Chapter 426: Double Joy Comes Together
Xiao Yuan smiled, flipped his palm, and took out a top-grade jade box from his storage ring, then opened it.
As the fragrance of the pill overflowed, medicinal energy rose like mist.
"An eighth-grade pill with nine-colored pill lightning?"
Upon seeing the pill in front of him, Xiao Xuan's pupils shrank. He could clearly sense that this pill was greatly beneficial to his soul!
"Brother Xuan, this is a top-grade eighth-grade pill I refined before entering the Heavenly Tomb — the Great Soul Restoration Pill! I've done some research, so no matter what, I want to try and see if I can bring you out of the Heavenly Tomb!"
The Great Soul Restoration Pill, an advanced eighth-grade medicinal pill — even if only a wisp of soul remains, it can pull one back from the brink of annihilation!
Of course, in a case like Xiao Xuan's, even Xiao Yuan couldn't guarantee that this pill alone could completely restore his soul.
Xiao Xuan had been an Emperor-tier soul in life, and his capabilities were beyond Xiao Yuan's imagination. Precisely because of this, Xiao Yuan dared not overestimate the current condition of Xiao Xuan's soul.
"I can feel it. This pill truly is very beneficial to me."
Xiao Xuan nodded upon hearing this.
"However, relying solely on this pill likely won't be enough to resolve the damage to my soul."
Xiao Xuan continued, shifting the tone of his words.
"Of course I know that, but this isn't all I've prepared. Brother Xuan, take the pill first. I need to observe your condition before deciding on the next step."
Xiao Yuan wasn't surprised by this. Even though the Great Soul Restoration Pill could restore a trace of life even from a remnant soul, that was far from restoring the soul to its perfect state.
Not to mention, thinking that a mere eighth-grade pill could fully restore the remnant soul of a peak Nine-Star Dou Sheng — someone with an Emperor-tier soul — was simply wishful thinking.
"Alright, fine."
Although it was the first time Xiao Xuan met Xiao Yuan in person, due to that dream, he had a certain understanding of Xiao Yuan's temperament.
If he refused to take the pill, Xiao Yuan would likely threaten him with his own life.
Moreover, it was a heartfelt gesture from his younger brother. This sentiment weighed even more than the peak eighth-grade pill itself.
Xiao Xuan took the pill from the jade box and swallowed it.
Whoosh!
In an instant, a dense medicinal force spread out, beginning to repair Xiao Xuan's soul.
Xiao Yuan, whose soul power had already reached the Heavenly tier, could sense some of the fine details.
As expected, Xiao Xuan's soul was in terrifyingly poor condition.
If his own soul were as incomplete, even with the Heavenly Tomb's support, it would be difficult to maintain consciousness.
In short, Xiao Xuan was practically just a powerful energy body. His soul was nothing more than a severely broken wisp, lacking even a complete soul form.
This was pretty much the worst-case scenario.
If Xiao Yuan were capable of refining Emperor-tier soul-repair pills, he could have resolved this issue easily.
But clearly, he could not.
Still, it wasn't entirely hopeless.
It would just come at a high cost.
Gazing at Xiao Xuan, who was shrouded in medicinal mist, Xiao Yuan's eyes grew deeper.
His current achievements were all thanks to the secret technique of the Five Qi Palaces.
Now that he was here, he wasn't about to return empty-handed!
By his estimation, the Great Soul Restoration Pill could probably stabilize Xiao Xuan's soul from the remnant stage to the half-soul stage — slightly weaker than Tianhuo Zun Zhe's condition back then.
With his current abilities, Xiao Yuan couldn't maintain the power of an Emperor-tier soul while also restoring it.
But if it was just about repairing the soul and slowly nurturing it afterward… then Xiao Yuan could still take the risk.
Staring at Xiao Xuan, who was digesting the medicinal power, a resolute light flashed in Xiao Yuan's eyes.
The next moment, a slightly illusory figure flew out from between his eyebrows.
His soul clone.
Taking a deep breath, soul power condensed in his hand, forming a long blade, and he slashed it toward the soul clone!
Slash!
The soul clone was cut in half, and Xiao Yuan immediately spat out a mouthful of blood. "Pfft!"
His body swayed slightly, but the hand seals he formed didn't stop. The Soul-Nurturing Pearl flew from his brow into Xiao Xuan's body, releasing a stream of pure soul power that began to repair Xiao Xuan's soul form.
However, Xiao Xuan's soul was too incomplete. Relying solely on the energy within the Soul-Nurturing Pearl wouldn't be enough.
"Rise!"
Heavenly Flame erupted from Xiao Yuan's mouth, enveloping the severed soul clone and forcibly refining it!
Agonizing pain, like thousands of silver needles stabbing directly into the brain, surged through him. Gritting his teeth, Xiao Yuan controlled the flame, refining his soul clone into living soul energy and injecting it into Xiao Xuan's body.
This method was a modified soul clan secret technique Xiao Yuan had found in Gu You's storage ring.
It had extremely harsh requirements!
The caster needed to possess Heavenly-tier soul power.
Additionally, both caster and recipient had to share bloodline affinity as guidance.
Otherwise, the living soul energy would never integrate into the recipient's body.
Luckily, Xiao Xuan still had traces of the Xiao clan's bloodline within him. Without it, Xiao Yuan would never have dared to attempt this.
As the soul clone was refined into living soul energy, Xiao Yuan's jet-black hair began to turn gray, and both his soul and Dou Qi realms began to falter.
Clan Mark, reveal!
Feeling the emptiness within him, Xiao Yuan decisively activated his Clan Mark.
Such a massive commotion could not go unnoticed by Xiao Xuan.
But when he saw Xiao Yuan's blazing eyes, he opened his mouth — yet in the end, said nothing.
This kind of soul-involved technique could not be interrupted once it began. Rather than wasting time hesitating, it was better to accept it calmly and do everything he could to aid his brother and minimize the cost.
As someone with an Emperor-tier soul, Xiao Xuan actually understood soul power even better than Xiao Yuan, a genuine eighth-grade alchemist.
Therefore, with Xiao Xuan's full cooperation, the repair of his soul began to visibly accelerate.
And as his soul healed, this former number one powerhouse of the continent began to regain his aura.
A terrifying pressure began to radiate from his body, engulfing the entire tomb palace and spreading outward.
Blood Blade Saint, awakened from his cultivation, shuddered at the ever-growing aura.
"Damn, why do I feel like that lord's aura got even stronger!?"
He cursed and muttered in awe.
With time, the pressure expanded, completely covering the third level of the Heavenly Tomb.
Three days later, Xiao Yuan finally stopped. By then, his hair had turned completely white.
Now, Xiao Xuan had enough power to fully restore his soul into a complete form. Though not yet at his peak, with a complete soul, he could fully wield the strength of a peak Nine-Star Dou Sheng within the Heavenly Tomb!
Moreover, now that his soul was whole, Xiao Xuan could enter the soul-nurturing storage ring Xiao Yuan had prepared.
This ring had cost Xiao Yuan quite a price, and he had asked Xuan Yi for help to exchange it from the Pill Tower's reserves.
Once certain Xiao Xuan was fine, Xiao Yuan felt a deep emptiness in the depths of his soul.
Upon inspection, he found that his soul realm had dropped to mid-Spirit level, and his Dou Qi realm had fallen all the way to One-Star Dou Zun.
Worse still, the damage to his soul from forcibly refining a soul clone had greatly shortened his lifespan.
Despite the heavy price, Xiao Yuan didn't think it was a loss.
Even if Xiao Xuan couldn't return to peak condition right away, as long as his soul was healed, given enough time, he'd have a shot at it.
At that point, just his Emperor-tier soul would allow Xiao Yuan to challenge Seven-Star Dou Shengs. With Xiao Xuan's full might, even Eight-Star Dou Shengs would have to be cautious!
A true step into the heavens!
But for now… Xiao Yuan needed a good sleep.
Fatigue surged like a tidal wave. His vision dimmed and finally went completely black.
A month later.
When Xiao Yuan awoke from deep unconsciousness, he found a pair of pitch-black eyes watching him.
"You're awake?"
Xiao Xuan asked with a smile.
"Brother Xuan, your soul is fully recovered?"
Even with his fallen soul realm, Xiao Yuan could clearly sense how powerful Xiao Xuan's soul now was!
"Your methods truly surprised me — the Yin-Yang Soul-Nurturing Pearl, the Soul Sacrificial Refinement Technique… seems like you've had quite a few lucky encounters over the years."
Xiao Xuan smiled, though his eyes were filled with heartache for Xiao Yuan.
After all, the price Xiao Yuan had paid this time was far too heavy.
"Don't worry about me, Brother Xuan. I was prepared."
Xiao Yuan waved it off and handed Xiao Xuan a Soul Infant Fruit.
"Here, Brother Xuan, take this to restore your origin soul energy. I'll need to go into seclusion for a while to recover myself."
Saying that, he took out two bottles of pills from his storage ring.
The Withered Wood Rejuvenation Pill — a ninth-grade treasure pill.
Not made by Xiao Yuan.
This one was crafted by Yao Lao, a life-saving pill he had entrusted to Xiao Yuan.
Its effect was heaven-defying.
Even if Xiao Yuan was on the brink of death, taking this would restore him completely.
Naturally, there were restrictions.
First, the injury couldn't be more than ten years old.
Second, it had no effect on Seven-Star Dou Shengs or stronger; its effect would be halved on Three-Star Dou Shengs and above; reduced by 10% for One- to Three-Star Dou Shengs.
Only those below Dou Sheng, above Dou Zun, could enjoy its full effect.
Even so, it remained one of the rarest treasures among ninth-grade pills.
Even ancient clans would covet it, as it could essentially give a Six-Star Dou Sheng a second life!
The other bottle held the Heavenly Heart Soul-Nurturing Pill — also an eighth-grade peak pill, refined by Xiao Yuan with nine-colored pill lightning.
This pill could nurture and repair a damaged soul. It was meant as a backup for Xiao Xuan, though it now seemed unnecessary.
So, Xiao Yuan took the pill himself to heal his damaged soul.
It took him three days to absorb the medicinal power.
Yet his soul realm remained unchanged.
Though his soul condition returned to peak, to recover the lost realms, he needed the life-saving Withered Wood Rejuvenation Pill.
Swallowing it, a powerful medicinal force began to restore his body.
"A ninth-grade pill, huh? No wonder he's so bold — turns out he had another life in hand."
Xiao Xuan shook his head with a wry smile at the sight.
Soon, Xiao Yuan's Dou Qi realm began to rise.
His soul realm, too, began to recover.
Inside his body, a mysterious power was triggered.
It was the Yin-Yang Profound Dragon Pill he had taken in Black-Corner Region years ago!
This pill was meant to bring rebirth through destruction. But Xiao Yuan had rarely been injured enough to activate its effects.
Now, after nearly losing his life for Xiao Xuan, the Withered Wood Rejuvenation Pill's effects had also awakened the Yin-Yang Profound Dragon Pill's power!
Under both forces, Xiao Yuan's aura surged visibly!
In fact, his aura began to skyrocket!
"Oh? Rebirth through destruction?"
Seeing this, Xiao Xuan immediately realized what was happening. He raised an eyebrow, and the concern he had earlier for Xiao Yuan finally eased.
Now, he could wholeheartedly focus on restoring his depleted origin soul energy.
Picking up the Soul Infant Fruit, Xiao Xuan looked closely and shook his head with a smile.
"A golden-grade Soul Infant Fruit… so many treasures indeed."
Muttering, he sat cross-legged in mid-air and swallowed the fruit.
Since Xiao Yuan had gone this far, he couldn't afford to drag things down.
Restoring his origin soul energy would greatly improve his soul power, and he might even be able to secure an incredible opportunity for his younger brother!
In the tomb palace, the two figures sat across from each other, both immersed in deep cultivation.
In the blink of an eye, another month passed.
That day, a violent energy fluctuation erupted in the third level of the Heavenly Tomb.
Dense energy fog surged into Xiao Xuan's tomb palace and finally poured into Xiao Yuan's body.
His aura began to soar explosively!
Eight-Star, peak Eight-Star, Nine-Star, peak Nine-Star!
In just a month, aided by the Yin-Yang Profound Dragon Pill, the Withered Wood Rejuvenation Pill, and the dense energy of the Heavenly Tomb, Xiao Yuan had advanced tremendously!
After reaching the peak of Nine-Star Dou Zun, he now had full confidence to confront even Semi-Saint level opponents alone!
However, right after that, an even more terrifying energy wave radiated from Xiao Yuan's front, becoming tangible pressure that weighed down on everyone on the third level of the Heavenly Tomb.
Blood Blade Saint was already kneeling with no regard for dignity, while those weaker had already been crushed by the pressure.
If the former Xiao Xuan had been a killing star to them, then now, he might as well be a god — not a trace of defiance dared arise in their hearts.
(END CHAPTER)
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