Heavenly Mansion Alliance

Fan Tian and his two companions.

Two came from the Pill Tower, and one from Sound Valley.

They were unquestionably among the top powers openly known in the Central Plains.

Of the three, even the weakest, Dan Chen, was a three-star Dou Emperor. Cao Ying was a few years older than Dan Chen and had already reached the six-star Dou Emperor realm.

Yet Fan Tian knew these two prodigies could not simply be treated as ordinary Dou Emperors. They were seventh-grade Alchemists, with souls at the middle stage of the Spirit Realm. Even ordinary Dou Zongs would gain little advantage against them.

Fan Tian had experienced this firsthand while exchanging techniques with them in bed.

Their mastery of soul power had reached the point of perfect refinement, allowing them to unleash or withdraw it at will, leaving Fan Tian unable to break through despite his prolonged assault.

Once his opponent unleashed the Lotus Stance, his true essence was overdrawn in less than two minutes, and he suffered an instant defeat.

Fan Tian could only rely on the Heaven-Rank Dou Technique, Yellow Springs Finger, to salvage his pride. Even so, the pressure on him kept mounting.

From One Finger Imprisons Heaven and Earth to his current Three Fingers Destroy All Life, Fan Tian had to fight two opponents at once, his hands battling independently, just to maintain a slender advantage.

Further down the road, he might well have to use Four Fingers Shatter the Firmament and Five Fingers Move Heaven and Earth.

Black Seal City.

The Eight Gates headquarters.

Fan Tian sat in the seat of honor, sipping tea, with Dan Chen and Cao Ying seated beside him on either side. Meanwhile, Yuan Yi, the sect master of the Eight Gates, and three Dou Wang elders knelt on one knee, trembling.

"Sect Master Yuan, how would you feel about renaming the Eight Gates the Heavenly Mansion Alliance from now on?" Fan Tian asked mildly, without even lifting his eyelids.

Yuan Yi was, after all, a veteran Dou Huang expert who had clawed his way through the Black-Corner Region. He had been quietly observing the three ever since they arrived in Black Seal City.

All three were exceptionally young, yet none was weak. In particular, the young man leading them was actually a Dou Zong at eighteen or nineteen.

How could he possibly be a Dou Zong?

Yuan Yi had spent most of his life in the Black-Corner Region and had never even heard of a Dou Zong so young. Even at Jia Nan Academy, the foremost power in the Black-Corner Region, which gathered gifted talents from across the continent, reaching peak Dou Ling or barely entering the Dou Wang rank at this age would already be the absolute limit.

These people probably came from the Central Plains. The powers backing their families must be extraordinary. At the very least, they must have one of those legendary Dou Zun experts at home. If I could forge a connection with them...

"Sect Master—no, Mansion Lord, you are absolutely right!" Yuan Yi praised Fan Tian without a moment's hesitation. "Heavenly Mansion, Heavenly Mansion! Taking heaven itself as your mansion! Not only does it overflow with imposing grandeur, it also echoes your name, Mansion Lord. Truly a match made in heaven! Marvelous, marvelous!"

Yuan Yi had learned Fan Tian's name from the way Cao Ying and Dan Chen addressed him, and now his praise flowed without end. The Dou Wangs behind him were seasoned old foxes as well. They pulled out every trick they knew, their faces flushed as they raised their thumbs and loudly hailed Fan Tian's wisdom, declaring him a dragon and phoenix among men, a peerless prodigy.

"Hahaha! Now that you put it that way, I suddenly find you all much more pleasing to the eye! Hahaha!"

Under this barrage of flattery, Fan Tian's heart became a restless monkey and his mind a galloping horse. Looking at the men whose cheeks had reddened from all their praise, he suddenly felt that the Black-Corner Region was not nearly as dangerous as everyone claimed.

All that talk of deceit and treachery, of plotting against one another and laying ambushes, was nothing but rumor. Just look at these men from the Eight Gates-didn't they say the nicest things?

"Since no one has any objections, that settles it!" Thick-skinned though Fan Tian was, even his cheeks felt a little warm now!

"Yuan Yi, I plan to hold a pill auction in Black Seal City in a month. I'll need you to gather some medicinal ingredients and notify all the prominent powers in the Black-Corner Region to attend. Thank you for your efforts!" Fan Tian said solemnly.

"As you command, Mansion Lord!"

Yuan Yi immediately bowed and cupped his hands. After a brief hesitation, he continued, "May I ask what grade of pills you intend to auction, Mansion Lord? That will help this old man notify those fellows who won't stir without a profit!" Fan Tian nodded and turned his gaze toward Cao Ying and Dan Chen.

Cao Ying: ?

Dan Chen: ?

Fan Tian...

A trace of killing intent lurked in Cao Ying's eyes, while Dan Chen looked displeased as well.

"You're holding a pill auction, so why are you looking at us? Go find that blue-haired little girlfriend of yours! We're just ordinary girlfriends!"

Fan Tian gave a dry cough and lowered his voice. "Come on, we're the perfect team! Besides, we agreed that time in bed: whoever's army crumbled first would have to follow the other's orders!"

Cao Ying froze at his words, panic flickering through her eyes. She likewise whispered, "We did it so many times! How could I remember everything that clearly?"

Dan Chen's face went pale too, and she muttered, "Exactly! Exactly! Things said in bed don't count!"

Seeing the two trying to wriggle out of their promise, Fan Tian flew into a rage. He slowly raised his right hand and finally held up three fingers, saying coldly, "Surely you haven't forgotten Three Fingers Destroy All Life! We agreed: if you gamble, you accept your loss."

At the sight of Fan Tian's three raised fingers, the two women seemed to recall something. Their bodies abruptly stiffened, and they sucked in a sharp breath!

"Seventh-Grade Pills!" The two women lightly clenched their pearly teeth as they reluctantly answered Yuan Yi!

The Soul Realm.

After several months of intense fighting in the six clans' campaign against the Hun Clan, the Hun Clan was the first to buckle, losing ground battle after battle!

"Hun Tiandi, all those thousands of years your Hun Clan spent lying low and building its strength don't seem to amount to much!" Gu Yuan waved his right hand, and an enormous palm seal fully ten thousand zhang across instantly took shape before slamming toward Hun Tiandi.

Hun Tiandi's expression grew slightly more serious. He thrust a finger of his left hand forward, and an equally immense finger appeared behind him. It then surged forward and collided with the enormous palm seal in the void.

"Gu Yuan, isn't it a little excessive for your six clans to join forces against my Hun Clan?"

"Excessive? After everything your Hun Clan has done, you still have the gall to call others excessive?"

"Gu Yuan, all these years, I can honestly say I've never laid a hand on your Gu Clan's people! In fact, I specifically ordered my people to give yours a wide berth, showing you every consideration. Otherwise, your Gu Clan could never have held on to the Xiao Clan's Ancient Jade!"

Hun Tiandi smiled faintly and began chatting with Gu Yuan as though they were discussing everyday affairs.

"Hmph, Hun Tiandi, your tongue is as glib as ever," Gu Yuan snorted coldly. "You were recovering from your injuries, so spare me this talk of showing me consideration. If nihility devouring flame dared attack my Gu Clan, I would skin him alive! As for the Xiao Clan's Ancient Jade, let me correct you: the Xiao Clan ceased to exist a thousand years ago, slaughtered to the last by your Hun Clan. That Ancient Jade has long belonged to my Gu Clan."

"So my Hun Clan paid such an enormous price, and even I was gravely wounded by Xiao Xuan and spent a thousand years recovering, only for the Xiao Clan's Ancient Jade to end up benefiting your Gu Clan. Is that it?"

Hun Tiandi spoke coldly.

Gu Yuan remained silent, his gaze sweeping over Lei Ying and Yan Jin, who were exchanging injury for injury with nihility devouring flame, meeting him head-on.

"Hmph. Back then, after the Soul Xiao War ended, Xiao Xuan was dead and you were gravely wounded. I led the Gu Clan's experts to seize the opportunity and wipe your Hun Clan out completely. Who would have thought the Lei, Yan, Yao, Shi, and Ling Clans would openly oppose us, speak on your Hun Clan's behalf, and even establish a rule forbidding experts above Five-Star Dou Sheng from taking action, declaring that anyone who did so would be challenging every Emperor Clan? I wonder whether they regret it now?"