Meeting the Lord of the Heavenly Palace; Venerable Yao Is Detained! Xiao Yan: There's a Ghost Living in My Ring?

Soon, the entire field of Immortal Herbs identical to the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well—priceless treasures on the Douluo Continent—was personally crushed by Chrysanthemum Douluo into a bucket of green-and-purple plant fertilizer.

Then he was forced to pick up the bucket of priceless fertilizer and pour it around the roots of an unremarkable-looking red fungus.

Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle!

The fifth-grade Dragon Blood Ganoderma absorbed the Immortal Herb fertilizer, and its leaves brightened ever so slightly.

"Hmm, the effect's mediocre. It really is just a weed."

Fa Ma took a look and shook his head in disappointment. "Forget it. It'll have to do."

"Next task: go pull up that pile of white flowers over there and feed them to the pigs in the backyard."

Meanwhile, on the Douluo Continent.

Shrek Academy, from Tang San's perspective.

"Pfft!!!"

Tang San spat out another mouthful of blood. This time, his very foundation had truly been injured.

His eyes were bloodshot as he stared fixedly at the smashed remains beneath Fa Ma's feet, which looked like the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, and at the bucket of discarded Immortal Herb fertilizer.

"The supreme Immortal Herb recorded in the Tang Sect Secret Records, a divine treasure capable of completely remaking a person."

"In that old man's eyes, it's actually impure in medicinal power? Thin in spiritual energy?"

"It can only be used for compost? To feed pigs?"

"No! This can't be!"

"This absolutely cannot be!!"

Clutching his head, Tang San slammed himself against the wall, desperately trying to wake from this nightmare.

His entire system of knowledge, his sense of superiority, and the greatest advantage he had as a transmigrator had all been crushed to pieces by Fa Ma, the Alchemist Guild's president, in the most straightforward way imaginable!

Sunset Forest, Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.

Dugu Bo stared at his Medicine Garden. He used to think it was a treasure trove, but now it looked like nothing more than a cesspit.

"Me—"

With trembling hands, Dugu Bo plucked a newly sprouted Aromatic Silk Beauty. "The upgraded version of this thing is considered a weed over there?"

"Does that mean I'm not even qualified to be a gardener as Poison Douluo?"

"Yue Guan, Yue Guan. You may have had it rough, but at least you personally fertilized a fifth-grade medicinal herb!"

At that moment, an absurd sense of envy welled up in Dugu Bo's heart.

If he'd been able to fertilize a fifth-grade medicinal herb, did that mean the fertilizer itself had been punching above its weight?

Meanwhile, elsewhere.

Battle Through the Heavens World, Heavenly Palace.

These peerless treasures were called divine Immortal Herbs on the Douluo Continent, and every single one could drive Titled Douluo to fight to the death.

Here, they grew densely along the roadside, as casually as weeds!

Xiao Yan even saw a snow-white crane strolling elegantly through the flowerbeds, picking and choosing among the plants.

It casually pecked at a plant of pure green, its leaves gleaming with a dewy luster at their centers. It swallowed the plant like a snack, then flicked its head dismissively, as though it found the taste mediocre.

Seeing this, he could no longer find words to describe how he felt.

The succession of shocks had gradually numbed Xiao Yan, turning his astonishment into blank acceptance.

He had once believed that the Ancient Clan stood at the pinnacle of the Battle Qi Continent. Compared to the Heavenly Palace before him, though, the Ancient Clan was probably no more than a rich country bumpkin.

At last, they arrived before a magnificent hall.

The hall soared into the clouds, its entire structure made from some unknown divine purple-gold iron. True dragons and colorful phoenixes were carved across its doors, radiating a pressure that made the soul tremble.

Two guards stood at the entrance, clad in silver armor and holding long spears. They gazed straight ahead without moving.

But Xiao Yan was horrified to discover that the auras of these two guards were even more terrifying than that of the Venerable who had brought him here!

"D-Dou Sheng Experts guarding the door?!"

Xiao Yan swallowed, his legs turning weak.

In the Jia Ma Empire, Dou Emperors were the heavens;

in the Central Plains, Dou Zuns ruled as overlords.

But here, Dou Shengs were just security guards?

"We're here."

The Guide Venerable stopped and straightened his clothes, his expression turning utterly respectful.

Then he turned to Xiao Yan, glanced at Dai Mubai in the cage, and said coolly, "The Palace Master will see Xiao Yan alone.

"The rest of you are not permitted inside."

As he spoke, the Venerable pointed to a flight of stone steps in the corner by the hall's entrance. "Put the cage down and have him wait there."

"Yes!"

The golden-armored guard lowered the prison cart heavily to the ground, his expressionless face unchanged.

Boom!

Dai Mubai shuddered from the impact, but he didn't dare utter a single complaint.

He simply lay in the cage, greedily breathing in the air, his heterochromatic eyes full of humble eagerness to please.

He also watched Xiao Yan, who was about to enter the hall, with eyes full of envy.

Before the hall doors.

Xiao Yan took a deep breath and calmed his tumultuous emotions.

He knew that behind those doors sat an exalted being capable of changing his fate—and even overturning the entire Battle Qi Continent.

"Go on."

The Guide Venerable gently nudged him. "The Palace Master is waiting inside."

Xiao Yan nodded and climbed the ninety-nine Purple Gold Steps with heavy strides.

Creak!

The heavy Divine Iron Gate slowly opened.

A primordial, chaotic aura surged out and instantly swallowed Xiao Yan's figure.

As the doors slowly closed, they shut Dai Mubai, the Guide Venerable, and the curious gazes of the entire Douluo Continent outside.

Only Dai Mubai's envy-twisted face remained frozen on the viewing screen.

Heavenly Palace, Main Hall.

There was none of the vulgar splendor of gold and jade. Instead, it felt as though one stood amid the vastness of the stars.

At the far end of the hall, clouds and mist swirled.

A figure reclined lazily upon a throne.

His features were impossible to make out. Sun, moon, and stars seemed to revolve around him, and with every breath, the very space of the hall moved in rhythm.

The Lord of the Heavenly Palace, Lin Feng!

Xiao Yan entered the hall and felt as though he were a drop of water merging into the sea, so insignificant as to hardly exist.

The oppression that struck at his very soul made his knees buckle, and he fell to them involuntarily.

"This junior, Xiao Yan, pays his respects to the Palace Master!"

Xiao Yan's voice trembled, but excitement filled it even more.

A long while passed.

Only then did a vast, ethereal voice slowly ring out across the starry hall, as if it had traveled across the river of time.

There was no figure to be seen.

No true form.

"Xiao Yan."

The two simple words sent the Dou Qi in Xiao Yan's body surging instantly, as though it had undergone a baptism!

"This junior is here!" Xiao Yan trembled with excitement, his forehead pressed firmly to the ground.

"Though your birth was humble, you possess an unyielding spirit."

"You rejected the Misty Cloud Sect and swore to wash away your humiliation with your own hands."

"With such a disposition, you belong in my Heavenly Palace."

The voice was cool and imposing, like a god enthroned above the nine heavens, looking down upon an ant.

As he spoke, Lin Feng lounged against the back of his throne. His gaze passed through the swirling chaos and settled on the young man below.

Then his eyes shifted slightly, coming to rest on the ancient black ring on Xiao Yan's finger.

"Now that you've joined the Heavenly Palace, it's best to clear out the filth on you."

Lin Feng spoke indifferently. His voice wasn't loud, yet it stirred ripples of the Great Dao throughout the hall.

Xiao Yan froze, unable to understand what the filth referred to.

Lin Feng casually raised one finger and gave a light beckoning gesture toward Xiao Yan.

"Come out."

Two simple words, and reality obeyed!

Buzz!!

The black ring on Xiao Yan's finger began to tremble violently.

Then an uncontrollable soul force was ripped from the ring!

"Spare me, senior!"

Accompanied by a terrified, hoarse cry, a translucent old man's soul was dragged out without the slightest chance to resist.

It landed in a heap beside Xiao Yan, shivering!

It was none other than Venerable Yao, Yao Chen, who had been sleeping inside the ring!

Where was the slightest trace of the former number-one alchemist of the Central Plains in Yao Lao now?

Under the terrifying pressure of the Lord of the Heavenly Palace, his soul seemed on the verge of scattering. He could only kneel on the ground like an ordinary mortal, too terrified even to raise his head.

"Th-this is—"

Xiao Yan stared at the old man who had suddenly popped out of his ring, completely dumbstruck.

There's a ghost living in my ring?!

"Xiao Yan, have you never wondered why the Dou Qi you cultivated so painstakingly kept disappearing for no reason?"

Lin Feng's cool voice came from the throne. "Ask the old fellow beside you."

At that, Xiao Yan's pupils contracted. He abruptly turned and glared at Yao Lao.

"It was you?!"

"You've been draining my Dou Qi for the past three years?!"

Faced with Xiao Yan's murderous glare, Yao Lao raised his head bitterly, wanting to explain.

But beneath Lin Feng's omnipresent pressure, he didn't even have the courage to lie. "Little one, I had no choice."

"Back then, I was only a wisp of a remnant soul—"

"No choice, my ass!!"

Xiao Yan's mind shattered. If they weren't in the Heavenly Palace's main hall, he would have rushed up and bitten the old bastard to death!

So this was the truth!

So he hadn't been a good-for-nothing at all—he'd been ruined by this parasite!

"That's enough."

Lin Feng coolly cut off Xiao Yan's fury and glanced at the trembling Yao Chen. "Yao Chen, known as Venerable Yao, was once the Central Plains' number-one alchemist."

"Your credentials are decent enough."

"Since you absorbed my disciple's Dou Qi, you may be spared the death penalty, but you won't escape punishment."

Lin Feng casually waved a hand. A golden seal instantly struck Yao Lao between the brows: the highest-grade Heavenly Palace Slave Seal!

"As it happens, the Heavenly Palace's alchemy room is short a few fire-tending boys."

"Your soul may be damaged, but your alchemy skills are passable. Go assist an elder in the Alchemy Hall."

"If you perform well, I might consider helping you rebuild your body."

A fire-tending boy?!

Yao Lao felt bitterness down to his bones.

He, a venerable alchemy grandmaster, had been reduced to a mere fire-tending boy?

But could he refuse?

Feeling the power that could crush him at any moment, Yao Lao immediately knocked his head against the ground with a series of thuds. "Thank you, Palace Master, for sparing my life!"

"This servant, Yao Chen, is willing to serve the Heavenly Palace with all his might! I'm willing to tend the fire!"

As long as he could live and recover, he'd do anything—even scrub toilets, let alone tend a fire!

Seeing this, Lin Feng nodded and swept his sleeve.

Yao Lao was whisked away and sent to the Heavenly Palace's Alchemy Hall, where his life of working off his debt began.

Then Lin Feng turned his attention back to Xiao Yan below. "All right. Now that you've joined my sect, you mustn't bring shame upon the Heavenly Palace."

"Nalan Yanran is an ant. Since she gave you a Three Year Agreement, I'll grant you three years of fortune."

Before his words had even finished, ripples suddenly appeared in the empty space.

Then three balls of radiant light slowly floated down from the void and hovered before Xiao Yan.

"First, a cultivation technique."

The voice rang out again. "The Flame Mantra you cultivate is incomplete."

"I made a few casual adjustments, removed its impurities, and fused it with a trace of the Chaos Flame Origin."

"It shall now be called the Chaos Burning Heaven Technique."

"Cultivating this technique will let you devour every flame under heaven, without limit or bottleneck."

At that, Xiao Yan abruptly lifted his head and stared at the scroll in the first ball of light, which radiated an aura of chaos. His breath caught in his throat!

How was this merely an adjustment? It was practically an entirely new creation!

And on the Douluo Continent, everyone watching this scene felt their hearts skip a beat.

Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang was already dead, but his theories still influenced plenty of people.

Yet in the face of this cultivation technique, the so-called saying that there were no useless Martial Souls, only useless Soul Masters, seemed utterly pale and powerless.

Because this guy's cultivation technique could take you straight to the max level!

"Second, a weapon."

The Lord of the Heavenly Palace's voice rang out again. "I grant you the Nine Dragon Eternal Ruler."

"This ruler contains the souls of nine fire dragons."

"With a swing, it can scorch mountains and boil seas."

Clang!

The second orb of light shattered, and a massive ruler, pitch-black from end to end and wrapped in the patterns of nine crimson fire dragons, slammed into the white jade floor in front of Xiao Yan.

The entire platform shook violently!

"Third—"

The voice paused, as if pondering what little trinket to give him.

"Resources."

"On the path of cultivation, one needs wealth, companions, techniques, and a place to practice."

"In this Storage Ring, I casually tossed in ten million gold coins, ten Sixth-Grade Pills, five Seventh-Grade Pills, and five scrolls of Heaven-Rank Dou Techniques."

"Take them."

Rustle!

As the voice fell, an old-fashioned black ring drifted lightly down into Xiao Yan's palm.

On the Heavenly Palace platform.

Cradling the three treasures, Xiao Yan was completely dumbstruck.

He felt like he was dreaming.

Wasn't this outrageously generous? Was this the Heavenly Palace's style?

"Th-thank you, Palace Master, for your generous gifts!"

"Xiao Yan will not disappoint you! In three years, I'll flatten the Misty Cloud Sect!"

"Go."

The supreme voice gradually faded away, carrying a trace of laziness. "I'm tired."

"Remember to take that watchdog with you when you leave."

"Though this low-dimensional life-form is weak, it could be amusing to use for testing medicine or as a meat shield."

"Yes!"

At that, Xiao Yan rose respectfully, put away the three treasures, and turned to leave the hall.

Night fell, and stars dotted the sky.

Compared to the daytime bustle, the residence where Xiao Yan was staying was now especially quiet.

In the back courtyard, a specially made iron cage sat in the corner, with several layers of hay spread inside.

Dai Mubai, once a prince of the Star Luo Empire, was curled up in it, both hands gripping the bars as his mismatched eyes stared fixedly at the figure in the middle of the courtyard.

That was Xiao Yan.

After returning from the Heavenly Palace, Xiao Yan didn't rest or even celebrate. He simply sat cross-legged on the flagstones in the courtyard.

"Hoo—"

Xiao Yan drew a deep breath and took a pill glowing with a pale blue light from his Storage Ring.

"A Sixth-Grade Pill?"

Xiao Yan glanced at it, then shook his head and casually tossed it back into the Storage Ring.

"No, its medicinal power is too fierce. My body can't take it yet."

Next, he took out a handful of red pills that looked like sugar beans.

"A Fourth-Grade Purple Heart Barrier-Breaking Pill?"

"Tsk, it's meant to break through bottlenecks, but the technique the Palace Master gave me says there aren't any bottlenecks—"

"Forget it. I'll eat them like candy and build up my strength."

Gulp.

Under Dai Mubai's stunned gaze, Xiao Yan casually tossed the Fourth-Grade Pill—one that would have been enough to spark a scramble among Titled Douluo on the Douluo Continent—into his mouth, as if he were eating peanuts!

He chewed it up!

And swallowed!

"Such a waste! What a waste—"

Dai Mubai swallowed hard, his heart bleeding.

That was a Fourth-Grade Pill!

By this world's standards, even a single one was worth more than the annual budget of Shrek Academy!

But in the next moment, Dai Mubai had no time to grieve over it.

Because Xiao Yan began cultivating.

"Chaos Burning Heaven Technique, activate!"

Xiao Yan gave a low shout in his heart and formed a strange hand seal.

BOOM!!!

The tranquil back courtyard was instantly swept by a terrifying energy storm!

The world's energy within a ten-mile radius seemed to answer some domineering summons, surging madly toward Xiao Yan!

Before their eyes, a gigantic, five-colored energy funnel appeared above Xiao Yan's head and poured straight into his crown!

"W-what kind of cultivation is this?!"

Dai Mubai cowered in the corner of the cage, trembling. "What's he doing? Is he trying to kill himself?!"

"An energy infusion this terrifying would make even a Titled Douluo's body burst!"

On the Douluo Continent, Soul Masters cultivated by meditating cautiously, drawing Soul Power from the air bit by bit for fear of damaging their meridians.

But Xiao Yan was practically an energy black hole!

Crack!

A crisp sound came from inside Xiao Yan's body.

Dai Mubai froze.

H-he broke through?