A Fox Borrowing a "Fake" Tiger's Might!

"Four-Star Dou Zong? Impossible!"

Zhao Hei felt an aura several times more powerful than his own, and a sense of foreboding rose within him.

And there was also...

"Damn it, that Heavenly Flame is yours."

"No, that's not right. Yours is a Child Fire. The true Heavenly Flame isn't in your hands."

Zhao Hei stared at the dark-blue stream of fire hurtling toward him and cried out in panic.

"Enough nonsense. You dared invade my Ye Family and kill my Ye Family's disciples. You must die!"

"Whoosh—"

A piercing sound split the air as the stream of flame slammed into his chest.

Zhao Hei's body abruptly froze, the ferocity on his face turning into shock.

Before that shock could fully fade, a mouthful of crimson blood mixed with fragments of internal organs spewed from his mouth.

"Bang!"

His blood shot out like an arrow, and his body flew backward like a falling star before crashing heavily onto the ground.

The entire Ye City stared almost blankly at the old man in green and the dark-blue flames winding around his palm.

"Ye Zhong broke through and even obtained a Heavenly Flame?"

This was the second time Cao Chun had viewed the Ye Family differently.

"Was the Heavenly Flame that fought Zhao Hei earlier truly controlled by Ye Zhong?"

Qiu Chuan was puzzled.

If not, then it meant the Heavenly Flame within that spatial rift was controlled by someone else.

And the Heavenly Flame in Ye Zhong's hand really was a Child Fire.

Seeing Qiu Chuan's solemn expression, Cao Chun smiled at his side.

Though he normally disliked using his brain within the family, he had no choice but to think in a situation like this.

The Heavenly Flame in Ye Zhong's hand was clearly a Child Fire, while the dark-blue flame within that space was the true Heavenly Flame.

In other words, the Ye Family had come into contact with an expert at least at the Battle Sovereign level.

The Child Fire in Ye Zhong's hand had been separated from that expert's flame.

It seemed the Cao Family would need to interact more with the Ye Family in the future.

Naturally, Ye Zhong, whose anger was burning fiercely, had no idea of the thoughts churning in Cao Chun and Qiu Chuan's hearts.

"Ye Zhong, if you dare kill me, my sect master won't let you off."

Zhao Hei clutched his chest and staggered to his feet.

The Second Elder and Third Elder had also surrounded Zhao Hei.

"Great Elder, he saw Ye Yan's face," the Second Elder transmitted to Ye Zhong.

Ye Zhong nodded slightly. The space before him distorted, and dark-blue flames erupted instantly, changing shape in midair.

Boom! Boom!

With a sweep of Ye Zhong's sleeve, the flames burst forth and shot out in all directions, covering every inch within a ten-foot radius around Zhao Hei.

Staring at those flames that radiated an icy aura, Zhao Hei's expression turned solemn. Powerful Dou Qi surged from within his body to resist the invasion of the cold.

Crack!

The flames spread, forming a layer of solid ice over Zhao Hei's protective barrier and the ground.

Very quickly, the bone-chilling cold penetrated the barrier, frosting Zhao Hei's robes and hair white.

It even made him feel a chill rise from the depths of his soul.

Thirty breaths later.

Ye Zhong slowly calmed the dancing flames. As the flames dispersed, dark-blue ice crystals appeared.

Zhao Hei was trapped within them.

Ye Zhong let out a long breath and casually sent out a strand of Dou Qi with his left hand, shattering the ice crystal.

"How is Yan'er?"

Ye Zhong turned around and nodded to the two Dou Zongs in the air before asking with lingering concern.

"He's fine. He only suffered some internal injuries and needs time to recover," the Second Elder replied.

"That's good."

A sweet metallic taste surged into Ye Zhong's throat. He clenched his teeth and forcibly swallowed the blood that had risen because he had tried to interrupt the refining process earlier.

He then nodded courteously toward the two men in the air.

"Congratulations to Elder Ye Zhong on your breakthrough and on obtaining a Heavenly Flame."

Cao Chun descended through the air and cupped his hands in congratulations toward Ye Zhong.

Seeing this, Qiu Chuan followed him down and cupped his hands toward Ye Zhong as well, though he said nothing.

"I merely received the favor of a senior."

A smile suddenly spread across Ye Zhong's face, full of relief and reverence toward that unknown senior.

Originally, the Ye Family could have quietly prospered, but the sudden attack by the Black Fire Sect had exposed the Heavenly Flame.

Now, he could only borrow the prestige of an unknown tiger.

He knew that when Ye Yan released the Azure Ice Flame, he needed to open a spatial rift. That was enough to make others speculate.

The Ye Family only needed another dozen or so years.

Cao Chun cursed inwardly, though his face wore a flattering expression.

This Ye Zhong is truly shameless. Favored by some unknown senior? Was that senior interested in you, or in that genius of the Ye Family? Did he really think they were fools?

Qiu Chuan's expression was equally hard to describe.

With the Ye Family's rise, the pressure on the Qiu Clan would be the greatest.

"Alright, everyone. My Ye Family has just suffered an attack and still needs to clean up. We won't keep you two any longer."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Ye Zhong held his head high and showed the two men no courtesy at all.

"Very well, then we won't disturb you."

Cao Chun muttered to himself, intending to return to the Cao Family and discuss with Cao Yuan whether they should change their attitude toward the Ye Family.

Qiu Chuan cupped his hands, barely able to conceal his worry, then turned and left.

After the two departed.

Ye Zhong came to Ye Yan's side and coughed softly a few times.

"Your injuries aren't light, are they?"

Ye Yan looked at Ye Zhong and spoke slowly.

After taking several first-grade healing pills, aside from the bloodstains on his body, he looked to be in no serious condition.

Only some internal injuries remained.

"It's not too serious. It's just that your Heavenly Flame has more or less been exposed." Ye Zhong shook his head.

The most important matter now was still the Heavenly Flame. If they could not make others believe that they had backing, trouble would be immense.

"There was no choice. Life is more important."

"Once your injuries heal in a few days, go try your luck at the Pill Tower, or perhaps travel outside for experience."

Thoughts raced through Ye Zhong's mind. The Ye Family was destined to become a thorn in the eyes of various factions, and it was no longer suitable for Ye Yan to remain here.

Ye Yan nodded.

He had already done all he could to help the Ye Family. Now, he could only hope those factions would fear that fabricated senior.

There was no point in him staying.

"Alright, go rest. I'll give you some resources over the next few days."

Ye Zhong sighed and returned to his room to recover from his injuries.

Ye Family council hall.

This was already the second day after the Black Fire Sect attacked the Ye Family.

Only a handful of people were in the council hall: the four elders and the sole younger member, Ye Yan.

They had suddenly been called here by Ye Zhong for a meeting and still had no idea what was going on.

The situation in Ye City had been truly complicated these past few days.

Just as everyone was feeling worried,

Ye Zhong said brightly, "Yesterday, the Cao Family sent a message to our Ye Family."

"Alright, old man, stop keeping us in suspense," Ye Yan said helplessly.

He had just been busy extracting Wood Qi, and who knew whether he would have such peaceful days again afterward.

"Cao Family head Cao Yuan sent word that he wishes to cooperate with our Ye Family..."

Ye Zhong paused again near the end. "However, from the letter, I sensed that they know the flame in my possession is a Child Fire. As for the details, I'll need to discuss them with Cao Yuan in person."

The Second Elder and the others were not surprised in the slightest. Once everyone had seen the Heavenly Flame within that space, it had been inevitable that it could not be concealed.

"Could they be trying to obtain the Child Fire from us?"

The Second Elder felt somewhat irritated and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"After all, aside from the Heavenly Flame, our Ye Family can be considered a family with nothing. What could possibly make them value us?"

As they listened, everyone suddenly turned to look at the youngest person in the hall.

"Why are you looking at me? Could I be their target?"

Ye Yan rubbed his forehead, truly not knowing what to say.

He had never even shown his face. How could he have drawn the Cao Family's attention?

"Forget it. We'll discuss it after I speak with Cao Yuan."

Ye Zhong cut off everyone's speculation.

"One final piece of good news: because of the Heavenly Flame, my alchemy skills have improved tremendously. I've reached the peak of seventh-tier alchemist, and I've also fully understood the formula for Ye Yan's Foundation Building Spirit Liquid. I can now refine Foundation Building Spirit Liquid with ninety percent of its effect."

Before the Second Elder and the other two could cheer, Ye Zhong added,

"However, Ye Yan should also leave for the Pill Tower tomorrow."

The few of them lowered their heads in disappointment again. As a faction, they could not even protect their own genius.

How could that not leave them troubled and upset, especially when he was a family member who had contributed so greatly to the clan?