This time I'll be on top.

Xue Linglong took a deep breath before allowing her voice to steady slightly.

"The Materials... I've gathered most of them in the Demon Falling Valley. I'm only missing one ingredient: 'Root of Broken Dust'."

Lin Yuan patted the Storage Pouch at his waist, and a Jade Box appeared in his hand.

The Jade Box opened, revealing a peculiar Spiritual Plant, crystal clear throughout, with roots that looked as if they had broken and then miraculously healed, lying quietly inside.

It was unknown which unlucky soul had treasured this particular Spiritual Plant.

"Give me the Pill Formula." Lin Yuan pushed the Jade Box over. "I will refine this Medicinal Pill for you."

The hatred between him and Xue Linglong had long since been resolved after the entanglement along the way.

She had already endured the punishment she deserved, and she had received the lesson she needed.

The dependence caused by the backlash of the Cultivation Technique was ultimately not what he wanted.

Xue Linglong took out the Pill Formula, Lin Yuan received it, and his Divine Sense sank into it, quickly comprehending the contents.

Afterward, he took out the Pill Furnace and began refining.

Time slowly flowed by amid the rising Pill Fire.

"Open!"

Following Lin Yuan's low shout, a snow-white Medicinal Pill, radiating a cool spiritual light, shot out of the Pill Furnace and landed steadily in his palm.

Xue Linglong looked at the Medicinal Pill, and intense struggle flickered in her eyes.

Two voices were frantically tearing at her heart.

One voice urged her: Eat it, sever the threads of affection, reshape your Dao Heart. From then on, the sky would be vast and the sea wide, and she would no longer be controlled by the Cultivation Technique backlash.

The other voice pleaded: Don't eat it. He is your only destination, the light in your life.

After a long time.

She finally made up her mind, took the Medicinal Pill with a trembling hand, tilted her head back, and swallowed it.

The Medicinal Pill entered her abdomen, transforming into a cool current of Qi that cleansed her limbs and bones before finally merging into her Sea of Consciousness.

Xue Linglong sat cross-legged and closed her eyes.

When the medicinal effect was completely dispersed, she slowly opened her eyes.

The eyes that were once dominated by dependence and obsession were now clear, without a trace of Impurities.

"It's done."

Lin Yuan's voice held a hint of relief.

"Now, you are free... From now on..."

His words were cut short.

But Xue Linglong moved.

She suddenly stood up, strode over to Lin Yuan, and, under his stunned gaze, violently pushed him down onto the soft couch behind him.

She leaned down, looking down at him from above.

In those perfectly clear eyes, the unnatural dependence caused by the Cultivation Technique backlash was gone, replaced by an unprecedented, scorching, aggressively intense flame.

Her red lips moved close to Lin Yuan's ear; her breath was fragrant like orchids, but her voice was domineering.

"This time, I want to be on top."

...After several days of navigation, the massive senluo bone boat finally passed through the mist in the sky, and its huge shadow slowly descended and docked atop Hundred Herbs Peak.

On the way there, the bone boat carried over a thousand Yin Corpse Sect Disciples.

Upon returning, the figures on the deck were sparse, less than half the original number, and every person carried indelible Evil Qi and exhaustion.

"Let's go."

Lin Yuan rubbed his slightly aching old waist and spoke calmly to Xue Linglong beside him.

Xue Linglong said nothing, merely placing a jet-black token carved with complex bloody patterns into Lin Yuan's hand.

"When you miss me, you can come find me anytime."

This item was the Restriction token for her Immortal Cave. With this token, Lin Yuan could come find her at any moment.

Lin Yuan rubbed the token with his fingertips, put it into his Storage Pouch, and nodded lightly.

On this journey back, Xue Linglong completely unleashed her suppressed nature, becoming astonishingly wild.

The small golden characters in Lin Yuan's eyes refreshed several times almost every day.

He now had as many as 1812 usable attribute points.

Watching Xue Linglong's figure disappear into the crowd, Lin Yuan did not linger for a moment. He piloted the light feather boat, transforming into an inconspicuous streak of light, and flew directly toward his small courtyard.

Before even getting close, Lin Yuan's gaze pierced through the thin mist and landed in the courtyard.

Two graceful figures were busy in the Spirit Field, watering the Spirit Plants with Spiritual Spring water.

One of them was naturally Han Shuang.

The other figure, however, caused Lin Yuan's pupils to contract abruptly, and even his flight path showed an almost imperceptible pause.

Su Qingyan.

She was actually still alive.

Lin Yuan circled once, and the light feather boat silently landed on the flagstone path of the small courtyard.

"Brother Yuan, you're finally back!"

Han Shuang was the first to notice, and unconcealed joy instantly blossomed on her face. Like a young swallow flying into the woods, she immediately rushed into Lin Yuan's arms.

She then realized Su Qingyan was still nearby, and her pretty face instantly flushed red. She shyly released her hold.

Su Qingyan stood in place and smiled sweetly at Lin Yuan.

She was still Su Qingyan; her features and appearance had not changed.

But her eyes and the aura of her every movement had undergone earth-shattering changes.

Her former coldness was replaced by a deep-seated, enchanting charm. The flow of her eyes seemed capable of stealing a person's soul.

What shocked him even more was that her Cultivation had actually soared to Qi Refining Ninth Layer Perfection!

"You..."

Su Qingyan seemed to see Lin Yuan's confusion. Her red lips parted slightly, and her voice carried a hint of lazy magnetism.

"this servant will slowly tell you about it tonight."

She deliberately emphasized the words "tonight" and "slowly," the meaning in her eyes being self-evident.

"Brother Yuan, look at me!" Han Shuang said, pulling Lin Yuan's arm, as if seeking praise.

Lin Yuan's gaze swept over her, and he immediately noticed the immense Qi and blood within Han Shuang's body.

Her Cultivation had surprisingly stepped into the Blood Moving Realm Early Stage.

In just over a month, she had actually jumped directly from the third layer of the Bronze Skin Realm, bypassing the entire Iron Bone Realm.

Such progress could be called divine speed.

"Not bad, not bad. My Shuanger is truly a Cultivation Genius." Lin Yuan praised her sincerely.

"Brother Yuan, you must be exhausted from your long trip. I'll go prepare food for you right away." Han Shuang said thoughtfully.

Lin Yuan nodded and smiled, "I just happened to get some good things. Take them and prepare them. The three of us will have a feast tonight."

As his voice fell, he gently tapped the Storage Pouch at his waist.

Boom!

A vast and mighty terrifying aura, carrying extreme coldness and Dragon Might, instantly filled the entire small courtyard!

Sections of Flood Dragon meat, neatly chopped, stripped of their skin, and revealing snow-white flesh, appeared out of thin air, piling up into a small mountain.

The flesh was crystal clear, emitting a precious light. The Spiritual Qi and Qi and blood power contained within it even caused the surrounding air to become sticky.

"This... this is..."

Su Qingyan's charming eyes instantly widened. She keenly sensed that the power contained within these meat sections was definitely not comparable to ordinary Yao Beast flesh and blood.

Han Shuang couldn't help but swallow, her eyes wide with shock.

The main reason she achieved such fast Cultivation speed was the nourishment provided by the Magma Giant Crocodile's flesh and blood.

Yet, the Qi and blood power contained within this snow-white meat section before them was several times stronger than the flesh and blood of that Magma Giant Crocodile!

"Grade Five Yao Beast, the flesh and blood of a Frost Bone Flood Dragon."

As soon as these words were spoken, both women simultaneously gasped.

Grade Five Yao Beast!

That was a terrifying existence equivalent to a Core Formation Stage Cultivator!

"You... you killed it?" Su Qingyan's voice held an almost imperceptible tremble, and the look in her eyes toward Lin Yuan changed completely.

Lin Yuan first nodded, then shook his head.

"I experienced quite a few things on this trip. Shuanger, go prepare the food. We can eat and talk later."