Chapter 17: The Regretful Medicine Elder, Yue Mei

“Senior Su!” Xiao Yan was taken aback.

“A sixth-rank magical beast!” The majestic presence of the Amethyst Winged Lion King struck fear into Xiao Ding and Xiao Li, and even more astonishing was that their third younger brother seemed to have a history with the terrifying beast’s master.

With a loud thud, the Amethyst Winged Lion King folded its wings, stirring a gust of wind and raising dust as it firmly planted its limbs on the ground.

Su Yun’s figure flickered, and before the three Xiao brothers could react, the youth in white appeared right before them.

Xiao Yan cupped his hands and smiled, “What a coincidence. What brings you to the desert as well?”

Su Yun smiled faintly, “I came looking for you.”

“Ah?” Xiao Yan was even more surprised. What merit did he have to warrant Su Yun's personal visit?

“Do you remember the name Haibo Dong?”

Xiao Yan nodded. “I met that old gentleman at a map shop in the desert.”

“Haibo Dong now serves under me.” Su Yun flipped his palm, revealing a torn map fragment. “The other half of the map should be in your possession. I will help break the seal on Haibo Dong. Consider your agreement with him null and void.”

Xiao Yan smiled awkwardly. “So you came because of this map fragment.”

To put it bluntly, he had forcibly taken half of the map from Haibo Dong. Now that Su Yun had exposed this, Xiao Yan felt a flush of shame.

“Hmm.” Su Yun remained calm, waiting silently for Xiao Yan’s decision.

Xiao Yan was conflicted. According to his teacher, the map fragment was linked to a powerful exotic flame, and he was reluctant to hand it over to Su Yun.

But since he had obtained the map by questionable means, refusing to give it up now would be unjustifiable.

Unable to decide, Xiao Yan silently asked his teacher, “Teacher, should I give the map fragment to Senior Su… Teacher! Teacher!”

There was no response from the teacher. Only then did Xiao Yan realize that when Su Yun appeared, the teacher had seemingly severed their connection.

“Reluctant to give it up?” Su Yun’s eyes flickered as he glanced subtly at the ring on Xiao Yan’s finger.

“No, not at all!” Xiao Yan felt a sudden pang of anxiety. Since meeting his teacher, he had never seen such a situation.

The teacher was hiding from Senior Su!

Sometimes silence was the best answer. Although reluctant, Xiao Yan finally handed over the other half of the map fragment to Su Yun.

“Not bad.” Su Yun nodded approvingly. The boy was quite sensible.

“Haibo Dong told me you came searching for the exotic flame. Did you find anything?”

A spark lit in Xiao Yan’s mind. Senior Su wanted to forge the Poison Pill and was collecting exotic flames too—perhaps...

He hastily took out a colorful scale from his storage ring.

“I had just arrived at the location of the exotic flame, but unfortunately, the flame was gone. Only this was left behind.”

Su Yun took the scale, carefully sensing it. “This snake scale carries the lingering aura of a Peak Dou Emperor... Do you know who it belongs to?”

“It’s Queen Medusa!”

Before Xiao Yan could speak, the Amethyst Winged Lion King said, “Master, there’s no mistake. This is definitely a scale dropped by Medusa herself. Decades ago, the Serpent Tribe fought the Gamma Empire. I once witnessed Medusa battle Jia Xingtian.”

Su Yun chuckled softly. “What a coincidence. The seal on Haibo Dong was also placed by her.”

Xiao Yan’s thoughts raced. If two parties fought, creating chaos, his chance to obtain the exotic flame would increase.

Su Yun asked Xiao Yan, “Is this exotic flame the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame?”

Xiao Yan was surprised. “Senior, how do you know?”

“When I first arrived here, it felt familiar... Years ago, I searched the continent for the Nether Poison Flame and came here as well. Beneath the underground magma, I discovered an immature Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame. Knowing how rare it was, I didn’t harvest it. By now, it should have matured. Looking now, it indeed is the same one from a thousand years ago.”

A surge of emotion rose in Xiao Yan’s heart. They were the latecomers; Senior Su had been here a millennium ago!

[Notification!] Your lie convinced Yao Lao, Xiao Yan, and the Amethyst Winged Lion King, and was judged as bluffing, earning 100 Truth Points.

Remaining Truth Points: 41,004.

“Very well, I shall go ask Queen Medusa for it then.”

Su Yun’s expression was calm as he hovered midair, creating circular ripples in the void, then stood atop the Amethyst Winged Lion King’s head.

The lion let out a piercing roar, shattering the clouds. Without a command, it soared skyward, heading straight for the Serpent Tribe.

Xiao Ding and Xiao Li finally relaxed their stiffened bodies, having barely dared to breathe moments before.

The white-clad youth appeared approachable, but the aura radiating from the Amethyst Winged Lion King was overwhelming for ordinary men.

Xiao Ding couldn’t help but ask, “Third brother, who is that?”

Xiao Yan smiled, “Brother, you’re so clever—can’t you guess?”

“The one in white, riding the Amethyst Winged Lion King, must be the sixth-rank alchemist from the imperial capital!”

Xiao Ding clicked his tongue in admiration; they had come close to imperial legends before.

“Ah, you shouldn’t have told him about the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame,” Yao Lao’s voice echoed in Xiao Yan’s mind.

“Teacher, you’re finally back. I thought something had happened to you.”

Yao Lao’s tone grew serious. “If he discovers my existence, that would be a disaster!”

Xiao Yan didn’t grasp the gravity of the situation. “No way—why was he so careless in the Beast Mountain Range before?”

“Times have changed. He just stepped through the void without spreading his Dou Qi wings. He has returned to the Dou Sect level. Plus, as a sixth-rank alchemist, his spiritual perception is formidable. One slip and he’ll detect me!”

Dou Sect!

Xiao Yan’s expression turned grave, understanding why Yao Lao warned against revealing the exotic flame’s location to Su Yun.

When two forces are evenly matched, their conflict invites interference from a third party.

With Su Yun’s current strength, he could suppress the entire Serpent Tribe alone.

“Well, the situation has come to this. Hurry and follow him! This is my fault—I gave him the Poison Pill formula to escape. I’ve really shot myself in the foot!”

...

Deep in the Tagore Desert, the Serpent Tribe dwelled here—an absolute forbidden zone for humans. Few could reach it, yet today it welcomed an uninvited guest.

A thunderous roar shattered the silence as the Amethyst Winged Lion King’s cry shook the clouds, its terrifying aura instantly alerting the Serpent Tribe.

“Enemy attack!”

The serpents swiftly gathered, weapons in hand, their eyes fixed on the Amethyst Winged Lion King above.

“Amethyst Winged Lion King, the Beast Mountain Range and Tagore Desert have always kept their distance. What brings you to the Serpent Tribe?”

Yue Mei spread her Dou Qi wings and flew up to the lion’s height.

“Human!” Her expression shifted as she spotted Su Yun standing atop the lion.

Su Yun’s face was cold and indifferent. “With your cultivation, you’re unworthy to speak with me. Kneel and rest in peace.”