Chapter 13: Hun Huzi' Promise

Splash~

In the dense forest between the mountains, a golden flame blade silently swept through the thick thorns. Wherever it passed, all obstacles were cut off, finally disappearing into a shadow. Blood flew, and a three-meter-long green snake twisted its broken body into view. Moments later, it breathed its last.

"Swoosh!"

A swift figure darted through the forest, the dense bushes posing no hindrance. After a while, it landed steadily in front of the green snake.

"A first-tier Earth Green Snake, highly toxic, adept at using surrounding plants to conceal its form. Unfortunately, you're facing an alchemist," muttered Yao Yan to himself. He raised his hand, summoning a fiery blade skillfully to sever the green snake's head to ensure it was truly dead.

These past three months, he had dealt with numerous magical beasts. He knew well the resilience of these creatures; some even feigned death, waiting to strike when approached.

Thus, the best approach was always to make sure they were truly dead, a principle that applied not only to magical beasts but also to humans.

"No magic core..."

Yao Yan dissected the Earth Green Snake but found no valuable items. He placed a few pieces of its flesh into his spatial ring before activating his energy, using his body movement technique to swiftly move away.

Staying in one place to process the harvest was taboo in these magical beast-infested mountains. The scent of blood easily attracted carnivorous beasts. Yao Yan had learned this lesson the hard way in the past three months. If not for his superior energy control and his ability to sense danger early with his soul power, he might have sought help from other alchemists long ago.

However, despite the challenges, he had reaped rich rewards. Firstly, his energy cultivation had successfully advanced to a six-star Dou Practitioner level.

His cultivation speed here far exceeded that in the city of Dan Ding, mainly due to the extensive energy consumption and recovery processes, which accelerated his progress and improved his proficiency in energy manipulation.

There was a reason why Hun Huzi had sent him to the Shen Nong Mountains for cultivation.

Unlike the bone-breaking training in the Stage of Martial Arts, the crucial aspect at the Fighter stage was the utilization of energy. Simply secluding oneself for cultivation wasn't beneficial for beginners like Yao Yan.

Moreover, mastering the use of energy in combat couldn't be learned solely from others' teachings; it required personal experience and insights.

Apart from that, mastering even just one of the Three Techniques of Combat would have been impossible within three months of seclusion cultivation.

...

Yao Yan arrived at a waterfall, surveyed the surroundings with his soul power, then disappeared into the cascading water. Ever since his encounter with the wolf pack, he had moved his residence here, using the water's flow to conceal his presence and tracks. Even his energy fluctuations were masked.

The cave behind the waterfall was of his own making, not too small in size. After several expansions, it had all the necessary facilities, including a bathtub.

He skillfully poured several bottles of powdered medicine into the bathtub, fetched water from the nearby waterfall, and then jumped in. Surrounding him, a golden flame ignited, quickly heating the medicine in the tub. The black-red liquid emitted a pungent odor, its medicinal properties seeping into his muscles and bones.

The medicine powder was prepared for Yao Yan by the pharmacists, capable of treating injuries and accelerating cultivation. Many rare ingredients were included.

In every realm, wealth and strength had been intertwined since ancient times.

Even on the Continent of Dou Qi, it was the same.

Without sufficient elixirs, how could Yao Yan maintain such a cultivation speed? Moreover, he was practicing the Triple Fire Technique, a foundational technique that few in the Yao family dared to attempt. But for the sake of his future path, he had to persevere.

The path that Yao Chen, could tread was certainly accessible to Yao Yan given his current talent.

He closed his eyes, immersing himself in cultivation.

Gathering of Heaven and Earth Energy,

Yao Yan could clearly feel the enhancement of his energy cyclone, its color becoming increasingly dense, as if it were about to liquefy. At the same time, strands of spiritual energy from the heavens and earth surged into his body, nourishing both his body and soul. Compared to the strengthening of his energy, the sensation of absorbing spiritual energy felt even more miraculous.

He even sensed the stirring of his Swallowing Spirit Clan bloodline, as if spiritual energy and its energy were of the same origin, yet the two energies were incompatible.

"Hum~"

Suddenly, a faint light flashed from Yao Yan's fingertip's spatial ring, and a jade pendant floated up enveloped in black flames. Along with the lingering of the black flames, a figure without any energy emerged in mid-air, its eyes flickering with red light, within which black flames swirled, giving off an eerie and sinister aura.

The newcomer was naturally a strand of Hun Huzi's' soul. He didn't interrupt Yao Yan's cultivation, just calmly observing him. With his soul power, he could clearly sense Yao Yan's bodily changes.

"Is this spiritual energy?"

Hun Huzi seemed to sense something and raised his hand. The black flames surged, instantly intercepting a strand of spiritual energy from the heavens and earth. He looked somewhat surprised at Yao Yan, as spiritual energy was an area only accessible to seventh-grade alchemists. He hadn't expected Yao Yan, at such a young age, to attract spiritual energy into his body, seemingly in perfect harmony with it.

Was it because of the Emperor bloodline or the Swallowing Spirit Clan bloodline?

"It seems this little guy's alchemy talent isn't weak."

Hun Huzi muttered softly to himself. Initially, he had valued Yao Yan for his Swallowing Spirit Clan bloodline talent. Now, he had some other thoughts. Perhaps he could cultivate Yao Yan's alchemy skills. If he could cultivate a ninth-grade alchemy grandmaster in the future, it would likely be helpful for the Soul Clan's ultimate plan.

When it came to alchemy, Soul Clan members were ultimately not as talented as those gifted individuals in the Yao Clan. Even Hun Huzi had to admit this fact.

After the absorption of the medicinal power in the liquid was complete, Yao Yan stopped cultivating and opened his eyes.

Being in the Shen Nong Mountains, he didn't dare to immerse himself too deeply in cultivation, fearing any accidents.

But today, opening his eyes clearly brought a surprise.

"Teacher."

Seeing the familiar black flame ghostly figure before him, Yao Yan's face lit up with joy and he quickly called out.

Wearing a mask for so long made it hard to take off.

Now, Yao Yan had developed almost a reflex.

Hun Huzi nodded, extremely approving of Yao Yan's performance during this period. Speaking gently, he said, "Well done, you've made rapid progress. The Triple Fire Technique of the Medicine Clan indeed suits you well at your current stage. As for the matter of techniques, when you advance to the Dou King stage, I will prepare them for you. The Soul Clan is not lacking in Heavenly Grade techniques."

This statement naturally was believed by Yao Yan. If one talked about being rich and powerful, the Soul Clan was undoubtedly the top power of the era. After all, they had raised bandits like the Soul Hall; if they desired something, they simply snatched it!

"In addition, I will also prepare a strange fire for you. I believe you have noticed, this fire is none other than the Void Devouring Flame, ranked second on the list of peculiar fires. Although it is not a Origin Fire, merely a derivative of the Void Devouring Flame, its power is enough to rank among the top five. Even a common derivative fire is far stronger than ordinary peculiar fires. Its uniqueness is highly compatible with your Swallowing Spirit Clan bloodline."

"Thank you, teacher!"

Yao Yan quickly stood up and bowed, excitement and anticipation shining in his eyes, though his heart remained calm. He was well aware that the Void Devouring Flame was a pitfall; without the Incineration Decision, it was best not to even touch it.

Otherwise, facing the true body of the Void Devouring Flame, you wouldn't even be able to muster the thought of resistance and might even be directly refined into a puppet.

The original one in the story had done just that; many high-level Soul Clan members had become its puppets after being implanted with the derivatives of the Void Devouring Flame.

This method was no different from the Pure Lotus Demon Fire.

It could only be said that they were truly difficult brothers, both skilled in refining people into puppets, having emerged from the depths of the Fighter Emperor's Cave together.

They both are good at refining people into puppets.