Chapter 64: The Great Deduction: Xiao Yan!

Xiao Yan pulled down the brim of his Soul Robe, trying his best to hide himself and avoid detection.

If using game terminology, Xiao Yan had been stuck on this level for over a month.

But Xiao Yan hadn't been idle these past months—he had already mapped out some conditions inside the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King's lair.

First, besides the Six Rank Demon Beast, the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King, there was also a Third Grade Magical Beast, a smaller Purple Crystal Winged Lion. Because of this, no Fourth Rank Magical Beasts appeared within several kilometers around the lair, making it a safe zone for Xiao Yan.

The Purple Crystal Winged Lion King allowed only Magical Beasts below Third Grade to appear near its lair.

Then, as the Soul Information had indicated, the Ten Thousand Beasts Spiritual Flame was very likely inside the lair.

Xiao Yan had once sneaked close to the lair while the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King was out hunting, using Soul Perception.

He indeed sensed a dense Fire Attribute Energy within the lair.

Moreover, the source of this Fire Attribute Energy was not scattered—it was condensed, very likely a Spiritual Flame!

After all, a Six Rank Magical Beast with sufficient opportunity could indeed seize a Spiritual Flame!

"Damn it, am I really going to spend Soul Points to hire a Dou Huang from the Soul Hall?" Xiao Yan's face was grim—he wasn't completely without options.

Hiring a Dou Huang to act would cost roughly three thousand Soul Points; three thousand Soul Points could be exchanged for a decent Six Rank Pill, and a Six Rank Pill could hire a Dou Huang.

After deducting the information on the Ten Thousand Beasts Spiritual Flame and the Ice Spirit Cold Spring, Xiao Yan had just over four thousand Soul Points left—he could indeed hire a low-level Dou Huang.

But the problem was, Xiao Yan didn't trust the Soul Envoys or Guardians of the Soul Hall.

If the Ten Thousand Beasts Spiritual Flame truly was inside the lair, Xiao Yan was certain he'd be killed to silence him in the end.

Trust the Soul Hall? Impossible!

In the end, Xiao Yan still shook his head—cultivation was a long road; he couldn't let impatience and haste cloud his reason.

"Let's go back. If I still can't find a good opportunity to enter the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King's cave, I'll just have to wait until I reach Dou Wang."

Xiao Yan slowly stood up, dragging the corpse of a Sea Giant Python toward his cliffside cave—the Sea Giant Python's Spiritual Soul had been scattered, its body riddled with claw-like wounds.

Third Grade Magical Beast, White Earth Snake—Xiao Yan's current strength was enough to slay Third Grade Magical Beasts!

At a waterfall beside the cave, Xiao Yan leapt into the water, washing away the blood from battle, then dried his body, put on clean clothes, and lay on a rock, letting out a long, deep breath.

His heavy body felt much lighter—he had now mastered the Furious Lion's Roar to about seven or eight tenths, nearing perfection.

Training the Furious Lion's Roar after the Eight Extreme Shatter was twice as effective; combined with over four months of constant training in the Mo Shou Shan Mai, battling Magical Beasts, his Dou Techniques had become far more proficient.

The refinement of Dou Techniques always requires battle.

Sitting on a rock beside the waterfall, leisurely soaking in the sunlight, Xiao Yan rested for a while, then pulled from his storage ring the Alchemy Furnace he had bought in Wutan City, laying out a large pile of various Medicinal Materials across the rock.

He had just obtained a Third Grade Magic Core from the White Earth Snake, and his hands itched—he couldn't resist the urge to refine an Elixir.

Gazing at the Alchemy Furnace before him, Xiao Yan rubbed his hands, gently pressed his left palm against the furnace's mouth, and with a flick of his mind, a soft *puff* echoed as the pitch-black Void Swallowing Flame slowly ignited within the Alchemy Cauldron.

Xiao Yan's current strength was Dou Shi; normally, he could only refine Two-Rank Pills. To exceed his level, he needed to borrow the Void Swallowing Flame to properly refine the Medicinal Materials and Magic Core.

Looking at the dark flame, Xiao Yan smiled in satisfaction—his control over the Void Swallowing Flame was growing ever more perfect, thanks not only to months of refining experience, but more importantly, to his increased Soul Force.

"I just got some Fire-Raising Fruit a few days ago—today I'll refine a Third-Rank Fire-Raising Pill." Xiao Yan picked from the pile of Medicinal Materials and Spirit Fruits a branch heavy with tiny red fruits.

Recalling the Pill Formula for the Fire-Raising Pill in his mind, he quickly prepared the other auxiliary ingredients.

The Fire-Raising Pill was a relatively advanced Third-Rank Elixir, capable of temporarily boosting the Fire Attribute Battle Qi within the body—but only effective for cultivators below high-level Dou Shi.

Once the Black Flame had warmed the Alchemy Furnace, Xiao Yan tossed the Fire-Raising Fruit inside, skillfully controlling the flame with Soul Force. The Void Swallowing Flame's intense burning power even incinerated the dregs, rapidly drying the fruit into a red powder.

Xiao Yan then immediately threw in all the other Medicinal Materials; finally, seven or eight different colored powders converged together.

Xiao Yan picked up the White Earth Snake's Magic Core and flicked it into the Alchemy Furnace with a snap of his fingers.

Soon, a powerful energy erupted from the Alchemy Furnace—a vengeful spectral form of the Sea Giant Python tried to burst out and kill Xiao Yan.

"Mao Wu." Xiao Yan spoke calmly, watching the spectral serpent emerging from the Magic Core.

A tiny distortion suddenly appeared inside the Alchemy Furnace, and a small cat stepped out from Space.

Meow! (`) Delicious

Mao Wu opened its tiny mouth and sucked in sharply—a black vortex appeared, and the beast's lingering resentment hidden within the Magic Core was devoured like noodles by the Void Swallowing Flame's sub-flame.

This was something Xiao Yan had discovered during his months of refining—the Void Swallowing Flame could consume the residual beast resentment within Magic Cores, and it particularly loved eating such resentments. Over these months, by feeding on these resentments, the Void Swallowing Flame had grown slightly.

The very thing that had tormented Alchemists—the beast's resentment—had become food for the Void Swallowing Flame!

Watching Mao Wu, full and lying lazily inside the Alchemy Furnace, Xiao Yan once again marveled at the wonder of Spiritual Flames—Supreme Treasures of Heaven and Earth.

With the beast's resentment gone, Xiao Yan gently pulled, drawing out a white thread of flame from the Alchemy Furnace. As he pulled, all the refined essences of the Medicinal Materials slowly drew toward the Magic Core's energy.

"Collect!"

*Whoosh! * Suddenly, all the Black Flame retracted violently, fusing every powder and energy into five deep red Pills, which Xiao Yan then sealed into a Pill Bottle.

"Phew, not bad—now I should have the strength of a Third-Rank Alchemist." Xiao Yan glanced at the smooth Pills inside the Bottle and nodded in satisfaction with his refining skill.

Xiao Yan slowly stood up, gazing toward the direction of the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King's lair, muttering to himself: "One more month. If I still can't find a chance, I'll have to wait until I reach Dou Ling, refine the Blood Lotus Pill, then come back to refine the Bone Spirit Cold Fire."

Xiao Yan no longer needed to absorb the energy emitted by the Bone Spirit Cold Fire—those traces were useless to him now. He was now waiting to refine the Blood Lotus Pill, raise his strength to Dou Ling, and then directly refine the Bone Spirit Cold Fire!

Then he would possess his first true, complete Spiritual Flame!

Left hand holding the Void Swallowing Flame, right hand holding the Bone Spirit Cold Fire—I, Xiao Yan, am invincible in this world!

But Xiao Yan never imagined the turning point would come so quickly—three days later, the turning point arrived.

Roar! Roar! Roar!!! A furious roar echoed from the sky.

"Human woman, you seek death!!" The massive Purple Crystal Winged Lion King spoke in human speech.

Xiao Yan quickly hid behind a rock near the lair, pulling down the brim of his Soul Robe, leaving only a narrow slit to gaze at the sky.

"A Dou Huang is challenging the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King?!!" Xiao Yan saw a female Dou Huang standing opposite the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King in the sky.

Dressed in a plain robe that hugged her full, graceful figure, she held a long sword of unusual design, emitting a pale green glow. Her black hair was tied into a noble phoenix hairpin; her beautiful face was calm and serene, with wings of Wind Attribute Battle Qi fluttering behind her.

Her calmness in the face of a Six Rank Magical Beast proved her strength!

Seeing this elegant and noble woman, Xiao Yan frowned—he thought he knew who she was.

The Shan Mai Xiao Yan was in still belonged to the Jia Ma Empire; among the Jia Ma Empire's top ten warriors, only three were Dou Huangs—and the only female Dou Huang with Wind Attribute Battle Qi in the entire Jia Ma Empire was this one; even the neighboring Chu Yun Empire had no record of a female Wind Attribute Dou Huang.

The identity of this Dou Huang is already clear.

"Yun Yun, the current Sect Master of the Yun Lan Sect and Nalan Yanran's master!"