In the tidy room, the young man on the bed slowly opened his eyes, a hint of bitterness and sorrow on his face. After a long while, he gently sighed. As Xiao Yan was staring at the ceiling, a surge of information suddenly flooded into his mind. He did not panic; instead, he lay on the bed, allowing the information to flow into his brain. A while later, he began to read the final aid that Pharmacist Elder had prepared for him before falling into a deep slumber.
Slowly, he read through the program for cultivating his energy. At the end of the information, there was also a prescription for a Rank 5 pill, the Soul Restoring Purple Pill. Clearly, Pharmacist Elder was concerned that once he fell asleep, Xiao Yan’s strength would not be enough to keep Haibo Dong in check. Therefore, he had passed the prescription to Xiao Yan, urging him to find the required materials within the year to placate Haibo Dong.
“Teacher, don’t worry. I will find a way to restore your soul power as soon as possible,” Xiao Yan murmured, his nose feeling a bit sour and his fists clenched tightly, filled with the heartfelt effort and concern of Pharmacist Elder.
Taking a deep breath of the air scented with sandalwood, Xiao Yan’s mood gradually calmed. His thoughts swirled in his mind. Now that Pharmacist Elder was in a deep slumber, everything depended on him. Without the support of Pharmacist Elder, he had lost the ability to control Haibo Dong. Although Haibo Dong carried the latent fire poison planted by Pharmacist Elder, only the elder could activate it. Now that Pharmacist Elder was in a deep slumber, the poison was rendered ineffective.
As for the Soul Restoring Purple Pill, it was a Rank 5 pill, and Xiao Yan’s current strength was not enough to refine it. Thus, the last condition that could balance Haibo Dong was also lost.
Without these controls and if Haibo Dong found out, not only would the one-year agreement be forcibly canceled, but he might also forcibly take back the incomplete map from Xiao Yan. Although this thought was somewhat underhanded, Xiao Yan knew that cooperation was generally based on both parties having comparable strength. Regardless, before he could rely on Pharmacist Elder as a talisman, Xiao Yan had to prepare for the worst.
Currently, the only thing Xiao Yan could bring to the table was the Earth Heart Flame of the Azure Lotus. Although Pharmacist Elder had left the Bone Spirit Cold Fire in the ring for Xiao Yan to use, the Furious Buddha Lotus Flame required the fusion of two different flames. After trying it once, Xiao Yan did not have the courage to attempt it again. It was too terrifying. The first time, Pharmacist Elder had protected him, but what about the second? One misstep, and he might really be blown to pieces…
Thinking of the mess Pharmacist Elder’s slumber had brought, Xiao Yan shook his head in exasperation. However, after such deep contemplation, he firmly remembered several necessary things.
First, no matter what, he must not let Haibo Dong know that he could no longer regain the strength of a Battle Emperor, nor that he lacked the ability to refine the Soul Restoring Purple Pill.
Second, he must do everything possible to find rare treasures that could rapidly restore soul power. Only when Pharmacist Elder woke up would these hidden dangers be avoided.
With these two crucial tasks firmly in mind, Xiao Yan finally felt relieved. He struggled to sit up, leaning against the headboard of the bed. Suddenly, a cool, slippery object wrapped around his arm.
Startled by the cold, smooth object, Xiao Yan’s heart trembled, and he quickly pulled off the blanket with his left hand. Under the blanket, a small, cute, seven-colored little snake was coiled around his arm. Sensing the light, it raised its long neck, its lavender eyes staring at Xiao Yan blankly. After a moment, a touch of affection appeared in its eyes, and it began to rub its head against Xiao Yan’s arm.
Looking at the seven-colored Devouring Sky Snake, whose colors had deepened due to evolution, and especially the human-like affection in its eyes, Xiao Yan’s heavy heart, burdened by Pharmacist Elder’s slumber, suddenly lightened. A burst of joy washed over his face. He carefully held the seven-colored little snake, smiling and giving it a big kiss, saying, “Precious, you woke up just in time…”
Pharmacist Elder had once said that after this evolution, the Devouring Sky Snake could match the strength of a Dou Wang. Although this might still fall short of a Battle Emperor, Xiao Yan knew that inside the Devouring Sky Snake was an even more terrifying soul: Queen Medusa! Although she was currently suppressed by the Devouring Sky Snake’s consciousness, Xiao Yan knew that if the Devouring Sky Snake faced a life-threatening situation, the terrifying woman who had sealed Haibo Dong for decades would break through the suppression and forcibly take control of the body!
Therefore, as long as Xiao Yan cultivated a close relationship with the Devouring Sky Snake, if Haibo Dong ever turned hostile or if they faced a dire situation, Queen Medusa inside the snake would be his lifeline.
Considering the importance of the Devouring Sky Snake, Xiao Yan’s gaze toward it became even softer. Gently stroking its smooth scales, he took out a bottle of Companion Purple Crystal Source from his storage ring.
At the sight of the Purple Crystal Source, the seven-colored Devouring Sky Snake’s lavender eyes lit up. Its tail rubbed against Xiao Yan, and it made eager, pleading hisses.
Seeing the allure of the Purple Crystal Source, Xiao Yan breathed a sigh of relief. He was slightly grateful that he happened to have the Devouring Sky Snake’s favorite food, which made it easier to establish a close relationship with it.
Carefully using a hollow jade stick to suck up a few drops of the Purple Crystal Source, he then poured it into the snake’s mouth. Watching it close its eyes and make adorable slurping sounds, Xiao Yan couldn’t help but smile. Putting away the Purple Crystal Source, he placed the contented snake beside the pillow. After a moment’s thought, he took out a low-level healing pill with the gentlest medicinal properties from his storage ring and swallowed it. Closing his eyes, he felt the gentle energy spreading through his body. Though the pure energy was extremely gentle, his nearly broken meridians still sent waves of pain.
Shaking his head bitterly at the fragility of his meridians, Xiao Yan allowed the gentle energy to completely dissipate, and his body slowly regained some strength.
While Xiao Yan’s eyes were closed, the sound of the door opening suddenly rang out. Several people, whispering to each other, entered the room. When they saw Xiao Yan sitting up on the bed, they were stunned and rushed over with joyful exclamations.
“Little Yan, you’re awake! You’ve been unconscious for five days,” Xiao Li, who was the fastest, laughed happily.
“Five days?” Xiao Yan was taken aback and then shook his head with a bitter smile.
“Are you okay?” Xiao Ding walked forward with a smile, his eyes filled with joy.
“For now, I’m not going to die,” Xiao Yan smiled, tugging at the corners of his mouth.
“Kid, you really are full of surprises. I didn’t expect you to actually kill the Great Elder of the Mo Family,” Xiao Li patted Xiao Yan’s thigh and laughed.
“Hehe, Master Hai told us, but only we two brothers know. We didn’t tell anyone else,” Xiao Ding, seeing Xiao Yan’s surprise, pointed to the smiling but silent Haibo Dong and explained.
“Master Hai, thank you. If it weren’t for your timely rescue, I would have died,” Xiao Yan stared deeply at the old man behind Xiao Ding. Without Pharmacist Elder as his trump card, Xiao Yan felt the immense pressure a Battle Emperor could exert.
“Hehe, it was nothing. But Brother Xiao Yan, I really admire you. The explosion you created that day, tsk, it was too terrifying,” Haibo Dong waved off Xiao Yan’s thanks, gave him a thumbs up, and his admiration was genuine.
“I was just being reckless,” Xiao Yan shook his head with a bitter smile.
“I know you were acting recklessly. A normal person would never do something like that,” Haibo Dong joked, looking Xiao Yan over and frowning, “Your injuries seem quite serious.”
“Hehe, as long as I still have a breath, I can make myself tougher than a cockroach,” Xiao Yan said with a faint smile.
“You already possess those two things. I don’t doubt your words,” Haibo Dong nodded, noting that Xiao Yan wasn’t overly worried about his injuries. This guy indeed had many trump cards.
After a few polite exchanges with Haibo Dong, Xiao Yan turned to Xiao Ding and Xiao Li and listed several herbs, asking them to quickly gather them. Seeing Xiao Ding and the others nod and leave, Xiao Yan turned his gaze back to Haibo Dong, smiled slightly, and took out a pen and paper from his storage ring. Under Haibo Dong’s puzzled gaze, he wrote down several rare herbs by name.
“Master Hai, I won’t beat around the bush. These herbs are the main ingredients for the Soul Restoring Purple Pill. I’ll give them to you. If you ever happen to come across them, try to get them. Once we have all the herbs, I’ll start refining the pill for you,” Xiao Yan said with a light smile, handing the paper to Haibo Dong.
Hearing this, Haibo Dong was initially taken aback, but then a look of wild joy appeared on his aged face. With trembling hands, he took the paper and carefully memorized the herbs written on it. Then, he put the paper away solemnly and clasped his hands, saying earnestly, “Brother Xiao Yan, I am deeply grateful for your honesty. Since I promised to protect you for a year, I will keep my word. Focus on recovering. During this time, even if the Cloud Rending Sect’s Sect Leader comes, I will hold them off!”
Looking at the bold and resolute Haibo Dong, Xiao Yan smiled and nodded. Giving him the herb list was indeed a good decision. It both pacified him and earned his trust.
“Next, I need to focus on recovering. The trip to the Cloud Rending Sect is only two months away,” Xiao Yan leaned back against the headboard, murmuring to himself.
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