He Was Actually a Dou Sheng?

[ Ding! The host's reasoning is somewhat sound. Reminder: the upper limit of the host's ten-thousandfold Favorability return is the Ninth-Grade Golden Pill. Even if the amount exceeds the limit, the return will still be a Ninth-Grade Golden Pill. ]

The emotionless electronic voice suddenly rang in his ears, its words laden with meaning.

What did that mean?

Zhang Nian froze for a moment. The upper limit of the ten-thousandfold Favorability return was a Ninth-Grade Golden Pill, but his reasoning was somewhat sound. In other words, to obtain a pill of Imperial grade or higher, he had to raise the level of intimacy after increasing Favorability, right?

This damn system...

He grumbled inwardly, then set the thought aside for now. He had no use for it yet. The most pressing issue was that more than a month had passed, and Ya Fei still hadn't woken up. During that time, Zhang Nian had checked on her, but found nothing unusual in the energy barrier. He couldn't help wondering: Could the Ninth-Grade Treasure Pill's medicinal power be too potent, compounded by Ya Fei's weak cultivation and thin bloodline, causing this situation?

Compared to Ya Fei's stagnant condition, Yao Ye was doing much better. According to the system's feedback, after half a month of nourishment from the pill's medicinal power, Yao Ye's strength had reached Five-Star Dou Ling, and she was still progressing steadily. She would likely emerge from seclusion in another month or two. As for Cailin, after a month of near nonstop cultivation, she had reached Six-Star Dou Emperor. Her rapid progress was astonishing.

She was, after all, a Nine-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python, a legendary existence. With the help of the Fallen Heart Flame, a cultivation cheat, such speed was only to be expected.

Hm?

Zhang Nian sensed something was amiss. A faint trace of spatial energy had locked onto this place. Though a barrier stood between them, he was a Dou Sheng expert and had still detected it keenly.

He looked up at the sky and said calmly, "What's coming will come."

Confidence laced his tone. Zhang Nian had already made ample preparations. He immediately circulated his Dou Qi and called out, "No one is to take a single step beyond the barrier today. While I'm away, Cailin will oversee all matters at the mountain gate. Keep a close eye on Zi Yan in particular—she's always sneaking outside!"

In a room somewhere, Zi Yan stuck out her tongue and looked around helplessly. When she'd heard Zhang Nian say he was going out, she had already stepped halfway through the door. A month earlier, signs of intruders had been found beyond the barrier. Since then, the entire mountain gate had been kept under partial lockdown. Even the Miteer food delivery team was barred from entering; Zhang Nian collected the provisions himself at set times and in set amounts.

To say Zi Yan had been cooped up lately was an understatement.

"Whoosh!"

A figure appeared at the doorway. Zi Yan looked at her, scratched her head, and smiled. "Oh, Sister Cailin, what brings you here?"

"Master said no one is allowed to leave the mountain gate while he's away." Cailin shot the mischievous Zi Yan a glance, giving her no chance to argue.

"Oh..." Zi Yan rubbed her hands together, thinking that it would be great if Master took Sister Cailin along the next time he went out...

High above the Jia Ma Empire, the sky turned hazy. A crack silently appeared overhead and slowly spread open to either side. Before long, two clouds of black mist emerged from within: the Soul Hall's Second Heavenly Venerate, Gu You, and its deputy hall master, Hun Qing.

"The Jia Ma Empire really is impoverished. This must be the imperial capital, and yet the strongest here is only Peak Dou Emperor. A bunch of ants." As soon as Gu You emerged, he released his soul perception and quickly took the measure of the city.

"Heh. It's not as simple as you think, Gu You. Look at that barrier in the distance."

Hun Qing pointed toward the hazy mountains far away, where Zhang Nian's mountain gate stood. Then the two flew in that direction. Above the barrier, in the direction Hun Qing indicated, was the milky-white flame Mo Ke had mentioned. To verify the truth of the matter, they exchanged a glance and silently agreed to investigate.

After all, quite a few flames on the Heavenly Flame Ranking were white. The Yang Fire among the Yin-Yang Dual Flames, ranked twenty-first, was one example. The Fallen Heart Flame, ranked fourteenth, also turned milky white when its flames grew exceptionally dense. The Bone Spirit Cold Flame, ranked eleventh, was similar. Of course, if it turned out to be one of those, their trip would have been in vain.

The strength of Dou Sheng experts showed itself at once. A journey that would take a Dou Huang expert at least an hour to fly seemed to take the two of them only an instant.

Once they reached the barrier, they got a clear look at the flame above it. The milky-white fire blazed in the air, distorting the space around it as its formidable presence radiated outward. That single glance was enough to confirm that it was a Heavenly Flame—and a highly ranked one at that.

"It shouldn't be the Bone Spirit Cold Flame, and it doesn't look like the Fallen Heart Flame either. The Fallen Heart Flame constantly releases heartfire, but this one doesn't. The Bone Spirit Cold Flame gives off a faint chill, which doesn't fit either. This flame seems to carry a hint of sacred purity, as though it could cleanse everything. It really does resemble the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame..."

Gu You furrowed his brow. Under the firelight, the black mist around him slowly began to dissipate. Both men noticed the strange phenomenon and stopped hiding their faces, dispelling the black mist around themselves.

"Indeed. I believe the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame must have appeared only recently. It has the shape of the real thing, but its power hasn't yet coalesced, and its energy is still somewhat lacking. Someone inside took advantage of that and benefited from it."

Hun Qing nodded, accepting Gu You's analysis. Then he spread his hands, sending an invisible surge of energy toward the barrier before them.

"Thud—"

A muffled sound rang out. Hun Qing's expression changed. He'd assumed the barrier had been set up by a Dou Zun, so he hadn't used his full strength. He hadn't expected the force rebounding from it to catch him so off guard. This barrier didn't seem like something a Dou Zun could have set up. It felt more like the work of a high-star Dou Sheng.

"You two show up at someone's doorstep without even announcing yourselves?"

A cool voice rang out. Hun Qing and Gu You stared in surprise as someone suddenly appeared in the sky above them. They hadn't sensed him at all—which meant his strength far surpassed theirs.

"A Dou Sheng expert?"

"He's actually a Dou Sheng!"

As the Saint Gu You looked at the young face, even his voice trembled. No one could have imagined that the tiny Jia Ma Empire really hid a Dou Sheng expert. But why hadn't this man opened up a separate space?

Hun Qing's face was tense as well. The moment this man appeared, years of battle experience told him that he was extremely dangerous...

Their mission might well end in disaster... ```