Chapter 234: Plotting Treachery (10,000 Characters)

A Dou Zong's strength? Here's one right now!

Mei Du Sha Queen, as always, possessed a face of peerless beauty and a figure that could topple nations; even with her icy expression, it did not diminish her unparalleled allure—imagine if she smiled gently, how utterly enchanting it would be.

Seeing Mei Du Sha Queen's appearance, Xiao Yan's gaze shifted, his mind racing swiftly—he immediately devised a plan.

Xiao Yan immediately crouched against the wall, covering his face and weeping; even Mao Wu beside him imitated Xiao Yan, putting on a pitiful look.

"Your Majesty, you don't know—this humble servant went through immense hardship just to sneak into the Jia Nan Academy Inner Court, reached the place where the Fallen Heart Flame resides, but encountered a problem and dare not face Your Majesty. Wuhu wuhu."

Meow meow meow (Wuhu wuhu.)

Xiao Yan and Mao Wu covered their eyes and stole a glance at Mei Du Sha.

Mei Du Sha could easily see through Xiao Yan's meaning—he was simply in trouble and wanted her help.

Mei Du Sha's eyes hardened, and a wave of killing intent erupted from her body. Xiao Yan's body hair stood on end; he instantly sat up straight, assuming a meek posture.

"Don't waste my time with nonsense—get to the point," Mei Du Sha said coldly, her gaze still dazzlingly alluring.

Xiao Yan gave an awkward smile and said: "I believe even Your Majesty has sensed it—the entire tower is filled with a special Heart Fire energy."

Mei Du Sha could certainly feel it; when she first emerged, a wisp of Heart Fire had risen in her heart, but she crushed it instantly with her overwhelming power.

"This place seals the Fallen Heart Flame; the entire space is saturated with Spirit Flame energy. I originally planned to sneak quietly into the Spirit Flame realm, refine the Fallen Heart Flame, then use the Spirit Flame's power here to reshape Your Majesty's body—but…" Xiao Yan's tone shifted, his expression turning almost mournful.

Hearing this, Mei Du Sha immediately asked: "But what?"

"Sigh." Xiao Yan sighed deeply, expressing profound regret: "But man proposes, heaven disposes—I never imagined the Fallen Heart Flame had already developed sentience and become a Spirit Flame."

"It nearly broke through even a Dou Zun's sealing. With my strength, how could I possibly defeat the Fallen Heart Flame now that it has become a Spirit Flame?"

Hearing Xiao Yan's words, Mei Du Sha finally understood what kind of medicine he was trying to sell—he couldn't defeat the Fallen Heart Flame and wanted her to help him reclaim it.

Mei Du Sha knew better than Xiao Yan how difficult Spirit Flames were to handle; back when she was at Dou Huang Peak, even the un-sentient Green Lotus Earth Core Fire had nearly killed her. Though part of that was due to her then-cold Yin constitution, which was suppressed by Spirit Flames.

Though her power had grown stronger now, and she had evolved into the Seven-Colored Devouring Sky Serpent, no longer possessing a Yin constitution, the Fallen Heart Flame was no Green Lotus Earth Core Fire—it had matured far longer and now possessed sentience, its strength undoubtedly reaching Dou Zong.

Seeing Mei Du Sha hesitate, Xiao Yan's eyes flickered and he said: "Your Majesty used the Green Lotus Earth Core Fire to refine your Spiritual Soul—if you could now use the power of the Fallen Heart Flame to reshape your body, and I then activate your bloodline with the Ten Thousand Beasts Spirit Flame and a Secret Technique to fuse your body, Your Majesty, wielding the combined power of three Spirit Flames, would not merely reach Dou Zun—given time, you would ascend to Sage Emperor status, becoming a Demon Saint, renowned for eternity."

Xiao Yan spoke better than any singer, already boasting of Dou Sheng.

But undeniably, Xiao Yan's words held some truth—and for a being like Mei Du Sha, who craved higher realms, greater potential was her deepest desire.

Seeing Mei Du Sha somewhat swayed, Xiao Yan sighed again, sorrowfully saying: "Sigh—if I can't refine the Fallen Heart Flame, I can always go find another Spirit Flame elsewhere. But finding another Spirit Flame realm saturated with such abundant Spirit Flame energy? That's exceedingly rare."

The Green Lotus Earth Core Fire had never held so much Spirit Flame energy—it produced only eleven Earth Fire Lotus Seeds, for it had been born too recently, and Mei Du Sha had taken it away.

But the Fallen Heart Flame's realm was filled with turbulent Spirit Flame energy, perfect for reshaping Mei Du Sha's body.

Mei Du Sha gave him a disgruntled look, casting him a seductive glare, and coldly said: "I'll agree to subdue the Fallen Heart Flame—but show me some results first."

This enchanting, alluring creature's demeanor made Xiao Yan's heart flutter; he hastily whispered Xun Er's name in his mind to steady himself, resisting the external temptation.

"Of course no problem. Though the energy here is scarce and not at the core, it can still accelerate Your Majesty's growth."

As Xiao Yan prepared to use the Ten Thousand Beasts Spirit Flame and manipulate the surrounding Fire Attribute Energy to activate the Secret Technique, Mei Du Sha gave a cold smile and glanced at him.

A flash of seven-colored light—Mei Du Sha reverted to her serpent form, letting her robes drift gently down to rest upon the Green Lotus.

"Tch!" Xiao Yan clicked his tongue, secretly regretting it—he had planned to use the Spirit Flame to activate the Secret Technique and accelerate the body reshaping, burning her clothes away in the process, but she had spotted his intent!

Damn it! So it still won't work?

Xiao Yan quickly calmed his mind; with a whoosh, the Ten Thousand Beasts Spirit Flame appeared, and following the Secret Technique stored in his ring, he wrapped the Seven-Colored Devouring Sky Serpent in its flames.

Mei Du Sha didn't idle either—she slightly opened her mouth and absorbed the surrounding Spirit Flame energy.

About half an hour later, Xiao Yan stopped—not because he wanted to, but because all the surrounding Spirit Flame energy was gone.

Xiao Yan let out a bitter laugh, helplessly shaking his head—he had entered the room to find Spirit Flame energy filling the entire chamber, turning it crimson.

Now the entire space was blindingly white, glowing brightly, the original luster of the walls reappearing.

Mei Du Sha had completely devoured all the Spirit Flame energy in this space.

"How is it, Mei Du Sha Queen? I didn't lie to you, did I?" Xiao Yan smiled warmly, watching Mei Du Sha coiled upon the Green Lotus.

Mei Du Sha's serpent eyes fixed on Xiao Yan—she could clearly feel her growth, but the Spirit Flame energy here was too weak to accelerate her body reshaping further.

"I'll help you. If you deceive me, I'll personally tear off your head," Mei Du Sha Queen's serpent eyes flashed, brimming with lethal intent.

Xiao Yan rubbed his hands together, grinning: "How could I? I only want the Fallen Heart Flame—and after all, I'm Your Majesty's Alliance partner. When Your Majesty grows stronger, the Yan Alliance grows stronger too."

"Hmph. And the Fusion Spirit Pill!" With that, Mei Du Sha slithered back into the Green Lotus and fell asleep.

After retracting the Green Lotus, Xiao Yan finally exhaled in relief.

Meow!

"Hmm—at least I have help now. All I need now is an opportunity to sneak unseen to the very bottom."

Just as Xiao Yan was about to resume cultivation, the Stone Gate of the cultivation chamber suddenly boomed with a loud crash.

"Hey, you in there—come out."

Xiao Yan's eyes turned cold, flashing a murderous intent.

He knew the rules of the Fentian Lianqi Tower—the higher your status, the better your cultivation chamber; otherwise, even if you entered, others would constantly harass you.

Being disturbed during cultivation could ruin your Cultivation Method, cause Dou Qi backlash, or even lead to demonic deviation.

Thus, no one without power dared seize a good cultivation chamber in the Fentian Lianqi Tower—precisely because of this.

Xiao Yan chose the worst, outermost chamber for this reason—he didn't want trouble. But he hadn't expected that while he avoided trouble, trouble came to him!

Fortunately, he hadn't reached a critical moment in cultivation—if disturbed during breakthrough, it would've been disastrous.

Xiao Yan slowly opened the door. The first thing he saw was a man clad in pale red robes, his face strangely feminine, eyebrows faintly soft and delicate—in Xiao Yan's words, this man was effeminate.

Yao Sheng saw that Xiao Yan's cultivation chamber was now pure white—all the Spirit Flame energy gone.

"Hey, what did you do? Where did all the energy go?" Yao Sheng asked Xiao Yan in a soft, feminine tone.

Due to Mei Du Sha Queen's consumption, the energy around Xiao Yan's chamber had visibly thinned—the red mist had faded drastically.

Xiao Yan now understood why this man had come to knock on his door.

Xiao Yan smiled faintly, revealing a confident, radiant grin: "Is that your last will and testament?"

"Hm?"

With a loud boom, Xiao Yan's expression changed instantly, darkening as he stomped forward a heavy step; fine cracks quietly spread from the spot where his foot struck the hard stone slab.

A heavy punch landed squarely on Yao Sheng's effeminate face, crushing his nose inward.

With a sharp hiss, he was flung backward. Yao Sheng had no time to react—he simply couldn't believe that someone would dare strike him on the face right upon meeting, especially when he was the second-in-command of Crack Mountain Gang, one of the Inner Court's strongest factions!

"It's Yao Sheng! How the hell did he get thrown like that?!"

"Heaven, who's got the guts to hit someone from Crack Mountain Gang? This is a direct slap in Liu Qing's face!"

Everyone in the resting area stood up in shock, staring from afar at the cultivation chamber where Xiao Yan stood.

Yao Sheng got back on his feet, touching his nose; two thin streams of blood trickled from his nostrils. His face flushed crimson, twisting into a ferocious snarl.

Another explosion—before Yao Sheng could even catch his breath, Xiao Yan charged at him again.

The distance of ten meters meant nothing to Xiao Yan's speed—it was less than a blink. Yet none present were ordinary; though Xiao Yan moved with blinding speed, every eye locked onto him.

His form flashed into the air. Xiao Yan looked down at Yao Sheng, his face suddenly flooded with murderous intent. He drew the Xuan Heavy Ruler and brought it down with brutal force. A piercing sonic boom formed beneath the ruler, shrilling through the entire sixth level.

Feeling the crushing power of Xiao Yan's downward slash, even Yao Sheng, who had nursed simmering anger, now showed serious concern. His hands moved rapidly, dark-tinged damp Battle Qi surging out and coalescing at high speed into countless layers of Battle Qi water nets above his head.

Seeing Yao Sheng summon a Water Attribute Dou Technique, Xiao Yan sneered: "Using Water Attribute Dou Technique in this place?"

With a thunderous crash, the heavy ruler slammed down onto the dense layers of Battle Qi water nets. Instantly, a visible shockwave rippled outward from the point of impact like water spreading in waves.

"Explode!" Xiao Yan roared inwardly. He didn't use Flame Division Devouring Wave Ruler—he instead coated the Xuan Heavy Ruler with the Strange Fire and directly detonated the Ten Thousand Beasts Spiritual Flame.

Boom—! Blood-red Ten Thousand Beasts Spiritual Flame instantly burned the water nets to ash; the explosion scorched away some of Yao Sheng's hair.

Yao Sheng's face twisted into utter disgrace—he, a Seven-Star Dou Spirit, had suffered a minor defeat at the hands of Xiao Yan, a Three-Star Dou Spirit. Though unharmed, his appearance was now utterly disheveled. How could a man so obsessed with face endure this?!

A low growl rose from Yao Sheng's throat. His right hand curled into a claw, dark-tinged Battle Qi rapidly coating it until it solidified into an extremely sharp black claw. The claw slashed through the air with piercing shrieks, tearing toward Xiao Yan, who hovered half a meter above him.

Xiao Yan sheathed the Xuan Heavy Ruler. His internal force erupted; his body flipped once midair, then spun and punched straight out, colliding violently with Yao Sheng's claw.

The Eight Extreme Shatter's hidden force exploded instantly.

A muffled thud echoed as both men were violently thrown backward by the recoil. Moments later, as Xiao Yan landed on the ground, Yao Sheng slammed his foot down hard, stabilizing himself. He shot a cold glance at Xiao Yan's foot—then sneered when he saw the massive hole torn through the shoe.

Their lightning-fast battle was perilous beyond measure, each strike delivered with lethal force. Any momentary lapse would mean grave injury. Even the hardened onlookers surrounding them couldn't help but nod in silent approval.

Though Xiao Yan wanted to unleash Flame Division Devouring Wave Ruler again, he couldn't—he had already sensed someone watching him.

If his guess was right, that person was Su Qian, the Grand Elder guarding the Inner Court.

Liu Elder had already informed the Grand Elder that Xiao Yan had reached the sixth level. Allowing him to get this close to the Fallen Heart Flame was precisely because the Grand Elder would be monitoring him, to prevent accidents.

"Sigh... looks like there's a third problem—I need to shake off this Grand Elder. I bet he'll be watching me every time I enter the Tian Fen Lian Qi Ta."

The cultivation chambers were built of special materials—the Grand Elder couldn't peer inside. But after Xiao Yan stepped out, sneaking into that 'black hole' would be nearly impossible.

Xiao Yan tucked away his Fire Energy card and turned to leave the Tian Fen Lian Qi Ta. With the Grand Elder present, he couldn't kill this fool.

"Stop!" Yao Sheng barked.

Xiao Yan turned back coldly, glancing at Yao Sheng.

"If you've got guts, leave your name. You only won because your Fire Attribute Battle Qi has an advantage here in the Tian Fen Lian Qi Ta. Outside, I, Yao Sheng, will find you myself—and repay this punch tenfold." Yao Sheng's eyes darkened—Water Attribute Battle Qi was indeed severely disadvantaged in the Tian Fen Lian Qi Ta.

Xiao Yan merely gave a cold smile. "Xiao Dian. Xiao Yan. Outside, you won't be so lucky."

Outside the Tian Fen Lian Qi Ta, Xiao Yan stood at the entrance, turning to gaze at the mysterious black tower whose tip barely rose above the ground. His eyes hardened with resolve.

He must obtain the Fallen Heart Flame. No one could stop him.

"To refine the Fallen Heart Flame, I'd better prepare an Earth Spirit Pill for safety."

"Sigh... trouble keeps piling up."

"Forget it. Let's head back—I haven't eaten in a day."

After walking forty to fifty minutes, Xiao Yan gradually neared the New Student dormitory area—when suddenly, a figure burst out of the dormitory, panting heavily.

"Big Brother Xiao Yan!" Xiao Mei shouted as she ran.

Now an adult, Xiao Mei's figure had grown increasingly alluring; her sprinting form was visually striking.

Seeing Xiao Mei, Xiao Yan asked: "What's wrong?"

"While you were training in the Tian Fen Lian Qi Ta, several factions in the Inner Court banded together, accusing us of hoarding all the New Students and breaking the rules—they're trying to forcibly take them away!" Xiao Mei said urgently.

"Right now, Xun Er is holding them off—but I don't know how long she can keep it up."

Xiao Yan's expression darkened slightly, then he smiled. "Perfect. I can wipe them all out at once—no need for trouble."

In an open space inside the New Student dormitory, a massive crowd had gathered. Among them, two groups faced off, eyes locked in hostility.

"Big Brother Fu Ao, let's go back. We can't afford to anger Xiao Yan—he beat even Bai Feng, our own cousin!" Bai Shan was already dizzy with fear.

Even Bai Feng, second-in-command of the White Gang, had lost to Xiao Yan—this mess wasn't worth getting into!

"Bai Shan, why be afraid? Even if Xiao Yan is strong, he's still just one man. He's now angered nearly half the factions in the Inner Court. Over a dozen gangs, over a hundred men, are uniting to crush Xiao Yan's Xiao Dian. Let's strike first—shatter their arrogance, ban them from the Tian Fen Lian Qi Ta, and see how many are left in this damn Xiao Dian!" sneered a muscular youth beside Bai Shan.

As he spoke, the youth's eyes kept flicking over the curvaceous figures of Xun Er and Hu Jia.

Hearing Fu Ao's words, Bai Shan fell silent. If it were only the White Gang, he'd fear Xiao Yan's strength. But now Xiao Yan had angered many veteran students.

Just two days ago, he'd publicly demanded that all gangs who'd taken New Student Fire Energy return it—double.

Such lawless behavior had undoubtedly enraged the long-established faction leaders entrenched in the Inner Court.

A mere New Student daring to challenge veteran authority? It was a direct provocation to their pride.

"But... but Xiao Yan really..." Bai Shan stammered. Deep down, he still feared Xiao Yan.

He'd faced Xiao Yan before—each time as confident as Fu Ao—and each time, he'd been humiliated. He'd developed a psychological scar.

"Bai Shan, what exactly?"

Suddenly, a familiar voice—yet one that made Bai Shan tremble—came from behind. Bai Shan jumped like a startled cat, leaping far away, staring in terror at Xiao Yan's smiling face.

"Y-y-y-you... I-I-I-I didn't say anything bad about you! This has nothing to do with me!" Bai Shan's teeth chattered. Xiao Yan's smile had become demonic in his eyes.

Fu Ao turned to Xiao Yan and snorted: "You're Xiao Yan, right? The White Gang and eleven other factions in the Inner Court have united to issue a Gang War against your Xiao Dian."

"If you lose, your Xiao Dian dissolves immediately—and all New Students join us."

"Then what if you lose?" Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed slightly as he spoke.

All the senior students exchanged glances, stunned for a moment—they clearly hadn't discussed what would happen if they lost; they believed that so many of them against one New Student could never lose, that even a wheel battle could drain Xiao Yan's Fire Energy dry.

Seeing they were still deliberating, Xiao Yan said directly: "Alright, if you lose, you give me ten thousand Fire Energy."

OK, bonus chapter completed. Last month, for every thirty monthly votes, one extra chapter was added—twenty-four chapters total, no delays, no debts.

(End of chapter)