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The black-robed man ignored the look on Cao Ying's face. His gaze briefly swept over the few who still resisted, and he took a slow step forward. However, just as his third step landed, his body suddenly halted. His head snapped around, and his icy-cold eyes locked onto the massive tree where Xiao Yan was hiding.
"Get out here!"
A terrifying suction force surged forth. Under its pressure, the massive tree exploded into dust. Xiao Yan's body was forcibly thrown forward more than ten meters before he barely managed to stabilize himself—but by that point, he had already been dragged into the soul barrier.
"You're... Xiao Yan? I was going to finish off these brats before coming for you, but it seems you've delivered yourself right to my doorstep." The man—Elder Mu Gu—let out a bone-chilling laugh. Due to Qian Renhan's influence in the timeline, the days he was supposed to be searching for Xiao Yan were instead spent at the Tianming Sect. As a result, seeing Xiao Yan here now made him especially delighted.
Later, Cao Ying and Xiao Yan hastily discussed a plan. The idea was for Cao Ying to use her trump card to break the spatial seal and escape, but only if she could stall Elder Mu Gu for three minutes. Xiao Yan immediately went all out—activating Heavenly Fire Three Mysterious Change, Eight Extreme Collapse, Flame Splitting Tsunami Ruler, Six Paths Swift Ruler, and even summoned his Earth Demon Puppet.
Because of Qian Renhan's timeline interference, this version of Xiao Yan never obtained the Emperor's Seal Technique, a high-level Earth-tier Dou Technique. Thus, even with everything he had, he only managed to hold on for two and a half minutes.
"Ugh!"
Xiao Yan coughed up a mouthful of blood as Elder Mu Gu's attack slammed him into the ground. His Heavy Xuan Ruler was knocked from his hands, and the Earth Demon Puppet had visible cracks spreading across its body.
"So this is the power of a Dou Zun…"
Glancing at the caved-in chest of the Earth Demon Puppet, Xiao Yan's pupils contracted sharply.
"Kekekeke… As expected of Yao Chen's disciple. You've held on for quite a while with only a Four-Star Dou Zong cultivation. Not bad. But it ends now." Elder Mu Gu's entire body surged with black energy. The black Dou Qi condensed into a massive black scythe.
"This is the same move I used to destroy Yao Chen's physical body. Dying under this technique should be an honor."
The scythe slashed down toward Xiao Yan, tearing through space itself as it descended.
Staring at the approaching blade, Xiao Yan forced a bitter smile. His strength still wasn't enough. He was far behind his big brother and the Gu Clan—how would he ever be able to mediate between the two? But right now, none of that mattered. Survival came first.
"Big brother, save me!"
"Scream all you want. No one's saving you. Now die!"
Just as the scythe was about to slice into Xiao Yan's throat, the space around it suddenly shattered. The scythe itself disintegrated into a cloud of black mist.
Elder Mu Gu staggered back a step, raising his head to see a white-haired figure standing in the newly-ripped space. Beside him stood a small purple-haired girl, still chewing on pills with an amused expression.
Elder Mu Gu narrowed his eyes.
"Who are you?"
"It's him!" Cao Ying recognized the black-clad man immediately—wasn't he the same perverted freak who grabbed onto Dan Chen on the street three days ago and refused to let go?
Qian Renhan cast a glance at the battlefield below, where only a handful of alchemists remained. Then, with a wave of his sleeve, more than ten Soul Hall members—including Elder Mu Gu—suddenly burst into clouds of blood mist.
Elder Mu Gu's job—massacring the alchemists and luring people from the Tianming Sect—had been completed. As such, it was time for him to die and become part of Qian Renhan's cultivation.
In the sky where Elder Mu Gu had perished, a deep blue flame emitting searing heat slowly descended.
"Ocean Heart Flame!"
The remaining alchemists, including Xiao Yan, gasped in unison. Every alchemist dreamed of possessing a Heavenly Flame—one's refining skills would greatly improve with even a single one.
"Senior, thank you for saving us. I'm Song Qing. My master is a Grand Elder of the Pill Tower." The quick-witted Song Qing stepped forward and cupped his fists toward Qian Renhan, trying to build rapport and possibly win the Ocean Heart Flame.
Qian Renhan completely ignored Song Qing. Instead, he walked over to Dan Chen and said calmly,
"I told you I'd come back to find you. Help me with my cultivation, and in return, I'll give you this—Taiyi Soul Technique (Middle Volume)—a high-level Earth-tier technique from the Soul Hall."
In terms of rarity, the Taiyi Soul Technique, which cultivated both Dou Qi and spiritual power simultaneously, was comparable to a pseudo-Heaven-tier technique. It was a priceless treasure that couldn't be bought on the open market—even a top family like the Dan Clan, with their Eight-Star alchemists, wouldn't have access to such a technique. Keep in mind, even Yao Chen—hailed as the continent's number-one alchemist—cultivated a high-level Earth-tier technique.
Upon seeing the manual, Song Qing's eyes turned bloodshot. Compared to this, the Ocean Heart Flame was utterly insignificant. Dan Chen herself looked overwhelmed and flattered. Though she was socially anxious, she wasn't foolish—she fully understood the immense value of the technique.
Dan Chen stammered,
"I-I can't accept this… it's too valuable."
Looking at her hesitant expression, Qian Renhan was reminded of the first time he met Ye Lingling. Once Dan Chen agreed to the exchange, he gently grasped her wrist and began channeling his soul power again.
As for giving away the middle volume of the Taiyi Soul Technique to the Dan Clan, Qian Renhan didn't mind in the slightest. It was a loss on paper, but the technique was useless to him. Letting it sit in his mind would just be a waste anyway.
Standing off to the side, Cao Ying felt a strange resentment rising in her heart as she was once again completely ignored by Qian Renhan. She hadn't felt this way earlier—but the moment Xiao Yan addressed the white-haired man as "big brother," something shifted. That single word implied that this man wasn't one of the old monsters who had cultivated for centuries and maintained youthful looks through arcane techniques—but instead, a member of the younger generation, brimming with vitality and blood.
And yet—her appearance, her figure, her allure—were all undeniably top-tier. She wasn't called a witch for nothing. Wherever she went, she was the center of attention, the object of every man's gaze. But in front of this man, she didn't receive even the slightest glance. That stark contrast lit a fire within her chest—one she didn't know how to extinguish.
Meanwhile, Xiao Yan muttered to himself, "What's the relationship between that little girl and Big Brother?" He looked over at the petite, purple-haired girl Zi Yan, then at the equally small-framed Dan Chen, and finally at the seductive Cao Ying—who was being completely ignored. His thoughts drifted to Gu Xun'er's appearance back when she was young, and his eyes blinked thoughtfully.
"Big Brother isn't… into lolis, is he?"
That stray thought quickly passed. Xiao Yan took some medicinal pills and began walking toward where the Ocean Heart Flame floated. Song Qing also moved toward the flame, clearly intent on seizing it for himself.
Song Qing was unaware of Qian Renhan's true strength. He assumed the man was just another Dou Zun like Elder Mu Gu. In his eyes, even a Dou Zun paled in comparison to his own teacher—the Grand Elder of the Pill Tower and a revered Tier 8 Alchemist.
Song Qing sneered coldly, "Xiao Yan, you're covered in wounds. You really think you can compete with me?"
Xiao Yan couldn't even be bothered to argue. He'd long since grown sick of Song Qing's arrogance. Though he was badly injured, Song Qing was in no better shape after all the fighting. Teaming up with the Earth Demon Puppet, Xiao Yan unleashed a single, powerful strike that sent Song Qing flying.
(End of Chapter)