In the vast mountain forest, a black shadow streaked like lightning. The pressure it carried from its high-speed flight created a long trench in the forest below. It took a long time for this mark to slowly fade away. The black figure was naturally Xiao Yan, who had helped the Blood Battle Mercenary Corps resolve a troublesome situation. He wasn’t overly worried about whether Hao Gan would secretly play any tricks, for he knew that in the face of absolute strength, all such scheming was utterly useless. The small Hao family, while having some prestige in the northeastern region of the empire, was barely significant in the eyes of the Yan Alliance. To wipe them out would not require much effort.
Thus, after resolving the trouble, Xiao Yan left with peace of mind. This time, he did not leave anything behind. After all, his relationship with Kagan and the others was not particularly deep. The hospitality and two rescue efforts they had provided him were enough to repay their kindness.
As these thoughts flashed through his mind, Xiao Yan’s flying speed suddenly increased. After about ten minutes, his speed finally slowed down. With a flap of the fire wings on his back, he directly soared into the hidden valley between the mountain peaks.
As soon as his figure entered the valley, Xiao Yan felt a slightly chilly gaze sweep over him. When the gaze passed over his face, it softened slightly. The gaze, of course, belonged to Medusa, who was guarding the place. Thus, Xiao Yan did not pay much attention. With a flicker of his body, he reappeared beside the giant purple light cocoon.
“Everything is settled?” Seeing Xiao Yan appear, Medusa raised her eyes and asked casually.
Xiao Yan nodded with a smile and briefly recounted what had happened. Medusa, however, did not show great interest. A mere Dou Wang and an insignificant mercenary group could hardly pique her curiosity.
“Your aura fluctuations are getting stronger, and your Dou Qi keeps leaking out. It seems you need to go into seclusion as soon as possible…” Compared to the matter at hand, Medusa was more concerned about Xiao Yan’s physical condition. Her brows furrowed slightly. From her perspective, Xiao Yan was like a sieve riddled with countless holes, with Dou Qi continuously leaking from those holes.
Xiao Yan nodded with a wry smile. His earlier burst of momentum had made his Dou Qi increasingly difficult to control. What was even more problematic was that energy from the natural world was continuously pouring into his body, adding to the chaos within.
“Time is of the essence. I plan to start my seclusion now. During my seclusion, I will seal the cave. As for Zi Yan, I entrust her to you,” Xiao Yan said after a brief pause.
“Mm.” Medusa nodded slightly and hesitated for a moment before saying, “This time, I didn’t return to the Serpent People. When you come out of your seclusion, I might make a trip back to the clan.”
Hearing this, Xiao Yan was taken aback and hesitated for a moment before tentatively asking, “Do you want me to go with you?”
“There’s no need. Humans are not welcome in our Serpent People. Your presence would likely cause unnecessary trouble,” Medusa responded with a slight movement, though her tone was indifferent.
Seeing this, Xiao Yan scratched his head awkwardly. “If that’s the case, then never mind. I’ll tidy up the cave first. We’ll start the seclusion shortly. Zi Yan will be in your hands.”
Medusa nodded slightly. Seeing her nod, Xiao Yan did not delay further. The chaotic Dou Qi in his body made him very uncomfortable. Thus, he flickered into the cave and started organizing his long-term seclusion space, which echoed with a series of low, rumbling explosions.
As she watched Xiao Yan enter the cave, Medusa couldn’t help but clench her hands. Her expression changed, and after a moment, she sighed helplessly. It seemed this guy was actually a little afraid of going to the Serpent People…
The organization of the cave lasted about ten minutes before it was completed. Then, the dust-covered Xiao Yan coughed and emerged, coming to the side of the large purple cocoon. He gently patted it and said with a smile, “Little girl, I’m also going into seclusion. During this time, please take care of her, Sister Cai Lin. I hope by the time I come out of seclusion, she will have successfully evolved. If not, I’ll leave her here in the wilderness for other beasts to eat as a supplement.”
As Xiao Yan finished speaking, the light from the cocoon suddenly brightened, as if the little one inside was refusing to comply.
Seeing this, Xiao Yan couldn’t help but laugh. Medusa, standing nearby, shook her head helplessly. This guy was still in the mood to joke around.
Tapping the cocoon once more, Xiao Yan turned to Medusa and smiled, “It looks like this will be a lot of trouble for you. I don’t know how long this breakthrough will take, but I estimate at least half a year.”
“Don’t worry, just half a year…” Medusa brushed a strand of green hair from her forehead and said indifferently, “As long as there are no special circumstances, I will protect you both until you succeed.”
Hearing this, Xiao Yan nodded silently. He took a deep breath, bowed to Medusa, and then abruptly turned, striding towards the cave. Soon, his figure disappeared into the darkness, and as he vanished, a loud rumbling sound filled the cave. A pile of boulders rolled down, instantly sealing the cave entrance tightly.
Looking at the cave, now blocked by rubble, a faint sense of loneliness appeared on Medusa’s calm face. She wondered when he would come out of seclusion. After a moment of silence, she sighed softly and muttered, “I hope you can successfully break through…”
Inside the cave, it was not as dark as one might imagine. On the cave walls, Xiao Yan had placed several moonstone crystals, their soft, gentle light spreading throughout the cave, neither too glaring nor too gloomy.
Xiao Yan sat cross-legged on a piece of bluish stone. This stone contained some jade, making it slightly cool to sit on, which was quite refreshing.
Glancing at the bluish stone, Xiao Yan suddenly thought of the blue fire lotus flower from back then. Cultivating on it not only increased energy absorption speed but also had the benefit of refining. It truly was an excellent auxiliary for cultivation. However, sadly, it was destroyed by the Falling Heart Flame in the underground.
With a wry smile, Xiao Yan let out a long breath and then formed a hand seal. In just a few breaths, he seamlessly entered a state of meditation.
Entering the meditative state, the situation within his body came into clear view. Looking at the rampaging Dou Qi flooding through his meridians like a flood, Xiao Yan shook his head helplessly. Fortunately, his body had been tempered by spirit herbs and strange flames multiple times, otherwise, such a level of Dou Qi rebellion would have caused him excruciating pain again.
Gradually, he dismissed distracting thoughts. Under the guidance of his powerful soul force, the erratic Dou Qi was quickly channeled into the main meridians, rapidly circulating according to the ‘Burning Conclusion’ technique. During this circulation, a strange, almost soul-piercing sensation began to rise in his heart.
As Xiao Yan’s mind immersed in this strange feeling, the energy from the outside world within the cave surged crazily, rotating rapidly to form a conical funnel above his head. The smaller end connected to the top of his skull, pouring the massive energy into his body.
With such a massive influx of energy, Xiao Yan’s eyebrows immediately furrowed. The intensity of the energy in the valley exceeded his expectations, especially considering it was just the beginning.
Taking a deep breath, Xiao Yan’s mind stirred, and a bright green flame unexpectedly emerged, enveloping his entire body. Before the green flame even released its heat, it began to slowly writhe under his command, gradually transforming into a dense, formless fire—none other than the Falling Heart Flame.
The Falling Heart Flame enveloped Xiao Yan, like a layer of flame clothing. The violent energy flooding into his body from the surrounding world abruptly slowed down, and under the protection of the Falling Heart Flame, the slightly motley energy was purified by its unique divine effect, significantly reducing the pressure within Xiao Yan’s body.
In the cave, the energy whistled, creating a colorful mosaic of energy bands, casting the cave in a beautiful array of colors. At the end of the countless energy bands was Xiao Yan, sitting cross-legged.
Advancing from Dou Wang to Battle Emperor was not an ordinary matter. Like Zi Yan, this advancement required an enormous amount of energy. Such a colossal amount of energy was not something that could be achieved overnight; it required a long period of accumulation to complete the transformation process fully.
Xiao Yan had long possessed the qualifications to advance to Battle Emperor. Now, he only needed sufficient energy to break through. Once the energy coalesced, advancing to Battle Emperor would be a natural progression!
The only drawback was that this advancement would also take a considerable amount of time…
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