The Fire Lotus in the valley slowly faded, and the scene within came into view. The hillside where the Wind and Thunder Pavilion people had stood was gone, replaced by a giant crater more than a thousand meters across. The vast pit looked like scorched earth from purgatory, with many rocks melted into irregular black glassy masses that shimmered with an eerie luster in the sun. They had been melted to liquid by the heat and then cooled again.
"Hm? Still alive? As expected of a Pavilion Master, he does have plenty of ways to save his life." Xiao Yan raised his eyebrows in surprise as he looked at the broken, charred old acquaintance lying at the bottom of the pit.
On second thought, though, it was about right. His Fire Lotus had two modes. One was a guerrilla mode, assembled in advance and thrown. That was an area-of-effect strike, so its power was naturally a little lower. The other was door-to-door, a personal one-on-one Fire Lotus service, and no one who had experienced it had ever left a bad review.
Yuan Lei had relied on his clone and his deep cultivation to withstand most of the explosion's power. Even so, one hand and one foot were gone, one eye was blind, and his whole body was covered with burns, blood seeping out without stop. He was on his last breath.
Xiao Yan flashed in front of him. "Pay attention in your next life, and don't raise such a terrible son again. Though you probably won't have a next life."
He flicked out a streak of Dou Qi infused with the Fallen Heart Flame and pierced the man's head. The Fallen Heart Flame erupted from within and burned him, body and soul, into a pile of ash and a purple Storage Ring.
Xiao Yan spread his soul power around as though it were worth nothing, and streaks of light broke out of the ground and fell into his hand. They were the Storage Rings left behind by the Wind and Thunder Pavilion people, though a few were already broken.
"Alas, what a pity that so many are broken." Xiao Yan looked regretful.
"What's the big deal? If they were damaged to that extent, their grade wasn't high, and there's basically nothing good inside." Yao Lao's forehead was covered with black lines as he watched Xiao Yan's heartbroken face. "And we should go. Many people are already heading this way."
At Yao Lao's words, Xiao Yan thought for a moment and saw that it was true. He tossed the damaged rings casually on the ground, tucked the rest into his robe, and headed toward Nalan Yanran. Before she could speak, he picked her up by the waist, meaning to find a quiet place to tally his gains.
Two days later, a crimson square nearly a kilometer across appeared, and countless spatial ships flew out of the space around it. A noticeably larger spatial ship came out, then slowly shrank and landed in the hand of a woman in a qipao. Beside her stood a man and two little girls, who were none other than Xiao Tian and his group.
"This is one of the eight spatial nodes in the outer region of Holy Pill City," Xuan Yi explained with a smile.
Xiao Tian was a little surprised by the scale of the Pill Region. As the most popular holy land of Alchemists, it was indeed vast. There were countless spatial wormholes alone, and most of those who came out of them were Alchemists, which was normal. It was an Alchemist's holy land, after all, and the most convenient place in the world to buy medicinal ingredients. Rare herbs that were usually hard to find could be bought or exchanged for just by walking around Holy Pill City.
At her words, Xiao Ling and Xiao Meng opened their eyes wide and looked around, then lost interest quickly, because all they could see was crimson rock and countless people, nothing else. "This looks like the wilderness, with nothing in it. Mother Xuan Yi, you aren't lying to us, are you?"
"You don't even believe me anymore? Before, when there was good food, you said Mother Xuan Yi was the best mother in the world." Xuan Yi scooped up the two of them. Back on her home ground, she felt completely different. "Let's go. Holy Pill City may be called a city, but its area is nearly a hundred times that of Tianhuang City. It is divided into an inner region and an outer region, and this is only the edge of the outer region. After we leave this square, there will be plenty of fun places."
"Charge, charge, charge! Let's go! My heart is already restless!" The two girls' eyes lit up at the mention of fun things, and they cheered excitedly. Xiao Tian and Xuan Yi looked at them, exchanged a glance, and smiled slightly.
The four set off. As they walked, Xuan Yi kept introducing the various places in Holy Pill City to Xiao Tian and the girls. They passed many lively spots, and the girls bought many different things. Xiao Tian also bought and exchanged many medicinal ingredients at places like market squares, and even found three ingredients that could be used with the Heavenly Earth Spirit Void Sacred Liquid.
Xiao Ling and Xiao Meng walked hand in hand, looking around, while Xiao Tian and Xuan Yi followed behind. Xuan Yi looked at Xiao Tian, who wore a smile on his lips. She knew that expression well. Sometimes she looked just the same when she found ingredients she badly needed. "It seems those few ingredients are very important to you!"
Xiao Tian nodded.
"Then make me a list, and I'll have someone help you find them." Xuan Yi looked at him seriously. She did not ask what they were for. She only thought that since they were important to him, she ought to help him collect them.
Xiao Tian took out a list. He had prepared it earlier, when he had Ya Fei arrange an auction to acquire items. Xuan Yi took it and glanced through it quickly, then looked up at him with a slight frown. "These are not easy to collect. Some are even used to refine Grade 8 and Grade 9 pills that call down Pill Lightning, so they really are very hard to gather. But..." She folded the list and put it into her Storage Ring, saying earnestly, "But this is the Pill Tower, the place with the most medicinal ingredients. I may not be able to gather them in a short time, but I can get it done for you."
"Good!" Xiao Tian's hand flickered, and a Storage Ring appeared in it. "Here are many other medicinal ingredients and some Grade 6, 7, and 8 pills. Think of it as the cost of buying the ingredients, and your reward."
Xuan Yi shook her head and pushed the ring back. "Take your things back. I don't need them. I'll arrange all of this for you. You don't need to worry so much."
"Are you trying to keep me?"
Xuan Yi's forehead twitched, and a blush rose on her face under her veil. This scoundrel, saying that in the middle of the street!
She felt the gazes of the people around, some surprised, some envious. The envy, of course, was aimed at Xiao Tian. Uncomfortable at being watched, Xuan Yi could not help pinching him, and she hurriedly pulled him away.