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--- Chapter 227 ---
BOOM!
AAAAAAAGH!
Thunderclap rolled in the gloomy forest, followed by a buzzing noise as thousands, if not more, screams gradually weakened as if they had taken a damaging hit.
Xiao Yixian crossed her arms as countless dust particles and shockwaves pushed her back. She watched her brother beat, no, discipline the Ten Thousand Beast Flame with a chokehold and fists to the face.
Han Yuan didn't persuade the Heavenly Flame with a single word. In fact, these red Magical Beasts made from the Heavenly Flame's blood power are no different than a punching bag to him.
For some reason, even she felt bad for this juvenile Heavenly Flame.
'Wait, how did he touch these intangible spirits?' Although Xiao Yixian also cultivated spiritual power, which allowed her to do the same thing, she didn't sense any of it from Han Yuan.
And the answer to that is simple. While the Spirit Skill works differently in this world, it is essentially a mixture of "spirit," "physical," and "energy" based attacks.
The 1st spirit skill of Clear Sky Ant King is Clear Sky Horn Transformation, which granted him an additional attribute, Extreme Penetration.
Extreme Penetration has a strong buff that allows Han Yuan to ignore his opponent's defense, which is tearing sky and earth apart. In other words, even if his enemy is an energy or spiritual entity, his attack could still hit them regardless!
And that's the wonder of Spirit Master's cultivation system. A spirit skill is equivalent to a secret art that can enhance a Dou Fighter's cultivation temporarily, but it is better and consumes less.
Not to mention, a secret art can be damaging if not practiced correctly, but a spirit skill? It is like a second instinct to a Spirit Master!
After beating, no, teaching the Heavenly Flame a lesson for a while, Han Yuan finally stopped and deactivated his transformation spirit skill, thus causing his runic tattoo to stop glowing and wrap his arm with Storm's Belt again.
Han Yuan stared at the flickering blood-colored flame, swaying gently as if afraid of making him angry. "Heh, looks like you're not that imperfect after all."
"Developing a spirit is just a matter of accumulation."
"But for me, it's a bit too long..."
Han Yuan's silver eyes gleamed with ghostly white light as he raised his palm and mumbled, "Souls, rise."
The resentments in the forest awakened by Han Yuan's sudden command, responding to his call, before rushing toward the Ten Thousand Beast Flame in haste.
The blood-colored Heavenly Flame jerked as the souls of many beasts merged with it violently, growing bigger and then smaller, back and forth for minutes.
Xiao Yixian approached Han Yuan nervously, "Are you okay?"
"Mm, I'm alright." Han Yuan replied while focusing on controlling the dead spirits.
"Phew, that's good." Xiao Yixian sighed in relief. "What are you doing with the Heavenly Flame then?"
Han Yuan smiled faintly, "Let's just say I'm helping it develop a brand new intelligence."
"Well, though it was a bit rough."
After all, Han Yuan rarely uses souls like this. He believed the dead should be at peace. Of course, if the situation demanded it, he had no choice but to be cruel.
Call him a hypocrite, whatever, but that's just the way it is.
Eventually, the blood-colored Heavenly Flame reduced to the size of a tennis ball, but its heat and aura are as powerful as Dou Emperor's.
At the same time, the Heavenly Flame also gained a form.
Meow~!
A blood-colored kitten appeared before their eyes!
Xiao Yixian's eyes lit up, "So cute!"
The kitten is even smaller than Han Yuan's palm. Its fur is crimson in color with black and blue spots in some areas. Yet, what caught their attention was the kitten's intelligence, silver eyes that mimicked Han Yuan's, and two swaying tails.
"Yixian, you name it," said Han Yuan casually.
Xiao Yixian's eyes lit up even more. "Really?"
"Then..."
"Let's call you..."
"Enma."
Xiao Yixian puffed her chest, "Brother, from now on, Enma is yours; she will be your blade against your enemy!"
"..." Han Yuan was speechless.
'Maybe I should tell her fewer bedtime stories. Even then, the culture is spreading fast.'
But since Xiao Yixian has named the cat Heavenly Flame, there is nothing Han Yuan could do about it. He scratched the purring fire and contracted it as his first wild Heavenly Flame.
The seed of Golden Emperor Sky Burning Flame didn't count as it was a byproduct of the existing Heavenly Flame. However, it has the potential to surpass the real one with his assistance.
So, right now, Han Yuan possessed two Heavenly Flames.
...
...
"And we are finally back." Xiao Yixian sighed in relief upon seeing the gate of Wu Tan City.
The current Wu Tan City is different; it has grown into a bigger city and an economic force within the Jia Ma Empire.
The reason? Primer Clan's massive investment!
Under Yafei's secret manipulation of the market and supply of high-quality products, whether it was medicinal liquids, cultivation pills, or cosmetics, investment was being drawn into the city.
To avoid drawing excessive attention to Han Yuan, Yafei also strategically invested in other smaller cities, such as those on the borders, over the past five years.
This method of spreading her investments successfully masked Yafei's market manipulation, much to Han Yuan's surprise.
Fortunately, no one suspects Wu Tan City so far. No one has grasped the fact that all the profits from those cities are flowing back to Wu Tan City.
Wu Tan City is bigger and more prosperous. Not only did the economy and population grow, but the authority inside was also 'naturally' being arranged over the five years.
Still, the three "former" major clans hold some authority, as does Primer Auction House and Soaring Wind Dojo. Regardless, with the expansion, the addition of newcomers like the branch of Misty Cloud Sect, Thunder Sword School, and the Alchemist Association's branch, it's hard for them to achieve something significant.
Or so the people thought.
On the surface, no one has absolute authority in Wu Tan City. The truth is, whether it is the Jie Lie Clan, Ao Ba Clan, Primer Auction House, Thunder Sword School, Misty Cloud Sect's branch, or Alchemist Association, they are under Soaring Wind Dojo's influence.
In fact, the Thunder Sword School is part of the Martial Union that Han Yuan devised when recruiting Meng Xi and those orphans. He planned to open more, but not in the Jia Ma Empire.
The only force Han Yuan didn't control was the Xiao Clan, which Gu Xun'er advised him not to because the Xiao Clan was under her Gu Clan's strict protection, much to her displeasure.
Gu Xun'er said it has something to do with a pact that the ancestors of the Xiao Clan made with the Gu Clan. She didn't know much, but how could Han Yuan not?
As the reader of BTTH, Han Yuan knew that Wu Tan City's Xiao Clan was the remains of the Ancient Xiao Clan.
They might have lost their foundation, bloodline power, but they are still one of the Ancient Clans, and with Xiao Yan's breakthrough to the Dou God Realm in the future, they will become the 'strongest' force in the Dou Qi Continent.
Gu Xun'er was sent to the Xiao Clan, not only to monitor it but also to look for a clue to Dou God's inheritance. Yes, the Ancient Emperor Tou She's inheritance, which the Ancient Clans had part of.
The protagonist, Xiao Yan, held one of the keys to unlock that inheritance, which is what Gu Xun'er looks for. Yet, due to the heroine's love-brainness in the original, she didn't tell her clan about it.
She silently supported Xiao Yan's journey to greatness, very much like any good heroine does.
But that changed with the appearance of Han Yuan. Five years ago, the relationship between Gu Xun'er and Xiao Yan grew distant.
It's hard to believe, but Han Yuan wasn't the cause of it. Well, he was part of it.
After losing to Han Yuan, Xiao Yan had become a training maniac, every day training himself to become stronger and avenge his loss. He even neglected his childhood sweetheart heroine.
At first, it was just a 'simple' misunderstanding. Gu Xun'er would visit Xiao Yan constantly and encourage him. Then, she learned that Xiao Yan had become a vengeful soul.
Xiao Yan wanted to defeat Han Yuan so badly to repay what he had done that day.
Gu Xun'er persuaded Xiao Yan not to do it, but being a hot-blooded kid, Xiao Yan berated her in split-second anger.
Gu Xun'er couldn't believe Xiao Yan would scold her for something like this. And the more they argued about it, the more distant their relationship became.
Gu Xun'er started to see the "bad" side of Xiao Yan, without all the love-brain filters she had before. The arrogance, pettiness, and hatred in Xiao Yan made her feel revulsion.
Weirdly, Gu Xun'er hasn't completely given up on Xiao Yan. At the end of the day, they are a fated couple in this world. She still has a lingering hope that Xiao Yan can reform himself and become a better person.
Unfortunately, that was about to take an abrupt turn.
About three months ago, the matriarch of Xiao Clan, Xiao Yan's mother, passed away due to an incurable and mysterious illness. And before she passed away, she handed a "ring" to Xiao Yan.
A few days later, Xiao Yan gradually lost his Dou Qi.
Yes, it was the end of Xiao Clan's genius, a genius who fell from his high and mighty throne!