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**
Xiao Yan suddenly dropped to his knees, both legs hitting the stone platform heavily. His voice carried a hoarse edge that made one's heart ache.
"Master, your disciple has come to take you home."
As his voice slowly spread across the plaza, the figure within the light sphere—Yao Chen—showed a faint tremble in his eyelids before he slowly opened his eyes.
His cloudy pupils landed on the young man before him, and on Xiao Yan's reddened eyes filled with emotion. After staring blankly for a moment, a weak yet gratified smile gradually surfaced on Yao Chen's face.
With his raspy voice, he whispered, "One-Star Dou Zun… Little brat, you really have grown up."
Back when they parted, Xiao Yan had only been a boy with the cultivation of a Dou Wang. Yet now, in just a few short years, the former Dou Wang had grown to this level.
Such progress… even if Xiao Yan had no background and came from an ordinary family, this speed was astonishing. Even in the Yao Clan, he would be considered extremely outstanding.
"Sigh, I heard those old fogeys in the clan say that the soul jade belonging to our father has never cracked. That means he should still be alive somewhere in this world… so why hasn't he come looking for me?"
Watching the scene below, Zi Yan—who was hidden at one side of the plaza secretly collecting souls—paused in her movement. Her voice carried a faint sense of disappointment.
Though she truly didn't like Xiao Yan very much…the relationship between him and Yao Chen made her feel deeply envious.
Others could travel across thousands of miles, from the Northwestern Region all the way to Central Plains, for the sake of a single Master. They could even risk their lives attacking a Hall of Souls branch just to rescue that Master.
But her own parents… after giving birth to her, they vanished without a trace.
"Hmph, whatever. I have Lin Feng anyway. I don't need them."
Zi Yan let out a soft snort, forcefully suppressing the emotions in her heart. She continued to reach out and absorb another helpless soul pinned down by iron chains into her soul pouch.
Down below, Yao Chen's words stung Xiao Yan's heart with an even deeper ache. But remembering they were still inside Hall of Souls territory and couldn't afford to linger…
Xiao Yan steadied himself and slowly stood up, deciding to wait until they escaped the Death Soul Mountain Range before speaking more with his Master. Thinking of this, he swept his gaze across the light sphere surrounding Yao Chen's body.
Then he extended his hand and pressed it to the surface of the sphere. At the same time, the vast soul power between his brows surged forth like a tidal wave, crashing into the light sphere.
Under the impact of his powerful soul power, the light sphere immediately began to ripple with invisible waves.
"This soul power… it has the taste of the Spirit Realm."
Though Yao Chen was extremely weak, he still had the experience of over a hundred years.
With just one release of Xiao Yan's soul power, he instantly sensed something different—something beyond the ordinary Mortal Realm soul. Surprise flashed through his eyes, followed by pride.
A Dou Zun cultivation, a Spirit Realm soul… Xiao Yan's achievements had already exceeded all of his expectations. Ever since being captured, his only worry was that Xiao Yan lacked guidance and thus his alchemy and cultivation might stagnate.
But now, it seemed he had greatly underestimated Xiao Yan.
"Break!"
Watching the increasingly dense ripples forming on the light sphere, Xiao Yan's eyes flashed with cold light and he shouted deeply.
"Bang!"
As his voice fell, the sphere trapping Yao Chen trembled and then burst like a bubble with a sharp pop.
"Master, are you alright?"
Once he shattered the obstacle, Xiao Yan hurried onto the stone platform and helped Yao Chen up from the ground.
"Clang clang clang—"
But the instant Yao Chen was lifted up, a harsh metallic scraping sound echoed throughout the hall.
Hearing it, Xiao Yan's expression tightened instinctively as he looked toward the source of the noise.
The next second, he saw four black chains, thick like giant pythons, extend out from the surrounding stone pillars and wrap around his Master's wrists and ankles, binding him tightly.
Seeing this, Xiao Yan's fists tightened uncontrollably, and the killing intent he held toward the people of Hall of Souls grew even stronger…
"This is the Soul-Locking Chain. It's something Hall of Souls specifically uses to imprison soul bodies. It's extremely tough, and destroying it is not easy."
Looking at the chains coiled around his limbs, Yao Chen let out a self-mocking sigh, "But I suppose these guys really think highly of this old man. They actually used four chains on me."
"Master, leave these things to your disciple."
Hearing that, Xiao Yan grabbed one of the iron chains, and a brown Heavenly Flame surged violently out from his palm. In the next moment, the pitch-black chain restraining Yao Chen began to sizzle and release wisps of white smoke.
"This is… the Nine Dragon Lightning Flame from Burning Flame Valley?"
Looking at the brown flame in Xiao Yan's hand, Yao Lao was momentarily stunned.
Then he searched his memory and finally found a trace of information, exclaiming in surprise. Right after, a hint of joy surfaced in his eyes as he said softly, "Little fellow, you've devoured even more Heavenly Flames after that?"
"Mm. After some things happened later, my Flame Mantra devoured Fallen Heart Flame, Mysterious Yellow Flame, Fire Mountain Rock Flame, and the Nine Dragon Lightning Flame. My alchemy skill has also reached low-grade eighth-tier, which means I now have the qualifications needed to revive you."
Xiao Yan smiled as he spoke.
"It seems that during the years I was captured, your opportunities were extraordinary."
Hearing him list off one Heavenly Flame after another, Yao Lao couldn't help but sigh emotionally.
Heavenly Flames were things that many alchemists never encountered even once in their entire lives. Yet unexpectedly, Xiao Yan had obtained so many in only five or six years.
"But the things I've lost… I really don't know how to explain them to you…"
Thinking of the Bone Chilling Flame and the Bone Spirit Ring that Lin Feng had taken from him, bitterness surfaced on Xiao Yan's face.
Right after, the purple-brown flame in his hand flared up violently. The terrifying heat directly burned through the chain that was binding Yao Chen, completely melting it apart.
Seeing how effectively the Heavenly Flame restrained these chains, Xiao Yan was delighted. He immediately imitated the process and used the Heavenly Flame to burn apart the remaining three python-like chains one by one.
Once those eerie chains disappeared, the weakened look between Yao Chen's brows faded slightly. Although his body was still translucent, he already looked much better than before.
Having regained his long-lost freedom, Yao Chen immediately stretched his body with uncontrollable eagerness. Then his gaze swept around the chamber, and an instinctive feeling told him something about this place didn't feel right.
So he urged Xiao Yan, "Let's go. Hall of Souls is unpredictable and strange. It's best to leave first."
"Alright, we'll head out first. Elder Feng and the other eight Dou Zun are still outside holding back the Hall of Souls experts guarding this place."
Xiao Yan nodded slightly as he informed his Master of the situation outside.
**
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