"Well, well. If it isn't the Medicine Emperor Han Feng of the Black-Corner Region."
Xiao Jietian's gaze swept over the man in alchemist robes.
Handsome. Refined. Every inch a gentleman.
And rotten to the very core.
Yao Chen had raised him as his own son. Had even rejected Xuan Yi's confession—a woman he loved—to focus on nurturing this disciple.
And Han Feng's repayment?
Betrayal. Murder. Alliance with the Soul Hall.
All for the Burning Technique.
Yao Chen had refused to teach it not out of selfishness, but out of care. He himself had never cultivated it. From its fragmented descriptions alone, he understood the catastrophic risks.
Absorbing one Heavenly Flame could reduce a man to ash.
The Burning Technique required multiple Heavenly Flames.
It was dancing with death, again and again.
Yao Chen was unwilling to let his disciple take that risk.
As for why he later guided Xiao Yan toward it? Because he had sensed something unusual in Xiao Yan. And because, at that time, Yao Chen was using him. If Xiao Yan succeeded, a free disciple. If he failed? Yao Chen would simply move on to the next candidate.
Three years of absorbed Dou Qi had already restored him considerably.
"Heh heh." Han Feng's thin lips curved in a faint smile. "Elder Su Qian flatters me. 'Medicine Emperor' is merely a title kindly bestowed by friends in the Black-Corner Region. Nothing more."
His tone was modest.
His expression was arrogant.
Hu Gan descended from the distance, landing beside Su Qian.
His face was grim.
"Han Feng. This is Jia Nan Academy territory. You arrive uninvited. What is your intention?"
Han Feng's smile did not waver.
His gaze drifted toward the sealed cave—where the Fallen Heart Flame lay trapped.
"Heavenly Flames are rare treasures of heaven and earth." His voice was gentle, almost sorrowful. "Is it not excessively cruel to wound such a treasure and seal it away in a sunless cave?"
A pause.
"Han has come today to request that Elder Su Qian release the Heavenly Flame within. Please, cease this imprisonment."
Another pause. His tone grew heavier.
"Your academy's actions… truly violate the ethics of the continent."
Silence.
Everyone present stared at Han Feng with expressions ranging from disbelief to genuine admiration.
Xiao Jietian was impressed.
This man's ability to lie without blinking is absolutely top-tier. Zhao Gao himself would concede defeat.
Even the men behind Han Feng shifted uncomfortably.
We're from the Black-Corner Region. Murder is a Tuesday. Massacre is a busy Wednesday. 'Imprisonment' is basically a hobby.
And this man is lecturing about ethics?
"Eloquent." Su Qian's voice was cold. "Truly eloquent."
His sleeve flicked dismissively.
"If you wish to steal the Heavenly Flame, simply say so. There is no need for such circumnavigation."
His gaze swept across Han Feng's entourage.
"The Medicine Emperor's influence is indeed impressive. The Earth Flame Gate. The Eight Gates. The Earth Flame Sect. Even Demon Flame Valley."
His voice dripped with contempt.
"Lord of Maple City, Medicine Emperor Han Feng—peak Nine-Star Dou Huang."
"Earth Flame Gate Master, Old Ban—Seven-Star Dou Huang."
"Earth Flame Sect Master, Yan Lin—Three-Star Dou Huang."
"Eight Gates City Lord, Yuan Yi—Two-Star Dou Huang."
"Demon Flame Valley, Old Ying Zhua—Six-Star Dou Huang."
Han Feng's smile thinned.
"Elder Su Qian remains as direct as ever." His voice cooled. "You understand the significance of a Heavenly Flame to an alchemist. Grant me this face. Name your price. If it is within my power, I shall fulfill it."
His gaze drifted again toward the sealed cave.
If I can obtain a second Heavenly Flame—devour it, refine it—my strength will soar.
That damned old man. If he had simply given me the Burning Technique, none of this would have been necessary.
I would not be clutching this fragmented, incomplete technique, studying it for years just to grasp the barest method—while damaging my own body in the process.
Hatred flickered through his eyes.
Gone in an instant.
"Your face?" Su Qian's voice was flat. "If your teacher, the Venerable Yao, stood before me, I might consider it."
A pause.
"You? Go back. Cultivate a few more decades. When you have achieved even half of the Venerable Yao's stature, then speak to me of face."
His tone was absolute.
"You are not yet worthy."
Han Feng's expression froze.
Then—fractured.
In the entire Black-Corner Region, who dares speak to the Medicine Emperor Han Feng thus?
His voice was ice.
"Since Elder Su Qian is unwilling…"
A pause.
"…then Han shall take it by force."
His gaze swept across the academy grounds.
"I advise you to surrender the Heavenly Flame obediently. The men behind me are not known for restraint. If battle erupts…"
His voice dropped.
"…your academy will be reduced to ashes."
Deep blue flame erupted from his body.
It was not fire—it was liquid. Seawater set ablaze, flowing, surging, consuming. The surrounding space warped and distorted under its heat.
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
"A HEAVENLY FLAME!"
"He actually possesses a Heavenly Flame?!"
Xiao Jietian observed the deep blue flame with clinical detachment.
Sea Heart Flame. Ranked fifteenth. Deep blue, flows like clear seawater, gentle in nature—relatively speaking.
Its uses after acquisition have already been mentally allocated.
"With your peak Dou Huang strength and these few Dou Huangs, you intend to forcefully seize it?" Su Qian's aura pressed down upon them like a mountain. "You overestimate yourselves."
Han Feng's smile returned—thin, confident.
"Against Elder Su Qian's Dou Zong strength, we alone are naturally insufficient."
A pause.
"But your opponent is not us."
He stepped back.
His voice became respectful.
"Elder Jin Yin. Please, show yourselves."
Space rippled.
Two figures materialized in the sky—one gold, one silver.
Their voices were cold, threatening.
"Han Feng. You understand the price of requesting our intervention."
A pause.
"If, after this matter concludes, you cannot deliver…"
The threat hung unspoken in the air.
Xiao Jietian watched this exchange.
And almost—almost—laughed aloud.
Medusa, standing beside him, noticed his barely suppressed mirth.
Confused, she reached out and touched his forehead.
Not hot.
In the distance, Han Yue observed this gesture.
Her jade-like hand clenched.
Then, slowly, released.
Han Feng, Xiao Jietian thought, is being threatened by two peak Dou Huangs.
If he hadn't committed patricide—if his backing was still the Venerable Yao—these two wouldn't even be worthy of carrying his shoes.
And Su Qian.
A Three-Star Dou Zong.
He would fight these two to a draw—two men who could, together, match a Dou Zong.
Thus earning himself the eternal title: 'Weakest Dou Zong'.
Xiao Jietian's gaze drifted briefly to where Hai Bodong was stationed.
That old man, on the other hand—
A Dou Huang fighting Dou Zongs his entire career.
'Strongest Dou Huang'.
"Old Man Jin Yin."
Su Qian's voice was grim.
"I did not expect you two to be invited here."
His gaze fixed upon the twin brothers in gold and silver robes.