Above an unnamed peak in the Heavenly Star Mountain Range, Xiao Yan finished a cycle of breathing and stood up.
Although it seemed like he had been cultivating diligently during this period, his cultivation was entirely without focus, merely mechanically running his cultivation technique over and over, without truly comprehending the process of its interaction with the world's energy.
This kind of cultivation could be entirely handled by Qing Meng on his behalf, so it would have been a better choice for Xiao Yan to use this time to study cultivation techniques, Dou Techniques, or Alchemy. What he was doing now could only be described as a waste of time.
Xiao Yan stood at the edge of the cliff, gazing into the distance. It was nearing dusk, and the vast mountain range stretched endlessly, with lush forests at its base and towering ancient trees. The roars of various magical beasts echoed through the woods, never ceasing.
The setting sun cast a fiery red glow over half the sky, while the other half was a watery blue. A refreshing breeze blew by.
He appeared calm and natural, but his heart was empty, and he felt somewhat lost.
What was the purpose of his strenuous cultivation? He couldn't protect anyone he wanted to—his family, Little Fairy Doctor, Xiao Meng…
"Meng…" Qing Meng sat on Xiao Yan's shoulder, continuously licking a "Fire Rock Crystal." This was a crystal rich in fire-attribute energy, a snack Xiao Yan had specially prepared for it.
In the past few days, it had been living quite comfortably. Xiao Yan had no mind to manage it, nor did he need its help to run his cultivation technique for automatic cultivation. So, it spent its days eating, sleeping when full, or occasionally starting fires in the forest below, causing wildfires and watching the magical beasts flee in panic, having a blast.
It noticed that Xiao Yan's mood seemed very off, suddenly losing its appetite. After a moment of hesitation, it offered the "Fire Rock Crystal" to Xiao Yan's mouth: "Meng…"
Xiao Yan forced a smile: "You eat it, don't mind me."
He reached out and touched Qing Meng's somewhat collapsed pointed hat. After a moment of hesitation, he placed his hand on his glabella.
When his palm left his forehead, a silver flame was drawn out from the Sealed Artifact at his glabella.
Unrefined beast flames should be incredibly violent, especially a beast flame comparable to an otherworldly flame. Yet, Xiao Yan felt no hint of violence from this silver Space Fire. Or rather, it had restrained its violent side in his presence.
He could feel an incredibly intimate aura from it… Xiao Meng's aura.
"Xiao Meng…" Xiao Yan murmured.
After a moment of hesitation, he handed the silver flame to Qing Meng: "Refine it using the Flame Mantra method. I'm leaving it to you."
"Meng!" Qing Meng eagerly took the silver flame and swallowed it whole.
The Space Fire given by Xiao Meng, aside from its high essence and strong characteristics, didn't contain much energy. Therefore, it didn't significantly boost the Flame Mantra or provide Xiao Yan with much cultivation feedback.
Qing Meng's originally greenish-blue body with a glazed texture suddenly changed. A mercury-like color flowed over its body. After a while, the mercury spread throughout, and Qing Meng completely turned silvery-white, constantly flowing as if it were a liquid.
Qing Meng's face underwent slight changes, becoming softer. Xiao Yan stared at Qing Meng in a daze; he saw Xiao Meng from his childhood memories!
In a trance, he had the illusion that Xiao Meng was still by his side.
"This is my lifebound beast flame. Let it replace Xiao Meng and accompany Young Master…"
Xiao Meng's parting words echoed in his mind, and Xiao Yan fell backward powerlessly, hitting the ground heavily.
The discomfort of small stones digging into his back was ignored by Xiao Yan. A little pain made him feel slightly better.
He lay on the ground, silently covering most of his eyes with the back of his hand over his glabella.
"Xiao Meng…" Tears uncontrollably streamed from the corners of his eyes.
Even if Amon had given him a goal, a distant, slim possibility, he still found it hard to let go.
The countless gazes in the air shifted away from him, and whispers rose among the unseen beings.
"Xiao Yan's mental state seems a bit off."
"He's not really going to be disheartened like this, is he?"
"Trust his resilience. This small setback is nothing."
"Let's temporarily stop the mental pressure on him. Now he needs a gentle embrace to heal his emotional wounds."
"Should we guide Hun Xiao over?"
"Can she do it?"
"Nalan Yanran, who has developed some admiration for Xiao Yan, is stronger than her."
"She'll only share her pig trotters with Xiao Yan."
"I feel Mu Qingluan would be better."
"Or Cai Lin would work too. Cai Lin wouldn't refuse, right?"
...
In the Starcloud Pavilion's reception hall, Xiao Zhan solemnly took out a scroll from his space ring.
Yao Chen looked at the scroll, feeling the powerful aura it emitted, and his heart couldn't help but tremble slightly.
What he currently possessed were only a few Ninth-Rank Treasure Pill recipes. However, the fluctuations emanating from this scroll were far stronger than the Ninth-Rank Treasure Pill recipes he had previously reviewed.
This was a recipe for a ninth grade golden pill!
He solemnly took the recipe with both hands, his expression meticulous, as if it were an extremely solemn and sacred matter.
For an Alchemist like him, who was devoted to Alchemy and considered it his lifelong pursuit, a recipe for a ninth grade golden pill was worth such treatment!
Yao Chen slowly unrolled the scroll and extended his spirit power into it.
The sounds of dragon and phoenix cries echoed in his ears. He seemed to see a gigantic Taixu Ancient Dragon and a magical beast ninety percent similar to a Heavenly Demon Phoenix, but even nobler and more terrifying, fighting each other.
The two fought to tear the heavens and earth apart, dimming the sun and moon, and finally both perished, forming a large tree shaped like intertwined dragons and phoenixes. On the tree grew a fruit that was half-dragon and half-phoenix shaped.
A realization dawned on him: this recipe recorded the method for refining a medicinal pill called the Dragon Phoenix Great Pill.
Its main ingredients were three: Dragon Phoenix Origin Fruit, Taixu Ancient Dragon, and Ancient Heavenly Phoenix.
This recipe was discovered by Amon when he infiltrated the Taixu Ancient Dragon Clan and found it among the North Dragon King's collection. It was precisely after discovering it that Amon decided to act against the Taixu Ancient Dragon Clan and the Sky Demon Phoenix Clan.
Yao Chen was stunned for a moment, cold sweat pouring down. Just the ingredients alone made him tremble with fear.
He looked at Xiao Zhan in horror, a forced smile appearing on his face:
"These ingredients… The Ancient Heavenly Phoenix has long been extinct. Even if we use the Heavenly Demon Phoenix as a substitute, it's still a bit too hot to handle…
"And as far as I know, the Taixu Ancient Dragon Clan and the Sky Demon Phoenix Clan have disappeared from the Beast Domain."
Xiao Zhan laughed heartily: "Elder Yao, don't worry. Since we plan to refine it, we have naturally prepared the ingredients…"
Yao Chen suddenly reacted: "The disappearance of the Taixu Ancient Dragon Clan and the Sky Demon Phoenix Clan—was it your doing?"
Xiao Zhan nodded, confirming: "That's right. I plan to use the entire Taixu Ancient Dragon Clan, the entire Sky Demon Phoenix Clan, plus one Dragon Phoenix Origin Fruit, to refine this ninth grade golden pill!"
...
On the vast grassland, Amon, wearing a pointed soft hat and a crystal monocle over his right eye, opened his mouth and spat out a silver flame.
The flame gradually dissipated, revealing a graceful figure.
Cai Lin looked at the sky, then at the boundless green grassland, and her red lips slightly parted:
"What a long-lost sight."