His voice remained calm, but this time, there was a noticeable hint of impatience in it.
The reason he rescued the young man was twofold: firstly, the Heavenly Flames contained within the Fire Lotus reminded him of someone.
Secondly, he was all too familiar with that Heaven -Radiant Heaven World-Burning Spear.
He searched for that person for far too long.
He searched the entire Central Plains and traversed countless secret realms, rushing to any place he heard even the slightest hint of something plausible.
I returned disappointed every time.
Today, above this desolate stone forest, he actually sensed the auras of both the Bone Spirit Cold Flame and the Radiant Heaven World-Burning Spear at the same time.
He tore through space and rushed over almost the instant he sensed that aura.
As Venerable Feng finished speaking, Xiao Yan clearly felt an inexplicable pressure fall upon him.
That pressure was different from the oppressive aura that Old Ghost Liu had released before.
Old Ghost Liu's oppressive aura was violent and crushing, like using brute force to press a person to the ground.
The pressure from the Venerable Feng is a subtle, pervasive influence; it doesn't oppress your body, but directly affects your soul.
The entire space seemed to freeze as soon as the other person spoke.
The air stopped moving, sound stopped traveling, and even time itself seemed to slow down at that moment.
Xiao Yan gritted his teeth.
"This humble one, Xiao Yan, greets Senior Venerable Feng."
Xiao Yan hesitated only slightly before forcing himself to bow to Venerable Feng.
His movement aggravated the gruesome sword wound on his back, and a tearing pain shot through the wound, causing cold sweat to instantly break out on his forehead.
He gritted his teeth and swallowed the muffled groan, bowing slightly with impeccable manners, neither servile nor arrogant.
Then he continued speaking:
"This Dou Technique was passed down to me by a senior. As for the Heavenly Flames within my body..."
Xiao Yan paused slightly, then hesitated for a moment before speaking.
He could feel the Venerable Feng's deep, ancient eyes staring unblinkingly at him.
That gaze was not threatening, yet it was more irresistible than any threat.
But he made no attempt to hide it.
There's no point in hiding something when faced with such a situation.
If the opponent can see through the origin of his Dou Technique at a glance, they can also see through whether he is lying.
Venerable Feng clearly knew that both the Dou Technique and the Heavenly Flames belonged to Yao Lao.
His momentary loss of composure when he saw himself unleash the Radiant Heaven World-Burning Spear had already explained everything.
Xiao Yan took a deep breath, and the burning pain in his chest intensified with this action.
He steadied himself and continued:
"This Heavenly Flames is due to my special talent, which I also obtained from that senior."
He wasn't lying.
His Heavenly Flames power is indeed related to Yao Lao, but the reasons are too complicated to explain in a few words.
As for how Venerable Feng interprets those words, that's beyond his control.
As Xiao Yan finished speaking, Venerable Feng seemed to let out a soft chuckle.
"Oh!"
The laughter was soft and brief, fleeting, yet it made Xiao Yan's heart leap into his throat.
The next moment, before Xiao Yan could react, Venerable Feng's finger was already pointing at his brow.
The movement was faster than he could perceive; he didn't even see how the other person made the move, only feeling a slight chill between his brows.
A long, slender finger was already pressed against his skin.
Xiao Yan's body instinctively wanted to retreat, but he forcefully suppressed the impulse.
In front of a Dou Zun, any form of dodging is futile and will only make one appear guilty.
Immediately, Xiao Yan could clearly feel a subtle Dou Qi entering his body through the other person's fingers.
That Dou Qi was extremely gentle, so gentle that he could hardly feel its presence.
Unlike Old Ghost Liu's domineering and tyrannical Dou Qi, it had no aggressive intent. Instead, it was like a gentle stream, flowing slowly along his meridians.
This Dou Qi entering Xiao Yan's body felt like a gentle breeze.
Wherever the Dou Qi passed, the shattered meridians in Xiao Yan's body received a slight relief.
The feeling was like a parched, cracked riverbed finally receiving a spring rain; although it couldn't immediately repair all the damage, it did alleviate some of the pain throughout his body.
The burning sensation in his meridians was soothed by the gentle touch of the Venerable Feng's Dou Qi that it felt as if a layer of cool ointment had been applied, making him feel quite comfortable.
After circulating his Dou Qi within Xiao Yan's body, Venerable Feng withdrew his hand.
His movements were swift and decisive, without the slightest hesitation.
The moment the finger left Xiao Yan's brow, that warm, spring-like feeling vanished.
Xiao Yan looked up and met Venerable Feng's slightly puzzled gaze.
The doubt in those eyes was genuine, without any attempt to hide it.
A Dou Zun expert has become so powerful that he no longer needs to hide his emotions from anyone.
He can be confused when he wants to be confused, and unhappy when he wants to be unhappy; he needs neither pretense nor explanation.
"Strangeness..."
Venerable Feng murmured, his brows furrowing slightly.
His gaze was sharp as lightning, continuing to fixate on Xiao Yan, and he asked:
"Then what is the reason for the two Heavenly Flames you possess?"
His findings left him somewhat puzzled.
He had originally thought that this kid could use both the Bone Spirit Cold Flame and the Green Lotus Core Flame Heavenly Flames simultaneously.
He must have cultivated the Flame Mantra.
That was Yao Chen's unique technique, capable of devouring multiple Heavenly Flames and fusing them into one. It was the culmination of Yao Chen's lifelong research into Heavenly Flames.
In Venerable Feng's understanding, on the entire Dou Qi Continent, apart from the Flame Mantra, there is no other cultivation method that allows a person to control more than two Heavenly Flames at the same time.
Of course, unless one possesses immense strength and can forcibly suppress the Heavenly Flames.
However, this kid clearly can't do it.
However, the results of his investigation just now clearly told him...
There was no trace of the Flame Mantra circulating within this kid's body.
Therefore, he needs an explanation.
Upon hearing Venerable Feng's words, Xiao Yan immediately thought of the cultivation technique practiced by Xiao Huohuo.
He naturally knew the secret of the Flame Mantra.
That was Xiao Huohuo's foundation, and also the most important thing that Yao Lao passed on to Xiao Huohuo.
It seems that Venerable Feng mistakenly believed that he had cultivated the Flame Mantra cultivated by Xiao Huohuo because of the Green Lotus Core Flame and Bone Spirit Cold Flame that he released.
"..."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan remained silent for a moment.
Then he continued:
"This... is also due to the boy's talent."
He wasn't lying.
His Cold Fire Martial Soul is indeed an innate talent, and his ability to Simulation different Heavenly Flames through his Martial Soul is a manifestation of this talent.
Although this statement is so concise as to be almost vague, every word is true.
As for how the Venerable Feng will interpret this "talent," that's another matter entirely.
Venerable Feng gave Xiao Yan a deep look. If he wanted to forcibly read Xiao Yan's memories, it wouldn't be impossible for him with his strength.
But he didn't.
He glanced at it only once, then looked away.
He could sense that Xiao Yan's tone didn't sound like he was lying.
Of course, the most important point is...
He had just personally examined the boy's body.
His Dou Qi circulated throughout Xiao Yan's body, thoroughly examining his meridians, dantian, and energy core.
The way this kid circulates energy within his body is completely different from any cultivation method he has ever seen; it's a system he has never encountered before.
The other party indeed did not cultivate the Flame Mantra.
Venerable Feng confirmed this.
However, the Radiant Heaven World-Burning Spear was obtained by Yao Lao through a chance encounter.
That Earth Tier Dou Technique was extremely powerful. It was created by a master of spear techniques, and once the spear was unleashed, it could burn the heavens and destroy the world.
And coincidentally, he was with Yao Chen during that transaction.
At the time, Yao Chen even told him with a smile that this marksmanship was not meant for him; it was just something he collected.
But he never expected that Yao Chen would later pass on this Dou Technique to the young man in front of him.
Therefore, he knew that this Dou Technique must have originated from Yao Chen.