54: Chapter 54 Plans Can't Keep Up with Changes

After the news brought back by Soul Mie Sheng spread through the Soul Realm, the reactions within the Hun Clan varied. Elder Hun Tu coldly snorted on the spot, uttering only four words, "Not knowing life from death," before turning and heading to the Elder Hall to muster troops. Soul Yuan Tian asked a few more questions about the wording of Yan Jin's refusal. After listening to Soul Mie Sheng's account, he remained silent for a moment. No emotion could be seen on his withered old face; he simply nodded slightly and followed Elder Hun Tu. Hun Qian was responsible for leaking the news of the rejected gift list through covert channels—within three days, all of the Central Plains would know that the Hun Clan had visited with generous gifts, yet the Yan Clan refused to even discuss the matter. This was exactly the effect Hun Feng wanted.

But Hun Feng himself did not show any surprise. The three Heavenly Flames hidden by the Yan Clan were key pieces of the puzzle he had to secure on his path to becoming an Emperor. The Red Lotus Karma Fire, Eight Desolation Destruction Flame, and Nine Nether Golden Ancestor Flame—the three Heavenly Flames ranked in the top ten—were his to claim. Yan Jin's refusal to exchange was already within his expectations, and one could even say it played right into his hands, because the more decisively the Yan Clan refused, the more justified his reasons for taking action would be. For the past few days, he had locked himself in his study with the array map of the Ancient World of Ten Thousand Fires spread out before him; every array eye and every secret passage marked by the Hall of Souls' covert operatives were clearly visible. His plan was not complex—using Soul Yuan Tian and Elder Hun Tu, two Eight Star Dou Sheng, as the vanguard to forcibly tear open the Ancient World of Ten Thousand Fires' clan-protecting array, with Hun Qinger blocking the retreat route on the periphery, while he personally led men into the ancestral grounds to subdue the three Heavenly Flames. The strongest person in the Yan Clan was only a Five-Star; Soul Yuan Tian alone could crush them.

When Yao Yao pushed the door open to enter, he was marking the last few locations of the hidden sentries on the array map and did not even lift his head. She placed a bowl of freshly brewed lotus seed soup on the corner of the table, glanced at the array map that was densely filled with his markings, and without asking any questions, she simply reached out and kneaded the back of his neck with moderate pressure.

"Sister Cai Lin asked me to ask you if you are returning to the East Courtyard for dinner tonight. Mu Xiao was learning to write at Grandma's place today and wrote the character 'Feng'. It was crooked, but she insisted on showing it to Daddy."

Hun Feng's hand paused for a moment, and a faint smile appeared on the corner of his lips. For the past few days, he had been sleeping in the study, waking up every day to array maps and troop deployment orders, even skipping the time to return to the East Courtyard to change clothes. Just as he was about to say something, the hurried footsteps of Hun Qian sounded outside the door.

The expression on Hun Qian's face when he pushed the door open made Hun Feng narrow his eyes slightly. This old steward had served in the Soul Realm for hundreds of years, had seen mountains of corpses and seas of blood, and had witnessed millennial conspiracies; he rarely lost his composure. But at this moment, standing before the desk, his lips moved twice before he managed to speak clearly: "Young Master, someone from the Yan Clan has arrived. It is Yan Feng—the Second Elder of the Yan Clan, a late-stage Four-Star Dou Sheng. He came alone, without any attendants, and is waiting outside the main gate right now. He said he brought a personal letter from Clan Leader Yan Jin, as well as something else."

Hun Feng put down the array map in his hand and exchanged a glance with Yao Yao. The Second Elder of the Yan Clan had come personally and brought only one person; this was completely different from the script he had anticipated—he was just preparing to muster troops, yet the other party had come knocking first. He thought for a moment, told Hun Qian to invite the person to the main hall, and asked Yao Yao to go notify Hun Tiandi and Void Swallowing Flame.

In the main hall, Yan Feng stood in the center, still wearing the red robes unique to the Yan Clan, the scar on his brow from being burned by a Heavenly Flame particularly striking under the dim candlelight. His posture was very low—not the kind of groveling, but rather the deliberate restraint of all sharpness by someone representing the entire clan in negotiations. When Hun Feng walked out from the side hall, his gaze first fell on Yan Feng, and then on the jade box wrapped in layers of red brocade by his side. Separated by a distance of several steps, the Sea Heart Flame and Purification Lotus Demon Flame simultaneously throbbed violently within his body—that was the instinctive resonance between Heavenly Flames. The item sealed within the jade box was at least one Heavenly Flame ranked in the top ten.

Hun Tiandi had not yet arrived, and Void Swallowing Flame had not arrived either. Hun Feng took his seat on the main throne and signaled for Yan Feng to sit and speak. Yan Feng did not sit; instead, he carefully placed the jade box on the long table in front of him, then took out a letter personally sealed by Yan Jin from his sleeve and presented it with both hands. The content of the letter was very brief, the wording polite and restrained, the gist being: After repeated weighing, the Yan Clan was willing to hand over the Eight Desolation Destruction Flame to the Hun Clan in exchange for the Hun Clan no longer pursuing the matter of the previously rejected gift list. The Yan Clan would only take half of the medicinal pills and materials on the gift list, and return the rest in full. As for the Red Lotus Karma Fire and Nine Nether Golden Ancestor Flame, the letter did not mention them at all.

Hun Feng finished reading the letter, placed the paper on the table, and remained silent for quite a while. He had imagined various reactions from the Yan Clan—tough, weak, stalling, calling for reinforcements—but he had never thought of this one. The Yan Clan voluntarily handing over a top-ten Heavenly Flame and returning half the gifts amounted to bowing their heads to him, yet it was not an unconditional surrender. This was an extremely clever posture: I am willing to offer one of my biggest bargaining chips, but I will retain the other two as a bottom line. In this way, if the Hun Clan were to raise troops again, they would appear unreasonable. Yan Jin was using the Eight Desolation Destruction Flame to buy peace for the Yan Clan, and also using the gesture of returning half the gifts to shut the mouths of various forces on the continent.

"Elder Yan Feng," Hun Feng put down the letter, his voice calm, "Your clan previously refused the exchange, and now you have voluntarily sent over the Eight Desolation Destruction Flame. Such a drastic change in attitude must have a justifiable reason."

Yan Feng took a deep breath. The burn scar on his brow twitched slightly under the candlelight, as if it were speaking those difficult words for him.

"Young Clan Leader, the Yan Clan has carefully weighed every single item on this gift list. To be honest, the Grade Nine Soul Origin Pill and the Ten Thousand Year Soul Crystal are indeed precious, and the Yan Clan is not unmoved. But what made the Yan Clan decide to hand over the Eight Desolation Destruction Flame was not the gift list itself—it was the determination of the Hun Clan's Young Clan Leader." Yan Feng paused; when he spoke, he did not look into Hun Feng's eyes but kept his head slightly lowered, his tone carrying a sense of helplessness after being repeatedly crushed by reality. "The affairs of the Ling Clan and Shi Clan have spread across the entire continent. After the Ancient Clan withdrew from the Sky Mansion Alliance, the Sky Mansion Alliance is no longer a match for the Hun Clan. If the Yan Clan continues to oppose the Hun Clan, there are only two outcomes—either be wiped out like the Ling Clan, or be slowly devoured while isolated and helpless. Xiao Yan did indeed help the Yan Clan back then; he once suppressed Yao Tian at the Pill Tower Grand Meeting and displayed sufficient talent when suppressing the rebellion on Ancient Dragon Island. But Young Master Hun should know better than this old man—Xiao Yan cannot even sustain the Sky Mansion Alliance now, so what can he use to protect the Yan Clan?"

Yan Feng raised his eyes to look at Hun Feng when he said this, his gaze devoid of resentment or accusation, containing only a nearly numb calmness. Hun Feng picked up the teacup on the table and did not answer; the tea had already gone cold. He had indeed never claimed to be a good person—from the Corpse Burial Mountain Range to the Demon Flame Space, from the Northern Region Corridor to the Ancient Emperor Hall, he only ever asked if something was worth it, never whether it was right or wrong. But he had not expected the Yan Clan to see Xiao Yan's current situation so clearly, nor had he expected the Yan Clan to voluntarily concede before he made his move. This feeling of having all his thoughts anticipated by the other party made him somewhat uncomfortable, but it was mostly surprise.

The side door of the main hall was gently pushed open, and Hun Tiandi walked in slowly. Upon seeing Hun Tiandi, Yan Feng immediately bowed in salute, his posture even more respectful than before. Hun Tiandi took his seat on the main throne, took the letter Hun Feng handed to him, glanced at it, then looked at the jade box on the table, a faint smile appearing on the corner of his lips.

"Yan Jin is quite sensible." Hun Tiandi placed the letter on the table and tilted his head to look at Hun Feng. "Feng'er, the Eight Desolation Destruction Flame has been delivered. What is your take?"

Hun Feng stood up and walked to the long table, reaching out to unwrap the layers of red brocade. The jade box was carved entirely from Red Flame Crystal, a specialty of the Yan Clan, and was scalding to the touch. The surface of the box was engraved with dense fire-attribute sealing runes, each one pulsing slightly, as if something inside the box was struggling to break through the seal. He pressed one hand on the lid, and the Sea Heart Flame and Purification Lotus Demon Flame simultaneously surged into his palm. The power of the two top-ten Heavenly Flames suppressed the seal of the jade box layer by layer, and then, with a flick of his fingertip, the lid opened with a sound.

A blinding dark golden light erupted from the box. It was the main body of the Eight Desolation Destruction Flame—a dark golden flame the size of a fist, wreathed in a destructive, violent aura. Tiny golden lightning arcs continuously burst from the edges of the flame, and every explosion caused the surrounding air to tremble violently. It had been trapped in the Yan Clan for too long and had long since accumulated a violent, vicious aura. Now that the seal was broken, it wanted to rush to the ceiling of the hall to escape. Hun Feng had been prepared; he gripped his five fingers in the void, and the pink halo of the Purification Lotus Demon Flame transformed into a cage, trapping it tightly, letting it struggle left and right within the cage without being able to escape even a fraction.

"It is indeed the Eight Desolation Destruction Flame." Hun Feng closed the lid again, and that violent dark golden light was resealed within the jade box. The temperature in the hall slowly dropped. "Ranked sixth, approaching the level of a mid-stage Seven-Star—Yan Jin's sincerity carries significant weight."

Yan Feng stood in the hall with his hands hanging down, not speaking. Yan Jin had already written everything that needed to be said clearly in the letter; at this moment, he was just quietly waiting for a result.

Hun Feng handed the jade box to Hun Qian to keep safe and sat back on the main throne. He was silent for a few breaths, then said to Yan Feng: "The Hun Clan accepts your clan's good intentions. I will keep the Eight Desolation Destruction Flame, and there is no need to return the half of the items from the gift list that your clan took; let it be a return gift from the Hun Clan for the Yan Clan's decision. As for the Red Lotus Karma Fire and Nine Nether Golden Ancestor Flame—I will not force you to make a decision now. Go back and tell Clan Leader Yan Jin that if the Yan Clan is willing to continue discussing an exchange, the doors of the Hun Clan are always open. If not, as long as the Yan Clan does not take the initiative to become an enemy of the Hun Clan, the Hun Clan will not be the first to resort to force."

Yan Feng was stunned for a moment. He clearly had not expected Hun Feng to let the other two Heavenly Flames go so easily. He had rushed from the Yan Clan to the Soul Realm overnight, prepared many words, and even made the worst preparations. But Hun Feng did not give him the worst result, nor did he make exorbitant demands—he simply accepted the Eight Desolation Destruction Flame and left a decent retreat route for the Yan Clan.

"Thank you, Young Clan Leader." Yan Feng bowed in salute, his voice hoarse but carrying a trace of genuine relief. He did not say anything more, just turned and walked toward the outside of the hall. When he reached the doorway, he paused for a moment, looked back at Hun Feng, seemingly wanting to say something, but in the end, he just cupped his fists and walked away quickly.

After Yan Feng's figure disappeared into the void crack outside the main gate, Hun Tiandi tilted his head to look at Hun Feng, the smile on the corner of his lips deepening slightly compared to before: "This is different from your previous plan."

"Plans cannot keep up with changes." Hun Feng leaned back in his chair and rubbed his brow. "Yan Jin's move really caught me off guard. He voluntarily handed over the Eight Desolation Destruction Flame and returned half the gifts, which is equivalent to saying—I know what you want, I will give you a part of it, and leave me a way to survive with the rest. This measure of knowing when to advance and when to retreat is far more brilliant than a direct refusal. If I were to forcefully attack the Yan Clan again, it would make the Hun Clan appear unreasonable. It wouldn't look good to the various parties if it spread out; the Ancient Clan just renewed the marriage contract, and getting a reputation for being unforgiving at this time is not worth it."

"So you intend to let the other two go?" Void Swallowing Flame walked slowly out from the side hall, his eyes burning with black flames carrying a hint of amusement.

"Of course not." Hun Feng smiled slightly, the certainty in his eyes resurfacing. "The Eight Desolation Destruction Flame is just a beginning. The fact that Yan Jin could voluntarily hand over one shows that he has already prioritized the survival of the Yan Clan above the Heavenly Flames. As long as I prove that I can suppress even stronger Heavenly Flames, he will sooner or later hand over the remaining Red Lotus Karma Fire and Nine Nether Golden Ancestor Flame himself. Rather than taking them by force, it is better to let the Yan Clan willingly stand on the side of the Hun Clan—at least for now, the Yan Clan's posture of voluntarily handing over the Heavenly Flame has done more to dispel the vigilance and misgivings in Yan Jin's heart than any gift list. With this step taken, future negotiations for the exchange will be much smoother."

Yao Yao walked over from the side hall, still carrying that bowl of lotus seed soup that had gone cold. She glanced in the direction where Yan Feng had left, then looked at the red jade box in front of Hun Feng, a hint of mischief flashing in her peach-blossom eyes: "So this battle is not happening? I was already prepared to go to the Yan Clan's ancestral grounds with my husband to watch the fireworks."

"Fireworks can be watched another day." Hun Feng took the lotus seed soup from her hands, not caring whether it was cold or not, scooped a spoonful, and put it into his mouth. "Let's refine this one first."