Eight Extremes Collapse

"Devouring a Heavenly Flame must not be rushed. Xiao Yan, first consolidate your foundation and raise your cultivation to Great Dou Shi. Only after mastering Eight Extremes Collapse should you begin preparing to devour a Heavenly Flame." Zhang Tian held the two Heavenly Flames in his palms, then stored them in Strange Fire Plaza, silencing their presence.

Watching the two Heavenly Flames vanish, even Yao Lao's aged face carried a trace of amazement.

"Yes, Teacher, I understand." Xiao Yan nodded. This coincided with his own thoughts, but since it was his first time devouring a Heavenly Flame, he still felt somewhat nervous.

"Yes. Xiao Yan, you have suppressed your breakthrough and tempered your foundation for over a month. It is about time for you to begin breaking through. As for Eight Extremes Collapse, I will explain its essential principles to you." Yao Lao nodded, then turned to Zhang Tian.

"Boy Zhang, go find the ingredients for Blood Lotus Pills. I'll refine them."

Blood Lotus Pills were essential for Xiao Yan to approach a Heavenly Flame. Without them, let alone a Dou Shi, even a Dou Emperor could not easily come into contact with a Heavenly Flame.

Just because Zhang Tian was unafraid of Heavenly Flames did not mean others were the same.

"Then find a pool of Ice Spirit Cold Spring as well, to prevent Xiao Yan from being burned into nothingness by the devastating heat while refining the Heavenly Flame. In fact, the most important thing is the final item, a peculiar object called Soul Collection."

Yao Lao deliberately paused over Soul Collection and explained it separately.

"This thing can be used to open up a place inside your body to store a Heavenly Flame. After all, before subduing and refining it, it is impossible to place it inside your body."

Soul Collection was somewhat similar to a storage ring. Both originated from storage stones containing spatial energy, but Soul Collection was of a higher grade and could only possibly be found at the very center of a storage stone.

Zhang Tian nodded. The three items Yao Lao mentioned posed no difficulty for him. Even the final item, Soul Collection, was not particularly troublesome. Once a Nine-Star Dou Emperor spoke, not only the Yun Lan Sect, but even the entire Gama Empire would mobilize.

Yao Lao actually still had some Soul Collection left, but it might not be enough to refine two Heavenly Flames. To ensure safety, he had Zhang Tian find several more. In any case, it was not difficult for him.

After committing it to memory, Zhang Tian planned to find several extra sets in a few days for backup.

"Clan Leader Xiao Zhan." The clan hall was not far away. Zhang Tian walked and spoke with Yao Lao, arriving before long. Seeing Xiao Zhan emerge from inside and nearly collide with him, Zhang Tian smiled and greeted him first.

"Second Elder." Ecstasy appeared on Xiao Zhan's square face as he smiled at Zhang Tian.

"You're finally back. I thought something had happened to you." Xiao Zhan patted Zhang Tian on the shoulder. Though the two were nominally sworn brothers, Zhang Tian held a position in the Xiao Family as well and was an outsider by surname, so they naturally had to avoid suspicion.

More importantly, Zhang Tian was only in his early twenties, and Xiao Zhan felt somewhat awkward addressing him as a brother. Since Zhang Tian was also the Second Elder of the Yun Lan Sect, calling him Second Elder was both courteous and not overly distant.

Xiao Zhan was now high-spirited, and his demeanor had improved greatly. The Xiao Family was gradually flourishing, while Xiao Yan's talent had become increasingly outstanding.

Having cast aside the knot in his heart, he had put much effort into Furious Lion Vajra and improved tremendously. More than a year later, he had already become a Nine-Star Great Dou Shi.

He even visited the Michelle Auction House far less often now. Unlike before, he no longer ran to the auction house every day, lusting after Ya Fei's body.

"Come, let's talk inside." Xiao Zhan was clearly delighted. Laughing heartily, he pulled Zhang Tian into the clan hall. After downing several cups of wine in succession, the two drank and chatted.

Since Yao Lao did not particularly want to interact with Xiao Zhan, he casually found an excuse and returned to Xiao Yan's ring.

"Worthy brother, you have no idea. These days, our Xiao Family has been flourishing more and more in Wu Tan City. Those other families can't help currying favor with us. Those petty people—you should have seen the looks on their faces before!" Xiao Zhan had drunk a little too much. He grabbed Zhang Tian's hand and laughed loudly, his tongue already stumbling over his words. When he mentioned the other families, contempt appeared on his face.

"Relying on the strong is only human nature. That is the prevailing tone of the Dou Qi Continent." Zhang Tian smiled faintly and merely took a small sip.

Dou Qi, Dou Qi—it all lay in the word "fight": fight the heavens, fight the earth, fight people.

Without fighting, one could only live in wretched submission.

"Hehe, it's rather funny." Xiao Zhan's eyes were slightly unfocused. He let out a wine-scented burp, then leaned close to Zhang Tian's ear as though sharing a great secret.

"Quite a few... burp, quite a few families came for Xiao Yan's marriage..." Xiao Zhan nearly fell off the table. Zhang Tian hurriedly steadied him, but Xiao Zhan grabbed his arm and continued.

"Hehe, quite a few of them came for you too, Second Elder."

"For me?" Zhang Tian froze for a moment. Was there actually someone in a remote little city who dared provoke a Dou Emperor?

"For your marriage, Second Elder." Xiao Zhan shot Zhang Tian a disdainful look, as if disappointed by his failure to meet expectations.

"I've been married before." Zhang Tian found it rather amusing. Did those people not know he had once been married?

"So what if you have? A young expert like you is desirable wherever you go. This time, even the City Lord's Mansion is racking its brains to arrange something." Xiao Zhan rolled his eyes. Did this Second Elder truly not understand, or was he pretending? Did he not know what a Dou Emperor represented?

"The City Lord's Mansion?" A cold glint flashed through Zhang Tian's eyes. He recalled how, a year ago, he had stormed the City Lord's Mansion and killed the city lord who kept retainers and wanted criminals.

"Right, are they still up to something? Has there been no movement from the Imperial Capital of the Gama Empire?" Zhang Tian continued asking. He did find this strange, and he had developed a slight interest in the City Lord's Mansion.

"This matter was dropped long ago when you became a Dou Wang. Back then, I worried over it for a long time, but now the new city lord is probably wracking his brains trying to get close to you." Thinking of the new city lord's anxious appearance and utmost respect before him, Xiao Zhan wanted to laugh.

"Help me turn them all down. And don't let them know my whereabouts." Zhang Tian felt a little troubled upon hearing this. If he had a group of people surrounding him all day long, it would be quite a headache.

"Who even knows your whereabouts?" Xiao Zhan said irritably.

"You disappear for months at a time. If someone truly can find you, I'd hire them as scouts and guards for the Xiao Family."

The two continued chatting idly. As for Xiao Yan, Xiao Zhan had long since sent him back to his room to cultivate on the grounds that "What is a child drinking for?"

With Yao Lao around, there was no need for Zhang Tian to worry about Xiao Yan.

Still, Xiao Yan was rather pitiful.

A few months later, when Xiao Zhan invited him to drink, he instead despised Xiao Yan for hesitating and said,

"You can't even drink. You're like a woman."

"You don't have any of my former boldness."

"Blegh!" After vomiting beside them for a while, Xiao Zhan continued laughing.

"After Nalan Yanran broke off her engagement with Yan'er, all the girls in Wu Tan City went crazy. When Yan'er goes out, some even cast coy glances at him. Hehe, Nalan Yanran really doesn't know what's good for her." Xiao Zhan sprawled across the table, drool flowing from his mouth.

Hearing Xiao Zhan's words, Zhang Tian's brows furrowed slightly.

"Sorry... sorry, worthy brother, I forgot... Nalan Yanran is the young sect master of your Yun Lan Sect. I misspoke... please don't blame me..." Xiao Zhan froze briefly when he saw this, realizing he had said the wrong thing. He hurriedly tried to remedy it with a thick tongue.

"No, Clan Leader Xiao Zhan. I merely remembered something." Zhang Tian shook his head and smiled, indicating that he was not angry.

Only after seeing that Zhang Tian was still smiling and did not seem angry did Xiao Zhan finally relax and fall heavily asleep.

"Pei En, take the clan leader away to rest." Seeing Xiao Zhan without the slightest bearing of a clan leader, Zhang Tian shook his head and laughed. He called out to Pei En, who was standing guard outside.

"Yes!" Pei En answered loudly, bowed to Zhang Tian, then entered the clan hall, hoisted Xiao Zhan onto his back, and carried him to his room.

"Come to think of it, Nalan Yanran still seems to be cultivating at the Yun Lan Sect under my arrangement. I wonder what cultivation she has reached now." After Xiao Zhan left, Zhang Tian sat alone in the clan hall, holding his wine cup in contemplation. Looking at the slanting moon in the sky, he gently swirled the wine in his cup, then rested his index finger against his forehead and rubbed it.

He had originally thought he would return in half a month, but he had not expected three or four months to pass instead. This had truly disrupted quite a few things.