Chapter 232: The Hardship of Not Having an Alchemist for a Long Time
The process of traveling was swift. In less than an incense stick's worth of time, a silver circle appeared before Yao Yan and Hei Qing. With a wave of Hei Qing's hand, Yao Yan followed him through, and after a moment of blurred vision, a massive island came into view.
The island was vast, with a huge silver barrier above it, shaped like an inverted bowl, covering the entire island.
Beyond the island, there was only endless, terrifying black void.
"How does it feel?" Hei Qing seemed to notice the change in Yao Yan's expression and asked with a smile.
"Impressive," Yao Yan complimented, pausing before continuing, "Although the space here is not as vast as the Pill Realm, placing this place in the endless void makes it extremely concealed. Without coordinates, even a Dou Sheng expert would have a hard time finding it."
He was only a seven-star Dou Zong, but his perception was sharp. He knew very well the capabilities of a Dou Sheng.
The space barrier around this Dragon Island was certainly not something a Dou Zun could create.
"Back in the day, Dragon Island wasn't like this..." Hei Qing's eyes darkened, and his voice lowered slightly.
At its peak, Gu Dragon Island was as vast as the imperial families, but after the three Dragon Kings caused a split, internal turmoil broke out, and the once-complete Gu Dragon Island was torn into pieces. Many Dou Sheng-level experts left, taking their caves with them, and went into the void.
It was like a cake being divided, and it evolved into the current fragmented state.
"Is the internal strife of the Gu Void Dragon Clan severe?" Yao Yan asked, knowing the answer already.
Hei Qing shook his head, seemingly unwilling to answer that question. He led Yao Yan toward a mountain peak, where they saw many young dragons 'playing and frolicking,' causing space to vibrate, only to be scolded by the clan's elders.
At the same time, Yao Yan also sensed the gazes of several powerful figures. The cold glints of their eyes made his body tense up.
In terms of the number of powerful individuals, the Gu Void Dragon Clan was definitely stronger than the Pill Tower.
Magical beasts naturally had superior combat strength compared to humans, and they could fight beyond their rank using only their physical strength. Especially the Gu Void Dragons, a beastly race with formidable bloodlines. Their physical defense and strength were unreasonably strong, not to mention their exceptional spatial talents.
Aside from their slightly weaker Hun talent, they were almost flawless.
"Roar~" A massive dragon's roar sounded, and a gigantic dragon flew toward Hei Qing, its eyes curiously examining Yao Yan as if seeing a human for the first time. "Big Boss Hei, who is this?"
"A guest... you're just in time. Go keep an eye on him for a bit. I need to entertain him," Hei Qing smiled as he recruited the dragon.
"?!"
The huge dragon blinked in confusion.
"Go now!"
Hei Qing clenched his fist, his smile growing even wider.
"Got it, Big Boss Hei..." The dragon reluctantly flew off toward the outer area but not before shouting, "If those bastards come to kill us, you better come save me!"
Hei Qing waved his hand and led Yao Yan to the mountain peak. Soon, the two arrived at a cave. Inside, it was fully furnished, with numerous precious heavenly materials and treasures scattered around. Yao Yan even saw a number of Dragon Saliva Grass.
This type of treasure could only be nurtured with the saliva of dragons. It was the main ingredient for some sixth-tier pills.
Dragons were creatures full of treasures, regarded as favorites of the heavens.
"I know your alchemist rules. Look at the materials here and refine them. What I want is a pill that helps me breakthrough, preferably one that can bring me to the nine-star Dou Zun," Hei Qing said enthusiastically, rubbing his hands together.
As he spoke, he casually drew out three drops of blood and threw them toward Yao Yan.
For a creature of his massive size, losing three drops of blood had little effect. In fact, after a good rest, it would be replenished. This was the benefit of having a huge physique. For smaller races, three drops of blood could leave them weak for an extended period.
The three drops of blood were dark purple, exuding a strong energy wave, floating in mid-air. This showed how powerful these drops of blood were.
"Impressive. The blood of an eight-star Dou Zun Gu Void Dragon contains such powerful spatial force," Yao Yan thought. He had no doubt that if he refined this blood, it could directly push him to the nine-star Dou Zong level, without needing to worry about understanding spatial force.
When it came to spatial power, who could match the Heavenly Flame species – the Gu Void Dragon?
"Sure, with the body of an Gu Void Dragon, at the same level, it can withstand far more medicinal power than a human. Refining such a pill is not difficult," Yao Yan said softly, looking at the massive amount of materials in front of him.
Although he didn't have an eighth-tier pill formula to help a Dou Zun breakthrough, magical beasts' breakthroughs were different from humans. They only needed ample energy to awaken their bloodline powers and promote their growth.
With this principle in mind, Yao Yan could easily refine an eighth-tier pill for the Gu Void Dragon Clan.
With his Hun power reaching the Heavenly Realm, many things that were previously impossible had now become much easier. For example, the spiritual matching of materials. With his existing pill formulas, he felt he could create new formulas.
"Then I'll leave it to you, little brother Yao Yan. If you need anything, just ask," Hei Qing said with a broad grin, looking at Yao Yan as though he were a lover.
With his talent, it would take him at least ten years of cultivation to reach the nine-star Dou Zun level on his own. Not to mention the long process of breaking into the Nine Turns Saint level. However, if an alchemist helped him, it would save a lot of time!
He had taken pills from alchemists before, and their medicinal power was far better than directly consuming heavenly materials.
"No demands. The price is already set," Yao Yan smiled, waving his hand. A dark yellow medicinal cauldron with countless beast patterns appeared. As his Hun power surged, the required herbs flew into the cauldron. A blue flame appeared inside, quickly wrapping the herbs, and the temperature immediately caused the cave to dry out.
"Straightforward!" Hei Qing laughed heartily. Watching Yao Yan refine the pill, he casually sat down and observed with curiosity.
To be honest, this was the first time he had seen an alchemist refine pills. He had never had a chance to observe up close, especially an eighth-tier alchemist like this.
This guy's alchemy skills were impressive... Hei Qing watched Yao Yan's smooth actions, his eyes moving slightly. While his temperament was wild, he wasn't foolish, and he could tell that Yao Yan's skills were on a different level.
As for whether he would be tricked...
Let's not forget where they were.
If things got heated, even Dou Sheng-level elders could be summoned.
Yao Yan was entirely focused on refining the pill. After all, this was his first original pill. He based it on the fourth-tier Hundred Herb Pill formula and combined hundreds of higher-tier herbs. With his Heavenly Realm Hun power, matching the spiritual properties of these herbs wasn't difficult.
However, the pill's effect would be overwhelming. If a human consumed it, they would likely explode. But for magical beasts, such a pill would be an excellent supplement.
Magical beasts' bodies were far more durable than humans, and they could directly consume all kinds of heavenly materials. You couldn't expect them to be like humans.
Similarly, the process of refining this pill became unusually simple. The only challenge was the Heavenly Realm Hun power. If Yao Yan still had his previous Hun power at the Spiritual Realm level, he definitely wouldn't have been able to withstand such a massive process.
But in just a day, a yellowish pill emerged from the cauldron, and a strong medicinal fragrance spread throughout the cave.
"Boom!"
The next moment, a thunderous sound echoed above Dragon Island, and thick black clouds appeared in the sky. The space barrier couldn't block these clouds. A large amount of lightning power was being nurtured within, quickly transforming into three-colored thunderclouds. The terrifying might of heaven and earth spread across the entire Gu Dragon Island, drawing the attention of numerous Gu figures.
"…Is this Pill Thunder?!"
"When did our clan have an alchemist?!"
As everyone knew, the Gu Void Dragon Clan was made up of violent beings, and fine work like alchemy was never suitable for them. The profession of alchemist was almost completely disconnected from them.
As terrifying thoughts began to intertwine in the void, many eyes soon locked onto Hei Qing's cave.
"I'll go help you disperse it!" Hei Qing grinned and suddenly stood up, ready to flex his muscles.
"No need to trouble yourself," Yao Yan raised his hand and summoned the Tian Yao puppet. This puppet wasn't at its peak yet and could still be refined a few more times. Once it reached its peak, it would be able to fight against a seven or eight-star Dou Zun. As for going higher, the material of the Tian Yao puppet couldn't break that bottleneck.
The Tian Yao puppet was after all a dead object, and reaching the seven or eight-star Dou Zun level was already accomplished through the power of the Pill Thunder.
"Swish~"
With the Tian Yao puppet soaring into the sky, the Pill Thunder in the sky began to act up. A figure was constantly struck down, only to charge back up again, causing the sound of thunder to echo endlessly.
"Dou Zun-level puppet? Heh, no wonder you're so confident, alchemists always have the best stuff," Hei Qing finally understood why Yao Yan was able to independently traverse the void. With this puppet, very few people would dare to trouble him.
"Just a small thing, not as good as Big Brother Hei Qing's physical body," Yao Yan said softly.
As they spoke, the pill inside the cauldron was ready, and Yao Yan carefully took it in his hand. With a wave of his Hun power, he immediately eliminated the flickering intelligence that had just been formed. He wasn't interested in nurturing any pill beasts, and a low-level eighth-tier pill didn't have that potential.
In the future, if the opportunity arose, he could refine two nine-tier pills for a pill boy.
"Boom~"
With a loud rumble, the three-colored thunderclouds in the sky slowly dissipated, and the Tian Yao puppet, surrounded by thunderous energy, appeared beside Yao Yan. Along with it was an old man in white robes.
The old man emitted no aura, but just standing there made Hei Qing's smile stiffen, and his face became more obedient. "I greet Elder San."
Yao Yan also saw the old man and, with a slight motion of his gaze, stood to greet him.
"Little friend needn't be so polite. From your attire, you must be from the Pill Tower?" The old man in white asked kindly.
"I just joined the Pill Tower recently," Yao Yan nodded.
"How did you end up here? Did this crude fellow bring you here? If so, I apologize," the old man's tone remained calm as he gently inquired.
"I did not!" Hei Qing immediately retorted. He had considered it, but Yao Yan's background was too powerful. His thoughts were quickly suppressed.
"It's not like that. I made a fair trade with Big Brother Hei Qing," Yao Yan shook his head, explaining.
"That's good. You're a guest, Hei Qing, make sure to treat him well," the old man calmly glanced at Hei Qing, advising him. He could clearly see Yao Yan's talent. A youth like him certainly had a notable teacher. Now, the Gu Void Dragon Clan was in a tumultuous period and couldn't afford to make enemies with strong forces.
It was always better to have one more friend than one more enemy.
A thousand years was enough to wear down anyone's sharp edges, even those of the Gu Void Dragon Clan.
After speaking, the old man's figure slowly faded, disappearing from Yao Yan's sight. His departure was so subtle that no spatial fluctuations were detected, indicating his mastery in space manipulation.
"Phew, that almost scared me to death," Hei Qing sighed with relief.
"Who was that?" Yao Yan asked curiously.
"He is the Third Elder of Dragon Island, Zhu Li. Don't be fooled by his gentle appearance. When he gets angry, no one can stop him. His temper is even worse than mine," Hei Qing quietly muttered, seemingly having a lot of resentment toward him.
Zhu Li?
What is his connection with Zhu Kun?
Yao Yan suddenly recalled some plot points from the original story. If he wasn't mistaken, in the original, it was Zhu Li who first sensed Xiao Yi Xian and brought her back to Dragon Island, supporting her to become the new Dragon Emperor. His position on Dragon Island wasn't ordinary; he had the air of the East Dragon Island leader. With his name, if he had no connection to Zhu Kun, Yao Yan wouldn't believe it.
It would be a bit too deliberate to approach him so early, so it was better to observe for a while... Yao Yan's gaze flashed with determination. He planned to investigate the situation first, making it easier to approach Zhu Li later.
With that thought in mind, Yao Yan looked at Hei Qing and asked, "It's rare to come to Dragon Island. Big Brother Hei Qing, why not ask your clan members if anyone else wants to make a deal with me? As long as it doesn't exceed eighth-tier advanced, I can refine it."
"Alright, I'll go ask," Hei Qing's eyes lit up as he immediately agreed.
Yao Yan was willing to do the hard work, and that was perfect!
The Gu Void Dragon Clan hadn't had an alchemist for a long time!
(END CHAPTER)
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