I'll Stake My Life on It

After calming the disciples, Zhang Nian began to consider what lay ahead. He was no longer alone. Only by gaining the strength to stand against Hun Tiandi could he secure a foothold on the continent. Alternatively, he could consider joining forces with the powerful Ancient Clan—but not yet. Cooperation required both sides to be on equal footing.

Perhaps the Storage Rings he had just seized could prove useful.

But before that...

He looked at the sky in the distance. More than three hours had passed since Hun Qing and the other man had left. At the speed of a Dou Sheng Expert, they should have reached the Soul Hall by now.

Just as Zhang Nian had expected, half an hour earlier, Hun Qing had brought Gu You to the Corpse Burial Mountain Range, where the Human Hall was located. The Soul Hall Master, Hun Miesheng, was waiting in the main hall for news from the two of them. The elders who had gathered there had already left. In Hun Miesheng's view, Gu You alone would have been enough for this mission. Having Hun Qing accompany him was simply an extra precaution. Of course, there were far fewer Dou Shengs on the continent than people imagined, and the Northwest Continent was even more desolate. Anyone who could reach Dou Zun there would already be a figure of great importance.

"Whoosh, whoosh!"

Looking at the dreadful, mysterious hall in the distance, Gu You felt his heart sink. He had no desire to suffer that kind of pain again. Besides, better to believe it than risk being wrong. On the way, he had quietly tried to sound out Hun Qing, but the other man was completely thickheaded, relying on his prestigious status and giving no thought to the consequences.

Hun Qing also believed that nothing—not even a flame—could be controlled across such a vast distance. But to him, Gu You's caution amounted to disloyalty to the Soul Hall. They had found the man, confirmed that he was the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame, and learned that he was a Dou Sheng Expert. The Soul Hall Master needed to hear about it as soon as possible. Otherwise, once the man grew stronger, he would still come after the Soul Hall. It was no exaggeration to say that his current strength was already enough to put the Soul Hall in danger.

If they struck, they had to eliminate the threat completely and act swiftly...

Every word had struck home with Gu You. But when it came to removing the flame inside him, Hun Qing hadn't said a word.

Damn... He could only hope everything went as smoothly as he'd expected. But someone at that level had no reason to lie...

Gu You had suspected that the other man was bluffing, but reason told him that the contemptuous look in those eyes—the look of someone who could kill him at any moment—was no lie... Thinking of the flame's terror, Gu You had asked himself more than once: Was this really the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame?

He had seen Heavenly Flames before, but even with his Half-Saint strength, he had been utterly helpless against Hun Qing, a one-star Dou Sheng...

On second thought, it wasn't unreasonable. This was the third-ranked Heavenly Flame, after all, and it was almost on par with the second-ranked Nihility Devouring Flame.

They entered the Human Hall and followed Hun Qing to the main hall, Gu You's heart still uneasy. On the throne that symbolized power sat none other than the Soul Hall Master, Hun Miesheng.

"You two are back?"

Hun Miesheng could tell at a glance that they had fought. Their reserves of Dou Qi were low, which meant they had clearly fought with everything they had. It wasn't hard to guess, then, that the so-called Dou Sheng Expert in the Jia Ma Empire was no fabrication. But the two had returned alive, which made it highly likely that their opponent was an exceptionally powerful Half-Saint, forcing Hun Qing and Gu You to fight with all their might.

"Was the so-called Saint in the Jia Ma Empire a Half-Saint?"

Hun Miesheng asked first, a trace of confusion in his gaze. Only Hun Qing and Gu You had returned, and they hadn't brought the man back. Either they had defeated him and killed him on the spot—or the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame had escaped. But how could a newly born, milky-white flame be that powerful?

"Uh..."

Gu You didn't dare speak. His mind was in utter disarray. Hun Qing, on the other hand, quickly replied:

"Reporting to the Hall Master, we encountered that man in the Jia Ma Empire. He was stronger than me, and his flame..."

The moment he mentioned the flame, a small white spark flared deep inside him. A searing sensation swept through him. Gu You, standing behind him, froze as well. This... Could it really be? Was it a coincidence, or...?

Gu You was terrified. The reaction of the flame inside him explained everything. But they were in the main hall, with the Soul Hall Master seated above them. He didn't dare make a move, and could only keep darting glances at Hun Qing, silently pleading: Brother, life is hard enough as it is. I have elders to care for and children to feed. Can we not be so stubborn? Life is beautiful, and the future is full of promise. Why throw it all away?!

In truth, Zhang Nian had no way to listen in on their conversation through the flame. It was merely a fortunate coincidence. But in the minds of Gu You and Hun Qing, it planted a seed of fear. They were in the Central Plains, yet the other man could control the flame across thousands of miles—and even learn what they were saying through it...

Well, this was no longer just a matter of doing their duty. They might even expose the Soul Hall's secrets...

But if he didn't do this, he wouldn't survive. Hun Qing had originally been confident because he thought the other man couldn't pull any of this off. He had planned to return to the clan and ask its experts to force the flame out of him. Now it was clear that he had been like a frog at the bottom of a well.

If he went through with it, he would have to risk his life to get the message out...

Did he want to die?

Of course not. He was young and accomplished, with both talent and strength. His Dou Di Bloodline was only a little weaker than Hun Miesheng's, making him one of the Soul Clan's top experts. He had a bright future ahead of him. Even if he couldn't become a candidate for clan leader, he could at least become an elder.

"Phew... Go on. What happened to his flame?"

Hun Miesheng was puzzled, but had also grown interested in the details of their mission. He urged Hun Qing to continue.

"The flame was indeed milky white, but it wasn't the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame. It was merely the Fallen Heart Flame, matured to its utmost degree..."

Following the instinct to survive, Hun Qing told a lie. After all, who would choose to die without even leaving their soul behind, if they could stay alive?

Seeing Hun Qing suddenly seem to come to his senses, Saint Gu You hurriedly picked up the thread:

"That's right, Hall Master. Neither of us was a match for him. His strength must be above the Dou Sheng level."

Hun Miesheng looked at the two of them. Something about their expressions and behavior in that moment had seemed strange. It felt as though things weren't as simple as they claimed.

"Are you certain?"

Gu You hurriedly replied, "I stake my life on it. That flame wasn't the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame. Saint Hun Qing and I have both seen that flame. It was milky white, to be sure, but when released, it gave off an endless stream of heartfire that scorched everything around it. It had to be the Fallen Heart Flame."