Jiang Chen scanned the interior of the valley, his gaze lingering briefly on the rear area and the mountain walls on either side, before softly saying, "Let's take a break first."

"Yes!"

Yan Hu and the others responded and proceeded to enter the pavilion.

Upon entering, everyone sat in the pavilion's living room.

"Ying Zi, seal the pavilion," Jiang Chen instructed quietly.

Buzz!

A formidable aura of the Venerable Realm Late Stage enveloped the entire pavilion, isolating it from external auras and sounds.

"Elder Yao." Jiang Chen looked at the Medicine Saint, slightly frowning, "Why have you come?"

"I..."

The Medicine Saint hesitated for a moment, then sighed gently with a hint of reminiscence, "I just wanted to come back and see Elixir Valley once more. After all... after this grand competition, who knows what will become of Elixir Valley!"

Buzz!

As soon as the Medicine Saint finished speaking, an aura brushed against Ying Zi's barrier.

Jiang Chen and the others were startled and all looked towards the door.

"It's Brother Mengzi, let him in!" the Medicine Saint recognized the aura and spoke softly.

Jiang Chen glanced at the Medicine Saint and signaled to Ying Zi with his eyes.

Buzz!

The aura surrounding the pavilion slowly dissipated as Yan Hu rose to open the pavilion door, bringing Hu Ziyang inside.

Click!

Buzz!

The door closed, and the aura surged again, enveloping the pavilion once more.

Hu Ziyang stared, surprised, at Ying Zi, then scanned everyone present, finally fixing his gaze on the Medicine Saint, opening his mouth to speak but hesitated and closed it again.

"Speak, we are all among friends here!" the Medicine Saint said softly.

"Brother Xing, why are you here? Elixir Valley won't acknowledge Ling'er's identity. If you expose yourself here, it could bring about your death!" Hu Ziyang said with concern as he looked at the Medicine Saint.

The Medicine Saint glanced at Hu Ziyang, then turned toward Jiang Chen. Hu Ziyang was slightly taken aback, looking at Jiang Chen somewhat confusedly.

"Are you pretending to comply with the Great Elder?" Jiang Chen pondered for a moment before speaking softly, fixing his eyes sharply on Hu Ziyang's, revealing a scrutinizing look.

Hu Ziyang frowned lightly, his expression slightly serious, "What does Head of the Jiang Family mean by this?"

"How much do you know about Elixir Valley's current situation?" Jiang Chen raised an eyebrow and asked again.

Hu Ziyang's expression altered slightly, and he replied solemnly, "I don't understand what you mean, what about the current state of Elixir Valley?"

"Mengzi, be honest, the reason we are here this time is to address the current situation of Elixir Valley!" the Medicine Saint softly urged.

Hu Ziyang's heart trembled hard, his brow wrinkled into a knot as he scanned the people in the hall, finally settling his gaze on the Medicine Saint, "Brother Xing, what do you mean by this?"

"If you continue like this, it's really pointless!"

Jiang Chen said somewhat impatiently, "It seems like Elixir Valley's situation is more complex than I thought. If you know something, I hope you can tell us so that I can make an accurate judgment. Otherwise, I'll have to treat the Great Elder, Second Elder, Third Elder, Fourth Elder, and Sixth Elder as enemies!"

"Enemies... Are you here to save Brother Fu? Brother Xing, do you know Brother Fu is alive?!" Hu Ziyang blurted out in astonishment.

"What? Brother is really alive?" the Medicine Saint stood up from his seat at once, nervously staring at Hu Ziyang, "Mengzi, are you telling the truth? Huh? Is Brother really alive?"

Hu Ziyang hesitated for a moment, nodded heavily, "Right, Brother is alive, but the situation in Elixir Valley is indeed intricate, we can't be impulsive, Brother!"

"Tell us about Elixir Valley's situation," Jiang Chen said softly.

Hu Ziyang looked at Jiang Chen, doubt filling his eyes, "Head of the Jiang Family, if you are just relying on the power of the Chixiao Sect and the Five Great Families, it may not be enough to change the state of Elixir Valley. I don't know how you convinced Brother Xing, but I won't let you lead Brother Xing into danger!"

"Mengzi, it's not a matter of whether we take risks or not, but..." the Medicine Saint urgently began to speak about the Soul Devouring Group matter.

"Elder Yao!" Jiang Chen barked softly.

The Medicine Saint's expression shifted slightly, realizing and closing his mouth.

"Director Hu, whether or not you tell us what you know, we're taking action in the coming days. The only difference is whether you inform us or we investigate on our own!" Jiang Chen looked at Hu Ziyang, his expression resolute.

Hu Ziyang sneered, "Investigate? You think you can investigate Elixir Valley? Not to belittle you, but even if people from the Chixiao Sect and the Five Great Families go with you into the Inner Valley, you won't be able to get in!"

"Who said we were going to barge in? Let me ask you a simple question, does Elixir Valley have anyone whose soul strength reaches the Divine Soul realm?" Jiang Chen said confidently, looking at Hu Ziyang.

Hu Ziyang's expression altered slightly, his brows knitted lightly, "What do you mean?"

"Elixir Valley has three Saint Realm ancestors, and it's highly likely there are powerful figures in the so-called Inner Valley to the east, but none of you have reached the Divine Soul realm. If there were, those Earth-grade Spirit Pills on the mountain walls wouldn't be set up in such a crude Soul Nurturing Great Formation!" Jiang Chen said lightly.

"You, you know about the Soul Nurturing Great Formation?! And about Earth-grade Spirit Pills?!" Hu Ziyang exclaimed, his face full of shock!

Jiang Chen shrugged, "What's so surprising about knowing these things? Not only do I know about the Earth-grade Spirit Pills, but if there are enough herbs, I can even craft them!"

"Impossible! The Elixir Recipe for Earth-grade Spirit Pills is only with our Elixir Valley, and no one has been able to craft them since the Era of Martial Decline!" Hu Ziyang shouted, incredulous.

Jiang Chen hesitated for a moment, surprised, "Your Elixir Valley still has the Elixir Recipe for Earth-grade Spirit Pills?"

Hu Ziyang's expression quickly turned wary, suspiciously looking at Jiang Chen, "What are you planning? Are you after the Elixir Recipe?"

"You're overthinking it!" Jiang Chen said casually, "I'm not interested in your Elixir Valley's Elixir Recipe. The recipes I know are enough for my research."

"Mengzi, Young Jiang isn't after the Elixir Recipe, you don't need to worry about that." the Medicine Saint vouched for Jiang Chen.

Hu Ziyang gave the Medicine Saint a glance, then turned back to Jiang Chen, probing, "You, you really can see through the Soul Nurturing Great Formation?"

"Using Earth-grade Spirit Pills placed in a special array setup, their emitted pure energy forms a cycle in the valley. This cycle induces Heaven and Earth Vital Energy, mimicking Auspicious Clouds Nourishing the Body, to cleanse the Martial Artist's soul within the formation. As long as the Martial Artist in the formation practices Soul Power, it will be effective! It's just a simple formation." Jiang Chen replied nonchalantly.

"You..."

Hu Ziyang still found it hard to believe, sizing up Jiang Chen, maintaining a degree of skepticism in his eyes.

...

PS: Writing too late these days, coupled with air conditioning, I'm feeling a bit dizzy...

But, thinking about how hard everyone is following along energizes me.

I need to keep going!!!

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