Flame Emperor Mantra

The Flame Emperor Mantra was a foundational technique created by Tou She Ancient God, the last Dou Di of the ancient era. It was a technique that cultivated through devouring Strange Flames, an Emperor Rank Technique that surpassed even high-tier Heaven Rank techniques.

The perfected version of the Flame Mantra.

In an instant, the Dou Qi throughout his body transformed into violent Fire Attribute Dou Qi. Its quality had become incomparably more refined, and the temperature in the entire Secluded Cultivation Room rose by an unknown amount. Even the rocks around Zhang Tian, who sat cross-legged, were continuously melting.

The reason he had secluded himself in the Yun Lan Sect was not merely because of its cultivation rooms. More importantly, Zhang Tian planned to ask Yun Yun to help him find the Azure Lotus Core Flame.

Of all the Strange Flames, only this one was currently weak and ownerless.

Yao Lao was at the Xiao Family. Before long, Xiao Yan would break through to Dou Shi, and Zhang Tian himself would advance to Dou Emperor by then. He could simply ask Yun Yun to retrieve the Azure Lotus Core Flame.

Although the Flame Emperor Mantra did little for Zhang Tian's cultivation, it could greatly strengthen the power and purity of his Dou Qi attribute.

The Flame Emperor Mantra needed to fuse with Strange Flames to unleash its greatest power. Having inherited Tou She Ancient God's legacy, Zhang Tian had learned most of the Ancient God's techniques and could even use the Strange Fire Plaza to summon Strange Flames back into place.

When it came to cultivation techniques, the Flame Emperor Mantra was probably the highest-quality technique in existence. Furthermore, Zhang Tian had mastered an Emperor Rank Dou Skill, Strange Fire Plaza, which fused all Strange Flames to unleash an attack far beyond the Heaven Rank. Yet to him, it was little more than a useless luxury. After all, Strange Flames were Xiao Yan's only hope of becoming a Dou Di on the continent.

A peak Nine-Star Dou Sheng could use the bloodlines of the eight Ancient Races, along with the Void Swallowing Flame, and blood-sacrifice the entire Central State to refine a perfected Emperor Pill Embryo and become a Dou Di. But the problem was Xiao Yan's talent—without Strange Flames, it would be virtually impossible for him to reach the height of a Nine-Star Dou Sheng.

"So, the Flame Emperor Mantra is just a useless luxury to me right now?" Zhang Tian sensed it for a moment before speaking in a low voice.

"No, wait. Huh, this Flame Emperor Mantra seems to be capable of suppressing most Strange Flames." Zhang Tian gave a soft cry of surprise, a smile appearing on his face.

By "most Strange Flames," he meant every Strange Flame between heaven and earth except Emperor Flame. With this, retrieving the Azure Lotus Core Flame would be a sure thing.

"Yun Yun? Why is she here?" He knew someone was waiting outside the secret chamber. That familiar Dou Qi unmistakably belonged to a mature and graceful woman.

"Does the Sect Leader need something?" Zhang Tian was also surprised to see Yun Yun. Would Yun Yun, who never visited without a reason, actually come looking for him?

Yun Yun had been lost in thought when she heard the secret chamber door open. She froze for a moment, then came back to herself and put on a smile.

"I came because of Yanran and Xiao Yan's marriage." Yun Yun thought helplessly.

"And you—Xiao Yan is your disciple, yet you never mentioned it. He even quietly broke through to Seven-Star Dou Zhe." After saying this, Yun Yun shot Zhang Tian a mildly reproachful glance.

Zhang Tian curled his lips, neither confirming nor denying Yun Yun's questioning.

What else did you expect? That Xiao Yan was still trash with three or four stages of Dou Qi?

Yun Yun also felt somewhat troubled. If Xiao Yan had truly just been the worthless son of a small family, that would have been one thing. But he was a genius, and his master was even more of a freak.

He spent all day in seclusion cultivating. Eight months ago, he had still been a Three-Star Dou Wang; now, his strength was nearly on par with her own.

Yun Yun even often sensed a frightening threat from Zhang Tian. She feared that even she might not be able to defeat him easily.

"Let the younger generation handle their own affairs. If they truly love each other, I have no objections." Zhang Tian shook his head. So long as it did not delay his own cultivation or cause Xiao Yan to lose himself in romance, was he supposed to interfere just because Xiao Yan had gotten a girlfriend?

"Speaking of which, isn't that little girl Nalan Yanran far too untalented? My disciple went from the third stage of Dou Qi to Seven-Star Dou Zhe in a year, while Yanran is still only a Three-Star Dou Zhe after five years?" Zhang Tian glanced at Yun Yun, beginning to doubt her ability to teach disciples.

Nalan Yanran was fifteen this year, one year younger than Xiao Yan. Five whole years had passed, yet she had only achieved this much.

If Nalan Yanran were Xiao Yan, and he had improved so little in five years, Zhang Tian would sooner or later be beaten to death by someone.

"Then does the Second Elder have time to help me teach Yanran?" Having her teaching ability questioned, even Yun Yun, the lofty Sect Leader of the Yun Lan Sect, felt a little embarrassed. She simply took advantage of the opening and abandoned all concern for pride.

"No time."

What a joke. To raise Xiao Yan, Zhang Tian—a dignified Eight-Star Dou Wang—did not even possess a single item of moderate value. He was utterly destitute, and now he was supposed to raise Nalan Yanran too?

"If I raise Nalan Yanran to Dou Shi within a year, you will let Xiao Yan enter the Life and Death Gate once." His eyes shifted, and Zhang Tian suddenly changed his tune.

"The Life and Death Gate?" Yun Yun hesitated. That was the Yun Lan Sect's forbidden ground.

"Fine." But unable to resist the temptation of having Zhang Tian teach her disciple, Yun Yun eventually nodded.

Although Zhang Tian was the Yun Lan Sect's Second Elder, Xiao Yan was not a member of the Yun Lan Sect and had even had some minor conflicts with it before. But now that Yun Yun had agreed, there would naturally be no issue.

In the Original Work, after the three-year agreement, Nalan Yanran was defeated by Xiao Yan and entered the Life and Death Gate for secluded cultivation. When she emerged, her cultivation had soared directly from Great Dou Shi to the peak of Dou Wang.

"Not now, though. I don't have time to arrange it. Have Nalan Yanran come over in two months." Zhang Tian straightened his Moon White Robe and spoke slowly beneath Yun Yun's suspicious gaze.

"You aren't planning to go back on your word, are you?"

Zhang Tian smoothed his sleeves, shook his head, and replied unhurriedly.

"No. I feel that I'm already very close to becoming a Dou Emperor. I will probably break through within these next two months."

Yun Yun froze on the spot. Was cultivation of Dou Qi entirely without bottlenecks for him? In barely more than a year, he had gone from a Four-Star Dou Ling when he first joined the Yun Lan Sect to a Dou Emperor powerhouse standing shoulder to shoulder with her.

After standing there in silence for a long while, Yun Yun finally spat out two words: "Freak."

Her heart immediately became conflicted. The Yun Lan Sect producing such a powerful elder was certainly a good thing, but Zhang Tian had received not the slightest help from the Yun Lan Sect in advancing from Dou Ling to Dou Emperor. It could be said that his current achievements had absolutely nothing to do with the Yun Lan Sect. The Yun Lan Sect had merely given him the title of Second Elder.

Would Zhang Tian truly stand with the Yun Lan Sect wholeheartedly?

Yun Yun made up her mind that she had to tie Zhang Tian and the Yun Lan Sect to the same boat.

"If the Sect Leader has nothing else, you should go back. You and I can never become friends. At most, there can only be exchanges of favors between us."

Shaking his head, perhaps because he understood Yun Yun's thoughts, Zhang Tian had no intention of becoming friends with Yun Yun. If one day Yun Yun stood against him because of the Yun Lan Sect, he would not show the slightest mercy either.

Previous Sect Leader Yun Shan was still cultivating in seclusion within the forbidden ground. Perhaps he had not yet come into contact with the Soul Hall and was currently in a half-dead state.

Yun Yun could at most match him evenly. If he truly wanted to leave the Gama Empire, only Jia Xing Tian had the ability to keep him.

Because she served as the Yun Lan Sect's Sect Leader, they were destined to never become friends.

Moreover, aside from those who could help Xiao Yan grow, he had no need to form deep ties with anyone. He had stopped making friends long ago.

Yun Yun suddenly froze. She had always placed great importance on her identity as the Yun Lan Sect's Sect Leader and wanted to forge deep friendships with others, yet she had never considered that she, like an ordinary person at this moment, could be rejected in friendship.