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After the hermit finished speaking, he voluntarily withdrew from the Tarot Club.

Xiao Yun paused for a moment, then sighed softly:

"This woman... is a tough one to deal with..."

"Fortunately, she was indeed on the verge of despair, otherwise I might not have been able to control her this time."

The hidden barrier in front of us slowly disappeared.

While the others were still discussing, Xiao Yun excused himself to go back and prepare for the transaction, and left the meeting early.

The spirit slowly detached from the contractual connection, and a familiar room came into view.

Xiao Yun rubbed his slightly sore brows and took out the Spring of Spirituality, gulping down several mouthfuls.

As his energy gradually returned, Xiao Yun got up and went out to prepare the things he needed for his arrival.

According to the information given by the hermit, her location is roughly in the southwest, which is roughly the original location of Sichuan.

Although he had conducted experiments before, this was the first time Xiao Yun had experienced such a long-distance arrival.

"After my arrival, I estimate that I will have less than one-tenth of my strength remaining, so I must prepare for the worst."

Xiao Yun first summoned the Insect Ancestor from his follower space and used the [Follower Advancement Card] to upgrade its strength to the seventh rank.

This was something he had considered long ago, because the resources needed for the Insect Ancestor to advance were the scarcest, and using an advancement card directly would be the most cost-effective.

Moreover, the ancestor of insects has the strongest talent, with very balanced abilities in all aspects. He can fight and heal, and he is also more obedient and sensible than the other rebellious children.

Most importantly, the Insect Ancestor also possesses the divine skill of resurrection.

Xiao Yun opened the follower panel and looked at Chongchong's information bar.

The skill called "Undying Star" has been refreshed again, glowing faintly.

In addition, the boost that advancement brings to the insect is also quite terrifying.

"All attributes have been greatly improved, making it comparable to special professions in the seventh sequence."

"Both of their original core abilities have been upgraded to A- rank, and... they've even gained an additional A- rank skill!"

Xiao Yun was startled and checked the information about the insect's new skills.

【Starlight Illuminating All Worlds】

[Grade: A]

【Effect 1 - Star Mark Anchor: Locks onto an enemy target, ensuring that attacks from yourself and your allies will always hit it. This skill cannot be escaped by any means of stealth, transformation, or spatial teleportation below level A】

[Effect 2 - All Things Are Clear: The anchored target will lose all illusions, invisibility, shapeshifting, and disguise, revealing its true form and soul essence.]

【Effect 3 - Starlight Returns to Nothingness: The anchored target will continuously lose health and maximum health. This effect can be actively controlled and released, dealing massive star power damage that ignores most physical defense and elemental resistance.】

"You're the bane of the Thousand-Faced Demon! I absolutely adore you, Bug!"

Xiao Yun was overjoyed and cheered while holding Chongchong.

But after a brief moment of joy, Xiao Yun quickly calmed down again.

"The insect's ability counters the Thousand-Faced Demon and can be used as an open fighting force. The little fire dragon is also at the seventh rank and can be hidden behind the scenes as insurance."

"But that alone is not enough."

"The Hermit is a cunning old fox, extremely difficult to deal with. His arrival from a great distance is complicated, so I must have a trump card that can counter the Seventh Sequence."

"Furthermore, the Grim Reaper's persona of being a 'low-key alchemy master' must be maintained..."

He lowered his head and pondered, then thought of a way to replenish his fighting strength.

"In terms of power, alchemical bombs are undoubtedly the best choice, but the Ideal Nation does not yet possess alchemical bombs that can threaten the Seventh Sequence."

Xiao Yun frowned, pondering all the resources he could utilize.

Soon, his gaze settled on his strongest skill – [Candle Dragon].

"【Candle Dragon】is essentially an explosion and flame, and powerful enough to threaten the seventh sequence. If it can be sealed away, it can be used as an alchemical bomb..."

"But what kind of container to use for storage is a big problem..."

Xiao Yun's thoughts were wandering when suddenly something occurred to him, and his eyes lit up.

Without hesitation, Xiao Yun quickly went to the Truth Bookstore and took a fragment of the carapace of the Azure Crystal Scorpion from the alchemy table.

The carapace is a translucent purple that reflects a cold luster under the light, and fine patterns remain on its surface.

This is the natural pathway through which the Jade Pool Amethyst Scorpion stores its magical power, and it is also the source of its ability to utilize that profound magical power.

Moreover, this shell can withstand the full force of multiple seventh-sequence attacks, and it didn't burn even after being hit by a [Candle Dragon], so its heat resistance goes without saying.

"We have the container; the next step is figuring out how to fit the [Candle Dragon] inside..."

"It seems I can utilize the new principle of [Void Release - Annihilation] that I've just grasped. However, [Void Release - Annihilation] absorbs the surrounding magical power, while this is absorbing the power sealed within [Candle Dragon]. The principle is similar..."

A glint of light flashed in Xiao Yun's eyes.

"But that's not enough. We also need a sufficiently sophisticated 'structure' to support the rune array, constrain and guide the [Candle Dragon's] abilities, and ensure that the bomb doesn't explode as soon as it's made."

Xiao Yun recalled the tears of the stars.

That perfect regular 32-sided polyhedron, a vast collection of science fiction novels.

Its structure is extremely ingenious. Its thirty-two faces combine to form a near-perfect energy circulation system, driving the extremely high-ranking [Star Power] without any waste or overflow.

"Use the [Hand of Embers] to reshape the shell of the Azure Crystal Scorpion, and create an outer shell modeled after the structure of the Star Tear. Use the same source energy as the [Blood of Eternity] as a circuit and ink to inscribe runes on it."

"Then, using [Unlimited-Empty-Destruction] as the core, we will bind the energy of [Candle Dragon]..."

Xiao Yun thought about it more and more and it seemed feasible.

There were only forty minutes left until the appointed time with the hermit.

Without further hesitation, Xiao Yun immediately took action.

He first took out a fist-sized fragment of amethyst shell, activated the [True Understanding of All Things], and manipulated the threads of the [Prison of No Form] to carefully break it down into thirty-two equilateral triangles.

Each piece is as thin as a cicada's wing and almost transparent under the light.

Then, Xiao Yun sat cross-legged in front of the worktable and took a deep breath.

【Harmony between Man and Nature】, now open.

[Hand of Embers] Grayish-white runes lit up, and thin strands of blood, as fine as hair, flowed from the fingertips, like a needle, slowly moving across the amethyst flakes.

A blazing flame ignited, emitting a faint light, and the surrounding temperature suddenly rose.

The amethyst shard in my hand was trembling uncontrollably, as if it would collapse at any moment.

Fine beads of sweat appeared on Xiao Yun's forehead. He took out the [Tears of the Stars] and activated the Star Mode.

With the balancing force of the stars, the situation has become much more stable.

But it's still like walking a tightrope over a cliff; one wrong step and you're doomed.

The Truth Bookstore trembled silently, and the rune array floating on the bookshelves lit up.

The "True Knowledge Codex" rustled, and the power of truth blessed Xiao Yun.

And it seems that this time even fate is on Xiao Yun's side.

When the runes on the last thin slice were finished, Xiao Yunchang let out a breath.

Thirty-two thin slices floated in front of me, each emitting a faint purple light, with runes on them as dense as blood vessels.

"Next comes assembly..."

Xiao Yun clasped his hands together, and the thirty-two thin pieces slowly came together, piecing them together according to the structure of the Star Tear.

Click—

With a crisp sound, the thirty-two thin slices fit together perfectly, and a fist-sized regular dodecahedron appeared in the palm of the hand.

Purple light shimmered on its surface, like an amethyst.

"Finally... the core!"

Xiao Yun closed his eyes, and his magical power surged within him.

[Eternal Blood] is fully activated, and the magnificent flames illuminate the entire [Truth Bookstore].

【Candle Dragon】!

A small, crimson-gold dragon, about the thickness of a thumb, condensed in the palm of the hand, radiating terrifying heat.

The air itself seemed to distort, and the surrounding bookshelves were emitting wisps of smoke.

Xiao Yun also felt the difficulty; the difficulty of releasing [Candle Dragon] and controlling Candle Dragon were not even in the same league.

He clenched his teeth and forcefully suppressed the restless flames in his hand, then swiftly stuffed the little dragon into the amethyst shell.

Almost simultaneously, Xiao Yun made a hand seal with his left hand.

[Unlimited - Empty Solution - Annihilation]!

A point of white light appeared in the palm of the hand, slowly disappearing into the center of the crystal, where a powerful gravitational force locked the entire structure firmly in place.

The crimson-gold dragon struggled frantically inside the amethyst shell, but just as light cannot escape a black hole, it could not escape the gravitational pull of [Extinction].

Gradually, it quieted down, encircling the white dot in the center, like a sleeping embryo.

Before Xiao Yun could even feel happy, a sense of deprivation welled up in his heart.

"The consumption is too great."

As his vision slowly blurred, Xiao Yun quickly took out the [All-Round Recovery Potion] and drank it all in one gulp.

The sweet-smelling medicine flowed into my stomach, and flames rose up and surged through my body.

Xiao Yun's complexion gradually improved.

Coming to his senses, Xiao Yun was surprised to find that the system had given him a reminder.

[Ding! Alchemy artifact successfully created, grade: A-]

Please name your work!

Upon seeing the system pop-up window appear before him, Xiao Yun's tense mind suddenly relaxed.

"With system authentication, there must be no problem!"

Xiao Yun no longer hesitated and named the alchemical bomb "Wrath of the Candle Dragon".

"With the [Wrath of the Candle Dragon], even if I become an ordinary person after descending, I will have the confidence to protect myself."

Xiao Yun looked at the amethyst ball in his hand, a slight smile playing on his lips.

Just then, a deep call came from the void, resounding directly in the soul.

"It's time!"

Xiao Yun felt a chill run down his spine and sent a message to Ji Mingyu and the others, telling them to come to the Truth Bookstore and guard their true forms.

After a final check of all preparations, Xiao Yun answered the call from the void and began his descent.