A Misfortunate Dou Wang! A Heavenly Flame Opportunity

Now!

Gu Han landed on the ground, reached out, and uprooted the two Azure Flame Grass plants before storing them in the Xuanwu Secret Realm atop the Primal Crystal Marrow.

After doing all this, he slapped the ground fiercely, using the force to launch himself into the air and swiftly fly high above.

Everything happened in the blink of an eye, giving the Nalan Family Dou Ling and the Fourth-Order Mu Kui Wolf no chance to react.

Their attention had been fixed on each other. Neither had expected someone to suddenly descend from the sky and snatch away the Azure Flame Grass they had been waiting to mature.

By the time they reacted and tried to do anything, Gu Han had already flown more than a dozen zhang into the air, leaving behind only a dark silhouette with pure blue wings.

"A Dou Wang expert!?" The Nalan Family Dou Ling's gaze sharpened.

Judging by the aura he had released, he did indeed seem like a Dou Wang.

But if a Dou Wang expert wanted to seize the Azure Flame Grass, he only needed to reveal his identity to make both him and the Fourth-Order Mu Kui Wolf retreat. There was no need to strike without warning before the Azure Flame Grass had fully matured.

Roar!

Compared to the Nalan Family Dou Ling, the Fourth-Order Mu Kui Wolf clearly did not think so much. It immediately mobilized the Dou Qi within its body and attacked.

A large amount of Dou Qi poured into the ground, flowing through the roots into the nearby trees. A layer of green light emerged over the leaves at the tops of those trees, transforming into dozens of wind blades that shot toward Gu Han.

Sensing the sound of air tearing behind him, Gu Han willed himself into the Xuanwu Secret Realm, leaving behind an afterimage.

All the wind blades passed through the afterimage and flew a great distance before vanishing.

Gu Han returned to the outside world, executed the Nine Snake Steps, and arrived several zhang away after a few flashes.

He glanced back at the Fourth-Order Mu Kui Wolf, flapped his wings, and continued flying southwest.

"I thought the Mu Kui Wolf had hit him. So it was only an afterimage."

"With that kind of speed, he must be a Dou Wang expert."

Nalan Jie's Dou Ling instinctively held his breath, grateful that he had not attacked.

That Dou Wang had flown southwest, clearly intending to observe the battle between the two Fifth-Order Mu Kui Wolves.

No wonder he had not wasted time on them. He had picked the Azure Flame Grass and immediately left.

"You got lucky, you beast." The Nalan Family Dou Ling turned to look at the Fourth-Order Mu Kui Wolf, which was still raging uselessly.

If that Dou Wang expert had not been in such a hurry to leave, he surely would have returned to kill this Mu Kui Wolf.

"Awoo~"

The Mu Kui Wolf suddenly turned its head, murder flashing in its eyes.

The Nalan Family Dou Ling: "..."

Meanwhile, Gu Han took a detour, changed back into his usual clothes, and reunited with Zhang Chuchen. This time, no further mishaps occurred along the way.

"Junior Brother, this is a gift of thanks my master asked me to deliver to you."

On the way down the mountain, Zhang Chuchen took out a scroll and handed it to Gu Han.

"A Mysterious Tier Low Grade Ice Attribute Sword Technique, Snowy Sword Shadow!"

"This Dou Technique belongs to him personally. You can learn it without concern, as long as you do not pass it on to others."

"Since it is a gift from the Punishment Elder, then I will gladly accept it." Gu Han did not stand on ceremony with Zhang Chuchen. He took the scroll and stored it in his Storage Ring.

The two chatted as they returned to the edge of the forest. By then, the sun had risen in the east, and the Nalan Family convoy was preparing food.

After saying a word to Gu Han, Zhang Chuchen hid himself in the shadows again, while Gu Han returned openly.

"You are back, worthy nephew." Nalan Jie approached with a smile. "You were not injured, were you? I have some excellent healing pills here."

"You are too kind, Uncle Nalan. I am fine." Gu Han took out the corpse of a First-Order Late Stage Mu Kui Wolf. "I was tempering my Dou Technique. Have this Mu Kui Wolf dealt with; we can roast it for lunch."

Nalan Su immediately called over a cook and had him take the First-Order Mu Kui Wolf corpse away for processing.

"Worthy nephew, rest well in the carriage. I will have someone call you when lunch is ready."

After eating breakfast with Gu Han, Nalan Su's ears twitched, and he rose to his feet.

"Please do as you please, Uncle Nalan." Gu Han stood and cupped his fists. After Nalan Su left, he returned to the carriage.

Entering the Xuanwu Secret Realm, he sensed the situation outside and discovered that the Nalan Family's Dou Ling had indeed returned, carrying injuries.

"A Dou Wang expert appeared and took away the Azure Flame Grass?" Nalan Su secretly lamented the loss. If he could obtain a Three-Pattern Azure Spirit Pill, he would have a few more chances of breaking through to the Dou Ling realm.

"As you said, Mu Kui Wolves appeared nearby. It should be because an internal conflict broke out among them."

"Two Fifth-Order Mu Kui Wolves are fighting. If Father were still at his peak, we could have gone to investigate."

Nalan Su let out a long sigh and took out a medicinal pill, handing it to the old man. "Return to the carriage and recover properly. Matters involving Dou Wang-level experts are not something we can interfere with."

Not long afterward, the Nalan Family convoy set off once more.

Aside from stopping to eat lunch, Gu Han remained in the carriage the entire time.

As the sun set, the convoy slowly entered Black Flame City, one of the large cities within the Jia Ma Empire. It lay in the northern provinces of the Jia Ma Empire, not far from Wutan City. Its city lord was a One-Star Dou Wang, and it had always been famous as a city of medicinal herbs.

"Go. Have someone ride at full speed and deliver this letter to the Xiao Family."

Inside a medicinal hall operated by the Nalan Family, Nalan Su took out a letter and handed it to one of his subordinates.

After doing so, he turned to Gu Han and asked, "Worthy nephew, the Miter Auction in Black Flame City will be holding a major auction today. Would you like to go take a look together?"

"Thank you for the invitation, Uncle Nalan, but I will not be going." After thinking briefly, Gu Han declined.

He had quite a few good items on him now, but nothing he urgently wished to obtain.

Besides, his pockets were empty. He probably could not afford anything that caught his eye unless he sold some items he did not need.

"This is the auction list. It will not be too late for worthy nephew to decide after dinner." Nalan Su handed Gu Han a list. "If there is anything you fancy, you may tell me. As your uncle, I have yet to give you a meeting gift."

The implication was that he could offer some financial support. He was trying to invest in him.

Gu Han did not refuse outright and accepted the auction list.

After returning to his room, he took out the list and examined it.

The final auction items were a Fifth-Grade Pill, a Mysterious Tier High Grade Fighting Skill, and information regarding the suspected birthplace of a Heavenly Flame.

"A Heavenly Flame?"

Gu Han gently shook his head and put the list into his Storage Ring.

As an ice-attributed Dou Qi cultivator, Heavenly Flames were basically useless to him, unless it was something like the Bone Spirit Cold Flame.

And if the information was genuine and it had appeared within the Jia Ma Empire, Xiao Yan would definitely know about it.

After dinner, Gu Han still declined Nalan Su's invitation and returned to his room to cultivate in secret.

In the blink of an eye, more than half of the Midnight Hour had passed.

As usual, Gu Han obtained intelligence.

[The battle between the two Fifth-Order Mu Kui Wolves was an act. They wanted to lure out the Purple Nether Flame Snake and the nearby Fifth-Order Magical Beasts harboring malicious intentions, but no Magical Beasts took the bait. Instead, the Black Flame City Lord believed it and intervened, only to be branded with the Mu Kui Seal and flee back to the city injured. For the next year, he can only wield the strength of a One-Star Dou Ling. (This man was one of the Dou Lings who ambushed the Xiao Family back then.)]

[The final item at the Mittel Auction House is the birthplace of the Heavenly Flame Myriad Beast Spirit Flame. It was judged to be false information by many Alchemists, but that place truly nurtures a Heavenly Flame: the Yin Yang Twin Flames.] ```

Gu Han: !!!