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**
Time passed slowly.
At a certain moment...
Finally, the towering tornado that wrapped around the tip of the tower gradually began to weaken and slowly recede.
Upon seeing this, Su Qian's eyes narrowed. With a flicker of his figure, he gave a low shout: "Everyone, follow me and form the formation!"
Hearing this, the gathered Elders all wore serious expressions as their bodies flickered upward.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
They formed a peculiar formation, surrounding the gradually subsiding tornado in the center.
The tornado paused briefly due to this encirclement but then continued to retract until it completely dissipated.
As the tornado vanished, three black-robed figures appeared under the watchful gazes of the onlookers.
The three figures stood at the edge of the shattered tip of the tower. Raising their heads, their eyes swept over the people before them.
Dozens of Elders floated in midair, forming a formation that tightly surrounded the exposed tower tip.
A standoff.
The atmosphere fell into silence.
Moments later...
"Gentlemen, what is the meaning of this?" Wei Yang was the first to speak, his slightly hoarse voice slowly spreading outward.
"Hmph. Why bother asking when you already know the answer?" Su Qian stood at the heart of the formation, looking down at the trio below with a deep voice. "The three of you trespassed into our Jia Nan Academy, and now you're questioning us?"
"Hehe." Wei Yang let out a soft laugh. "We merely happened to be passing through. Besides, it was those bastards from Black-Corner Region who intruded first. Didn't you all let them go as you pleased? Yet now you block us. What—do you think we're easier to bully?"
"You—!"
The Elders of the academy glared angrily upon hearing this.
It was like a thief sneaking into your home to steal something and then, after being caught, questioning the homeowner for stopping them from leaving—simply because they were strong enough to do so.
Utter arrogance!
"You're twisting words and stealing logic!" Su Qian flung his robe sleeve and shouted in anger, "As for those intruders from Black-Corner Region, our Jia Nan Academy will deal with them one by one in due time.
No need for you to worry. But as for the three of you—do you really think you can walk away without giving any explanation? Do you take our Jia Nan Academy for an easy mark?"
As Su Qian's voice fell...
Buzz—
A vast energy barrier suddenly emerged, like a curtain of heaven, covering the entire area and trapping the three within it.
Boom!
The burly, Du Jiao reacted first, his aura surging wildly.
The pressure of a high Seven-Star Dou Zong burst forth instantly, pressing down like a towering mountain on everyone present.
Wuuu~Roar—!
Beside him, Xian'er followed immediately. A yellowish-brown tornado quietly formed in her palm.
At the same time, the aura of a Two-Star Dou Zong erupted from her body.
The entire sky fell silent, and a fierce battle seemed on the verge of erupting.
At that instant, it was as if the whole world had frozen.
From afar, on treetops within the Inner Academy, countless students stared in the direction of the tower. The scene before them left them breathless and silent, tension clear on every face.
The Elders of the academy, including Su Qian and Hu Gan, also felt a heavy pressure weigh down in their hearts.
A high Seven-Star Dou Zong. A Two-Star Dou Zong.
Such a lineup, no matter where it appeared, would demand serious attention.
And there was one more—a figure who appeared to be merely a Dou Huang, but was in fact the one exerting the greatest pressure on everyone present.
It was obvious to anyone with a discerning eye that the mysterious black-robed figure standing in the center—seemingly the weakest—was actually the true leader of the group.
...
The sky remained silent.
Su Qian's palm slowly clenched, his expression dark.
The Elders remained silent as well, pouring their Dou Qi into the barrier, reinforcing it with all their might, ready to respond at a moment's notice.
No one would flinch or retreat in this battle—one that concerned the fate of the Inner Academy and the reputation of Jia Nan Academy itself.
Otherwise, after today, Jia Nan Academy would become a complete laughingstock.
Would that mean anyone could just break in and wreak havoc as they pleased?
What dignity would remain?
Especially with so many students watching—how could they maintain any face?
Wuuu~Roar—!
The sound of the tornado whistled faintly, like dragon roars echoing through the sky. In the dead silence of this moment, it sounded especially piercing.
Wei Yang stood with his hands behind his back, raising his head. Through the shadow of his hood, his gaze locked on the energy barrier above, frowning slightly.
He was starting to get a headache.
He hadn't expected Jia Nan Academy to be this stubborn!
You're angry? Go vent it on those Black-Corner Region bastards! Why make things difficult for me?
Sure, they could fight—but really, there was no need.
Wei Yang truly didn't want to completely fall out with Jia Nan Academy.
He slowly exhaled a breath, then looked directly at Su Qian and calmly asked, "Elder Su, just say it—what do you want? What do we have to do in order to leave?"
Whoosh—
Upon hearing this, Su Qian felt his heart loosen all at once, secretly letting out a heavy sigh of relief.
The other Elders also visibly relaxed.
Even the distant observing students let go of some of their tension. The suffocating atmosphere seemed to ease just a bit.
"Good, at least we can talk," Su Qian thought to himself.
What he feared most were the unreasonable types who only believed in brute strength.
Su Qian didn't want a fight either. Peacefully resolving the matter was obviously the best outcome. As long as everyone could maintain appearances, that was enough.
Even though he had spoken harshly, he never actually intended to go all out against the other party.
"First, let me ask—where is the Fallen Heart Flame?" Su Qian asked directly.
"The Fallen Heart Flame? Heh." Wei Yang chuckled lightly and replied, "I gravely wounded it. It fled deep into the endless magma below. Its current whereabouts are unknown."
"Truly?" Su Qian asked, with a trace of surprise in his tone.
The Elders all stared intently at Wei Yang.
"I've no reason to lie to you. The Fallen Heart Flame is indeed not in our possession," Wei Yang said, spreading his hands.
The Elders were overjoyed at the answer.
Even Su Qian showed a faint smile at the corner of his mouth.
As long as the Fallen Heart Flame was still out there, then everything else was negotiable.
"What about Han Feng?" Hu Gan followed up.
"Him? He's dead. Killed by my own hands. Soul extracted and body destroyed," Wei Yang replied casually.
Hiss—
Gasps rippled through the air.
Everyone looked at each other in astonishment.
They hadn't expected it—the famed Medicine Emperor, Han Feng, was... just dead like that?
"You… you really killed him?" an Elder asked, doubting.
"I don't like repeating myself. Are you questioning me?" Wei Yang turned his head slightly and looked at him.
"Er..."The Elder was immediately silenced, unable to speak further.
Even the Medicine Emperor Han Feng had been killed, and in such a brutal way—soul and body destroyed. The man before them was clearly ruthless.
"So, that means… the Sea Heart Flame is now in your hands?" Su Qian slowly gathered his thoughts and asked with a calm expression.
"That's right. I didn't get the Fallen Heart Flame, but I did obtain the Sea Heart Flame. At least the trip wasn't in vain," Wei Yang nodded.
He was telling the truth.
As long as he could obtain either the Fallen Heart Flame or the Sea Heart Flame, it was a huge profit—definitely not a loss.
Su Qian nodded. Though a bit envious, the Sea Heart Flame had nothing to do with Jia Nan Academy. As long as the Fallen Heart Flame remained, all was well.
Moreover, Han Feng's death—having someone else take the blame—was more than welcome.
With so many people present, once word spread, it would be clear that Jia Nan Academy had nothing to do with it. The Academy had always avoided such messy affairs.
Also, letting Wei Yang take the Sea Heart Flame was for the best. Even keeping the Fallen Heart Flame would be difficult in the future; they'd have to guard it against outsiders constantly. They didn't want to get entangled with the Sea Heart Flame on top of that.
Otherwise, peace would be out of the question.
"One last question: where is our Inner Academy student—Xiao Yan?" Su Qian asked.
During this disaster, Xiao Yan had played a major role. He had defeated Fan Lao, a Four-Star Dou Huang, head-on. He was undoubtedly a great contributor.
Such an elite student—Su Qian naturally had to ask about his whereabouts.
If...
Su Qian's eyes fixed on Wei Yang, his palm slowly tightening.
In the distance, atop a certain treetop, Hu Jia, Wu Hao, Lin Yan, Zi Yan, and several members of Pan Gate were all watching nervously.
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