The final result was that Xiao Yan agreed to help Venerable Skyfire restore his soul. In return, Venerable Skyfire would teach him the Five‑Wheel Lihuo Method, a Dou Technique comparable to a Heaven‑tier Dou Technique, grant him the nascent Fallen Heart Heavenly Flame, and, once his soul was restored, protect Xiao Yan for a year.
After Xiao Yan placed the Fallen Heart Heavenly Flame into the Fire Gathering Pot, he helped Venerable Skyfire collect his bones. As they prepared to leave, Venerable Skyfire warned him of the terrors deeper in the magma world and introduced him to the Fire Bead.
Seeing Venerable Skyfire return to his white storage ring, Xiao Yan swam upward, following the soul sensation left on the xuan heavy ruler. Ascending took far less time than descending. When Nalan Yanran, who had been waiting above, saw Xiao Yan emerge, her small hands kept caressing his body.
"Don't worry, everything is intact. Nothing's missing; it won't affect your happiness," Xiao Yan said, taking her hand and soothing her gently.
Nalan Yanran's face flushed at his ambiguous words. She tapped his chest with a small fist. "Hmph, you naughty pervert."
Xiao Yan pulled her into his arms and murmured soft reassurances.
Venerable Skyfire's teasing voice echoed in Xiao Yan's mind. "My young friend certainly knows how to enjoy himself, bringing his little girlfriend even here."
"Life is for living. One must know how to enjoy it," Xiao Yan replied with mock seriousness, thinking to himself that this had been a wonderful accident.
Venerable Skyfire added another condition: no peeking. Xiao Yan imagined the old man watching a live broadcast if he ever tried anything, and the thought made him smile. Venerable Skyfire protested that he had no interest in romantic affairs and, with his current soul strength, would not appear unless absolutely necessary. After a few more gruff remarks, he chose to fall into a deep sleep.
Xiao Yan looked at the two black and white storage rings in his hands and felt a strange tug at his heart. Who, he wondered, would carry two soul bodies with them.
"Everything here is done. We should be able to leave soon," Xiao Yan said softly to Nalan Yanran.
"How do we get out? You said there's a seal above," she asked.
"This seal can't trap me," Xiao Yan said boldly. Then, to Nalan Yanran's amusement, he took out a sound transmission stone and spoke into it. "Brother Tian, I've got the goods. Hurry and rescue your dear fourth brother, Xiao Yan Zi."
Xiao Tian had instructed him to send that message; otherwise, if they broke the seal with magma, the Great Elder would surely fly into a rage. In the Eternal Dream Palace, Xiao Tian felt the stone vibrate. He willed it to fly out and recognized Xiao Yan's mischievous voice. Xiao Tian's expression filled with black lines.
"Tian'er, did something happen?" Xiao Zhan asked when he saw Xiao Tian's face change.
"Xiao Yan Zi succeeded. He's preparing to return now," Xiao Tian replied.
Relief and joy washed over Xiao Zhan. Though Xiao Tian had repeatedly assured him his youngest son would be safe, a father's worry never fully eased. Now, hearing that Xiao Yan was coming back, his heart settled. He rose to go fetch him.
Xiao Tian put his two sleeping daughters back into their mothers' arms and vanished. He reappeared at Jia Nan Academy and went straight to the flat house where the seal was located. The Great Elder, having received the message, arrived at the same time.
"Great Elder, undo the seal. All the problems have been dealt with," Xiao Tian announced.
Su Qian's face lit with joy. The burden he had carried for years was finally lifting. He formed hand seals, and the cave entrance's seal slowly dissipated and vanished. A red ray of light shot into Xiao Tian's body—the sub‑fire of the Qilin Burning Sky Heavenly Flame he had left behind earlier as a precaution.
"I'll go down and pick up Xiao Yan Zi first," Xiao Tian said, then flashed into the cave.
In an instant he stood beside Xiao Yan and Nalan Yanran on a stone platform. Xiao Yan and Nalan Yanran stared in astonishment as Xiao Tian walked on air without wings.
"Brother Tian, are you a Dou Zong?" Xiao Yan blurted, mouth agape.
"You're already a Dou Huang, and I can't be a Dou Zong? No matter what, I'm still your brother." Xiao Tian rapped Xiao Yan sharply on the head. The crisp sound made Xiao Yan clutch his skull. Xiao Tian glanced at the white storage ring on Xiao Yan's hand, then turned to Nalan Yanran.
"Should I call you sister‑in‑law now?" he asked.
Nalan Yanran's face went bright red. She nodded shyly, gratitude in her eyes. If Xiao Tian hadn't pushed them together, who knew when they would have reached this point.
"That's unfair. I fought tooth and nail to become a Dou Huang, and you're already a Dou Zong. You bully me as soon as we meet. If I'd known, I would have come out earlier and made you call me Ge," Xiao Yan grumbled inwardly, covering his head.
"Brother Tian, let's go out. I'm starting to see everything in red here," Xiao Yan complained, rubbing his eyes.
Xiao Tian looked at Nalan Yanran. "You should return to the Boundless Heavenly Realm first. Your teacher misses you."
Nalan Yanran's face brightened. Though she had been in the underground world, she often sent messages to her teacher and longed to see her junior sister, now a mother. Xiao Tian waved his hand and teleported Nalan Yanran back to the Boundless Heavenly Realm. She headed straight for the Eternal Dream Palace.
"Let's go," Xiao Yan cried, unleashing his Dou Qi Wings and flying toward the exit with a wild shout.
Xiao Tian smiled and shook his head at the child's impatience. He looked down at the magma world and thought of Tuoshe Ancient God's Cave Mansion and Zhu kun. He believed they would meet soon.
Stepping into the air, Xiao Tian flew outward. A few strands of light purple hair slipped from his hand and fell onto the magma, where they were instantly burned away. After he left, a huge eye opened at the bottom of the magma world. If one looked closely, a faint hint of excitement could be seen in it.