Chapter 206: The True Purpose of the Three Mysterious Changes of the Heavenly Flame!

The instant Xiao Yan stepped into the Life and Death Gate, a giant hand of energy grabbed at him from behind.

Xiao Yan merely sneered. His Soul Perception had long since detected Yun Shan's attempt to seize him; Xiao Yan had been watching Yun Shan's every move.

As for the Soul Token, Xiao Yan did not believe a mere token could truly suppress two Guardians.

Yun Shan had come merely to monitor Xiao Yan, waiting for him to emerge from the Life and Death Gate.

It was just that neither Guardian Wu nor Yun Shan had expected Xiao Yan to cause such an accident!

"Damnable!" Yun Shan clenched his teeth. He had sensed something was off last night, so today he planned to stay nearby and keep watch over Xiao Yan to prevent any mishap.

After all, Xiao Yan's actions upon coming to Yun Lan Sect were simply too strange, giving Yun Shan the constant feeling that Xiao Yan was hiding his true purpose.

After Xiao Yan entered the Life and Death Gate, the gate's faint glow instantly vanished, the shimmering membrane of light disappeared, and the heaven-rending, earth-splitting chaos fell silent.

Xiao Yan was thus transported into the Life and Death Gate's space, as if nothing had happened at all just now!

But the cracks visible everywhere proved that something had indeed just occurred.

"Master, what was that just now?" Yun Yun's beautiful eyes widened in surprise as she looked around, then at Yun Shan. She could not understand why Yun Shan wanted to seize Xiao Yan.

Nalan Yanran also drew near from the foot of the peak to Yun Yun's side. When she had entered the Life and Death Gate some time ago, there had been no such commotion — not even when she received Yun Potian's inheritance had anything this bizarre happened!

Suddenly, in the forest on the other side, vast black mist surged out in overwhelming waves. The black mist swiftly gathered in the sky, finally condensing into a dark, deep-colored fog mass about a zhang wide.

Nalan Yanran and Yun Yun stared at the surging black fog, their expressions simultaneously turning solemn. They did not know what was happening now!

Everything today had exceeded the expectations of the two of them.

"Teacher, what is this...?" Nalan Yanran tilted her head toward Yun Yun and asked softly.

Yun Yun drew the Qingfeng Sword, shielding Nalan Yanran behind her, her gaze fixed unblinkingly on the black fog. The wind-essence swirling around her body also grew violent.

"What is this black fog!" When the black mist surged into the sky, the still-terrified disciples of the Yun Lan Sect household immediately began to stir, their eyes filled with suspicion and fear.

They had not the slightest inkling that such a sinister thing had been hidden within the sect.

Only some Elders, stewards, and disciples at Great Dou Shi strength wore thoughtful expressions.

Whoosh! In an instant, the black mist arrived before the Life and Death Gate.

"Guardian Wu." Yun Shan lowered his head and spoke.

Seeing their teacher — Yun Shan, a Dou Zong powerhouse — actually bow in greeting, Yun Yun and Nalan Yanran's beautiful eyes were filled with shock and disbelief!

Yun Shan was a Dou Zong! Just what kind of person could make a Dou Zong bow in greeting!

"Could he be the person from the Soul Palace that Xiao Yan mentioned?" Yun Yun recalled Xiao Yan's parting words, and her heart sank abruptly.

Guardian Wu's aged and chilling voice came from the black mist: "Yun Shan, what exactly is going on here!"

Yun Shan's forehead instantly broke out in cold sweat. He could hear the killing intent surging in Guardian Wu's voice — if mishandled, the entire Yun Lan Sect could be doomed beyond redemption!

"That Xiao Yan has probably long since discovered the secret hidden within the Life and Death Gate. He deliberately used his agreement to duel with Nalan Yanran as pretext to cause a great disturbance in Yun Lan Sect, then entered the Life and Death Gate as a matter of course!" Yun Shan clearly pushed all the blame onto Xiao Yan, but he actually wasn't far from the truth.

The moment Yun Shan's words fell, Guardian Wu's gaze turned vicious. The black mist around him churned wildly as he said in a low voice: "This Guardian will employ the Nine Forest Hundred Soul-Devouring Secret Technique to forcefully break through the Life and Death Gate."

"Yun Shan, go capture a large number of people for me to absorb."

Upon hearing Guardian Wu's words, Yun Shan's face instantly became exceedingly ugly.

The Nine Forest Hundred Soul-Devouring Secret Technique was an extremely sinister Secret Technique of the Soul Palace. Although it was an Earth-Rank Secret Technique, executing it required absorbing the Spiritual Soul and Life Force of living beings — the more it consumed, the stronger it became, theoretically without limit.

It was an extremely evil Secret Technique.

Although Yun Shan had joined the Soul Palace, it was mostly to break through to Dou Zong; he still greatly valued his own reputation. Asking him to do such a thing had clearly crossed his bottom line.

Seeing Yun Shan hesitate, Guardian Wu sneered coldly: "Hehehehe, Yun Shan, don't think that having obtained the Soul Palace's power still leaves you with a choice. To gain power, one must pay a price. You have no way back."

"Or do you think it would be better for me to absorb the disciples of Yun Lan Sect?"

Hearing this, Yun Yun and Nalan Yanran both drew weapons from their Na Rings.

"Don't even think about laying a hand on Yun Lan Sect's disciples!" Yun Yun's entire body erupted with the Spiritual Pressure of a Dou Huang.

"Yun Yun, stop!" Yun Shan immediately shouted her down. With Guardian Wu's strength, even adding Yun Shan would only be sending them to their deaths.

"Master!"

"You and Yanran go back and pacify the disciples. Leave the rest to me." Yun Shan said in a heavy voice.

Guardian Wu said coldly: "Hehehehe, clever. Bring those Elders along too — more people will be faster."

Yun Shan's eyelid twitched. Steeling himself, he replied: "Yes."

Yun Shan forcibly took Yun Yun and Nalan Yanran and flew toward the main hall of Yun Lan Sect, leaving only Guardian Wu alone at the Life and Death Gate, waiting for Xiao Yan to come out from within.

"I'll see how you escape from my grasp!"

Meanwhile, Xiao Yan, having entered the Life and Death Gate, felt as though he had stepped into another time-space. The moment he stepped in, he discovered that the inside of the Life and Death Gate was more like a room.

Apart from the entrance, there were only eight different doors before him. Nalan Yanran had originally challenged from the first door to the fifth, ultimately receiving Yun Potian's inheritance.

"Just as I thought — it's the Three Mysterious Changes of the Heavenly Flame."

If Xiao Yan claimed he had absolutely no idea what was hidden within the Life and Death Gate, he would definitely be lying.

Xiao Yan had not circulated his Cultivation Method as Yun Yun had instructed, but had instead circulated the Three Mysterious Changes of the Heavenly Flame!

Xiao Yan had first sensed that beating of the heart at the Alchemist Guild, when he discovered the black jade that recorded the Secret Technique of the Three Mysterious Changes of the Heavenly Flame.

The second time was at the foot of Yun Lan Mountain, when he had nearly executed the Three Mysterious Changes of the Heavenly Flame.

If Xiao Yan still couldn't detect the problem after all this, he might as well dash his head against a wall and die.

What Xiao Yan had not expected, however, was that the Life and Death Gate would cause such a huge reaction, and that a voice would transmit into his heart.

"The black jade only recorded the First Change of the Three Mysterious Changes of the Heavenly Flame, yet the Life and Death Gate happens to contain a Fused Strange Fire. This cannot be a coincidence."

"The only explanation is that someone deliberately left behind the black jade recording the Cultivation Secret Technique of the Three Mysterious Changes of the Heavenly Flame, and also left the Strange Fire here."

Xiao Yan did not believe such a coincidence existed in this world.

Too many coincidences coming together — there must be an inevitable connection between them.

Gazing at the eight closed doors before him, Xiao Yan's gaze hardened and he shouted: "Three Mysterious Changes of the Heavenly Flame!"

Boom!! The Fused Strange Fire circulated along the route of the Three Mysterious Changes of the Heavenly Flame within his body. In the next second, the spot where Xiao Yan stood was like a spark igniting a prairie fire, instantly setting the entire space ablaze.

The flames swept through, and all eight doors were burned to ashes. These eight doors were all fakes, merely traps set to confuse those who had not cultivated the Heavenly Flame Three Mysterious Transformations and entered this place.

After the flames had burned through the entire space, a scene appeared before Xiao Yan's eyes.

At this moment, Xiao Yan felt as if he were inside a movie world. Xiao Yan stood inside a magnificent Hall, with several people seated around him.

"Is this a memory scene?" Xiao Yan was like watching a 3D movie, unable to touch these figures.

"Clan Leader, those Soul Sovereign people are going too far. In the past two days, several more disciples of the Xiao Clan have been ambushed." A middle-aged man seated below said with an angry expression.

Xiao Yan's gaze sharpened, and he said in surprise: "Soul Sovereign? Xiao Clan?!"

(End of this chapter)