Chapter 187: Blood Tracking Technique, Zhang Clan Patriarch
The Green Lotus Core Flame has been stolen?
Xiao Yan's expression darkened immediately. The Heavenly Flame, which was supposed to belong to him, had been snatched away by someone else?
Unforgivable. This is courting death.
"If I find out who did this, even if they're a saint, they'll get a beating. If they're evil… I'll grind their bones to dust."
A grinding sound came from Xiao Yan's clenched teeth as he suppressed his rising fury.
Qing Lin, sensing the chilling change in her master's demeanor, shuddered. The warm and kind young master she had just begun to trust now seemed terrifying once again.
Harvesting the Lotus
After a while, Xiao Yan managed to calm himself. His expression softened slightly as he carried Qing Lin in his arms and ascended out of the cyan barrier.
Hovering above the glowing dome of the protective barrier, Xiao Yan's gaze settled on the Green Lotus stalk. He sent a mental command to the Wen Saint behind him.
"Wen Lao, take the Green Lotus stalk back to the clan. Continue to cultivate it it might give rise to another Green Lotus Core Flame in a thousand years."
"Yes, Young Master."
From the space behind Xiao Yan, the invisible Wen Saint smiled faintly and extended his hand. The entire cyan barrier, along with the Green Lotus stalk, vanished into his personal spatial storage.
For a powerhouse of Wen Saint's level, ordinary storage rings were unnecessary. They could manipulate spatial forces directly, creating their own portable storage spaces.
Though disappointed by the loss of the Heavenly Flame, Xiao Yan knew the Green Lotus stalk held great value. Wastefulness was not in line with his virtuous frugality.
As Wen Saint secured the Green Lotus stalk, Xiao Yan sighed in resignation and began retracing his steps out of the molten cave.
In his arms, Qing Lin stared in awe. She couldn't comprehend the scale of her young master's abilities he could simply "collect" such an immense and otherworldly object.
Traces of Blood
Back on solid ground, Xiao Yan shook off his frustration and turned his attention to the corpse of the Two Headed Flame Spirit Serpent.
Scanning the mangled remains with his soul power, he noticed something peculiar: faint traces of dried blood clinging to the serpent's broken fangs.
Curiosity sparked in Xiao Yan's eyes as he approached. Although most valuable parts of the serpent had already been harvested, this blood didn't belong to the magical beast itself it was human blood.
As an experienced alchemist, Xiao Yan quickly identified the lingering energy signatures within the blood.
He extended his hand, summoning a powerful suction force to gather the blood from the serpent's fangs. Despite being dried and scarce, the blood retained its core properties, protected by the high temperature environment of the lava.
"This serpent hasn't been dead for long," Xiao Yan noted, estimating that the traces would have decayed entirely within a year under such extreme conditions.
Examining the reddish powder in his palm, a wicked smile crept onto his face.
"Wen Lao, doesn't the Soul Clan have a Blood Tracking Technique?" he asked.
"Indeed, Young Master. I'll pass it on to you immediately."
With a faint smile, Wen Saint materialized briefly, touching Xiao Yan's forehead. A stream of information surged into Xiao Yan's mind, detailing the esoteric technique.
Witnessing Wen Saint appear and vanish so suddenly, Qing Lin was left speechless. How many more surprises does this Young Master have?
To her, Xiao Yan's abilities had already reached a point where nothing seemed impossible.
Setting the Tracker
The Blood Tracking Technique required a soul enhancing material as a medium, combined with a trace of the target's blood. This method was traditionally used by the Soul Clan to hunt down their enemies.
Since the Soul Clan's downfall, this forbidden technique had become part of the Xiao Clan's arsenal. However, it was rarely used in modern times, as the Xiao Clan faced few adversaries capable of escaping their grasp.
Fortunately, Wen Saint's extensive knowledge preserved the technique, allowing Xiao Yan to use it now.
Mixing the dried blood into a drop of Soul Nourishing Liquid, Xiao Yan performed the technique. The liquid absorbed the blood and emitted faint ripples, indicating a weak connection to the target.
"Good, they're within a thousand kilometers," Xiao Yan muttered, recognizing the technique's range limitations.
Guided by the blood's faint directional pulses, Xiao Yan carried Qing Lin and stepped into the air. With each step, he crossed hundreds of meters, rapidly closing the distance to his target.
Entering Salt City
After traveling a thousand kilometers, the ripples in the Soul Nourishing Liquid grew stronger, transforming into a directional arrow.
Following the arrow's guidance, Xiao Yan soon approached a bustling city. Its towering walls loomed before him, with two bold characters carved at the entrance: Salt City.
Salt City… Xiao Yan furrowed his brows, the name stirring a vague memory.
Searching his mind, fragments of conversations with Ya Fei and Yao Ye back in the Jia Ma Imperial City surfaced. Finally, a name emerged: Mo Clan.
"Could the Mo Clan have taken the Green Lotus Core Flame?" Xiao Yan mused, his expression turning strange.
Villains will always be villains, destined to meet their downfall.
Suppressing his disdainful chuckle, Xiao Yan extended his soul power across the city. Though expertly hidden, the faint aura of the Green Lotus Core Flame was unmistakable.
The Zhang Clan Connection
Deep within the city, Xiao Yan detected the presence of a Dou King, concealed in a hidden chamber. The Dou King was speaking with a middle aged man about the Green Lotus Core Flame.
At first, Xiao Yan's expression remained calm. But as the conversation continued, his pupils suddenly contracted.
The middle aged man was none other than the Zhang Clan Patriarch from Wu Tan City!
What is the Zhang Clan doing here?
Suspicion clouded Xiao Yan's thoughts as he floated above the city. Whatever their involvement, the Green Lotus Core Flame was his, and no one not the Mo Clan, the Zhang Clan, or anyone else would keep it from him.
(To be continued…)
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