Zi Yan led the way into the depths of the Demon Flame Valley, entering a hidden tunnel deep within the mountain.
After walking for several minutes, the two finally arrived before a stone wall covered in weeds and moss.
Zi Yan looked at the wall, clenched her small fist, and was just about to smash it apart.
However, before she could move, Xiao Feng quickly stopped her.
"Wait."
Zi Yan blinked.
"What?"
"If you smash it directly, the noise will attract attention. We are here to steal treasures, not announce our arrival to the entire Demon Flame Valley."
Zi Yan immediately pouted.
"Then what do we do?"
Xiao Feng smiled faintly.
"Leave it to me."
Stepping forward, he placed his palm on the stone wall and released his soul power.
Invisible soul strength spread throughout the wall, carefully examining every inch of it.
Soon, Xiao Feng discovered several hidden locks and formation nodes concealed within the stone structure.
As a Formation Master, such mechanisms were not difficult for him.
A few moments later, several faint cracking sounds echoed.
Click.
Click.
Click.
The hidden mechanisms were quietly disabled.
Then Xiao Feng gently pushed forward.
Rumble!
A section of the stone wall slowly slid aside, revealing a dark tunnel nearly ten meters long hidden behind it.
Zi Yan's eyes widened.
"You can do that too?"
Xiao Feng rolled his eyes.
"Why use brute force when intelligence works better?"
"Hmph."
Zi Yan snorted and followed him inside.
At the end of the short tunnel was a long stone staircase descending deep underground.
The two carefully walked downward.
After nearly ten minutes, they finally reached the bottom.
A massive black stone door appeared before them.
The stone door was ancient and covered with moss. Time had left numerous marks upon its surface.
Looking at it, Xiao Feng could not help complaining.
"Why is it another stone door? Just how much does this old fellow treasure his possessions?"
Zi Yan immediately stepped forward again.
"Move aside. I'll smash this one too."
Before she could act, Xiao Feng grabbed her shoulder.
"Don't be impulsive."
"What now?"
"What if there's a Restriction Formation attached to the door? If you trigger it, everything inside might be destroyed."
Zi Yan instantly froze.
"Oh..."
Seeing her finally calm down, Xiao Feng nodded in satisfaction.
"I'll handle it. Stay there quietly."
Walking to the front of the door, he slowly placed his palm upon it and closed his eyes.
His soul power carefully swept across every corner.
After a thorough inspection, he finally relaxed.
"No restrictions."
Immediately, majestic Dou Qi surged through his arm.
Boom!
A powerful strike landed directly upon the stone door.
The ancient door shook violently before collapsing inward.
Just as the entrance opened, a huge serpentine Magical Beast suddenly shot forward from the darkness.
A Fifth-Tier Serpent Beast.
Before it could even approach Xiao Feng—
Roar!
A terrifying dragon pressure erupted.
Zi Yan's bloodline suppression instantly descended upon the creature.
At the same moment, the Fire Spirit Xiao Long emerged beside Xiao Feng and released its own terrifying pressure.
The snake immediately trembled.
Its body froze in place before curling itself into a corner of the vault.
It no longer dared move even an inch.
Seeing this scene, Xiao Feng laughed.
"At least it knows how to value its life."
The beast lowered its head completely, not daring to resist.
With the threat gone, Xiao Feng finally examined the room.
A spacious treasure vault appeared before them.
The entire chamber was illuminated by countless luminous crystals embedded within the walls.
The four surrounding walls were constructed entirely from Dark Steel Stone.
At first glance, the room looked as though it had been carved directly from an enormous Dark Steel Stone mine.
Xiao Feng's eyes immediately brightened.
"Dark Steel Stone..."
"This material is extremely valuable. If refined properly, it could create several excellent weapons."
Unfortunately, he quickly suppressed the temptation.
Removing the walls would take far too much time.
Their objective today was not mining.
Instead, his gaze shifted toward the numerous shelves lining the chamber.
Rows of scrolls were arranged neatly according to category.
On the opposite side stood crystal cabinets containing precious medicinal herbs and rare treasures.
Everything was organized with astonishing precision.
Zi Yan looked around and could not help exclaiming,
"This Earth Demon Old Ghost is quite wealthy."
"As expected of an old monster who has ruled the Black-Corner Region for so many years."
Xiao Feng nodded in agreement.
Stepping forward, he examined the shelves carefully.
"The items are all categorized."
"It seems this Earth Demon Old Ghost is quite obsessive-compulsive."
"He actually arranged everything this neatly."
Looking at the countless treasures before them, even Xiao Feng could not help feeling excited.
While searching through the Earth Demon Old Ghost's treasure vault, Xiao Feng and Zi Yan gradually made their way toward the deepest section of the storage room.
The treasures became increasingly valuable the further they went.
Eventually, they arrived before a secluded bookshelf hidden behind several rows of crystal cabinets.
Unlike the other shelves that were packed with scrolls and treasures, this one contained only four ancient wooden boxes.
Each box was surrounded by a faint layer of light.
"Earth Rank treasures..."
Zi Yan's eyes immediately brightened.
Even Xiao Feng became interested.
If the Earth Demon Old Ghost had gone through the trouble of placing them separately and protecting them with a special barrier, the items inside were definitely extraordinary.
Walking forward, Xiao Feng carefully examined the light barriers surrounding the boxes.
His finger lightly touched the surface.
Ripples immediately spread across the transparent shield.
After observing for a moment, he nodded.
"This should be a spatial barrier created by the Earth Demon Old Ghost."
"It contains a trace of spatial power."
Zi Yan tilted her head.
"Can you break it?"
"Of course."
Xiao Feng smiled calmly.
"Although it contains spatial energy, its structure is extremely crude."
"If someone forcibly destroyed it with brute force, the contents inside could be damaged."
"But compared to my Peak Mortal Realm soul power, this level of spatial barrier is far too weak."
As he spoke, a powerful wave of soul strength quietly spread outward.
The invisible soul power penetrated the barrier and accurately found several weak points within its structure.
Crack.
Crack.
Crack.
Within moments, the spatial barrier shattered silently without causing the slightest disturbance.
The four wooden boxes finally appeared before them.
Zi Yan immediately moved closer.
"Hurry up and open them!"
Xiao Feng chuckled before opening the first wooden box.
The moment the lid lifted, a rich fire-attributed energy surged outward.
Inside lay a scarlet-red spherical object roughly the size of a fist.
Flames faintly flickered across its surface.
"A Rank Seven Fire Attribute Demonic Beast Core."
A look of surprise appeared on Xiao Feng's face.
"What a good item."
Such a treasure was extremely valuable.
Not only could it be used to refine high-grade medicinal pills, but it was also an excellent material for creating powerful fire-attributed treasures and formations.
Even a Dou Zong powerhouse would be tempted by such an item.
Without hesitation, Xiao Feng carefully stored the Demonic Beast Core inside his storage ring.
Then he opened the second wooden box.
Inside were two ancient yellow scrolls.
The moment Xiao Feng picked them up, he could feel the dense Earth-attributed energy contained within them.
Unrolling the first scroll, several large ancient words appeared before his eyes.
Earth Rank Low-Level Dou Technique — Earth Splitting Mountain Seal.
A powerful offensive Dou Technique capable of gathering earth energy and condensing it into a giant seal capable of crushing mountains.
Xiao Feng nodded in satisfaction.
Not bad.
Although he personally had little use for it, such a technique would greatly benefit the Xiao Family in the future.
He then opened the second scroll.
A moment later, surprise flashed across his eyes.
Earth Rank Mid-Level Cultivation Technique — Thousand Mountain Earth Scripture.
A genuine Earth Rank Mid-Level cultivation technique.
Even within the Black-Corner Region, such a treasure could spark a bloody war among numerous factions.
Zi Yan looked at the scrolls before pouting.
"Boring."
"I thought there would be food."
Xiao Feng laughed helplessly.
"To you, everything is measured by whether it can be eaten or not."
"Of course."
Zi Yan replied confidently.
"If it can't be eaten, how valuable can it be?"
Xiao Feng simply shook his head and continued toward the third wooden box.
If the first two boxes already contained treasures of this level, then whatever was hidden in the remaining two boxes would likely be even more valuable.
Seeing the Earth Rank Mid-Level Cultivation Technique, Xiao Feng immediately thought of Xiao Ning.
Among the younger generation of the Xiao Family, Xiao Ning was one of the few Earth Attribute cultivators with decent talent. However, the highest-grade technique available to him was only an Earth Rank Low-Level cultivation method.
With this Thousand Mountain Earth Scripture, that problem would finally be solved.
Although Xiao Ning had once been arrogant and had many conflicts with Xiao Yan in the past, he was still family and he had changed.
Xiao Feng nodded inwardly.
"This should be enough to support him all the way to the Dou zong realm."
After storing the scroll away, Xiao Feng looked toward the next wooden box.
Upon opening it, he found a scarlet-colored scroll inside.
A few ancient words were written across its surface.
"Flame Manipulation Art?"
Zi Yan immediately leaned over.
"What kind of eyesight do you have? This is clearly the True Flame Manipulation Art."
She paused for a moment before frowning.
"Wait."
"What kind of ridiculous name is that?"
"It even distinguishes between true and false?"
Xiao Feng could not help laughing.
"Let's see what makes it so special."
He slowly opened the scroll.
Zi Yan also leaned closer, curious about what kind of treasure could be placed alongside Earth Rank techniques.
Soon, a passage of ancient text appeared before them.
This Flame Manipulation Art was improved by this old man after years of painstaking effort.
Although the previous Flame Manipulation Art was powerful, it required at least three people to cultivate together before they could condense a False Heavenly Flame.
Furthermore, every condensation required paying a considerable price.
This old man has spent decades improving the technique.
Now a single cultivator can successfully condense a False Heavenly Flame.
Not only is its power greatly increased, but the side effects have also been reduced significantly.
Although the cultivation process has become more complicated, compared to the benefits gained, such flaws are negligible.
After reading the introduction, both of them fell silent.
A few moments later, Zi Yan spoke first.
"Didn't the Earth Demon Old Ghost cultivate Ice Attribute Dou Qi?"
"Why is he so obsessed with researching Fire Attribute techniques?"
"Isn't this putting the cart before the horse?"
She crossed her arms.
"Although Heavenly Flames are powerful, it's not as if Ice Attribute treasures are weak."
"There are many Ice Attribute spiritual objects in this world that can rival Heavenly Flames."
Xiao Feng nodded.
"That's true."
"However, Heavenly Flames possess a special attraction."
"Especially for Alchemists."
"Many people spend their entire lives chasing them."
Zi Yan snorted.
She naturally understood this much.
Ever since she had discovered the benefits of the Fallen Heart Flame within the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower, she had become extremely interested in Heaven and Earth treasures.
As a Magical Beast of the Ancient Void Dragon race, her sensitivity toward such treasures far exceeded that of ordinary humans.
At that moment, zi yan suddenly remembered something.
Back when Zi Yan had first discovered the effects of the Fallen Heart Flame, she had once pestered Su Qian with countless questions.
At the time, she had curiously asked:
"Old Man, if Heavenly Flames are so amazing, can I refine one too?"
Su Qian had nearly choked on his tea.
For a moment, he was more shocked by how Zi Yan had figured out that a Heavenly Flame existed beneath the tower.
However, the Fallen Heart Flame was the foundation of Canaan Academy.
Even if he wanted to, he could never hand it over to her.
Therefore, to distract her from the idea, he patiently explained everything about Heavenly Flames.
Their origins.
Their dangers.
Who could refine them.
Who benefited the most from them.
And why ordinary cultivators rarely succeeded.
Only then did Zi Yan reluctantly give up trying to steal the Fallen Heart Flame.
Of course...
She merely gave up on stealing that particular Heavenly Flame.
Her interest in Heaven and Earth treasures had only grown stronger since then.
Now, looking at the True Flame Manipulation Art before her, Zi Yan's eyes once again began to sparkle.
Xiao Feng instantly recognized that familiar expression.
Whenever Zi Yan looked like this...
It usually meant she was about to find something valuable and eat it.
Seeing the strange look appearing in Zi Yan's eyes, Xiao Feng immediately knew that she was already thinking about something outrageous again.
He quickly raised a hand.
"Stop."
Zi Yan blinked innocently.
"What?"
"Whatever idea you're having right now."
"It's definitely not a good one."
"Hmph."
Zi Yan turned her head away.
"I wasn't thinking of anything."
Xiao Feng did not believe a single word.
Ignoring her, he lowered his head and continued reading the True Flame Manipulation Art.
The more he studied it, the brighter his eyes became.
A moment later, a smile slowly appeared on his face.
"This thing is actually useful."
Zi Yan looked over curiously.
"Useful?"
Xiao Feng nodded.
"With this technique, it should be possible to create artificial Heavenly Flames."
Although they could never compare to genuine Heavenly Flames born from Heaven and Earth, their value would still be enormous.
"Naturally formed Heavenly Flames are far too rare."
"Most Alchemists will never obtain one in their entire lives."
"But artificial Heavenly Flames are different."
"If the results are good, selling them in the Central Plains alone would bring unimaginable profits."
"There are countless Alchemists there."
"If they cannot obtain a true Heavenly Flame, then an artificial one would still be a priceless treasure."
As he spoke, Xiao Feng's thoughts expanded further.
The technique would not only benefit Alchemists.
Many Fire Attribute cultivators within the Xiao Family and the Fire City faction could also use them.
Even if the artificial flames possessed only a fraction of a true Heavenly Flame's power, they would still significantly increase combat strength and cultivation speed.
The more he thought about it, the more valuable the technique seemed.
Without hesitation, he carefully stored the scroll away.
Then his attention shifted toward the final wooden box.
For a moment, even Xiao Feng unconsciously held his breath.
This was the last treasure hidden by the Earth Demon Old Ghost.
Slowly opening the box, he found something surprisingly ordinary.
Inside lay a grayish-brown bamboo slip.
Its appearance was completely unremarkable.
However, the moment Xiao Feng saw the blood-red words engraved upon it, his pupils shrank.
A look of excitement instantly appeared on his face.
"Heavenly Demon Puppet!"
"I've finally found you!"
Even Zi Yan was startled by his sudden reaction.
This was the first time she had seen Xiao Feng become so excited over a treasure.
Without hesitation, Xiao Feng immediately opened the bamboo slip.
Ancient information flowed into his mind.
[The Heavenly Demon Puppet.
This method is neither a Cultivation Technique nor a Dou Technique.
It is an ancient Puppet Art passed down since antiquity.
To refine a Heavenly Demon Puppet, three items are required:
The Body.
The Soul.
The Demonic Beast Core.
The body serves as the vessel.
The soul serves as the guide.
The Demonic Beast Core serves as the heart.
Combined with numerous precious materials and refined through special methods, a Heavenly Demon Puppet can be created.
Heavenly Demon Puppets are divided into Heaven Rank, Earth Rank, and Man Rank.
Their quality depends upon the materials used and the refining flame.
The puppet feels no pain, no fear, no fatigue, and no sorrow.
It exists solely as a perfect weapon of slaughter.]
After reading the introduction, Xiao Feng's breathing became slightly heavier.
"This is it."
"This is the treasure I truly came here for."
Zi Yan tilted her head.
"It doesn't seem that special."
Xiao Feng smiled.
"That's because you don't understand its true value."
He carefully continued reading.
The deeper he studied the technique, the more shocked he became.
Unlike ordinary puppets, the Heavenly Demon Puppet possessed an astonishing ability.
It could withstand Pill Lightning.
Not only that—
It could absorb the power of heavenly lightning to strengthen itself and evolve into higher ranks.
A gleam appeared in Xiao Feng's eyes.
Once he became a Seventh-Rank Alchemist, every high-grade medicinal pill he refined would attract Pill Lightning.
Normally, Pill Lightning was a dangerous obstacle.
But with a Heavenly Demon Puppet...
The lightning could become nourishment instead.
Not only would he no longer need to worry about Pill Lightning destroying his pills, but he could also use it to continuously strengthen his puppets.
The more lightning they absorbed, the stronger they would become.
At that moment, countless possibilities appeared in Xiao Feng's mind.
Powerful guards for the Xiao Family.
Protectors for Fire City.
Hidden trump cards for future battles.
Even high-level puppets capable of contending against Dou Zong powerhouses.
Compared to the other treasures in the vault, the value of the Heavenly Demon Puppet Art was immeasurably greater.
Slowly closing the bamboo slip, Xiao Feng finally exhaled.
This trip to the Demon Flame Valley had been worth it.
Even if he left immediately, the harvest from this single bamboo slip alone would already exceed all of his expectations.
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