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As for Xiao Yixian, after consuming the poisons she obtained through trading her own pills and those collected by Wind Lightning Pavilion, her strength had already reached the Eight-Star Dou Zun.
That was only because she had many matters to handle, wasting quite a bit of time. Otherwise, her strength would have undoubtedly become even more terrifying.
After Xiao Yan signed the agreement, the Gu Clan, to prevent any accidents with the deal, did not try to play any tricks. After some back and forth, they managed to squeeze out two ninth-tier Treasure Pills from the two Dou Sheng elders.
Because of that, those two elders from the Gu Clan complained endlessly about Xiao Yan's outrageous demands.
At the same time, someone suggested that since the item had already been obtained, there was no need to waste such precious pills just to make the agreement legitimate.
After all, a ninth-tier Treasure Pill was an extremely rare existence even within the Gu Clan. Even among Dou Sheng-level elders, not everyone could enjoy one.
Besides, now that Xiao Xuan was dead, and the descendants of the Xiao Clan were hardly remarkable — with their strongest only at the Dou Zong level — could they really come and snatch something from the Gu Clan?
However, as soon as that proposal was brought before the Elders' Council, it was immediately rejected by the majority of Gu Clan elders.
After all, their previous behavior had already been rather dishonorable. If anything went wrong again, they could easily end up being judged no better than the Soul Clan.
This time, with a chance to finally settle the matter, most elders believed that paying this price was worth it. After the Gu Clan sent their top alchemist, they successfully cured the Fire Cloud Ancestor.
With the addition of a ninth-tier Treasure Pill capable of enhancing a half-step Dou Sheng expert's strength, the Gu Clan managed to exchange it with the Burning Flame Valley for the Nine Dragon Lightning Flame.
Although Burning Flame Valley felt tremendous pain giving it up, when they thought about their Dou Sheng Ancestor being restored to full health and even having a ninth-tier Pill to further improve his power, they gritted their teeth and handed over the strange flame.
After all, once Ancestor Huo Yun fully recovered, he could, with the help of that ninth-tier Pill, break through to a new realm. His lifespan would then extend for nearly another thousand years.
A healthy Dou Sheng expert, over such a long time, could bring benefits far beyond what a single Nine Dragon Lightning Flame could provide.
However, when they brought the pills to that hidden clan for a trade, an unexpected situation occurred.
The reason was that the strongest member of that clan was merely an Initial Ban Sheng, who had no use for a ninth-tier Treasure Pill at all. After all, such a pill was meant for true Dou Sheng experts at Five-Star and below.
Their clan's Ban Sheng was already nearing the end of his lifespan — possessing a ninth-tier Treasure Pill would be useless to him. On the contrary, having such a top-tier pill would only invite trouble and greed from others.
After thinking it over for a while, they simply rejected the Gu Clan envoy's offer. The Gu Clan elders, seeing this, could only scratch their heads helplessly.
While wiping out that hidden clan wouldn't be difficult, if the Gu Clan went around slaughtering for no reason, it would easily draw suspicion from other ancient factions.
Especially since that hidden clan wasn't based in the Eastern Region under their domain, but in another Dou Di clan's territory.
In the end, the Gu Clan elders had no choice but to promise that as long as the clan was willing to hand over the Fire Mountain Rock Flame, the Gu Clan would marry one of their clan's daughters and form an alliance through marriage.
Of course, Dou Di clans valued bloodlines greatly, so the Gu Clan would not allow a direct clansman to marry that woman. The one who actually married her was someone from the Gu Clan's outer branch.
Though those people had countless ties with the Gu Clan and were indeed permitted to use the Gu Clan name in the outside world, they were not true members of the clan, did not bear the surname Gu, and had no right to live within the Gu Realm.
Instead, they resided outside, managing part of the Gu Clan's worldly assets. Tempted by the chance to form a connection with the Gu Clan, the hidden clan finally agreed to exchange the Fire Mountain Rock Flame.
After all, an opportunity to be linked to the Gu Clan was something almost impossible to come by — they simply could not let it slip away.
After that, both the Nine Dragon Lightning Flame and the Fire Mountain Rock Flame naturally ended up in Xiao Yan's hands. Having been stuck at a bottleneck for so long, Xiao Yan was overjoyed when he finally obtained the two strange flames.
Especially the Nine Dragon Lightning Flame, which was ranked twelfth on the Heavenly Flame Ranking — it was a delightful surprise. After pondering for a while, Xiao Yan decided to first absorb the Fire Mountain Rock Flame.
After all, the Nine Dragon Lightning Flame was only one rank lower than his master's Bone Chilling Flame, and its power was terrifying.
At his current level of only Four-Star Dou Zong, trying to absorb it recklessly would be extremely dangerous. By comparison, the Fire Mountain Rock Flame, ranked seventeenth, carried less than one-tenth of that risk.
Moreover, the Pill Gathering was only four or five months away. If he attempted to absorb the Nine Dragon Lightning Flame and failed to subdue it in time for the competition, he would lose a huge opportunity!
While Xiao Yan forgot all his troubles and happily entered closed-door cultivation, terrifying pressure was quietly spreading from the mountain cave where Lin Feng was secluded.
That pressure grew stronger and stronger, becoming increasingly overbearing. The might emanating from within forced all the nearby magical beasts — the strongest among them only at the sixth rank — to flee hundreds of miles away.
"Boom!"
Suddenly, after nearly eight months of silence, an overwhelming aura erupted from the cave.
That terrifying pressure surged forth like a slumbering dragon awakening from its deep sleep. The immense force instantly turned the lush forest within a dozen miles into barren wasteland.
Even the space itself began to distort and ripple.
"Rumble!"
Moments later, a thick pillar of energy, as wide as a man's waist, shot skyward from where Lin Feng was cultivating, piercing straight into the heavens.
At the same time, his eyes, which had remained closed for more than half a year, suddenly snapped open. A vast and boundless aura surged outward from his body like a tidal wave.
His pitch-black eyes were now completely consumed by crimson flames. However, that state didn't last long. The red flames in his eyes gradually faded away until they vanished completely.
His black pupils reappeared, calm and deep once more. In the next instant, Lin Feng's figure abruptly disappeared from where he stood. In the blink of an eye, his slightly lean form reappeared high up in the sky.
"Ha!"
With a deep shout, his voice echoed like thunder.
Invisible sound waves exploded outward in all directions at extreme speed. Wherever the waves passed, space distorted violently, and entire mountain peaks shattered into dust.
The terrifying power was enough to obliterate many Dou Zong experts. A moment later, Lin Feng stretched his body — one that hadn't moved for over half a year — and lightly clenched his fists.
Feeling the vast, ocean-like Dou Qi surging within his body, he couldn't help but smile in satisfaction.
"After so many years of cultivation, I've finally reached the Dou Zun realm."
Lin Feng took a deep breath and murmured with a smile on his face.
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