Chapter 210: Tang Huoer! Tang Zhen's Doubt!

Chapter 210: Tang Huoer! Tang Zhen's Doubt!

"Give me your hand."

Dan Chen was stunned to hear Xiao Ze's words but obediently extended her white, soft right hand. Over the days they had spent together, she had learned that Xiao Ze was not someone irresponsible.

"Now, I am going to leave a mark on your hand. Although Elder Liu Tian can guarantee your safety, it's always better to be cautious."

Xiao Ze briefly explained, and seeing Dan Chen nod, he didn't hesitate further. He took Dan Chen's white, soft hand, turned it palm-up, and prepared to leave the Emperor's Fire Mark.

Feeling the warmth of Xiao Ze's hand, Dan Chen's face turned red immediately. Since childhood, due to her talent, no one dared to touch her. Even contact with other women had been scarce, let alone with a man, and in such an intimate manner.

Compared to her own hand, Xiao Ze's hand was warm, transmitting a temperature that seemed to reach her face, increasing her blush. Just as Dan Chen began to think of absurd things, an imposing presence made her heart almost stop. The beast fire inside her shrank, as if facing a terrifying existence.

Dan Chen looked at the back of her hand, where Xiao Ze had left a golden fire mark that reflected multiple colors depending on the angle. Although it looked like a simple mark, Dan Chen knew it was extraordinary, as it had made the beast fire inside her shrink in fear.

"Xiao Ze, have you mastered a Heavenly Flame?" Dan Chen asked in surprise. Only a Heavenly Flame, known as the king of all fires, could provoke such a reaction in her beast fire.

"Yes, in case of danger, activate this mark, and it will release considerable power. It will also allow me to know what is happening."

Xiao Ze didn't want to delve deeper into the topic of the Heavenly Flame. If it became known that he controlled the Emperor's Flame, the number one flame, the entire alchemist community of the Dou Qi continent would be in an uproar.

Dan Chen nodded. With her powerful perception, she could feel the energy contained in the fire mark. A smile appeared on her face, feeling more secure. Xiao Ze's fire mark could face a high-level fighter, although only once. However, its main function was to alert Xiao Ze immediately in case of danger.

Afterward, Xiao Ze returned to Elder Liu Tian's side, holding the "Demonic Blood," with his spiritual energy immersed in it, reviewing the chapters he was interested in. Elder Liu Tian looked curiously at the red jade stone in Xiao Ze's hands but didn't ask, waiting patiently for the Demon Melody refinement ceremony to end.

On another side of the platform, Tang Huoer, dressed in red and naturally beautiful, had finished her refinement. Although she stood upright, her unsteady gaze revealed her nervousness. Seeing Tang Zhen, a smile appeared on her face, and she quickly approached.

"Why did it take you so long at the alchemy tower, Dad?"

"All for you," Tang Zhen said with a loving smile.

"Did you manage to convince Elder Liu Tian?" Tang Huoer asked, surprised. Elder Liu Tian was one of the Eight Great Elders of the Alchemy Tower, hard to convince.

"No, I invited Elder Xiao Ze."

"Him? So young? Can he do it?" Tang Huoer asked incredulously.

"Don't speak like that," Tang Zhen quickly said. "When the ceremony ends, Xiao Ze will come with us to the Burning Flame. Don't say anything inappropriate."

Tang Huoer wasn't convinced. "He seems to be my age. Is he that impressive?"

"The one who broke the soul barrier in the Demon Melody Cave was Elder Xiao Ze. His soul level has reached the Soul Realm, which means he could create eighth-level pills. You must treat him well."

Tang Zhen spoke seriously, worried that Tang Huoer might make a bad impression.

Tang Huoer, surprised, said, "An eighth-level alchemist so young...?"

"Don't underestimate Xiao Ze. His talent is one of the highest in the entire Dou Qi continent," Tang Zhen said, patting Tang Huoer's head. "You should learn that there's always someone better."

Tang Huoer didn't respond, still impressed.

Tang Zhen, seeing his daughter's expression, suggested, "Since you're of marriageable age, you could try getting close to Xiao Ze."

"What?" Tang Huoer was stunned.

"Me, court Xiao Ze?" she asked incredulously.

Seeing her resistance, Tang Zhen sighed. "Alright, as you wish. But it's crucial we maintain good relations with him. His future is bright, possibly reaching legendary levels."

Tang Huoer, still amazed, said, "How can he be an eighth-level alchemist and also have such prowess in Dou Qi?"

Tang Zhen, also surprised, replied, "Though hard to believe, from my experience, his Dou Qi skill has already reached a high level in the Dou Zong rank."

Gulp.

Tang Huoer swallowed, recognizing someone her age who completely surpassed her.

Tang Zhen, ignoring her thoughts, reflected on the fortune of the Alchemy Tower in having someone as talented as Xiao Ze. He wondered how the tower dared to let such a valuable talent travel freely.

Meanwhile, Xiao Ze, unaware of these reflections, eagerly awaited exploring the ancient ruins of the Burning Flame.

"I hope to find some ancient alchemy recipes," he thought, hoping the ruins weren't too damaged.

(End of chapter) Chapter 211: The Spirit-Devouring Soul a Hundred Times More Potent! Xiao Yan's Awakening!

The month-long sound purification ritual finally ended with the announcement from the Valley of Sound's master, Yin Hao.

"Take care on your journey!" Xiao Ze said to Liu Tian, the elder, and the Alchemy Tower disciples who were about to depart.

"Don't worry, I will make sure to explain everything to President Xuan Kongzi."

Elder Liu Tian smiled and waved goodbye to Xiao Ze, taking everyone with him.

"Xiao Ze, take care," said Dan Chen, covering the golden fire mark on the back of her right hand with her left hand.

Xiao Ze smiled at her and waved goodbye. Dan Chen looked back several times until they could no longer see each other.

"Due to this sound purification ritual, Dan Chen's Spirit-Devouring Soul has improved. Another centupled feedback skill obtained."

Xiao Ze observed the Spirit-Devouring Soul skill on his system panel, which glowed with a faint golden light, and decided to activate it.

With the centupled reward, the process would only take an instant.

Suddenly, the void before Xiao Ze seemed to break, revealing an infinite space. A vast amount of spiritual energy from heaven and earth, along with soul brilliance, swirled towards him.

For a moment, his soul seemed to leave his body and rise without limits, as if he could see the entire Dou Qi continent.

Suspended in the highest void, his soul looked over the entire Dou Qi continent, experiencing a unique sensation he had never felt before.

From the perspective of his soul, all soul lights on the Dou Qi continent were visible. Some were as bright as the full moon, while others were as small as fireflies.

But regardless of whether they were strong or weak, all the soul lights seemed to be potential prey for Xiao Ze.

This feeling of considering all souls as prey gave Xiao Ze a sense of superiority over all creatures.

In the next moment, the vision faded, and Xiao Ze blinked, as if everything he had seen was still before his eyes.

"I didn't expect to see the entire Dou Qi continent this way."

Xiao Ze lightly licked his lips, eager to hunt and devour souls.

However, he soon shook his head and took a deep breath, suppressing the desire rising within him.

"Fortunately, the first time I experienced the Centupled Thousand Difficulties Toxic Body, I learned to control my desires."

Xiao Ze had discovered that many skills increased his desires.

For example, when he accepted Qing Lin's Centupled Three-Flower Green Snake Eyes, he experienced a sense of supreme power over all serpents.

Without a strong will, he might have lost himself in that feeling of supreme power.

This time, the desire was to devour souls, making it more terrifying and extreme.

"I wonder if the centupled rewards will always include that feeling of destruction and rebirth."

Xiao Ze pondered as he began to understand the power of the hundredfold Soul Devouring Spirit.

His soul, anchored in the Tree of Origin, started to absorb the soul energy from the void.

"By devouring soul energies and using the Tree of Origin, my soul growth rate will surpass that of my Dou Qi."

Xiao Ze compared his two cultivation systems and reached a surprising conclusion.

However, he realized that since his soul was constantly using soul techniques, its growth rate was naturally fast.

Combined with the hundredfold Soul Devouring Spirit, it was not surprising.

Feeling his soul strengthen every moment, Xiao Ze smiled with satisfaction and headed towards the platform of the Burning Flame Valley.

The Burning Flame Valley had brought several people this time, but only three participated in the sound purification ritual.

In the end, only Tang Huo'er succeeded.

This showed that Tang Huo'er had considerable talent, although her unstable character held her back. Otherwise, her achievements could have been greater.

"Tang Gu Zhu," Xiao Ze greeted with a smile. "Is it time to go to the Burning Flame Valley?"

Tang Zhen, the valley leader, smiled as Tang Huo'er curiously looked at Xiao Ze, intrigued by his remarkable talent.

"Of course," Tang Zhen replied, laughing.

"Xiao Ze, didn't the old Yin try to recruit you?"

"Uh, the master of the Sound Valley invited me to stay, but I had already promised Tang Gu Zhu, so I couldn't break my word."

Xiao Ze explained, recalling how the master of the Sound Valley had tried to persuade him before he left.

"Haha, seems like I got lucky."

Tang Zhen was in good spirits.

Afterward, they began the long journey.

Although the Burning Flame Valley and the Sound Valley were in the southwest, their territories were vast.

Even though they had contact, there were no direct spatial tunnels between their main cities.

So they had to travel to the nearest city controlled by the Burning Flame Valley and use the spatial tunnel to get there.

Near the Burning Flame Valley, Tang Zhen asked, "Xiao Ze, would you like to see the ancient relic I mentioned?"

"Won't it take too long?" Xiao Ze asked, interested.

"Don't worry, the fire protection pill is not urgent."

Tang Zhen explained and instructed Elder Chi Huo to take the disciples back while he and Xiao Ze went to the relic.

"Tang Huo'er, you can't come."

"No, it's too dangerous for you," Tang Zhen reprimanded his daughter, who watched as they left.

"Xiao Ze, we found the ancient relic and sealed it with a spatial barrier, so few know about it," Tang Zhen explained, showing an ancient medicinal cauldron.

"I found it near the entrance, which made me think it belonged to an ancient alchemist."

Xiao Ze inspected the cauldron, noticing its quality and age, although it wasn't the best.

"We're here!"

Tang Zhen's voice brought Xiao Ze back to reality. As the void twisted, a figure appeared.

"Greetings, Valley Master!"

"This is our chief elder, and this is Xiao Ze from the Pill Tower," Tang Zhen introduced them.

The elder hesitated, then understood Tang Zhen's intent to build a good relationship with the young, talented Xiao Ze.

"We can't go deep yet; it's still unstable."

"Let's take a look, but we won't go in deep," Tang Zhen assured, ready to show Xiao Ze the ancient relic.

The chief elder nodded and quickly formed a seal with his hands. The space behind him distorted and formed a spatial vortex.

"Let's go, Xiao Ze."

Xiao Ze followed Tang Zhen, and they entered the spatial vortex together. The light changed, and the landscape before them transformed completely.

A majestic bronze palace appeared before their eyes, surrounded by a large amount of spatial energy, which tore the air and created dark, dangerous spatial cracks.

Through these cracks, Xiao Ze could see the surface of the bronze palace, marked by countless fissures that made it look ruined.

However, Xiao Ze could still distinguish, in the fragmented patterns, the figure of an incomplete dragon. If he concentrated, he could feel an ancient and powerful dragon aura emanating from it.

"Dragons…"

Xiao Ze murmured softly.

"Exactly, this must be a dragon race alchemist, something extremely rare," Tang Zhen explained, seeing that Xiao Ze had understood part of the mystery. "I discovered this ancient site thanks to my different fire, the Nine Dragons and Lightning Fire, which reacted with this bronze palace."

"A dragon alchemist... I hope to find something valuable," Xiao Ze commented with curiosity. In the entire ancient site, only this bronze palace remained, which was truly extraordinary.

"Seeing the state of this spatial distortion, it will probably calm down in about ten days."

Xiao Ze stroked his chin, thinking that although they could enter now, the spatial cracks were a great risk. If they fell into one, even if they survived, they could be transported to anywhere in the vast spatial void.

To be safe, it would be better to wait for the spatial cracks to diminish.

"Tang Zhen, do you have the recipe and ingredients for the fire pill on hand? I can prepare it right here."

Tang Zhen was surprised but nodded.

"If Xiao Ze wants to do it that way, let's follow his plan."

Leaving the ancient site, Xiao Ze found a mountain and dug a deep cave into the wall.

"Tang Zhen, here is the recipe and ingredients for the fire pill," Tang Zhen said, handing Xiao Ze a storage ring.

"Leave it to me."

Tang Zhen and the chief elder watched as Xiao Ze disappeared into the cave.

"Tang Zhen, is it true that the young man's alchemy skill is so impressive that our sect needs to go to such lengths to please him?" the chief elder asked, somewhat doubtful.

"His soul level has already reached the spirit soul state. He is on his way to becoming an eighth-grade alchemist."

"He only needs to create an eighth-grade pill to be officially recognized as such."

"A master alchemist, even I must be respectful to him. It's better to earn his favor now," Tang Zhen explained, with a tone of awe.

The chief elder was stunned.

As the sect's chief elder, he knew well the difference between a master and a grandmaster alchemist.

Although there was only a small difference in the name, the distance between the two levels was immense.

A grandmaster alchemist could create truly spiritual pills, known as "living pills."

These pills were so valuable that even powerful fighters would be attracted to them.

If they really managed to earn Xiao Ze's favor, the price they had paid would be nothing in comparison.

Thinking about this, the chief elder was relieved he hadn't objected to Tang Zhen.

Otherwise, he would have created a bad impression on a future grandmaster alchemist.

Moreover, he realized that Xiao Ze, at his age, was on his way to becoming a grandmaster alchemist.

Even if he didn't win the Danhui championship, he would surely have the qualities to become one of the leaders of the Danta.

A future Danta leader.

The chief elder swallowed. "Tang Zhen really is wise."

"Haha, it was pure coincidence, but now I'm glad I invited Xiao Ze to prepare the fire pill," Tang Zhen replied, laughing.

Meanwhile, at Jia Nan Academy in the northwest continent.

In the Heaven Refining Tower, in the underground world, the lava and fire poison were constant. It seemed that nothing had changed in thousands of years, maintaining its antiquity and monotony.

Somewhere in this underground world, an invisible fire snake absorbed the place's energy, while Xiao Yan began to regain consciousness inside it.

'Am I not dead? It's that mysterious pill!'

After a brief moment of surprise, Xiao Yan realized he was still alive and remembered that a mysterious pill he had found deep in the mountains had saved him.

Moreover, despite the heat of the fire snake, his body showed no adverse reaction, as if he had completely adapted to the Fallen Heart Flame.

'It seems that devouring the Fallen Heart Flame is not impossible after all.'

Meanwhile, in a dark building in the Black Corner Region, Xiao Yi Xian swallowed a poisonous pill, her face tinged with a bluish-purple color as her energy increased.

"Since Xiao Ze left, without his pure poison energy, these poisonous pills made with the poison manual are barely enough."

The colors in Xiao Yi Xian's eyes slowly faded as she murmured to herself.

"Now that the situation has stabilized, I should ask the chief elder for permission to go to Zhongzhou."

Although it hadn't been long since she had parted from Xiao Ze, the longing in her heart was already unbearable, and Xiao Yi Xian was eager to see him again.

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