Chapter 599: Hidden Space

After the matter was settled, Xiao Yan naturally had no intention of leaving, but instead moved directly into Xiao Dan Ta, for he now had only half a year left before the Pure Lotus Demon Fire would manifest.

"Xiao Dan Ta forms its own space; there are various peaks here, and you may choose any one to reside in. You may freely use the pill fields and spiritual soil within the peak. Every so often, you may apply to Dan Tower for a set quota of resources, but anything beyond that must be exchanged for elixirs or pill formulas."

Cao Ying walked ahead, explaining to Xiao Yan—after all, she and Dan Chen intended to become Pill Apprentices and had entered Xiao Dan Ta early to cultivate and study, so they knew far more about its inner workings than Xiao Yan, this half-baked novice.

Watching Cao Ying's graceful figure lead the way, Xiao Yan smiled. He paid little mind to her attempts to seduce him.

Who could rival Cai Lin in natural charm and allure? Though Cai Lin was born with such charm, she never actively seduced others—her allure was reserved solely for Xiao Yan.

Not to mention Xiao Yan had Ya Fei beside him; how could Cao Ying's half-hearted seduction techniques possibly affect him?

"Big Brother Xiao Yan, where would you like to live?" Dan Chen asked softly.

"I have no preference for where I live," Xiao Yan said indifferently, then casually added: "By the way, if I want to view ancient pill formulas or study past alchemy techniques, where should I go?"

The Hun Dian Heavenly Venerable is right beside me!

There's a traitor!

Hearing Xiao Yan's question, Cao Ying turned, her figure alluring and soul-stealing as she said: "Master Xiao Yan, if you seek ancient pill formulas, you may go to the Pill Formula Hall within Xiao Dan Ta—it holds every formula collected since Dan Tower's founding."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan's eyes flickered with subtle interest, and he asked calmly: "Even the formulas created by Dan Tower's Founder are there?"

Dan Chen nodded timidly. "Yes. Xiao Dan Ta has hardly changed at all—it's still exactly as it was in ancient times. The Pill Formula Hall remains the same too."

Xiao Yan's eyes flashed. "I heard Xiao Dan Ta doesn't just hold Nine Grade Profound Pill and Golden Pill formulas—even Holy Pill formulas exist here."

Hearing Xiao Yan's question, both Cao Ying and Dan Chen frowned and shook their heads. Cao Ying furrowed her delicate brows. "I've heard of Golden Pill formulas, but Holy Pill formulas? That's impossible."

Dan Chen nodded in agreement. "Even Golden Pill formulas haven't appeared on the Dou Qi Continent in thousands of years. Holy Pill formulas? They probably don't exist."

Hearing they knew nothing of the Holy Pill formulas' whereabouts, Xiao Yan said nothing further. Though they were born in Sheng Dan Cheng and had Xuan Kongzi and Tian Leizi as teachers, even those two likely didn't know the location of Holy Pill formulas.

After all, the incident involving Hun Xu Zi caused such a stir that only the Grand Elder and Dan Tower's Ancestor might know where the Holy Pill formulas are hidden.

As Xiao Yan pondered the location of the Holy Pill formulas, space tore open directly before him, and a little girl stepped forth from the void—it was Zi Yan, who had vanished somewhere.

Zi Yan walked forward step by step, purple light blooming beneath her bare feet as she trod upon empty space, appearing even more beautiful, like a celestial fairy descending to the mortal world.

Zi Yan gave Xiao Yan a subtle glance. Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow, and instantly, both understood each other.

"You two find a peak and build a courtyard first. I'm going to check out the Pill Formula Hall," Xiao Yan said, his hands clasped behind his back.

Hearing this, Cao Ying and Dan Chen naturally did not object. Though they followed Xiao Yan, they weren't even disciples—only Pill Apprentices or Pill Boys—so such minor tasks naturally fell to them.

After the two girls left, Xiao Yan walked up to Zi Yan and asked: "How was it? Any gains?"

Xiao Yan's pill refining had drawn the attention of everyone in Xiao Dan Ta—this naturally gave Zi Yan the perfect chance to strike. If humans could steal medicinal materials from beasts, why couldn't beasts steal medicinal materials grown by humans? Zi Yan was a beast!

"Hehehe," Zi Yan grinned slyly, showing none of the dignity befitting the Dragon Emperor of the Tai Xu Ancient Dragon Clan—as if the ancient dragon sovereign who had just slashed three Dragon Kings with one sword had never existed.

Zi Yan pulled from the void several exquisite medicinal materials sealed by void power—all were top-grade ingredients of Nine-Treasure level, each incredibly precious.

Xiao Dan Ta naturally had its own Pill Fields. Think about it: Dan Realm was so vast, yet Xiao Dan Ta abandoned it—clearly, it possessed an even better Little World for cultivating rare medicinal materials.

Otherwise, how would the Elders of Xiao Dan Ta obtain materials to study pill alchemy?

"We agreed to split it fifty-fifty," Xiao Yan rubbed his hands together, acting as shamelessly accomplice to Zi Yan—like snakes and rats in the same den!

"Fine. Turn them into pills for me. Whether you can break through to Five-Star level and deal with those traitors depends on you," Zi Yan handed all the medicinal materials to Xiao Yan.

"Don't worry. Once Xuan Kongzi brings me the formula, I'll refine the pills for you," Xiao Yan stored the materials, then asked: "By the way, does Xiao Dan Ta have any strange places?"

At this, Zi Yan nodded, her expression grave. "Yes. There's a place called the Pill Formula Hall. I sensed a hidden chamber within it, perfectly concealed—likely sealed by a Space Seal cast by a Six-Star Sage Emperor. Had I not possessed Dragon Emperor bloodline, I'd never have noticed."

"Six-Star Sage Emperor!" Xiao Yan's eyes sharpened. He had assumed Xiao Dan Ta had at most Five-Star Sage Emperors—never expecting a Six-Star or higher!

If the opponent was Six-Star, even with Zi Yan's help, they might not be able to stand against him.

The gap between Five-Star and Six-Star was too vast. Together, Xiao Yan and Zi Yan might barely resist a Five-Star Sage Emperor in early stage—but against a Six-Star? Impossible.

"If the opponent is Six-Star, we can't force the issue—we must plan carefully. Take me to the Pill Formula Hall first," Xiao Yan said after a moment's thought.

Zi Yan nodded, tore open space, and in a few steps they arrived at an ancient, solemn hall. Above its entrance hung a plaque inscribed with "Pill Formula Hall." Entering, they found the hall not large, with few people inside—only a handful of elderly figures.

The entire Pill Formula Hall had no guards—only scrolls sealed by special arrays, each containing a pill formula, all at least Eight Grade Peak level. Even Hou the Weirdo's Flame Demon Qingxuan Pill formula originated here.

Though the Pill Formula Hall wasn't vast, it held the most elite pill formulas on the Dou Qi Continent. To find formulas superior to these, one must go to the Yao Clan.

Xiao Yan glanced casually at the descriptions. "Thunder-Gold Dual-Aspect Pill, Nine-Treasure Pill. Consumed by Doubreath Stage cultivators, it mutates their Doubreath physique into a Thunder-Gold Dual-Aspect physique, enabling simultaneous cultivation of Thunder and Metal Doubreath cultivation methods."

"Truly a heaven-defying elixir—directly granting a Special Physique."

This dual-aspect Doubreath physique differed from that of an Alchemist: Alchemists possess only faint Wood-element energy, useful only for catalyzing effects. This dual-aspect physique was like Feng Qing'er'er's Wind-Thunder Body.

Feng Qing'er'er was lucky to be born with a dual-aspect physique—but this pill could artificially alter fate, revealing the terrifying power of Nine-Treasure Pills.

Here, though not numerous, there were dozens of such Nine-Treasure Pill formulas. Xiao Yan saw several Nine Grade Profound Pill formulas, and only two Golden Pill formulas.

One was called the Golden Immortal Pill formula—its effect: curing all injuries below the level of a Dou Emperor. In a Dou Qi Continent without Dou Emperors, this was essentially a universal cure, capable of healing any wound.

The other was the Qiankun Golden Pill formula—similar to the Po-E Pill Hai Bodong once gave Xiao Yan, but infinitely more potent: it could break seals, purge negative states, and restore the user to their state before being sealed.

Xiao Yan estimated that if a Qiankun Golden Pill had been available then, the Bodhi Ancient Tree wouldn't have needed such trouble—just one pill could purge all its negative energy and reverse fate!

But these Golden Pill formulas were all unique originals, passed down from ancient times—none could be replicated. To produce a Nine-Treasure Golden Pill formula, one needed at least Heaven Realm Great Perfection Soul Force, plus flawless refinement.

Yet no one in this world could refine a flawless Nine-Treasure Golden Pill—so these two formulas could be used only once, then gone.

To exchange for formulas, one must offer elixirs. These two Golden Pill formulas required Nine-Treasure Pills in exchange. The Golden Immortal Pill formula demanded a Supreme Nine-Treasure Pill; the Qiankun Golden Pill formula was even costlier—requiring a Nine Grade Profound Pill, exceedingly precious.

Xiao Yan and Zi Yan wandered the hall like visitors at an exhibition, glancing left and right, until finally only the two of them remained in the Pill Formula Hall.

They exchanged a glance, then Zi Yan led Xiao Yan to a white wall at the center of the hall.

"This wall is sealed by immense power. Behind it lies a hidden space," Zi Yan whispered.

Xiao Yan scanned with his Soul Force. He could faintly sense something strange, but his spatial perception paled beside Zi Yan's—he couldn't even locate the exact position, let alone break the seal.

"Useless. If it were merely a seal, I could pass through it. But this isn't just sealed—it's been banished into a random alternate dimension. Without knowing its coordinates, breaking the seal is nearly impossible," Zi Yan explained.

Miao! At that moment, Mao Wu's voice echoed in Xiao Yan's mind.

"Zi Yan, if I can fix the space in place, how long would you need to break the seal?" Xiao Yan's eyes lit up as he asked Zi Yan.

Mao Wu's message meant it could enter the Void World and lock the space, preventing its drift—thus eliminating the need for coordinates.

Zi Yan thought for a moment, then said: "One hour."

Hearing it would take an hour, Xiao Yan furrowed his brows—this was inside Xiao Dan Ta; if it took that long, someone might come in, and if an Alchemist entered and sensed Zi Yan and Xiao Yan stealthily sealing off Space, even the dumbest would know something was amiss.

Hun Xu Zi might have been discovered the same way originally.

"Let's leave it for now—we'll go back. This can't be rushed; we still have time." Xiao Yan needed time to observe carefully and gather intelligence before acting.

"Mm."

After leaving the Pill Formula Hall, Zi Yan and Xiao Yan arrived atop a mountain peak; with the strength of Cao Ying and Dan Chen as Dou Zun, building a temporary Courtyard was effortless.

In the days that followed, Xiao Yan truly enjoyed himself—the three women were all breathtakingly beautiful, their elegance unmatched, and living together was a sight to behold.

Naturally, Zi Yan, the Dragon Emperor's Majesty, never let go of Xiao Yan; the two frequently went on adventures and caused trouble throughout Xiao Dan Ta.

Not long after, Xuan Kong Zi delivered the Pill Formula Xiao Yan needed; after exchanging some Medicinal Materials with Xiao Dan Ta, Xiao Yan spent a month refining the Elixir Zi Yan required.

With Xiao Yan's Ji Pin Dan Yao, Zi Yan's depleted Life Force recovered without issue, and even her Cultivation Realm saw slight improvement.

In the rest of his time, Xiao Yan usually guided Cao Ying and Dan Chen in Pill Alchemy, then took Zi Yan on leisurely strolls, discussing Alchemy, Pill Refining Methods, and insights with the Alchemists of Xiao Dan Ta—he became well-acquainted with everyone there.

Some of Xiao Yan's insights and explanations even brought enlightenment to the Grand Elder.

Xiao Yan stayed in Xiao Dan Ta for three months.

One night three months later, two figures in black robes—one large, one small—silently tore through Space and entered the Pill Formula Hall.

"Xiao Yan, are you sure it's safe?" Zi Yan glanced around nervously, like a thief caught in the act.

Xiao Yan lowered his voice. "Relax—I've confirmed over these months that they've all entered seclusion."

Thanks to Xiao Yan's guidance, many Alchemists had gained enlightenment and thus entered seclusion.

A soft hum—the black cat emerged from Void Space, then shot away with a whisper, vanishing into Space. Moments later, thin threads of Black Flame, like needles and threads, seeped out from the otherwise empty space beside the white wall.

Seeing Xu Wu Tong Yan Tian Zi Huo had sealed off Space, Zi Yan knew there was no time to waste; she bit her fingertip, letting a strand of purple-gold blood seep out, then pressed her finger against Space. Immediately, her Dou Qi began to circulate.

As Zi Yan's Tai Xu Ancient Dragon power surged, the empty white wall twisted—Xiao Yan faintly glimpsed, behind the Space, a chamber resembling a safe.

Seeing the Hidden Space was real, even Xiao Yan, one of the Ten Heavenly Elders, grew tense—whether he could obtain the complete Emperor Soul Scripture depended on this moment.