One month later, in the forbidden grounds of Yun Lan Sect's back mountain.
"Where is Protector Wu… Why hasn't he come?"
Yun Shan, a man of iron resolve, had grappled with his principles for a month before finally deciding to submit to the Soul Hall. Yet, just as he braced himself to surrender his soul to Protector Wu, the latter vanished without a trace, as if he had never existed.
Months of fruitless waiting followed, and Yun Shan's patience wore thin. He knew his body's state well—three years at most, perhaps only one or two, before death claimed him. Gripped by the terror of mortality, he made a final, desperate push to reach the Dou Zong realm. Predictably, he failed, and the backlash ravaged his already frail body, accelerating his decline.
"Elder Gu He, how is Teacher's condition?"
Yun Yun gazed at the emaciated figure on the sickbed, his eyes closed, his face sunken, like a man teetering on the edge of death. Anxiety shadowed her delicate features.
Gu He let out a heavy sigh. "The old Sect Master forced the breakthrough, draining his vital energy. I fear his end is near."
In the Dou Qi Continent, a Dou Huang's lifespan typically spanned three hundred years. At roughly two hundred and fifty, Yun Shan could have lived decades longer with careful cultivation. But his unyielding ambition drove him to relentlessly pursue the Dou Zong realm, and each failed attempt sapped his vitality, shortening his life.
"How could this be… Teacher…"
Yun Yun's expression crumpled with sorrow. Raised by Yun Shan since childhood, he was not just her mentor but a father in her heart.
"Don't worry, gege," Yun Xian said gently, resting a reassuring hand on her trembling shoulder. "There may still be a way."
Gu He's brow twitched, a spark of envy flaring in his chest. He couldn't comprehend why Yun Yun, despite his superior Dou Qi cultivation and prestigious title as a sixth-tier alchemist, held him at a distance while being so close to Yun Xian. Could it be… because Yun Xian is better-looking?
Impossible! Utterly impossible!
Yun Yun, a goddess of aloof elegance, would never be so superficial. Gu He refused to accept it.
"And what might Junior Brother Yun Xian suggest?" Gu He asked, a cold smirk hidden in his heart. He doubted a mere Dou Zhe could offer anything worthwhile.
"It's straightforward. There are pills that can extend life, aren't there?" Yun Xian replied calmly. He recalled from the original tale a sixth-tier pill, the Green Nether Longevity Pill, capable of prolonging one's years.
"Yes! Exactly!"
"Elder Gu He, can you refine a pill to extend life?" Yun Yun turned to Gu He, her eyes shimmering with hope.
Her gaze set Gu He's heart ablaze. Pounding his chest, he declared proudly, "I, Gu He, have recently obtained a sixth-tier pill recipe: the Lantern Essence Pill. It restores vital energy and extends lifespan."
"But…" His tone grew somber. "The primary ingredient, Lantern Grass, grows only in Eagle Mountain Valley within the Luo Yan Empire."
"Eagle Mountain Valley in the Luo Yan Empire?"
"Isn't that the territory of the Jin Yan Sect?"
Yun Yun's brow creased tightly. The Yun Lan Sect and the Jin Yan Sect had been sworn enemies for centuries, their enmity rooted in a deadly duel between past sect leaders that ended in mutual annihilation, forging a blood feud that could not be reconciled. In Yun Shan's era, the Yun Lan Sect's power waned, and they relinquished regional dominance to the Jin Yan Sect, which was entangled in conflicts with the Luo Yan Empire's royal family. Thus, the two sects maintained a fragile truce, like rivers that did not cross.
"Precisely," Gu He said gravely. "Word has it that Yan Luo Tian, the Jin Yan Sect's leader, recently slew Luo Wu Ya, the Luo Yan Empire's national teacher. His strength is likely beyond measure."
"Luo Wu Ya? I recall he once clashed with Jia Xing Tian, both at the peak of the Dou Huang realm!"
"Then Yan Luo Tian must be…"
Yun Yun's face grew solemn. To defeat a peak Dou Huang, Yan Luo Tian's power likely rivaled that of a Dou Zong.
"Relax, gege," Yun Xian said lightly. "Yan Luo Tian has probably only just stepped into the Dou Zong realm." In the original story, Yan Luo Tian appeared as a two-star Dou Zong, but this was six or seven years earlier, so he was likely a one-star Dou Zong at most.
"Just stepped into Dou Zong… only?"
Gu He's mouth twitched. Are you even listening to yourself?
"Little Brother, don't jest," Yun Yun said, recalling Yun Xian's earlier boast that he'd defeat a Dou Zong to prove his worth. A Dou Zhe challenging a Dou Zong was laughably absurd.
"Elder Gu He, could you rally some forces to join us in Eagle Mountain Valley?" Yun Yun proposed, aware of the immense influence a sixth-tier alchemist wielded.
"At the Sect Master's request, I shouldn't hesitate," Gu He replied. His heart yearned to agree to win Yun Yun's favor, but his mind screamed that the mission was too perilous. "However, Yan Luo Tian is a Dou Zong. To ensure safety, we'd need at least three Dou Huangs."
In the Jia Ma Empire, only four Dou Huangs existed: Jia Xing Tian, Hai Bo Dong, Yun Shan, and Yun Yun. Jia Xing Tian, tied to the royal family, had a tepid relationship with the Yun Lan Sect. Hai Bo Dong, the Ice Emperor, had vanished years ago, rumored to have fallen to Queen Medusa. Yun Shan was half-buried in his grave, unable to act. That left Yun Yun as the sole Dou Huang available.
With Gu He's influence, he could muster six or seven Dou Wangs, but they'd be mere cannon fodder against a Dou Zong like Yan Luo Tian.
"I urge the Sect Master to reconsider…" Gu He advised delicately. As a sixth-tier alchemist, his life was too valuable to gamble.
"Even so, I must go!"
"Teacher's kindness is a mountain I cannot ignore. How could I watch him fade away?" Yun Yun's resolve was unbreakable.
"Gege, I'll go with you!"
"Teacher took me as his disciple and taught me. I owe him this debt," Yun Xian vowed firmly. When he first transmigrated, Yun Shan had accepted him as a personal disciple, guiding him diligently for years until his cheat ability arrived, allowing him to coast. Before the Soul Hall's influence, Yun Shan was a principled, revered elder, and Yun Xian couldn't abandon him.
"Little Brother, your heart means everything…"
Yun Yun's heart warmed, convinced that Teacher had chosen wisely.
"Junior Brother Yun Xian's bravery is commendable, but frankly, with your Dou Zhe strength—wait, what?!"
"You… when did you become a Dou Shi?"
Gu He, about to scoff at Yun Xian's recklessness, suddenly noticed his Dou Qi had surged.
"Just a fluke," Yun Xian said with a serene smile.
"Little Brother! Have you finally started striving?"
Yun Yun's eyes gleamed, her lovely face radiant with joy.
"Hehe~"
Yun Xian chuckled, saying nothing. Strive? Impossible. I'm dedicated to lying flat for life!
The truth was, he'd looted a trove of pills from the storage ring he claimed after slaying Protector Wu. Treating them like sweets, he consumed them over a month, skyrocketing from a two-star Dou Zhe to the Dou Shi realm. Such pill-fueled progress was akin to yanking a sapling upward, leaving his Dou Qi unstable, less refined than even some seven- or eight-star Dou Zhes. But that was irrelevant—his true power stemmed from his Emperor Realm soul force, with Dou Qi as a mere backdrop.
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