Chapter 198: Too Much
Time flies by, and months pass in the blink of an eye.
During this period, the Heavenly Court had already taken control of most of the forces in the Black Corner Domain. Faced with the Heavenly Court's dominance, many of the forces in the Black Corner Domain had no choice but to surrender, with no other path available. Over the past six months, Yuan Yi had been following Yao Yan's orders, searching for the remaining fragment of the Pure Lotus Demon Flame.
Unfortunately, it seemed that the final fragment of the Pure Lotus Demon Flame wasn't in the Black Corner Domain. No matter how much Yuan Yi searched, he couldn't find any trace of it.
Yao Yan wasn't surprised by this result. After all, there were still more than ten years before the events of the original plot, and it made sense that the fragment hadn't appeared yet. Or perhaps the fragment he obtained from the Shennong Mountain Range was the one in the Black Corner Domain. It wasn't impossible.
Yao Yan wasn't too fixated on this, as the Pure Lotus Demon Flame would not emerge for another thirty or forty years. He could afford to wait.
"Only thirty years or so..."
He gazed at the distant sky, a hint of contemplation in his eyes, murmuring to himself.
Yao Yan didn't know exactly how far he could go. For now, he could only set small goals. Before the emergence of the Pure Lotus Demon Flame, he needed to raise his strength to the level of Soul Void, so he could absorb and refine the Pure Lotus Demon Flame with confidence.
The fragment of the Pure Lotus Demon Flame would only serve as an enhancement. Ultimately, the ability to absorb the flame depended on Yao Yan himself.
Clack, clack…
The crisp sound of footsteps reached his ears. He didn't need to turn around to guess who it was.
In the current Magic Flame Valley, only a few people could approach him so silently, and the one who could make such footsteps was none other than Cai Lin. She was dressed in a stunning gold and red long gown, her tall and slender figure and narrow waist accentuated. Her fair, straight legs were clad in red high heels. As she walked, her black hair swayed in the wind, exuding a confidence and pride that was uniquely hers.
She was, after all, the proud and beautiful Medusa Queen.
Cai Lin walked up beside Yao Yan, her light purple eyes glancing at his profile. Her red lips parted, carrying a soft, seductive tone, "Have you decided yet? After we leave, who do you plan to leave in charge here?"
She wasn't interested in staying behind to watch over things. Since Yao Yan planned to go to the Central State, she would naturally follow to see the broader world.
"There are a few candidates..."
Yao Yan turned to look at the stunning beauty beside him and softly replied.
"Who?" Cai Lin's gaze shifted slightly, her tone suddenly becoming more serious, tinged with a dangerous edge. She asked in a low voice, "Don't tell me, the person you're thinking of is Cai Die!"
Yao Yan was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and shook his head. He reached out and pulled Cai Lin into his arms, saying, "Of course it isn't Cai Die. She's not suited for this... What do you think of Hai Bo Dong and the Mittler Family?"
"Hai Bo Dong, the Ice Emperor?" Cai Lin raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised by Yao Yan's words.
"Hai Laoren is good. Although he's not great at managing forces, the Mittler Family is different. It would be perfect to have them manage the Heavenly Court here in the Black Corner Domain. After all, the establishment of the Heavenly Court here was to gather information and resources, and these are exactly what the Mittler Family excels at," Yao Yan explained in a soft voice.
As for whether they would take over the entire domain... In this fantasy world, strength was paramount. As long as Yao Yan's strength remained enough, they wouldn't have the power to resist anything.
This was the advantage of a fantasy world—no need to worry about loyalty below.
"If you think it's fine, then it's okay."
Cai Lin nodded slightly, agreeing. After all, this was a power Yao Yan casually created, and its future development would ultimately depend on the man before her.
Yao Yan hugged Cai Lin, resting his head on her shoulder, inhaling the faint scent of her, feeling an indescribable comfort. His eyes softened a little, and he whispered, "In a few days, we'll return to the Jia Ma Empire."
"..."
Cai Lin's soft body stiffened suddenly, and her lazy eyes carried a hint of complexity.
"What's wrong? Are you panicking?" Yao Yan noticed the expression on her face and smiled.
"Why would I panic? It's not like I didn't do it to save you..." Cai Lin shot Yao Yan a fierce look, then broke free from his embrace, retorting immediately. She would never admit there was any emotional drama between her and Yao Yan. Everything had been forced.
Looking at her, Yao Yan scratched his chin, nodding in a rather mischievous way. "That's a good reason. I think Cai Die will accept it."
Cai Lin clenched her fist, a hint of murderous intent in her eyes, staring at Yao Yan fiercely. Clearly, if Yao Yan dared to fool her sister like that, she wouldn't let him off so easily. She wasn't Cai Die, who would be easily manipulated by him.
"I'm just joking. When the time comes, I'll explain it properly to Cai Die. Everything is my fault," Yao Yan said with a serious expression, honestly.
"You better!"
Cai Lin gave Yao Yan a deep, cold glare before speaking in a harsh tone.
Yao Yan leaned on the railing, staring into the distance. After pondering for a moment, he slowly said, "Actually, instead of explaining all this, I'm more worried about another matter... If we go to the Central State, how should I explain this to Cai Die?"
"..." Cai Lin fell silent upon hearing this. She didn't know how to answer this question.
Yao Yan, for a moment, also felt a bit of a headache. The Central State was not like the Jia Ma Empire. He couldn't bring Cai Die to take risks, and this trip to the Central State wouldn't be peaceful. There might be a lot of trouble, and he didn't even want to bring Cai Lin along.
"Forget it, let's take it one step at a time." Yao Yan didn't continue thinking about the issue. He stood up, stretched, and said lightly.
"Come practice with me." Cai Lin suddenly said.
Yao Yan was a bit surprised. He turned his head and met her gaze, immediately realizing the irritation in her eyes. She clearly wanted to fight him, to vent her frustration.
"Sure~"
Yao Yan didn't refuse. With a thought, a pair of sky-blue wings of Dou Qi appeared behind him, and in an instant, he shot toward the back mountains like a streak of light.
Cai Lin followed closely behind.
Moments later, the sounds of thunderous booms echoed from the back mountains of the Magic Flame Valley. The clouds in the sky exploded in rapid succession, as if something had burst them apart, clearly indicating how powerful the two were when they started fighting.
This commotion naturally attracted the attention of many strong figures from within the Heavenly Court.
"Audacious!"
"How dare you!"
With several cold shouts, ten or so figures flew up, heading toward the source of the disturbance, eager to see who had the guts to make a move within the Heavenly Court's territory. But soon, they realized that the ones fighting were Yao Yan and Cai Lin. They exchanged glances, then returned to their posts as though nothing had happened.
It was the Lord and Mistress of the Heavenly Court sparring. What business did they have interrupting?
Currently, within the Heavenly Court, there were more than ten Dou Huang experts, five of whom were at the peak of the Dou Huang level, just a step away from Dou Zong. All of them had come to seek the Breaking Sect Pill. For this, Yao Yan had promised to provide one after ten years of service. After ten years, they would receive a Breaking Sect Pill.
Such terms left no room for refusal for those at the peak of Dou Huang.
Moreover, the position of the Heavenly Court in the Black Corner Domain was now unshakable. Apart from the Jia Nan Academy, the Heavenly Court was now the undisputed ruler of the Black Corner Domain!
Joining the Heavenly Court was clearly the best option.
Anyone with discerning eyes could tell that the future development of the Heavenly Court would far surpass the Magic Flame Valley. With Yao Yan's status as a seventh-grade alchemist, he could easily attract numerous Dou Huang experts. If it weren't for the strict rules of the Heavenly Court, there would already be far more Dou Huang experts in the Heavenly Court.
...
...
A few days later.
Yao Yan, accompanied by Cai Lin and Zi Yan, flew toward the Jia Ma Empire. This time, he didn't bring Yao Lao and the others along. With his current strength, there was no one in the entire northwest continent, except for a few hidden old monsters, who could pose any threat to him. Not to mention, the Jia Ma Empire was a remote low-level dynasty.
The strongest person there was only at the peak of the Dou Huang level.
In battles at the same level, especially with ordinary peak Dou Huang experts, they would probably be unable to withstand a single strike from Yao Yan.
It wasn't that they were too weak, but rather that Yao Yan's strength was currently far beyond the norm. Not to mention his "Feng Jue" technique, which had evolved to a high level, even his body, having reached the peak of the second stage of the Immovable Diamond Body, was enough to crush most peak Dou Huang experts. Not to mention the four heavenly flames within him.
After enduring the flames' refinement, both his Dou Qi and body had been enhanced to an unimaginable degree.
Even some Dou Zong level experts would not be able to reach this level.
And as his strength grew, the various Dou Emperor bloodlines within him began to gradually revive, propelling his strength into an accelerated growth phase. If before, he was in his juvenile stage, now he had entered his adolescence, with his Dou Qi, blood, and soul all entering an explosive growth phase.
Even without actively training, the so-called Dou Zong bottleneck could no longer hold him back.
...
Three streaks of light streaked across the blue sky.
"Cai Lin, is there anything fun to do in the Jia Ma Empire?" Zi Yan turned to look at Cai Lin, her big eyes blinking, like a curious child. She had never left the Jia Nan Academy's inner courtyard since she was born. This was the first time she had left her homeland.
"Fun places? Ask him," Cai Lin said, her mood slightly disturbed. She wasn't in the mood to talk to Zi Yan about these things. She glanced at Yao Yan, who seemed indifferent, feeling somewhat helpless. She clearly couldn't be as nonchalant as Yao Yan.
Soon, she would meet Cai Die again. How should she explain everything?
Even pretending nothing had happened wasn't possible.
On one hand, Yao Yan wouldn't agree, and on the other, because of her spiritual connection with Cai Die, whatever had happened would be sensed by Cai Die. Just thinking about it made her heart feel chaotic.
Yao Yan, on the other hand, was quite calm. He even thought for a moment, "The Imperial Capital of Jia Ma is quite interesting. I'll take you there when we get there. The city is huge, and there's plenty to eat and do there."
"Okay~" Zi Yan's eyes lit up with excitement.
"I'll take you and your sister Cai Lin, and also your sister Cai Die," Yao Yan promised, looking at Cai Lin, who immediately gave him a look of disdain.
"Cai Lin has a sister too~"
Zi Yan was a bit surprised, having never heard Cai Lin mention a sister before.
"Yes, you'll find out when we get there," Yao Yan said with a smile.
With that, Yao Yan's gaze shifted to the distance. The Jia Ma Empire's checkpoint had already come into view. The towering walls nearly a hundred meters high were indeed spectacular, and only in a fantasy world could such majestic cities be built. The city before them was the Jia Ma Empire's Great Ridge City.
At this moment, Great Ridge City was bustling, with a large crowd moving through the city gates. From above, it looked like a swarm of ants.
After just a few years, seeing Great Ridge City again, Yao Yan felt a sense of familiarity.
"We're at the Jia Ma Empire now," Cai Lin murmured, gazing at the distant city.
"Let's speed up. We'll try to reach the Serpent Clan's stronghold today. I don't want to sleep outside. It's been so long since I had a hot bath, and today I'll make Cai Die scrub my back..." Yao Yan grinned mischievously, then his wings of Dou Qi fluttered, and his figure quickly became a streak of light as he soared over Great Ridge City.
"You dare!" Cai Lin coldly snorted, immediately speeding up to chase him.
Zi Yan followed behind them leisurely.
The Dou Wang guarding Great Ridge City naturally sensed the aura above, but facing the Dou Zong-level experts who could hover in the air, he chose to pretend not to see it and did nothing. Such experts were not something the Jia Ma Empire could provoke. He just needed to report the matter.
How to respond was up to the royal family.
...
The Serpent Clan had moved out of the Tagore Desert, and everything started with one human man.
Ever since the human alchemist entered the Serpent Clan's territory a few years ago, life had gradually improved for the Serpent Clan. The Jia Ma Empire, which had once been hostile to them, suddenly changed its approach. Not only did they allocate a territory to the Serpent Clan, but several large forces also sought to befriend the Serpent Clan. They even enacted a strict law forbidding any force from selling Serpent Clan members as slaves!
With this law in place, many Serpent Clan slaves were unconditionally freed, further easing the tension between the Serpent Clan and the Jia Ma Empire.
Now, the two sides were getting along quite well, and one could even see humans walking within the city.
"Almost three years..."
In the palace, a seductive figure leaned by the window, her bright peach blossom eyes gazing into the distance. She softly muttered to herself, her tone tinged with a touch of melancholy. Suddenly, she seemed to think of something, and with a forceful movement, she hugged a small green wood fox in her arms and started waving its little paws.
A moment later, a voice filled with resentment rang out.
"The young master and sister are too much..."
(END CHAPTER)
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