Chapter 318: Elixir Reward

Chapter 318: Chapter 318: Elixir Reward

"Before me, what right do you have to call yourself a Pill King?"

Yi Xiaoyao’s outrageously arrogant question to Mo River would have made everyone burst out laughing before.

But now, not a single person disputed it. No one even dared to deny it.

The thousand Five-Stripe Perfect Elixirs floating above had sealed everyone’s lips and shaken them to their core.

Over a thousand Five-Stripe Elixirs... What did that even mean?

One had to understand that Pill King Mo River had never been able to refine even a single elixir of this legendary quality in his entire life.

At this moment, Mo River’s face was ashen. Faced with Yi Xiaoyao’s question, he was speechless.

’That’s right,’ he thought. ’In a situation like this, what right do I have to call myself a Pill King in front of Yi Xiaoyao?’

Thinking back on his previous actions, Mo River found them all utterly laughable.

Before, he had planned to create a stark contrast with Yi Xiaoyao, humiliating him to the extreme, winning this competition, and earning a chance to live.

But now, a stark contrast had indeed been formed between him and Yi Xiaoyao. The one who was humiliated, however, was himself.

Moreover, Mo River had lost as badly as one could lose. What he faced next was death...

"Speak. What was that elixir you refined for the Second Prince? And tell me how to counteract it! I’ll grant you a quick death."

Yi Xiaoyao’s cold voice once again fell upon Mo River’s ears.

Mo River’s body trembled as he swallowed hard.

If he spoke, death was inevitable.

But if he didn’t speak, he would still die. Not only would he die after being tortured, but he would also be breaking their bet, becoming a laughingstock to the world.

"That Elixir is called the Blood-Crying Heart Soul Pill. It was refined according to an Ancient Pill Formula."

Mo River finally spoke. "And the antidote for this Blood-Crying Heart Soul Pill is the Soul Condensing Heart Returning Pill."

As he spoke, he flicked his hand, and a black elixir flew toward Yi Xiaoyao.

Yi Xiaoyao caught the elixir and examined it closely. He found that it only had a single Pill Pattern and emanated a soul-nourishing power that calmed one’s Heart Spirit. It certainly didn’t seem to be a Poison Pill.

"This elixir isn’t a Soul Condensing Heart Returning Pill! It’s a Soul Sheltering Pill!"

Just then, a cry of alarm rang out from above. With a flash of white light, Bai Ye’s figure appeared before Yi Xiaoyao.

The cry of alarm had actually come from a middle-aged man next to Bai Ye.

It was Yi Xiaoyao’s Alchemy Master, Dan Jiu.

"Master?" Yi Xiaoyao’s face lit up with joy. He then looked at Bai Ye and said, "It hasn’t even been a day. How did you bring my master here so quickly?"

"Commander, you may not be aware, but I possess a Flying Treasure called the Great Day Aurora Ruler. Seeing the urgency of the matter, I activated it and flew all the way here to bring your master." Bai Ye cupped his fist.

Yi Xiaoyao nodded in satisfaction, then turned to Dan Jiu and asked, "Master, you just said this is a Soul Sheltering Pill? What is that?"

Dan Jiu didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he narrowed his eyes at Mo River.

And Mo River, upon hearing Dan Jiu say those three words, "Soul Sheltering Pill," had already turned deathly pale, his face filled with despair. He now cried out in alarm, "Who are you? How do you know about the Soul Sheltering Pill?!"

Dan Jiu snorted coldly and said to Yi Xiaoyao, "Carefree, it’s a good thing I arrived in time. Otherwise, your little girlfriend would have been truly and utterly doomed!"

Yi Xiaoyao and Yun Mengling’s expressions changed. "Why?" they asked in shock. "Could it be that this in my hand is a Poison Pill?"

"Not exactly. The Soul Sheltering Pill in your hand does indeed have a powerful soul-nourishing effect. However, the soul it nourishes is not the user’s, but a soul hidden within the elixir itself!"

Dan Jiu said gravely, "The Soul Sheltering Pill, just like the Blood-Crying Heart Soul Pill that Yun’Er took, is an extremely insidious type of Forbidden Pill."

"The Soul Sheltering Pill is a method of hiding a part of one’s own soul within an elixir to be nourished. If someone were to consume this pill, they would be silently parasitized by the soul within it. It would imperceptibly merge with the host’s soul, grow stronger, and eventually seize the body to be reborn!"

"To think that in this day and age, there are still people who can refine such a malevolent elixir."

Dan Jiu’s words not only left Yi Xiaoyao and Yun Mengling with lingering fear but also caused everyone around them to gasp in unison.

"The Pill King we’ve all revered for so long can actually refine such an insidious Forbidden Pill?"

"Then the elixirs I asked him for in the past... could they have hidden souls in them too?"

"This charlatan who’s just fishing for fame... To think I considered him the greatest role model of my life!"

"Pah! He refines Forbidden Pills and still has the nerve to call himself a Pill King and be worshipped by everyone for so many years?"

Everyone, as if they had been deceived for countless years, began to curse Mo River.

Upon hearing this, Yi Xiaoyao’s eyes were practically spitting fire. If Dan Jiu hadn’t arrived in time, and if Yun Mengling had taken the Soul Sheltering Pill, she would have fallen right into Mo River’s trap.

"Mo River!"

Yi Xiaoyao let out a furious roar. He drew his sword, and with a flash of its blade, he instantly severed the man’s four limbs.

Mo River let out a blood-curdling scream, watching in utter despair as blood gushed madly from his stumps.

He had originally thought that even if Yi Xiaoyao killed him, he could use the Soul Sheltering Pill to take Yun Mengling as a host and one day seize her body to resurrect himself.

But now that his scheme had been exposed, he was truly facing death.

In his fury, Yi Xiaoyao struck again with his sword, destroying Mo River’s Dantian. He then announced to the crowd, "No one is to save him! I want to watch him bleed to death!"

After learning the truth, how could the crowd possibly save such a despicable beast? They all cursed him while watching him bleed out.

"Yi Xiaoyao! If you kill me, no one will know the Pill Formula for the Soul Condensing Heart Returning Pill! Yun Mengling will be beyond saving!"

Mo River was still screaming tragically, unwilling to give up his last sliver of hope.

Dan Jiu snorted coldly. "Since I could recognize that the elixir you produced wasn’t the Soul Condensing Heart Returning Pill, I naturally also know that pill’s refinement method!"

Then, in front of everyone, Dan Jiu recited the Pill Formula for the Soul Condensing Heart Returning Pill.

Mo River’s screaming instantly fell into a despairing silence. He couldn’t understand how Dan Jiu also knew the Ancient Pill Formulas from the Ancient Pill Records that his own master had passed down to him.

As for Yi Xiaoyao, as soon as Dan Jiu finished reciting the Pill Formula, he immediately snatched Mo River’s Storage Pouch, took out the Spirit Medicines and a Pill Furnace, and began the alchemy.

An hour later, the Pill Furnace opened, and the elixir was complete.

"With this, the effects of the poison in Ling’Er’s body can finally be neutralized!"

Yi Xiaoyao handed the elixir to Yun Mengling to take, finally putting his mind at ease. He then thanked Dan Jiu again.

Afterward, Yi Xiaoyao had his people completely plunder all the Alchemy Materials in the entire Prince Dan’s Mansion before they finally left the place.

As for Pill King Mo River, Yi Xiaoyao paid him no mind. He believed that even if he wasn’t there, no one would dare to save Mo River. On the contrary, there would likely be quite a few people who wanted to kill him.

After returning to the Yun Mansion, Yi Xiaoyao, with Dan Jiu’s guidance and help, began to refine a large number of elixirs using the Alchemy Materials plundered from the Prince Dan’s Mansion.

These were the priceless rewards that Yi Xiaoyao had promised everyone—rewards that money couldn’t buy.

"This... these are eight fifth-tier Infant Stabilizing Elixirs? And they’re all Five-Stripe Elixirs!"

In the courtyard, Bai Ye opened the jade box Yi Xiaoyao had given him, unable to hide the ecstatic joy on his face.

"I see you’re already at the Half-step Infant Transformation Ninth Realm. If you can use these eight Infant Stabilizing Elixirs to make the breakthrough to the Nascent Soul Transformation Ninth Realm, wouldn’t that also add to the Carefree Alliance’s combat strength?"

Yi Xiaoyao smiled faintly. "Besides, you performed a great service by going to the Great Shang to retrieve my master. You deserve a reward!"

"Bai Ye will definitely not disappoint the Commander’s high hopes! I will serve the Alliance Leader with utmost loyalty!"

Bai Ye excitedly put away the jade box, cupped his fist, and bowed.

Next, Yi Xiaoyao had Bai Ye distribute all the elixirs he had refined for the other brothers. Every one of the twenty-seven experts of the alliance received their share.

Five-Stripe Elixirs weren’t just something money couldn’t buy. Their medicinal effects were more than ten times that of a Four-Stripe Elixir, and they were far beyond comparison with elixirs of any other grade. They were absolutely the most precious rewards imaginable!

As a result, all the experts pledged their undying loyalty to Yi Xiaoyao, overflowing with gratitude.

Yi Xiaoyao was naturally very satisfied with this result. Not only did it increase the overall combat power of the Carefree Alliance, but it also won him the hearts of his people.

But refining so many elixirs, even with Yi Xiaoyao’s ability to produce them in large batches, had taken a great deal of his time and energy. Because of this, they stayed in the Great Xia for an extra day.

What Yi Xiaoyao didn’t expect, however, was that this one extra day would bring them immense trouble.

...