Devouring the Bone Spirit Cold Flame!

After Xiao Cang saw Yao Chen's eyes become completely hollow, he finally withdrew his hand and dispersed the sinister, eerie Dou Qi.

Immediately after, with a thought, he left a Soul Imprint within Yao Chen's empty mind using his powerful Soul Power.

Only then did light return to Yao Chen's vacant eyes, though they were no longer as lively as before and now carried a trace of dullness.

"Master."

Yao Chen's transparent Soul Body descended before Xiao Cang, lowered his head, and spoke respectfully.

It worked!

Joy appeared on Xiao Cang's face.

Venerable Yao, the Eighth-grade Alchemist who had once shaken the Middle Continent, had truly been refined into his Soul Slave.

After savoring his delight for a moment, Xiao Cang asked Yao Chen with a serious expression, "Yao Chen, can you still refine Grade 8 Pills?"

"In reply to Master, I still possess the attainments of an Eighth-grade Alchemist, but my Soul Power is currently far too weak. I cannot refine Grade 8 Pills." Yao Chen shook his head dully, his voice devoid of emotion.

"Just as I thought."

Xiao Cang nodded slowly, not overly surprised.

Although an alchemist's mastery of pill refinement would not decline along with a drop in cultivation, if their cultivation plummeted too far and the intensity of their Dou Qi could not keep up... then no matter how profound their attainments, they would be unable to refine pills beyond the limits of their Dou Qi.

It was like a flame of one hundred degrees—no matter what, it could not melt a stone with a melting point of one thousand degrees.

It seemed that if he wanted Yao Chen to be of maximum use under him, he would have to help Yao Chen recover some Soul Power first.

"Understood. Then erase the imprint within your Storage Ring." Xiao Cang said slowly.

"Yes."

Yao Chen nodded respectfully. A faint glow lit up between his brows, and he erased the connection between himself and the Storage Ring.

Once Xiao Cang's Spiritual Sense detected that the Storage Ring had become ownerless, he immediately planted an imprint within it and claimed it as his own.

In an instant, every treasure within the Storage Ring was laid bare before Xiao Cang's Spiritual Sense.

There were countless Profound-rank and Earth-rank cultivation methods and Dou Techniques, along with many high-grade fifth- and sixth-grade pills...

Even Xiao Cang could not help but feel envious and click his tongue at such a collection.

"Not bad. As expected of Venerable Yao, who once dominated the land. This fortune alone can rival the entire Misty Cloud Sect."

"Unfortunately, there are no seventh- or eighth-grade pills here."

"Then again, it makes sense. Back then, Yao Chen was severely wounded by his traitorous disciple Han Feng and was on the brink of death. If he had not desperately absorbed all the spiritual energy from every high-grade pill at the last moment, he would have perished long ago."

Xiao Cang muttered, but there was no disappointment in his eyes.

Now that Yao Chen had become his Soul Slave, once he helped Yao Chen recover some Soul Power, he could simply make Yao Chen into a pill-refining machine.

Making an Eighth-grade Alchemist into a pill-refining machine...

If word of this got out, who knew how many people would be shocked speechless.

And now, Xiao Cang still had one important matter to attend to—

"Yao Chen, bring forth the Bone Spirit Cold Flame." Xiao Cang said in a deep voice.

"Yes."

Yao Chen raised his right hand, and a cluster of chilling white flames began to blaze fiercely in his palm!

The instant the white flame appeared, even the surrounding temperature dropped several degrees.

Xiao Cang's eyes immediately burned with desire.

The Bone Spirit Cold Flame was a terrifying Heavenly Flame ranked eleventh on the Heavenly Flame Ranking, ten places higher than the Myriad Beast Spirit Flame and the Nether Poison Fire!

The gap between them was self-evident!

Aside from Yao Chen's attainments as an Eighth-grade Alchemist, this was the greatest treasure Xiao Cang coveted from him!

"This flame is not bad. I want it." Xiao Cang said gravely.

"If Master wants it, Yao Chen shall offer it to Master."

Yao Chen did not hesitate in the slightest upon hearing this. He immediately severed his connection with the Bone Spirit Cold Flame.

At once, Yao Chen's condition visibly withered.

His already transparent and frail Soul Body faded even further, becoming somewhat ethereal and indistinct.

But Xiao Cang's attention was entirely fixed on the Bone Spirit Cold Flame.

The chilling white flame drifted from Yao Chen's hand, transforming into a white Fire Lotus that was incomparably cold yet contained terrifying fiery might.

Without Yao Chen's suppression, the Bone Spirit Cold Flame's violent aura instantly swept outward.

Xiao Cang had long been prepared.

"Do not be so impudent!"

He gave a low shout and immediately circulated the Supreme Flame God Canon, swallowing the Bone Spirit Cold Flame.

Worthy of being the terrifying Heavenly Flame ranked eleventh on the Heavenly Flame Ranking, the backlash of the Bone Spirit Cold Flame was far more violent than that of the Nether Poison Fire and the Myriad Beast Spirit Flame.

Xiao Cang circulated the Supreme Flame God Canon with all his strength, desperately suppressing the Bone Spirit Cold Flame.

Even so, he still felt alternating waves of icy chill and scorching heat enveloping him, leaving him freezing as though trapped in a ten-thousand-year ice cellar one moment, then burning as though submerged in volcanic magma the next.

As the Bone Spirit Cold Flame was continuously refined by Xiao Cang, both his cultivation and technique level rapidly rose.

The Two-star Dou Huang realm he had only just broken through began to loosen once more, slowly climbing higher.

The Supreme Flame God Canon instantly broke through the threshold of the mid-level Super Heavenly Tier and advanced toward the Advanced Super Heavenly Tier!

Half an hour later.

As more and more of the Bone Spirit Cold Flame was refined by Xiao Cang, his realm began to soar explosively.

After breaking through the threshold of Three-star Dou Huang, he charged toward Four-star Dou Huang, then continued onward with unstoppable momentum to Five-star Dou Huang, and even surged toward Six-star Dou Huang!

When Xiao Cang had broken through two stars in succession earlier, he had still barely managed to suppress the disturbance caused by his breakthroughs.

But this time, he had already broken through three stars in a row and even showed signs of breaking through a fourth. Moreover, most of his attention was devoted to suppressing and refining the Bone Spirit Cold Flame, leaving him no room to suppress this aura.

Thus, his powerful aura swept outward, instantly covering the entire Xiao Family.

In an instant, everyone in the Xiao Family shuddered violently, trembling beneath the pressure of Xiao Cang's powerful aura.

"Gasp! Th-this... is that Nephew Xiao Cang's aura?!"

"The pressure of a Dou Wang expert... it's so strong! I can't even see him, yet I'm already trembling in fear."

"How terrifying! It feels like Cousin Xiao Cang could crush me into dust with a single finger."

"With such a powerful expert protecting our Xiao Family, we are bound to prosper!"

"..."

Gasps and frightened cries rang out one after another as everyone in the Xiao Family instinctively turned toward Xiao Cang's room.

"Brother Xiao Cang..."

The Heavenly Flames within Xun'er suddenly stirred, and she looked toward Xiao Cang's room in delight.

The stronger Xiao Cang became, the happier she was, because that meant he would be more likely to gain the Gu Clan's recognition in the future.

"This aura is... Dou Huang?!"

"How is that possible?!"

Ling Ying trembled all over as he stared toward Xiao Cang's room in disbelief.

He recognized it as Xiao Cang's aura.

But... when he had gone to the Misty Cloud Sect to find Xiao Cang a month ago, Xiao Cang had clearly only just advanced to Dou Wang!

How had Xiao Cang attained Dou Huang cultivation after only a single month?!

And this aura... seemed to belong to a high-level Dou Huang!

"What kind of fortuitous encounter did this kid obtain?"

Ling Ying's expression was complicated, and an indescribable feeling welled up in his heart.

Xiao Cang's breakthrough to Dou Wang at eighteen had already stunned him. Now, he had leapt straight into the ranks of Dou Huang experts, and he did not even have a colossal force like the Gu Clan supporting him from behind.

Such talent and progress...

Even compared to those monstrous geniuses within the Gu Clan, he was absolutely overwhelmingly formidable!

Other than one fortuitous encounter after another, Ling Ying could not think of any other explanation.

He recalled Xiao Cang's bold declaration at the Misty Cloud Sect that day—"If they refuse to acknowledge me, then I'll beat them into acknowledging me. I'll keep beating them until they do."

At that moment, Ling Ying had an absurd illusion.

Perhaps one day, this kid really could accomplish it...

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