Chapter 563

"What's there to be sad about? You're a Nine Grade Alchemist, a true Dou Sheng powerhouse—far stronger than I was in my prime."

The old man drifted slowly closer, his already translucent body solidifying at this moment as he gently draped an Alchemist Long Robe over Xiao Yan's lonely, sorrowful back.

"Master…" Xiao Yan's voice trembled with tears; even with the Bodhi Heart, he could not hide the grief in his heart.

Although Xiao Yan had never met Yao Chen before, he knew that countless days and nights of cultivation had always been accompanied by someone.

The old man gently patted Xiao Yan's head, his gaze soft as he looked upon his own child, saying, "Foolish child, you've graduated. In cultivation and pill alchemy, I have nothing left to teach you."

"Xiao Yan, I am delighted to have you as my disciple. You are my legacy disciple—my greatest fortune in this lifetime, hehehe."

"Master!" Xiao Yan suddenly lifted his head and saw the old man's body slowly dissolving into specks of light, vanishing bit by bit as the Hundred Lifetimes Reincarnation space shattered.

Xiao Yan reached out, but the feeling that had been so real just now now turned ethereal.

Thud! Xiao Yan knelt on both knees and bowed his head hard to the fading old man, his voice deep and solemn: "Without my Master, there would be no Xiao Yan today. Allow your disciple to pay his deepest respects!"

Seeing Xiao Yan's bow, the old man nodded with a smile, his final voice echoing as he vanished.

"May all people in the world be free of illness; let my medicine shelves gather dust instead."

"My name is Yao Chen."

BOOM!!! Instantly, heaven and earth shattered—a terrifying wave of energy surged forth, swallowing Xiao Yan and the old man named Yao Chen alike.

At this moment, a single tear slowly traced down Xiao Yan's cheek as he sat cross-legged beneath the Bodhi Ancient Tree; soon after, Xiao Yan, having completed the Hundred Lifetimes Reincarnation, slowly opened his eyes.

"Farewell, Master."

As Xiao Yan's eyes slowly opened, the space filled with life energy suddenly rippled with strange fluctuations.

At this moment, Xiao Yan's dark eyes held a weariness as if he could see through all things in the world—a weariness that also concealed a deep, hidden sorrow.

Xiao Yan lowered his head, opened his palm, and there, quietly resting in his palm, was a jade-green Elixir.

Xiao Yan gathered fallen branches and leaves from the Bodhi Ancient Tree on the ground, crafting a crude wooden box, into which he placed the Bodhi Great Restoration Elixir and sealed it.

The power of a Nine Grade Elixir is immense; it requires special methods for storage.

Slowly rising to his feet, Xiao Yan glanced back at the Bodhi Ancient Tree, patted its trunk, and said, "My initial disdain for you was my mistake. Your Hundred Lifetimes Reincarnation truly has its merits."

Soon, Xiao Yan gathered everything up. The Hundred Lifetimes Reincarnation was merely that—a reincarnation, not reality. He treated it as a dream. A dream constructed by the Bodhi Ancient Tree through certain Soul Information.

Shhh shhh shhh~~ The Bodhi Ancient Tree swayed slightly, then transmitted information to Xiao Yan: the Hundred Lifetimes Reincarnation had consumed three months. The reincarnation itself barely consumed time; these three months were mainly spent refining Mao Wu to break through to Dou Sheng, and later, crafting the Elixir within the reincarnation.

During these three months, Xiao Yixian had visited Xiao Yan several times, but seeing he had not awakened, she left. What puzzled Xiao Yan was that Nalan Yanran still had not awakened!

"Huh? What the hell is she enlightenment on?! I'm awake already!" Xiao Yan was stunned—he, the one who received the Bodhi Heart, was awake!

Xiao Yan frowned, sensing something unusual, and asked, "Ancient Tree Brother, can you let me see what she's enlightened on?"

Shhh shhh~~ (Of course.)

Suddenly, a green sprout extended from the Bodhi Ancient Tree and touched Xiao Yan's forehead; his Soul Force then perceived Nalan Yanran's Spiritual Soul through the Bodhi Ancient Tree.

【Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west—never underestimate a young man's potential!】

【This Contract is not to dissolve our engagement—it is my Young Master's notice of expulsion from the Xiao Clan!】

【You—you dare expel me!?】

【Father, in three years, I will go to the Yun Lan Sect and personally wash away today's humiliation for you!】

Xiao Yan froze. How could Nalan Yanran's enlightenment scene be identical to his own? And her perspective was his own!

That meant Nalan Yanran's enlightenment beneath the Bodhi Tree was his—yet the false version!

Later, Xiao Yan understood why Nalan Yanran had taken so long to awaken: she had undergone three years of enlightenment—from the day of the broken engagement to the Three-Year Agreement at Yun Lan Sect, then after losing to him, she intended to kill herself with her sword, finally erupting into a massive battle with Yun Lan Sect.

But soon, Nalan Yanran awakened—the reason was simple: Xiao Yan's Hundred Lifetimes Reincarnation had ended. The Bodhi Ancient Tree naturally had to depart, returning to the earth's core to rest and recover until the next millennium.

Boom boom! Soon, the Bodhi Ancient Tree slowly shrank, then plunged into the ground and vanished, leaving only a massive pit filled with Puti Huati Yan, proof it had truly appeared.

After the Bodhi Ancient Tree disappeared, Nalan Yanran slowly opened her eyes. But upon opening them, she had not yet returned from her enlightenment and saw Xiao Yan standing before her, watching her with a strange expression.

"Ah, Xiao Yan!" Nalan Yanran, perhaps feeling guilty, suddenly shrieked in alarm, stepped back—and since the Bodhi Ancient Tree had vanished, leaving a deep pit, she stepped right into it and fell in.

Xiao Yan smiled. Having witnessed Nalan Yanran's enlightenment scene, he understood she was still confused between reality and the false soul illusion—after all, she lacked the Bodhi Heart.

Nalan Yanran slowly surfaced from the Puti Huati Yan pool, her eyes dim as she looked at Xiao Yan.

"You're a Dou Zun—how did you trip?" Xiao Yan couldn't help but tease. A Dou Zun who could open Space Channels falling into a pit? Who'd believe that?

"I…" To Xiao Yan's surprise, Nalan Yanran didn't huff. Instead, she looked at him and asked, "Xiao Yan, if… if back then, when you were broken off from me, your strength had been weaker than mine… what would you have done?"

Xiao Yan looked at the guilt-ridden Nalan Yanran, his eyes flickered, and he put on an act, sighing: "Ah, if that had truly happened, I probably couldn't have stayed in Wutan City. I'd have been mocked every day as a useless man—rejected by his fiancée, scorned by all, wandering aimlessly, and eventually dying of despair."

Instantly, Nalan Yanran's beautiful, delicate face turned deathly pale. Clearly, though talented, her mind was clearly lacking—otherwise, she wouldn't have proposed the engagement breakup.

"I I…" Nalan Yanran stammered, unsure what to say. She had no idea Xiao Yan was lying to her.

The scenario Xiao Yan described could never happen—no matter what, Xun Er would always be by Xiao Yan's side.

Seeing Nalan Yanran's guilt, Xiao Yan secretly chuckled. What a simple-minded girl.

"Ah, it's all in the past—why bring it up? And how many 'what ifs' are there?" Xiao Yan stretched his body, waved his hand, then muttered as if to himself, "Sitting through the Hundred Lifetimes Reincarnation too long—my shoulders are sore."

"I'll massage you!" Nalan Yanran leapt up, completely forgetting her clothes were soaked in Puti Huati Yan.

Puti Huati Yan was a sticky, glue-like liquid that clung tightly to her body, outlining her curves almost perfectly.

After all, although Nalan Yanran's figure couldn't compare to Cai Lin and Qing Lin, she was still a match for her master Yun Zhi; back then, it wasn't without reason that the vice sect master of the Tianming Sect coveted those two beautiful master and disciple.

Realizing her state, Nalan Yanran instantly covered herself with both hands, turned away, and blushed: "Th-there—don't look!"

Xiao Yan coughed twice and turned his head, thinking: "She's only now realizing the engagement breakup, isn't she? Feeling guilty now."

It wasn't fair to blame Nalan Yanran—Xiao Yan had been too clean-cut and still couldn't resist mocking her. Anyone would be furious.

Soon, Xiao Yan collected half the Puti Huati Yan, leaving the rest for the Fierce Beasts of the Manhuang Ancient Domain, then opened a Soul Passage back to the Xiao Realm.

But along the way, Xiao Yan was utterly baffled—Nalan Yanran, having no idea what she'd enlightened on, kept asking him hypothetical after hypothetical, leaving him both exasperated and amused.

The Space Channel opened, and Xiao Yan and Nalan Yanran stepped through smoothly back into the Xiao Realm.

Seeing the channel open, Xiao Yixian, who had been watering the Bodhi Ancient Tree's new sprout, paused and walked toward Xiao Yan.

"You're back? Nalan Yanran—your clothes!" Xiao Yixian had been smiling, but upon seeing the sticky, unidentifiable liquid on Nalan Yanran's face, her lovely face turned pale!

Xiao Yixian isn't a little girl anymore; she's heard of some things too.

Nalan Yanran looked utterly confused, but Xiao Yan understood instantly and hurriedly said, "What are you thinking? That's Puti Huati Yan! Didn't you use it yourself?"

Seeing Xiao Yan look at her, Xiao Yixian's face instantly flushed crimson—she had misunderstood!

After hearing Xiao Yan's hurried explanation, Nalan Yanran finally realized, feeling utterly embarrassed, and explained, "We didn't do anything."

"Stop explaining—go refine the stuck Puti Huati Yan right away; this stuff benefits the body."

Xiao Yixian lowered her head, shy and blushing, her beautiful eyes involuntarily flicking toward Xiao Yan's lower abdomen, then quickly shut them. Since that day here, when the two of them had confessed their feelings to each other, and Xiao Yan, that cunning fellow, had tricked her into a Sage Emperor pact, Xiao Yixian's heart had changed slightly.

Xiao Yixian's heart was also panicked—after all, she was a very quiet girl, naturally feeling both curious yet distant and uneasy about certain things.

Xiao Yan was now a Sage Emperor, his Soul Force extremely strong; he naturally sensed that Xiao Yixian had just glanced at him with extreme subtlety.

Xiao Yan smiled and walked step by step toward Xiao Yixian.

Seeing Xiao Yan approach, Xiao Yixian's heart raced like a startled deer, as if a little girl caught doing something wrong—her ears turned crimson, and she stepped backward several paces.

"Xiao Yixian, I just refined a Nine-Treasure Pill—the Bodhi Great Restoration Pill—which gives a Nine-Turn Dou Zun a fifty percent chance to break through to Sage Emperor," Xiao Yan said with a teasing smile, playfully teasing the flustered Xiao Yixian.

Hearing the words "Sage Emperor," Xiao Yixian grew even more nervous, her speech stumbling: "Give it to Cai Lin—she needs it more than I do."

The Eternal Calamity Poison Body accumulates too much toxin and will erupt uncontrollably, but the advantage is that it has no bottleneck—even breaking through to Sage Emperor has no barrier. Xiao Yixian only needs to accumulate toxin to the peak of Nine-Turn, and she will ascend to Sage Emperor—no Semi-Sage bottleneck, so she naturally doesn't need pills like the Bodhi Pill.

Yet the Eternal Calamity Poison Body can convert a pill's medicinal power into Poison Dou Qi, so the Bodhi Great Restoration Pill can still accelerate her advancement.

Xiao Yan didn't return to the Yan Alliance immediately; he stayed in the Xiao Realm not only to check on the Bodhi Ancient Tree's branches but also to completely resolve the Ancient Devouring Worm Cocoon with Semi-Sage power.

With Xiao Yan's current Sage Emperor strength, even if the Ancient Devouring Worm Cocoon awoke, he wasn't afraid; in the end, he reached a transaction with the Worm Mother. Xiao Yan would let the Worm Mother build its nest on the Bodhi Ancient Tree's branches, and in return, it must construct a Crystal Layer Barrier to protect the entire Xiao Realm's territory.

During these few days, Xiao Yan also enjoyed the thrill of giving orders—Nalan Yanran didn't even realize she'd been tricked by Xiao Yan.

But soon, Xiao Yan planned to leave; he used Bodhi Seeds and Puti Huati Yan to create a pool of Precious Fluid for Xiao Yixian and Nalan Yanran to use, and told Xiao Yixian to take Nalan Yanran away from the Manhuang Ancient Domain when she returned.

As for Xiao Yan himself, he still had things to do.

As a Sage Emperor, Xiao Yan no longer merely opened Space Channels—he now folded Space itself, reducing the distance between two places to zero, like an arbitrary gate, stepping one pace to arrive millions of miles away.

Xiao Yan stepped once and appeared in the small town beyond the Manhuang Ancient Domain, materializing inside a room in the town.

When Xiao Yan arrived, a graceful figure suddenly woke from cultivation. Seeing Xiao Yan appear, her eyes blazed with anger and resentment, fists clenched, teeth gritted as she glared at him.

Feng Qing'er'er!

"You're patient," Xiao Yan walked step by step to a chair and sat down. Feng Qing'er'er had never left—she had waited in the Manhuang Town, waiting for Xiao Yan to emerge from the Manhuang Ancient Domain!

She knew this time, the Manhuang Ancient Domain had been another harvest for Xiao Yan.

Of course, she couldn't return home either; once she went back, her clan would investigate the Asura Slave Seal inside her body, and they'd find out everything.

"Do you have a masochistic streak, or are you truly unafraid I'll kill you? Though your Soul Body has little value, it's better than nothing," Xiao Yan poured himself a cup of tea. He had no reason to hate Feng Qing'er'er anymore—he had repaid what he owed.

Xiao Yan wasn't a killer, but he didn't understand why Feng Qing'er'er was waiting here for him.

Feng Qing'er'er bit her lip, took a deep breath, fixed her gaze, and said firmly, "I know something about the Ancient Dragon Clan. In exchange, I want you to remove that Soul Mark!"

(End of Chapter)