harleyscars 524. Handling Chen Xian
524. Handling Chen Xian
Just as Chen Xian's soul power surged and he was about to destroy the herbs, a hand landed on his shoulder, pinning him down and rendering him unable to move.
"Stop!" Xiao Yan naturally couldn't stand by and watch these herbs be recklessly destroyed by Chen Xian.
Chen Xian struggled desperately, but he was controlled by Xiao Yan and could not move his body even an inch.
Who are you?
"Release the young master!" The two elders immediately activated their soul power and targeted Xiao Yan. The two came from the same faction and had cooperated often, so they were very coordinated at this moment, attacking Xiao Yan simultaneously.
Xiao Yan merely snorted coldly, seemingly not taking their attacks seriously at all. His invisible soul power quietly condensed, striking first and then directly at the space between their brows.
Both old men were seventh-grade alchemists, and they were able to react when the attack came in front of them, and immediately and frantically organized their defenses.
Puff, puff.
Two sounds rang out in quick succession, and the defenses of the two seventh-grade alchemists were practically made of paper, easily breached by Xiao Yan. Then, Xiao Yan's soul power surged in forcefully, his solidified soul power churning within their minds, causing the two old men to clutch their foreheads and scream in pain.
Everyone fell silent, terrified. They all knew what had just happened. The two Xuanming Sect elders had originally intended to attack Xiao Yan, who had suddenly appeared. Xiao Yan's counterattack seemed particularly ordinary, and no one thought he could withstand the attacks of the two elders. But in the end, Xiao Yan struck decisively, instantly rendering the two seventh-grade alchemists incapable of fighting.
Only after regaining their senses did the crowd realize who had arrived, and those with sharp eyes exclaimed in surprise, "Xiao Yan, it's Xiao Yan!"
"That's Xiao Yan, the eighth-grade alchemist. Judging from his appearance, his strength is indeed terrifying!"
"After all, he is someone who dares to oppose the Dou Di family; he is extraordinary."
Chen Xian, who had been arrogant, immediately softened upon learning that Xiao Yan was the one controlling him: "Young Master Xiao Yan, Chen Xian admits his mistake and begs for mercy."
Xiao Yan, however, was full of disdain: "I didn't just arrive. I heard everything you said. I'd like to ask you, why did you insist on destroying these herbs while I was in the mountains?"
At the same time, Xiao Yan increased the force in his hands. Although he couldn't use his Dou Qi, the physical strength he had cultivated over a long period of time hadn't disappeared, making it no problem for him to torment a wealthy young master like Chen Xian who neglected his training. Then, the sound of bones cracking was heard from inside Chen Xian's body, causing Chen Xian to gasp in pain.
At this moment, Chen Xian dared not delay at all. He endured the excruciating pain and explained to Xiao Yan, "Reporting to the young master, my sect, Xuanming Sect, is an affiliate of Tianming Sect. We were all coerced by the Spirit Clan and had to do our best to stop you at the Pill Gathering. I was just acting under orders without any choice."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan narrowed his eyes: "What a joke, there are no Spirit Clan members here, it was clearly your own idea."
"Everything I said is true. Ling Zhuo's power is too great. I was afraid that if the news of this place got out, I would be held accountable afterward. Young Master Xiao Yan, please forgive me."
"Enough with the nonsense. I don't really want to kill you. Just hand over everything you've gained along the way as payment for your lives," Xiao Yan threatened.
Upon hearing Xiao Yan's agreement, Chen Xian felt a sense of relief and immediately instructed the two elders, "Elders, do as Young Master Xiao Yan says!"
The two old men were still somewhat dazed from Xiao Yan's attack and their minds were a little hazy. However, given Xiao Yan's strength, they quickly took out all the herbs from their storage rings and handed them to him.
There were six high-grade herbs in total, along with numerous auxiliary materials, drawing envious glances from even the onlookers. This was the harvest of two seventh-grade alchemists over fifteen days—how could it not be abundant?
"And yours too!" Xiao Yan nodded, but still didn't let go of Chen Xian, and continued, "Although I have no intention of taking your life, I advise you to behave yourself."
Chen Xian hurriedly took out all his gains from his storage ring and then explained, "All my gains these past few days are here. I have not kept anything to myself and I offer it all to Young Master Xiao Yan."
Xiao Yan looked at the things in front of him and nodded in satisfaction. He then released Chen Xian, giving him his freedom: "Get lost."
Now that Chen Xian was free, he first rubbed his injured shoulder, but didn't leave immediately. Instead, he cautiously asked Xiao Yan, "Young Master, I can act as your inside man after we find Ling Zhuo and pass on his information..."
After putting away all the herbs, Xiao Yan casually replied, "No need."
He then ignored Chen Xian and focused his attention on the small open space. Although his collection had increased considerably after robbing Chen Xian, these herbs were mostly acquired casually and not needed for making the few pills he had. To be fully prepared for the Pill Gathering, he still needed to work harder.
If Xiao Yan could obtain all nine herbs in front of him, he would meet the minimum requirement for refining one pill. Therefore, he naturally couldn't give up and had to find a way to get his hands on them all.
Xiao Yan, maintaining his usual cautious approach, examined all the runes. Apart from the fluctuations in Dou Qi energy, the runes were indeed without any flaws.
Xiao Yan was not Chen Wei; he had not systematically studied formations, so he could only rely on brute force to overcome such an arrangement.
"This restriction blocks everything except soul power; there's no way to cheat it," Elder Huang explained, watching Xiao Yan's actions.
Then, several people in the crowd began to introduce the herbs to Xiao Yan, and none of them showed any sign of leaving. They seemed to be waiting to see if Xiao Yan, this once-renowned genius, could break through the limitations and obtain these ten elusive herbs.
After understanding the situation, Xiao Yan expressed his gratitude to everyone. Then, energy began to fluctuate on his forehead as he probed towards the herbs.
Just as everyone's attention was focused on whether Xiao Yan could succeed, Chen Xian, along with two elders, retreated and quietly left the mountaintop.
After leaving the crowd, the three of them immediately ran towards the foot of the mountain.
"Young Master, are you alright?" one of the elders asked with concern.
Chen Xian gritted his teeth and said, "The impact won't be significant, but I will make sure Xiao Yan pays the price!"
"So, where are we now?"
"Since we are no match for Xiao Yan, let's hire someone to deal with him!" Chen Xian's eyes turned cold, and killing intent flashed through his eyes!