A Reunion of Three, and a Senior Disciple's Care for His Junior

With Yao Lao's vast spiritual perception covering all of Maple City, Xiao Yan located Han Feng almost effortlessly.

Han Feng was alone in a bamboo grove deep within his estate. A medicinal cauldron stood before him, and he appeared to be refining Pills.

For some reason, his right eyelid had been twitching nonstop for days, growing worse with each passing day.

He had never felt such inexplicable dread and agitation in all his years. He could not even focus on refining medicine, the craft he had always taken such pride in.

Another batch of Pills went out of control at the last moment, leaving nothing but charred waste.

Han Feng stared at the black smoke curling from the cauldron. At last, he could no longer contain his frustration. He swept every medicinal ingredient from the table with one fierce strike and cursed, "Damn it!"

His chest heaved, his eyes bloodshot. His furious voice echoed through the empty bamboo grove:

"That damned old man... If he'd just taught me the Flame Mantra sooner! I wouldn't have had to turn on him, and I wouldn't have had to spend all these years hiding like a coward!"

He blamed everything on Yao Lao.

In his twisted reasoning, if Yao Lao had not kept secrets from him and had taught him the Flame Mantra early on, why would he have joined forces with the Soul Hall to murder his own teacher? Why would he have fled to the Black-Corner Region to escape Venerable Feng?

People as selfish as Han Feng always blamed others for their mistakes. They never considered that they themselves might be at fault.

What Han Feng did not know was that while he ranted and cursed, Xiao Yan and Yao Lao had already slipped into the bamboo grove without a sound. They heard every word.

Xiao Yan's face had darkened, undisguised fury churning in his eyes.

He had lived two lifetimes and thought he had seen his share of shameless people. Never had he met a beast with such gall.

Yao Lao remained silent within the ring.

The figure he had once treated like his own son and devoted himself to raising had finally shown his true face.

At that moment, the old man's heart went utterly cold. There was no more pain, no more anger—only icy disappointment.

He turned to Xiao Yan beside him. The boy's face was tight with anger, and the sight brought a little warmth back to his heart.

At least this time, he had not misjudged his disciple.

"A beast is a beast. Raise one all you like, and it'll never become human." Xiao Yan muttered the words, flipped his hand, and hurled the Three-Colored Fire Lotus he had long held ready straight toward Han Feng.

Han Feng was still cursing when his senses suddenly caught something terrifying entering the grove.

His twitching eyelid spasmed so violently it felt ready to tear. He spun around, his pupils contracting. "Oh no!"

"Explode!" Xiao Yan closed his hand gently. The lotus blazed with three colors, then detonated right in front of Han Feng.

Amid a deafening roar, an enormous lotus formed from destructive energy bloomed through the bamboo grove.

A terrifying shock wave swept outward, pulverizing everything in its path. The entire estate was flattened by the blast.

Xiao Yan stood steady at the center of the explosion. Not even the hem of his robe stirred.

With the life-saving powers of the Horse Talisman and Dog Talisman protecting him, the shock wave could not so much as scratch his skin.

"That brat's body can take one hell of a beating." Yao Lao studied his disciple and clicked his tongue in wonder, despite all he had seen in his long life.

"Looks like my Senior Brother can survive a blast too." Xiao Yan watched the dust churn at the center of the explosion and suddenly smiled.

At the instant of the blast, he had clearly sensed the aura of a Heavenly Flame.

That must have been the Sea Heart Flame.

It seemed Han Feng had used the Heavenly Flame to keep himself alive through the attack.

Sure enough, a battered figure slowly emerged from the swirling dust.

Han Feng looked nothing like the Medicine Emperor now. His robes hung in shreds, his exposed skin was covered in burns, and blood dripped steadily from the blackened cloth.

His aura had weakened considerably as well.

"Who... who are you?" Han Feng forced his battered body to remain upright and stared at the young face before him.

He was certain he had never seen that face before.

Yet in the explosion, he had sensed a trace of something familiar.

"My dear Senior Brother, what did you think of the welcome gift I prepared for you?" Xiao Yan's lips curved into a bright, innocent smile.

At the word "Senior Brother," Han Feng took a step back, disbelief filling his eyes.

"You... impossible! Absolutely impossible! I clearly..."

"Clearly what? Saw me die?" Yao Lao's voice came from within the ring.

Then Yao Lao's spirit slowly drifted out of the Bone Flame Ring.

He hovered in midair with his hands behind his back, his familiar face cold and indifferent.

"You... you really aren't dead! How... how can you be so strong?" Han Feng nearly lost his footing the moment he saw Yao Lao.

At last, he understood the source of the familiar spiritual aura he had sensed in the explosion. It was Yao Lao's Ancient Spirit Cold Flame.

What shocked him even more was how powerful Yao Lao's aura remained despite his spirit form.

Han Feng instantly realized he was trapped. His eyes darted between Xiao Yan and Yao Lao before settling on Xiao Yan.

His senses would not lie. The kid was only a Dou Ling.

If he could seize the boy by surprise and take him hostage, he might yet bargain with Yao Lao for his life.

Before the thought had fully formed, Han Feng began his performance.

"Teacher, I never wanted to hurt you! It was Mu Gu... that monster Mu Gu forced me.

"I've regretted it every day and night since. Nightmares wake me constantly..."

Xiao Yan and Yao Lao stood where they were, watching Han Feng kneel and weep.

Neither bothered to expose him. They even looked faintly amused, as though enjoying a show.

"Teacher, I truly know I was wrong! Please..." As Han Feng pleaded, he shuffled forward on his knees, inching closer and closer to Xiao Yan.

The instant he came close enough, the remorse and humility on his face twisted into vicious malice.

"Please hand your precious disciple over to me!"

He unleashed every last bit of Dou Qi in his battered body and lunged at Xiao Yan like a starving wolf.

The might of a Peak Dou Emperor bore down on Xiao Yan like a solid wall of iron.

Han Feng had assumed that even badly wounded, he could seize a mere Dou Ling with a flick of his fingers.

But the fear he expected never appeared on Xiao Yan's face.

The boy showed no sign of panic, and Yao Lao remained hovering calmly where he was.

There was even a hint of pity on his face—pity for an ant rushing to its death.

A flicker of dread rose in Han Feng's heart. Before he could work out what was wrong, he saw Xiao Yan's lips slowly curve into a smile.

"My dear Senior Brother," Xiao Yan said with a mocking smile, "you do love putting on a show."