At this moment, Deacon Lü was suffering from the torment of the poisonous pill, writhing and thrashing on the ground in agony.
Alchemist Yuan was also clutching his abdomen and howling in pain.
Meanwhile, Ruan Chan and her brother Ruan Zhong stood helplessly beside Ye Yunfei.
Everyone else who had been seeking pills in the Alchemy Hall had long since distanced themselves from Ye Yunfei. Though frightened, Ruan Chan and her brother remained standing with Ye Yunfei, a fact for which he gave them an internal nod of approval.
"You brat, daring to commit violence within our Zidan Valley! Submit obediently and be captured!" an elder roared in fury, reaching out to grab Ye Yunfei. A blaze of crimson flame shot from his palm, coalescing into a fiery dragon that pounced towards Ye Yunfei.
Ye Yunfei pointed a finger, and five spirit swords simultaneously shot forth to intercept, clashing with the fiery dragon.
At the same time, Ye Yunfei unleashed his Heavenly Soul Sword, directly assaulting the elder's mind.
"How is this possible?!" The elder possessed the strength of a late-stage Tianhai realm cultivator, but at this moment, his Soul Body sensed overwhelming danger. His face paled dramatically as he stumbled backward in retreat.
How could this be?
The other high-ranking members of Zidan Valley nearby found it hard to believe.
Their gazes towards Ye Yunfei began to grow heavy and serious.
It seemed this so-called senior brother of the Ziwei Sect wasn't simple at all.
"Correct. I am indeed Ziwei Sect's senior brother, Su Fei," Ye Yunfei replied calmly, finally raising his head to look at the Valley Master after crippling Alchemist Yuan.
"Brat! Our Zidan Valley does not welcome people from your Ziwei Sect. Why have you come here to cause trouble!" another elder barked.
"Heh. I recall that this so-called 'Zidan Valley' was originally merely the Alchemy Hall of our Ziwei Sect. What? Are members of our Ziwei Sect now barred from even entering?" Ye Yunfei said plainly, his hands clasped behind his back.
"Nonsense! What would a snot-nosed kid like you know? Zidan Valley has no relationship whatsoever with your Ziwei Sect!" an elder stated coldly.
"It seems Zidan Valley is very eager to sever its ties with our Ziwei Sect. However, when the first Valley Master of your Zidan Valley departed from Ziwei Sect's Alchemy Hall, he took with him all the hall's assets: a large batch of precious alchemy cauldrons, all the Dao of Alchemy inheritances, all the alchemists, and three Earth Lung Fire Veins. All these things were passed down by our Ziwei Sect. If Zidan Valley truly wishes to sever relations with our Ziwei Sect, please return everything taken first. Of course, the alchemists who left need not be returned; our Ziwei Sect has no use for such traitors," Ye Yunfei replied indifferently.
"You insolent whelp! Do not spout such wild lies! Everything Zidan Valley possesses was earned through our own efforts! It has nothing to do with your Ziwei Sect!" Hearing Ye Yunfei's words, all of Zidan Valley's upper echelon paled. The Valley Master immediately rebuked him.
"Ha! Earned yourselves, you say?! The alchemy techniques your Zidan Valley practices now are, in their entirety, the alchemy heritage of our Ziwei Sect, passed down from the first hall master of the Alchemy Hall, Hua Qianqiu! These spirit pills"—Ye Yunfei waved a hand, producing several jade bottles and uncorking them, allowing the pills inside to leap out and hover before him—"were found on this alchemist of yours. They are your Zidan Valley's pills, correct? The fire control techniques employed in refining these pills all follow the 'Calamity Fire Thirteen Styles'—the heirloom alchemy method of our Ziwei Sect. If Zidan Valley is so anxious to cut ties with us, why do you continue using Ziwei Sect's ancestral alchemy techniques?" Ye Yunfei finished with a cold sneer.
"You…" For a moment, Zidan Valley's leaders were speechless, unable to refute Ye Yunfei's words. Because it was undeniable—the fire control techniques currently passed down within Zidan Valley were indeed the Calamity Fire Thirteen Styles, and they had indeed been taken from Ziwei Sect's Alchemy Hall.
"In truth, it's not just the Calamity Fire Thirteen Styles. Your ignition techniques, condensation techniques, pill formation techniques—they all originate from Ziwei Sect's heritage. What? Use our Ziwei Sect's alchemy inheritance on one hand, while desperately trying to sever ties with us on the other?" Ye Yunfei pressed on.
With his profound attainment in the Dao of Alchemy, a single glance at the pills refined by a Zidan Valley alchemist allowed Ye Yunfei to discern a great many things.
"Brat, even if Zidan Valley's alchemy techniques originated from Ziwei Sect, alchemy knowledge under heaven has always involved mutual borrowing and learning. It's quite possible Ziwei Sect's ancient alchemy techniques were also learned from other forces. It's difficult to claim any particular technique belongs definitively to one sect," another elder retorted.
"Ridiculous! The Calamity Fire Thirteen Styles were created uniquely by Hua Qianqiu, the first hall master of Ziwei Sect's Alchemy Hall! In his era, Hall Master Hua's alchemy dominated the Primordial Continent. Countless alchemists from across the continent came to Ziwei Sect's Alchemy Hall to study. This was celebrated as a grand tale at the time. Now, all of Ziwei Sect's alchemy inheritance has been usurped by your Zidan Valley. Enough talk. Return all the assets, alchemy cauldrons, all jade slips recording alchemy techniques, and the three Earth Lung Fire Veins that your first hall master took from our Ziwei Sect's Alchemy Hall. After that, Zidan Valley and Ziwei Sect can be considered settled. Otherwise, I will demand Zidan Valley repay everything twofold," Ye Yunfei declared coldly.
"You impudent youth, still wet behind the ears, what do you know about alchemy? You're simply peddling heresy and inciting chaos! Guards, seize this brat!" A white-robed elder with half-gray hair and beard roared in fury.
He was the Grand Elder of Zidan Hall.
"Valley Master, do not allow this youth to continue speaking. Capture him first, we can discuss the rest later," the Grand Elder transmitted via Sound Transmission to the Valley Master.
"Agreed," the Valley Master nodded.
Many Zidan Valley disciples were present. If Ye Yunfei were allowed to continue, it could cause significant impact. For a long time, Zidan Valley had striven to distance itself from Ziwei Sect, refusing to acknowledge that its alchemy originated there. Now, suddenly, a senior brother from Ziwei Sect had appeared, dredging up that history. Zidan Valley's leaders understood they could not let Ye Yunfei speak further.
By now, many surrounding Zidan Valley disciples and pill seekers had already begun murmuring amongst themselves.
"Ha! I don't know alchemy? I'll be blunt—the so-called master alchemists of your Zidan Valley present here aren't even fit to carry my shoes in terms of alchemy skill. Did you truly believe learning a few of Ziwei Sect's techniques made you masters? What you've learned are merely the surface scraps of Ziwei Sect's alchemy. The true essence, you haven't grasped a single shred. You simply do not understand alchemy!" Hearing the Grand Elder's words, Ye Yunfei couldn't help but burst into loud laughter.
"Arrogant!"
"Outrageous!"
"Nonsense!"
All of Zidan Valley's alchemists flew into a rage upon hearing Ye Yunfei's words. Zidan Valley had established itself through alchemy, gaining a certain reputation in the Eastern Barrens. Yet now, a junior brat was publicly claiming they didn't understand alchemy!
You're indignant? Fine. Here and now, I, alone, challenge all of Zidan Valley's alchemists in the Dao of Alchemy. Do you dare accept?" Ye Yunfei sneered.
A single person, challenging all of Zidan Valley's alchemists! Had this kid gone mad?
Upon hearing Ye Yunfei's words, everyone present was struck dumbfounded, wondering if they had misheard.