Battle Through the Heavens

Chapter 896: Entering The Bottom of the Tower Again

In an extremely bright study, a thread of moonlight shot onto the table through the bright and clean window. A table manufactured from cork tree emitted a faint wooden fragrance. On it was a flower vase made of glass where two to three stalks of flowers rested. The flowers still carried the morning dew. Two to three inkstones were placed around the table. Such treasured calligraphy was always well-liked by important people.

"You wish to enter the bottom of the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower?" Su Qian's hand movement immediately paused when he heard Xiao Yan's request. He raised his head and revealed a stunned face.

Su Qian also had some brief contact with the world at the bottom of the tower. That place was basically void of life. A place where hot magma randomly flowed, emitting various sulfur smells. Even the energy there was filled with wild violence. An ordinary person could not escape from such an environment fast enough. Who would have expected Xiao Yan to take the initiative to request to enter it? It was unavoidable that Su Qian would lose himself in such a manner.

Xiao Yan smiled in an embarrassed manner when he saw Su Qian's appearance. He rubbed his head and said, "I have stYesd for a period of time at that place and know a little about the situation there. Although that place is unusually wild and violent, the fire affinity energy it contains is extremely pure. It does not lose to some energy-filled caves in the world. Moreover, the wildness and violence within the energy does not pose any threat to me. That place is the birthplace of the Fallen Heart Flame. Currently, the Fallen Heart Flame has been completely refined by me, hence I should not face any problems.

Su Qian frowned slightly upon hearing this. He placed the calligraphy brush in his hand down, mused for a moment before lifting his head, and looked at Xiao Yan's expression. He could only nod his head and say, "Alright, since you insist on this request, I shall do as you say. However, I have to warn you beforehand that the magma world is not as calm as you have imagined. If anything not quite right occurs, you should hurry back. I will arrange for some Elders of the Inner Academy to guard the entrance at all times."

"Thank you very much First Elder." Xiao Yan immediately rejoiced, smiled, and responded when he saw Su Qian nodding his head in agreement.

"Ugh, you little fellow. You are always unable to abide by the rules…" Su Qian shook his head and sighed. He stood up from his chair and headed out of the study. Xiao Yan followed close behind.

After exiting the study, Xiao Yan and Su Qian slowly walked out of the Elder's area. They walked for some time in the Inner Academy before entering the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower, which had a large section protruding from the ground.

Xiao Yan involuntarily felt a kind of sobbing feeling as he once again entered this Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower after a couple of years. Back then, when he had stepped in this place for the first time, he had been merely a little novice who had just entered the Inner Academy. Now, however, he could be barely considered to have entered the expert level. At the very least, the number of people in the 'Black-Corner Region' who could compare with him in fighting strength could be counted on one's fingers.

Currently, the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower had lost the human traffic that came and went due to the Heart Flame being exhausted. Only a few human figures existed in the enormous space. At this moment, most of those who were still training in this place liked its serene silence. Of course, there was one other factor. Regardless of how one put it, the fire affinity energy of the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower was much denser than that in the outside world. After all, the enormous magma world under it was always emitting powerful fire energy. Although this energy was isolated by the thousands of feet of thick ground, some of it still managed to reach here. Hence, the current Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower was considered a decent training area for quite a number of students who practiced fire affinity Qi Methods.

Xiao Yan and Su Qian did not stay in the first level for long. After roughly taking a look at it, the two of them headed to the bottom of the tower. They also met quite a number of students training in this place along the way. When these people saw Xiao Yan and Su Qian, all of them hurriedly greeted the two of them. Currently, the position of Xiao Yan in the hearts of these students was very high. His battle with the Old Ground Demon Ghost back then had completely subdued everyone.

Without anyone stopping them, Xiao Yan and Su Qian appeared at the lowest level of the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower after around ten plus minutes. Due to the eruption of the Fallen Heart Flame back then, the door of the lowest level had remained firmly locked. After the Fallen Heart Flame was subdued by Xiao Yan, this bottom level's defenses were no longer as tight as they had been in the past, but the door still never opened, remaining sealed until today.

"Although the absence of the Fallen Heart Flame has brought about inconveniences, it, at the very least, has allowed one to feel much more at ease. In the past, there had always been the need to worry that it would suddenly erupt one day, causing one to feel distraught." Su Qian opened the large metal lock on the metal door as he turned his head to Xiao Yan and continued with a smile, "Therefore you being able to subdue that thing can also be considered as saving us from trouble."

Xiao Yan nodded silently when he heard this. He understood that Su Qian's words were an attempt to not be bothered about the matter of him subduing the Fallen Heart Flame of the Inner Academy. Xiao Yan's heart was immediately slightly moved. He smiled and said, "First Elder, relax. I will do my best to help the Blazing Sky Refining Tower create a 'Heart Flame' that will never be extinguished."

"He he he he, it is fine if you do your best. It is fine if you do your best." Su Qian laughed. He did not pay too much attention to his words. The Inner Academy had already lost the Fallen Heart Flame and the 'Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower' that was known as a training accelerator had lost its effect. In reality, this had caused the Inner Academy to suffer. However, he was similarly aware of the importance of 'Heavenly Flames' to Xiao Yan. Naturally, he would not speak any words demanding the flame.

Although Su Qian did not speak his thoughts, Xiao Yan did not completely fail to sense them. Honestly speaking, he felt some guilt toward the Inner Academy and Su Qian. After all, he did indeed come to the Jia Nan Academy back then because of the Fallen Heart Flame… Now that he had achieved his aim, he had ended up bringing about a great loss to the Inner Academy. Hence, Xiao Yan's heart had been thinking of how to help the Inner Academy solve this problem. Although the so-called 'Flame Gathering Pot' did indeed have a large effect, Xiao Yan, being the owner of the 'Fallen Heart Flame,' he clearly knew that the remanent Heart Flame was ultimately a separate body and would not be as powerful as the actual 'Fallen Heart Flame'…

Xiao Yan slowly pushed opened the heavy metal door. While the door emitted a creaking sound, hot air immediately swept out like a swarm of bees, as though it had been sealed for a countless number of years…

Su Qian extended his hand and gently waved it in front of him. He bitterly laughed, "Just this place alone is already so hot. I really don't dare to imagine just how frightening it is within the magma world. Are you certain you wish to train here?"

Xiao Yan spread his hands and inhaled a deep breath of hot energy. His face revealed a satisfied expression as he smiled and said, "This kind of hot energy is what I need most. With the 'Heavenly Flame' protecting my body, I need not fear an ordinary flame. First Elder, you can rest assured…"

"You little monster."

Su Qian shook his head and muttered when he heard this. After which, he slowly walked into the extremely spacious final level of the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower.

Xiao Yan followed behind as he slowly entered. This bottom space of the tower did not have much light. A faint bright-red color filled its interior. The light originated from the middle of the room where the light radiated from a deep hole that was around a hundred feet in size. That bright-red glow was just like a light pillar that extended out, expelling the darkness in this area.

Xiao Yan's and Su Qian walked to the deep hole. As they came closer, the surrounding air became hotter. The fire affinity energy contained within also became increasingly pure and… violent.

When the footsteps of the two people paused at the deep hole in the middle, the hot energy that came pouncing over nearly caused Su Qian to feel a slight searing pain. He did not practice a fire affinity Qi Method. Hence, this kind of dense singular energy was not enjoyable to him.

Xiao Yan inhaled a deep breath with all his might as he stood beside the hole. A wave of hot energy followed his nose and entered his body. Finally, it flowed within his body and caused him to swiftly become fiery hot. Xiao Yan did not know if it was an illusion, but the Fallen Heart Flame within his body had appeared much more lively at this moment.

Xiao Yan extended his head as his gaze swept over the interior of the deep hole. A bright-redness entered his eyes. A hot aura spat out of the hole, appearing as lively as a volcano. There was still quite a long distance from the entrance to the magma, but even with such a gap the hot aura remained powerful without weakening.

Studying the deep hole, Xiao Yan rolled his throat slightly. A joy that was difficult to hide was emitted from within his dark-black eyes. This was definitely a training treasure ground for Xiao Yan. If he were able to train for a period of time in this place, his strength would significantly advance.

"Since you are confident that you can train here, I shall not stop you. Xin Lan will leave after a good period of time. Thus, you still have plenty of time to train. Hence, you need not be anxious, so take your time. Although one would decline if one does not advance when it came to training, one should do it according to one's capabilities. One will fail to achieve anything if one is too anxious." Su Qian smiled and spoke after seeing Xiao Yan's joyful manner.

"Yes."

"I will help you inform your second brother, the Little Fairy Doctor, and the rest about the matter regarding you training in this place. I will also ask them not to worry… I will dispatch a few Elders who practices fire affinity Qi Methods here later on. If any unexpected changes were to happen, they will be the first to be aware."

"Thank you very much, First Elder." Xiao Yan smiled slightly and nodded after knowing Su Qian would arrange everything properly.

Su Qian waved his hand and said, "Why are you still so courteous to me? Now, you can enter and give it a try. I will help stand guard by the side for a moment. If any accident were to happen, you should send a signal and I will head down to rescue you."

Xiao Yan once again nodded. His gaze immediately turned to the deep hole where one could not see an end. He inhaled a deep breath and clenched his teeth. Without hesitating, his body moved and leaped in…

An exclamation was suddenly emitted from Xiao Yan's mouth the instant he jumped into the deep hole. An instant earlier, he seemed to have faintly sensed an extremely faint, unknown summoning feeling from far below…

Chapter 897: Summoning

Hot, wild wind whistled past Xiao Yan's ears as his body fell down the hole. As he approached the underground magma world, the surrounding air also became much hotter.

A faint jade-green flame flowed from Xiao Yan's body, isolating the high temperature of the outside world. His gaze stared at the pure-red color below, and he gently inhaled a breath of air. A caution quietly rose within his heart. This kind of place was not one that was used to play. It was really dangerous here. It was definitely not wrong to be careful. The vague summoning feeling earlier continued for a short instant before it scattered and became invisible. This kind of strange scene caused Xiao Yan to wonder if it was an illusion.

Xiao Yan continued down for awhile before his eyes suddenly widened. At this moment, the thing that appeared in front of him was a magma world that was vast, and seemed to be endless. The large bright-red magma pool emitted a hot energy that caused one to feel asphyxia. Even though one was near it, the hot air caused one to have difficulty enduring on. Enormous bubbles surged out of the magma and appeared on the surface. Finally, they burst apart one at a time. Waves of hot air, accompanied by white smoke, spread from them. The vapor that originated from deep underground possessed a shocking heat and a smell that made one uncomfortable. It was rumored that this kind of vapor contained a kind of fire poison that would cause one quite a lot of trouble if one absorbed it into one's body.

A thought passed through Xiao Yan's heart as his jade-like bone wings slowly spread from his back. The wings gently flapped and stabilized his body above the magma world.

Xiao Yan's gaze cautiously swept around him as his body remained suspended in mid-air. This magma world was the same as it was when he had left it back then. It was deadly silent and did not contain the slightest hint of life aura. All it had was the slight reverberating sound of the magma bubble exploding, which caused this place to be even quieter. The magma was extremely viscous, so it would usually not form any magma waves. In any case, everything in this place gave one a silent feeling. If one were to live in this place for a long time, it was likely that one's character would become strange and withdrawn. It was fortunate that Xiao Yan had descended into a near-death state back then and had been unaware of the situation in the outside world. Otherwise, those few years would have been difficult to endure.

Xiao Yan felt somewhat relieved when he thought of this. After an investigation in which he did not discover anything wrong, he finally flapped his bone wings and came to a spot beside the mountain wall. He drew his Heavy Xuan Ruler and his wrist moved rapidly. Rock fragments flew and a ten-foot-large hole swiftly appeared in the tough mountain wall…

Xiao Yan easily created a small cave where he could rest with the help of the high temperature of the Glazed Lotus Flame. After doing all of this, Xiao Yan did not immediately land on the magma and practice the 'Six Joint Body Flowing Ruler.' Instead, he sat down cross-legged within the mountain cave and gradually shut his eyes. After which, he entered his training state.

Following Xiao Yan's entrance into his training condition, the surrounding space immediately began to intensely fluctuate. Bright-red energy that could be seen with the naked eye surged in all directions. Finally all of it fought to rush into Xiao Yan's body…

The moment this bright-red energy poured into Xiao Yan's body, his shut eyes were suddenly opened. A wild joy and solemness flashed in them. The degree of energy that filled this place had far exceeded his expectations. However, the wild violence within the energy had also exceeded his expectations. If one absorbed too much of such energy, it was likely that it would affect one's character. Moreover, such influence was something that Xiao Yan could not accept even if he would obtain a training speed that far exceeded his usual speed.

"It is fortunate that I was prepared…" Xiao Yan smiled after musing for a moment. He flicked his hand and a cluster of jade green flames rose. Finally, the cluster completely covered his hand.

Xiao Yan used his other hand to flick his finger when the flame appeared. A couple of items appeared in front of him. Finally, under his control, these items were left suspended in mid-air. These few items belonged to the category of medicinal ingredients and their bodies emitted some chillness. At one glance and one could tell that these medicinal ingredients either contained ice type or water type energy.

Xiao Yan's eyes gave a random glance before waving his hand. A couple of cold affinity medicinal ingredients landed into it. The current him was a genuine tier 6 alchemist. If he were to refine an ordinary medicinal pill, he would be able to do it like Yao Lao where he used his palm as a cauldron and refined the ingredients as he desired.

Under the control of Xiao Yan's Spiritual Strength, the few kinds of cold affinity medicinal ingredients were swiftly refined. A cold, thick-white liquid slowly surfaced…

This time around, Xiao Yan was not refining a medicinal pill. Instead, the items were just things to help with one's training. It was just like some of the things Yao Lao had refined to help him train when he had first headed out back then. Hence, this did not consume too much time. After merely ten minutes or so, the impurities within the pool of cold liquid were completely expelled.

A crystal clear, cold liquid lingered within the flame. Xiao Yan flipped his hand and a small jade bottle appeared. After which, he tilted the bottle and some cold, bright-red liquid blood flowed out. Finally, it fell into the flame and merged with the other cold liquid.

Following the merger of the two, the color of the liquid also changed. After the grilling by the Glazed Lotus Heart Flame, a thick, pale-white liquid was finally formed. Coldness radiated out of it, blocking the surrounding hot temperature.

Seeing the successful refinement, the jade-green flame on Xiao Yan's hand also gradually scattered. He beckoned with his finger and the faint-white, viscous liquid fell into a jade bottle. After completing this refinement, Xiao Yan swiftly removed his clothes, and poured the cold liquid over his body, covering every inch of it.

An ice-cold feeling immediately covered his body when the cold liquid was scattered over it. His originally fiery, hot skin swiftly turned ice-cold. Under that coldness, even Xiao Yan could not help but involuntarily shiver. After which, he once again cross his legs and sat on the ground. While the chillness was still dense, he entered his training state.

When Xiao Yan entered his training mode, the surrounding fire affinity energy immediately appeared to have been dragged as it surged toward Xiao Yan in all directions. This time around, the bright-red substance-like energy would collide against the cold liquid that covered his body before it could make contact. The heat and coldness collided with each other, and the medicinal strength that was contained within the coldness swiftly resolved the wild violence within the hot energy. After which, a large amount of purified energy poured into Xiao Yan's body.

Xiao Yan's mind looked at the hot energy that entered like a swarm. He sensed the weakened violence within; it was difficult to detect. Only then did he nod his head with satisfaction. After which, he controlled this enormous fire affinity energy and slowly circulated it through the 'Flame Mantra' path. Finally, it was transformed into waves of powerful, pure Dou Qi that merged into Xiao Yan's body container that had been expanded greatly yesterday…

The density of the fire affinity energy within the magma world gave Xiao Yan a nice surprise. Moreover, the wild violence within the energy was resolved by the cold liquid and he could absorb the energy without any fear. According to this speed, Xiao Yan had the confidence that he would once again breakthrough to become a six star Dou Huang within three months!

Xiao Yan's first training within the magma world did not last for long. Around an hour or so later, Xiao Yan's tightly shut eyes were slowly opened. Some fiery heat flashed through his dark-black eyes. A mouthful of hot air followed his throat before slowly being scattered.

Xiao Yan tightened his fist slightly and sensed the filled feeling within his body. The corner of his mouth was involuntarily lifted into a faint smile. This place was indeed extremely suitable for him. He had merely trained for less than an hour but he could vaguely sense the Dou Qi within his cells advancing. If this were to continue for a prolonged period of time, his advancement would definitely be quite frightening. However, the only flaw was that the atmosphere in this place was really too quiet. If he wanted to train for a long period of time, he had to be prepared for loneliness…

Training was originally an extremely bitter matter. If one wanted to obtain a strength that an ordinary person had difficulty matching, one must put in an effort that others had difficulty reaching. There would never be strength that came for no reason in this world. This point was something that Xiao Yan, who experienced many things, had long learned. Hence, even though he knew that training in this place was extremely tough, he still choose to do it without hesitation…

Xiao Yan finally began to practice the 'Six Joint Body Flowing Ruler' after familiarizing with the magma world for an entire day. The environment in this place was really perfect when it was used for training.

The initial training was naturally the hardest. Since the 'Six Joint Body Flowing Ruler' was of a high class,it was difficult to practice. However, it was fortunate that Xiao Yan's training talent was unique. Additionally, he had the spiritual imprint within the scroll to teach him, allowing him to save quite a number of detours in his training. Hence, after bitterly training for a couple of days in the magma world and undergoing many dangers of the magma touching his body, he had gradually gained a simple understanding. He was already able to reach this stage when he displayed it. Although there was still a large distance to successfully mastering it, being able to reach such a level within a short few days was already extremely good. As long as Xiao Yan was given sufficient time, an initial mastery of the 'Six Joint Body Flowing Ruler' was not an impossible matter…

The deathly quiet magma world was void of any concept of time. However, Xiao Yan also knew that it had been around ten days since he had entered this place. He had gained quite a lot during these ten days. Not only had his strength been firmly stabilized at the five star Dou Huang level, but he was even more familiar with the 'Six Joint Body Flowing Ruler.' Moreover, following this period of adaptation, Xiao Yan also became more and more comfortable with this magma world…

After this adaptation, the mysterious summoning feeling that Xiao Yan had faintly sensed when he had arrived once again appeared. This time around, his senses were even clearer. After a careful investigation, he was surprised to realize that the summoning target… seemed to be the Fallen Heart Flame in his body?