Chapter 129 Reaching Cooperation
"What?" Yao Lao's face darkened upon hearing this, and a strong murderous intent emanated from his face. "Are you serious?"

Xiao Yan was shocked when he saw this. He had followed Yao Lao for several years, and this was the first time he saw Yao Lao showing such a gloomy and fierce expression.

Lin Yuan nodded and said in a deep voice: "Of course it is true. I have no reason to deceive you, right?"

As he spoke, he showed Yao Lao the spoils he had obtained from those soul masters, and continued, "With their huge power, it is not uncommon for Jiejie monsters to appear in any corner of the continent. In any case, it is better for the senior to be careful and not let them discover any traces."

"Is that weird?" Yao Lao was slightly startled when he heard Lin Yuan's words. Thinking of the appearance of that group of people, he couldn't help but smile knowingly, "This description is quite appropriate."

Afterwards, Yao Lao fell into deep thought, his brows furrowed, and his expression became increasingly solemn.

If there were minions of the Soul Palace in the Jia Ma Empire, Xiao Yan would have to be extra careful when he went to the Yun Lan Sect to keep his appointment. It would be best if he could hide in the dark and not have to take action. Once he took action, especially when fighting with Yun Shan, there would be a risk of being exposed. Once exposed, the people of the Soul Palace would chase him like mad dogs.

At this time, Xiao Yan, who was standing aside, was confused by the conversation between Lin Yuan and Yao Lao.

He looked at Yao Lao's solemn expression and felt the solemn atmosphere around him. He couldn't help but get nervous and asked in a low voice: "Teacher, Brother Tianshu, what are you talking about?"

Yao Lao looked at Xiao Yan's nervous expression and gave him a comforting look, but did not explain. It was not the time to tell him this yet, he had to make sure Xiao Yan could face his challenge with peace of mind.

Yao Lao turned to Lin Yuan and began to confirm more specific information: "My friend, where did you find their traces?"

Lin Yuan seemed to recall the scene of that day and said, "A month ago, near the Ghost-Suppressing Pass of the Jia Ma Empire."

"Zhen Gui Pass, in the direction of Black Horn Region?" Hearing Lin Yuan's words, Yao Lao murmured, "So that's how it is. Those guys like to collect souls, and the border battlefields where a large number of people died are indeed their favorite places to stay."

"So how strong are those guys you met?" Yao Lao continued to ask.

Lin Yuan thought for a moment and said seriously: "The ones I met were not very strong, they were just some Dou Wang level soul masters."

"Soul Envoy?" Yao Lao felt relieved when he heard this. "This is good news."

However, thinking of the upcoming three-year appointment, Yao Lao felt a little worried. The traces of the Soul Envoy could be found at the border of the Jia Ma Empire, which meant that the Soul Palace might have spies in the Jia Ma Empire. He had to be more careful to avoid exposing his identity.

At the same time, he also began to think about how to deal with the upcoming battle with the Yunlan Sect.

Based on the investigation during this period, Yao Lao had some understanding of the Yunlan Sect and Yunshan's style of doing things. He was a person who cared a lot about the honor of the Yunlan Sect.

Especially after he broke through to Dou Zong, his style became more domineering, and this characteristic became even more obvious. For the honor of the sect, he even deposed and exiled the previous sect master Yun Yun, his beloved disciple who he raised. If Xiao Yan defeated Nalan Yanran, whom he personally taught, in the three-year agreement, he would bring shame to the Yunlan Sect in public. In order to maintain the honor of the sect, it is not surprising that he does anything, even Yao Lao is not surprised.

What's more, there is a sixth-grade alchemist in the Yunlan Sect who is extremely coveting the strange fire - Gu He.

Yao Lao knew very well the attraction of strange fire to alchemists and the crazy things an alchemist would do for the strange fire.

Xiao Yan is a great fighting master but he possesses a strange fire. When he walks in front of Gu He, he looks like a piece of cake that is delivered to his doorstep.

There is no other reason. It is just that the great fighting master possesses a strange fire and is guilty of possessing a treasure.

And once they really fight, in the opponent's home court, the opponent has Dou Zong powerhouses. If he doesn't take action, it will be extremely difficult for Xiao Yan to escape unscathed.

Lin Yuan looked indifferently at Yao Lao who was brainstorming in front of him. He was waiting, waiting for Yao Lao to seek cooperation.

Lin Yuan's search for Yao Lao this time was naturally not simply to reminisce about the past, but also to confirm Yao Lao's current condition and see to what level his strength has recovered, so as to better deduce the situation.

At the same time, he did have some intention of investing in Yao Lao.

After all, once Yao Lao recovers his physical body, he will be a big shot at the level of Dou Zun or even a semi-saint.

At this time, he was at his weakest. Using some information about the Soul Palace that was of little value to him to help him gain favor was a great help and a cost-free move.

I am going to be in the Zhongzhou circle in the future, so it won’t hurt to make friends with the big shot in Zhongzhou in advance.

In addition, Lin Yuan was also very interested in Yao Lao's secret method of refining a perfect body that could contain a soul, and wanted to get it through this cooperation.

After all, he had already solved the most difficult task of gathering the three kinds of strange fire. At present, he already had the Azure Lotus Earth Core Fire, the Sea Heart Flame, and the Fallen Heart Flame Sub-Fire, and it was not difficult to even get the Fallen Heart Flame itself.

The three materials required for refining the body in that method, the Bone-Growing Blood-Melting Pill, the essence and blood of a seventh-level magical beast, and the skeleton of a Dou Zong master, were not a problem for Lin Yuan.

The first material was the Bone-Growing Blood-Melting Pill. Lin Yuan had already obtained the recipe from Han Feng's collection, and even had most of the ingredients. According to Lin Yuan's estimation, if he tried his best now, he would have a 20% chance of successfully refining this seventh-grade peak pill. In the future, the success rate of refining it would only be higher.

The second material was the essence and blood of a seventh-level monster. This was not a problem, as he already had the corpse of a monster that had just reached the seventh level. Moreover, on the way from the Black Horn Region to the Tagor Desert, he had already recorded the mountains with seventh-level monsters, so he could just hunt a few of them later.

The third material is the skeleton of a Dou Zong master. This is not a problem either. There are some Dou Zong-level forces in the northwest and Black Horn that Lin Yuan intends to destroy because they have what he needs. When the time comes, he can just collect a few Dou Zong skeletons.

Lin Yuan quietly looked at Yao Lao who was thinking with his eyes closed, waiting for his decision.

The reason why he told Yao Lao about the people in the Soul Palace was to create demand and make Yao Lao ask for something from him, thus giving both parties a basis for a transaction.

A few minutes later, Yao Lao, who had been meditating with his eyes closed, opened his eyes. There was a clarity in his eyes that showed he understood everything, and he had already made a decision.

He understood that Lin Yuan must have other purposes for this trip, not just out of good intentions.

However, this was not important. To Yao Lao, as long as he could help him solve the problem at hand, no matter what Lin Yuan's motives were, it didn't matter.

Thinking of this, Yao Lao slowly spoke: "It seems that you have already understood the dilemma I'm in. And you told me this news, I think you have something to ask of me?"

Hearing this, Lin Yuan clapped his hands and sighed, "As expected of you, Senior Yao. You saw through my thoughts at once."

Then, he said frankly, "There are two reasons. First, I really don't want to see a person like you fall into the hands of those people. Second, I have a difficult problem that may require your wisdom and experience to solve."

He nodded slightly and continued, "I always adhere to the creed of being kind to others and cooperating for mutual benefit. However, whether or not to cooperate with me is ultimately up to you, senior."

"You are quite honest." A trace of admiration flashed in Yao Lao's eyes, and he said lightly: "I still admire you very much. If the conditions are right, I am willing to cooperate with you. Tell me, what is it?"

Lin Yuan pondered for a moment, then said solemnly: "I have an elder who is in a similar situation to you. His body is destroyed, and only his soul remains. You are the top alchemist on the continent. I wonder if you have a method that can help you regain your body?"

As soon as these words came out, Yao Lao's eyes flashed with surprise, and he suddenly felt like someone had sent him a pillow when he was sleepy. He did have a method in his hands that could refine the body, but this method had never been put into practice. If someone was willing to try it, it wouldn't be a bad thing.

What's more, this can also become a bargaining chip for his deal with Lin Yuan, helping him solve the current troubles.

In addition, the person in front of him also had a strange fire. If he could borrow his Azure Lotus Earth Core Fire, and then his own Bone Spirit Cold Fire and Xiao Yan's Wind Fury Dragon Flame, the most difficult step in refining the body - the three kinds of strange fire would be completed.

However, although Yao Lao had a myriad of thoughts in his mind, his face remained calm.

After Lin Yuan finished speaking, he pondered for a moment, then slowly said: "I do have a solution to what you said. However, this method is something I came across by chance, and it is quite difficult to implement. At the same time, I cannot guarantee that it will succeed."

Hearing this, Lin Yuan said in a deep voice: "Senior, please explain clearly."

Afterwards, Yao Lao took out the secret scroll of body refining and briefly introduced to Lin Yuan his method of body refining.

After listening to the explanation, Lin Yuan seemed to think for a while, then said: "This method is exactly what I need. Now you can state your conditions." Hearing this, Yao Lao smiled faintly, raised the scroll in his hand, and said with a smile: "It's very simple. You protect Xiao Yan to Yunlan Sect to fulfill the three-year appointment. After the matter is completed, this scroll can be given to you. If your elders use this method, you can tell me the effect of this method."

"Afterwards, you will lend me the Azure Lotus Earth Core Fire once more using the fire-borrowing method. Of course, I am not taking away your strange fire, but using the fire-borrowing method between alchemists."

When Lin Yuan heard this, his brows furrowed slightly, as if he was weighing the pros and cons.

After a long while, he slowly opened his mouth and said in a deep voice: "Senior Yao, I have no objection to the specific effects and the matter of borrowing fire that you told me. However, regarding the matter of protecting Brother Xiao to keep the three-year appointment..."

"How?" Yao Lao raised his eyebrows and waited for his next words.

Lin Yuan shook his head slightly and said, "It's not my style to rashly go to someone else's home ground. Moreover, I don't really want to appear in front of everyone in the Jia Ma Empire. Therefore, can the conditions for escorting Xiao Yan to Yun Lan Sect to fulfill the three-year appointment be slightly adjusted?"

"Oh, flexibility? How do you want to adapt?" Lin Yuan's words aroused some interest in Yao Lao.

Lin Yuan raised his lips slightly, revealing a faint smile: "What the senior is worried about is nothing more than Yunshan, the Dou Zong, making a move, and then you have to take action to deal with it. So you expose your tracks and get targeted by those people, right?"

Yao Lao nodded. This was indeed his concern.

"Then why don't we change our thinking?" Lin Yuan said meaningfully, "If Yunshan is not in Yunlan Sect on the day Brother Xiao goes to the appointment, wouldn't the problem be solved?"

"I have a way to make Yunshan not be in Yunlan Sect that day. Senior, I think the following matters can be easily solved. Without Yunshan's intervention, Brother Xiao should be able to leave smoothly with the remaining combat power of Yunlan Sect even if you don't take action."

As he spoke, Lin Yuan glanced vaguely at the direction where Ling Ying was.

Yao Lao's eyes lit up when he heard this. This was indeed a great idea. If Yun Shan was not there that day, then with Jia Xingtian from the royal family and the people from the Alchemist Union standing up for Xiao Yan, the Yun Lan Sect might not necessarily take action against Xiao Yan.

Even if they took action, the Douhuang peak powerhouse sent by Xiao Yan's girlfriend would be enough to allow Xiao Yan to leave safely even if he did not take action himself.

Thinking of this, Yao Lao nodded slightly and said, "Indeed, your strategy is indeed feasible. I approve of it."

Hearing this, Lin Yuan nodded and said in a deep voice: "In order for this to happen, I need you two to cooperate with me on one thing."

"What's the matter?"

"Before the decisive battle, the fact that Xiao Yan and Yan Xiao are the same person must not be revealed to the Yunlan Sect. Otherwise, it will be much more difficult to lure Yun Shan out."

"Why?" Xiao Yan asked.

Lin Yuan smiled lightly and said calmly: "Because you have strange fire in your body, Brother Xiao! Gu He's desire for strange fire is no joke."

"As far as I know, the previous leader of the Yunlan Sect, Yun Yun, was also Gu He's sweetheart. The reason why she was exiled from the sect was because she helped Gu He to find the strange fire in the desert and broke into the Serpent Man Holy City, where she was defeated and captured by Queen Medusa."

"Gu He was willing to take people to the heart of the snake people in order to get information about the strange fire."

"Now, Brother Xiao, you are a great fighting master with a strange fire, and you are in front of him. Do you think he will let you go easily?"

After a pause, Lin Yuan continued, "If your identity is exposed in advance, he will definitely make arrangements in advance and wait for you to fall into the trap. To ensure that there is no risk of error, he may ask Yunshan to take action. If that's the case, I may not be able to lure Yunshan away."

After hearing Lin Yuan's words, Xiao Yan was silent for a while, then nodded, clasped his fists and bowed, saying: "So there is such a secret. Thank you Brother Tianshu for reminding me."

At this moment, he realized how terrible his usual behavior was. If someone he could easily kill walked in front of him with a strange fire, Xiao Yan didn't know what he would do.

"Perhaps, unknown to me, the teacher has already helped me to fend off many covetous people in the dark and settled many issues."

Thinking of this, Xiao Yan looked towards Yao Lao with a little more gratitude in his eyes.

at the same time.

"A-choo!" Ling Ying, who was in the shadow not far from here, sneezed. He rubbed his nose and said to himself, "Who is missing me?"

Then, he turned his gaze towards Xiao Yan, Lin Yuan and Yao Lao, and whispered, "Who is this person? He should not be from the Jia Ma Empire. It is terrifying that he has such a high level of cultivation at such a young age."

“How should I report to the young lady so that Young Master Xiao Yan can appear more outstanding?” When he said this, his tone became somewhat distressed.

On the other side, Lin Yuan was discussing the specific plans and details with Yao Lao and Xiao Yan.

He also revealed to Xiao Yan that the royal family and the Mitre family already knew his true identity and that his father had been appointed as the city lord.

"In short, Brother Xiao can ask his friends in the royal family to help conceal his identity. I will tell the Mittel family to block the news. I have done them a favor, so this is no problem."

Lin Yuan continued to express his seriousness in small details to show his sincerity in cooperation.

After the discussion was completed, Xiao Yan solemnly clasped his fists towards Lin Yuan and said, "I'll have to trouble Brother Tianshu this time."

Lin Yuan waved his hand and said calmly, "No need to thank me. This is a matter of mutual assistance and mutual benefit. If Brother Xiao dies in a place like this, there will be one less person of the same age who can compete with him on the mainland in the future. That is a pity."

"Will we compete on the mainland in the future?" Xiao Yan repeated in a low voice, with an expectant light in his eyes. "Xiao Yan will definitely live up to your expectations."

After the formal matters were discussed, Lin Yuan was in the mood to make some jokes. So, he said something he had always wanted to complain about.

"Brother Xiao seemed to be a bit casual when choosing a pseudonym." Lin Yuan said with a smile, "Yan Xiao and Xiao Yan, these two names can be connected with a little association. If not, I'm afraid even the Jia Ma royal family would not easily find out your true identity."

Xiao Yan smiled bitterly. He knew that his pseudonym might be discovered, but he still did it.

“Perhaps, I secretly hoped that someone would see through this fake identity and surprise everyone.” Xiao Yan said to himself, “But I didn’t expect that a three-year agreement would turn into such a complicated matter.”

Yao Lao seemed to see through Xiao Yan's thoughts. He patted Xiao Yan's shoulder and said with a smile: "Young man, it is important to be calm and steady, but you must also be full of fighting spirit and passion. Don't regret it. Every decision and action you make will become a mark of your growth."

Yao Lao was well aware of most of Xiao Yan's choices and actions, but he did not interfere or correct them, because he admired the sharpness and drive of young people.

Hearing Yao Lao's approval, Xiao Yan nodded slightly, his eyes determined. No matter what, he would overcome the obstacles in front of him.

Seeing this, Lin Yuan nodded slightly and said loudly: "Seeing that Brother Xiao has such fighting spirit, I feel relieved. Then, I wish Brother Xiao a great victory in this alchemy conference."

"Brother Tianshu is also an alchemist, right? Don’t you plan to participate in this conference?" Xiao Yan asked.

Lin Yuan smiled calmly, his eyes overflowing with confidence: "If I participate, there will be no suspense in this competition. That would be too boring."

"So, this time, the stage will be given to Brother Xiao. The duel between you and me will be held at the Zhongzhou Alchemy Conference eight years later!"

"Eight years later, will Dan?"

"That's right. Eight years from now, the biggest gathering for alchemists in Zhongzhou, the Alchemy Conference, will be held again. Senior Yao once won the championship in the Alchemy Conference, and later became the number one alchemist in the continent."

"I hope that by then, Brother Xiao will be able to become my opponent and compete with me."

(End of this chapter)