Zhao Hei's Nighttime Probe

Another day passed.

In the Ye Family's cultivation chamber, Ye Yan prepared to attempt alchemy.

His fatigue had long since faded, and after two days of hard work, his cultivation had even advanced from a one-star Dou Zhe to a two-star Dou Zhe.

It had only been six days since he broke through to Dou Zhe.

His rate of advancement was nothing short of astonishing.

As for Ye Zhong, he had long since become completely absorbed in the Azure Ice Flame's Child Fire.

He did not want to leave it for even a step, watching it eagerly as one Beast Fire was absorbed before he tossed in another.

Perhaps because the Child Fire's origin was too weak, the Azure Ice Flame in Ye Yan's hand disdained the thousand-year cold qi and ice marrow...

Yet the Child Fire accepted everything, absorbing and refining it to strengthen its own origin.

The flame, originally the size of a mung bean, had now grown to the size of an egg.

By Ye Yan's estimation, Ye Zhong should be preparing to absorb it within the next day or two.

After all, if the Child Fire recovered too much of its origin, he did not know whether Ye Zhong would still be able to refine it successfully.

The Azure Ice Flame's Child Fire had to enter the human body.

The slightest carelessness would result in being burned alive.

It seemed his trip to the Pill Tower would have to be delayed for some time.

Ye Yan looked inward at his dantian, at the increasingly distinct furnace cauldron and the Dou Zhe vortex spinning above it.

Several wisps of emerald-green energy coiled around the furnace cauldron. This was the Wood Qi he had extracted from medicinal herbs during this period.

Nourished by this energy, Ye Yan could even sense an inexplicable power within the furnace cauldron absorbing Yang Fire.

This was his Life Fire Seed, though it had not yet been fully nurtured.

By his estimate, even with the Wood Qi and Yang Fire he supplied, it would still take a long time to nurture it completely.

No longer dwelling on it.

Ye Yan took a third-tier medicine cauldron from his storage ring.

The furnace cauldron in his dantian was still somewhat unstable. He planned to use it for alchemy only after his Life Fire Seed had been fully nurtured.

Ye Yan first took out the Qi Gathering Grass and Spirit Returning Red Fruit needed to refine Rejuvenation Powder, then poured his Dou Qi into the medicine cauldron.

After passing through the cauldron's fire vent, the Dou Qi abruptly transformed into pale crimson flames that churned and burned continuously within the cauldron.

Having previously extracted the Wood Qi from Evergreen Flowers, he had become far more proficient at controlling his soul perception. He could lower the temperature where it needed to be low inside the cauldron and raise it where high heat was needed...

Very quickly, he extracted the essence from two stalks of Qi Gathering Grass and one Spirit Returning Red Fruit, then fused their medicinal properties together.

This was the most crucial step.

Just as Ye Yan was engrossed in becoming an alchemist—though not yet a first-rank one—

Two days later.

The night was dark and the wind fierce. Even the bright moon hid behind thick clouds, concealing its light.

The Ye Family.

"Ye Zhong truly is a wily old fox."

Zhao Hei, dressed in deep black clothes, moved through concealed corners between the buildings.

After confirming that he could not uncover any information in Ye City, he had come to investigate personally.

He had already spent two days gathering information here, but he truly had not learned anything useful.

From the casual conversations among the guards and Ye Family disciples—

It seemed that because Soul Hall had been causing trouble recently, a gag order had been placed on information concerning the Ye Family's genius.

He had not heard even a single name that might possibly belong to that genius.

And because he feared Ye Zhong, he did not dare release his soul perception recklessly.

All he knew was that whenever these people mentioned one particular person, they all revealed looks of resentment and envy.

If his guess was correct, this person was very likely that genius.

Yet this genius had somehow made his own family resent him.

That was quite interesting.

But there was nothing he could do if he could not find the person.

"Why not take advantage of Ye Zhong not noticing and simply kill all those young Ye Family disciples..."

A trace of viciousness flashed through Zhao Hei's eyes, and his aura flickered in and out of existence.

"End it once and for all!"

But when he thought of the repercussions it would cause, the idea lingered in his mind for only a second before vanishing again.

That would make too great a commotion.

Perhaps the Ye Family's hope of rising would be gone, but the Black Fire Sect's standing in the Pill Tower's eyes would also change.

After all, Soul Hall was currently causing trouble in the Pill Region.

And once the Pill Region suspected that the Black Fire Sect's stance was improper, it would spell disaster for the Black Fire Sect.

By then, not only would the problem remain unsolved, but he might cause the Black Fire Sect to perish even faster.

Would that not be putting the cart before the horse?

As for capturing someone, he might fail to get any information and merely alert the enemy.

Elsewhere.

Over the past two days, Ye Yan had spent all day beside the medicine cauldron in the cultivation chamber. Though the days had been exhausting, the sight of that pile of Rejuvenation Powder and other low-tier medicines filled him with satisfaction.

Even the Dou Qi he had only recently gained after breaking through to a two-star Dou Zhe had unknowingly grown much more robust.

Judging by its degree of refinement, his two-star Dou Zhe realm was likely already stabilized.

"I wonder whether Old Master has successfully refined the Child Fire yet."

Ye Yan stretched, then put away the medicine cauldron and the pile of Rejuvenation Powder on the ground.

During this period, the Second Elder and the other two only knew that Ye Zhong had accidentally obtained a Heavenly Flame and was now trying to refine it.

They knew nothing else.

But that alone was enough to excite them. Over the past few days, they had taken turns guarding Ye Zhong at the family's Gravel Square.

After cleaning up, Ye Yan left the cultivation chamber.

It was late, and he did not encounter anyone along the way. After exchanging a few words with the guards, he crossed a stretch of gravel path and headed deeper into the Ye Family to check on Ye Zhong's condition.

"Whoosh—"

But before he could take more than two steps, a heavy sound of palm wind slicing through the air reached Ye Yan's ears.

Ye Yan immediately sensed danger. He had lived too peacefully in the Ye Family for too long and truly had not expected danger to arise within the Ye Family itself.

This unknown enemy had chosen his timing perfectly, striking precisely while Ye Zhong was in seclusion.

And Ye Yan had none of the vigilance he would have had outside the Ye Family.

Before his body could react, however, a tremendous force seized him, making every bone in his body feel as if it had shattered.

In that instant, he knew that even if he had been more vigilant, it would have made no difference.

Anyone bold enough and swift enough to do this had to possess strength at least at the Battle Emperor level.

With his current Dou Zhe strength, he was no different from an ant trying to shake a tree.

The only solution was to try using the Azure Ice Flame.

"Oh? A two-star Dou Zhe with the bone age of nine. The Ye Family has truly produced quite a fine genius!"

A loud voice, deliberately altered in tone, sounded beside Ye Yan's ear.

Only then did Ye Yan come back to his senses. He turned toward the burly man with murderous light in his eyes.

His lips moved, but he found that he could not make a sound.

This man was exceptionally meticulous and bold. After sensing his cultivation, he had not killed him immediately, but instead examined him with interest.

Ye Yan immediately judged the man's character.

"Bold indeed. No fear in his expression even in this situation. He truly is a young tiger."

Seeing Ye Yan's gaze, the disguised Zhao Hei felt an inexplicable sense of relief rise in his heart.

Fortunately, he had come to investigate the Ye Family three days in advance. Otherwise, he would never have known of this remote and dim path.

That was how he had happened to catch this brat.

He was also fortunate that he had followed Black Nether's instructions.

For the first time, Zhao Hei felt that fortune truly favored him.

With that thought, Zhao Hei increased the strength in his hand.

"Brat, all I can say is that your luck is bad. I searched for information for two days and found nothing, yet now you have suddenly appeared before me."

Feeling the intense pain in his shoulder, Ye Yan bared his teeth and let out a muffled groan.

He was busy considering how to escape and could not be bothered to respond to the man's words.

"In your next life, remember not to be reborn into the Ye Family. Being reborn into my Black Fire Sect would be much better."

As Zhao Hei spoke, a savage expression appeared on his face. He extended his other hand and casually struck toward Ye Yan's head.

Simply snapping his neck was not reliable enough. Only by blasting his head into powder, letting blood and brain matter burst before his eyes, would it be truly foolproof.