“A member of the Spirit Clan!” When Xiao Yan’s gaze focused on the figure in the distance, Elder Pharmacist and the others also turned their eyes to look. Their faces immediately changed, for they had not expected that there would be a strong Spirit Clan individual stationed in the Shennong Mountains.
“It’s Spirit Aura, one of the Four Demon Saints of the Spirit Clan. His strength is no less than that of Spirit Mirror and Spirit Flame!” The elder of Shennong seemed quite familiar with the members of the Spirit Clan, so when he saw the towering malevolent aura, his face slightly changed, and he sighed, “To exterminate the Medicine Clan, the Spirit Clan truly sent out all their might.”
“I never expected that there would actually be someone capable of tearing through the spatial seal set by Master Voidness…”
The figure from afar stepped through the void, and in a flash, he appeared in the sky above them, looking down upon Xiao Yan and the others. His gaze then fixed on Xiao Yan, and he couldn’t help but grin, his teeth as white and sharp as those of a beast, exuding a chilling aura: “So you are Xiao Yan, I heard even old man Spirit Flame met his match at your hands. The Xiao Clan is indeed not to be trifled with. Fortunately, our Spirit Clan acted decisively and obliterated the Xiao Clan back then. Otherwise, the situation now would likely be very different.”
Xiao Yan’s eyes were fixed on the black-clad figure, though the latter’s face bore a broad smile, his eyes were filled with a frigid aura. Clearly, this was not a merciful opponent.
“What do we do?” Elder Pharmacist asked in a low voice, having just escaped the tiger’s den, only to be confronted by the wolf. This fellow was clearly a formidable foe, and if they engaged in combat, none here could stand against him. Though Xiao Yan’s eight-colored fire lotus was terrifying, it could not be used repeatedly, and based on its previous display, even an eight-colored lotus would struggle to slay an opponent of such caliber. If they failed, they would be completely defenseless.
“Teacher, you all go first, I’ll hold him off for a while,” Xiao Yan said slowly, exhaling.
“What?” At these words, Elder Pharmacist’s face changed, for how could Xiao Yan possibly handle such an opponent alone?
“Don’t worry, I have my own plan. You all must leave quickly, suppress your auras, and I will stall him for a while before making my way to the Ancient Clan.” Xiao Yan spoke in a hushed tone, then his hand gripped a jade bottle, inside which floated a medicine pill the size of a dragon eye. Its energy coalesced like a crystal inside the bottle, and a mysterious fragrance spread out.
“A Ninth Rank Illusion Pill!” Seeing the medicine, Elder Pharmacist finally felt a little reassured, but there was still some concern in his eyes. The power of a Ninth Rank Illusion Pill was extremely terrifying, and consuming it required the assistance of many auxiliary pills to refine. Even someone of Xiao Yan’s strength could not consume it lightly, and after taking it, he would inevitably have to fight Spirit Aura with no time to refine the energy, which could inflict significant damage to his body.
Despite his worries, Elder Pharmacist understood the current situation. There was still a chance to escape, but staying would only distract Xiao Yan and risk being captured entirely.
“Be careful. If you escape, crush this jade, and I will sense it.” After a moment of inner struggle, Elder Pharmacist slipped a jade slip into Xiao Yan’s hand. With a shout, he led the charge, and behind him, the elder of Shennong, hesitated for a moment before grabbing the younger members of the Medicine Clan and following.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Seeing Elder Pharmacist and the others trying to escape, Spirit Aura’s brow furrowed, and with a swing, his blood-red greatsword, seemingly solidified from fresh blood, cut through the air, sending a massive crimson blade of energy slicing through the heavens, fiercely slashing towards Elder Pharmacist and the others.
“Clang!”
The blade of energy flashed past, but before it even reached the group, a dark figure appeared in front of them, arms crossed, and forcibly intercepted the blade.
“Boom!”
Although the blade was blocked, the terrifying force slammed the figure into the mountain range below, collapsing a peak, and the sound of rumbling rocks echoed.
As Spirit Aura’s attack was stopped, Elder Pharmacist and the others’ speed suddenly exploded, and within moments, they were out of the mountains, disappearing over the horizon.
“Useless wretches, run if you want, but I’ll see to it that you pay,” Seeing them escape, Spirit Aura raised an eyebrow, not bothering to give chase. Instead, he turned his gaze to the Ninth Rank Illusion Pill in Xiao Yan’s hand, his eyes gleaming with greed, “Xiao Yan, hand over that pill, and I’ll give you a swift death. How about that? Otherwise, when I extract your soul, and burn it for centuries, you won’t even wish you were dead.”
In response, Xiao Yan sneered, crushing the jade bottle, and the pill transformed into a rainbow beam. However, before it could escape, he grabbed it with lightning speed and swallowed it.
“Boom!”
As the pill entered his body, Xiao Yan’s clothing instantly turned to ash, and fine dragon scales erupted under his skin. A wave of incomprehensibly vast energy surged from his body, forming a crystalline armor-like layer on his skin.
“Such immense energy…”
Under the flood of energy, Xiao Yan’s body trembled, and inside, it felt as if he had swallowed multiple giant dragons. The energy rampaged through his body, and even with his Grand Perfection Soul, he felt somewhat overwhelmed.
“Roar!”
Boundless energy rushed through Xiao Yan’s body, and finally, it manifested as a resounding roar, echoing through the mountains. Under the roar, the surrounding peaks collapsed, and Yao Tian and Yao Ling fell back…
“Interesting, to swallow a Ninth Rank Illusion Pill requires many auxiliary items. You’re just courting death!”
Feeling the energy bursting from Xiao Yan, Spirit Aura’s brow arched, and he shook his head, sneering, “You declined my offer, so don’t blame me for being merciless.”
With those words, Spirit Aura stepped forward, appearing in front of Xiao Yan. His blood-red greatsword sliced through the air at an astonishing speed, heading straight for Xiao Yan’s throat.
The blood light grew in his eyes, and Xiao Yan clenched his hand, and the vast energy coalesced into a massive heavy ruler. He did not dodge, meeting Spirit Aura’s attack head-on.
“Clang!”
Ruler and sword clashed, sending a shockwave rippling through the air. The mountain under their feet split in half, crashing to the ground, and the entire mountain range quaked.
Xiao Yan was forcefully pushed back hundreds of feet, sweet warmth rising in his throat, but his eyes were ablaze with excitement. The clash had consumed much of the excess energy, easing the overwhelming sensation.
“Again!”
As the medicinal energy continued to surge, Xiao Yan, unafraid, took the initiative, appearing in front of Spirit Aura, and swung the heavy ruler with brute force. The ruler’s edge became thousands of feet long, and with each strike, the mountains split apart.
“Clang! Clang! Clang!”
Facing Xiao Yan, whose qi had gone berserk due to the Nineth Rank Illusion Pill, Spirit Aura’s face grew grim. He parried the heavy ruler swings, but each attack drove him back. Unbeknownst to him, Xiao Yan, having survived the battles in the Medicinal Realm, remained vigorous.
“Let’s see how long you can keep up this arrogance. The Ninth Rank Illusion Pill is powerful, but without the time to refine it, that energy will destroy you. Let’s see how you fight me then.”
Spirit Aura, despite being pressed, remained calm, defending and taunting.
Ignoring his ridicule, Xiao Yan’s eyes were blazing with excitement. Each heavy ruler strike became more intense, and the entire Shennong Mountain Range was reduced to rubble.
“Clang!”
Another tremendous blow, numbing Spirit Aura’s arms, forcing him to retreat thousands of feet, and the mountains along his path were crushed to powder, his face growing even more displeased.
“Hahaha, exhilarating, we’ll fight another day!”
After sending Spirit Aura flying, Xiao Yan’s crazed excitement faded, and he laughed loudly, his bony wings fluttering as he dashed off in another direction. There, a dark figure was carrying Yao Tian and Yao Ling, a result of Xiao Yan’s plan to stall Spirit Aura while commanding the North King to sneak them away.
“Bang!”
Spirit Aura kicked a mountain, causing it to crack and explode. His figure steadied, and he glared at the fleeing Xiao Yan, snarling, “Xiao Yan, no matter where you flee, I’ll catch you, flay your flesh, and rip out your soul!”
The venomous threat faded, and Spirit Aura’s body transformed into a bloody glow, chasing after Xiao Yan, determined not to let him escape.
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