Breaking the Masked Man

"Then let's start with the Glacier Valley," he thought to himself.

As for the reason... it was on the way.

……

Inside the main hall of the Starfall Pavilion.

When Yao Yan emerged from seclusion, several Dou Zun were already seated in the main hall. Besides Feng Zun and Tianhuo Zun, whom Yao Yan knew, there were three other Dou Zun experts. As soon as he stepped into the main hall, their gazes instantly converged on him. Two of them even looked at him with a scrutinizing gaze, and their soul power covered Yao Yan.

Yao Yan frowned slightly, and a surge of powerful soul force instantly erupted from between his brows, shattering the impolite soul force of the two. He then said in a cold tone, "What do you two mean by this?"

One of them was an elderly man with gray hair. He sensed Yao Yan's terrifying soul power and immediately stood up to greet him, saying with a hint of apology, "Young friend, please don't be offended. It was just that I was too surprised by your age when we first met, and it was an unconscious action."

"I heard about your deeds before, and they seemed unbelievable, which is why I had the idea to test you."

"I was the same way, it was just an unconscious act, please don't take offense, young friend!" another person stood up and said with a smile, his face apologetic.

The two looked at Yao Yan with disbelief. To possess such terrifying soul power at such a young age, could it be that the news from the Pill Tower was true, and that there really was a high-level eighth-grade alchemist in his early twenties?

Moreover, the young man in front of him was also quite strong in terms of fighting spirit. His body was in perfect harmony with the space around him, as if he could merge into the void at any time. This was a skill that only a Dou Zun powerhouse possessed.

The two had some doubts when they received the message from Venerable Wind, but now they believed it completely.

"Gentlemen, this is a one-time thing. If it happens again, things won't be so easy to talk to." Yao Yan said calmly, his tone completely like that of an equal. As an eighth-grade advanced alchemist, his status in an argument was undoubtedly above most Dou Zun, so he naturally didn't need to care about the two men's thoughts.

"Of course!" the two replied in unison, not feeling ashamed at all. With the talent Yao Yan had shown, his future achievements would definitely surpass those of Venerable Yao.

Such monstrous talents are best befriended; no one would want to make enemies of them unless absolutely necessary, especially with Venerable Wind and Venerable Heavenly Fire watching from the sidelines.

"These two are old friends of Yao Chen, Venerable Tianhuan and Venerable Yan." Venerable Feng sensed the awkward atmosphere and stood up to smooth things over. He then pointed to the silent old man holding a sword beside him: "This is Venerable Tiejian."

The Iron Sword Venerable had a stern face. Upon hearing this, he merely raised his head slightly and nodded to Yao Yan as a greeting.

Yao Yan glanced at the Iron Sword Venerable a few more times. After all, the other party was a character from the original work. When no one else was willing to help, he took the initiative to join the rescue of Yao Lao. Moreover, he was also a rogue cultivator who valued loyalty and righteousness, making him very suitable for recruitment.

"The three of you should know the objective of this operation by now," Yao Yan said again, slowly adding, "However, besides the Xuanbing Toad King, I also intend to ask the Valley Master of Ice River Valley for one more item."

"?!"

Everyone was startled. Venerable Feng and Venerable Tianhuo also looked at Yao Yan with surprise, as they were not aware of this matter beforehand.

"What is it?" Venerable Tianhuan stopped stroking his beard, stared at Yao Yan, and asked.

"It is rumored that the Valley Master of Ice River Valley is a person who cultivated the Calamity Poison Body after birth. I am very interested in how he cultivated the Calamity Poison Body and would like to ask him if he has such a secret method." Yao Yan did not hide anything and said it directly.

The moment the words fell, Venerable Tianhuan and Venerable Yan couldn't help but exchange a glance, both seeing the shock in each other's eyes.

Yao Yan's words are absolutely insane.

Hunting the eighth-tier Xuanbing Toad King on Ice River Valley's territory was one thing, but Yao Yan still wanted to ask them for his family's secret technique. This was no different from asking someone's wife to sleep with him, and even worse!

After all, one can remarry, but if a secret technique is leaked, it could very well expose all of one's methods to the public. How can one tolerate that?

"...Young friend, are you planning to forcibly demand it?" Venerable Tianhuan asked after organizing his thoughts.

"Otherwise, why would I hire three Dou Zun?" Yao Yan asked instead of answering.

"With your status as an eighth-grade advanced alchemist, you could easily trade with Ice River Valley. Why go to such lengths... Could it be that you have a grudge against Ice River Valley?" Venerable Heavenly Fire couldn't help but ask, feeling that this young man had truly gone mad.

"There's no enmity between us. It's just that this secret technique is useful to me. As for a trade... do you really think the Valley Master of Ice River Valley would be willing to trade? And even if he were, the price would be too high. I'm not sure I could afford it," Yao Yan said calmly.

He had already figured this out in just a short while.

While trading is the best option, he will need more than just one or two cultivation techniques in the future. In that case, it's better to be more direct.

"In that case, I'm afraid I can't help you. I can assist you in hunting the eighth-tier Xuanbing Toad King, but that would offend Ice River Valley terribly. I can't agree to that, after all, I have a family behind me that I need to take care of." Venerable Tianhuan chose to refuse, and he did not intend to get involved in what followed.

If it were just an eighth-order Xuanbing Toad King, with the combat power of the five Dou Zun present, it would be risk-free to get an eighth-grade pill for free. However, if the matter involves Binghe Valley, the situation would be different. Moreover, Yao Yan is going to offend Binghe Valley to death!

The kind that won’t stop until death!

“I will also withdraw,” said Venerable Yan, who also did not want to continue to accompany Yao Yan on his madness.

After saying this, the two ignored Venerable Feng's attempt to persuade them to stay, cupped their hands in greeting, and turned to leave.

Yao Yan ignored the two who had left, looked at the Iron Sword Venerable, and asked curiously, "Aren't you leaving, sir?"

"I am a lonely old man who owes Yao Chen my life back then. Since you are Yao Chen's junior, I will naturally help you." The Iron Sword Venerable said calmly, his tone as flat as the sword in his hand, seemingly devoid of emotion.

"What were you thinking? We went to so much trouble to invite him, and you just drove him away like that." Venerable Feng looked at Yao Yan with a wry smile and asked.

Even if they are interested in the secret techniques of the Ice River Valley Master, there is no need to reveal them now. It is not too late to talk about it when the Xuanbing Mountain Range truly confronts the Ice River Valley. With the strength of five Dou Zun, they are more than capable of forcing the Ice River Valley to bow down.

There was a pause.

He said with a hint of helplessness, "Your reputation isn't loud enough yet, and you're a bit slow in gathering people. I contacted several Dou Zun, and only three people came... Why don't we wait and see if anyone else comes?"

Yao Yan shook his head slightly and said softly, "With you, Elder Yao, and this Iron Sword Venerable, we're more than enough to deal with the Xuanbing Toad King... As for Ice River Valley, I plan to go and block the entrance by myself."

"?!!"

After the words were spoken, the three looked at each other in bewilderment, and even the Iron Sword Venerable's eyelids twitched.

. . . . . . . . .

The Xuanbing Mountain Range is located in the far north of Zhongzhou. This place is covered by ice crystals all year round. It is freezing cold, and even the air contains extreme cold. If ordinary cultivators step into it, they will easily be infected with cold poison after a long time. Every year, many people freeze to death because of this.

In some dangerous places, even soul power can be frozen.

"Brush~"

As a silver portal opened, a spaceship floated out. The person at the bow was none other than Yao Yan. He was dressed in black, and his dark eyes calmly scanned the boundless ice crystal world. His powerful soul force swept out instantly, and all the scenery along the way was imprinted in his mind.

"Are you sure you can succeed?" Venerable Feng looked at Yao Yan seriously, trying to persuade him to give up. It wouldn't be too late to go to the Ice River Valley after they had hunted down the Xuanbing Toad King.

“With the Heavenly Demon Puppet, even if I can’t win, I’m confident I can escape unscathed… Since my Dou Qi broke through to the Dou Zong level, I haven’t fought anyone. Now that my strength has reached the peak of the Nine-Star Dou Zong level, to be honest, I’m a little uneasy. I always feel that my Dou Qi is a bit weak, and I want to find someone to test it out.” Yao Yan clenched his fist to express his thoughts.

Oh shit!

If your hands are itchy, so be it; why say it in such an infuriating way?

Venerable Feng suddenly wanted to beat the kid up, but he also understood what Yao Yan meant. The other party was planning to use the Ice River Valley to hone his combat skills. He wanted to say something, but in the end he gave up. He just said in a serious tone, "Then you better take it easy, kid. If anything happens, send us a signal."

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. Let's deal with the Xuanbing Toad King first," Yao Yan said with a light laugh.

Venerable Wind nodded and said nothing more.

Immediately, the group boarded a spaceship, broke through the void, and sped off into the distance.

……

This is an ice toad as majestic as a small mountain, its entire body a deep blue. It lies on the edge of a cold pool, and with each breath, countless snowflakes swirl around it, as if a blizzard has been unleashed. The extreme cold sweeps across the heavens and earth, and wherever it passes, it seems as if the space itself is slightly frozen.

At this moment, in a hidden space, three Dou Zun joined forces to seal the space, giving Yao Yan time to condense the fire lotus.

"Whoo~"

As four strange flames appeared in Yao Yan's palm, Venerable Feng and Venerable Tie Jian both swallowed hard. It wasn't that they were naive, but rather that the scene before them was too terrifying. Any Dou Zun in the world would probably feel the same way upon seeing it.

That's insane! They actually plan to fuse different kinds of flames, and four of them at once!

If this explodes, everyone present will be seriously injured.

Unfortunately, this level of power is actually controlled by a nine-star Dou Zong, which makes him feel completely insecure.

"Don't worry, this kid has used this kind of fighting technique before... In terms of power alone, the fire lotus formed by the fusion of different flames is even more brutal than the Five Wheels of Separating Fire Technique that I created. Heh, it's enough to give that Xuanbing Toad King a hard time." Venerable Tianhuo said with a smile, looking at the Xuanbing Toad King who was still lying down sleeping below, feeling a strange sense of sympathy.

"Chichi~"

At the same time, Yao Yan slammed the four strange flames together. Instantly, an indescribable destructive energy began to gather and rapidly increased at a geometric speed. The terrifying temperature caused this small world to become dry, and all the moisture was evaporated.

The space around Yao Yan's palm was cracked, as if it could no longer withstand the force.

Fortunately, the rage subsided quickly.

A magnificent four-colored fire lotus appeared in Yao Yan's palm. It was exquisite, small, and exceptionally beautiful. As its perfect petals swayed gently, it caused the surrounding space to shatter. The destructive power contained within it made the three Dou Zun present show fear.

"Its power has increased again!" Venerable Heavenly Fire couldn't help but say. This four-colored fire lotus in front of him was more than ten times stronger than before, truly terrifying.

"Let's begin." Yao Yan's gaze locked onto the Xuanbing Toad King below, his eyes flashing with an eerie firelight.

……

"Quaa?"

The Xuanbing Toad King, who was lying down sleeping, suddenly opened its eyes. Just now, it had inexplicably felt a pang in its heart and a slight chill down its spine. It had never felt this way in its thousand-year life.

Soon, it realized the source of this heart-wrenching feeling: an exceptionally beautiful four-colored lotus flower, slowly drifting down from mid-air, standing out so much in the wind and snow. Moreover, the spot where it drifted left behind a pitch-black spatial rift, which was slightly eerie.

Its pupils widened suddenly, sensing danger. The beautiful four-colored fire lotus was reflected in its pupils, and it had already drifted down in front of it.

next moment.

An indescribable destructive power suddenly erupted!

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 241 A Little Scoundrel

"Boom~"

A blinding flash of light erupted instantly, and at that moment, the surrounding space seemed to collapse towards the location of the fire. Immediately afterward, a deafening roar resounded, and endless flames surged forth. The terrifying temperature melted the icy and snowy world within a radius of nearly a hundred miles, and the wind and snow stopped at that moment.

Like a volcanic eruption, a gigantic fire lotus appeared, and the sea of ​​fire raged across the heavens and earth, burning everything in its path. Even space itself cracked, revealing hideous, pitch-black fissures.

The destructive energy engulfed everything, and the violent energy fluctuations even affected the Ice Valley thousands of miles away.