"What? The Yan Alliance has been destroyed?"
Upon hearing this, Yun Tianming was taken aback. He had thought that Xiao Yan and his master would not give up easily and would come back sooner or later, but now you are telling me they were completely wiped out?
"Who? Who could destroy a force with a Dou Ancestor level powerhouse?"
Yun Tianming frowned.
"The specific situation is unclear."
Su Qian shook his head, looking somewhat serious. "It wasn't just the Yan Alliance that was destroyed. The Eight Gates, Luo Sha Gate, Wild Lion Gang, Blood Sect, Black Emperor Sect, and any force associated with the Yan Alliance were all wiped out in one night! It was as if they vanished into thin air, not a single person was left alive."
"!!!"
Yun Tianming's pupils contracted, and he quickly realized there was only one possibility.
Hall of Souls!
Thinking about it carefully, it made sense. Whether it was the Ancient Emperor Tuo Shi jade that Xiao Yan possessed or Yao Chen, both were prime targets for the Hall of Souls.
The battle between the Yan Alliance and Jia Nan Academy had exposed Yao Chen's existence, which would undoubtedly attract the attention of the Hall of Souls' spies.
Following the Hall of Souls' usual practice of "outsourcing" and collaborating with local forces, the Misty Cloud Sect was undoubtedly a good puppet. However, Protector Wu had been killed by Yun Tianming, Yun Yun, and Cai Lin working together.
Having lost the support of local forces, the Hall of Souls had to send elders from the Central Plains to take action personally!
"So obsessed with Alchemists and Soul bodies, it must be them."
Su Qian's eyes flickered, his words vague as he did not continue. Coming from the Central Plains, he naturally knew about this fearsome and terrifying force.
"In a way, this is good. The destruction of the Yan Alliance means the Black-Corner Region will likely be quiet for a long time, no longer posing a substantial threat to Jia Nan Academy."
Yun Tianming didn't want to delve into the details; it had little to do with him anyway.
His intuition told him that even if Xiao Yan and his master fell into the hands of the Hall of Souls, they likely wouldn't be easily killed.
Yao Chen's alchemy skills were highly valued, making him a technical talent needed by the Hall of Souls. As for Xiao Yan, he was very clever and might even manage to become a "Flame Protector" or "Flame Venerable" within the Hall of Souls. Well, that was just a joke; hopefully, it wouldn't come true.
————
With the restart of the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower, Jia Nan Academy quickly regained its former peace.
Lin Xiuya, Liu Qing, Yan Hao, Lin Yan, Han Yue, and other top ten ranked strong contenders, after using the Heart Fire to temper and consolidate their Dou King realms, all graduated and left Jia Nan Academy.
Before leaving, Lin Xiuya and the others once again thanked Yun Tianming for saving their lives and invited him to visit them in the Central Plains in the future, promising to host him well.
Yun Tianming smiled and agreed. He planned to lead the Misty Cloud Sect back to the Central Plains in the future, and since the families of Lin Xiuya and the others generally had Dou Ancestor powerhouses, forming good relationships might be useful later on.
With Yun Tianming's support in pills, Pan's Gate gradually stabilized its position as the number one faction in the inner academy, fulfilling Yun Tianming's promise to Xun'er.
Xiao Yu and Xiao Mei entered the lowest level of the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower, preparing to break through to the Dou King realm. Having shared intimate moments, Yun Tianming had always been generous with his women. He wondered how Xiao Yan would react upon finding out.
After handling everything, Yun Tianming no longer had a reason to stay at Jia Nan Academy. He resigned from his position as a mentor and prepared to leave.
"Yun Tianming, if you leave, who will I get pills from?"
"You can eat the raw herbs directly."
"No way! The raw herbs are so hard to chew, and your pills taste so much better. I don't care; I'm sticking with you!"
"Sigh~ I really can't do anything about you."
Seeing little Zi Yan clinging to him like a koala, Yun Tianming shrugged helplessly, but secretly he was delighted: Spoiled your taste buds, didn't I, my little (Ancient Void) Dragon girl!
"Humph! Don't even think about having any inappropriate thoughts about Zi Yan!"
Cai Lin reached out and took Zi Yan, who was clinging to him, into her arms, giving Yun Tianming a wary look.
"Hehe~ I'm heading back to the Jia Ma Empire next. Do you plan to come along?"
Yun Tianming asked with a smile.
"I—"
Cai Lin hesitated. Since she received the Spirit Fusion Pill, their deal was complete, and she seemingly had no reason to stay by his side. However, Zi Yan didn't overthink it and immediately raised her hand, laughing and shouting, "Of course, we'll go together! Don't think you can ditch us!"
Cai Lin's eyes flickered, and she seemed to find a suitable reason. She held Zi Yan a bit tighter in her arms and said, "I need to keep an eye on Zi Yan."
"Mmmff—"
Zi Yan couldn't breathe.
"Cai Lin, you're going to suffocate Zi Yan."
Yun Tianming's eyes widened, appreciating the visually striking scene before him.
"Have you seen enough?"
"No."
"Do you want to bury your head in it?"
"Yes!"
Cai Lin smiled slightly and beckoned to him with her delicate hand.
Space distorted—
"Damn! Are you serious?"
Thunder exploded under Yun Tianming's feet as he retreated rapidly, his figure turning into lightning. A few strands of hair were torn off by the twisted space, narrowly avoiding having his entire head twisted off!
"Humph~ Since advancing, I needed someone to practice with."
Cai Lin's lips curled into an eager smile. She took a step forward, and her figure instantly appeared in front of Yun Tianming.
"A 6-Star Dou Ancestor practicing with a 4-Star Dou Emperor, do you have no shame?"
Yun Tianming unfolded his Dou Qi Wings and Dark Feather Wings, narrowly avoiding her grasp.
"Didn't you say you wanted to conquer me? Is this all you've got?"
Cai Lin's beautiful eyes were smiling, but each strike she delivered carried terrifying Dou Qi powerful enough to shake space.
"Cai Lin, you've misunderstood. I'm trying to win you over with sincerity."
Yun Tianming defended against her formidable Dou Qi while manipulating the Heavenly Flame into the shape of a heart.
"Then take your heart out!"
Cai Lin unhesitatingly shattered the heart-shaped Heavenly Flame with a single palm strike.
"Yikes~ It looks like you two are having fun, count me in~"
Zi Yan raised her tiny yet powerful fists and joined the battle.
"Boom boom boom!!"
With this passionate exchange, the trio—one man, one serpent, and one dragon—gradually entered the territory of the Jia Ma Empire.
"Stop! Pause. Stop fighting, Cai Lin, Zi Yan!"
Yun Tianming suddenly became serious. Cai Lin also seemed to sense something and retracted her seven-colored Dou Qi.
"Ouch, what are you doing?"
Zi Yan headbutted Yun Tianming, only to have him press her forehead with his palm.
"Shh! There's a problem."
Yun Tianming squinted his eyes and released his Soul Perception, sensing everything within a hundred-mile radius.
****
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