Battle Through the Heavens: Harmony of Flame and Shadow

With a simple wave of his hand, two storage rings floated from the corpses opposite, and Jiang Yun's soul force probed inside. Seeing the abundant treasures within, a smile finally appeared on Jiang Yun's lips. 

Struck it rich, struck it rich! As a pharmacist, it was embarrassing how poor he was without legitimate reasons; he had no medicinal formulas and had to rely on himself to deduce everything. Even medicinal ingredients were provided by Zi Yan, often needing to divide a batch into two portions for refining. 

But now, these problems were all solved. Leaving aside Fan Lao, Yuan Yi was the master of the Eight Gates and had an auction house with all kinds of rare and peculiar items. 

Jiang Yun saw more than a dozen medicinal formulas, all of grade four or above! Only such precious formulas would be kept close at hand because, in the Black Corner Region, only the things on oneself were truly safe. 

However, this meant they all cheaply fell into Jiang Yun's hands now!

"Xiao Yun, we've struck it rich!" At this moment, a cheerful voice came, and a purple figure swiftly approached Jiang Yun, excitement on her face. When looked closely, it was clear that the person was carrying a pile of storage rings. 

Just now, Jiang Yun had dealt with Fan Lao and Yuan Yi, while Zi Yan dealt with their minions. Given Zi Yan's peak fifth-tier strength, without a Dou Emperor present, it was simply a matter of two words: total massacre. 

Proof of this lay in the storage rings held by Zi Yan, almost unable to fit in her embrace!

"Are you hurt?"

Glancing at the rings in Zi Yan's embrace, Jiang Yun raised a hand to clean the dirt from the other's hands and asked softly.

"No." Jiang Yun's palm shone with a life-filled white holy flame, making Zi Yan squint comfortably, her voice turning a bit soft. 

She was also startled by this, feeling as if she was ill, her heart seeming not to belong to her, and she quickly withdrew her hand from Jiang Yun's palm as if electrocuted, forcibly suppressing the strange feeling within, and said proudly.

"How could those small fries trouble me?"

Slightly puzzled by Zi Yan's reaction, Jiang Yun didn't delve into it. He put away the storage rings, looking at the somewhat dim black token. The grand Demon Refining Array, which had showcased its immense power earlier, had now dimmed completely.

Worn down by endless ages, its power was almost exhausted. Today, after being forcibly used by Jiang Yun, all its remaining power was expended. 

"Xiao Yun, that Bodhi Saliva was snatched by someone named Han Feng, should we go after him?" After counting the medicinal ingredients in the storage rings, an elated Zi Yan bounced up to Jiang Yun and asked. 

Jiang Yun turned back, his deep gaze hinting at some unknown meaning. After a moment, he replied, "No need, let Han Feng keep it for us for a while."

Looking somewhat confused at the enigmatic Jiang Yun, Zi Yan nodded, seemingly understanding. No matter what, following Xiao Yun was always right. At this moment, Jiang Yun spoke softly.

"Zi Yan, do you want to see the real appearance of this mystical realm?"

"Huh?" Zi Yan tilted her head in confusion and asked, "Is this a false mystical realm?"

"To be precise, this is just the outer boundary of the mystical realm. The real mystical realm is hidden deeper inside!"

"Yes, yes, I want to go!" Upon hearing this, Zi Yan's eyes shone brightly. If the outer area already had so many good things, how about the inner area?

Zi Yan exclaimed excitedly.

Jiang Yun nodded, placing the token in his palm, forming a single-hand seal, immediately generating a profound and secretive ripple spreading around. 

"Boom--"

A trembling sound was heard, and in Jiang Yun and Zi Yan's eyes, the surrounding space shattered. Faintly, a milky white halo took shape in the fissured space.

"Once we enter, hold on to my arm tightly and don't wander off, understood?" Even with thorough preparation, Jiang Yun still worriedly instructed before entering.

"Got it!" Seeing Jiang Yun's serious expression, Zi Yan uncharacteristically responded seriously.

Nodding, Jiang Yun spoke in his mind, "Sorry for the trouble, Elder Qing Ming."

"Hehe! I am also curious to see what lies beneath." Qing Ming's figure slowly appeared, a faint smile on his face, his eyes brimming with curiosity.

A faint green light surged from Jiang Yun's chest, enveloping the two tightly in Zi Yan's curious eyes.

"Let's go--"

As the words fell, Jiang Yun moved, transforming into a streak of light, taking Zi Yan and flashing into the halo.

As they entered the halo, their skin tightened abruptly. When their vision cleared a bit, the surrounding space had already changed.

"Where is Zi Yan?" The first moment, Jiang Yun noticed Zi Yan was missing, feeling alarmed. However, noticing the milky white flames around, he understood instantly.

"Unexpectedly, even like this, I fell into your trap!" Feeling the scorching atmosphere within the space, Jiang Yun sighed with emotion.

"But, I do not have time to waste!" With a thought, a crack appeared on Jiang Yun's forehead, and a terrifying eyeball emerged slowly.

"Break--"

A light shout rang out, and a strange black light swept across the surrounding space, immediately shattering it.

Jiang Yun slowly opened his tightly closed eyes and immediately saw Zi Yan held in his grasp, her eyes shut tightly and her expression pained.

It seemed she was experiencing something unpleasant!

"Wake up!" Jiang Yun grasped Zi Yan's shoulders, resting their foreheads together. A low shout resonated, a purple-black line slowly surfacing on his forehead.

The shout, intermingled with a terrifying soul wave, was transmitted directly into Zi Yan's ear, crashing fiercely into her soul.

Her tightly closed eyes then abruptly opened at this moment.

"Xiao Yun..." Upon opening her eyes and seeing Jiang Yun beside her, Zi Yan's eyes immediately turned red.

"Alright, those were all illusions!" Knowing that Zi Yan must have seen some unpleasant scenes, Jiang Yun rubbed her head softly and comforted her gently.

Under Jiang Yun's gentle comfort, Zi Yan gradually regained her composure, angrily saying, "What a bastard, showing me such scenes. Xiao Yun, let's go, I want to tear down this mystical realm's owner's tomb."

"Hehe--" Watching the furious Zi Yan, Jiang Yun chuckled softly, holding her hand and walking forward slowly.

A man sat on a huge lotus radiating an evil aura, looking serene, his gaze deep as he watched a certain spot.

Below him seemed to be a city where the residents appeared to be experiencing various sufferings, their faces filled with pain.

Next came countless scenes depicting the man's life's journey, from weakness to the peak of the continent, Jiang Yun and Zi Yan witnessing the life of a supreme strongman.

By this point, Jiang Yun had already known the man's identity. From the moment he saw that bizarre fire lotus, the man's identity was no longer a secret.

It was the semi-empire powerhouse who dominated an era, the Nether Lotus Demon Saint!

The scenes continued to change until a particular scene appeared!

Between heaven and earth suddenly appeared a black-clad figure emanating boundless evil. The figure stood in the air, an aura like the sovereign of heaven and earth spreading gradually from the figure.

Under the influence of this aura, even heaven and earth seemed to pale in comparison.

"Extraterrestrial Evil Clan!" Jiang Yun was extremely familiar with this aura, belonging to the Extraterrestrial Evil Clan. He couldn't tell which clan it was, though. "Looks like this is the real owner of the mystical realm!"

"It should be someone from the Soul Devouring Clan!" At this moment, Qing Ming's voice came slowly.

"Soul Devouring Clan?" Jiang Yun was puzzled. There were countless clans among the Extraterrestrial Evil Clan, like the Asura Clan that invaded the Tianxuan Continent, which didn't even have a Supreme within the clan, making it an insignificant small clan among the numerous Evil Clans.

"The Soul Devouring Clan's strength doesn't rank among the top hundred within the Evil Clan, but their talent is somewhat terrifying, being able to devour others' souls for cultivation, extremely bloodthirsty. They are not only hostile to those within the Great Thousand World but also to their kind, making them less accepted among the Evil Clan."

Facing Jiang Yun's query, Qing Ming patiently explained.

Gaining enlightenment, Jiang Yun said with a cold expression, "They truly deserve death!"

Due to the awkward situation of the Evil Spirit Clan, Jiang Yun had little fondness for these inter-clan slaughtering beings.

"What a disgusting aura!" Unlike Jiang Yun, Zi Yan seemed inherently repulsed by the evil aura, frowning slightly, her eyes reflecting disgust.

"Xiao Yun, this guy is so strong!" Uncomfortably rubbing her hands, Zi Yan tugged on Jiang Yun's sleeve, pointing at the black-clad figure in the scenes.

"This should be the real owner of the mystical realm, a Dou Saint!" Jiang Yun turned back, softly explaining to Zi Yan.

"He's a Dou Saint!" Zi Yan looked curiously at the black-clad figure in the scenes, surprised this was the legendary Dou Saint.

Zi Yan examined the black figure closely. Even though it was just an image, the aura it emanated still made her soul tremble.

"Roar--" As Zi Yan felt uncomfortable, before Jiang Yun could intervene, a strong purple light erupted from her body, accompanied by a faint dragon roar.

"Zi Yan!" Jiang Yun was alarmed, seeing Zi Yan's bloodline unexpectedly stimulated to awaken at this moment.

"Xiao Yun!" Jiang Yun's call brought the dazed Zi Yan back, who looked at him in confusion.

"Zi Yan, do you feel unwell anywhere?"

Seeing the anxious Jiang Yun, Zi Yan responded in puzzlement, "No!" Rubbing her aching head, she continued, "It feels like something new appeared in my mind."

Jiang Yun understood immediately, realizing her ancient dragon lineage was inadvertently stimulated to awaken but unsure how much had awakened. 

"This is a good thing, don't think too much for now. Wait until you are steady, then explore it."

"Okay!" Zi Yan nodded lightly, suddenly exclaiming, "Look, that Lotus Man appeared again!"

Lotus Man?

Jiang Yun looked oddly at the Nether Lotus Demon Saint, wondering if the saint would be furious to know this nickname.

In the scenes, the Nether Lotus Demon Saint appeared and started battling the Soul Devouring Clan member. Both were peak Dou Saints. Despite the numerous techniques from the Soul Devouring Clan, they couldn't resist the nether lotus fire.

Eventually, the Soul Devouring member was slain by the Nether Lotus Demon Saint. But the characteristic of the Evil Clan, hard to extinguish, was evident. Even in death, the Soul Devouring Clan still exuded evil energy, polluting the Dou Qi Continent.

If left unchecked, years later, the Dou Qi Continent might be assimilated.

The Nether Lotus Demon Saint, bearing his injuries, found a giant emerald-green tree surrounded by pure energy.

"Bodhi Ancient Tree!" shouted Jiang Yun upon sight, recognizing the legendary tree ranked third among heavenly treasures.

"So it's a Bodhi tree!" simultaneously murmured Qing Ming.

"Huh? Bodhi tree!" pondered Jiang Yun, aware that Bodhi Tree and Bodhi Ancient Tree were distinct. The former might occasionally appear in the world, but the latter was unique through the ages.

The Bodhi Ancient Tree, over countless years, gradually formed a 'Bodhi Heart' capable of instantly enlightening someone, whereas the ordinary Bodhi Tree lacked such power. The Bodhi Saliva was merely a condensed 'Bodhi Heart' from the Bodhi Tree.

"What, what? What's a Bodhi tree? Or Bodhi Ancient Tree?" came Zi Yan's eager query, having caught Jiang Yun's mutterings.

Jiang Yun briefly explained the difference to Zi Yan, who then drooled at the mention of treasures.

At this moment, the scenes kept flashing. With the Bodhi tree, the Nether Lotus Demon Saint used it as a core to set up a grand array, utilizing its pure energy and time to gradually erase the Soul Devouring evil energy.

After setting everything up, he left a token, a portion of Bodhi Saliva, and a partial map before departing.

The scenes ended there. Jiang Yun guessed that what followed was the backlash from the Nether Lotus Flame.

With a semi-empire body, the fully empowered Nether Lotus Demon Saint wouldn't be betrayed by the Nether Lotus Flame.

The Nether Lotus Flame and Void Swallowing Flames, ranked third and second on the Flame List, were similarly matched in quality and strength.

The Void Swallowing Flame, with the soul clan's assistance, took thousands of years to reach the peak Dou Saint. The Nether Lotus Flame, refined from the beginning by the unlucky Nether Lotus Demon Saint, wouldn't have the power to backstab its master at full strength.

The severely injured state of the Demon Saint gave the Flame a chance.

Sensing this, the Nether Lotus Demon Saint likely left a quarter of the map as a contingency, also hoping future generations could resolve the Nether Lotus Flame and Soul Devouring evil energy issues.

Having cleared everything up, Jiang Yun told Zi Yan, "Let's go, and see if the esteemed Demon Saint left anything!"

"Let's go!" Zi Yan's eyes brightened, raising her hand in excitement. Knowing the Demon Saint's power, anything he left would be ample for her and Jiang Yun.

(End of the Chapter)