Far above the horizon, the sound of winds tearing through the air suddenly echoed. A large number of small dark specks appeared rapidly, transforming into numerous figures that streaked across the sky. The wind pressure generated by their high speed directly created grooves in the forest sea below, like water marks. The formidable aura displayed by such a large group of strong individuals also caused all the demonic beasts in the mountain range to quiver and whimper in fear. Even the more powerful high-tier demonic beasts did not dare to make much noise at this moment. They, with their faint intelligence, understood that this colossal force was enough to sweep across the entire mountain range.
“We’re almost at the Black Alliance’s headquarters, Maple City. Everyone, be careful!” As the figures streaked across the sky, an aged voice resonated in everyone’s ears.
“Be cautious, Maple City is now the most heavily guarded city of the Black Alliance. We’ve had a fair share of dealings with them over the past two years,” Xiao Yan gazed towards the end of the mountain range. Then, as figures flashed by, Elder Su Qian appeared beside him, reminding him.
“Yes, there are indeed many strong individuals in that city. I can sense it, and some of those auras feel familiar. It seems most of them were part of the assault back then,” Xiao Yan nodded slightly. With his outstanding soul perception, he could even detect the number of strong figures in the city more clearly than Su Qian.
At Xiao Yan’s abilities, Su Qian was not overly surprised. He nodded, his face somewhat grim. “In the beginning, the scattered forces were not a match for the Jia Nan Academy. But since the formation of the Black Alliance, we have never gained the upper hand.”
“Has the Black Alliance become so powerful?” Xiao Yan’s eyebrows furrowed slightly.
“Ai, the Jia Nan Academy has many elders, but most are only Dou Wangs. On the other hand, the leaders of the Black Alliance are all Battle Emperors. Fortunately, we have the advantage in numbers, which allows us to barely hold our ground,” Su Qian let out a bitter laugh. “While I am a Battle Sect, that old coot, Jin Yin, can tag team to hold me back. The remaining combatants on both sides can be considered evenly matched. However, every clash, Han Feng uses the power of the foreign flame to quickly defeat the inner college’s elites, then attacks me alongside Jin Yin. As you know, though he is only at the peak of Battle Emperor, the ‘Sea Heart Flame’ is something even I must be wary of. When three attack one, I’m helpless.”
“Although the Inner College’s strength has expanded in recent years, it’s still much smaller compared to the increase in the Black Alliance’s strength. You, as an alchemist, should understand the appeal of a sixth-grade alchemist. Which of the strong individuals in the Black-Corner Region doesn’t want to get a pill from Alchemy Ancestor Han Feng?”
Xiao Yan nodded slightly, surprised at Han Feng’s methods. In just two short years, he had managed to gather a force that could challenge the ancient Jia Nan Academy based on his appeal. Though the Jia Nan Academy hid many true strong figures in secret, they were all old fuddy-duddies who wouldn’t come out unless it was a critical moment. Reflecting on the intense assault on the Inner College, they had never shown themselves, let alone now in this relatively minor conflict.
“Han Feng, I’ll take care of him. Grand Elder, handling Jin Yin and Yin should be no problem, right?” Xiao Yan smiled.
“Those two old codgers can temporarily fight me with their twin coordination, but if dragged on, they’ll fall behind. The gap between Battle Sect and Battle Emperor isn’t easy to bridge,” hearing Xiao Yan’s promise, Su Qian finally let out a sigh of relief and smiled confidently.
“That would be good.” Xiao Yan nodded, his gaze flickering. After a moment, he murmured, “Grand Elder, if we win this battle and capture Han Feng, may I have custody of him?”
Su Qian was taken aback, then gave Xiao Yan a meaningful look. “You’re eyeing the ‘Sea Heart Flame’ within him, aren’t you?”
Xiao Yan chuckled ambiguously.
“The ‘Sea Heart Flame’ is indeed a precious foreign flame. However, to my knowledge, even alchemists can, at most, control one kind of foreign flame. You’ve already surprisingly mastered two, and still planning to control a third?” Su Qian said, smiling enigmatically.
His hand within his sleeve unconsciously clenched, but Xiao Yan’s expression remained unchanged. He smiled lightly, “To gain power, one must sacrifice something. The Grand Elder only knows I’ve obtained two kinds of foreign flames, but he doesn’t know the nearly unbearable pain I endured in the magma underground. If not for a stroke of luck, I wouldn’t have survived. I’m burdened by a blood feud, and don’t have the luxury to think about whether things are too dangerous or not.”
“Perhaps controlling the ‘Sea Heart Flame’ again will put me through life and death trials, but everything has a chance, and what I pursue is that very low success rate. I know that once I succeed, I will gain the power I need. If I fail, being devoured by the foreign flame is the natural consequence.”
“You are gambling with your life,” Su Qian stared for a while before sighing, “With your talent, even with normal cultivation, you would achieve a lot.”
“But my goal is not just achieving a ‘notable success.'”
Xiao Yan smiled lightly, the ambition in his laughter causing even this old fox like Su Qian to feel a brief silence. At this moment, Su Qian realized that he might have underestimated this little guy who constantly performed miracles.
“Alright, if we really win and capture Han Feng, I will hand him over to you,” Su Qian was silent for a while before finally nodding. He patted Xiao Yan’s shoulder and whispered in his ear, “Also, if you have the chance, send my regards to Venerated Medicine. The previous dean and he shared a friendship.”
The vibrating emerald fire wings suddenly stopped, and Xiao Yan’s pupils narrowed slightly. He turned his head to look at Su Qian, who wore a smile. “How did you realize…?”
“Kid, don’t underestimate a Battle Sect’s perception. I’ve met Venerated Medicine before, but I wasn’t in this position then,” Su Qian smiled and waved at Xiao Yan. “Don’t worry, I won’t leak the information. But judging by your hatred for Han Feng, I can guess Venerated Medicine’s demise has something to do with him.”
Tension slowly melted away from his body, and Xiao Yan nodded silently. His heart unexpectedly relaxed. He was no longer the mere Great Spirit of two years ago. With his current strength, if he went all out, even Su Qian standing in front of him couldn’t kill him. So, even if the news about Yao Lao was exposed, he had confidence in protecting his teacher.
As this thought flashed, recalling the past, a faint smile crept onto Xiao Yan’s lips. Over time, the youth who needed Yao Lao’s protection had unknowingly transformed into a true strong individual. Now, Xiao Yan was finally able to fly under his own power, soaring through the skies.
“Hehe, thank the Grand Elder for keeping Xiao Yan’s secrets,” Xiao Yan clasped his hands in gratitude to Su Qian and then turned his head, looking towards the distant skyline. There, the verdant mountain ranges gradually disappeared, and in the further distance, the increasingly familiar auras became more pronounced.
“Almost there…”
Su Qian also raised his gaze, his eyes flashing with a chilly light. A cold roar rang out in everyone’s ears, “Everyone, today is the day to wash away the disgrace of the raid on the Inner College from those scoundrels!”
“Yes, sir!”
The sky resounded with a chorus of voices. The imposing aura surged, and under such a massive shock, even the clouds in the sky were shattered into countless tiny white points, scattering across the horizon.
“Shwoosh! Shwoosh!”
In the vast sky, shadows streaked like meteors toward the city with great prestige in the Black-Corner Region, their formidable momentum swelling as they approached.
The immense aura released by the Inner College experts was not concealed. Thus, even before they arrived, their overwhelming presence enveloped the entire Maple City. In an instant, the originally bustling city fell into silence, with fearful gazes turning towards the source of the overpowering aura.
“Who dares to infringe upon my Maple City?”
Shortly after the Inner College experts’ imposing aura enveloped Maple City, a large number of figures abruptly burst out from the grand manor at the city center. They hovered in the sky, disorganized yet poised. The lead figure, dressed in an alchemist’s robe, let out a mocking laugh laced with Dou Qi, which rumbled across the horizon like thunder.
Seeing the numerous figures in the sky, the city instantly erupted. As the owner of Maple City, Han Feng’s reputation was unmatched. Of course, in the Black-Corner Region, where respect for the strong was paramount, Han Feng’s reputation came from his strength. If a stronger individual appeared, his reputation would swiftly diminish.
“Han Feng, you attacked the Inner College back then. Today, let’s settle this grudge once and for all!”
Just as Han Feng’s voice faded, a deep, resonant voice boomed from afar. Shortly after, several figures appeared, drawing the attention of countless onlookers.
“Shwoosh! Shwoosh! Shwoosh!”
In the sky, figures flashed into sight, hovering in the sky outside Maple City. An overwhelming aura spread out, enveloping the heavens and earth.
Han Feng’s gaze slowly swept over the Inner College experts before stopping abruptly. The place his gaze landed on was none other than the master of the scorching heat that even the ‘Sea Heart Flame’ feared!
“I didn’t expect… it to be you… Xiao Yan!”
Han Feng’s face twitched slightly, and his chilling voice echoed across the sky. With the mention of this name, known to almost everyone in the Black-Corner Region, the entire city erupted again!
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