Chapter 154: His Shamelessness Rivals Ours!
Black Corner Region, Pill Emperor City.
Within numerous secret chambers, the Black Corner Region's top ranked experts abruptly opened their eyes, their faces filled with astonishment as they turned toward the east.
A scorching, oppressive energy surged into the sky an aura so fierce it made their hearts tremble.
It was coming from the direction of Jia Nan Academy!
Shocked, the experts of the Black Corner Region could no longer adhere to the rules Han Feng had set. One by one, they exited their chambers and gazed eastward, where blazing flames soared into the heavens.
"Interesting... Is this Han Feng's doing?"
"Heh, even Jia Nan Academy isn't invincible!"
While some were shocked by Han Feng's boldness, others reveled in schadenfreude. Every single one of them had been warned or threatened by Jia Nan Academy at some point.
These were unruly individuals who bowed only to power. When Jia Nan Academy held the upper hand, they stayed quiet. But now? The tables seemed to have turned.
"Everyone!" Han Feng's voice, imbued with his mighty Dou Qi, boomed across the air. "The time has come! Follow me to Jia Nan Academy. Our target this time is their Heavenly Flame!"
Upon hearing this, the expressions of the Black Corner Region experts varied. Some were eager, some indifferent, while others appeared worried.
Take Fan Lao, for example. Up until now, all he had known was that their mission involved stealing something from Jia Nan Academy. But now, learning that their goal was a Heavenly Flame, his face twitched violently.
Fan Lao's cultivation technique was vicious and insidious, allowing for swift advancement and immense power. However, his biggest weakness was anything extremely pure and yang like.
Especially Heavenly Flames they were his nemesis. If he faced one head on, he would be fortunate to exert even 40% of his usual strength.
"Damn it… There's no way I'm going up against a Heavenly Flame directly!" Fan Lao cursed inwardly. At best, he could hold off Jia Nan Academy's experts, but fighting a Heavenly Flame would be suicide. Worse, if his comrades discovered his weakness, they would undoubtedly exploit it in the future.
"Move out!" Han Feng shouted as deep blue Dou Qi wings unfurled behind him. Accompanied by the Golden and Silver Elders, he soared toward Jia Nan Academy.
The five experts behind him hesitated only for a moment before taking flight, trailing close behind Han Feng and the elders.
Jia Nan Academy, Inner Academy.
BOOM!
A crimson blaze erupted from the blackened tower top, engulfing Su Qian and the two Dou Huang elders.
"Damn it!"
Zi Yan's small face turned pale with panic. Unable to worry about where Lu Bu was, she flapped her purple Dou Qi wings and darted toward the Sky Burning Qi Refining Tower.
She couldn't sit idly by while the "grumpy old man" Grand Elder Su Qian lost his life!
But before she could get far, a hand reached out from the side, grabbing her by the collar and lifting her off the ground.
"Hey! Lu Bu, what are you doing? Let me go!" Zi Yan kicked and flailed her short limbs like a kitten caught by the scruff of its neck.
Her efforts were futile. Eventually, she hung limply, her head and limbs drooping in resignation, though her large eyes continued to glare stubbornly at Lu Bu.
"Stop it. You're just going to make things worse if you go," Lu Bu scolded, lightly tapping her forehead.
"But… what do we do then?" Zi Yan's face remained filled with worry. Though she feared the Fallen Heart Flame in its evolved beast form, she instinctively believed others might be as vulnerable as she was.
"Don't underestimate Su Qian. He's stronger than you think," Lu Bu said firmly.
Before his words could fully sink in, there was a resounding BOOM. The magma pillar exploded, and an overwhelming aura surged upward, locking onto the retreating flame serpent.
"You wretched beast! Don't even think about escaping!"
With a deafening roar, Su Qian's figure blurred as he flashed to the top of the flame serpent's head.
"See? I told you everything would be fine," Lu Bu said with a smirk.
Zi Yan shot him a glare, unable to share his optimism. Su Qian looked far from fine his once well groomed white beard was singed and curled, and his face was blotched with burns. Clearly, the magma pillar had been no easy obstacle.
With a furious shout, Su Qian clenched his withered hand into a fist, shattering the air around it. An oppressive, terrifying force enveloped his punch as it hurtled toward the flame serpent.
The punch, like a collapsing pillar of heaven, descended with unstoppable might.
BOOM!
"Shrieeeek!"
Caught off guard, the flame serpent momentarily reveling in its escape was struck by Su Qian's powerful blow and sent crashing back down beside the Sky Burning Qi Refining Tower.
Lu Bu's attention wasn't on Su Qian, however. Instead, his gaze lifted toward the sky, where reinforcements from the Inner Academy were finally arriving.
In an instant, the area around the Sky Burning Qi Refining Tower, once scorching from the Fallen Heart Flame's heat, grew chilly as a faint frost spread through the air.
THUD!
A figure shrouded in icy mist descended from the sky. With both hands forming seals, he unleashed waves of frost attribute Dou Qi, which surged into the ground through his feet.
"Activate the formation!"
His voice echoed like rolling thunder, shaking the very earth.
Ice blue vines, formed from frost attribute Dou Qi, sprouted wildly across the tower. The fallen flame serpent, still recovering from Su Qian's punch, was immediately ensnared and bound by the freezing vines.
"That's Elder Lei!" Zi Yan exclaimed, her face lighting up with hope. The serpent was trapped!
"Elder Lei?" Lu Bu raised an eyebrow. Given the naming conventions in Battle Through the Heavens, he had expected a name like Bing, Leng, or Han to match his frosty powers.
"Yes, Elder Lei," Zi Yan nodded. "He's nice to me. Thanks to him, I'm not kicked out of the herb repository when I visit."
"Oh, I see…" Lu Bu nodded in understanding. It seemed Zi Yan had not one but two major backers in the Inner Academy, allowing her to act so freely.
Elder Lei's strength wasn't to be underestimated either. As a peak Dou Huang, his aura suggested he was only a step away from breaking through to Dou Zong.
Jia Nan Academy's strength was impressive a Dou Zong in Su Qian, a peak Dou Huang in Elder Lei, and other top tier experts like Wu Tian Lang and Elder Hu Jia in the Outer Academy. And that didn't even include the reclusive powerhouses guarding the library.
"With Elder Lei here, this should be over soon," Zi Yan said excitedly, her expression finally showing some relief. While she didn't care much for the Inner Academy, her affection for Su Qian and Elder Lei was genuine.
Not necessarily… Lu Bu thought, his eyes glinting with intrigue. Neither Elder Lei nor the formation would be enough to permanently suppress the Fallen Heart Flame.
Sure enough, within mere moments, Elder Lei's face turned pale. His once vast Dou Qi reserves were almost entirely drained.
"Hold on, Elder Lei! Reinforcements are here!"
Several voices rang out as three or four Dou Huangs, followed by a group of Dou Wangs, raced onto the scene.
"Form the formation!" Su Qian shouted, vanishing into the center of the formation.
Once everyone was in position and the array complete, the Fallen Heart Flame would be sealed again.
Meanwhile, on a nearby treetop…
"Teacher, what should we do?" Xiao Yan asked anxiously. The Fallen Heart Flame his long coveted Heavenly Flame was right before his eyes.
He needed it desperately. His Flame Mantra was only at the mid tier Xuan rank. While sufficient for now, it wasn't enough to keep up with the monstrous growth of people like Lu Bu.
Lu Bu's cultivation technique is a mid tier Di rank one he stole from Teacher! Xiao Yan thought bitterly.
Yao Lao's sarcastic voice echoed in his mind: "Do nothing."
"What?!" Xiao Yan was dumbfounded.
"What, what?!" Yao Lao snapped. "Do you have a Ground Spirit Pill? Are you a Dou Zong? No? Then cool your head and stop dreaming!"
Yao Lao snorted. "No! If you go up there now, what will you accomplish besides turning into a pile of ashes? Nothing! Stay put!"
Xiao Yan's expression shifted from green to white, but in the end, he could only sigh helplessly, his eyes red with frustration as he enviously watched the struggling Fallen Heart Flame.
"Don't rush. Sealing it again isn't a bad thing," Yao Lao reassured him. "The Fallen Heart Flame has always been here. You won't have to worry about finding it again."
Hearing this, Xiao Yan's expression softened slightly. Then, his gaze flickered with suspicion. "Teacher, do you think Lu Bu had something to do with this?"
"Lu Bu? Why would you think of him?" Yao Lao frowned. "Without the Flame Mantra, possessing two different Heavenly Flames would be suicide."
"Uh… I don't know," Xiao Yan scratched his head. "I just have a feeling there's something fishy going on. And somehow, I'm sure Lu Bu is involved."
"You're overthinking it!" Yao Lao huffed. "You're giving that brat too much credit. If not for his little tricks swindling resources from me, he wouldn't have reached his current strength. Otherwise, he's nothing special!"
"Having the Fallen Heart Flame sealed again is actually good for you. This gives us more time to search for the Green Wood Celestial Vine."
"Hmm…" Xiao Yan nodded slowly.
"Thousand Layered Seal Formation!" In the sky, Su Qian let out a resounding shout. Around him, the various Dou Kings and Dou Emperors roared in unison, unleashing their powerful Dou Qi.
A massive, multicolored array slowly took shape in the air, linking with the sealing formation atop the Heavenly Flame Refining Tower. In an instant, it helped Elder Lei stabilize the crumbling containment formation.
"Skreee !"
The colossal fire python thrashed violently, spewing invisible flames, tearing apart the icy blue Dou Qi vines that bound it. But within seconds, even more icy blue Dou Qi vines sprouted from the Refining Tower, entangling it once more.
It shrieked and howled in rage, but its struggles were futile. Slowly, it was being dragged back into the Heavenly Flame Refining Tower.
Boom!
Su Qian descended directly onto the tower's peak, standing firm as he guided his Dou Qi to reconstruct the tower's summit.
Behind the layers of energy shielding, the invisible fire python's blood red eyes glared at Su Qian, filled with hatred and savagery, as if it wanted to tear him into a thousand pieces.
"Beast, know your place!" Su Qian shouted coldly. However, he failed to notice the flickers of cunning and excitement hidden within the python's blood red pupils.
"Phew… At least the old man is fine," Zi Yan let out a breath of relief.
Lu Bu raised an eyebrow. That academy headmaster truly lived up to his reputation as a high ranking Dou Zun. The formation was indeed impressive. However… he wasn't too concerned. Outside the Inner Academy, he had already sensed several powerful auras approaching at breakneck speed.
With that thought, Lu Bu suddenly turned his gaze toward the dark night sky beyond the Inner Academy. Right on time…
"Lu Bu, what's wrong?" Zi Yan noticed his unusual expression and asked curiously.
"Someone's coming…"
Elsewhere, Xiao Yan suddenly shivered, feeling an icy chill radiate from the Bone Spirit Ring on his finger.
"Teacher?" Xiao Yan's heart tightened.
"Someone's coming… The people from Black Corner Region!" Yao Lao's voice was solemn.
This is bad.
The Fallen Heart Flame… might not be ours to take anymore.
Xiao Yan's face turned grim. Anxiety gnawed at him he had no idea what to do.
"Damn it… everything's falling apart…" His expression darkened. This wasn't how things were supposed to go!
How had the situation suddenly spiraled into such a mess?
"Hahaha… Su Qian, so it turns out your Inner Academy has been hiding such a treasure as a Heavenly Flame all this time. What a well kept secret!" A loud, mocking laugh echoed through the night sky.
Su Qian's expression turned dark before he had even fully celebrated the successful sealing of the Fallen Heart Flame.
The Inner Academy was protected by a spatial barrier not only to safeguard it but also as an early warning system. A barrier this vast could only be maintained by a Dou Zun level expert.
With the Headmaster being an absentee leader and the two reclusive elders of no help, for Han Feng's group to breach this barrier meant the Academy's protective measures had been completely overrun!
"Hehe… Su Qian, your glare is quite terrifying," Van Lao chuckled, flapping his blood red wings. In one hand, he dangled a limp figure with a purple red complexion.
On the other side, Yin Gu Lao was holding onto another elder his face pitch black, as if drenched in charcoal.
The students below gasped in horror when they recognized the captives.
Elders Su and Qing!
These were the very elders who had always presided over the Fire Energy Hunting Competition the first Inner Academy elders many students had ever seen. Their identities were unmistakable.
"It really is the Sea Heart Flame…" Xiao Yan's gaze darkened as he locked onto the deep blue wings on Han Feng's back.
"Don't worry, Su Qian. They're still alive!" Han Feng smiled lightly, waving his hand dismissively. "They've only suffered minor injuries. I didn't come here looking for a fight."
"Then what does the esteemed 'Medicine Emperor' want?" Su Qian asked coldly. He needed to buy time time to fully restore the tower's peak.
"Naturally, I'm here for the Heavenly Flame." Han Feng's eyes gleamed as he chuckled. "A few days ago, I received some news from a friend. Upon learning that your Inner Academy harbored the Fallen Heart Flame, I simply had to come and make a request."
"Whose information?" Su Qian's gaze sharpened, his voice turning icy.
"Su Qian, I already sent a message to the Outer Academy Vice Headmaster, urging them to stall for time!" Elder Lei's voice discreetly echoed in Su Qian's ears. From the moment the Fallen Heart Flame had broken free, he had alerted the Outer Academy hence why he had arrived slightly later than Su Qian.
Su Qian's face remained impassive as he glared at Han Feng.
"Hahaha, Su Qian, what kind of person do you take me for?" Han Feng laughed loudly, as if he had just heard the most hilarious joke in the world. Then, his gaze sharpened as he spoke in a righteously indignant tone:
"I, Han Feng, am the personal disciple of Yao Zun Zhe! Ranked third on the Black Ranking! Do you take me for a petty, backstabbing villain?"
"Give up, Su Qian. I absolutely won't tell you who provided me with this information… but fine! For the sake of our friendship, I'll let you know it was my dear friend, Mo Tianxing! Hahaha!"
"Mo Tianxing…" Su Qian's expression became even more grim.
So it was them.
Zi Yan had already told him about this. She and Lu Bu had encountered an eight star Dou Wang during their travels, and had barely escaped with their lives. The name they had overheard Mo Tianxing.
A quick investigation had confirmed him as the Young Sect Master of the Black Emperor Sect.
"What? How do you know about Mo Tianxing?" Han Feng's eyes narrowed at Su Qian's muttered words, his voice sharp with suspicion.
Behind him, the assembled Black Ranking experts smirked. This 'Medicine Emperor' is just as shameless as the rest of us!
"Su Qian, for the sake of my friend Mo Tianxing's safety, I, Han Feng, have no choice but to take action!" Han Feng declared righteously.
"Jin Yin Elders! Assist me!"
He knew Su Qian was stalling for time. Without hesitation, he seized the opportunity to launch an attack.
At his command, golden and silver Dou Qi flared into the sky, locking onto Su Qian. The two forces blended together seamlessly, their combined pressure matching Su Qian's own Dou Zong level might.
The Inner Academy fell deathly silent.
Zi Yan's small face turned pale.
The old man… was in trouble.
(End of Chapter)
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