Before the Great Battle

Word soon reached Jia Nan Academy.

Faced with an alliance of eighty percent of the Black-Corner Region's factions, even Jia Nan Academy braced itself as though confronting a formidable enemy.

After receiving the Sect Breaking Pill from Shen Luo, Jia Nan Academy's deputy dean, Hu Gan, immediately entered seclusion.

He had been stalled at Peak Dou Emperor for years and was already only one final step away from the Dou Zong realm.

The other Dou Wang and Dou Emperor elders also took their pills one after another.

Su Qian felt a little uneasy, but seeing Shen Luo remain as steady as Mount Tai, he could hardly say anything.

Besides, the bigger the commotion became, the easier it would actually be to resolve.

Others might not know, but he knew perfectly well that the Qianbai Elders had both reached Peak Dou Zong.

With the two of them joining forces, no one in the entire Black-Corner Region could match them.

If it were just a minor scuffle, they might not intervene. But with such a formidable lineup, even the Black Emperor Sect and Demon Flame Valley sticking their hands into the affair, the enemy was clearly coming to wipe out Jia Nan Academy.

Even if the Qianbai Elders wanted to keep playing dead, that was now utterly impossible.

He immediately barged into the Qianbai Elders' secluded cultivation grounds and explained the situation in the Black-Corner Region to them.

Naturally, the Qianbai Elders thought little of it. They said that if the enemy failed to know their place when the time came, they would personally intervene and show those third-rate riffraff who truly ruled the Black-Corner Region.

Han Feng had delivered a War Declaration to Jia Nan Academy, choosing its Inner Academy as the battlefield. Su Qian and the others would wait there at their ease for the weary enemy, curious to see just what tricks the Black-Corner Region's foremost Alchemist could pull.

At that moment, a solemn atmosphere filled Jia Nan Academy's Inner Academy, and all its elders and students were actively preparing for battle.

"Teacher, I heard that traitorous senior brother of mine will bring people to attack Jia Nan Academy today. What should we do?"

Dressed in black robes, Xiao Yan looked apprehensive.

The moment he heard Han Feng's name, he had noticed something was wrong with Yao Chen. After repeated questioning, Yao Chen finally told Xiao Yan everything about those events from years ago.

"Heh, that ungrateful disciple does have some nerve, daring to attack Jia Nan Academy."

An illusory soul floated in the air beside Xiao Yan. He was Yao Chen, the former foremost Alchemist of the Central Plains and pavilion master of Starfall Pavilion.

"What do you mean, what should we do? He isn't coming for you. What are you afraid of?"

Yao Chen paused. "That new Inner Academy elder named Shen Luo possesses unfathomable strength. Even compared with me at my peak, his soul power falls only slightly short. Han Feng and his lot won't be able to stir up much of a wave."

Hearing Yao Chen's matter-of-fact words, Xiao Yan breathed a sigh of relief.

"Teacher, Jia Nan Academy's Fallen Heart Flame is sealed beneath the Heavenly Flame Qi Refining Tower. I'm afraid obtaining this heavenly flame will be very difficult."

Xiao Yan frowned.

After refining the Green Lotus Core Flame, his cultivation method had advanced to the middle Profound Tier. To raise it any further, he would have to refine another heavenly flame.

If he could refine the Fallen Heart Flame, not only would his strength advance by leaps and bounds, but his cultivation method might very well rise to the Earth Tier.

"Heh, getting impatient again, you little brat? You should know that a hasty mouth can't eat hot tofu."

Yao Chen stood with his hands behind his back, looking utterly unruffled.

"With so many powerful fighters from the Black-Corner Region attacking Jia Nan Academy's Inner Academy, an earth-shaking battle is bound to erupt. Isn't that our opportunity?"

Xiao Yan froze, then delight appeared on his face. "Teacher, you mean...?"

"If Jia Nan Academy remained peaceful, obtaining the Fallen Heart Flame right under a Dou Zong's nose would indeed be difficult. But this new First Elder of the Inner Academy thinks he has some ability and has actually offended so many factions. He's created the perfect opportunity for us."

Yao Chen had been hiding inside the Bone Spirit Ring all this time, hardly daring to show himself. Even his conversations with Xiao Yan had been furtive.

Only after realizing that Shen Luo had not come looking for master and disciple did he finally relax.

"Boy, when the time comes, I'll lend you a hand. Han Feng cultivates the Flame Mantra, so he'll certainly seize this opportunity to claim the Fallen Heart Flame. Once both sides have battered each other bloody, we'll strike amid the chaos."

Xiao Yan nodded.

At the thought of obtaining a second heavenly flame, he felt inexhaustible strength coursing through his body.

The most terrifying aspect of the Flame Mantra was not merely that the cultivation method could rise in rank, but that it could fuse heavenly flames.

Although even Yao Chen could not guarantee it with absolute certainty, since he had never cultivated it himself, Xiao Yan had never doubted the authenticity of this cultivation method.

His luck had always been excellent, with opportunities coming one after another throughout his journey. After he refined the Green Lotus Core Flame, the cultivation method had truly advanced from the Yellow Tier to the Profound Tier, proving just how miraculous it was.

"Strange, where did the Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python go? Why haven't I seen it these past few days?" Xiao Yan scratched the back of his head.

The snake had suddenly left a few days earlier, and he had no idea where it had gone to forage. Of course, this was not the first time something like this had happened.

The Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python had an enormous appetite. Although he occasionally supplied it with low-grade pills, it still needed to devour other magical beasts and natural treasures to sustain its growth and development.

Yao Chen waved a hand. "You needn't worry about that snake. It's already a fifth-rank magical beast and has acknowledged you as its master. Even Queen Medusa's soul cannot suppress it completely."

What worried Xiao Yan most was Queen Medusa's soul gaining complete dominance. That would inevitably bring trouble.

After all, he had taken advantage of her vulnerability back then, striking suddenly when the queen was at her weakest after evolving!

"I already have a plan for that woman. If she wants complete control over her body, she cannot do without a Spirit Fusion Pill and a Soul Restoration Pill. We'll use those as our terms and have her serve as your guard for a few years. Then you'll have another devoted Dou Zong expert protecting you."

Xiao Yan's face lit up.

He came from the Jia Ma Empire and knew all too well how formidable Queen Medusa was. Just imagining a woman like that serving as his bodyguard was enough to excite him.

Moreover, according to his teacher, after she took the Spirit Fusion Pill, Queen Medusa's soul would merge with the Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python's. Even if that woman refused to admit it, Xiao Yan would certainly count as half her master!

"As expected of you, Teacher. You truly plan every move from behind the command tent."

At that, Yao Chen laughed heartily. "When I roamed the Central Plains back then, who didn't show me some respect? People like them wouldn't even have been able to meet me in those days."

Yao Chen rubbed his hands together, seemingly recalling his former glory.

"Xiao Yan, if you help Jia Nan Academy resist its invaders, even if you refine the Fallen Heart Flame afterward, those old fellows won't have much grounds to complain."

Master and disciple exchanged words in the room, beginning to envision their bright future.

Meanwhile, Shen Luo stood in his room, his eyes fixed intently on the purple cocoon of light as cracks continued to spread across it.

He could sense that Zi Yan had successfully advanced. In the original story, Zi Yan had taken several months to advance from Dou Wang to Dou Emperor, yet now it had taken only three days.

Naturally, all of this was thanks to Shen Luo.

With his careful feeding, Zi Yan had not only replenished the deficiencies her body had accumulated over the years, but had also built increasingly deep reserves.

For this advancement, Shen Luo had also given her one Seventh-Grade Pill and two Sixth-Grade Pills, ensuring she had enough energy.

"Zi Yan, oh, Zi Yan, I wonder what you'll look like after advancing to Dou Emperor?"

"Will you be a little girl or a mature beauty?" Shen Luo's face brimmed with anticipation.

Tap, tap.

The crisp sound of high heels striking the floor suddenly rang out in the room.

Queen Medusa wore a red slit qipao, her slender, fair feet clad in red pointed-toe heels. A faint fragrance drifted from her body.

"Well, well, not bad. You've already become a Two-Star Dou Zong." Shen Luo pulled her into his arms, slipping his large hands through her neckline and beginning to knead gently.

"Mmm." Queen Medusa gave a soft moan, her hands wrapping around Shen Luo's neck with practiced ease!

"It was all thanks to the pill you bestowed on me, Master, that this queen gained complete control of this body."

Queen Medusa had taken the Soul Devouring Pill and devoured the Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python's original soul in its entirety. Then, with Shen Luo's help, she had broken through to Two-Star Dou Zong in one stroke.

"There will be a great battle today. When the time comes, follow my instructions!"

Medusa's face flushed crimson, and she buried her head even deeper!

"For now, have a fierce battle between the sheets with this young master!"

"Let's see whether your technique has improved!"

Shen Luo scooped Queen Medusa into his arms and walked toward the bed!

An inch of time was worth an inch of gold, and a moment on a spring night was worth a thousand pieces of gold!