As soon as the voice filled the air, Zhou Dekun put his pill furnace away. The three approaching figures never saw it clearly, nor the medicinal pills.
The approach of these three people caused the four Grand Elders’ faces to fall.
One of them was a middle-aged man wearing a long white robe, with face like white jade. Though he was middle-aged, he stood tall and straight. His features were handsome and beyond ordinary, and a slight, amiable smile could be seen on his face. However, the more you looked at the smile the colder it seemed.
This man had no totemic Qi on him, but rather, a faint medicinal aroma.
The words he had spoken just now were still echoing around as he stepped foot into the square to stand between Zhou Dekun and Meng Hao.
He radiated loftiness, and his white robes were embroidered with glittering pill cauldrons. A condescending expression could now be seen on his face.
“Is this how the Southern Domain’s Dao of alchemy works? What a great letdown! I’m afraid I, Yan, will have to return to the Eastern Lands disappointed.” The man shook his head. He hadn’t actually seen Zhou Dekun and Meng Hao concocting pills; he had merely smelled the lingering medicinal aroma in the air, and seen Zhou Dekun putting away the pill furnace. All of that left him disappointed.
Zhou Dekun’s face was unsightly as he looked over the three new arrivals. In addition to the middle-aged man was an old man wearing an inky green robe, with eyes that flashed like lightning. His expression was cold and haughty. The emanations of his Cultivation base revealed him to be of the great circle of the late Nascent Soul stage.
Even the four Grand Elders of the Frigid Snow Clan couldn’t compare to such a Cultivation base.
However, there was a Qi on the man that was very different from the other Cultivators. It was thick, and did not emanate out, but was clearly visible, like a signal beacon in the dead of night.
On the back of the old man’s hand was a totem tattoo. As for any other tattoos, they were concealed by his voluminous robes, and were impossible to see.
The final person among the three was a young man. He didn’t seem to be very old, and yet, there was an ancientness to him. He strode forward, occasionally glancing around, a reminiscent look on his face, even the touch of a sigh. His body emanated a fusion of the fluctuations of a normal Cultivator, as well as totemic Qi.
There were many Cultivators like this young man in the Black Lands, who combined normal cultivation techniques with totem cultivation. There was nothing particularly extraordinary about that; however, there seemed to be something special about him, although it was difficult to say what.
When the Frigid Snow Clan Grand Elders caught sight of the young man, their faces flickered, especially that of First Elder. An anxious, doubtful expression could be seen, along with disbelief.
Meng Hao looked the three over and then glanced away.
The middle-aged man from the Eastern Lands shook his head in disappointment and was about to leave when suddenly he stopped in mid-stride and said, “Eee?” Suddenly, a brilliant glow appeared in his eyes, a shocked expression covered his face. “That’s… that’s….” He started panting as he lifted his right hand into the air with a grasping motion. Immediately, strands of Qi began to drift into his hand and then congeal. Moments later, an illusory mass of Qi appeared above his palm.
The mass of Qi was green in color, and looked like a medicinal pill. However, it was merely illusory, the work of this man’s magical technique.
When Meng Hao saw this, his eyes narrowed, and a faint glow flickered therein.
“Illusory Qi Distillation!” he thought, looking at the man. To be able to distill Qi into an illusory medicinal pill was an ability that not even all Violet Furnace Lords could employ.
It was a technique a level above the one used by Meng Hao just now to condense the liquid into a pill.
Meng Hao’s eyes flickered. “This guy’s Dao of alchemy is incredible.”
Zhou Dekun’s eyes went wide and radiated astonishment. However, he quickly concealed it. His bearing was still one of arrogance, but deep in his heart, great waves of astonishment crashed about.
“That was no gimmick,” thought Zhou Dekun, taking an unconscious step back. “That was real Illusory Qi Distillation. Dammit, this is the Black Lands. How could an alchemist like this suddenly appear. He’s… he’s at least at the same level as a Violet Furnace Lord, maybe even halfway to being a Grandmaster!” His heart pounded as he tried to figure out a way to get away. It was at this time when the man from the Eastern Lands suddenly looked up.
“This pill….” The man named Yan took a deep breath, and his eyes began to shine with an intense light. “So, such a pill does exist under Heaven. Furthermore, it appears to have been created somewhat frivolously. It seems to me that whoever concocted this pill did not do so in the spirit of an alchemy duel. It seems almost an afterthou