Tianhuo Zunzhe agreed to Xiao Yan's proposal without hesitation. From his perspective, the conditions Xiao Yan offered weren't excessive at all, and honestly, in his current state, he didn't have a choice. He was already on the verge of soul dissipation—what else could he do? No matter how bad the situation seemed, it was still better than being wiped out on the spot.
On the way back, Tianhuo Zunzhe also shared the story of how he had ended up like this. He had once been the owner of the Falling Heart Flame that now resided in Xiao Yan's body. Deep within the magma world, he discovered a seed of the Heavenly Flame and, relying on his advanced flame control techniques, tried to absorb it. However, he suffered severe backlash. While weakened, he was then ambushed by a group of flame lizardmen, which ultimately led to his demise.
Simply put, it was a repeat of the Hai Bodong scenario—but worse. He had found a treasure in the wrong place and was killed before he could escape. If he hadn't been proficient in spatial techniques, even his bones would've likely been desecrated by the lizardmen.
Xiao Yan expressed heartfelt sympathy for the old man's plight… then casually took his corpse along. After all, the guy was dead—might as well put the remains to some use.
Once out of the magma world, Xiao Yan handed over the juvenile Falling Heart Flame to Elder Su Qian. Since the flame was of little use to him for now, it seemed like the perfect chance to earn some goodwill. Of course, Xiao Yan wasn't actually being generous. His real plan was to let them nurture the flame for a while and then… take it back once it matured.
If the elders of Jia Nan Academy knew what Xiao Yan was really thinking, they'd probably cough up blood on the spot. But outwardly, Xiao Yan played his role perfectly. When he presented the flame to Su Qian, the elder was so moved he nearly wept, while the other elders looked upon Xiao Yan with admiration and even reverence. Some seemed one step away from offering their own lives in gratitude...
Over the past few days, the elders had been nearly driven mad with worry after the Falling Heart Flame was stolen by the Earth Demon Old Ghost. Su Qian had even led a party to confront the remnants of Demon Flame Valley and was ready to die in battle to retrieve the flame. But when they arrived, they discovered the once-imposing black steel mine reduced to scorched wasteland.
The only conclusion they could draw was that Demon Flame Valley had already retreated from Black-Corner Region and had deliberately destroyed everything behind them to erase their tracks. Despite their fury, Su Qian and the others had no way to pursue them. The continent was vast—if the Earth Demon Old Ghost wanted to vanish, even they couldn't dig him out.
Just when they were pulling their hair out over the collapse of the Heaven Burning Gas Refining Tower, Xiao Yan returned with a newborn Falling Heart Flame. It resolved their crisis at once. Not only that, the infant flame was much more obedient than the last one. With proper nurturing, it could become even more useful than the original.
The Academy's upper echelons were overjoyed. They practically viewed Xiao Yan as a savior. By the time he returned to Jia Nan Academy, a statue in his likeness had already been erected in the Inner Academy...
Xiao Yan didn't linger at the academy. He soon returned to Xiao Sect with Zi Yan and Qing Lin. No matter what, that was his real base. He felt more at ease managing things there. He also placed Yuan Li—formerly Hun Moli, now fully brainwashed—within the Xiao Sect. With a Dou Zun-level expert stationed there, nothing in the Black-Corner Region could pose a threat.
This return had a dual purpose. Besides repairing Tianhuo Zunzhe's soul, Xiao Yan also planned to awaken Yao Lao. With his current strength, he was capable of refining new physical bodies for both of them. If all went well, he'd gain two more Dou Zun-level subordinates—his faction would finally start taking shape.
He prepared a relatively simple tier-five pill for Tianhuo Zunzhe. The concoction succeeded without much effort. For Yao Lao, however, Xiao Yan put in considerably more care. After all, Yao Lao had sacrificed himself to protect Xiao Yan, and had been a guiding figure during his weakest years. Xiao Yan owed him a great deal.
As two streams of medicinal liquid were injected into their respective black-and-white rings, gentle light glowed from each. Tianhuo Zunzhe's soul emerged first, offering Xiao Yan his gratitude. At last, he was no longer on the brink of oblivion.
Yao Lao, on the other hand, took longer. Perhaps due to his prolonged slumber, or maybe because he needed time to absorb the medicinal essence, his awakening was more gradual. When he finally floated out of the ring, he was first surprised to see another soul form nearby, then completely stunned by Xiao Yan's current strength.
He remembered falling into slumber when Xiao Yan was just a nine-star Da Dou Shi. And now… this little brat was already a nine-star Dou Zong?! Could it be that he'd slept for decades? But no… judging from Xiao Yan's youthful appearance, it couldn't have been more than a few years. Advancing four major realms in just three years… what kind of insane speed was this?
Once Yao Lao was awake, Xiao Yan let him and Tianhuo Zunzhe converse at their leisure. After all, they were both ancient figures and likely had more in common with each other. Meanwhile, Xiao Yan began preparing the materials needed to craft physical bodies for them.
Based on information Yao Lao had left behind, refining a new body required at least three types of Heavenly Flames, the blood essence of a seventh-rank magical beast, a Dou Zong-level corpse, and finally—a Bone Fusion Pill.
Most of the required materials were already in Xiao Yan's possession. The only problem was the beast blood. He had only one sample left, something he'd picked up long ago in the tomb of the Scorpion Emperor in the Jia Ma Empire. With his current strength, slaughtering a few seventh-rank magical beasts wouldn't be difficult… if any existed nearby. But the Black-Corner Region didn't exactly teem with such creatures.
Just as he was racking his brain for a solution, he suddenly remembered the flame lizardmen he had slain at the bottom of the Heaven Burning Gas Refining Tower. He vaguely recalled keeping the corpse of a Dou Zun-level lizardman for research. That thing should technically count as a magical beast. Its blood should work, right?
Without delay, Xiao Yan pulled the corpse from his storage ring. After using Heavenly Flame to refine it, he finally extracted a small bottle of crimson liquid. Feeling the searing energy radiating from it, Xiao Yan let out a deep breath.
With this final component in hand, all the materials required for refining physical bodies were now complete.
(End of Chapter)
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