"They are from the Xiao Clan."
High in the sky, three figures stood tall. Among them, a beautiful woman's gaze swept over Xiao Ming below and landed on Xiao Yan beside him. Her beautiful eyes held a hint of surprise as she spoke.
"Interesting. He's only at the Yuan Zong level, yet a Yuan Zun used the Power of the Great Dao to seal off the heavens and earth, and even then, he managed to secure a sliver of life for himself."
Across from the woman, a middle-aged man dressed in a plain robe and Confucian scholar's attire smiled and spoke, praising Xiao Yan highly. After all, the mysterious expert's understanding of the Power of the Great Dao was so profound that even they, with their cultivation levels, couldn't detect it at first. It was only after Xiao Yan's Heavenly Flames drilled a hole in the Space Seal that they noticed the commotion.
This alone is enough for them to praise the former's abilities.
"Hmph, it's no wonder that someone with such a rare treasure as Heavenly Flames would be targeted by Yuan Zun."
As soon as the scholar finished speaking, a tall, horse-faced man sandwiched between the two chuckled twice. His words caused both of them to raise their eyebrows slightly. The scholar looked at him with some surprise, and then a knowing expression appeared on his face.
"Oh! So he's Xiao Yan. It seems we should meet him."
The scholar nodded slightly, exchanged glances with the two beside him, and then, in a flash, he transformed into three arcs of light, appearing in front of Xiao Yan and the other person in an instant.
"Hehe, Fourth Elder, how have you been?"
A gentle laugh rang out, and Xiao Ming turned to look at the three people in front of him. He subtly shielded Xiao Yan behind him, and only then did the latter get a clear look at the faces of the three newcomers.
"President Chen, you're too kind. In fact, I should thank you for your help; otherwise, the situation would have been unpredictable."
Xiao Ming gratefully clasped his hands in a fist salute to the scholar who had spoken first, while Chen Xuanling waved his hand somewhat awkwardly and apologized:
"Fourth Elder, you flatter me too much. To be honest, it is shameful that the villains committed such atrocities in Pill City, and we, who were guarding the city, were completely unaware. It is truly our dereliction of duty."
"Fortunately, young friend Xiao Yan's skills are superb, even easily dealing with Yuan Zun expert. It seems that we don't need to take action; young friend Xiao Yan can resolve this on his own."
As Chen Xuanling finished speaking, the woman beside him turned her beautiful eyes to Xiao Yan. With her strength, she could naturally see that Xiao Yan was seriously injured, but she still spoke with a tone of praise.
It wasn't that she liked to flatter him, but if it were an ordinary Nine-Star Yuan Zong had encountered such a situation, they would probably have been powerless against a true Yuan Zun expert. However, Xiao Yan was not only not subdued, but he even broke through the spatial blockade formed by the Yuan Zun expert with the Power of the Great Dao. This is something that ordinary people cannot do.
"I was just lucky for a while."
Xiao Yan could only politely agree, but to his surprise, the other party immediately steered the conversation toward him.
"Hehe, if you say that being able to stand on equal footing with Yuan Zun Venerable is just a matter of good luck, then subduing Heavenly Flames can only be attributed to true strength. I, Zong, have also traveled the continent and have admired the Spirit of Heavenly Flames. Unfortunately, apart from the Great Elder Cloud Immortal Sect Huo Zhu back then, I have never seen any other Heavenly Flames. Today, seeing you, young friend, it seems that there is more than one kind of Heavenly Flames, right? Perhaps even..."
Although Yuwen Zong had previously sensed the presence of Heavenly Flames within Xiao Yan's body, he had not investigated it in detail. Now, upon examining it in person, he could not help but feel a sense of unease.
Not only did Xiao Yan possess various Heavenly Flames within his body, but he also absorbed the Fallen Heart Flame that he had seen before, a fact that greatly astonished him!
"Everyone knows that all the Heavenly Flames in the world have become spirits, something that ordinary people cannot achieve. Since young friend Xiao Yan has gained the recognition of many Spirit of Heavenly Flames, he must have something unique about him."
Beside Yuwen Zong, the beautiful woman Ji Yao echoed his words, clearly showing great interest in Xiao Yan.
The latter felt a wave of helplessness upon hearing this, letting out a few bitter laughs. Looking at the gazes directed at him by the two opposite him, he lowered his eyelids, shook his head, and sighed:
"This junior has nothing special about him; it was merely a series of fortuitous events, coupled with a slightly different cultivation method, that allowed him to receive assistance from several senior practitioners of Heavenly Flames."
Upon hearing this, Yuwen Zong and Ji Yao exchanged glances, and immediately understood what was going on.
How they managed to attract Heavenly Flames to aid them is unknown, but the fact that their bodies can simultaneously contain multiple Heavenly Flames is likely inseparable from the cultivation techniques they practice.
There is indeed a special cultivation technique on the mainland that allows the human body to contain different flames simultaneously. Unfortunately, the cultivation requirements of that technique are too demanding, and it must be practiced from beginning to end to be effective. If such a technique were to fall into the hands of Yuan Zun Venerables like them, it would only be a useless tool.
"Judging from your appearance, young friend Xiao Yan's Spiritual Strength should be at the level of Tier Seven High-Level Alchemist, right?"
After exchanging a few words of laughter with Xiao Ming, Chen Xuanling's gaze then fell upon Xiao Yan. Although somewhat puzzled, the latter still nodded respectfully and said:
"Exactly."
"Excellent, excellent! With your Spiritual Strength, coupled with the enhancement of the Heavenly Flames, young friend Xiao Yan, you are sure to shine brightly at this year's Pill Gathering. The championship title is not out of the question!"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan's eyes flickered slightly, and he shook his head, saying:
"Senior is too kind. Xu Qinghe, who was refining pills in the city a few days ago, is a true Tier Eight Alchemist. I am naturally no match for him, let alone comparable to him."
As soon as he finished speaking, Yuwen Zong, who was standing next to Chen Xuanling, chuckled twice. Just as he was about to speak, Xiao Ming, who was standing in front of Xiao Yan, suddenly coughed twice and said:
"The three of you, Xiao Yan is still injured. If this conversation continues, I fear his injuries will worsen. At that point, let alone winning the Pill Gathering, he might not even be able to participate."
"Well..."
Upon hearing this, the three immediately exchanged embarrassed glances and quickly bowed to Xiao Yan and his companion.
"Hehe, I'm truly sorry, I completely forgot about this matter. Young friend Xiao Yan is injured and cannot be delayed. If our three actions were to worsen his injuries, it would be unfair to the Pill Gathering. Please, both of you, make yourselves at home!"
Chen Xuanling said apologetically, then took a step back with the two beside him, leaving Xiao Yan and Xiao Ming to their own devices. Xiao Ming was not polite, and only Xiao Yan returned the greeting respectfully before being quickly led away by Xiao Ming.
Watching the two figures depart, Chen Xuanling and the other two exchanged glances again, and then unconsciously frowned.
Chen Xuanling looked up and scanned the surrounding world. After searching for a while, he still couldn't find any trace of the person who had attacked Xiao Yan earlier. It seemed that the person had already hidden somewhere in the city.
"Let's go back."
With a soft utterance, the three figures vanished silently from this world.