Tapping his fingers on his storage ring, Xiao Yan took out two small map fragments and pieced them together.
Yao Lao's eyes locked onto the reconstructed map, and he exclaimed with delight, "This is indeed a fragment related to the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame! Kid, your luck is truly extraordinary."
"The Purifying Lotus Demon Flame ranks third on the Heavenly Flame Ranking and possesses the ability to purify all things. Anything that comes into contact with even a trace of it will be reduced to nothingness—it's terrifyingly powerful."
Xiao Yan chuckled. Obtaining the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame would be immensely difficult—it required both the map and sufficient strength. Having the map alone wouldn't be enough without the necessary power.
Yao Lao sighed nostalgically, "Back then, when I made a name for myself, I was so confident in my strength that I swore I would obtain a top-five ranked Heavenly Flame—only such a flame would match my status."
"Teacher, you sure dream big." Xiao Yan couldn't help but laugh.
The number one-ranked Emperor Flame didn't even exist; the second-ranked Nihility Devouring Flame belonged to the Soul Clan; the third-ranked Purifying Lotus Demon Flame was still controlled by the Dou Saint powerhouse, Xiao Chen; the fourth-ranked Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame belonged to the Ancient Clan; and the fifth-ranked Life Spirit Flame was in the hands of Elder Shennong, a 9th-tier alchemy grandmaster and Dou Saint.
Any attempt to obtain one of these flames would be... nearly impossible.
"Go ahead and laugh." Yao Lao shook his head helplessly. "After spending countless years and effort, I didn't even manage to get a top-ten ranked Heavenly Flame. In the end, I had to settle for the eleventh-ranked Bone Chilling Flame."
Xiao Yan nodded. Playing it safe was better. Even the Bone Chilling Flame almost took your life.
Returning his focus to the map, Yao Lao pondered aloud, "This fragment contains an incredibly vast amount of soul energy. It's deeply hidden—an ordinary person wouldn't even notice it. Only someone with extremely strong soul power, like a high-level alchemist, could sense it."
"This soul energy won't directly harm anyone, but if someone tries to copy the map's routes and markings, it will subtly erode their mind, making their copied map completely different from the original!"
Xiao Yan raised his eyebrows. This is something special—so this is the power left behind by the Purifying Lotus Demon Saint?
Yao Lao clicked his tongue in amazement. "Using such an immense soul force just to prevent people from copying the map seems a bit excessive." However, he couldn't determine if there was another purpose for this power.
Xiao Yan mused, "Perhaps once we gather all the map pieces, we'll understand the full truth."
"Maybe." Yao Lao sighed.
Heavenly Flames were already unimaginably rare, let alone one ranked in the top three. And yet, in the small Jia Ma Empire, they had already found two clues about the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame. Comparisons truly are maddening.
At that moment, Little Doctor Fairy placed her medicinal shovel on the table, panting slightly. "What are you two doing? I've finished digging up the herbs."
Xiao Yan smiled. "Remember the fragment we got from Hai Bodong? We just found another large piece. Take a look."
Little Doctor Fairy walked over and glanced down at the map. Observing the interconnected lines and patterns, she nodded. "They do seem to be part of the same map."
"We really have to thank Xiao Lan for this. Even if I delay my training a bit, it's worth it."
Even Yao Lao couldn't help but marvel at Xiao Yan's luck. A childhood friend from such a powerful family, another companion with the extremely rare Woeful Poison Body, and now two pieces of the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame's map?
"The keys are found—we just need to open the stone boxes now." Xiao Yan stored the map in his storage ring.
"Then let's hurry up and open them." Little Doctor Fairy picked a key and walked over to the stone table.
Xiao Yan took the remaining two keys and approached the last stone box.
As he inserted the key, he immediately felt resistance.
Meanwhile, Little Doctor Fairy had better luck—her key slid smoothly into the dark keyhole.
With a soft click, the metal clasp sprung open.
Her face lit up as she opened the stone box and pulled out an ancient, colorful scroll, unfolding it casually.
She was accustomed to reading medical texts and quickly scanned through the information.
Woeful Poison Body—a rare and unique physique that allows its wielder to increase their strength rapidly by absorbing poisons.
The method of identifying the Woeful Poison Body: a faint seven-colored hidden line on the lower abdomen…
Below this line of small, delicate script, there was an extensive explanation of the Woeful Poison Body's destructive potential.
Little Doctor Fairy's face suddenly paled. She instinctively touched her flat lower abdomen and gasped.
"What's wrong?"
Xiao Yan, still struggling with the rusty lock, paused slightly and looked over.
The owner of this stone chamber did many things right—except for choosing these terrible locks.
They were so rusted they were almost completely jammed…
Little Doctor Fairy hesitated for a moment before saying, "It's a book about formulating poisons!"
Since the Cloud Mist Empire frequently clashed with the Jia Ma Empire, its poison masters often used vile poisons that led to staggering casualties among Jia Ma's soldiers.
Thus, poison techniques weren't particularly well-regarded in Jia Ma Empire.
Xiao Yan glanced at the scroll's title—'Seven-Colored Poison Codex'—and smiled. "Poison may be sinister, but it still has its uses."
Yao Lao, as an 8th-tier alchemist, possessed countless medicinal recipes. However, when it came to poisons, his knowledge was lacking.
After all, poisons were typically used for harming others. With Yao Lao's strength, if he wanted to deal with someone, a single word would be enough—poisons weren't necessary.
Moreover, against an opponent strong enough to trouble Yao Lao, poisons would likely be ineffective.
But with the 'Seven-Colored Poison Codex' as a foundation, stronger poisons could be developed in the future.
For Little Doctor Fairy, who relied on poisons to increase her power, the value of this codex was almost equivalent to a divine alchemy manual.
After storing the codex in his storage ring, Xiao Yan handed the last key to Little Doctor Fairy so she could open the middle stone box.
Noticing that Xiao Yan didn't seem to care much, she sighed inwardly. If the Woeful Poison Body ever lost control, the devastation it could unleash would be terrifying.
With the key in hand, she shifted her position slightly.
Xiao Yan took a deep breath and forcefully pushed the key into the rusty lock. The friction against the rust was intense, but with a loud crack, the stone box finally opened.
Inside, he found another scroll.
"Lion Roar, a High-Grade Xuan Class Battle Technique."
"Mine is better—it's a flying battle technique," Little Doctor Fairy said, handing Xiao Yan a black scroll.
Xiao Yan accepted it and smiled. "Flight battle techniques allow people to gain the ability to fly early. But their true value lies in stacking."
"Stacking?"
Little Doctor Fairy looked at Xiao Yan in confusion. She had read about cultivation techniques lately, but had never come across this term.
Xiao Yan slowly explained, "The so-called 'stacking' means layering two things together. Flying battle techniques work this way. Once someone reaches the Dou Wang level, they can stack two sets of wings together.
The speed generated by this stacking far surpasses that of ordinary Dou Qi wings. However, the only drawback is that it consumes a significant amount of Dou Qi.
Otherwise, for traveling, this kind of speed would truly show what it means to 'chase the stars and catch the moon.'"
"Oh, so that's how it works." Little Doctor Immortal nodded in understanding.
After packing the scrolls and medicinal ingredients into his storage ring, Xiao Yan said, "Let's return to the small valley first. We've gained quite a bit this time, and I need some time to study your cultivation technique properly."
"I think you just want to keep everything for yourself." Little Doctor Immortal rolled her eyes at Xiao Yan.
A high-level Xuan-rank battle technique was extremely rare in the Jia Ma Empire, and a flying battle technique was even more valuable. Both were top-tier treasures that no one would turn down.
Xiao Yan didn't deny it. "Don't worry, I won't treat you unfairly."
To fuse with a flying battle technique, one had to endure the soul of the flying magical beast sealed within it.
If Little Doctor Immortal used it, it would do her more harm than good.
After completely looting the stone chamber, Xiao Yan and Little Doctor Immortal rode the Blue Eagle and returned to the small valley.
Xiao Yan scanned the valley. "We might have to live here for a while. I should find some helpers to build a house."
"Where are you going to find helpers? It's all cliffs and steep mountain paths around here." Little Doctor Immortal chuckled, shaking her head.
Xiao Yan raised his head and let out a loud roar, summoning the magical beasts he had controlled six months ago.
For a moment, everything fell silent. Then, the ground trembled as a stampede of magical beasts came charging toward them.
Little Doctor Immortal was startled at first but quickly composed herself and playfully punched Xiao Yan's arm.
"This is the Magical Beast Mountain Range! You're just randomly howling like that? Summoning so many magical beasts… I doubt they'll be easy to handle."
Xiao Yan laughed. "Oh, so you can tame a little Lan, but I can't have my own mounts?"
"This is way too many, though!" Little Doctor Immortal was shocked, estimating at least a dozen beasts.
As they spoke, a giant wolf with fiery red fur sprinted toward Xiao Yan.
Xiao Yan reached out and patted the Flame Wolf's head, his eyes lighting up. "You've advanced to a second-rank magical beast!"
Yao Lao remarked, "The rations you gave it on the journey weren't exactly premium, but they were refined by an alchemist, making them extremely effective. For magical beasts, it was like consuming a rare elixir that boosts advancement."
"I only did that to speed up our journey, but I didn't expect it to have such a great effect." Xiao Yan was slightly surprised. This was worth exploring further.
He patted Little Doctor Immortal's shoulder. "The intelligent magical beasts can handle construction. The rest will gather materials. You just oversee things here."
Watching as the magical beasts started digging, Little Doctor Immortal was amazed.
The magical beasts she had encountered while following herbalist teams were always ferocious and violent. She never imagined they could be such skilled laborers.
Seeing that everything was proceeding smoothly, Xiao Yan walked to a secluded spot, sat cross-legged, and took out the flying battle technique scroll.
Yao Lao narrowed his eyes and formed a protective barrier three feet around Xiao Yan.
As Xiao Yan unrolled the black scroll, a pair of dark, ominous eagle wings appeared before him.
Since they were painted on the scroll, the wings weren't large, but they emitted a faint heat. Their eerie glow suggested they were far from an ordinary illustration.
Yao Lao had heard of flying battle techniques before, but in his youth, he lacked the strength to obtain one, and by the time he became famous, he no longer needed one. This was his first time seeing a flying battle technique in person.
His gaze swept over the eagle wings and landed on a line of small text beside them.
"Blackflame Purplecloud Carving, a fifth-rank flying magical beast. It is said to possess a trace of ancient Phoenix blood. Among all flying magical beasts, its speed ranks among the very best. Cunning and vicious by nature, it is extremely difficult to capture and only lives in the southern Cloud Mist region."
"This battle technique, known as 'Eagle Wings' or 'Purplecloud Wings,' was created after I and several friends spent three years capturing a Blackflame Purplecloud Carving. Through secret methods, we extracted its wings, eventually forming this scroll for human cultivation. This technique was drawn using my Dou Qi before my death and can only be practiced by one person. Keep this in mind!"
Yao Lao nodded. "This is indeed suitable for you. Even if you gave it to Little Doctor Immortal, her soul strength wouldn't be able to withstand the soul impact within the scroll."
Xiao Yan pressed his palm against the eagle wings on the scroll, his eyes sharpening as he prepared for the incoming soul attack.
Within just a few breaths, a violent eagle soul burst from the wings, releasing an ear-piercing screech that sent shivers down one's spine.
The scream shot through the scroll, surged into Xiao Yan's arm, and then, like a drill, fiercely assaulted his mind.
It was his first time experiencing a direct soul attack, but Xiao Yan barely felt anything.
If the force were twice as strong, it might have actually hurt a little.
"What terrifying soul power!" Yao Lao was astonished. "At such a young age, you already have a Mid-Tier Mortal Realm soul. In a few more years, you might catch up to me."
Xiao Yan guided his vast Dou Qi along the scroll's depicted path, slowly circulating it against the soul's attack.
Suddenly, the black scroll's eagle wings flared brightly.
The colors deepened—purple and black interweaving—until two streaks of concentrated light shot into Xiao Yan's palms.
The two streaks rushed through his meridians at incredible speed.
When they reached his back, they abruptly halted before forcefully branching off into two minuscule meridian extensions.
The extensions emerged from the main meridians and extended toward his back, where they finally stopped.
Even with Xiao Yan's current cultivation, forcibly opening these new meridians made sweat bead on his forehead from the pain.
Looking at the now-empty scroll in his hand, Xiao Yan slowly stood up. With a thought, Dou Qi flowed into the two new meridians in his back.
With a soft hum, a glow of purple light condensed behind him, forming a pair of solid black eagle wings about three feet long.
Xiao Yan exhaled deeply. After facing off against the Blackflame Purplecloud Carving's soul, he had gained some insights into soul-based battle techniques.
(End of Chapter)
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