Reaching the pinnacle from Doupo

Chapter 637 The Medicine Clan's Discussion, Temporary Departure from Dragon Island

The world of medicine, the mountain of medicine.

Located atop this massive mountain in the heart of the medicinal world, vast expanses of medicinal herbs gather like an ocean. At the summit, clouds and mist swirl, and a unique fragrance of medicinal herbs spreads, giving one a sense of tranquility and being in a fairyland.

Above the Medicine Mountain, a majestic hall floated in mid-air.
In front of the main hall, there are four huge medicine cauldrons, from which the fragrance of elixirs rises, and the smoke columns shoot straight into the sky.

However, at this moment, the main hall was brightly lit, and on the spacious table, a group of powerful figures sat upright, creating a somber atmosphere.

Below, two young figures stood bowing, hands clasped, their faces full of respect.

"Impossible, absolutely impossible!" Suddenly, an old man slammed his fist on the table and stood up, staring angrily at Yao Tian, ​​and shouted sharply, "Yao Tian, ​​Yao Xing, how dare you slander Zi You like this? What are you two trying to do?"

As he spoke, a powerful aura rose from his body, pressing down on the two people below.

Under the pressure of this aura of a two-star Dou Sheng, Yao Xingji's knees buckled and he knelt directly on the solid floor with a crisp "thump".

Even as a Seven-Star Dou Zun, he couldn't withstand the furious aura of a Two-Star Dou Sheng.

Beside him, Yao Tian, ​​defying this imposing aura, raised his head and looked at the Supreme Elder of the Yao Clan—Yao Ziyou's great-grandfather—without backing down.

"Elder Yaoli, if I could, I would also wish that it was all a lie, but this is the truth."

"If Yao Ziyou hadn't been ambitious, if he hadn't colluded with the Soul Clan, if he hadn't exposed our location, if he hadn't ambushed me at the crucial moment... the formation wouldn't have been broken, my little sister wouldn't have gone missing, and none of this would have happened!"

"Yao Xingji can testify to this matter, as can the other clansmen present at the time. They all witnessed Yao Ziyou's betrayal."

“I swear on my bloodline that I just said those words.”

"If I were to utter even a single lie, I would gladly have my Dou Di bloodline removed and be publicly punished by 'Heavenly Punishment'."

His voice betrayed barely concealed anger, helplessness, and resentment.

Beside him, Yao Xing struggled to raise his head and said hatefully, "I can testify to Yao Tian's words... Although I was injured and fell into a coma halfway through, I also witnessed Yao Ziyou's betrayal."

Yao Tian specially helped him escape; he should repay this kindness.

Moreover, as the pride of the Yao clan, Yao Xingji has a deep-rooted pride in his own bloodline and is extremely angry and disdainful of Yao Ziyou's betrayal.

Seeing the two people with such confident expressions, Elder Yao Li was also taken aback, unsure of what to say.

However, although he didn't know how to refute it, he absolutely did not agree with Yao Tian's words—Yao Ziyou was someone he had watched grow up. Although Yao Ziyou had his own ideas about the position of young clan leader and did not completely trust Yao Tian, ​​his loyalty to the Yao clan was beyond doubt.

Taking a deep breath, Yao Li's mind stirred, and he withdrew his aura, sitting back down in his seat, leaving only a cold snort echoing in the hall.

"Hmph, now that the dead have no way to prove it, you can say whatever you want."

"Yao Ziyou is dead? How is that possible?" Yao Tian was stunned upon hearing this, and said in disbelief, "Could it be that the Soul Clan saw that he was no longer of value and disposed of him like a hunted dog after the hunt was over?"

"Young Yao Tian, ​​watch your words." Elder Yao Li slammed his hand on the table and said coldly, "Zi You could not possibly betray the Yao Clan. Even if what you say is true, there must be more to it than meets the eye... Or are you questioning the loyalty of our lineage?"

Upon hearing this, the atmosphere in the hall turned cold and solemn. As their gazes exchanged, an undercurrent quietly surged within the hall.

Upon hearing this, Yao Tian fell silent, not daring to say anything more.

Although he is the young patriarch of the Medicine Clan and a genius of the current patriarch's lineage, the position of patriarch of the Medicine Clan is not stable and passed down through one lineage, but is held by the strongest person in each generation.

This is basically the case for all ancient clans.

The Battle Saints present all represent a direct lineage of the Medicine Clan, and almost all of their ancestors were patriarchs of the Medicine Clan.

Accusing a direct descendant of loyalty is a consequence that even Yao Tian cannot bear. Moreover, he was defeated at the Pill Gathering, not only failing to win back the Strange Fire and the Secret Technique, but also losing the Yao Clan's Profound Pill Inheritance and Golden Pill Inheritance, and even losing the Yao Spirit.

In fact, his position as the young patriarch of the Medicine Clan is currently in a precarious state, and his voice within the clan has been greatly diminished.

After all, the whole thing started with his bet with Lin Yuan.

Just as things reached a stalemate, the red-haired old man sitting at the head of the table slowly opened his eyes, coughed lightly, broke the silence, and attracted everyone's attention.

"Elder Wanhuo, what do you think?" an old man asked.

"This matter... is of great importance and cannot be concluded lightly." Yao Wanhuo pondered for a moment, then said solemnly, "Instead of arguing endlessly here, we should do what we can do now. And we have three urgent matters."

"First, locate Yao Ling as soon as possible and rescue her. You should understand the significance that girl has for our clan."

"I will personally take charge of this matter."

"Second, bring the rest of the Ten Heroes back. Currently, only Yao Ziyou and Yao Feng have died. The others were rescued by the Pill Tower and have been taken to Saint Pill City for house arrest."

"Yao Ying, you have dealt with Danta before, so you'll be in charge of this matter."

"Third, deploy the Iron Guards and our spies on the mainland to conduct a thorough investigation into what happened that day... Whether it was Yao Wangui's pursuit of the Pill Tower Master, your attack by the Soul Hall, or Yao Wangui's ambush, we must investigate them all thoroughly."

"Although Yao Wangui recklessly pursued and killed the Tower Master of the Pill Tower, which not only led to the capture of Yao Ling, but also caused a sharp deterioration in the relationship between our clan and the Pill Tower, he is still a Battle Saint of our Yao Clan."

"Our Medicine Clan's elder of punishments cannot die without knowing why."

With a casual remark, Yao Wanhu dropped a bombshell, causing everyone present to instantly change their expressions.

"What? Elder Wan Gui is dead? How is that possible?"

"Damn it, who did this?"

"Elder Wan Gui is a four-star Dou Sheng. There aren't many in the entire Dou Qi Continent who have the strength to take his life..."

"Only a handful of companies have the capability and the motive!"

"Do you think it was that old monster from the Pill Tower who did it? He saw Elder Wan Gui chasing after the Pill Tower Master, so he took action in anger, and his strength is sufficient."

"Indeed, this matter originated from the Pill Tower, and that old monster cannot escape suspicion."

"It can't be that bad! Although we have different stances, I have to say that the old monster's character is still quite good... Given his style of doing things, he wouldn't have been so ruthless if Elder Wan Gui hadn't killed the Tower Master of the Pill Tower."

"Hey, what I mean is, whether or not that old monster did it, this matter could be attributed to that old monster."

"Hiss, you mean you're using this opportunity to attack the Pill Tower?"

"Shouldn't it be? Although Elder Wan Gui's actions were radical and led to serious consequences, I think he did the right thing in suppressing the Dan Tower."

"Are you out of your mind? The Soul Clan attacked our descendants, and we're going to fight the Soul Clan's enemies?"

"What can we do? Go to war with the Soul Clan? Can we even win?"

"The Soul Clan's actions this time were indeed excessive, but in terms of their status, they are not our competitors. The Pill Tower is the real competitor... You've all heard about Medicine Lord Lin Yuan; he will undoubtedly be a major threat to our clan in the future. It's best to nip him in the bud as soon as possible." "Or do you want to go back to the situation a thousand years ago, when our clan was firmly suppressed by the Pill Tower?"

"You're just making excuses. Do we, the descendants of the Medicine Emperor, need to do such underhanded things? Is a mere genius from the outside world worth our clan going to such lengths?"

“That’s right, no matter what, Danta saved so many of our people. If we take action against them without evidence, what will outsiders think?”

"Tsk, so pedantic, so incredibly pedantic!"

"It is your thoughts that are despicable. Have you forgotten the pride of our imperial clan?"

"How can you not distinguish between what's important and what's urgent? That Lin Yuan has the inheritance of our clan's alchemy techniques. We must nip it in the bud as soon as possible, or there will be endless trouble in the future."

"Oh dear, why are we arguing again? Let's put this aside for now..."

"Speaking of which, Elder Wan Gui has passed away, but the position of our clan's Elder of Punishments cannot be left vacant. Who would be suitable to fill the vacancy?"

Inside the main hall, the various martial arts masters representing different lineages of the Medicine Clan expressed their opinions and argued endlessly. Yao Wanhuo, sitting at the head of the table, quietly observed and noted their reactions and opinions.

After a long while, Yao Wanhu clapped his hands, signaling everyone to stop arguing.

"Everyone, quiet down. Let's put an end to this debate... I have a general understanding of your opinions and will discuss them with the clan leader later. Regardless of how we deal with the Pill Tower, let's first go and bring back the clansmen who have been taken there."

"Furthermore, the murder of Elder Wan Gui is of great importance, and we must not leak the news... We should tell the outside world that he is in seclusion."

"As for the duties of the Elder of Punishments, Yao Xun, you will temporarily take over."

"Following the three things I just mentioned, you go and mobilize the manpower, and I will go and ask the clan chief to end his seclusion ahead of schedule."

After he finished speaking, a ripple spread around him, and with a flicker, he mysteriously disappeared from everyone's sight, leaving only an empty chair.
-
Seven days later, on Gulong Island.

In a secluded room deep within Dragon Island, Zi Yan leaned against a stone pillar, taking out pills one by one from a bottle and tossing them into her mouth, looking utterly bored.

Her gaze would occasionally sweep over the tightly closed door in front of her, as if she were waiting for something.

"Kaka——"

Suddenly, with a soft sound, the tightly closed stone door slowly opened, and a burst of intense heat emanated from it.

Amidst the sweltering heat, Lin Yuan slowly emerged from the stone gate, appearing in Zi Yan's sight. Behind him, the spirit of Dan Huo followed closely, her slightly upturned lips revealing an undisguised smug smile.

"All done?" Zi Yan's eyes lit up. She poured the pill into her mouth in one gulp, chewed and swallowed it, and walked to Lin Yuan's side.

"All done!" Lin Yuan smiled and reached out to wipe the crumbs from the corner of her mouth.

Behind Lin Yuan, Fu Xuan also straightened his chest slightly, and a proud smile appeared on his porcelain doll-like face, as if light was flowing around him.

"Tsk tsk, little Fu Xuan has made quite a harvest this time, he's already a three-star Dou Sheng!"

Zi Yan sensed it briefly, and a smile appeared on her face. She suddenly reached out and gently rubbed Fu Xuan's smooth face, marveling at it.

Bone Spirit Cold Fire, Tortoise Spirit Earth Fire, Volcanic Stone Flame, Wind Fury Dragon Flame, Yin Yang Twin Flames...

The combined energy of the five different flames was considerable, and with the addition of a large amount of medicinal energy, Fu Xuan finally broke through to the three-star Dou Sheng level.

Generally speaking, the Danling of a three-star Dou Sheng should be of the Xuan Dan rank. However, Fu Xuan, as the Dan Huo Ling, has its own special characteristics. At the Danling level, it is still at the Bao Dan level, and it has not even reached the half-step Xuan Dan level.

This means that advancing in the Fu Xuan realm is relatively more difficult, but it also implies that Fu Xuan has greater potential and combat power than other Dan Ling of the same level.

Of course, even a three-star Dou Sheng like Fu Xuan was powerless against Zi Yan.

"Hmph!" Fu Xuan snorted coldly, slapping away Zi Yan's slender hand, and said angrily, "Damn it, don't treat me like a child. One day my strength will surpass yours..."

"Master, I'm going back now!"

Before she finished speaking, the spirit of the Dan Fire transformed into her natal Qi Pill and re-integrated into Lin Yuan's body.

"It seems Fu Xuan is very ambitious!" Lin Yuan gently patted his dantian, smiled slightly, and then looked at Zi Yan beside him, teasingly saying, "Zi Yan, you'd better be careful, she might surpass you one day."

Zi Yan curled her lip and said nonchalantly, "Tch, with that little body of hers, she thinks she can surpass me? She should cultivate for a few hundred more years before she does!"

However, although she appeared nonchalant on the surface, she was actually quite serious inside.

Zi Yan witnessed Fu Xuan's birth and growth to this point, and she was fully aware of his potential and speed of progress, which was a terrifying level.

Now, she could sense a faint danger emanating from Fu Xuan's body.

As her thoughts wandered, Zi Yan thought of an interesting question and asked, "Speaking of which, as a flame, Little Fu Xuan should far surpass the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame, right? It should also surpass the Azure Ice Flame by quite a bit. So how does it compare to the Pure Lotus Demon Flame?"

"Well... it's hard for me to say!" Upon hearing this, Lin Yuan stroked his chin and pondered for a moment, but in the end, he could only shake his head.

"Both the Pure Lotus Demon Flame and the Talisman Profound have their own unique characteristics."

"If Fu Xuan were merely a fire spirit formed from the fusion of ten different flames, she would likely be inferior to the Pure Lotus Demon Flame. However, she also possesses the origin and spirituality of a pill spirit, making her far superior to ordinary different flame spirits when combined."

"In terms of the quality of their origins alone, Fu Xuan and the Pure Lotus Demon Flame are currently about the same level."

"As for who is stronger, it still depends on their respective cultivation levels!"

"However, if you really want to know the exact answer, you can go back to the Ancient Emperor's Cave and ask Senior Pure Lotus Demon Saint. He will definitely be able to give you the answer."

"Never mind, I just had a sudden whim, I'm not that bored!" Zi Yan shrugged and said casually.

"Alright, let's leave it at that for now!" Lin Yuan smiled, not dwelling on the topic any further, and changed the subject, asking about another matter: "Speaking of which, how's the situation with Yao Ling? Is her subduing of the strange fire going smoothly?"

"Don't worry, everything's going smoothly over there!" Zi Yan waved her hand and said, "She finished refining it three days ago and started refining pills yesterday... Shall we go take a look?"

"No need!" Lin Yuan pondered for a moment and said calmly, "With Elder Qingshan watching over Yao Ling, there shouldn't be any major problems."

“I had Yao Ming send a message to Dan Ta saying that he would return within half a month, but now there’s not much time left.”

"Next, I'll go back to Saint Pill City to see how the situation has developed. As for the three things—the capture of Yao Ling, the rebellion of Yao Ziyou, and the death of Yao Wangui—even if the Yao Clan is slow to react, they should make the necessary response by now."

"Zi Yan, come with me to Saint Pill City. Afterwards, I need to see the Heavenly Pill Saint, who is the remnant soul of a peak expert. Just in case, you can help me cover the outside."

Upon hearing this, Zi Yan patted her chest and said confidently, "Don't worry, I've got your back!"

Before long, two streaks of light, one purple and one blue, pierced through the boundless void at an incredibly terrifying speed, heading straight for the distant central region...

(End of this chapter)