Remnant Molt of the Serpentfolk

"Stardust Sand... Spirit Rhino Horn... Realm-Breaking Stone..."

Black Rock City.

A human city in the Dangul Desert. As the number of traveling merchants in the desert increased, they occasionally needed to trade goods. Over time, people gradually took root here, engaging in commerce, and eventually, a city was formed.

Inside a certain courtyard in the city.

Ye Shu sat cross-legged with an alchemy furnace standing before him. His hands moved, dropping ingredients into the furnace as casually as if he were taking a stroll in a courtyard.

Bingxuanzi's eyelids twitched as he watched.

These were all bought with his money, and they were incredibly valuable.

"Kid, can you really do this? These materials are half my life's savings. Once they're gone, they're gone." A Soul Formation cultivator's net worth, just to refine a pill, and it could only be maintained for half an hour. Bingxuanzi's heart was bleeding!

"Don't worry, everything is under control."

With so many rare treasures, Ye Shu didn't even bat an eyelid. This was because he couldn't; his body was being controlled by Danxia. Ye Shu was merely a cheerleader shouting praises in his mind.

"Shu'er, watch closely and learn well. Don't just cheer. What will you do in the future when your master is no longer around, or when you are all alone?" Danxia's voice echoed in his mind, carrying a trace of helplessness and doting.

"Stop joking, Master. That's impossible."

Ye Shu chuckled lightly in his heart, brimming with confidence.

Hearing this, Danxia shook her head and said no more.

After throwing the medicinal herbs into the alchemy furnace.

She flipped her hands.

Whoosh!

A cluster of glazed flame appeared in his left hand.

"This is... the Myriad Beast Fire?!"

Bing Xuanzi's pupils shrank.

And it was a Myriad Beast Fire based on at least a rank-five magical beast. How could this kid possess such a thing?

But before he could finish being shocked, Danxia moved again.

Above her right hand, a cluster of deep blue flame silently ignited.

Nether Ice Flame!

A Heavenly Flame?!

Bingxuanzi's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

The two clusters of flames rose simultaneously, yet they didn't repel each other in the slightest. Instead, they resonated with one another, forming a perfect ring of fire around Ye Shu.

Dual Flame Alchemy!

This was an ultimate skill that only a ninth-tier alchemist would know!

Bingxuanzi dropped to his knees with a thud.

He absolutely had to watch this on his knees.

Danxia ignored his shock and completely immersed her mind in alchemy. As an Alchemy Saint, she always harbored the purest love for refining medicine.

Time ticked away, minute by minute, second by second.

Finally.

A soft chime rang out from the alchemy furnace.

Danxia opened her eyes and beckoned with her hand.

A snow-white pill flew out of the furnace, surrounded by a faint purple aura. As soon as it emerged, the courtyard was filled with a medicinal fragrance that condensed without dispersing. Fortunately, Ye Shu had set up an isolation array in advance; otherwise, who knew how much greedy attention it would attract.

"Thank you, Master," Ye Shu quickly thanked her.

"Hmph! If you want to thank me, then control your flirtatious nature. Provoke fewer romantic troubles and say some sweet words to make people happy, then your master will feel at ease," Danxia snorted softly and returned to the ring.

Ye Shu regained control of his body, stood up, and took a look.

He found Bingxuanzi kneeling to the side, his eyes blank.

"Senior, why are you kneeling?"

"I... You... This..." Bingxuanzi finally came to his senses and stood up with trembling legs.

A ninth-tier alchemist in his twenties?

What a joke!

The only sixth-tier alchemist he had ever seen in his life was a lapdog for that woman Feng Mengli from the Cloud Soaring Sect, and it was hard enough to even catch a glimpse of him on normal days.

But today, he actually saw a ninth-tier alchemist.

His ancestral tomb wasn't just emitting green smoke; it was straight-up on fire!

"Here is the pill I promised you."

Unaware of the many thoughts running through his head, Ye Shu simply sealed the pill in a bottle and handed it over.

Bingxuanzi took it with both hands, treating it like an invaluable treasure.

"Brother, you are a friend I must definitely make."

"Let's go. First, we need to go out and gather some intelligence on the Snake-People tribe." Ye Shu was very smart and immediately realized why his attitude had suddenly changed. However, he didn't bother explaining it to him. After all, his master and he were one entity; family members didn't need to speak as two separate people.

His master was a ninth-tier alchemist.

Then so was he.

The two went out together to gather information about the Snake-People tribe.

After all, one was at the Foundation Establishment stage and the other at the Golden Core stage. Were they supposed to just forcefully barge into the Snake-People tribe's holy city to snatch the Heavenly Flame?

They might as well buy a hemp rope and hang themselves.

At least they would leave a whole corpse.

While passing by a shop, Ye Shu suddenly stopped in his tracks.

"What is that?"

"What?"

Bingxuanzi followed his gaze.

Behind the glazed window of a shop stood several women as beautiful as celestial maidens. Their skin was covered in thin scales that sparkled in the sunlight. Their lower halves were not human legs, but... snake tails.

"Snake-People, why would they appear here?"

"And they are completely motionless?"

"Making a fuss over nothing," Bingxuanzi said with a calm face. "Those are the sloughs of the Snake-People tribe."

"Sloughs?" Ye Shu was stunned.

"That's right, sloughs."

"The Snake-People tribe is different from the human race, and also different from ordinary magical beasts. Even without cultivation, they can speak human languages and possess human-like intelligence. Their intellect is no different from humans, and they can also practice human cultivation methods."

"But they still retain the habits of snakes."

"Every time a Snake-Person breaks through to a new realm, they will shed their old body and put on a new one. This process is exactly the same as a snake shedding its skin. The shed old bodies can be used to forge artifacts or refine medicine."

"Because most women of the Snake-People tribe are beautiful."

"So there are also people who buy those sloughs to take home and use them for.........."

The rest of the words were left unsaid, but everything was understood.

"So that's how it is."

Ye Shu nodded. "I thought the Snake-People tribe would also come to our human cities. It turns out it's fake."

"Wait! You freaking...!"

Bingxuanzi, finally realizing something, suddenly let out a weird shriek. Pointing at Ye Shu's nose, he said in disbelief, "So you're telling me you didn't even understand what the Snake-People tribe looks like, what their habits are, or what their characteristics are, and you just shamelessly boasted about coming to snatch their Heavenly Flame?"

"Don't tell me you don't even know where the Snake-People tribe is located?"

"I don't know."

Ye Shu looked at him innocently. "This is also my first time coming to the Dangul Desert. How could I know these things?"

"You brat, you're freaking scamming me, aren't you?"

Bing Xuanzi's nose was almost crooked from anger.

It turned out he had boarded a pirate ship, and the captain didn't even have a freaking sea chart.

Ye Shu, however, showed not the slightest hint of remorse.

"Let's split up and gather information. Moving together is too slow." He patted Bingxuanzi on the shoulder. "You've been in the desert for so long, you should know quite a few people and be able to get some intel."

"What about you?"

"I'll go find someone to collect information."

"Alright."

Bingxuanzi subconsciously nodded. Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly realized something. "Wait a minute! It's your freaking first time here. Who are you going to find to get intel?"

"I have my own ways."

Ye Shu patted his shoulder, smiled mysteriously, and then strode away.

Leaving only Bingxuanzi standing there, completely dumbfounded.