Battle Through the Heavens: Xiao Yan, I am your second master.

Mang Tianchi transformed into a silver bolt of lightning and charged into the crowd.

Xiao Li stood on a distant mountain watching the battle between the Dou Zun experts. Even the aftershocks were enough to terrify him. Xiao Li released the Earth Demon Puppet for a sense of security.

At this moment, the Earth Demon Puppet was entirely bright silver, with many golden spots on its chest and arms. Having undergone many rounds of Pill Lightning, the Earth Demon Puppet had absorbed the power of the Pill Lightning and was showing signs of advancing to the Heavenly Demon Puppet level.

At this time, the Earth Demon Puppet's strength was about one-star Dou Zun. Xiao Li guessed that when the Earth Demon Puppet advanced to the Heaven Demon Puppet, its strength should be equivalent to four or five-star Dou Zun.

"So you are here after all. Boy, hand over the 'Eight Desolate Fire Manual'!" A white-haired, white-bearded old man walked through the air, looking down at Xiao Li.

The old man had a badge on his chest, with flames swirling around it. Within the flames was a giant tower, and on the tower, seven dazzling purple-gold stars shimmered, though the seventh star was now slightly dim.

"A seventh-grade low-level alchemist certified by the Pill Tower?" Xiao Li muttered to himself.

Behind the old man were two other people, both of whom were Dou Zong (a high-level martial arts master) who could tread on the void.

"You kid..."

boom--

Before the leading seventh-grade alchemist could finish speaking, a silver fist slammed down on him.

The silver figure pierced through the old man's chest, then struck again, delivering a flurry of punches that killed the two Dou Zong behind the old man.

Xiao Li crossed his arms: "Why do some people always like to make threats first? So hesitant. Not bad, not bad at all. Hmm? Earth Demon Puppet, bring that soul back!"

Xiao Li sensed a soul fleeing into the distance using his soul power and immediately ordered the Earth Demon Puppet to capture it.

Whizzing--

The Earth Demon Puppet was extremely fast and quickly captured a phantom soul, which was none other than that of the seventh-grade alchemist.

"I am the wind and thunder. Ah—"

The old man was about to beg for mercy and reveal the power behind him in order to survive. But Xiao Li ignored him and directly burned his soul to ashes with Yin Fire.

"I offer a complete service: eliminate the weeds and eradicate the roots, kill the animal, and cremate it. My skills are still a bit raw. Let's see how much I can achieve first."

Xiao Li took the storage rings of these three Dou Zong and directly broke the soul restrictions on them.

Chapter 76 A great harvest

Fenglei Mountain Range, Fenglei East Pavilion

"Hmm? Elder Yan's spirit tablet is broken! Quickly go and tell the Sect Master!"

"Who dares to kill our Wind and Thunder Pavilion's chief alchemist! How dare they!"

Thunder Venerable roared in fury: "Investigate! Investigate for me! Who dared to kill someone from my Wind and Thunder Pavilion!"

. . . . . .

"Oh? Three Thousand Thunder Movements! Three Thousand Thunder Illusions, looks like someone from the Wind and Thunder Pavilion. This badge indicates a certified alchemist from the Pill Tower. Let me see what good stuff they have."

Xiao Li found two very unique fighting techniques in his storage ring, put them away, and then asked Mang Tianchi to check if there were any soul imprints or similar things.

"A pill formula? Let me see if there are any new pill formulas." Xiao Li looked at the few ancient pill formulas in his hand, wondering if there were any new ones.

"Oh? What a treasure! The formula for the first pill, an eighth-grade elixir! All the other pill formulas overlap with mine, but I don't have the formula for this first pill. I've struck gold."

Xiao Li never expected that a mere seventh-grade low-level alchemist would possess the formula for the One Beginning Pill.

"Let me see the pills, the Zongyuan Pill! This must be the old guy who was bidding against me for the cultivation technique. But the quality of this Zongyuan Pill is really not good. Snow Soul Pill, Instant Qi Pill, Breaking Sect Pill."

"It's alright, at least it's helped me recover some of my losses." Xiao Li nodded and continued to tally up his gains.

Xiao Li discovered a mid-level Earth-rank wind and thunder attribute cultivation technique called "Wind and Thunder Mirror," which would be perfect for his elder brother. He also found the Wind and Thunder Pavilion's amplification secret technique, "Thunder God's Descent," which would be perfect for his grandfather and elder brother.

"I've made a profit! Although these techniques all have restrictions, it's not a problem with the Dean here. This amplification technique is probably similar to my Flame Demon Transformation."

Xiao Li stroked his chin and said that he also had a secret technique to amplify his battle qi. When he cultivated the Heavenly Burning Flame Demon Body to its full potential, he could use the amplification technique Flame Demon Transformation. Xiao Li first used Flame Demon Transformation when he fought against Jia Xingtian.

At that time, Xiao Li was a one-star Dou Huang, but he used the Flame Demon Transformation to reach the level of a five-star Dou Huang, and used the Yin-Yang Heart Flame to suppress Xing Tian.

"What do you mean 'nothing's a problem when I, the dean, am here'?" Mang Tianchi's voice came from behind Xiao Li.

Xiao Li turned around and saw that Mang Tianchi had already returned: "Oh! Dean, are you done?"

"It's over. There are only a few Dou Zun, the strongest of whom is only a six-star Dou Zun. Is that a problem for this Dean?" Mang Tianchi said proudly.

"Dean, have you taken the remains of the Dou Zun? That's a valuable item, don't waste it!" Xiao Li asked anxiously.

"Hey, I never knew you had this kind of hobby before. Wait a minute." Mang Tianchi disappeared in a flash, and returned a few seconds later, handing Xiao Li a storage ring.

Mang Tianchi: "There are five Dou Zun remains in this storage ring. The strongest is the Thunder Control Venerable, the weakest is a one-star Dou Zun, and there are more than a dozen other Dou Zong remains."

"Hehe, thank you, Dean! Dean is awesome!" Xiao Li once again acted as the mood-maker.

"By the way, what happened here?" Mang Tianchi asked.

"It's nothing, just a few bugs from the Wind and Thunder Pavilion, that's all taken care of. But Dean, could you please take a look at these Wind and Thunder Pavilion items? There should be some kind of restriction on them, could you please remove it for me?" Xiao Li handed several storage rings to Mang Tianchi.

"No big deal!" Mang Tianchi took the storage ring of Fenglei Pavilion in his hand, poured his soul power into it, and naturally discovered the soul imprint and tracking methods on the cultivation techniques and combat skills.

These methods are quite clever, but they are nothing in the hands of Mang Tianchi.

"Three Thousand Thunderclaps, Three Thousand Thunder Illusions, not bad, not bad, I can learn from them. Kid, lend me these two volumes of fighting techniques for a few days, I'll return them to you later. Also, here are the storage rings for those Dou Zun and Dou Zong."

Mang Tianchi took away the scrolls of Three Thousand Thunder Movements and Three Thousand Thunder Illusions, and then threw more than a dozen storage rings to Xiao Li.

"Great! We're rich!"

Xiao Li continued to take stock of the good things he had acquired. Mang Tianchi only took the Demon Thunder Jade Piece that he needed. He looked at the other items and found them to be of little value to him. He decided to give them to Xiao Li.

"My God, an eighth-grade pill formula! So rich!" Xiao Li was surprised to find that he had two more eighth-grade pill formulas in his hand.

"These are all rogue cultivators who have reached the Dou Zun level. Do you think only alchemists collect pill formulas? Others also collect pill formulas. When necessary, they can use the pill formulas to trade for pills and also make the alchemist owe them a favor."

"Favors are the hardest to repay. These pill formulas are of no use to me, but I've got my eye on you, so I'm giving them to you." Mang Tianchi waved his hand and said.

"Hehe, thank you, Dean." Xiao Li knew that Mang Tianchi was investing in him, but that didn't stop him from being happy.

"There are many high-level Earth-rank cultivation techniques of water attribute, high-level Earth-rank cultivation techniques of lightning attribute, high-level Earth-rank cultivation techniques of metal attribute, and high-level Earth-rank combat skills."

"And there are even Rank 8 pills! They're so rich!" Xiao Li was almost blinded by the spoils of war.

“Rogue cultivators have no power, so of course they keep all the good stuff on themselves. Only what they have on themselves is the safest.” Mang Tianchi was very familiar with the characteristics of rogue cultivators, after all, this was not the first time he had done this.

"It's a pity there's no secret method for crafting puppets. If we could refine these remains into puppets like Earth Demon Puppets, and then temper them with pill lightning, my god, I can't even imagine it."

"As long as I don't provoke the forces of Dou Sheng, I can roam freely throughout the entire Central Continent!" Xiao Li said with some regret.

"Hey, you've got a pretty good idea, kid. It's actually quite feasible, hahahaha. This is the first time I've ever heard of such a method. But don't turn them all into puppets; leave one intact corpse."

The Dou Qi Continent is vast, and some secret techniques can regenerate a soul, making the physical body crucial. Mang Tianchi, with his extensive experience, naturally knew the secret techniques for reviving a soul.

"understood."

After finishing their business at the Tianyuan Auction House, Xiao Li and Mang Tianchi continued their journey towards the Central Region.

. . . . . .

The Central Region is the center of the Central Continent, and most of the top forces on the Dou Qi Continent have their headquarters in the Central Region. The Pill Tower is located in the Pill Domain, which is in the center of the Central Region.

Besides the Pill Tower, the headquarters of the Three Valleys and the Two Sects are also located in this Central Region.

Central Territory, Tianhuang City

This is a vast plaza of gravel. In the center of the plaza is a huge stone platform. At the top of the platform, a massive, dark wormhole, tens of meters high, is slowly rotating, and an astonishing spatial fluctuation is constantly overflowing from it.

Puff, puff,

Two figures emerged from the wormhole.

"Finally out. This spatial wormhole was truly awful." Xiao Li stretched after taking a few steps. "Dean, where am I?"

Mang Tianchi looked at the city in the distance: "That's Tianhuang City. We're currently in the southwest region of the Central Region. Tianhuang City has a spatial wormhole that leads directly to the Dan Region, so let's go to Tianhuang City."

"Tianhuang City?" Xiao Li heard the name and immediately began to ponder it.

"Is there a Liu family in Tianhuang City?"

Mang Tianchi: "In Tianhuang City, there are many powerful forces, large and small. Among them, two families are the most respected: the Liu family and the Cheng family. These two families are considered the strongest forces in Tianhuang City. Do you know the Liu family?"

Xiao Li chuckled: "Of course we know each other. Dean, we should definitely go and have a chat. If I'm not mistaken, the current head of the Liu family is a student of our Canaan Academy, and even an inner court student!"

Mang Tianchi also became interested: "Oh? Is that so? Then this dean can go and see how our Canaan Academy students are doing these days."

"Hehe, let's go!"

Chapter 77 Old friends meet

Tianhuang City is a large city comparable in size to Tianyuan City, and may even be more popular because it has a spatial wormhole that leads directly to the Dan Domain.

In Tianhuang City, numerous forces of varying sizes exist, among which two major families stand out: the Liu family and the Cheng family. These two families are considered the most powerful forces in Tianhuang City.

Of course, neither family is qualified to build a long-distance teleportation point like a spatial wormhole. Therefore, the spatial wormhole here does not belong to either of the two families. The owner is...

Burning Flame Valley

Burning Flame Valley is the true overlord of this area, spanning thousands of miles, controlling numerous cities. The only one that can rival it is Sound Valley. However, Sound Valley has always been mysterious, and its sphere of influence is far less than that of Burning Flame Valley. Sound Valley has no interest in expanding its territory.

Burning Flame Valley controls numerous cities, and Tianhuang City is one of them. In fact, the Liu family and the Cheng family can be considered vassal forces of Burning Flame Valley. As for the management of this spatial wormhole, Burning Flame Valley chooses its agents.

Naturally, this agent will rightfully become the boss of this city. Over the years, the management of the space wormhole has been constantly changing between the Liu family and the Cheng family, but neither side has been able to control it for long. Perhaps this can be considered a means of control by Burning Flame Valley.

"Burning Flame Valley? I've heard that Burning Flame Valley has a secret technique called 'Heavenly Fire Three Mysterious Transformations.' I wonder if I can obtain it from Burning Flame Valley?" Xiao Li muttered to himself.

Mang Tianchi tapped Xiao Li on the head: "Is the kid crazy? Burning Flame Valley is not like Wind and Thunder Pavilion. Burning Flame Valley has a history of over a thousand years. Although Burning Flame Valley has been somewhat fatigued in recent years, it still firmly holds one of the three valleys."

"And let me tell you, there's an old monster in Burning Flame Valley, stronger than me. That old monster has a fiery temper; he'll fight if he has to, and never talk back. It's best not to provoke him."

"Stronger than you? What's his name?" Xiao Li asked.

Mang Tianchi: "In that era, he was known as the Fire Cloud Ancestor. He was a true powerhouse. Back then, he had already taken a crucial half-step and could be called a 'Saint'! This realm is between Dou Zun and Dou Sheng, and is called a Half-Saint!"

"Half-Saint—though it has 'half' in it, it's still connected to the 'Saint,' which represents the pinnacle. This is a qualitative leap! I'm still quite a distance from being a Half-Saint."

Xiao Li nodded, but he really didn't want to give up on the "Three Mysterious Transformations of Heavenly Fire". This secret technique was created by his ancestor Xiao Xuan. It was really painful for him, a descendant of the Xiao clan, not to be able to cultivate it.

Xiao Li and Mang Tianchi strolled through Tianhuang City, where people came and went in a constant stream, creating a bustling and noisy atmosphere.

Xiao Li glanced at the map of Tianhuang City and led Mang Tianchi through several extremely long streets. After turning a few corners, a vast manor came into view.

The manor was extremely vast, and outside the manor stood six armed guards, their vigilant and cold gazes constantly sweeping across the surroundings.

Xiao Li looked at the plaque on the gate that read "Liu Family" and confirmed that he had come to the right place.

Xiao Li took a few steps forward and stood in front of the guard, saying, "Brother, could you please inform Liu Tianlong, the head of the Liu family, that my old friend Xiao Li has come to visit?"

The guard sized Xiao Li up and down, then pondered for a moment: "You claim to be an old friend of the family head, but what is your basis for this?"

Xiao Li stroked his chin: "Based on what? Does the fact that we were classmates at Canaan Academy count?"

Upon hearing the words "Canaan Academy," the guard understood what was going on and immediately bowed to Xiao Li, saying, "So you are a distinguished student of Canaan Academy. My apologies for the rudeness. Please forgive our questioning. I will go and report to the family head immediately."

A guard went into the manor to report the news. Why was he able to confirm Xiao Li's identity as soon as he heard about Canaan Academy?

It's no small matter that the head of the Liu family once studied at Canaan Academy; everyone knows that. As for others impersonating students of Canaan Academy, that does happen, but they all met with terrible ends.

Even if Xiao Li is an imposter, the truth will be revealed when the patriarch arrives. If he is real, wouldn't that be disrespectful to a distinguished guest? Therefore, the guard chose to report.

Before long, a series of hurried footsteps approached, followed by a hearty laugh.

"Hahaha, it really is Xiao Li, big brother! Xiao Li has come to Zhongzhou!" Liu Tianjiao laughed loudly.

At the head of the group was Liu Tianlong, the current head of the Liu family, who was smiling.

"Brother Xiao Li, it's been a long time. Your presence at my Liu family home is a great honor. Please, Brother Xiao Li."

Liu Tianlong has now shed his former arrogance and is now very reserved. Even the unrestrained Liu Tianjiao has a mature air about him.

"Haha, it really has been a long time. It's been several years since we parted ways in the inner courtyard. How have you been?" Xiao Li said with a smile. He didn't have many friends in the inner courtyard. Besides Zi Yan, Xia Yilong, Liu Tianjiao and Liu Tianlong were his few friends.

"Since you're here, it's my treat today. We won't leave until we're drunk," Liu Tianjiao said with a smile.

Xiao Li nodded, then pulled Mang Tianchi over: "Let me introduce you two. This is our Canaan Academy's Dean, Lord Mang Tianchi. The Dean brought me here to travel in Zhongzhou this time."

"Since I was passing through Tianhuang City, I thought I'd come and see you."

"Dean?" Liu Tianjiao and Liu Tianlong were both very surprised. The dean of Canaan Academy was a Dou Zun powerhouse who was rarely seen.

"Student Liu Tianlong."

"Student Liu Tianjiao."