BTTH: From Genius to Invincible-Chapter 314: The Di Pill Plan

Word Count: 2,836 Words

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Of all the people present, no one felt more perplexed than Nalan Yanran. Currently, she was undoubtedly the most prominent rising star in the Jia Ma Empire besides Xiao Yan.

Not long ago, the three great empires had secretly dispatched five Dou Emperors to infiltrate Jia Ma Sacred City with the mission of assassinating her.

Besieging a single Dou King with five Dou Emperors should have been a sure kill by any measure. Yet she forcibly fought her way out and held on until Hai Bodong and Yun Yun arrived. Eventually, Jia Xing Tian, who had broken through to Dou Ancestor upon emerging from seclusion, jointly slew those Dou Emperors, delivering a heavy blow to the three empires.

Moreover, she turned misfortune into fortune after that life-and-death struggle and advanced to a 9-star Dou King. She thought she had at least somewhat closed the gap with Xiao Yan, but unexpectedly, the man's cultivation had surged directly from 7-star Dou King to 3-star Dou Emperor upon his return!

How could she not grind her teeth in frustration!

"It's different for me. I've swallowed too many pills, so my Dou Qi is inflated..." Xiao Yan explained wryly, seeing Nalan Yanran gnash her teeth as though she might take a bite out of him.

Once again employing his tactic of changing the subject, he hurriedly asked, "Are there any limits on the number of participants?"

Xiao Yan finally understood the meaning of the Great Meeting of Factions after the previous explanation. In short, it was a comprehensive evaluation of a faction's elders, backbone, and younger generation. Only a faction that was vibrant in all aspects, possessing the strongest top experts, core members, and young talents in the entire North-Western Region, could possibly command all the other factions in the region.

Although it was called a meeting of 'factions,' empires like the Jia Ma Empire and the Chu Yun Empire, where multiple powerful factions existed within their territories, would unite and participate together. Just as in the past, most of the Jia Ma Empire's 'Ten Strong' were not from a single faction; they responded to a collective call to action.

This time, however, was different. Now, it was the newly formed Yan Alliance participating in the Great Meeting of Factions, a debut to make a name for themselves.

The Yan Alliance was currently composed of four major powers: the Jia Ma Imperial Family, the Misty Cloud Sect, the Snake-People Tribe, and the Xiao Clan.

Naturally, all four forces needed to send participants.

The Xiao Clan and the Misty Cloud Sect were considered the weakest of the four major factions. The Xiao Clan would likely send only the Xiao brothers, or four people if Zi Yan were included. The Misty Cloud Sect naturally would have Yun Yun and Nalan Yanran participating.

Originally, the Snake-People Tribe should have been the strongest, but since Medusa was still condensing her Heavenly Flame Body beneath the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower, the tribe could only send Hua She Er, a Dou Emperor, and Yue Mei, a Dou King.

At least on the surface, Jia Xing Tian, who had reached Dou Ancestor, was now the strongest member of the Yan Alliance.

"There's no limit on the number of Dou Ancestors and above in the faction competition," Yao Ye replied upon hearing his question. "'No limit' in this context means that there can even be none, because having just one Dou Ancestor barely qualifies a faction as first-rate. No faction in the North-Western Region has double-digit Dou Ancestors; even the deeply rooted Sky Serpent Mansion has only four or five."

"As for the 'battle for renown' among same-ranked Dou Kings and Dou Emperors, the limit is ten participants."

'No wonder they're called the Ten Strong.' Xiao Yan suddenly realized and shook his head helplessly.

He remembered hearing Yan Shi boast about defeating a Dou King from the Snake-People Tribe when he was trying to seize the Green Lotus Core Flame. It was probably related to previous sessions of the Great Meeting of Factions.

One could imagine how weak the Jia Ma Empire had been in the past. Among the 'Ten Strong' there were three Dou Emperors and seven Dou Kings; they couldn't even gather ten Dou Emperors. Compared to factions like the Sky Serpent Mansion and Thunderbolt Sect, each boasting several Dou Ancestors, it was truly embarrassing.

Back then, Hai Bodong's ability to defeat two equally ranked Dou Emperors was indeed something to be proud of.

Of course, the Chu Yun Empire, Luo Yan Empire, and Mulan Empire were merely fringe empires in the North-Western Region. Overall, it was a case of small fry fighting among themselves; they were still no match for the Dou Emperors of the Sky Serpent Mansion and Thunderbolt Sect.

"And only one person can be sent for the arena defense competition among the younger generation," Hai Bodong added. "That's why that little girl might represent the Sky Serpent Mansion. With that kind of physique, her strength definitely won't be weak."

The Sky Serpent Mansion had always harbored ambitions to dominate the North-Western Region. It's said that they were the ones who initially proposed the Great Meeting of Factions.

To achieve total victory in this Great Meeting of Factions, they would likely spare no effort in nurturing Qing Lin.

"So I'm supposed to participate in the youth category?" Xiao Yan asked.

Xiao Ding shook his head, "No, after discussion, we've decided to have Yanran represent us in the youth competition. You, Third Brother, have something else on your plate."

Xiao Yan's eyes shone as he asked, "Alchemist competition?"

He had heard before that the Jia Ma Empire was weak and had been on the verge of destruction several times. The reason large-scale wars hadn't broken out was that in the previous Great Meeting of Factions, Gu He had reached the 6th-tier alchemist level while the three major empires lacked a 6th-tier alchemist, which made them wary.

In other words, the Great Meeting of Factions included an alchemist competition.

But it made sense when you think about it. A faction's strength was not just about having powerful cultivators; possessing a powerful alchemist was also a crucial factor in determining its strength.

Factions like the Sky Serpent Mansion and Thunderbolt Sect had established empires because they needed alchemists.

The alchemist profession was extremely rare. It was hard to find even one among a million people, let alone one with great talent.

So the only way was to establish an empire, nurture a large population, and select promising alchemist seedlings for cultivation.

The larger the territory and the more citizens there were, the higher the probability of alchemists emerging.

One could imagine the status of alchemists. Establishing an empire was done for the sake of producing more alchemists.

"Yes, this alchemist competition only appeared in the last few Great Meetings of Factions. It was because a strange faction called the Medicine Bone Sect appeared in the North-Western Region. This faction isn't strong, and its leader is only a 1-star Dou Ancestor, but he holds another identity, a 7th-tier alchemist."

When mentioning the Medicine Bone Sect, those who knew the situation, such as Yun Yun, Jia Xing Tian, and Yao Ye, all displayed strange expressions.

Originally, the Great Meeting of Factions had nothing to do with alchemists, but it was precisely because of the emergence of this faction that everyone suddenly realized a powerful alchemist could change so many things. Therefore, it was believed that the strongest faction should also possess a powerful alchemist.

No one dared to underestimate the Medicine Bone Sect. Even though their leader's strength wasn't impressive and might even be considered weak among his peers, who would dare ignore the influence of a high-tier alchemist? Even the leaders of the Sky Serpent Mansion and Thunderbolt Sect had to show some respect when meeting him.

This led to the Great Meeting of Factions becoming increasingly deadlocked with each session. Meeting so many criteria simultaneously was simply an impossible task, even for the strongest factions.

That's why the North-Western Region remained a loose sandpile to this day, with no true overlord emerging.

Yao Ye glanced at Yue Er, who was fidgeting beside her, and said, "The alchemist competition at the Great Meeting of Factions is somewhat similar to the Alchemist Grand Meeting. The difference is that two alchemists need to be sent: one under thirty years old to represent the faction's young alchemists, and one who is the faction's strongest alchemist."

"After discussion, we've decided to have Princess Yue Er represent the younger generation, and Grandmaster Xiao Yan, you will represent the Yan Alliance's highest level in alchemy."

After listening to such a complex explanation, Xiao Yan rubbed his temples and shook his head in disbelief. He had never expected that selecting some sort of 'Martial Alliance Leader' to dominate an entire region would be so complicated.

They continued discussing until, in the end, the final list of attendees for the Great Meeting of Factions in the Sky Serpent Empire was decided:

Representing the Yan Alliance's highest level in alchemy was Xiao Yan, and the strongest in cultivation was the Dou Ancestor Jia Xing Tian. The younger generation would be represented by Nalan Yanran and Princess Yue Er.

The remaining ten spots included five Dou Emperors: Zi Yan; Hai Bodong, who had reached 8-star Dou Emperor; Yun Yun, a 7-star Dou Emperor; Hua She Er, a 2-star Dou Emperor; and the guardian beast of the Jia Ma Imperial Family, the Serene Sea Scaly Beast.

The other five were all Dou Kings: Yue Mei from the Snake-People Tribe; two Dou King elders from the Misty Cloud Sect; and Xiao Ding and Xiao Li, who had reached the Dou King realm thanks to the pills Xiao Yan had given them.

"Shouldn't we leave some people behind to guard the Yan Alliance?" Xiao Yan looked at the roster. Excluding the Amethyst Winged Lion King and Little Fairy Doctor, almost all of the Yan Alliance's top experts were being dispatched. If the Chu Yun Empire took the opportunity to attack, wouldn't it be disastrous?

"No need to worry. During the Great Meeting of Factions, all empires are prohibited from invading others. Otherwise, they would face joint destruction by all factions and empires."

Only then did Xiao Yan feel at ease.

...

That night, taking advantage of the late hour when everyone was asleep, Xiao Yan donned his Soul Robe and flew in the direction of the Misty Cloud Sect, or more precisely, toward the Hall of Souls.

Misty Cloud Sect's Hall of Souls.

"V-V-Venerable!! Greetings, Venerable Yan!"

"Venerable Yan!"

"It's Venerable Yan! Greetings, Venerable Yan!"

To facilitate entry into the Space Lock, Xiao Yan hung his Soul Command Token at his waist. Along the way, the Soul Envoys within the Space Lock practically knelt in waves.

This branch of the Hall of Souls was under his control. Of course, he was just a hands-off manager; matters concerning the Xiao Clan and the Hall of Souls were primarily managed by his two elder brothers.

Xiao Yan paid no attention to these Soul Envoys, for with his Spiritual Strength the Soul Robes they wore could not block his perception.

He sensed that a small number of the Soul Envoys here were disciples from the Misty Cloud Sect and the Xiao Clan.

From a hierarchical perspective, although Xiao Yan held the status of a Venerable, this branch of the Hall of Souls was still one of the weakest and lowest-level halls, lacking in both numbers and strength.

Reaching the front of a pitch-black grand hall, Xiao Yan looked up to see a figure wearing a Protector's Soul Robe of the Human Grade, sitting cross-legged on one of the dark chains, with occasional flashes of black lightning scintillating around him.

Sensing a wave of heat, the lightning-clad figure slowly opened his eyes. A glint of lightning flashed in his pupils, and the ferocity and cruelty in his gaze would make anyone shudder at the mere sight.

Yet when the black-robed man saw the Soul Command Token hanging at the other party's waist and the 'Yan' character on his Soul Robe, his ferocity and cruelty instantly softened into doting affection.

"So you finally decided to come back." The black-robed man ceased his cultivation, jumped down from the chains, and amiably patted Xiao Yan's shoulder.

Without a doubt, the only person here who dared to pat Xiao Yan's shoulder like this was his second brother, Xiao Li.

"I'm back, Second Brother." After sensing his brother's aura, Xiao Yan was somewhat surprised, "It seems your cultivation has improved quite a bit."

Eldest Brother Xiao Ding was the most strategic, while Second Brother Xiao Li had a fierce temperament. In terms of cultivation talent, Xiao Li was higher than Xiao Ding.

"Heh heh, it's all thanks to you. Did you come this time for something?" Xiao Li asked.

"Yes, I want to make use of the Soul Offering Altar."

Xiao Li saw that Xiao Yan had serious matters to attend to, so he said nothing more and resumed his cultivation. This time, he would be representing the Yan Alliance in the Great Meeting of Factions and naturally couldn't afford to lose face.

Proceeding straight ahead, Xiao Yan soon arrived at the Soul Offering Altar. His Soul Command Token flew onto the altar with a whoosh, and suddenly an eerie black fog surged out from it.

"Jie Jie Jie, Xiao Yan," came a voice as the black fog gradually transformed into the figure of an old man.

"Hun Huzi." The more powerful Xiao Yan became, the more he realized how unfathomable this self-proclaimed number one alchemist of the Dou Qi Continent was; claiming to be the continent's top alchemist might have been more than mere boastfulness.

Xiao Yan did not plan to engage in small talk with Hun Huzi. A cluster of black flames appeared in his palm as he reached inside to retrieve a vial of blood.

"What is the connection between the Nihility Devouring Flame and the Tunling Clan?" he asked directly.

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"Jie Jie Jie, that's a secret of my clan, but I suppose you've already guessed it," Hun Huzi replied with a sinister laugh, his eyes narrowing as he looked at Xiao Yan.

"The Nihility Devouring Flame's essence once devoured the Tunling King and obtained its power. Thus, the Seed Flames of the Nihility Devouring Flame also possess the power of the Tunling Clan, the ability to absorb bloodline strength." Xiao Yan had figured out some things after that battle.

Then, when he saw Hun Huzi's silence, he continued, "How is this thing used?"

Although he possessed this Dou God Bloodline, he didn't know how to use it!

"You want to cultivate the Emperor Soul Technique?" Hun Huzi saw through him at a glance. Xiao Yan had no intention of joining the Hun Clan, but he wanted to cultivate their supreme Soul Training Method.

"Of course; otherwise, why would I have traded the Ancient God's Jade with you?"

Looking at Xiao Yan's composed expression, Hun Huzi was silent for a moment before shaking his head, "You're not qualified yet. Every Dou God Clan holds a coming-of-age ceremony every year to test the Dou God Bloodline in their members."

"The Dou God Bloodline gradually activates as the cultivator grows, and the coming-of-age ceremony is a ritual to assess the bloodline. Reaching Grade 4 allows one to inscribe the Clan Mark; at Grade 6 it goes even further, with the highest being the Divine Grade. My Hun Clan is no exception."

"The method to utilize the Dou God Bloodline is very simple: participate in our clan's coming-of-age ceremony and use the ritual's secret technique to enhance your bloodline concentration."

Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed slightly. When Hun Huzi said he wasn't qualified, he meant that Xiao Yan wasn't a member of the Hun Clan and thus wasn't eligible to participate in their coming-of-age ceremony.

Xiao Yan pulled back his hood, revealing a cold smile, and said, "Hun Huzi, no need to beat around the bush. Since your goal is for me to partner with you to refine a certain pill, and that requires my Spiritual Strength to reach the Emperor State, cultivating the Emperor Soul Technique is the only way. So, do you have conditions, or perhaps a trial?"

Hun Huzi grinned widely, "Jie Jie Jie, indeed. You're only one of the candidates for the Di Pill Plan. My clan only needs one person to join hands with me, so you need to defeat the other alchemists to prove you're truly qualified."

"You defeated Han Feng, but he was merely a pawn. His martial uncle, Mu Gu, is an 8th-tier alchemist and one of the candidates for the Di Pill Plan."

Han Feng's martial uncle! That means he's a fellow disciple of Venerable Yao!

"He will participate in the next Pill Gathering hosted by the Pill Tower. I want you to join as well, win the championship, and enter their inner sanctum to retrieve a certain pill recipe!"