Gu He slept for an entire day. By the time he woke up, Xiao Lei had already copied everything he could.
As for Gu He, he'd had a long, terrible nightmare. What it was about didn't matter!
At least, Gu He wasn't about to think back on it. It had been far too frightening!
"Thank you, Master Xiao, for protecting me!"
Feeling the Heavenly Flame within him, Gu He thought it had all been worth it. His mood had improved considerably, too.
"Pill King, you're too kind. It all comes down to fate. Congratulations on obtaining a Heavenly Flame!"
Xiao Lei was several times happier than Gu He.
He hadn't suffered even a little to obtain the flame, had fleeced Gu He for a hefty sum, and now Gu He was thanking him, to boot!
May good fortune like this come in batches of twelve!
But Xiao Lei noticed that Gu He's bearing had changed. He still looked as refined as ever, but now there was an added toughness to him—or perhaps he'd simply regained the resilience he'd once had.
"I've just obtained a Heavenly Flame, and I've had some insights. I must return and go into seclusion as soon as possible, so I won't trouble you any longer, Master." Having obtained the flame, Gu He was confident that his alchemy would soon make a tremendous leap forward.
And indeed it did. After copying the Heavenly Flame, Xiao Lei's alchemy improved again, reaching the advanced sixth tier. The system had informed him, and its assessments were never inflated.
Moreover, after Xiao Lei used the Flame Mantra to devour the Heavenly Flame, his cultivation method advanced to the mid Profound tier.
At last, he didn't have to be a one-hit wonder anymore!
Xiao Lei was delighted!
After seeing Gu He off, Xiao Lei tossed the Humanoid Transformation Pill he'd obtained in their deal to Xiang Liu.
"Take the pill, then go transform yourself like a good little snake. If you don't recover your strength after you're done, you're dead."
A seventh-tier pill ought to contain enough energy. Xiao Lei was already imagining copying Xiang Liu's cultivation once it regained its strength.
After all, how could a magical beast under his control ever turn against him?
Just thinking about it made him grin!
Xiang Liu nodded, clamped the jade bottle in its jaws, and headed for the Magical Beast Mountain Range.
It was easy to imagine that once it emerged from seclusion, it would have recovered its strength and become a capable enforcer for Xiao Lei.
Once he'd taken care of that, Xiao Lei went to the place where Xiao Yi Xian was in seclusion. She still hadn't emerged, which probably meant the poisonous herbs he'd given her were a bit too much for her.
Thinking this, Xiao Lei spread out his soul perception to check on her condition, but suddenly sensed a faint, concealed presence behind him.
"Who's there!"
Xiao Lei swiftly drew Xuan Yi and spun around, slashing with his blade.
To his surprise, the presence didn't flee. Instead, its owner appeared right before him.
The newcomer wore an eagle-headed mask that hid his face. His black clothes billowed in the wind, several short blades hung at his waist, and his dark Dou Qi was exceptionally well concealed.
"So you're Xiao Lei? Allow this old man to test your mettle!"
The newcomer spoke softly, then attacked without the slightest hesitation.
Xiao Lei recognized him at once: Ling Ying, Xiao Xun'er's bodyguard, a Seven-Star Dou Huang.
Ling Ying hadn't attacked on his own impulse or whim. He'd done it on Xiao Xun'er's orders.
She'd picked a fine moment, all right!
Xiao Lei was indignant!
Xiao Yi Xian was absorbing the poisonous herbs, Qing Lin was in seclusion absorbing the Mystic Ice Python's Dou Qi, and Xiang Liu had left to attempt its transformation.
Bang!
The long blade met the short blades, sending sparks flying.
So what if he was from the Ancient Clan!
Xiao Lei gripped his long blade, his hand trembling with excitement, though his expression grew ever more lifeless.
Why did he work every day to find ways to get stronger?
When he was young, mercenaries had bullied him because he was too weak. Now that he was strong enough, was he still going to let others bully him?
He was already a Four-Star Dou Emperor. Was he still going to let some bodyguard provoke him at will?
Never!
A streak of blood-red flame burst from the long blade in Xiao Lei's hand and shot straight toward Ling Ying's face.
"How is that possible!"
Ling Ying's pupils shrank. His eyes were full of disbelief. He'd watched Gu He absorb the Heavenly Flame with his own eyes, yet now Xiao Lei wielded that very same flame.
Shocked, Ling Ying hurriedly pulled away, intending to keep Xiao Lei at a distance.
"You think you can just leave?"
Ling Ying had already stoked Xiao Lei's fury. There was no way he'd let him get away so easily.
Xiao Lei held Xuan Yi level with the ground, then suddenly swept it forward in a horizontal slash.
"Sword Wave!"
This was one of Gu He's Dou Techniques, originally meant to be used with a long sword. But after copying it, Xiao Lei could wield it just as well with his long blade.
A wave of flame surged from the blade, rolling forward like an endless sea and sweeping Ling Ying off his feet. The scorching Heavenly Flame landed on him, instantly driving back his dark-aspected Dou Qi.
The Heavenly Flames were wonders of heaven and earth. Their reputation was no empty boast.
With no time to put distance between them, Ling Ying had no choice but to turn and fight.
That was exactly what Xiao Lei wanted. Taking advantage of his fury, he unleashed his Dou Techniques to their fullest.
"Flame's Apex—Meteor Kill!"
Terrifying energy shot straight from the blade's tip. Ling Ying could only dodge at once, twisting his body into an almost contorted, irregular shape to evade the attack.
Xiao Lei gave him no chance to recover. He charged forward, his long blade flashing as he closed in on Ling Ying.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
A rapid series of clashes rang out. Driven into a desperate corner by Xiao Lei's relentless attacks, Ling Ying could only fight back with all his strength.
"Hmph! Who gave you the nerve to attack me!"
As Xiao Xun'er's bodyguard, Ling Ying had cultivated techniques suited to protection and assassination. In a head-on fight against Xiao Lei, he could only keep falling behind.
Fury surged in Xiao Lei's heart, and his aura erupted once more. The Heavenly Flame burst outward, winding around his whole body as though he were being burned alive.
Slice!
A sharp, crisp sound rang out.
Xiao Lei's blade struck Ling Ying's left arm, sending it flying.
Ling Ying barely had time to beg for mercy. Just as he opened his mouth, a massive fist smashed into his face!
"I'm from the Ancient—"
Ling Ying had just started to speak when another punch slammed into his throat. His vision went black, and he couldn't breathe, let alone speak.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Fists whistled through the air as Xiao Lei unleashed blow after blow, each one landing squarely on Ling Ying.
Xiao Lei still couldn't afford to provoke the Ancient Clan, but he wasn't about to go easy on Ling Ying. Anyone who dared attack him had to pay the price!
Only after Xiao Lei had vented his fury did he grab Ling Ying by the throat and demand, "Who sent you? What was your motive?"
Ling Ying clutched at Xiao Lei's hand, trying to pry it open, but couldn't budge it. He could only seize the tiny gap Xiao Lei's grip had left and quickly speak through it.
"I'm one of Xiao Xun'er's people. You should know we have powerful backing!"
Xiao Lei answered with two more punches. Trying to show off your backing, were you?
He'd never had much of a relationship with Xiao Xun'er. When he'd first crossed over to the Dou Qi Continent, his soul had been incomplete. As a child, he'd endured pain almost every day and couldn't even begin cultivating.
Xiao Yan and Xiao Xun'er had first met when Xiao Yan was four. Back then, Xiao Lei had been an orphan with no backing, just a child tormented by pain every day. How could he have spared a thought for anything else?
In Xiao Lei's eyes, Xiao Yan had been able to sneak into Xiao Xun'er's room because he was Xiao Zhan's son.
As long as Xiao Xun'er hadn't been physically harmed, Ling Ying couldn't have killed Xiao Yan. Otherwise, Gu Yuan would have taken Xiao Xun'er away as soon as he'd brought her there.
You could only do what your abilities allowed. In the end, Xiao Lei had merely warned Xiao Xun'er about Xiao Yu, directly preventing Xiao Yan's peeping incident.
"Why did Xiao Xun'er order you to attack me?"
Before you continue