As soon as Nie Tian uttered those words, the fiery shooting light that had been traveling at a high speed suddenly slowed down.
When An Rong and the others looked up at it, it didn’t seem as large as the meteors that had descended from outer realm. Rather, it was like a surging ball of fire.
“It’s coming for you?” An Rong was taken aback by Nie Tian’s words.
Nie Donghai’s expression flickered. “What is that? Did you do something to piss it off?” He assumed that the fireball had locked onto Nie Tian because it was going to kill him.
“It means no harm, grandpa,” Nie Tian explained.
SHEW!
The dashing ball of fire stopped steadily right in front of Nie Tian.
FIZZ! FIZZ!
Countless wisps of flame were like slithering, burning snakes, bit by bit retracting into the armor.
Only then did the crowd finally have a clear look of the mysterious thing that had burned like a sun. It was actually a set of exquisite armor.
Nie Tian’s eyes were fixed on the Flame Dragon Armor as he eagerly examined it with rapt attention.
Compared to a few days before, the many densely-packed patterns on the surface of the Flame Dragon Armor had not only become a lot clearer, but even seemed to have an unusual power that resembled lava flowing within them.
He even sensed a surging fluctuation of life force merely by standing close to the Flame Dragon Armor.
In his eyes, the Flame Dragon Armor in front of him was no longer a tool! Rather, it was a living being that had blood and flesh and even possessed a soul!
He held out his hand and tried to touch it.
However, before his hand could touch the Flame Dragon Armor, it suddenly shrunk and turned into a shooting, fiery light, disappearing into his bracelet of holding in the next second.
A strand of aura that could only be understood by his soul came through from the Flame Dragon Armor.
He instantly understood that after taking in a large amount of Earthflame Crystal Strings, the Flame Dragon Armor hadn’t had the chance to absorb and refine them yet.
It needed time to gradually digest the benefits brought by the Earthflame Crystal Strings, and it was going to finish its transformation in his bracelet of holding.
“I-it’s gone?” An Rong was astonished.
Nie Donghai suddenly grew excited. “Little Tian, that spiritual tool… belongs to you?”
Nie Tian nodded.
“It flew here and found you on its own?” Nie Donghai exclaimed. “Does it possess a soul?”
Nie Tian nodded again.
An He and An Rong were both shocked to their very core. “A spiritual tool with a soul! Is it a Spirit Channeling grade treasure?!”
Meanwhile, many civilians carefully gathered around from the distant streets. They all wanted to see what had happened.
Nie Tian was about to explain the origin of the Flame Dragon Armor before hastily shutting his mouth.
“Master An, Master Nie, did you see a fireball falling from the sky just now?” A panic-stricken citizen asked.
An Rong took a glance at Nie Tian and said in a plain tone, “Yes, I saw it. It seemed to have fallen onto the meteor.”
“Ahhh?!”
“Master An, can we go over there and take a look?”
The crowd of citizens asked earnestly.
An Rong shrugged and said, “Suit yourselves.”
“Little Tian, let’s go back to the Nie clan,” Nie Donghai said.
Nie Tian nodded.
They passed through the crowd of curious commoners and went straight towards the Nie clan, putting the issues of the Yun clan aside.
They also noticed that Zhao Haifeng and his party didn’t leave in the direction of the wasteland where An Shiyi had gone.
That meant that not only had they given up on the Heaven Gate key on Nie Tian’s hand, they even gave up on the keys that might have appeared in the wasteland.
It was also because of this that An Rong and the rest of them did not worry for the safety of An Shiyi and the people with her, and thus could return to the Nie clan so calmly.
Nie Tian was the only one who knew that Zhao Haifeng only left Black Cloud City and the nearby wasteland because he feared that an expert who practiced flame spiritual incantations would descend in the region.
By the time they arrived in the Nie clan, Black Cloud City was already in broad daylight.
Nie Tian simply explained about the origin of the Flame Dragon Armor to Nie Donghai, An He, and An Rong in a secluded room. He told them that he had obtained the Flame Dragon Armor in the Treasure Convention held by the Spiritual Treasure sect, and also urged them not to leak the information.
Since An He and An Rong were present, Nie Tian didn’t go on to explain the secret links between the Blood Core and the Flame Dragon Armor.
Even without that, having been assured that the Flame Dragon Armor was a Spirit Channeling grade treasure, the three of them were all shocked to the point where they were at a loss for words.
“Spirit Channeling grade treasure, Spirit Channeling grade treasure…” Nie Donghai was immersed in great joy.
An Rong and An He did nothing but stare blankly at him.
They both had a thorough knowledge of Nie Tian’s growth. Only a few years ago, Nie Tian’s name was unknown in Black Cloud City, and he was constantly targeted and pushed aside by his own clansmen.
Neither of them had ever imagined that Nie Tian would not only become Wu Ji’s disciple, but also come to possess a Spirit Channeling grade treasure!
They were all well aware of what a Spirit Channeling grade treasure meant. They knew that as long as Nie Tian could stay safe and continue to pursue his cultivation, there would definitely be a place for him in the Realm of Flame Heaven.
“You have a good grandson.” Mixed emotions rose in An Rong’s heart.
Nie Donghai couldn’t stop chuckling.
At this moment, the sound of a Nie clan member came through from outside, “Miss An is here!”
Upon hearing the news, Nie Tian and the others quickly walked out of the secluded room.
At first glance, Nie Tian saw that there was a door-shaped pattern that was identical to his branded on the back of An Shiyi’s milky left hand. Her face also looked radiant.
Jiang Lingzhu from the Cloudsoaring sect beamed as she waved her hand at the crowd with a wide smile.
There was also a door-shaped pattern on the back of her hand, which meant that she had also acquired the eligibility to enter the Heaven Gate trial.
On the other hand, Pan Tao, An Ying, Ye Gumo, and Nie Qian, who had also rushed there, were all wearing long faces and couldn’t stop sighing. Clearly, they had made no gains.
“Congratulations,” Nie Tian said while smiling.
With a faint smile on her lips, An Shiyi looked at him and said, “From the look of it, I’ll also get to enter Heaven Gate. We can go together. I hope that we can both make some gains inside that mysterious Heavenly Gate.”
“Nie Tian,” Jiang Lingzhu said with a bright smile, “I’ve just received a message from Uncle Li, telling us to return to the sect. All the Hell sect disciples that surrounded the sect have all retreated. According to Uncle Li, there won’t be any war in the Realm of Flame Heaven in the near future. The Hell sect also won’t try to stop those who have already obtained their keys to the Heaven Gate.”
Nie Tian was surprised. “Everything has been straightened out?”
Jiang Lingzhu seemed to be in a terrific mood. She nodded and said, “I don’t know what happened either, but it looks like there won’t be any more conflicts for the time being.”
“Is there any news from Uncle Liu and Sister Xin, who were at Scarlet Flame Mountain Range?” Nie Tian continued to ask.
As soon as these words came out, Jiang Lingzhu’s expression turned dim. She shook her head and said, “Not yet.”
Upon Nie Tian mentioning the Scarlet Flame Mountain Range, An Shiyi, An Ying, and even Pan Tao suddenly became silent.
The devastating changes in the Scarlet Flame Mountain Range would definitely make the Spiritual Treasure sect suffer painful and significant losses. After this incident, the Spiritual Treasure sect might still persist. However, its strength would certainly be greatly undermined and surpassed by other sects.
They were all disciples from the Spiritual Treasure sect. Before everything happened, their sect was stronger than the Cloudsoaring sect, Grayvale sect, and the Mystic Mist sect, which had made them full of confidence.
But now…
At that time, the low-pitched cry of the Thunder Beast resounded from the heavens as it descended from the sky.
Moments later, the Thunder Beast stopped steadily in the square of the Nie clan.
This time, its eyes were only fixed on Nie Tian.
“It’s here to pick you up,” An Shiyi said softly.
From the Thunder Beast’s eyes, Nie Tian had also realized that the purpose of its trip to Black Cloud City was most likely to take him back to Wu Ji. Therefore this time, no matter how many Green Lightning gems An Shiyi gave it, the Thunder Beast would still not take her along.
“Well then, I’ll see you all later.”
After saying farewell to the crowd, Nie Tian jumped onto the back of the Thunder Beast. Then, the Thunder Beast spread its wings and soared into the clouds.
Nie Tian looked down and saw everyone slowly turning into small dots and soon disappearing from his sight.
Before long, the Thunder Beast landed on the back mountain of the Cloudsoaring sect. He jumped off and instantly saw his master Wu Ji, who seemed to be in a daze.
He bowed respectfully. “Master.”
Wu Ji snapped out of his reverie. He looked at him and with a nod, he said, “Did you spread the news of the Heaven Gate with my name?”
“Yes, I did,” Nie Tian admitted, fearing that Wu Ji would scold him for it. “After I found out about it, I felt that it was necessary to let everyone know about the truth. That’s why I had to use your name and influence.”
“You did nothing wrong.” Wu Ji didn’t mind how he handled it. Instead, he asked, “But where did you get it from?”
“Hua Mu, the doctor who saved me once, visited me again in Black Cloud City,” Nie Tian said, not holding anything back. “He was the one who told me about it.”
Wu Ji was astonished. “Hua Mu? That foreign doctor!?”
“Exactly.”