Above the sky, an aged figure hovered in the air. Looking at the familiar face, it was none other than the Elder Pharmacist who had been sleeping in the ring for two long years! The body that the Elder Pharmacist now manifested was clearly more solid than before, and from the massive spiritual power emanating from within his body, it could be seen that his strength had significantly increased during those two years of slumber.
“Is it you?” Medusa’s gaze fell upon the Elder Pharmacist’s face, and she was momentarily stunned, her delicate eyebrows furrowing soon after.
The Elder Pharmacist smiled and looked down at Xiao Yan, who was in a coma. A sense of relief showed on his face. Although he was in a deep slumber, he could still feel a nurturing energy revitalizing his spirit. And there was only one person capable of such an act—Xiao Yan.
“I didn’t expect you to successfully merge with the Heavenly Swallowing Serpent’s soul. It seems I’ve been asleep for quite some time,” the Elder Pharmacist said with a glance at Medusa, who also floated in the air without any external assistance.
“You’re not bad either. In just two years of slumber, your strength has grown to this level,” Medusa sneered. She had thought that merging with the Heavenly Swallowing Serpent’s soul would put her beyond this mysterious old man, but much to her surprise, the Elder Pharmacist’s spiritual power had grown even stronger. From their earlier clash, Medusa could feel that even though she had merged with the serpent’s soul, defeating the Elder Pharmacist would still be no easy feat.
“Since you’ve already merged with the Heavenly Swallowing Serpent’s soul, why are you still by Xiao Yan’s side?” The Elder Pharmacist’s eyes flickered with a cold light. He was very aware of how hostile Medusa had been towards Xiao Yan in the past. When he was around, Medusa had to be cautious, but during his slumber, it was likely that her heartless nature would not bode well for Xiao Yan.
The icy rebuke in the Elder Pharmacist’s words was clear to Medusa. Being a proud and temperamental person, she might listen to a few kind words, but the moment someone’s tone offended her, it didn’t matter who they were; she would respond with a cold demeanor. Thus, hearing the Elder Pharmacist’s words, she raised her enchanting face and sneered, “What does it concern you if I stay here? Back then, Xiao Yan humiliated me, and you, old man, were no less responsible. It’s fortunate that I’m not making trouble for you; instead, you want to meddle in my affairs?”
“Hehe, quite a sharp-tongued little girl. When I was dominating the continent, you were still sucking milk somewhere,” the Elder Pharmacist chuckled strangely. However, the coldness on his face gradually faded. Regardless of whether this woman harbored any ill intentions towards Xiao Yan, at least the latter was still alive.
“But I have no time to bicker with you now. Once I wake up this young fellow, we’ll settle our accounts.”
His gaze swept around, but suddenly, it stopped on a red-colored medicinal cauldron resting on a giant rock between the cliffs. He couldn’t help but let out a gasp. With a wave of his hand, a suction force appeared out of thin air, and the enormous cauldron flew over, hovering before Xiao Yan.
“This medicinal cauldron…”
He lightly touched the intricate carvings on the cauldron—vividly detailed images of various roaring magical beasts. After a moment, the elder’s surprise deepened, and he muttered, “This cauldron… it looks rather like the ‘Ten Thousand Beasts Cauldron’ recorded in the ‘Heavenly Cauldrons Ranking’?”
In terms of recognizing medicinal cauldrons, the elder’s experience far surpassed Xiao Yan’s. The latter could only tell that the cauldron was extraordinary, but he couldn’t guess its origins. The elder, however, could discern some clues with a cursory examination.
He turned his eyes toward Medusa, and seeing that she had no reaction to the cauldron, he let out a quiet sigh of relief. He took the deep blue storage ring from Xiao Yan’s finger and was about to put the cauldron inside, but he hesitated again. “A soul imprint? This is a high-grade storage ring? Heh, it seems this young fellow has been doing quite well these past two years.”
When he tried to store the cauldron into the ring, he felt a subtle resistance. The elder was stunned for a moment, then sighed in admiration, looking at the deep blue storage ring. Giving up, he waved his hand, and an invisible force carried the cauldron, letting it hover beside him. His gaze swept around, and then he moved, flashing toward a mountain peak.
Seeing the elder and Xiao Yan leave, Medusa’s eyebrows furrowed. She hesitated for a moment, then swiftly followed.
The elder noticed Medusa’s pursuit and frowned, but he did not stop her. The most important thing now was to wake up the young fellow. So, he blurred his somewhat illusory form and quietly sped across the sky, finally dashing into a mountain covered in lush green trees.
The moon shone like a silver platter, hanging high in the distant sky. Cool moonlight spilled down, draping the entire mountain range in a layer of faint silver gauze, rendering it particularly ethereal and mysterious in the darkness.
In the dense forest, a small fire burned brightly, casting an eye-catching glow in the dark surroundings. Beside the fire, an elderly man with a weathered face placed his hand on the forehead of a black-robed youth, releasing a powerful wave of spiritual energy to nourish the latter’s weakened soul. Not far from the fire, a beautiful, aloof figure stood, her narrow eyes gazing indifferently at the old and young pair.
After a long while, the elder slowly exhaled, removing his hand from Xiao Yan’s forehead. With a flick of his fingers, a pill appeared, which he then placed in Xiao Yan’s mouth.
“Two years and you’ve become so strong in terms of spiritual power. But I wonder what level of strength you’ve actually reached,” the elder said, shaking his head in amazement as he watched Xiao Yan swallow the pill, his eyes still tightly closed.
With Xiao Yan’s current weak state and nearly depleted Dou Qi, even the elder, with his keen senses, couldn’t determine his exact strength.
As the elder mumbled softly, Xiao Yan, who was in a coma, suddenly coughed violently, his eyelashes trembling. Moments later, his closed eyes slowly opened.
His vision cleared, and the first thing he saw was that familiar, soothing aged face with a smile.
“Ah…” Looking at the familiar and comforting aged face, Xiao Yan took a deep breath and seemed to release all his worries and pressures. Leaning against the tree trunk, he smiled at the elder, “Teacher, it’s been two years. How are you?”
The elder’s gaze fixed on the young face that now carried a hint of maturity and sternness, signs of the complete transformation and independent strength that the young boy, once dependent on him, had achieved. The young eagle, once needing constant protection, could now soar high into the sky!
In a way, Xiao Yan had now reached the level of leaving the nest.
The elder gently patted Xiao Yan’s head, smiling, “Well done, my boy!”
In response to the elder’s praise, Xiao Yan scratched his head sheepishly and struggled to sit up, but the wave of weakness in his body made him shake his head. Glancing at Medusa, he smiled, “Cai Lin, thank you for saving me.”
Although he had fallen unconscious when crashing into the rocks, he still felt that Medusa had come to his aid.
Medusa, however, showed no reaction to his gratitude, saying coolly, “I didn’t save you. It was him. I only wanted the pills you promised me.”
Knowing Medusa’s stubborn nature, Xiao Yan didn’t press the issue. Turning to the elder, he said, “Teacher, it seems you’ve become stronger.”
“It’s nothing much, just a bit of recovery. To fully recover, I need to solve my body’s problems,” the elder replied, and then asked eagerly, “What about the Fallen Heart Flame, my boy?”
“I’ve refined it,” Xiao Yan said with a smile.
“I knew you wouldn’t disappoint me,” the elder said, his face lit up with a hard-to-conceal joy. He slapped Xiao Yan’s shoulder. Though he had guessed that Xiao Yan was still alive when he woke up, the confirmation filled him with joy.
Seeing the elder’s joyous face, Xiao Yan smiled and hesitated for a moment before saying softly, “Also, Teacher, the treacherous disciple has been dealt with…”
His soft words made the elder freeze. After a long moment, he let out a deep breath, his face a mix of sorrow and relief. He slowly and heavily patted Xiao Yan’s head, his voice low and filled with a tinge of melancholy. “Thank you, my boy!”
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