Chapter 361: Mu Gu

Swelling flame waves surged across the sky, eventually engulfing a hundred-zhang radius, a terrifying four-colored fire cloud blanketing the heavens—so thick that even sunlight could not pierce through.

Clearly, Xiao Yan wanted exactly this effect—to conceal his actions.

After rippling outward for a moment, the flame waves suddenly accelerated, as if shoved by an immense force—with a boom—they swept toward the endless horizon with a thunderous roar.

Having already been battered once by Xiao Yan's Nether Poison Fire, the explosion of the Fire Lotus and the ensuing shockwaves now struck the ground; the Northwest Alliance's troops had been reduced to almost nothing.

In a world like the Dou Qi Continent, life was worthless—a single Dou Technique strike could kill tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands.

Xiao Yan felt no pity for these people; war had always been cruel, differing only in stance.

Raising their heads, the sect elders watching from afar stared blankly at the heavy fire clouds above, their throats swallowing hard—had they been caught in this terrifying explosion, even a Dou Zong would hardly survive.

Especially those Northwest Alliance elders still stationed in the rear, not engaged in battle, were shaken pale by Xiao Yan's unleashed flame waves; even after the waves passed, lingering fear remained in their eyes.

They all silently thanked fate they hadn't been chosen as the vanguard—this explosion was too terrifying, and they had no idea how Xiao Yan had even cast this Dou Technique.

Suddenly—boom—it exploded!

Don't you need a casting process for a Dou Technique??

"This guy—no wonder he leads the Yan Alliance. Not only is his Alchemy incredible, his strength is terrifying." Other sect elders wiped sweat from their brows, murmuring with bitter smiles.

You thought his Alchemy talent was impressive—turns out his strength is even greater!

"I wonder how the Tian She Mansion folks are faring."

"This Dou Technique is strong, but still below Dou Zun level. Those Dou Zong who can use Space Power might escape unscathed if they flee quickly; those below Dou Huang are in trouble."

For a moment, many of the Young Generation felt the cruelty of war, yet none blamed the Yan Alliance for ruthlessness—remember, it was the Northwest Alliance that invaded another's territory; even the Jia Ma Empire had been driven to Shen Cheng, and the Snake People Empire had already been destroyed.

Whoosh—Xiao Yan passed through the poison barrier and, using the power of Void Swallowing Flame, instantly appeared in the Jia Ma Imperial Palace hall.

Xiao Yan did not use six- or five-colored Fire Lotuses—only four fused Heavenly Flames. It wasn't that he couldn't do more; he couldn't afford to drain too much Soul Force—he needed to refine an Elixir soon, and he had to revive Master Heavenly Flame before the enemy reacted.

Seeing Xiao Yan appear, everyone exhaled in relief; Hai Bodong plopped onto his chair, exhausted: "Good thing you and Mei Du Sha Queen returned in time—if not, you'd be digging up my bones."

Hai Bodong was now a Nine-Star Dou Huang; he'd just fought until his Dou Qi was spent—he couldn't fight another moment.

Xiao Yan pulled various Six-Grade Elixirs to restore Dou Qi and some Healing Pills from his storage ring and said: "These are all Six-Grade—divide them among yourselves."

Seeing the Elixirs, no one reacted with the expected enthusiasm—battle drained not just Dou Qi but also spirit, leaving them utterly drained, especially under such pressure.

"I hope the Tian She Mansion folks realize they're outmatched and retreat," Jia Xingtian said slowly.

Hearing this, Yao Ye Queen fell silent and said: "I think they won't retreat."

Xiao Ding nodded in agreement: "The masks are off now. Tian She Mansion, Jin Yan Sect, Yao Gu Sect, Mu Lan Valley—all know we won't spare them. They won't retreat, and they have no choice."

A heavy silence fell. Xiao Ding was right—if they were Tian She Mansion, they wouldn't retreat either. Once the Yan Alliance recovered, it would be their turn to die—their sects would be utterly purged.

"Brother's right. Since they've torn off the mask, they can't let us grow stronger. Especially—not that backdoor mastermind won't let me live." Xiao Yan spoke slowly.

"Won't let you live? You know who it is?" Yao Ye Queen asked, startled. From Xiao Yan's tone, he seemed to know—and it sounded like he was targeting someone.

"I've guessed a bit, but I'm not certain. If I'm right, the mastermind isn't just a Three-Star Dou Zun—he's also an Eight Grade Alchemist." Xiao Yan's eyes flickered with something strange as he spoke grimly.

"An Eight Grade Alchemist?!!" Everyone gasped—such an Alchemist wasn't human, but a celestial who refined Immortal Pills!

Xiao Yan nodded. He knew the mastermind was Mu Gu.

Mu Gu, a Venerable of the Soul Sovereign, also a favored Alchemist of the Soul Sovereign's leader, and roughly Xiao Yan's senior uncle—Younger Brother of Master Demon Venerable.

Originally, it was him and Han Feng who betrayed Master Demon Venerable—one poisoned, the other struck.

The Soul Sovereign's Emperor Pill Plan had long been in motion. After Master Demon Venerable won the Dan Tower's once-every-thirty-years Pill Gathering Champion, the Soul Sovereign naturally targeted him, trying to recruit him.

Obviously, Master Demon Venerable refused to join the Soul Sovereign.

This ultimately led Mu Gu, his junior, to join the Soul Sovereign—and to corrupt Han Feng. Mu Gu's ruthless nature and exceptional Alchemy talent earned him the Soul Sovereign's favor, making him a candidate for the Emperor Pill Plan.

Xiao Yan had even heard Mu Gu once received guidance from Hun Xu Zi—this was how he broke through the Eight Grade Alchemist threshold.

Hun Xu Zi had deliberately set up Mu Gu to compete in this Pill Gathering—to raise the difficulty for Xiao Yan.

Since Xiao Yan knew Mu Gu would join the next Pill Gathering, Mu Gu certainly knew Xiao Yan as a rival—especially if Hun Xu Zi had promised Mu Gu a Soul Sovereign reward for winning the championship.

Naturally, last year, when Xiao Yan participated in the Sect Grand Meeting and, at age twenty-four, refined a Seven Rank Low Grade Elixir that summoned Pill Lightning rivaling Seven Rank Mid Grade, the news must have reached Zhong Zhou—and reached Mu Gu's ears.

The only thing from the Northwest Region that could reach Zhong Zhou was probably the Sect Grand Meeting.

So when Xiao Yan heard Lv Man say the She Tian Emperor had broken through to Dou Zun thanks to someone refining pills for him, he instantly realized: Mu Gu, having heard of Xiao Yan's Alchemy talent, had grown uneasy—and that's why everything that followed happened.

After all, Mu Gu couldn't directly kill Xiao Yan—Hun Xu Zi had arranged for their rivalry to be settled solely by Alchemy at the Pill Gathering. Even if Mu Gu had a thousand guts, he wouldn't dare kill Xiao Yan himself.

"An Eight Grade Alchemist…" Hai Bodong's eyelid twitched violently—Qiu Family had held firm in Dan Domain precisely because they had an Eight Grade Alchemist in their clan. Now, an Eight Grade Alchemist was targeting Xiao Yan—a nightmare.

At this, everyone fell grim—even Cai Lin and Xiao Yixian wore heavy expressions—an Eight Grade Alchemist was harder to deal with than even a High-Level Dou Zun.

Seeing their grim faces, Xiao Yan waved his hand: "Don't worry. For certain reasons, he can't strike me directly—so he's secretly stirring up trouble, hoping to use Tian She Mansion to eliminate me."

"And… I believe I'll reach Eight Grade soon myself!"

Xiao Yan wasn't blindly confident. The two biggest hurdles to Eight Grade—Flame Control and Spirit Realm Soul Power—he'd already mastered. All he needed now was more refining—until he produced an Eight Grade Elixir that summoned colored Pill Lightning, he'd be an Eight Grade Alchemist.

"Xiao Yixian, how long can your Eternal Calamity Poison Realm last?" Xiao Yan asked—he needed time to refine the Yin-Yang Soul Elixir.

Xiao Yixian thought a moment, then said: "Two days."

"Two days…" Xiao Yan murmured: "Should be barely enough. Be careful—I need time to refine one Elixir."

"Cai Lin, watch Yun Lan Sect—if they focus their attack on Yun Lan Sect, take your people there."

As Xiao Yan prepared to leave for refining, Zi Yan suddenly called out: "Xiao Yan, wait—take this."

Zi Yan reached out, as if pulling from a fourth-dimensional pocket—with a whoosh—she tossed a dead Dou Zong to Xiao Yan: the One-Star Dou Zong from Yao Gu Sect.

Seeing Zi Yan kill a One-Star Dou Zong so swiftly, everyone was stunned—Zi Yan's strength was this formidable!

"Don't worry—after this is over, I'll refine your Elixir." Xiao Yan didn't refuse—a One-Star Dou Zong's Soul Body was Soul Points.

Saying this, Xiao Yan wasted no more words—he flashed away from the palace, found a secluded spot, had Master Heavenly Flame cast a Space Lock, and began refining the Yin-Yang Soul Elixir in peace.

Once Master Heavenly Flame revived, it would be the Yan Alliance's moment to strike back!

Hearing Xiao Yan call Mei Du Sha Queen "Cai Lin," everyone in the hall glanced at the cold, aloof Mei Du Sha Queen with teasing eyes.

Something must've happened over the past year!

At that moment, in the main camp of the Northwest Region, a sudden black mist surged forth from a tear in Space, and an old man clad in black robes stepped out from the mist.

"You say Xiao Yan appeared?" The instant Mu Gu appeared, his eyes darkened as he stared at She Heaven Phoenix before him.

Though both were Demonic Realm cultivators, their strength and status were worlds apart. She Heaven Phoenix bowed deeply and said, "Yes, Venerable Mu Gu. Today's battle saw Xiao Yan and Mei Du Sha Queen suddenly appear—they killed many of our Demonic Realm cultivators and two Dou Zong."

He didn't care how many Demonic Realm or Dou Zong had died; his gaze sharpened slightly as he asked, "Has he reached Dou Zong?"

"No, Xiao Yan is only Star Eight Demonic Realm. Mei Du Sha is Star Nine Dou Zong, but with her two Heavenly Flames, her combat power rivals a Dou Zong." She Heaven Phoenix hurriedly replied.

Hearing this, Mu Gu frowned deeply—he couldn't understand it. If Xiao Yan hadn't reached Dou Zong, how had he broken through the Space Lock he'd set?

Mu Gu naturally didn't believe someone chosen by Hun Xu Zi could die in the inheritance of the Green-Eyed Snake Saint. He had already set up the Space Lock in advance; the moment Xiao Yan appeared and shattered it, he would know instantly.

"Hmph! You useless wastes—you can't even kill a Star Eight Demonic Realm! What good are you!" Mu Gu nearly exploded with rage. So many Dou Zong, even a Dou Zong himself—and yet they couldn't crush the tiny Yan Alliance, couldn't even kill a single Demonic Realm cultivator!

A powerful Soul Force erupted from Mu Gu's body; terrifying black mist instantly engulfed the entire room. The terrifying Soul Force caused She Heaven Phoenix and his son She Tianhao to buckle, collapsing to their knees.

"Venerable, please calm down!" She Tianhao's back was already drenched in sweat. In the Northwest Region, their Tian She Mansion might boast power—but before a Soul Sovereign Venerable, an Eight-Rank Alchemist Dou Zong, he could only bow and grovel.

He feared Mu Gu would simply swipe his hand and end them both.

"Venerable, it was only because Mei Du Sha Queen and Tian Di Xuan Bian interfered that I couldn't act. If not for them, I swear I would have slain Xiao Yan!" She Tianhao's forehead nearly touched the ground.

"Yes, Venerable! Without those two, Xiao Yan is no match for me!" She Heaven Phoenix, as if grasping a lifeline, quickly pledged.

Mu Gu's expression darkened. Two years remained until the Pill Gathering. He began to think: "Though Xiao Yan brewed only a Seven-Rank Low Grade Elixir a year ago, with only two years left, it's impossible for him to reach Eight-Rank Alchemist."

"But what if—"

In all these years, he had seen only one person achieve Eight-Rank Alchemist from Seven-Rank in three years: his senior brother, the former Pill Gathering Champion, titled the Yao Zun Zhe.

This time, he desperately wanted to win the Pill Gathering, proving he was no less than that man!

"I will secretly intervene to block the Eternal Calamity Body and Mei Du Sha Queen. You understand—the Soul Sovereign gives no second chance to the incompetent. If you still fail to take Xiao Yan's head this time, I will reclaim everything you possess." Mu Gu's gaze turned icy. He hadn't granted She Heaven Phoenix's breakthrough to Dou Zong for free—he had implanted a special Soul Mark within She Heaven Phoenix's Spiritual Soul.

If She Heaven Phoenix failed again, Mu Gu would seize his Soul Body.

Instantly, She Heaven Phoenix and his son broke into cold sweat, their faces pale. They had heard of the Soul Sovereign's methods—they specialized in capturing Soul Bodies!

"Yes! We understand!"

Mu Gu waved his hand, and four Alchemy Furnaces appeared before him. Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—flames rose slowly within each furnace.

"Bring the Medicinal Materials. I'll brew some Imperial Ultimate Pills and Breakthrough Pills. With these, we can create more Demonic Realm and Dou Zong cultivators." Mu Gu intended to control four Alchemy Furnaces simultaneously!

But it was normal—Mu Gu was an Eight-Rank Alchemist, capable of brewing Eight Grade Pills with colored Pill Lightning. For a cultivator of his power, brewing Six-Grade Pills was as easy as an ordinary person stir-frying a simple dish.

Outside special organizations like Dan Tower or Yao Clan, a major Faction rarely had many Alchemists. In the Yan Alliance, besides Xiao Yan and Yue Er, only a few Third-Rank Alchemists handled trivial tasks.

Sixty percent of the Yan Alliance's Elixirs were brewed by Xiao Yan alone. Thirty percent were low-grade Elixirs brewed by Princess Yue Er. The rest came from other Alchemists.

After all, powerful Alchemists brew low-grade Elixirs in batches—several Pills per furnace is no problem. Even Alchemists with exceptional Soul Force, like Mu Gu, can control multiple Alchemy Furnaces at once.

The Soul Sovereign was no different. Within the Soul Sovereign, there were few Alchemists. The only famous ones were Mu Gu, Han Feng, and Yan Zun Zhe.

Many of the Soul Sovereign's Elixirs were brewed by Hun Xu Zi. Brewing Elixirs below Nine Grade was effortless for him—even beyond Nine Grade, all other ranks were extremely easy for him to produce in bulk.

At the same time, Xiao Yan was also brewing Elixirs.

For Xiao Yan, who could brew Seven-Rank High Grade Transformation Pills, the Seven-Rank Intermediate Yin-Yang Soul Pill was no longer a challenge—the only challenge was time.

Xiao Yan had no room for failure. He had only two days. One failure meant insufficient time—he must succeed!

Beside him, Tian Huo Zun Zhe had already released his physical body, and his Soul Body had entered the pre-prepared vessel. Now, he only needed to wait for Xiao Yan to complete the Yin-Yang Soul Pill.

Time passed second by second. After reaching the Spirit Realm Soul, Xiao Yan's movements became even more precise.

Soon, two days passed. During those two days, the Northwest Alliance showed no movement—but they did not retreat, remaining stationed near the Shan Mai.

Jia Xingtian and the others knew they hadn't given up. They were simply waiting for the moment the Eternal Calamity Realm vanished.

"Damn it, don't you dare stall on me again, you brat!" Hai Bodong muttered, staring at the dark sea of troops in the distance.

"Hehehe, Hai Lao, this time I'm early." A cheerful voice rang from afar. To everyone's surprise, it was Xiao Yan—he was right on time!

"Huh? Who's that?"

This time, behind Xiao Yan stood a young man with a celestial aura, clad in white robes, hands clasped behind his back, standing calmly in Space, gazing serenely into the distance.

Yao Ye and the others frowned. When had the Yan Alliance gained such a powerful figure?

"Xiao Yan, who is this?" Mei Du Sha Queen asked softly.

Xiao Yan smiled. It was no surprise they didn't recognize him—not only because Tian Huo Zun Zhe rarely showed his face, but because this appearance was fabricated by Tian Huo Zun Zhe himself: his youthful form, vastly different from his Soul Body state!

He'd had a makeover!

"Let me introduce him—he's the Soul Body who has always aided me, Master Yao. You may also call him Tian Huo Zun Zhe. He is a Dou Zong."

(End of Chapter)