There was a city named Feng City sitting outside the long mountain range around the Inner Academy. The city was not very large. However, it possessed an extremely important position in the ‘Black-Corner Region’. This was because this was the place that the medicinal king of the ‘Black-Corner Region’, Han Feng, resided.
As the top alchemist in the ‘Black-Corner Region’, Han Feng, who had long since become a tier 6 alchemist, held quite a high position in the hearts of many factions and experts. Of course, a tier 6 alchemist was quite rare even in the entire continent. Even an ordinary Dou Huang or Dou Zong would have to be a little courteous when meeting him. After all, everyone knew just what kind of gathering strength a tier 6 alchemist possessed!
Feng City. This city was named after Han Feng’s name. Such a special honor was something that extremely few people within this chaotic ‘Black-Corner Region,’ which was filled with massacre, could enjoy. Han Feng was one of them!
The middle of the city was a bamboo forest which was completely different from the noisy marketplace outside. This bamboo forest possessed an extremely tight defense. An ordinary person could forget about entering. Even if they were to approach a certain area around it, they would face indiscriminate attacks. Each year, there were quite a number of people who were killed by the guards of the bamboo forest because of this. Even though this place was quiet, it had become forbidden ground in the hearts of many people within Feng City.
There was a bamboo house deep within the bamboo forest. The lush green color, which was like that of emerald, seeped out a kind of faint bamboo fragrance.
A man was sitting cross-legged in a bamboo room within the tall bamboo house beside a window. He was wearing an alchemist robe. On the back of the robe the word ‘Feng’ was visible in exquisite hand-sewn embroidery. At this moment, that man was focusing intently on a medicinal formula in his hand. His undistracted manner appeared extremely focused.
The man who had his head lowered while he was in silent deep thought suddenly raised it. His sharp gaze directly shot toward the distant northern horizon. He sensed an unusual yet faintly familiar energy wave at that spot.
The man’s face was quite handsome. He was frowning slightly as his somewhat thin lips pressed tightly against each other. They had a cold and stern feeling to them. Even though this was the case, it still ended up causing him to have some additional charm.
“This feeling...” The man’s hand was curled into a fist that slowly knocked on his forehead while he muttered softly.
Countless pieces of information repeated flashed across his mind. A long while later, his curled fist that was knocking his head stiffened abruptly. A light flashed in a lightning-like manner within his eyes as they shot once again toward the source where the energy ripple was emitted. His surprised voice carried a little shock, “This... it seems like the ripple from a ‘Heavenly Flame’?”
The man’s calm heart started to toss around because of the energy ripple that was suddenly transmitted. His eyes narrowed before they were suddenly slowly shut a moment later. With a gentle flick of his finger, a wave of clean liquid-like dark-blue flame strangely extended out from within the body of the man. Finally, it wrapped firmly around him.
That dark-blue flame was quite strange. At a glance, it was actually just like a cluster of clear flowing lake water. However, the most authentic sense clearly told everyone that this was not a pool of water, but a kind of flame...
The Spiritual Strength of the man had begun to soar greatly at this moment, as the dark-blue flame rose. The somewhat blurry feeling earlier had appeared to be something surging by his side at this moment and was extremely clear...
“It is indeed a ‘Heavenly Flame’!” The dark-blue flame around the man’s body was suddenly withdrawn as he suddenly stood up. His gaze was fiery hot as he stared at the distant mountain range. A moment later, he seemed to have recognized something as his brows were knit once again while he muttered, “The direction from which the energy ripple was transmitted from seemed to be where the Jia Nan Academy is at? Don’t tell me it is them?”
Although he possessed an extremely great summoning strength within the ‘Black-Corner Region’, the Jia Nan Academy was also an extremely large being. Ordinarily speaking, even he would not dare to easily provoke it. Of course, this unwillingness to offend would definitely disappear automatically when the benefits reached a certain point. For example... the attraction of a ‘Heavenly Flame’!
“Han Beng!” The man suddenly turned around and cried in a deep voice.
As his voice sounded, a ghost-like human figure came flashing out. Finally he appeared within the bamboo house with one knee kneeling on the ground. His voice may have been hoarse, but it did not lack respect, “What orders does master have?”
“Take these tokens and inform the Ground Fire Sect, Eight Gates, Blood Sect and... ask their sect leaders to hurry over to ‘Feng City’ within two hours. I have something that requires their help. Additionally, you will personally send these two tokens to that place and invite those two misters to make a trip over.” The man randomly waved a couple of strange tokens, and threw them toward the human figure who was kneeling on the ground. The latter grabbed them in a lightning-like manner, and had just stored them into his storage ring when one gold and one silver token were shot over.
The human figure received these somewhat special gold and silver tokens. His face, which had remained expressionless, changed somewhat at this moment. In a soft voice, he asked, “Master wishes to invite even them? They usually won’t even see an ordinary person. It is likely that even master must take out something that can attract them to invite them this time around.”
“Just do as I say. If I am able to accomplish my goal, the thing that they want will naturally not be a problem.” The man waved his hand indifferently as he spoke.
“I understand!” That human figure no longer hesitated after hearing those words. He gave a respectful reply before his body was swiftly thrown into the darkness and eventually disappeared.
The man finally slowly let out a breath of air as he watched the black figure disappear. He came to the front of the window with slow footsteps and his gaze studied the distant mountain range. A deep-blue flame suddenly surged within his eyes.
“Heavenly Flame... ke ke, I have searched for it for so many years. It is really unexpected that it is hidden within those deep mountains. As long as I am able to obtain a second kind of ‘Heavenly Flame’ as well as swallow and refine it... then...” A wild fieriness suddenly surged onto his originally sharp and cold face. The man’s hands abruptly tightened, and was just about to say something when his brows suddenly became tightly knit. His hands held his chest and hurriedly coughed a couple of times. At this moment, his breathing had also become quite a mess.
The cough continued for awhile before it slowly subsided. Letting out a deep breath of air, the man clenched his teeth and softly said, “Damn old fellow. All would be well if he had given me the ‘Flame Mantra’ to practice back then, saying that my mind wasn’t straight. My talent for refining pills is much stronger than yours!” His voice had become much softer toward the end. However, from the appearance of his tightly clenched fist, one could imagine the fury and hatred within his heart.
......
“Bang!”
The invisible fire python once again collided heavily against the colorful energy web. It immediately let out a wave of thunder-like explosions. However, the energy web was tight at times and relaxed at others, causing the invisible fire python to be unable to escape within a short period of time.
However, following the repeated attacks by the fire python, the color of the colorful energy web had clearly become much fainter. Moreover, the expressions of some of the Elders gradually became pale, and their breathing became hurried. Clearly, they had exhausted quite a great amount of strength in order to contain the attacks of the invisible python.
“Bang!”
The invisible fire python’s struck the energy web in a wild and violent manner. With its enormous body and its majestic energy, it gained extremely frightening momentum each time it collided with the latter. Under the nearly insane collisions by the fire python, one of the Elders was finally unable to endure it any longer after around one to two hours.
“Gurg!”
In this ferocious collision, the Dou Qi within an Elder’s body was the first to become exhausted. A mouthful of fresh blood was involuntarily spat out. Immediately, he barely managed to muster the remaining Dou Qi within his body to flap his wings to slow his descent.
Having lost the strength of an Elder, the pressure on the other Elders immediately soared. That invisible fire python also clearly understood that its chance had arrived. Hence, its attacking speed also increased. Over ten minutes later, another Elder spat out blood and withdrew. Twenty minutes later, the third Elder also withdrew in defeat...
Su Qian’s expression became increasingly ugly as he watched the pale expressions of the Elders who withdrew one at a time. Despite having repeatedly exchanged blows with the ‘Fallen Heart Flame’ these couple of years, he had never truly witnessed the terror when the ‘Fallen Heart Flame’ completely erupted. Now that he had seen it personally, he also clearly understood that such a natural being was indeed frightening...
In just three short hours, ten of the eighteen Elders had already withdrawn. Only eight Elders and Su Qian were still bitterly holding on.
Although the Elders of the Inner Academy suffered terrible losses, the situation of the invisible fire python was not very good either. The insane manner of its attacks and energy consumption had caused the flame on the surface of his body to become much dimmer. Its attack stance had also weakened.
All the Elders still bitterly enduring were able to see a thread of hope when they sensed the increasingly weak attack of the invisible fire python.
Xiao Yan, who was hidden in the flame, eyed the Elders in the sky spitting out blood and retreating one after another. He involuntarily wiped some cold sweat off his face. Despite having so many Elders joining hands, they still ended up in such a miserable state because of the ‘Fallen Heart Flame’. It appeared that in order to subdue it, the degree of misery he suffered was likely going to be even greater than when he swallowed the ‘Green Lotus Core Flame’ back then.
“From the looks of the situation, it appears that the Elders of the Inner Academy won’t be able to hold on. Teacher, when should we intervene?” Xiao Yan anxiously asked in his heart. Once the ‘Fallen Heart Flame’ broke free from the defense, it was likely that it would swiftly disappear. At that time, finding it would likely be extremely difficult.
“There’s no need to be anxious...” Yao Lao’s voice swiftly sounded in Xiao Yan’s heart. There is a large group of auras hurrying over from the east. They are likely the experts in the Outer Academy. Let them squander the strength of the ‘Fallen Heart Flame’ a little longer.
Xiao Yan was startled when he heard this. His gaze hurriedly shot toward the horizon. He was indeed able to faintly see some black dots at a spot his gaze could barely reach.
The black spots were quickly magnified. A moment later, they transformed to a large group of people that appeared in the eyes of everyone within the Inner Academy.
“Ha ha, Elder Su, consolidating the people consumed quite a lot of time. Hopefully, we have not arrived too late.” An elderly laugh suddenly resounded throughout the sky. Who else did this somewhat familiar voice belong to other than the Deputy Headmaster, Hu Gan?
Su Qian also sighed in relief when he saw these reinforcements that had appeared at the most critical juncture. It appeared that the worst case scenario would not appear today...
The moment that the reinforcements from the Outer Academy arrived, numerous experts who possessed quite a great influence within the ‘Black-Corner Region’ had also gathered together within Feng City outside of the mountain range. Finally, the large group of experts soared to the sky under the laughter of the man who had a maple leaf sewn on his back. Finally, they extended their Dou Qi wings and rushed toward the Inner Academy at the other side of the mountain range.
A truly great battle was about to erupt!