"Hmph." The shadowy figure of demonic flame let out a cold laugh at Xiao Yan's rebuttal, but didn't respond further. As spatial ripples flickered, the silhouette faded into the depths of the Heavenly Tomb. Yet the grave expression on Xiao Yan's face didn't dissipate. Though his words had been brash, he held immense caution toward this mysterious figure.
Even if that projection was nothing more than an echo, the pressure it exuded surpassed even that of Long Nixian, who was a Immortal-grade Heavenly Sovereign. For someone to radiate such oppressive force from a mere remnant projection, it meant the original body must belong to a pinnacle among Immortal Heavenly Sovereigns — perhaps even a Saint-grade.
From Lu Heng's memories, Xiao Yan had already learned the name of the projection's owner — the Saint Heavenly Demon Emperor.
The title "Demon Emperor" was only used by the rulers among the Extraterritorial Evil Race. Their hierarchy consisted of the Sky, Profound, and Nether levels — mirroring the Spiritual, Immortal, and Saint grades of the Great Thousand World. The Saint Heavenly Demon Emperor was the apex of that pyramid, a being whose presence would surely shake even the Evil Race itself.
Still, Xiao Yan hadn't lied — he truly was intrigued by the strange flame that dwelled within the Saint Heavenly Demon Emperor. Given the opponent's terrifying strength, that flame would naturally be an extraordinary one. If he could obtain and refine it through the Flame Mantra, his power would skyrocket once more.
'I must ascend to the Heavenly Sovereign level as soon as possible...' Xiao Yan murmured inwardly. Though he currently possessed combat strength that could rival ordinary Heavenly Sovereigns, it was far from enough to deal with existences of that caliber. If he truly advanced to that level, and coupled it with his unique techniques, even a confrontation with that monster wouldn't be hopeless.
He let out a soft sigh, then silently closed his eyes, beginning to refine the Saint Flood Flame. Although this flame might be considered negligible to the Saint Heavenly Demon Emperor, it still carried dangerous power for a peak Earth Sovereign.
Once he had fully merged it into his Emperor Flame, he could distinctly feel a surge in the flame's strength. Unfortunately, the boost didn't directly elevate his own cultivation level. Perhaps it was due to the immense difficulty of advancing beyond the upper Earth Sovereign tier, or perhaps because the Creation Green Lotus required several times the spiritual energy compared to others.
Xiao Yan had anticipated this. He understood well that unless he acquired truly powerful flames — such as the one borne by the Saint Heavenly Demon Emperor — it would be nearly impossible to replicate his past path of continuous breakthroughs via devouring Heavenly Flames like in the Dou Qi Continent.
Thus, he quickly redirected his focus. Aside from concocting new formulas and studying battle arrays, he also reviewed all the divine abilities he had mastered. With the techniques he looted from the Sacred Demon Palace and the Ice Spirit Clan, he intended to enhance his Demon Wrath Nine Absolutes further.
But this temporary peace didn't last long.
Just as Xiao Yan was refining medicine in his room like usual, Qing Tan pushed the door open and hurried in.
"Xiao Yan, there's trouble!"
"What happened?" Xiao Yan raised his brow slightly.
"The men we sent to purchase medicinal ingredients came back with barely half the usual amount." Qing Tan bit her lower lip, worry flashing in her eyes. "I had someone investigate. It turns out that someone's been buying up all the ingredients ahead of us."
Due to the Endless Fire Domain's official sale of Spiritual Pills, numerous medicinal shops had sprung up across the southern region of the Tianluo Continent, like mushrooms after a rain. These shops offered ingredients at prices lower than those of the major guilds. Thus, the Endless Fire Domain relied on them for regular procurement.
"So that's it." Xiao Yan nodded lightly, his expression calm as he continued sifting herbs. "Looks like those dogs are finally getting restless."
"Those dogs?" Qing Tan blinked. "You mean..."
"Who else? The other powers of the Southern Region, of course." Xiao Yan smirked. "Selling pills is incredibly profitable. In just a month, we've made more than those forces could in years. You think they aren't jealous? Obviously, they're behind this. They want to use this trick to pressure me into sharing profits."
"What do we do then?" Qing Tan's expression tensed. Though she had managed forces before, commerce was never her strong suit. And this time, they were facing coordinated pressure from multiple factions. In Xiao Yan's circle, only Hun Dai'er or Ya Fei might have the experience to handle it.
"Simple. We stay steady and fight back." Xiao Yan chuckled. "Tell the buyers to offer twice the usual rate for ingredients. Also, instruct them to demand exclusivity — those suppliers must not sell to anyone else."
"A price war?" Qing Tan's eyes widened.
"Just a commercial battle, nothing new. These fools think I'll back down just because of that?" Xiao Yan's tone remained relaxed. "This little ploy is far too weak to make me fold."
"Alright." Qing Tan let out a breath of relief. As she was about to leave and relay his orders, Xiao Yan added casually, "Oh, and tell them — if double isn't enough, offer triple. If that still doesn't work, make it fivefold. If even that fails, then ten times. No matter what, we must seize the entire medicinal ingredient market."
"But if we do that... our profits will drop a lot..." Qing Tan hesitated. Even if she wasn't a merchant, she knew that buying materials at ten times the cost would eat into their earnings.
"You're missing the point." Xiao Yan gave a mysterious smile. "In a situation like this, you have to burn money to control the board. If you don't, you won't earn a single copper in the end. Fortunately, we've just made a fortune. We can afford to spend. Besides..."
He paused for a moment, then added, "You've known me for quite a while now, haven't you? Have you ever seen me take a loss?"
That final remark settled Qing Tan's worries. Indeed, in her memory, Xiao Yan had never suffered any setbacks. If he dared to do this, he must have a plan.
(End of Chapter)
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