The purplish-brown Dou Qi struck the protective barrier.
It pierced through.
At an imperceptible speed, it swept toward the four ancient boxes, enveloping them in a cocoon of protective energy.
The boxes flew free.
Behind them, the entire shelf shattered as the energy shield exploded.
Little Fairy Doctor looked at the four jade boxes floating before her and let out a deep breath.
"I did not fail my mission."
"Beautiful, Xian'er!" Xiao Jietian gave her a enthusiastic thumbs-up. "You are truly amazing!"
Medusa and Xiao Li added their praises as well.
Little Fairy Doctor accepted their words gracefully, but inwardly, the heavy stone in her heart finally settled.
I did not let him down.
With a wave of her hand, the four boxes floated gently to Xiao Jietian.
He took them. They weren't heavy, but the texture was exquisite—smooth, ancient, radiating a sense of history.
He carried them to a nearby shelf and set them down. Casually, he opened the first.
Click.
A crimson scroll lay within the jade box.
He unrolled it slowly. Three large red characters blazed across the surface:
Flame Manipulation Art
Beneath them, a single character: True
Xiao Li leaned in, recognition dawning in his eyes.
"Is this Demon Flame Valley's signature cultivation method? The Flame Manipulation Art?"
"Yes." Xiao Jietian pointed at the annotations scattered throughout the scroll. "But this is the improved version. Not the self-harming version the普通 disciples practice."
Xiao Li and Little Fairy Doctor scanned the words. Understanding dawned.
"Earth Demon Old Ghost had hidden talents," Medusa admitted, genuine surprise in her voice. "To successfully modify a cultivation method… that's no small feat."
She had attempted to modify the Snake-People tribe's cultivation methods herself. Despite having generations of实践经验 to draw from, she had failed utterly.
"It is impressive." Xiao Jietian nodded. "And now… it's making wedding clothes for us."
Cultivation methods were far more delicate than Dou Techniques. One small error could cripple a person for life. Modifying one successfully required incredible skill and understanding.
He handed the scroll to Xiao Li.
"Second Brother, take this. Don't just put it in the general storeroom. Later, find trustworthy people to cultivate this method."
I wonder if Xiao Yan will end up learning this, he mused. The Life Transformation Flame and the Heavenly Demon Puppet played crucial roles in his growth.
Xiao Li accepted it gravely, understanding the weight of the gift.
Xiao Jietian opened the second box.
A seventh-tier fire-attributed magic core gleamed within.
He took it directly. Magic cores of this level were vanishingly rare in the Northwest Continent. It would be invaluable for alchemy later.
The third box.
Inside lay two silver scrolls, crystalline in texture.
He opened them.
Thunderclap Mirror – Earth-tier Intermediate cultivation method.
Startling Thunder Art – Supporting Dou Technique.
Xiao Jietian glanced at them with zero interest.
Little Fairy Doctor, Medusa, and Xiao Li were similarly unmoved.
The cultivation methods they practiced were already Heaven-tier Intermediate. Xiao Li had even recultivated using an Earth-tier High-grade lightning-attribute method that Xiao Jietian had previously obtained as a check-in reward. This Intermediate version held no appeal.
Xiao Li pocketed it anyway.
Earth-tier Intermediate is still valuable. We can use it to reward meritorious members later.
The final box.
A grayish-brown scroll.
Xiao Jietian already knew what it was.
He opened it. Blood-red characters stared back at him.
Live Recklessly, Do It – Heavenly Demon Puppet refining technique.
"A puppet refinement technique?" Little Fairy Doctor leaned in, curiosity piqued.
"Interested?"
She read the requirements and immediately shook her head.
"It requires refining corpses. Carrying a corpse around everywhere?" Her nose wrinkled. "No thank you."
Girls, it seemed, found the idea of corpse refinement fundamentally off-putting.
Medusa, catching Xiao Jietian's glance, refused before he could even ask.
"Don't look at me. This king believes in her own strength. I don't need bodyguards."
Xiao Jietian shrugged and tossed the scroll to Xiao Li.
Xiao Li caught it wordlessly. He wasn't interested either—but more importantly, he lacked the ability to refine such a thing.
Xiao Jietian looked at the four empty wooden boxes. Then at the completely emptied storeroom.
Bare enough to make a mouse weep.
"Let's go. Nothing left here."
He formed a lightning ball in his palm and tossed it into the center of the room.
The four walked out.
Behind them, a low rumble echoed as the storeroom collapsed.
Back in the valley, the Boundless Heavenly Hall members were already waiting.
Every face was alight with barely concealed joy. Deep joy. The kind that came from realizing they had chosen the right leader.
Boundless Heavenly Hall's assessments were strict, yes. But the benefits? Unmatched. Enough to make their peers green with envy.
Xiao Jietian, Little Fairy Doctor, and Medusa stood in the void.
Behind them, the elders arrayed themselves.
Below, Demon Flame Valley lay in ruins—dilapidated, broken, lifeless.
No pity stirred in their eyes.
Xiao Jietian turned to Little Fairy Doctor.
"Xian'er. Clean it up."
She understood.
Her gaze fell upon the valley below.
A pale purple flame materialized in her left hand. Purplish-brown Dou Qi gathered in her right.
She swept both hands forward.
The Dou Qi and the flame transformed into two massive purple dragons. They dove.
Poisonous gas and flames swept through the valley. Where they met, explosions erupted.
When the flames and gas finally dissipated, Demon Flame Valley had been reduced to a poisonous wasteland.
A few stray screams had echoed during the cleansing—stragglers who had hidden, thinking themselves safe.
They thought wrong.
The watching elders swallowed hard.
This… this is truly eradicating the roots.
Little Fairy Doctor surveyed her work with an expressionless face. The inferno below might as well have been someone else's doing.
Only in front of Xiao Jietian and her sisters did she show her gentle, kind side.
Outside? She was the Calamity Poison Body. Cold-blooded. Absolute.
Xiao Jietian waved his hand. The other members vanished into the Eternal Heaven World.
Only he, Little Fairy Doctor, and Medusa remained.
The three of them stepped onto the void and walked out of the mountain range.