Chapter 270: Small Moves

In the Soul Realm, there stood a courtyard, an ancient courtyard that seemed to have existed since the primordial wilderness of antiquity.

Around the courtyard were ruins covered in age-worn traces; the wood used in its construction had long since vanished from the world, yet this very courtyard remained the supreme holy land in the hearts of the Soul Clan.

The power permeating the heavens and earth within the courtyard could crush all existence; this courtyard was inviolable, and every being before it must kneel in submission.

Hun Ting—this was the residence of Hun Tian Di, the Soul Clan's Dou Emperor, and now serves as the official dwelling and workplace of every successive Soul Clan Clan Leader, equivalent to the Soul Clan's imperial court, the highest symbol of the Soul Realm.

"Xiao Clan? Xiao Yan?"

A man clad in white stood beside the fish pond in the courtyard's center, scattering fish feed with his left hand; the koi in the pond splashed and scrambled frantically for the food. These koi were ordinary, nothing special—mere ornamental fish, not divine beasts of any unique bloodline.

From afar, it looked merely like feeding fish—and indeed, that was all it was.

Hun Xu Zi nodded; he had never dared to secretly keep the Tuoshe Ancient Jade, for the man before him was one who stood equal to heaven itself.

Hun Tian Di, Clan Leader of the Soul Clan, the only one in the Soul Clan to have perfected the Emperor Soul Scripture, whose soul realm had surpassed Heaven Realm Great Perfection and reached the Emperor Realm!

After emptying the feed, Hun Tian Di toyed with the Tuoshe Ancient Jade in his hand, sensing from it a familiar aura from long ago.

"After all this circling, the Ancient Jade has finally come into my hands. Had Xiao Xuan aided me back then, perhaps today's situation would be different." Hun Tian Di gazed at the pond below, lost in thought.

Back then, when the Soul Clan sought to exterminate the Xiao Clan, it was not only because the Xiao Clan's Dou Di Bloodline was the most depleted among all Dou Emperor Families, but more importantly, because Xiao Xuan's strength unsettled Hun Tian Di.

The reason the Xiao Clan's bloodline was most depleted was simple: the Xiao Clan's Dou Emperor had ascended to Emperor status the longest ago, so naturally, their Dou Di Bloodline had depleted the most severely.

Legend held that the Xiao Clan's Dou Emperor was the first Dou Emperor on the Dou Qi Continent, making the Xiao Clan's bloodline the oldest Dou Di Bloodline—and thus the first to wither.

Slowly shaking his head, Hun Tian Di tossed the Jade casually; with a plop, the Xiao Clan's Tuoshe Ancient Jade sank into the pond.

"Clan Leader! Is that Ancient Jade fake?" Seeing Hun Tian Di cast the Jade into the pond, Hun Xu Zi was suddenly startled.

Hun Tian Di shook his head slightly, his hands clasped behind his back, a warm smile on his face: "No, it's real."

"But as that Xiao Clan boy said, an incomplete Ancient Jade is no different from a roadside pebble—useless. Our own Tuoshe Ancient Jade lies in this pond as well."

If one looked closely, one would see scattered pebbles beneath the pond's surface, two of which were not stone but jade.

One of them was already covered in thick moss, likely having rested in the pond for a very long time.

Hun Xu Zi swallowed hard—that was the Tuoshe Ancient Jade! And it was just left there? Even if it was perfectly safe within this courtyard, it was still treated with such disregard—as if it were mere pond pebbles!

"Issue my order: accelerate the collection of Soul Bodies to aid Void Swallowing Flame in perfecting the Emperor Soul Scripture and elevate the soul realm to the Emperor Realm!" Hun Tian Di waved his hand, a soul force spanning the entire Soul Realm erupted from the courtyard.

With a gentle smile, Hun Tian Di's eyes flickered with cruel light: "An incomplete Ancient Jade is meaningless—then let us complete it. Ling Clan, Stone Clan, since you remain obstinate, do not blame me."

News of Xun Er's departure had spread widely, and with the outbreak of the Falling Heart Flame causing the Tian Fen Lian Qi Ta to be sealed shut, most were idle, and a sense of unease spread through the Inner Court.

"Sigh, the Tian Fen Lian Qi Ta has been closed for a day now. Elder-in-Chief Su Qian and all the Elders are inside—no one knows the situation."

"That's right—what's going on now?"

"No one knows. Will the Tian Fen Lian Qi Ta never let us in again?"

"No way!"

Countless Inner Court students stared intently toward the direction of the Tian Fen Lian Qi Ta.

At this moment, in the room, Xiao Yan sat cross-legged in meditation; thanks to Tong Xuan Elder's power, his injuries from the Heavenly Flame Three Mystical Transformations had healed, but what Xiao Yan needed to meditate on was his own heart.

Xiao Yan closed his eyes; in his mind, the girl's captivating smiles and frowns were carved like knife cuts, deeply imprinted in the depths of his memory.

When Xun Er was by his side, he had never felt this way—but now that she was gone, the feeling slowly crept up from the recesses of his memory, tangled like a knot of disorderly threads around his heart.

After half a day, Xiao Yan slowly exhaled, opened his eyes, and his gaze had regained its former calmness—yet Xun Er's departure had drained it of its gentleness.

"I've now reached Dou Wang rank. It's time to leave the Inner Court." Xun Er had already left the Inner Court; Xiao Yan had no more attachments. Only one task remained unfinished.

His eyes narrowed slightly as he gazed toward the Tian Fen Lian Qi Ta—he had not forgotten his original purpose for coming to Jia Nan Academy.

"Meow~!" Mao Wu leapt out of space, lightly scratching Xiao Yan's cheek with her tiny paw.

"Mm, let's begin."

"Meow!" (Received) Mao Wu saluted, tore open space, and vanished.

Xiao Yan turned to look at Mei Du Sha Queen, seated cross-legged atop the blue lotus, and smiled: "Your Majesty, wake up. Whether you gain a Heavenly Flame body depends on today."

Slowly, Mei Du Sha Queen opened her eyes, seated atop the blue lotus; when her lids lifted, it was as if she had just emerged from a dream—her beautiful eyes drew the soul, radiating the languid charm of a woman just awakened.

Anyone with weak willpower who met those eyes would likely have their spirit stolen, even controlled by Mei Du Sha.

"Don't seduce me like that—I have no willpower," Xiao Yan chuckled, yet his gaze remained clear, untouched by Mei Du Sha's innate, irresistible allure; even with her captivating beauty and alluring figure, she had no effect on Xiao Yan now.

Seeing Xiao Yan unaffected, Mei Du Sha glanced at him—those clear eyes were ones she had never seen on any other man.

"Since I promised you, I will lend my aid. But my body has only recovered to Sixth Rank; even if my bloodline evolution is complete, my strength will amount to no more than One or Two Star Dou Zong." Mei Du Sha gently brushed her hair aside, rose slowly from the lotus, and stepped onto space with her jade-white feet.

"We are not the main force. Jia Nan Academy's reserves cannot be so meager—we'll simply observe the changes." Xiao Yan gazed toward the Tian Fen Lian Qi Ta; his mind already held a complete plan.

At this moment, in Feng Cheng of the Black Horn Region, Han Feng's eyes turned sharp upon hearing his subordinate's report.

"Truly?"

"Yes. According to our spies in the Inner Court, the Tian Fen Lian Qi Ta experienced a massive disturbance half a day ago. Elder-in-Chief Su Qian and all the Elders entered the tower and sealed it shut—they have not emerged since."

Han Feng leapt to his feet, blue flames erupting from his body; he growled: "Good! Finally! I've waited so long for this moment!"

If the Falling Heart Flame remained trapped, even as a Six-Grade Peak Alchemist, Han Feng could not muster enough strength from the entire Black Horn Region to forcibly seize Jia Nan Academy.

But if the Falling Heart Flame erupted, Jia Nan Academy would be caught between two fires—and then he would have his chance to take the Heavenly Flame.

Such an opportunity might come only once!

Generally, no one would dare provoke Jia Nan Academy—but when the stakes are high enough, men will risk their lives to gamble, and a Heavenly Flame is worth that gamble.

"Han Beng!" The man suddenly turned and barked.

No sooner had the words left his lips than a ghostlike figure flashed forth, appearing in the bamboo hut, kneeling on one knee, voice hoarse yet reverent: "Master, what is your command?"

"Take these Soul Tokens. Notify the Earth Flame Sect, Eight Gates, and Skull Tomb—and order their Sect Masters to arrive in Feng Cheng within two hours. I need their help. Also, these two tokens—you deliver them personally to that place. Invite the top two figures on the Black List to come as well. Say Han Feng requests their aid. The reward: Breakthrough Sect Pill." The man flung several strangely shaped Soul Tokens toward the kneeling figure, who caught them with lightning speed, stowing them in his space ring—then two more tokens shot forth, one gold, one silver.

The figure, ever expressionless, finally showed a flicker of emotion as he caught the unusual gold and silver tokens, murmuring: "Breakthrough Sect Pill! I believe the Gold and Silver Elders won't refuse."

Watching the shadow vanish, Han Feng slowly exhaled, his eyes burning with fervor.

Three forces stirred!

At the base of the Tian Fen Lian Qi Ta, Elder-in-Chief and all the Elders were forming seals to suppress it; though the Falling Heart Flame was indeed powerful, a Dou Zun's Flame Sealing was not easily broken. The two sides had stood in stalemate for a full day and night, neither able to overcome the other.

"Grand Elder! This time, the eruption of Fallen Heart Flame is far more violent than ever before. I fear that if things continue like this, one day the eruption of Fallen Heart Flame will become impossible to contain!"

Grand Elder Su Qian gazed solemnly at the Fallen Heart Flame striking the Flame Sealing; right now, they were merely a temporary fix, treating symptoms rather than the root cause.

The Fallen Heart Flame can theoretically continue to grow; once it absorbs enough geothermal energy, it may become unstoppable, and then the entire Inner Court will become a hellfire wasteland!

"First, suppress the Fallen Heart Flame!"

"Yes!"

At that very moment, in a corner of the tenth level of the Tian Fen Lian Qi Ta, space slowly twisted, and a tiny cat paw emerged from Space.

Click! The cat paw extended several sharp claws, but these claws were not nails—they were Black Flame.

The cat paw flicked the Black Flame, and that tiny bit of Black Flame floated upward like a spark, finally drifting to the Flame Sealing.

Like a flame touching tissue paper, the sturdy Flame Sealing developed a tiny hole!

(End of Chapter)