Chapter 282: Counterattack

If there was no need to seek an elixir to repair the spiritual soul, then the value of the Five Wheel Departing Fire Method indeed surpassed directly selling the Heavenly Flame Sovereign's soul body to the Soul Sovereign—but at the cost of one elixir to repair the spiritual soul...

The scroll gently tapped against his palm; Xiao Yan fell silent for a long while, and the Heavenly Flame Sovereign did not press him, merely watching him calmly.

The silence lasted several minutes; Xiao Yan's bright eyes flicked toward the Heavenly Flame Sovereign, then slowly shook his head.

Seeing Xiao Yan shake his head, the Heavenly Flame Sovereign's expression turned wary, a faint, hidden energy subtly gathering on his person.

He claimed he was about to disintegrate—clearly a lie, meant only to lower Xiao Yan's guard and get him to take him away.

"To be honest, Heavenly Flame Sovereign, you are a Dou Zun soul body; the cost to repair your soul is immense. A single Earth Rank Advanced Grade cultivation technique is insufficient." Of course, whether it was enough or not was not up to Xiao Yan alone.

Right now, Xiao Yan had the Heavenly Flame Sovereign completely cornered.

Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed slightly as he gazed at the wary Heavenly Flame Sovereign; then he activated the Demon Slash Soul Technique. His soul force brimmed with terrifying killing intent, like a sharp blade—shhh! —it slashed through the Heavenly Flame Sovereign's binding seal.

Seeing Xiao Yan's terrifying soul force, the Heavenly Flame Sovereign's gaze instantly sharpened. The very thing he feared had come to pass: this black-robed man was no ordinary force—and he had cultivated a lost Soul Technique!

"Killing me brings you no benefit. I've sealed the scroll; if I die, the soul information on it vanishes instantly," the Heavenly Flame Sovereign said gravely.

Xiao Yan smiled and waved his hand. "Heavenly Flame Sovereign, you misunderstand. Though the Five Wheel Departing Fire Method is insufficient, I still very much desire it. How about we add one more condition?"

Hearing this, the Heavenly Flame Sovereign paused, then narrowed his eyes and smiled. "Go on."

From beneath his hood, Xiao Yan fixed his gaze tightly on the Heavenly Flame Sovereign and whispered: "I possess a unique cultivation method that can forge a special vessel—a vessel capable of perfect fusion with a soul body, enabling reincarnation through a borrowed shell."

!!!!!!!!

At these words, the Heavenly Flame Sovereign's pupils shrank, his soul body trembling slightly. Reincarnation through a borrowed shell?!

He had merely hoped Xiao Yan would restore his soul force so he could survive a little longer, then slowly seek a way to revive himself.

But he never imagined Xiao Yan himself possessed a method to revive a soul body!!

This was unquestionably a tremendous temptation.

"What do you want?" The Heavenly Flame Sovereign quickly regained his composure. Nothing in this world came without cost—and Xiao Yan had suddenly raised the stakes; what he demanded would surely be substantial.

"Then I'll speak plainly: I can take you out of here, restore your soul force, and forge a vessel so you may reincarnate through a borrowed shell. But I require you to swear a Soul Contract—starting now, you serve me for ten years." Xiao Yan stood with his hands behind his back, exuding the aura of a true Dou Zun—unrivaled, commanding a Dou Zun to serve him.

"Serve you for ten years?!!" The Heavenly Flame Sovereign froze, then his face darkened.

"Heavenly Flame Sovereign, don't think ten years is a loss. Gathering materials to restore your soul and forge a vessel takes time. In your current soul body form, what value can you offer me?"

"The sooner I revive you, the sooner I gain the service of a Dou Zun. That way, we share the same goal, don't we?"

Xiao Yan flashed a cunning smile, instantly binding their interests together.

You want to revive soon; I want you revived soon so you can serve me. With the same goal, both will work harder, and neither will sabotage the other.

As Young Clan Leader, Xiao Yan had long understood one truth: the most solid bond in this world is one of mutual interest.

How could Xiao Yan possibly let a Dou Zun soul body linger by his side without cause? Soul oaths were nonsense.

Only when both parties' interests were on the same ship could true security be achieved.

As Xiao Clan's Young Clan Leader, Xiao Yan was exceptionally skilled in this regard.

"You're not the one being taken advantage of, are you? You actually want me to serve you. A Dou Zun is no ordinary being to summon, let alone make serve."

Xiao Yan's logic held weight. With this arrangement, he could trust Xiao Yan wouldn't play tricks, delay repairs, or even kill him—shared goals brought far greater peace of mind.

Xiao Yan smiled. "You are a Dou Zun—but you're not one now. You cannot offer me sufficient value. You must understand that."

In truth, Xiao Yan lied here—he said it deliberately, to make the Heavenly Flame Sovereign believe he too was a Dou Zun.

If Xiao Yan were a Dou Zun, an Earth Rank Advanced Grade Dou Technique would hold little allure. For a Dou Zun, only Heavenly Rank techniques truly stirred desire—only Heavenly Rank belonged to their level.

Never reveal your hand or your bottom card—that was the art of negotiation.

Undoubtedly, after this exchange, the Heavenly Flame Sovereign now believed Xiao Yan was also a Dou Zun. Using his own earlier words: summoning a Dou Zun was hard enough; making one help gather soul-restoring materials was even harder.

"Ten years—this deal is no loss for you. Moreover, I can grant you reincarnation through a borrowed shell. To forge such a vessel requires Three Infernal Flames. I believe such a body is more than enough to warrant your ten years of service." Xiao Yan withdrew a scroll from his storage ring and flicked it gently; it floated into the Heavenly Flame Sovereign's hands.

Upon seeing the scroll's contents, the Heavenly Flame Sovereign's eyes gleamed. The recorded Infernal Flame vessel was utterly miraculous—perfect fusion, no rejection, no issues like soul possession, no suppression of power.

And it required Three Infernal Flames to forge—a condition brutally strict. To the Heavenly Flame Sovereign now, this vessel was more precious than any Infernal Flame or Heavenly Rank cultivation method.

"You're certainly eloquent. But I cannot deny your offer is tempting. Serving you for ten years is reasonable. Yet with my current soul strength, I cannot last more than a few years." The Heavenly Flame Sovereign fell silent for a moment, then slowly nodded, his tone grave.

"Rest assured. Though you are a Dou Zun soul body, within half a year at the earliest, at most one year, I will restore your soul force to its peak." Xiao Yan spoke with confidence.

He already had a pill formula to restore soul force in his storage ring. Even if refining failed, the Soul Sovereign—experts in soul cultivation on the Dou Qi Continent—had countless ways to repair a Dou Zun's soul body.

At worst, he'd just need to earn more Soul Points.

"I hope I haven't misjudged you." The Heavenly Flame Sovereign gazed deeply at Xiao Yan, then without hesitation, tossed the young form of the Falling Heart Flame hovering in his hand toward Xiao Yan.

Xiao Yan had no suitable vessel to store the young Falling Heart Flame, so he pulled out Black Demon and placed the tiny flame inside.

Xiao Yan felt the small flame's fragility; he forcibly suppressed his joy, then tucked Black Demon back into his storage ring.

Only a Heaven-Ding-ranked alchemy furnace like Black Demon could safely store an Infernal Flame—any other object would be a fantasy.

Then, under the Heavenly Flame Sovereign's gaze, Xiao Yan also stored the scroll of the Five Wheel Departing Fire Method into his storage ring.

The Heavenly Flame Sovereign sighed toward the pile of bones. "Please collect my remains as well. A Dou Zun's bones hold certain special uses."

Xiao Yan naturally had no reason to refuse. He gestured, and a suction force surged, drawing every bone into his storage ring.

Then both parties established a Soul Contract via soul seals—any breach would cause the contract to explode, damaging the soul.

As before, Xiao Yan wrapped himself in Infernal Flame and exited the barrier. He turned to look back at the barrier—this time, his gains were immense.

Then, black flame flickered in Xiao Yan's eyes as he gazed downward into the lava world.

The bottom had not been reached. The lava world still held unknown realms—below, darkness stretched endlessly, like an infinite Shen Yuan.

"I now serve you too. Let me warn you: even if your strength is great, do not be curious enough to descend further. Though I do not know what lies below, I have existed here long enough to faintly sense something terrifying down there. Even these fire lizards may have appeared because of it." The Heavenly Flame Sovereign drew a deep breath, his expression grave.

Xiao Yan gave a knowing smile, the black flame flickering in his eyes. But he said nothing, letting the Heavenly Flame Sovereign enter his storage ring before ascending.

Meanwhile, outside, the elders waiting for Xiao Yan had long dispersed. The Senior Elder, upon learning Xiao Yan had dared descend into the lava world, cursed him a lunatic.

A Dou Wang with such power—who but a lunatic would dare dive beneath that terrifying lava?!

Glug glug

Plop! On the silent lava sea, windless and waveless, only the occasional pop of bubbles broke the stillness. The entire lava world remained utterly lifeless—until suddenly, a splash rang out. A black-robed figure, entirely wrapped in flame, shot from the lava and hovered in midair, his face breathless yet lit with a triumphant, survivor's grin.

Sensing Xiao Yan's return from beneath the lava, Mei Du Sha merely cast him a cold glance.

"Finally left that damn place." Wiping sweat from his forehead, Xiao Yan couldn't help but smile—this underground expedition had been tense but unharmed; not only had he obtained a technique capable of rivaling a Heavenly Rank Dou Technique when perfected, but more importantly, he had acquired a Soul Body of Dou Zun rank—and as long as he successfully repaired its Spiritual Soul, he would soon have a Dou Zun-level super enforcer at his side.

Looking down at the snow-white ring on his finger—the one belonging to the Heavenly Flame Elder—Xiao Yan's lips split into a grin.

"Hehehe, scored big, scored huge!" Xiao Yan tucked away his Soul Robe, revealing his true form, yet the smile on his lips refused to fade.

If the Heavenly Flame Elder emerged from the ring and saw how young Xiao Yan was, and how weak his power was—only Dou Wang—he would surely scream that he'd been cheated!

"That old man just came looking for you," Mei Du Sha said coldly.

Hearing this, Xiao Yan wiped his smile away and flew before Mei Du Sha, staring boldly at her human form with a serpent's tail.

Mei Du Sha suddenly opened her eyes, and a beam of seven-colored light blasted Xiao Yan backward.

"Hey, you trying to kill me?!" Xiao Yan complained.

"If you do that again, I'll kill you," Mei Du Sha said, her eyes icy—no hint of jest.

"Oh fine fine fine—I was just going to check how your refinement was going, see if you needed help, but if you don't want it, fine. Hmph. Alchemist and snake." Xiao Yan was in high spirits; he feigned a sniff, then slowly flew toward the cave entrance.

Whoosh—a dark shadow shot toward her. Mei Du Sha's Jade Hand caught it lightly: a Jade Box.

Mei Du Sha looked up, her beautiful eyes fixed on Xiao Yan at the cave mouth, her delicate brows slightly furrowed.

"This is the Earth Vein lava world. Inside are some Earth Core Fire Lotus Seeds—these can help you refine your body and strengthen your Bloodline." Without waiting for Mei Du Sha's reply, Xiao Yan flew out of the cave.

Click—the Jade Hand gently opened the Jade Box. Inside lay seven Lotus Seeds, glowing like emeralds. Each seed had been refined by Xiao Yan using the Ten Thousand Beasts Spiritual Flame—truly a Heavenly Material and Earthly Treasure made precisely for Mei Du Sha.

Seeing the exquisite Earth Core Fire Lotus Seeds inside the Jade Box, Mei Du Sha's eyes first widened in surprise, then softened slightly, a faint, almost imperceptible smile touching her lips.

Not long after, Xiao Yan, having just emerged from the Earth Core, hadn't even caught his breath before arriving at the Grand Elder's resting chamber.

"This is!!!" When the Grand Elder saw the juvenile Fallen Heart Flame Xiao Yan produced, his eyes instantly flooded with uncontainable ecstasy.

"The Fallen Heart Flame sensed another juvenile Heart Flame beneath the lava, so I descended and retrieved it," Xiao Yan smiled.

Hearing that Xiao Yan had dared to enter the perilous lava world solely for this, the Grand Elder's eyes grew slightly moist.

"Xiao Yan… you… the Academy is truly blessed to have you." The Grand Elder sighed deeply—if Xiao Yan hadn't refused to stay, he would have offered him the Grand Elder's position.

He'd never seen a student so devoted to the Academy—this was enough to make one cry!

Xiao Yan, as if he were the teacher, patted the Grand Elder's shoulder and comforted him: "Don't cry, Grand Elder. I came here not only to hand over the Heart Fire, but also to ask you for a favor."

After hastily storing the Heart Fire in a precious container, Su Qian asked: "Speak. If I can help, I will."

"I want to launch a counterattack on Feng Cheng, where Han Feng is," Xiao Yan's eyes flashed a sharp killing intent—since he'd made a promise, he would carry it out.

Hearing Xiao Yan planned to strike Feng Cheng, the Grand Elder first froze, then his expression darkened. He picked up several sheets of paper from the desk: "Had the Academy not been overwhelmed with matters lately, we would have moved already. These are all recent intelligence on Han Feng."

(End of Chapter)