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An invisible, formless flame burned fiercely within Xiao Yan's heart, and a restless, negative emotion surged within him.
Caught off guard, he was momentarily unable to react effectively, his eyes bloodshot.
An older student, who had entered at roughly the same time as him, saw Xiao Yan's state and understood that he had been affected by the Heart Flame. He didn't rush to leave, but instead watched from the side, observing his condition.
If this new student couldn't control the Heart Flame himself, he would immediately call for an Elder to provide assistance.
He suddenly noticed someone else beside him; the mentor who had been on duty at the entrance had arrived at some point.
The duty mentor nodded slightly to him and said with a smile, "I'll watch him. You can go cultivate yourself."
The older student nodded but didn't rush to leave, still watching Xiao Yan: "I'd like to see how he performs."
Xiao Yan quickly reacted, controlling the Azure Lotus Core Flame to surround it, isolating its influence on him.
At the same time, he called out to Yao Chen: "Teacher, what is this thing?"
"Invisible and colorless, manifesting through the heart, untraceable... This is the Fallen Heart Flame," Yao Chen's slightly puzzled voice echoed in Xiao Yan's mind.
"This is the Fallen Heart Flame?" Xiao Yan felt a slight shock, followed by a surge of ecstasy.
I haven't even gone looking for it yet, and the Heavenly Flame came to me? Am I truly a fated person?
Yao Chen's subsequent words poured cold water on his excitement: "Don't get excited, this Heart Flame is too weak. It's not the true Fallen Heart Flame, but merely a projection naturally generated in your body after approaching it."
"Oh, so that's how it is..." Xiao Yan felt a little disappointed but quickly cheered up.
Since it can even produce a projection, it means the true Heavenly Flame is down below!
Under Yao Chen's guidance, Xiao Yan discovered that the Fallen Heart Flame could help purify and refine Dou Qi.
He came back to his senses, saw the mentor and senior student watching him, thanked them, and continued inward.
...
Jia Ma Empire, deep within Cloud Mist Mountain.
An old man dressed in a moon-white robe stood before a cliff, hands clasped behind his back, gazing at the endless mountains and ridges, his eyes deep.
"Hehehe... I didn't expect you to quietly break through to the Dou Ancestor, very good." Protector Wu, shrouded in black mist, drifted down from the sky, his voice filled with joy.
"From the beginning, you seemed to anticipate this," Yun Shan said with a calm expression, looking at him.
Protector Wu didn't hide this, saying in a hoarse voice, "Heh heh, since you've broken through to the Dou Ancestor, then do you want to take the Yunlan Sect a step further?"
"No," Yun Shan replied swiftly and decisively.
Protector Wu: "..."
He was silent for a moment, his tone turning a bit gloomy: "It seems breaking through to the Dou Ancestor has given you great confidence, you even dare to tease me."
"Protector Wu, please speak directly," Yun Shan said with a gentle smile.
"Heh, for so long before, I didn't give you any tasks, but you'll have to make up for them now," Protector Wu said with an undeniable tone.
"First, let the Yunlan Sect control the entire Jia Ma Empire, then declare war on the Chu Yun Empire."
Yun Shan rubbed his right eye socket: "Is that your goal?"
Protector Wu chuckled softly: "What our Soul Hall needs are souls. It's not good to cause too much slaughter ordinarily, but during wartime, it's different... How can there be a war without deaths?
"My previous investment in you, from the very beginning, was for this... After waiting so long, it's time for me to reap the harvest."
"I thought the Xiao Family was your main objective."
Protector Wu said with a hint of warning, "The matter of the Xiao Family ends here. I hope you can forget about it..."
"Does the Chu Yun Empire also have a Dou Ancestor supported or controlled by your Soul Hall?"
"Very perceptive indeed..."
Yun Shan said casually, "It's not hard to guess. I will cooperate with you, but I hope you can also cooperate with me to complete some matters."
"Hm?" Protector Wu questioned.
"Don't worry, it won't conflict with your goals, nor will it be difficult... It's just going with the flow, and it's inconvenient for me to act directly."
"Alright," Protector Wu agreed to Yun Shan's request.
"By the way, where's your disciple?" Protector Wu proactively asked about someone who had left a deep impression on him. "You mean Yun Meng? I sent him to do some things; he'll be back in a while."
"Mm, tell him to hurry. I want a well-matched, protracted war where as many people die as possible... Let that kid come and strategize." Protector Wu looked at Yun Shan twice and added:
"Of course, since I supported you, I naturally hope that your side ultimately achieves victory... The Protector in charge of the Chu Yun Empire is not as strong as me, so the final victor will be your Yunlan Sect."
...
Behind the main hall of the Yunlan Sect, where past Sect Masters or those who made significant contributions to the Sect were enshrined, Yun Yun faced a tightly closed door, her eyes filled with worry.
"Yanran... I hope you are safe and sound."
She turned and left the hall. As she passed the plaza, she saw two young men dressed in moon-white Sect attire engaged in combat.
Both used Yunlan Sect's Dou Techniques, but they appeared somewhat sinister and strange, and a cold aura emanated from their bodies.
Her gaze deepened.
Recently, the Dou Qi cultivation of the entire Yunlan Sect, from the Elders down to some core disciples favored by the Elders, had significantly improved.
The entire Yunlan Sect presented a flourishing scene, yet she inexplicably felt a sense of unease. She could vaguely sense a huge undercurrent hidden beneath this vigorous development.
"Sect Master." A man who looked older, around fifty, walked over to Yun Yun, who was standing there, and greeted her.
"Elder Yun Du." Yun Yun nodded slightly.
"Perhaps Xiao Yan's matter stimulated the Sect's disciples; everyone has been working harder than before recently. Their cultivation has also grown considerably," Yun Du said with a smile.
"I hope so," Yun Yun thought with a hint of vigilance.
Yun Du and Yun Cha were the two Elders with the most significant and fastest progress, and the cold aura on their bodies was also very noticeable.
She had mentioned this to Yun Shan, but Yun Shan only said, "I know," and offered no advice, nor did he seem surprised or astonished, evidently having already discovered this situation, or rather, the one who brought about the change was her own teacher.
Therefore, although Yun Yun was vigilant and suspicious, she remained restrained and did not take more aggressive measures to probe.
...
After communicating with Yun Shan and confirming the general objective, Protector Wu left the Yunlan Sect.
He flew north towards the Chu Yun Empire.
A day later, he arrived in a secluded mountain ravine, where a familiar yet strange Dou Qi fluctuation came from afar.
Protector Wu flew straight towards it without hesitation.
At the bottom of the ravine, a river flowed quietly. On the river surface was a large rock protruding from the water. On the rock stood a figure clad in a black robe, with a faint mist swirling around him, and a large character "Soul" written on the back of the black robe.
Protector Wu flew down and landed on the other end of the rock, asking with a hint of confusion, "Who are you? Where is Protector Tie?"
Protector Tie was the Protector responsible for the Chu Yun Empire's affairs, and he had an agreement with Protector Wu to jointly initiate a great war between the Chu Yun Empire and the Jia Ma Empire.
They had originally agreed to discuss future developments and the allocation of high-tier souls here, but now Protector Tie was nowhere to be found, and an unfamiliar face had arrived.
"I am Protector Meng. Protector Tie won't be coming. I am now taking over his arrangements in the Chu Yun Empire." Protector Meng adjusted the monocle on his right eye and smiled.
"Hm?" A chain suddenly extended from the black mist, striking directly at Protector Meng.
The latter calmly condensed a black sphere in his palm and pressed it against the incoming chain.
With a "bang," the chain was repelled, and as the two collided, Dou Qi erupted, and turbulent air currents rapidly spread in all directions.
"Protector Wu, what is the meaning of this?" Protector Meng retreated slightly, using the force generated by the collision.
"Heh heh, I just wanted to confirm if you were qualified to cooperate with me..." Protector Wu seemed not to have heard the slight anger in Protector Meng's tone.
Protector Meng's eyes narrowed slightly, and he said with a smile, "Then Protector Wu, you should be careful. Perhaps at some point, I might also want to confirm your qualifications, Protector."
Protector Wu didn't care, letting out a low laugh, and said:
"Since you've replaced Protector Tie and taken over the matters of the Chu Yun Empire, let's proceed as we agreed before."
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