Battle Through the Heavens: The Rock King Emperor's Leisurely Wanderings in the Mortal World

Chapter 72 Isn't this a split, a betrayal of Mr. Zhong?

"What Brother Hun said seems to make some sense. However, Xiao Xuan may also be taking a desperate gamble, trying to break through to the Dou Di realm in one fell swoop. In this way, the bloodline power of the entire Xiao family can undergo another transformation and sublimation. Wouldn't the Xiao family's past glory be able to reappear?" Zhong Li raised his doubts.

"Haha, Mr. Zhongli is truly humorous. Xiao Xuan and I have both been at the peak of the Nine-Star Dou Sheng realm for a thousand years. Although the world calls us half-step Dou Di realm experts, as a true Dou Di, Mr. Zhongli, you must know very well that what is needed to break through to the Dou Di realm is not merely the amount of Dou Qi reserves, nor the concentration of Dou Di bloodline, but a mysterious power that has long since disappeared from the Dou Qi Continent. We call it Dou Di Qi."

"Without this crucial condition, even with exceptional talent and extraordinary strength, it's difficult to truly cross that threshold. I learned this from my family ancestors thousands of years ago, and Xiao Xuan has no reason to be unaware of it. Yet he still resolutely made this choice. One possibility is that he genuinely knew nothing about it, and another is that although he knew the difficulties involved, he was overly arrogant and firmly believed that his strength was sufficient to break through this limitation. But whatever the reason, Xiao Xuan's choice has already pushed the Xiao family to the brink of destruction."

"Hmm, what you say makes a lot of sense. So, if you were the one who broke through to the Dou Di realm back then, after settling your grudges with Xiao Xuan, what path would you have chosen?" Zhong Li continued to ask with great interest.

"Haha, senior is joking. With my current strength, I really dare not hope to reach the supreme Dou Di realm." Soul Emperor slightly raised his head and looked up at the sky. He saw dark purple flames flickering, yet they also had an elusive haze about them.

"Why not take a bold step and imagine it? You can look to the world. After all, how can a person live without dreams?" Zhongli's smile became more pronounced, but there was no hint of mockery in it.

"Haha, if I were truly fortunate enough to reach Mr. Zhongli's extraordinary level, I think I would dedicate myself to unifying the entire Dou Qi Continent. Such a vast continent, yet it contains hundreds of forces and nations—isn't this a form of division? Isn't this a betrayal of Mr. Zhongli?"

After saying this, the Soul Emperor knelt down on one knee in front of Zhong Li.

"Master Zhongli, I am the Soul Emperor. I humbly beg you to allow me to follow you. Even if you cannot heal my injuries, I am willing to serve you and be your loyal subject!"

"Hmph, this Soul Emperor is truly a man of great flexibility! He was able to accurately deduce the profound meaning behind the two words 'all under heaven' casually uttered by the Dou Di senior. And his ability to flatter is something I could never achieve even if I completely devoured the Pure Lotus Demon Flame!"

Void Devouring Flame stood to the side, his mouth agape, as if it could fit an egg. Although his wide black cloak concealed his eyes, he seemed to possess extraordinary insight into everything that was happening before him. However, compared to Soul Emperor, he was more like a wise man after the event, always appearing somewhat slow to realize the situation.

"Uh...uh...Senior Zhongli! Me too! Little Flame Void Devouring Flame is also willing to follow in the footsteps of Soul Emperor and follow Senior Zhongli, also to repay Senior's mercy in sparing my life." Void Devouring Flame imitated Soul Emperor's actions and said to Zhongli in the same way.

"Hahaha, get up. I have the ability to heal your wounds and even help you break through to the Dou Di realm, but before that, I need to examine your character." Zhongli Shen spoke with Wendy for a while, and then Wendy released the power of wind, gently stroking their knees.

"Hey, old man, it seems you also yearn for the unification of the mainland."

"Yes, division will only lead to endless wars and killings. Although unification cannot avoid these either, it is better to suffer a short pain than a long one. In the future, when the Dou Qi Continent is completely unified, this vast land will be united into a powerful nation. The establishment of sects will require registration with the state for easier management. Any atrocities, injuries, and illegal acts will be punished, and civilians who cannot cultivate will receive the respect and protection they deserve. At the very least, they will not lose their lives because of a cultivator's or alchemist's casual remark of disrespect."

"Hmm, perhaps we could follow the example of the original Teyvat plane and issue Visions of God. Wouldn't that make their training much smoother?"

"Well, let's put that aside for now. After all, in a situation where unification has not yet been achieved, granting civilians great power is tantamount to indirectly increasing their risk of injury or death. Judging from the fact that the Soul Emperor did not hunt down the descendants of the Xiao clan, with my intervention, he should be able to become a great ruler who does not indiscriminately kill innocent civilians."

"Hahaha, old man, I suddenly feel that this guy called Soul Emperor is a bit pathetic. He has actually become a pawn in your hands."

"Alas, this is a last resort. I have conducted an in-depth exploration of this world and discovered that the amount of Dou Di aura contained within it is negligible, almost impossible to support the birth of a Dou Di. Therefore, the bargaining chip I hold is extremely valuable. Letting Hun Tiandi act as a pawn to help me bear the infamy is not too much of a disservice to him."

"Ah! Thank you for your grace, Senior Dou Di!" Upon hearing this, Hun Tiandi lowered his second leg as if relieved of a great burden and kowtowed deeply in reverence.

"Hmm." Zhongli responded lightly, then opened his all-seeing divine eyes and began to carefully analyze the Soul Emperor's entire body.

"Hmm? There are actually three broken strange fire origins remaining in my body. One is the Yin-Yang Twin Flames, one is the Three Thousand Burning Flames, and the other is the Volcanic Stone Flame. Apart from the Three Thousand Burning Flames, the other two are strange fires of slightly lower level. Could it be that the Void Devouring Flame cannot devour them?" Zhong Li asked slowly.

"Senior, you overestimate me. These three strange flames have been completely refined by Xiao Xuan with the power of a peak nine-star Dou Sheng, and they are also deeply imprinted with the soul mark of a peak nine-star Dou Sheng. If I had not reached the peak of nine-star Dou Sheng, I would not have been able to devour them. Furthermore, the attacks of these three strange flames are interconnected, forming a peculiar closed loop."

"Among them, the Three Thousand Burning Flames, with its immortality, continuously infuses energy into Xiao Xuan's soul imprint, and this soul imprint in turn continuously nourishes the Yin-Yang Twin Flames and the Volcanic Stone Flame. The Yang Flame in the Yin-Yang Twin Flames will continuously provide vitality to the Three Thousand Burning Flames and the Volcanic Stone Flame, while the death energy of the Yin Flame can further enhance the Volcanic Stone Flame's greatest characteristic as a strange fire—its extremely outstanding explosive power."

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(End of this chapter)