Upon hearing Xiao Yan’s question, the smile on Wu Hao’s face gradually faded, his brows furrowed tightly. After a moment of contemplation, he finally spoke, “The Demon Flame Valley is also one of the old and powerful forces in the Black-Corner Region. It has existed for a long time, and the valley’s power is exceptionally formidable. Originally, they had no significant grudge with the Jia Nan Academy, but due to the Sect of Xiao, their relationship turned as hostile as fire and water in the past year or two.”
“What happened?” Xiao Yan was slightly taken aback. This matter was actually related to the Xiao Sect?
“Mainly, the Xiao Sect has developed too quickly. Now, within the Black-Corner Region, it can be considered a force of great repute. And with the expansion of a force, conflicts are bound to arise. So, due to some disputes, the Xiao Sect and the Demon Flame Valley had some clashes. As the conflicts intensified, a major war was inevitable…” Wu Hao sighed helplessly, “At the beginning, the Demon Flame Valley showed its strength as an old and powerful force. In several battles with the Xiao Sect, the Xiao Sect was almost always defeated. Eventually, the Jia Nan Academy finally stepped in to help the Xiao Sect repel the offensive of the Demon Flame Valley. During the battles, the Jia Nan Academy killed several powerful figures from the Demon Flame Valley, thereby creating a deep enmity between them.”
“The Demon Flame Valley operates with extremely vile means. After harboring a grudge against the Jia Nan Academy, they even secretly targeted some students who were out training. Many students have lost their lives to them in the past couple of years. Their actions completely enraged the Jia Nan Academy. Originally, if it weren’t for the great calamity of the Xiao Sect, the Jia Nan Academy would seldom intervene. But later, it almost became a full-scale war between the Jia Nan Academy and the Demon Flame Valley. Whenever the strong forces of both sides met, a fierce battle would inevitably break out.”
At this point, Wu Hao’s teeth were gritted, clearly showing his extreme anger at the lowly tactics of the Demon Flame Valley.
Seeing the rage on Wu Hao’s face, Xiao Yan’s expression also darkened. To target ordinary students in such a way was indeed despicable and unbearable. No wonder the Jia Nan Academy would be so furious, even abandoning its neutral stance to directly engage in battle with the Demon Flame Valley.
“Soon after the Jia Nan Academy went to war with the Demon Flame Valley, the latter recruited those strong figures who had previously joined Han Feng in attacking the inner academy. They were specifically tasked with opposing the Jia Nan Academy… The strength of the Demon Flame Valley is extremely formidable. Even with the Jia Nan Academy’s might, it cannot easily eliminate them. Thus, the war has been stuck in a stalemate. Consequently, every time students go out to train, the academy sends strong protectors. But this time, word got out, and they were discovered. If you hadn’t appeared, the outcome here would have been grim…”
Wu Hao frowned, continuing, “If we compare the underlying resources, I doubt the Demon Flame Valley, despite its long existence, can match the Jia Nan Academy.”
Xiao Yan pondered, “The Jia Nan Academy only has Grand Elder Su Qian as a Battle Sect, but I know that there must be a very frightening hidden force within the academy, like those mysterious valley guardians.”
“Those guardians will not act unless the academy’s survival is at stake. Even during the emergency when Han Feng attacked the inner academy, none of them appeared,” Wu Hao said with a wry smile.
Hearing this, Xiao Yan could only nod helplessly. Those old guys were strong, but they were all rigid about following rules.
“Does the Demon Flame Valley have Battle Sects too?” Xiao Yan asked, his brows furrowing slightly. Grand Elder Su Qian was a genuine Battle Sect, and if even he couldn’t resolve the conflict with the Demon Flame Valley, then the other side must also have Battle Sects.
“Yes, the leader of the Demon Flame Valley is also a Battle Sect, though he often secludes himself and rarely appears in the Black-Corner Region. Most people don’t know much about him. In the Black-Corner Region, true strong figures are not overly interested in ranking on the Blacklist. Don’t think that this can measure the overall strength of the region. Being able to coexist for so long near the Jia Nan Academy shows that this chaotic land truly harbors dragons and tigers. Even compared to the two elders, Jin and Yin, the gap is significant,” Wu Hao said seriously.
Xiao Yan nodded slightly. It seemed that the Black-Corner Region was indeed deeply hidden. He had been too narrow-minded, thinking that the two elders were the strongest in the region. Of course, Xiao Yan was no longer the same as two years ago. Now, he was a genuine Battle Emperor, and he had defeated Battle Sects before. Xiao Yan was confident that with his current strength, if he fought Han Feng again, he wouldn’t need to rely on Elder Medicinal’s power.
“It seems a lot has happened in the Black-Corner Region in the two years I was away…” Xiao Yan sighed lightly after listening to Wu Hao’s recounting of the changes.
“You came back… not just to visit us, right?” Xiao Yu, glancing at the Little Healer Immortal beside Xiao Yan, asked.
Xiao Yan touched his nose, smiling, “I need to find the Grand Elder about something, and I suspect the Falling Heart Flame in the Inner Academy’s Heavenly Fire Hall is nearly exhausted, right?”
“I’m surprised you remember that. The Heart Flame dried up half a year ago. If it weren’t for being preoccupied with the Demon Flame Valley, Grand Elder would have gone straight to the Galley Empire to fetch someone,” Xiao Yu retorted.
Xiao Yan couldn’t help feeling a bit embarrassed.
“Since you also need to find the Grand Elder, why not come back with us to the Jia Nan Academy?” Wu Hao smiled, changing the subject.
Xiao Yan hesitated for a moment, then shook his head, “Black Emperor City is holding a grand auction. I need to go there. I need to gather some materials and information, and I might be able to get them there.”
“The auction in Black Emperor City? I’ve heard of it; it’s the largest in the Black-Corner Region in recent years,” Wu Hao said, frowning, “Since that’s the case, I won’t stop you. But be careful in Black Emperor City. It’s almost gathered all the strong powers and forces in the region. As far as I know, the Demon Flame Valley should also be participating.”
Xiao Yan nodded lightly, smiling, “Rest assured, if I encounter the Demon Flame Valley, I’ll see how strong a force that can stand up to the Jia Nan Academy really is.”
“Up to you. Your strength now is beyond my understanding. If you encounter a Battle Sect, even if you can’t win, you should be able to escape smoothly, right?” Seeing this, Wu Hao didn’t say anything else, smiling and sitting up.
“Let’s go. I’ll escort you for a while. After the auction in Black Emperor City, I’ll come to the academy,” Xiao Yan said to Wu Hao and Xiao Yu.
“That’s fine. Once we reach the next city, we can notify the Jia Nan Academy, and it will be safer,” No one refused Xiao Yan’s suggestion. Although they had eliminated the pursuers of the Demon Flame Valley, Wu Hao was still heavily injured. Having a strong protector like Xiao Yan made it much safer.
After the discussion, Wu Hao wasted no more time. He called everyone to prepare to leave, and they swiftly left the small valley where they had teetered between life and death.
As for Xie Zhen’s corpse, with a flick of Xiao Yan’s finger, it turned into ashes. Thus, the fourth elder of the Demon Flame Valley quietly vanished.
After leaving the valley and traveling for about two hours, a city appeared in the rugged mountains. Once Xiao Yan settled Wu Hao and the others, they separated. Xiao Yan continued to rush towards Black Emperor City, increasing his speed as the auction approached.
Although Wu Hao was also very interested in the grand auction in Black Emperor City, he had too many ‘oil bottles’ to take care of. It was impossible for him to request to go together. After all, the situation in Black Emperor City was chaotic, and any unexpected event could result in someone getting lost. Therefore, he had to wait obediently for the strong reinforcements from the Jia Nan Academy to arrive and safely return the students to the academy.
While Wu Hao was sulking, Xiao Yan and his companions quickly left the city, speeding towards Black Emperor City according to the map. After an intense journey of a day, they gradually approached the location of Black Emperor City. As they got closer, Xiao Yan noticed with surprise that the number of people on the road to the city was increasing. Clearly, these people were also heading to the auction.
In the Black-Corner Region, with so many people, conflicts would naturally erupt. Along the way, frequent bloody battles occurred. At first, the Little Healer Immortal was somewhat surprised by the region’s violent nature, but later, like Xiao Yan and Zi Yan, she became indifferent to it.
As the journey continued, by dusk, the silhouette of a huge city appeared at the end of the road, partially hidden by the trees.
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