Chapter 226: The Bustling Saint Dan City
Zi Yan looked at the 'humble' giant before her, and her cute little face showed a touch of astonishment. She had never thought of killing him, but the speed at which he knelt was astonishing, especially since he had just been so ferocious moments ago.
As expected from the Gu Dragon Clan, this bloodline pressure was truly terrifying... Yao Yan thought to himself. He knew that high-level magical beasts had a suppressive effect on lower-level beasts, but he had never seen anything like this. To have the power of a fifth-tier creature suppress a seventh-tier peak beast to such an extent was unheard of.
This terrifying suppression must be related to the fact that the other party had the bloodline of the Dragon Clan.
If it were another magical beast from a different race, Zi Yan clearly wouldn't be able to suppress it in this manner.
The Celestial Fire Elder looked on, his eyes showing some surprise, and then he glanced at Zi Yan. Perhaps he had underestimated the concentration of this girl's bloodline. Even in the Gu Dragon Clan, her status was certainly not low.
In the beast clan, status was often determined by bloodline purity; the purer the blood, the higher the rank. This was similar to imperial families.
"We are not here to cause trouble, we just have a few questions for you," Yao Yan said, looking at the somewhat flustered Zi Yan, his figure drifting slightly forward. He then turned to the huge creature before him and said softly, "What's your name?"
"Xiong Zhuang!" the beast replied.
"Quite sturdy indeed," Yao Yan teased, continuing, "Do you still have any ties with the Gu Dragon Clan?"
"?!"
As soon as Yao Yan finished speaking, Xiong Zhuang's expression turned to one of confusion. He then looked at Zi Yan, clearly unsure of what Yao Yan meant. Was this group not from the Gu Dragon Clan?
But the bloodline concentration within this young lady was so overwhelming that he didn't dare think about resisting. This terrifying bloodline pressure could only be possessed by the royal family of the Gu Dragon Clan. Ordinary members of the clan couldn't do this.
After all, Xiong Zhuang had reached his current level because of his own dragon bloodline, which was clearly quite potent.
"Are you all not from Gu Dragon Island?" Xiong Zhuang asked, organizing his words.
"I won't hide it from you, her name is Zi Yan. She has lived in the Black Corner Region for a long time and knows nothing about her parents or past. I brought her here to ask if you can establish contact with the Gu Dragon Clan, and also to investigate her background," Yao Yan said softly.
Upon hearing this, Xiong Zhuang's pupils contracted in shock, and he stared at Zi Yan. The concentration of her bloodline was so high that she had been abandoned in the outside world as a child. This was unthinkable for the Gu Dragon Clan. Could this be related to internal strife within the clan?
Xiong Zhuang was aware of the internal strife within the Gu Dragon Clan, but the details were not clear to him.
After a moment of thought, he slowly said, "There is a way to contact them, but it's one-sided. Whether or not they respond, I can't decide... But this young lady's bloodline is incredibly potent. She may have been born into royalty. Whether she's the offspring of a Dragon King, that's for the elders to decide."
"Give me the contact information," Yao Yan asked, raising his hand.
Xiong Zhuang hesitated for a moment, then took out a blood-colored dragon jade and respectfully handed it to Yao Yan. He looked at Zi Yan and said with a somewhat gloomy tone, "This young lady's identity is special. Until her identity is confirmed, I advise you not to bring her into the clan. If you must go, head straight to Gu Dragon Island. Avoid contact with anyone else."
"Gu Dragon Island?" Yao Yan asked knowingly.
"That's the ancestral land of the Gu Dragon Clan, where the strongest members of the clan live... But after the Dragon Emperor disappeared, the clan split apart. There's been internal conflict for hundreds of years, and I'm not sure what's going on there now," Xiong Zhuang explained helplessly.
He had originally been part of a subordinate race to the Gu Dragon Clan, so he didn't have the right to interfere with the affairs of the main clan. He knew these things because of his father's good standing in the past.
In the last few centuries, he had purposely avoided news from the Gu Dragon Clan, afraid of being dragged into their chaos, just like his father had been, dying mysteriously.
"Is the internal conflict still ongoing?" the Celestial Fire Elder asked in surprise.
"The Dragon Emperor disappeared without a successor. The several Dragon Kings couldn't accept this, and each wanted the throne, leading to the endless infighting in the Gu Dragon Clan. Many elders chose to leave and explore the void... If it weren't for this, the Beast World would never have seen the rise of the Celestial Phoenix Clan," Xiong Zhuang said dismissively, clearly not impressed by the current dominant forces in the Beast World.
"Does no one know where the Dragon Emperor went?" the Celestial Fire Elder asked, surprised.
"I don't know the details. My father never said," Xiong Zhuang replied, shaking his head.
"Thank you," Yao Yan said as he placed the blood-colored dragon jade into his spatial ring. He then thanked Xiong Zhuang and led Zi Yan and the others away.
Xiong Zhuang watched them leave and took a deep breath, slapping his chest as he muttered to himself, "That was terrifying... What kind of little ancestor is this? Could she be the offspring of some Dragon King from back then?"
He thought for a moment but couldn't figure it out, so he decided not to think about it further and returned to his secluded cultivation, hoping to break through to the eighth tier as soon as possible!
To break through to the ninth tier and become the supreme Dragon Bear, he would need to undergo a bloodline cleansing at the Gu Dragon Clan's ancestral grounds. But whether they would agree to this was uncertain. Perhaps meeting Zi Yan's group was his chance.
He didn't know if there would be another opportunity to meet them again.
...
Elsewhere.
Yao Yan looked at Zi Yan, who appeared conflicted, and gently patted her head, offering reassurance. "Don't worry too much. We'll have to go eventually... Once Elder Yao exits his retreat, we'll try to contact the Gu Dragon Clan."
"Okay~" Zi Yan replied glumly.
Learning that her clan was in the midst of infighting, she didn't feel much desire to return. If her parents were still alive, they surely wouldn't have let her remain outside like this. The experiences she had gone through over the years made it clear to her that... they might already be gone.
"Everything will be fine with big brother~" Yao Yan softly assured her.
Zi Yan felt warmth in her heart and clenched her little fist, nodding firmly at Yao Yan.
The Celestial Fire Elder stroked his white beard and glanced toward Xiong Zhuang's location. "That Gu Dragon Bear's bloodline is special. He should have no trouble breaking through to the eighth tier. If needed, we might be able to have him protect Zi Yan in the future."
"We'll talk about it when he breaks through. He's still a bit weak at the seventh tier," Yao Yan said softly.
He hadn't taken Xiong Zhuang with them because he didn't want to disturb his seclusion. From what he could see, Xiong Zhuang had accumulated enough energy; what was lacking was just the time needed for transformation. That could take a few years, or even over a decade.
By then, Yao Yan felt he wouldn't need Xiong Zhuang anymore, but having him as an attendant would be fine.
...
Half a month later, Yao Yan and the others emerged from the Dan Realm space portal.
The old man at the entrance, still like a statue, showed no signs of emotion at their arrival. He maintained his meditative posture.
Yao Yan gave him a slight bow and led the group out. With the main ingredients for the Nine-turn Immortal Pill gathered, only the remaining materials were needed. There would be no need for further hassle, and once the pill was successfully refined, he could advance his body to the third level of the Indestructible Diamond Body.
At that point, along with his Hun power reaching the Heavenly Realm, even ordinary Dou Zun would find it difficult to cause him any trouble.
Without speaking, they quickly returned to Xuan Yi's secluded cabin.
Xuan Yi was still wearing that elegant cheongsam, graceful and dignified like a noblewoman. She smiled upon seeing Yao Yan and the others return. "Did you gather all the materials? If anything is missing, just tell Aunt Xuan."
"It's all gathered," Yao Yan replied with a smile, shaking his head.
"Efficient~" With a laugh, Xuan Kongzi appeared in the courtyard. He glanced at Yao Yan and said, "Do you need some time to rest? Refining eighth-tier pills is no easy task."
"No need, there were no problems gathering the materials," Yao Yan replied, returning Xuan Kongzi's token.
Xuan Kongzi nodded. "Very well. I've prepared the stage for you. Let's see what you can do. After today, your name will surely echo throughout the entire Central Continent."
He then turned to Xuan Yi and continued, "I'll take the person, the others are waiting outside."
"Be careful," Xuan Yi reminded, not wanting Yao Yan to face any hardships.
"Don't worry, with his talent, after today, the Pill Tower will treat him like a precious gem. Even if the Yao Clan comes to claim him, the old fogies at the Pill Tower won't let him go. Just keep an eye on Yao Chen," Xuan Kongzi waved his hand dismissively and then distorted space, taking Yao Yan and the others away.
Talent is always the best calling card, and when that talent is fully displayed, its value will become apparent.
With Yao Yan's current talent, breaking into the ninth-tier had a high likelihood.
After all, he was just over twenty years old.
Such a monstrous prodigy was rare in the Central Continent, and now he was within the Pill Tower. One could only imagine how the old monsters of the Pill Tower would react, especially when Yao Yan successfully refined the Nine-turn Immortal Pill, an advanced eighth-tier pill. The Pill Tower, and even the Central Continent, would surely tremble.
In the end, Yao Yan's age worked against him. He was just too young!
...
Saint Dan City remained as lively as ever, but if anyone knew any seventh-tier or higher alchemists, they would notice that these alchemists had recently been discussing a single topic, with the subject being Yao Chen and Yao Yan.
"Who would've thought that the famous Yao Revered would still be alive? I always said, with Yao Revered's alchemy skills, how could he have died from alchemy backlash? His disciple back then really had some nerve!"
"I've heard the latest news, that Yao Revered's disciple seems to have betrayed him, which is why he's been missing for so many years."
"Let's not talk about that. Let's talk about this Yao Yan. What do you all think of him? The message from the Pill Tower says they'll be assessing him soon, and the content of the assessment is to refine an eighth-tier pill!"
"Twenty-something-year-old eighth-tier alchemist? What do you want me to think? I'm only mid-seventh tier!"
"It's probably true. He's a monster. His talent is even stronger than Yao Chen's... The people from the five major families are probably getting nervous. They've been watching the next selection for the Three Pillar Leaders."
"That's true. If Yao Yan joins the Pill Tower, and with Yao Revered's connections, he will certainly claim one of the Three Pillar positions."
...
People from the five major families, upon hearing this, couldn't help but feel uneasy. They all understood what Yao Yan's appearance represented. For the Pill Tower, they would never let someone with his talent slip away. With Yao Revered's connections, Yao Yan was bound to claim one of the Three Pillar spots.
This would leave fewer spots for the five families to compete for, and for weaker families, this was undoubtedly bad news.
In this generation, the heirs of the Cao and Dan families were both prodigies, and if they grew up, they would surely be strong competitors for the next Three Pillars. For families with weaker strengths, this was hard to accept.
"You've taken all the spots. What are we supposed to do?!"
"Interesting, did Grandfather send me here just to watch him refine pills?" A delicate little girl smiled as she tilted her head, asking the elder beside her.
The little girl, around ten years old, was very delicate, with long, thick eyelashes. When she blinked, she exuded an almost irresistible charm... But this charm wasn't the kind of allure women often have; it came from her powerful Hun power.
Though she was young, her Hun power could rival that of some fourth or fifth-tier alchemists.
The old man beside her, holding a cane, was being supported by the little girl as they walked toward the plaza. His eyes gleamed with sharpness as he slowly said, "According to the latest news, that boy is no older than twenty-two."
"Isn't that just an eighth-tier pill? When Ying'er is twenty-two, she'll be able to refine it!" The little girl said confidently, looking up with bright eyes.
"Ambitious, haha," the old man laughed. He trusted the little girl's words completely. She was the most talented child of the Cao family's current generation. (END CHAPTER)
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 30 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Kira1997