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

"That is, after kidnapping my father, those powerful figures from the Soul Hall disregarded the powerful figures who were fighting and slipped away." Xiao Li said with a wry smile.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan was stunned. Then, as if he had thought of something, he suddenly took out a piece of emerald green jade from his Awakening Flame Ring. In the center of the jade piece, a small point of light was slowly moving, as if it had a spirit.

Before Xiao Zhan handed the jade tablet to Xiao Yan, he told Xiao Yan that each clan leader left a bit of soul power in the jade tablet. As long as the soul power was still there, it meant that the clan leader was still safe and sound.

"Father is still alive..." Looking at the light spots moving within the jade piece, Xiao Yan breathed a sigh of relief and put the jade piece away again. Since the light spots were still there, it meant that Xiao Zhan was still safe... Although it was a bit awkward to describe a Dou Ling as safe after falling into the hands of the Soul Palace, there was no doubt that Xiao Zhan's life was not threatened.

After hearing Xiao Yan's words, Xiao Ding and Xiao Li remained silent for a moment, then nodded slightly. Although they didn't understand how Xiao Yan had made that determination, it was a good thing as long as Xiao Yan wasn't overly angry.

"So, how did Qinglin and Lüman get injured?" After composing himself, Xiao Yan raised his head and forced a smile.

“When the battle began, Ye Huang, Bai Ya, and Lü Man were responsible for holding back a Dou Zong,” Lionheart said slowly. “Although this girl said at the beginning that the chains in the hands of those Soul Hall Dou Zong would damage the soul, Ye Huang and Bai Ya were not in human form after all. When fighting those ghostly things with the size of magical beasts, they would inevitably be attacked by the chains.”

“At first, the chains didn’t harm them, so they let their guard down a bit,” Little Fairy Doctor added. “It wasn’t until later, when they sensed that Qinglin’s soul power had weakened countless times, that they realized that Qinglin had transferred all the soul attacks that Ye Huang and Bai Ya had suffered onto herself…”

"Realizing this, Ye Huang and Bai Ya attacked the Dou Zong like madmen. Although they eventually killed him, both Qing Lin and Lü Man were severely injured," Lionheart continued. "Even Bai Ya and Ye Huang suffered serious damage to their soul power and entered the strange space of the Azure Serpent Three-Flower Pupil. They may already be..."

Xiao Yan fell silent. Facing a Dou Zong, he lost the fighting power of three Dou Huangs. Besides Lü Man and her two companions, the Jia Ma Empire only had three Dou Huangs left, right?

"Elder Hai, President Fa Ma, and Sect Master Yun..." Xiao Yan asked softly, "Are the three of them alright?"

"Elder Hai, President Fa Ma, and Sect Master Yun were all severely injured," Little Fairy Doctor said. "If it weren't for Sect Master Yun's sudden self-destruction that severely injured the three Dou Zong, allowing me to kill them in the shortest amount of time, they might have ended up on the verge of death like Senior Jia Xingtian..."

"Sect Master Yun... Yun Shan? He self-destructed? Why?" Xiao Yan looked at Little Fairy Doctor with some confusion.

“He said he recognized Green Barbarian, White Fang, and Hai Bodong,” Little Fairy Doctor relayed what Yunshan said before his self-destruction. “Although he didn’t know why the Mo family had provoked them, even though all the Mo family’s high-ranking members were dead, they were still connected with many people in the Yunlan Sect. Moreover, he also did many wrong things because of Protector Wu during the three-year agreement.”

Therefore, he hoped that after his death, Xiao Yan, you would no longer pursue the Yunlan Sect's mistakes.

Although Xiao Yan didn't know who the "Protector Wu" Yun Shan mentioned was, he could roughly guess that it was the Soul Hall Protector he had killed on the day of the three-year agreement...

“Qinglin and Lüman’s injuries have stabilized and they should be able to wake up in about two or three days,” Xiao Yan said after a long silence. “I don’t have many healing pills left. I’ll go and refine some first, and then you can send them back in a few days, brothers… Xun’er, come with me.”

Xiao Yan turned his head and looked at Xun'er standing behind him, a very forced smile on his face.

Seeing how much more haggard Xiao Yan looked in just half a day, Xun'er nodded with heartache.

"Cousin Xiao Li..." After Xiao Yan and Xun'er left, Xiao Yu, who was standing to the side, suddenly spoke up, her voice trembling slightly, "Are my parents alright?"

“Yu’er…” Looking at Xiao Yu, whose eyes were red, and Xiao Ning and Xiao Mei behind her who were also looking at him with hope but had not spoken, Xiao Li was silent for a while. “The Xiao family attacked by the Soul Hall… is now dead in name only. The number of clansmen who are still alive in the end… is probably less than fifty.”

The text doesn't explicitly state the situation of Xiao Yu's parents, but the phrase "the number of clansmen is probably less than fifty" reveals the final outcome.

Their eyes reddened again, but Xiao Yu and the others understood that they were all in the same boat, so they forced themselves not to break down. They turned to Xiao Ning and Xiao Mei and managed a weak smile. "We... need to cultivate diligently."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Mei completely broke down, threw herself into Xiao Yu's arms, and burst into tears.

Xiao Ning just bit her lower lip hard, her fists clenched tightly, and even though blood was flowing from her lips and palms, she didn't shed a single tear.

Hearing Xiao Mei's cries from inside the house, Xiao Yan closed his eyes, slowly exhaled, then opened them again and led Xun'er toward the back mountain of the outer courtyard.

"Xun'er, you should know what that jade piece is, right?" After arriving in the mountains, Xiao Yan suddenly asked a question.

When Xiao Yan took out the family heirloom jade piece, Xun'er's breath hitched for a moment. Even though it was only for a moment, Xiao Yan still noticed it keenly. After recalling what Yao Lao had said about the power of Xun'er's family, Xiao Yan quickly came to this conclusion.

Upon hearing Xiao Yan's question, Xun'er's expression shifted repeatedly. After a long while, she gritted her teeth and slowly nodded, "It is the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Jade, the part of the key that the Xiao family possesses."

“The Ancient Emperor Tuoshe…” Xiao Yan repeated the word softly, “Is he the Dou Di from a thousand years ago?”

"Brother Xiao Yan, how could you..." Xun'er's eyes widened suddenly. She was thinking of not telling Xiao Yan the truth, but only telling him not to take it out in front of anyone in the future!

"Yes, it was your master, the guy named Yao Yan, who told you, right, Brother Xiao Yan?" But Xun'er quickly realized what was going on, murmured a sentence, and stared intently into Xiao Yan's eyes before saying, "Brother Xiao Yan, you must never take out this Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Jade in front of anyone in the future. Remember, anyone!"

Seeing Xun'er's solemn expression, Xiao Yan's face also became much more serious. "What the Soul Palace is looking for should be this Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Jade, right?"

“…Yes,” Xun’er nodded. She couldn’t tell Xiao Yan the most crucial information right now, but she could still say some of the more basic things, “The Soul Palace also possesses the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Jade.”

"These Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Jade contain great secrets, but I have no idea what those secrets are. The only thing I can tell Brother Xiao Yan is that both my clan and the 'Soul Hall' value these Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Jade extremely. Back then, my clan fought with the 'Soul Hall' for these Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Jade. Although we won in the end, we did not get what we wanted."

“Although the Soul Palace arranged for six Dou Zong to attack the Xiao family this time, there is no doubt that they did not send out any real powerhouses,” Xun’er said softly. “Even if our clan is paying close attention to the Soul Palace’s every move, if they send out Dou Zun or even… Half-Saint powerhouses, our clan will have nothing to say.”

"...A half-saint?" Xiao Yan turned around, looked at Xun'er, and asked.

“That’s right, a half-saint.” Seeing Xiao Yan’s dazed look, Xun’er was relieved. She was really worried that Xiao Yan would go to the Soul Palace for revenge alone. Even though Ling Ying’s report said that Xiao Yan could defeat mid-level or even high-level Dou Zong, the strongest person in each branch of the Soul Palace was a Dou Zun. The difference between Dou Zun and Dou Zong was even several times greater than the difference between Dou Zong and Da Dou Shi!

“There are dozens of Dou Sheng in the Soul Palace. Although they cannot leave Zhongzhou because of my clan, Half-Saints are not subject to this restriction,” Xun’er stepped forward, her soft body pressed against Xiao Yan’s, and said in a low voice, “Brother Xiao Yan, promise Xun’er that you will not have too many disputes with the Soul Palace before you become a Dou Sheng, okay?”

Xiao Yan gritted his teeth, gazing at the elegant face so close to his, inhaling the faint fragrance wafting into his nose. He suddenly pulled Xun'er into a tight embrace, his voice hoarse as he said, "If I hadn't been so young and impetuous back then, making that three-year pact with Nalan Yanran, things probably wouldn't have turned out this way, and my family wouldn't have been ruined, and my loved ones wouldn't have been separated..."

Because of the three-year agreement, Xiao Yan has always been wary of the Yunlan Sect. For the safety of his clan, he gradually moved the Xiao family from the remote town of Wutan to the Jia Ma Imperial City, restoring the Xiao family to its former glory of decades ago. However, this exposed the Xiao family to the Soul Palace's sight, ultimately leading to the current miserable situation where the entire clan has less than fifty members.

"A young man who isn't impetuous isn't a true youth, and Brother Xiao Yan wasn't wrong," Xun'er said softly, resting her cheek against Xiao Yan's shoulder. "Even if Brother Xiao Yan hadn't moved the Xiao family back to Jiama Imperial City, with the Soul Hall's influence across the continent, they would have come knocking sooner or later. And with their ruthless methods, they would have wiped them out completely. At that point, the Xiao family wouldn't just be severely weakened, but utterly destroyed."

Xun'er gently comforted Xiao Yan, and Xiao Yan temporarily put aside the raging killing intent and hatred in his heart because of Xun'er's gentle voice. If he didn't know that there were Dou Sheng in the Soul Hall, Xiao Yan might really have asked Xun'er for the location of the Soul Hall and then gone to each of them one by one...

Soul Palace, Battle Saint, I've noted it down...

Although he suppressed the hatred in his heart, Xiao Yan would not forget everything the Soul Palace had done. Even though Xun'er's words made him not to actively seek out those "real strongmen" of the Soul Palace in the future, he would not let go of those Dou Zong or even Dou Zun level experts as long as there was a chance!

Chapter 226 Alchemy

The sky above the outer courtyard suddenly darkened rapidly, with heavy dark clouds quickly gathering in the sky. Within the clouds, silver lightning bolts could be seen moving around like silver snakes.

The sudden appearance of such a scene in the sky caused everyone in the academy to stop in their tracks, staring dumbfounded at the overlapping dark clouds above. The elders of the outer academy, led by Hu Qian and Wu Tianlang, were also alarmed by the dark clouds, and in no time, everyone gathered together.

"Is someone cultivating?" After gathering together, Wu Tianlang looked directly at Hu Qian and asked in a deep voice.

“No, the Grand Elder did not inform me that anyone would be cultivating near the outer courtyard during this period,” Hu Qian said with a solemn expression, looking at the lightning that was moving around like silver snakes in the dark clouds. “Moreover, the intensity of these lightning bolts… is definitely not something that a Dou Huang level expert can withstand.”

Wu Tianlang nodded slowly. Under the power of heaven and earth, he could feel an extremely strong sense of palpitation. Even though he was already at the peak of Dou Huang, he was certain that if he were to confront this lightning, he could only withstand three strikes at most.

"Elders, listen to my command! Activate the great formation in the outer courtyard. If any lightning strikes the academy, take immediate action!" Seeing that the dark clouds in the sky had almost covered most of the outer courtyard, Hu Qian shouted loudly.

"Yes!"

Upon hearing Hu Qian's command, the elders of the outer courtyard dared not delay and responded in unison. They then swooped down and scattered to various corners of the outer courtyard, their powerful battle qi erupting from their bodies and resonating with each other in the world.

"All students and instructors, return to your dormitories immediately! No loitering outside!" Hu Qian shouted to the outer courtyard as many elders waited in order.

With Hu Qian's order, even though the trainees still had a strong curiosity about the dark clouds in the sky, they eventually obediently returned to their respective dormitories.

"Speaking of which... these dark clouds and lightning look just like the legendary Dan Lei from the records..." Somewhere in the academy, an elder in a red robe muttered to himself as he looked at the dark clouds in the sky.

"Dan Lei?" In the distance, an elder who had heard the red-robed elder's mutterings laughed loudly, "Old man Huo, have you been in the position of a fifth-grade alchemist for too long? You actually think that this is Dan Lei that was summoned when a seventh-grade or higher pill was refined?"

"That's right. There are only a handful of high-level alchemists in the Northwest Continent, and they're all serving as retainers in various sects. How could they possibly come to this desolate wilderness to refine seventh-grade pills?"

"Speaking of which, wasn't Xiao Yan's teacher a seventh-grade alchemist?"

"But we haven't heard from him for a long time. The most likely thing is that he has returned to Zhongzhou. He has been in the Northwest Continent for several years now. If he doesn't go back soon, the forces behind him will probably be anxious."

……

Although the dark clouds in the sky were extremely terrifying, all the elders were still very confident in the outer courtyard's protective formation. They were also bored, so they took Elder Huo's unintentional mutterings as a topic of conversation, maintaining the formation while chatting idly.

A few days later, deep within the inner courtyard, in a quiet pavilion by the window, two figures stood. One was dressed in a wide black robe, with white hair and beard, his aged face as serene as an old monk, showing no emotion whatsoever. He stood by the window with his hands behind his back, gazing at the distant dark clouds.

"How long have these dark clouds been here?" Su Qian suddenly asked after a long while.

"It has been going on for three or four days now." Then, a slightly hunched old man in yellow robes, Qin Xuan, bowed respectfully and replied.

“It’s been three or four days…” Looking at the dark clouds in the distance, Su Qian let out a long breath. “When it first condensed, I thought it was pill lightning. After all, dark clouds that suddenly condense are most likely pill lightning triggered when high-grade pills are produced.”

“But it lasted for three or four days,” Qin Xuan said.

"Yes, it lasted for three or four days. If it really was pill lightning, that means at least two or even more alchemists were refining high-grade pills in the outer courtyard," Su Qian murmured. "Moreover, these alchemists' refining speed was almost the same. Every time one alchemist finished refining and withstood the pill lightning, another alchemist would finish refining and withstood the next pill lightning..."

"Even in the Central Plains, the holy land of alchemists, there wouldn't be an alchemist like this in the Pill Tower, would there?"

Su Qian had once witnessed a scene of pill lightning falling. At that time, the alchemist who refined the pill arranged for three three-star Dou Zong to protect him. If this is the standard, there should be at least a dozen or twenty Dou Zong in the center of the dark clouds in the sky.

"These are turbulent times..." Su Qian sighed deeply.

The frequency of the Heavenly Flame Refining Tower in the inner courtyard is increasing. If the place where the lightning strikes is not far from the inner courtyard, there would not even be enough manpower to activate the inner courtyard's great array during this period.

Within the Black Corner Region, Han Feng was also restless, seemingly having known for some time that the Fallen Heart Flame existed in the inner courtyard. However, when the dean set up an array to conceal the aura of the Fallen Heart Flame, Han Feng hadn't even emerged yet. This meant that the news of the Fallen Heart Flame likely came from the already fallen Medicine Venerable...

That's right, the fallen Medicine Venerable. Although Su Qian had once suspected that Xiao Yan's teacher was the Medicine Venerable, the powerful figure sent to Zhongzhou recently sent back news that the Medicine Venerable had already perished. Moreover, according to the Medicine Venerable's disciple, Han Feng, the Medicine Venerable who was famous throughout the continent died from the backlash of refining medicine...

'A flimsy excuse,' Su Qian scoffed inwardly. 'With Yao Chen's unparalleled alchemy skills, how could he make such a mistake?'

Su Qian shook his head and waved his hand, saying, "Starting today, all elders' rest days are canceled, and the tower-guarding elders must also return to their posts. If any unusual activity is detected in the Fallen Heart Flame, they must immediately join forces to seal it. We absolutely cannot allow it to completely erupt! Otherwise, the consequences will be too severe!"

"Yes!" Qin Xuan nodded.

Just as Su Qian was wary of Han Feng, in a secluded pavilion in a chaotic region far away, a man wearing a blue robe embroidered with a maple leaf also looked up at the dark clouds over Canaan Academy.

The man in the blue robe was quite handsome, with long black hair hanging down to his shoulders. His body seemed to always carry a strange medicinal fragrance, which made people feel an irresistible sense of closeness.

"The Dan Lei... it's been going on for three or four days without a single interruption, like a seventh-grade pill..." the man in the blue robe murmured. "And it just so happens to be the location of Canaan Academy. Could it be that old man Huo?"

No, that's not right. That old man is far from being able to refine sixth-grade pills. It can't possibly be him.

So... is he an alchemist from out of town?

Upon realizing this, the man in the blue robe's expression twisted for a moment. What did it mean that a seventh-grade alchemist was refining pills near Canaan Academy and had not been expelled?

This means that the alchemist was invited by those old men from Canaan Academy!

Given Canaan Academy's resources, to attract a seventh-grade alchemist... no, someone capable of continuously refining seventh-grade pills for three or four days, would need to be at least a Spirit Realm soul, meaning...

"An eighth-grade alchemist?" Han Feng, the only sixth-grade alchemist in the Black Corner Region, uttered these words with a twisted expression, "Is it for the Fallen Heart Flame? Damn it, if I had known this would happen, I should have acted sooner. It's just Canaan Academy..."

As a sixth-grade alchemist, he was able to win over most of the powerful figures in the Black Corner Region. Those who could not be won over would not offend him. However, he was never sure if the news that his "master" possessed the Fallen Heart Flame, which was located near Canaan Academy in the Northwest Continent, was true. Therefore, he never invited many powerful figures to attack Canaan Academy.

After all, just like the power he once belonged to, Canaan Academy also had a Dou Zun behind it. Although that Dou Zun had not shown his face for a long time, his reputation was still there. If he did not find the Fallen Heart Flame in Canaan Academy, it would be too arrogant to provoke a Dou Zun.

But now, Canaan Academy has invited the most advanced eighth-grade alchemist in Central State, so it is almost certain that the Fallen Heart Flame exists in Canaan Academy, and it may even be the price for inviting the eighth-grade alchemist!

"However, there might be other possibilities..."

After a moment, Han Feng calmed down and muttered to himself, even though he knew the possibility was extremely low...

"Han Beng!" Han Feng suddenly turned around and shouted in a deep voice.

The moment the voice faded, a ghostly figure flashed out and appeared in the bamboo house, kneeling on one knee. Though his voice was hoarse, it was still respectful: "What are your orders, Master?"

"Make the arrangements. Within two days, I need to know exactly what kind of lightning struck Canaan Academy," Han Feng said coldly. "Including the identities of all the powerful individuals who have recently visited Jian'an Academy!"

"Yes!"

Upon hearing Han Feng's command, the figure did not hesitate for a moment, respectfully responded, and then quickly disappeared into the darkness.

Watching the dark figure disappear, Han Feng slowly exhaled, walked to the window, and gazed at the distant mountains. Suddenly, a deep blue flame surged in his eyes.

"I hope that Fallen Heart Flame is still around..."