Chapter 184: Arrival
Inside the chamber—
Yao Yan sat cross-legged on a prayer mat, hands forming seals, his body enveloped in emerald-green flame. The surrounding energy of heaven and earth converged toward him at a visible rate. Under the refining power of the heavenly flame, it was transformed into pure dou qi that flowed into every corner of his body. At the same time, the demonic poison markings in his body were slowly being decomposed by the flames, converted into the purest energy, and absorbed into his cultivation, causing his aura to rise rapidly before the naked eye.
Whoosh—
With the sound of rolling waves, a deep blue flame floated out from his brow. As it emerged, it was guided by an invisible force, transforming into a rotating blue lotus of fire, elegant and exquisite like a crafted masterpiece.
Huff— Letting out a deep breath, Yao Yan slowly opened his eyes and gazed at the rotating Ocean Heart Flame before him.
This heavenly flame, taken from Han Feng, had been partially refined even before he devoured the Fallen Heart Flame. But he hadn't yet taken the final step—to use the Burning Formula to devour it completely and make it part of his own source.
His cultivation had advanced too quickly over the past year.
Had he absorbed the Ocean Heart Flame right then, the demonic poison markings in his body would have been further decomposed by the power of a third heavenly flame, and the resulting burst of energy could have pushed his strength directly to the level of a seven- or eight-star Dou Huang—something he wouldn't even be able to suppress.
But a raw boost in dou qi was meaningless. At the Dou Huang level, the difference between a four-star and an eight-star was minimal—just a few more powerful strikes. Only after entering the Dou Zong realm would the power gap begin to widen significantly.
Before that, it was more important to master every ounce of power within.
This was especially true for alchemists. If they couldn't control their own dou qi with precision, how could they refine high-grade pills?
After gazing at the Ocean Heart Flame for a while—
A bone-white flame floated out from Yao Yan's brow. Compared to the Ocean Heart Flame, the Bone Spirit Cold Flame was clearly of a higher grade. Having followed Yao Lao for hundreds of years, its power was far more formidable. However, since Yao Lao had willingly given it up and cooperated with the transfer, Yao Yan had successfully imprinted his soul on it.
"With one or two more years, I should be able to break into the Dou Zong realm…" Yao Yan muttered as he looked at the two flames before him.
As his voice faded, the emerald flame surrounding his body gradually receded. Moments later, a colorless, milky-white flame and a green flame floated out from his body. In front of him now were four distinct heavenly flames.
In one corner, a faint golden flame flickered weakly, barely perceptible, as if it could be extinguished at any moment.
This was the first flame Yao Yan had obtained: the tier-7 beast flame—Phantom Gold Flame.
With more heavenly flames devoured, the Phantom Gold Flame had been nearly assimilated. Its source had almost completely merged with the others. Fortunately, flames devoured through the Burning Formula could still be regenerated via dou qi evolution.
This was something Yao Yan had discovered after devouring the Green Lotus Core Flame.
Buzz~
A flash of brilliance gleamed in Yao Yan's eyes as a surge of soul force burst from his brow and poured into the five flames. With his hands forming seals, he commanded:
"Five-Wheel Departing Flame Technique—Wolf Spirit, condense!"
The moment he spoke, the Phantom Gold Flame solidified into a small wolf-shaped flame spirit that howled at the sky.
"Leopard Spirit, condense!"
"Lion Spirit, condense!"
"Tiger Spirit, condense!"
In one breath, he condensed four flame spirits. Although each was only the size of a chick, the toll on his soul force was enormous. The Five-Wheel Departing Flame Technique allowed for power amplification via dou qi, but to manifest five flame spirits, the user's soul strength was key.
Had Yao Yan's soul not reached the peak Spirit Realm, he wouldn't have dared attempt it.
"Dragon Spirit—rise!" Yao Yan gritted his teeth and transformed the Bone Spirit Cold Flame into a dragon-shaped fire spirit.
In that instant, sweat appeared on his forehead. His soul tingled—an early warning of overexertion.
Still, he endured. This technique was akin to a heaven-tier Dou Technique. Although it relied on arrays and the combination of four heavenly flames, any technique approaching heaven-rank possessed overwhelming power—capable of increasing one's combat strength a hundredfold or more.
That was the allure of Dou Techniques.
When all else was equal, the one with the stronger Dou Technique would almost always win.
"Five-Wheel Departing Flame Technique—Assemble!"
Yao Yan swallowed a soul-nourishing pill and quickly stabilized. He guided the five miniature flame spirits into an array formation. The hardest step was done—forming the array was much easier. As the flame spirits intertwined, a terrifying aura formed. Their individual powers intertwined in complex patterns, stacking atop one another and drawing in the energy of heaven and earth. The array's strength skyrocketed.
Yao Yan could feel his dou qi rapidly draining. In just a dozen breaths, over thirty percent was gone. With the consumption accelerating, he had to dispel the array—his four-star Dou Huang cultivation wasn't enough to sustain it for thirty breaths.
In battle, unless the enemy was also charging up a big move, no one would give him the time to pull this off.
"…You need to reach the Dou Zong realm to barely wield this technique properly." Dispelling the flame spirits, Yao Yan felt his soul relax. He now understood the preconditions clearly.
Without Spirit Realm soul power, one couldn't form the five flame spirits.
Without Dou Zong-level dou qi, one couldn't fully activate the flame spirits' powers—let alone fuel the array's consumption. Even if nature helped empower the technique, your own dou qi was the foundation. No fuel, no fire.
Like firing a Barrett sniper rifle—sure, it's powerful, but if you can't handle the recoil, you'll hurt yourself more than your target.
In the same way—
The stronger the technique, the harsher the requirements.
True heaven-tier techniques could only be cultivated by Dou Zun experts. The Five-Wheel Departing Flame Technique reached this level only by borrowing the power of five heavenly flames and an array. But aside from Burning Formula users, who could possibly wield it?
Like the Six-Meridian Divine Sword—if each sword was trained by a different person, it could never rival the true six-sword unity.
Understanding this, Yao Yan stopped experimenting with the technique. He absorbed the four flames back into his body. As his Burning Formula activated, the Fallen Heart Flame and Green Lotus Core Flame merged into emerald flame, flowing through his body. The Ocean Heart Flame and Bone Spirit Cold Flame remained in his soul, helping nourish it with spiritual energy, laying the groundwork for stepping into the Heavenly Realm.
After a short meditation—
Yao Yan raised his hand, summoned the Myriad Beast Cauldron and a large batch of medicinal ingredients, and began refining pills. For an alchemist, pill refinement was the best form of cultivation. It helped clarify one's strength and pushed the dou qi forward through constant consumption and replenishment.
…
For the next half month, strange phenomena continued to erupt over Black Seal City. Pill light pillars soared into the sky, thunderclouds gathered—countless experts from the Black-Corner Region came to watch in awe. During this time, Yuan Yi publicized Yao Yan's bounty list.
The bounties on Demon Flame Valley's Dou Huangs and Dou Wangs shocked many… but wealth moves the heart. Faced with the allure of Royal Extreme and Breaking Zong Pills, how many Dou Huangs could truly resist?
Earth Demon Old Ghost's seven-star Dou Zong power was enough to frighten many—but he couldn't protect everyone under him. Many sub-branches required their own guards, and those became the targets of Black-Corner Region experts.
One Dou Huang equaled one Royal Extreme Pill!
Three Dou Huangs meant a Breaking Zong Pill!
Ten Dou Wangs for a Royal Extreme Pill!
A hundred Dou Wangs for a Breaking Zong Pill!
Such prices, combined with the phenomena over Black Seal City, eventually lured someone into action. A group of veterans teamed up and wiped out a Demon Flame Valley branch, exchanging it for two Royal Extreme Pills!
Once news spread, the entire Black-Corner Region erupted. Everyone now had their eyes on Demon Flame Valley.
If they couldn't beat Earth Demon Old Ghost, they could still take down his subordinates.
Worst case, they'd go into hiding for ten years. What could Demon Flame Valley really do?
In truth—
Ever since Earth Demon Old Ghost was crippled by that elder from Canaan Academy, his prestige had plummeted. Legends are only scary when unbroken. Once shattered, they become a joke.
But in the end, it was all about profit.
The Black-Corner Region's experts were anything but saints.
Faced with mass predation, Demon Flame Valley began retreating, pulling in its forces. Eventually, Earth Demon Old Ghost emerged from his months of seclusion. He personally crushed several Dou Huangs and declared his intention to obliterate Black Seal City!
This news caused chaos across the region. Black Seal City's population quickly fled, leaving the city desolate.
But the Dou Huang experts stayed. Many remained nearby, eager to witness the showdown.
Everyone had a feeling—the outcome would determine the true king of the Black-Corner Region.
Canaan Academy, of course, was excluded. It never meddled in local conflicts. If not for Demon Flame Valley and Han Feng provoking them, none of this would've happened.
As the tension grew, Black Seal City became eerily oppressive. Even Yuan Yi had gone pale—he couldn't run. He could only pray that Yao Yan could kill Earth Demon Old Ghost. Otherwise, his fate would be grim.
In contrast, Yao Yan's days had become much quieter. With Earth Demon Old Ghost back in action, few dared redeem pills, and so he had stopped refining for now. Instead, he spent peaceful days with Cai Lin. Even just watching her made time pass quickly.
Thanks to two intense weeks of pill refinement, his dou qi was now fully under control and slowly progressing again.
Yao Lao and the Heavenly Flame Master said nothing.
They could only sigh at the difference in talent. Most people would need years to stabilize before advancing again. But Yao Yan? Less than a month, and he was already moving forward. His cultivation talent was terrifying.
"This kid's body is unreal. Are all people from the imperial clans like this?" the Heavenly Flame Master asked Yao Lao.
"…I don't know."
Yao Lao answered honestly. Even within the Yao Clan, his own bloodline was far inferior to Yao Yan's. But one thing was certain—those with strong Dou Emperor bloodlines progressed as easily as breathing.
Reaching Dou Sheng might be hard. But Dou Zong and even Dou Zun? Practically guaranteed.
After a pause, the Heavenly Flame Master asked, "How's your soul recovering?"
Separating from his flame after hundreds of years must've damaged Yao Lao's soul. Had it not been resilient enough, he might've fallen into deep slumber.
"With that boy's Soul Nourishing Pill, I'm fine now~" Yao Lao replied.
The Soul Nourishing Pill—a peak tier-7 pill, crafted from Soul Nurturing Wood—restored his soul to peak condition. Its effects lingered, allowing his soul to live like any normal person. In fact, his soul was now even stronger than before.
Still, losing the Bone Spirit Cold Flame was a major blow. His combat strength had taken a hit, especially in his soul form.
"You should've waited longer. If Earth Demon Old Ghost is too strong, we could still escape with the boy~" the Heavenly Flame Master joked. He had no pride left—if they couldn't win, they'd flee. No shame in survival.
Dying for pride? That was stupid.
"It's fine~" Yao Lao replied calmly. Looking at Yao Yan drinking tea with Cai Lin, his eyes held a trace of emotion and anticipation. He was curious to see what Yao Yan's strength had become. Maybe even getting roughed up a bit would do him good.
Just then—
A massive wave of terrifying auras suddenly surged from the horizon. They were approaching Black Seal City at lightning speed.
(END CHAPTER)
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