Word Count: 3,259 Words
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The Sky Bird Nine Flying Wings that Xiao Yan had refined were nothing like a mere flying Dou Technique. A pulse of life emanated from the wings themselves.
Feng Qing Er's bloodline trembled. She felt the suppression of a superior being pressing down upon her!
Heaven Phoenix Wings!
They were a complete pair of Heaven Phoenix Wings, no longer skeletal remains but living tissue with flesh and blood. Looking closely, one could even see blood flowing through the visible vessels.
The lustrous black feathers emitted faint traces of black flame. From behind, Xiao Yan appeared to have transformed into an Ancient Heaven Phoenix.
Of course, Xiao Yan was human. How could he possibly be a Heaven Phoenix? It was simply the Ten Thousand Beast Flame's special ability that had pushed the faint Ancient Heaven Phoenix bloodline within the wings to its absolute limit.
"Hahaha, excellent, excellent! All the effort spent on these wings has truly been worthwhile," Xiao Yan exclaimed, turning to examine the formidable power of his new wings. He couldn't help but burst into hearty laughter.
After absorbing the essence blood from the Heaven Phoenix Blood Pool and refining Huang Pei's soul, these Heaven Phoenix Wings had finally reached the Tian Class level as a flying-type Dou Technique.
Their speed absolutely surpassed the Three Thousand Lightning Movement by countless times. If Xiao Yan's cultivation were slightly higher, at full power he might even match the speed of a peak Dou Venerate, perhaps even a Nine-Change Dou Venerate!
Feng Qing Er raised her head at his laughter. From her perspective, the enormous black Ancient Phoenix Wings blazed with specks of black fire. They were sinister and domineering! She had once seen such Ancient Phoenix Wings on the back of their Tribe Leader, Huang Tian, at a major Heaven Demon Phoenix Tribe gathering!
That was a genuine Dou Saint! A Heaven Demon Phoenix Tribe member with the densest bloodline, closest to the Ancient Heaven Phoenix lineage!
And now, she was seeing it on a human!!
Xiao Yan sensed her gaze and turned his head to offer her a slight smile.
That single glance scared Feng Qing Er so badly her heart nearly stopped.
Pure fear!
When Xiao Yan had initially crafted the wings, he had used Ancient Phoenix essence blood and Heaven Demon Phoenix corpses, plus Huang Pei's soul, which explained why they so closely resembled Heaven Phoenix Wings.
How could Feng Qing Er not be terrified? What if Xiao Yan decided to craft another pair of Heaven Phoenix bone wings?
Xiao Yan narrowed his gaze slightly when he noticed her lowered head, unwilling to meet his eyes. He retracted the Heaven Phoenix Wings, took clean clothes out of his storage ring, got dressed, and put on his Soul Robe.
Feng Qing Er closed her eyes in terror as his footsteps approached, as if awaiting a demon's arrival. Though she should have felt burning hot in the blood pool, a bone-deep chill permeated her body instead.
Xiao Yan slowly squatted down, gazing at the delicate figure in the water. He smiled gently and said, "Raise your head."
Visibly trembling, Feng Qing Er slowly lifted her head to meet his eyes. Her beautiful jewel-like eyes glistened with tears, her lashes quivering, her face etched with terror and pleading.
From Xiao Yan's angle, her body was completely visible, but he harbored no such thoughts about her.
His large hand slowly extended. Feng Qing En saw the shadow enlarge before her and her shoulders tensed. She squeezed her eyes shut, not daring to face her coming fate.
Yet Xiao Yan did nothing to harm her. His hand merely stroked the crown of her head, her damp hair incredibly soft beneath his touch.
From a distance, it resembled someone petting a stray cat or dog by the roadside.
"Don't be afraid. When have I, Xiao Yan, ever mistreated someone who can get things done?" His voice was incredibly gentle, though a hint of threat lurked within that gentleness.
Feng Qing Er looked at him with surprise. He wasn't going to torment her?!
Xiao Yan revealed a sunny smile. "You did well. The remaining Heaven Phoenix essence blood in this pool is your reward."
Though the pool's energy was nearly depleted, for Feng Qing Er it remained a basin of precious blood!
Even having absorbed only residual blood fire over the past three months, she had benefited immensely. If she could monopolize the remaining blood, her bloodline strength could not only catch up to Huang Bao Er's, but she might also step into the ranks of Rank 8 magical beasts!
"As for that Huang Pei, if your tribesmen ask about him, you should know how to answer." Xiao Yan's expression suddenly shifted. His hand moved downward, trailing from her ear along her cheek and neck to her fragrant shoulder as he spoke with a smile.
His touch was gentle, fingers sweeping across her shoulder, lightly brushing along her collarbone before slowly moving up her neck to her chin.
Feng Qing Er's eyes contracted at his touch and words, her lips trembling.
But she had no choice. Betraying the tribe happened either never or countless times. She had brought Xiao Yan into this Heaven Phoenix Blood Pool, and now Huang Pei was dead.
Huang Pei had held extremely high status in the Heaven Demon Phoenix Tribe. He was a super-genius of the Huang clan. If not for the terrifying Jiu Feng, who had already reached Three-Change Dou Venerate strength, the next Tribe Leader would likely have been Huang Pei!
Feng Qing Er dared not resist in the slightest. Trembling, she said, "Qing... Qing Er understands. I never saw that Huang Pei. I was cultivating in the blood pool the entire time..."
Xiao Yan smiled. He liked smart people. On the Dou Qi Continent, those too foolish were only fit to be materials.
His hand toyed with her lips, which were especially soft, giving him the feeling of handling fine jade.
"Good. It's best that you understand. Don't get carried away just because you break through to Rank 8. That old hag outside can't protect you, and even your Tribe Leader Huang Tian won't be able to save you."
"I hope you won't do anything foolish to test my bottom line."
He continued his casual touching while delivering verbal warnings. After all, Feng Qing Er's bloodline and strength had both improved significantly. He believed she would soon become a core member of the Heaven Demon Phoenix Tribe.
If this woman became overly confident and thought a Dou Saint could threaten him, that would bring trouble.
He would soon head to Tian Gang Hall and wanted no complications during this time.
Feng Qing Er felt the cold killing intent transmitted through his hand, as well as the soul chains slightly tightening within her soul. With trembling lips, she said, "Yes, Master."
Xiao Yan stood, smiling with satisfaction. He waved his hand, and a deep white flame flew out, freezing Huang Pei's corpse that had reverted to its original form after death. He stored it in his storage ring.
He had heard the Ancient Void Dragon Tribe fed on the Heaven Demon Phoenix Tribe. Zi Yan had probably never tasted such high-grade ingredients. When she emerged from seclusion, he would give it to her to nourish her body.
Meow!
Mao Wu drilled out of the blood pool with a splash, shook off the blood fire, and leaped onto Xiao Yan's shoulder.
What disappointed Xiao Yan was that Mao Wu still hadn't broken through to become a Heaven Seed Flame. He felt it had absorbed enough energy: the vast Heavenly Flame energy from the Three Thousand Burning Flame's space plus all the Heaven Phoenix essence blood from Heaven Phoenix Mountain.
But reaching the Heaven Seed Flame stage seemed to require additional conditions.
"Never mind. I'll ask Hun Huzi after reaching the Hall of Souls. There's still some time. I'll head back to the Yan Alliance first."
Since winning the championship and returning once, Xiao Yan hadn't been back for almost a year. He wondered how much Xiao Xiao and Xiao Cai had grown.
Black flames burned through the void. Having reached quasi-Heaven Seed Flame level, Mao Wu traversed the void with increasing ease. Now even a 9-star Dou Venerate's barrier couldn't contain it.
If it reached the Heaven Seed Flame stage, it could probably traverse barriers cast by ordinary Half-Saints and Dou Saints.
Black flames enveloped Xiao Yan as he vanished.
Feng Qing Er remained vigilant even after his departure, checking repeatedly and waiting a good while before finally releasing a sigh of relief. She hugged herself and submerged completely into the blood pool.
Only after Xiao Yan left did she truly feel her body's warmth return.
The incomparably powerful Huang Pei, whom she had once worshipped as a genius, had died just like that, without even the ability to resist!
This was the Hall of Souls' terror! They possessed powerful Soul Techniques, the bane of all magical beasts!
Those strange soul illusions and Soul Skills had trapped her without her even knowing.
"Xiao Yan Xiao Yan Xiao Yan Xiao Yan Xiao Yan Xiao Yan Xiao Yan Xiao Yan Xiao Yan Xiao Yan Xiao Yan!!" Long after his departure, Feng Qing Er ground her teeth, the name squeezing out between them.
A vicious glint appeared in her eyes, but deep within that viciousness lay profound fear, and beneath that fear seemed to hide something else.
This thing was definitely not emotion.
Toward Xiao Yan, she felt nothing!
…
Having broken through to 3-star Dou Venerate with a physique matching an ordinary Rank 8 Ancient Void Dragon, plus Mao Wu's evolution to quasi-Heaven Seed Flame, Xiao Yan's void-traversing speed was astonishingly fast.
Even if Hei Qing traveled through the void with all his might, he wouldn't necessarily be much faster.
In just five days, Xiao Yan crossed from the Beast Region, traversing the entire Dou Qi Continent to reach the Yan Alliance. He needed to meet with Venerable Tian Huo and his second brother Xiao Li.
Since Xiao Yan had always cultivated outside, seeking opportunities and improving his strength, he understood little about the Hall of Souls.
Before leaving Holy Pill City, he had instructed Venerable Tian Huo to inquire about the three Tian Gang Halls, to understand the Hall of Souls in the Central Plains, and whether any Hall of Souls Venerates required special attention.
What strength did the so-called Nine Great Tianzun possess? To what degree had the Deputy Hall Chief and Hall Chief's strength reached?
As the saying goes: know yourself and know your enemy, and you can fight a hundred battles without defeat. If Xiao Yan blindly barged into Tian Gang Hall knowing nothing, what if he committed something unforgivable or broke some rule or missed some opportunity? Even as an alchemist second only to Hun Huzi, that would not be good.
The Hall of Souls represented both danger and opportunity.
Upon returning to the Yan Alliance, Xiao Yan naturally went first to Cai Lin's palace, but once again came up empty.
Cai Lin shared his intense desire for power. After giving birth to Xiao Xiao and Xiao Cai, she had channeled even more energy into improving her cultivation.
After Xiao Yan won the Pill Gathering championship, Cai Lin, who had broken through to 1-star Dou Venerate, led the Yan Alliance's elite experts to reclaim territories lost over the years.
She launched a massive revenge campaign, forcing the Wind Lightning Pavilion to surrender three pavilions and most of their territory. The Northern Pavilion Master Fei Tian, who had once attacked Xiao Yan in the Heaven Eye Mountain Range, was killed by a single palm strike from Cai Lin, his soul scattered to the winds.
If not for Venerable Lei being a peak 3-star Dou Venerate, where fighting the Eastern Pavilion to the death would cause heavy casualties among Yan Alliance members, Cai Lin might have uprooted the entire Wind Lightning Pavilion!
Occupying three Wind Lightning Pavilion branches naturally yielded considerable resources and secret realms. Using these, Cai Lin entered seclusion, planning to continue her efforts and break through to 2-star Dou Venerate.
This clearly showed just how extraordinary Xiao Yan's improvement speed truly was. Even Cai Lin, who had activated the Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python bloodline, couldn't keep pace with this monster.
"Xiao Xiao, Xiao Cai, I'm back!"
"Daddy!" Xiao Xiao called out in a sweet, childish voice from the courtyard of the Xiao Clan's grand residence on Cloud Mountain, where he was playing with Xiao Cai.
A warm smile spread across Xiao Yan's face as he opened his arms. If Feng Qing Er were here, she would have looked as if she had seen a ghost. This demon had such a side?
The next second, Xiao Yan's eyes widened in surprise. Xiao Xiao stepped directly on the void, rushing into his embrace in a single bound.
Xiao Cai was weaker but not much slower. She coiled around Xiao Yan's arm, flicking her snake tongue with happy hissing sounds.
Cai Lin was a magical beast, so Xiao Yan naturally accepted Xiao Cai as his child.
"Xiao Cai, I'll refine some pills for magical beasts later to nourish your body." Xiao Yan stroked Xiao Cai's scales. He hadn't expected twins back then, so he had only refined one First Start Pill.
Moreover, the First Start Pill was for humans. Xiao Yan lacked beast pill recipes with similar effects. He would need to slowly research new recipes based on the Heaven Swallowing Python's characteristics.
Hiss hiss!
Xiao Cai nodded happily. Not only had Xiao Yan not known, but even Cai Lin and the four elders hadn't known they were having twins. So the Heaven Soul Blood Bone Pill and Soul Pills used in the Snake-People Tribe's secret technique, plus the Half-Saint essence blood, had all been absorbed by Xiao Xiao.
This resulted in Xiao Xiao being extremely powerful while Xiao Cai remained in her juvenile stage, needing to improve her strength gradually.
"Young Master Xiao Yan, you've returned." Qing Lin walked in slowly from outside the courtyard.
Dressed in a simple green dress, Qing Lin resembled the girl next door. She had grown to be tall and graceful, beautiful and moving. Every glance and smile radiated warmth.
That graceful figure combined with those pure eyes was simply criminal.
"Qing Lin has become even more beautiful," Xiao Yan said with a smile. His heart had always been accommodating toward this girl with a pitiful background.
Qing Lin's cheeks flushed slightly at his praise. She nervously wrung her fingers together. No matter how much she grew, before Xiao Yan she remained that little girl he had met in the mercenary company.
Before long, news of Xiao Yan's return spread throughout the entire Xiao Clan residence. Xiao Zhan arrived, along with Xiao Ding and Xiao Li.
As the Yan Alliance grew stronger, so did the Xiao Clan. In the Jia Ma Empire, the Xiao Clan had long become the empire's foremost clan, with ever-increasing numbers of disciples.
Xiao Yan's tense nerves slowly relaxed at the beaming smile on his father's face.
For Xiao Zhan, the Xiao Clan's return to Jia Ma Sacred City and current status already deeply satisfied him. It had restored the clan to what it had been when his own father, Xiao Lin, still lived.
To him, the Central Plains were too distant, and the Xiao Clan of a thousand years ago even more remote.
After drinking and making merry with his family late into the night, Qing Lin finally took Xiao Xiao and Xiao Cai away.
"Sigh, that girl Qing Lin must have owed our Xiao Clan in her past life to be repaying the debt in this one." Eldest brother Xiao Ding glanced at Xiao Yan, speaking up for Qing Lin.
"Hahaha, Big Brother and I were originally afraid you'd wallow in despair, so we found you a future bride to raise. Who would have thought you'd have such ridiculously good luck with women!" Xiao Li laughed loudly, slapping Xiao Yan hard on the shoulder.
In the beginning, Xiao Ding and Xiao Li had found Qing Lin in the desert after her mother died. Thinking of the still-young Xiao Yan in the clan, and feeling his chances with Xun Er were slim, they'd brought her back as a future wife for him.
As it turned out, Xun Er did return to her clan, but Xiao Yan's luck with women proved remarkably potent…
Meeting Xiao Yan ruined a woman for life!
The helpless Xiao Yan could only punish himself with three cups of wine. What could he say? He could only remain silent.
"Speaking of which... what do you plan to do about Xun Er?" Xiao Ding asked with concern.
Who would have thought that matters of the heart would become Xiao Yan's greatest trouble!
Mentioning Xun Er made Xiao Yan fall silent for a moment. After a sip of wine, a sharp glint flashed through his eyes. "In less than two years, I'll personally visit the Gu Clan. No matter what obstacles arise, I won't give up!"
"Haha, good! Second Brother supports you. If you need help, just say the word," Xiao Li said with a laugh.
Xiao Ding suddenly remembered something. "Oh right, Third Brother, we found a Heavenly Flame."
"Heavenly Flame?!" Xiao Yan was completely stunned.
You guys found another one?!
"To be precise, it wasn't us but the Yan Alliance. Or rather, Ya Fei went to buy it."
"Ah???" Xiao Yan was utterly bewildered. Heavenly Flames could be bought?
Xiao Ding said irritably, "You're probably the only one in the entire Yan Alliance who didn't know. Among the missions the Yan Alliance issues to various cities, finding Heavenly Flames always ranks first with the highest reward. Even just information about Heavenly Flames carries extremely generous compensation."
"Every time the Yan Alliance occupies new territory or the Miteer Auction House opens a new branch, they post the highest bounties at local mercenary companies—all for finding Heavenly Flames."
This was the advantage of a large faction. The Yan Alliance's current sphere of influence was truly vast.
Just like when Ice River Valley searched for Little Fairy Doctor. The entire Central Plains received their bounty order.
Only now did Xiao Yan realize that the Yan Alliance had always been helping him search for Heavenly Flames. They all knew he needed them.
The Yan Alliance searched the entire world for Heavenly Flames. Even the tiniest piece of news would prompt Yan Alliance members to verify its authenticity. Dou Ancestors like Hai Bodong, Jia Xing Tian, and Bai Ya personally investigated the more dangerous locations.
A Dou Ancestor could subdue lower-ranked Heavenly Flames.
But this time was different. What Xiao Yan never expected was that in a distant city under Sound Valley's jurisdiction in the Southern Region, an auction actually offered a Heavenly Flame for sale!
Ranked 23rd on the Heavenly Flame Ranking: Mysterious Yellow Flame.
Devouring Heavenly Flames meant gambling with one's life. Not everyone was willing to risk it, especially for the lowest-ranked Mysterious Yellow Flame. The Dou Ancestor who obtained it ultimately chose to auction it off.
The Southern Region and North-Western Region were extremely far apart. The Dou Qi Continent's vastness meant news rarely traveled such distances. Without the Miteer Auction House's widespread branches and the Yan Alliance's Heavenly Flame bounty, no one would have known.
Ya Fei, who received the earliest news, traveled thousands of miles to that auction.
Xiao Yan's heart immediately tightened. "Where's Sister Ya Fei?"
"She should be back soon..."