"Why has the Fallen Heart Flame from the Inner Academy appeared here, Xiao Yan? Care to explain yourself?"
After collecting the small Fallen Heart Flame, Liu Xi glanced at Xiao Yan, who had just rushed over, and decided to seize the initiative with a calm, measured tone.
Xiao Yan, who had been chasing after the Heavenly Flame, froze when he saw Liu Xi so effortlessly store the Fallen Heart Flame away. Shock filled his eyes — that was a Heavenly Flame!
Even Xiao Xun'er, standing beside him as the princess of the Gu Clan, was taken aback. As for Yao Chen, who considered himself a master of fire, he could hardly believe what he saw.
An unrefined Heavenly Flame… obeying someone so easily?
Xiao Yan's expression stiffened as he asked in disbelief, "What's going on here? Why would the Fallen Heart Flame be so close to you?"
Seeing Xiao Yan's tactless questioning, Liu Xi's brows furrowed slightly. His gaze swept briefly toward the blue-robed girl beside Xiao Yan, whose body radiated a dangerous aura. "I once helped nurture the Fallen Heart Flame," Liu Xi replied evenly. "Naturally, it recognizes me. You, however—why are you taking the Fallen Heart Flame away from the Inner Academy?"
Xiao Yan found the explanation somewhat believable. After all, the Fallen Heart Flame had always been unusually docile. But despite that, he ignored the accusation — after fighting so hard to claim this flame, he wasn't about to hand it over.
Still, doubts brewed in his heart. Yao Chen had once told him that during their escape from Yunlan Mountain, Liu Xi had bought him a moment's time using the Flame Mantra. Yet now, Xiao Yan couldn't sense even the faintest trace of the Flame Mantra's aura from him.
But Liu Xi clearly understood the technique's structure in detail... A spark of killing intent flashed through Xiao Yan's eyes as he quietly gathered Yao Chen's Spiritual Power. "This is a misunderstanding," he said, forcing a smile. "All of it!"
"Hmph."
Xiao Yixian snorted coldly. The vast aura of a Dou Zong rippled outward, enveloping the space around Xiao Yan. Wisps of faint, invisible poison mist spread silently — his little tricks couldn't escape her notice.
Xun'er's eyes sharpened slightly, tinged with displeasure. But the power sealed within her body would only awaken in a true life-or-death crisis. On her own, she wasn't yet capable of facing a Dou Zong head-on.
'Hold it, my disciple,' Yao Chen's urgent voice echoed within Xiao Yan's mind. 'That woman is extremely dangerous — the bearer of the Woeful Poison Body. No wonder that kid once sought the Poison Pill Technique. Hah, to think there's someone bold enough to grow close to a Woeful Poison Body bearer...'
Yao Chen quickly withdrew his remaining Spiritual Power from Xiao Yan. He had little left to spare — not enough to face a Dou Zong.
Xiao Yan's eyes widened. He remembered Yao Chen's warnings about that rare, terrifying physique. No wonder he felt such pressure from her.
"If it's all a misunderstanding," Liu Xi said, cutting him off, "then return with me to the Inner Academy. We'll face the enemy together."
Without waiting for a response, Liu Xi turned and flew toward the skies above the Inner Academy with Xiao Yixian and Zi Yan following close behind.
Once they had distanced themselves, Xiao Yixian whispered coldly, "Young Master, he had killing intent toward you. Shall I... teach him a lesson?"
Liu Xi's expression was calm and detached. He had already guessed Xiao Yan's thoughts. "No need," he said lightly. "That girl beside him is extremely dangerous. It's not time to act yet."
Zi Yan nodded gravely, her amethyst eyes gleaming. "That girl may look like an ordinary Dou Ling, but the energy I sense inside her shines brighter than the sun."
Knowing Xiao Yan had harbored murderous intent toward him, Liu Xi quietly marked him as a threat. If not for Xun'er's dangerous aura, he might have killed him outright.
But strength alone wasn't enough yet — and before he truly struck, appearances had to be maintained. Threats and bravado were useless; the real move must come swiftly and decisively, erasing all traces.
---
Meanwhile, Xiao Yan watched Liu Xi's back fade into the distance, resentment flickering in his eyes. The Heavenly Flame he'd risked everything to seize had been taken from him once more.
His gaze shifted to Xiao Yixian, filled with wariness. A genuine Dou Zong — and the Woeful Poison Body at that — made any rash move suicidal.
Lowering his head, Xiao Yan sighed bitterly. "Xun'er, I've dragged you into this. Now even the Inner Academy is closed to us."
But Xun'er only smiled sweetly, unconcerned. "It doesn't matter, Brother Xiao Yan. My clan is powerful — I don't care for the Inner Academy's resources. They've long urged me to return home. I only stayed because I couldn't bear to leave you."
"They'll be coming soon to fetch me. Come with me to the Central Plains. It's the most prosperous land in the continent. With your talent, you'll make your mark there."
Xiao Yan hesitated. His clan was destroyed by the Hall of Souls, his father captured, and now even the Inner Academy was beyond reach. Perhaps... only the Central Plains offered him a path forward.
"Teacher," he murmured. "What do you think? Should we go to the Central Plains?"
The question carried a hint of longing.
"The Central Plains…" Yao Chen's voice turned distant, almost nostalgic. "That was where I rose as a Medicine Sovereign — and where the Hall of Souls brought me down. I still have many contacts there. Yes... go. The Inner Academy will tighten its defenses now; taking another Heavenly Flame will be impossible. If we can evade the Hun Clan's scouts, perhaps we can find another Heavenly Flame's trace there."
Xiao Yan nodded firmly. His eyes flicked once more toward Liu Xi's retreating silhouette, burning with unspoken fury. 'He stole my Heavenly Flame today... One day, I'll repay that debt — and take one of his in return.'
Still, reason tempered his rage. "If he had forced us back to the Inner Academy, we'd be trapped in that chaos between Dou Zongs. Best to leave now while we can."
Though angry at his loss, Xiao Yan kept his composure. Against a Dou Zong, any resistance would be meaningless. Taking Xun'er with him, he quietly retreated from the battlefield.
---
But neither Liu Xi nor Xiao Yan noticed that a third presence lurked in the shadows.
Beneath the dense canopy, cloaked in an abyss of darkness, a Protector from the Hall of Souls — the very one who had manipulated the Old Earth Demon Ghost — had infiltrated the Inner Academy, concealed within a shroud of black mist.
Watching from the shadows as Liu Xi's group and Xiao Yan's group flew off in opposite directions, a cold smile curled beneath the hooded figure's face.
"So, that's Liu Xi — the 6th Tier Alchemist from the Jia Ma Empire who erased Protector Jiu. And a Dou Zong at his side, too... Hah, claiming his soul will be troublesome."
"But Xiao Yan…" A cruel chuckle escaped his throat. "At last, you've been driven out of the Inner Academy. It seems the credit for retrieving Yao Chen's soul will belong... to me."
Within the Hall of Souls, there was no such thing as brotherhood — only ambition. After weighing the risks, the Protector decided swiftly. Capturing Yao Chen would bring far greater rewards than chasing Liu Xi.
(End of Chapter)
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