Under the irresistible allure of the Imperial Elixir, the three leaders finally agreed. Seeing that his goal had been achieved, Xiao Yan let out a sigh of relief. After chatting with them about some basic measures for setting up in Maple City, he let them take their leave.
As the formidable entourage of the three leaders retreated, the hall suddenly became empty. Seeing that things had been settled, Xiao Lie waved his men away.
“Third brother, although these guys have agreed to our terms, we still need to be cautious. Treachery is a common occurrence in the Black-Corner Region.”
Xiao Lie slowly walked to Xiao Yan’s side, casting a glance of regret at Medusa before frowning deeply. “Heh, that’s true. If it weren’t for Medusa being here, they probably wouldn’t have agreed so easily.”
Xiao Yan chuckled. “Medusa?”
At the sound of this name, Xiao Lie was momentarily stunned, then he seemed to recall something. With a horrified expression, he exclaimed, “She’s the Queen Medusa of the Snake People Tribe from the Great Da-Gou Desert?”
Back then, when Xiao Lie and Xiao Ding started wandering around the edge of the desert, they had become very familiar with the Queen Medusa, whose reputation for both beauty and ferocity was widespread. But he never imagined that the Queen Medusa, whom the Jia Ma Empire greatly feared, was actually this enchanting beauty standing beside them.
“Keep it confidential.”
Xiao Yan smiled and waved, turning to bow slightly to the cold-faced Medusa. “Thank you for your help.”
“Do you want me to help you deal with Yun Shan?” Medusa cast a sideways glance at Xiao Yan, her voice tinged with ridicule. “Why should I help you? Yun Shan is now a Battle Sect, and I have no reason to provoke such a strong opponent.”
Xiao Yan laughed nonchalantly. “When we first cooperated, we agreed that at critical moments, you couldn’t refuse my requests. I don’t think the Queen would forget her words, would she?”
“Are you blackmailing me again?”
Medusa’s brow furrowed, her icy voice mixed with a hint of anger. Xiao Yan sighed and shook his head, then said after a moment, “Don’t worry. If you don’t want to get involved, you can just watch from the sidelines. I won’t force you.”
Her brows furrowing, Medusa snorted coldly. “Don’t think saying that will make a difference. I will decide based on the situation. I, Medusa, am not going to be someone’s tool so easily.”
With another cold snort, without waiting for Xiao Yan to reply, she disappeared mysteriously from the hall.
Staring at the place where Medusa had vanished, Xiao Lie frowned. After a while, he couldn’t help but say, “Third brother, it seems relying on her might not be very reliable.”
“I didn’t place my hopes on her in the first place. Though her strength is exceptional, her temperament is too rebellious. It’s hard to tame her. If it weren’t for me having something that entices her, she would still be relentlessly hunting me down.”
Xiao Yan shook his head and pondered. “What can we do? Without her help, our chances of defeating Yun Shan aren’t high.”
Xiao Lie looked anxious. He knew that Yun Shan was the Cloud-Rend Sect’s trump card. As long as this old man stood, the Cloud-Rend Sect would always stand tall in the Jia Ma Empire.
“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of Yun Shan.”
Xiao Yan waved his hand, sitting back down and resting his head on his hand, deep in thought. At this point, Xiao Yan finally felt that revenge was not an easy task. If he truly possessed an invincible power, destroying the Cloud-Rend Sect would be simple. But even with his increased strength, he had no absolute certainty of defeating Yun Shan.
Moreover, under Yun Shan, there were many powerful experts within the sect and thousands of lower-level disciples. He had personally experienced the power of the Cloud-Rend Sect’s combined array.
It seemed that the most important thing now was to strengthen their own forces…
With a sigh, Xiao Yan’s gaze suddenly fell on the black ring on his finger. A flicker of surprise appeared in his eyes. He had nearly forgotten about this superpower…
People respectfully called Yao Lao the Medicine Venerable, which meant he must have been a Dou Zun in the past. Even in his soul form, with the Cold Bone Fire, he could fight peak Battle Emperors. If Yao Lao could awaken, Xiao Yan’s combat power would soar!
Additionally, Xiao Yan had already fused two Heavenly Flames. He should be capable of creating a body for Yao Lao’s soul. Once Yao Lao’s soul had a physical form, his strength would surely return to its peak. To a Dou Zun, a Battle Sect like Yun Shan would be nothing to fear.
However, Yao Lao was currently in a deep slumber, and Xiao Yan had no idea how to create a body or what materials were needed. Therefore, the first step was to wake Yao Lao up. Once awake, not only would Xiao Yan’s combat power increase, but Yao Lao’s experience would also prevent them from taking unnecessary detours.
To awaken a slumbering soul, Xiao Yan’s current knowledge and abilities allowed him to think of two or three methods, given enough medicinal herbs.
Slamming his hand heavily on the table, the sudden noise startled Xiao Lie, who looked up in surprise at Xiao Yan’s sudden joy.
“Second brother, could you help me gather a few medicinal herbs?”
Xiao Yan smiled. The herbs he needed were extremely rare, and it would take a long time to find them. Entrusting this task to Xiao Lie, who managed a city, was the best choice.
“No problem, Maple City has several medicinal herb shops with considerable influence in the Black-Corner Region. They are eager to please us. If we need any herbs, we can directly ask them.”
Xiao Lie nodded and asked, “Which herbs do you need?”
Xiao Yan turned and took an ink pen, quickly writing on a piece of paper. After a moment, he handed it to Xiao Lie, saying, “Try to find all of them. If they are not in Maple City, send people to other major cities in the Black-Corner Region. It’s best to get them within half a month.”
“Shadow Spirit Flower, Fire Sun Leaf…”
Scanning the paper, Xiao Lie saw unfamiliar names and sighed. Carefully putting the paper away, he said, “I’ll do my best. These herbs are hard to find, and the cost won’t be cheap. Fortunately, the large shops have recently paid us some tribute, but it might not be enough…”
Hearing Xiao Lie’s words, Xiao Yan remembered that they were no longer in the Inner Academy. His “Fire Power” had no value here, meaning they were again in financial trouble.
With a sigh, Xiao Yan waved his hand, and ten or so jade bottles appeared on the table. “These elixirs were made by Han Feng. Their quality is not low. Sell them, and you should get a good amount of money. While staying in Maple City, I’ll refine some more elixirs using the herbs left by Han Feng until you gather all the herbs I need.”
Hearing that Xiao Yan would stay in Maple City, Xiao Lie relaxed. Relying on Xiao Yan’s alchemy skills, the fame of the “Xiao Sect” would quickly spread in the Black-Corner Region. High-grade elixirs never lacked wealthy and eager buyers.
Xiao Lie collected the jade bottles and put them in his storage ring. “With Han Feng’s skills, these elixirs should last us a while. You focus on refining. I’ll take care of the herbs. If I can’t find them all, I’ll even take them by force!”
At the end, Xiao Lie’s face showed a determined, almost insane resolve. He knew these herbs were crucial for Xiao Yan. Otherwise, the latter wouldn’t have been so serious about it. Xiao Lie had placed Xiao Yan’s words as his top priority. He understood that to avenge the clan, they needed to rely on Xiao Yan. His role was to support Xiao Yan, even if it meant risking his life.
When they first came to the Black-Corner Region, Xiao Ding’s words had remained in his heart: “You can die, but Third Brother cannot.”
Seeing Xiao Lie’s suddenly red eyes, Xiao Yan’s nose stung. With their father missing and the family in ruin, the two brothers had wandered alone in this strange land, struggling and surviving, all for the sake of gaining the strength to avenge the Cloud-Rend Sect!
For this purpose, Xiao Yan had endured a year of secluded training in the academy and two years of torment underground. For this purpose, Xiao Lie had traveled a thousand miles to the Black-Corner Region, swallowing the Life-Consuming Pill to exchange his life for power. For this purpose, Xiao Ding led the remaining Xiao family members, struggling to survive in the Jia Ma Empire, waiting for their return.
All the members of the Xiao family believed that the miraculous young man of the Xiao family would once again astound them and create another miracle!
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