Chapter 422

Hearing this, Ye Zhong could only smile bitterly and nod: "Master Xiao Yan, if you're willing to save my Ye Family, we are deeply grateful. Though the Yang Huo Gu Tan cannot be lent out according to clan rules, our family has reached this point—clinging to outdated customs now would only lead to our own demise."

Seeing that Ye Zhong offered no excuses, Xiao Yan gave a slight nod.

The Pill Gathering is still half a year away, and even if the Ice River Valley receives word and arrives, it will take time—Xiao Yan has no time to waste.

He had successfully refined the Heavenly Flame Spirit Pill, doubling his cultivation speed once more, and upon emerging, reached Five Star Dou Zong.

But Five Star Dou Zong is not enough—if he wins the Pill Gathering's Champion, as Hun Xu Zi said, Xiao Yan will qualify for the Soul Sovereign's Adult Ceremony.

Xiao Yan wanted to advance his cultivation further before the Soul Sovereign's Adult Ceremony!

The Soul Sovereign's Adult Ceremony activates the Clan Mark in its members and grants cultivation methods and Dou Techniques as rewards to revered and heavenly revered elders who have earned merit—it is a grand event for the Soul Sovereign.

Xiao Yan has already gathered many Dou Di Bloodlines; he intends to obtain the Soul Sovereign's Clan Mark during this ceremony!!

Only then can he begin cultivating the Emperor Soul Scripture, striving to reach the Heavenly Realm with his Soul Force and become a Nine Grade Alchemist—only then will he have the confidence to enter the Ancient Realm and meet Xun Er.

Even though Hun Xu Zi gave no details, based on the Xiao Clan's preserved records of the Adult Ceremony, Xiao Yan could guess it wouldn't be peaceful—he himself had never experienced a peaceful one.

After instructing his clansmen to clear the Hall, Ye Zhong personally led Xiao Yan's group deeper into the Ye Family compound. After about ten minutes, a remote, rocky Guang Chang appeared before them; at its center stood an ancient Altar, its massive stones covered in the marks of time, clearly having stood for a very long while.

The Yang Huo Gu Tan was the Ye Family's cultivation Holy Land; with the Altar, their Alchemists could collect Yang Fire to refine Pills.

Though this Yang Fire lacked the special abilities of Strange Flames, its power rivaled that of the Life-Generating Flame.

As Xiao Yan approached the Altar, he noticed the light was unusually bright; the closer he got, the hotter and purer the Heavenly Energy became around him—solid-like beams of light poured down from the sky, reflecting off the smooth stone walls and converging entirely upon a Black Stone Stele at the Altar's center.

"No wonder this is the Ye Family's Secret Realm—this ancient Altar's Fire Attribute Energy is extremely dense, perfect for cultivation." Xiao Yan nodded inwardly; indeed, every major Faction had its own Secret Realm.

"Beneath the Stele lies an Earth Eye leading deep underground. When the Stele was moved, Earth Core Fire sparks would rise, igniting the gathered sunlight to form Yang Fire—though that was only in the past," Ye Zhong gazed at the ancient Altar and sighed bitterly.

Hearing this, Xiao Yan furrowed his brows: "Past? What happened now?"

"Sigh." Ye Zhong let out a heavy sigh, his face twisted with bitterness. "Ten years ago, for reasons unknown, Earth Core Fire sparks ceased emerging from the Earth Eye. Other flames cannot ignite the sunlight to form Yang Fire—this has slowed our family's Alchemy advancement, compounding our troubles until we reached today's state."

Xiao Yan nodded slightly, unbothered; his purpose here wasn't to use Yang Fire—he merely sought to cultivate using the pure Heavenly Energy.

"Qing Lin, while I cultivate, take Xin Lan to the medicinal herb shops in Ye Cheng and buy some Eight-Pill Medicinal Herbs or Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures suitable for Magical Beasts." Xiao Yan handed Qing Lin several Six-Grade and Seven-Grade Pills.

Rarely visiting Ye Cheng, Xiao Yan intended to acquire as many Eight-Pill Medicinal Herbs as possible—since the Pill Gathering requires self-prepared herbs.

In the Dan Domain, nothing surpassed Pills.

"Qing Lin understands." Qing Lin nodded lightly and accepted the Pills.

"Master Xiao Yan, if you need herbs, my Ye Family still has some stored." Ye Zhong gritted his teeth and spoke firmly.

Xiao Yan waved his hand and shook his head: "Old Master Ye Zhong, your family is barely holding on—if you have suitable herbs, I'll trade Pills for them. I, Xiao Yan, never accept things for free."

Hearing Xiao Yan's words, Ye Zhong sighed inwardly. It was never easy to make a Eight Grade Alchemist owe a favor—Xiao Yan knew the old saying: the freest things cost the most.

As Ye Zhong had described, Xiao Yan arrived at the ancient Altar, where beams of light poured down from the sky, solid-like, bathing the Altar in warmth.

"Very abundant Fire Attribute Energy—though not as intense as the Flame Valley of Tian Fen Lian Qi Ta, it's close, and this Fire Attribute Energy is gentler." Xiao Yan took a deep breath, absorbing the mild Yang Fire energy.

"Still, it's strange—given this Altar's dense Fire Attribute Energy, the Earth Eye shouldn't have stopped producing Yang Fire." Xiao Yan's gaze shifted to the bottomless Earth Eye at the Altar's center.

He blinked, hesitated, then carefully moved beside the Earth Eye and peered inside—only endless darkness greeted him; where it led, only its creator could know.

"I can sense considerable energy below—there must be an Earth Vein."

Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed; something unusual always hides behind odd occurrences.

"Let's see what trick this ancient Altar is playing." Xiao Yan swept his sleeve—a formless fire serpent coiled around his palm.

The Falling Heart Flame had become sentient, possessing considerable intelligence; upon being summoned, the transparent fire serpent affectionately flicked its tongue.

"Good boy, go see what's happening beneath this Altar's Earth Vein." Xiao Yan smiled; an Earth Vein? The Falling Heart Flame was born in subterranean magma—it thrived freely even beneath Tian Fen Lian Qi Ta's magma world; this small Altar meant nothing.

"Sssss!" Following Xiao Yan's command, the Falling Heart Flame shrank into a thin, finger-width serpent and shot into the Earth Eye with a *whoosh*.

Even a Spirit Realm Soul Power dared not enter the Earth Eye's depths—it would be burned by Yang Fire—but for a Strange Flame Spirit, it was like soaking in a hot spring.

Xiao Yan wasn't in a hurry; the Falling Heart Flame had intelligence and would handle itself. He sat cross-legged within the Altar and began activating the Burn Scripture, frantically absorbing the accumulated Yang Fire energy.

Cultivation knows no time; seconds and minutes passed as Xiao Yan's Dou Qi slowly increased.

"Hmm?" Xiao Yan suddenly opened his eyes, narrowed them, and stared at the Earth Eye.

Suddenly! The Altar trembled slightly; soon, a transparent, colorless serpent, its mouth clutching a blood-red bead, burst forth from the Earth Eye.

"Earth Heart Pearl?!"

The Earth Heart Pearl, also called Earth Heart Fire Pearl, is a crystalline energy core formed over countless ages from the Earth's deepest essence, containing immense energy.

Its greatest use is replacing Magic Cores, for it inherently holds vast energy—sufficient to substitute for Magic Cores needed in Eight or even Nine Grade Pills.

Especially for refining Nine Grade Pills, Magic Cores are rarely used—Nine-Rank Magical Beasts are simply too rare! Even among the Grand Void Dragon Clan and Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan, Nine-Rank beasts are ancient monsters with extremely long lifespans, hard to kill.

And even if they died, they died of old age—their Corpses rested in graveyards; who would dare dig them up?

Thus, when refining Nine Grade Pills, Earth Heart Pearls or similar special energy crystals replace Magic Cores.

Upon seeing this Earth Heart Pearl, Xiao Yan's heart quickened—he fully understood how rare such a treasure was.

"Excellent!"

Xiao Yan never expected—he'd merely come to cultivate—and now he'd acquired such a precious treasure! This was beyond delightful!

Soon after the Falling Heart Flame serpent emerged with the Earth Heart Pearl, a *boom* erupted as terrifying energy spewed from the Earth Eye; Xiao Yan hastily retreated.

When sunlight again fell upon the Altar, wisps of Yang Fire rose from the Earth Eye.

Seeing these rising Yang Fires and the Falling Heart Flame serpent still clutching the Earth Heart Pearl in his palm, Xiao Yan immediately understood.

"No wonder the Earth Eye stopped producing Yang Fire—it was blocked by the Earth Heart Pearl's formation." Xiao Yan smiled faintly; this Earth Heart Pearl would serve as payment for clearing the Earth Eye.

The Falling Heart Flame obediently spat out the Earth Heart Pearl; Xiao Yan picked it up, examined it, and exclaimed in delight: "Such fierce energy—this Earth Heart Pearl rivals a Nine-Stage Demon Core! Tsk tsk tsk, I've hit the jackpot."

Xiao Yan roughly estimated: this Earth Heart Pearl could easily exchange for an Eight Grade Pill with Two-Colored Pill Lightning.

To randomly find an Eight Grade Pill—even Xiao Yan couldn't hide his joy; anyone would be elated.

After all, Xiao Yan's goal wasn't just Eight Grade—he needed these materials to reach Nine Grade; though the path was still far off, at least he now had one material.

"With the Earth Eye cleared, the energy has grown denser—if I cultivate here for half a year, I can advance another Star!" Xiao Yan rejoiced, tucked away the Earth Heart Pearl, and resumed cultivation.

But heaven granted Xiao Yan only seven days of this pleasant cultivation.

At noon on the seventh day, Xiao Yan slowly opened his eyes, gazing at the snowflakes drifting slowly from the sky; this rare sight of snow in June did not surprise him in the slightest, for he knew who had come.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!! In an instant, Zi Yan, Qing Lin, and the Heavenly Flame Elder appeared beside Xiao Yan; then Ye Zhong arrived at the Ancient Altar, his face pale as he stared at the strange snowfall in June.

"Elder Ye Zhong, this matter has nothing to do with your Ye Family. You should hide yourselves or leave the Ye Family Mansion." Xiao Yan, with his hands behind his back, spoke in a deep voice.

"I—I understand. Master Xiao Yan, you must return victorious." Ye Zhong nodded, then ordered everyone in the Ye Family to evacuate the Ye Family Mansion immediately.

This battle, no matter the outcome, will surely shake the entire Dan Domain—and even Zhong Zhou!

Almost simultaneously, the sky twisted, and countless figures clad in white robes swiftly surrounded the entire Ye Family Mansion.

On the chests of these figures was a shared Class Badge: a cold, exquisite snowflake.

Ice River Valley!

The people of Ye Cheng, unaware of what had happened, stared at the falling snow, utterly bewildered.

"A-are these all people from Ice River Valley?"

"What are they doing in Ye Cheng? Why such a terrifying display?"

"Could it be they've come for the Ye Family?"

"Impossible. Ice River Valley's status far surpasses the Ye Family—it's even comparable to the Dan Family and Cao Family. Why would they covet Ye Cheng?"

"Then what are they doing here in such force? Are they here for a sightseeing trip?"

In Ye Cheng, the sudden arrival of the Ice River Valley army outside the city plunged the populace into chaos; none could fathom who could compel one of the Three Great Valleys—Ice River Valley—to mobilize so massively.

The cold air outside the city, like a celestial veil, caused the temperature of Ye Cheng to plummet sharply. When it spread to a hundred meters around the city, it halted, then expanded outward, completely concealing the city. With this barrier of cold air, Ye Cheng was now fully encircled—no one could enter or leave!

"Xiao Yan, hand over the Calamity Poison Immortal, or today will be your death day!"

A withered voice echoed throughout Ye Cheng; only then did the crowd realize: Xiao Yan had come!

"Huh? So the Yan Alliance's Xiao Yan is here at the Ye Family?"

"No wonder Ice River Valley mobilized so heavily—they're here to eliminate the Calamity Poison Immortal."

"Ice River Valley truly is a hero among the people! If this Calamity Poison body exploded, Ye Cheng would become a wasteland!"

Xiao Yan looked upward, seeing two figures among the countless white shadows whose Spiritual Pressure was the strongest.

The Heavenly Flame Elder said: "To the left is Tian She, half-step Dou Zun. The one on the right is Ice River Valley's Grand Elder—a One Star Dou Zun. The Ice Sovereign is not here."

Xiao Yan nodded but said nothing. Instead, the Heavenly Flame Elder waved his hand; the Yang Fire upon the Ancient Altar was drawn into his palm. He struck forward—a searing heat shot skyward, instantly melting all surrounding snow and shattering the Demonic Array set by Ice River Valley's disciples.

"Tian Shuangzi, you lack the standing to shout here. Bring out the Ice Sovereign—or today, you'll all stay here!" The Heavenly Flame Elder stood at the front, his Three-Star Peak Dou Zun Spiritual Pressure crashing like a raging river toward the Ice River Valley forces.

The terrifying pressure made even Ice River Valley disciples stagger, their legs trembling beneath them.

Feeling the crushing pressure from the Heavenly Flame Elder, Tian Shuangzi sneered. His withered voice rang out: "Tian Huo, your fire control is indeed impressive—but your Yan Alliance has angered too many Factions. This time, it's not just Ice River Valley."

Suddenly, space twisted. A stream of gray-black Poison surged from a Space Wormhole, and a figure emerged from within.

The old man scanned Xiao Yan and the others, then his gaze sharpened, locking onto Qing Lin beside Xiao Yan. He spoke in a low tone: "So it truly is the Qi San Hua Tong."

"Three-Star Dou Zun! You're from the Nine Underworld Earth Python Clan!"

Xiao Yan had not expected the Ice Sovereign to have allied with a Dou Zun from the Nine Underworld Earth Python Clan!

Tian Shuangzi said gravely: "Yan She Zun, let's waste no more words. This boy is an eighth-rank Alchemist. This is the Dan Domain—if we draw the attention of Dan Tower's elders, it'll be troublesome."

The Nine Underworld Earth Python Clan member known as Yan She Zun nodded, his eyes fixed on Qing Lin. No matter what, his clan could never allow the Tri-Color Flower Pupil to grow.

If she reached Dou Zun, only their Clan Leader might stand against her control. She must be crushed in the cradle!

Originally, the Nine Underworld Earth Python Clan's elders had not yet arrived in the Dan Domain. He was from a branch clan—the Yan Snake Clan—that ruled a mountain range beyond the Dan Domain. Only after hearing from Ice River Valley did he come seeking glory, aiming to capture Qing Lin.

The Heavenly Flame Elder's gaze grew grave. He whispered to Xiao Yan: "What now? If the Ice Sovereign doesn't show, I can cover your escape."

"The Ice Sovereign is probably nearby—he's too cautious." Xiao Yan smiled coldly. "But I'm not without allies."

"You take the Qi San Hua Tong and the boy. I'll handle this Three-Star Dou Zun." No sooner had Yan She Zun spoken than he turned into a dark shadow and lunged at the Heavenly Flame Elder.

Tian Shuangzi nodded to Tian She beside him; the two rushed toward Xiao Yan and Qing Lin from left and right.

Seeing a Dou Zun and a half-step Dou Zun charging at him, Xiao Yan remained calm, smiling faintly: "Don't think only you can summon Dou Zun allies."

Suddenly, a vast black mist surged from all around the Ye Family Mansion, instantly severing heaven and earth, sealing space, and drowning even the Ice River Valley's Demonic Array.

"Hehehe! Tian Shuangzi, it's been a long time. Your power hasn't improved at all." A giant hand shot out, seizing Tian Shuangzi's arm. The Dou Zun's might directly blasted the half-step Dou Zun Tian She flying backward.

Seeing the newcomer's face, Tian Shuangzi's eyes widened in shock: "You're Qing Hai!!!"

As Xiao Yan and Ice River Valley clashed, at a Space Wormhole on the edge of the Dan Domain, space rippled. Figures burst forth, landing in perfect formation upon the Guang Chang. Powerful, deadly Spiritual Pressures erupted like volcanic blasts, instantly silencing the square—all stared in stunned disbelief at the black-clad figures.

Those with sharper eyes felt their hearts pound violently, for they realized: even the weakest among these black figures were at least Dou Zong!

Especially the two black-robed elders at the front. Merely standing casually, they caused even the warped space around them to grow still. The faintly spreading, boundless Spiritual Pressure made many who considered themselves strong tremble.

They were Dou Zun!

With a flash, all the Dou Zong except the two Dou Zun dropped to one knee. The two Dou Zun bowed deeply. A slender figure gently landed upon the Guang Chang.

"Brother Xiao Yan, if Xun Er is here, anyone who dares touch you will die."

(End of Chapter)