Reaching the pinnacle from Doupo

Chapter 523 Spoils of War, Heading to the Southern Region
Having gained two more high-quality, powerful souls, Lin Yuan was in high spirits.

"So this is all the strength the two elders of the Scorpion Demon have!" His gaze fell on the two corpses lying side by side, and a question arose in his mind. "In the original timeline, how did they manage to delay Elder Yao—a high-level half-saint—for so long?"

"Could it be that Elder Yao's combat strength is really too weak, so he always performs at a 50/50 level when fighting against most people?"

"Speaking of which, it seems that Elder Yao didn't use any powerful fighting techniques or secret methods in his battles after breaking through to the Half-Saint realm? Could it be that he really doesn't know any Heaven-Rank fighting techniques?"

"If one lacks powerful combat skills and secret techniques to enhance combat strength, it is understandable that one would be delayed by lower-level experts."

As someone who has mastered numerous powerful combat techniques and secret arts, Lin Yuan's overall abilities are top-notch among those of the same realm, making him a master at fighting opponents of higher levels. When facing opponents of lower realms, he can unleash devastating attacks, rarely getting bogged down in a prolonged battle.

Suppressing his distracting thoughts, he took a deep breath to calm his surging blood and qi, and snatched the storage rings from the fingers of the two corpses.

For Lin Yuan, the soul imprints of the two in his storage ring were naturally no match for him; he could easily dispel them with a casual sweep.

Then, with a thought, he released the items from his storage ring.

In an instant, countless treasures flew out of the storage ring, circling around Lin Yuan and Feng Qing'er in the center like stars.

Among these treasures are numerous rare and precious materials, radiating boundless energy; many scrolls of cultivation techniques and combat skills, exuding a mysterious aura; many high-grade medicinal herbs, their fragrance filling the air; a considerable number of pill formulas; and dozens of rank-eight pills.

Lin Yuan's gaze shifted slightly, sweeping over the many treasures before finally settling on a snow-white rabbit, its body enveloped in a rich medicinal fragrance.

This is a pill beast, or perhaps it was transformed from a rank eight nine-colored pill.

In the original timeline, the three elders of the Scorpion Demon successfully traded this pill beast for the last fragment of the Pure Lotus Demon Flame map.

"Just as I suspected, Scorpion is a high-level alchemist." Lin Yuan nodded inwardly, confirming his guess, as his gaze swept over the pills. "I knew it! The Three Elders of the Scorpion Demon Sect aren't from top-tier forces, yet they can compete with Elder Yao for pills; they must be high-level alchemists..."

"Only an alchemist would be so crazy as to offer an eighth-grade, nine-colored pill for a mere fragment of a demonic fire diagram without knowing the details!"

"Very well, his early-stage Heaven Realm soul is just what I need."

Thinking of this, Lin Yuan's lips couldn't help but curl up slightly, revealing a rather cheerful smile.

He then picked up the snow-white pill beast and examined it carefully, feeling the abundant spiritual energy contained within it. His eyes lit up with even more surprise—this pill beast had obviously been carefully fed for a long time and was of extremely high quality.

"Could it be that the Scorpion also harbors ambitions to cultivate pills? Does it intend to nurture this pill beast into a ninth-grade pill beast?"

"With this pill beast, plus the one I obtained from the ruins of the Creation Saint... the preparations for researching the topic of upgrading pills to the ninth grade are now complete!"

"We should find a time to move on to the final step of this research."

While pondering, Lin Yuan put away the pill beast, then waved his sleeve, taking most of the treasures into the Nether Sea Ring, leaving only a few items outside.

"Two low-level Heaven-rank cultivation techniques, one fire-based and one earth-based... Tsk, these three old lechers are quite wealthy!"

After examining two of the scrolls, Lin Yuan raised an eyebrow and looked somewhat sentimental.

These two Heavenly Rank cultivation techniques, plus the one Little Fairy Doctor seized from Earth Scorpion (a Heavenly Rank water-attribute cultivation technique, the same one that allows one to switch to the Vajra Glazed Body in the original storyline), give the Scorpion Demon Three Ghosts a total of three Heavenly Rank cultivation techniques of different attributes.

In this sense, the foundation of the Cloud Rain Sect is in no way inferior to that of the Heavenly Nether Sect, which only possesses one low-level Heavenly Rank cultivation technique and one low-level Heavenly Rank combat skill.

"Another Heaven-Rank cultivation technique?!"

Beside her, Feng Qing'er stared at the two scrolls, a hint of curiosity flashing in her eyes—heavenly-rank cultivation techniques and heavenly-rank combat skills existed within the clan, but she was not yet qualified to access them.

"Take a look. Even though you can't cultivate, it's good to broaden your horizons."

Lin Yuan smiled slightly, tossed the scroll in his hand to Feng Qing'er, and said gently, while he himself looked at the other scrolls and pill formulas.

Those prescriptions and scrolls faintly exuded a mysterious aura.

After a long while, Lin Yuan closed the last scroll, a strange look appearing on his face—the three Scorpion Demons were quite fortunate, actually obtaining excellent high-level dual cultivation techniques and dual cultivation pills, from which even he benefited greatly.

Shaking his head, Lin Yuan suppressed his eagerness and waved his hand to put away all the scrolls and pill formulas.

"Let's go, little phoenix, let's finish up!"

Lin Yuan gave a shout, then moved and flew towards the Cloud Rain Sect not far away. Behind him, Feng Qing'er spread her battle qi wings and followed closely.
-
A day later, two figures flew out of the Cloud Rain Sect, streaking across the sky like shooting stars, and plunged into a dazzling cloudscape on the horizon, returning to the warship in the clouds.

The warships immediately started up and sped off towards the southern region.

Feng Qing'er moved gracefully to the side of the ship and came to Lin Yuan, who was quietly admiring the sea of ​​clouds.

She tilted her head slightly, her gaze falling on Lin Yuan's handsome profile. She parted her lips slightly and asked softly, "I've heard that the Flower Sect has always valued its reputation highly. Will they really accept and protect those thousands of Cloud Rain Sect disciples?"

Feeling sorry for those of her kind, as a woman, she naturally hated sects like the Cloud and Rain Sect, and felt some sympathy for the unfortunate women trapped within them.

"Hehe, don't worry!" Lin Yuan's lips curled up slightly, his expression full of confidence. "I have some connections with the Flower Sect Master. With my letter, there will definitely be no problem with this matter!"

"Moreover, although the Scorpion Demons and the Three Ghosts have despicable ways of doing things, their judgment is not bad at all."

"Most of the female disciples of the Cloud Rain Sect who were chosen as cultivation vessels possessed remarkable cultivation aptitude and could be considered geniuses. If the Flower Sect were to accept them, it would be a huge gain for them as well."

"After all, the greatest wealth of a sect lies first in its powerful sect leaders, and secondly in its outstanding junior disciples..."

"The current sect leader of the Flower Sect came from outside and her foundation in the sect is not yet stable. By accepting this group of talented disciples, she can also consolidate her own position."

"In that case, it can be considered a win-win situation!"

"In addition, although we took away most of the Cloud Rain Sect's resources, what remains is still a considerable fortune."

"With those cultivation techniques and fighting skills as a pledge of allegiance, I believe the Flower Sect will gladly accept them."

"Do you have a past with the Flower Sect Master?!" Feng Qing'er seemed to be deep in thought, turning her head to look at the surging sea of ​​clouds in the distance, her voice distant and ethereal.

“What you say makes sense. However, after the Flower Sect accepts them, will any other problems arise? After all, with so many Cloud Rain Sect disciples suddenly joining, there might be dissenting voices within the Flower Sect.”

"Nothing in this world is perfect; some setbacks are inevitable," Lin Yuan shrugged, gazing into the depths of the sea of ​​clouds, and said calmly.

"Yun Yun, the sect leader of the Flower Sect, is a kind person and not stupid. She will handle this matter properly."

"As for the disciples of the Cloud Rain Sect, after experiencing this upheaval, most of them only yearn for a stable place to live. As long as the Flower Sect gives them a chance, they will definitely do their best to integrate into it..." "In any case, it seems to be the best solution at present."

As they spoke, a gentle breeze swept by, like a pair of tender hands, softly lifting the hem of Lin Yuan's clothes and also stirring the strands of hair by Feng Qing'er's ear.

"I see!" Feng Qing'er raised her hand and gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. No longer dwelling on the matter, she changed the subject and asked, "Next, we're going to the Southern Region. Is there a specific goal? What was that 'little excitement' you mentioned earlier?"

"Hehe, it's a challenge!" Lin Yuan chuckled, a meaningful look appearing on his face. "It's a challenge between the two most outstanding women of the younger generation..."

If everything goes smoothly, we should be able to obtain the Golden Emperor's Burning Heaven Flame.

The alchemy task that has been dragging on for quite some time at the Soul Palace is finally ready to be submitted to the branch hall—as the Heavenly Venerable of the Soul Palace, I must fulfill my duties properly!
Upon hearing this, Feng Qing'er immediately became very interested: "The two most outstanding women have challenged each other. Who are they?"

Lin Yuan smiled and frankly told him: "One of them is Gu Xun'er, the daughter of the ancient clan chief; the other is Huo Zhi, the current Fire Lotus Master of the Yan clan."

Upon hearing this, Feng Qing'er nodded slightly, a look of surprise appearing in her eyes.

"As expected, they are from the younger generation of an ancient clan!"

Although she was proud of her Heavenly Phoenix bloodline, she was also well aware that the Heavenly Phoenix Clan was far inferior in strength to those ancient clans.

Soon, she recalled the details of Lin Yuan's words.

"By the way, did you just say 'the most outstanding on the surface'?" Feng Qing'er's beautiful eyes flashed with a hint of doubt as she pressed on, "What do you mean by 'on the surface'? Are there some hidden, powerful figures among them?"

"Of course!" Lin Yuan laughed heartily, a proud smile curving his lips. "Because the most outstanding one is my wife, hahaha..."
-
The Eastern Region, the Ancient Holy City.

In the heart of the ancient holy city, a vast lake lies embedded in the ground. The lake is exceptionally clear, yet it appears so deep that its end is nowhere in sight.

Around the lake, hundreds of elite Black Annihilation Army soldiers stood upright, holding long spears.

These people's sharp gazes swept around, and powerful auras of those above the level of Dou Wang emanated from their bodies.

Suddenly, ripples spread across the calm lake, and a terrifying spatial fluctuation emanated from it. The next instant, a dazzling beam of light shot out from the bottom of the lake.

Upon seeing this, the Black Annihilation Army soldiers stationed there all bowed their heads respectfully.

The space slowly tore open, revealing a black portal leading to an unknown depth.

One after another, dark figures burst forth from the gate and stood in neat rows by the lake. Their powerful and murderous auras erupted like a volcano, while the two elders at the head of the group exuded a powerful aura of Dou Zun level even as they stood casually.

Then, a slender figure in green robes appeared in the spatial gate and landed on the lake surface, immediately emanating the powerful aura of a six-star Dou Zun.

And the girl's stunningly beautiful face finally appeared in the sunlight.

"Meet Miss!"

The two Dou Zun elders bowed their heads deeply, while the rest of the crowd knelt down on one knee respectfully before the girl with a "whoosh".

Gu Xun'er, the number one prodigy of the ancient clans, sets out for war!

Gu Xun'er glanced at the crowd indifferently, then her clear, cold voice rang out: "Let's go, destination... Southern Region, Tianyun Mountain Range!"

Without further ado, she waved her hand, her figure transforming into a golden streak of light, soaring into the warship above the ancient saint and disappearing from everyone's sight.

Then, dozens of powerful figures followed closely behind.

"Woo-"

As more and more people boarded the warships, a horn sounded.

Dark clouds churned, the warship trembled slowly, and finally transformed into layers of dark clouds, carrying an astonishing momentum, as it swept towards the southern region.

Shortly after the warship departed, several more figures flew out from the spatial gate...
-
Beast Realm, Azure Phoenix Mountain Range.

This mountain range, rich in the energy of heaven and earth, is the home of one of the three branches of the Azure Phoenix Clan, and is considered a renowned place in the entire Beast Domain.

At this moment, in the center of the Azure Phoenix Mountains, several figures were saying goodbye.

"Uncle Mu, this junior will take his leave now!" Xiao Yan, who had already stepped into the four-star Dou Zong realm, respectfully cupped his hands to the refined middle-aged man in front of him. "Thank you for your hospitality these past few days, and thanks to your great help, I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to receive the Ancient Radiance Baptism..."

At this point, Xiao Yan's usually calm voice couldn't help but show some excitement—this Ancient Radiance Baptism had allowed him to advance his Dou Zong cultivation by two stars within a month.

This opportunity was an absolute stroke of good fortune for him.

After all, if the cultivation progresses normally, it would take at least half a year, or even a year, to achieve the improvement of these two stars.

"Hehe, you're too kind, my dear nephew!" The refined middle-aged man smiled, waved his hand gently, and said warmly, "You earned this opportunity through your own efforts; I merely nominated you..."

Just as Xiao Yan was about to exchange a few more polite words, Mu Qingluan's charming and lively voice came from the back of a giant, snow-white crane not far away.

"Senior brother, please don't stand on ceremony with my father anymore. We should head to the Tianyun Mountains!"

"This girl is still so impatient."

The refined middle-aged man glanced at Mu Qingluan, then helplessly rubbed his temples, but his eyes were full of doting affection.

He shook his head, then looked back at the tall, handsome young man, and said gently, "Nephew, Luan'er has been spoiled by Brother Feng and me since she was little, and her personality is a bit impulsive. I hope that as her senior brother, you can take good care of her when you are out there training..."

Xiao Yan nodded heavily and said solemnly, "Uncle Mu, don't worry, I will definitely take good care of Junior Sister Qingluan!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he didn't hesitate for a moment. He moved and instantly flew onto the back of the snow-white giant crane, sitting cross-legged behind Mu Qingluan.

"Father, I'm going out to gain experience!"

Mu Qingluan smiled sweetly at the middle-aged man, waved goodbye, and gently patted the white crane beneath her.

A clear and melodious crane cry rang out, and the giant crane with spiritual power flapped its wings, bringing up a strong gust of wind. Like an arrow released from a bow, it "whooshed" through the sky and sped away towards the outside of the Azure Phoenix Mountain Range.

In a few flashes, the group disappeared from Mu Qingluan's father's sight, leaving only a faint white afterimage that gradually dissipated in the sky.

(End of this chapter)