Chapter 7: The Old Servant Pharmacist

In a vast and timeless void, where chaos reigned without light, occasional distortions in space tore open, spewing terrifying black flames that silently consumed and destroyed everything in their path, leaving behind silent space rifts that continuously repaired themselves, eerie and bizarre.

In this place, time seemed to lose its meaning.

At the center, two figures were seated in meditation. Both figures were enveloped in black flames, with one of them being none other than the Hun Huzi who had previously 'communicated' with Yao Yan. However, compared to the previous wisp of soul, the current figure clearly represented his true form.

As the space in front of him split open, a soul body shrouded in black flames entered his body, and he slowly opened his eyes, a smile appearing at the corners of his mouth.

"Success?"

Sensing the change in Hun Huzi's mood, the other figure beside him spoke.

As the man spoke, the black flames throughout the entire void space became docile, no longer raging violently, emitting strange, whimpering sounds, seemingly welcoming their master.

The man was shrouded in black flames, with strange black runes covering his body. His eyes, like black holes, exuded a terrifying devouring power. Just locking eyes with him gave one the illusion that their soul was about to be swallowed.

This man was naturally the master of this void space, and also the second-ranked Void Devouring Flame on the list of Strange Fires.

Facing him, Hun Huzi's attitude became extremely respectful. He stood up and smiled, "Yes, Lord Void, after planning for a hundred years, we have finally succeeded by some stroke of luck. The little guy has successfully integrated the essence blood of the Swallowing Spirit King. As for whether he can perfectly inherit the talents of the Swallowing Spirit Clan, we'll have to wait for future tests."

Upon hearing this, Nihility Devouring Flame remained calm, seemingly indifferent to the matter. His tone was cold, "Rein it in. Before the plan begins, don't stir up too much trouble."

As one of the most pinnacle existences of the present time, he only cared about topics related to the Dou God. As for Hun Huzi's hobby, he had no interest in participating. Although the Swallowing Spirit Clan was mysterious, it was ultimately just an ancient clan that had been wiped out. He himself had long since mastered the abilities of the Swallowing Spirit Clan and knew well where its 'limit' lay.

"Lord Void, please rest assured. I know what matters and what doesn't," Hun Huzi nodded in agreement.

Nihility Devouring Flame's eyes flickered with black flames, his voice slightly fluctuating as he spoke slowly, "Have you been able to find out anything about the Xiao Clan?"

The Jade of the Ancient Emperor was divided into eight pieces, each controlled by one of the ancient eight clans. To this day, only the piece controlled by the Xiao Clan has disappeared without a trace since the Xiao Clan's demise. It was thought to have fallen into the hands of the Ancient Clan, but with the information gathered in recent years, it was discovered that the Ancient Clan had not obtained the piece controlled by the Xiao Clan.

When the Xiao Clan was annihilated by the Soul Clan, the surviving members sought refuge with the Ancient Clan and migrated to remote areas of the continent. Given the passage of time, finding their whereabouts now would undoubtedly be like searching for a needle in a haystack.

"The influence of the Soul Hall has spread across the continent. If there is any news, it will be relayed back immediately. However, I believe that instead of searching blindly like this, it would be better to focus on the Ancient Clan. The surviving members of the Xiao Clan sought refuge with the Ancient Clan under their protection. I refuse to believe that the Ancient Clan doesn't know the whereabouts of the Xiao Clan!" Hun Huzi's eyes flashed as he spoke solemnly.

"We're already planning for that, but it will take some time. It's a pity that only Gu Yuan knows about this matter, otherwise it wouldn't be so troublesome," Nihility Devouring Flame's expression turned slightly grim when he mentioned Gu Yuan.

A thousand years ago, he was severely injured by Gu Yuan, nearly reverting to his original form. Even now, he still felt a lingering pain, which made him keep a low profile for the past thousand years.

Seeing Nihility Devouring Flame's grim expression, Hun Huzi fell silent because it wasn't appropriate to comment on this matter.

Everyone has a youthful and impetuous stage, especially as a Spirit of Strange Fire, naturally characterized by impulsiveness.

Nihility Devouring Flame was like that in his youth. He even attempted to devour the Golden Emperor Incinerating Heaven Flame controlled by the Ancient Clan.

At that time, the host of the Golden Emperor Incinerating Heaven Flame was Gu Yuan's wife, who was pregnant. The result was foreseeable. After Gu Yuan's wife was severely injured by Nihility Devouring Flame, Gu Yuan arrived in time and exploded in fury.

If it hadn't been for the Soul Emperor and several elders of the Soul Clan to rescue him, Nihility Devouring Flame would have been torn apart by the furious Gu Yuan.

This incident almost led to war between the Soul Clan and the Ancient Clan.

Fortunately, Gu Yuan was relatively rational, weighing the consequences and hesitating, ultimately preventing a war that would have caused countless casualties between the two clans.

This hidden incident was something he had learned about in the past hundred years. No one had expected Nihility Devouring Flame to have such a past.

"I'll continue to search with the Soul Hall. As for the Ancient Clan, I'll take personal responsibility," Nihility Devouring Flame said coldly.

"Yes," Hun Huzi replied respectfully.

...

Meanwhile, Yao Yan had been meditating on a cushion. He didn't want to waste a single moment of time. Every increase in strength would be his confidence in not fearing anyone in the future.

Today's events made him feel insecure, as if his life and death were in someone else's hands. He didn't want to experience that feeling again.

This feeling of being treated like a lab rat is absolutely terrible.

In the fantasy world, only strength matters! However, compared to previous training sessions, this time's training is much more low-key.

Only a thin layer of elemental energy covered his body, far from the exaggerated display during the Whale Swallowing phase.

Naturally, Yao Yan deliberately restrained himself, not fully releasing his power. On one hand, he was afraid of attracting attention from the elders of the Yao Clan, and on the other hand, he listened to the advice of Hun Huzi, not rushing to break through.

Compared to breaking through in strength, what he needs to do now is to familiarize himself with his current body and the power brought by every strand of Dou Qi.

Whether it's the words of Hun Huzi or the elders of the Yao Clan, they all emphasize the importance of laying a solid foundation. Merely pursuing the speed of cultivation will only lead to a dead end in the future. Only by having a perfect foundation can one go further in the future.

Now, Yao Yan's foundation is already comparable to those monstrous talents with divine bloodlines. What he needs to do now is to completely master it.

It's like a Barrett sniper rifle. Its power is formidable, but even a strong adult cannot use it perfectly without enough experience and physique. Moreover, the one controlling it is still a youth.

"Is this what they call talent?"

Yao Yan slowly opened his eyes, a hint of emotion appearing in them as he muttered softly. Although he understood the importance of talent, it was only after possessing it that he realized the vast difference between a genius and a waste.

With his previous triple-grade bloodline, he wasn't considered trash, and could even be said to be above average. But compared to his current self... no, there was simply no comparison.

When he used to cultivate, especially during the Dou Practitioner stage, there was a limit to how much his body could withstand. If that limit was exceeded, his body would not be able to bear it, and prolonged cultivation would even burden his meridians to the point where he had to stop. But now, his body seemed to be able to withstand the nourishment of Dou Qi infinitely.

"No wonder those monstrous geniuses linger in the Dou Practitioner stage for so long..."

Yao Yan silently contemplated in his heart. At this moment, he was well aware that in the original story, if it weren't for Yao Chen forcing him to cultivate and nourish his body for several years, breaking through to the Dou Emperor level would have been the limit of Xiao Yan's life. If his luck had been slightly worse, Dou King would have been the pinnacle of his life. This had nothing to do with one's vision, but with the foundation.

Next was the special nature of the Burning Technique. After swallowing the Strange Fire, Xiao Yan repeatedly tempered and reshaped his body, causing his talent and foundation to undergo a qualitative change long ago.

Haven't you seen that even the naturally talented Yun Yun only reached the Dou Ancestor level in the end, and that was due to the efforts of her master, who pleaded for her.

"But finding an excuse for this is not easy."

Yao Yan furrowed his brows slightly and said softly.

At present, he only had a single segment of Dou Qi, and he might even stay at the Dou Practitioner stage for a long time in the future. This could not be concealed from the elders of the clan's school at all. Once those elders paid attention to him, trouble would inevitably arise. This made him think about discussing it with that teacher of his.

If he had a choice, he would really like to go to the Soul Clan for cultivation, as the talent he inherited from the Swallowing Spirit Clan was very suitable for a place like the Soul Clan.

Coupled with his current talent, his strength would surely increase rapidly.

Unfortunately, Yao Yan didn't want to mold himself into someone who only pursued power. No one would like a wolf in sheep's clothing, even if he himself was one.

This point had been perfectly demonstrated by Han Feng.

"Knock knock."

Just as Yao Yan was feeling a headache, a knocking sound came from outside the door. The sound was not loud, but with the sensitivity of a pharmacist's soul, any movement would be noticed.

Yao Yan's expression changed slightly. Being cautious, he didn't immediately go out, not even moving his body. He just spoke, "Who is it? I'm refining medicine right now, it's not convenient to go out."

"I am the Old Servant Pharmacist, under orders to handle any aftermath for Young Master."

With the clear surge of soul power entering the room, a distinct voice rang in Yao Yan's ears.

"?! "

A flash of surprise crossed Yao Yan's eyes because he recognized the Pharmacist. He was the head of a branch family in Dan Ding City, whose strength was unknown but definitely not weaker than the Dou Ancestor level.

Moreover, he was also a Peak Grade Six Pharmacist. The fact that he referred to himself as an old servant indicated that his cheap master had already arranged everything for him.

A qualified teacher indeed. I feel too embarrassed to hold a grudge against you... Yao Yan self-deprecated in his heart, while also feeling amazed at the horror of the Soul Clan, which had infiltrated the Yao Clan to such an extent. He didn't doubt that there were other moles within the Yao Clan, whose identities might be even more outrageous than the Pharmacist.

No wonder the Soul Emperor and others looked down on the various ancient clans, even treating them as stepping stones to break through to the Dou God level. There was reason behind this.

Those who only had thoughts of living comfortably were destined to be destroyed.

It could only end in destruction!