Maple City.
Han Feng's residence.
All the big names of the Black-Corner Region were gathered here.
Yuan Yi, the sect master of the Eight-Fan Sect, paced back and forth around the room.
Every now and then, he glanced toward the inner chambers.
At last, unable to wait any longer, he smacked the table hard. "Damn it, what does Han Feng mean by this? He called us here just to make us sit around doing nothing?"
"What are you getting worked up for? Didn't Han Beng go notify him? Let's wait a little longer," the Earth Flame Sect's sect master said.
Yuan Yi retorted sourly:
"The Eight-Fan Sect has a grand auction coming up, and I have to oversee it! I've been waiting here this whole time. Do you know how much I'm losing?"
"Enough with the complaints. You can't just turn around and leave, so what good does it do to tell us all this?" Elder Ban rolled his eyes.
Yuan Yi snorted and said nothing more.
In truth, several people present were just as impatient as Yuan Yi.
But what could they do?
Han Feng was the most formidable sixth-tier alchemist in the Black-Corner Region!
Who could guarantee they'd never need pills?
Who could guarantee they'd never have to ask him for help?
So, with Han Feng still absent, all they could do was grumble.
But if he actually showed up—
The loudest complainers would be the first to rush over and fawn on him!
Just then—
Everyone noticed that someone had appeared in the seat of honor, though no one knew when.
A complete stranger.
They had never seen him before!
"Where is Medicine Emperor Han Feng? When is he coming out?"
Elder Ban mistook him for one of Han Feng's subordinates.
He seemed to be deliberately taking out his frustration on the man, speaking coldly, with an accusatory edge.
The man didn't answer. He merely beckoned with one hand.
In an instant!
Everyone watched as the Storage Rings on their bodies flew toward him, completely beyond their control!
"Huh! What's going on?"
"Damn it, have these Storage Rings grown legs?"
"Don't you dare!"
A crowd of Dou Huang experts lunged after their Storage Rings.
Elder Ban realized something was wrong. "You're the one behind this?!"
Xiao Xuan caught several Storage Rings.
Just as he was about to inspect them—
Elder Ban flew into a rage. "So this is why Han Feng called us here—to rob us of our Storage Rings? You really think this old man is easy to push around!"
The aura of a Seven-Star Dou Huang erupted from him in an instant!
But—
Before he could even make a move—
The next moment!
A terrifying pressure, as immense as a mountain, descended in an instant.
Like a firecracker suddenly lit, Elder Ban burst into a cloud of blood mist with a bang, without the slightest warning!
In that instant!
The great hall fell utterly silent!
So quiet you could hear a pin drop!
A Seven-Star Dou Huang expert had just... disappeared?!
Somewhere in the air—
The stench of blood was faintly mixed with the sharp tang of urine!
No one dared move. It was as if even their breathing had stopped!
"One hour! I want to see every single heavenly treasure in your storehouses! If anyone holds anything back, he'll be an example of what happens!"
Xiao Xuan swept his gaze across the hall and spoke calmly.
"What are you still standing around for? Do I have to personally send you back?"
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...
In an instant, seven or eight people turned into streaks of multicolored light and vanished.
Half an hour later—
They had all returned!
"My lord, this is everything in the Eight-Fan Sect's storehouse."
"My lord, this is everything from the Earth Flame Sect..."
"My lord, this is everything from the Rakshasa Sect..."
"My lord, this is everything from the Mad Lion Gang..."
Out in the world, they were all revered figures, men whose word was law, Dou Huang experts, sect masters, and ruthless characters whose names made people tremble.
But at this moment, they were all wretched creatures so meek they scarcely dared breathe, their will to survive at its peak!
Xiao Xuan took the Storage Rings and, under the horrified gazes of the crowd, entered a spatial rift!
"A spatial rift? This is..."
"Is he a Dou Zong expert?"
"Idiot! What Dou Zong could be this powerful? He's obviously the legendary Dou Venerable!"
"What? A... Dou Venerable?! How terrifying!"
Everyone felt fortunate. If Elder Ban hadn't taken that fatal blow for them—
They would all have been done for.
Although they'd lost all their heavenly treasures this time—
It didn't matter. They could always find a chance to take them back later!
The bigger fist made the rules.
That was the law of survival in the Black-Corner Region!
And by the same token, it was why Xiao Xuan had robbed them!
As for why he hadn't killed them, it was probably because he didn't want to kill the goose that laid the golden eggs.
Xiao Xuan entered the Heavenly Tomb again!
The first thing he did was devour the Sea Heart Flame.
[ Ding, host is devouring the Sea Heart Flame, ranked fifteenth on the Heavenly Flame Ranking. The system is assisting with refinement and conversion... ]
Seven days later.
[ Ding, host has successfully refined the Sea Heart Flame. Physical body recovery progress: 4.0%. Remaining progress: 88.74%. ]
"He may have been a sixth-tier alchemist, but the collection in his Storage Ring was downright shabby!"
Xiao Xuan was a little disappointed.
Apart from an incomplete Flame Mantra and some medicinal ingredients, Han Feng's Storage Ring held only a few fifth- and sixth-tier pills.
He was practically penniless.
However!
Xiao Xuan found a pitch-black Jade Tablet in Han Feng's Storage Ring!
Traces of soul power still lingered on it.
And the mark on the Jade Tablet seemed strangely familiar to Xiao Xuan!
He thought for a long time, but couldn't remember where he'd seen it!
He tried channeling his soul power into it, hoping to find the answer!
Unfortunately, it had already been opened—or, rather, the soul power sealed inside had disappeared.
There was no useful information left in the Jade Tablet.
"Han Feng's seen plenty of the world. Why would he keep this thing? Unless..."
Xiao Xuan's expression stiffened!
Could that fellow have sensed the soul power lingering on it and used it to cultivate his own soul power, weakening the seal until the information inside disappeared?!
Xiao Xuan immediately released Han Feng's soul!
"My lord... spare me, my lord! Please spare me!"
The moment he appeared, Han Feng dropped to his knees and begged, kowtowing over and over.
"Where did you get this? What information did you find when you opened it?!"
Han Feng looked up and examined it carefully.
He thought for half a minute.
Then he said, "This... I picked it up when I fled from the Central Plains to the Northwest Continent."
"Where did you pick it up?"
"I think... I think it was in the Eastern Region of the Central Plains. Yes, it was the Eastern Region of the Central Plains."
Han Feng spoke in a trembling voice.
He kept his head lowered, not daring to look at Xiao Xuan.
Xiao Xuan pressed him. "What else?"
"After I picked it up, I found I could absorb soul power from it, so... so I used it to cultivate my soul power... Spare me, my lord! I... I really didn't know it belonged to you. Please let me go. I know I was wrong..."
As he spoke, Han Feng noticed how frighteningly dark Xiao Xuan's expression had become. His voice grew quieter and quieter.
At last, he began kowtowing and begging for mercy again.
Xiao Xuan had had enough.
He locked Han Feng away again.
"Looks like the only way to learn where this thing came from is to find time to investigate the Eastern Region of the Central Plains!"
After putting away the Jade Tablet—
Following the principle of not wasting anything, Xiao Xuan devoured all the medicinal ingredients and pills in Han Feng's Storage Ring, gaining 0.3% in physical body recovery progress.
The heavenly treasures contributed by the other Black-Corner Region factions also gave Xiao Xuan 1% in physical body recovery progress.
That left his physical body recovery progress at 87.44%.
Xiao Xuan glanced at the Possession Technique. It showed that it would take another week to fully cool down.
Next, he was going to visit Jia Nan Academy!
Before you continue