Under the irresistible allure of the Huangji Dan, the three leaders finally agreed. Upon seeing their objectives achieved, Xiao Yan naturally breathed a sigh of relief. After briefly discussing the arrangements for their stay in Feng City with the three, he allowed them to depart. In the hall, as the large groups of the three leaders withdrew, the space grew suddenly empty. Seeing that the negotiations had been successfully concluded, Xiao Li waved his subordinates to leave. "Third brother, although these people have agreed to our terms, we must remain vigilant—black-angled domain officials are notorious for changing their minds at the last minute." Xiao Li slowly walked over to Xiao Yan, glanced subtly at Medusa, then furrowed his brows and spoke seriously. "Haha, of course. If it weren't for Medusa here today, I doubt they would have agreed so easily." Xiao Yan smiled. "Medusa?" "Hearing this name, Xiao Li was momentarily stunned, then as if remembering something, exclaimed in a startled tone, 'Is she the Queen Medusa of the Serpent People of the Tagoor Great Desert?' Since Xiao Li and Xiao Ding had been wandering along the desert's edge for a long time, they were quite familiar with the renowned and formidable Queen Medusa. Yet he hadn't expected that the Queen Medusa so highly regarded by the Jamma Empire—someone they had always been wary of—was precisely this graceful and elegant woman standing beside him. 'Confidential,' Xiao Yan smiled, waving his hand, then turned to bow slightly to the cold-faced Medusa by his side, saying, 'Thank you very much for your help this time.' 'Do you wish me to defend you against Yunshan?' Medusa glanced at Xiao Yan with a cool gaze, laughing dryly, 'Why should I help you? Yunshan is now a Douzong-level master himself. I have no need to trouble myself with such a strong opponent.'" Xiao Yan smiled indifferently and spoke softly, "Back then, when we first partnered, we agreed that at crucial moments, you wouldn't be able to refuse my requests. Didn't the Queen Empress herself promise that you'd never forget her words?" "You're being ridiculous again!" Medusa raised her brows sharply, her voice cool and clear, laced with irritation. Xiao Yan sighed and shook his head, then after a moment, added gently, "Rest assured—when the time comes, if you don't wish to act, simply watch from the sidelines. I won't force you." Medusa frowned slightly, then scoffed, "Don't think that just by saying such things you'll gain any advantage. When the time comes, I'll decide based on the situation. I, Medusa, won't be merely a tool in someone's hands." With that, she didn't wait for Xiao Yan to respond, but her form shimmered and she vanished once more from the hall. Watching where Medusa had disappeared, Xiao Li tightened his brows, and after a while, couldn't help but say, "Third brother, it seems we may not be able to rely on her after all." "I never really placed my hopes on her. Though she's undoubtedly strong, her temperament is so stubborn—so unyielding—that few have ever managed to tame her. If it weren't for what I still have to offer that can move her, she'd likely continue to pursue and hunt me relentlessly." Xiao Yan shook his head, pondering. "Then what do we do? Without her support, our chances of defeating Yunshan aren't very promising at all." Xiao Li expressed his growing anxiety, knowing well that Yunshan was Cloud岚 Sect's greatest asset. As long as that old man remained standing, Cloud岚 Sect would endure in the Gamma Empire. "Don't worry—Yunshan will be in my hands." Xiao Yan waved a hand, then slowly sat back in his chair, resting his hands on his forehead, lost in thought. At this point, Xiao Yan finally realized that avenging himself was far from a simple matter. If he truly possessed an invincible power unmatched by anyone else, then destroying Yunlan Sect would have been quite straightforward. But even now, despite his significant growth in strength, he still lacked absolute confidence in defeating Yunshan. Moreover, beneath Yunshan, there were numerous internal elite warriors and tens of thousands of ordinary disciples. He had personally experienced Yunlan Sect's coordinated array back in the past, and thus fully understood its strength. It seems the most pressing matter now is to swiftly strengthen our power base... Taking a deep breath, Xiao Yan's gaze suddenly shifted to the dark ring on his finger, pausing momentarily before a spark of excitement welled up in his eyes—he had completely forgotten about this supreme warrior. While others refer to Yao Lao as Yao Zun, it clearly implies that the old Yao once was a Zun-level powerhouse. Even now, in his soul state, sustained by the Bone-Spirit Cold Flame, he could still challenge and outmatch the peak-tier Zun-level warriors. Should Yao Lao awaken, Xiao Yan's combat strength would surge dramatically! Moreover, with the two unique flames now fully integrated within him, he should be capable of crafting a physical vessel to house Yao Lao's soul. Once the soul finds a stable abode, Yao Lao's strength would undoubtedly return to its peak. Then, in the eyes of Zun-level warriors, a mere Cloud Mountain of Zun-level cultivators would be nothing to worry about. However, currently the Elder of Medicine is in a deep sleep, and as for how to craft the body and the various materials required for the process, Xiao Yan knows absolutely nothing. Therefore, the first step in crafting the body is to awaken the Elder from his slumber. Once awakened, not only will Xiao Yan's combat strength significantly improve, but the Elder's seasoned experience will also help him avoid many unnecessary detours. As for how to awaken the sleeping soul, with Xiao Yan's current experience and abilities, he can no longer rely on mere chance or accidental discoveries as he did a few years ago. Now, with sufficient medicinal herbs provided, he will be able to devise two or three effective methods to awaken the Elder's soul. "Xiao Yan smiled. The herbs he needed were all extremely rare, and it would take him years to find them. Therefore, entrusting such a task to Xiao Li, who managed an entire city, was the most natural choice." "No problem," Xiao Li nodded. "There are several herb shops in Feng City with strong influence in the Black Angular Region. Right now, they're eager to gain our favor. If we need herbs, we can simply go to them." Xiao Li asked, "Just which herbs do you need?" Xiao Yan turned, picked up a brush resting on the table, and swiftly wrote on a piece of paper. After a moment, he handed it to Xiao Li and said, "Please find all of these herbs. If Feng City doesn't have them, send people to gather them from other major cities in the Black Angular Region. We'd like everything secured within fifteen days." "The Yin-Shen flower, the Fire-Yang灵 leaf..." Glancing over the scroll, he stared at the names of the herbs—unfamiliar ones he'd never even heard of before—and chuckled softly. Carefully folding the scroll, he said, "I'll do my best. These herbs are likely hard to find, and the cost of gathering them may be quite high. Fortunately, over the past month, the major merchant houses in the city have been contributing tax payments. But even with that, I'm not sure the funds will be sufficient to cover the acquisition costs." Hearing Xiao Li's words, Xiao Yan finally realized that they were no longer within the inner courtyard. His "Fire Energy" here held no value at all—meaning once again, the group had been plunged into economic difficulty. Shaking his head in resignation, Xiao Yan waved his hand, and a dozen jade vials materialized on the table. "These pills were all crafted by Han Feng in the past. They're of high quality. Try to sell them off—you should be able to raise a substantial sum to ease your immediate financial pressure. I'll stay in Feng City for now, using Han Feng's remaining herbs to produce some pills myself, until you've gathered all the herbs I need." Hearing that Xiao Yan would remain in Feng City, Xiao Li also breathed a sigh of relief. With his equally strong alchemy skills—no less than Han Feng's—the reputation of the "Xiao Clan" would surely gain momentum throughout Black Thorns Region, and high-tier pills would always attract eager buyers who are both well-funded and enthusiastic. After carefully placing all the vials into his storage amulet, Xiao Li said thoughtfully, "Given Han Feng's skill, these pills should be enough to sustain us for a while. You just go ahead and focus on refining your pills. I'll handle the herbs—no matter how difficult, if I can't find them all, I'll secure every single one for you." By the end, Xiao Li's face surged with a fierce, resolute rage. He knew these herbs were of paramount importance to Xiao Yan—otherwise, given his nature, he would not have delivered the instructions so seriously. Now, Xiao Li placed Xiao Yan's words above everything else, because he understood that to achieve vengeance, he must rely entirely on Xiao Yan. What he was willing to do, no matter the cost—even at the expense of his own life—was to give his utmost support to Xiao Yan. When he first arrived in Hei Jiao Domain, the words Xiao Ding had spoken had remained deeply etched in his heart. "You may die, but your third brother must not." Gazing at Xiao Li's suddenly blazing eyes, Xiao Yan found his own nose slightly damp with emotion. Their father had vanished, their family had suffered great calamity, and the two brothers had been far from the Empire, struggling alone and painfully in this unfamiliar land—driven solely by the goal of amassing the strength necessary to exact revenge upon Yun Lan Sect. For this purpose, Xiao Yan had willingly spent a year studying in the academy and endured two years of agonizing suffering beneath the earth. For this purpose, Xiao Li was willing to journey thousands of miles to the HeiJiao Domain, consuming the "Shi-Sheng Pill" to trade his life for strength. For this purpose, Xiao Ding led the remaining members of the Xiao family, clinging on through hardship within the Jia Ma Empire, hoping only for their return! Because every member of the Xiao family believed that the young Xiao who once had created miracles would surely once again, as he had done many years ago, deeply move them and create another miracle!