"The three Heavenly Flames inside me actually began to be devoured and tamed once the Flame Mantra guided them. They've even become docile."
Xiao Xuan sensed the tremendous changes in the three Heavenly Flames within him. Even he could not help being overjoyed.
In all the years since he had absorbed these three Heavenly Flames, they had never been so obedient.
They were so docile that they hardly seemed like Heavenly Flames anymore, but rather some ordinary flames.
Yet Xiao Xuan could clearly sense that the Heavenly Flames had not weakened. The terrifying power contained within them remained; it had merely been tamed and brought under control by the Flame Mantra.
"This super Flame Mantra really is a treasure! Now that these three Heavenly Flames are completely under my control, the power boost I get from using the Heavenly Fire Three Mysterious Transformations will probably increase even further.
"And from now on, I can keep collecting more Heavenly Flames. When the time comes, I might even create Four Mysterious Transformations or Five Mysterious Transformations!"
Even Xiao Xuan could barely contain himself.
The thought of someday charging into the Hun Clan or the Gu Clan with the buff from Heavenly Fire Five Mysterious Transformations, Six Mysterious Transformations, or even Twenty-Three Mysterious Transformations, beating up everyone he saw, made him want to laugh.
All he could say was that the extra cheat the Flame Mantra had given him was simply too powerful.
The only problem was that Heavenly Flames were truly rather difficult to find.
Wait! Xiao Xuan suddenly remembered that Yao Chen seemed to possess a Heavenly Flame as well.
He considered asking Yao Chen for a seed of bone spirit cold flame and nurturing it until it grew powerful. Wouldn't that give him his fourth Heavenly Flame?
It would be as easy as turning over his hand.
Xiao Xuan then summoned Yao Chen to discuss the matter of Heavenly Flames.
After hearing Xiao Xuan out, Yao Chen expressed his wholehearted willingness to provide a seed of bone spirit cold flame.
Xiao Xuan had even refined Yao Chen's physical body for him and saved his life. What was a mere Heavenly Flame in comparison?
Yao Chen even offered to give Xiao Xuan his entire bone spirit cold flame, but Xiao Xuan refused.
He only needed a flame seed. With his current Half-Emperor cultivation, even a trace of bone spirit cold flame would soon allow him to nurture a genuine new bone spirit cold flame.
Besides, Yao Chen was now the Xiao Clan's alchemist, and the boost Heavenly Flames provided to alchemy went without saying. If Xiao Xuan forcibly took his own alchemist's Heavenly Flame, wouldn't he effectively be robbing his own clan of its strength? There was no need for that.
Xiao Xuan obtained a seed of bone spirit cold flame from Yao Chen and began feeding and nurturing it with his Half-Emperor Dou Qi.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the Jia Ma Empire beyond Wutan City, a plan targeting the Xiao Clan was taking shape.
Oba Pa, head of the Ao Ba Family, personally traveled from Wutan City to Jia Ma Holy City, the capital of the Jia Ma Empire. He brought a large sum of gold coins jointly raised by the Jia Lie Family and the Ao Ba Family to the Jia Ma Imperial Capital to find someone.
Oba Pa took a long, winding route through the capital before finally entering an underground black market hidden within the Jia Ma Empire.
Here, Oba Pa found the person he wanted to see.
Standing outside an old residence, he took out a small pouch of gold coins and handed it to the attendant guarding the door. "Please announce me. Tell him his old friend from Wutan City, Oba Pa, head of the Ao Ba Family, has an important favor to ask of Senior Xuan Tengying. It's a matter of great importance, and I hope Senior Xuan Tengying can lend a hand."
The attendant weighed the payment Oba Pa had given him and smiled. "Please wait a moment, Family Head Oba Pa." Then he went inside.
After a while, the attendant came back out and said, "Family Head Oba Pa, please come in. Lord Xuan Tengying will see you."
Only then did Oba Pa nod and enter.
Inside the old residence, he finally met the man he had come to see.
The man before him had long, curly hair and a hooked nose, giving him a rather sinister appearance. Dressed in gray robes, he was drinking tea. When he saw Oba Pa arrive, Xuan Tengying smiled.
"What a rare visitor, Family Head Oba Pa. It's been more than a decade since we last met, hasn't it? After all these years, you've suddenly come knocking. Do you need something from me?"
Oba Pa smiled. He and Xuan Tengying had known each other for more than a decade.
Over a decade ago, Xuan Tengying had already been a renowned Dou Wang mercenary assassin in the Jia Ma Empire's black market.
Back then, Oba Pa had also sought Xuan Tengying's help to kill someone. Xuan Tengying had handled the job swiftly and cleanly, resolving a great deal of trouble for Oba Pa. His strength was beyond question.
The man's only drawback was his enormous appetite. Hiring him cost Oba Pa a great deal of money.
That was why Oba Pa had been reluctant to seek his help all these years.
This time, he truly had no other choice. He could not rest easy until the Xiao Clan was eliminated, so he had decided to play this final trump card.
Oba Pa did not beat around the bush. He directly explained the situation with the Xiao Clan in Wutan City.
His request was simple: he wanted Xuan Tengying, an Eight-Star Dou Wang expert, to kill Xiao Xuan, then dispose of Xiao Zhan and the Xiao Clan's several Da Dou Shi elders while he was at it.
Once all the Xiao Clan's strongest fighters were dead, swallowing up the clan would be as easy as turning over his hand.
After listening, Xuan Tengying nodded and said, "That's simple. As far as I'm concerned, there's nothing I can't accomplish as long as the money is right.
"But you know my rules, Family Head Oba Pa. Hiring me won't come cheap."
Xuan Tengying was powerful, an Eight-Star Dou Wang, so he naturally had the right to demand a high price.
Moreover, Dou Wang experts were extremely rare within the Jia Ma Empire. A Dou Wang was already a major figure in his own right there, and few would risk their lives merely for gold coins.
Xuan Tengying only still accepted such jobs because he had offended too many people and could only hide his identity in the black market. Otherwise, given his cultivation and status, an ordinary Da Dou Shi like Oba Pa could never have gained access to him.
Xuan Tengying's fee was steep indeed. Oba Pa said, "Naturally, I know that. I made preparations before coming."
Oba Pa then took out a pale gold card issued by the Mittel Trading Company.
Each of these pale gold Mittel cards could hold up to 400,000 gold coins. The Ao Ba Family and the Jia Lie Family had truly paid through the nose to eliminate the Xiao Clan, each contributing 400,000 gold coins to hire Xuan Tengying.
However, Oba Pa had brought only one pale gold card today. He said, "There are 400,000 gold coins here as a deposit. Once the job is done, you'll receive another 400,000, for a total of 800,000. That should satisfy your appetite, shouldn't it?"
A full 800,000 gold coins-an astronomical sum.
The Xiao Clan's annual net profit in Wutan City was only around 100,000 gold coins. Eight hundred thousand represented eight years of its profits.
It was expensive, but in Oba Pa's eyes, spending eight years' worth of profits to eliminate the Xiao Clan once and for all was a worthwhile deal.
Sure enough, even Xuan Tengying was tempted by 800,000 gold coins.
In fact, the market rate of 600,000 gold coins was already enough to hire a Dou Wang expert.
Oba Pa offered 800,000 because he wanted Xuan Tengying to spare no effort.
Xuan Tengying was very satisfied with this price.
He said, "You certainly know how to get things done, Family Head Oba Pa. All right, it's a deal. For 800,000 gold coins, I'll wipe out the Xiao Clan for you. Naturally, I'll give it my all."
Xuan Tengying accepted the card and took the job.
Then Xuan Tengying remembered to ask Oba Pa a question.
"Oh, right, I nearly forgot to ask. This hired fighter you mentioned, Xiao Xuan, whom the Xiao Clan brought in-what cultivation level is he, exactly?"
Before making his move, Xuan Tengying at least needed to know his opponent's strength.
After all, if his opponent was also a Dou Wang, he would have to make some preparations beforehand. Otherwise, how could killing a Dou Wang possibly be easy?
Oba Pa chuckled and said, "Heh, don't worry about that. The Xiao Clan's Xiao Xuan isn't all that strong. In my opinion, he's only at Peak Dou Ling, or Dou Wang at the absolute most.
"His strength is only impressive in Wutan City, enough to frighten people like us. Across the entire Jia Ma Empire, he wouldn't even rank."
Oba Pa spoke with ironclad certainty, but he did not tell Xuan Tengying that Xiao Xuan's cultivation level was merely his own guess.
He did not actually know Xiao Xuan's cultivation level. After all, what if he estimated it too high and Xuan Tengying refused to go?
Besides, in Oba Pa's view, the Xiao Clan was not wealthy. Even if they paid to hire an expert, how powerful a fighter could they possibly afford?
In all likelihood, he was merely a Dou Ling or a Dou Wang.
As far as Oba Pa was concerned, although he had guessed Xiao Xuan's cultivation level, his guess should be close enough.
In short, Xuan Tengying could go without a worry.
Seeing how solemnly Oba Pa assured him, Xuan Tengying truly did put his mind at ease.
"Heh, so he's just a mere Dou Ling. I thought this was some major job. Don't worry. Killing a Dou Ling is as easy as turning over my hand!"
"Once I find the right opening, I can cut him down with a single slash."
Oba Pa was very satisfied with Xuan Tengying's guarantee.
This was the boldness of an Eight-Star Dou Wang expert. He certainly had confidence.
Oba Pa said, "Then I'll await your good news. Bring me Xiao Xuan's and Xiao Zhan's heads, and we'll exchange payment for the goods."
Xuan Tengying said, "Just go back and have the remaining 400,000 gold coins ready."
After Oba Pa left, the Dou Wang Xuan Tengying got to work earning his payment.
He immediately began making preparations.
He was preparing to travel to Wutan City and assassinate Xiao Xuan.
Before you continue