Chapter 600

Zi Yan sat upright, and before her appeared a purple True Dragon, pouring forth endless light as the dragon coiled around to protect her.

This was no ordinary Ancient Dragon power—it was Ancestral Dragon Power, usable only by those whose bloodline reached Dragon King level or higher, and Zi Yan was a true Dragon Emperor with Dragon Phoenix Bloodline; even though she was still very young, the power she possessed was profoundly mysterious.

At that moment, the white wall floated before them, space slowly warping until it became like a mirror, bright and reflective—but inside the mirror were not Zi Yan and Xiao Yan, but a series of powerful array runes, forming an extremely potent sealing barrier.

Zi Yan's task was not merely to pass through this powerful seal, but to do so silently, without alerting the one who had set it.

One by one, the runes surfaced; as Zi Yan activated the Ancestral Dragon Power of the Ancient Dragon, she gradually unraveled each rune interwoven into the seal, slowly carving open a gap.

This powerful seal might not have been cast by the Dan Tower's Ancestor, but rather left behind by the Dan Tower's Founder from even more ancient times—Xiao Yan knew well that the original Founder of the Dan Tower had been a Nine Star Peak supreme expert!

"The Ancient Dragon truly is the strongest beast race on the Dou Qi Continent," Xiao Yan muttered, growing more astonished as Zi Yan neared the breakthrough.

What kind of born thief is this Ancient Dragon! Even a place like Xiao Dan Ta can be robbed! If we took Zi Yan to the Soul Hall, she'd empty their entire treasure vault!

Although a Four-Star Sage Emperor is immensely powerful on the Dou Qi Continent, he is not invincible—there are places where even a Four-Star Sage Emperor is utterly inadequate.

"It's open!"

With a hum, a crack about thirty centimeters wide and two meters tall appeared on the previously empty white wall.

Xiao Yan quickly covered Zi Yan's small mouth, and the two of them glanced around furtively; although Xiao Yan had sealed the entire Pill Formula Hall with Soul Force, their hearts still pounded with tension.

After all, guilt makes the thief fearful!

Only after confirming everything was safe did Xiao Yan release his hand, and both sighed in relief.

"Let's go in."

"Hehe, I hope there's something good inside."

"Jiejiejie~~"

The tall and the small exchanged a glance and grinned slyly; for these two, such petty thefts were nothing new—they had been stealing since the Jia Nan Academy, all the way to Xiao Dan Ta.

Xiao Yan walked ahead, and the two sidestepped cautiously, inching forward warily.

After about ten minutes, Xiao Yan and Zi Yan passed through the crack in the seal and entered the mysterious small space—but when they stepped into the roughly one-hundred-square-meter room, they froze in shock: there was nothing inside!

"Huh?"

Xiao Yan and Zi Yan both widened their eyes in disbelief—this hidden space sealed by a Sage Emperor contained absolutely nothing!

Not even the legendary Imperial Grade Embryonic Pill Formula—there wasn't a single Gold Coin, just emptiness.

This was an empty vault!

Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed slightly—he understood now: this was a trap. The Dan Tower Ancestor wasn't foolish; since the incident where the former Dan Tower Head was assassinated by the Soul Hall, the Dan Tower had been on high alert and suspected the Soul Hall's target was the Pill Formula.

"Xiao Yan, there's a piece of paper on the ground," Zi Yan tugged Xiao Yan's sleeve, pointing to a small card lying on the floor.

Xiao Yan slowly crouched down and picked up the card—it was not a Pill Formula Scroll, just an ordinary sheet of paper, with three simple pencil-written characters: Dong Tian Town.

Xiao Yan had no idea where Dong Tian Town was; the Dou Qi Continent was vast and sprawling, and there were likely many towns with names like Qingshan Town or Dongtian Town.

"Sigh, it seems obtaining the Pill Formula won't be easy," Xiao Yan said, staring at the card bearing the place name—if he wasn't mistaken, this must be the location of the Dan Tower Ancestor's current incarnation.

During his time at Xiao Dan Ta, Xiao Yan had learned much about the Dan Tower's secrets, including many details about the Dan Tower Ancestor.

As Xiao Yan had learned from the Soul Hall, the Dan Tower Ancestor was originally a Nine Grade Profound Pill; the Senior Brother who forged him was one of the Dan Tower's Founders, though that Founder had long since passed away.

Just before his death, the Founder exhausted all his energy and blood to refine the most powerful Elixir of his life—and during that Pill Refining, he spent his final strength and died in sorrow as the Pill formed; yet, as he perished, a fragment of his consciousness merged mysteriously into the Nine Grade Pill, causing it to mutate.

Later, this Pill took human form and inherited a trace of the Founder's memories, but did not leave the Dan Tower; instead, it remained as its guardian. In a sense, this Ancestor was an alternate Clone of that Senior Brother, though the relationship between master and Clone was complex.

Moreover, the Dan Tower Ancestor's personality was peculiar—he loved wandering among mortals, appearing and disappearing like a dragon's head in the clouds, and his favorite pastime was seeking pregnant women who had lost their unborn children to accidents.

He would then enter the mother's womb through a special method, be born as an ordinary infant, grow up, live an entire life under a different identity, and only depart when that body finally died, experiencing life in this way to draw closer to becoming a true "human."

In a sense, although Pills could take human form or remain as Dan Beasts like Tuan Tuan, becoming a living being was still extremely difficult for a Pill.

The Dan Tower Ancestor's cultivation method was to become human, refining himself through countless lifetimes of experiencing life—this was similar to the Hundred Lifetimes Reincarnation of the Bodhi Tree, except the Dan Tower Ancestor truly lived each life.

Because he frequently wandered among mortals, the Dan Tower Ancestor was elusive—even the Grand Elder of Xiao Dan Ta could not find him; he only appeared when the Dan Tower faced danger.

Clearly, the place written on the card in Xiao Yan's hand was the town where the Dan Tower Ancestor currently resided.

"Getting that Pill Formula won't be easy," Xiao Yan said, tucking the card away and shaking his head helplessly.

"Then what do we do now?" Zi Yan pouted, clearly dissatisfied with having gone through so much trouble to break in and found nothing.

"What can we do? We have to meet the Dan Tower Ancestor in person. Let's go—Xiao Dan Ta is ready to be left behind," Xiao Yan shrugged, though he was glad this visit to Xiao Dan Ta hadn't been entirely fruitless.

He had traded three Eight Grade Peak Pills that had drawn Nine Color Pill Thunder for a scroll of a Nine Grade Profound Pill Formula—this was Xiao Yan's only Profound Pill Formula.

Yet Xiao Yan did not immediately leave Xiao Dan Ta; he stayed for three days to carefully instruct Dan Chen and Cao Ying in Alchemy, for these two had indeed suffered greatly during this time, constantly being ordered around by Xiao Yan.

And both possessed considerable talent as Alchemists, grasping concepts instantly.

"Alright, any other questions?" Xiao Yan asked, his hands behind his back, wearing the stern expression of a university professor.

For these three days, Xiao Yan resembled the Medic Sovereign teaching him in the Cave during his Hundred Lifetimes Reincarnation.

Unconsciously, Xiao Yan had begun shifting from inheritor of the Medic Sovereign's legacy to a teacher himself.

Of course, in just these few days, Xiao Yan could not teach Cao Ying and Dan Chen much—only the basic teachings from the Medic Sovereign's legacy, though he had infused them with his own insights.

Now Xiao Yan was not merely a synthesizer—he was gradually forging his own unique path in Pill Alchemy.

Dan Chen's large, watery eyes dimmed as she looked at Xiao Yan and asked, "Big Brother Xiao Yan, are you leaving?"

Hearing Dan Chen's words, Cao Ying's beautiful eyes narrowed, then softened with a hint of reluctance as she gazed at Xiao Yan; they both knew that no feast lasts forever—Xiao Yan could not remain in Xiao Dan Ta forever.

Xiao Yan smiled and patted Dan Chen's head; this time, Dan Chen grabbed his wrist with both hands, pressing his hand against her cheek, savoring the warmth only Xiao Yan could give.

"These past few months, I've studied Alchemy Techniques closely—I've shown you several times how to refine the Bodhi Great Restoration Pill. It's time for me to leave."

These past months, Xiao Yan hadn't come to sightsee or dote on two female Pill Apprentices; he had combined the Hundred Lifetimes Reincarnation from under the Bodhi Tree with the Medic Sovereign's Alchemy Techniques to create his own Bodhi Hundred Turn Alchemy Method, and also refined several Nine-Treasure Pills to accumulate experience and lay the groundwork for later refining a Nine Grade Profound Pill.

In modern times on the Dou Qi Continent, the only known Nine Grade Profound Pill was the one refined by the Dan Tower Founder just before his death—the very Pill that later became the current Dan Tower Ancestor.

Whether the Yao Clan or Hun Xu Zi have refined a Nine Grade Profound Pill in modern times remains a secret unknown to outsiders.

If Xiao Yan cannot even refine a Profound Pill, how can he possibly hope to collaborate with Hun Xu Zi to refine an Imperial Grade Embryonic Pill?

Knowing Xiao Yan had firmly decided to leave, Cao Ying's eyes suddenly flickered with unusual emotion; she stepped forward sharply, opened her arms boldly, and hugged Xiao Yan tightly, her slender, soft form pressing against him.

Xiao Yan's heart jolted—these past months, Cao Ying had tried every trick, subtly and indirectly flirting with him, but this boldness was unprecedented.

"Cao Ying."

"You know how I feel about you these past few months—just let me hold you one last time," Cao Ying said, her voice tinged with a hint of melancholy, but mostly with helplessness and resignation.

In Sheng Dan Cheng, she got whatever she wanted; every man fell at her feet. One glance, one smile, and she could topple nations—her beauty unmatched, her Alchemy unparalleled, a single look leaving men entranced.

Yet before Xiao Yan, she was utterly powerless.

Xiao Yan wasn't a fool—he knew perfectly well how Cao Ying felt about him. But as the old saying goes: your secret love is obvious; if he doesn't call you out, that's his answer.

What could Xiao Yan do now? She'd asked to be held—he'd be taking advantage, yet he had no reason to refuse. He'd treat it as a farewell embrace.

Seeing Cao Ying's boldness, Dan Chen stammered nervously, slowly leaning against Xiao Yan's back. After hearing his heartbeat, she smiled with quiet relief.

For a moment, in the courtyard of the small peak within Xiao Dan Ta, this scene unfolded: Xiao Yan, like a wooden statue frozen in place, caught between two tender embraces.

Was it unpleasant? Not really. Was it enjoyable? Indeed, it was.

Xiao Yan had once experienced this kind of enveloping, fragrant tenderness at the Flower Sect.

Only when Zi Yan's gaze in Space grew sharper and a Dragon Emperor's aura slowly pressed down did Xiao Yan clear his throat twice and say, "Uh, I really should go now."

Hearing Xiao Yan's words, Cao Ying blushed faintly and slowly pulled away. At this moment, she was dazed—she was supposed to be the one playing men like puppets, so how had she ended up doing this?

Oh no—she'd fallen in love.

Xiao Yan reached out and ruffled Dan Chen's hair. "Work hard on your Alchemy. I hope when we meet again, you'll be able to refine Ji Pin Dan Yao."

"Yes, yes! Big Brother Xiao Yan, don't worry—I won't let you down."

Xiao Yan glanced at Cao Ying, whose eyes shimmered with longing, smiled faintly, nodded lightly, then stepped into the Black Flame passage and left Xiao Dan Ta.

Watching Xiao Yan depart, Cao Ying's eyes glowed with a captivating light. She gently clenched her fingers and suddenly spoke: "Dan Chen, I want to join the Yan Alliance. Will you come with me?"

Hearing Cao Ying's bold declaration, Dan Chen gasped in shock: "Cao Ying, you're leaving Sheng Dan Cheng and the Cao Family?! Because of Big Brother Xiao Yan?"

Cao Ying's eyes flickered with a shadow of sadness. She shook her head. "Not entirely because of him."

"I believe the Yan Alliance will become the Holy Land for Alchemists on the Dou Qi Continent. The most advanced Alchemy techniques, Pill Formulas, and Elixirs will no longer come from Dan Tower or the Yao Clan—but from the Yan Alliance. If you want to learn higher-level Alchemy, if you want to refine Nine Grade Profound Pills or even Golden Pills, joining the Yan Alliance may be your only chance."

Hearing Cao Ying's words, Dan Chen slowly calmed from her shock. Though timid and soft-spoken, she was no fool—her Alchemy talent was extraordinary, perhaps even surpassing Cao Ying's.

Even if Cao Ying's motive for joining the Yan Alliance might stem from Xiao Yan, her words held truth: Xiao Yan's Alchemy had already surpassed the Grand Elder. No one in Xiao Dan Ta could match him!

(End of Chapter)