Chapter 225 – Reunion with the Xiao Yi Xian
"The very air reeks of faint poison… this Chu Yun Empire really lives up to its name."
Xiao Yuan wrinkled his nose after inhaling a breath of the faintly toxic atmosphere.
"Good thing you've got a Heavenly Flame, so no need for antidote pills."
Yao Lao chuckled from within the ring.
"Mm. The Heavenly Flame definitely saves a lot of trouble."
Xiao Yuan nodded and swept his gaze around. But before he could do anything, a spatial fluctuation behind him made him instantly alert.
"Xiao Yuan, why did you run off behind my back again? Don't tell me you're trying to avoid making pills for me!"
Zi Yan's voice caused Xiao Yuan's expression to turn helpless.
So, the little girl had still managed to catch up!
"Ugh, I'm exhausted! I've been warping through space chasing you these past few days. Why the hell were you running so fast?"
Zi Yan collapsed on the ground, breathing heavily, her petite chest rising and falling rapidly as she popped pills into her mouth.
Xiao Yuan sighed. "I might run into some dangerous battles on this trip. You're strong, but still too young to take on Dou Huangs or Dou Zongs. I left you enough pills to last two months, didn't I?"
"How was I supposed to know when you'd be back? Lin Xiuya and the others are touring the Jia Ma Empire, starting with Wu Tan City. They said they wanted to see what kind of place could produce monsters like you and Xiao Yan. I was going to go with them, but Sister Yafei said you were going to Chu Yun Empire, and that sounded way more exciting!"
Zi Yan pouted and added, "And I burned through all those pills on the way. You'll have to make more for me!"
Xiao Yuan blinked and nodded helplessly. "Fine. You really pushed yourself catching up with me. But listen, you have to follow my orders—no running off."
"Of course I'll listen. I won't cause trouble. I'm tired—gonna nap."
Zi Yan nodded obediently and immediately fell face-first into Xiao Yuan's arms.
"Hey, hey, hey—"
Xiao Yuan quickly caught her before she slid to the ground. His soul power swept over her.
"She's out cold?"
He frowned, something didn't feel right. "Teacher?"
"She's simply drained her energy reserves and then refilled them too quickly. Her body couldn't handle the imbalance and shut down. She'll be out for quite a while," Yao Lao explained.
"So now I'm traveling with a sleeping child in tow?"
Xiao Yuan twitched.
"Or you could just leave her here," Yao Lao said dryly.
"You know I'd never do that," Xiao Yuan muttered.
He sighed, gently bent over, scooped up Zi Yan, and rose into the sky on his wings.
"Sins of karma…"
Xiao Yuan shook his head and flew toward the center of Chu Yun Empire.
According to Yafei's intel, the Poison Sect had only recently risen to power, but their methods were extremely brutal.
Their headquarters was in the empire's central region—in a city called Sky Poison City. The entire city was under the Poison Sect's control. Even the royal family held no authority there.
It was rumored the sect leader recently purged opposition within the royal court. Currently, their influence extended over a fourth of the empire.
Flying with Zi Yan slowed him considerably. He also kept his aura to that of an average Dou Wang. In Jia Ma, a Dou Wang could do as they pleased. But here, even a Dou Huang could get ambushed.
On the second day of travel, Xiao Yuan encountered three poison-crazed Dou Wangs who demanded he hand over Zi Yan and his techniques.
He didn't waste time—one blast of Leaving Fire Blaze, and they were reduced to ash.
Unfortunately, their storage rings held trash techniques, so he destroyed them to avoid others picking them up.
Chu Yun Empire was basically a slightly more civilized Black-Corner Region. Here, Xiao Yuan adopted a ruthless style—kill if he could, run if he couldn't. And if he wasn't allowed to run?
Too bad. He had a Heaven-tier technique Ghost Possession.
With Yao Lao as an ace, he feared no one.
After five days, he reached the empire's center. To be safe, he changed clothes—donning a misty white dress from Yun Yun, carrying an ordinary longsword, donning a white veiled hat, and carrying Zi Yan like a big sister escorting her ill little sister.
However, he soon realized he had made a critical misstep.
In Chu Yun Empire, burly, rough-looking poison masters were common. Ethereal beauties like "her" were not.
In less than a hundred meters, he sensed over ten lustful gazes sweeping him up and down.
Did I just shoot myself in the foot?
His eyes went cold. Orange-red flames rose from their depths. A wave of unseen pressure burst out from him.
Whoosh!
A nearby Dou Ling turned red-faced, smoke rising from his head. Fire burst from his pores as he convulsed into a blazing human torch.
Within one minute, everyone within a hundred-meter radius below Dou Wang died—turned into screaming fire wretches.
Xiao Yuan turned toward a man in a pavilion who was barely suppressing inner flames.
"Excuse me," Xiao Yuan said coolly. "Can you tell me where the Poison Sect is?"
He raised a hand and eased the man's internal blaze.
Feeling the fire subside, the man sighed in relief but now looked at Xiao Yuan with deep fear.
"Sir, I—ahhh!"
Xiao Yuan tightened his fist.
"No chit-chat. Just answer or die."
"Here's a map!" the man croaked, tossing over a scroll.
Hmm?
Xiao Yuan noticed a faint green glow. He flung out a finger.
A fire sword pierced the man's chest.
"Trying to poison me?"
He destroyed the corpse and scanned the contents of the burned ring with soul power—found a real map—and set off for Sky Poison City.
"Not bad. That was cold-blooded," Yao Lao said approvingly.
"I didn't want to make a scene."
"In that outfit, you were already a scene," Yao Lao snorted.
If he were disguising, he'd have gone as a poison master—blending in.
Sky Poison City—holy ground for poison users.
Standing atop a mountain, Xiao Yuan looked down, weary and dusty, still carrying the sleeping Zi Yan.
"She really doesn't wake up…"
"I've been organizing my thoughts," Yao Lao suddenly said. "I have a preliminary method for dealing with the Calamity Poison Body."
"That fast?" Xiao Yuan blinked.
"I studied it after encountering one years ago. I recently refined those notes."
He flicked a finger, producing a dark scroll. "The method's written here—but the ingredients are extremely rare."
Xiao Yuan unfurled it:
"Calamity Poison Body: an eerie constitution that thrives on consuming toxins. The more poison absorbed, the stronger the buildup—until it erupts, killing all life within a thousand kilometers. It exists in innate and acquired forms; innate is far more powerful. Once activated, it is uncontrollable unless sealed into a poison core within the body…"
"This 'Poison Core Method' requires three things:
Three Heavenly FlamesA tier-seven Sky Poison Scorpion Dragon Beast magic coreBodhi Transformation Saliva"
Xiao Yuan sighed.
Three Heavenly Flames? Most people couldn't even find one. He and Xiao Yan had two each, plus Yao Lao's—five in total.
But the Scorpion Dragon Beast was a rare ancient beast; even tier-seven ones could take human form and were incredibly strong.
And the Bodhi Saliva?
Even Dou Zong experts would covet it.
No wonder no one had ever succeeded.
But… they had the Heavenly Flames. And Xiao Yuan had some idea where the other two items might be.
He rolled up the scroll. "Master, these materials are absurd."
"Be glad you've got five flames between you and Xiao Yan. That alone puts you above countless others," Yao Lao grumbled.
"Heh."
Suddenly, a sharp cry pierced the sky.
Xiao Yuan looked up. A massive azure eagle soared overhead, its claws sharp and beak gleaming.
But his eyes locked on the figure atop its head.
A graceful figure stood poised amidst the wind. Her clothes were white-violet, her snow-white hair cascading like a waterfall.
(END CHAPTER)
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