With a gentle tug on the black cloak, Xiao Yan’s gaze swept over the sardonic smile on Mo Tianxing’s face. In a calm tone, he said, “Sect Master Mo, didn’t you look down upon the Broken Sect Pill I had?
Upon hearing this, Mo Tianxing couldn’t help but let out an awkward laugh. He knew that Xiao Yan was still harboring resentment about the matter at the auction. He bitterly smiled, “Mr. Yanxiao, there’s nothing I could do about it. This kind of decision is usually made by the elders. They insisted that Lao Yao Shan’s items were more suitable for our Black Royal Sect. I can’t just act on my own will.”
Xiao Yan neither confirmed nor denied Mo Tianxing’s words. With his position in the Black Royal Sect, almost everything he said was law. Even the elders’ voices couldn’t compete with his. Therefore, these words had no credibility at all.
Of course, whether or not they were credible, Xiao Yan did not need to get entangled in this. As he was interested in the Bodhi Transformation Mucus, as long as Mo Tianxing could offer something that piqued his interest, there would be no problem. “Can Sect Master Mo perhaps offer a second portion of the Bodhi Transformation Mucus?” Xiao Yan said with a faint smile.
Hearing this, the smile on Mo Tianxing’s face instantly froze. He sighed helplessly, “Mr. Yanxiao, where did you come up with such talk? Even our Black Royal Sect only has one portion of the Bodhi Transformation Mucus, and it will soon belong to Elder Lao Yao Shan.”
“At present, I am only interested in the Bodhi Transformation Mucus. As for other things…” Xiao Yan calmly shook his head.
“Mr. Yanxiao, we can have a good discussion. How about this? Our Black Royal Sect provides the herbs, and you refine the Broken Sect Pill. Regardless of how many you successfully refine, as long as you give us one, the rest are all yours. What do you think?” Mo Tianxing hurriedly proposed.
“Forget it, I don’t have the time to stay here and specifically refine pills for your sect,” Xiao Yan replied, his tone immediately turning cold. Without further ado, he cupped his fists and left with Little Healer Immortal and Qing Lin.
Mo Tianxing watched the three figures retreat, his face fluctuating between pale and green. After a moment, a sinister look emerged in his eyes. His hand slammed on the table, and a fierce gust of wind shattered the sturdy furniture.
“Master, he didn’t agree?” Hearing the loud noise from the hall, two figures hastily appeared from the back, none other than Qi Shan and Mo Ya. Both of them cautiously asked the question.
Mo Tianxing nodded gravely, his voice chilly, “That brat, he’s too arrogant. Our Black Royal Sect offers the herbs, and he gets all the profit except for one pill. Yet, he’s still not satisfied.”
“Youngsters with some talent are always like this; their pride is too high,” Qi Shan sneered.
“Father, what do you plan to do now? Are you going to give up on the Broken Sect Pill?” Mo Ya, slightly frowning, anxiously asked. He knew the benefits that the Broken Sect Pill would bring him, possibly even helping him break through to the Battle Emperor stage. So, seeing the negotiation fail, he grew anxious.
“Anxiety gets you nowhere. Are you thinking of taking it by force? That girl in white isn’t someone to be trifled with. Even I don’t have a surefire way to subdue her,” Mo Tianxing chided.
After being scolded by Mo Tianxing, Mo Ya dared not utter another word, but his anxiety remained.
“Then, what’s the Master’s intention?” Qi Shan whispered from the side.
“Let’s see how things develop. Their obvious target is the Bodhi Transformation Mucus. Elder Lao Yao Shan isn’t simple to deal with either. Taking something from him isn’t easy. If that girl and others fight, both parties might be seriously injured. I can then take action secretly…” A hint of chill flashed in Mo Tianxing’s eyes. “Since that brat doesn’t appreciate our goodwill, don’t blame me for being ruthless.”
Mo Ya finally breathed a sigh of relief. Raising his head, he cast a cold and envious glance in the direction Xiao Yan and the others had gone.
Walking out of the Black Royal Sect’s hall, a trace of mockery lingered on Xiao Yan’s lips. That old man actually wanted him to specifically refine the Broken Sect Pill for them. The idea was naive and utterly ridiculous.
Xiao Yan had already been annoyed that the old man chose Elder Lao Yao Shan. He didn’t expect the old man to come up with such a scheme to get his hands on the Broken Sect Pill… The herbs required for the Broken Sect Pill weren’t urgent for Xiao Yan, so there was no reason for him to stay and work as a drudge.
Additionally, Xiao Yan wasn’t particularly interested in the so-called herbs. With Zi Yan’s unique sensitivity to herbs, finding ingredients wasn’t overly difficult for him.
“The Broken Sect Pill is far too precious. That old guy knows that if he wants to exchange something, ordinary items won’t cut it, and extremely valuable ones, he is unwilling to part with. Thus, he used this method, perhaps thinking that you benefitted a great deal,” Little Healer Immortal smiled, sensing Xiao Yan’s disdain.
“He’s supposedly a Battle Sect expert, yet he’s so stingy,” Zi Yan pursed her lips, despising. For her, herbs were among the least valuable things. All she needed to do was venture into the deep mountains and forests to find energy-rich herbs. To think that the old man thought these cheap things could buy the Broken Sect Pill—no wonder she was so dismissive.
Xiao Yan exhaled heavily, then fiercely cursed, “That old bastard, if he just traded the Bodhi Transformation Mucus, everything would’ve been fine. But no, he had to complicate things.”
Little Healer Immortal laughed softly, noting that Xiao Yan was quite resentful about the old man not choosing his Broken Sect Pill at the auction. Indeed, it was understandable. Now that the Bodhi Transformation Mucus was already Elder Lao Yao Shan’s, reclaiming it from a Battle Sect expert would be extremely difficult.
“Don’t worry too much. We’re not the only ones after the Bodhi Transformation Mucus. We can wait for others to act first and then reap the benefits,” Little Healer Immortal whispered. “But since you directly rejected Mo Tianxing, the old man may hold a grudge, so be careful.”
Xiao Yan nodded slightly. As he stepped out of the Black Royal Sect’s gates, a gray-haired elder figure caught his eye, causing his pupils to constrict. It was none other than Elder Lao Yao Shan!
Elder Lao Yao Shan still wore his emotionless expression. Seeing Xiao Yan, he merely glanced at him, then gave a menacing look to Little Healer Immortal before vanishing into the Black Royal Sect in a wisp of gray smoke.
As Elder Lao Yao Shan disappeared, Xiao Yan finally let out a sigh, muttering, “He must be here for the Bodhi Transformation Mucus, right?”
Little Healer Immortal nodded.
Xiao Yan pulled his black cloak closer, his voice low, “It seems he’s planning to leave.”
“As soon as he leaves Black Imperial City, those covetous factions will surely make their move…” Her purple-gray eyes scanned the surroundings. She knew that countless watchful eyes were fixed on the Black Royal Sect, and the news of Elder Lao Yao Shan’s appearance would soon spread.
Xiao Yan nodded slightly.
“What should we do now?” Little Healer Immortal asked softly.
Xiao Yan’s eyes flickered. After a moment, he drew a deep breath and said firmly, “We should first meet with Er Ge and Elder Su Qian. If they help, it will be much easier.”
With that, Xiao Yan wasted no time, turning and striding towards the place where the Xiao Clan was staying.
In a large courtyard hall in the southern part of the city, over a dozen figures sat, including Xiao Li and Elder Su Qian. They were no longer staying in the Black Imperial Pavilion but had taken a temporary residence in a rented courtyard within the city.
“Do we have any information on the people from the Flame Demon Valley?” Xiao Li, sitting at the head of the table, asked a Xiao Clan elder with a furrowed brow.
“Master, the people from the Flame Demon Valley have left Black Imperial City, but they haven’t gone far. They are camped outside the city, clearly waiting for Elder Lao Yao Shan,” a gray-robed elder replied respectfully.
“Heh, those guys still have their eyes on the Bodhi Transformation Mucus…” Hearing this, Xiao Li sneered. Just as he was about to ask Elder Su Qian something, the latter’s expression suddenly changed. Standing up, he barked, “Who’s there?”
Seeing Su Qian’s reaction, the others were momentarily stunned. But when they regained their senses, they saw three figures materialize at the entrance like ghosts.
Two of the three were wrapped in black robes, and the one whose face was visible was the woman in white.
Seeing the sudden appearance of these three, Xiao Li’s face instantly contorted. He knew that in the auction house, their Xiao Clan had offended all three because of the Earth-Level Intermediate Skill technique. Now, it seemed, they were here to cause trouble.
The powerful figures from the Xiao Clan and the Jia Nan Academy also became nervous at the sight of the three. They all darted behind Elder Su Qian, knowing well that facing a Battle Sect expert, advancing would only mean death.
“Friend, the auction was based on ability. There’s no need to involve personal grudges. I am Elder Su Qian of Jia Nan Academy. Please, for the sake of my thin face, let this matter pass,” Elder Su Qian said solemnly, knowing full well that he couldn’t afford to offend a pill master who could create Sixth-Grade Superior Rank pills and a Battle Sect expert.
Hearing this, the black-robed figure seemed to pause, then sighed in exasperation. He pulled off his hood, revealing a familiar, resigned face to the astonished Xiao Li and others.
“Elder, you’re making it sound a bit too serious…”
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