BTTH: Demon Emperor Xiao Yan

After successfully refining the Nether Poison Flame, Xiao Yan did not immediately leave the Chu Yun Empire. Instead, he lingered for a while longer. In order to deal with that skeleton, he had used up nearly all of the Transforming Flame he had painstakingly nurtured to create the Demonic Wrath Flame Lotus. Now, only a trace of it remained in his body. If he wanted to use it again, he would need to cultivate it anew.

Fortunately, he had already condensed the flame seed of the Transforming Flame. All that remained was to continue feeding it beast flames. And beast flames were not particularly rare in the Chu Yun Empire. Although the empire was known for its poisons, it also housed many alchemists who held status equal to the poison masters.

Xiao Yan vaguely recalled that in his previous life, an alchemist from the Chu Yun Empire once infiltrated the Jia Ma Empire's Alchemy Grand Meeting and even won first place, utterly embarrassing the Jia Ma Empire. Though it was later revealed that the so-called prodigy was actually the vice president of the Chu Yun Empire's Alchemist Association in disguise, the disgrace could not be undone.

Not that Xiao Yan cared about restoring Jia Ma Empire's face. After all, that was a matter of his past life, and he had never felt any strong loyalty to any empire. Of course, if the Jia Ma Empire were to offer him a Heavenly Flame in exchange for his help, he wouldn't mind lending a hand. But realistically speaking, they didn't have that kind of ability.

After purchasing several types of low-rank beast flames from a merchant guild, Xiao Yan prepared to find a place to cultivate his Transforming Flame. But just then, the shopkeeper suddenly called out to him.

"You must be here for the Hundred Poison Mountains too, right? Would you like to buy a map of the area?"

"No need. I'm not going to the Hundred Poison Mountains," Xiao Yan replied flatly, shaking his head. He had already been there once while searching for the Nether Poison Flame. Now that there was no reason to return, he wasn't going to waste his money.

"What? You're not here for the Scorpion Tomb?" The shopkeeper looked surprised.

"Tomb? What tomb?" Xiao Yan paused, confused. He hadn't found any tombs during his trip to the mountains a few months ago.

"Sounds like you're a bit out of the loop." The shopkeeper chuckled. "About a month ago, someone discovered a tomb near the Hundred Poison Mountains. It's said to be the resting place of a powerful Sky Scorpion Dragon Beast. Apparently, this beast was highly intelligent and, fearing its body would be desecrated after death, constructed a tomb for itself."

"A Sky Scorpion Dragon Beast?" Xiao Yan's interest piqued. He knew of the beast—part of the Scorpion Dragon race, a species that carried traces of Ancient Void Dragon blood in their veins. As a result, they were incredibly powerful. He hadn't expected to find one, dead or alive, in the Chu Yun Empire.

More importantly, one of the ingredients required to control the Woeful Poison Body was the magic core of a seventh-rank Sky Scorpion Dragon Beast. Even with his current strength, he wouldn't dare confront a living seventh-rank magical beast. But a dead one? That was a different matter.

A beast intelligent enough to build its own tomb was almost certainly a shape-shifter. That meant it had to be at least a sixth-rank beast. While a sixth-rank magic core might not meet the precise requirements of the poison pill recipe, it was close enough to be useful. More crucially, this might be his only shot at obtaining such a rare core before heading to the Central Plains.

"But wait," Xiao Yan frowned. "You said the tomb was discovered a month ago. Wouldn't it have already been picked clean?"

Just as he was about to ask whether anyone had already taken the core, the shopkeeper grinned. "Actually, no. The tomb is sealed by the beast's own barrier. No one has been able to enter yet. But recently, there have been signs that the seal is weakening. I reckon it's about to open soon. If you hurry, you might still have a shot at whatever's inside."

Xiao Yan exhaled in relief. For a tomb to remain sealed even after being discovered, it must have been constructed by at least a seventh-rank beast. That would fit perfectly with the requirements of the poison pill method.

Now that he had confirmed the Sky Scorpion Dragon Beast had been seventh-rank or higher, Xiao Yan took out a pouch of gold coins and bought a detailed map. He had been to the Hundred Poison Mountains before, but the terrain there was so convoluted that even a repeat visit wouldn't guarantee familiarity. Having a map could only help. Besides, the merchant had provided him with some genuinely useful information. Paying for it was only fair.

Leaving the shop, Xiao Yan found a nearby inn to stay for the night. Originally, he had planned to leave the Chu Yun Empire right after gathering enough beast flames. Now it seemed that his departure would have to wait. If he wanted to compete for the Sky Scorpion Dragon Beast's inheritance, he needed to be thoroughly prepared. After all, the attraction of that tomb would be enormous within the empire.

Most of the pills Yao Lao had prepared for him had already been used up, so Xiao Yan decided to take this opportunity to restock. Fortunately, he had gathered a large number of herbs while in the mountain valley. Otherwise, he would have had to waste more time shopping in the city.

He spent the entire night refining pills. With his strength greatly improved and having absorbed the Nether Poison Flame, his success rate had soared. Even fifth-rank pills were no longer out of reach. By dawn, his storage ring was filled with jade bottles of various sizes.

Of course, that level of pill forging came at a price. His current cauldron was completely destroyed. But Xiao Yan didn't feel much regret. The cauldron was always low quality—only good for beginners. The fact it had lasted this long was already commendable.

"Looks like I'll need a better cauldron when I get back," Xiao Yan muttered with a sigh. At his current level, he could now attempt to forge sixth-rank pills. Using a basic cauldron was simply no longer feasible.

He had already decided that once this matter was resolved, he would make a trip to the Black-Corner Region. With luck, he could obtain a high-quality cauldron there—one suitable for crafting sixth-rank pills.

(End of Chapter)

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