Chapter 18: The Blood Lotus Pill Transaction

Chapter 18: The Blood Lotus Pill Transaction

The next day, Lu Bu tossed a pristine white jade bottle in his hand, deep in thought. He hadn't gathered the ingredients for any sixth tier pills, so he couldn't attempt refining them yet. Moreover, the pill recipes Yao Lao had given him were ridiculous none of them allowed him to gather the necessary ingredients within the Magic Beast Mountain Range.

As a result, Lu Bu had to put his plan to refine a sixth tier pill on hold.

On the other side, Xiao Yan's eyes followed the jade bottle in Lu Bu's hand as it moved up and down. Inside it was a Blood Lotus Pill, a crucial item for devouring a Heavenly Flame.

But up to this point, he had only managed to obtain a third tier magic core, and even that had been with Yao Lao's help. The Blood Lotus Essence and Ice Spirit Flame Grass remained elusive, no matter how hard he searched.

"Want it?" Lu Bu asked with a faint smile, shaking the jade bottle slightly.

"Cough, of course." Xiao Yan nodded. "How much do you want for it?"

This was Yao Lao's suggestion. According to the training plan he had set for Xiao Yan, their next stop was the Tagore Desert. Based on his own past travels, Yao Lao knew that a Heavenly Flame was rumored to exist there.

The Blood Lotus Pill was essential. Without it, encountering the Heavenly Flame would be pointless, as Xiao Yan would have no way to handle it. Yao Lao preferred to prepare the pill in advance rather than scramble to refine it after finding the flame.

"Give me the map back, and this pill is yours," Lu Bu said, smiling mischievously.

"Do you think that's possible?" Xiao Yan rolled his eyes and snorted.

"Then I want 30 pill recipes," Lu Bu countered, handing Xiao Yan a list. "The names are on here."

Xiao Yan took the list and immediately scowled. "Break King Pill, Dou Spirit Pill, Emperor Extreme Pill, Break Sect Pill… and a seventh tier Transformation Pill!?"

"Damn it, do you have to be so greedy?" Xiao Yan growled, clearly annoyed.

"Hm?" Lu Bu hummed, raising an eyebrow. "Kid, you should know that the difficulty of these pills lies not in refining them but in gathering the ingredients."

"Blood Lotus Essence is rare but not impossible to find. Ice Spirit Flame Grass, though… you get it, right?" Lu Bu laughed softly. "These recipes aren't that valuable, and they're fairly common. Sure, they're precious, but not rare."

"Plenty of other people have them not just you."

Xiao Yan was left speechless. At that moment, the ring on his finger trembled slightly, and Yao Lao emerged.

Glancing at the Blood Lotus Pill, Yao Lao spoke. "But we're the only ones who actually need this pill, so your logic doesn't hold up."

Lu Bu rolled his eyes. "Do you want it or not? If it's too expensive for you, I'm the one who's losing out here!"

"We want it, but we'll only give you 15 recipes," Yao Lao countered.

"Twenty five!" Lu Bu immediately retorted.

"Twenty!"

"Deal!" Lu Bu agreed with a laugh, quickly writing on the list and handing it over.

Yao Lao glanced at the list, then flicked his finger. Twenty scrolls floated out, each containing one of the pill recipes Lu Bu had requested.

"Now that's the generosity of the renowned Yao Zun zhe," Lu Bu said with a grin, giving Yao Lao a thumbs up before tossing the jade bottle containing the Blood Lotus Pill to them and storing the scrolls in his ring.

Patting his storage ring, Lu Bu smiled contentedly. With what he had traded for from Yao Lao, the road ahead was sure to be smooth sailing.

Xiao Yan and Yao Lao were equally satisfied. The Blood Lotus Pill was now in their possession, and they'd also unexpectedly acquired a partially completed half Emperor inheritance map. This was more than they could have hoped for.

"All right, Xiao Yan, get back to training," Yao Lao said, clapping his hands. More than half of the three year deadline had passed they had no time to waste.

But just then, a violent energy fluctuation accompanied by a deafening lion's roar suddenly reverberated through the air, shaking the heavens.

Xiao Yan's face filled with astonishment as he looked toward Yao Lao and Lu Bu. "Someone's fighting! And they're strong!"

Lu Bu rolled his eyes. "What's the big deal? People fight all the time on the Dou Qi Continent. What's there to be surprised about?"

"Stop overreacting," Yao Lao said with a hint of irritation.

Xiao Yan chuckled awkwardly. His teacher was right the battle between him and Lu Bu just a few days ago had been no small event, so there really wasn't much to be shocked about.

"Well… should we go take a look?" Xiao Yan asked expectantly, rubbing his hands together.

"It wouldn't hurt to broaden your horizons," Yao Lao said with a slight smile.

"I don't mind checking it out," Lu Bu added. He hadn't yet witnessed a proper battle between strong fighters on the Dou Qi Continent.

"Let's go!" Lu Bu exclaimed. With a light step, a surge of black light emerged behind him as his Purple Cloud Wings spread open. With a slight flap, he shot forward, leaving a gust of wind in his wake.

Xiao Yan couldn't help but admire Lu Bu's flying skill technique. How convenient that must be.

"Let's go!" Yao Lao retreated into the ring, taking control of Xiao Yan's body as they raced toward the center of the battle.

…

In the clear blue sky, purple and green light clashed violently. Explosions reverberated through the air, accompanied by the roars of beasts and the crisp clang of swords.

"A Purple Crystal Winged Lion King?" Xiao Yan exclaimed in surprise. "Someone's bold enough to target her?"

Within the purple light was a massive beast about seven or eight meters long. Its entire body was covered in purple, crystalline fur, giving it the appearance of being encased in translucent amethyst.

A dark red, spiral patterned horn jutted from its forehead, and its wide, heavy wings kept its robust body aloft.

In the green light, its opponent was a female human fighter. She was surrounded by emerald wind attribute Dou Qi, her curvaceous figure wrapped in a simple white dress. Her face was stunningly beautiful, and her demeanor exuded nobility and grace.

She bore green Dou Qi wings on her back and wielded a radiant, peculiar sword.

Lu Bu furrowed his brow. "Huh? Why doesn't that lion have a mane?"

Xiao Yan rolled his eyes. "Lu Bro, your focus is so strange. Shouldn't you be paying attention to the beautiful lady?"

"And you claim you're not a pervert!" Lu Bu retorted with disdain. "You're exposing your true colors now, aren't you?"

Xiao Yan's face turned red, embarrassed by his slip of the tongue.

"Human woman, why do you disturb my rest?"

A powerful, magnetic voice echoed through the sky. The Purple Crystal Winged Lion King's eyes gleamed coldly with hostility.

"I've come to borrow the Purple Spirit Crystal," the woman Yun Yun replied softly. Her voice was as melodious as pearls falling on jade, crisp and entrancing.

Lu Bu raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Wait… the lion's female?"

"Well, most Purple Crystal Winged Lion Kings are female. What's so surprising about that?" Xiao Yan answered flatly, though his voice had taken on Yao Lao's older tone. "Besides, only female lions can produce Purple Spirit Crystals."

"Oh… that makes sense," Lu Bu nodded, recalling that only female lions were typically seen with offspring. Male lions… well, they were less relevant here.

"So that means… she's a mother lion?"

Lu Bu's eyes suddenly lit up as a rush of excitement spread through his body. A strange feeling of reverence stirred within him.

The more he looked at the lion, the more majestic and graceful it seemed. If I could make her my mount, that'd be incredible. And if her cub is a daughter… hehe, even better!

Marvelous!

"Marvelous!"

Huh? Who said that out loud?

Turning, Lu Bu saw Xiao Yan staring intently at Yun Yun. Lu Bu rolled his eyes, then smirked mischievously as an idea formed. Wrapping an arm around Xiao Yan's neck, he grinned wickedly.

"Hey, Xiao Yan, want to know who that woman is?" Lu Bu asked, his tone full of playful malice.

(End of Chapter)

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