Breaking the Masked Man

As for Elder Yao... he is still in the process of transformation, and it is unknown how long it will take. However, the increasingly terrifying pressure proves that everything is going well. This old guy may really be able to ascend to the heavens in one step, skip the half-saint stage, and directly break into the Dou Sheng stage.

Such things rarely happen in the Dou Qi Continent. Most cultivators need to go through the semi-saint stage to slowly transform their bodies until the transformation is complete before they can truly step into the first-star Dou Sheng stage.

The old doctor skipped this process, using materials of Dou Sheng level to refine his body. The only concern was the perfect integration of his soul and body.

If he can master it perfectly, then the old master will naturally be able to take that step!

"Wow~"

Ripples spread through the space, and the still elegant figure in black appeared in Yao Yan's sight. She looked at Yao Yan and said softly with a smile, "The medicinal materials you need have been prepared by others. As for the qualification to refine the Three Thousand Burning Flames, it's a bit troublesome. Some old guys in the Pill Tower think that you haven't made any contributions and are not qualified to obtain the Three Thousand Burning Flames... Even if they really want to give it to you, they should observe you for several years to prevent you from taking the benefits and running away."

"There are sensible people in the Pill Tower after all..." Yao Yan muttered to himself, feeling inexplicably helpless, but his face remained expressionless as he asked, "What do we need to give in return?"

"The Pill Tower is all about alchemy, and so-called merit is also related to alchemy. With your alchemy skills, you can go to the Little Pill Tower to take on missions and refine pills for some people outside. These pills will be recorded and scored. Once you reach a certain number, you can use them to exchange for the qualification to refine the Three Thousand Burning Flames," Xuan Yi said softly.

"A certain number?" Yao Yan frowned slightly and pressed for an answer.

“Taking a three-colored, grade eight pill as an example, it would take about a hundred pills… If it’s seven-colored or higher, it would take about ten.” Xuan Yi said with some helplessness. There was nothing she could do about it. The Pill Tower didn’t belong to her alone. There were many elders in the Small Pill Tower. For a power like the Pill Tower, relative fairness was essential. Otherwise, how could such a large power maintain its operation?

They have already given Yao Yan enough preferential treatment, but this preferential treatment obviously cannot continue indefinitely.

Otherwise, what will others think?

The Pill Tower is not a place where one person can have the final say... Of course, if a Dou Sheng-level ancestor were to speak up, that would be a different story.

"Ten pills..." Yao Yan pondered for a moment. With his current strength, if he went all out, he had a good chance of completing the task within three years. And three years didn't seem like a long time. This assessment was obviously not difficult, but he couldn't afford to waste three years of his life on it.

His plan was to attempt to refine the Three Thousand Burning Flames by the end of this year. After succeeding, he would return to the Soul Clan to receive a bloodline baptism and advance to the Dou Sheng realm as quickly as possible!

Because Yao Yan was well aware of the difficulty of advancing beyond Dou Sheng, in the original novel, Xiao Yan relied on taking medicine and using the Pure Lotus Demon Flame to improve his strength, and only barely reached the strength of a Seven-Star Dou Sheng in the end, after which it became difficult to improve further.

The Pure Lotus Demon Flame has not yet been born, and he cannot wait indefinitely... so the options available become extremely limited.

If possible, he really wouldn't want to go down that path.

"Don't worry, Aunt Xuan will help you. Besides, refining high-grade pills isn't a bad thing. In addition to having the pill formulas, it will also give you many opportunities to practice. You have a long road ahead of you, so there's no need to rush." ​​Xuan Yi saw Yao Yan's hesitation and couldn't help but comfort her.

There's no need to rush... but I'm really in a hurry!

Yao Yan thought to herself, but replied calmly, "I understand, Aunt Xuan. Don't worry, I know what to do."

Xuan Yi nodded, said nothing more, and turned to leave. As space distorted, she soon saw Xuan Kongzi waiting outside. The moment he saw her, he went up to her and asked, "How was it? That little guy didn't think too much about it, did he?"

"Although Yao Yan didn't say much, it's no wonder he was uncomfortable... Those old fogies are incompetent at alchemy, but they're all experts at these kinds of things." Xuan Yi's eyes flashed with a cold light as he spoke in a deep voice.

“The most outstanding person in the forest will surely be felled by the wind. He is too outstanding, whether in alchemy or cultivation talent... Many people are watching his every move. We went through the same thing back then. Letting him settle down for a few years will be good for his future growth. Besides, refining the Three Thousand Burning Flames is extremely dangerous. If we can wait until Yao Chen comes out of seclusion, it might be better.” Xuan Kongzi said slowly.

Xuan Yi pondered for a moment, then said nothing more.

"To prevent that kid from overthinking things, you can take him to see the Three Thousand Burning Flames. He'll understand then," Xuan Kongzi added.

After a thousand years of growth, the Three Thousand Burning Flames almost covered the entire starry sky above Saint Pill City. Its enormous size, if not for the suppression of the great formation, could have destroyed the entire Saint Pill City in an instant. Over the years, it's not that no one has tried to refine it, but all of them have failed, even with the suppression of the great formation.

If it were a true 1v1, almost no one below the Dou Sheng level could do anything to it. Even a Dou Sheng would not be able to completely refine it, at most they could only suppress it, which shows how exaggerated its growth has become.

“Okay!” Xuan Yi nodded in agreement.

……

Meanwhile, just as Yao Yan was pondering how to contact Hun Xuzi next, the figure in black appeared again. Meeting Yao Yan's questioning gaze, she chuckled and said, "Would you like to see the true form of the Three Thousand Burning Flames?"

Yao Yan's eyes flickered slightly, and then he nodded. After cultivating the Burning Technique, he had developed a great interest in strange fires.

"Let's go then~" Xuan Yi raised his hand and conjured a silver spatial portal, smiling at Yao Yan.

Yao Yan put the Myriad Beasts Cauldron into his storage ring, took a deep breath, and stepped into the silver light gate with Xuan Yi. With a spatial fluctuation, the fusion fire in his body suddenly became scorching hot, as if it had sensed something and became extremely restless.

A moment later, a desolate place came into view. This place was filled with light purple energy that resembled clouds and mist. It gathered from all directions and was filled with an indescribable scorching heat. Just by touching it, one could feel their fighting spirit burning.

“This place is the Starry Sky. The Three Thousand Burning Flames are sealed in front of us. These are the power of the stars. Although there are spatial seals around us, they cannot stop the power of the stars. They will be constantly drawn in by the Three Thousand Burning Flames…” Xuan Yi said slowly.

With Yao Yan by her side, she traversed the void and soon arrived at the place where the Three Thousand Burning Flames were sealed. There, a colossal, indescribably large, purplish-black dragon lay prostrate on the ground, its body stretching into the distance, with no end in sight.

Purple-black flames occasionally rose from his body, flashing by in an instant, but these flames made the temperature of this place extremely hot, and the space itself was distorted.

At the same time, an indescribable pressure swept over us, making us feel suffocated.

"This is the Three Thousand Burning Flames..." Yao Yan pursed his lips, suppressing the surging strange fire within his body. His gaze was slightly burning. He had a feeling that if he could completely devour and refine the Three Thousand Burning Flames, his own strength would increase dramatically.

The opponent's accumulation over the past millennium is truly terrifying, and the nourishment for its growth has been precisely that almost inexhaustible power of the stars.

"Would you like to give it a try?" Xuan Yi asked Yao Yan in a gentle voice.

"?"

Upon hearing this, Yao Yan looked at Xuan Yi with confusion, not understanding what he meant.

"Try to see if you can gain its recognition. This is the only way to refine the Three Thousand Burning Flames. As you can see, this Three Thousand Burning Flames has grown to such an extent that it is too difficult to forcibly refine it, and the probability of success is extremely low." Xuan Yi looked at the huge dragon in front of him and said in a deep voice.

There was a pause.

She continued, "If you can gain its recognition, you will naturally save a lot of effort. If you cannot, you will have to refine it by force. At that time, it will require the cooperation of many powerful people in the Pill Tower to extract its body and give you a chance to refine it... However, there is only one such opportunity, so Aunt Xuan hopes you will be careful!"

There were some things she didn't elaborate on, namely that if Yao Yan failed to refine the pills, they would suffer the consequences of the Three Thousand Burning Flames raging. This was also the reason why Yao Yan was asked to refine pills in exchange for points.

“I understand what Aunt Xuan means!” Yao Yan nodded and said in a deep voice.

"Let's give it a try first." Xuan Yi flew towards the Three Thousand Burning Flames with Yao Yan. Soon the two arrived at the dragon's head. There was a purplish-black dragon scale between its eyebrows that was not covered by the purple flames, which was completely different from the rest of its body.

"Reach your hand out!"

Yao Yan didn't suspect anything, placed his palm on it, then closed his eyes and used his soul power to delve into it. Instantly, a purple-black sea of ​​fire came into view, and at the same time, a miniature giant dragon was crawling in it. The dragon seemed to have sensed someone entering it, and immediately opened a pair of cold dragon eyes, which were filled with purple flames, and stared indifferently at a wisp of Yao Yan's soul.

"Foolish humans!" Without needing to speak, a voice appeared in Yao Yan's mind, filled with sarcasm.

During the years it was sealed, quite a few humans came here, and their purpose was generally the same: to refine themselves. Did they really think that the strange fire had no intelligence?

"It's quite remarkable that it has grown to the point where it can speak human language." Yao Yan looked at the fire dragon in front of him with great interest and chuckled softly. He would be very happy if Ling'er could also achieve this. However, the little guy is currently just a lazy glutton. He doesn't know how many years it would take for him to grow to the level of the Three Thousand Burning Flames.

The Three Thousand Burning Flames' gaze was icy cold. Without speaking, a scorching purplish-black flame swept towards him, its terrifying temperature even causing the surrounding space to distort and collapse.

"Bang~"

Yao Yan's soul power suddenly expanded, completely isolating the encroaching sea of ​​fire. His soul had long been accustomed to the stinging sensation brought by the Three Thousand Burning Flames. Moreover, with the blessing of the Flame Clan's Dou Di bloodline, the stinging sensation had been greatly weakened and could be ignored by him.

"It's normal to be irritable after being sealed for so long, but don't you feel lonely staying here all the time?" Yao Yan looked calmly at the Three Thousand Burning Flames and said slowly.

"...Loneliness is better than being refined by you humans!" The Three Thousand Blazing Flames looked at Yao Yan as he blocked the attack, his eyes growing even colder, and said coldly.

“What you say makes sense. But the weak can only submit to the strong. What do you think?” Yao Yan nodded, agreeing with the words of the Three Thousand Burning Flames, and at the same time explained his own views.

"Human, you are nothing but a laughable weakling!"

The Three Thousand Burning Flames roared, its body erupting in flames. The scorching black-purple flames instantly extinguished Yao Yan's wisp of soul power. (End of Chapter)

Chapter 247 Overture

As the Three Thousand Burning Flames erupted in full force, Yao Yan's wisp of soul power was instantly annihilated.

Outside, Yao Yan slowly opened his eyes, a wisp of sky-blue flame rising in his eyes. Feeling the stinging pain in his soul, he laughed and said, "It really has a bad temper. It broke down after just a few words... It seems it has a lot of resentment towards the Pill Tower."

As he spoke, he withdrew his hand from the dragon scales and looked at the man in black beside him.

"Having been sealed for so many years, it's natural that it harbors resentment, especially since it has developed intelligence that is no less than that of a human." Xuan Yi was not surprised to hear this, and looked at the enormous dragon body with a somewhat helpless gaze, speaking softly.

Over the years, Danta has been clinging to a sliver of hope that an alchemist who can gain the approval of the Three Thousand Burning Flames will appear, allowing him to perfectly subdue it.

Unfortunately, this is ultimately just an unrealistic expectation. Given the intelligence of the Three Thousand Burning Flames, how could it be willing to be refined by someone? The only way to refine it now is to forcibly extract the Three Thousand Burning Flames from its original body and take a gamble.

Xuan Yi looked at Yao Yan and said in a solemn voice, "You should have felt how difficult it is to refine it. Even with the help of others and the suppression of the formation, we can only help you extract its main body. The final refinement depends on yourself!"

If Yao Yan didn't already possess four different types of strange fire within her body and have extensive experience in refining them, she wouldn't have agreed to give her this opportunity.

For no other reason than the risks are too great!

Not worth it.

With Yao Yan's talent, his future achievements will at least be one of the three giants of the Pill Tower, and if he has enough opportunities, it is very likely that he will step into the Dou Sheng realm. It would be a real pity if such talent were ruined because of absorbing the Three Thousand Burning Flames!

After all, apart from the top few, the strange flames are only icing on the cake for alchemists of the eighth rank and above, not necessities.

To risk one's life for it is truly irrational.

“Aunt Xuan, I understand. I will prepare patiently until I am confident enough!” Yao Yan accepted Xuan Yi’s kindness and nodded in agreement.

Upon hearing this, Xuan Yi smiled and nodded, then raised his hand to condense a silver light gate, and left with Yao Yan.

Before leaving, Yao Yan glanced at the massive Three Thousand Burning Flames, a flash of fervor in his eyes. He believed that it wouldn't be long before he met the Three Thousand Burning Flames again, and then he would tell it who the true powerhouse was.

"Om~"

The silver spatial portal flickered slightly, and Xuan Yi and Yao Yan disappeared into the star field.

The place returned to calm, except for endless purplish-black flames that filled every corner of the space.

……

After bidding farewell to Xuan Yi, Yao Yan returned to his small courtyard. Since joining the Pill Tower, he had naturally been assigned a courtyard with a beautiful environment and abundant natural energy. As for maids and such... the Pill Tower could arrange them if he needed them.

Yao Yan sat cross-legged in the house, playing with Hun Xuzi's jade tablet in his hand. After seeing the true form of the Three Thousand Burning Flames today, he understood that he alone could not possibly deal with the Three Thousand Burning Flames. Even with the help of Venerable Feng and the others, it would be useless unless the Pill Tower was willing to cooperate and suppress it with an array. Otherwise, it would be impossible to extract the true form of the Three Thousand Burning Flames.

In the original work, the Three Thousand Burning Flames' main body was extracted because it wanted to escape the seal and voluntarily gave up its massive body in the star field.

Otherwise, with just a few Dou Zun like Elder Mu Gu, facing the Three Thousand Burning Flames would be like offering themselves up as food.

"I still underestimated the Three Thousand Burning Flames..." Yao Yan thought to himself, his expression slightly solemn. In the current situation, if he did not want to wait quietly for three years to fulfill his agreement with the Pill Tower, he would have no choice but to rely on the power of Hun Xuzi.