The first collaboration with Xiao Yan

"Boom..."

With a deafening rumble, Xiao Yan vanished into the Scarlet Flame Giant Dragon's maw, seemingly entering its body in an instant.

In a flash, scorching flames erupted.

From a distance, the Scarlet Flame Giant Dragon seemed to have become a blazing crimson Medicine Cauldron, while Xiao Yan was like a medicinal ingredient being refined within it, enduring the searing heat.

Not far away, Su Tian narrowed his eyes. There was not a trace of triumph on his handsome face; instead, his expression gradually grew solemn.

The Scarlet Flame Giant Dragon's sudden attack had exceeded Xiao Yan's expectations and caught him somewhat off guard.

Moreover, with Su Tian putting his full strength into the strike, the power contained within the Scarlet Flame Giant Dragon was not to be underestimated. It was enough to kill a two-star Dou Shi instantly.

But Su Tian understood that Xiao Yan was no ordinary person and could not be judged by ordinary standards. Powerful though this strike was, defeating Xiao Yan with it alone would clearly be difficult.

After all, Su Tian knew Xiao Yan's trump cards very well.

Even if Xiao Yan truly could not withstand this attack, as long as Yao Lao was there, he would never stand idly by and allow Xiao Yan to come to harm.

"If I'm not mistaken, Yao Lao should be making his move about now..."

Su Tian stared intently at the blazing fireball formed by the Scarlet Flame Giant Dragon, his gaze solemn as he murmured under his breath.

From what Su Tian knew of Xiao Yan, Flame Splitting Wave Ruler was already his greatest trump card. As for Buddha's Fury Fire Lotus, that terrifying, heaven-defying attack, the current Xiao Yan had yet to master it.

Thus, if Xiao Yan wanted to withstand the formidable power unleashed by Su Tian's Army-Breaking Dragon Fist...

Yao Lao would have to intervene!

Sure enough, a thunderous roar rang out from the enormous blazing fireball the next moment.

"Boom..."

The instant he heard it, Su Tian's expression shifted slightly. An excited gleam flashed through his eyes, and an unsurprised smile lifted the corners of his mouth.

Then, amid the crimson flames bursting across the sky, a slender figure slowly walked out.

When he raised his head to look at Su Tian, his delicate features came into view. It was none other than Xiao Yan, who had been swallowed by the Scarlet Flame Giant Dragon. His clothes were disheveled, his hair hung loose, his face was slightly pale, and his breathing was somewhat rapid.

A glaring trickle of crimson also ran from the corner of Xiao Yan's mouth.

Clearly, although Xiao Yan had withstood Su Tian's attack, he had paid a heavy price for doing so.

"A very fine attack. You're strong."

Xiao Yan drew a deep breath, a calm smile curling his lips. A white gleam flickered in his eyes as he looked at Su Tian, and there seemed to be a faint hint of age and experience within them.

The next moment, Xiao Yan abruptly raised his hand and clenched it hard toward the space behind him.

"Boom..."

As Xiao Yan suddenly tightened his right hand, an aura several times stronger than before erupted from his body. An icy-white flame immediately surged from his right palm.

"Time to settle down..."

Xiao Yan spoke calmly, and the strange icy-white flame swiftly lunged toward the scorching fireball.

In the blink of an eye, the once-roaring flames visibly dwindled as though they had encountered their natural enemy, until not even a flicker rose from them.

"Condense."

Without turning his head, Xiao Yan suddenly commanded in a low voice.

The next moment, the strange icy-white flame enveloped the scorching fireball. Under Su Tian's gaze, it transformed into an enormous sphere resembling an ice sculpture in the blink of an eye.

At the sight, Su Tian's pupils contracted sharply, and wariness instantly spread through his heart.

"This strange icy-white flame..."

Su Tian drew a deep breath, but a flash of excitement suddenly swept through his eyes as he murmured softly.

"It really is Yao Lao's bone spirit cold flame!"

It clearly looked like fire, yet it gave off an icy aura. The moment it touched the scorching fireball, the latter shriveled rapidly like a balloon before turning into an enormous sphere of ice.

Everything before him left Su Tian utterly certain.

This was bone spirit cold flame!

So Yao Lao intervened in the end?

Su Tian narrowed his eyes, calmly watching Xiao Yan, whose aura had changed completely, and silently pondered.

Still, even Yao Lao's intervention was entirely within Su Tian's expectations.

"Xiao Yan, this youngster is rather unusual. He seems to have quite a few secrets. With your strength, defeating him quickly might be difficult."

While Su Tian silently watched Xiao Yan, Yao Lao's solemn voice quietly rang out in Xiao Yan's mind.

"The situation doesn't favor getting tangled up in a drawn-out fight with this youngster. Once the experts from the Snake-People Tribe or Gu He's people free themselves up, seizing the green lotus core flame won't be so easy!"

In just a few words, Yao Lao laid out the situation clearly.

Naturally, Xiao Yan understood what Yao Lao meant.

"I never expected this. I thought my strength was already quite respectable among my peers, but I never imagined..."

Xiao Yan took a deep breath, a faint, bitter smile lifting his lips. After a brief silence, Yao Lao, who understood how he felt, soon spoke again to console him.

"The Jia Ma Empire is ultimately too small for you. The Dou Qi Continent is vast, truly vast. When you step onto that greater stage one day, you'll discover that even more wonders await you."

"Besides, beyond every master stands another, and beyond every heaven lies another sky. Some ancient families possess descendants blessed with exceptional advantages in cultivation. One day, you'll understand."

Yao Lao seemed to recall something and could not help sighing softly. Looking at Xiao Yan's resolute, delicate face, he smiled faintly and reassured him.

"But you needn't lose heart over this. Given your circumstances, even those prodigies of the Dou Qi Continent probably couldn't have done better than you. Not just anyone can compare with my disciple!"

By the end, Xiao Yan could clearly hear the pride in Yao Lao's voice.

Teacher, thank you.

After a moment of silence, a confident smile returned to Xiao Yan's delicate face as he spoke silently in his heart.

I'll prove to everyone that your disciple will never be mediocre!

"Good!"

Hearing Xiao Yan's resolute words, Yao Lao could not keep the emotion from his aged face, and a sheen of tears filled his old eyes.

From beginning to end, Yao Lao had chosen to place absolute trust in Xiao Yan!

Yao Lao knew perfectly well that heaven had let him be blind once. This time, he would not misjudge someone again.

"You've already done very well this time. Leave what comes next to your teacher."

Yao Lao smiled kindly, looking at Xiao Yan with a benevolent gaze as he chuckled.

Xiao Yan did not refuse. He merely nodded lightly, knowing full well that seizing the green lotus core flame took priority now.

"Finally making your move?"

Seeing a hint of age and experience appear on Xiao Yan's delicate face, Su Tian's gaze sharpened. He immediately grew wary and murmured under his breath.

The next moment, Xiao Yan stamped down hard, and his figure shot toward Su Tian.

At the sight, Su Tian drew a deep breath and gave a cold snort.

"Bang..."

Su Tian likewise stamped down hard. Rather than retreat, he darted toward Xiao Yan.

But just as Su Tian was about to collide with Xiao Yan, something unexpected happened. Xiao Yan gave him a strange smile, then shifted sideways and brushed past him.

"What?"

Su Tian's pupils contracted. He hurriedly turned to look, only to see Xiao Yan charging straight toward the small island at the center of the lake.

Su Tian's expression immediately changed, and he hastily called out.

"Wait..."

But before Su Tian could finish, Xiao Yan, under Yao Lao's control, had already rushed out over the lake.

"Boom..."

Reaching the edge of the lake, Xiao Yan casually glanced at its crystal-clear waters and licked his lips. The Purple Cloud Wings on his back fluttered slightly, but just as his body ventured roughly a meter out over the lake, an exceedingly strange force suddenly slammed him toward the water.

Just as his body was about to touch the lake water, Xiao Yan's heart clenched, and an intense sense of unease flashed through him.

Almost reflexively, prompted by Yao Lao's swift warning, he tossed a jade ruler from his Storage Ring into the lake, then lightly tapped it with his toes.

"Bang..."

Using that slight buoyancy, Xiao Yan shot back to the shore, skimming the lake's surface.

Su Tian watched as Xiao Yan narrowly managed to land at the lake's edge. Xiao Yan hurriedly looked back at the jade ruler, which had been corroded into nothingness almost instantly, and could not help swallowing hard...

"Be careful. There seems to be an energy restriction above the lake. Anything that flies over it will be forcibly pressed into the water."

Yao Lao's solemn voice immediately rang out in Xiao Yan's mind.

"And judging by what just happened, the lake clearly contains a deadly poison. Even a Dou Wang expert would probably be in trouble if they got so much as a little on themselves."

Damn it...

Xiao Yan clenched his fists and cursed inwardly, agitation appearing on his face. Only after a long while did he exhale deeply and show a bitter smile.

Teacher, what should we do now?

"Hey, hey, hey, Xiao Yan. You were in such a mad rush just now that you wouldn't listen to a single word I said. What, were you that afraid I'd get the green lotus core flame first?"

Just as Xiao Yan was fretting over the lake's strange properties, Su Tian's teasing voice suddenly reached him.

Xiao Yan raised his head and saw Su Tian standing with his arms folded, looking as though he were enjoying the show.

"Did you know from the start that there was something strange about this lake?"

"That's right."

Su Tian nodded nonchalantly, then shrugged and said irritably, "A shame, really. Before I even had a chance to speak, someone was already in such a hurry to throw himself into danger."

"You..."

Xiao Yan frowned and was about to speak, but Yao Lao interrupted him.

"Don't be hasty. This youngster has managed to stay in the Snake-People Tribe's headquarters and remain unharmed until now. There must be something unusual about him. Perhaps he has a way."

All right.

Xiao Yan drew a deep breath, and his expression became calm again.

"Do you have any suggestions?"

"Oh, willing to hear me out now?"

Su Tian raised an eyebrow, rubbed his nose, and said with a chuckle, "It's not as though there's no way to cross this lake and reach the island. It's just..."

"Just what?"

Hearing Su Tian leave him hanging at the end, Xiao Yan frowned and asked irritably.

"Heh heh heh. It's just that I'd like to work with you."

Su Tian paid no mind to Xiao Yan's tone and continued smiling as he spoke.

At those words, Xiao Yan froze.

"It's simple. I'll tell you how to cross this lake, and you'll help me reach the island in the middle of it."

Su Tian rubbed his nose, took a few steps forward, and spoke calmly.

Xiao Yan's expression remained composed as he asked in a low voice, "Why should I help you cross the lake?"

"Because I have the Green Lotus Base, and without it, you're doomed to fail at subduing the green lotus core flame."

"That's mine!"

Hearing Su Tian's shameless words, Xiao Yan immediately grew angry. He snorted coldly and retorted.

Su Tian merely grinned, utterly unconcerned by Xiao Yan's tone. "Whatever the case, it's in my hands now. That's a fact, isn't it? You can't deny that, can you?"

"If you don't agree, that's fine too. I can still tell you how to cross the lake. But whether you subdue the green lotus core flame or get burned to ashes by it, I couldn't say."

With his arms folded, Su Tian walked up to Xiao Yan, showing no fear of the ghostly white light appearing in his eyes, and spoke with a faint smile.

He knew Xiao Yan was no fool.

Su Tian believed Xiao Yan could weigh the benefits against the drawbacks. Just as he had said, the Green Lotus Base was in his hands. If Xiao Yan wanted to subdue the green lotus core flame, he would need it.

Unless Xiao Yan intended to devour the green lotus core flame directly on the spot.

But devouring heavenly flames was far from something that could be accomplished quickly. If Gu He, the Great Elder, and the others arrived, Xiao Yan would be in extreme danger.

Even with Yao Lao's help, he could not fight several Dou Huang experts and multiple Dou Wang experts simultaneously.

Unless Yao Lao expended every last ounce of his life force-but that was clearly not something Xiao Yan wanted to see.

Su Tian was being shameless, but he knew that to deal with Xiao Yan and force him to act according to his wishes, he had to cast aside all shame and take his brazen tactics to the limit.

After all, behind Xiao Yan stood Yao Lao, a seasoned schemer as cunning as an old fox.

Su Tian knew he was absolutely no match for Yao Lao when it came to cunning.

Thus, Su Tian decided to simply play the rogue.

Meanwhile, after listening to Su Tian's words, Xiao Yan fell silent.

Only after a long while did Xiao Yan raise his head and look deeply at Su Tian, as though trying to carve his face firmly into his memory.

Xiao Yan could not remember how long it had been since he had suffered such a loss at the hands of a peer. It was not that he had never considered using force, relying on Yao Lao's strength to compel Su Tian to hand over the Green Lotus Base.

But Yao Lao had specifically instructed Xiao Yan not to act rashly.

That was because Yao Lao could sense no trace of panic from Su Tian, nor could he detect any sign that Su Tian was merely pretending to be calm.

It was as though Su Tian still had an even stronger trump card he had yet to reveal. His earlier words seemed to be telling Xiao Yan: These are the facts. Even if you want to attack, I'm not afraid in the slightest!

After a long silence, Xiao Yan slowly spoke in a low voice.

"I agree... to cooperate!"