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Qi Yuan landed beside Emperor Yue and spoke without turning his head.
"I'll have to trouble you, my junior brothers and sisters, to clean up the remaining Black Evil Sect disciples who have fled."
Liu Jing and the others had no complaints about Qi Yuan claiming the treasure. Without his strength, their survival that night would have been uncertain.
Moreover, since Qi Yuan had personally dealt with the enemy, it was only fair for him to claim the spoils.
Liu Jing released his spiritual sense, scanned the eastern direction, and swiftly vanished into the night. Zhong Weiniang went south, while Song Meng let out a long roar, grasped his ice spear, and headed north.
Han Li glanced at Qi Yuan, then quietly turned west.
Qi Yuan noticed Han Li's departure, smiled, and swiftly retrieved Emperor Yue's storage bag. With a flick of his wrist, he cast a fireball onto the corpse and waited patiently for it to burn away.
Once the flames died down, Qi Yuan gently brushed away the ash with his sleeve. A white brocade handkerchief and the last Blood-Congealing Five Elements Pill appeared beneath the soot.
The brocade handkerchief was slightly yellowed, clearly old. Made of some unknown material, it gave off a faint glow, with a blurry map embroidered on its surface.
Qi Yuan's eyes lit up with joy. He reached out, grabbed both items, examined them curiously, and stored them in his bag.
After some time, Liu Jing and the others returned, confirming that no Black Evil Sect disciples had escaped.
"Since the Black Evil Sect has been wiped out, let's return to the Qin Mansion to rest. We'll head back to the valley at dawn to report," Qi Yuan instructed.
Liu Jing and the others, already impressed by Qi Yuan's strength, followed his lead without question and returned to the Qin Mansion to meditate and restore their magic power.
Before dawn, a dark figure moved silently through the corridors, slipping past Liu Jing and the others unnoticed. The figure stopped at a dimly lit room, knocked softly, and a voice called from within.
"Come in."
As the door opened, moonlight spilled inside, revealing a figure seated at a tea table.
Qi Yuan smiled as the shadow entered.
"Brother Han, right on time. Please, have a seat."
Han Li's expression remained calm. He closed the door and sat down.
"I reached out to you earlier because I wanted to make a deal," Han Li said.
"Is it for the Blood-Coagulation Five Elements Pill?" Qi Yuan poured a cup of tea, placing it in front of Han Li with a knowing smile.
A complicated look crossed Han Li's face. He knew he was at a disadvantage. Still, to achieve his goal of forming a pill, he was willing to pay any price—except his life.
Seeing Han Li's hesitation, Qi Yuan tapped his storage bag, producing a small jade box that he placed on the table.
Han Li, understanding the gesture, retrieved his years of accumulated alchemy experience along with several ancient recipes and set them on the table.
Qi Yuan glanced at the items and shook his head slightly, showing his dissatisfaction.
Han Li hesitated, then produced a book on the Qingyuan Sword Art, the Three-Turn Chongyuan Gong, and a sword formation.
Qi Yuan barely glanced at them, unimpressed.
"If you want to refine a Qu Hun pill, you'll need to offer more than that," Qi Yuan said coolly.
Han Li paused, then recalled a breath-concealing technique he'd once obtained from a grandfather and granddaughter of the Xiao family. While he couldn't decipher all the strange characters within the text, the breath-concealing method had proven invaluable.
After a moment of thought, Han Li produced a full copy of the nameless breath-concealing formula and placed it on the table. To sweeten the deal, he added a five-thousand-year-old green wood fruit.
Han Li suspected that Qi Yuan had obtained Emperor Yue's storage bag, meaning his goal of forming a pill could no longer be kept secret. Better to offer enough to show sincerity than risk losing the opportunity altogether.
Qi Yuan's expression shifted. The green wood fruit, with its potent yin and yang energy, was a rare find. Combined with Han Li's alchemy notes, the Nine Changes of Gale, and the breath-concealing formula, the deal was more than fair.
Qi Yuan pushed the Blood-Coagulation Five Elements Pill toward Han Li.
Using his spiritual sense, Han Li carefully examined the pill and confirmed it was authentic. Satisfied, he handed over the collection of treasures.
The deal was done.
Qi Yuan gathered the items into his storage bag and sat quietly, waiting for what would come next.
Han Li, no fool, suspected there was more to Emperor Yue's dealings with the old man in the blue robe. The trade likely wasn't over.
Sure enough, after a moment's hesitation, Han Li spoke again.
"This Blood-Coagulation Five Elements Pill must have a corresponding refining method. Is there any record of it in Emperor Yue's storage bag?"
Qi Yuan smiled knowingly, retrieving a yellowed page from his storage bag and handing it over. It detailed a partial method for creating an incarnation, along with warnings about the evil pill's side effects.
The page was bait—enough to gain Han Li's trust, but incomplete enough to keep him reliant on Qi Yuan.
Han Li read the page carefully, his expression shifting from excitement to grim concern.
The Blood-Coagulation Five Elements Pill's alternate method of pill formation was powerful but flawed. While it promised a stable Jindan cultivation base, it came with a harsh drawback—the user would forever remain at the initial stage of Jindan.
Han Li hadn't expected Qi Yuan to openly reveal such flaws, which oddly reassured him. Knowing the risks in advance made the pill seem more valuable, especially in the resource-scarce region of Tiannan.
Cultivators desperate to form a pill would pay dearly for such knowledge.
Qi Yuan's warm smile returned.
"Brother Han, what do you think? The Blood-Coagulation Five Elements Pill is useless without this method."
Han Li scowled.
"This method comes with too many disadvantages. I'd rather buy it directly with spirit stones. Would you agree to that?"
Qi Yuan shook his head.
"To be honest, Junior Brother Han, I have no shortage of spirit stones."
Han Li's frustration grew. Dealing with Qi Yuan was proving difficult—he seemed to possess everything he needed.
Han Li knew he couldn't delay forming a pill forever. With his four spiritual roots, reaching the Jindan stage naturally was uncertain at best. Given the ongoing war between the six sects and the six evil sects, time was not on his side.
"Brother Qi," Han Li said at last, "please hold on to this method for me. I know the location of a five-thousand-year-old spiritual herb. I'll retrieve it and exchange it for the method. The herb's value will exceed the asking price, so I'd like some Heavenly Thunder Seeds and high-quality talismans to balance the trade. Do you have any spares?"
Qi Yuan raised an eyebrow in surprise but gave a slight nod.
Han Li, satisfied, left the room quietly.
(End Of Chapter)