Chapter 392

"Xin Lan, this place is rich in all kinds of medicinal materials—you can refine pills here. I can help you out of one crisis, but I can't keep rescuing you forever; improving your pill alchemy is the real way forward," Xiao Yan said calmly.

Xin Lan nodded and said, "I understand, Senior Student Xiao Yan."

"If you have any problems refining pills, you can ask Zi Yan and the Lion Kings to take you to Jia Ma Sheng Cheng to speak with Yue Er—she might offer some unique insights," Xiao Yan said.

After giving his instructions, Xiao Yan walked over to Zi Yan, who was pouting and looking unhappy, and patted her small head soothingly: "Don't worry—I'll be back soon, it won't take long."

Xiao Yan couldn't bring Zi Yan along; although the legacy of the Heavenly Flame San Xuan Bian was left by his ancestor Xiao Xuan, that was a thousand years ago, and the Xiao Clan is no longer what it once was—too many people might ruin things.

Zi Yan sighed and said, "I know, hurry back! If I finish all my candy pills, I'll have to eat bitter medicinal materials."

Hearing this, Xiao Yan couldn't help but laugh bitterly—only you would worry about that!

After bidding farewell to the Lion Kings, Xiao Yan handed them the Zhen Nong Yan Jue, asking them to deliver it to the Heavenly Flame Elder when they had time, since the Heavenly Flame Elder needed three Beast Fires to obtain Huashenghuo: Zi Yan's Purple Fire, Zi Yan's Dragon Flame, and the Beast Fire of the Deep Sea Jiao Beast—perfectly matching the three.

After eating lunch prepared by Xiao Yixian, Xiao Yan used the Wu Xu Devouring Flame to open a space wormhole.

"Be careful—if you encounter danger, crush the Jade Token," Xiao Yixian said with concern.

"Don't worry—I won't get hurt," Xiao Yan nodded, hesitated briefly, then gently embraced Xiao Yixian and whispered, "I'll be back soon," before turning and stepping into the space wormhole, leaving the Small Valley.

But Xiao Yan didn't head straight for Zhong Zhou—he quietly entered the Imperial Palace of the Snake People Empire.

"Who!"

A mass of Black Flame appeared; as Xiao Yan materialized from space, he saw Hua She Er gripping a weapon, on guard.

"Don't be tense—it's me," Xiao Yan slowly stepped out of the Black Flame.

"Master Xiao Yan!" Only when she saw Xiao Yan's appearance and the Black Flame did Hua She Er lower her guard, but she stared at him in confusion—why not use the front door? Are you trying to ambush?!

Seeing Hua She Er's expression, Xiao Yan awkwardly cleared his throat twice and asked, "Where's Cai Lin, the Medusa Queen?"

Xiao Yan had appeared to ask because his Soul Force couldn't locate Cai Lin.

"Master Xiao Yan wants to find Her Majesty? That's unfortunate—she's been summoned by four Elders, apparently for some Secret Technique; it'll probably take several days. Shall I notify her?" Hua She Er replied respectfully.

"So soon they're starting the Secret Technique!" Xiao Yan was startled; hearing this, various emotions stirred within him—he naturally knew what the Secret Technique was.

Whether from nervousness or something else, Xiao Yan's heart now felt uneasy.

"No need—I just came to deliver some pills for her. Please give them to her. Also, I'll be leaving the Northwest Region for a while and will return later—please tell her," Xiao Yan said, disappointed at not seeing Cai Lin, and placed some tonic and life-saving pills into Hua She Er's hands.

"Understood, Master Xiao Yan—I'll inform Her Majesty," Hua She Er accepted the pills with solemn care.

"Hmm." Since Cai Lin wasn't there, Xiao Yan said nothing more, opened another space wormhole, and headed toward the southwest of Zhong Zhou.

Watching Xiao Yan vanish, Hua She Er looked puzzled and murmured, "Is Master Xiao Yan… courting the Queen? He's giving gifts and telling me his whereabouts…"

Xiao Yan and Cai Lin's affair was top secret—if it got out, the entire Yan Alliance and even the Northwest Region would shake!

At this moment, within the dark space channel, Xiao Yan's body was wrapped in the Black Flame of the Wu Xu Devouring Flame—only with this Black Flame could he open space wormholes and freely traverse space.

Xiao Yan took out the map given to him by Ya Fei; it was very vague, only roughly indicating the direction of the Burning Flame Valley from Jia Ma Sheng Cheng.

Xiao Yan had never been to Zhong Zhou—he could only rely on Mao Wu's power, following a straight line in the specific direction toward the Burning Flame Valley.

Fortunately, Xiao Yan possessed the Earth Sub Flame of the Wu Xu Devouring Flame; otherwise, flying with Spiritual Qi Wings would have taken forever.

"Even using space wormholes, this distance is still enormous," Xiao Yan muttered after traveling half a day—he'd barely left the Yan Alliance's territory, revealing just how vast its influence had become.

"This is too wasteful—I need a vehicle," Xiao Yan frowned; wasting time was wasting life—he still had many Dou Techniques left to cultivate.

His Cultivation Realm wasn't a concern—he could rapidly advance with pills and Strange Flames using the Burning Scripture—but his Soul Force had stagnated, and the gray lightning within his body also needed thorough study.

He didn't want to waste this time traveling to the Burning Flame Valley.

After thinking it over, Xiao Yan took out the headless Puppet from his storage ring, and with a mischievous streak, he named it Xing Tian.

"This thing should work," Xiao Yan took out a wooden board and sat on it; with a thought, the Puppet Xing Tian gained awareness, raised its hands, and lifted the board to support Xiao Yan.

With a whoosh, Mao Wu leapt out of the Spirit Ring and landed on Xiao Yan's lap.

Meow! (Departure)

With a single meow, Mao Wu pointed its paw forward—the headless Puppet began running through the Void Passage!! Yes, running!!

"Hahaha, great! No wonder others buy space ships when using space wormholes—having a vehicle lets you do other things," Xiao Yan couldn't help laughing.

A headless Puppet carrying Xiao Yan was running through the Void Passage! The absurd scene was impossible not to laugh at.

But Xiao Yan quickly calmed himself, pulling out the Imperial Seal Scroll that Xun Er had asked Ling Ying to deliver to him.

"I hope I can master the Earth-Crushing Seal before reaching the Burning Flame Valley—the fourth seal, Annihilating Heaven, and the final Ancient Emperor Seal can wait."

Although the Imperial Seal Scroll is only Earth Rank Advanced Grade, its depth absolutely cannot be judged by rank alone—its original power far exceeded Earth Rank Advanced Grade, and it was created by a Dou Emperor.

Within the space wormhole, even days and nights couldn't be discerned—only powerful Soul Perception could sense conditions outside to estimate time.

Except for occasional breaks when Xiao Yan left the space wormhole to feast or sleep in the wilderness, he spent most of each day inside the wormhole.

In the pitch-black space channel, a bronze figure flashed past; atop it, a black-robed youth formed hand seals with mechanical precision, sending waves of terrifying Spiritual Qi from his hand gestures.

After more than ten days, suddenly one day, Xiao Yan's eyes sharpened—he thought, and Xing Tian halted.

"Since just now, I've sensed extremely dense Fire Attribute Energy… after this long, we must have reached the Zhihuo Mountain Range," Xiao Yan murmured.

Stepping out of the space wormhole, Xiao Yan stood in midair and looked out—beyond, a mountain range appeared, entirely formed of scorching volcanoes.

Everywhere he looked, it was uniform crimson; atop some peaks, thick white smoke continuously rose, and occasionally, lava spilled out.

Xiao Yan even heard the sound of distant volcanic eruptions.

"A mountain range composed of active volcanoes—it must be the famous Zhihuo Mountain Range; the Burning Flame Valley is here!" Xiao Yan's eyes gleamed with excitement—after more than ten days of travel, he was truly exhausted.

If he had reached Dou Zong or even Dou Zun, he wouldn't have needed so much time.

"Such dense Heavenly Energy of Fire Attribute—cultivating Fire Attribute Cultivation Methods and Dou Techniques here would be twice as effective. No wonder Zhong Zhou's factions are so powerful—this environment is truly a gift from heaven."

Xiao Yan gazed into the distance and saw, at the horizon, a crimson line—immense, stretching endlessly as far as the eye could see.

"I wonder what kind of cultivation environment the legendary Dou Emperor Family's Little World possesses," Xiao Yan clenched his fist and murmured, "I've now gained the strength to come to Zhong Zhou. When I win the Pill Gathering Champion and master the Imperial Soul Scripture, I'll come to the Ancient Realm to find you!"

For the first time in Zhong Zhou, Xiao Yan couldn't help thinking of the girl who had always been by his side since childhood—he'd even joined the Soul Hall to gain power, just to prove he was worthy of her!

"Huh? Why are you fading?" As Xiao Yan was about to retrieve Xing Tian, he turned and noticed the bronze color of the Puppet had peeled away like paint, revealing faint silvery-white beneath.

"No… silver? This is an Earth Demon Puppet?!" Xiao Yan's eyes sharpened; he scanned the entire Puppet with Soul Force and murmured, "Could it be… because it's been running nonstop through the space wormhole, polished by spatial forces?"

"There's even this benefit!"

Xiao Yan considered this an unexpected stroke of luck—he hadn't expected that merely seeking a mode of transport would also allow his puppet to be polished!

He slapped Xing Tian with a thump-thump-thump and laughed: "Good, now it should have the look of a fifth- or sixth-star Dou Zong, enough to hold its own."

After stowing the puppet, a troubling problem arose for Xiao Yan.

Where was the Fenyan Valley? How was he supposed to enter it?!

"Hehe, everyone, this is the Zhihuo Mountain Range; the headquarters of the Fenyan Valley lies within it."

A hearty laugh came up from the forest below: "The Fire Attribute Energy in the Zhihuo Mountain Range is extremely abundant, but due to the volcano's constant eruptions, it carries a wild, chaotic nature. Even if you manage to gain admission to the Fenyan Valley, if you wish to absorb this energy, you must first purge its chaos—otherwise, prolonged cultivation may damage your mind."

Xiao Yan narrowed his eyes, gazing down at the small group, his eyes flickering as he thought: "Could today be the Fenyan Valley's recruitment day?!"