Staring at the young healer materializing in the air halfway up, Xiao Yan also smiled and stood up, saying, "You've finally arrived." The young healer moved lightly, landing gracefully on the mountain peak. Her gray-purple eyes, appearing slightly ethereal under the moonlight, first glanced at Medusa standing behind Xiao Yan, then spoke calmly, "The retreat of the three armies has been quite troublesome. There were intense disputes after the withdrawal, which delayed the timeline." "How so?" Xiao Yan's brows furrowed slightly. "The three sects unwilling to retreat?" "The Outcloud Empire is under the control of the Poison Sect, and as the master of the Poison Sect, I naturally face little resistance within the empire. However, the Jin Yan Sect and the Mu Lan Valley are not part of the Outcloud Empire. Their internal strength is comparable to that of the Poison Sect. Even when I propose a retreat, their opposition has been fierce. They've long harbored ambitions to absorb the Gamma Empire, and this opportunity they certainly don't want to let slip easily." The young healer said slowly. "The Golden Swans and the three elders of Mulan Valley were all severely wounded at my hands. Without these two, how dare they still act so boldly?" Xiang Yan's eyes flashed with cold resolve. "I've already stated that both the Golden Swans and Mulan Valley are strong in strength. Though they've sent their strongest disciples, their core forces remain untouched. From what I see, even if our Toxin Sect does not participate in this war, they still intend to eliminate the Gama Empire." Xiao Yiwen glanced at Xiang Yan and added, "Indeed, the Golden Swans and the three elders have sustained serious injuries. However, as I know, both sects possess numerous skilled alchemists of high rank. With just a few days, if they send their stored medicinal pills, the injuries should recover swiftly. Moreover, with so many strong figures joining from both sides, they will surely reorganize and launch a renewed assault on the Gama Empire." Xiao Yan's expression grew slightly somber. If that were the case, the Yan Alliance and the Jiaema Empire would surely face another prolonged struggle—something he most certainly did not wish to see. "The Golden Swans and the Muling Valley rely heavily on the two Supreme Combatants, Luoyan Tian and the Three Elders of Muling. As long as these two are eliminated, the strength of both factions will significantly diminish, and they will no longer dare to consider launching an offensive against the Jiaema Empire," said Medusa, suddenly speaking with calm detachment. With this thought passing through his mind, Xiao Yan turned his gaze toward Xiao Yi, the Young Healer, hoping that if she stepped in to obstruct, their plan to eliminate Yan Luotian and Mu Lan's three elders might falter. Seeing Xiao Yan's gaze, Xiao Yi's brows furrowed slightly, and she fell into thoughtful contemplation. As Xiao Yi pondered, the Medusa standing behind Xiao Yan suddenly moved, materializing in the air and just barely sealing off her retreat—clearly indicating that she would act immediately should Xiao Yi refuse. Naturally, Xiao Yi noticed Medusa's move and coldly remarked, "If I wish to leave, you won't be able to stop me." "Then go ahead and try," Medusa replied, her eyes flashing with frost, meeting her gaze with equal determination. Seeing these two women clash with such fiery intensity upon meeting, Xiao Yan found himself deeply troubled. He raised a hand to calm them down, then turned his gaze to Xiao Yishen, saying, "I founded the Yan Alliance myself, so I cannot allow it to perish. Yan Luotian and Mu Lan's three elders will be the greatest threats. If I can eliminate them, that would be ideal." Gazing at Xiao Yishen's bright, determined eyes, she hesitated slightly, then bit her silver teeth firmly before nodding, saying, "After all, those two have always harbored ill intentions toward me—never truly seen as allies. If you wish to take action, I can certainly step aside." Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan immediately felt a great relief in his heart, his face glowing with unmistakable joy. Xiao Yishen's willingness to speak thus to him meant she had not forgotten the bond of friendship between them, a rare and precious connection, even though their alliances now differ. She still cherished it quietly in the background. Seeing Xiao Yishen nod, the beauty of Medusa's cold glint gradually faded, and she slowly settled herself, saying softly, "Well, you've shown good sense." As for Medusa's words, Xiao Yishen simply ignored them, shifting her gray-purple gaze to Xiao Yan, and said, "Now the entire army has gathered in a city along the border of the Yun Cloud Empire, and the three elders—Yan Luotian and Mu Lan—are also there. However, these two elders are severely wounded, so the defenses around the city are extremely tight. You'll find it difficult to make any moves." "Understood," Xiao Yan mused for a moment before smiling and giving a firm nod. "When you're ready to act, I'll disperse the outer defenses of the city, and I'll personally announce my intention to enter seclusion. That's all I can do at this time—any action you take must be carried out yourselves, as any leakage would harm the reputation of the Toxin Sect." Xiao Yishen said calmly. "Thank you." "The young physician nodded slightly, then shifted the conversation to the main matter, saying, 'Now, let's discuss how you intend to help me control the Erenan Toxic Body—this is the most important point.' Xiao Yan nodded in response, curled his fingers and flicked them—there appeared in his palm a scroll of dark, gray hue, which he then tossed toward the young physician. 'The method for resolving it is right here—take a look, though the materials mentioned within are quite hard to find.' With a delicate gesture, the young physician extended her hand, and the scroll automatically settled into her grasp. A spark of excitement flashed in her eyes, after which she carefully unfolded it, spreading it out with gentle care. "A perilous toxic constitution—a rather peculiar and eerie condition. Those born with it possess an inherent, potent toxicity; mere contact with it is often fatal, and survivors must consume toxins regularly to sustain life. However, the more toxins they ingest, the more concentrated they become within their bodies. When the toxins accumulate to a critical point, they erupt violently, destroying all life within a thousand li. This rare condition manifests in two forms: innate, present from birth, and acquired through human intervention. Naturally, the innate form proves more potent, and it remains untreatable—no known remedy exists. Yet, under rare circumstances, one may fully master the condition, gaining the ability to consciously regulate and manipulate the toxic energy within their body." "This method is known as the Poison Pearl Technique. It involves gathering and concentrating all accumulated toxins within the body, ultimately transforming them into a single, crystallized poison pearl. Once this pearl is formed, the sufferer's inherently toxic constitution will truly become a formidable and dangerous condition. Throughout the continent, there have been several disasters caused by individuals with this toxic constitution, yet none of those individuals have achieved this pinnacle. The reason lies simply in the extreme rarity of the materials required for the Poison Pearl Technique. Three unique flames—merely the first one is enough to make even the most seasoned individuals hesitate. Across the continent, the devastating power of these unique flames is well known. For ordinary warriors, securing just one such flame significantly boosts their combat prowess. For alchemists, obtaining one greatly enhances the success rate of their medicinal preparations. Thus, in the hearts of the continent's strongest, unique flames hold an exceptionally high status. However, their rarity is equally well known—finding even one is a rare privilege. As for three such flames? That presents an even greater challenge. The celestial toxic scorpion dragon, an ancient mythical beast, is already exceptionally powerful, with the seventh-stage celestial toxic scorpion dragon possessing the ability to transform into human form and boasting formidable combat strength. Among peers of its rank, it has few, if any, rivals. To extract its magical core, however, proves to be an even more daunting task. Of course, compared to the third one, the first two seem rather more attainable, since at least the heterofires and the Tian Du Scorpion Dragon Beast, and Xiao Yi Xian, have all been heard of or seen before. But the Bodhi Body Saliva—the third one—has never been heard of or witnessed. With these three such stringent conditions, Xiao Yi Xian now fully understood why no one had ever possessed the Eran Du Body, truly cultivating the so-called Toxin Pearl as described in the method. Seeing Xiao Yi Xian's eyes dim instantly, Xiao Xiang sighed and then softly said, "Regarding the three heterofires, you needn't worry—I can assist with that. But the Tian Du Scorpion Dragon Beast's magical core and the Bodhi Body Saliva will require some effort." "Three heterofires?" Xiao Yi Xian was startled, her gaze wide and astonished as she scanned over Xiao Xiang. How could a single person possibly possess three heterofires? Seeing Xiao Yan's expression, Xiao Yan smiled and flicked his finger—green light surged forth, swiftly splitting into streaks of azure flame and intangible flame. Then, a crisp, silvery flame emerged slightly from the flame seal on the bridge of Xiao Yan's brow. "Heard that, the young physician nodded slightly—this was indeed better than having no hope at all." "Alright, once I return, I'll actively seek out all relevant information on this matter. Should I find anything, I'll let you know." She gently returned the scroll to Xiao Yan. "Then, I'll be off. When you're ready to act, simply break this jade piece, and I'll do my best to assist." As she spoke, she handed Xiao Yan a gray jade slab. Xiao Yan nodded, took the slab, and placed it into his storage ring. With all arrangements settled, the young physician didn't linger any longer. Her form shimmered and she materialized in the air. As she was about to depart, her steps halted suddenly. She turned to gaze at the black-robed young man below, her voice soft. "Now that I'm like this, do you still consider me a friend?" Xiao Yan was momentarily taken aback, then smiled warmly. "What you said back then still counts."