Hun Changqing extracted Xiao Yan's soul, his soul power extending from the Sea of Souls, enveloping Xiao Yan's shattered soul amidst billowing black mist. This was a soul-searching technique attached to the Soul Clan's "Soul-Binding Technique," a method for controlling souls.
"Hehehe... Let me see what you've experienced all these years, Brother Yan..."
As Hun Changqing's soul power seeped in, Xiao Yan's dormant soul began to tremble, instinctively trying to resist the intrusion. However, the difference between the two was too vast. Soon, Xiao Yan's memories, hidden deep within his soul, were completely exposed to Hun Changqing. Hun Changqing began to peruse Xiao Yan's memories from the beginning.
What came into Hun Changqing's view was a modern city that felt both familiar and strange...
The scene of a child's journey from ignorance to school and then into society played out before Hun Changqing as if in fast-forward.
"Hmm...tsk tsk, my brother Yan's past life...so miserable? You could even handle 996 work schedules? That boss was putting on airs in front of you, it wouldn't be like you weren't going to teach him a lesson..."
Hun Changqing clicked his tongue, his expression somewhat amused, commenting on the scene before him as if watching a TV series.
Xiao Yan's past life was far less carefree than Hun Changqing's. He had a girlfriend, and to raise the dowry, he worked overtime every day, enduring his boss's harassment without daring to speak out. Finally, exhausted, he collapsed in front of his computer, which led him to this bizarre and fantastical Dou Qi Continent.
The scene then fast-forwarded to when Xiao Yan was four years old when he arrived at the Xiao family. On a dark and windy night, he slowly approached the room of the mysterious girl who had arrived at the Xiao family that morning.
Gently pushing open the door, he approached the girl's bed, and then...
Hun Changqing's expression became somewhat strange. He knew this scene, but judging from the scene before him, with Hun Changqing's current mastery of illusion techniques, he could naturally tell at a glance that Xiao Yan was completely immersed in an illusion.
Hun Changqing couldn't help but feel a moment of silent mourning for Xiao Yan. So, for almost a year since Xiao Yan's childhood, all he'd been doing was touching thin air in Gu Xun'er's room? Touching nothing at all?
Hun Changqing reached out and stroked his smooth chin, his smile growing increasingly sinister. He had initially thought Gu Xun er had truly been thoroughly touched by Xiao Yan, but he hadn't expected that the time in the secret room was actually Gu Xun'er's first time being touched by a man. Wasn't he Gu Xun'er's first man in the true sense of the word?
However, Hun Changqing quickly dismissed this small detail. Knowing this was meaningless; it only satisfied his perverse pleasure of completely dyeing Xiao Yan's hair green. Gu Xun'er still longed for Xiao Yan; the most important thing now was to bring Xiao Yan back to life.
Xiao Yan's memories flashed by rapidly: the Snake-Man Desert, the Heavenly Snake Mansion, the Cloud Mist Sect, and finally, on the way to Canaan Academy, his memories abruptly ended, clearly due to the damage to his soul, resulting in memory loss.
Hun Changqing fell silent after watching. He hadn't expected that Yao Chen could leave behind a hidden trick after being taken away; he hadn't even noticed it at the time.
Xiao Yan's subsequent experiences were even more unexpected. Alone, leaving the Xiao family, with his weak constitution, he seized opportunity after opportunity, rising from a Dou Zhe to a peak Great Dou Shi in just three years, and also becoming a fourth-grade alchemist.
Even Hun Changqing couldn't help but admire Xiao Yan. This time, Xiao Yan hadn't had Yao Chen's help; he had reached this point entirely on his own.
However, the more Hun Changqing admired Xiao Yan, the less he wanted him to wake up again. He had only been left to his own devices for a short time, and he had already become so powerful. If he woke up and something happened, wouldn't he be completely out of his control?
Hun Changqing's gaze was deep and unfathomable, his expression shifting between anger and uncertainty. If he didn't revive Xiao Yan, he wouldn't be able to handle Gu Xun'er at all, and he didn't want to go to jail in the depths of the lava. But if he revived Xiao Yan, he worried that Xiao Yan would slip out of his control. He was in a difficult situation.
After pondering for a moment, a glint suddenly flashed in Hun Changqing's eyes, and an evil smile appeared on his lips.
"Hehehe..."
Then Hun Changqing stood up and, carrying Xiao Yan's soul, walked towards the secret chamber where Yao Chen was.
...
Inside the secret chamber ,
Yao Chen had just finished a round of alchemy. He used his soul power to guide the pills in the furnace, neatly placing them one by one into a beautifully designed jade bottle with intricate patterns.
After collecting all the pills, Yao Chen was about to recuperate and restore his soul power when suddenly, the door to the secret chamber creaked open, followed by a heavy thud. Hun Changqing walked in.
Yao Chen, seeing Hun Changqing, was immediately curious and asked,
"Little Changqing, what brings you here today? Have you run out of pills? The last batch should still last a while, right?"
Hun Changqing came to Yao Chen's side, shook his head, and handed over Xiao Yan's soul. Then, he took out a corpse he had casually picked up from among the dead students of Canaan Academy from his storage ring and gave it to Yao Chen, saying,
"Elder Yao, you should be very familiar with this soul, right? Help me revive him. His soul is very fragile right now, so we need to hurry."
When Yao Chen saw Xiao Yan's soul, he sensed the familiar aura on it, and his pupils shrank.
"This is... Xiao Yan? How did he become like this?"
Hun Changqing shook his head and said,
"Just now, a strange fire in Canaan Academy erupted. I went to investigate, but it was too late when I got there." "He's already escaped, and Xiao Yan's body is right next to the strange fire. I found his fragmented soul and rushed back."
Yao Chen's face showed a bitter smile when he heard that Xiao Yan died from the strange fire. He said,
"It seems that the Burning Technique is not something just anyone can master. I thought I would leave him a way out back then, but now it seems that I have harmed him instead. Alas."
After hearing Yao Chen's words, Hun Changqing's eyes flickered with uncertainty. He asked,
"Elder Yao, you gave Xiao Yan the Burning Technique to cultivate? It seems that Xiao Yan died during the process of fusing with the Fallen Heart Flame. But Elder Yao, did you give the Burning Technique to anyone else? Recently, it seems that someone who also cultivates the Burning Technique has appeared in the Black Corner Region. He is named Gu Fen. Do you remember him?"
After hearing Hun Changqing's words, Yao Chen's eyes were full of confusion and doubt. He shook his head and said. "Besides engraving the Burning Technique on the Xiao family's stone as compensation to Xiao Yan, I haven't given it to anyone else. The soul power I left on that stone can only be activated by Xiao Yan. After Xiao Yan reads it, the soul power will dissipate. Logically speaking, it's impossible for anyone else to cultivate it."
Hun Changqing frowned slightly after hearing Yao Chen's words. Yao Chen had no reason to lie to him, but if what Yao Chen said was true, then where did that Ancient Burning Demon's Burning Technique come from?
And didn't Xiao Yan still have two strange flames on his body? Why didn't he see them when he went there? Were they taken away with the Fallen Heart Flame?
"Sigh... Elder Yao, you should refine a body for Xiao Yan."
Hun Changqing couldn't figure it out, sighed, and stopped thinking about it. After indicating to Yao Chen to refine the body, he sat cross-legged to the side and waited quietly.
Yao Chen nodded, then took Xiao Yan's soul and the Great Dou Master's corpse. He then took out several precious materials from his storage ring. Bone Spirit Cold Flame surged from his soul body, enveloping Yao Chen's body. Yao Chen
then made a hand seal, guiding the corpse into the alchemy cauldron. Several materials followed, and Xiao Yan's soul was flicked into the body's brow with his finger. Bone Spirit Cold Flame surged from Yao Chen's body into the cauldron...
...
Soon, the surface of the body in the cauldron began to slowly writhe, the muscles began to twist, and the cracking sound of bones breaking rang out from within the flesh. Then, a white mist rose, swirling around the flesh and completely obscuring it.
Finally, as the white mist gradually dissipated, the physical body inside was revealed. This body was now completely different from its previous appearance, transforming into a handsome young man with a resolute face, strong features, and clear, bright eyes—a black-haired man with a robust physique, unmistakably resembling Xiao Yan.
"Hoo..."
Yao Chen gradually withdrew the Bone Spirit Cold Flame, letting out a long sigh. A trace of fatigue appeared between his brows. Yao Chen had just finished refining a batch of pills, leaving his soul power somewhat insufficient. Condensing a body had further depleted his soul power, and it seemed he needed to rest for a while.
Hun Changqing circled the closed-eyed Xiao Yan, examining him closely, and nodded in satisfaction. Then, he said to Yao Chen,
"Elder Yao, your soul is exhausted now, so go and rest well. When you wake up, I'll have brought Han Feng's soul to you soon."
Yao Chen nodded, then transformed into a wisp of green smoke and flew into the black storage ring beside him.
Seeing this, Hun Changqing grabbed Xiao Yan and left the secret chamber.
...
Back in his room, Hun Changqing threw Xiao Yan to the ground. At this moment, Xiao Yan's physical body was full of vitality, and his soul power was slowly recovering; he would soon awaken. Hun
Changqing stared at Xiao Yan on the ground, his eyes filled with indifference. With a flick of his black sleeve, a sinister and terrifying death aura instantly erupted from Hun Changqing's hand, enveloping Xiao Yan.
The black death aura surged wildly into Xiao Yan's body, eroding his life force. The Taiyin True Qi, carrying the Three Lights Divine Water, poured into Xiao Yan's sea of souls.
Xiao Yan's face, which had been gradually turning rosy, instantly turned ashen again. His robust body gradually became thin and shriveled, and a few strands of white appeared in his short black hair.
Xiao Yan's reviving soul was suppressed by the biting cold, gradually weakening. The dazzling light emanating from his soul's sea of consciousness, previously a result of its revival, instantly turned ashen, filled with deathly silence.
Seeing this, Hun Changqing knew the time was right and withdrew his death energy and Yin energy. He used these to suppress Xiao Yan's revived life force. At this moment, life and death energies within Xiao Yan's body clashed, forming a strange balance—a result of Hun Changqing
's precise control over death energy. He had achieved a balance between life and death within Xiao Yan, preventing him from dying from excessive death energy or reviving from excessive life energy. Xiao Yan had become a living dead, his soul sinking into darkness.
Since he worried about Xiao Yan becoming uncontrollable and feared his death would leave him without a shield, Hun Changqing decided to refine Xiao Yan into this living dead form. Xiao Yan's greatest use would be as a protective talisman when Gu Xun'er truly came to cause him trouble.
Hun Changqing nodded in satisfaction, gently pointing his finger at Xiao Yan's body. Suddenly, black mist spread beneath Xiao Yan, and streams of deathly energy surged forth. Then, strips of black wood emerged from beneath Xiao Yan, twisting and coiling around him.
The black wood enveloped Xiao Yan's body, eventually engulfing and covering him completely, forming an incomparably black coffin. Black energy rose from the coffin, and deathly energy permeated it. The wooden strips wriggled and intertwined on the surface of the coffin, the grating "squeaks" from their friction sounding like the wails of a demon. The scene was extremely eerie. After
confirming everything was in order, Hun Changqing stored the black wooden coffin in his storage ring and let out a long sigh.
"Next... is Old Demon Gu Fen..."
Hun Changqing's gaze gradually turned cold. Just now, while waiting for Xiao Yan's body to be refined, Han Feng had already sent him a message saying that all the people he had gathered had arrived and they could head to the Gu Fen Sect.
Now that Xiao Yan's matter was settled, it was time to eliminate the threat posed by the Old Demon Gu Fen.
Hun Changqing's eyes flashed with a fierce light, his killing intent surging. Then, black mist rose, enveloping him and transforming him into a black streak of light, flying towards the outside of the Gu Fen Sect.
...
On a small mountain peak, jagged rocks and sparse vegetation made it seem like a desolate land. On the peak stood several large but extremely simple buildings, clustered together, forming the infamous Gu Fen Sect of the Black Corner Region!
At this moment, outside the gates of the Gu Fen Sect, figures hovered above it. Some stood in the void, others had wings sprouting from their backs, their auras varying in strength.
Some of these individuals were enveloped in black aura, exuding a chilling presence; others radiated murderous intent, their bodies surrounded by crimson blood energy; still others churned with dark green poisonous gas, polluting and corroding the air and energy around them, creating a small poisonous domain that kept those nearby at bay.
Without exception, these were all powerful figures from the Black Corner Region or the Chuyun Empire summoned by Han Feng, each a notorious and ruthless madman with blood on their hands!
At this moment, they all unleashed terrifying auras, their rising battle qi intertwining in the air, causing the surrounding天地能量 (heaven and earth energy) to become extremely chaotic. The terrifying pressure had already distorted and deformed the air in this area, blurring visibility.
The space here had also been sealed by the combined efforts of these Dou Zong, solidifying it into an iron barrel, completely surrounding the Gu Fen Sect. At this moment, the Gu Fen Sect was like a turtle in a jar, with no way to escape!