Chapter 322

Seeing that the other party's price was fair, Xiao Yan selected one of the higher-value, higher-quality Sixth-Rank High-Level Pills from his space ring.

Xiao Yan was just such a person: if someone showed him respect, he would return it tenfold.

Seeing the quality of Xiao Yan's pills, the shopkeeper's face lit up with smiles as he thanked him repeatedly.

Because of Xiao Yan's "kindness," the price difference between high and low quality amounted to a astronomical sum!

Seeing a strand of Transformation Grass inside the jade box, Yue Mei swallowed hard, her beautiful eyes gleaming as she looked at Xiao Yan; after a moment of hesitation, she asked: "Young Master Xiao, have you… already learned to refine Transformation Pills?"

Who wouldn't want a Transformation Pill? Back then, Gu He exchanged one with Mei Du Sha for her Inflamed Fire—if Mei Du Sha hadn't known the Secret Technique to evolve using Inflamed Fire, Xiao Yan guessed she would've taken the deal without hesitation.

It goes without saying that in the eyes of demons, the value of a Transformation Pill rivals that of an Inflamed Fire.

Xiao Yan looked at the beautiful SnakeTribe woman before him, who he had known even earlier than Mei Du Sha—she had once captured him and intended to take him back as a laborer-alchemist.

Xiao Yan chuckled lightly: "Not yet—I can't refine them yet, but with diligent cultivation, I should be able to in a few years."

"If Sister Yue Mei needs this lowly alchemist to refine pills, the Yan Alliance has its rules, after all."

Yue Mei shot Xiao Yan a withering glance—this guy still remembered that incident.

Undoubtedly, Xiao Yan was now the living emblem of the Yan Alliance; half of its reward system was funded by him alone.

While low-grade pills could be commissioned from the Alchemist Guild, pills above Five-Grade Peak could only be refined by Xiao Yan.

Especially after Xiao Yan learned to refine the Breaking Sect Pill, the Yan Alliance even lured two Dou Huang powerhouses from the Luo Yan Empire and Mu Lan Empire.

It goes without saying how vital Xiao Yan was to the Yan Alliance.

Suddenly, Nalan Yanran's beautiful eyes fixed on Xiao Yan and blinked: "You owe me a Break-Imperial Pill."

????

"Huh? When did I ever owe you a pill?" Xiao Yan was baffled; though the Breaking-Imperial Pill was only a Five-Grade Peak Pill, its effect was identical to the Breaking Sect Pill—boosting a Dou Wang's chance of breaking through to Dou Huang by twenty percent.

But he wasn't some saint—he wouldn't give away pills for no reason.

Though our relationship is close, it's not that deep.

At that moment, Hai Bodong patted Xiao Yan's shoulder and cleared his throat twice: "You think you can just sit back and do nothing these past two years since the Yan Alliance was founded?"

"Over these years, Yanran has slain many enemies along the Yan Alliance's borders—numerous Dou Wangs have fallen to her sword, accumulating considerable merit. She's applied for a Break-Imperial Pill, and the entire Yan Alliance has only you who can refine it."

!!!!!!!!

Hearing this, Xiao Yan was stunned—he suddenly realized something and asked: "May I ask, are there people in the Yan Alliance who've accumulated enough merit and are now waiting to exchange for pills—or to request you to refine them?"

Upon hearing this, Hai Bodong's gaze flickered away; Nalan Yanran covered her mouth and giggled, nodding; Yue Mei's eyes sparkled like stars—only Xiao Yan stared blankly.

At that moment, Yue Er, the little princess, raised her hand and patted Xiao Yan's shoulder, her eyes filled with reassurance: "It's not 'some people'—it's every Dou Wang and above in the Yan Alliance. Their entire purpose in serving the Yan Alliance is to get you to refine pills for them."

"Moreover, when Medusa Queen once sought to join the Yan Alliance, she promised in the Tian She Empire that if the eight tribal leaders agreed to join, they could come to you for Transformation Pills once you could refine them—provided they gathered the medicinal materials."

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Only now did Xiao Yan realize—he'd been sold out by Mei Du Sha!

Do you think Transformation Pills are easy to refine? They're Qi Zhi Gao Ji pills! Each one takes days to make!

"Over these years, the three empires have constantly provoked and invaded—how could Jia Ma Empire and Yun Lan Sect possibly hold them off alone?" Nalan Yanran had been with the Yan Alliance the whole time; she understood its situation better than Xiao Yan.

The Yan Alliance's agreement forbids interfering in other nations' internal affairs, but when those nations are attacked, who goes to aid them? Those who go risk their lives—without rewards, who would?

And as the Yan Alliance expands its influence, it gains much—but it's still in its developmental phase, spending more than it earns.

Some low-grade pills are entirely refined by Yue Er, yet she's been nurtured with all the Yan Alliance's resources—otherwise, how could she have risen from Third-Rank Peak at the Alchemist Convention to Five-Grade in just four or five years?

Now, it's Xiao Yan's turn to pay his debt.

The Yan Alliance's four major factions each have their leaders—Xiao Yan certainly has his responsibilities too!

"Damn it, even Mei Du Sha dumped her duties—why am I the only one left to pick up the slack!" Xiao Yan gritted his teeth—why should he be the one refining pills while Mei Du Sha lounges and cultivates in peace?

When she returns, I'll teach her a lesson!

"Huh, that sword looks pretty good."

Xiao Yan's eyes flicked to a display case holding an exquisite pendant sword—he was about to go take a closer look when a voice came from outside: "Heh, isn't this Yue Mei? Long time no see—still just a Dou Wang?"

"Oh my, you're still in snake form—haven't you even transformed yet?" A haughty voice rang out as a figure stepped into the shop, laughing loudly.

More accurately, this wasn't a human—it was a SnakeTribe member, but unlike Yue Mei, this one had partially transformed: his tail had vanished, replaced by legs, though his face still bore snake scales, his eyes retained serpent pupils, and when he spoke, his elongated snout revealed a pair of venomous fangs.

Xiao Yan instantly recognized—he'd used a Demon Transformation Pill to achieve half-transformation.

Most demons use Demon Transformation Pills to partially transform, then complete the process through sheer power—simply because Transformation Pills are too expensive.

Seeing the man before her, Yue Mei's eyes flashed with fury; she gritted her teeth and snarled: "Lu Feng, you traitor, how dare you show your face here!"

The man named Lu Feng sneered coldly: "Funny—this is the Tian She Empire of the Tian She Mansion. Why shouldn't I appear?"

"And I'm no traitor—the Tian She Mansion is the true lineage; this is our ancestral homeland, not that damn desert."

When Xiao Yan and the others arrived in the Tian She Empire riding the Youhai Jiao Beast, Hua She Er and Yue Mei had told them: the relationship between Mei Du Sha's Snake Tribe Empire and the Tian She Mansion was far from good—it was outright hostile.

After all, the Tian She Mansion had grand ambitions: to unify the entire Northwest Region and invade Zhong Zhou. Naturally, the only SnakeTribe faction in the Northwest Region that refused to join them was their thorn in the side.

Most importantly, rumors claimed that both the SnakeTribe Empire and the Tian She Mansion descended from ancestors who once lived in Zhong Zhou.

But something happened—both were expelled, exiled to the Northwest Region, and eventually evolved into today's SnakeTribe Empire and Tian She Mansion, while the strongest SnakeTribe in Zhong Zhou now is the Nine Underworld Spirit Python Clan.

That's why the Tian She Mansion constantly seeks to return to Zhong Zhou—because their homeland lies there, and they must go back.

From this conversation, Xiao Yan deduced that this SnakeTribe man had once been a tribal leader of the SnakeTribe Empire, but later defected to join the Tian She Mansion.

Nothing strange about it—in the demon world, such things are commonplace. In fact, it was a miracle that Mei Du Sha, with only Dou Huang strength, had held out this long.

"No wonder Mei Du Sha risked her life to evolve—it seems the SnakeRace is in even greater peril than I thought." Xiao Yan couldn't help but recall that extraordinary woman who had gambled everything for evolution.

Lu Feng glanced at Yue Mei, his eyes filled with predatory intent, and smiled: "Yue Mei, I heard Mei Du Sha led you all to join some alliance. Hahaha—after all these years, you've still made no progress. How about it? Bring your MaiSheTribe over to my Lu Snake Tribe—I guarantee, if you obey me, you'll reach Dou Huang in less than two years, and even get a Qi Zhi Gao Ji Demon Transformation Pill—soon you'll surpass Mei Du Sha."

"Qi Zhi Gao Ji pills? That broken empire doesn't even have a single Five-Grade Alchemist."

Hearing Lu Feng's words, Yue Mei only clenched her teeth but said nothing—the SnakeTribe Empire was indeed backward and poor, trapped in the desert with no alternatives.

"Hey, you stinking snake—dare you bully my people?!" Zi Yan puffed out her chest and raised her tiny fist.

As a demon herself, she naturally saw herself as the big sister—and in age, not even Yue Mei, the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King, or the Youhai Jiao Beast dared call her anything but "Granny."

Lu Feng coldly glanced at the Yan Alliance members, sensing that the strongest among them was only Hai Bodong, an Eight-Star Demonic Realm, and sneered: "Heh, these are the people your Yan Alliance is sending to the Sect Grand Meeting? Clearly, you've fallen into decline—your strength doesn't even match Mei Du Sha's."

"Without strength, you still dare come to the Huangquan Treasures Pavilion?"

Hai Bodong's eyes turned icy, about to speak—but Xiao Yan lightly waved his hand, smiling as he looked at this fool who, having joined the Tian She Mansion, had lost all sense of proportion: "So you're saying you want to compete with me for it?"

"Don't call it competing—it's a Seven-Grade Magic Crystal Weapon, after all. A decent gift for the Holy Maiden in a few days."

Seeing Xiao Yan's youth and his Three Star Dou Huang strength, the man who had once been hailed as the second-greatest genius of the Snake Empire after Mei Du Sha felt a flicker of envy within him.

Especially seeing not just Yue Mei, but so many beautiful women surrounding him—how could such an utterly vain man as Lu Feng bear it?

When Xiao Yan heard the words "Holy Maiden," his eyes flickered with a barely noticeable change.

"Manager, I'll take this sword—send it to the Elder's residence!" Lu Feng sneered, glancing sidelong at Xiao Yan.

Seeing Lu Feng's aggression, Yue Mei opened her mouth to speak—but ultimately sighed. She had once considered their shared kinship and past battles together, and did not wish to end in bitter enmity. Yet sometimes, even she could not change things. Here, her status was the lowest, and she knew Lu Feng was only bringing shame upon himself.

At this moment, the manager of the Huangquan Treasures Pavilion looked at Xiao Yan—after all, Xiao Yan had noticed it first, and more importantly, Xiao Yan was the one who commanded his deepest respect.

Only if Xiao Yan declined would he be able to sell it to the next customer.

"Manager, don't care who came first—no matter how much he offers, I'll outbid him! In short, today, I'm taking this sword!" Seeing the manager glance at Xiao Yan, Lu Feng, flush with wealth and arrogance, barked at him.

Seeing Lu Feng attempt to crush Xiao Yan with wealth, even Nalan Yanran let out a cold smile, standing aside to watch the show. This fool truly had no idea how high the sky was—he'd probably forgotten his own mother's surname.

To compete in wealth with a Seventh-Rank Alchemist? Even the combined riches of the Jia Ma Empire and the Snake Empire couldn't match his.

"Always outbid me?" Xiao Yan laughed, shaking his head: "You, a man who can't even afford a Transformation Pill, dare compete with me for this? Manager—I'll take it."

Just as Lu Feng was about to roar, Xiao Yan spoke calmly: "One Imperial Ultimate Pill."

"Imperial Ultimate Pill!!!" The manager gasped in shock.

Though Xiao Yan had casually given Imperial Ultimate Pills to Hai Bodong and Yun Yun, their value ranked among the top three of Six-Grade Elixirs.

For a single Imperial Ultimate Pill, the three leaders of the Black Horn Region had been willing to lead their entire sects into battle against Han Feng—imagine its worth.

Though Xiao Yan had just exchanged a high-grade Six-Grade Pill for medicinal material, if he used an Imperial Ultimate Pill, he'd need to add at least one more portion of medicinal material.

"Y-you don't dare speak nonsense! Do you think Imperial Ultimate Pills are roadside pebbles? Can you even produce one?!" Lu Feng snorted, naturally disbelieving Xiao Yan could produce one.

Xiao Yan said nothing, only sneered, then pulled a Pill Bottle from his storage ring and tossed it to the manager—casually, as if discarding a pebble.

The manager tensed, quickly catching the bottle, then gazing at its smooth luster, lightly inhaling—the pill fragrance so soothing it relaxed his entire body.

"It's definitely an Imperial Ultimate Pill."

Hearing the manager's confirmation, Lu Feng's face turned ashen, his eyes blazing with fury as he glared at Xiao Yan, then gritted his teeth: "An Imperial Ultimate Pill? I can produce one too!"

"No, no, no—look closely. This is the highest quality Imperial Ultimate Pill, refined by Mystic Flame Cultivation Technique. If you want to outbid me, you'll need to produce either a Heavenly Ultimate Pill or a Breakthrough Pill."

The manager nodded gently: "Correct. This Imperial Ultimate Pill is of exceptional quality—the finest I've ever seen. I doubt any higher quality one exists. To surpass it, you'd need a Heavenly Ultimate Pill, a Breakthrough Pill, or a Seven-Grade Pill."

"Though whether it was refined by Mystic Flame Cultivation Technique—I cannot confirm."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Xiao Yan snapped his fingers—*pop! *—a greenish-blue flame appeared before him.

Xiao Yan proved by action: he had Mystic Flame—and plenty of it.

(End of Chapter)