Chapter 181: "Does Lord Xiao Yan Require Service?"
"You little rascal," Xiao Lin muttered, rubbing his forehead helplessly.
In just a year away from home, Xiao Yan had already gotten himself entangled with several women.
"Focus on your cultivation instead. Aim to reach the Dou Venerate level as soon as possible. The clan elder council has agreed that once you do, you'll begin the real phase of your tempering," Xiao Lin advised, waving him off.
"I'll be on my way now," he added before disappearing into the void with the Golden Twelve Saints.
As the group flew through the sky, the elder leading the Twelve Saints chuckled.
"Xiao Lin, you've got a good grandson."
The others chimed in, their faces filled with envy.
"Indeed, Xiao Lin, what a talented grandson you have."
At sixteen, Xiao Yan was already a Three Star Dou Sect with extraordinary soul power. He was personally groomed by the clan's ancestor, a level of privilege few could dream of.
Some of the Dou Saints even joked inwardly: If we had such opportunities, we wouldn't mind being Xiao Lin's grandchildren ourselves.
"He's just a cheeky brat. Nothing to fuss over," Xiao Lin replied modestly, though the grin on his face stretched from ear to ear.
The group of Dou Saints burst into laughter at Xiao Lin's smug expression.
"Calling the Emperor's Son a brat Xiao Lin, you really have no shame!"
After exchanging a few jokes, Xiao Lin's expression turned serious.
"Brothers, you should head back to the clan. I have a personal matter to attend to in the nearby Jia Ma Empire."
"Understood. Take your time. We'll also find a place to relax while we're out here," one of the Dou Saints replied with a nod before the group disappeared, leaving Xiao Lin to head toward Jia Ma Empire alone.
Back in the Ancient City
In the ancient city, Xiao Yan was meticulously extracting the blood from the severed head of the Purple Sky Demon Python.
Although he had declared that a Ninth Rank Magical Beast was no better than a dog to the Xiao Clan, as an alchemist, Xiao Yan knew the value of its body. Even a single drop of its essence blood was a priceless treasure.
The Purple Sky Demon Python's massive head, nearly a hundred meters in diameter, took him an entire night to process. By morning, a blood sphere almost ten meters wide floated before him, radiating a terrifying amount of energy.
Yue Mei and the other snakewomen watched the blood sphere with greedy eyes. For them, the essence blood of a Dou Saint level snake beast was unimaginably precious.
Xiao Yan stored most of the blood sphere into his storage ring, leaving behind a smaller sphere the size of a human head.
He opened his mouth, releasing a stream of Yin Yang Sacred Spirit Flame, which enveloped the blood sphere and began refining it.
The essence blood resisted fiercely, its terrifying properties challenging even Xiao Yan's top tier Heavenly Flame. Were he at the Dou Venerate level, this task would have been much easier.
As the flames refined the sphere, Xiao Yan retrieved several medicinal herbs designed to purify the wild attributes of beast blood. Manipulating the fire with one hand, he used the other to process the herbs into crystal clear liquid, which he added to the blood sphere.
"Sizzle!" White smoke rose as the herb liquids mixed with the blood, releasing violent and malevolent energy. Yet, Xiao Yan's strength easily suppressed the residual hostility.
By nightfall, the once head sized blood sphere had shrunk to the size of a fist, its contents now gleaming like a gemstone. Xiao Yan nodded in satisfaction this was nearly pure essence blood from the Purple Sky Demon Python.
Though not its purest form, the refined blood was still a priceless treasure for snake type magical beasts.
With a flick of his finger, Xiao Yan sent three small drops of blood, each the size of a soybean, to Yue Mei and the other two snakewomen.
"Consume these drops. They'll be highly beneficial for your cultivation," he said with a smile.
The women didn't need convincing. The moment the drops neared, they could feel the immense benefits they would bring, potentially helping them break through their current limits.
"Thank you, Lord Xiao Yan," Yue Mei said, her voice tinged with gratitude and... something else. Her gaze lingered on him with an intensity that made Xiao Yan cough lightly.
"No need to be so formal," Xiao Yan replied, feigning nonchalance.
This woman really lives up to her name, he thought. But I like it. Jie jie.
Still, Xiao Yan maintained his composure. As the Emperor's Son, he believed in doing things with proper ceremony. To conquer the Snake Clan, he would first conquer its queen.
A Midnight Encounter
Late at night, Xiao Yan sat cross legged, restoring his energy. In his mind, he planned his next steps securing the Green Lotus Core Flame, dealing with an old man selling maps, and finding a girl with Jade Flower Eyes.
Suddenly, he sensed someone approaching.
Opening his eyes, he saw Yue Mei standing silently nearby, her gaze still burning with intensity.
"Lord Xiao Yan, do you require my service?" Yue Mei asked softly, biting her lip. Her curvaceous figure and the exotic allure of her snake tail exuded a wild, primal charm.
Bold woman! Trying to seduce me, are you? Xiao Yan thought, though he smiled faintly.
"Not tonight. I have matters to attend to tomorrow," he replied politely. "Focus on refining the essence blood. Then return to the Snake Clan."
Hearing his rejection, Yue Mei's face showed a hint of disappointment. She bowed slightly before retreating to her group.
Back at the camp, she was met with Flower Snake's icy glare.
"You shameless vixen! How dare you seduce Lord Xiao Yan?" Flower Snake hissed coldly.
"Seduction? Don't be ridiculous," Yue Mei replied, rolling her eyes. "The ancestor already promised us to Lord Xiao Yan as the queen's dowry. I'm just fulfilling my duty early."
"Fulfilling your duty?!" Flower Snake snapped. "You're just a dowry maid. The queen hasn't even shared a room with Lord Xiao Yan, and you're trying to cut ahead?"
"You have no respect for the queen!"
"You!" Yue Mei's face flushed with anger, but before she could retort, the elder woman with them intervened.
"Yue Mei, Flower Snake is right. You've acted inappropriately," the elder said sternly.
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