Hearing the crisp sound echoing through the forest, the Elder Pharmacist’s face slightly changed. His gaze swept over the forest and then suddenly darted towards a giant tree trunk not far away. There, seated on the tree, was a little girl in purple clothes, her legs gently swaying.
Seeing the little girl, even the Elder Pharmaiser, with his stoic demeanor, couldn’t help but be startled. His eyes were filled with astonishment. Only Alchemists participating in the Pill Gathering could enter the Pill Realm. This little girl was clearly not among them, so how did she get in?
Ignoring the Elder’s suspicious gaze, the little girl in purple clothes used her small hands to push off the tree trunk. Her tiny body leaped down from the high branches and landed lightly in front of Xiao Yan. Seeing his look of amazement, she couldn’t help but chuckle mischievously and stick out her tongue, making a funny face. Her adorable appearance was simply endearing.
“Zi Yan… How did you end up here?” The shock in Xiao Yan’s eyes gradually dissipated after a while. He grabbed the little miss who had been missing for quite some time and gave her a careful once-over. Her delicate and beautiful features were still as cute as ever, like a porcelain doll.
“I escaped, hehe. I knew you were coming to the Pill Gathering, so I came here to wait for you…” Zi Yan smiled like a little fox, her eyes narrowing into crescent moons.
“Poor me, since I left, there’s no more delicious pills. Every day, those nasty guys force me to eat some really disgusting stuff that tastes awful,” Zi Yan complained, holding onto Xiao Yan’s sleeve. Her large, bright eyes shimmered with tears. From her perspective, her life during this period was truly miserable. Compared to when she was with Xiao Yan, it felt like living in hell. Therefore, the first chance she got, she ran away…
“Your clan members?” Xiao Yan was stunned for a moment before seemingly understanding something, and asked in surprise.
Zi Yan nodded fiercely. It seemed that she had a deep hatred for her clan’s treatment of her. If her clansmen found out, they would probably die of anger on the spot. In this world, good people indeed often met bad fates.
Xiao Yan shook his head helplessly. He understood Zi Yan’s nature well; she tended to exaggerate everything greatly. So, her words couldn’t be taken at face value. As for what she was being forced to consume, at least now, she looked quite lively and energetic, much better than when she left.
“Hey, are we done chatting? Little madame, this guy is not easy to deal with…” During their conversation, the burly man impatiently turned around and looked at them.
“Big guy, don’t worry. Just go and beat him up. Once you finish him off, your task will be done,” Zi Yan pouted and pointed at the sullen-faced Elder Pharmacist, speaking brightly.
Upon hearing this, both the burly man and the Elder Pharmacist’s faces twitched involuntarily.
“You give me too much credit. Stopping him already cost me a lot. If it weren’t for my constitution, I couldn’t have matched him,” the burly man said helplessly, showing his annoyance at Zi Yan assigning such a task to him.
“Who is this friend?” Xiao Yan glanced at the two and asked politely with a bow.
“He’s called Xiong Zhan. I call him Big Guy. He is the boss of this myriad medicinal mountains, hehe. All the treasures here belong to him,” Zi Yan laughed, her eyes flashing with mischief.
Hearing Zi Yan’s words, the burly man, Xiong Zhan, couldn’t help but shiver. He remembered the rare medicinal herbs that Zi Yan devoured as snacks. This little rascal was absolutely a treasure-ruining master.
“Boss?” Xiao Yan’s heart skipped a beat. This meant that Xiong Zhan was likely the legendary monstrous beast mentioned by Song Qing and others.
“This friend, entering these mountains was unintentional. If I have offended you, I apologize. However, this person is someone I must capture. Please do not interfere!” The Elder Pharmacist, standing not far away, finally spoke with a grim expression. Although Xiong Zhan might not be as high-ranked as him, his combat power was astonishing, and the outcome was uncertain.
Upon hearing this, Xiong Zhan rolled his eyes and rumbled, “I heard what the little girl said. This person, I must protect. Let’s make a deal: I won’t hold it against you for intruding, just turn back and leave. How about it?”
The Elder Pharmacist’s mouth twitched, and his eyes gradually grew cold. He was determined to capture Xiao Yan, regardless of who stood in his way!
“Very well…”
The Elder Pharmacist paused, his eyes flaring with hostility. “Then you shall die!”
With a cold sneer, the Elder Pharmacist waved his sleeve, and the crystal hand, previously pushed back by Xiong Zhan, lunged forward again. In a flash, it appeared before Xiong Zhan, forming a clenched fist and smashing towards his head!
“Whoosh!”
Before the fist arrived, the wind pressure caused the ground beneath Xiong Zhan’s feet to sink nearly two feet, leaving a massive fist imprint on the earth.
“Ha, I’ve roamed free for so many years, and no one has dared to tell me to die. Who do you think you are?” Seeing the Elder Pharmacist attack without warning, Xiong Zhan’s face flickered with ferocity. Clenching his fists, a surge of deep yellow energy burst from his body. He chose to fight fire with fire, launching a fierce punch straight at the crystal hand.
“Boom!”
The two forces collided, sending a terrible shockwave rippling out. Within a hundred-meter radius, the grass was uprooted nearly half a foot, and towering trees were snapped in half, spewing splinters and dust.
Quick as a flash, Xiao Yan grabbed Zi Yan and shot up into the air, looking down at the newly formed earthen land within the dense forest. This was truly a Dou Zun-level battle, causing such destruction with every move.
In the dust-filled forest, Xiong Zhan stepped back twice, each step causing the earth to tremble. After stabilizing, he raised his head, his gaze burning hot as he stared at the Elder Pharmacist and shouted, “Good, let’s do it again!”
The Elder Pharmacist’s face turned icy. He glanced at the crystal hand, which now showed more cracks.
“Xiong Zhan’s strength is impressive. He isn’t just half a step to Dou Zun as Song Qing said. He must have fully advanced to Dou Zun, or else he couldn’t match the Elder Pharmacist so evenly,” Xiao Yan thought, impressed by the ongoing battle.
“Big Guy advanced to Dou Zun a few years ago,” Zi Yan interjected.
“Thank goodness I didn’t listen to Song Qing’s nonsense. Half a step to Dou Zun and fully advanced to Dou Zun are completely different. With their previous lineup, going there would have been suicide,” Xiao Yan muttered, shaking his head inwardly at Song Qing’s unreliability.
On the newly formed earthen land, the Elder Pharmacist’s gaze fixed murderously on the battle-thirsty Xiong Zhan. Despite Xiong Zhan’s tenacity, the Elder Pharmacist did not intend to give up. He slid his withered palm out of his sleeve and quickly formed seals.
“Fiendish Netherworld Fire Arm!”
As the cold shout emerged from the Elder Pharmaiser’s mouth, dark blue flames erupted from his body like a volcano, surging into the crystal hand. As more and more dark blue flames entered, the cracks on the crystal hand gradually healed. Behind it, a dark blue flame arm extended, giving off a chilling, deathly aura.
Xiong Zhan’s face turned solemn as he observed the dark blue flame arm. A low growl escaped his throat, and his fan-sized hand trembled slightly.
“Anyone who obstructs me, dies!” The Elder Pharmaiser’s eyes flashed with cold intent. His seals changed, and the flame arm surged forward like a meteor, smashing down on Xiong Zhan. The space along its path ruptured, leaving black voids.
As the flame arm descended, it suddenly flared up, doubling in size, overshadowing the entire forest within a hundred meters!
“Roar!”
Sensing the searing energy pressure from above, Xiong Zhan roared angrily. His body expanded rapidly, covered in black fur. Gripping his huge fists, deep yellow energy surged out like a tidal wave. At this moment, Xiong Zhan seemed to merge with the mountain itself, drawing on its power to launch a devastating counterattack!
In an instant, the mountain shook and the beasts quaked!
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