Word Count: 3,102 Words
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Even a Clan Head might not necessarily be able to leave the sealed Demon Flame Space so easily. That place was the space the Purifying Lotus Demon Saint had used to imprison the demonic flame. Ordinary people would never even be able to find it, much less enter it.
To come out of it safe and sound was simply inconceivable. Not being refined into a Fire Slave already counted as extraordinary!
Otherwise, Gu Yuan and Hun Tiandi would have long since barged into the Demon Flame Space and snatched the flame by force.
And now Xiao Yan had emerged from it in only two years. There was only one possible explanation.
"You obtained the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame?" Huo Zhi stared fixedly at Xiao Yan with her beautiful eyes. Though it was hard to believe, the best explanation at present was that he had completely refined the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame!
"Xiao Xiao, go cultivate with your mother for a while. Daddy has something to deal with." Xiao Yan rubbed his daughter's head gently.
"Got it, Daddy."
He waved at her retreating back, then turned to Cai Lin. A trace of concern lingered in her beautiful eyes, but he nodded once, signaling that she need not worry.
The Yan Clan might be powerful, but under the current circumstances they could not afford to stir up extra trouble.
Of the Dou God Clans, only five remained: Hun, Gu, Lei, Yan, and Yao. Among them, the Yan Clan ranked fourth in strength, only stronger than the Yao Clan, placing them rather toward the rear.
With undercurrents surging everywhere and the Hun Clan secretly gathering the Tou She Ancient God's Jade, how could the other Dou God Clans possibly spare the strength for outside quarrels? So even though Xiao Yan had seized Huo Yao's Fire Cloud Water Flame, the enormous Yan Clan could only swallow their anger.
"If you have something to discuss, come to the main hall." Xiao Yan glanced at Huo Zhi and could not help admiring her courage. She had actually dared to come here alone.
With her strength as a high-level Half-Saint, even the current Nalan Yanran could defeat her. If something truly went wrong, the Yan Clan might not make it in time to rescue her.
Of course, Xiao Yan had no intention of going to war with the Yan Clan either. Their strength was, after all, greater than the Yao Clan's, and the Yan Alliance was still far from being able to compare with them.
Xun Er had told him that Yan Jin, the Yan Clan's Clan Head, had merged the seventh-ranked Nine Serene Golden Ancestor Flame with the seventeenth-ranked Fire Mountain Rock Flame, giving birth to an entirely new Heavenly Flame comparable to the Gold Emperor Incinerating Heavenly Flame. His cultivation had also reached the late 8-star Dou Saint stage. Definitely not someone the current Xiao Yan could afford to provoke.
Moreover, this was the Clan Head of a Dou God Clan. He had certainly cultivated the Yan Clan's Fire Emperor Profound Canon, and might even have pushed it to the highest level. Even Xiao Yan's evolved Flame Mantra might not surpass it by much, and fighting above his level against such an opponent was even more out of the question.
"I want to discuss a transaction with you," Huo Zhi said directly, without any preamble.
Xiao Yan sat in the seat of honor in the main hall and looked down at Huo Zhi, his tone flat. "I don't like discussing business with people who hide their faces. Take off the veil first."
He gave her a casual once-over. Just as in the Heavenly Tomb back then, she was dressed in a fire-red robe with a Yan Clan token hanging at her waist. The plain garments somehow took on a noble charm when worn on her.
Even beneath the loose fabric, her figure showed in full, sweeping lines. The broad robes could not conceal those striking curves in the slightest. Tall and graceful, with long limbs and a slender, willowy waist, every line of her body was difficult to fault.
No wonder Huo Xuan had once said that among the Dou God Clans, aside from Xun Er, the two women who received the most marriage proposals were Huo Zhi and Yao Ling. It was not only because both possessed supreme talent. One look at that figure alone was enough to know that the face beneath the veil would not disappoint.
Huo Zhi's limpid eyes, bright as autumn water, flickered slightly at his words.
"What, don't tell me your Yan Clan has some idiotic rule where seeing your face means you have to marry him." Xiao Yan smiled. "That would be far too ridiculous."
Huo Zhi shook her head. Her voice was clear and cool. "No. I wear a veil only because I do not wish the world to judge people by appearance."
After that brief explanation, she did not hesitate any further. She slowly removed the veil covering her face and looked directly at Xiao Yan.
It was no wonder she needed one. The ancient phrase 'a lotus face and willow brows' suited her perfectly. Her features were like a lotus emerging from water, delicate and alluring, while her eyes shimmered with the light of autumn pools, the kind of gaze that could stir a person's heart with a single glance.
With looks like hers, it was indeed easy for others to assume she was merely a pretty ornament.
Back when Xiao Yan traveled outside with Cai Lin, they had attracted stares everywhere they went. In the end, she had grown so annoyed that she started wearing a veil as well. Ya Fei had also had countless admirers in the Jia Ma Empire once upon a time. Simply walking down the street would draw remarks from every direction.
Now, Cai Lin's fearsome reputation had long since overshadowed her beauty. Otherwise, she too would still need a veil whenever she went out.
And Huo Zhi had been born into a Dou God Clan, no less.
Still, Xiao Yan only gave her a casual glance. He had seen too many beauties over the years. Good looks did not count against a person in his eyes, but they did not earn many extra points either. He was used to it by now, and besides, his chief wife was still outside teaching their child to cultivate.
"What does your Yan Clan want to discuss with me? Is it because of that Fire Cloud Water Flame?" Xiao Yan leaned back with one leg crossed over the other and looked at the unveiled Huo Zhi.
Huo Zhi fell silent for a moment. Then she raised her head, met Xiao Yan's eyes directly, and asked in a somewhat solemn voice, "Before that, may I ask you a question?"
"Married, with three children," Xiao Yan said with a perfectly straight face.
Huo Zhi was rendered speechless for a beat, then forcibly suppressed her rising irritation and pressed on. "Back in the Demon Flame Space, why were you able to control my Red Lotus Karmic Flame and Huo Xuan's Eight Wasteland Destruction Flame?"
A meaningful smile curved Xiao Yan's lips. "Haven't you already investigated it thoroughly? Why ask me? Your Yan Clan's higher-ups should know this matter best of all."
The bizarre events in the Demon Flame Space had been too glaring to ignore. Even if Huo Zhi and Huo Xuan had been foolish, they would still have realized something was wrong. And now she was finally, completely certain.
Of the three Heavenly Flames Xiao Xuan had once possessed, one had been the Red Lotus Karmic Flame. Another was very likely the Eight Wasteland Destruction Flame.
"You really refined the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame?"
Xiao Yan shrugged. Since she had already guessed his return, there was no point hiding it anymore. He immediately summoned Little Yi.
"Yi-wa!" Little Yi emerged from the void, climbed straight onto Xiao Yan's head, and grabbed his hair tightly with both tiny hands.
"The eldest and second are outside. This is the third one."
Xiao Yan was not merely a father. He was the father of three!
"Yi-wa, hehe..."
"Ouch, ouch, ouch! Stop pulling my hair!"
Huo Zhi recognized at a single glance that Little Yi's true form was the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame. Though she had already guessed as much, seeing Xiao Yan truly living in harmony with the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame after completely refining it still left her deeply shaken.
He would become the second Purifying Lotus Demon Saint! He might even surpass the Purifying Lotus Demon Saint!!
Huo Zhi slowly closed her eyes. When she opened them again, her gaze had turned resolute. "Xiao Yan, if a great upheaval occurs on the Dou Qi Continent in the future and all the Dou God Clans cease to exist, I hope you will take action to save the Yan Clan. Leave behind a trace of our bloodline, so our inheritance does not end completely."
Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed slightly. Knowing more of the truth than most, he could not help feeling a trace of surprise.
This woman saw things very clearly indeed!
In the future, the Dou God Clans would most likely no longer exist. Whether Hun Tiandi ultimately succeeded or failed, a great war would inevitably erupt over the Tou She Ancient God's Jade. If Hun Tiandi succeeded and became a Dou God, then what Dou God Clans would still remain in the world? There would only be one Hun Clan. Every other Dou God Clan would fade into obscurity.
Even if Hun Tiandi did not take direct action, without any replenishment of their Dou God Bloodlines, the other clans' bloodlines were destined to wither.
The current situation already made that plain. Aside from the Gu Clan, the strongest experts of the other Dou God Clans were only 8-star Dou Saints. Not a single one had reached 9-star. One could easily imagine how badly their bloodlines had already declined.
The Dou God Clans were certain to disappear.
The Tou She Ancient God's Jade guaranteed that war would break out among them, and there would be only one victor.
If the Dou God Clans vanished in that war, then the Yan Alliance would in fact become the greatest faction remaining. Even if Hun Tiandi ascended to Dou God in the end, the Yan Alliance would still rank second.
So if one truly wanted to find shelter and secure a path of retreat, the Yan Alliance was the largest tree to stand beneath.
Without question, what had happened to the Ling Clan and the Shi Clan had already allowed the experts of the entire Dou Qi Continent to scent that something was deeply wrong.
And the Huo Zhi before him was exceptionally perceptive. She might even have guessed that Xiao Yan bore some connection to the fate of those two clans. Not that he was necessarily the culprit, but the matter truly could not be entirely unrelated to him.
"If you are willing to agree, I can give you the Red Lotus Karmic Flame. Though this Heavenly Flame once belonged to the Xiao Clan's ancestor Xiao Xuan, my Yan Clan nurtured it for a thousand years. It contains the refining imprint of the Fire Emperor Profound Canon. Even Xiao Xuan's power would not undo it so easily."
Huo Zhi looked straight at Xiao Yan with her beautiful eyes. Beneath that steady gaze was a faintly pitiable trace of pleading. She had likely already sensed it: the Yan Clan stood at the very brink of destruction. One careless misstep, and they would become the next Shi Clan.
"Is this your personal decision, or the decision of the entire Yan Clan?" Xiao Yan asked.
"The decision of the branch I represent," Huo Zhi replied.
The Yan Clan naturally had many branches, just like the Gu Clan with its Three Gu Immortals, the Black Submerged King, and Gu Yuan.
For Xiao Yan, who already possessed the third-ranked Purifying Lotus Demon Flame and the ninth-ranked Three Thousand Burning Flame, the eighth-ranked Red Lotus Karmic Flame held little inherent allure. At best, it would give the Flame Mantra some extra 'experience points.' It could not evolve again from this alone, and even adding the Eight Wasteland Destruction Flame would still not be enough.
But Huo Zhi really was clever. To the current Xiao Yan, the Red Lotus Karmic Flame itself was not especially tempting, yet this Heavenly Flame had once belonged to Xiao Xuan. In a certain sense, it was an ancestral relic. As Xiao Xuan's inheritor, reclaiming the Red Lotus Karmic Flame could be considered part of his proper duty.
"Sigh. No matter what, my impression of your Yan Clan isn't particularly bad. The ancestor did indeed die back then, and the Heavenly Flames scattered to the winds afterward. No one can really say who was right or wrong in all of that. Your Yan Clan obtained it, and I can't blame you for that." Xiao Yan sighed inwardly and shook his head. Great chaos was about to descend upon the Dou Qi Continent.
"Fine. No matter what, I, Xiao Yan, will do my best to preserve your Yan Clan's bloodline. As for what the future will bring, I can't say for certain. I can only promise that I will try."
He did not make his words too absolute. If Hun Tiandi truly set his mind on exterminating the Yan Clan, Xiao Yan would not have the power to stop him.
A glimmer of hope appeared in Huo Zhi's eyes, and a faint smile bloomed across her face. "Thank you."
Under normal circumstances, seizing a Heavenly Flame from someone was extremely difficult, since a refined Heavenly Flame already carried a soul imprint. But Xiao Yan had already cultivated the complete Emperor Soul Technique, Xiao Xuan had also left a soul imprint within the flame, and Huo Zhi herself had given her consent. The process of extracting the Red Lotus Karmic Flame was not particularly troublesome.
About an hour later, Xiao Yan pushed open the door and stepped out of the room.
He glanced back at Huo Zhi and could not help feeling a little awkward.
Her face was pale from the damage to her soul, yet a flush of embarrassed crimson still lingered across her cheeks and down the curve of her neck. Her black hair had come loose and spilled messily over the pillow and quilt. Only a pair of bright, resentful eyes remained visible above the covers she clutched tightly to her body, staring at him with wordless grievance. The Red Lotus Karmic Flame had been dragged from her body, and in the process every thread of clothing on her had been burned to ash.
Xiao Yan truly had not expected that even extracting a Heavenly Flame from within someone's body could end up stripping them so thoroughly. These damned Heavenly Flames really were specialized in burning clothes!
"You should remain in the Snake-People Tribe for now and recover. The Heavenly Flame was connected to your soul, so extracting it was bound to cause some harm. I'll refine some pills to help repair your soul."
Huo Zhi looked at him with helpless exasperation in her beautiful eyes. He had seen everything!
"You... don't tell anyone."
"Ahem. I know nothing." Xiao Yan immediately feigned ignorance. He had no desire to invite more trouble. Cai Lin was still here, after all.
After closing the door behind him, he looked at the red Heavenly Flame slowly rising above his palm. The Red Lotus Karmic Flame glowed like a flawless ruby from base to tip, incomparably beautiful under the sunlight, carrying a somewhat bewitching air. As the fire leapt, it formed blooming red lotus shapes again and again.
"The Red Lotus Karmic Flame burns with the blazing fire ignited by the accumulated evil karma of all living beings. Like the karmic fire of retribution, it represents pain and suffering. The more heinous a person's sins, the stronger the Red Lotus Karmic Flame becomes. If the target has a clear conscience, its power weakens considerably."
"A Heavenly Flame whose strength changes according to the opponent. How truly wondrous."
This was the first time Xiao Yan had encountered a Heavenly Flame with a special ability that could strengthen or weaken itself depending on the enemy.
"Is that the Red Lotus Karmic Flame?" Cai Lin walked over slowly, her beautiful eyes falling on the flame in his hand.
"Mm. She's trying to secure a way out for herself. Right now the Dou God Clans are all plotting against one another, and the Tou She Ancient God's Jade is hanging over them like a death sentence." Xiao Yan shook his head. Asking those Dou God Clans to give up becoming a Dou God was equivalent to telling them to abandon the identity of a Dou God Clan and forsake their Dou God Bloodline.
Once people had tasted that kind of power, there was no way they would let it go.
"Are you going to refine it now?" Cai Lin asked with some concern. Refining a Heavenly Flame was dangerous no matter the circumstances. Even Xiao Yan had to be cautious. It meant swallowing flame into his body, after all.
"No rush. I don't think Huo Zhi would go so far as to tamper with the Red Lotus Karmic Flame, but caution never hurts. I'll examine it thoroughly first." Xiao Yan remained as careful as ever.
…
These days, whenever he woke in the morning, the first thing he saw was Cai Lin's beautiful face lying on the pillow beside his, her long black hair scattered across the sheets, lashes casting faint shadows on her cheeks as she breathed softly and evenly. That one quiet glance was enough to make all the hardships of the previous day feel like nothing.
That small, ordinary happiness was what he wanted to protect.
Still, that kind of peace did not last long. On the very next day after obtaining the Red Lotus Karmic Flame, Feng Qing Er sent a piece of intelligence regarding the Northern Dragon King:
[The Northern Dragon King still possesses the Dragon Transforming Demon Formation. This formation is an ancient forbidden art of the Ancient Void Dragon Tribe, created long ago by an extraordinarily powerful expert within the tribe. Once the formation takes shape, everyone caught within it, aside from the one serving as the formation's core, will have their bodies shattered into blood and water, then be devoured and absorbed by that core. In this way, the one at the center of the formation will experience a massive increase in strength.]