204: The Venerable One's Majesty, Exchanging Treasures for Gold

Yan Jin, the Fourth Elder of the Yan Clan, spoke with a voice that wasn't loud but seemed to carry the weighty Law of fire, each word striking at one's heart, even making the surrounding scorching air seem to congeal slightly. The invisible pressure of a Dou Zun expert, vast as the star sea and boundless, enveloped the entire Fire Crow Ridge.

Facing such power, Medusa's purple eyes narrowed slightly, her body imbued with colorful light, like an ancient divine python poised to strike. Although she didn't directly confront it, a cold Aura of inviolable dignity emanated from her, silently neutralizing most of the descending pressure.

Li Ao, however, seemed oblivious. He stood in the center of the lakebed where the Silent Spirit Sealing Barrier was inscribed, his figure as tall as a pine, his gaze calmly meeting Yan Jin's sun-like eyes. The nirvana star core within him slowly rotated, treating the Dou Zun's pressure—enough to make a low-tier Dou Zong lose control of his mind—as a gentle breeze.

"That would be me." Li Ao cupped his hands, neither humble nor arrogant. "Junior Li Ao greets Elder Yan Jin. This is Queen Medusa. We have no intention of becoming enemies with your clan; we only seek a piece of solar essence gold for crafting a weapon to save a life. The earth core fire lotus is offered as exchange."

He got straight to the point, reiterating his purpose and sincerity.

Yan Jin's lava-like gaze lingered on Li Ao for a few breaths, a hint of imperceptible surprise flashing in his eyes. He could naturally tell that Li Ao's true bone age was extremely young, but his composure in the face of Dou Zun pressure and the profound Aura within him, which even Yan Jin couldn't fully discern, made him discard the last trace of contempt he had for the young man.

"solar essence gold is a sacred object of our clan, containing the essence of the great sun and the spirit of the earth's core. It takes ten thousand years to form even a wisp, and it has always been used only for offerings and the core Legacy forging within the clan," Yan Jin slowly began, his tone carrying ancient authority. "Its value is far beyond what a single earth core fire lotus can compare to. Even if your fire lotus is of extremely high quality and tinged with a trace of Bai Li's Origin cold fire, it is still not enough."

His words were decisive and brooks no argument. Huo Ying and the heavily armored middle-aged man beside him also showed expressions of course. solar essence gold was indeed regarded as a sacred object within the Yan Clan and rarely flowed out.

Li Ao had already anticipated this. His expression remained unchanged as he calmly stated, "Value varies from person to person and from situation to situation. To your clan, solar essence gold might be a symbol, a reserve; but this earth core fire lotus, especially the unique trace of Bone Chilling Flame Origin on it, might just solve some pressing problems for your clan. For example... balancing certain overly domineering flame backlashes, or helping an Elder stuck at a Bottleneck achieve a Breakthrough?"

His words were like sharp needles, once again accurately piercing the Yan Clan's potential weaknesses. Although he didn't know the specific details, it wasn't hard to deduce from Huo Ying's previous reaction and the Yan Clan's emphasis on this matter that this fire lotus must have a special and important use for them.

On Yan Jin's placid face, his brow subtly twitched. He gave Li Ao a deep look; this young man was not only mysteriously powerful but also terrifyingly meticulous.

"Silver-tongued," Yan Jin hadn't spoken yet, but the heavily armored middle-aged man beside him snorted coldly, his voice like muffled thunder. "Although the earth core fire lotus is good, our Yan Clan has profound foundations and may not be unable to find a substitute! You have already offended us by disturbing the spiritual object guarded by our clan, and now you want to use it to extort a sacred object? What wishful thinking!"

His name was Huo Yi, the commander of the Yan Clan's Fire Feather Guard, with a fierce and fiery temperament. As he spoke, his powerful Aura, at the Peak of a Five-Star Dou Zong, erupted like a volcano, pressing down on Li Ao, attempting to overwhelm him with sheer force.

However, after entering the range of the "Silent Spirit Sealing Barrier," his Aura was also greatly weakened and interfered with, like a mud ox entering the sea, failing to cause much of a stir.

Li Ao didn't even glance at him, his gaze still fixed on Yan Jin, as if Huo Yi's reprimand was just a passing breeze. This disregard angered Huo Yi more than any rebuttal.

"Huo Yi," Yan Jin said calmly, stopping his subordinate who was about to erupt. He looked at Li Ao, his eyes gleaming. "Do you know that even if I agree to the transaction, how can you guarantee that you can safely leave the Hundred Thousand Volcanoes after obtaining the solar essence gold? You wouldn't be ignorant of the principle that possessing a treasure makes one a target."

His words subtly carried a hint of threat and probing. He was assessing the source of Li Ao's confidence.

Upon hearing this, Li Ao suddenly smiled. The smile carried a hint of nonchalance, yet also a chilling confidence.

"Is Elder worried that we won't be able to hold onto what we gain from the transaction?" He shook his head slightly. "You don't need to trouble yourself with that, Elder. As for whether we can leave safely..."

He paused slightly, his gaze sweeping towards a certain direction in the sky, his tone becoming somewhat meaningful: "Presumably, those friends hiding in the dark, lurking like vipers, will be more concerned about this question than Elder. Perhaps, at this moment, they are weighing whether the allure of the fire lotus is greater, or the cost of offending both me and your clan at the same time is higher?"

As soon as he said this, a sharp light suddenly flashed in Yan Jin's eyes! As a Dou Zun, his Soul Power was incredibly strong, and he had naturally long since detected the faint, chilling Auras (Hall of Souls) hidden in the distance, as well as the lingering fluctuations from the Burning Flame Valley people earlier. Li Ao's revelation now was tantamount to stating that they were not helpless lambs to be slaughtered, but troublesome existences capable of stirring up trouble, and even dragging the Yan Clan into it.

"Are you threatening this old man?" Yan Jin's voice deepened, the surrounding temperature instantly soared, and the air distorted, as if a raging inferno would ignite at any moment.

"I wouldn't dare." Li Ao's expression remained calm, but his gaze was as sharp as a knife. "I am merely stating a fact. A transaction is mutually beneficial. If you forcibly seize it, not to mention whether your clan can succeed before we destroy the fire lotus, even if you do, the subsequent troubles you'll face will likely far exceed the value of a piece of solar essence gold that you temporarily can't use. What's more..."

He paused again, looking directly at Yan Jin: "Doesn't Elder wonder how I, a mere Five-Star Dou Zun, managed to snatch this fire lotus from Bai Li, who possesses the combat power of a Seven-Star Dou Zong, and escape unscathed? What I rely on is not just luck."

His words were firm yet subtle, highlighting the risks of forced seizure and subsequent troubles, while also vaguely revealing his own trump cards and mystery, throwing the choice back to Yan Jin.

Should they choose a risky forced seizure with unpredictable consequences, or a seemingly disadvantageous but potentially problem-solving and trouble-avoiding stable transaction?

Yan Jin fell silent. The surging Aura around him slowly subsided, like a volcano on the verge of eruption returning to dormancy. He looked deeply at Li Ao, then glanced at Medusa, who remained composed beside him, his thoughts racing.

The earth core fire lotus and that wisp of cold fire Origin were indeed crucial for the Grand Elder's injuries... And the strange destructive power on this young man also made him wary, unwilling to easily forge a deadly enmity... Those forces lurking in the dark, especially the Hall of Souls, were even more annoying flies... After a long while, Yan Jin seemed to have made up his mind, slowly exhaling a breath, his sun-like eyes once again looking at Li Ao:

"The earth core fire lotus, plus the method you used to isolate and weaken Bai Li's flame power when you took the fire lotus, in exchange for a fist-sized piece of solar essence gold."

He finally relented, but proposed new conditions! He not only wanted the fire lotus but also developed a strong interest in Li Ao's means of countering the Bone Chilling Flame!

Li Ao's heart stirred slightly; indeed, it had been noticed. He pondered for a moment, then shook his head: "The method is a secret of my sect and cannot be divulged. However, I can offer three of my self-refined 'nine yin yellow springs pills' as a substitute. This pill contains extreme Yin power, which is quite effective in resisting and neutralizing certain violent fire toxins, and might be helpful to other fire spirits cultivated by your clan, or to clansmen who have suffered Qi Deviation during their Cultivation."

He couldn't reveal the secret of Nirvana Power, but offering his own Medicinal Pills as an addition both demonstrated value and avoided exposing his core secrets.

Yan Jin's eyes flashed, seemingly weighing the offer. He had heard of the nine yin yellow springs pill; it was a Peak seventh-grade cold-attribute Medicinal Pill, extremely difficult to refine, and indeed had remarkable effects on fire-attribute Cultivators suffering Qi Deviation. This young man could even refine it? It seemed his alchemy skills were also extraordinary.

"Agreed." Yan Jin finally nodded. "The fire lotus, plus three nine yin yellow springs pills, for the solar essence gold."

"Deal." Li Ao was straightforward.

A seemingly impossible transaction reached a preliminary agreement amidst this verbal sparring and clash of Auras. However, the actual solar essence gold had not yet been obtained, and whether this transaction could ultimately be completed smoothly still held variables.