Traces of the Hall of Souls

"How did it feel to be a Dou Wang?"

Xiao Xuan smiled as he watched Xiao Yi Xian fly freely through the air, having the time of her life.

Hearing her master speak, Xiao Yi Xian came down with Qing Lin in her arms, a little embarrassed but still excited. "Being a Dou Wang is amazing."

She meant every word. Xiao Xuan treated her very well, but the happiness she felt from the increase in her own strength was something else entirely.

"A mere Dou Wang, that's all. As my disciple, you ought to become a Dou Sheng one day, at the very least!"

Xiao Xuan had high expectations for Xiao Yi Xian.

"Enough about that. How much control did you gain over Poison Mountain Marsh?"

Though Xiao Xuan was somewhat hopeful, he knew that Xiao Yi Xian was still far too weak if she wanted to truly refine this grand formation, which had been created by at least a Dou Sheng.

Even with the advantage of her constitution, she would have to reach Dou Zun before she could barely control the whole formation.

"Not much yet. I can control a few of the core nodes, I suppose!"

The combination of the Woeful Poison Body and the Nether Poison Flame was far from weak. On top of that, the Nether Poison Flame was the very source of Poison Mountain Marsh.

For Xiao Yi Xian to have achieved this much was no easy feat.

"That will do for now, but we can't keep going in circles in this little place forever. I'll seal it off, and when you've grown stronger and have the time, you can come back and claim it for yourself."

Xiao Xuan did not think much of the ruins of a Dou Sheng's cultivation ground.

But the place suited Xiao Yi Xian well, so Xiao Xuan did not mind using a few methods to secure it for his disciple, lest someone else take it.

"Thank you, Master!"

Beaming with joy, Xiao Yi Xian looked at him with even greater tenderness in her eyes.

A seal was much simpler to put in place.

Xiao Xuan's soul power surged outward, covering the whole of Poison Mountain Marsh.

Before, the place had merely been shrouded in mist and overrun with poisonous creatures. Now, it could not even be seen. Even if someone stumbled inside without a token,

they would only end up being driven out in a sorry state.

"That's done. You two little ones can come and go as you please from now on. It won't keep you out."

He had taken care to remember Xiao Yi Xian's and Qing Lin's presences, and the soul power barrier had a limited ability to tell people apart.

"Let's go find Mo Xuan, then our next stop will be the Heavenly Snake Empire. We'll find some suitable magical beasts for Little Qing Lin."

"Or should I find a way to track down the Myriad Beast Spirit Flame for Little Qing Lin too? Although Qing Lin's snake attribute wouldn't be very compatible with it, refining a Heavenly Flame would be enough to make up for that shortcoming."

Xiao Xuan rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

He couldn't favor one over the other!

"Huh? Master, you don't have to trouble yourself. I don't need a Heavenly Flame."

Qing Lin looked deeply touched when she heard her master speak of her cultivation.

Although her life was already very good, she still found it hard to shake off the effect her past miserable experiences had left on her disposition.

So even when faced with her master's kindness, she instinctively resisted it a little.

Things were already very good as they were.

"Then it's settled. It's just that the Myriad Beast Spirit Flame is rather hard to find. The Nether Poison Flame at least had some traits that made it easy to identify, but the Myriad Beast Spirit Flame really is a trickier matter."

It wasn't as though Xiao Xuan lacked a way to forcibly concoct a source of the Myriad Beast Spirit Flame.

Myriad beasts!

Naturally, the more magical beasts died in a place, the more easily it would be born. And if he used some methods to combine the sources of all those dead magical beasts with a secret technique,

he might just be able to forcibly gather the source of the Myriad Beast Spirit Flame.

A Heavenly Flame created that way would be inherently weaker than other Heavenly Flames born naturally. Moreover, the crude refining method would inevitably leave an artificially created Myriad Beast Spirit Flame somewhat weaker than the Nether Poison Flame.

After all, without the accumulation of time, even giving form to a Heavenly Flame would only be possible because Xiao Xuan's attainments in the way of fire were exceptionally profound.

Moreover, while the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils could give the Myriad Beast Spirit Flame some support, the pairing certainly would not work together as smoothly as the Woeful Poison Body and the Nether Poison Flame.

It was something of a chicken rib!

"Thank you, Master." Qing Lin murmured her thanks. Unsure what else to say, she could only lower her little head.

Xiao Xuan smiled, paying her reaction no mind. "Let's go! We'll see if we can find the Myriad Beast Spirit Flame. If not, we'll discuss it then. Either way, I'm definitely getting each of you a Heavenly Flame."

"Doesn't Xiao Yan also need Heavenly Flames to rise smoothly to the peak? Master, if Xiao Yan or your other clansmen need them later, we can let them use our Heavenly Flames first."

Xiao Yi Xian spoke up suddenly on their way back.

For the two of them, Heavenly Flames really were just flowers added to embroidery.

Even though Xiao Yi Xian wanted to become an alchemist, a Heavenly Flame like the Nether Poison Flame would be good enough if it didn't cause trouble when she refined pills.

The Myriad Beast Spirit Flame he planned to get for Qing Lin was a good choice, but Qing Lin had no interest in alchemy, so her need for it was even more negligible.

"That's right, Master. If you need Heavenly Flames in the future, we don't mind at all. As long as you can use them."

Qing Lin nodded repeatedly in agreement, like a chick pecking at grain.

Easing their master's worries even a little was what the two girls were most eager to do.

"Xiao Yan? You're still thinking about that little rascal! These Heavenly Flames won't help him much in the future. The Nether Poison Flame is only ranked twentieth, and the Myriad Beast Spirit Flame is even lower, at twenty-second." Xiao Xuan was pleased by their thoughtfulness and went on to explain.

"I gave Little Yanzi a Green Lotus Core Flame before. You both saw it. If he wants to keep growing after that, it'll depend on his own fortune."

Xiao Xuan had information on Heavenly Flames, but whether Xiao Yan could obtain them was up to him. Almost none of the world's secrets were hidden from Xiao Xuan, who had once been the strongest man under heaven.

"Just accept what I give you. Especially you, Little Qing Lin. There's still no sign of the Myriad Beast Spirit Flame I promised you, and you're already in such a hurry to give it away!"

Xiao Xuan patted their little heads and reassured them.

Besides, even if Xiao Yan really did refine Heavenly Flames of this level and power, they might not be enough to get him from Dou Ling to Dou Emperor!

With human intervention playing such a large part, the resulting Heavenly Flames would have considerable flaws.

"That old fellow Mo Xuan had so much time on his hands?"

Xiao Xuan sent out his soul power to sense the distant surroundings and saw Mo Xuan throwing his weight around.

"Little brats from the Hun Clan? Still as arrogant as ever! You even changed your name to the Hall of Souls. Didn't any Hun Clan Dou Sheng tell you to be more careful when you go out?"

Mo Xuan stood with his hands behind his back, while two Dou Zong-level Soul Hall Protectors knelt before him.

They were cowering, seemingly having suffered a great shock earlier.

"You should be careful in everything you do. Let me teach you a lesson!"

As always, Mo Xuan carried himself like an esteemed senior expert.