Chapter 280: The Kid, Soul Flame Sovereign

If the Elders outside, Hai Bodong, Jia Xingtian, or even Mei Du Sha knew Xiao Yan's thoughts, they'd likely strangle him.

Two years to High Dou Huang? You think that's slow???

Do you know how we managed when we were Dou Huang back then!?

Of course, when Xiao Yan says "slow," he doesn't mean his cultivation realm is rising slowly—he means that here, only his cultivation realm improves; his Soul Force and Alchemy won't advance at all, and his Dou Techniques won't improve one bit.

That would make him a man with nothing but Dou Qi and no techniques—how could he possibly defeat someone with a Dou Di Bloodline, a cheat-like innate talent, without intense practice in Dou Techniques!?

Moreover, Xiao Yan hadn't forgotten—he must cultivate the Emperor Soul Scripture. To cultivate the Emperor Soul Scripture, he needs to harness the power of the Void Swallowing Flame's offspring flame—that's hell itself.

Seeing Xiao Yan lost in thought, Mei Du Sha said nothing and continued absorbing the Spiritual Flame energy to rapidly condense her body.

Although Xiao Yan possesses a Quasi Heavenly Rank Cultivation Method, using the Blue Lotus Earth Core Fire to evolve his Bloodline and burn his Soul, using the Ten Thousand Beasts Spiritual Fire to strengthen his Bloodline Power, and now adding the Falling Heart Flame to refine his body—if she completes this feat and reaches Seven Rank, her Bloodline Power will certainly not be weaker than that of a Heavenly Rank Cultivation Method.

"But before leaving, there are still some matters to handle."

Then, Xiao Yan slowly opened his palm—huh—the moment a formless, shapeless flame burst forth from his palm, slowly transforming into a lazy little snake.

Sssss, the Falling Heart Flame flicked its tongue, as if just waking up, blinked sleepily at Xiao Yan, then plopped down, coiling up to sleep again.

Xiao Yan's eyelid twitched violently—this guy—

But Xiao Yan also found himself speechless—first a snake, then a cat, now two fish—he was truly becoming a Beast Tamer Master!

"Wake up! Didn't you say you had something to tell me?!" Xiao Yan rubbed the coiled Falling Heart Flame in his palm with Soul Force—when he fully refined it, the Falling Heart Flame had told him through Soul Perception that it had something to say.

But back then, Xiao Yan was about to refine the Bone Spirit Cold Fire, so he postponed it; now he's finished refining the Bone Spirit Cold Fire and is preparing to leave the Tian Fen Lian Qi Ta to meet his father in Jia Ma Sheng Cheng—when are you going to speak if not now?

Hearing Xiao Yan bring it up, the Falling Heart Flame snake snapped its head up, flicked its tail and leapt into the air, its eyes instantly sharpening, then pointed its tail toward the Magma Sea.

"Huh? You're saying something's beneath this magma?" Xiao Yan narrowed his eyes—his Soul Force instantly surged outward—but the Magma Sea was too vast, and the magma brimmed with Heavenly Energy, making Soul Perception unable to reach far.

Xiao Yan's eyes flickered uncertainly, his expression shifting slightly—the Falling Heart Flame had lived in this magma world for countless years; if it said something valuable lay below, it might truly be hiding something.

This stirred his interest—perhaps something unexpected lay beneath.

Xiao Yan licked his lips, narrowed his eyes—this time, it was worth the risk!

Xiao Yan didn't disturb Mei Du Sha—after all, she had no obligation to act as his bodyguard.

Having made his decision, the hesitation in Xiao Yan's eyes slowly faded; he gazed down at the endless magma, his face darkening—how deep this underground magma truly was, he didn't know; to dive deep required extraordinary strength, for the infernal heat and crushing pressure below were beyond what ordinary experts could endure.

According to estimates, to dive into this magma's depths, one needed at least Dou Zong-level strength; ordinary Dou Huangs, unless their Dou Qi was exceptionally abundant, would face uncertain fate if they descended.

Of course, Xiao Yan was an exception—after all, the former Earth Emperor himself stood right beside him.

"Heart Flame, lead the way."

Standing atop the magma, Xiao Yan pondered for half a moment, then flicked his hand—a black robe appeared in his grasp.

Xiao Yan hadn't yet had time to exchange for a Venerable's black robe; this one was still a Tian Ji Protector's—but it was enough to shield against Spirit Realm Soul Perception!

"Soul Tracking."

Xiao Yan swiftly formed hand seals, leaving a Soul Mark as a coordinate—beneath the magma, visibility was blurred, depth unknown, the magma thick and vast; if he wandered in blindly, who knew which way he'd have to dart to return to the surface?

Who knew if he wandered randomly, he'd grow farther from safety—having a landmark to sense meant that even if something went wrong, Xiao Yan could quickly and accurately find his way back to escape.

Slipping on the Soul Robe, pulling up the Hood, he chuckled darkly—HunYan appeared!

Huh—the Void Swallowing Flame enveloped the Soul Robe, then another layer of Falling Heart Flame and Blue Lotus Earth Core Fire covered it; his Soul Perception surged to maximum, finally giving Xiao Yan a sense of security.

Plop—the sentient Falling Heart Flame snake transformed into a swimming dragon and shot into the magma with a hiss.

Xiao Yan no longer hesitated—he leapt, plunging headfirst into the viscous magma; bubbles surged up, then burst rapidly, and the endless magma world sank back into silence.

Mei Du Sha glanced at the direction Xiao Yan vanished, said nothing—since he didn't need her help, fine. But the fact he hadn't even asked her made her feel a flicker of displeasure.

Meanwhile, outside the Tian Fen Lian Qi Ta, the Grand Elder and others were growing increasingly impatient.

"Why hasn't that brat come out yet?"

As he plunged into the magma, searing heat and crushing pressure surged from all sides—luckily, Xiao Yan had refined the Bone Spirit Cold Fire, and its dual-natured chill cooled him.

The terrifying pressure was also blocked by his Soul Force—if an ordinary person dove into the magma world, they wouldn't be burned alive, they'd be crushed into paste by the pressure.

Xiao Yan paused briefly, cautiously scanning his surroundings; finding no anomalies, he continued following the Falling Heart Flame downward.

Though Xiao Yan had cultivated here for two months, he knew little of this magma sea—he only knew it was seemingly where the Falling Heart Flame was born; whether anything else existed here, he had no idea.

Of course, even Su Qian, the Grand Elder, likely knew little of this underground magma world beneath the Inner Court—perhaps only the mysterious Dean who built the Tian Fen Lian Qi Ta and ultimately founded Jia Nan Academy knew something.

Once, Su Qian and the Two Thousand Elders had descended once—but upon seeing the endless magma, they turned back in caution.

Even at Dou Zong Peak, without a Spiritual Flame for protection and without the Falling Heart Flame to guide them—who would be as foolish as Xiao Yan and dive straight down?

Watching Xiao Yan dive into the magma world, Mei Du Sha's final glance carried a hint of "this guy's an idiot."

Time passed slowly; Xiao Yan descended deeper with the Falling Heart Flame—had his Burning Art not evolved to Quasi Heavenly Rank, his Dou Wang-level Dou Qi would have been utterly insufficient.

"Sigh, so this is what they call deep-sea fear."

The magma world wasn't devoid of life—when Xiao Yan descended to a certain depth, he spotted red-bodied creatures.

Their crimson bodies were covered in red scales, their half-zhang-long red tails flicked slightly, their red forms stood upright on two legs—put simply, they were red lizards capable of walking upright.

But Xiao Yan ignored them—though these magma lizards were strong, the weakest were Dou Ling, many even Dou Huangs, their eyes had completely regressed from living in magma; they hunted by sensing.

But Xiao Yan, with his Soul Robe and Common Realm Perfect Soul Force, feared perception the least—wrapped in Spiritual Flames, to these magma lizards, Xiao Yan was merely a sinking flame, nothing special.

After another fifteen minutes of descent, the Falling Heart Flame suddenly emitted an excited cry.

"Already there?!" Xiao Yan couldn't help exhaling—he'd been descending endlessly, numbing his senses.

Fortunately, the Falling Heart Flame snake had guided and accompanied him this far, steadying his heart.

"Huh? Is that a protective barrier?"

Eyes gleaming, Xiao Yan suddenly turned his gaze downward to the transparent circle—only to see the Falling Heart Flame flick its tail and shoot into the barrier.

After a brief hesitation, Xiao Yan's eyes flashed—he twisted his body and darted after the Falling Heart Flame like lightning, his body passing through without resistance.

As Xiao Yan broke through the transparent barrier, he felt an unusual Soul Force ripple scan over his body—had his Soul Force not been exceptionally strong, he'd have missed this subtle ripple.

As he followed the Falling Heart Flame through the barrier, Xiao Yan's eyes sharpened—in the center of this mysterious space floated a mysterious set of bones!

"To tear open space here? This power is at least Dou Zun-level."

Although Dou Zong can manipulate a bit of Space Power, tearing open space and creating a Space Lock-like Barrier can only be done by a Dou Zun.

Sssss!!! The Falling Heart Flame acted like an excited child, zipping straight to the top of the bones, its tail pointing like an arrow toward the side of the skeleton.

There, right there, was a Falling Heart Flame!

"Falling Heart Flame? A second one!" The birth of a Strange Flame is extremely strict, but it's not impossible for two identical Strange Flames to be born.

Xiao Yan carefully examined the invisible flame, like a candle's glow, and murmured: "This is an immature Falling Heart Flame."

Compared to the mature, sentient Falling Heart Flame serpent, this one was worlds apart; even if Xiao Yan refined it, it likely wouldn't boost him much.

It was probably only slightly more mature than the initial offspring of Swallowing Flame; to grow this Falling Heart Flame would require much cunning from Xiao Yan.

"One Gold-Swallowing Beast is enough. Let the Heart Flame swallow this thing—or give it to the Academy. If I can make Jia Nan Academy owe me a favor, that's not bad." He felt no guilt at all about taking the Falling Heart Flame.

At this moment, Xiao Yan suddenly understood how Hun Xu Zi had felt when he looked down on Bone Spirit Cold Fire!!!

Eating it gives no flavor; discarding it brings no regret.

Yet Xiao Yan did not immediately take it; instead, he gave a knowing smile toward the position of the skeleton.

"Should I say I'm sorry for the disturbance?" Xiao Yan did not use Dou Qi; he spread his voice using Soul Force, to avoid revealing his true strength as only a Dou Wang.

No sooner had Xiao Yan finished speaking than a brilliant white light suddenly erupted from within the skeleton. The sudden change made Xiao Yan frown; a tremendous force quietly solidified him.

But Xiao Yan did not resist this force; he simply stood with his hands behind his back, waiting quietly.

He had no difficulty breaking this Flame Sealing—only Soul Technique and Swallowing Flame were needed.

The light slowly contracted, writhed, and finally formed into a faint, elderly figure.

The figure wore a white robe, his hair and beard snow-white, his face ancient, his plain eyes flickering with faint brilliance. The moment this phantom figure appeared, Xiao Yan felt a pressure spreading from deep within his heart.

"The Falling Heart Flame has been tamed." The phantom figure glanced at Xiao Yan, then turned to the serpent drifting beside him, his voice carrying an indescribable tone.

Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed—he had once heard the Grand Elder say that the Dean had discovered the Falling Heart Flame here, originally intending to capture it, but seeing it already possessed a hint of sentience and that he himself had no great need for it, he built the Tian Fen Lian Qi Ta.

Could it be that this Falling Heart Flame once belonged to the man before him?!

The mysterious Soul Body gestured, and the Falling Heart Flame serpent, dazed and confused, slowly drifted toward him. Xiao Yan was not surprised, felt no resistance, and made no outcry.

With the Burning Art, Xiao Yan had absolute control over Strange Flames.

And a Soul Body? Heh. Let you play for now—see if there's anything else.

"You don't seem afraid I'll take the Falling Heart Flame." The old man's eyes flashed with sharp light as he looked at Xiao Yan.

With the Soul Robe on, he could not see through Xiao Yan's true strength.

Xiao Yan shrugged, saying nothing.

"Don't worry—I won't take your Falling Heart Flame. Strictly speaking, I've long been dead; over these years, my Soul has been worn away to nothing." The old man spoke calmly, flicking his hand lightly—the Falling Heart Flame returned to Xiao Yan's side on its own.

Xiao Yan did not believe the old man's words. After joining the Soul Sect, he understood Soul Bodies deeply—he knew this man was no mere remnant soul, but a very powerful Soul Body, well-preserved.

"Forgive me for not introducing myself—I am Yao Heavenly Flame. Others sometimes call me the Heavenly Flame Venerable."

"Oh." Xiao Yan's tone was neutral—Venerable? So is he.

I am Xiao Yan of the Xiao Clan; some call me HunYan Venerable!

Of course, his title as Venerable has a lot of water in it.

(End of Chapter)