Chapter 447

After Xiao Yan's Soul Force transmitted the message, the miniature Ancient Dragon, in that instant, its dragon pupils flashed with a glimmer of light—piercing, icy eyes filled with Purple-Black Flame, fixed upon Xiao Yan's strand of Spiritual Soul.

Any ordinary person stared at by this primal flame of Three Thousand Yan Flame would surely feel their heart freeze and scalp tingle.

This was the ninth-ranked primal flame, far more advanced than any primal flame Xiao Yan had ever obtained, let alone one that had grown to such an extent.

"You humans are all deceitful—especially you Alchemists!" The Three Thousand Yan Flame's dragon pupils glared with ferocity.

It had not forgotten—it was captured and imprisoned in this pitch-black Star Domain by some powerful figure from the Dan Tower; Alchemists were its enemies!

Facing this Three Thousand Yan Flame, which harbored intense hatred toward human Alchemists, Xiao Yan remained utterly calm, seated like a fisherman on a tranquil shore, and said calmly: "You don't trust me—then shouldn't you trust that one?"

Upon hearing Xiao Yan mention that one, the Three Thousand Yan Flame narrowed its eyes and fell silent.

Outside, Cao Ying and the others had also grown tense—some worried for Xiao Yan, others hoped he would fail; if he subdued it, their chances would vanish.

Dan Chen asked nervously: "Can Brother Xiao Yan succeed?"

Cao Ying shook her head, her beautiful eyes flickering with concern: "I don't know—but this guy can't be judged by ordinary standards. Maybe he can create a miracle."

Minutes passed, second by second; Xiao Yan had been communicating with the Three Thousand Yan Flame for nearly half an hour.

"This is taking too long."

"He's not actually going to succeed, is he?"

Suddenly, the top ten Alchemists began whispering among themselves; the Pill Tower's Grand Elder's eyes flickered with surprise. When other Pill Tower Elders had come to subdue the Three Thousand Yan Flame, they were instantly rejected—Xiao Yan had managed to communicate this long? His chance of success was now very high.

Behind Xiao Yan, Mu Gu's eyes flashed with murderous intent—if Xiao Yan subdued the Three Thousand Yan Flame, his plan would be ruined!

"Hmph!" Qiu Ling let out a cold snort, and a powerful aura, rivaling Mu Gu's, swept over.

Qiu Ling's gaze locked tightly onto Mu Gu; his sole mission here was to watch this man—if he made the slightest move, he would be stopped immediately.

Mu Gu's eyes hardened—he made no move. With Qiu Ling watching, he had no opportunity to attack Xiao Yan.

Before long, Xiao Yan slowly opened his eyes, smiled faintly, then turned his gaze toward Qiu Ling and the others, shrugging his shoulders: "Failed. That thing's too fierce."

Hearing Xiao Yan had failed, the Alchemists behind him all exhaled in relief—now they still had a chance to claim the Three Thousand Yan Flame!

"Sigh, it's not your fault. When the Dan Tower imprisoned it here, we didn't consider enough." Grand Elder Qiu Ling patted Xiao Yan's shoulder, then turned coldly toward Mu Gu beside him and said sternly: "Your turn. If you make any move, both Grand Masters won't spare you!"

"Hmph." Mu Gu flicked his robe, his eyes flickering with an unreadable expression as he glanced at Xiao Yan, then smirked slightly before walking toward the Three Thousand Yan Flame.

Xiao Yan ignored Mu Gu entirely and walked slowly to the rear.

Seeing Xiao Yan approach, Cao Ying giggled: "That's really a pity, Xiao Yan."

At this moment, Cao Ying wore a black gown, its long trailing hem failing to conceal her exquisite figure; the thin gauze revealed her slender, willow-like waist.

Cao Ying's voice carried a soul-stealing allure; hearing it, you could instantly imagine a supremely alluring woman.

Several young Alchemists behind Cao Ying couldn't help swallowing hard, feeling a sudden heat—especially Song Qing, whose eyes flickered with lustful intent.

Hearing Cao Ying's greeting, Xiao Yan merely glanced at her, said nothing, and walked toward Dan Chen beside her.

"Xiao Yan brother, how's the Three Thousand Yan Flame?" Dan Chen asked eagerly as Xiao Yan approached, wanting to prepare herself.

Xiao Yan smiled faintly, ruffled Dan Chen's small head, and told her a little about the Three Thousand Yan Flame.

Seeing Xiao Yan ignore her again, Cao Ying's hand, raised to greet him, froze mid-air—she was stunned, utterly stunned—she'd been ignored once more!

Was this the legendary "ignore play"?!

As Xiao Yan conversed with Dan Chen about Spirit Refining insights, Mu Gu, who had been communicating with the Three Thousand Yan Flame, suddenly revealed a sinister grin: "Ji jie jie! Your Dan Tower will never subdue the Three Thousand Yan Flame this way. Now, let this old man show you a proper performance!"

The sudden, eerie laughter caused everyone present to turn pale.

At the very moment the eerie laughter rang out, Qiu Ling's face darkened instantly; without hesitation, he flicked his sleeve—a vast stream of Battle Qi slashed through Space with a hiss, hurtling toward the spot where Mu Gu had just stood.

"Ji jie jie."

The massive Battle Qi stream missed Mu Gu entirely—he retreated with astonishing agility.

"Mu Gu! This seal was jointly established by the Pill Tower Elders and Elder Giants! Don't bring ruin upon yourself!" Qiu Ling's face changed, and he roared.

"Ji jie jie—and so what? Let you see the methods of the Soul Hall!" Mu Gu sneered at Qiu Ling's shout.

He then pulled out the Soul Token familiar to Xiao Yan, his hand seals rapidly solidified; with a single point on the token, his face spread into a sinister grin: "After conversing with it, I feel deep sympathy for the Three Thousand Yan Flame's plight."

Wuuu wuuu wuuu!!! Suddenly, a chorus of ghostly wails echoed throughout the Star Domain; countless eerie black smokes burst forth from the Soul Token. As these smokes surged toward the Three Thousand Yan Flame, a loud hum rang out—a sealing barrier enveloped the Three Thousand Yan Flame.

The moment the black smoke touched the barrier, it evaporated instantly—utterly incapable of harming the Dan Tower's seal.

Seeing this, everyone exhaled in relief—the seal set by the Pill Tower Elder Giants was still powerful.

"Hm?" Dan Chen, hiding behind Xiao Yan, peeked out, narrowed her eyes, and whispered: "That seal won't hold much longer."

Xiao Yan glanced curiously at the trembling Dan Chen hiding behind him; he had to admit—her Special Physique was indeed remarkable; even the Grand Elder hadn't noticed it, yet she had.

Roar!!!!!!!!

The Three Thousand Yan Flame suddenly opened its eyes; a terrifying wave of heat surged forth, followed by a deafening Dragon Roar—crackling, crackling, crackling—a series of green Spiritual Energy Sealing Chains bound the Three Thousand Yan Flame.

Bang! The chains tightened, preventing the Three Thousand Yan Flame from escaping.

The next instant, the sealing dome, like melting snow, was corroded by black smoke into a massive hole; the black smoke pouring from the Soul Token slithered through the hole and clung to the chains binding the Three Thousand Yan Flame.

Those black smokes could actually corrode the seal's power!

Crack! The chain around the Three Thousand Yan Flame's neck snapped instantly; freed from one of the seals, it gathered blazing flame in its mouth and roared—spewing forth terrifying Purple-Black Flame.

That terrifying flame seemed ready to annihilate heaven and earth, filling the entire sealing dome.

"Run! The Three Thousand Yan Flame is going to explode!"

The Three Thousand Yan Flame struggled desperately, its roars echoing through Space; Purple-Black Flame burned furiously against the black rune lines, while from the void, faintly cool Star Force continuously seeped out, flowing endlessly into the Three Thousand Yan Flame's massive body.

Facing this furious, long-dormant counterattack of the Three Thousand Yan Flame, combined with the Soul Hall's sealing-breaking methods, even the seal jointly established by the Pill Tower Elders now appeared inadequate.

The entire sealing dome was now filled with Purple-Black Flame; once the seal broke, all the flames would drown the entire Star Domain.

"Mu Gu, you seek death!"

The Soul Hall possessed such eerie black mist—capable of corroding even this powerful seal! This completely exceeded Qiu Ling and Xuan Kongzi's expectations. When they regained their senses, Qiu Ling's face turned ashen; with a roar of boundless rage and murderous intent, he surged toward Mu Gu.

Facing Qiu Ling, another Third-Star Battle Sovereign, Mu Gu remained completely calm; instantly, the two clashed in over a dozen strikes.

"Ji jie jie! If your Dan Tower can't handle this primal flame, why keep it? All things have spirit—you treat the Three Thousand Yan Flame this way, and I, Mu Gu, simply cannot stand it!" Mu Gu cackled.

"Xiao Yan, smash the Jade Token and alert the Chairman!" Yet, in his fury, Qiu Ling still retained some sanity, shouting as he charged toward Mu Gu the Elder.

Hearing Qiu Ling's shout, Cao Ying, Dan Chen, and others quickly nodded and crushed the transmission Jade Token from their storage rings.

But strangely, after smashing the transmission Jade Token, Xuan Kongzi and Tian Leizi did not appear at all!

Logically, with their power, they should have appeared instantly upon learning of trouble in the Star Domain—just as Xuan Kongzi had arrived swiftly when Xiao Yan and Zi Yan secretly entered the Star Domain.

"Jie jie jie! What good does it do to send a message? The Sheng Dan Cheng is under attack by our Soul Hall—do you really think Xuan Kongzi and the others still care about the Three Thousand Yan Flame?" Mu Gu laughed loudly; this plan was not his alone—it had the support of the Soul Hall's Hall Master.

Right now, with so many Alchemists in the Sheng Dan Cheng, to the Soul Hall it was like a dining hall.

At this moment, above the Sheng Dan Cheng, Xuan Kongzi, Tian Leizi, and the remaining seven Elders stood in the sky, their gazes dark as they stared at the five figures clad in black robes.

Though they numbered seven, and Xuan Kongzi and Tian Leizi had reached Peak Dou Zun power, they still felt immense pressure facing these three.

"I never expected that this time, your Soul Hall not only sent Star Seven Venerable, Black Venerable, and White Venerable—but even both of you," Xuan Kongzi's eyes flashed with lethal intent as he locked onto the two most important black-robed figures.

Merely from their Soul Robes, it was clear these two held higher status than the three Venerables.

Tian Leizi spoke in a low voice: "Star Seven Venerable Mo Yu, Four Venerable Xue He. Two of the Nine Venerables have come—so you've truly decided to go to war with our Dan Tower."

The Nine Venerables! Within the Soul Hall, apart from the Vice Hall Master and Hall Master, these nine were the strongest, their power surpassing ordinary Venerables, immense beyond measure.

At this moment, Xuan Kongzi and Tian Leizi had received the Spiritual Soul Jade Token messages from Cao Ying and Dan Chen—but clearly, they could not leave now; if they did, the entire Sheng Dan Cheng would become a living hell.

"So the Soul Hall truly came prepared!"

Mo Yu, clad in a specially crafted blue Soul Robe, his hair and eyebrows pale blue, stood with hands behind his back and spoke calmly: "Xuan Kongzi, today, the Sheng Dan Cheng will fall."

Xuan Kongzi's face darkened; Mo Yu was merely a Seven Star Peak Dou Zun—how dare he show such disregard? But Xuan Kongzi knew the Soul Hall's leverage: the Three Thousand Yan Flame!

Once the Three Thousand Yan Flame broke the Flame Sealing, the entire Star Domain would be destroyed by it—they only needed to hold their ground.

"Xue He, even as a Peak Dou Zun, you cannot destroy the Dan Tower. Don't forget, our Dan Tower isn't just the Outer Dan Tower—our Ancestor still resides in the Xiao Dan Ta, and he won't sit idly by!" The Second Elder among the Eight Elders spoke gravely; all Eight Elders knew the Dan Tower housed a higher-level Xiao Dan Ta, accessible only to Rank Eight Alchemists.

The man standing in the center, clad in a blood-red robe, laughed as if hearing a joke: "He can't help."

!!?

At these words, Xuan Kongzi and Tian Leizi's eyes widened in terror.

"Could it be... he's here too!"

The Soul Hall Hall Master!

No wonder none of the Elders or Ancestors inside the Xiao Dan Ta had emerged to aid them—clearly, the Soul Hall Hall Master and others were nearby, unable to act freely; if they did, a full-scale war between Soul Hall and Dan Tower would obliterate the entire Sheng Dan Cheng.

The four words "Soul Hall Hall Master" weighed heavily on Xuan Kongzi and the others; in Zhong Zhou, these words were a taboo.

Hundreds of years ago, this Soul Hall Hall Master had once wiped out dozens of sects in a single night—blood flowed like rivers, corpses littered the land, and five Peak Dou Sheng at Two-Star strength fell beneath his hands, their Soul Bodies all seized.

It was only after that night that the Four Pavilions, Three Valleys, and Two Sects rose to prominence; otherwise, Zhong Zhou would never have belonged to them.

That night also forged the Soul Hall Hall Master's fearsome reputation, making the Soul Hall the de facto overlord of Zhong Zhou—even the Dan Tower dared not lightly oppose him!

Xuan Kongzi and Tian Leizi exchanged glances; Xuan Kongzi secretly crushed a Jade Token—it was Xuan Yi's token. Now they could not spare anyone; they could only rely on Xuan Yi to rescue Xiao Yan and the others, reinforcing the Flame Sealing to prevent the Three Thousand Yan Flame from destroying the Dan Domain.

At this moment, within the Star Domain, the Three Thousand Yan Flame's dragon eyes glowed with Purple Light; a devastating aura erupted violently from its massive body.

Sensing this devastating aura, even Xiao Yan's eyelid twitched—his own Destroying Fire Lotus carried a similar essence.

Boom! Amidst a low, furious roar echoing through the Void Space, the Purple-Black Flame on the Three Thousand Yan Flame's body exploded violently; the terrifying Purple-Black Flame Wave shattered the dome's Flame Sealing in an instant.

Seeing the Three Thousand Yan Flame break free, Xiao Yan's face showed no panic—instead, a knowing smile appeared.

"Ha ha! Dan Tower, this time, you've finally lost!" Mu Gu, seeing the freed Three Thousand Yan Flame, grinned wildly—the terrifying Dou Zun aura had even torn the Star Domain's space apart.

The Star Domain had always been bound to the Flame Sealing; indeed, the entire Star Domain existed solely to seal the Three Thousand Yan Flame. Now that the sealing was broken, the Star Domain lost its Heavenly Origin and began to crumble.

"Damn it!" Qiu Ling glared at the freed Three Thousand Yan Flame, his face ashen.

He knew things had grown dire—without the Flame Sealing, who could stop the Three Thousand Yan Flame except the Three Elder Giants?

And now, clearly, the Elder Giants were overwhelmed and could not come to aid!

While Qiu Ling's face was grim, Mu Gu the Elder beamed with excitement; he stepped forward and laughed: "Congratulations on your escape! But will you honor our prior agreement? Rest assured—if you stay with our Soul Hall for one year, I guarantee your freedom."

Hearing this, the Three Thousand Yan Flame's eyes flickered with mockery; it roared: "All humans deserve to die!"

The Three Thousand Yan Flame lashed out with its tail; Mu Gu, facing this overwhelming attack, turned pale and hastily summoned his Dou Qi in defense.

Boom! Mu Gu was flung away like a tennis ball; he barely stabilized himself, wiped blood from his lips, and glared furiously at the roaring Three Thousand Yan Flame: "Since you show no mercy, don't blame me for showing none!"

Gazing darkly at the colossal Three Thousand Yan Flame, Mu Gu clenched his hand—a brilliant silver Jade Token suddenly appeared, then shattered.

As the Jade Token broke, an immensely powerful Space Power surged forth, twisting the space beside Mu Gu the Elder into a crack; as the rift formed, three figures wrapped entirely in black robes slowly stepped out.

Three Soul Hall Venerables!

"Beast! You refuse the wine and choose the punishment!" Mu Gu roared; four Dou Zun took positions from all four directions, attacking the Three Thousand Yan Flame.

The Three Thousand Yan Flame, weakened from breaking free, could not possibly fight four at once—it was being crushed from all sides, clearly doomed to fall to the Soul Hall.

Qiu Ling's gaze was grave; though one of the top ten, Qing Hua the Old Monster, was a One Star Dou Zun, and the two of them could hold off two Soul Hall Venerables, releasing the Three Thousand Yan Flame would still destroy the Sheng Dan Cheng.

(End of Chapter)