Yan Zhen showed no signs of stopping. As the three extreme flames fused together, his mystic power drained away at a furious rate. Vast quantities of the power of heaven and earth converged, only to be forcibly compressed into the flames by him.
The Gold-Silver Fire, the Great Crimson Heaven Flame, and the Wind-Thunder Crystal Fire—this was the weakest possible combination. Yet after Yan Zhen had advanced to the Mystic Lord realm, his command over the power of heaven and earth had grown even stronger. The technique’s might remained utterly terrifying.
The Emperor Flame Technique came paired with only this single mystic art.
Fusing just the three extreme flames produced a miniature sun, known as the Heaven and Earth Incineration Art.
Incorporating the power of heaven and earth atop that foundation yielded a vortex shaped like the Milky Way itself, which was called the Primeval Ashen Land!
Yan Zhen’s face was slightly pale as he hovered high in the sky, cradling the slowly spinning silver vortex in one hand. He gazed calmly down at Xiao Fang.
A fierce gale whipped up suddenly, churning the sea of clouds below. The onlookers fell utterly silent, their minds flashing back to that fleeting glimpse of a Milky Way vortex from Yan Zhen’s battle with Ling Jun long ago.
Even Ling Jun’s Eighth-Order Rune Pattern hadn’t been able to withstand it back then. It was only Snow Supreme’s domain that had frozen the technique in place.
Xiao Fang gulped nervously. Forgetting all about keeping up his suave image, he begged for mercy.
“Junior Brother Yan Zhen, easy now! We’re fellow disciples from the same sect—no need to take it this far. You’ve already proven your strength. You’re more than worthy of the holy son position. No one will dare say a word against it. If anyone talks smack behind your back, spreading rumors or whatever, I—Xiao Fang—will be the first to deal with them! I’ll rip out their kidneys! Junior Brother Yan Zhen, call it off! Put it away, quick!”
Yan Zhen looked up toward the sky. Then, still holding the Milky Way vortex in his hand, he tapped his toes and shot straight upward. When he neared the boundary of the spatial cage, he slammed the vortex against it with all his might.
Boom!
The entire spatial cage shuddered. The vortex then began spinning violently, melting away the spatial barrier bit by bit.
At last, the barrier burned through. A colossal beam of light erupted skyward, as if to pierce the endless heavens!
The clouds scattered. The storm dispersed. Far above, it punched a black hole into the sky.
Boom!
Under the gaze of thousands, the spatial cage crafted by Cloud Supreme shattered spectacularly, crumbling into fragments that scattered and faded away!
The arena fell deathly silent.
No more direct, visceral impact could exist than this—like a massive hammer slamming straight into their hearts.
This was Yan Zhen’s true power!
Feng Tuo, Bing Tang, Yin Sha, Qingkong Hai, and Lei Zhenyu all wore grave expressions. Xiao Fang’s eyes bulged like copper bells as he thought to himself what would happen if that thing hit him—
Whoosh.
Yan Zhen descended, cupping his fists toward Xiao Fang.
“Senior Brother, I yield the victory to you!”
Xiao Fang let out a sigh.
“I kept saying we should stop, but no—you had to give your senior brother a free beating. Totally speechless… At least Junior Brother Yan Zhen showed some martial honor and didn’t go for the face.”
As he spoke, the gates of Jialan Peak swung wide open. Jialan Fairy’s gentle voice, infused with boundless compassion, echoed forth from the Bitter Sea World.
“The Seven Peaks Consecutive Battle is concluded. Yan’er has emerged victorious in all seven matches, passing the Seven Peaks Trials. From this day forward, he is the seventh-generation holy son of Jialan Holy Land. His conferred title is ‘Jialan Flame.'”
Yan Zhen held his breath and cupped his fists.
“My thanks, Holy Lord Master!”
Hearing that voice, Xiao Fang had no choice but to play the supporting role. He dropped to one knee and called out loudly.
“Disciple Xiao Fang of Cloud Immortal Peak welcomes… Jialan Flame Holy Son!”
Seeing this, the disciples of the seven peaks knelt on one knee as well, cupping their fists in unison.
“We welcome Jialan Flame Holy Son!”
The stewards and elders followed suit, cupping their fists in salute.
The six supremes all nodded in quiet approval.
In that instant, Yan Zhen shone with radiant brilliance, dazzling beyond measure. Even watching through the Reflecting Light Mirror—even though she had witnessed it once before in her previous life—Cai Lian and Mentor Yu Xuan couldn’t help but feel their hearts stir.
Aunt Shui Bailan stared in a daze.
Long Ying danced with joy.
“Hooray for the holy son! Yan Zhen Zhen is the best!”
…
Three days later, Jialan Holy Land held the holy son coronation ceremony. The news spread layer by layer, racing across the entirety of Jialan Continent.
At the ceremony, the seven peaks presented Yan Zhen with a wealth of precious gifts in celebration, instantly making him rich. His mid-grade storage ring was stuffed full of nothing but Mystic Crystals.
Of course, these were mere trifles. The true prize was Holy Son Peak itself.
Holy Son Peak was far more than just a residence for the holy son and his family. It boasted every facility imaginable: medicine fields, artifact halls, spirit beast gardens, mystic veins, and so on. The furnishings and luxuries went without saying.
There were flying skiffs for transport, fleet after fleet of them—even a small warship large enough to carry the entire peak’s inhabitants!
A holy son represented the face of the holy land. His status outranked even the peak elders; only the seven peaks lords, the three supreme elders, and the holy lord herself stood above him!
After the ceremony, Yan Zhen officially moved into Holy Son Peak alongside Cai Lian, Long Ying, Mentor Yu Xuan, and Aunt Shui Bailan. They took up residence in the peak’s most luxurious abode, Jia Flame Cave.
But Jia Flame Cave had been designed for a family of three, which wasn’t enough space for five people. So they carved out several new cave mansions nearby: Rain Flower Cave, Four Leaves Cave, Immortal Spirit Cave, and Gold Jade Cave.
The first went to Mentor Yu Xuan and Aunt Shui Bailan. The second was reserved for Meng’er and the others. The third was for Xian’er. And the last, naturally, for Sister Ji Ya and her group.
Cai Lian and Long Ying stayed with Yan Zhen.
Less than two months after their previous move, they were relocating again—but the women were all thrilled, especially Cai Lian. She was intimately familiar with Jia Flame Cave.
In her previous life, after entering the holy land, she and her daughter had lived right here. Even Little Flame chattered nonstop, begging Mother Concubine and Long Ying Auntie to take her to “see” this and “see” that, reminiscing about the past together.
Yan Zhen let them revel in their joy while he slipped into the Fire Refining Starry Sky to share the good news with his beautiful master.
Chen Xi spread her arms wide, pulling her precious disciple into an embrace. She praised his prowess and even took the initiative to kiss him.
After some tender master-disciple intimacy, Yan Zhen suggested inviting everyone in for a meal.
Chen Xi had no objections.
With his beautiful master’s approval, Yan Zhen returned to the cave mansion. Together with the four women, they prepared a private celebratory feast. They also invited Jialan Fairy, Yu Shizun, and Cousin Sister Yudie.
Jialan Fairy declined, saying she would emerge from seclusion in a couple more days. Yan Zhen sent over a jug of fine wine instead.
The group entered the Fire Refining Starry Sky, where they laid out a lavish feast and sat around the table in a lively circle, enjoying a boisterous meal.
It was Cousin Sister Yudie’s first time paying respects to Chen Xi, so she huddled nervously between Mentor Yu Xuan and Aunt Shui Bailan.
By rights, Chen Xi held the highest seniority here and should have taken the seat of honor. But she insisted that Yan Zhen, as the head of the household, sit there instead—with Cai Lian flanking him on left and right.
Cups clinked and laughter flowed as they toasted repeatedly.
Once the meal was done, everyone departed the Fire Refining Starry Sky. Yan Zhen, thoroughly tipsy, shared a few more kisses with his beautiful master before leaving.
The moment he emerged, Yan Zhen spotted someone sitting on the beauty couch. The silhouette and hair color looked just like Mentor Yu Xuan’s, so he boldly sat beside her. His arm snaked around her slender waist.
“Mentor, tonight I want to have you for seconds~”
Yan Zhen puckered up for a kiss, but instead of soft skin, he felt the touch of a thin veil?!
He blinked in surprise, wondering why Mentor Yu Xuan was wearing a veil. Then she turned her head, gazing at him with calm eyes.
“I’m not Xuan’er.”
Yan Zhen jolted awake, his drunken haze vanishing in an instant.
“Rain… Yu Shizun!?”
