One stone set a thousand waves in motion. As Houn Xū's words fell, the plaza—already agitated by the emergence of the ninth-rank immortal pill—immediately fell silent. The faces of all the medicinal clan elders darkened in an instant, their eyes flashing with cold glint. The Jade of the Ancient Emperor Tuo She, once held by each of the eight ancient clans as a treasured heirloom, had been carefully preserved by each, even to the point that ordinary elders had rarely seen it. For those unaware of the matter, this was merely a matter of course. But among those who were informed, the way they now regarded Houn Xū was as if he were mad—how could the medicinal clan, guardians of such a priceless treasure, temporarily lend it to him? Had he not been driven mad by rage? "This guy..." Xiao Yin frowned, gazing intently at Houn Xuzi. The former's strange smile had cast a subtle unease upon him. For the Herbal Clan to speak thus was clearly a challenge to their authority—given Houn Xuzi's rank of Sixth-Class Soul Saint, he had no chance of escaping the Herbal Clan's grasp. "Something feels off..." Years of experience had sharpened Xiao Yin's instincts. Something was amiss. Houn Xuzi wasn't a fool—he should have been aware of the consequences of such a statement, yet he remained undaunted. As he thought this, Xiao Yin's heart sank slightly. He swiftly moved, appearing beside the Elder of the Herbal Clan, his voice grave as he said, "Be careful." The Elder nodded seriously as well, sensing a certain strangeness in Houn Xuzi. In the sky, Master Wanhu's expression was gloomy, and a surge of murderous intent stirred in his gaze toward Hounu Xizi. As soon as the medicine scroll opened his mouth, he would immediately launch a full-scale attack, instantly slaying this daring individual who had challenged the prestige of the Medicine Clan before so many witnesses. "As soon as Hounu Zi finished speaking, the Wanhu Elder's expression turned utterly gloomy. With a thunderous roar, a vast surge of combat energy erupted, sweeping across the heavens. In a single flash of movement, he materialized directly above Hounu Zi, forming a colossal palm of wind and flame that crashed down upon him. 'It should be about right now, shouldn't it?' Facing the Elder's fierce assault, Hounu Zi merely smiled faintly, lifting his gaze toward the distant sky and murmuring softly to himself. Gradually, his strange smile widened, and deep within his pupils, black flames surged like a long-suppressed dragon, bursting forth with furious intensity. As these black flames surged, Hounu Zi's aura surged dramatically at that very moment. 'Boom!' Above, Houn Xuzi merely swept his sleeve and palm, delivering a simple, unadorned palm strike that met the immense wind-fire seal head-on. Instantly, everyone was stunned to see the vast wind-fire seal completely absorbed and consumed within Houn Xuzi’s body. In contrast, the venerable Elder of a Hundred Flames, whose might had seemed overwhelming, was thrown back as if struck by a powerful blow, spewing out a gush of blood, his body flying backward before he landed awkwardly on the plaza below, leaving a deep crater in his wake. "This guy has been concealing his strength all along—does he really intend to seize the ancient jade of the Herbal Clan outright?" The old herbalist's face instantly darkened as he murmured. At the same time, Xiao Yan's expression grew profoundly serious; his eyes were fixed intently on Hun Xuzi, who had remained completely undetected throughout—how could this be? "Even after his initial fury when the Ju Dan was taken, he has managed to suppress his strength the entire time. What a deep strategy! Yet does he truly plan to accomplish this feat alone, by himself, to claim the ancient jade of the Herbal Clan?" Finally, the elder seated at the head of the table also turned pale, his expression now cold and stern. He slowly rose to his feet, his gaze locked firmly on Hun Xuzi, and spoke with icy resolve, "Send a signal to the Flame Clan and the Thunder Clan. Inform them—we have identified the mastermind behind the disappearance of the Ling Clan and the Stone Clan!" "Upon hearing the words of Yao Dan, everyone's faces turned pale, even Xiao Yan, whose body trembled violently and who lifted his head in astonishment, gazing at Hounu Zi—was it truly the Houn Clan at work?!" Though the elders of the Yao Clan were also stunned by Yao Dan's revelation, trembling with excitement, they swiftly produced a scroll and tore it open, causing spatial ripples to spread rapidly. However, just as these ripples were about to coalesce into a spatial passage, they suddenly encountered interference, surging violently and causing the newly formed channel to vanish instantly. Witnessing this, many members of the Yao Clan felt a sudden chill; some elder leaders quickly dispatched emergency alert pulses, prompting the surrounding mountain ranges to stir. Waves of Yao Clan warriors poured in like locusts, breaking through the air at high speed. "What have you done, Hounu Zi?" one of the Yao Clan elders shouted angrily. "Well, it seems we've accomplished it..." The Hounxu Zi smiled slightly, yet he barely glanced at the medicinal race warriors who had arrived, speaking with casual indifference, "Not much really—just sealed off the medicinal race's space." The moment these words were spoken, a wave of commotion erupted below. The various strong contenders who had come to view the medicinal compendium all went pale, quickly unfolding their spatial scrolls and tearing them apart—only to find the same outcome as before. "Something major is about to happen..." Xiao Yan inhaled a deep breath of cool air, his face now more strained than ever. He hadn't expected the Hounxu to target the medicinal race at all, nor had anyone anticipated their arrival precisely during the medicinal race's compendium ceremony. Yao Dan's expression grew gloomy. With a simple press of her finger, she crushed a storage ring into powder. This ring was specifically designed to transmit vibrations to the chieftains of the Yan and Lei clans—only the chieftains of the three clans could receive such signals. "Hehe, Medicine Clan Elder, there's no point in wasting your efforts..." Houn Xū smiled and said. Unmoved by his words, Medicine kept his gaze fixed on his fingertips—indeed, after the fluctuations had appeared, they had begun to swirl wildly, as though driven by an unseen force, clearly failing to transmit the signal. Seeing this, Medicine's heart sank completely. "Houn Xū, our Medicine Clan has already established space channels with the Fire and Thunder Clans. Should they detect the channels gone, they will surely realize that something has befallen our Clan. Once the news spreads, the Ancient Clan will certainly not remain passive. With the combined strength of our four clans, your Houn Clan will surely be extinguished!" Though his heart was heavy, as the head of the Clan, Medicine quickly regained composure and spoke steadily. "My Houn Clan has managed to absorb the Spirit and Stone Clans without the Ancient Clan even noticing—naturally, I can also make your Medicine Clan vanish quietly from this world..." Houn Xū replied calmly. "By you?!" The body of Yao Dan slowly ascended into the air, and the formidable aura of the Seven-Star Battle Saint poured forth without reservation. This powerful pressure even surpassed that of Houn Xuzi, truly living up to the reputation of a clan's chief. "Senior Houn Xuzi, this matter is a dispute between the Houn and Yao clans—nothing to do with us. We kindly ask you to allow us to depart unimpeded. We shall surely repay you with our deepest gratitude." As Yao Dan ascended, the numerous sect masters and elders who had come to observe the Pharmacopoeia hurriedly bowed and spoke in respectful tones. At this moment, they too felt a growing sense of panic, reminded by the precedent of the Shí and Ling clans where no life remained. They now realized that if drawn into this conflict, their own survival would surely be at stake. "Of course, naturally," smiled Houn Xuzi warmly. "Anyone not from the Yao clan, please go—there will be no obstruction." "Thank you, Senior!" Seeing this, many figures from the sects were overjoyed and didn't hesitate—turning instantly, they rushed furiously toward the entrance of the medicinal realm. Xiao Yan gazed at the black flame seeping out from the void, his eyes suddenly narrowing. Within him, Xiao Yi also opened her eyes, her youthful face now solemn and serious, clearly sensing an intense sense of crisis as well. Houniu Zi floated in the sky, his back ablaze with a vast expanse of black flame. He smiled gently, lowering his head to gaze at the medicine pill, then slowly extended his arms. The smile on his face grew increasingly eerie.