"Impossible! There's no way! Xun'er would never marry you! You must've forced her!" Xiao Yan's eyes were bloodshot, his expression feral like a cornered beast ready to strike.
"Believe what you want," Goku replied flatly. "Facts are facts—I'm not here to argue. I came to take something from you, that's all."
"Something?" Xiao Yan's expression darkened. "Whatever it is, do you really think I'll hand it over?"
"No," Goku answered calmly. "But do you have the right to refuse?"
The moment he finished speaking, Goku vanished—and reappeared directly in front of Xiao Yan. Before the latter could even react, Goku seized him by the throat and lifted him effortlessly into the air.
'Damn it… so strong… I couldn't even respond…' Xiao Yan's pupils contracted. Goku's sheer strength gave him an overwhelming sense of helplessness. He struggled wildly, but it was useless. His face quickly turned red from the pressure on his neck.
Goku's eyes narrowed on the ring on Xiao Yan's finger. He reached out with his left hand and smiled. "So this is it."
But just as he went to take the ring, a cold, ghostly white flame burst from it, instantly engulfing his hand and spreading rapidly across his body. This was the Bone-Chilling Flame—one of the famed Heavenly Flames. Within seconds, it looked as though Goku would be consumed entirely.
Xiao Yan's face lit up with elation. Yao Lao has made a move.
'That's an actual Heavenly Flame! There's no way he can survive this!'
"So this is the Bone-Chilling Flame, huh? It burns like fire, yet freezes like ice. What an interesting flame…" Goku observed the ghostly flame crawling up his arm and over his body, but instead of panic, he simply smiled. With his physical strength, the Bone-Chilling Flame couldn't even tickle him, let alone harm him.
Xiao Yan's ecstatic expression quickly froze.
'What…? Not even the Heavenly Flame is working?'
Goku shook his head slightly. "You really thought this little trick would work on me? How naïve."
With a casual wave, a formless energy erupted from Goku's body, instantly dispelling the Bone-Chilling Flame. He then calmly removed the black ring from Xiao Yan's finger and casually tossed him to the ground like trash.
"Give it back!" Xiao Yan's expression changed dramatically. That ring held Yao Lao's soul—his greatest trump card! Without it, he had nothing. But knowing full well he couldn't take on Goku, he could only glare helplessly.
Goku ignored him, staring at the ring. "Are you going to come out, or do I need to pull you out myself?"
Just as he finished speaking, a faint and ethereal old man slowly emerged from the ring—Yao Lao.
"Xiao Yan is merely a young Dou Practitioner. With your strength, is it really necessary to bully him like this? Doesn't it feel a bit beneath you?" Yao Lao's expression was grave as he looked at Goku. He had never seen such a terrifying power—someone entirely unfazed by a Heavenly Flame.
"Hmph. If I wanted to kill him, all it would take is a thought," Goku said coolly. "He's not even worth the effort. I'm here for you."
"For me?" Yao Lao's brows furrowed, a foreboding feeling creeping into his heart. "And may I ask… why would someone of your caliber seek out an old ghost like me?"
"You have the Flame Mantra. I want it. Oh, and your Bone-Chilling Flame too. Hand them over." Goku's tone remained calm, yet carried an undeniable pressure.
"…Flame Mantra?" Yao Lao's expression twitched slightly, but he quickly composed himself. "I'm afraid you're mistaken. I don't know what you're talking about—"
"Still playing dumb?" Goku cut him off with a snort. "Fine. I'll just take it myself."
In a flash, Goku's hand shot forward and grabbed Yao Lao's soul body, pressing his palm to the old man's forehead. A strand of divine energy surged in, instantly scanning through his memories.
"W-What are you doing to my teacher?!" Xiao Yan shouted in horror, trembling with rage and helplessness. But he didn't dare move. He knew—it wouldn't make a difference.
Within seconds, Goku had found what he wanted: the Flame Mantra. As it turned out, Yao Lao hadn't passed it on to Xiao Yan yet, deeming his strength insufficient.
Goku didn't stop there. A mind as refined and experienced as Yao Lao's—an eighth-rank alchemist—was far too valuable to waste. He absorbed all of the old man's alchemical knowledge, then wiped every trace of the Flame Mantra from his memory.
Yao Lao's soul twitched. He blinked as if coming out of a daze.
"I… I feel like I've forgotten something important…" His expression was puzzled as he stared at Goku. "What did you do to me?"
"Nothing much," Goku said mildly. "Just borrowed a few things."
Then his hand formed a strange seal, summoning a six-pointed star formation that surrounded Yao Lao's soul. A mysterious suction force emerged, and Yao Lao's soul began to tremble violently. At the same time, the Bone-Chilling Flame inside him grew restless—beginning to separate itself from his soul!
"What?! You're extracting my Heavenly Flame?!" Yao Lao's eyes went wide in horror.
He tried to resist with all his might. This flame had cost him years of blood and toil—how could he just let someone rip it out?
But resistance was futile. In the face of overwhelming power, Yao Lao was powerless. His struggle faded into a resigned sigh.
'To think… Xiao Yan ended up making an enemy of someone like this… what a cruel fate.'
The Bone-Chilling Flame was slowly drawn from Yao Lao's spirit. His soul dimmed rapidly, growing translucent and faint.
---
"Teacher! Are you okay?!" Xiao Yan was gritting his teeth so hard they nearly cracked. Rage consumed him, but he dared not act.
"Stay back!" Yao Lao rasped. He turned toward Goku, eyes dim, voice soft, but pleading: "You've already taken what you wanted… please, spare Xiao Yan."
Goku looked at him and chuckled. "Don't make me out to be some villain. I didn't kill you, did I? I just collect Heavenly Flames. That's all."
He formed another complex seal. Light shimmered from his hand, enveloping Yao Lao's soul once more. To Yao Lao's astonishment, his dimming soul began to stabilize—and then… grow stronger.
"W-What is this…?" Yao Lao's eyes widened as he watched his soul recover at a miraculous pace.
Goku's eyes lit up with divine light. His hand changed seals again and he whispered:
"Rebirth – Celestial Reincarnation!"
A brilliant white glow burst from the sky, descending onto Yao Lao's soul. Before their stunned eyes, his incorporeal form began to reconstruct into flesh and blood.
In mere seconds… Yao Lao was resurrected.
"I-I'm… alive?" Yao Lao stared at his hands in disbelief. A brand-new body. Flesh and blood.
"I'll take this as payment for the flame," Goku said casually. With a wave of his hand, he absorbed the Bone-Chilling Flame and vanished in a flash of light, leaving behind two utterly stunned men.
"Xiao Yan… give up. Stop treating him as an enemy." Yao Lao looked at his disciple, sighing heavily.
Xiao Yan was incredibly talented—but what he had just witnessed was beyond comprehension. Once, Yao Lao believed his student had a bright future. But after today, he realized… Goku was on another level entirely.
He had heard of resurrection pills in legends—but an actual resurrection technique? That wasn't something even a Dou God, much less a Dou Emperor, could perform. And yet… Goku had done it casually.
Even more, the terrifying aura that had shaken the entire continent just days ago—Yao Lao now recognized it. It had been Goku.
'How could Xiao Yan possibly contend with a being like that?'
Xiao Yan clenched his fists, his heart burning with rage and frustration.
'Why… why am I so weak? Why is fate so cruel to me?'
"I may not be his match now," Xiao Yan said slowly, his voice low, but steady. "But that doesn't mean I never will be. Give me time—and I'll surpass him."
His eyes gleamed with steely resolve. 'I will rise above him. No matter what it takes. Because I am Xiao Yan—a transmigrator too.'
Yao Lao's lips curled into a faint smile. "If you still have the will to fight… then let's go crazy together, one last time. Come. We're going to Central Plains. I have a small foothold there, and I'll give everything I have to help you grow."
"Thank you, Teacher! I won't let you down!" Xiao Yan bowed deeply. But when he thought of the five-year challenge, his smile faltered.
"…But the Five-Year Promise…"
Yao Lao sighed. "You were far too impulsive. Be realistic. You can't beat him in five years—not even close. That's just a fact. Give it up, for now. Grow stronger first. Fight him when you're truly ready."
"…Give up?" Xiao Yan's voice trembled. He wanted to roar, to rage—but he knew… it was the only way.
"Fine…" he said at last. That one word took everything he had to say. But when he lifted his head again—his eyes were calm. Determined.
Yao Lao nodded. With a wave of his sleeve, he soared into the sky with Xiao Yan, disappearing into the distance.
---
Meanwhile, Goku had no interest in going back just yet. Instead, he made his way toward Qingshan Town, following a familiar presence—Yi Xian.
He arrived at her residence, Ten Thousand Medicines pavilion , via a quiet, winding path. From afar, it looked peaceful and refined. But as he approached, his brows furrowed. The place felt… tense.
More than a dozen heavily armed guards stood at the gates.
'Something is not right,' Goku thought.
Rather than cause a scene, he vanished in a flash, reappearing inside the pavilion's courtyard. What he saw made his expression darken.
Several mercenaries lay in pools of blood. Two of them were familiar—he had once accompanied them on a trip to the Magical Beast Mountain Range. One of them was Niu, now lying broken and bloodied on the ground, his limbs twisted unnaturally. Yet, despite the pain, the man clenched his teeth and said nothing, his eyes burning with hatred toward the cloaked men opposite him.
And at the center of it all, the Yi Xian—her wrist tightly gripped by a young man in his twenties. The man looked proud, arrogant, and disgustingly smug. He spared no respect for the Ten Thousand Medicines Pavilion, and his gaze toward her burned with possessiveness and lust.
Behind him stood several lackeys. It was the classic tale of a rich heir attempting to seize a beautiful woman by force.
And terrifyingly, they were all extremely strong—every one of them was above the Dou King level. One old man among them… was a Dou Ancestor expert.
Such a powerhouse appearing in Qingshan Town was shocking enough to leave even the pavilion's people paralyzed with fear. Not one dared resist.
"Hehe… We missed the ruins, but finding the bearer of the Woeful Poison Body? Truly a stroke of luck," the young man said with greedy joy, his eyes glued to the Yi Xian.
"The heavens smile on Young Master indeed," one of the Dou Emperors flattered. "With her, your Poison Dragon Mystic Art will rival the founders of our sect."
"Enough talk. Come, Yi Xian. Return with me to the Dark Nether Sect. Be obedient, and I promise you a life of luxury. Resist, and—"
BOOM!
He didn't finish the sentence. A muffled thud echoed as his body flew backward, crashing through a nearby building. Blood sprayed from his mouth as he fell unconscious.
"Who's there?!"
The scene threw the entire courtyard into chaos. The cloaked masters of the Dark Nether Sect immediately moved. One rushed to the fallen youth's side, while the others stared ahead warily.
Before them stood a lone figure—now silently placing himself between them and Yi Xian.
Goku had arrived. And his smile… was not friendly.
___
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