The vast, boundless azure sky hangs serene, with lazy clouds drifting gently upon it, only shifting slightly with the occasional breeze. Sunlight pours down through the cloud layers, warming the towering mountains below. Suddenly, the stillness of the sky is broken by gusts of wind, and along the horizon, small black dots begin to appear. These dots soon carry the wind with them, transforming into several dozen flying beasts radiating fierce energy, roaring and rushing past. Sitting cross-legged atop the massive head of the leading creature, a young man in a black robe radiates a soft, clear green aura along his body, effortlessly dispersing the oncoming winds. With this, he remains fully immersed in his meditation, undisturbed. The cultivation had lasted for a long time. The young man in black robes had his eyes slightly trembling before slowly opening them, scanning the ground below—so small and distant—before turning his gaze to the group behind him and asking, "Where are we now?" Upon hearing Xiao Yan's question, Xiao Li, who had been chatting with Lin Yan and the others, turned around, quickly withdrew a map from his storage seal, and smiled, "We've reached a small nation called Wan Yan. We're now far beyond the Black Corner Domain. At our current pace, we should reach the border of the Jia Ma Empire within another month." "Another month?" Xiao Yan murmured. Then he turned his gaze toward Lin Yan and the others. Over this month-long journey, though they had occasionally landed to rest, most of the time had been spent on the tiger-eagle beast—monotonous indeed, not something ordinary travelers could endure. Fortunately, most of the group were strong in cultivation, and even when bored, they could rely on practicing to pass the time. "Ah, this schedule—if it continues for another few months, I'm certain I'll go mad." Seeing Xiao Yan's gaze directed at him, Lin Yan sighed and said with a look of helplessness. Xiao Yan smiled, glanced around, and then said, "Where's Zi Yan? Did she decide to run off again on her own?" "Yes, that girl can't sit still. She's already gone ahead on her own, though she's been accompanied by Medusa." Xiao Li nodded, stepping closer to Xiao Yan and murmuring in admiration, "I didn't expect the cold, composed woman to be so kind to Zi Yan—she even volunteered to follow and protect her." "Let them go," Xiao Yan said with a smile, his eyes sweeping over the dozen tiger-eagle beasts behind them. "As long as Cai Lin is there, Zi Yan should be safe. Has anything unexpected happened?" "Well, everything has gone smoothly, though with such a large group flying overhead, we occasionally encounter various power factions, which always causes some commotion. If there are strong contenders at those locations, they'll come over to inspect us. And some of them, seeing our force so formidable, even request that we visit them personally." Xiao Li smiled. "Just avoid conflict with these factions—we're merely passing through. Whenever anything arises, let it pass without intervention. As for the invitations, simply decline them outright." Xiao Yan nodded slightly, then paused thoughtfully. "From Black Thorns Domain all the way to the Gamma Empire, the journey spans thousands of miles, dotted with numerous factions. Should we get entangled in any complications, our progress would surely face significant delays—something Xiao Yan, eager to return to Gamma, absolutely doesn't want to see." "Heh, I'm well aware of this, and I've already informed Yin Gu Old Man and the others. Even if some strong ones come to inspect us, we'll treat them politely and see them off." Xiao Li smiled and said. Xiao Yan nodded, stood up, and gazed toward the distant southern horizon. After a while, he exhaled softly and said, "I wonder how Brother is doing..." Hearing this, Xiao Li remained silent for a moment, then patted Xiao Yan's shoulder comfortingly. "Don't worry. Although Brother's strength isn't as strong as ours, he's thoughtful and always comes up with new ideas. Cloud岚 Sect won't find it easy to hold onto him." Xiao Yan nodded slightly and sighed, "I hope so." "By the way, during these days of cultivation, have you felt any sense of advancing to the Emperor-level cultivator stage?" Noticing the somewhat heavy atmosphere, Xiao Li smiled and shifted the conversation away from that topic. "It's not that easy..." Xiao Yan shook his head with a wry smile. Over the past nearly month, he had diligently trained, yet the sensation of touching the Divinity King's barrier had still eluded him—now that was truly frustrating. Indeed, advancing from Divinity King to Divinity King rank was far from simple. "Can't we use pills to enhance our strength? I recall that Divinity King-level warriors can take a single Divinity Spirit Pill to gain one star of strength. With your current level, wouldn't taking just one such pill be sufficient to help you break through?" Xiao Li stroked his chin as he spoke. "Divinity Spirit Pills indeed help Divinity King warriors gain one star of strength, but they don't benefit me at all. Moreover, such pills couldn't enable a peak Divinity King warrior to overcome that barrier—otherwise, wouldn't every Divinity King-level warrior who reached the peak simply break through to Divinity King rank with just one pill?" Xiao Yan shook his head, sighed, and said, "I've thought of this solution long before. However, even the Medic Hermit has pointed out that, with his current strength, the Dan of Battle Spirit is no longer very effective—let alone helping him break through to Battle Emperor rank." "Then what about the other kinds of pills?" "I'm afraid I won't be able to rely on external support anymore for my breakthrough," Xiao Yan said, shaking his head again. Over the two years spent underground, his strength had grown significantly, but there were still some hidden weaknesses. Now he was actively working to eliminate them. If he used external boosts now to rapidly enhance his power, he might gain a strong advantage in the short term—but in the long run, such gains could become obstacles to his further advancement. This kind of sacrifice—akin to draining his reserves—was exactly what Xiao Yan didn't want to endure. "Then we'll have to take it step by step. This kind of thing can't be rushed," the proposal fell through one after another, and Xiao Li could only shake his head helplessly, realizing he could offer little assistance. Xiao Yan nodded with a smile. In fact, he had been rather anxious these days. "Whoosh!" As Xiao Yan and Xiao Li were conversing, a sudden gust of wind erupted from ahead, and two figures swiftly darted toward them, landing gracefully upon the tiger-eagle beast they were currently on. When Xiao Yan and his companions turned to look, they saw Zi Yan and Medusa. Noticing Zi Yan's joyful expression, Xiao Yan sniffed the air and immediately detected a faint aroma of herbs. He was thus surprised and asked, "Did you go to gather medicinal herbs?" "Ha ha, your nose really is sharp," Zi Yan chuckled, pleased that Xiao Yan had guessed her purpose. With a flip of her hand, several elegantly crafted jade boxes appeared on her palm. She held them out to Xiao Yan with a friendly gesture, smiling and saying, "You can keep some of these herbs for Lady Cai Lin to prepare pills later. But the rest—please turn them into pills. Don't swallow them all!" Receiving the jade box with a look of astonishment, Xiao Yan opened each one in turn, his expression of amazement growing increasingly intense. He murmured, "These... are the Jade Dragon's Saliva? The Extremely Cold Lingzhi? Where did you get these herbs? It's no surprise that I'm surprised. Most of these are essential for crafting the 'Fúhún Dan.' I had mentioned them to Medusa back then, and yet, herbs that are hard to find even in Black Horn Domain—these are now all brought forth by Ziyan, this young girl. "Ziyan has an innate sensitivity to these medicinal herbs, making it effortless for her to locate and gather them," Medusa gently stroked Ziyan's hair and said to Xiao Yan. Xiao Yan sighed, realizing he had forgotten about Ziyan's special ability. From now on, whenever he needed to seek out herbs, he would have to bring her along. "Still, these herbs... don't seem freshly gathered, do they?" Were these herbs something you yourselves discovered and dug up?" Holding the jade box in his hands, Xiao Yan seemed to have just realized something and suddenly furrowed his brows. "Hehe..." Hearing this, Zǐ Yán chuckled softly and then whispered, "These were stored supplies from various factions along the way. Lady Cai Lin said they were just going to be wasted, so we quietly took them out..." Staring at Zǐ Yán's embarrassed smile, Xiao Yan's face gradually turned stern, and he glared at Medusa. "You actually brought her to steal herbs?" "I handle my own matters; I don't need you to worry about them. Besides, these herbs are precisely what I needed for your 'Fused-Soul Pills.' I certainly don't want to wait until the agreed time and then have you tell me that the herbs haven't been fully gathered yet," Medusa said, giving a dismissive shrug. Xiao Yan's eyes twitched, never expecting that these two—so young and so small—could be such troublemakers. Fortunately, they had managed to steal the herbs without being noticed; otherwise, their journey would be anything but smooth or peaceful. "Get moving!" Xiao Yan turned sharply to Xiao Li, his face stern. "Yes." Xiao Li sighed, then shook his back wings, gliding past the other flying beasts. "You two—without my permission, you're not to leave this place!" After seeing Xiao Li depart, Xiao Yan turned again, his voice sharp, addressing Zi Yan and Medusa. Observing Xiao Yan's flushed expression, Zi Yan quietly stuck out her tongue, while Medusa raised her brows slightly. Yet, under the weight of Xiao Yan's furious gaze, she ultimately swallowed her words. With these two persistent troublemakers finally under control, Xiao Yan quietly exhaled, then looked down at the jade box in his hands, shook his head in resignation, and gently placed them into his storage amulet. After this incident, Xiao Yan and the others' journey speed noticeably increased once again. This accelerated pace continued for several days, and only after they had traveled far beyond the area where Zi Yan and the others had committed their mishaps did Xiao Yan feel completely at ease, then gradually eased their pace.