Reaching the pinnacle from Doupo

Chapter 603 The conflict ends, the Dan Conference begins!
A moment later, the lingering smoke and dust dissipated.

A figure, who had struggled to his feet but still looked disheveled, slowly appeared in the astonished gaze of the crowd.

"Teacher..." "Old man medicine..."

The seats in the Four Directions Pavilion erupted into chaos, with two voices filled with worry and astonishment.

The figure that had been blasted away and was now swaying precariously was none other than Elder Yao!
A shocking trace of blood hung from the corner of his mouth, his face was as pale as paper, but his eyes gleamed with extreme anger.

"I'm fine... Pfft!" Not wanting to show weakness in front of the heroes, Yao Lao tried to endure his injuries, but how could he withstand the attack of a four-star Dou Sheng? He immediately spat out another mouthful of blood, and his aura weakened considerably.

Upon seeing this, Xiao Yan's heart tightened, and he quickly walked to Yao Lao's side, supporting the latter with concern and anxiety in his eyes.

"I'm fine..."

Spitting out the blood and foam from his mouth, Yao Lao subconsciously pulled Xiao Yan behind him, then suddenly looked up, his gaze dark and brooding as he stared intently at the culprit in the sky.

"Yao... Wan... Gui!" Yao Lao uttered the name he had hated for so long and which was etched into his heart, word by word. His eyes involuntarily turned blood red, like the sky stained with blood, filled with anger and hatred.

Seeing this scene, Xuan Yi on the high platform felt a pang in her heart. Having known each other for many years, this was the first time she had ever seen Yao Lao like this.

However, Yao Wangui smiled calmly at Yao Lao's gloomy and hateful expression... A mere one-star Dou Sheng was nothing in front of him.

He hovered in mid-air, looking down at Yao Lao with a mocking smile.

"It's you, Yao Chen!"

"Hehe, I didn't expect that you, this lowly piece of trash, would actually reach the level of Dou Sheng? That really surprised me."

"However, a lowly person is always a lowly person. Even if they are lucky enough to become a Battle Saint, they will never be respectable! After being expelled from the clan, you still didn't reflect on your actions? Instead of learning good things, you picked up sneaky and despicable habits..."

"Looking back now, my decision to expel you back then was indeed incredibly wise!"

The disdainful and cold voice echoed like thunder over Saint Dan City, making many people's eardrums ache.

Many eyes turned to them, but no one said anything.

Ordinary strongmen would not dare to provoke such a behemoth as the Medicine Clan. Therefore, many people watched all of this quietly with a spectator's mentality.

The meeting hasn't officially started yet, so it's good to watch for some fun.

The amusement among powerful Battle Saints, especially between Medicine Saints and the Medicine Clan, is even rarer than the Pill Gathering.

Hearing Yao Wangui's merciless mockery, Yao Lao was also extremely angry, so much so that his body trembled uncontrollably. Although he was usually calm and composed, being expelled from the Yao clan was the deepest thorn in his heart.

Whenever this thorn is touched, his composure almost vanishes, especially when the one who touches it is the very culprit who caused him to leave his clan!
However, the huge difference in cultivation level between the two prevented him from making any rash moves.

At this moment, Yao Lao, who had already reached the level of a Dou Sheng, desperately craved power—power no less than that of Yao Wangui, power sufficient to avenge past grievances and wash away today's shame.

Beside him, Xiao Yan was also furious, his eyes cold as he stared at Yao Wangui.

He regarded the old doctor as his father, and one of the things he couldn't stand the most was others insulting the old doctor. But this damned old devil publicly humiliated the old doctor.

Noticing the resentful gaze, Yao Wangui slightly turned his head, his gaze falling on the former.

"Chen... no, Xiao Yan of the Xiao Clan, who challenged Zi You to a duel?" He raised an eyebrow, looked Xiao Yan up and down, and a disdainful smile appeared on his lips. "A mere mid-stage Spirit Realm cultivator dares to challenge Zi You to a duel in alchemy?"

"Sure enough, the disciples taught by that idiot Yao Chen are just like him—ignorant of hierarchy and utterly ignorant of their own limitations..."

He paused, then pointed a finger at Xiao Yan and then at Yao Lao.

“A remnant of the fallen Xiao clan, and a discarded person expelled from the Yao clan... As two useless people without bloodline power, you two are a perfect master and disciple. It would be a waste for the strange fire to fall into your hands. What a pity.”

At this point, Yao Wangui's lips curled up slightly, revealing a meaningful smile, while a chill ran through his heart.

Indeed, a rare and extraordinary fire of heaven and earth should not be allowed to remain hidden in the dust!

The anger of Yao Lao and Xiao Yan, who had been mocked by him, was now almost uncontrollable.

Especially for the young and impetuous Xiao Yan, these few short words from the other party trampled on the dignity of himself, Yao Lao, and the Xiao Clan at the same time. If there were a "kill list", he would definitely rank Yao Wangui, that old dog, in the top three.

This ability to attract hatred is terrifying, and Lin Yuan couldn't help but admire it in secret.

Xiao Yan was by nature straightforward and unyielding. Being publicly humiliated like this, he instinctively stepped forward and, in a fit of youthful arrogance, uttered some harsh words.

However, this step forward startled the enraged Elder Yao!
He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, then grabbed Xiao Yan, shook his head solemnly, and signaled the latter not to act impulsively.

Yao Wangui seemed to be deliberately provoking them, so they were even less likely to fall for his tricks.

"For the strange fire?" After a moment's thought, Yao Lao vaguely guessed Yao Wangui's purpose, and a sense of crisis immediately arose in his heart.

"Yao Wangui, all that has happened in the past will one day be settled!" Looking deeply at Yao Wangui, Elder Yao said coldly, "My disciple will not be inferior to the core disciples of the Yao Clan. The upcoming Pill Gathering will prove my words..."

I am not strong enough to defeat Yao Wangui now, so I will bring the matter back to the Pill Gathering and use the power of the Pill Tower to suppress the latter.

Seeing that Yao Chen was not fooled, a sinister glint flashed in Yao Wangui's eyes.

Just as Elder Yao had predicted, after he finished speaking, Elder Lin's angry voice rang out: "Yao Wangui, the Pill Gathering is not a place for you to settle personal grudges. If you truly wish to witness the power and resources of my Pill Tower, I can grant your wish..."

Yao Wangui's repeated rude behavior truly showed that he regarded the Pill Tower as nothing, which really angered Elder Lin.

In this situation, even if we have to use some of our trump cards, the patriarch won't blame us!

As a top-tier power that once boasted peak experts and advanced Dou Sheng, the Dan Tower is not without extraordinary means in its home turf of Saint Pill City, which has been operating for thousands of years.

However, using those methods comes at a considerable cost and should not be used lightly.

But Danta will not allow himself to be humiliated!
On the other side, Huo Yao also realized what was happening and urged, "Brother Wan Gui, the host has spoken, so let's give him face and go!"

If Yao Wangui wants to seize the strange fire from the Four Directions Pavilion, then we really can't let him succeed... The difficulty for the Flame Clan to obtain the strange fire is completely different depending on whether it's in the Four Directions Pavilion or in the Yao Clan!
Hearing Elder Lin and Huo Yao's words, Yao Wangui's lips twitched slightly. But he also understood that with Huo Yao protecting him today, if he were to force his way in, he would not only fail but also give others ammunition to criticize him.

The Medicine Clan is not invincible; they still need to have a sense of "reason" in their actions.

"Since Brother Huo Yao has said so, I will naturally comply." Yao Wangui shrugged, his gaze sweeping over Yao Lao and Xiao Yan, and sneered, "Heh, let me take a good look at this Pill Gathering. Don't just talk the talk..."

After saying that, he moved and flew straight into the spatial passage torn open by Huo Yao, disappearing from everyone's sight.

Huo Yao nodded amicably to Lin Yuan, Elder Lin, and Elder Yao, then glanced at the Yan Clan members in the audience before slowly walking into the spatial passage in front of him.

After he entered, the spatial passage trembled slightly and then slowly dissipated.

As the passage dissipated, a soft and gentle voice gently rang in Huo Xuan and Huo Zhi's ears.

"Go and make contact with Yao Chen before bringing up the matter of trading for the Strange Flame! His Strange Flame is coveted by Yao Wangui, so his thoughts may have changed. Also, this person is already a Dou Sheng, and he is very likely to enter the Ninth Rank in the future, so you can go and befriend him appropriately."

"For our Yan Clan, the more friends with the talent of a ninth-grade alchemist, the better. We don't need to be confined to the Medicine Clan or the Pill Tower..."
-
With the troublemaker Yao Wangui taken away, the Second Star Dou Sheng Little Pill Tower Elder was naturally able to take control of the situation.

Even the once high and mighty Ten Heroes of the Medicine Clan had descended at some point and landed on a building in the distance—now that Yao Wangui had left the square, they were no longer qualified to look down on a Dou Sheng.

The Grand Elder of the Little Pill Tower didn't seem to care. He looked around and began to explain the rules in detail.

"Since you have all come for the Pill Gathering, I will not waste any more time! This Pill Gathering, as in the past, will be divided into three parts: Illusion Realm Challenge, Survival in the Pill World, and Pill Refining Competition. The champion will be determined by the grade of the pills."

He pointed to a distorted space in mid-air, filled with eerie gray mist.

"The first challenge is the Illusionary Realm Challenge. Participants must escape the distorted illusionary space and reach the Pill Realm within a limited time."

"The Pill Realm is an alternate dimension created by the powerful figures of my Pill Tower long ago."

"Before entering, each of you alchemists will be given a list of medicinal herbs. You must acquire all of these herbs within ten days in the Alchemy Realm, and then leave to participate in the final competition!"

"The stone platform in the sky is set up for those who have successfully made it to the final stage; not everyone is qualified to go up there..."

"Only the one who stands at the end will be the champion of this year's Dan competition."

Looking at the sea of ​​people whose emotions were stirred by the word "champion," Elder Lin seemed to recall the past, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.

"This year's Dan Conference is the most grand Dan Conference in history, and also the one with the most generous rewards."

"All those who make it into the top twenty will receive a reward."

"Participants ranked eleventh to twentieth will receive a Xuan-level soul cultivation technique, a Xuan-level soul combat skill, and an eighth-grade four-color pill."

"Participants ranked second to tenth will receive one Earth-rank Soul Cultivation Technique, one Earth-rank Soul Combat Skill, and one Grade 8 Pill Recipe."

"As for the champion... hehe, the champion of this Pill Gathering will not only receive a spot as a candidate for a Pill Tower giant, but will also receive a high-grade Earth-rank soul cultivation technique, a high-grade Earth-rank soul combat technique, and a mature strange fire."

He smiled slightly, and under everyone's watchful eyes, announced the shocking reward: "It is this strange flame, ranked seventeenth on the Strange Flame Ranking, the Volcanic Stone Flame!"

Before he finished speaking, Elder Lin stretched out his palm and gently swept it across the air in front of him.

"puff--"

A dark red flame, as large as a mountain and as solid as stone, appeared strangely in front of him, and terrifying high temperature spread out from it.

"Strange fire... volcanic rock flame..."

Looking at the quietly burning dark red flame, countless alchemists on the scene couldn't help but show greed on their faces, even the members of the Medicine Clan were no exception—the allure of strange fire to alchemists far exceeded the imagination of ordinary people.

However, in this square where many excellent alchemists gather, only a handful of people possess a different kind of flame, and for many of them, the flame does not even belong to them.

A strange flame... This time, the Pill Tower has truly brought out a top-tier treasure!

Especially since several years ago, the value of strange fires has skyrocketed. Now, even this strange fire ranked seventeenth is no less valuable than heaven-ranked cultivation techniques and fighting skills.

Furthermore, soul cultivation techniques and soul combat skills can be obtained by ranking in the top twenty.

Compared to the Tianjiao Competition that ended a little over a week ago, the prizes for this year's Danhui are far more generous!

Looking at those bloodshot eyes, Elder Lin smiled slightly, glanced at the sky, and then waved his sleeve lightly. An invisible wave spread out and struck the void, causing a long, resonant bell sound to erupt once again.

"The Dan Tournament is about to begin. All participants of rank 5 and above shall proceed to the first stage, the Soul Illusion Realm."

After speaking, Elder Lin raised his finger and pointed it sharply towards the sky above the center of the square.

There, the dark gray space twisted rapidly, reflecting strange and mysterious worlds... This was the starting point of the Pill Gathering assessment!
Amidst the dense crowd, several imposing black figures rose from various parts of the Holy Pill Plaza, flashing towards the distorted space filled with eerie gray energy, disappearing in flashes of light.

In the distance, Yao Tian glanced deeply at Lin Yuan, then suddenly stepped into the void, his figure transforming into a streak of black fire as he rushed into the distorted space.

Behind him, Yao Ling and the other eight people followed closely.

At the Four Directions Pavilion, Yao Lao, whose complexion had regained some color, pondered for a moment, then took off his Bone Flame Ring and handed it to Xiao Yan. "Little Yan, there is something in the Bone Flame Ring. Use it when you get to the Pill Realm... This time, you absolutely cannot lose to that Yao Ziyou!"

Although he had already used up most of the soul essence he had seized from the Soul Palace, there was still some left, which could still greatly enhance Xiao Yan's soul power.

This time, and only this time, Yao Lao will absolutely not let Xiao Yan lose the competition.

"Yes, Master!" Sensing Yao Lao's surging emotions, Xiao Yan accepted the Bone Flame Ring and nodded solemnly. "This time, I will not let you down..."

After saying that, he stomped his foot on the ground, his figure turning into a black shadow as he swept into that dark gray, distorted space.

Looking at the contestants pouring in like a torrential rain, a hint of excitement flashed in Lin Yuan's eyes.

He had been waiting for this moment for many years!
With a light breath, Lin Yuan smiled confidently at Qing Lin, then waved to the disciples of the Pill Tower, "Let's go!" With that, he transformed into an icy blue light and shadow, and under the gaze of countless eyes, he swept into that distorted space.

The Danhui, a grand event held once every thirty years in Zhongzhou, is now officially in full swing with fierce competition!
(End of this chapter)