Join my Patreon to be 30 chapters ahead of the webnovel releases:
patreon.com/ZeroMoney
I would appreciate your help if you could join my Patreon and support me because it would keep me motivated.
******
Inside one of the giant branch halls of the Soul Hall, within a dark and ominous stone chamber lined with chains, sat a figure in black robes. His face was strikingly ordinary, devoid of any distinguishing features—just like any passerby. The hands protruding from his sleeves were rough and calloused. Yet it was this seemingly unremarkable person who held in his grasp a glowing orb shrouded in black mist—the soul body of the Soul Hall's Vice Hall Master, Hun Moqian.
The identity of this black-robed figure was unmistakable: the Hall Master of the Soul Hall, Hun Miesheng.
"Many thanks for saving my life, Hall Master," Hun Moqian said respectfully. In the Soul Hall, if the Soul Clan's chief, Hun Tiandi, was the supreme object of reverence for the clan as a whole, then within the Soul Hall itself, Hun Miesheng was the one all revered.
In the Soul Clan, strength was everything. The law of the jungle reigned supreme—brutal and absolute. Unlike the ancient clans, which valued seniority and status—like the Gu Clan where even the clan leader, Gu Yuan, deferred to elders unless the clan faced crisis—among the Soul Clan, without strength or potential, one was nothing.
"Go to the rear hall and choose a corpse," Hun Miesheng instructed coldly.
He intended to resurrect Hun Moqian. A late-stage Heavenly Realm soul was an incredibly rare and precious resource for the Soul Hall. With the ancient eight clans nearly exterminated and the plan to collect the Tou She Ancient Emperor's Jade underway, the Soul Hall had become stretched thin. The Soul Clan, under close watch from the other ancient clans, couldn't afford to move too openly. Thus, the mission of wiping out disciples from ancient bloodlines had fallen to the Soul Hall.
Hun Miesheng opened his eyes. His pupils were pitch black—so pure and deep that there wasn't even a hint of sclera. It was as though two perfectly black pearls had been forcibly embedded into his eye sockets.
"The Pill Tower's Grand Patriarch... he may have already reached that realm. Report it to the Clan Chief; he might take interest. And that boy... with abilities like his, Lord Nihility would certainly be intrigued."
Star Domain, Holy Pill City
Within a star domain blanketed by purple-black flames, a terrifying temperature surged upward, intensifying the heat. Even space itself warped under the pressure. Were it not for the Pill Tower elders sealing off the outer space of the domain in time, these flames—compressed like a volcano's fury—might have erupted all at once, bringing devastating destruction to Holy Pill City.
These flames, naturally, were the result of Qian Renhan detonating the Three Thousand Burning Flame—energy that had accumulated over a thousand years.
Amid the sea of purple-black fire, a figure in black robes with white hair appeared. Who else could it be but Qian Renhan?
To escape Hun Miesheng—a peak five-star Dou Saint with soul power at the pinnacle of the Heavenly Realm—even Qian Renhan's advanced spatial mastery might have left behind traces. But by sheer coincidence, the elders of the Pill Tower had sealed the star domain, and Qian Renhan used the surge of Dou Qi from their seal to layer on an additional disguise, sneaking into the domain unnoticed.
As the saying goes, the most dangerous place is often the safest. With spatial concealment and the shielding effects of the Pill Tower elders' Dou Qi, few would suspect Qian Renhan to be hiding right under their noses, inside the domain itself.
He condensed a barrier of Dou Qi to block the searing heat of the Three Thousand Burning Flame and took out his Qian kunbag, releasing Zi Yan from within.
The moment she emerged, Zi Yan began complaining:
"Qian Renhan, where did you take me earlier? Those ghost-like wails were terrifying—I nearly died of fright!"
She was, of course, referring to the stomach of the Soul Gu Frog. If not for the protective Dou Qi Qian Renhan had left inside the Qian kunbag, the violent and evil aura would have driven Zi Yan half-mad.
"Just some Soul Hall trickery," Qian Renhan replied calmly. "Zi Yan, I'm going to go into seclusion here for a while, then head off to search for a few things. During that time, why don't you visit the Starfall Pavilion?"
During the Alchemy Tournament, the Starfall Pavilion had already passed along valuable information about battle techniques across the Dou Qi Continent to Qian Renhan. Before the relic of the Dou Saints opened, he intended to visit various factions, observe their sword techniques, and follow in the footsteps of the Sage of Creation—merging the strengths of all to craft a personalized Heaven-Rank technique.
Zi Yan pouted, her face full of dismay.
"You want me to go live with strangers all by myself?"
Qian Renhan chuckled and ruffled her hair.
"Weren't you getting along well with Little Doctor Immortal lately? You can choose between the Ancient Emperor's Cave, Ancient Dragon Island, or Starfall Pavilion. Of course, if you insist on following me, I won't stop you—but just know, my journey will wear your legs out."
Upon hearing that, Zi Yan perked up and asked,
"Does the Starfall Pavilion have good food?"
"Of course. Both Xiao Yan and his teacher's alchemy skills are better than mine."
Qian Renhan's storage ring gleamed as he summoned Hun Moqian's corpse. A flicker of black mist appeared, and a small dragon wrapped in purple-black flames leapt into his palm—none other than the Three Thousand Burning Flame that Hun Moqian had previously taken.
"Give this to Yao Lao. Whatever kind of pill you want to eat, he and Xiao Yan will make it for you."
Zi Yan tilted her head and asked, "The source flame of the Three Thousand Burning Flame? You're just giving it away?"
"It's only a Dou Zun-level origin flame. If I can't absorb it, there's no point in keeping it. Besides, the true value of the Three Thousand Burning Flame to me lies in the sea of fire within this star domain. Consider this little flame your meal allowance for the next while—and my thanks to Starfall Pavilion for providing intelligence."
After releasing ownership of the Three Thousand Burning Flame, Qian Renhan opened a spatial tunnel to safely send Zi Yan off toward Starfall Pavilion.
"At Nine-Star Dou Saint level, any powerhouse above Five-Star can tear through space and strike from thousands of miles away. As a mere early-stage Four-Star Dou Saint, I'm still too weak. Even my Heaven-tier beginner techniques feel inadequate... what a pity I didn't manage to capture Hun Moqian's soul body."
With a faint sigh, Qian Renhan sat cross-legged and began absorbing the life essence from Hun Moqian's corpse as well as the countless strands of black flame still drifting throughout the star domain.
With the combined power from Hun Moqian's corpse, a thousand years' worth of accumulated flame energy from the Three Thousand Burning Flame, and the soul and body of the old demon of the Dark Underworld, Qian Renhan successfully broke through to the peak of mid Four-Star Dou Saint.
Then, he set off across the Dou Qi Continent, visiting major forces. Using intelligence provided by Starfall Pavilion, he investigated the Yellow Springs Pavilion, Ten Thousand Sword Pavilion, and many other sects, large and small, along with high-profile forces like Blazing Flame Valley, Sound Valley, Flower Sect, and the Pill Tower—even those whose information hadn't been documented.
The Grand Elder of Blazing Flame Valley was only a mid-stage One-Star Dou Saint. Qian Renhan strolled through the sect undetected—completely unnoticed by the elder.
As for Dark Underworld Sect and Ice River Valley, their strongest experts had already been slain by Qian Renhan. Even their souls had been devoured, making them unworthy of further attention.
Since Xiao Yan returned to Starfall Pavilion, he had absorbed the Ocean Heart Flame and advanced to Five-Star Dou Zong, then later consumed the Three Thousand Burning Flame gifted by Zi Yan, reaching Nine-Star Dou Zong. After a year of intense cultivation, he stood at the peak of Nine-Star Dou Zong.
In the inner sanctum of Starfall Pavilion, Venerable Feng approached Yao Chen, who was currently focused on alchemy.
"Feng Xian, is something wrong?" Yao Chen asked. Since returning to Starfall Pavilion, he had once again become a hands-off elder, only occasionally teaching Xiao Yan or guiding some disciples. All other matters were handled by Feng Xian.
"Yao Chen, Xiao Yan has suddenly reached the peak of Nine-Star Dou Zong," Feng Xian said with a serious expression.
Yao Chen nodded calmly. "I've known for some time. Is there something more?"
Feng Xian hesitated, then said, "I remember you mentioned Xiao Yan took the Yin-Yang Dragon Marrow Pill. Do you still remember what happened after I was seriously injured and had to dissipate my cultivation back when I was a Five-Star Dou Zong?"
Back then, after sustaining grave injuries in battle, Feng Xian was supposed to become a cripple. But the power of the Yin-Yang Dragon Marrow Pill not only healed him completely, it even helped him break through to Seven-Star Dou Zong.
"Yao Chen, think about it. Xiao Yan now has the Three Thousand Burning Flame to protect his body, and he has taken the Yin-Yang Dragon Marrow Pill. I was thinking..." Feng Xian leaned closer and explained his plan—to fake an assassination attempt on Xiao Yan, severely injuring him. With the power of the Yin-Yang Dragon Marrow Pill, and aided by Starfall Pavilion's Starlight Force, the conditions would be perfect. The plan could very likely push Xiao Yan directly into the Dou Zun realm, with an almost guaranteed success rate.
"Absolutely not!"
Yao Chen cut him off sternly, his tone brooking no argument.
"Feng Xian, let me tell you something. Even if the success rate were a thousand percent—or ten thousand percent—I would never allow such a thing. Do you know what kind of injuries would be required to activate the Yin-Yang Dragon Marrow Pill? Over all these years, I've already come to treat Xiao Yan as my own son. How could I ever watch him suffer wounds that deep?"
Feng Xian frowned, still trying to reason with him. "Yao Chen, you and I both know how vast the gap is between Dou Zong and Dou Zun. How many people across the continent have sacrificed everything— even their lives—just for a chance to reach that level? This is a once-in-a-lifetime shortcut! A 24-year-old Dou Zun! Why can't you see it?"
Yao Chen sighed. "Feng Xian, as a teacher, of course I want my disciple to become stronger. That's why we train them—to help them stand tall in this world. But if making him stronger means deliberately wounding him and causing him immense pain under the guise of love or well-meaning intent, then that isn't care—it's selfishness dressed up as love."
"Xiao Yan's current strength is already enough to stand on his own in Central Plains. He doesn't need to rely on such extreme methods. He is not a tool for my fame, nor does he need to win hollow titles. He is my most precious disciple."
"As long as he can grow safely and steadily, even if that Yin-Yang Dragon Marrow Pill goes to waste, what does it matter? With my guidance, he'll still become a Dou Zun in time. What difference does it make if it's later?"
(End of Chapter)