Seeing everyone had prepared gifts, Zhao Li frowned, unsure what to give for a moment.
Although Elder Han had already counted him as part of the Pill Tower, Zhao Li wanted to use this opportunity to connect with the Burning Flame Valley and make some preparations for future endeavors.
Besides, he also wanted to witness their Heavenly Flame.
After some thought, Zhao Li decided to give the Burning Flame Valley a promise:
"Rogue Cultivator Zhang Li congratulates the Valley Master on the birth of his son. I came in a hurry and wasn't prepared, so I'll offer a promise. If the Burning Flame Valley ever needs my help, you can ask me to act once."
Zhao Li's tone was calm, but as his words fell, they caused everyone who hadn't paid much attention to him to turn their gaze his way.
They were very curious about what kind of person could be so confident, using only a promise as a congratulatory gift.
Seeing the Alchemist badge pinned to Zhao Li's chest, with its seven golden stars shining brightly, they suddenly understood and quietly inquired about Zhao Li's background from those nearby.
But their inquiries were destined to be fruitless.
Even Elder Han was somewhat surprised. He knew how valuable a Seventh-Grade Alchemist's promise was, let alone the promise of someone with outstanding talent like Zhao Li.
Tang Renjie also saw the badge Zhao Li wore, which was made of ordinary material but held extraordinary significance. He instantly became excited.
Although he hadn't received any physical object yet, Tang Renjie felt that the value of this promise was no less than that of the Snow Soul Pill, perhaps even greater.
One had to know that this promise wasn't to be redeemed immediately, and Zhao Li was already a Seventh-Grade High-Level Alchemist. If he improved further in the future, asking for his help then...
"Heh heh heh~, Valley Master Tang, you're not being fair. You didn't invite my Soul Hall to such a joyous occasion. Could it be that my Soul Hall isn't worthy of the Valley Master's regard? Please forgive my uninvited presence."
A strange laugh interrupted Tang Renjie's thoughts. Immediately, he saw the people from the Soul Hall appear here, his face sinking, and his tone indifferent:
"If you are guests, I, Tang, naturally welcome you. However, my humble Burning Flame Valley wouldn't dare to associate with your esteemed Soul Hall."
Zhao Li looked over. Among the Soul Hall group, the leader was a Five-Star Dou Venerate, slightly stronger than Tang Renjie. Here, only Han Zichuan had comparable strength.
Among the remaining four, three were also Three-Star Dou Venerates, and the last one, even Zhao Li couldn't discern his depth.
Zhao Li frowned in thought, wondering why the Soul Hall had come here.
Based on his understanding of the Soul Hall, these people never did anything without purpose. He feared a major change was about to befall the Burning Flame Valley.
Indeed, hearing Tang Renjie's words, that person wasn't annoyed and let out another strange laugh:
"I heard the Burning Flame Valley possesses a Heavenly Flame called the Nine-Dragon Thunderflame, ranked twelfth on the Heavenly Flame Ranking. Such a wondrous object of heaven and earth should be free and unrestrained. I never expected your Burning Flame Valley would try to keep it captive. Tsk tsk tsk."
Saying this, he clicked his tongue, looked at a Three-Star Dou Venerate behind him, and continued:
"My Soul Hall simply couldn't stand by and watch such behavior. We specifically came to rescue the Heavenly Flame and let it return to the world. I didn't expect to encounter the Valley Master's joyous occasion. Hei Ming, why are you not presenting the congratulatory gift to the Valley Master?"
That person flipped his hand and produced a strange box from which emanated an unpleasant smell.
The moment Tang Renjie smelled it, he felt the Nine-Dragon Thunderflame stir, becoming much more violent than usual.
He didn't dare to be careless and focused his attention on dealing with it.
If he was even slightly careless and suffered a backlash from the Heavenly Flame, there would be only one outcome: utter annihilation!
Venerate Blood Sea continued:
"I don't know what this mysterious thing is either, but it can enhance the Heavenly Flame's origin. Please accept it, Valley Master."
He took the box and threw it towards Tang Renjie.
As Blood Sea made his move, Tang Renjie felt the Heavenly Flame becoming increasingly violent. It was filled with longing for the contents of the box, seemingly on the verge of losing control at any moment.
Tang Renjie watched the approaching box but didn't dare to catch it, most of his attention focused on the Heavenly Flame.
Suddenly, the box exploded in front of Tang Renjie, revealing a strange black stone inside.
At the same time, Tang Renjie no longer dared to suppress the Heavenly Flame and released it. As soon as the Heavenly Flame appeared, it grew against the wind, turning into a silver giant dragon that coiled towards the strange stone.
Tang Renjie knew that if he continued to suppress it, it might now be wreaking havoc within his body.
"It seems the Valley Master's Heavenly Flame really likes the gift we prepared. Since you've accepted the gift, Valley Master, you should at least treat us to a meal."
Blood Sea saw the Heavenly Flame swallow the strange stone, nodded, and smiled, completely unconcerned by Tang Renjie's murderous gaze.
Seeing the Nine-Dragon Thunderflame, Zhao Li extended his Soul Power towards it. This was the first time he had seen a Heavenly Flame.
Under the perception of his Soul Power, he only felt his Soul Power being roasted by the flames and washed over by the power of thunder.
Zhao Li was surprised; he sensed some familiar Rules of Thunder.
It seemed his probing had startled the Nine-Dragon Thunderflame. It instantly bit the strange stone into its mouth, wanting to return to Tang Renjie's body.
Suddenly, Tang Renjie retreated explosively, a loud shout echoing across the square:
"Quickly retreat, get away from here!"
He felt the Nine-Dragon Thunderflame's wildness erupting again and didn't dare to let it return to his body.
"Heh heh~, it seems it also wants to return to the world. Why not be a gentleman, Valley Master, and let it go?"
Blood Sea saw the Heavenly Flame instantly surge, forming a giant dragon that circled in the air, and sneered.
Tang Renjie looked at the silver-white giant dragon circling in the air, lightning flashing across its body from time to time, and didn't dare to be distracted in the slightest.
He had used the Nine-Dragon Thunderflame for nearly thirty years and naturally knew its power. Moreover, he didn't know what methods the Soul Hall had used to stimulate its origin, making its power even greater than before.
The Soul Hall's reputation on the continent wasn't good. When they arrived, everyone present was already on high alert.
With Tang Renjie's warning, the sudden rampage of the Heavenly Flame didn't cause any casualties.
However, the power of the Heavenly Flame still astonished everyone, leading to hushed whispers and discussions.
Zhao Li and the people from the Pill Tower sat in the elevated area. He watched the Nine-Dragon Thunderflame in this state, noting that Valley Master Tang seemed to have lost control over it.
As he investigated, he couldn't help but become curious about that strange black stone.
The Heavenly Flame's rampage was definitely connected to the strange stone it had swallowed.
Zhao Li frowned. If the Soul Hall had many of these things, then dealing with people who possessed Heavenly Flames in the future would likely be extremely simple.
They would only need to throw out the strange black stone to cause the Heavenly Flame to go berserk. If one wasn't careful, they would be consumed by the backlash of the Heavenly Flame, leaving not even bones behind.
Seeing the man and the dragon locked in a stalemate with no other moves, Venerate Blood Sea spoke:
"If Valley Master Tang still wishes to keep the Heavenly Flame captive, then we won't be so polite."
"I was wondering what noble reason you had for coming here. So you were waiting for this all along. If you wanted to steal the Nine-Dragon Thunderflame, you could have just said so. Why put on such a show, pretending to be good while being malicious? It's disgusting!"
Tang Renjie had never believed the Soul Hall would come with good intentions to offer congratulations. He hadn't expected them to be after the Heavenly Flame. He mocked Venerate Blood Sea relentlessly.
Venerate Blood Sea maintained his previous stance, as if even he believed his own words:
"Since the Valley Master is so stubborn, don't blame me. Attack and give the Heavenly Flame a hand."
Saying this, Hei Ming and the other two attacked Tang Renjie, while Venerate Blood Sea himself watched Han Zichuan, preventing him from intervening.
Although Tang Renjie was a Four-Star Dou Venerate, he could normally contend with the three of them. However, with the Heavenly Flame out of control, he had to divert his attention to prevent a backlash and quickly fell into a disadvantage.
Seeing this, Han Zichuan still stepped forward, ready to intervene.
After all, the Burning Flame Valley had just declared they would advance and retreat with the Pill Tower. They were allies, and abandoning an ally was something the Pill Tower wouldn't feel comfortable doing:
"Venerate Blood Sea, today is a joyous occasion for the Burning Flame Valley. Why must you be so aggressive? With so many people here, aren't you afraid of being attacked collectively? How about you withdraw now?"
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