Upon hearing the words of the Venerable Wind, Mu Qingluan, who was standing beside, also perked up her ears. She was extremely curious about Xiao Yan’s background as well. Though the Venerable Wind had many acquaintances, it was rare for him to show such concern for a friend; she hadn’t seen this in years…
Xiao Yan clenched his fists tightly, a hint of fierce light flickering in his eyes. After a moment, he finally managed to suppress the turmoil in his heart, taking a deep breath and saying, “Venerable Wind, I believe you should be aware of what happened to my teacher back then, right?”
“Back when the incident occurred, I was not with him. By the time I discovered it, Han Xue had already announced publicly that the old man had been backlashed by his own pill-refining and had died in self-destruction. I could never truly believe that, so I interrogated Han Xue several times, but he was extremely cunning. I never managed to get anything out of him, and soon after, he disappeared from the Central Plains. It was only then that I began to suspect that the old man’s disappearance might have something to do with him, but even after searching the Central Plains for years, I couldn’t find any trace of Han Xue,” said the Venerable Wind, his gaze fixed intently on Xiao Yan.
Xiao Yan sighed softly, murmuring, “My teacher truly was harmed by Han Xue.”
*Boom!*
As Xiao Yan’s words fell, the Venerable Wind’s face instantly turned cold, and a chilling murderous intent surged from his body, drastically lowering the temperature around them.
“This wretch, Ya Chen raised him from a discarded infant and taught him all his skills, yet he dared to betray his master? A beast, his conscience has been devoured by dogs. I should have killed him with a slap back then!” The Venerable Wind’s face was filled with rage, and he roared angrily.
Seeing the Venerable Wind’s intense anger, Mu Qingluan shrank back slightly. The Venerable Wind was usually calm and composed, and it was rare to see him lose his temper like this.
“Ya Chen? Could it be that he is the teacher’s closest friend, the mysterious Pavilion Master of Falling Star Pavilion, Venerated Pill Master Ya Chen?” Mu Qingluan murmured the name, then her beautiful eyes widened in shock as she looked at Xiao Yan, exclaiming, “Pavilion Master?”
Xiao Yan was taken aback. He didn’t know that Ya Chen was a pavilion master.
“Back then, Ya Chen and I founded the Falling Star Pavilion together, but since he disliked such matters, I mostly managed it. Although he has gone missing these years, the position of Pavilion Master remains unoccupied because I know that with his abilities, he wouldn’t go down so easily,” said the Venerable Wind, waving his hand.
Xiao Yan nodded slightly, surprised that his teacher was still the nominal Pavilion Master of Falling Star Pavilion. In that case, would he also be considered a part of the Falling Star Pavilion?
“Let’s set that aside for now. Once I return, I will issue a warrant for Han Xue. I’m sure that brute is still alive. If he falls into my hands, I will make him beg for death!” The Venerable Wind said coldly, clearly enraged by Han Xue’s actions.
“As for the warrant, perhaps it’s unnecessary…” Xiao Yan shook his head, then flicked his fingers, summoning a jade bottle from his storage ring. Wiping the bottle’s mouth, a spectral figure hastily emerged.
“Xiao Yan, just what do you want to do to me…?” Han Xue’s soul bellowed furiously as it emerged from the bottle, but his roar was cut short as a look of sheer horror appeared on his face.
“Han Xue!” The Venerable Wind’s gaze turned icy as he stared at Han Xue’s soul, his voice dripping with bone-chilling intent, “How dare you lay hands on your own teacher? If it weren’t for Ya Chen, you would have been eaten alive by wild dogs. You are worse than pigs and dogs!”
Seeing the Venerable Wind’s frigid, murderous glare, Han Xue finally felt true fear. He had always harbored some fear of the Venerable Wind, and he immediately pleaded, “Don’t kill me, it’s not my fault! I was forced by those people from the Hall of Souls!”
“The Hall of Souls?” The Venerable Wind’s expression changed slightly upon hearing the name.
“Venerable, the Hall of Souls seems to be targeting Teacher’s soul force. Now, he is in their hands,” Xiao Yan said in a low voice.
“As expected, it’s those scoundrels!” The Venerable Wind gritted his teeth. Over the years, he had investigated and suspected the involvement of the Hall of Souls, but he never imagined they were the ones who took action against Ya Chen.
“This beast cannot be left alive,” the Venerable Wind said, his eyes filled with killing intent. Staring coldly at Han Xue, he thought back to how difficult it would have been for the Hall of Souls to go against Ya Chen, given his wide connections and respect among the old generation of strong individuals. With his status as an alchemist, a mere call would rally formidable forces. But Ya Chen’s sudden disappearance must have been due to an informant, and that informant had to be Han Xue.
“Venerable, wait. We still need Han Xue to lead us to the branch temple where Ya Chen is being held. It’s not the right time to kill him yet,” Xiao Yan quickly interjected.
“The Hall of Souls isn’t just after the old man’s soul. They probably value his pill-refining skills more. I heard that the Hall of Souls was secretly planning something grand back then, and they needed many skilled alchemists. During the ancient treasure hunt, I and Ya Chen clashed with the Hall of Souls. That’s likely when they targeted him,” the Venerable Wind nodded, thoughtful.
“An ancient treasure hunt?” Xiao Yan was taken aback.
“A long-ago event involving a treasure passed down from ancient times. It attracted nearly half of the Douzong-level experts and above in the Central Plains. The treasures inside were astonishing. The technique you practice today was one of the things Ya Chen obtained there,” the Venerable Wind sighed.
Xiao Yan was taken aback once more, taking a deep breath. So, the “Flame Decree” had been obtained in that ancient cave.
“Where is the old man being held now?” The Venerable Wind cast a cold glance at Han Xue and asked.
“In the Necropolis in the Western Region of the Central Plains. There’s a branch of the Hall of Souls there, and… Ya Chen, is being held there,” Han Xue hesitated before answering.
“Necropolis, huh? I never expected the Hall of Souls to have a branch there,” the Venerable Wind frowned, then asked again, “How many elders are in that branch temple?”
“One,” Han Xue stammered.
“Do you think I’m completely ignorant about the Hall of Souls?” The Venerable Wind sneered, “A branch temple would at least have a branch master and a vice-master, both elders. And considering that they are holding someone as important as Ya Chen, it can’t just be one elder. It seems you still have ulterior motives.”
Hearing this, Han Xue trembled, and Xiao Yan’s face darkened. Damn, almost fooled by this rogue. Two elders—this wasn’t a simple matter. Two Douzong-level powerhouses were a formidable force. If he hadn’t found the Venerable Wind and foolishly rushed to the Necropolis, he would have walked right into a trap.
“Keep him for now. He might be useful later.” The Venerable Wind gave a final, icy glance at the trembling Han Xue, then tossed him to Xiao Yan.
Using Han Xue’s soul, Xiao Yan laughed coldly and nodded, stuffing him back into the jade bottle. With a flick of his finger, an invisible flame enveloped the bottle, prompting another round of agonized screams.
After sealing the bottle, Xiao Yan put it away in his storage ring, letting that vile creature suffer the purification of the Fallen Heart Flame. For such a beast, death alone wouldn’t be enough punishment.
“Venerable, what should we do now?” Xiao Yan hesitated, then asked.
“We can’t rush into this. Any leak of information would allow the Hall of Souls to transfer Ya Chen, making it even harder to find him. Wait for a while, and I’ll send someone to the Necropolis to scout the situation. Once we know the strength of their branch temple, we can take action,” the Venerable Wind’s furious expression softened, and he replied calmly.
“But if we delay…” Xiao Yan voiced his concern.
“Don’t worry. There aren’t many alchemists in the Central Plains who can match Ya Chen’s expertise. The Hall of Souls won’t harm him easily,” the Venerable Wind reassured.
Reassured, Xiao Yan nodded. Yes, alarming the Hall of Souls prematurely would be a mistake.
“I’ll be returning to the Falling Star Pavilion to start investigating the Hall of Souls. What about you?” The Venerable Wind looked at Xiao Yan.
Xiao Yan pondered, then said, “I plan to head to the central region of the Central Plains. The Dan Assembly in the Alchemist Tower is only a year away, and I need to participate.”
“Dan Assembly, huh?” The Venerable Wind was startled, then smiled, “That’s a good idea. Back then, that old man Ya Chen became the champion of the Dan Assembly and basked in glory. As his disciple, you can’t let him down. And from what I know, the top ten in this Dan Assembly might be granted the chance to acquire the ‘Three Thousand Burning Fires,’ which would be a tremendous draw for you.”
Xiao Yan smiled slightly, not bothering to refute. After advancing to the Douzong level, he keenly felt the difficulty in further advancement. Even though he could fend off powerful foes like Fei Tian, the Hall of Souls’ fighters were far more formidable. He needed to acquire the Three Thousand Burning Fires as soon as possible. Only then might he stand a chance against a Douzhun-class expert!
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