The crackling sound of the burning flames and the howling of the storm rang in Xiao Yan's ears. Xiao Yan, a mere nine-star Dou Shi capable of burning a Dou Huang to ashes, remained unfazed, for the person controlling this body was not himself.
Standing within the tornado, Yao Chen smiled slightly, a cold white flame appearing in his palm.
"No matter how you hide, the connection between different flames still exists. Besides, it's just a newly born flame; what intelligence could it possibly possess!"
Sure enough, the moment the Bone Spirit Cold Flame appeared, a highly agitated and restless feeling was sensed by Yao Chen's powerful soul.
"Heh, found you!"
Yao Chen's powerful soul force surged forth without regard for consumption. This was not the time to be frugal; only by taking the Wind Fury Dragon Flame as quickly as possible could he avoid the battle that might follow.
Under Yao Chen's control, the Bone Spirit Cold Flame transformed into a cold yet scorching chain of flames, rapidly piercing through a certain point. Then, a yellowish-brown flame was drawn out!
In that instant, Xiao Yan seemed to hear a mournful wail, followed by the sudden collapse of the massive storm tornado, with endless amounts of sand, rocks, and debris falling at incredible speed.
"Little Yan, let's go!"
After obtaining the primordial fire of the Wind Fury Dragon Flame, Yao Chen gave Ling Ying a signal. Yao Chen then handed control of his body to Xiao Yan, and Ling Ying carried Xiao Yan rapidly into the depths of the desert, leaving no trace under the cover of dark attribute Dou Qi.
Half an hour after they left, more than a dozen figures with wings on their backs flew towards the location.
"Sect Master Yun, Master Guhe, you arrived first. Have you discovered anything?"
It was Fa Ma, who had secretly broken through to the sixth-grade alchemist, who spoke first. Strangely, despite such a major event, neither the royal family's Jia Xingtian nor the Snake-People Clan had come to investigate.
If the Snake-People Clan had simply moved there and didn't want conflict with the outside world, that would be somewhat understandable. Surprisingly, Jia Xingtian of the royal family did not come. Of course, only Yun Yun and Gu He found this strange.
The leaders of the major forces in Jia Ma Imperial City already knew that the old man had exchanged two Breakthrough Pills with Master Lin Feng and was currently in seclusion to break through. What opportunity could compare to breaking through to the Dou Zong realm himself?
"A strange fire was just subdued here. Judging from the remaining traces, that strange fire must be the Wind Fury Dragon Flame, ranked eighteenth on the Strange Fire Ranking!"
Just as everyone was wondering, Gu He spoke up with a grim expression. Judging from the traces left on the ground, the person had left no more than half an hour ago.
"Sect Master, can we track down this person's traces? This strange fire is very important to me. With it, my alchemy skills will definitely break through quickly. At that time, I will even be able to refine Breakthrough Pills."
Upon hearing about Breakthrough Pills, the people from the major forces in Jia Ma Imperial City exchanged glances and smiled strangely.
"This is indeed the Wind Fury Dragon Flame. What a pity, someone else beat me to it. It seems I don't have that opportunity!"
Fa Ma, standing to the side, stroked his beard upon hearing Gu He's words, sighing with regret.
"The person who subdued the strange flame is extremely powerful, and their battle aura must possess a rare, concealing quality. Judging from the traces, they subdued the strange flame in a very short time, at most two quarters of an hour after we arrived, yet I couldn't detect the direction they left in at all."
Gentle and moving words flowed from Yun Yun's beautiful red lips. As expected of a Dou Huang (Battle Emperor) expert, she accurately deduced the general situation from the slightest clues. If it weren't for Ling Ying's highly concealed dark attribute Dou Qi, this would undoubtedly have been another fierce battle.
"Sect Master Yun is right. Even with my extensive experience traveling the continent and my expertise in tracking, I couldn't detect this person's whereabouts," the
previously silent Ice Emperor Hai Bodong finally spoke. After being restored by Lin Feng's pills, he had recovered to the level of a five-star Dou Huang, making him the strongest among the many Dou Huangs and Dou Wangs present. Moreover, everyone knew of the Ice Emperor's map-making skills; even he, with his powerful reconnaissance techniques, couldn't detect him. Gu He and Fa Ma exchanged a glance and sighed helplessly.
"It seems we are destined to be without the Strange Flame!"
Undeterred, Gu He investigated again, but to no avail. The group could only leave in despair. Of course, only Gu He was helpless. Many powerful forces in the Jia Ma Empire already had their own channels for obtaining high-grade pills, and they no longer valued this former only sixth-grade alchemist of the Jia Ma Empire.
As for Fa Ma, the old man knew his own limitations. He was already satisfied with receiving Lin Feng's help and advancing to the sixth-grade alchemist realm in his lifetime; he dared not ask for more.
After the Jia Ma Empire's people left, Ling Ying had already led Xiao Yan deep into the Tagor Desert. After killing a fourth-tier scorpion-tiger beast, they seized its territory to absorb the strange fire.
"Little Yanzi, you should first prepare your meditation. Everything you need to refine the strange fire, your master has prepared for you. Once you are ready, your master will protect you—refining the strange fire!"
"Ling Ying, Dou Huang, this way please. I need your help with something!"
After instructing his disciple, Yao Chen turned to Ling Ying and then floated away into the distance.
"Senior Medicine Venerable, what brings you here?"
Ling Ying held the renowned number one alchemist of the Dou Qi Continent in high esteem. Although the alchemist was currently down on his luck, he knew he would eventually return to Zhongzhou. Once he recovered, even a casual reward would be a tremendous opportunity for Ling Ying, a Dou Huang.
More importantly, the alchemist was now the master of Young Master Xiao Yan, even though the relationship between Young Master Xiao Yan and Miss Xiao Yan was destined to be unfulfilled. However, until Miss Xiao Yan realized the truth, Ling Ying felt he still needed to maintain proper respect.
"Dou Huang Ling Ying, I won't pry into your Miss Xiao Yan's affairs. Those matters are beyond our control,"
Yao Chen said calmly, stating his position. As an outcast of an ancient race, he naturally knew that his disciple's relationship with his childhood sweetheart was doomed. If it were anyone else, it wouldn't matter, but he had noticed a fleeting golden flame on the alchemist's body.
If he wasn't mistaken, that was the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame, ranked fourth on the Strange Flame Ranking!
Thinking of this, Yao Chen couldn't help but gasp. Although the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame wasn't as unique as the top three strange flames, its power was undoubtedly no weaker than that of an ordinary Dou Sheng expert.
(End of Chapter)