Chapter 415

"Hm"

Feng Qing'er's face twisted in pain, a massive hand squeezing her throat tightly, black chains binding her wrists and hoisting her up, rendering her immobile; worse still, her cultivation realm was crushed under an immensely powerful soul force, leaving her even unable to channel dou qi.

In but an instant, this daughter of heaven, this noble phoenix, became a lamb at the mercy of others, while Xiao Yan at this moment resembled the most terrifying entity in the world, capable of reducing her to ashes at any moment.

"Jie jie jie, caught you."

Feng Qing'er struggled to open her eyes; whether it was an illusion or not, she saw a demonic shadow behind Xiao Yan, entirely shrouded in darkness—especially his obsidian pearl eyes, which seemed to devour all things in the world.

Being stared at by those eyes made Feng Qing'er's heart tremble, as if everything in the world was insignificant! Heaven and earth have no mercy; all things are but straw dogs!

Xiao Yan's laughter sounded to her like the cackle of a demon.

Xiao Yan then smiled warmly and said, "Feng Qing'er, I don't blame you for pursuing Lei Dong on behalf of the Wind and Thunder Pavilion—it's a sect matter, perfectly understandable. I don't blame you for seeking your clan's corpses either; if my own clan's remains were lost abroad, I'd want them back too."

His tone shifted, becoming grim: "But when you threatened my Yan Alliance with the power of the Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan, when you threatened my family and kin, you crossed my line."

Crack—the sound echoed as Xiao Yan slowly tightened his fingers, his sharp nails piercing into Feng Qing'er's spiritflesh; hard to imagine that the robust body of a Seven Rank Heavenly Demon Phoenix genius could be so easily torn open—how terrifying was Xiao Yan's strength?

"Hm... Xiao Yan, if you kill me, the Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan won't let you go... I'm a genius of the clan!" Feng Qing'er gasped, her voice strained; even now, her pride remained, her faith in her clan's status unshaken.

"Even if... you're an Alchemist of the Dan Tower... killing a member of the Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan without cause won't be punished by the Dan Tower—you'll still face retribution."

Hearing this, Xiao Yan paused in surprise—he hadn't expected Feng Qing'er to still cling to faith in her clan at this point. But then he thought for a moment and understood.

Precisely because the Wind and Thunder Pavilion could no longer be relied upon, she had only the Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan as her last lifeline—of course she clung to it desperately.

As if genuinely fearing something, Xiao Yan's right hand slowly loosened.

"Cough cough cough." After Xiao Yan released her, Feng Qing'er gasped for air in huge gulps.

Suddenly, a warm breeze brushed against Feng Qing'er—Xiao Yan's body pressed nearly against hers, his large hand gently caressing her delicate face as he smiled: "How could I ever bear to kill you?"

"The Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan is full of treasures."

Feng Qing'er's pallid complexion turned deathly white—she knew full well Xiao Yan wasn't lusting after her beauty; he planned to use her for pill alchemy!

"You! Using living beings to refine elixirs is heresy! The Dan Tower would never allow such an Alchemist to exist!!" Feng Qing'er shrieked, struggling to escape—but the hun chains were unbreakable; her strength could not break free from the Spirit Realm Soul Power–crafted chains.

"Dan Tower?" Xiao Yan glanced at the struggling Feng Qing'er, then chuckled: "I was lying. I'm not an Alchemist of the Dan Tower."

Feng Qing'er froze—she couldn't fathom why Xiao Yan would reveal this to her; wasn't that suicide?

The next instant, in Feng Qing'er's beautiful eyes, a black token slowly materialized, its front engraved with a massive "Yan" character!

Hum—the Soul Token erupted with endless black mist, instantly engulfing Xiao Yan and Feng Qing'er, forming a unique Spirit Realm Soul Space Lock!

Xiao Yan retracted his bone wings, then drew from the Soul Token a pitch-black robe, slowly slipping it over himself, pulling up the hood—then, black Void Swallowing Flame began to slowly burn.

Evil!

At this moment, Xiao Yan embodied pure demonic heresy: black Soul Token, black flame, black Soul Robe, black Spirit Realm Soul Space Lock!

"I'm not a Dan Tower Alchemist. I'm a Venerable of the Soul Sovereign. You may respectfully call me Yan Zunzhe." Xiao Yan's voice emerged from beneath the hood.

"Soul Sovereign!!" Feng Qing'er's face turned ashen—it was the Soul Sovereign! Why, of all things, was it the Soul Sovereign?!

Whoosh—a black hun chain shot from the token, piercing straight through Feng Qing'er's neck, locking onto her spiritual soul, yanking violently as if trying to drag her Soul Body forcibly from her flesh.

Xiao Yan slowly approached Feng Qing'er, who was desperately resisting, extended a finger, and gently lifted her chin as he smiled: "Jie jie jie, yes—the Dan Tower forbids Alchemists from refining elixirs with living beings. But the Soul Sovereign? We can."

"See those Soul Bodies in the black mist? They're all the souls of those who opposed me, who dared to attack me. My bone wings are missing one Heavenly Demon Phoenix soul. Your cultivation is mediocre—only Dou Zong Yi Xing—but you'll do."

!!!!!!

Hearing Xiao Yan intended to harvest her soul to forge his bone wings, Feng Qing'er's face twisted in utter terror!

Xiao Yan had underestimated the Soul Sovereign's influence; beyond Zhong Zhou, the Soul Sovereign might not be infamous—but in Zhong Zhou, especially closer to Zhong Yu, even infants would cease crying at its name.

Once, Hun Xu Zi conspired with the Soul Sovereign to ambush the Dan Tower's tower master, enraging every Alchemist in the Dan Tower, who then rallied to besiege all Soul Sovereign halls in Zhong Zhou.

With the Dan Tower Alchemists' influence, they should have summoned every Alchemist in Zhong Zhou, countless experts and factions. But in the end, the matter simply faded away.

Hun Xu Zi still lived freely. The Heaven-Earth-Man Rank halls of the Soul Sovereign still stood. The Twenty Four Earth Sha Halls still existed in Zhong Zhou.

Alchemists indeed wielded unparalleled influence—but the Soul Sovereign wielded terror, a power that inspired dread!

During that battle, not a single faction among the Two Sects, Three Valleys, or Four Pavilions answered the Dan Tower's call!

Because they dared not face the Soul Sovereign!

"I'm curious—your Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan is so tyrannical, you reclaim even scattered clan corpses. What if they fell into the Soul Sovereign's hands? Would you still dare to take them back?"

At this moment, Xiao Yan treated Feng Qing'er like a newly acquired toy, his large hand gently pinching her cheeks, squeezing her soft lips, inspecting them as if checking for damage.

Hearing the words "Soul Sovereign," Feng Qing'er was already paralyzed with terror, her mind blank, her eyes vacant.

Soul Sovereign Alchemist! He was an eighth-rank Alchemist of the Soul Sovereign!

Even if she were merely a young generation member barely in the top ten of her clan, let alone the number-one genius—if she fell into the Soul Sovereign's hands, she could only accept her fate!

"Jie jie jie, your blood is rich, your youth vibrant. Killing you would be a waste. I just happen to have a pill formula requiring demonic beast blood and spiritflesh. Tell me—how long could you endure if I drew your blood daily?"

At this, Feng Qing'er shuddered.

"Enough. The blood of a Dou Zong Yi Xing Heavenly Demon Phoenix isn't worth much. Better to strip you bare, chain you up, and keep you in a cage for viewing—after all, birds belong in cages, don't they?"

Feng Qing'er was horrified—this moment, she felt she could foresee her future.

This was a Venerable of the Soul Sovereign!

Soul Sovereign!

Suddenly, a single tear slipped from Feng Qing'er's beautiful eyes, falling onto Xiao Yan's palm. In this moment, her beliefs shattered—she lost all her former nobility, appearing like a lonely, helpless, pitiful girl.

"No... don't use me for pill alchemy... please..."

Any ordinary person witnessing such a heartrending scene might soften. But who was he?

Soul Sovereign, Xiao Yan!

Xiao Yan's heart was already entirely filled by Xun Er; faced with this beautiful, captivating Feng Qing'er, he felt not the slightest stir.

Xiao Yan's lips curled upward, secretly pleased. Had he truly intended to kill Feng Qing'er, he would never have let her escape—he would have killed her back at the Wind and Thunder Pavilion.

Xiao Yan had deliberately led Feng Qing'er away from the Wind and Thunder Pavilion.

"Eat this pill, then refine it with your dou qi." Xiao Yan pulled out a black elixir, his voice gentle.

!!!

Feng Qing'er's body trembled, her eyes filled with terror as she stared at Xiao Yan. Xiao Yan was an eighth-rank Alchemist—and a Soul Hall Alchemist at that! His methods were certainly beyond the comprehension of ordinary people!

"Three."

!!

"Two."

Feng Qing'er naturally understood what Xiao Yan's countdown meant; her lips quivered uncontrollably, her red lips slightly parted.

Xiao Yan smiled at the corner of his mouth, his movements gentle as he carefully placed the black Elixir into Feng Qing'er's mouth and lightly pushed with his finger, sliding it straight down her throat.

Gulp—the Elixir rolled down her throat. Xiao Yan slowly withdrew his finger, the tip clinging to a strand of transparent thread.

"Good girl."

Feng Qing'er dared not refine the Elixir!

"One."

"Don't count! I—I'll refine it!" Feng Qing'er's voice cracked with tears; she was filled with unbearable regret—if only she hadn't targeted Xiao Yan, if only she'd stayed out of the Thunder and Lightning Pavilion's affairs, none of this would have happened!

Though this world had Elixirs, even an Emperor Pill Alchemist could not brew a Regret Pill.

Feng Qing'er's Battle Qi surged—and the instant she began refining the Elixir, BOOM—a wisp of pitch-black Spiritual Soul mist erupted from the Elixir, wrapping around her Battle Qi and seeping into her Spiritual Soul along its flow.

Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed. With a single finger, he pressed it against her forehead, under Feng Qing'er's stunned gaze.

Hum—the deep abyss beneath Xiao Yan suddenly erupted with countless black Spiritual Energy Sealing Chains, which, guided by the Elixir, pierced into Feng Qing'er's Soul Body.

"Asura Slave Seal."

Rustle-rustle-rustle—the chains surged into Feng Qing'er's body in an instant, binding her Soul Body and etching into her flesh as dark patterns.

"Ahh!!" Feng Qing'er screamed in agony.

Soon, all the chains sank fully into her Soul Body. Xiao Yan withdrew his finger. On her forehead now appeared three black petal marks—then they vanished.

Xiao Yan had not learned this from Hun Xu Zi—he learned it from Qing Lin!

Qing Lin's Qi San Hua Tong could invade the Spiritual Souls of the Snake Race, control their minds, and turn them into Snake Slaves sealed within the Qi San Hua Tong's space—utterly brutal and terrifying.

Xiao Yan had been deeply curious about this technique—but unfortunately, he did not possess the Qi San Hua Tong.

Yet after careful study, he combined his Pill Alchemy with the Soul Severing Art's Soul Tracking, and mimicked the Qi San Hua Tong to develop a new technique of the Asura Soul Severing Art!

Rustle—the chains suspending Feng Qing'er's hands vanished. She collapsed onto the black mist with a thud, unaware of what Xiao Yan had done to her—her heart now held only fear.

Xiao Yan slowly crouched, lifting her chin. "If you harbor ill will toward me, your Spiritual Soul will suffer the agony of a thousand swords piercing through it. And if you ever attack me—I doubt you'd want to know the consequences."

At this moment, Feng Qing'er had no thoughts at all—only overwhelming regret and terror. Why had she ever encountered this man!

"Alright, now you can tell me some things I'm curious about. For example—why did the Ancient Dragon Clan suddenly vanish? Did any of them flee their territory? I'm very curious about the Ancient Dragon Clan."

This was Xiao Yan's true purpose! The moment he learned Feng Qing'er was from the Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan, he had already resolved to extract information about the Ancient Dragon Clan from her.

Who knew the Ancient Dragon Clan best? Surely, their rivals—the Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan. Only they, sharing the Shou Yu territory, possessed the clearest knowledge of the Ancient Dragon Clan's affairs.

It wasn't that Xiao Yan was being careless—it was the Ancient Dragon Clan! If even the Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan was this terrifying, with several Sage Emperors within their ranks, how terrifying must the Ancient Dragon Clan be?

What if Zi Yan was a fugitive being hunted by the Ancient Dragon Clan? Then taking her to Shou Yu would be suicide!

Not long ago, Zi Yan had told Xiao Yan she could faintly sense the location of the Ancient Dragon Clan—like birds instinctively sensing their nest.

Xiao Yan knew he would eventually have to journey to Shou Yu and find the Ancient Dragon Clan's whereabouts—he had to be cautious.

How convenient—this Feng Qing'er had walked right into his trap.

Soon, the black mist faded. Xiao Yan retracted his Soul Robe and Soul Jade Token. Sunlight fell upon him—he looked exactly as he always had, as if the terrifying scene moments ago had been a dream.

Xiao Yan frowned deeply, his mind heavy: "The Ancient Dragon Clan has split… No wonder they vanished. So they're fighting a civil war!"

"Divided into four Dragon Islands—East, South, West, North. And some Ancient Dragons, unwilling to join the war, have wandered abroad. If so, Zi Yan might be the child of one of those wandering Ancient Dragons."

"But where are her parents? Did they leave her in the wild to protect her from the war… and die during the conflict?"

"As long as she's not a fugitive, maybe taking her back isn't so bad. But if the Ancient Dragon Clan is in civil war—is bringing her home a good idea?"

Xiao Yan couldn't help feeling speechless. Why the hell are they fighting a civil war?!

If he took Zi Yan back now, wouldn't he just be walking into the Battlefield?

"I could just go take a look, ask about her parents—no need to force a little girl like her into conscription." Xiao Yan rubbed his chin. Zi Yan's combat power? She'd be a liability in battle.

Watching Xiao Yan ponder, Feng Qing'er gripped her sleeves tightly. She longed to flee from this demon—but dared not. The pride of the Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan meant nothing before a Soul Hall Venerable!

Especially when he was an eighth-rank Soul Hall Alchemist—and she was already under the Soul Hall's control!

In Zhong Zhou, the Soul Hall was every cultivator's nightmare. Everyone hated the Soul Hall Venerables—but everyone feared them.

In Zhong Zhou, many Soul Hall Venerables carried Soul Jade Tokens. Defeat one, and they'd instantly summon reinforcements. The Nine Great Heavenly Venerables were even more terrifying—each capable of wiping out a massive Faction.

The Soul Hall's leader was immeasurably powerful. Rumor had it he slaughtered countless lives—no living soul had ever seen him.

Xiao Yan, as an eighth-rank Alchemist, must hold a high position within the Soul Hall.

As Feng Qing'er stood paralyzed, suddenly Xiao Yan seized her throat, his hand igniting with Heavenly Flame.

"Lei Zunzhe, you can try to gamble—whether I kill her faster, or you act faster."

Xiao Yan's gaze blazed, locking onto a distant space. The next second, lightning crackled in that space—ZZZT—the sound of a Space Channel opening.

Lei Zunzhe's face darkened. His eyes locked onto Xiao Yan—he was now one hundred percent certain: Xiao Yan was truly an eighth-rank Alchemist!

He hadn't even arrived yet—and Xiao Yan had already sensed him. He had no chance to act! The Spirit Realm Soul Power of an eighth-rank Alchemist was truly terrifying.

But since Feng Qing'er was still alive, the worst-case scenario had been avoided.

Before Lei Zunzhe could speak, the space beside Xiao Yan twisted—and the boy-like Heavenly Flame Zunzhe emerged from the Space Channel.

"Old Yao, you couldn't even beat this guy?" Xiao Yan said, exasperated.

What the hell? Why did you let this old bastard out?!

"That guy's Three Thousand Thunder Illusion Body is surprisingly good at escaping."

Heavenly Flame Zunzhe sighed. In raw power, Lei Zunzhe was no match—but he possessed the Three Thousand Thunder Illusion Body, knew how to create Clones, and each illusion was nearly as strong as his true body.

Although the Heavenly Flame Elder directly obliterated the Clone with the Five Wheels of Fiery Law, the Thunder Elder still escaped!

In terms of escape ability, this Thunder Elder truly has some skill.

Seeing Feng Qing'er in Xiao Yan's hand, even though the Yan Alliance had smashed the Wind and Thunder Pavilion to rubble and the Northwest Pavilion Master had been wounded by the Heavenly Flame Elder, the Thunder Elder could only force a smile and said, "Hehe, Yan Master, Heavenly Flame Elder, the Wind and Thunder Pavilion has never intended to oppose the Yan Alliance; we have offended you greatly—allow me to apologize here."

Seeing the Thunder Elder submit, Xiao Yan's eyes flickered—he might still be able to extort more money?!

"Don't apologize to me—talk money," Xiao Yan said with a calm, indifferent expression.

The Yan Elder doesn't need apologies—talk money.

Strength determines supremacy; ambition comes first. The Yan Elder devotes himself entirely to his cause!

Forget feelings—talk money!

(End of Chapter)