Hearing Xiao Yan's words, everyone nodded in agreement. Since the Dragon-Phoenix Primordial Fruit had already been collected, there was no longer any point in staying here. Seeing no objections, Xiao Yan glanced once more at the plain where an ancient celestial phoenix and a primordial void dragon had fallen, then lightly tapped the stone platform with his foot, stepping into position at the edge of the Beast Spirit Enclosure. Zi Yan casually drew a crack in the background, while Xiao Yan and the others swiftly flashed through it.
"Everyone else nodded in agreement, their eyes scanning the surroundings. Faint sounds of intense combat and roars of wild beasts could be heard deep within the forest—likely the treasure hunters who had entered. 'Let's get out of here,' said Xiao Yan. 'The commotion is growing stronger. Eventually, we'll wake up the powerful beasts deep in the forest, and if we get caught in the crossfire, things will become complicated.' Without further hesitation, Xiao Yan moved swiftly, gliding along the path they had come, and the others, including Zi Yan, quickly followed.
Following the same direction they had come, they surged forward swiftly, drawing attention from several onlookers along the way, yet encountering no obstruction. After approximately twenty minutes, Xiao Yan and his companions once again appeared at the stone gate through which they had initially entered.
In the spacious corridor, everyone gazed at the tightly closed stone door, then at the now-ravaged corridor and the buildings on either side, shaking their heads with a mixture of amusement and exasperation—these people were simply too rough.
"Where should we go now?" the young physician asked, looking toward Xiao Yan.
"Head inward," Xiao Yan said after a brief pause, then raised his head to orient himself before quickly walking toward the far end of the corridor. The others, including Zi Yan, hurried to follow.
Clearly, when Xiao Yan and his companions entered the ancient forest, these corridors had already suffered severe damage—the surroundings were in disarray, and the once-neat buildings now resembled ruins, leaving everyone in awe.
Seeing the corridor already in such a state, Xiao Yan and his companions lost interest in lingering to admire the details and instead quickened their pace, heading straight for the center of the hall.
Amid their hurried journey, they also encountered several groups actively searching for treasures, all heading toward the same direction. What puzzled Xiao Yan was that these groups seemed to be moving purposefully toward a specific point. Upon seeing this, the members of their party exchanged glances and nodded slightly, then followed suit.
"Medicinal pills," Xiao Yan murmured, suddenly detecting a familiar scent as they passed several corridors. "It's quite strong—the aroma is quite intense. There must be a large quantity of pills. If my guess is correct, this is likely a dedicated storage room for medicinal preparations."
"Oh?"
At the mention of medicinal pills, the others also reacted, as pills were always a powerful draw in this world. And here, the pills had been left behind by a Divinely-Emperor-ranked master—making their appeal even more compelling.
"Hehe, let's go. I've always been curious about these ancient medicines—perfect opportunity to take a closer look." Noticing the expressions on everyone's faces, Xiao Yan knew they were genuinely interested. With a smile, he lightly tapped the ground with his foot, instantly accelerating and swiftly overtaking the groups ahead. Behind him, Xiao Yixian and the others pushed themselves to their maximum speed, each one now full of renewed energy under the allure of the ancient medicines. Though the corridors inside the hall resembled a maze, Xiao Yan gradually slowed down after several minutes, relying on the distinct scent of the medicines. Before them, a grand, ancient hall emerged, adorned with two elegant, flowing characters inscribed upon its entrance. "Herbal Hall!" Xiao Yan murmured softly, his gaze shifting downward. The main doors of the hall were already crowded, with numerous figures bustling about, frantically searching within.
"Come on..." Xiao Yan called out, stepping first into this spacious hall. On the first floor of the Dan Hall, the scene was already chaotic—figures like bandits forcefully entered the alchemy chambers, rummaging through everything visible, and occasionally engaging in fierce battles over precious pills. Xiao Yan glanced casually around the first floor before losing interest, then waved his hand, moving swiftly through the hall toward the staircase leading to the upper level, and ascended to the second floor.
"It's no wonder there are so few people left on this second level—it seems someone has been struck by the poison... "Xiao Yan's gaze swept across, pausing on the bodies scattered across the ground. Clearly, these were unfortunate victims who had succumbed to the poison. From his nari-jia, he retrieved several pills he had previously prepared for detoxification, and distributed them to the group. Only then did he say, "The pill hall has three levels. This is the second. The true treasures must be in the third. However, since the second level already has poison seeping through, the third level will likely not be any calmer. Everyone should be cautious from now on." Hearing Xiao Yan's advice, everyone nodded in agreement. Only Xiao Yisheng smiled gently—being afflicted with the rare condition of being immune to poison, she was most at ease with all sorts of toxins and poisons. The group made a cursory search through the second level, collecting only lower-grade pills, evidently already claimed by others.
After searching for a while without any surprising discoveries, Xiao Yan and the others had to give up and instead proceeded through the passage leading to the third level, once more exchanging a few reminders before entering.
The group of visitors who suddenly arrived here naturally drew considerable attention, yet no one came forward to initiate a conversation—everyone seemed to be on guard with one another.
"Does anyone know if there's a legendary ninth-rank elixir in the third floor? If so, that would truly be remarkable." The Heavenly Fire Patriarch glanced around at the various medicine chambers, smiling.
"Ninth-rank elixirs are unlikely—such a high tier is quite rare even for fully accomplished Battle Saints." Xiao Yan chuckled, casually selecting a chamber that still hadn't been visited, and walked in.
The chamber was spacious and, due to its lack of use so far, remained neat and well-kept. After a brief search, Xiao Yan found an ancient prescription and glanced at it briefly before placing it in his storage amulet. He simply didn't have the time to examine these details thoroughly at the moment.
In addition to this prescription, there was also a sealed vial of medicine, emitting a faint aroma that suggested it was a seventh-rank elixir. However, its specific effects were not mentioned, and at present, Xiao Yan could not discern any particular benefits. After thoroughly exploring this room of elixirs, the group moved on, successively visiting nearly eight more rooms. Though they didn't encounter any major surprises, they still gathered several useful finds, including some ancient prescriptions that particularly appealed to Xiao Yan. For a炼药师, prescriptions often held greater value than the elixirs themselves. "Creak..." Pushing open another room situated in a corner, Xiao Yan and his companions stepped inside, scanning the surroundings carefully. Yet, upon closer inspection, they furrowed their brows—this room appeared notably narrower compared to the others, and the scattered state of the furnishings suggested it had already been visited and used.
"Let's go..." After a quick glance, Xiao Yan lost interest, waved his hand, and was about to turn to leave when a sudden white figure burst through the chaotic inner chamber. The unexpected appearance startled Xiao Yan and his companions, who instantly activated their inner ki. As they followed the flickering trail of the white figure, they were all taken aback—there stood a small creature covered in soft white fur, resembling a cat but notably plump and round, appearing quite endearing and sturdy. Yet, it showed no noticeable energy fluctuations, merely an ordinary, unremarkable creature. "Phew..." Relief washed over Xiao Yan and his companions as their tense bodies relaxed. They glanced at the round, gentle creature and were just about to proceed with their group when a sudden thought struck them—this was an ancient relic site. How could a creature so merely charming and well-fed, lacking even any detectable energy, have appeared here?
Frowning slightly, Xiao Yan turned his gaze back, fixing his serious attention on the plump little creature. After a while, as though suddenly realizing something, his eyes widened almost instantly—bulging out like those of a frog. Seeing Xiao Yan's expression, the young healers and others were taken aback; they had never seen him look like this before. Yet before anyone from the group could ask questions, Xiao Yan's face flushed rapidly, and he burst out with a stream of coarse words. "For heaven's sake! Is this guy actually a pill?"