Chapter 465

"Should be?!" Xiao Yan's eyes sharpened, and he shot to his feet—should be means they still haven't returned!

"Don't panic—Hai Lao has already gone to look for them. And don't think the Yan Alliance is still what it used to be; Ya Fei has the Little Lion King as her bodyguard—ordinary Dou Zun can't harm them." Xiao Ding stood up, patted Xiao Yan's shoulder, telling him not to worry needlessly.

The Little Lion King's talent is far superior to the Great Lion King's, mainly because the Little Lion King obtained the Transformation Pill while still at Fifth Rank.

Xiao Yan slowly shook his head and said, "Ya Fei's cultivation talent is poor—I'll go look for her myself."

Xiao Ding sighed helplessly, gave him the location and city name, and then Xiao Yan opened a Space Wormhole and vanished.

"The third brother is still as loyal and sentimental as ever." Second brother Xiao Li took a sip of wine, watching the fading Space Wormhole, and smiled.

This third brother has always been like this—if either of them were in trouble, Xiao Yan would risk everything to save them.

"Indeed, no wonder Hai Lao said this kid has a lot of romantic entanglements—Hai Lao really knows people well." Xiao Ding also shook his head with a smile, forced to admire Hai Lao's insight.

Being sentimental easily sparks flames.

But this time, Xiao Yan didn't get to arrive just in time to rescue her—hero saving the beauty—because shortly after arriving at the Jia Ma Empire's border, his Soul Force sensed Hai Lao and Ya Fei and the others flying toward him from nearby.

"Xiao Yan brother? You're back?" Ya Fei, seated sideways on the Little Lion King's back, saw Xiao Yan and her beautiful eyes widened with surprise and delight.

"I just got back. I heard Big Brother say you went to Nan Yu for a month, so I came to find you." Xiao Yan, as he spoke, also felt a bit embarrassed and rubbed the back of his nose.

Hearing Xiao Yan had come specifically for her, worried she might be in danger, Ya Fei's delicate, porcelain-like face flushed with a rosy hue.

Seated sideways on the Little Purple Crystal Winged Lion King, Ya Fei's hair was disheveled; a breeze blew, lifting her three thousand silken strands. Though Ya Fei was several years older than Xiao Yan, she now looked like a blooming flower—mature, ready to be plucked.

Xiao Yan couldn't help swallowing hard, and quickly turned his head away.

Beside him, Hai Bodong saw Xiao Yan's helpless demeanor and couldn't help but feel exasperated—but soon, Hai Bodong wore a look of calm calculation.

He didn't believe there was any cat that wouldn't go for the fish!

Especially since Xiao Yan had already married Cai Lin and even fathered a child.

Hai Bodong saw at a glance that Xiao Yan was now like a wild beast bound by Spiritual Energy Drainage Chains—but those chains were indeed strong; countless others had tried to break them and failed.

"Cough, cough." Hai Bodong cleared his throat, clasped his hands behind his back, and assumed the air of a transcendent master, changing the subject: "Xiao Yan, you're underestimating me—I'm no longer afraid of ordinary Nine-Star Dou Zun."

Slowly, Hai Bodong released a chilling aura of Dou Qi so intense it seemed to freeze the very space around him, causing the air to thicken and solidify.

Ice Sovereign Force! Earth Rank Advanced Grade ice cultivation method—the strongest technique of the Ice River Valley!

Only now did Hai Bodong realize it wasn't his talent that was lacking—it was the meager cultivation resources and techniques in this remote corner of the Jia Ma Empire.

With the full inheritance of the Ice River Valley, plus medicinal pills supplied by the Ye Family, his talent finally had room to shine.

In just over a year, aided by Seven-Grade Pills and the Earth Rank Advanced Grade Ice Sovereign Force, Hai Bodong's cultivation realm had surged to Six-Star Dou Zun—and his combat power far exceeded that of ordinary Six-Star Dou Zun.

He had once thought his limit was Dou Zun—but now he set himself a small goal: to become a Dou Zun!

He'd even picked out a title for himself: Ice Sea Sovereign—meaning he could freeze even the ocean!

Seeing Hai Bodong so full of himself, Xiao Yan gave him a cold, dismissive side-eye—and then slowly released a Dou Zun aura from within.

"Kuang?! You've become a Dou Zun?!" Hai Bodong's eyes bulged—do you have no respect for your elders?!

Hai Bodong's beard bristled with rage—but screw it, he couldn't compete with this kid—the Ice River Valley had been wiped out by his hands anyway. What's the point? He'd go show off before Jia Xingtian instead.

Roar! Roar! The Little Lion King let out several joyful roars at Xiao Yan, as if saying, Why aren't you paying attention to me?!

Xiao Yan, as Xiao Cai's father, could now roughly understand beast speech—he patted the Little Lion King's head and said, "Haha, you've grown up."

Roar!

After a few minutes of casual chat, Xiao Yan and the others arrived at the Miter Guild headquarters. Looking up at the massive, palace-like guild building, Xiao Yan felt a pang of awe.

It had grown vastly larger than before! Clearly, under Ya Fei's leadership, the Miter Guild had expanded at an astonishing pace—even faster than the Yan Alliance's growth. The Miter Guild's emblem could now be seen in many cities outside the Yan Alliance.

Especially after Xiao Yan won the Pill Gathering championship a year ago, the Yan Alliance's expansion accelerated dramatically—it had become a veritable giant ship!

Even the Ye Family, one of the Five Great Families, voluntarily abandoned its status among them to join—news that instantly shocked the entire Zhong Zhou!

The Five Great Families were essentially underlings of the Dan Tower; even the Ye Family, the weakest among them, had long since declined to the point of having no Eighth-Grade Alchemist.

But the Ye Family was still a powerful Alchemist clan—absorbing them meant the Yan Alliance now possessed power comparable to the Dan Tower!

Even though the Yan Alliance's overall strength still ranked above the Three Valleys but below the Two Sects, and still lacked a Sage Emperor, any astute observer could see that, when accounting for its Alchemists, the Yan Alliance could rival the Two Sects!

"Now, Jia Ma Sheng Cheng is the largest Elixir holy land outside the Central Dan Domain," Ya Fei said with a gentle smile, seeing Xiao Yan's astonishment.

"That's truly remarkable," Xiao Yan admitted sincerely—he excelled in cultivation, but had no talent for management; such matters were best left to people like Ya Fei and Yao Ye.

"Young Clan Leader!" A familiar voice came from behind Xiao Yan. He turned to see a handsome young man smiling warmly as he greeted him.

"Xiao Ning? What are you doing here?" Xiao Yan smiled—the man was Xiao Ning.

"Reporting to the Young Clan Leader, I've come to deliver medicinal materials."

Though Xiao Ning's cultivation was only Peak Dou Huang, he was now the second strongest in the Xiao Clan after Xiao Yan—considering the Yan Alliance had only risen in the past few years.

Judging by his Dou Qi level, Xiao Yan estimated he could break into Dou Zun with just one Breakthrough Elixir.

"Miss Ya Fei, these are the medicinal materials from the Black Horn Region this quarter." Xiao Ning bowed respectfully to Ya Fei and handed her a brocade box—filled entirely with high-grade Spirit Rings, each containing vast quantities of medicinal materials.

The Yan Alliance's Alchemy Hall was naturally located in Jia Ma Sheng Cheng, so all medicinal materials acquired by the alliance were sent there, turning Jia Ma Sheng Cheng into the largest medicinal material hub in the Northwest Region. Xiao Ning now primarily managed affairs in Xiao City.

Seeing Xiao Ning arrive just in time with the materials, Xiao Yan said, "Xiao Ning."

"Yes, Young Clan Leader? What are your orders?" Seeing Xiao Yan's expression, Xiao Ning instantly understood he had a task and asked with utmost deference.

Xiao Yan lightly touched his Spirit Ring, and the entirely dark-golden Xing Tian appeared before them.

"This golem has the strength of a Two-Star Dou Zun. Take some clan youths to Nan Yu and find the Hui Nan Sect—give them a lesson."

On his way here, Xiao Yan had naturally learned what had happened to Ya Fei.

Even outside the Black Horn Region, on the Dou Qi Continent, robbery and murder were common. Ya Fei had been ambushed by the Hui Nan Sect.

Facing the Hui Nan Sect's Sect Master—a Nine-Star Dou Zun—the Little Lion King, at only Initial Seven Rank, was no match. Luckily, Ya Fei had enough tricks to barely escape, waiting until Hai Lao arrived.

"Two-Star Dou Zun!" Both Xiao Ning and Hai Bodong were stunned—this golem was already at Dou Zun strength!

Xiao Yan stepped forward, patted Xiao Ning's shoulder, and lowered his voice: "Be as ruthless as you like."

Hearing this, Xiao Ning's lips curled into a cruel smile, and he nodded firmly.

Since someone had chosen to seek fortune through danger and treated the Yan Alliance as if it didn't exist, don't blame him for being merciless.

As for the news half a month later that the Yan Alliance had wiped out the Hui Nan Sect in one night, Xiao Yan naturally didn't care much about such a minor matter.

At this moment, Xiao Ning, carrying Xing Tian, flew toward Yun Lan Mountain, determined to live up to the Young Clan Leader's expectations and think of how to handle it cleanly and efficiently.

"Then I'll take my leave first—you two chat," Hai Bodong said, raising an eyebrow at Xiao Yan, then stepping on Space and vanishing, leaving only Ya Fei and Xiao Yan behind.

"Let's go, back to the room first."

Hearing Xiao Yan wanted to return to the room, Ya Fei's heart skipped a beat—what are you planning to do!

Of course, Ya Fei was overthinking it; after returning to the room, Xiao Yan immediately began Pill Alchemy, crafting some ointment. Seeing Xiao Yan refine pills, Ya Fei realized he had noticed her injuries.

Xiao Yan gently took Ya Fei's Jade Hand, rolled up her sleeve, and revealed bruises marring the once pure, jade-like arm.

Clearly, though Ya Fei had spoken lightly just now, she had indeed faced grave danger. Seeing these bruises, Xiao Yan's gaze turned cold—if not for the urgent matter of the Soul Hall, he would have gone personally to eliminate the Hui Nan Sect and extracted their Spiritual Souls to refine into Pills.

Xiao Yan dipped a bit of ointment and gently applied it to the wounds, saying, "Why not leave such matters to others?"

Watching the man before her carefully applying ointment, Ya Fei's beautiful eyes softened with tenderness; she had long sensed her feelings had shifted from seeing Xiao Yan as a younger brother.

"By the time I heard the news, the auction was already about to begin, and there was no time to notify anyone else."

"Besides, I heard from Second Brother that you desperately need a Strange Fire."

Xiao Yan gave Ya Fei a helpless glance and didn't argue; as he applied the ointment, he used his Flame Generation to heal the wounds.

After treating the wounds on her arm, he looked up at Ya Fei. Understanding his meaning, Ya Fei's delicate face flushed slightly; she turned sideways, sitting with her back to Xiao Yan, brushing all her loose hair forward with her right hand.

Today, Ya Fei wore a pale purple long dress—this robe was no ordinary garment; it was a Seven-Grade High-Level defensive item, custom-made for her.

But Ya Fei's cultivation was truly weak; she was only at the Third-Star Dou Spirit level. Though there were no open wounds, there were bruises.

Xiao Yan gently unzipped the back of her dress; the garment instantly loosened, revealing her beautiful, sensual collarbones and jade shoulders, her smooth back impossible to look away from.

Ya Fei's figure was full and exquisite, so much so that even the dress could not conceal it—from behind, faint protrusions of snowy white could be seen on both sides.

For a moment, Xiao Yan was utterly transfixed.

Remember, when Xiao Yan was in Wutan City, Xun Er had accompanied him for eleven years, until they parted at Jia Nan Academy.

Ya Fei hadn't been in Wutan City from the start; she was only dispatched there from Shen Cheng when Xiao Yan was eleven or twelve.

But Ya Fei, several years older than Xiao Yan, already carried a touch of mature charm; to Xiao Yan, the man who had Transmigrated, she was a mature beauty—she could well be called his childhood goddess.

"Sister… am I getting old?"

Ya Fei's voice brought Xiao Yan back to his senses; he gently applied the cold ointment to the bruises and said calmly, "How could you be? Sister Ya Fei has always been young and beautiful."

Ya Fei hugged her knees, resting her face on them as she gazed at Xiao Yan's side and back, her beautiful eyes dimming slightly. "I'm already over thirty. My skin is starting to age."

Xiao Yan participated in the Pill Gathering at twenty-six; he refined Three Thousand Yan Flame a year ago—he is now twenty-seven, meaning Ya Fei had already turned thirty.

Ya Fei's cultivation is very low; on the Dou Qi Continent, the higher one's Cultivation Realm, the longer one's lifespan, and the more one's bodily functions recover—especially beyond Dou Zun, where lifespan increases dramatically.

"How could that be? Sister Ya Fei's skin is as smooth as a newborn's. In my eyes, you've always looked exactly as you did at eighteen," Xiao Yan laughed.

Ya Fei gave Xiao Yan a sultry, sideways glance and whispered, "Smooth talker—you must've charmed Xun Er this way."

Xiao Yan froze, then said, "I swear, I didn't. Every word I said is true, or else—"

Hearing Xiao Yan's words, Ya Fei suddenly turned around, her Jade Finger pressing against his lips; their eyes met, and they could even feel each other's breath.

Ya Fei's breath was sweet as orchids: "Don't make reckless vows."

At this moment, Ya Fei's half-exposed attire was wildly alluring, causing Xiao Yan to breathe faster; such a fox-like temptation was indeed hard for an ordinary man to resist.

But was Xiao Yan ordinary? Seeing Xiao Yan's eyes gradually clear, Ya Fei knew just how deeply Xun Er stood in his heart.

Slowly withdrawing her Jade Finger, Ya Fei gave a light kiss, then smiled sweetly: "Consider this my reward for helping you find the Strange Fire."

She placed a Storage Ring down, one hand covering her collar, and slowly stood up: "This Strange Fire's ranking seems low—only this one seems available for purchase with resources."

"Hurry and raise your strength, go to the Ancient Realm to find Xun Er. Sister will wait for you always."

After speaking, Ya Fei didn't wait for Xiao Yan's reply—she walked back to her room and closed the door. Leaning against it, her eyes slowly lowered, filled with a touch of disappointment.

At this moment, a voice echoed in Ya Fei's heart: "Sister Ya Fei, wait for me."

Hearing Xiao Yan's promise, a tear of joyful clarity slowly slipped from Ya Fei's corner of her eye; she nodded, whispering softly, "Mm."

Back in the cultivation chamber of the Xiao Clan Courtyard, Xiao Yan looked down at the Storage Ring in his palm—he could sense a Strange Fire inside.

"If I become the strongest on the Dou Qi Continent, will I be able to do anything, solve every problem?"

Xiao Yan stared at the Storage Ring; deep inside, he feared losing Xun Er.

Xiao Yan couldn't help recalling his childhood, when his mother had told him: "Yan… as long as you're strong enough, you can solve any problem. On the Dou Qi Continent, the strong rule."

Even though Xiao Yan could no longer clearly remember his mother's face, those eight words—"On the Dou Qi Continent, the strong rule"—had always remained in his heart.

Looking at the Storage Ring, the Strange Fire's Infernal Heat was weak—even though it had matured, its temperature was lower than that of the Ten Thousand Beasts Spiritual Flame; even the Heavenly Flame Ranking described it in just a few lines, making it clear why the Yellow Earth Flame ranked last.

In terms of power, it was probably only comparable to the Life-Generating Flame.

But no matter what Strange Fire, refining it carries risk—even if Xiao Yan had reached Dou Zun and refined many Strange Fires, carelessness would still bring disaster.

Because Xiao Yan had refined many Strange Fires, he knew: a Strange Fire is called such not merely because of its power. If one only considered power and Infernal Heat, Xiao Yan, with his Heaven Grade Cultivation Method, could generate a Dou Qi flame no weaker than the Yellow Earth Flame.

The heavens must have created the Yellow Earth Flame for a reason—it must have a purpose to be called a Strange Fire.

So Xiao Yan dared not be careless; he maintained reverence toward every Strange Fire.

Xiao Yan's eyes hardened; with a sharp snap, he crushed the Storage Ring, shattering the Flame Sealing along with it.

Immediately, a yellow flame slowly rose from his palm—no larger than a fist; for Xiao Yan, this temperature was even lower than the blood-fire of the Tian Feng Blood Pool.

Xiao Yan was one hundred percent certain: this Yellow Earth Flame could not evolve the Burning Scripture—even the earliest version of the Burning Scripture might only advance from Yellow Grade Low to Arcane-Rank Low-Level, perhaps not even reaching Profound Class.

Seeing the Yellow Earth Flame, Xiao Yan guessed: the Dou Zun who obtained it wasn't afraid of refining it—he simply despised the Yellow Earth Flame.

Even for a Dou Zun, it was tasteless; better to use its reputation as a Strange Fire and trade it to Alchemists for Elixirs.

Even with Xiao Yan's cultivation and insight, he couldn't discern what function the Yellow Earth Flame served—only by truly refining it could he understand its true purpose.

Looking at the Yellow Earth Flame, Xiao Yan did not smile; his expression grew solemn. He slowly sat cross-legged and murmured, "Isn't there an old saying? The last-place finishers are monsters."

"Let me see what makes you—the lowest-ranked Strange Fire on the Strange Fire Ranking—so powerful."

Hearing Xiao Yan's words, the Yellow Earth Flame trembled slightly, as if understanding—its wariness lessened.

Closing his eyes, Xiao Yan slowly activated the Burning Scripture, slightly opened his mouth, and a suction force surged forth, aiming to swallow the Xuan Huang Spirit into his belly for Refining.

The Xuan Huang Spirit entered his body and obediently followed the path of the Burning Scripture, eventually merging into the Spirit Storage; before and after, it took only a quarter of an hour to complete the Refining.

(End of Chapter)