The final agreement was this: Xiao Yan would help Venerable Skyfire restore his soul. In return, Venerable Skyfire would bestow upon him the Five-Wheel Lihuo Method—a Dou Technique comparable to a Heaven-tier skill—the nascent Fallen Heart Flame, and, once his soul was mended, a full year of sworn protection.
After Xiao Yan carefully sealed the infant Fallen Heart Flame inside the Fire Gathering Pot, he also helped Venerable Skyfire collect his scattered bones. As they prepared to leave, the ancient expert warned him of the deeper terrors lurking below the magma and explained the nature of the Fire Beads scattered throughout this underground world. Venerable Skyfire's form dissolved and retreated into a white storage ring.
Xiao Yan swam upward, tracking the soul imprint he had left on the Xuan Heavy Ruler. The ascent was far quicker than the descent. When Nalan Yanran, waiting anxiously above, saw him break the surface, her small hands flew over his body, checking every inch.
"Don't worry. Everything's intact. Nothing missing. It won't affect your future happiness." Xiao Yan caught her hands and soothed her gently.
Nalan Yanran's face flushed at his words. Her fist tapped lightly against his chest. "Hmph. You naughty pervert."
Xiao Yan pulled her into his arms and held her close.
"My young friend certainly knows how to enjoy himself—bringing his little girlfriend even here." Venerable Skyfire's teasing voice echoed in Xiao Yan's mind.
"Life is meant to be lived. Of course one must know how to enjoy it." Xiao Yan's tone was perfectly serious. Internally, he was thinking, *How could I possibly tell you this was all a wonderful accident?* "Also, I'm adding another condition. No peeking. Ever."
If this old man was going to be riding along in his ring, Xiao Yan needed absolute assurance. Whatever happened in the future—he could be seen, but his wife absolutely could not.
"This old man has witnessed storms you cannot imagine. I have zero interest in your romantic entanglements. And with my current soul strength, I will not appear unless it is absolutely necessary." Venerable Skyfire's mental voice was thick with exasperation. He was a man with no women in his heart, a natural-born god of fire. Women were beneath his notice.
"Regardless, I'm laying out the unpleasantries first. Better for everyone that way."
"Rest assured. This old man understands perfectly." Venerable Skyfire could respect Xiao Yan's position. They were both men. After speaking, he sank directly into a deep, restorative slumber.
Xiao Yan looked down at the two rings on his fingers—one black, one white. A strange feeling settled over him. *Fellow men, who can understand this? Who else carries two soul bodies on their person?*
"Everything here is finished. We should be able to leave soon." Xiao Yan looked down at Nalan Yanran, still nestled in his arms.
"How? You said there's a seal above."
"This seal can't trap me." Xiao Yan's voice was bold, brimming with confidence. Then his next action made Nalan Yanran instantly burst into helpless laughter.
Xiao Yan pulled out a sound transmission stone and spoke into it. "Brother Tian, I've secured the goods. Come quickly and rescue your dear fourth brother, Xiao Yan Zi."
He was following Xiao Tian's instructions. If they broke through the seal themselves, magma would erupt everywhere, and the Grand Elder would surely leap ten feet in fury. *Xiao Tian: Actually, I just didn't want to give you a chance to show off.*
---
In the Eternal Dream Palace, Xiao Tian felt his sound transmission stone vibrate. He willed it to activate, and Xiao Yan's voice spilled out. By the end of the message, Xiao Tian's face was covered in black lines.
"Tian'er, did something happen?" Xiao Zhan asked, noticing his son's shifting expression.
"Xiao Yan Zi succeeded. He's preparing to return now."
Relief flooded Xiao Zhan's face. Though Xiao Tian had assured him time and again that his youngest son would return safe and sound, the worry had never truly left him. Now, hearing that Xiao Yan was coming back, the stone hanging in his heart finally dropped. He would not have to watch a white-haired man bury the black-haired young.
"I'll go bring Xiao Yan Zi back first." Xiao Tian carefully returned his two sleeping daughters to their mothers' arms and vanished.
---
He materialized at Jia Nan Academy and headed straight for the flat-roofed building housing the seal. The Grand Elder, who had also received word, appeared at the same moment.
"Great Elder, undo the seal. All the problems have been resolved."
Su Qian's face bloomed with joy. The worry that had plagued his entire life—finally laid to rest. His body trembled slightly. After a lifetime of dark clouds, he could finally see the light.
He formed a series of hand seals. The barrier over the cave mouth slowly thinned, then vanished entirely. A streak of red light shot directly into Xiao Tian's body—the sub-flame of the Qilin Burning Heaven Holy Fire he had left behind as a precaution.
"I'll go down and fetch Xiao Yan Zi." Xiao Tian stepped into the abyss.
In a breath, he landed on the stone platform where Xiao Yan and Nalan Yanran stood waiting. They stared at him, dumbfounded. No wings. He was simply walking on air.
"Brother Tian… are you a Dou Zong?" Xiao Yan's mouth hung wide open. Nalan Yanran looked equally dazed.
*Thump!*
"You're already a Dou Huang, and I can't be a Dou Zong? No matter what, I'm still your brother." Xiao Tian's knuckles rapped sharply against Xiao Yan's skull. The sound was crisp. A good head. He flicked the briefest glance at the white ring on Xiao Yan's finger. Then he turned to the woman beside him. "Should I call you sister-in-law now?"
Nalan Yanran's face erupted into crimson. She gave a shy nod, gratitude flickering in her eyes. If Xiao Tian hadn't thrown her down here, who knew how long it would have taken for her and Xiao Yan to reach this point?
"This is completely unreasonable! I fought tooth and nail to reach Dou Huang, and you're already a Dou Zong. And the first thing you do is bully me. If I'd known, I would've come out sooner and made you call me 'Ge.'" Xiao Yan rubbed his head, grumbling to himself. He didn't dare voice the words aloud. A beating was the least of his worries—if his brother decided to scheme against him, he'd be crying tears of blood. He knew exactly how cunning Xiao Tian could be.
Nalan Yanran watched the two brothers with her head tucked low, like a quiet ostrich.
"Brother Tian, let's go. Everything down here is starting to look red to me." Xiao Yan rubbed his tired eyes in irritation.
Xiao Tian looked at Nalan Yanran. "Go into the Heaven Punishing Divine Realm first. Your teacher misses you quite a bit."
A look of longing crossed her face. Even trapped in this underground world, she had sent messages to her teacher often. And she also knew her teacher had become a mother. She desperately wanted to meet her junior sister. At her nod, Xiao Tian swept his hand, and Nalan Yanran vanished, teleported directly into the realm. The moment she arrived, she headed straight for the Eternal Dream Palace.
"Let's go!"
"Woohoo! Taking off! Finally, I can leave this hellhole." Xiao Yan unfurled his Dou Qi Wings with an unhinged whoop and launched himself toward the exit.
Xiao Tian shook his head with a rueful smile. The boy was nearly driven mad down here. He turned and looked down one last time at the vast magma world below. *Tuoshe Ancient God's Cave Mansion. And Zhukun.* A faint smile touched his lips. "I believe we will meet very soon."
He stepped into the air and soared upward. A few strands of light purple hair slipped "accidentally" from his hand and drifted down toward the magma, where the flames consumed them.
After Xiao Tian vanished, a colossal eye opened at the deepest bottom of the magma sea. If one had looked closely, they might have glimpsed a flicker of excitement within that ancient, watching gaze.