Word Count: 2,503 Words
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"Xiao Yan, watch carefully. This old man will demonstrate this only once."
Venerable Tian Huo took a deep breath and extended his palm. The Fallen Heart Flame appeared before him.
Venerable Tian Huo, being merely a soul without a physical body, naturally lacked Dou Qi. Therefore, Xiao Yan circulated his Dou Qi in advance, frantically catalyzing the Fallen Heart Flame.
"Five Ring Flame Expelling Technique!"
The Fallen Heart Flame surged wildly following Venerable Tian Huo's thunderous shout. His hand seals changed, and the flame split into five portions that began to wriggle and take shape.
"Wolf Spirit, condense!"
Just a moment later, a sharp cry emanated from 'Xiao Yan's' mouth. A wolf-shaped Fire Spirit, formed from the Fallen Heart Flame, rapidly appeared in the sky.
"Leopard Spirit, condense!"
"Lion Spirit, condense!"
"Tiger Spirit, condense!"
Xiao Yan felt the Dou Qi within him draining at an alarming rate as four Fire Spirits were rapidly condensed in one go. Then came another shout:
"Dragon Spirit, condense!"
"Form the Five Ring Flame Expelling Formation!"
Venerable Tian Huo's soul body surged forward, manipulating the five Fire Spirits with his terrifying fire-controlling ability. The spirits augmented one another, and an oppressive heat instantly expanded across the sky. Even the distant dark clouds thinned under the scorching air, while nearby trees withered visibly before finally bursting into ashes with a 'bang'.
Xiao Yan was witnessing Venerable Tian Huo's display of the Five Ring Flame Expelling Technique at the closest distance. The five gigantic Fire Spirits formed a strange formation in midair, and Xiao Yan himself stood at its central position.
'So this is the true Five Ring Flame Expelling Technique!' Xiao Yan could indeed condense five Fire Spirits on his own but had only half-understood how to form them into a formation. He was nowhere near Venerable Tian Huo's level of mastery.
Xiao Yan exhaled deeply, feeling the rapidly depleting Dou Qi within him, and turned his gaze to the five Fire Spirits in formation high in the sky.
He realized that this time, Venerable Tian Huo was genuinely imparting all his knowledge without reservation.
After all, the old fellow had been wary of Xiao Yan turning out like Han Feng, betraying his master after learning his skills.
But when Xiao Yan remembered to help refine pills for his resurrection, he understood that while this fellow Xiao Yan was decisive in killing and wouldn't give his enemies any chance, he cared deeply for those who had aided him.
"Five Ring Flame Expelling Disk!" Venerable Tian Huo didn't hold back. His hand seals changed again as another sharp cry erupted from Xiao Yan's mouth.
Following that shout, the five massive Fire Spirits around them each howled skyward and suddenly began to spin at high speed. The surrounding space seemed to melt under this terrifying rotation, and enormous black fissures gaped open in midair one after another like monstrous jaws.
Boom! Boom!
The Fire Spirits spun faster and faster, eventually transforming into an enormous fire disk over two thousand feet wide. The translucent disk hovered above Xiao Yan's head, rotating with astounding speed and producing wave after wave of sonic booms. Even Little Fairy Doctor and Zi Yan's expressions changed at the terrifying energy spreading out.
Given Venerable Tian Huo's current strength, he naturally couldn't make the Five Ring Flame Expelling Technique rival a Tian-class Dou Technique, but it possessed the power of a quasi-Tian-class technique!
"Hiss!"
The gigantic Ghost Face Black Spider saw Xiao Yan unleash such a terrifying Dou Technique and dared not underestimate him. Its eight compound eyes gathered intense red light, rapidly condensing into a massive energy vortex. The frightening aura of a half-step Dou Ancestor shattered nearby mountain peaks.
"What's happening over there!"
"That power! Has it reached the Dou Ancestor level? Is it the Sect Leader of the Poison Sect or maybe the Chief of Ten Thousand Scorpion Gate?"
"Probably not. Those two went deeper in with a few other strong experts."
"Then who in the world dares make a move on the Ghost Face Black Spider? That's a half-step Dou Ancestor magical beast!!"
Xiao Yan's actions naturally attracted the attention of many experts from various factions, who all turned to look.
"Go!"
High in the sky, 'Xiao Yan' raised his right hand under countless stares, supporting the massive fire disk from afar. He flung his arm with a resonant shout, and the enormous disk rumbled forth like thunder.
The Fallen Heart Flame, though formless, possessed fierce heat that melted the very air. It streaked across the sky like a meteor, shooting toward the giant spider below amidst countless shocked stares!
With a buzzing sound, the Ghost Face Black Spider let out an enraged screech. A thick red laser beam shot toward Xiao Yan, its attack rivaling that of a Dou Ancestor, leaving a long trail across the sky.
"What a terrifying fire disk attack!"
"W-what rank of Dou Technique is that?!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The two attacks collided with frightening force.
Many strong experts nearby turned pale as they felt the energy fluctuations spilling outward. The leaking aura alone was terrifying; it was hard to imagine what would happen if they were the target. Their bodies would likely be burned to ashes before the attack even arrived.
The horrific impact resembled two meteors colliding, unleashing an earth-shattering roar. The entire mountain range quaked, and huge fissures, roughly ten feet wide, branched across the ground like spiderwebs.
'Xiao Yan' floated calmly in the sky, placed his hands behind his back, and pointed downward. The Five Ring Flame Expelling Technique instantly transformed into a torrent of flames with an explosive rumble, annihilating the Ghost Face Black Spider's energy wave as if it were paper. Ultimately, the fearsome Fallen Heart Flame swallowed the half-step Dou Ancestor-level magical beast whole.
One move! It was utterly annihilated in just one move!
Venerable Tian Huo flicked his finger, and the little Fallen Heart Flame serpent safely brought the Ghost Face Flower before Xiao Yan. His soul body then withdrew from Xiao Yan's body. Clasping his hands behind his back and facing away, he said in a lofty tone, "Xiao Yan, your innate talent is excellent, but you still have quite a way to go before you fully grasp the Five Ring Flame Expelling Technique."
"Cultivate diligently and do not disappoint the expectations of this old man."
If Venerable Tian Huo weren't a soul body, Xiao Yan would have wanted to kick him in the butt!
…
Although Xiao Yan's group continued to gain some harvests afterward, the highest-grade medicinal ingredients they obtained were only low-grade tier 7, none comparable to the Ghost Face Flower.
Dusk gradually descended, and the group made camp to rest.
"Hehe, hurry up, Xiao Yan," Zi Yan urged, drooling as she watched him refine candy-like pills for her.
With a few clinks, Xiao Yan turned Zi Yan's 'hard-earned wages' into candy pills and tossed them to her.
After all, they weren't made of iron. Their Dou Qi would deplete too, so they needed rest.
After finishing the meal prepared by Little Fairy Doctor, Xiao Yan asked, "Have any of you noticed something strange about this place?"
"Strange? Not at all! There's a ton of delicious stuff here!" Zi Yan tossed a candy pill into her mouth. How could a place with so much good food possibly be strange?
The Amethyst Winged Lion King and the others exchanged glances, also noticing nothing unusual.
"You mean we haven't seen those people from the Poison Sect and Ten Thousand Scorpion Gate?" Little Fairy Doctor pondered for a moment before speaking.
"The Poison Sect, Ten Thousand Scorpion Gate, and those experts from the Chu Yun Empire who entered this place in the first batch. We've been walking deeper all along, yet we haven't seen any trace of them." Xiao Yan's expression was somewhat solemn.
It wasn't as if they moved with great speed. On the contrary, because their group had been collecting the heavenly treasures along the way and battling some magical beasts, they had actually been delayed quite a bit.
What puzzled Xiao Yan, however, was that nobody else seemed to have touched the numerous treasures along the way. While a Dou Ancestor like the Poison Sect's Leader might ignore them, it was odd that the many strong cultivators from the Ten Thousand Scorpion Gate would also pass them by.
Those who didn't know might think Xiao Yan's group was the leading party.
"Did they fly straight ahead without any pauses?" the Amethyst Winged Lion King asked.
"Seems like it. The question is, what could attract them so much that they'd give up so many resources along the way and desperately fly forward?" Xiao Yan said solemnly.
"Could they have discovered an extremely precious heavenly treasure deeper inside and rushed to grab it?" Zi Yan speculated boldly.
"Even you didn't sense any special heavenly treasure. Is their sensing ability stronger than yours?" Xiao Yan shook his head. Could those Dou Ancestors and Dou Emperors from the Poison Sect and Ten Thousand Scorpion Gate perceive something that even Zi Yan of the Ancient Void Dragon Tribe and Venerable Tian Huo couldn't?
"Could it be a Heavenly Flame?" Little Fairy Doctor asked softly.
Xiao Yan summoned Mao Wu, who directly shook its head, indicating it hadn't sensed any aura of a Heavenly Flame.
"If even a Heavenly Flame Spirit didn't sense any of its kind, they shouldn't be able to detect the location of a Heavenly Flame either." Xiao Yan dismissed Little Fairy Doctor's guess.
The group fell silent for a moment, unable to figure out the reason.
"Let's rest and fully recover our Dou Qi," Xiao Yan said, a serious glint flashing in his eyes. "This time, we won't collect any more resources. We'll fly directly to the deepest part of this space."
"Ah? But that's such a waste! Can't we grab a bit more along the way?" Zi Yan was the first to object. She rarely encountered such a bountiful treasure land filled with medicinal herbs. How could she leave without looting more?
"No. This place is too strange. I have an ominous premonition. If anything unexpected happens, Zi Yan, you'll revert to your true form, and we'll tear through the void to leave this Space Lock immediately. You can't expend too much stamina and Dou Qi." Xiao Yan refused Zi Yan's suggestion in a resolute manner.
"All right then." Although unwilling, Zi Yan complied when she saw Xiao Yan's determination.
After resting for about four hours, Xiao Yan and his group once again stood on the back of the Amethyst Winged Lion King, who flapped its wings and soared, flying straight toward the depths of this space.
'This Space Lock is so vast. Could it be that Venerable You Du didn't actually create it? Was this originally an ancient relic site?'
Xiao Yan was surprised to find they seemed to have left the treasure land abundant with medicinal ingredients and entered another region entirely. Surprisingly, no precious medicinal ingredients grew here.
"Xiao Yan, look over there. What is that?"
After flying for quite a while, the land ahead began to rise steeply, forming a highland. Xiao Yan sensed with his Spiritual Strength that they had reached the core and deepest part of the space.
What puzzled the group, however, was that this place was barren, completely different from the vibrant vitality they encountered upon entering. Forget heavenly treasures; only a few enormous, collapsed buildings stood here, looking as if they had been destroyed.
Such a place did not match their expectations. They had imagined the deepest area to be sacred or teeming with life, perhaps with phenomena like earth-gushing immortal springs, resembling a fairyland.
However, this highland was barren, like an abandoned wasteland.
Just as Xiao Yan's group set foot on this land, a ray of light suddenly rose from the ruined buildings. From the light emerged a scholarly-looking man with an ethereal demeanor.
"I am Venerable You Du. Welcome to my inheritance ground. Pass my trial, and you shall receive my legacy," the man said with a faint smile.
"You are Venerable You Du?! You're... still alive!" Xiao Yan was greatly startled. A Dou Venerate who had lived for who knows how many years?!
Although Dou Venerates could live for a very long time, they shouldn't be able to live this long, right?
"Hehe, I haven't much time left. So I intend to leave behind my inheritance and seek a suitable successor. Anyone who can pass my trial shall obtain all my lifelong knowledge." Venerable You Du chuckled and answered Xiao Yan's question.
Xiao Yan furrowed his brows and glanced at Little Fairy Doctor. She nodded slightly and then slowly closed her eyes. Instantly, her black robe fluttered without wind, and an astonishing aura emanated.
A multicolored light burst from within her as the runes of the Woeful Poison Body appeared. Little Fairy Doctor had activated her Woeful Poison Body!
Xiao Yan knew that Venerable You Du possessed an acquired Woeful Poison Body. Although acquired artificially, the innate Woeful Poison Body could sense its kind.
Seeing the patterns and multicolored light emerging on Little Fairy Doctor, the eyes of the man claiming to be Venerable You Du suddenly flashed with shock as he screamed, "The Woeful Poison Body!!"
Little Fairy Doctor's eyes sharpened as she glanced at him and said in a deep voice, "Not the Woeful Poison Body. You are not Venerable You Du. Who are you?"
Exposed by Little Fairy Doctor, the man's face immediately turned grim. But before he could make a move, Xiao Yan acted first.
Xiao Yan, having prepared secretly, waved his hand the moment he heard Little Fairy Doctor's words. An exquisite three-colored Fire Lotus flew out from the sleeve of his Soul Robe!
He had secretly fused a tri-colored Fire Lotus using the concealing effect of the Soul Robe.
The Fire Lotus shot straight toward 'Venerable You Du' under his horrified gaze.
Xiao Yan didn't bother with martial etiquette. He unleashed his ultimate technique right away!
Boom!!!
A terrifying tri-colored Heavenly Flame erupted as the Angry Buddha Lotus Flame blasted the entire highland to pieces. As the highland shattered and the ground melted, the scene beneath was revealed to Xiao Yan and his companions.
It turned out that this 'highland' was actually the curved rim of a sunken basin. Beneath the shattered land lay something like a colossal open maw shrouded in swirling fog, resembling a giant beast's yawning jaws.
Yet what truly made Xiao Yan's expression turn grim was the discovery that countless bones were hidden beneath this highland, piled together as though this place were filled to the brim with corpses!
Suddenly, he realized why he had felt uneasy. At the very beginning, there had been many skeletons under the Water Lotus Lingzhi's pond.
But this didn't make sense. This Space Lock was discovered only two days ago! The poison barrier had dissipated seven days prior. So how could there possibly be so many corpses and skeletons here?!