Chapter 784

Looking at the massive Fire God Mountain, Xiao Yan said with a teasing tone, "Xiao Yixian, name any weapon or divine armor—you name it, I'll give it to you. Pick whatever you like."

As he spoke, Xiao Yan gently lifted Xiao Yixian's chin, exuding a touch of dominance.

Xiao Yixian glanced at him sidelong, her smile charming with three parts allure and seven parts spirit, and said, "You're awfully skilled at using borrowed flowers to offer Buddha."

"Hahaha, I'm just giving you a little gift first," Xiao Yan tapped her forehead, grinning. "If we can get the Bihua Flower and refine your Eternal Calamity Poison Body into a Supreme Form, then—"

This blunt remark made Xiao Yixian's cheeks flush pink; she shot him an exasperated glare. But speaking of children, Xiao Yan now began to miss his family on the Dou Qi Continent—Xiao Xiao, Xiao Cai, and Xiao Lin—all still there, and he had no idea what had become of them.

Xiao Yan led Xiao Yixian up Fire God Mountain; at their feet lay countless weapons, each with a unique shape, only partially exposed, radiating varied glimmers.

As Xiao Yan strolled with Xiao Yixian deeper into Fire God Mountain, they observed the weapons buried in the earth—some divine weapons forged like blocks of crimson fire, their hilts barely visible, the rest entirely buried in soil, nurtured by the mountain's Shen Mi Zhi Yi, their true forms hidden.

Some divine weapons resembled streaks of rainbow-colored light, their sword hilts clearly visible—undeniably divine swords. Others looked like unshaped ores, merely bearing a rough outline.

In every opening of the Five Elements Spirit Soil, the Fire Spirit Clan and other Spirit Clans would send disciples to bring in ore, forge it into weapon embryos, and bury them within Fire God Mountain's body, using the mountain's Shen Mi Zhi Yi to nurture them—so that one day, when the Five Elements Spirit Soil was reclaimed, they could retrieve vast numbers of powerful divine weapons already nurtured.

Though Fire God Mountain was a sacred site for forging weapons, not all objects here resembled weapons. Here one could find all manner of strange, inexplicable things—for example, a stone shaped like a duck egg turned out to be a High-Rank Divine Weapon!

Xiao Yan had no idea what use such a duck-egg weapon might have—could it be thrown like a brick?

Walking over so many Spiritual Artifacts, Divine Weapons, even quasi-Sacred Artifacts—this was enough to make anyone's heart race. Anyone treading here would want to pack every single weapon back home.

Even if you couldn't use them, selling them would bring a fortune!

Yet no one dared casually take weapons—no one knew what might emerge if a weapon was pulled free. Once, someone pulled out a weapon and summoned Divine Fire that burned them alive; worse, terrifying demonic creatures lurked within Fire God Mountain, and pulling a weapon would trigger their attacks.

So even when weapons trembled and recognized their masters, no one dared take them.

The stronger the weapon, the fiercer its guardian. Any weapon above the Divine Weapon tier carried danger—as if it were a trial set by Fire God Mountain.

For Xiao Yan and Xiao Yixian, Divine Weapons were beneath notice; even quasi-Sacred Artifacts held no interest. Their eyes were fixed on the few Sacred Artifacts closest to the volcano's mouth at the summit.

Those Sacred Artifacts were likely forged five ten thousand years ago, before the Five Elements Spirit Soil was invaded—left in Fire God Mountain to mature, and nurtured for five ten thousand years!

During those five ten thousand years, the Fire Realm was not under Fire Spirit Clan control; Fire God Mountain had even been ruled by Domain Beyond demons, whose marks erased the Sacred Artifacts' original seals—leaving them ownerless ever since, with no one yet able to gain their recognition.

"Those Sacred Artifacts? Even the upper Earth Supreme of the Fire Spirit Clan couldn't gain their recognition."

"You don't know the full story. The truly remarkable one isn't among those on the summit—it's inside the volcano's mouth. Rumor says it's a High-Rank Sacred Artifact, endowed with sentience, hiding deep within the crater."

"A High-Rank Sacred Artifact! Even a Great Completion Earth Supreme would covet that!"

Xiao Yan and Xiao Yixian walked leisurely, for their sole purpose had always been the Divine Fire. Though they appeared like a playful couple hiking, Xiao Yan had been subtly probing Fire God Mountain with his Soul Force Perception all along.

Xiao Yan's Soul Force seeped slowly into Fire God Mountain, searching for traces of the hidden Divine Fire—acquiring weapons was merely a side task, superficial.

When the two finally reached the summit, many others were already there. Among them, a young man surrounded by a large group of disciples in identical robes claimed most of the summit.

The youth radiated arrogance, dressed in brocade robes. At this moment, he ordered his disciples to mark boundaries and shouted at others: "Everyone stay outside this line! All weapons within this boundary belong to the Heavenly Saint Sect. Only after we've all tried will you be allowed to try."

His words sparked widespread discontent. Even though everyone knew they had no chance of gaining recognition from the quasi-Sacred Artifacts near the summit, they still wanted to try, to test their luck.

To suddenly claim the entire area as their own, allowing only Heavenly Saint Sect disciples to attempt, naturally provoked outrage.

Many glared at the youth. Someone protested: "This is too much! Fire God Mountain isn't yours alone—even the Fire Spirit Clan isn't this tyrannical! Why does your Heavenly Saint Sect bully us so?"

"Because we are the Heavenly Saint Sect," the youth sneered, his aura overwhelming. He paid no heed to the anger around him. "We're stronger than you all—that's enough. I, Xue Tong, could've taken it all if I wanted."

"Fine, take the weapons over there—you can try them all. After we're done, it'll be your turn. What's the fuss?" He pointed to another part of the summit—still within the summit's bounds, but the weapons there were sparse, clearly long since stripped away over tens of thousands of years.

But the area Xue Tong had claimed included not only those Sacred Artifacts but also nearly all the High-Rank Divine Weapons and quasi-Sacred Artifacts.

Everyone knew the Heavenly Saint Sect couldn't possibly take them all, and letting them go first wasn't unreasonable—but their tyrannical manner still rankled.

"Are you serious? What's so special about the Heavenly Saint Sect? Other Realms have sects just as strong, yet none are this arrogant."

"Shh, lower your voice. The Heavenly Saint Sect has an upper Earth Supreme ancestor here. Word is, in another Secret Realm in the Fire Realm, that elder wiped out several weak sects with a single strike."

Normally, strong cultivators wouldn't attack the weak—it would be beneath their dignity. But clearly, the Heavenly Saint Sect's elder was no such person.

For a moment, everyone seethed but could do nothing. The Heavenly Saint Sect was indeed a mighty Faction—once a Heaven Supreme Faction, possessing Heaven Supreme heritage, its strength so great it overshadowed even the three major Spirit Clans: Wind, Thunder, and Wood.

Moreover, this youth was born into the Heavenly Saint Sect—his lineage noble. Few dared provoke him.

"Anyone not of the Heavenly Saint Sect, get outside the line. Refuse to move, and I'll kill you," Xue Tong roared, eyes blazing with malice, threatening those unwilling to retreat.

"Didn't you hear our senior brother? Everyone, get out!" Xue Tong's disciples immediately shoved those reluctant to leave.

The other cultivators had no choice. Xue Tong himself was a Seven-Star Sovereign, his disciples were no slouches, and worse—the Heavenly Saint Sect had powerful figures lurking in other Secret Realms of the Fire Realm. No one dared offend them.

They reluctantly stepped back beyond the line. They came to seek Divine Weapons, not to die. There was no point angering the Heavenly Saint Sect over weapons whose recognition was uncertain—or losing their lives for them.

"Are you deaf? Didn't you hear Senior Brother Xue Tong? Get out of the line right now!" On the grass, two figures stood motionless, refusing to move. Xue Tong's disciples immediately shoved one.

As the disciple reached out to shove him, a grayish flame suddenly appeared. The next instant, an invisible repelling force surged—a massive invisible hand slammed into the disciple, hurling him backward.

Puff!! The Heavenly Saint Sect disciple instantly spat blood, bones cracking like snapping twigs, flying like an arrow—CRASH! He slammed into Fire God Mountain and collapsed, unconscious.

!!! This sudden turn drew every eye.

"Sigh," Xiao Yan sighed. Such is the fate of the strong.

The weak yield when confronted; the strong do not—and thus conflict arises.

He and Xiao Yixian had been as low-key as possible, never fought anyone for weapons, merely walked the entire Fire God Mountain, silently probing its depths with Soul Force Perception, seeking traces of the Divine Fire.

And yet, just standing here drew trouble. Who could he complain to?

"Who are you? What sect do you belong to? How dare you attack our Heavenly Saint Sect disciple!" Seeing his junior brother flung away, Xue Tong stepped forward, roaring. He was smart—he didn't strike immediately, but demanded the man's origin.

"Soul Sect."

"Soul Sect?" Xue Tong froze, then frantically searched his memory—but he'd never heard of any Heaven Supreme Faction called Soul Sect.

Confirming Xiao Yan wasn't from any top Heaven Supreme Faction, Xue Tong's face darkened with malice. He roared: "You, a Two-Star Sovereign and a Seven-Star Sovereign, dare attack my disciple and insult the Heavenly Saint Sect? You are now enemies of the Heavenly Saint Sect!"

After refining the Divine Fire and continuously absorbing Heavenly Earth Spirit Qi through the Burning Scripture, Xiao Yan's Cultivation Realm had reached the peak of Two-Star Sovereign; Xiao Yixian's was already Seven-Star Sovereign.

With this, everyone realized he was making an excuse—merely fabricating a charge against Xiao Yan.

All eyes turned to Xiao Yan and Xiao Yixian. Xue Tong might be weak in cultivation, but he was a master at slandering.

"Enough already. So I hit one of your Heavenly Saint Sect disciples—what of it? As the saying goes: a good dog doesn't block the road; a dog that blocks the road deserves a beating. Tell me—did you deserve it?" Xiao Yan laughed, utterly unconcerned. "If your Heavenly Saint Sect produces trash like you, then it must be nothing special."

Those nearby were stunned.

Though the Heavenly Saint Sect only possessed Heaven Supreme heritage—with no actual Heaven Supreme within its ranks—it was still a mighty lineage, ruling over multiple continents! And yet—

"You insolent fool!" Xue Tong's eyes flashed with fury, his face twisted into a vicious snarl. "Dare to insult the Heavenly Saint Sect? You shall be executed without mercy!"

Although Xiao Yixian's cultivation level matched Xue Tong's, the Heavenly Saint Sect had countless disciples, so he wasn't the least bit afraid. Now that Xiao Yan had the audacity to speak so recklessly and insult the Heavenly Saint Sect, how could he pass up this perfect chance to teach Xiao Yan a brutal lesson and uphold the sect's prestige?

"You pitiful scraps of clay and paper dogs?" Xiao Yan didn't even deign to look at them; he'd seen far too many like Xue Tong—cowards who relied on powerful backers to bully others.

Even in the Grand World, dogs still can't help but eat shit. Xue Tong's arrogance and brutality prove his true nature.

At his command, every disciple of the Heavenly Saint Sect dropped their tools and rushed toward Xiao Yan, swords and blades drawn, eyes blazing with murderous intent.

"Die, brat!" The disciples shouted in unison, slashing their weapons down at Xiao Yan with the clear intent to tear him apart into pieces.

After entering the Fire Realm, our Heavenly Saint Sect walks with impunity—even the Fire Spirit Clan gives us some respect. This Soul Sect hasn't even been heard of before, yet how dare they treat us with such contempt?

Xiao Yan didn't even glance at the Heavenly Saint disciples. He opened his palm, veins bulging on his arm, and with a single sweep of his hand, there came a sharp *crack*—not one of them could even block his blow; all were flung flying by a single slap.

Instantly, the hurricane of Xiao Yan's terrifying physical strength swept through the disciples like fallen leaves, sending them all flying.

Though Xiao Yan's spiritual energy had only recovered to the Second-Rank Supreme level, his physical strength remained at its peak. Even without activating his Dragon-Feng bloodline, with spiritual energy augmenting him, his physical power was already enough to rival a Seventh-Rank Supreme's peak.

"With your pathetic cultivation, how dare you show off before me?" Xiao Yan laughed, walking toward Xue Tong.

"You little brat—you! Die!" Seeing Xiao Yan approach, Xue Tong was startled and roared in fury.

In an instant, he pulled out a top-grade divine artifact—a massive cauldron he'd obtained from the Flame God Mountain. With a thunderous *boom*, the enormous crimson cauldron unleashed a torrent of blazing fire, all of it surging toward Xiao Yan, aiming to burn him to ashes.

"Huh? This is an alchemy furnace? Are you an alchemist?" Xiao Yan's eyes flickered with surprise.

This alchemy furnace had been nurtured for ten thousand years by the Flame God Mountain, containing its inner flames and possessing unique fire attributes that greatly assist in alchemy, making it an exceptionally high-quality furnace.

In terms of rank alone, this alchemy furnace surpasses the number-one furnace on the Dou Master Continent's Tian Ding List.

"Hehehe, I didn't expect this kid to have alchemy talent—enough to have the furnace recognize him as its master!" Xiao Yan had seen no alchemy furnaces along his journey, yet here was one!

He was just missing one.

But facing the torrent of flames, Xiao Yan merely smirked, not even lifting his eyelids. He casually extended a finger, summoning a wisp of gray flame—the newly acquired Strange Fire.

With a loud *bang*, the cascading flames instantly extinguished, crushed under immense pressure, as if the raging fire had been pinned to the ground like water, submitting in submission.

Xiao Yan, having mastered fire for years, could already wield the full power of his newly acquired Strange Fire with ease.

Seeing this, Xue Tong realized his grave mistake—he'd stepped on an iron plate—and turned to flee.

But as soon as he turned, he felt himself seized by an invisible force, instantly lifted like a helpless chick by Xiao Yan.

Seeing Xiao Yan effortlessly subdue Xue Tong, everyone present exchanged glances, stunned—he appeared to be only a Second-Rank Supreme in spiritual energy, utterly unremarkable, nothing like a true powerhouse.

He looked like nothing more than an unknown nobody, yet he'd subdued Xue Tong with ease—this power was far from ordinary. After all, though Xue Tong was arrogant, reckless, and foolish, he still possessed real strength.

"His spiritual energy is only Second-Rank Supreme—how can his physical strength be so strong? Could he be a Body Cultivator?"

"Body cultivators aren't like this! Usually, their physical strength is strong, but their cultivation level doesn't lag far behind. His physical strength is nearly Eighth-Rank Supreme!"

Hearing the murmurs around him, a young man whispered, "Am I the only one who noticed he used a Strange Fire?"

"You—you! If you dare harm even a single hair on my head, our Young Master of the Heavenly Saint Sect will never let you live! The sect will tear you into a thousand pieces!" Xue Tong, immobilized and terrified, screamed desperately, his voice trembling with fear.

Xiao Yan merely smiled at Xue Tong's threats. "What of the Heavenly Saint Sect? To me, it's nothing. Your Young Master? I don't even know him—he's irrelevant. Even if you were from the Western Heaven Palace, and the Western Heaven War Emperor himself stood before me, it would make no difference."

Hearing these words, everyone present gasped in shock, exchanging stunned glances—uttering such words was tantamount to declaring war on the Heavenly Saint Sect.

Worse still, he wasn't just defying the Heavenly Saint Sect—he'd also insulted the mighty Western Heaven Palace, currently at its zenith!

"Damn, that's bold—even the Western Heaven War Emperor doesn't scare him!"

"I bet he's just bluffing. Even a projection of the Western Heaven War Emperor could terrify him into wetting himself."

"Yeah, he's just talking nonsense without a shred of sense."

To publicly declare the Western Heaven War Emperor insignificant—should these words reach the ears of the Western Heaven Palace's elite, they would never let it slide; they'd surely send powerful cultivators to punish him.

Yet none of them knew: Xiao Yan had already destroyed the Western Heaven War Emperor's projection—and one of his vassal factions.

"I was considering letting you go, since you gave me this alchemy furnace," Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed, revealing a flash of menace. "But I hate being threatened."

Xiao Yan respected kindness but not force. Had Xue Tong apologized like Zhu Luo of the Fire Spirit Clan, he would've let it go—he only wanted Strange Fire.

But Xue Tong was clearly an ungrateful wretch; letting him live would only bring trouble—even though Xiao Yan was already in deep trouble.

"I—I'm the Young Master's right-hand man! This furnace was meant as a gift for him! If you kill me and take the Flame God Furnace, he'll avenge me!" Xue Tong shrieked—but when he saw Xiao Yan's cold smirk and chilling gaze, icy dread flooded his body.

This man would truly kill him.

"Our Young Master is an alchemist from the Ancient Myriad Grasslands! Do you have any idea what happens when you offend an alchemist?!"

Hearing this, many frowned—within the Grand World, as in the Dou Master Continent, offending an alchemist was like poking a hornet's nest, let alone one from the Ancient Myriad Grasslands!

The Ancient Myriad Grasslands were infamous for their fierce protectiveness.

Upon hearing this, even Xiao Yixian beside him was slightly surprised: What a coincidence?

At that moment, Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed, a flicker of strange light passing through them, a knowing smile curling at his lips.

Xiao Yan retracted his Strange Fire and released Xue Tong. Seeing him let go, many in the crowd nodded inwardly, assuming Xiao Yan feared offending the Ancient Myriad Grasslands' alchemist.

After all, offending an alchemist from the Ancient Myriad Grasslands was even more troublesome than angering a Heavenly Sovereign sect.

"Where is your Young Master?" Xiao Yan asked.

Seeing Xiao Yan release him, Xue Tong sneered—he was certain Xiao Yan was terrified of his Young Master!

"Hmph, my Young Master is an alchemist—he's in the Wood Realm. If you return the Flame God Furnace now and kneel to beg forgiveness, I might consider sparing your life," Xue Tong crossed his arms, speaking of his Young Master as if he were a god, his eyes gleaming.

Xiao Yan shook his head. "You misunderstand. I was wondering whether you have enough time to reach the Wood Realm and beg your Young Master to cure you."

*Snap! * Xiao Yan flipped his palm, clamping Xue Tong's mouth shut. Xiao Yixian understood instantly, flicking her slender finger—a poison pill shot out, sliding straight down his throat.

Xiao Yan was eager to meet the alchemists of the Grand World.

I've added six thousand words for now; I'm going out with friends tonight.

(End of Chapter)