Battle Through the Heavens: Xiao Yan, who was kidnapped to another world

Chapter 172 Stealing Chickens

As a bolt of silver lightning pierced the sky and struck down, the gathered dark clouds dispersed, and the blazing sun once again bathed the earth in its light.

The collision of lightning and strange fire released a dense fog that blocked soul power. For a moment, none of the people gathered outside the temple could observe what was happening inside. Everyone was waiting, waiting for the Medusa Queen to emerge after her successful evolution, or to confirm that the Medusa Queen's evolution had completely failed.

Inside the temple.

A seven-colored light suddenly shot out from the thick fog, moving at great speed as if it had pierced through the barriers of space. In the blink of an eye, it arrived in front of Xiao Yan, but finally stopped because of the emerald green flames emanating from Xiao Yan's body.

Xiao Yan stared in astonishment at the creature before him—

A slender snake, about two centimeters long, was covered with fine, multicolored scales. Its pale purple eyes curiously looked at Xiao Yan, who was enveloped by the fused strange fire. A strange fragrance emanated from the snake's body.

The little snake is so beautiful that most people would probably forget it's actually a snake when they see it.

The seven-colored snake flicked its tiny tail slightly, staring at Xiao Yan with its large, pale purple eyes. It tentatively moved forward a little, but then, somewhat afraid of the emerald green flames on Xiao Yan's body, it quickly shrank back, curling up slightly. Its pale purple eyes looked at Xiao Yan with a pitiful expression.

Blinking, Xiao Yan looked at the little snake in front of him in disbelief. "Teacher, has it successfully evolved?" The emerald green flames on its body slowly faded away, after all, Xiao Yan could not sense any resemblance between the little snake and the Medusa Queen.

"Uh... I guess so," Yao Lao's voice was also full of doubt, "But, after the snake people evolve... do they really lose all their memories?"

After Xiao Yan removed the flames protecting him, the seven-colored snake blinked its crystal-clear eyes, flicked its tail, and slowly swam towards Xiao Yan, hovering in the air.

However, just as Xiao Yan had predicted, the little snake did not show any intention to attack. After circling around Xiao Yan's body a few times, it suddenly stopped above Xiao Yan's palm. Its crystal-clear eyes were fixed on the Awakening Flame Ring on Xiao Yan's finger. Then it raised its head and let out a few soft hissing sounds at Xiao Yan. The gentle tone was as if it was coquettish.

Seeing the little snake's actions, Xiao Yan slowly grinned, "Teacher, it seems quite interested in something in the Awakening Flame Ring..."

"What do you want to do?"

Having lived with Xiao Yan for a long time, Yao Lao could completely hear the restless thoughts in Xiao Yan's words. He immediately rolled his eyes and asked the question directly.

"If we kidnap it and keep it as a pet... it doesn't seem like there's any problem."

As he spoke, Xiao Yan lightly flicked his fingers to awaken the Flame Ring, and several pills appeared in his palm. These were pills that Xiao Yan had refined in the Chuyun Poison Swamp, suitable as snacks for magical beasts.

"You really dare to think that far," the old apothecary said with a helpless smile, "but... it seems there really isn't a problem..."

The seven-colored snake approached Xiao Yan's palm, flicked its tongue, and swallowed several pills. But it immediately raised its head again and stared intently at Xiao Yan. Clearly, although these pills suited its taste, they were not what it truly wanted.

Xiao Yan wasn't in a hurry. The thick fog that blocked soul power detection hadn't dissipated yet, and no one outside could possibly get in before the fog cleared. So he simply took out a few more fire-attribute pills from his Flame Awakening Ring.

Although the bloodline of the snake people tends to be cold and sinister, the Seven-Colored Sky-Swallowing Python, which evolved from Queen Medusa, is a genuine fire-attribute magical beast. It can accept almost anything with abundant fire-attribute energy.

The little snake stared at the fire-attribute pills in Xiao Yan's hand, its tail swaying even more violently. Clearly, these pills held a very strong attraction for it, but at this moment, it dared not continue eating them.

"Is your level high now?"

Xiao Yan looked at the pills in his hand. These were pure attribute pills he had refined for some of his clan members who were fire-attribute. Judging from their grade, they were around grade five, which was the lowest grade among the fire-attribute pills in Xiao Yan's possession.

"Then... what about this?"

With a flick of his wrist, a small jade bottle filled with purple liquid appeared in Xiao Yan's palm.

Upon seeing the small jade bottle, the little snake that had been coiled in mid-air instantly appeared in Xiao Yan's palm. Its tiny head probed into the jade bottle, flicked its tongue, and licked it several times.

However, as if it knew its limits, after about one-tenth of the accompanying amethyst source in the jade bottle was gone, it pulled its head out, its snake eyes gleaming with excitement and satisfaction.

Upon seeing this, Xiao Yan made no attempt to hide the smile on his face. He grabbed the jade bottle, waved it in front of the little snake, and said in a tone as if he were trying to coax a child out of pocket money, "Want to eat more of this?"

The seven-colored snake raised its head, stared at Xiao Yan for a moment, and then nodded without hesitation.

"Follow me, and I'll give you even more of the Companion Amethyst Source! I'll give you everything, no problem!" Seeing the little snake nod, Xiao Yan's smile became even more unrestrained.

Upon hearing this, the seven-colored snake hesitated, its crystal-clear snake eyes filled with conflict as it looked at the jade bottle in Xiao Yan's hand.

Seeing this, Xiao Yan smiled inwardly. Although this little snake was only in its newborn form, it still retained some intelligence.

However, Xiao Yan wasn't going to be fooled by the little snake so easily. After a somewhat "helpless" sigh, he put away the symbiotic amethyst source in his hand. "Oh well, since you don't want it..."

Before he could finish speaking, the little snake flicked its tail and wrapped it around Xiao Yan's wrist, then adopted an unwavering stance.

"You'd even try to scam someone for something this small?"

The old man's helpless voice echoed in Xiao Yan's heart.

"Hehe, we should save money where we can, and it's not like we won't give it other good things!"

Xiao Yan smiled indifferently, then shifted his gaze to the earthy yellow flame in mid-air.

"A third strange fire... This Northwest Continent is truly a wonderful place!"

After grinning, Xiao Yan's aura swelled up again. However, this time it wasn't a fusion technique centered on the strange fire. After all, the power boost brought by that kind of fusion technique was too exaggerated. A nine-star Dou Zong... If he accidentally attracted the possible ancient beings of the snake-people clan, it would be a bit troublesome, not to mention that there was Yun Yun outside who knew Xiao Yan's "identity".

Even so, Xiao Yan's Dou Qi level had expanded to the level of a mid-level Dou Huang. It wasn't high, but he still had no problem escaping from the temple with the Wind Fury Dragon Flame.

At this moment, the thick fog that had blocked all soul detection began to dissipate, and Xiao Yan was able to clearly see the faces of the snake-people powerhouse and Gu He and his group who were waiting anxiously outside.

"Lord Dan, what are you waiting for? Medusa is dead, run!"

The moment the thick fog completely dissipated, emerald green flames unfurled behind Xiao Yan. With a shout, his figure vanished instantly, and the next moment, he appeared near the city wall.

Xiao Yan ran very fast, but Gu He, who had been keeping an eye on the strange fire, noticed the earthy yellow flame that Xiao Yan was holding in his hand. He subconsciously wanted to call on the powerful people he had invited to catch up with Xiao Yan.

However, before Gu He could react, the powerful snake-people had already surrounded the group of nine.

"Coming and going as you please, what do you take our snake-people clan for?" Yue Mei's snake eyes stared intently at the nine people.

During the previous battle, the snake-people successfully rescued the dying Mobas. It was at that moment that Yue Mei realized she had let a great enemy into the city. Hearing Xiao Yan's shouts as he fled, Yue Mei focused all her anger on these nine people.

Even though Yue Mei knew that the escaped man in black robes might not have much to do with Gu He and his group, she still had to pretend that she didn't know anything. Otherwise, when it came time to find out who had let that person in, Yue Mei wouldn't be able to escape judgment!

"Go away!"

Seeing that their route was blocked, Gu He looked up at the figure that had almost become a small black dot and couldn't help but shout angrily. With a wave of his hand, pale blue flames rapidly condensed into a fireball in front of him, carrying scorching energy and shooting fiercely towards Yue Mei and the others.

When Gu He saw the dying Mobas yesterday, he began to worry that he might return empty-handed. Now, not only might he return empty-handed, but he might also lose a lot of pills. How could he remain calm under such circumstances?

Guhe was in a bad mood, but the snake-people who had discovered the charred "corpse" of Queen Medusa in the temple were in an even worse mood!

"Leave your life behind, Pill King Guhe!"

The aged snake-woman Dou Huang stared intently at Gu He. In truth, she understood that the escaped black-robed man and Gu He and his group had little connection, but the fact that the snake-woman queen had "died" was something that absolutely could not be known to anyone!

Even if it means paying a heavy price to keep these nine people alive!

Xiao Yan had no idea how much impact his casual remark would have, but having already left the city of the Snake People far behind and not finding anyone following him in his soul power, he was overjoyed.

"Heh heh, you want to steal my strange fire? You'd better be my shield!"

As Xiao Yan's figure disappeared into the swirling yellow sand, the battle for the strange fire that erupted in the heart of the Snake-People clan finally came to a resounding victory for someone.

As for the fate of the other contestants...

Well, I guess we can only say it was bad luck. Although they all survived safely, one of the Pill Kings suffered a huge loss. For at least the next few months, he will need to continuously refine pills to barely maintain his position in the Gama Empire.

After a long time, Xiao Yan finally arrived at the outskirts of the Tagor Desert. Although he had already absorbed two different flames, and the Wind Fury Dragon Flame had consumed a lot of its essence due to Queen Medusa's evolution, he still needed to find a secluded place where he wouldn't be disturbed, just to be safe.

As night fell, Xiao Yan had already arrived at a branch of the Monster Mountain Range. After surveying the mountain range several times, Xiao Yan finally found a place that satisfied him—a cave on a cliff.

After arriving inside the cave and cleaning up the surroundings, Xiao Yan sealed the entrance.

"Next is to devour the strange fire!" After stretching, Xiao Yan casually sat down on the ground.

The Wind Fury Dragon Flame, ranked eighteenth on the Strange Flame Ranking, is ranked higher than the two Strange Flames belonging to Xiao Yan. However, after the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame and the Netherworld Poison Flame within Xiao Yan's body merged, the Wind Fury Dragon Flame was completely outmatched by the merged Strange Flame.

Moreover, unlike the Netherworld Poison Flame, the Wind Fury Dragon Flame was only of fire and wind attributes. Xiao Yan did not spend too much time devouring it, and the strange flame was completely devoured by Xiao Yan before midnight.

Looking at the dark green flame formed by the fusion of the three different flames, Xiao Yan fell silent for a moment. It might have been his imagination, but the strength of these three flames after fusion...

"Is this the fused different flames?" Yao Lao appeared from his Bone Flame Ring, looking at the flames in Xiao Yan's hand. "Their strength is about the same as my Bone Spirit Cold Flame..."

"Is it just about the same strength as your Bone Spirit Cold Flame, Teacher?" Xiao Yan sighed. "I thought the strength would be even higher after the three different flames were fused together."

"Don't you even consider the rankings of these three strange flames?" Yao Lao rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth are all ranked near the bottom of the strange flames. It's already pretty good that their strength after fusion is about the same as the Bone Spirit Cold Flame, okay?"

“That’s true,” Xiao Yan sighed, “but I’m still a little unwilling…” After the flames subsided, Xiao Yan checked his Dou Qi level.

"Hmm, it's good that the Nine-Star Battle Spirit hasn't leveled up."

After confirming that his strength had not increased, Xiao Yan breathed a sigh of relief. Before absorbing the Wind Fury Dragon Flame, his strength was already at the nine-star Dou Ling level. Although Yao Lao had always emphasized that devouring strange flames would not increase his level, Xiao Yan had not forgotten the strength increase brought by the first two devouring of strange flames. Only after reconfirming his level could he finally relax.

It wasn't that Xiao Yan wanted to suppress his Dou Qi level. If he could, he would have preferred to become a Dou Huang, Dou Zong, or even Dou Zun in the shortest possible time. However, the Fallen Heart Flame was very likely at Canaan Academy!

Before asking for leave, Xiao Yan specifically asked his mentor, Ruolin, about the level of the strongest student in Canaan Academy. Although his mentor Ruolin had a strange expression at the time, Xiao Yan clearly remembered that she said Dou Wang.

Although he didn't know his Dou Wang level, in order to ensure his entry into Canaan Academy and his freedom of movement within the academy, and to confirm the possible location of the Fallen Heart Flame, Xiao Yan felt it would be best to maintain this level for the foreseeable future.

In order to prevent others from seeing his true level, Xiao Yan even decided to use his soul power to hide his Dou Qi level, so that others would think he was only a one or two-star Dou Ling.

Chapter 173 Breakthrough Pill

The next day at noon, Xiao Yan, who had been leisurely walking in the desert for most of the day, looked at the bustling city gate in the distance and a faint smile appeared on his handsome face.

After entering the city, Xiao Yan stood on the city street and looked around for a moment. Then he followed the route he remembered and walked towards the end of the street. After a while, he stopped in front of the old-fashioned map shop at the end of the street.

Pushing open the door, the decorations that had been damaged in the battle had been replaced with a new batch. Hai Bodong was still standing behind the counter piled with maps, drawing a new map, just like last time. It was unclear whether he had noticed Xiao Yan again, but he didn't react.

Besides Hai Bodong, the shop owner, there were four other people in the shop selecting maps: three men and one woman. All four were dressed in extremely luxurious clothes, and behind them were several burly men guarding them.

"...Xiao Yan?"

When Xiao Yan entered, the others all turned around to look, but after seeing Xiao Yan's travel-worn appearance, they all turned their heads away. Only the girl looked at Xiao Yan with some hesitation, and after a moment of hesitation, she called out Xiao Yan's name.

"Red Kite?" Xiao Yan blinked, looking at the girl in red with some curiosity. "Are you planning to go to the Tagor Desert to cultivate?"

Hong Yuan was the name of the girl in the tight red dress. This was the third time Xiao Yan had seen her. The first two times were at the city lord's mansion in Mo City... which was also the residence of Hong Yuan's father.

Knowing that Hong Yuan was the daughter of the city lord of Mo City, Xiao Yan was somewhat puzzled as to why she would come here to select a map. Although Hai Bodong's map was very detailed, the map collected by the city lord of Mo City might not be as detailed as Hai Bodong's.

"No, that..."

After confirming that the visitor was indeed Xiao Yan, a sixteen-year-old third-grade alchemist whom she had met twice before, Hong Yuan's expression relaxed slightly.

"If you want to discuss business, please leave. Noisy customers are not welcome here."

Although Xiao Yan and Hai Bodong reached a deal last time, Hai Bodong only gave his name unilaterally. Therefore, Hai Bodong, who did not know Xiao Yan's name, paused his ink brush on the map after hearing the conversation between Hong Yuan and Xiao Yan, and a slightly dissatisfied voice rang out in the shop.

However, just like last time, Hai Bodong, engrossed in drawing maps, did not look up.

“Okay, Master Bing…” Hong Yuan smiled at Xiao Yan with a slight embarrassment, and then said apologetically to Hai Bodong.

Judging from the way she addresses him, Hong Yuan should know that Hai Bodong's strength is unfathomable, but she doesn't know his identity.

However, while Hong Yuan respected Hai Bodong, Xiao Yan did not. He grabbed a handful of maps from the counter and threw them at Hai Bodong, whom Hong Yuan greatly respected.

"Old man, try pretending to be indifferent again? Don't you want the pills anymore?"