Chapter 356 Leaving the Pill Realm

"It's a pity that we didn't manage to keep that guy Hun Xuzi here."

He turned around, his gaze sweeping over the chaotic battlefield in the valley, his tone carrying a hint of regret, "That guy really did come in to cause trouble."

Old Monster Lin stood with his hands behind his back, his usually smiling face now bearing a hint of coldness.

Hun Xuzi had lurked in the Pill Tower for many years back then, stealing secrets and harming the Tower Master; the Pill Tower had kept an account of that debt for hundreds of years.

Now that he had crossed their path again, they had still let him run away.

"It's no matter." He looked at Shen Wen, his tone calm, "With your growth speed, you will be able to resolve this guy soon."

Shen Wen nodded, not saying much.

Xuan Danzi and Old Man Shennong exchanged a glance, neither speaking.

The two of them had acted today with the intention of protecting Shen Wen, but they hadn't expected that this kid himself would be able to fight Hun Xuzi to a standstill.

Although they hadn't managed to keep him, forcing a Seven-Star Dou Sheng to sever his arm and flee was a feat that was already astonishing enough if spoken of.

"The Hun Clan has suffered a loss this time and won't let it go easily." Xuan Danzi spoke, his voice steady, "We must prepare against a surprise attack from the Hun Clan. The Pill Gathering hasn't ended yet; we cannot have any more mishaps."

Old Man Shennong gave a grunt of acknowledgement, his cane tapping lightly on the ground, his gaze falling on Shen Wen, "Be careful yourself."

Shen Wen nodded, "Disciple understands."

Three figures soared into the air simultaneously, a silver-gray light flashing and disappearing, vanishing into the gray horizon in the blink of an eye.

The valley fell silent.

Shen Wen turned around, looking at Yao Tian and Yao Ling, who were still kneeling on the ground.

Yao Tian's face remained pale, the cold sweat on his forehead not yet dry.

He knelt on one knee, one hand supporting himself on the ground, trying to stand up, but found his legs were still weak.

It wasn't because of Hun Xuzi's pressure.

It was because of the battle just now.

A Four-Star Dou Sheng fighting a Seven-Star Dou Sheng, forcing the opponent to sever an arm and flee.

He had grown up in the Medicine Clan, had seen the Elders of the clan take action, and had heard of the deeds of those ancient experts.

But watching a young man of the same age as himself erupt with that level of combat power with his own eyes was a different matter.

Shen Wen walked up to him and extended a hand.

"Are you alright?"

Yao Tian raised his head, looking at that hand, then looked at Shen Wen's calm face.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but found his throat seemed to be blocked by something.

The words from before— "There are no heroes in this time, allowing a mere boy to make a name for himself," and "It is nothing more than a cheap trick to attract attention"—could not be spoken at all now.

He grasped Shen Wen's hand, using the force to stand up, fell silent for a moment, and finally spat out two words: "Thank you."

His voice was a bit hoarse.

Shen Wen glanced at him, didn't say much, and then looked at Yao Ling.

Yao Ling was calmer than him and had already stood up from the ground on her own.

She patted the dust off her skirt, her face still a bit pale, but the clarity had returned to those naturally Heavenly Realm eyes.

"I will escort you to the exit." Shen Wen said.

Yao Tian shook his head, "No need. We can walk ourselves."

Yao Ling glanced at her brother, then at Shen Wen, softly said "Thank you," and followed Yao Tian as they turned and left.

The two figures, one in front and one behind, gradually walked far away along the path at the edge of the valley.

Shen Wen stood on the spot, watching them disappear into the dense forest, only then withdrawing his gaze.

He did not rush to leave, but instead looked down at the bloodstains on his palm, closed his eyes, and went over every detail of the battle just now in his mind.

Hun Xuzi's soul chains, the sub-flame of the Void Swallowing Flame, the Soul-Devouring Demonic Sound...

The methods of a Seven-Star Dou Sheng were truly not comparable to that level of Hun Qianmo.

If it weren't for the protection of the dragon phoenix ancient armor and the Desolate Ancient Saint Body, those few soul chains alone would have been enough to give him a hard time.

But this battle was not without its gains.

The operation of the Ancestral Talisman Three Mysterious Transformations had forced out many subtle flaws during actual combat that had not been discovered during deductions.

Those flaws were replayed repeatedly in his mind, and he dismantled, corrected, and perfected them bit by bit.

The coordination between the eight ancestral talismans was also much smoother than before.

He opened his eyes and let out a long breath of turbid air.

Myriad Medicine Mountain Range.

When Shen Wen landed at the entrance of the valley, Xiong Zhan was napping against a huge rock.

That hundred-meter-tall giant bear had now shrunk into the appearance of a burly man, with a tiger's back and a bear's waist, his black hair disheveled, and a short animal-skin vest draped casually over his body.

Hearing the commotion, he opened one eye, swept a glance at Shen Wen, and closed it again.

"I thought you had forgotten."

Shen Wen didn't respond, only taking a jade talisman from his storage ring and tossing it to him.

"Take this. I'll take you out in a while."

Xiong Zhan caught the jade talisman, weighed it in his hand, and tucked it into his bosom. He stood up, stretched his neck, and a crackling sound emitted from his bones.

"You're covered in the stench of blood; who did you fight?"

Shen Wen glanced at him, "The Hun Clan."

Xiong Zhan raised an eyebrow and didn't ask any further.

Although he was a bear, having lived for so many years, he still knew what should be asked and what should not.

Northern Region of the Pill World.

The assessment exit was located on an open plain at the northernmost end of the Pill World.

In the center of the plain stood a stone platform, and hovering above the stone platform was a silver-gray spatial passage, slowly rotating, leading to the outside world.

Several simple sheds had already been set up around the stone platform, with several Pill Tower Elders sitting inside, responsible for verifying medicinal ingredients and registering scores.

When Shen Wen landed in front of the stone platform, there was no one else in the plaza.

He took the three medicinal ingredients from his storage ring and handed them to the Elder on duty.

The Elder took them, verified them carefully, nodded, and made a note in the register.

"Grandmaster Shen, first place. Please wait to the side."

Shen Wen gave a grunt of acknowledgement and didn't say anything more.

He found a flat spot next to the stone platform, sat cross-legged, and closed his eyes.

The arm.

Hun Xuzi's severed arm was currently lying quietly in the storage ring.

The Physical Body of a Seven-Star Dou Sheng contained energy far exceeding that of an ordinary Dou Sheng.

Those Essence Blood and bone marrow were excellent nutrients.

But Shen Wen did not rush to refine it.

He first took out several Medicinal Pills and consumed them, adjusting his breath for a moment, completely recovering from the consumption of the battle just now.

Then, he used the great dao treasure bottle to extract the energy from the arm bit by bit, turning it into countless tiny black currents of air that surged into the treasure bottle.

Essence Blood, bone marrow, flesh and blood, nothing was left behind.

The treasure bottle trembled slightly, refining and purifying that energy, and finally feeding it back into Shen Wen's body.

The moment that energy surged in, Shen Wen's aura fluctuated slightly.

But he quickly suppressed it, not rushing to absorb it, instead temporarily sealing that pure energy within his body.

Now was not the time for a Breakthrough.

He completely refined the severed arm and also cleaned up the blood mist of Mu Gu Old Man that he had swallowed during the battle just now before opening his eyes again.

He had already gained some insights into the Ancestral Talisman Three Mysterious Transformations during that battle just now.

He immersed himself in it, forgetting the time.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

Yao Tian and Yao Ling arrived on the second day.

When the two stepped out of the spatial passage, their complexions had returned to normal.

Yao Tian's gaze swept across the plaza, landing on the black-robed figure sitting cross-legged next to the stone platform, and his footsteps paused slightly.

Shen Wen had his eyes closed, his aura deep and still like water, seemingly unaware of everything around him.

Yao Ling glanced at her brother, softly said "Don't disturb him," and sat down on the other side of the stone platform.

Yao Tian didn't speak, sat down beside his sister, but his gaze couldn't help but look at Shen Wen again.

He recalled the battle three days ago.

A Four-Star Dou Sheng fighting a Seven-Star Dou Sheng.

Those phantom shadows, those rays of light, that pitch-black scythe, that ancient-looking disk...

And that final slash that forced Hun Xuzi to sever his arm and flee.

He withdrew his gaze, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath.

Those things, he couldn't figure out, and he didn't intend to think about them anymore.

At noon on the third day, Huo Xuan and Huo Zhi stepped out of the spatial passage.

Their complexions were not very good.

It wasn't because of injuries; it was because they knew things they shouldn't have known.

Not long after they arrived, Yao Ling told the two from the Yan Clan about the Hun Clan's matter.

Hun Xuzi infiltrating the Pill World, the truth about the annihilation of the Ling Clan, and that battle between Shen Wen and the Seven-Star Dou Sheng...

Huo Xuan remained silent for a long time after hearing it, and Huo Zhi's face also turned a bit pale.

When the two stepped into the plaza, their gazes fell in unison on the black-robed figure beside the stone platform.

Shen Wen was still sitting with his eyes closed, showing no reaction to the commotion around him.

Huo Xuan watched for a moment, withdrew his gaze, and sat down on the other side of the plaza.

Huo Zhi sat down beside him, couldn't help but look at Shen Wen again, and whispered, "Shen Wen, is his strength that strong?"

Huo Xuan didn't answer.

He didn't know either.

Over the next half-day, figures arrived at the plaza one after another.

Some had pale faces, some had indifferent expressions, some carried a hint of relief, and some were full of disappointment.

The guarding Elder spoke, "medicinal ingredients can be exchanged for space stones. For those without medicinal ingredients, I will send you all away in a moment."

...

On the outskirts of the plaza, the crowd was like a tapestry.

The silence that had followed those Alchemists entering the Pill World over the past two days was completely broken today.

More and more figures gathered around this plaza, which was nearly a thousand feet long and wide; the dense crowd extended from the stands to the distant streets and alleys, and even the rooftops were packed with people.

Today was the day of the third task of the Pill Gathering, and also the day many Alchemists would emerge from the Pill World.

The private rooms on the second floor of the teahouses and taverns had long been booked out, the windows were all wide open, and gazes were cast toward the open space in the center of the plaza.

Some held teacups, some held melon seeds, some had their arms crossed, and their expressions were diverse.

Xuan Yi, Xuan Kongzi, Tian Leizi.

The complexions of the three were not very good.

The message had come from Old Monster Lin, exactly as it happened, without leaving out a single word.

Hun Xuzi had infiltrated the Pill World, with the cultivation of a Seven-Star Dou Sheng.

When Xuan Yi heard it, her heartbeat skipped a beat.

She subconsciously wanted to ask if Shen Wen was injured, but swallowed the words when they reached her lips.

Old Monster Lin gave her a meaningful look, a gaze that made her feel a bit uncomfortable, as if nothing could be hidden.

"Shen Wen is fine." Old Monster Lin's tone at the time was flat, as if he were talking about a trivial matter, "He was even fighting back and forth with Hun Xuzi earlier."

Fighting back and forth.

These four words fell into the ears of Xuan Kongzi and Tian Leizi, and both of them fell silent simultaneously.

They certainly knew that Shen Wen was very strong.

Being able to slay a Five-Star Dou Sheng, this combat power had already exceeded everyone's expectations.

But Hun Xuzi was a Seven-Star Dou Sheng; a difference of two stars was a world of difference.

But Old Monster Lin would not lie.

Xuan Kongzi stood on the high platform, his gaze sweeping over the dense crowd in the plaza, and suddenly spoke, "When did he become so strong?"

Tian Leizi shook his head and didn't speak.

Xuan Yi stood beside the two, her expression calm.

She was not surprised.

Being able to kill a Five-Star Dou Sheng and fighting a Seven-Star Dou Sheng, in her view, made no difference.

Anyway, they were both things she couldn't do.

"They're here."

Tian Leizi suddenly spoke.