. Three figures emerged in succession from the dark passage.
Looking ahead at the two men, one large and one small, who appeared so arrogant and dignified, Xuan Yi's lips twitched slightly.
"Judging from their appearance, they're undoubtedly targeting Elder Mu Gu. Should we stop them?"
"Let them go. Wait until that kid is done and send him back," Xuan Kong Zi said, shaking his head in disapproval.
He and Tian Lei Zi had never met Zi Yan, but Xuan Yi had. Recognizing the girl, he lowered his guard.
He even decided to let them off the hook.
Deep within the dungeon , the two men
, one large and one small, were initially cautious, but upon reaching the final dungeon level and finding no guards, they completely let loose, running through the passage like wild horses.
Before long, they had reached the final dungeon.
The layers of seals on the door spoke volumes about the importance Danta placed on the prisoners within. Even Xiong Zhan, whose true form was that of an ancient dragon bear, felt a deep sense of powerlessness in the face of these seals.
This thing couldn't be broken by brute force!
At least not with his current strength.
"Big guy, can you break it?"
Zi Yan asked, her nose wrinkled. With her talent, the seal wouldn't work for her.
But trying to get in and bring the others out was proving difficult.
"I... can't do it."
Xiong Zhan took a deep breath, then let it go. Self-knowledge is a virtue, and so is a bear.
Even without trying, just the sensation of that rock-solid aura was enough to deter him.
Hearing this, Zi Yan curled her lips slightly, unsurprised.
"Looks like this elder will have to take action. Big guy, step back."
Xiong Zhan did as he was told. Zi Yan's face was solemn as she faced the gate and began to form hand seals.
Instantly, a rich purple light emanated from her body. The intense pressure of the ancient dragon made Xiong Zhan, several feet away, tremble slightly, and his head involuntarily lowered.
"Concentrate the soul!"
Zi Yan whispered, her small hand resting on the seal.
However, something unexpected happened.
The moment her palm touched the seal, it melted and disintegrated like ice meeting boiling water. Within a few breaths, it was completely emptied, leaving not a trace.
This…
Zi Yan stared at her palm in astonishment. I hadn't even begun to increase my power yet, so how could it be over so suddenly?
The purple energy gathered within her body, and the intense ancient dragon's pressure dissipated. Xiong Zhan, far behind, looked up, his eyes filled with deep respect.
As expected of the legendary Taixu Ancient Dragon!
Such talent, unmatched!
Turning back to see Xiong Zhan's performance, Zi Yan was stunned for a moment, then put her hands behind her back.
"Don't be surprised. For our clan, this is just a drop in the bucket. Big guy, perform well. I think you… well, have a promising future!"
Xiong Zhan nodded heavily, his respect undiminished by Zi Yan's small stature.
"Alright, we'll talk about the future later. Now, let's grab the man!"
Feeling a strange sense of guilt for having tricked the big guy, Zi Yan's face flushed slightly. She waved her hand and rushed into the cell.
There was no need to search hard. The target, Elder Mu Gu, lay sprawled on the ground, unmoved by the outside noise.
"Big man, do you think he's still human?"
Zi Yan muttered curiously after two kicks with no response.
Xiong Zhan glanced at Elder Mu Gu and could sense his spiritual power, like a candle in the wind. Strangely, his physical body was devoid of any life.
"Probably... forget it."
"I think so too. Chen Guan is so vindictive, there's no way he'll stand a chance. Carry him on our backs and leave quickly before the Danta people find us."
Somewhere, the three giants exchanged glances and couldn't help but laugh.
...
In the elegant courtyard.
Chen Guan could sense a mischievous girl "throwing a corpse" into his room, her attitude quite violent, nearly breaking Elder Mu Gu in two. He
felt a little angry, but the "war" within him had reached a critical juncture. Chen Guan could only suppress his thoughts for the time being and focus his full attention on suppressing the Void Devouring Flame.
This critical period lasted for a full eight days and nights!
On the morning of the ninth day, a clear whistle awakened everyone in the courtyard, and the dense energy that had been surging for days suddenly ceased.
Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!
Figures soared into the air, each one looking with joy at the young man whose eyes remained closed high in the sky.
"Success?!"
As if responding to the words of the Skyfire Venerable, Chen Guan's eyes suddenly opened, and two dark blue flames flashed in them.
A deep aura of silence permeated the air. Given the strength of everyone in the courtyard, they immediately confirmed his current realm.
"Six-Star Dou Zong!"
The old monster Youdu spoke calmly, his heart devoid of any bitterness!
From high in the sky, Chen Guan gazed at the courtyard, chuckled, and nodded in response.
He spread his palms, and a dark blue flame rose. The moment the flames arose, the silent energy of heaven and earth swept in like a gentle breeze. And this was before he even activated his technique!
At this moment, Chen Guan seemed to have become the XX spirit form from that storybook novel, possessing properties that ordinary people could only dream of.
"As expected of the Void Devouring Flame!"
Chen Guan, feeling the changes within himself, felt immensely satisfied.
This seed fire not only altered the color of his strange fire, adding a slight devouring quality, but also propelled him to the level of a six-star Dou Zong.
It's no exaggeration to say that this seed fire surpassed those ranked lower on the strange fire list!
It was a slight pity that even after integrating this strange fire, Chen Guan's cultivation technique still hadn't advanced. The challenge of reaching the Heavenly Rank was too great!
With a slight bow to the figures looming on the top floor of the Dan Tower, Chen Guan slowly descended.
"How long is the final round of the alchemy competition?"
"Only one morning, it starts at noon. There are already so many people waiting in the square. I ran into an old man there last night. He was furious and wanted to find you. I came back and took the big guy to his house. I thought we could make a fortune, but it turns out there are only a few rare herbs. What's with being a great elder? He's so broke."
Before Yun Yun, the Little Medical Fairy, could say anything, Zi Yan had already pounced on him and hugged Chen Guan's neck, chattering and mumbling.
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The Great Elder?
Chen Guan quickly understood his intentions. He definitely hadn't noticed Song Qing coming out to question him.
"Don't worry about him. We still have the morning left. I'll deal with Mu Gu first and then go back at noon. For the Three Thousand Flames, we can't miss this alchemy conference."
That day in the alchemy world, Chen Guan, taking advantage of Elder Mu Gu's disdain
, caught him by surprise. He unleashed a full-scale burst of his spiritual power, combined with the puppet's self-destruction. Despite this dual approach, he still managed to kill the elder, who still held on. It's true that the vitality of a Dou Zun master is truly terrifying!
After a swift and decisive finish, Chen Guan, despite his already fragile state, captured the elder's soul and quickly refined it into a puppet embryo.
However, due to time constraints, his technique was crude, leaving him with only the most basic mobility, devoid of any spiritual power.
Naturally, Chen Guan was dissatisfied with this puppet.
He held high hopes for the elder.
From Elder Mu Gu's words that day, he already knew he had been noticed by some in Soul Palace, and keeping a low profile wouldn't stop the situation.
Therefore, he needed an insider! He
didn't need to know every move Soul Palace made, but at least he had to ensure they could be prepared if they tried to attack him.
While Guardian Li of the branch palace could be trusted, his strength limited him from reaching the upper echelons.
Elder Mu Gu was different. The fact that the Void Devouring Flame had bestowed upon him a seed fire was a testament to the importance Soul Palace, and indeed the Soul Clan, placed on him.
Having such an insider would greatly facilitate everything in the future.
In fact, Chen Guan had considered infiltrating Soul Palace since he first donned the guise of 'Guardian Chen,' but the risk of going in person was too great, so he suppressed the thought.
"We've recently inquired with Patriarch Ye and the others about the Three Thousand Flames. It's indeed an excellent choice for you, but there's something you should be aware of. Your realm has been advancing too rapidly lately, and you need to let some time settle after this," Venerable Skyfire
stepped forward and kindly warned.
While the feeling of ascending to a higher realm is certainly wonderful, blindly pursuing speed isn't advisable.
Chen Guan nodded in response. He would have done the same thing even without Skyfire Venerable's reminder.
This time, the Void Devouring Flame Fire was a complete surprise. After refining it, Chen Guan was only a few steps away from Dou Zun.
And refining the Three Thousand Flames...
his original plan would have to be slightly adjusted.
"After this, it'll be a good opportunity to take advantage of this period of immersion to return to the northwest. Judging by the timeline, Dieyi should be around soon."
Thinking this through, Chen Guan couldn't help but glance at Yun Yun and Little Medical Immortal's bellies.
Set a small goal: to add two more people to the family when we return to Zhongzhou!
Yun Yun and Little Medical Immortal noticed his gaze. Their tacit understanding allowed them to more or less guess at each other's thoughts. Yun Yun blushed and turned away, but Little Medical Immortal, far from being intimidated, returned a defiant look.
Chen Guan's heart warmed. He put Zi Yan down from his arms, waved his sleeves, and turned back to the house. "
Wait, all grudges will be settled after the alchemy conference!"
...
Inner Domain, North District,
time quietly passed, and the sun, hanging high in the sky, gradually moved towards the sky.
A dense crowd gathered in a circle on the vast square. The outer circle was purely for spectators, while the inner circle, dressed in alchemist robes, were the main players today, the contestants who had made it to the final round of the alchemy conference.
Today, they would ascend the stage and command their might, enjoying the glory of the world's attention!
As for who would be the ultimate victor, everyone had their say.
"Have you heard? A lot of trouble happened in the Alchemy Realm a few days ago. The Soul Palace has such wicked ambitions that they're actually trying to hunt us down in the Alchemy Realm. They even sent out a mysterious Dou Zun expert. Fortunately, Master Chen Guan intervened, otherwise the consequences would be unimaginable."
"I can tell you're new here. This news has spread throughout the Alchemy Realm. I also know that the Soul Palace Dou Zun expert is called Elder Mu Gu!"
"I can't believe Master Chen Guan is so powerful. If I could seriously injure a Dou Zun expert, I'd have no regrets in my life."
"I went to visit Master Chen Guan yesterday, but unfortunately, the place was packed."
"Didn't see him?"
"No one. There's a barrier blocking him."
The vast square was filled with chatter, one voice after another.
But if you listened closely, you could tell that most people were excitedly discussing a single topic.
On the high platform,
Xuan Kongzi and Cao Ying looked down at the dark crowd below.
With their soul perception, they could easily hear the discussions below and clearly see the alchemists seated in the center, preparing to begin.
There were the older alchemists, defiant yet unconvinced, Cao Dan boasting to the surrounding alchemists about his brotherly relationship with Chen Guan, and Dan Chen, delicate and gentle, his eyes closed, a pure and tranquil place of his own…
"It's a shame to lose Song Qing, but the rest are no pushovers either. Thankfully, we eliminated Elder Mu Gu's hidden danger beforehand, otherwise the Soul Palace could have succeeded."
Xuan Kongzi smiled, confident in this alchemy meeting.
Cao Ying, however, was unusually expressionless, looking uneasy.
"With my junior brother here, Elder Mu Gu isn't a threat. Song Qing has been hostile to me before, and this time, he's been defeated in the Alchemy Realm. I'm afraid he's lost more than he gained." "
Speaking of which, before Dan Chen, there was someone who left the Alchemy Realm even earlier. However, that person didn't complete his mission to collect medicinal herbs, and left with a guilty conscience. We left a mental imprint on him, and perhaps that's related to this incident."
"As long as it has nothing to do with my junior brother, that's fine. Even if it does, it must have been Song Qing who provoked him."
Addressing him as "junior brother," Xuan Kongzi couldn't help but glance back at his eldest disciple, his mind as clear as a mirror.
"You and your junior brother both have excellent character and talent. If you had known each other earlier, I think things would be different now. But it's not too late now. I'm happy to see you follow your heart, but the decision is yours. Whatever you decide, consider whether you'll regret it in the future. Don't be like Yao Chen and Xuan Yi."
Upon hearing this, Cao Ying was silent for a moment, then smiled, but didn't answer.
Below.
As time went on, more and more contestants arrived at the square. Most of them were no weaklings. After all, if they could survive the fierce competition in the Alchemy World until now, they couldn't possibly be without some skill.
Suddenly, the dense crowd all raised their heads and looked in one direction.
In the air, a line of seven figures flashed by.
Even those who didn't know their identities couldn't take their eyes off them, simply because they were so eye-catching.
Among them, the young man in the lead and the women on both sides were the most handsome. The man was handsome, the woman was beautiful, and the tenderness and affection between their glances made people envy.
In addition to these three people, the girl held by the woman in white was also extremely eye-catching. She looked so delicate that even her yawn was so...
horrible!
As for the three people at the back...
many people just glanced at them and passed them by, as if they were nothing special.
Only the powerful would stare at them with wide eyes.
Because, they were Dou Zun masters!
Three Dou Zun masters!!!
(End of this chapter)