Chapter 336: Favoritism

While waiting for Jing Liao and Yan Zhenzhen, Hua Changxi set up a isolation array in the guest room of the Artifact Sage Palace and fused the seven-colored exotic flames into the Great Sun Divine Flame.

During this fusion of the seven-colored exotic flames, whether due to the experience gained from the previous two attempts or because she had obtained the Zhu Que bloodline ability 'Myriad Flames Pay Homage,' she had gained new insights into the fusion and transformation between exotic flames.

Thus, in her experiment, she successfully decomposed the newly fused Great Sun Divine Flame back into the seven-colored exotic flames.

Gazing at the seven-colored exotic flames hovering above her palm, Hua Changxi's eyes sparkled brightly.

Given her current cultivation and physical strength, she was still insufficient to withstand the power of the Great Sun Divine Flame; therefore, the fused Great Sun Divine Flame had to be suppressed using a branch of the Fusang Divine Tree.

This method of relying on external objects to control and suppress always made her feel somewhat uneasy.

Now, however, she could repeatedly fuse and transform between the seven-colored exotic flames and the Great Sun Divine Flame at will, meaning both the seven-colored exotic flames and the Great Sun Divine Flame were now completely under her control.

"Changxi!"

"Jing Liao and Zhenzhen have arrived."

Hearing Tong Yao's voice outside the guest room, Hua Changxi quickly stored the Great Sun Divine Flame in her dantian and opened the door.

Seeing her emerge, Tong Yao said, "Jing Liao and Zhenzhen didn't come in; they are waiting for us outside."

Hua Changxi nodded. "Let's go."

The two stepped out of the spiritual energy barrier and saw Yan Zhenzhen and Jing Liao, with Hua Liulang standing beside them.

"Sixth Brother."

"Ninth Sister."

Hua Changxi walked toward Hua Liulang with pleasant surprise. "How did you end up here?"

Hua Liulang glanced at Tong Yao. "The Great Elder sent me, saying I should go out with you all to gain some experience."

Hua Changxi thought for a moment and immediately understood Great Elder Yiming's intentions.

The four of them were going to seek opportunities; it would be difficult to bring others along, but Hua Liulang was her elder brother, so she would absolutely not object to bringing him.

The reason Hua Changxi hadn't invited Hua Liulang earlier was mainly due to her concern that the Xuanyuan City Lord's Manor might be dangerous, and Hua Liulang's strength was too weak for him to protect himself once inside.

But now, she discovered with delight that Hua Liulang had become a Nascent Soul cultivator.

"Sixth Brother, when did you advance to the Nascent Soul realm?"

Tong Yao smiled and answered first, "It was the second day after you entered the Hot Spring Pool."

Hua Changxi was genuinely happy for Hua Liulang. "Sixth Brother, I always knew you were the best."

Hua Liulang chuckled, speaking modestly, "I was able to advance to the Nascent Soul realm so quickly only because the elders allowed me to cultivate deep within the Earth Fire. Otherwise, I don't know when I would have been able to break through my Golden Core and form my Nascent Soul."

Hearing this, Yan Zhenzhen immediately smiled and said, "Tong Yao, I suppose quite a few disciples of the Artifact Sage Palace have recently advanced to the Nascent Soul realm?"

Tong Yao smiled but did not deny it.

Although the destruction of the Artifact Sage Palace's mountain-protecting array had caused negative effects, it also had aspects beneficial to the development of the Artifact Sage Palace.

Regardless, the vast majority of the Artifact Sage Palace's secret realms and spiritual veins could now be utilized.

Deep within the Earth Fire, the concentration of fire spiritual energy was dozens of times higher than in the outside world, making it most suitable for cultivation. Disciples of the Artifact Sage Palace cultivating there saw their cultivation realms improve significantly, and Hua Liulang was the standout among them.

"Let's go; we can chat while we travel."

Tong Yao took out a small flying ship and looked at Hua Changxi, Jing Liao, and Yan Zhenzhen. "One of you give me directions."

Yan Zhenzhen walked over.

On the flying ship, Hua Changxi stood next to Hua Liulang. "Fortunately, you are now a Nascent Soul cultivator; otherwise, I wouldn't have dared to let you come along."

Hua Liulang asked, "Where are we going?" Originally, the Second Elder had wanted other disciples to come along as well, but the Great Elder had stopped him.

Hua Changxi replied, "A location suspected to be the Xuanyuan City Lord's Manor."

Upon hearing this, the flying ship lurched violently; clearly, Tong Yao had lost control of it for a moment.

Tong Yao looked at Hua Changxi in astonishment. "What did you say? Where are we going?"

Hua Changxi smiled at him and reiterated, "A location suspected to be the Xuanyuan City Lord's Manor. How's that? We're being quite generous to you, aren't we?"

Tong Yao sought confirmation from Jing Liao and Yan Zhenzhen; seeing them both nod at him, he instantly didn't know what to say.

Since joining the Artifact Sage Palace, Hua Liulang had frequently visited the library tower; he was no longer a novice in cultivation. Naturally, he knew what kind of existence the Xuanyuan City Lord's Manor was on the Central Continent, and he was so shocked that his jaw dropped.

Hua Changxi ignored Tong Yao's shock and, seeing Hua Liulang, asked, "How is everyone at home?"

Hua Liulang snapped back to reality. "Father and Mother are both hoping for your return; not seeing you, they must be very disappointed. As for the others in the family... they all miss you very much too."

Hua Changxi said, "...Once I finish my business here, I will go home to see Father and Mother." Then, smiling at Hua Liulang, she asked, "Are they happy?"

Hua Liulang nodded with a smile. "Father, Mother, and even Grandfather and Grandmother are all very happy, it's just..."

Hua Changxi asked, "Just what?"

Hua Liulang's smile faded, and he spoke with some gloom. "It's just that Eldest Brother and Third Brother aren't really speaking to me anymore."

Hua Changxi paused, slightly stunned.

Hua Liulang looked at Hua Changxi. "Ninth Sister, Eldest Brother and Third Brother think you favor me. The other brothers and sisters in the family also say you only care about me and ignore them."

Hua Changxi replied, "I am not their parent; why should I manage them? As for favoring you, well, who asked you to be my favorite brother?"

Hearing this, Hua Liulang was first stunned, then broke into a wide grin, his smile filled with satisfaction and a hint of embarrassment.

Hua Changxing looked at Hua Liulang. "Sixth Brother, everything you have achieved today is the result of your own efforts; at most, I provided some opportunities."

"However, opportunities are common, but few people are capable of seizing them."

"It's not that I haven't given opportunities to the family members, but they just couldn't grasp them."

"Sometimes, I really don't want to say much about them; they never look for reasons within themselves and only know how to feel unjustly aggrieved."

Seeing that he had stirred up Hua Changxi's resentment toward the Hua family, Hua Liulang instantly didn't know how to respond.

Fortunately, at that moment, Yan Zhenzhen's voice rang out.

"We are almost there."

Hua Changxi stopped discussing the Hua family with Hua Liulang and only instructed, "Once we go down later, you must stay close to me."

A quarter of an hour later, the five of them appeared at the place where the Black-Yellow Qi was dissipating.

Tong Yao carefully surveyed the surroundings but found nothing amiss: "Are you certain this territory belongs to the City Lord of Xuanyuan City?"

Hua Changxi did not answer: "Keep watch for me."

Upon hearing this, the four of them, including Tong Yao, vigilantly monitored their surroundings.

"Whoosh~"

A branch of the Fusang Divine Tree appeared in Hua Changxi's hand, its tip burning with a flame—the Great Sun Divine Flame.

As soon as the Great Sun Divine Flame emerged, the surrounding temperature skyrocketed.

None of the four, including Tong Yao, could bear to look directly at the Great Sun Divine Flame; only Jing Liao, enduring the searing pain in his eyes, 'saw' the chains of the 'Rend' Law Principle swirling around the flame's halo.

Jing Liao watched as Hua Changxi, holding the Great Sun Divine Flame, walked straight toward the area where Xuanhuang Qi was dissipating, then summoned a white longsword.

"Rip~"

The sound of tearing rang out.

Jing Liao saw Hua Changxi struggling to pry at something with the white longsword; soon, ripples spread through the air, and immediately after, a thin black fissure appeared within his line of sight.

"It's a spatial rift!"