Upon hearing this, Han Yue glanced at Cai Lin again, a hint of apprehension and confusion in her eyes, but ultimately chose to follow Xiao Yan.
At that moment, Cai Lin and Xiao Yan exchanged another glance, each seeing the complex information in the other's eyes; they were perfectly in sync.
"Everyone, this Demon Flame Valley is now under your control. These students behind me will temporarily learn alongside you."
Xiao Yan turned to look at the three Dou Zong elders and a group of Dou Huang experts, with Lin Xiuya and others following behind them.
"These people must have their past investigated thoroughly. Those with heinous crimes should be executed immediately; others should be dealt with leniently."
Xiao Yan smiled slightly.
"Yes, Alliance Leader." The Flame Alliance elders nodded in agreement.
After giving these instructions, Xiao Yan led Cai Lin and the others in a certain direction.
The treasure vault within Demon Flame Valley contained the accumulated wealth of the valley over the years, possessing considerable resources.
In the past, Xiao Yan, as the imperial son of the Xiao clan, had access to a vast amount of resources and naturally didn't care about these things.
However, now that he had lost the support of his clan, even though he still possessed many valuable items, he had begun to be more frugal.
These treasures were hidden extremely well by the Earth Demon Old Ghost. In the past, even a peak Dou Zong level expert might not have been able to find them. But now, after Xiao Yan's soul entered the Spirit Realm, he could easily find the so-called treasure room.
A few minutes later, the two passed through the tunnel and appeared before a stone wall overgrown with weeds.
This stone wall was almost a natural integral part of the surrounding walls, truly without any flaws. If Xiao Yan's soul hadn't entered the Spirit Realm, he might not have been able to find this place at all.
With a casual wave of his hand, Xiao Yan unleashed a massive stream of Dou Qi that slammed into the stone wall.
The terrifying Dou Qi contained a trace of strange fire, which directly scorched a ten-meter-long tunnel into the thick rock wall.
And beyond this tunnel was a pitch-black abyss.
Looking at the cave, Xiao Yan smiled, while Cai Lin and Han Yue behind him showed excitement on their pretty faces.
For scions of powerful clans like Xiao Yan and Xiao Li, the treasures hidden in a small Dou Zong-level force might not be worth much, but for them, it felt like a windfall.
Money didn't matter; the main thing was enjoying the freebies.
"It's just a pity that the Earth Demon Old Ghost was rescued by Hun Miaomiao, otherwise he could have crafted a very good body for Venerable Tianhuo,"
Xiao Yan thought helplessly, then led everyone into the cave.
If the Earth Demon Old Ghost knew what Xiao Yan was thinking, he probably wouldn't dare to return to the Northwest Continent for the rest of his life.
A few lights emanated from the cave, illuminating the long stone steps, the ends of which were inlaid with moonstones, making the originally dark cave quite bright.
After a moment, a heavy stone door appeared before them.
"Such a small amount of stuff, yet hidden so carefully, what a hassle!"
Xiao Yan complained, unleashing another burst of Dou Qi towards the stone door.
"Boom!"
Under this attack, the stone door shattered instantly, and as it collapsed, a blinding light burst forth from within.
"Careful!" Cai Lin's expression changed slightly, but Xiao Yan paid no attention. With a slight movement of his arm, a wall of fire condensed, completely obscuring the objects.
All the metal and stone were easily melted upon impact with the fire wall.
"Beast!" Xiao Yan coldly snorted, his powerful aura sweeping into the stone chamber behind the giant door, suppressing the originally incredibly powerful serpentine beast within.
"Hiss!"
Sensing Xiao Yan's terrifying aura, the serpentine beast shrank back in awe.
"Hmph!" Cai Lin behind Xiao Yan snorted coldly, and as a trace of the Seven-Colored Devouring Python's aura leaked out, the serpentine beast trembled even more.
Let's go.
Xiao Yan smiled slightly and led the group inside. This storeroom was entirely made of black steel.
It contained numerous shelves, on which scrolls were neatly arranged, while on the other side were many crystal cabinets, within which one could vaguely see many precious medicinal herbs.
"Not bad, the things stored here are quite valuable," Xiao Yan smiled slightly, then looked deeper into the storeroom.
These things would be precious to ordinary people, but to him they were no different from ordinary living things.
Han Yue, however, behind him, wore an excited expression upon seeing these items.
The lowest level among these cultivation techniques was at the low-level of the Xuan rank. Han Yue might not care about one or two scrolls, but such a pile of treasures gave her the excitement of finding a treasure trove.
Finally, at the end of the stone chamber, Xiao Yan saw four ancient stone platforms placed there, without the protective barriers found on the other bookshelves.
A faint light barrier surrounded them, but what made Xiao Yan frown was that one of the scrolls had inexplicably disappeared.
"Damn it, could that woman Hun Miaomiao have taken that Heavenly Demon Puppet scroll?"
Looking at the empty ball of light, Xiao Yan suddenly felt an urge to curse.
What truly attracted him to this Demon Flame Valley was the legendary method of crafting the Heavenly Demon Puppet. This technique should essentially be considered an ancient artifact technique, so it was probably what Hun Miaomiao had her eye on.
As for the other scroll, the Flame Manipulation Technique, although it wasn't particularly valuable—Xiao Yan had acquired many precious fire control techniques along the way—it still had some reference value.
Thinking this, Xiao Yan reached out towards the remaining three stone platforms.
Transparent spatial power slowly surged between his palms, and the light barrier that would normally give even Dou Huang and Dou Zong a headache was now completely powerless against it.
Xiao Yan easily penetrated it.
Soon, Xiao Yan took out the three wooden boxes.
After opening the first box, two exquisitely crafted silver scrolls appeared before him.
However, Xiao Yan showed no interest in the scrolls and casually tossed the box to Xiao Li.
"Second brother, these are lightning-attribute cultivation techniques and fighting skills. See if you can use them."
"A lightning-attribute cultivation technique?" Xiao Li took the wooden box, a hint of joy appearing on his face. However, after seeing the information inside, he shook his head helplessly.
"This little shabby place really doesn't have anything valuable, just a set of mid-level Earth-rank cultivation techniques."
Although Xiao Li wasn't considered a key talent being groomed by the Xiao Clan, he had still become a Dou Zong at a young age, and his bloodline power was rated at the seventh or eighth rank.
Moreover, he had a Dou Sheng grandfather, so his cultivation technique was also high-level Earth-rank. The Thunderclap Mirror was worthless in his eyes.
As for that mid-level Earth-rank technique, it was better than nothing.
"In that case, I'll just throw it into the Flame Alliance for talent training."
Xiao Yan smiled and opened the second wooden box.
Inside was a crimson scroll with three large characters written on it:
"Flame Manipulation Technique!"
"It really is the Flame Manipulation Technique."
Xiao Yan looked at the scroll and a smile appeared on his face.
Although the Flame Manipulation Technique wouldn't significantly boost his combat power at his current level, the method of cultivating flames within it was worth learning.
After all, while strange flames were born from the great power of heaven and earth, they could become even stronger with the nurturing of their master.
The most classic example was the Yin-Yang Evil Saint, who, through repeated dual cultivation efforts, eventually cultivated the Yin-Yang Saint Flame into a strange flame comparable to the Fallen Heart Flame.
After casually storing the Flame Manipulation Technique in his storage ring, Xiao Yan opened the third box.
Inside the wooden box, a fist-sized, perfectly round, fiery red bead lay quietly. The immense fire attribute energy within it made Cai Lin and Han Yue's beautiful eyes widen.
However, Xiao Yan showed little interest in the bead after seeing it.
It was just a seventh-tier magical beast's core, something Xiao Yan and Xiao Li used to play with as billiards when they were kids.
But it was alright; perhaps he could use it to resurrect the Heavenly Flame Venerable in the future.
As for the last light barrier, it was completely empty.
At this moment, Xiao Yan finally confirmed that the Heavenly Demon Puppet had indeed been taken by Hun Miaomiao.
"No wonder the dignified Soul Clan Saintess suddenly appeared in Demon Flame Valley."
Thinking of this, Xiao Yan finally understood the cause and effect.
Presumably, after learning about the Heavenly Demon Puppet's crafting method in Demon Flame Valley, Hun Miaomiao had arrived before him and also subdued the Earth Demon Old Ghost.
This explained why Hun Miaomiao was protecting the Earth Demon Old Ghost.
With a helpless sigh, Xiao Yan finally led everyone away.
"Second Brother, from now on, you'll be in charge of keeping an eye on Demon Flame Valley for now. After all, this place will become the Flame Alliance's base for controlling the entire Black Corner Region."
"Since the matter of Demon Flame Valley has been initially resolved, I'll head back now."
After Xiao Yan briefly assigned tasks, Cai Lin smiled slightly, and the world seemed to brighten slightly.
As she spoke, she glanced at Han Yue beside Xiao Yan.
"If you have nothing to do in the future, sister, you can come visit the Flame Alliance. Since you've already followed this guy, we're family now, no need to be so formal."
Cai Lin smiled charmingly at Han Yue, then turned and left Han Yue with a captivatingly powerful back view, before stepping into the spatial wormhole.
Watching Cai Lin's disappearing figure, Han Yue's slightly excited face fell slightly.
She felt an unprecedented pressure from Cai Lin.
This woman not only possessed an unparalleled figure and beauty, but her methods and strength were also terrifying. More importantly, she was magnanimous.
What man could refuse such a woman as the mistress of his harem?
Thinking this to herself, her gaze turned to Xiao Yan with a
hint of melancholy. "Hehe, what Cai Lin said makes some sense."
Under Han Yue's intense gaze, Xiao Yan couldn't help but smile slightly, but Han Yue's gaze remained resentful.
Helpless, Xiao Yan could only gently take her hand.
"They're actually very easy to get along with."
After saying this, Xiao Yan wanted to slap himself.
With Xiao Li taking the lead in taking over Demon Flame Valley, it finally became a branch of the Flame Alliance in the Black Corner Region.
As time passed, this branch would slowly change the entire landscape of the Black Corner Region.
The elders and disciples of Demon Flame Valley were thoroughly searched by Lin Xiuya and his group, and many of the most heinous criminals were killed on the spot.
Faced with the encirclement of three Dou Zong experts, even a Dou Huang expert was powerless to resist. In an instant, nearly half of Demon Flame Valley's high-ranking members were eliminated.
As a semi-demonic force, Demon Flame Valley, while not entirely composed of villains like the Blood Sect, didn't have any purely good people either.
Ultimately, only one-tenth of the elders and disciples of the vast Demon Flame Valley qualified to be incorporated into the Flame Alliance.
As for the others, although their crimes didn't warrant death, they couldn't escape punishment. Under the oppressive power of Xiao Li, a nine-star Dou Zong, these people were all relegated to unofficial positions for redemption.
Meanwhile, Xiao Yan was already seated in Su Qian's courtyard.
"You mean, you want some future graduates from the academy to join your Flame Alliance?"
Su Qian asked, sipping tea and looking at Xiao Yan with surprise.
"What, is there a problem?"
Xiao Yan took a sip of tea and smiled at Su Qian, saying, "Canaan Academy has many geniuses, but many come from humble backgrounds. If they are allowed to roam freely, it's uncertain when they will achieve anything."
"However, my Flame Alliance is at a crucial stage of growth. If these students can join the Flame Alliance and grow together with it, perhaps in a few decades, they will become a powerful force in the Northwest Continent."
"As for those students with some family connections, let them be. Although these people have good talent, they may not be willing to work diligently."
After hearing Xiao Yan's 'school-enterprise cooperation' proposal, Su Qian fell into a brief silence, finally nodding slowly.
"Hehe, the Grand Elder is indeed farsighted."
Xiao Yan smiled slightly. The Flame Alliance currently needs some fresh blood with clean backgrounds, and the students of Canaan Academy are the most suitable group.
For the students of Canaan Academy, this is also a platform to discover their talents.
After finishing his miscellaneous tasks, Xiao Yan glanced at the still-sleeping Zi Yan and prepared to return to the Flame Alliance.
After all, now that he had broken through to the Dou Zun level, he should help his wives and concubines in Jia Ma Holy City improve their cultivation.
However, a message from Black Seal City ultimately changed his mind.
====================
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