Chapter 403

Xiao Yan calculated the time and realized it was indeed nearing the Four Directions Pavilion Assembly; no wonder he couldn't sense Jia Xingtian or the Deep Sea Serpent Beast—they must both be preparing for it.

Hearing Xiao Yan's words, Han Xue, as his younger sister, gathered her courage and asked, "Master Xiao Yan, do you mean—"

Xiao Yan turned to look at Han Xue, whose cheeks were filled with pleading and urgency, and smiled: "An enemy of my enemy is my friend, moreover Senior Sister Han Yue once fought shoulder to shoulder with me."

At the mention of Earth Heart Tempering Milk, Han Yue's gaze instantly turned reproachful toward Xiao Yan; Xiao Yan froze, then rubbed his nose awkwardly—he guessed Han Yue had later discovered Earth Heart Tempering Milk had genuine and fake varieties.

Naturally, when she returned to the cave, she found the real Earth Heart Tempering Milk had already been taken.

Undoubtedly, Xiao Yan was famous within the Inner Court for Pill Alchemy; aside from him, no one else would know Earth Heart Tempering Milk had genuine and fake varieties.

"Cough, cough, Queen Yao Ye, the Han Family of Tianbei City joining the Yan Alliance can be accommodated to some extent." Xiao Yan looked toward Queen Yao Ye standing beside him and cleared his throat twice.

Hearing this, Queen Yao Ye covered her mouth and laughed softly, nodding—Master Xiao Yan's romantic entanglements were everywhere.

The Yan Alliance's four major factions—the Snake Empire, Jia Ma Empire, Yun Lan Sect, and Xiao Clan—each had their duties: Yun Lan Sect was responsible for establishing branch sects and recruiting commoner disciples, expanding influence through the sect system.

The Snake Empire handled the alliance of beast tribes, such as those around the Mo Shou Mountain Range and the surrounding mountains of the Tian She Mansion; now, the Snake Empire already controlled half the territory.

Jia Ma Empire managed the joining of human families, empires, and sects, as well as the economic development of the Miter Guild; if Han Yue and her sister's Han Family wished to join the Yan Alliance, they naturally fell under Jia Ma Empire's jurisdiction.

As for the Xiao Clan, its status was naturally transcendent.

Hearing Xiao Yan's words and his willingness to accommodate, even Han Yue's icy demeanor softened into a smile as she thanked him: "Thank you, Xiao Yan."

Xiao Yan waved his hand: "No need. Tianbei City is part of Zhong Zhou Earth Domain; this benefits the Yan Alliance's growth."

"The Hong Family is probably flaunting their power and oppressing your Han Family now, isn't it?" Xiao Yan asked.

At this, Han Xue nodded vigorously, hesitated, then asked: "The Wind and Thunder North Pavilion is not far from Tianbei City, and its Pavilion Master, Fei Tian, is an Eight Star Dou Zong. Our Han Family has no chance against them. Master Xiao Yan, can you help us?"

Xiao Yan smiled lightly: "Since you're joining the Yan Alliance, you naturally fall under the Yan Alliance Covenant's mutual defense clause. Send Zi Yan—she's probably been bored stiff these past three months."

"Zi Yan? The Zi Yan Senior Sister ranked first on the Strong List?!" Han Yue gasped, then asked: "Has Zi Yan Senior Sister already reached Dou Zong?"

"She reached it a long time ago—probably Star Two or Star Three Dou Zong now. Fighting an Eight Star Dou Zong is just right; too weak and she'd lose interest." Xiao Yan smiled—he'd once promised to take Zi Yan to Zhong Zhou, and this Wind and Thunder North Pavilion was perfect for letting her burn off some steam.

Like Zi Yan and Xiao Yixian, no one else could even find them, let alone command them—it was impossible.

Queen Yao Ye smiled and nodded: "Since Master Xiao Yan has spoken, the Yan Alliance will send personnel to Tianbei City to provide necessary material and elixir support."

Hearing the Jia Ma Empire Queen's personal promise, Han Xue excitedly grabbed her sister's jade hand, overjoyed—she hadn't expected it to be so easy. Before coming, the elders of the Han Family had strongly opposed the idea, fearing the Yan Alliance was just another Hong Family, even preparing for the worst.

Queen Yao Ye glanced at the ecstatic Han Yue and Han Xue sisters, her painted eyes flickering with amusement. She stepped closer to Xiao Yan, rose slightly on her toes, and whispered softly into his ear, her red lips parting: "Master Xiao Yan, you already have me and Yue Er—now you want to add the Han sisters too? How greedy you are."

!!!!?

Hearing this, Xiao Yan's face turned pale—he leapt back like a startled cat and hurriedly said: "Queen Yao Ye, don't say such things! Someone will die!"

Looking at the three before him, each possessed her own beauty; though not as breathtakingly gorgeous as Xun Er or Cai Lin, they were still among the top beauties in the entire Northwest Region.

Otherwise, the Hong Family wouldn't have demanded to marry both Han Yue and Han Xue simultaneously.

But Xiao Yan was different—he still held a firm boundary within his heart; that celestial woman still occupied his innermost place.

Xiao Yan quickly turned and waved his hand, opening a Space Channel—*shoo! *—he vanished instantly. He hadn't expected Queen Yao Ye, so elegant and efficient, would make such a joke—so bold he couldn't bear it.

Watching Xiao Yan flee in disarray, Han Xue and Han Yue froze for a moment, then smiled wryly—this enigmatic youth, as deep as an ancient well, had actually reacted this way to such words.

Such a reaction was truly amusing.

Others would leap to accept immediately; he ran as fast as he could.

Seeing Xiao Yan vanish, Han Xue's eyes flickered with disappointment. Before coming, she and her sister had considered sacrificing themselves to save their family—after all, to the vast Yan Alliance, the tiny Han Family had no standing.

The only thing they could offer as leverage was themselves.

"Am I really that unattractive? Why did he run?" Han Xue muttered.

Han Yue smiled and shook her head: "It's not you—it's the woman in his heart. She's simply too extraordinary."

Han Yue couldn't help but shake her head with a bitter smile—back then at Jia Nan Academy, who didn't know how extraordinary the woman beside Xiao Yan was? Even after all these years, she still couldn't find a second woman to match her.

Once, Xiao Yan, enraged for his beloved, had turned Jia Nan Academy upside down, nearly killing the Gu Clan's Commander, and even drawn the attention of a Dou Sage.

She was his white moonlight.

Before Xun Er, they were nothing—barely even cannon fodder.

Queen Yao Ye's eyes dimmed slightly: "Looks like I've no chance."

At that moment, Xiao Yan, fleeing like a coward, had just arrived at the Small Valley—when suddenly, a purple light seeped into his Space Wormhole; a small hand reached from beyond Space, seized his collar, and yanked him out forcibly.

"Xiao Yan!!" Zi Yan stood in midair, gripping his collar, her tiny eyes blazing with anger as she roared: "You said 'soon' again! It's been three months!"

Men's words—lies to deceive dragons!

How many times had she been fooled?

In the Small Valley's Pill Field, Xiao Yixian, pruning medicinal materials, smiled faintly—she'd already guessed: whenever Xiao Yan went out to cultivate, he'd never return quickly.

Xiao Yan raised his hands in surrender and chuckled: "I just heard something interesting and came straight to tell you."

Zi Yan tilted her head; Xiao Yan had quickly diverted her attention. She released him and asked: "What is it?"

"Do you remember back in the Inner Court, you had a junior sister named Han Yue?" Xiao Yan grinned, showing his white teeth.

"Han Yue? Oh, that white-haired girl—I remember. I was the one who told her about the Earth Heart Tempering Milk." Zi Yan recalled—it was true she'd known such a person; back then, she'd seemed kind and often gave Zi Yan food, so Zi Yan had revealed the location of the Earth Heart Tempering Milk, since the Demon Ape was hard to deal with.

"That's her. Her family is being bullied by the Hong Family and the Wind and Thunder North Pavilion. The Hong Family, emboldened by Fei Tian being an Eight Star Dou Zong, is forcing her to marry someone she hates—oppressing men and dominating women—and they came begging for help." Xiao Yan deliberately exaggerated the Wind and Thunder North Pavilion's villainy.

Of course, Xiao Yan had actually understated it.

Hearing this, Zi Yan's brows snapped together, her demeanor turning authoritative—after all, in the Inner Court, she was the senior sister to every student!

"How dare they! Anyone I protect, they dare to bully? Hmph! Eight Star Dou Zong—I'll tear his nest apart!" Zi Yan planted her hands on her hips.

Just as Zi Yan was about to leave, she remembered something, pulled a massive pile of medicinal materials from a Void Passage, and dumped them before Xiao Yan—all of them Seven-Grade medicinal materials!

"Whoa! Where did you get so many Seven-Grade medicinal materials?!" Xiao Yan gasped—how had she acquired this quantity?!

"Hehehe, some I dug up myself, some were given to me by Sister Cai Lin, some from Sister Xiao Yixian's valley—but most were gifts from the Beast Emperors of the Shan Mai." Zi Yan grinned, showing her little tiger teeth and dimples, radiant with joy.

Xiao Yan stared—wow, three months gone, and she's learned to collect protection fees!

But Xiao Yan didn't refuse—Zi Yan's growth depended on medicinal materials to accelerate; though eating raw materials was inferior to pills, he currently had no suitable Pill Formulas for beasts.

The Pill Sovereign never left Xiao Yan any Pill Formulas for this purpose!

Clatter-clatter, Zi Yan gathered the bottles and jars into her Storage Space, then opened a Space Wormhole to head for Shen Cheng to back up Han Yue!

"I'll join you at the Wind Thunder Mountain Range after I finish things here." Zi Yan was restless now; since Xiao Yan had returned, she naturally trailed after him everywhere.

"Alright."

After bidding farewell to Zi Yan, Xiao Yan slowly turned to Xiao Yixian, who quietly brewed flower tea beside him; Xin Lan had gone to Shen Cheng to improve her Alchemy, so the Small Valley now held only the two of them.

Xiao Yixian had always been this quiet, uncompetitive, like a lotus growing apart from the world—even possessing the most venomous Eternal Calamity Poison Body, she remained unstained by the mire.

As the sun set, only their two shadows remained in the valley, their eyes meeting under the golden light, the person and the scenery appearing especially beautiful.

As dusk approached, the flower tea gently boiled, filling the valley with fragrance; outside, faint roars still echoed. When sunlight fell upon them, their shadows stretched long and long.

This scene was profoundly tranquil, soothing the spirit.

"Has the Eternal Calamity Poison Body or the Poison Pills caused any trouble?" After a moment of silence, Xiao Yan asked softly.

Xiao Yixian smiled lightly and shook her head. "My Cultivation Realm is now Four Star Peak Dou Zun; the Poison Pills and the Heavenly Flame are perfectly balanced. I shouldn't take long to break through to Five Star Dou Zun."

"Oh, good."

Again, the two fell silent. A gentle breeze blew, and the teapot emitted a soft wu-wu-wu sound. Xiao Yixian lowered her head to gaze at the boiling pot and asked, voice faint: "Would you like to stay for dinner?"

The evening wind stirred Xiao Yixian's long hair; a sliver of sunset fell upon her face. Whether because of the sunset or not, her cheeks were slightly flushed.

Xiao Yan nodded and smiled. "Of course."

Xiao Yan stayed for three days; during those days, he began instructing Xiao Yixian in Pill Alchemy.

With the Heavenly Flame, Xiao Yixian could now refine certain One Grade Pills; after reaching Dou Zun and fully mastering the Eternal Calamity Poison Body, though she lacked Wood Attribute Qi, her profound understanding of Medicinal Materials allowed her to actually produce Pills!

Though Xiao Yixian's Pills frequently failed due to various reasons, and her talent was arguably the worst among all Alchemists Xiao Yan had ever seen, every time she succeeded and smiled, Xiao Yan's heart felt as if washed clean.

For these three days, Xiao Yan lived a pastoral life of man-plowing, woman-weaving.

"Do you need me to go to the Wind Thunder Mountain Range?" Xiao Yixian poured Xiao Yan another pot of flower tea. She sensed he was about to leave for the Wind Thunder Mountain Range to attend the Four Directions Pavilion Assembly.

Xiao Yixian had heard of the conflict between the Yan Alliance and the Wind Thunder Pavilion—its origin being Xiao Yan's cultivation of Three Thousand Thunder. Whatever the reason, if the Wind Thunder Pavilion dared to move against Xiao Yan, she would turn all four pavilions of the Wind Thunder Pavilion into a dead zone.

"The Four Directions Pavilion Assembly hasn't started yet. When it does, if you wish, you may come to clear your mind. Though Master Yao is only a One Star Dou Zun, I'm nearly gathered all the Fuling Green Pill's Medicinal Herbs; if I succeed in refining it, it will help restore his strength." Xiao Yan sipped the flower tea slowly.

Strictly speaking, the Fuling Green Pill was Xiao Yan's first true Eight Grade Pill, his true entry into the realm of Eight Grade; he intended to use this Fuling Green Pill as his calling card.

As long as the other three pavilions of the Four Directions Pavilion don't lose their heads, with the Heavenly Flame Elder restored to partial strength, the Yan Alliance need not fear the Wind Thunder Pavilion!

Hearing this, Xiao Yixian gently tucked her hair behind her ear and smiled. "Mm. If you need me to act, just crush the Soul Jade."

Watching Xiao Yan open a Space Wormhole and depart, Xiao Yixian merely stood in the Small Valley and waved. She was still the same Xiao Yixian—unchanged.

The Cities controlled by the Four Directions Pavilion all lay along the outer edges of Zhong Zhou, like Han Yue's Tianbei City, which sat at Zhong Zhou's border.

The Yan Alliance's Northwest Region bordered the outer West Domain and North Domain of Zhong Zhou, and the Wind Thunder Pavilion's headquarters lay within the North Domain of Zhong Zhou's outer reaches.

Thus, for the Yan Alliance to enter Zhong Zhou, it would inevitably mean direct confrontation with the Wind Thunder Pavilion. This "entry" did not mean disciples coming and going—it meant taking control of all the cities in the North Domain.

For example, Hong Family's prodigies joined the Wind Thunder Pavilion, and the Hong Family even paid tribute to them annually. The Yan Alliance's methods were somewhat similar.

These past months, the Yun Lan Sect had begun recruiting disciples in cities across the West Domain and North Domain. If these disciples grew strong, their families would rise in status, and eventually, control of the entire city would fall into the hands of the Yun Lan Sect—or rather, the Yan Alliance.

Spreading branches and leaves.

Naturally, conflict with the Wind Thunder Pavilion was inevitable—especially after the Sect Grand Meeting, when Xiao Yan had so openly displayed Three Thousand Thunder, showing no respect for the Wind Thunder Pavilion. If the Wind Thunder Pavilion could endure that, they weren't the Wind Thunder Pavilion.

Huagu City, a city no smaller than Tianbei City, though far from Tianbei City, lay just beyond the Wind Thunder Pavilion's sphere of influence.

Xiao Yan did not immediately head to the Wind Thunder Mountain Range, where this year's Four Directions Pavilion Assembly would be held—it hadn't started yet. Instead, he arrived in Huagu City.

This city was interesting: precisely because it lay outside the Wind Thunder Pavilion's territory, the Yan Alliance's first target in the North Domain was Huagu City—something that inevitably drew the Wind Thunder Pavilion's attention.

Since the Wind Thunder Pavilion also wanted to seize Huagu City, this was the city where friction between Yan Alliance and Wind Thunder Pavilion disciples was greatest.

Xiao Yan walked alone through Huagu City, but unfortunately, his luck had run out—he encountered no precious Eight-Pill Medicinal Herbs, no Pure Lotus Demon Flame Residual Map, and no Heavenly Flame!

"Hehe, young brother, you look unfamiliar—surely not from Huagu City? Are you here for the Heaven Eye Mountain Range's Tian Shan Xue Tan?" Suddenly, an old man called out to Xiao Yan, smiling.

"Heaven Eye Mountain Range? Tian Shan Xue Tan?" Clearly, the two names caught Xiao Yan's attention.

Seeing Xiao Yan's reaction, the old man paused, astonished. "Young brother, you don't know about the Heaven Eye Mountain Range and Tian Shan Xue Tan?"

Xiao Yan smiled; he was a perceptive man. He casually tossed a hundred Gold Coins onto the counter and asked curiously: "I've only just arrived here and am unfamiliar. Could you tell me about them, old sir?"

Seeing the hundred gleaming Gold Coins, the old man's eyes sparkled—he was clearly a Young Master!

"The Tian Shan Xue Tan atop the Heaven Eye Mountain Range is famous throughout the entire North Domain of Zhong Zhou—hardly anyone is unaware. At the summit's volcanic crater, a Heavenly Energy tide appears; after the tide recedes, the crater's pool fills with an extremely strange red liquid—that is the Tian Shan Xue Tan. This blood pool lasts only five days before vanishing entirely." The old man smiled, tucked away the Gold Coins, then spoke seriously.

Xiao Yan's eyes flickered with interest—he knew the Yan Alliance had chosen this city as its first target for a reason; they intended to bring the Tian Shan Xue Tan under their control.

(End of Chapter)