Upon hearing Xiao Yan's question, Wu Hao's smile gradually softened, his brows furrowed as he paused and thought for a moment before saying, "Magical Flame Valley is also one of the established major powers in Black Angle Domain, with a long history of existence. Its internal strength is exceptionally strong. To be honest, they originally didn't have much rivalry with the Gan Nan Academy. However, due to the influence of the Xiao family's lineage, their relationship has grown increasingly tense—almost like bitter enemies—in the past two years." "What exactly happened?" Xiao Yan was slightly taken aback—this issue seemed to be directly tied to the Xiao family's influence. "Primarily, the Xiao family's development has been too rapid. Today, the Xiao family is already a well-known power within the Hei Jiao Domain. As powers expand, conflicts inevitably arise. Thus, due to certain entanglements, tensions have developed between the Xiao family and the Mo Yan Valley. As these conflicts intensify, a full-scale war is bound to unfold." Wu Hao sighed with resignation. "At the outset, the Mo Yan Valley demonstrated the strength of a seasoned power. In several battles against the Xiao family, the Xiao family suffered successive defeats. Eventually, the Canan Academy stepped in, supporting the Xiao family and successfully repelling the Mo Yan Valley's offensive. During these engagements, several strong figures from the Mo Yan Valley were eliminated. As a result, hostilities have also been established between the Mo Yan Valley and the Canan Academy." "The Magfire Valley has been remarkably unscrupulous. After harboring a deep resentment toward the Cana College, they secretly targeted students on external training missions—many of whom have perished at their hands over the past few years. This relentless action has completely incensed the College. Originally, they had only intervened sparingly, especially not when the Xiao family faced a major crisis. But now, their actions have effectively transformed the conflict into a full-scale war between Cana College and Magfire Valley, where any encounter between their strongest warriors invariably ends in fierce, decisive battles." At this point, Wu Hao was nearly gritting his teeth, clearly deeply angered by the Magfire Valley's underhanded tactics. Observing Wu Hao's stern expression, Xiao Yan's face also grew steadily gloomier. It was indeed a disgraceful strategy to target ordinary students—so much so that it explained the College's explosive outrage and its decisive abandonment of neutrality, culminating in a direct war declaration against Magfire Valley. "Shortly after the conflict between the Gan'an Academy and the Mo-Yan Valley, the latter recruited the powerful figures who had previously allied with Han Feng to launch an assault on the inner courtyard—bringing them specifically to oppose Gan'an Academy. The Mo-Yan Valley is exceptionally strong; even with Gan'an Academy's current strength, it proves difficult to eliminate. As a result, the two sides have been locked in a stalemate. Consequently, whenever students go on training expeditions, the academy dispatches strong protectors. However, this time, the situation has gone unnoticed—its presence has been detected by the opposing side. If you don't appear, I fear the people here won't fare well at all." Wu Hao frowned, continuing. "When it comes to depth and foundation, even if the Mo-Yan Valley has existed for a longer time, wouldn't it still fall short of Gan'an Academy?" Xiao Yan mused. Though Gan'an Academy officially boasts only Su Qian, a Daoist Conqueror, Xiao Yan knew that within the academy, there must be a hidden force of considerable strength—such as the enigmatic elders who guarded the ancient valleys. "The guardians won't intervene unless the very survival of the academy is at stake. Even when Han Feng launched an attack on the inner courtyard, no one came to their aid..." Wu Hao sighed. Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan could only nod in resignation—those elders were indeed strong, but they were all rigidly rule-bound and overly conventional. "Magical Flame Valley also has a Douzong-level cultivator?" Xiao Yan asked, his brow furrowed. Su Qian, the Senior Elder, is a genuine Douzong cultivator. If even he couldn't resolve the matter at Magical Flame Valley, then unless the valley itself boasts a Douzong-level cultivator as well, it would be impossible. "Indeed, the master of Mag-Yan Valley is also a Dou-Zong-level powerhouse, though he has been in constant seclusion for years and rarely appears in Black Angle Domain. Most people know little about him. In Black Angle Domain, true elites aren't overly eager to vie for positions on the Black Roster. Therefore, you shouldn't assume that the Black Roster truly reflects the overall strength of the domain. The fact that it has endured so long around the borders of the Gan-Can Academy speaks volumes—this region, long considered chaotic, truly harbors many hidden talents and outstanding figures." Wu Hao said solemnly. "Even compared to the seniority of the two silver and golden elders, they fall far short when measured against the true powerhouses." Xiao Yan nodded slightly. Now it was clear that Black Angle Domain had been far more concealed than he had previously believed. He had indeed been shortsighted, thinking that the two silver and golden elders were the very strongest in the domain. Of course, Xiao Yan today is no longer the Dou Wang-level strength he possessed two years ago. Now, he is a genuine Dou Huang powerhouse, and there have been Dou Zhong-level强者 who have fallen to his hands. He has confidence—he believes that should he face Han Feng again with his current strength, he would surely defeat him without needing to rely on Yao Lou's assistance as he did back then. "Indeed, it seems the Black Angular Domain has seen significant changes in the past two years," Xiao Yan murmured, after listening to Wu Hao's account of the developments. "You've come back this time," said Xiao Yu, her gaze briefly shifting to the young Healer beside Xiao Yan, "—are you not simply here to visit us?" Xiao Yan rubbed his nose and smiled, "There are certain matters I need to discuss with the Grand Elder. And as for the heart flame that has fallen within the Tian Fen Qi Tower in the Inner Courtyard, I suspect it may be nearing its final stage." "You still remember this? Heart Flare had already dried up six months ago. If it weren't for being tied down by the Magic Flare Valley, the Senior Elder would have already headed straight to the Jima Empire to fetch you." Xiao Yu glanced at Xiao Yan with a look of mild surprise. Hearing this, Xiao Yan felt a bit embarrassed. "Since you also intend to visit the Senior Elder, why don't you join us and return to the Ganav College with us?" Wu Hao smiled and changed the subject. Xiao Yan hesitated slightly, then shook his head, saying, "The Black Emperor's City is hosting a major auction. I need to go there and check it out. This time, I need to gather some materials and intelligence. Perhaps I can find what I'm looking for there." "The auction in Black Emperor's City? I've heard of it too—it's indeed the largest one in the Black Spire Region in recent years." Wu Hao was momentarily stunned, then furrowed his brow, saying, "Then I won't hold you back. Just be careful once you reach Black Emperor City—right now, it's home to nearly half of the strong contenders and powerhouses from the Black Corner Region. As far as I know, the Magic Flame Valley will also be involved." Xiao Yan nodded lightly and smiled, "Don't worry. If I happen to meet the Magic Flame Valley, I'll get a good look at this force that can rival the Cangnan Academy—just how strong it truly is." "Fine with me. After all, your current network of influence is still so opaque even to me. I'd imagine that even if you encounter a Douzong-level master and can't defeat them, you should still be able to escape unscathed." Seeing that, Wu Hao simply smiled and sat up. "Let's go. I'll accompany you for a while until the auction at Black Emperor City concludes, then I'll head straight to the Academy." Xiao Yan smiled warmly at Wu Hao and Xiao Yu. "That sounds good. Once we reach the next city, we'll be able to notify the Cangnan Academy, and then we'll be safe. As for Xiao Yan's proposal, no one declined it. Though they had entirely eliminated the pursuing forces from Mo Yan Valley, Wu Hao himself had sustained significant injuries. With Xiao Yan, such a strong protector, their journey was naturally much safer. Once the negotiations were concluded, Wu Hao didn't hesitate, simply bellowed and ordered everyone to hurry and move. The group then swiftly departed from the narrow valley that had once kept them on the brink of death. As for Xie Zhen's body, with a simple flick of Xiao Yan's fingers, it was instantly reduced to ashes—thus, the fourth elder of Mo Yan Valley quietly vanished without a trace. Though Wu Hao had been quite interested in the large auction held at the Black Imperial City, he naturally couldn't possibly ask to go along with all these younger students trailing behind him. With the city currently crowded and chaotic—people and snakes mingling in a state of constant disorder—any unforeseen incident might leave him unable to find even a single person. Thus, he had to patiently wait for the strong students from Cangnan Academy to arrive, and finally escort the startled attendees back to the academy. Meanwhile, while Wu Hao was growing increasingly frustrated, Xiao Yan and his companions swiftly departed the city, speeding up and heading directly toward the Black Imperial City as indicated on the map. After this non-stop journey, roughly after one day, Xiao Yan and his two companions gradually approached the location of the Black Emperor's City. As they drew nearer to the city, Xiao Yan began to notice an increasing number of people on the road leading to the city—clearly, these travelers were also heading for the city's auction event. In a place like Black Angle Domain, where people gather in large numbers, conflicts naturally arise. Along the way, the frequent bloody clashes occurring at regular intervals initially surprised Xiao Yi, who found it hard to believe about the inhabitants' martial nature. Yet, by the time they reached the later stages of the journey, even Xiao Yi and Zi Yan had grown accustomed to these confrontations, treating them as if they were commonplace.