Refining medicine can't save Doupo!

Chapter 704 Xiao Zhan: Gu Yuan! Fortune changes every thirty years! Don't underestimate a poor middle-aged man!

Jiang Lin was unaware that his tribulation had actually deepened the cooperation between the Soul Emperor and Gu Yuan and the others. However, even if Jiang Lin knew, he wouldn't care, because he had already established a platform for communication among these people. If any side were to clash, Jiang Lin would most likely have to uphold justice.
Jiang Lin didn't immediately break through to Dou Sheng, mainly because the location wasn't right. His tribulation to become a Dou Sheng would be terrifying, affecting the entire Central Continent, and the impact would be too large. Furthermore, Jiang Lin planned to return to the Origin Qi Continent to break through, which would accelerate the fusion process between the Origin Qi Continent and the Dou Qi plane.

However, just as Jiang Lin was preparing to pack up and return to the Origin Qi Continent, the Soul Emperor came knocking on his door.

"What does the clan leader want with me?" Inside the Mo residence, Jiang Lin looked at the Soul Craftsman before him, his expression puzzled. He didn't understand why the Soul Emperor wanted to see him at this time.
The Soul Craftsman looked at Jiang Lin with a complicated expression for a long time before finally saying slowly, "It should be about the Spirit Realm."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Lin's gaze flickered slightly, then he nodded and said, "Understood, lead the way."

The Soul Craftsman gave a soft "hmm," and then led Jiang Lin directly into the void. After flying for several days, the Soul Craftsman finally brought Jiang Lin to meet the Soul Emperor, who had been waiting for a long time, deep in the void.

After seeing Soul Craftsman and Jiang Lin arrive, the Soul Emperor remained silent for a moment before speaking, "You should be able to sense the Spirit Realm, right?"

“Okay.” Jiang Lin nodded. In fact, he had been able to sense the Spirit Realm after arriving in Zhongzhou, but he was not ready to sneak into the Spirit Realm.

"I know many people hate me." The Soul Emperor looked at Jiang Lin and the Soul Craftsman, then stood in the void, gazing into the distant nothingness, and slowly said, "But having come this far, there is no turning back. Whether it is the Xiao Clan, the Stone Clan, the Soul Clan, or the Spirit Clan, everyone has kept some backup plans in place to prevent failure and to sow the seeds of hope for future success."

“Soul Craftsman, you may have hated me, hated me for not putting pressure on the Spirit Clan and making them release Ling Yun’er.” The Soul Emperor stood with his hands clasped behind his back to Soul Craftsman and Jiang Lin, his voice deep and infectious.

"..." The Soul Craftsman remained silent. He had indeed had such thoughts. He felt that things shouldn't be so drastic, and that the Spirit Race's approach was too radical. The Soul Emperor was the only one who could stop the Spirit Race, but the Soul Emperor did not.

"You think I can stop the Spirit Clan, but you don't know that the Soul Clan has also reached a critical juncture in its destiny. If it retreats, it will be utterly destroyed," the Soul Emperor said calmly.

"Most people within the Stone Clan disagree, but the Stone Clan is weak, and the clan leader has no choice; they also need a future."

"According to the Spirit Clan's predictions, a thousand years from now, it will be almost impossible for any living being in this world to break through to the Nine-Star Dou Sheng realm. Three thousand years from now, the number of newly promoted Dou Sheng may decrease. Five thousand years from now, there will be a gap in the old generation of Dou Sheng, and our world will usher in an era where Dou Zun becomes a Saint."

"Indeed, if we do nothing, the family members can still live for ten thousand years. After ten thousand years, neither you nor I will be in this world, so there is no need to care about the situation at that time." The Soul Emperor looked in the direction of the Spirit Realm, his dark gaze extremely profound.

Logically speaking, the foundation of the Dou Qi plane is extremely terrifying, basically capable of nurturing one Dou Di every thousand years. However, due to the terrifying prosperity left over from the era of the Eight Emperors, the era of the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor was not able to completely suppress it, thus causing the greatest foundation of the Dou Qi plane to be shattered by this group of madmen.

However, even if the Ancient Sea Secret Realm, the 'Battle Emperor Forging Furnace,' was lost, the Ancient Emperor Tuoshe found a way to make up for it. It's just that the number of Battle Emperors would change from one every thousand years to one from one to one.
"It's become increasingly difficult for us to break through to the Dou Di realm through our own strength. This is determined by the environment. Otherwise, do you think an Emperor-grade embryonic pill would have been left in the ancient emperor's cave?" Knowing that future generations had almost no chance of becoming emperors, the Ancient Emperor Tuoshe left behind an Emperor-grade embryonic pill in advance. The eight ancient jades were the test left by the Ancient Emperor Tuoshe. One must either rely on overwhelming martial power to collect all the Tuoshe ancient jades or rely on personal charisma to unite the eight clans. Either way, one could become an exceptionally outstanding Dou Di.

(Xiao Yan's ability to become an emperor is due to the fact that he brought with him a wisp of Origin Qi. This is a patch provided by the author, Potato. Of course, in the world view of this book, Xiao Yan's achievement of becoming an emperor through different fires is that of a Spirit Qi Dou Di.)

Once someone breaks through to the Dou Di level, the secrets of the Dou Qi plane will be laid bare before the Dou Di. The new Dou Di will handle the affairs of the Ancient Sea Secret Realm and leave behind the Dou Di legacy. From then on, the code of the Dou Qi plane can run again.

"Therefore, no matter what we do, we cannot stop the Spirit Race." At this point, the Soul Emperor paused for a moment, and finally said in a deep voice, "nor can we stop ourselves."

Due to the nature of their bloodline and clan markings, the thoughts of the patriarchs of imperial clans differ from those of patriarchs in many fantasy worlds. Even Xiao Xuan, when realizing his impending failure, was willing to sacrifice his bloodline because if he succeeded, the sacrificed bloodline would return. Therefore, sometimes we can't be too harsh on Xiao Xuan; we can only say he was too reckless, knowingly doing the impossible and leaving no way out. However, if Xiao Xuan were too shrewd, others wouldn't have chosen him.
For these imperial clan leaders, if they could exchange their lives for the prosperity of their clan, they would certainly do it.

Even someone like the Soul Emperor would be willing to sacrifice himself if someone told him that sacrificing him would allow the Soul Clan to produce a Dou Di.

Not only Soul Emperor Gu Yuan, but also Yao Dan, Lei Ying, and others were all like this. This is why, as clan leaders, if they didn't know, it would be fine, but if they knew that thousands of years later their descendants would not be able to break through to the Dou Sheng level, they would definitely feel a heavy burden on their shoulders.

"Although the Spirit Race is mostly cold-blooded and ruthless, lacking humanity," the Soul Emperor said with a sigh, as if he had thought of something. "But sometimes, they can say things that transcend humanity. In their words, it is precisely because they believe in the wisdom of future generations that they want to leave the best gift to them."

Deep within the void, only the voice of the Soul Emperor slowly resounded, telling the two Soul Craftsmen about the past between the Spirit Race and the Imperial Race.

After hearing everything, Soul Craftsman was deeply moved. He was not the patriarch of the Soul Clan, so he could not reach the level of the Soul Emperor, and therefore he did not understand these things before.

Jiang Lin's expression was solemn. He actually knew a lot about the matter. At first, he might have been a little unconvinced, but after realizing that it was their own choice, Jiang Lin finally understood. "Go, to the Spirit Realm, and retrieve your gift," the Soul Emperor said softly, his back to Jiang Lin.

Jiang Lin remained silent for a moment, then cupped his hands slightly to the Soul Emperor before flying into the void ahead. The next instant, the surrounding space trembled, and a dazzling disc suddenly appeared in the void. A beam of light descended from the disc, directly enveloping Jiang Lin, and then, in the next instant, Jiang Lin vanished into thin air.

The instant Jiang Lin disappeared, several solemn figures began to appear behind the Soul Emperor.
The Soul Craftsman turned around, his gaze flickering slightly, for he was quite familiar with those figures.
Lei Ying, Gu Yuan, Yao Dan, and Yan Jin were the patriarchs of the eight clans besides the Shi Ling and Xiao clans.
“The Spirit Race…” Gu Yuan sighed softly as he looked at the slowly dissipating Spirit Realm space disc in the void above. “So, you’ve already made up your mind to forcibly sacrifice us?”

"Hmm," the Soul Emperor said calmly.

"Tsk tsk tsk, so the Lei Clan is also part of the plan?" Lei Ying said, arms crossed.

"First the Medicine Clan, and if that's not enough, the Flame Clan, the Thunder Clan, the Ancient Clan, and the Central Continent," the Soul Emperor said calmly, seemingly unaware that there was anything wrong with what he was saying.

"So, I'm the weakest, huh?" Yao Dan, a mid-stage Seven-Star Dou Sheng, turned somewhat pale, a hint of fear creeping into his heart. If the Soul Clan were to truly attack the Yao Clan, they would indeed find it difficult to withstand the attack.

"Soul Emperor, do you think that person can succeed?" Yan Jin, a late-stage Eight-Star Dou Sheng, frowned as he looked at Soul Emperor, who had his back to the crowd.

"Although I don't want to admit it, that kid has been blessed by the world," the Soul Emperor said calmly.

Ever since Jiang Lin spoke up about the lightning tribulation, Soul Emperor has laid his cards on the table with Gu Yuan and the others.
The Soul Emperor wants to break through to the Dou Di realm, and the Soul Clan wants to become Soul Clan Dou Di, not destroy the world. Therefore, as long as the Soul Clan's demands can be met, the Soul Emperor can naturally sit down and have a good talk with Gu Yuan and the others.

Jiang Lin's identity is far too complex. To put it simply, given the Soul Emperor's cultivation level, if Jiang Lin, a half-soul, were to break through to the Dou Di realm, then the Soul Emperor would essentially have one foot in the Dou Di realm. With a little help from Jiang Lin, the Dou Di, the Soul Emperor could still break through to Dou Di. At that point, their Soul Clan would possess 1.5 Dou Di at once. Just thinking about it made the Soul Emperor feel like he was dreaming.

Furthermore, if Jiang Lin were to become emperor, the obstacles to the emperor-making plan would be much smaller, and more members of the Soul Clan would be able to survive. The Soul Emperor naturally understood this deal perfectly.

Most importantly, Jiang Lin's breakthrough to Dou Di was not directly related to Gu Yuan and others, so the Soul Clan was still able to maintain a significant lead, which the Soul Emperor was naturally happy to see.

As for the Ancient Yuan Clan disagreeing? Isn't that just making them a perfect target for the Soul Emperor to attack?
If Soul Emperor were to become emperor himself, then without a doubt, Gu Yuanlei, Ying Yanjin, and others would all oppose him, and even Jiang Lin and Soul Craftsman would have to remain on the sidelines.

But what if the Soul Emperor publicly supports Jiang Lin? In an instant, the Soul Emperor felt the world expand.

Because Lei Ying is basically siding with Jiang Lin, the Spirit Clan is also siding with Jiang Lin, and the Soul Clan is also siding with Jiang Lin. The Xiao Clan can be included as well, as they are also siding with Jiang Lin. The Yan Clan, while not outright surrendering, will hesitate. At that point, only Gu Yuan's Ancient Clan will remain.
Furthermore, Lei Ying and Yan Jin have a good relationship, so the final alliance of the Soul Emperor will most likely be the Soul-Thunder-Flame Alliance versus Gu Yuan's Ancient Medicine Alliance.
This...isn't this just reckless fighting? And Jiang Lin has the support of the Ancient Void Dragon Clan behind him. The Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan is now also part of Jiang Lin's camp. How can Gu Yuan possibly win?
If Gu Yuan dared to utter a single word of dissent, he would have led the Xiao Clan's Douhuang Clan Chief to exterminate the entire clan on the spot, without any attempt at concealment.

(Xiao Zhan: Gu Yuan! Fortune changes every thirty years! Don't underestimate the poor middle-aged! You didn't expect this, did you? We're really amazing!)
Therefore, when the Soul Emperor realized that once the Soul Clan publicly supported Jiang Lin, the Soul Clan would gain many top-tier allies, and then he thought that Jiang Lin also had Soul Clan blood, the Soul Clan would not suffer any losses and could even achieve a win-win situation. Suddenly, the Soul Emperor felt as if he had opened the door to a new world.

Just as Soul Emperor had predicted, when the patriarchs of the various imperial clans gathered together, after Soul Emperor publicly stated his thoughts, Lei Ying decisively agreed. Subsequently, Yan Jin Yao Dan, realizing the situation was dire, immediately sided with Soul Emperor. By the time the indecisive Gu Yuan realized what was happening, he found himself all alone. Helpless, Gu Yuan could only grit his teeth, suppress his shock, and also join Soul Emperor's camp.
Of course, the eight clans were able to maintain peace mainly because there were no irreconcilable conflicts between them. For example, if the Soul Emperor's goal was to destroy the world, then no one else, including Jiang Lin, would cooperate with him. But if his goal was to become an emperor, things would be much easier. Everyone could sit down and discuss things, formulate a plan, and gradually work towards becoming emperors.
"The path he took was the most difficult, but also the most hopeful," Soul Emperor said calmly after Gu Yuan and the others had discussed it.

Lei Ying clicked his tongue and said, "Originally, his path was not feasible, but fortunately, the Dou Qi plane absorbed two special planes. We divided the Black Demon Realm, and the Spirit Clan took the Light Realm. When I first learned that the kid was on this path, I wondered if the Spirit Clan would help find a way. Now it seems that I was overthinking it."

Yan Jin was somewhat skeptical: "You guys really trust that kid that much?"

Lei Ying patted Yan Jin on the shoulder and laughed, "Old friend, you haven't had any contact with them, but our Lei Clan is convinced and can't stand up to them." Lei Ying couldn't help but shake his head when he thought of Jiang Lin using their Lei Clan's fighting techniques and treasures as a power bank.

“Oh, right.” Lei Ying seemed to remember something, and looked at Yan Jin with a mischievous smile: “That kid has a strange fire kid by his side, and he has collected no less strange fire than your Yan Clan. With that kid’s path, he is probably immune to the attack of strange fire. You can try it when the time comes if you don’t believe me.”

Gu Yuan frowned slightly as he looked at Lei Ying's smug expression, but he didn't say anything.

To the surprise of Soul Emperor and the others, Jiang Lin, who had entered the Spirit Realm, did not emerge for a long time.
Three years later, Gu Yuan and the others suddenly heard the news that Xiao Yan had broken through to the Dou Sheng realm. At this time, the Spirit Realm suddenly appeared. The spatial spirit disk above the void continuously emitted endless radiance, and then shrank continuously. Finally, a figure with a nine-leaf seal flashing on his forehead and a divine imperial mark at the center of the seal slowly walked out.

(End of this chapter)