion.
When the Venerable Feng handed him the stone that sealed away the power of his final attack, he said those words...
"When you encounter a problem that you can't solve, simply inject your Soul Power to activate it."
It also mentioned that Venerable Feng had been searching for Yao Lao's whereabouts all over the continent for many years, and the undisguised excitement and longing in his eyes when he mentioned Yao Lao.
"Senior,"
Xiao Yan raised his head, looking directly at the white-haired old man in front of him, his tone solemn.
"Although I only met Senior Venerable Feng once, Xiao Yan will always remember his kindness to me."
The reason he saved me, the reason he entrusted me with such a precious life-saving trump card, is all because of you.
He mentioned you to me more than once, and every time he mentioned your name, his eyes lit up.
I've never been sure whether he's a friend or foe to you.
I dared not take the risk. That's why I never mentioned your situation to him.
After hearing these words, the Yao Lao remained silent for a considerable period of time.
His ethereal figure swayed slightly in mid-air, the silvery-white luster between his hair and beard flickering under the Moonlight Stone's reflection.
He stood with his hands behind his back, gazing towards the cave entrance, his eyes, which had seen the world, swirling with an extremely complex light.
After a long while, he slowly turned around, his gaze falling on Xiao Yan, and his voice carried a hint of barely concealed emotion as he spoke.
"Young man, you did the right thing. Not revealing my whereabouts before ascertaining the other party's stance is the safest course of action."
but--"
The Yao Lao changed the subject, and a rare, gentle smile appeared on his aged face.
That smile was different from the usual affection he showed Xiao Huohuo, and different from the mockery he showed to his enemies. It was a genuine smile that came from the heart when he thought of an old friend.
He reached out, his illusory fingers gently touching the cracked, bluish-black stone in Xiao Yan's palm.
Wherever his fingertips passed, the lingering trace of wind-attribute essence deep within the stone heart flickered slightly, as if responding to the aura of an old friend.
He spoke slowly, his tone filled with unwavering certainty.
"You can completely trust Feng Xian."
Yao Lao turned his head, looked directly at Xiao Yan, and repeated himself word by word.
"If there is anyone in this world whom I would dare to entrust my back to, Feng Xian would be number one."
The next time you see him, you can tell him that you are not dead yet, but are just recuperating.
This will save him the trouble of searching for me all over the continent.
Xiao Yan memorized every single word Yao Lao said.
He carefully put the dark blue stone back into the deepest part of the Black Dragon Ring.
Then he nodded solemnly to the Yao Lao. Xiao Huohuo, who was listening from the side, grinned:
" The Venerable Feng, is it? Okay, I'll remember that."
"If you encounter any trouble you can't handle in the Dou Qi Continent, just mention his name."
Yao Lao glared at Xiao Huohuo, but he couldn't suppress the smile on his lips.