Starting as a supporting character in Doupo

Page 439

Xiao Fan looked down at Xiao Yan, who was being cheered by the crowd, nodded slightly, and smiled. Then, his figure flickered and disappeared into the air.

After the Pill Gathering concluded, the top ten had the opportunity to enter the Star Domain to subdue the Three Thousand Burning Flames. Among the top ten, Xiao Yan, Qinghua Old Monster, Cao Ying, Dan Chen, and the eighth-grade alchemist occupied five spots. The remaining five spots were filled by the five strongest pill makers among the seventh-grade pill makers. The top ten of the Pill Gathering were now finalized.

After everything was over, Xuan Kongzi officially announced the end of this year's Pill Gathering. However, since such a grand occasion had finally arrived, countless alchemists had traveled from afar to gather here. Therefore, most of them planned to take advantage of this time to continue exploring Saint Pill City, which is basically the norm after each Pill Gathering ends.

Xuan Kongzi informed Xiao Yan and the other ten top pill gatherers that the day to enter the star field and subdue the Three Thousand Burning Flames would be in two days.

After all, even the most skilled alchemist couldn't withstand a month of intense alchemy. If they were to try to subdue the Three Thousand Burning Flames in the Starfield now, they would surely fail. Two days of buffer time would be enough for them to recover to their peak condition.

After all the notifications were completed, Xuan Kongzi summoned Xiao Fan and his group, along with Xiao Yan, into the Pill Tower.

"You two! I don't know whether to call you incredibly audacious!"

Inside a secluded courtyard within the Pill Tower, only Xuan Kongzi and his two companions, along with Xiao Fan and his senior brother, were present. Xuan Kongzi looked at Xiao Fan and Xiao Yan with a worried expression and said to Xiao Fan, "The Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan has always valued the remains of its members. Even if an ordinary person unintentionally offends them, they will be held accountable by the Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan. But you dared to refine an entire Heavenly Demon Phoenix into a puppet and expose it in front of so many people. No matter what, the Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan will definitely not let you off. This time, the Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan is probably going to explode!"

Looking at Xuan Kongzi's appearance and listening to his conversation, Xiao Yan knew that the other party also cared about the two of them. A smile appeared on his face, and he felt a warmth in his heart. He bowed to Xuan Kongzi and the other two and said, "Thank you for your concern, senior, but we are not afraid!"

"Don't think I'm just trying to scare you!"

Xuan Kongzi glared at Xiao Yan after hearing his words, then pointed at Xiao Fan beside him and said, "Don't think that just because your senior brother is a Dou Zun, he's invincible. You should know that there are countless Dou Zun level experts in the Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan. Moreover, even if you can deal with a Dou Zun, what if the Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan sends out a Dou Sheng? Can you handle that?"

"All right."

Hearing Xuan Kongzi's words, Xuan Yi interrupted him, then turned his gaze to Xiao Fan and the other person, saying, "At this point, the conflict between you and the Heavenly Phoenix Clan is irreconcilable. Since that's the case, then just go all the way down this path! A race like the Heavenly Phoenix Clan values ​​honor above all else. If you challenge them, for the sake of face, they will definitely only send a Dou Zun level expert to take action, but even so, there will still be considerable danger..."

Listening to Xuan Yi's words, Xiao Fan knew that this was a good way to stall for time. After all, although the chances of the Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan sending out a Dou Sheng expert were very small, it was not impossible. Initiating a challenge to the Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan under the guise of a challenge would actually get them through this hurdle.

"Thank you, senior, for your advice."

Xiao Fan bowed to Xuan Yi, and seeing the worry still on Xuan Yi's face, Xiao Fan smiled and said, "Senior, don't worry. Within the Dou Zun realm, even if I'm no match for him, escaping won't be a problem!"

"Sigh! This is all we can do for now..."

Xuan Yi sighed, then his gaze fell on Xiao Fan and the other person. He hesitated for a moment but did not speak.

"Senior in black robes? You..."

Anyone could see that Xuan Yi was hesitant to speak. Xiao Yan scratched his head and asked.

"She probably wants to ask about that old man Yao Chen..."

Tian Leizi, who was standing to the side, was silenced by the cold, sharp gaze of the man in black before he could finish speaking.

"Could you tell me how you became disciples of Yao Chen? Where is he now, and what is his situation?"

Xuan Yi glanced at Tian Leizi, interrupting him, and then directly asked Xiao Fan and Xiao Yan without any hesitation.

Chapter 197 Junior Brother, Goodbye

"So that's it..."

"Han Feng, that heartless bastard! Yao Chen treated him like his own son. If Yao Chen hadn't taken him in back then, his bones would be in some beast's belly. I never expected him to collude with the Soul Hall and turn against his own mentor..."

After listening to Xiao Yan's account of Yao Lao's situation, Xuan Kongzi and the other two showed anger on their faces. They had never liked Han Feng, and if it weren't for Yao Chen's sake, Han Feng, with his cultivation level, wouldn't even deserve to be remembered by them.

Now that they've heard what Han Feng has done, in the minds of Xuan Kongzi and the other two, Han Feng has been added to their kill list.

However, when they saw Han Feng's soul sealed inside the jade bottle, constantly suffering the pain of being burned by the strange fire, their faces showed a look of satisfaction, and their gazes toward Xiao Fan and Xiao Yan became more affectionate.

After talking with Xiao Fan and his companion for a long time, Xuan Kongzi and the other two grew to like them even more.

"Sigh, I never imagined that after losing to Yao Chen back then, I would now be inferior to him even in the art of teaching disciples..."

Xuan Kongzi looked at Xiao Yan with a hint of helplessness in his eyes and sighed as he spoke.

Xiao Yan listened to Xuan Kongzi's words with a look of surprise, not understanding what Xuan Kongzi meant. Xuan Yi and Tian Leizi, seeing this, burst into laughter. Then Xuan Yi explained to Xiao Yan, "Back then, Xuan Kongzi lost to Yao Chen, so after discovering that little girl Cao Ying, he was determined to train a champion in the Pill Refining Competition, hoping that his disciple would be stronger than the one trained by Yao Chen. But he never expected that in the end..."

Hearing Xuan Yi's explanation, Xiao Yan smiled faintly, without any arrogance or complacency.

Seeing Xiao Yan's performance, the three men in black nodded secretly, then turned their gaze to Xiao Fan and said, "You two brothers are truly prodigies!"

"At such a young age, one is a four-star Dou Zun, and the other is an eighth-grade alchemist capable of refining five-colored pill lightning. Whether in terms of combat strength or alchemy, they are almost ahead of their peers. I truly envy such disciples..."

Looking at Xiao Fan and the other person, if Tian Leizi didn't know they were Yao Chen's disciples, he would have wanted to snatch them away. Listening to how Yao Chen met them, Tian Leizi couldn't help but think that maybe he should go to a remote area and live in seclusion for a while in a couple of years.

Who knows, we might just come across such a perfect prospect?

The group talked for a long time in the Pill Tower, and finally, they couldn't persuade Xuan Kongzi to let the people of the Pill Tower arrange a courtyard as a place for Xiao Fan and his group to stay.

After a month of intense alchemy, Xiao Yan was quite exhausted. For two days, he stayed in the courtyard, constantly adjusting his condition. After all, he was going to subdue the Three Thousand Burning Flames in two days, and he would not easily let go of the news about the strange fire that he had finally obtained.

During these two days, Xiao Fan and his group were safe and sound in the Pill Tower, so Xiao Fan focused most of his attention on Mo Shang.

The Pill Gathering has ended, but the Soul Palace still hasn't made a move. Xiao Fan had already guessed their intentions. They probably didn't want to provoke the Pill Tower now, and since they've been staying inside the Pill Tower, they've been delaying.

In the past two days, Xiao Fan had considered using Mo Shang's identity to find out about the Soul Palace's plans, but each arrangement was only known to experts above the Dou Zun level. Even when Mo Shang tried to get information out of Brother Jie, he still didn't get any answers.

Two days passed in the blink of an eye, and soon it was time for Xiao Yan and his group to enter the star field.

"Go with confidence, you will definitely be able to subdue the Three Thousand Burning Flames!"

Inside the courtyard, Xiao Fan looked at Xiao Yan, who seemed a little nervous, and patted him on the shoulder, offering words of encouragement. After all, he had personally gone to have a friendly exchange with the Three Thousand Burning Flames; it would be strange if Xiao Yan couldn't subdue it.

"Go, it's time to enter the star field."

Xiao Fan looked at the people from the Pill Tower who had just arrived at the entrance of the courtyard, pointed at Xiao Yan, and then spoke.

Hearing Xiao Fan's words, Xiao Yan nodded, then took a deep breath and followed behind the people from the Pill Tower, heading towards the place where the top ten of the Pill Gathering were gathered.

When Xiao Yan arrived, the others were already waiting in place. Seeing Xiao Yan appear, everyone's expressions were different and they were all surprised.

Cao Ying looked at Xiao Yan with a hint of surprise and disbelief.

Clearly, even after two days, she still found it hard to believe that such an ordinary-looking man could actually win the championship of the Dan Tournament.

"Good boy!"

When Qinghua Old Monster saw Xiao Yan appear, a kind smile appeared on his face. Upon seeing him, Xiao Yan quickly bowed and said, "Greetings, Senior."

During the Pill Gathering competition, Qinghua Old Monster calmly refined his pills. When Xiao Yan only managed to refine the Three-Colored Thundercloud, he even took the initiative to ask Xiao Yan to make a move. Even though he lost in the end, he generously congratulated Xiao Yan without taking advantage of his seniority or targeting him maliciously. Given this behavior, coupled with the fact that he was an old acquaintance of Yao Lao, Xiao Yan was naturally willing to pay his respects to him.

Seeing Xiao Yan's actions, the Old Monster of Qinghua waved his hand and then said nothing more.

Among the remaining members of the top ten, apart from the eighth-grade alchemist, the others all came forward, greeted Xiao Yan, exchanged a few pleasantries, and did not try to win him over in any particular way.

After all, Xiao Yan's identity is no longer a secret. As a disciple of the Medicine Venerable, countless forces want to win him over. Taking advantage of this opportunity, they are already ahead of most people if they can just become a familiar face.

As for bringing them into their ranks, although everyone wanted to, they also knew that the possibility was even lower than the chance of falling off a cliff and obtaining a low-level cultivation technique.

Before the group had exchanged a few pleasantries, the Pill Tower group appeared in Xiao Yan's and the others' senses. Looking back, the leader was none other than Xuan Kongzi.

Seeing that the ten people had arrived, Xuan Kongzi nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over each of them before he spoke to Xiao Yan and the others: "First of all, on behalf of the Pill Tower, I congratulate you all on your outstanding achievements in the Pill Gathering. Next, the ten of you will have the opportunity to enter the Star Domain and subdue the Three Thousand Burning Flames."

"However, the Three Thousand Burning Flames have remained unclaimed in the Pill Tower for so many years. I'm sure you all know how dangerous it is. Let me be clear: once you enter the Star Domain, your life and death are in the hands of fate. Even the Pill Tower cannot guarantee that you will all be able to leave unscathed. So, if anyone wants to leave, you can tell me now."

After waiting a few breaths, seeing that the crowd showed no sign of retreating, Xuan Kongzi was not surprised.

After all, every kind of strange fire is a deadly temptation for alchemists, so no one in the top ten of each alchemy competition has ever given up such an opportunity.

When Xuan Kongzi's gaze swept over Xiao Yan, he hesitated slightly but did not say anything more.

Xiao Yan already possessed five different flames, yet he still risked his life to enter the star field. Although Xuan Kongzi wasn't entirely clear on the details, he understood that this must involve Xiao Yan's secrets. Therefore, they hadn't asked too many questions during their previous conversations.

"Alright, now that everyone is ready, let's proceed!"

As soon as Xuan Kongzi finished speaking, he nodded to the elders of the Pill Tower behind him. Upon seeing this, the elders of the Pill Tower landed in various directions. Then, a mysterious array rose from beneath their feet, and wisps of spatial power converged towards the center, finally condensing into a huge spatial passage behind Xuan Kongzi.

"Alright, the formation sealing off the star field has been activated. Everyone, stay close!"

As soon as Xuan Kongzi finished speaking, he stepped into the spatial passage behind him. Seeing this, Xiao Yan and the others followed Xuan Kongzi into the spatial passage.

Upon entering, everyone felt a sense of weightlessness. When they came to their senses, they were surrounded by a sky full of stars, and the temperature in the space had risen a few degrees.

Xiao Yan looked around. Stars had fallen, as if a fierce battle had just taken place here, and terrifying energy fluctuations still lingered in the space.

Then, Xiao Yan looked into the distance and saw a silver dragon lying in the starry sky, stretching as far as the eye could see. Purple-black flames burned continuously on its body, and the scorching temperature directly distorted the space itself.

"hiss!"

"So this is the Three Thousand Burning Flames..."

Seeing the enormous body of the Three Thousand Burning Flames stretching across the starry sky, and the terrifying aura emanating from it, Xiao Yan and the others' expressions changed. No wonder that for so many years, no one in the Pill Tower had been able to subdue the Three Thousand Burning Flames. It was estimated that the Three Thousand Burning Flames had grown to the point where it could rival a Dou Zun.

Moreover, in the starry sky, the opponent can absorb the power of stars, making him practically immortal. With such strength and characteristics, it's no wonder that the Pill Tower has been unable to do anything about him.

At the same time, noticing that Xiao Yan and the others had gone into the star field, Xiao Fan revealed a cruel smile. He looked at Zi Yan beside him, reached out and patted her head, and then said, "Zi Yan, from now on, you will stay obediently inside the Pill Tower. No matter what happens, you are not allowed to go out, understand?"

Zi Yan listened to Xiao Fan's words and a hint of doubt appeared on her face. She had a bad feeling, but when she looked at Xiao Fan, she nodded unconsciously.

Seeing that Zi Yan agreed, Xiao Fan smiled, then pointed a finger at Zi Yan's forehead, causing her to fall. Before she hit the ground, Xiao Fan picked her up and placed her on the rocking chair.

Then Xiao Fan's gaze fell on Xiong Zhan beside him. He raised an eyebrow and said, "I'll leave Zi Yan in your care!"

"Can you do it?"

As Dou Zun, they had long been aware of the killing intent emanating from the city. With the combined efforts of Golden Eye and Mo Shang, Xiao Fan even had a general understanding of the opponent's strength.

The Soul Palace waited until now because it didn't want to involve the Pill Tower and break ties with it; while Xiao Fan waited until now to wait for Xiao Yan to enter the Star Domain, expose himself to the Soul Palace, and attract their attention.

After all, a genius who is almost invincible at the age of twenty, versus a mere Dou Zong brat who is only at the eighth-grade alchemist level—as long as the Soul Palace isn't stupid, they'll know who to deal with first.

"Sigh, junior brother, you'll have to grow up quickly on your own from now on..."

Xiao Fan gazed northwest, where his child lay. Only after resolving everything in Zhongzhou could he see him again...

Chapter 198 The Number One Prodigy of Our Time

Xiao Fan nodded to Xiong Zhan, a hint of arrogance that he had been suppressing in his eyes. He looked outside the Pill Tower and his face showed a haughty expression: "Today, I will show everyone what the pinnacle of genius is!"