Xiao Yan stared at the colossal Fire Python writhing beneath the seal.
"So this is the Fallen Heart Flame…" His voice was barely audible. "What a terrifying aura."
"It has evolved far beyond its original state," Yao Lao's voice echoed in his mind, tinged with genuine surprise. "It is now scarcely different from an ordinary magical beast."
"With my current cultivation…" Xiao Yan swallowed. "Even approaching it seems dangerous. Let alone capturing it."
"We shall see how events unfold. Your brother appears quite confident. I will assist you fully when the time comes."
Through the ring, Yao Lao observed Xiao Jietian's expression.
Confident indeed.
"SCREECH—"
The Fire Python shrieked.
A pillar of flame erupted from its maw, slamming against the dark matter shield with devastating force.
"Go."
Xiao Jietian raised his hand.
Three figures materialized in the tower's lower chamber.
Medusa. Shui Ye. Jin Mo.
Three Dou Zongs.
Su Qian's eyes widened.
The other elders stiffened.
The auras emanating from these three were unmistakable—oppressive, absolute.
"One-Star Dou Zong… Four-Star Dou Zong… and…" Su Qian's voice caught. "…Eight-Star Dou Zong."
His special感知 abilities did not lie.
Medusa stepped forward—then paused.
Her gaze snapped to Xiao Jietian.
It was not a friendly gaze.
It was the gaze of a woman who had been thoroughly, systematically, comprehensively dealt with, and who had not yet recovered from the experience.
Xiao Jietian said nothing.
A chain of Heavenly Flame materialized in his palm.
Medusa's gaze immediately found something else to look at.
Out of sight, out of mind.
Su Qian cupped his hands respectfully toward the three.
"This elder thanks you for your invaluable assistance."
They nodded silently.
Xiao Jietian's voice was calm.
"When it emerges—attack immediately."
CRASH—
The energy shield shattered.
"HISSS—"
The Fire Python's cry was triumphant. Exultant. Free.
"ATTACK!"
Xiao Jietian's long halberd swept forward.
A massive lightning strike tore through the air.
Simultaneously, the gathered power of Su Qian, the elders, and the three Dou Zongs converged into a single, devastating barrage.
The Fire Python's triumph curdled into mortal terror.
It condensed magma—frantically, desperately—layering it over its body like armour.
No martial honour!
Sneak attack!
Hitting me the moment I emerge!
A bunch of WEAKLINGS!!!
AHHHHH!!!
It surged upward, seeking escape. Freedom. The open sky.
A giant water dragon descended.
CRASH—
Sizzle… sizzle…
Water met flame. Steam exploded outward.
Shui Ye's water-attributed Dou Qi was, inherently, no match for a Heavenly Flame. But his cultivation was overwhelming.
The water dragon did not evaporate.
It pushed.
The Fire Python was driven back—down, down, back into the pit from which it had clawed its way free.
The others' attacks followed in relentless succession.
"SCREECH—"
Not triumph, this time.
Agony.
Magma shattered. Shards of flaming rock sprayed in all directions.
"All other elders—RETREAT! "
Su Qian's command cut through the chaos.
The Inner Academy elders activated their Dou Qi wings and fled toward the ground.
BOOM—
The explosion was cataclysmic.
It echoed across every corner of the Inner Academy, rattling windows, shaking foundations, searing itself into the memory of all who heard it.
Then—streaks of light.
They burst from the Qi Refining Tower like scattered fireworks.
And the tower itself… shattered.
A crater fifty metres in diameter, a hundred metres deep, yawned where the tower had stood.
The students, positioned a hundred metres away, were still thrown back several steps by the residual shockwave.
"What's happening?! Is the academy under attack?!"
"What IS that thing?!"
"Magma—there's magma in the crater!"
Han Yue ignored the chaos.
Her gaze swept the sky, searching.
Where is he—
She found him.
Unharmed. Clothes intact. Expression calm.
Beside him stood a breathtakingly beautiful woman, an energy shield extended to protect them both.
Han Yue exhaled slowly.
He's safe.
The woman beside him? She ignored her completely.
A hundred li from the Inner Academy.
A temporary encampment. The largest tent at its heart.
Han Feng's eyes snapped open.
"So. It has appeared again."
A pause.
"My instincts were correct."
He rose.
"Han Beng."
The space before him rippled. A figure knelt.
"Slave, here."
"Inform them. We depart immediately."
A pause.
"Destination—Jia Nan Academy. Inner Academy."
Han Beng withdrew.
Han Feng's gaze turned eastward.
That damned Earth Demon Old Ghost. Took the benefits. Yet he still hasn't appeared.
Useless wretch.
A wisp of black mist coalesced beside him.
"Hehehe…" The voice was chilling, scraping against the soul. "If you are willing to offer me your soul—or assist me in gathering souls—I may consider lending my aid."
Han Feng's expression turned cold.
"Unnecessary."
His voice was flat. Absolute.
"Jia Nan Academy possesses only one Dou Zong—Su Qian. The others are beneath mention. My current forces are sufficient."
A pause.
"I have no need of you."
Hatred simmered beneath his calm words.
These people—this Soul Hall—had promised him everything.
We will kill that old man. You may take his possessions. His soul is ours.
Especially his Burning Technique.
And yet.
They had failed.
The old man escaped. Han Feng gained nothing—only a fragmented, incomplete technique.
And constant suspicion from the old man's allies.
Forced to flee to this remote Northwest Continent.
Useless.
All of them.
The light faded.
The Fire Python was revealed.
Its condition was dire.
Half its body submerged in magma, desperately absorbing energy to repair itself. Its form was riddled with wounds, its flames guttering and weak.
"What kind of magical beast IS that?!"
Lin Xiuya, Lin Yan, and the others had gathered with the Pan Gate members. They stared at the wounded Python, then at the figures in the sky.
"And that woman beside Xiao Jietian… who is she? They seem very close."
Han Yue's gaze drifted toward Medusa.
Xiao Yu, observing her expression, sent a discreet sound transmission.
She explained Medusa's identity.