The purplish-brown Dou Qi struck the protective barrier, pierced straight through, and swept toward the four boxes at an imperceptible speed. Under Xiao Yi Xian's careful control, the four antique boxes flew out.
The moment they cleared the barrier, the entire shelf shattered under the exploding energy shield.
Xiao Yi Xian looked at the jade boxes floating before her and let out a deep breath. "I did not fail my mission."
"Well done, Xian'er. You're truly amazing." Xiao Tian gave her a thumbs up, maximizing the emotional value.
Even Medusa and Xiao Li joined in praising her.
Xiao Yi Xian accepted their words gracefully. The heavy stone in her heart finally dropped. She had not let Xiao Tian down. With a wave of her hand, the four boxes drifted directly in front of him.
Xiao Tian took them. They weren't heavy, but the feel of the wood was exquisite. He set them on a nearby shelf and casually picked one to open.
*Click.*
The first wooden box opened. Inside lay a crimson scroll.
He slowly unrolled it. Three large red characters were written across its surface: *Flame Manipulation Art.* And beneath them, a single character: *True.*
"Is this Demon Flame Valley's town-guarding cultivation method? The Flame Manipulation Art?" Xiao Li had done his own investigation into the valley.
"That's right. But this is an improved version—not the self-harming method others practice." Xiao Tian pointed to the annotations. Xiao Li and Xiao Yi Xian scanned the words and understood immediately.
"I didn't expect Earth Demon Old Ghost to have such ability. To actually improve a cultivation method." Medusa's voice carried a hint of surprise. She had once tried to modify the Snake-People Tribe's cultivation method herself, and even with generations of practitioners' experience as a foundation, she had failed.
"It's impressive. But now, it's simply a wedding dress sewn for us." Xiao Tian nodded in agreement. Modifying a cultivation method to this degree was indeed rare. Unlike Dou Techniques, cultivation methods required extreme care—a single error could cripple a person for life.
He handed the scroll to Xiao Li. "Second Brother, take this. Don't casually place it in the main storeroom. Later, you can find trustworthy people to cultivate it."
Xiao Tian wondered privately whether Xiao Yan would end up learning this method. The Life Transforming Flame and the Heavenly Demon Puppet had played enormous roles in Xiao Yan's growth, after all.
Xiao Li nodded and accepted the scroll. He understood its value. It should not be displayed openly—at least not yet.
Xiao Tian opened the next box. Inside lay a seventh-tier fire-attribute magic core. He took it without hesitation. Magic cores of this level were far too rare in the Northwest Continent. It would serve him well in alchemy later.
The third box held two silver scrolls, crystalline in appearance. Xiao Tian unfurled them. An Earth-tier intermediate cultivation method: *Thunderclap Mirror.* And its supporting Dou Technique: *Startling Thunder Art.*
Xiao Tian glanced at them without interest. Xiao Yi Xian, Medusa, and Xiao Li felt the same. Their own cultivation methods were already Heaven-tier intermediate. Xiao Li himself had re-cultivated into the lightning-attribute Earth-tier high-grade method Xiao Tian had gifted him from the legacy of the Purifying Demonic Lotus Saint. An intermediate method was beneath him now.
Xiao Li stored the scrolls in his ring to enrich the storeroom. An Earth-tier intermediate supporting set still had its uses—at the very least, it could reward those with merit.
Xiao Tian opened the last wooden box. Inside was a grayish-brown scroll. He already had a strong guess: the *Heavenly Demon Puppet* technique.
He unrolled it. Bloody characters greeted his eyes. *Sure enough.*
"Is this a technique for refining puppets?" Xiao Yi Xian studied the introduction, surprised.
"That's right. Interested?" Xiao Tian had no personal use for puppets.
"I don't need it. And it requires refining corpses—constantly carrying a corpse around. I'm not fond of that." Xiao Yi Xian's initial curiosity faded the moment she saw the requirements. Refining corpses… it was off-putting.
"I don't want it either. This King doesn't like it. I trust my own strength. I do not need bodyguards." Queen Medusa refused the moment Xiao Tian glanced her way.
Xiao Tian tossed the scroll to Xiao Li. He caught it without a word. He also had no interest—mainly because he could not refine it in the first place.
Xiao Tian surveyed the four opened boxes, then the emptied storeroom. It was so bare now that even a mouse entering would weep.
"Let's go. There's nothing left here."
He threw a ball of lightning into the chamber's center. It hovered, crackling. Then the four walked out. Behind them, a deep rumble echoed through the tunnel as the storeroom collapsed.
Back in the valley, the people of Heaven Punishing Divine Palace were already assembled, waiting. Every face shone with unconcealed joy. They inwardly praised their decision to follow this man. The assessment to join Heaven Punishing Divine Palace was strict, yes—but the benefits were extraordinary. Enough to make their peers green with envy.
Xiao Tian, Xiao Yi Xian, and Medusa stood in the void. The elders flanked behind them, gazing down at the ruined Demon Flame Valley below. There was no pity in their eyes.
Xiao Tian's gaze fell upon the remaining valley structures. He raised his right hand. The Three Thousand Burning Flame bloomed in his palm. He raised his left. Five-colored lightning crackled to life.
He swept both hands downward. The flame and lightning twisted, shaping themselves into two purple giant dragons that dove toward the valley.
For a time, the entire Demon Flame Valley was swallowed by a rain of thunder and an eruption of flame. When lightning and fire met, explosions rocked the earth.
After the flames and lightning dissipated, the valley had been reduced to a scorched, toxic ruin. Occasionally, one or two final screams echoed—the last hidden stragglers, who had believed themselves well concealed. They hadn't expected Xiao Tian to be so thorough.
The others heard the explosions and turned to look at the scene below. They couldn't help but swallow. *This… this is truly eradicating the roots.*
Xiao Tian brought everyone back into the Heaven Punishing Divine Realm. Only he, Xiao Yi Xian, and Medusa remained. The three of them stepped across the void and walked out toward the mountain range beyond.