Over the course of two days, besides Chen Guan, the other nine top ten of the Alchemy Conference were successfully selected.
As expected, Elder Qinghua, Cao Ying, Dan Chen, Cao Dan, and the others were among them, earning a chance to enter the star field and encounter the Three Thousand Flames.
Of course, this would only happen if Chen Guan returned empty-handed.
"Tomorrow, the star field will be opened, and you will enter to subdue the Three Thousand Flames."
"That star field is a space that the three of us tore apart and enshrouded in a powerful seal, concealing it within the starry sky. The Three Thousand Flames are also sealed within it,"
Xuan Kongzi recounted slowly in the study.
Upon hearing the news regarding the Three Thousand Flames, the crowd at the front perked up and listened intently.
"Because of the long seal, the Three Thousand Flames have developed a deep resentment towards Danta, and especially towards the three of us. If it escapes, it will inevitably launch a massive revenge against Danta."
"Furthermore, when the star field opens, the three of us must maintain the seal and not enter. Therefore, once you enter the star field, remember to act within your capabilities. If you find yourself unable to do so, you must abandon it, lest you arouse the Three Thousand Flames. Furthermore, the alien fires have violent tempers, and subduing them may be risky. Take this bead with you. If the Three Thousand Flames become uncontrollable, immediately crush it, and the formidable warriors of Danta will swiftly arrive to assist."
As Xuan Kongzi finished his words, four jade beads flew from his sleeves and hovered in front of Chen Guan, Cao Ying, Dan Chen, and Elder Qinghua.
Clearly, they believed that only four of them had a chance of subduing the Three Thousand Flames.
For the other six, Cao Dan and the others, their chances weren't hopeless, but rather slim.
Chen Guan and the others accepted the jade beads, nodding their heads in remembrance.
"Don't be too nervous. Without the Soul Palace's interference on this trip, as long as we manage things properly, I think nothing will go wrong."
Seeing everyone's serious expressions, Xuan Kongzi chuckled.
For Danta, the Three Thousand Flames were a potential threat. As long as it didn't fall into the hands of the Soul Palace, anyone could surrender.
With the Soul Palace eliminated, the only remaining issue was internal competition, and even the worst outcome was acceptable.
After briefly discussing the opening of the star field with the three giants, Chen Guan and his group exited the hall.
Once outside, Chen Guan didn't linger for long, turning back to his own courtyard.
If everything went smoothly on this journey to the star field, he might be 'disappeared' for a long time.
At this critical juncture, it was essential to arrange for the people around him, especially Little Medical Immortal and Yun Yun.
After spending a few minutes briefings with Skyfire Venerable and Old Monster Youdu, Chen Guan briskly returned to his room. Little Medical Immortal and Yun Yun had been waiting for him for a long time.
Clearly, they had anticipated the possibility that Chen Guan might be unable to leave for a long time due to refining the strange fire.
Red candles, gauze curtains, brocade screens, mandarin ducks, two graceful figures, tender and affectionate, their crimson, shimmering earlobes the epitome of worldly allure.
Their eyes met, and silence spoke louder than words. All thoughts of cultivation, of strange fire, were forgotten by Chen Guan.
Tonight was the night his dream would come true!
The door locked with a clang, but before Chen Guan could act, a sharp banging sound echoed.
Unconsciously driven, driven by a relentless drive to achieve his goal, Chen Guan had to open the door and step out, his face sullen.
"What are you doing?"
"Master Chen Guan, I think little aunt Zi Yan is right. I can't truly realize the value of these herbs if I keep them. I might as well give them all to you. Master Chen Guan, you're a skilled alchemist. When you find something suitable, just leave a few for me."
Xiong Zhan clutched the back of his head with one hand and handed over a storage ring with the other, his face completely blank, as if he hadn't noticed anything unusual.
The medicinal herbs contained within the ring were enough to make any alchemist envious, and Chen Guan had long anticipated this moment. But at this moment, he wasn't as happy as he'd imagined.
"Thank you, I accept it. If you don't mind, use this Mingzun Pill for now. It will accelerate your cultivation. I'll keep a copy for you when I find a suitable pill later."
Accepting the ring, Chen Guan pulled out a jade bottle as a return gift.
The Mingzun Pill, ranked eighth grade, is one of the few Douzun-level pills that can accelerate cultivation.
Chen Guan obtained the pill in the Sound Valley, and it has since become his favorite practice target. He's already privately given two each to Little Medical Fairy and Skyfire Venerable. He
had originally intended to give this pill to the old monster Youdu, but unfortunately, fate had it so, so he had to give it to Xiong Zhan as a return gift. It wasn't that he held a grudge.
"No problem, no problem! Master Chen Guan, you keep busy. I'm going to practice!"
Xiong Zhan accepted it with delight, gripping the jade bottle tightly, not afraid of crushing it. He thanked him profusely before turning and leaving, as happy as a 500-pound child.
After seeing Xiong Zhan off, Chen Guan shook his head and chuckled. Just as he was about to return to the important things in his life, an old man appeared in his sight.
His smile faltered slightly, leaving only resignation.
"Master Yao, you're here so late, is there something important?"
"Haha, young man, we're old acquaintances. Let's be frank. I came here tonight to make a deal with you!"
"Oh?"
...
Under the night sky, the old man and the young man bargained for over ten minutes, finally reaching a consensus and each getting what they wanted.
"Excellent elixir! But in my opinion, this elixir seems to have far more benefits than just boosting aptitude and restoring peak strength. The Wind-Musting Fruit and the Tribulation Lotus are both herbs that strengthen one's foundation... It seems the young man is quite confident about tomorrow's journey."
While laymen may see the excitement, experts see the details.
Yao Chen had already guessed some of Chen Guan's plans simply by the elixir formula.
It must be said, the old man is quite capable! Having
seen through some of Chen Guan's plans, Chen Guan didn't deny it, chuckling softly, "I don't fight unprepared battles. It's always better to be thorough."
Yao Chen nodded in agreement, saying nothing more. He bowed slightly and slipped away.
The courtyard finally quieted down. Chen Guan didn't rush back to his room, but instead glanced at the shadowy corner. He wondered why so many people had gathered tonight.
"Zi Yan, how long have you been spying?"
Silence lingered for a moment, then a rustling sound was heard.
"Hehe, I just got here and didn't see anything. Besides, you didn't do anything shameful. It won't hurt if I take a look."
The space rippled slightly, and the elusive little dragon man emerged, laughing as usual, but it made the two girls in the room blush.
Emerging from the shadows, Zi Yan tossed her purple ponytail, her hands clasped behind her back, head held high and chest puffed out. She walked incredibly slowly, each step until she reached Chen Guan. Only then did she look at him with a feigned seriousness and profoundness.
"Ye, Wumian, this elder calculated with my fingers and realized I've missed something. Fang, Fang... um, what was Fang?"
"Speak human!" Chen Guan frowned.
"Okay, look, you're going into that star field tomorrow to find the Three Thousand Flames, Fire, Fire, Fire, Fire, Fire? I've come tonight specifically to lend you a hand!" She
became more serious, but not completely, still looking very dignified.
Chen Guan didn't correct her further. His thoughts shifted, and he began to understand the little girl's intentions.
Her help would make it much easier to subdue the Three Thousand Flames.
He understood, but seeing the girl's smug expression, Chen Guan chuckled, his disbelief evident on his face.
"What's your attitude?" Seeing this, Zi Yan was somewhat dissatisfied and snorted, "Without my help, I guarantee that it would be extremely difficult for you to subdue the Three Thousand Flames! Even if your mental strength is comparable to those old men, it would be difficult to succeed!"
"Oh?"
Chen Guan's face darkened, looking frightened.
Seeing this, the girl snorted and chuckled complacently.
"No way, you don't really think the Three Thousand Flames are that easy to subdue, do you? This is a strange fire that even the three giants of Danta were helpless against and had to seal away. Do you still want to force it?"
"And I'm sure that the Three Thousand Flames now possess intelligence comparable to that of a human. It's not like that Fallen Heart Flame in the inner courtyard of Canaan Academy, which was easily defeated."
"Do you have a solution?"
Chen Guan was worried, but then, as if a flash of inspiration hit him, he thought of the key. He looked at her with hope, giving the little girl plenty of room to show off.
Seeing Chen Guan finally swallow his pride and ask, Zi Yan raised her face even higher, looking at people at a 45-degree angle, and patting her chest loudly.
"Of course, I'm the legendary all-knowing, omnipotent Lady Zi Yan. I can tell you, but you have to promise me one thing unconditionally. Otherwise, hmph~"
"Okay, tell me, what is it?"
"I haven't thought of it yet. I'll tell you when I do."
Chen Guan rolled his eyes at this. This damn sense of déjà vu...
"Okay, then, can we talk about it now?"
"Hehe, watch this."
Zi Yan smiled slyly, returning to her usual self. She reached out her hands from behind her back,
and as her small hands clenched, a rich purple light suddenly emerged. The purple light pulsated violently, and soon, before Chen Guan's gaze, it transformed into a half-foot-long purple dragon.
The dragon's eyes were closed, its body coiled. Although it was only an illusion, a faint, terrifying dragon-like aura permeated it.
"You haven't seen it yet. The Three Thousand Flames appear exactly like this, and my Grand Void Ancient Dragon Clan also looks like this. Hehe, exactly the same. What do you think is the reason?"
Chen Guan paused for a moment before answering without hesitation.
"There's only one truth: you Grand Void Ancient Dragon Clan are all transformed from Strange Fire!"
Zi Yan's smile froze in disbelief, her mind reeling from the shock of this answer.
Seeing her expression, Little Medical Immortal and Yun Yun, watching through the doorway, couldn't help but chuckle and walked out.
"Zi Yan, don't listen to his nonsense. He's just teasing you. The Three Thousand Flames are the same as you. Isn't the answer obvious? It means that the Three Thousand Flames were also a Grand Void Ancient Dragon many years ago, but for some reason, they transformed into Strange Fire!"
Little Medical Immortal stated with conviction.
Zi Yan's mouth dropped open, confused as to how he had come to this conclusion.
Ultimately, Yun Yun couldn't bear to tease her and rolled her eyes at the two clever people.
"Stop messing around, and listen to what Zi Yan has to say."
Seeing the smiles on the three faces, Zi Yan suddenly realized what was going on. She immediately stopped keeping the secret, fearing an even more shocking answer.
"Actually, the Three Thousand Flames have been raised by our clan for a long time!"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yixian and Yun Yun's smiles turned to surprise.
Chen Guan, however, wasn't surprised.
"This is some information I learned after I returned to the clan. Old man Qi locked me up in the library for a long time, so I looked around and found records about the Three Thousand Flames. I knew you would be interested in this thing, so I took the time to read it."
"Many, many years ago, when the Three Thousand Flames was still in its embryonic form, an elder of our clan discovered it. However, the Three Thousand Flames was too weak at that time, and it would have no effect if it were taken away. So that elder left a dragon seal in the body of the Three Thousand Flames. This is why the Three Thousand Flames has grown into the same shape as our clan."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yixian and Yun Yun's expressions changed slightly, and they both thought of the same thing.
"Don't worry. If that senior were still alive, it might make sense that the Three Thousand Flames belonged to an owner. However, according to clan records, that senior disappeared completely during a space travel. After all these years, the fate is obvious." Seeing the expressions on Xiao Yixian and Yun Yun's faces, Zi Yan understood their thoughts and explained with a smile.
Hearing this, the two women finally relaxed.
As close friends, they knew Chen Guan had put a lot of effort into the Three Thousand Flames.
If it truly was owned, he would certainly be disappointed.
Fortunately...
"Hehe, we should be thankful that the senior left a dragon mark within the Three Thousand Flames. With this mark, we'll save a lot of effort. Otherwise, if he really forced it, Chen Guan would have a very difficult time taming it."
Zi Yan chuckled, clenched her small hand, and a small jade bottle appeared in her hand.
Within the jade bottle flowed a drop of dark golden liquid, and a faint, extremely powerful dragon aura emanated from it.
"Blood of the Taixu Ancient Dragon?" Chen Guan's eyes narrowed.
"Not only that, but this elder's blood!"
Zi Yan explained the origins of the item as she unwaveringly pulled Chen Guan's arm and carefully dripped blood from the jade bottle onto his palm.
Immediately, her handprint shifted dramatically, and the dark golden blood immediately flowed and dissolved, forming a strange rune that clung to Chen Guan's palm. At first glance, it resembled a pigeon blood tattoo.
"Alright, now you have my blood in you, and from now on, you're mine!"
"What is this?" Little Medical Immortal asked, ignoring the girl's joke.
"Dragon Seal!" Chen Guan replied curtly.
Then he added, "Brother Hei Qing also implanted one in me before, but it's a little different from this one."
Zi Yan nodded slightly. "Of course, this one is mine, so it's definitely the best. With this dragon seal, once you enter the star field, force the blood in your palm to the surface, then find a way to face Sanqian Yanhuo's forehead. The dragon seal hidden within it will be activated. From then on, it's a battle between you and its consciousness. Either you control it, or it controls you."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yixian and Yun Yun's expressions changed slightly.
"Is there no other way?" Yun Yun couldn't help but ask.
They couldn't bear the consequences of failure.
"There's no other way. The Three Thousand Flames, known as the Immortal Fire, can only be defeated with absolute power, effectively annihilating it. A contest of attrition with it is fruitless. For me, the only way to subdue the Three Thousand Flames is through a conscious confrontation. Zi Yan's Dragon Seal allows me to focus on other factors without having to contend with them. Simply battling the Three Thousand Flames' consciousness is already impressive. Don't worry, I've never lost in this area!"
Chen Guan took over, reassuring him with a confident smile.
With the right timing, location, and people, what was there to fear from a mere Xiao Yan?
"Don't worry, Sister Yun Yun. I learned this Dragon Seal by asking Old Man Qi to retrieve it from a sleeping elder of the clan. Its rank is definitely higher than the one arbitrarily set by that Dou Zun-level senior."
"Therefore, Chen Guan will be the one taking the initiative when battling the Three Thousand Flames, and his success rate will be relatively higher!"
(End of Chapter)