Breaking the Masked Man

Regardless of age, not a single person escaped alive; the place became a dead zone.

The incident occurred in an extremely bizarre way, and almost no one noticed it. When outsiders discovered it, the city had become a strange ghost town, with no sign of any living people. The city, which originally had hundreds of thousands of people, had become a ghost town overnight. All the people in it, regardless of their strength, had disappeared, and there was not even a trace of a battle.

This bizarre scene terrified the first person to enter... However, a ruthless looting soon broke out inside. After all, the people inside had disappeared, but the valuables would not. For the desperados of the Black Corner Region, death was never a scary thing; poverty was!

The saying "the poor study literature, the rich study martial arts" still applies in the Dou Qi Continent. For ordinary people, the resources for cultivation are indispensable if they want to cultivate quickly.

If you want to become stronger but don't want to be someone's underling, the only way is naturally to make money without any initial investment.

therefore.

Slaughter became the dominant theme of the Black Corner Region.

……

When Yao Yan learned of the news from the outside world, it was already the end of the month. He had been keeping a low profile during this time, staying in the Heavenly Flame Refining Tower to cultivate and experience the feeling of the Fallen Heart Flame burning his body. Now, even if he did not resist, the heart flame could not cause him any harm.

Moreover, with the help of the Fallen Heart Flame, he finally refined the last bit of stubborn spatial power in his body. At the same time, with the help of the pure energy of the Demon Poison Spot, his fighting spirit was raised by one star again, entering the level of a six-star Dou Wang. He couldn't even suppress it.

Water overflows when the vessel is full. The pure battle qi provided by the demonic poison was undoubtedly too much for a Battle King. Even though he had carefully controlled it, the already fragile barrier was instantly pierced with the slightest effort.

When they returned to the courtyard, its interior was still sealed by Su Qian's spatial power. The unusual phenomenon of Zi Yan's advancement did not show any outward signs, nor did it cause any disturbance in the inner courtyard of Canaan Academy. Everything was as peaceful as ever, a stark contrast to the chaotic Black Corner Region outside.

"He's out of seclusion?" Su Qian looked at Yao Yan as he emerged from seclusion, his gaze shifting slightly as he sized him up. A hint of surprise flashed in his voice, because this kid's strength had improved.

He was originally a five-star Dou Wang, but now he's a six-star Dou Wang?!

When did the cultivation of a Dou Wang become so rapid... Su Qian couldn't help but think of himself. Back then, he was considered a genius. He cultivated to the level of Dou Wang in his early twenties and later spent several years to reach the level of Dou Huang. He vaguely remembered that it took him nearly eight years to break through from one star to nine stars of Dou Wang, which averaged out to about one star per year.

This cultivation speed is already extremely fast.

Comparing himself to the young man in front of him, he couldn't help but feel a little desperate. Fortunately, the other person was not from the same era as him, otherwise he would really feel like he couldn't breathe.

“Once you break through your strength, you will naturally emerge from seclusion.” Yao Yan nodded, then walked to Zi Yan’s side and used his soul power to sense her condition. He found that her life force was constantly increasing, which put him at ease. He then looked at Su Qian again and said, “Elder, you must have had a hard time these past few days.”

"It's not hard work at all. Don't forget, I picked up Ziyan."

Su Qian glared at Yao Yan and said irritably. It wasn't that he was arguing with her, but Yao Yan's words, which treated him like an outsider to Zi Yan, made him somewhat unhappy.

Yao Yan didn't argue with Su Qian, but changed the subject and asked, "Has anything major happened in the Black Corner Region recently?"

"Something did happen..."

Upon hearing this, Su Qian's expression suddenly became much more serious, and his gaze towards Yao Yan flickered. After a moment of silence, he recounted how a city had suddenly become a ghost town.

"It turned into a ghost town overnight?" Yao Yan was also taken aback, and said with feigned surprise, "This method is really sharp. It doesn't seem like the work of those people from the Black Corner Region. Could it be that the people from the Soul Palace did it?"

It seems that only the Soul Palace in the Black Corner Region has the ability to turn a city into an empty city without alerting anyone.

After all, for many people, ordinary low-level cultivators are of no value. Unless they are those who cultivate specific demonic arts, no one would kill innocent people indiscriminately because it is meaningless. However, the Soul Palace is obviously an exception. For the Soul Palace, souls are the most valuable thing, and the souls of ordinary people are naturally included in this category.

According to Yao Lao, the Soul Palace has secretly carried out many such massacres in remote areas.

"This matter has caused quite a stir, and the entire Black Corner Region is in chaos. However, the Breakthrough Pill you auctioned has calmed down considerably recently because it fell into the hands of Demon Flame Valley. Demon Flame Valley is an old power in the Black Corner Region, with two peak Dou Huang experts alone. There aren't many forces in the Black Corner Region that dare to provoke Demon Flame Valley."

Su Qian stroked his white beard and spoke slowly and deliberately.

Although Canaan Academy does not intervene in the conflicts between forces, its intelligence system is quite strong. Canaan Academy can obtain first-hand information on all kinds of events, big and small, that happen in the Black Corner Region.

Yao Yan shook his head and retorted, "I don't think so. On the contrary, I think this is the beginning of chaos. I've heard of the Demon Flame Valley before. It's said that its first sect leader has gone into seclusion. Before that, he was a four-star Dou Zong level expert. Now that so many years have passed, it's hard to say whether he's still alive... Now that the Demon Flame Valley has obtained a Breakthrough Pill, I think some forces might not be able to sit still."

"Maybe~"

Su Qian didn't care when he heard this. He didn't care about the outside world's ups and downs, as long as these things didn't affect Canaan Academy.

Yao Yan said, "I plan to go out and see if there's a chance to destroy Demon Flame Valley."

"?!"

Su Qian stared at Yao Yan in shock. He hadn't expected the other party to suddenly utter such a sentence. With the other party's strength of a five-star... six-star Dou Wang, how dare he say such a thing? But then he thought of Yao Yan's identity as a seventh-grade alchemist and frowned for a moment: "Don't you think it's too risky? With your strength, if those people have bad intentions, how will you deal with them?"

A seventh-grade alchemist with the strength of a six-star Dou Wang is enough to make many people take risks, and even some outside forces will get involved.

Besides.

Yao Yan's identity is also a big problem. Isn't the other party worried about his information being exposed?

"This must be your first time facing a seventh-grade alchemist." Yao Yan smiled, and a powerful soul force instantly surged from between his brows. The soul force that had entered the Spirit Realm was almost tangible, radiating an invisible pressure that enveloped Su Qian.

Su Qian's pupils shrank slightly as she stared at Yao Yan in disbelief. Was the soul power of a seventh-grade alchemist really that terrifying?

He had heard some things about the soul realm of alchemists before, but he had never seen it with his own eyes or experienced it firsthand. How could he know that the soul power of a seventh-grade alchemist could reach such a terrifying level? Even as a two-star Dou Zong, he felt a little suffocated by that pressure.

"...What level has your soul realm reached?" Su Qian asked after a moment of silence.

"Around the high level of the Spirit Realm, still a bit short of the Great Perfection, but dealing with ordinary five or six-star Dou Zong should not be a problem."

Yao Yan spoke very frankly. In fact, he was being somewhat modest. The main reason was that he was not good at fighting with his soul power, and he did not understand soul fighting techniques. If he encountered some cultivators with earth-rank fighting techniques, he would definitely suffer a loss. This was also the difference between soul power and fighting qi.

The strength of soul power lies in perception and control, while battle qi focuses on destructive power!

Yao Yan's frankness undoubtedly left Su Qian feeling dejected. He had cultivated for nearly half his life, yet he was still inferior to an eighteen-year-old 'kid'. This feeling was truly indescribable.

"Go if you want."

Su Qian waved his hand weakly, clearly not wanting to say anything more to Yao Yan. He felt that this kid had come to Canaan Academy specifically to undermine him. Compared to Yao Yan, what had he done all these years at Canaan Academy? The most talented students of all time paled in comparison to Yao Yan, showing no outstanding qualities whatsoever.

The difference between the two is simply too great.

Yao Yan glanced at Zi Yan, then took out two more drops of Earth Core Tempering Milk from his storage ring and said, "If Zi Yan has any energy deficiency during her advancement process, please drop these two drops of Earth Core Tempering Milk on her."

This is just in case. The energy of heaven and earth in the Black Corner Region is not abundant. If the advancement fails due to insufficient energy, then there will be a lot of trouble.

"...You really are willing to do that."

Su Qian stared blankly at the Earth Core Tempering Milk that Yao Yan handed her, and couldn't help but say something.

He was well aware of the item's rarity; to put it bluntly, even some powerful experts at the Dou Zong level would make a move for it.

Yao Yan smiled and joked, "No matter how tough things get, we can't let the children suffer, right?"

"??"

Su Qian was clearly surprised by Yao Yan's words and didn't know how to respond for a moment.

"Elder, see you again in a while." Yao Yan had no intention of chatting. He cupped his hands and said this. Battle Qi wings appeared behind him. With a slight tremor, his figure took off into the air and then transformed into a streak of light, rushing towards the direction of the Black Corner Region.

Su Qian watched Yao Yan leave, muttering to himself, "It seems this kid wants to turn the entire Black Corner Region upside down!"

With Yao Yan's formidable soul power, how many of the prominent figures in the Black Corner Region could possibly be his match? Including the Demon Flame Valley, if that old man were to die, they might very well be wiped out this time.

He had no sympathy for them; few of the forces in the Black Corner Region were good people.

"I seem to have forgotten something..."

Su Qian suddenly remembered something and muttered something to herself.

Amber: ...

……

……

Black Seal City.

Nearly a month later, when Yao Yan returned, Black Seal City was even more bustling than before. The city was teeming with people and vehicles, and the number of powerful individuals mingling among them had increased. However, the order had actually improved, and even some Dou Huang-level experts obediently followed the rules and dared not overstep their bounds in the slightest.

"It seems that Cai Lin is managing things quite well..."

Yao Yan mingled among the crowd, taking in all of this, and couldn't help but smile knowingly. He had kept Cai Lin behind for this very reason. When it came to controlling power, Cai Lin was undoubtedly more qualified than many others. Her position as queen was not given for nothing.

Soon, Yao Yan entered the City Lord's Mansion and saw Cai Lin, whom he hadn't seen for a long time. Perhaps because it had been almost a month, a hint of resentment flashed in Cai Lin's eyes. Her red lips parted slightly, carrying a cold and alluring curve, and she sneered, "Young Master's trip is over, and you've finally come back~"

"I wasn't there for leisure; I was there to take care of business." Yao Yan remained unfazed, completely unmoved by Cai Lin's sarcasm. Like a sponge, she let the other party pierce her without causing the slightest ripple.

"Is the important business finished?"

Cai Lin clasped her hands together on her lower abdomen, her slender and alluring waist swaying slightly as she approached Yao Yan with her stunning figure, her eyes coldly questioning him.

"Stop fooling around... Elder Yao, how long do you intend to keep watching this show?" Yao Yan interrupted Cai Lin's venting of resentment, glancing at the shadowy spot to the side, and said irritably. The other party's ability to conceal his tracks was only good enough to fool laymen; with his spiritual realm soul power, Elder Yao was no different from standing there naked.

"Hehe, I'm not here to watch a show. I just noticed that you haven't seen each other for a long time and didn't want to disturb your reunion," the old doctor said with a smile, stroking his white beard.

"You're really good at saying nice things."

Yao Yan gave Yao Lao a thumbs up, feeling that the old man was quite eloquent, worthy of being the Venerable Yao who stirred up trouble in Zhongzhou back then.

"How was it? Did it go smoothly? Did you find any news about the Fallen Heart Flame?" The old man's smile faded, and he stopped joking with Yao Yan. Instead, his tone became more serious as he asked in a deep voice, because if the Fallen Heart Flame really existed, then the day of his resurrection would be getting closer and closer.

As for Han Feng... he chose to ignore him for the time being. Clearly, Yao Lao had not thought it through whether or not to kill this wicked disciple.

Yao Yan nodded, giving an affirmative answer: "Yes!"

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 152 Time to Go Back to Being the 'Young Master'

Upon hearing Yao Yan's accurate answer, a glint of light flashed in Yao Lao's eyes. He knew very well the value of the Fallen Heart Flame. It was no exaggeration to say that for cultivators below the Dou Zong level, the Fallen Heart Flame was a divine object that could directly increase their cultivation speed. Moreover, it could cultivate at any time without any human intervention, and it could autonomously absorb the energy of heaven and earth and convert it into pure Dou Qi.

This is equivalent to directly boosting the cultivator's talent for cultivation several times over.

Although it becomes somewhat lackluster in the later stages, in the early stages, the value of the Fallen Heart Flame is enough to tempt or even drive anyone crazy. You have to know that everyone's cultivation speed is linked to their talent, and there are very few things in the world that can improve a cultivator's talent. And something as direct as the Fallen Heart Flame is extremely rare.

"I never thought the rumors were true..." The old doctor stroked his white beard and said in a low voice.

The claim that Canaan Academy possessed the Fallen Heart Flame was ultimately just a rumor and had never been confirmed. Unfortunately, when he learned of this news back then, he already possessed the Bone Spirit Cold Flame and his own strength had long since broken through to the Dou Zun level, so he naturally had little interest in the Fallen Heart Flame.