The ultimate extortion starts with a Nascent Soul Grandmaster!

What he wanted had to be something the Nascent Soul Old Ancestor Xuan Yin would willingly give without feeling distressed, yet would be of immense use to himself!

"Old Ancestor, you speak too highly!"

Lin Yuan wore an expression of fearful flattery, lowering his stance even further, his voice trembling. "It is already a tremendous honor for this Junior to be able to ease the Old Ancestor's worries. These Lotus Seeds should be regarded as a filial offering from this Junior to you; how could I dare to ask for a reward!"

Although he said this aloud, he was certain in his heart that given the status of the Nascent Soul Old Ancestor Xuan Yin, it was impossible for him to simply take something from a low-ranking Disciple for free.

This was called letting the prey go in order to catch it; the lower his stance, the more generous the other party would be in order to maintain their status.

Sure enough, the Nascent Soul Old Ancestor Xuan Yin frowned slightly, a hint of impatience showing in his hoarse voice: "This Old Man keeps his word. If I tell you to speak, then speak. What do you want?"

The time had come.

Lin Yuan "tremblingly and fearfully" raised his head, his face showing embarrassment and difficulty, and carefully said: "This Junior... this Junior's Cultivation is low. In these troubled times, I often feel powerless and truly... truly lack means of self-preservation..."

He did not mention anything specific, merely playing the pity card.

Hearing this, the Nascent Soul Old Ancestor Xuan Yin's hollow eye sockets seemed to flash with approval. It was perfectly normal for a small Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator to ask for items that could save his life.

He casually patted the black Storage Pouch on his waist, and two palm-sized scales, entirely black and covered in strange patterns, emitted terrifying energy fluctuations as they floated before Lin Yuan.

"This item was refined from the chest Corpse Scales shed by this Old Man's Black Armor Corpse King," the Nascent Soul Old Ancestor Xuan Yin said lightly. "Inject Spiritual Qi to activate it, and its power is equivalent to the full-strength blow of a Late Core Formation Stage Cultivator. I grant you two; use them well."

The full-strength blow of a Late Core Formation Stage Cultivator!

Lin Yuan was ecstatic inside. If used well, these were two ultimate trump cards capable of instantly killing a Core Formation Stage Middle Stage Cultivator! Yet, he dared not show the slightest hint of this on his face, quickly extending his trembling hands to respectfully receive the two Corpse Scales. The scales were icy cold to the touch but contained an extremely violent and destructive energy.

"Thank you, Old Ancestor, for the generous gift!"

The Nascent Soul Old Ancestor Xuan Yin placed the Lotus Seeds in his Storage Pouch but did not leave immediately.

Those abyss-like eyes once again fell upon True Man Mu.

"You just said that the Lotus Seeds your daughter had were refined into a soul nurturing pill."

"I wonder, who was the one who acted? The Pill Hall Master has been on Yin Corpse Peak recently, and this Old Man has not heard of him opening a furnace for you."

True Man Mu felt endless bitterness in his heart. He could sense that the Old Ancestor's inquiry was not malicious, but a pure curiosity, yet it was precisely this curiosity that was the most fatal.

His gaze, uncontrollably, glanced toward Lin Yuan again.

This subtle movement, in front of an existence like the Nascent Soul Old Ancestor Xuan Yin, was tantamount to a clear declaration.

In Lin Yuan's mind, countless mythical creatures seemed to gallop past. That old fellow, True Man Mu, had sold him out completely in the blink of an eye! Old fox, they truly are all bad news!

The gaze of the Nascent Soul Old Ancestor Xuan Yin finally landed on Lin Yuan for the third time, like two invisible mountain peaks.

"Oh?"

With a soft exclamation, a hint of surprise finally appeared in the eyes of the Nascent Soul Old Ancestor Xuan Yin.

He hadn't examined him closely before, but this time he noticed many differences about Lin Yuan.

First, he sensed a faint circulation of Pill Qi within Lin Yuan's body. Although it was concealed by spiritual power, the unique aura, which could only be accumulated by constantly accompanying Pill Fire and Spirit Medicine, was far purer than that of any Pill Master he had encountered.

Second, regarding Lin Yuan's Cultivation: although he was only at the Foundation Establishment Early Stage, the density and purity of the magic power within his body far surpassed others at the same rank, even comparable to a Middle Stage Cultivator who achieved Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment.

But now he was more concerned about the Medicinal Pill.

"Your Dao of Alchemy attainment is not shallow. If this Old Man gives you this yang returning lotus seed, what percentage chance do you have of refining a soul nurturing pill?"

Thoughts flashed through Lin Yuan's mind, but his face showed sincere fear and deference as he bowed and said: "Reporting to the Old Ancestor, this Junior was merely lucky and succeeded by chance once. When discussing the Dao of Alchemy, I absolutely dare not compare myself to the Pill Hall Master."

The Pill Hall Master was the Yin Corpse Sect's only Rank Four Alchemist, and the recognized grand master of the Dao of Alchemy.

Lin Yuan brought him up, both to show his humility and to remind the Nascent Soul Old Ancestor Xuan Yin that there was a safer option.

Hearing this, the Nascent Soul Old Ancestor Xuan Yin nodded noncommittally.

"Hmph, the soul nurturing pill is of great importance, so it is indeed safer to hand it over to the Pill Hall Master for refining."

The taut string in Lin Yuan's heart loosened slightly.

He did not want to be captured by this Old Monster and forced to become an exclusive Alchemist. If he were imprisoned in some dark, sunless Pill Chamber and turned into an Alchemy machine, that would not be fun.

However, before he could fully relax, the Nascent Soul Old Ancestor Xuan Yin's tone suddenly shifted.

"The petals of the yang returning lotus are all top-grade Spiritual Materials. How did you handle them?"

Lin Yuan's scalp instantly went numb.

He knew that if he uttered even half a lie, the slightest fluctuation in his mind would immediately be captured by the opponent's terrifying Divine Sense.

Lying in front of a Nascent Soul Old Monster was equivalent to seeking death.

He was silent for a moment, as if trying hard to recall something. Finally, he flipped his palm, and a warm Jade Bottle appeared in his grasp.

Without unnecessary words, he held the Jade Bottle high.

"Reporting to the Old Ancestor, this Junior knew the nine Lotus Petals were precious and dared not waste them, so I refined them into this Medicinal Pill."

Before his voice faded, an invisible force seized the Jade Bottle from his hand.

The Jade Bottle landed steadily in the withered palm of the Nascent Soul Old Ancestor Xuan Yin.

He pulled out the stopper and merely took a light sniff.

It was clearly visible that from the depths of the turbid eyes of this Old Monster, whose state of mind had long been as calm as an ancient well, two terrifying beams of light shot forth!

It was a complex light mixed with shock, ecstasy, and urgency!

"Good! Good! Very good!"

There were three "good" words in succession, each containing a different emotion. As the last word fell, his figure had already turned illusory, and in the next instant, he completely vanished from the spot, as if he had never appeared.

The terrifying oppressive might that had made people breathless also vanished into thin air.

"He just left?" Lin Yuan looked at the empty space above, his heart bleeding as he cursed inwardly: "Holy crap! I lost my shirt! That was a nirvana pill, a treasure that can save a life at a critical moment! This Old Monster didn't even say a polite word, he just snatched my Medicinal Pill and ran off!"

True Man Mu looked like someone who had survived a great calamity. He wiped the sweat from his brow, looked at Fellow Daoist Lin, and asked with a complex gaze: "Fellow Daoist Lin, inside that Jade Bottle... could it have been a sacred healing medicine capable of repairing a Golden Core?"

Lin Yuan glanced at him sideways and said irritably: "How did you know?"

According to Sect rules, a Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator meeting a Core Formation Stage Cultivator should address them as Junior Martial Uncle.

Yet True Man Mu consistently called him "Fellow Daoist," which was an acknowledgment in itself, a posture of treating him as an equal.

True Man Mu lowered his voice and said with some emotion: "The Old Ancestor's only granddaughter, Gu Zheng, was ambushed at the Blood River Frontline some time ago. Although she fought desperately to break out of the encirclement, her Divine Soul was damaged, and even... even her Golden Core developed cracks."

"The soul nurturing pill can heal injuries to the Divine Soul."

"And for him to lose his composure like that, ignoring all formalities, Fellow Daoist Lin must have presented a supreme treasure Medicinal Pill capable of healing Golden Core cracks."

Speaking of this, a hint of joy actually appeared in True Man Mu's eyes as he looked at Lin Yuan.

"In that case, I must congratulate Fellow Daoist Lin."

Lin Yuan was completely confused by his words.

"Congratulate me? What is there to be happy about?"

His heart was bleeding. That was a nirvana pill! A sacred medicine that could save his life in a crisis! He was completely taken advantage of, losing everything, yet this old fellow was actually congratulating him?

True Man Mu stroked his long beard, looking like someone who had seen through the ways of the world, and explained with a smile: "Fellow Daoist Lin, you may not know, but the Old Ancestor's granddaughter, Gu Zheng, possesses peerless talent, and the Cultivation Technique she practices places the greatest emphasis on Karma."

"In presenting this treasure Medicinal Pill and saving her life, you have essentially caused her to owe you an immense amount of Karma. If this Karma is not repaid, her state of mind will likely struggle to reach Perfection."

"That is why... this Old Man said, congratulations, Fellow Daoist Lin!"