Chapter 46: Six-Star Dou Wang!
"Xiao Yun!"
A clear voice, tinged with a hint of seductiveness, rang out. Before Jiang Yun could even look, a familiar yet unfamiliar aura threw itself into his arms.
He instinctively reached out and wrapped his arms around the slender, firm waist. Looking down, he saw a pair of bright, joy-filled eyes staring back at him.
"You are... Zi Yan?" Feeling the youthful body in his arms, Jiang Yun hesitated for a moment.
Had it taken him that long to refine the Fallen Heart Flame? Zi Yan had grown this much?
"Hmph —, you heartless jerk. After all my worrying about you, you don't even recognize me!" Zi Yan, who had been excited just a moment ago, suddenly changed her expression. She pushed Jiang Yun away, snorted coldly, turned her head, and spoke in a cold voice.
"Heh, I just didn't expect you to change so much. I was momentarily distracted."
That's more like it. Seeing Zi Yan's tsundere attitude, Jiang Yun felt like things were back to normal. He shook his head and chuckled lightly.
"Hee hee —" Zi Yan's little temper was famous — it came quickly and left quickly. She immediately grinned and tugged at Jiang Yun's clothes, puffing out her chest. "So, I've grown up now. Are you charmed by me?"
As she spoke, Zi Yan stretched lazily and seductively. Her already alluring curves became even more pronounced. Her eyes turned languid.
She shot Jiang Yun a shy, amorous glance.
"Stop fooling around." Jiang Yun's face darkened. He knocked hard on Zi Yan's smooth forehead. This girl didn't know the first thing about seduction.
She had the body of a mature woman but the heart of a little girl. No matter how Jiang Yun looked at her, it just felt strange.
"Ouch —" Her head 'injured' and mocked by Jiang Yun, Zi Yan immediately gritted her teeth in dissatisfaction and muttered, "You obviously like it, you hypocrite."
Jiang Yun's keen ears naturally picked up Zi Yan's muttering. But he didn't have time to deal with her. He slowly lowered his head.
He clenched his hand, and a mass of black-and-white flame emerged with a puff.
The moment the flame appeared, Zi Yan immediately became alert. Her body, driven by instinct, took half a step back. Realizing what she had done, she became annoyed. She defiantly took three big steps forward, pressing herself right next to Jiang Yun, and stared unblinkingly at the gently burning flame.
"After devouring the Fallen Heart Flame, the Saint Demon Flame's power has increased. It should now be comparable to the Bone Chilling Flame. But I wonder how much of a gap still remains compared to the top ten heavenly flames?"
Feeling the heat of the flame in his palm, Jiang Yun pondered to himself. The top ten heavenly flames on the Strange Fire List were all extraordinary. There was a clear gap between them and the flames ranked outside the top ten.
As for his current child flame, he believed it was not inferior to any heavenly flame outside the top ten. To truly enter the top ten, he would need to work harder. For example...
The Sea Heart Flame.
A bright light flickered in his eyes. Jiang Yun closed his hand and absorbed the black-and-white flame back into his body. Then he opened his mouth slightly. A clear, crane-like cry rang out through the dead underground world.
The cry was long and resonant. At this moment, Jiang Yun's aura began to skyrocket at an astonishing speed.
Along with the sudden surge in Jiang Yun's aura, the magma world also erupted into chaos. The magma surged like ocean waves, howling wildly.
One-star Dou Wang, two-star, four-star...
In the blink of an eye, Jiang Yun's aura had skyrocketed to a jaw-dropping degree. If outsiders saw this, they would probably doubt their own existence, frightened by the terrifying speed of advancement.
Goals that others needed decades, or even an entire lifetime, to achieve — Jiang Yun accomplished in the span of a few short breaths.
Truly, comparing people is infuriating.
The crazily skyrocketing aura surged past five-star, then rose sharply again. Finally, after breaking through to the six-star Dou Wang threshold, it slowly came to a halt and completely stabilized.
As Jiang Yun's surging aura returned to calm, the surrounding magma waves gradually subsided.
"Six-star Dou Wang. Not bad." Feeling the skyrocketing aura within his body, Jiang Yun could not help but sigh with emotion. The surging power, the energy of heaven and earth around him that he could control — all of it gave Jiang Yun a strong sense of security.
Devouring the energy accumulated by the Fallen Heart Flame over countless years had brought him a leap forward. Not only had he broken through the Dou Wang barrier, but he had also advanced to six-star Dou Wang. He was very close to breaking through to seven-star Dou Wang. Now, he truly possessed the strength to walk the continent.
"Tch —, I'm already a Dou Huang. Six-star Dou Wang is just so-so."
Just then, an indifferent voice sounded. Zi Yan was idly playing with her purple hair. But Jiang Yun could still see the joy in her eyes.
Joy for him.
Jiang Yun smiled softly and gently rubbed the top of Zi Yan's head. She immediately leaned against him comfortably, her big eyes narrowing into crescent moons.
"I must also thank Senior Qing Ming for standing guard for me. How much time did my seclusion take?" Jiang Yun turned to look at Qing Ming, who stood quietly to the side. He cupped his hands slightly and asked softly.
Qing Ming looked at Jiang Yun with a smile and nodded in satisfaction. Then he spoke. "Two years."
"Two years, huh." Jiang Yun muttered. He had now been on the Dou Qi Continent for nearly seven years. He was already thirteen, almost fourteen.
"It is also time to see this world." His thoughts were only fleeting. He turned to look at Zi Yan, his eyes exceptionally soft.
Two years. He guessed that Zi Yan had been accompanying him the whole time. This sentiment warmed Jiang Yun's heart. At the same time, the way he looked at Zi Yan changed slightly.
"Let's go. We should go out. Otherwise, the Grand Elder will start to worry." Jiang Yun looked at Zi Yan and spoke softly. At the same time, he extended a hand.
"???" Zi Yan looked at Jiang Yun in confusion. She didn't have any pills left either. And besides, this wasn't a good place to refine pills, was it?
Jiang Yun helplessly facepalmed. He stepped forward, took Zi Yan's smooth hand in his, and smiled at her. "Before, you always carried me when flying. This time, let me take you."
Zi Yan suddenly understood. But before she could react, her entire body rose into the air. Then... then she was cradled in Jiang Yun's arms like a princess. With a pair of pure white Dou Qi wings flapping, the two flew toward the sky.
Lying in Jiang Yun's arms, Zi Yan could clearly hear his heartbeat. This feeling was strange to her. It was as if the world had suddenly become quiet, leaving only her and Jiang Yun.
She looked up at Jiang Yun, who was focused on flying. A touching smile appeared at the corners of Zi Yan's lips. She closed her eyes and burrowed into Jiang Yun's chest, pressing her ear against it and quietly listening to his strong heartbeat.
At this moment, Zi Yan felt a strange feeling quietly take root in her heart. She did not know what this feeling was. She only knew that her face felt a little hot.
Inside the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower.
The students, having grown accustomed to the enhanced Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower, were immersed in deep cultivation, filled with joy at their rapidly increasing strength.
Then, at a certain moment, the Inner Academy students who were in deep cultivation on various levels of the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower suddenly opened their eyes in terror. They had all discovered a shocking fact.
The heart flame that had been continuously providing them with the energy to refine their Dou Qi and bodies was decreasing at a visible rate. And now, it had completely disappeared.
Yes, completely disappeared. Not a trace of the heart flame could be found.
"This is a big deal!"
At this moment, all the students sensed that something was wrong. But the tower-guarding elders, one by one, showed looks of relief in their eyes.
Not only were they not worried, but they also gathered in one direction. Clearly, someone had already informed them beforehand.
"Jiang Yun succeeded!" After everyone arrived, Elder Liu, who had always thought highly of Jiang Yun, showed a joyful expression and said excitedly.
His judgment had indeed been correct. From the first moment he saw Jiang Yun, he had felt that this child would amount to something. He had formed a good relationship early. And now... a Dragon Strength Pill lay quietly in his ring.
"It looks that way, yes." An elderly elder nodded slightly, a hint of regret in his eyes.
The Spirit-Gathering Array was good, but after experiencing double the joy, who wanted to go back to how things were before?
"Let's go. The situation outside is already chaotic. Elder Liu, go outside immediately and evacuate the students. Temporarily seal the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower. At the same time, notify Grand Elder Su Qian to come quickly. I will go down first to check the situation. The remaining elders, stay on guard." A grey-robed elder with a profound aura quietly instructed. He was the most senior and strongest person here.
He was also in the know about the situation. He took charge without hesitation.
"Yes." The elders cupped their hands in acknowledgment.
After the others dispersed, the grey-robed elder headed toward the bottom of the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower.
Just as he arrived at the lowest level, in a corner of the space, ripples slowly spread out like the surface of water.
Shua. A figure then appeared and walked over quickly.
"Grand Elder." The grey-robed elder looked at the newcomer and quickly cupped his hands.
"Mm." Su Qian nodded, his eyes fixed on the spatial seal at the central black well.
After waiting for a while, a humm sounded. The spatial seal slowly cracked open, and two figures walked out side by side without obstruction.
"Zi Yan, Jiang Yun!" A surprised voice came.
Jiang Yun was slightly startled. Then he smiled at Su Qian. "Grand Elder, have you come to welcome me?"
Su Qian, who had been somewhat excited just a moment ago, now scolded him with a laugh. "You troublesome little guy. Bringing you back has really been a loss for me."
Jiang Yun smiled and said nothing.
Indeed.
Ever since Su Qian brought Zi Yan and Jiang Yun back to the academy, either medicinal herbs would go missing, or magical beasts in the area would suffer, causing riots. And now, even the academy's very foundation — the Fallen Heart Flame — was lost.
No matter how you looked at it, Su Qian had lost big time.
"What about the Fallen Heart Flame? Did you successfully refine it?" Looking at Jiang Yun, who was unharmed and had an even deeper aura, Su Qian could not help asking curiously.
"The Fallen Heart Flame has been refined by me." Jiang Yun nodded, a rare look of embarrassment on his face. Regardless of the circumstances, he had deceived the Grand Elder and gone behind the academy's back this time.
Even though there were many compelling reasons for it.
"That is good. That thing was a disaster waiting to happen to the academy. It was only a matter of time before it endangered the academy's safety. Now that you have refined it, it can be considered fate." Having received a definite answer, Su Qian felt a sense of loss. No matter what, there was still a trace of reluctance in his heart.
But from another perspective, this was perhaps not a bad thing.
Looking at the open-minded Su Qian, Jiang Yun felt some admiration in his heart. Mang Tianchi had indeed chosen a good elder. Su Qian truly cared for the academy.
"Don't worry so quickly, Grand Elder. Look here..." Jiang Yun extended his hand. Puff. The juvenile heart flame emerged from his body and burned quietly in his palm.
"This is..." Su Qian was momentarily dazed. He looked at the familiar yet unfamiliar invisible flame in disbelief.
"The Fallen Heart Flame was absorbed by me, but not completely absorbed. This is what is left. Now it has lost its intelligence and energy. To restore it to its original state, even with full cultivation, would take nearly a hundred years. However, it still has the ability to summon heart flame. That is enough to serve as the array core and support the operation of the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower..."
As Jiang Yun spoke, he reached out and pushed. The confused Fallen Heart Flame drifted toward Su Qian and quietly flickered before his eyes.
Su Qian's expression was excited. Although it was incredible, seeing the newborn-like juvenile heart flame, he already believed Jiang Yun's words. At the same time, the question in his heart was answered.
Why Jiang Yun, already possessing one heavenly flame, could absorb a second one.
He had heard rumors about heavenly flames devouring each other. Now it seemed they were true.
Su Qian stared intently at the juvenile Fallen Heart Flame before him and said in a trembling voice, "Its intelligence is gone. Does that mean its hostility toward the Inner Academy is also gone?"
Jiang Yun nodded. "If a fire-attributed elder raises it day and night, it should be possible to cultivate a Fallen Heart Flame that is close to the academy."
He looked at Jiang Yun gratefully. Even if Jiang Yun did not say it, Su Qian could guess what a great cost it would take to preserve such a seedling.
Su Qian: Jiang Yun is truly a good child.
Saint Demon Flame: ??? Was it that hard?
Trembling, Su Qian raised the juvenile heart flame in both hands. He carefully sensed the fluctuations emanating from it. Feeling that it was no different for tempering the body, Su Qian immediately laughed heartily with excitement. It was a long while before he calmed down. He looked at Jiang Yun and said.
"Jiang Yun, you have given the academy a great gift."
Jiang Yun chuckled lightly and nodded. "The academy is also my home. This is the least I could do."
"Good, good, wonderful!" Su Qian looked at Jiang Yun with deep emotion, his eyes full of relief.
The grey-robed elder had listened to the entire conversation between Su Qian and Jiang Yun. Upon learning that the Fallen Heart Flame was still there, and in a state without intelligence, his eyes were filled with surprise.
The feeling of regaining something lost was wonderful.