The climactic battle at the Summit of the Falling Peaks, which had sent shockwaves across Zhongzhao, concluded with the defeat of the Hall's Master, leaving many with lingering sense of anticipation. The outcome proved more surprising than expected—after decades of unrelenting dominance, the Hall of Souls, the long-standing hegemon in Zhongzhao, finally encountered a force capable of challenging its supremacy. The Heavenly Palace Alliance, initially formed through the coalition of several major powers and not highly regarded by the elder generation, has rapidly ascended over the past several years, achieving a level of momentum that is truly astonishing. Moreover, the number of elite warriors within the Alliance has surpassed even the expectations of the established powers. Masters of the Battle Saint rank—figures typically considered equivalent to ancient patriarchs in any region—are now represented by a dozen or more within the Alliance. This sheer volume has gradually revealed that the Alliance's rise is not merely a matter of luck, but a result of genuine strength and sustained excellence. Above all, when these Saint-tier warriors are led by a five-star Saint who has personally defeated the Master of the Spirit Palace, the sheer impact is unparalleled. After this battle, everyone realizes that the name of the Heavenly Palace Alliance will resonate throughout every corner of Zhongzhou, and that the grand battle itself will be passed down from mouth to mouth with deep reverence. A shift in leadership—shaking the heart of Zhongzhou. Yet, amid the jubilation of the Tianfu Alliance, no one had forgotten the one who had brought about this victory. The epic battle that had unfolded on that day, passed down through generations of tales, had grown almost legendary. In their eyes, Xiao Yan was spoken of as a celestial deity. The stories of his prowess had even made Xiao Yan himself find it hard to suppress a quiet, amused smile. Nevertheless, as these tales were shared and cherished, the members of the Tianfu Alliance truly regarded him as an invincible god—something akin to blind reverence, as if devoted believers. When reputation accumulates to a certain level, it subtly ascends in the hearts of people. Undoubtedly, the reverence the alliance members hold for Xiao Yan grows increasingly fervent through this ascent. The elders, such as Yao Lao, find this development surprising, yet they do not intervene. People inherently need a faith; it is precisely through this faith that they achieve strong cohesion. Within the Heavenly Palace Alliance, only Xiao Yan possesses the stature to serve as that faith. The Tianfu Alliance, fundamentally different from the Soul Palace, operates with a different approach—unyielding and unrelenting, often disregarding the interests of other factions. Without steady backing from the hidden support of the Soul Clan behind them, such behavior would have inevitably led to upheaval long ago. Now, as the Tianfu Alliance has risen to become a new dominant force, it naturally cannot adopt the same methods. After all, there is no Soul Clan or similar powerful background to sustain it behind. Consequently, shortly after the great conflict concluded, the upper echelons issued a clear directive: no member was to display arrogance or dominance over external parties. All actions must adhere strictly to the established traditions of the Alliance. Any deviation would result in immediate expulsion. Under the pressure of such severe penalties, despite securing a resounding victory, the Tianfu Alliance appeared remarkably calm to the outside world, with few incidents tarnishing its image. As a result, many observers quietly nodded in approval, viewing the Alliance with greater esteem. Though the Tianfu Alliance currently holds the upper hand over the Hunsen Temple, the Temple still stands strong and has suffered only moderate losses, maintaining a vigilant posture, ready to strike should the Alliance make a misstep. Under this steady and orderly absorption, the strength of the Tianfu Alliance—this vast entity—has once again grown subtly and powerfully. ... Deep within the Star Realm, in a quiet and secluded glade, a stream winds through the forest, eventually transforming into a silver waterfall that plummets down and cascades into a clear lake below. At the center of the lake, a figure sits motionless upon the water's surface, completely still. Ripples spreading outward from him gradually dissipate when they reach within ten meters of his body, as if an exceptionally still aura surrounds him, creating a most unusual effect. "Buzz—" This profound stillness lasted for approximately half a day before the figure slowly opened his tightly closed eyes, a faint glow of fire dancing within the dark pupils. Then he lowered his head, furrowing his brows as he gazed at his palm. Half an inch above it, a black orb floated suspended—its hue deeply profound, appearing almost like a miniature black hole. Gazing at it, one felt as though even the soul itself were being drawn inward, creating a strange, unsettling sensation. The figure, of course, was Xiao Yan. Since the battle atop the peak of his fall, it had been three months. During this time, the Heavenly Palace Alliance had undergone a transformation akin to a rebirth, experiencing sweeping, revolutionary changes. Yet Xiao Yan had not personally intervened in these developments. Indeed, he was not particularly skilled at managing affairs, and his attempts to take charge often backfired. The elders, including Yao Lao, fully understood this, and thus allowed him to focus solely on his cultivation, leaving him undisturbed. With these periods of leisure, Xiao Yan spent most of his days immersed in cultivation. Xiao Xiao and Xiao Qi Shen, the two female companions, were particularly well-matched and no longer frequently attached themselves to him. Moreover, there was always the steady, strict encouragement from Xiao Chen, who urged her to train diligently. As a result, after the great battle, Xiao Yan became the most relaxed and free among the stars. Over these three months of cultivation, his rank remained unchanged. His strength now stabilized at the early stage of Five-Star Battle Saint. Although his Burned Technique had evolved into a near-heaven-tier advanced cultivation method, the energy absorption accumulated over three months proved only a modest contribution—barely sufficient. It was only now that he realized just how difficult it was to advance in the realm of Battle Saint, especially without exceptional circumstances. Though only three months of cultivation, although Xiao Yan had not advanced in rank, he had gained significant additional benefits—benefits stemming directly from the infant flames consumed by Xiao Yi. The Void-Eating Flame was renowned for its ability to devour all things in the universe, even energy and combat qi, making it truly formidable. Its unique devouring power was particularly captivating, and what truly drew people in was that as long as one successfully refined the infant flames of the Void-Eating Flame, there was a chance to acquire this very ability. Even if the acquired ability fell short of the full power of the Void-Eating Flame itself, it proved to be an invaluable asset for cultivation. Thus, throughout this period of training, the majority of Xiao Yan’s mental focus was dedicated to mastering this remarkable devouring power. To萧In's surprise, the outcome was not unexpected—since both were unique flames, after consuming the child flame of the Void Devouring Flame, a black orb gradually coalesced within him. Within this orb, he sensed a devouring force so potent that it could even consume his very soul. When he first obtained this black orb imbued with such devouring power, he was overjoyed—should he possess this ability, his cultivation would undoubtedly be significantly more efficient. Yet, this joy did not last long. He soon realized that once the orb was inside his body, it began slowly devouring his internal qi, and even more subtly, he began to sense that alongside the loss of qi, his very life force was also being consumed. Moreover, Xiao Yan discovered that the energy absorbed through this devouring force was extremely fragmented, and due to the nature of the devouring force, these fragments had almost coalesced into solid masses. Even when he used the Heterogeneous Fire, it was exceedingly difficult to disperse them. As a result, the energy obtained through devouring could not be effectively absorbed by him. "This thing...!" Upon realizing this, Xiao Yan's expression grew increasingly displeased—this wasn't just ineffective; it was actually becoming a hindrance. "It seems that the devouring force is truly beyond the reach of ordinary people..." With a sigh of disappointment, Xiao Yan glanced at the black orb in his hand, then flipped his palm to prepare to place it into his storage ring. At that moment, a surge of pink flame erupted from his palm, and Xiao Yi popped out, her plump hands immediately cradling the orb, her face glistening with eager anticipation. "Huh?" Seeing this, Xiao Yan paused, momentarily stunned.