Battle Through the Heavens: Reap the Red Lotus Karmic Flame at the Start

If he were alive, how could Xiao Xuan, with his peak nine-star Dou Sheng cultivation, possibly take a mere Void Devouring Flame who had just entered the nine-star realm seriously?

However, he had been dead for many years, and his strength had plummeted. But it was through his prior preparations and by taking advantage of the Heavenly Tomb's strategic location that he successfully helped Xiao Yan and Qing Lin escape such a huge trouble.

Xiao Xuan's actions were completely different from Xiao Yan's initial plan. Xiao Yan originally thought that his ancestor had only possessed him and then led him and Qing Lin to completely escape the man's pursuit.

Unexpectedly, his ancestor Xiao Xuan had made preparations for himself, and was so resolute that he was prepared to sacrifice himself to deal with this unprecedented enemy.

Xiao Yan then realized that Xiao Xuan's preparations were so thorough that he had probably been considering sacrificing himself for a long time.

Xiao Xuan had been dwelling in the Heavenly Tomb, but now the Heavenly Tomb had self-destructed and disappeared. Xiao Xuan had no other way to be reborn, which meant that the last bit of power of his ancestor would also be buried along with the Heavenly Tomb.

Seeing Xiao Xuan's almost absent-minded demeanor, Qing Lin was also somewhat worried and asked Xiao Yan with great concern, "Young Master... where is that person? Just now you suddenly stopped moving, and your aura weakened, I..."

Xiao Yan then came to his senses, his eyes filled with a blankness. At this moment, his heart was completely affected by the pain of losing his ancestor. Just as he was about to answer, a deafening roar like thunder came from the sky.

The deafening roar seemed to carry an energy capable of tearing the entire sky apart, and terrifying battle aura swept down from the sky like a madman.

Even though the two were already hundreds of feet away, they were still violently thrown back by the aftershock. Qing Lin let out a delicate shout, and her emerald green battle qi transformed into a barrier to protect the two in front of her, but she was still pushed back hundreds of meters before she could barely stabilize herself.

Meanwhile, in mid-air, the energy continued to surge, crashing down from the sky like illusory meteors.

Xiao Yan was very familiar with the energy that was crashing down; it was the power of the Heavenly Tomb. The reason for these dramatic changes was that the Heavenly Tomb had been completely destroyed.

Xiao Yan's soul scanned the area downwards and found that there were few people within a hundred miles; the area was a vast lake.

The strongest were only some magical beasts at the Dou Zong level, but they soon encountered the most terrifying catastrophe. Waves of energy fell from the sky, and any beast touched by those energy fragments, no matter how hard its scales were, shattered into blood mist in an instant.

Xiao Yan raised his hand, and a dim fragment of energy fell into his palm. His eyes still held a sorrowful expression: "Ancestor..."

Three years later, Xiao Yan returned, only to face betrayal from the ancient clans. He had virtually no place to stay on the entire continent, and at that time, he didn't even possess the strength of a Dou Sheng.

Everything changed when he went to the Heavenly Tomb and met his ancestor Xiao Xuan. Xiao Xuan not only possessed extraordinary strength, but also meticulously planned for him, using all his power to help Xiao Yan cultivate until he grew into a three-star Dou Sheng.

Because Xiao Yan faced such a difficult situation, his ancestors even managed to defeat the Soul Emperor and Gu Yuan, buying him extremely valuable time to grow.

During this period, Xiao Xuan played an extremely important role in his experiences on the mainland, his cultivation improvement, and the accumulation of his inner strength.

It's fair to say that without him, there would be no Xiao Yan as we know him today.

This time, however, the ancestor who could protect Xiao Yan and always find a way to help him has left forever.

Xiao Xuan's last look said it all: he had truly handed the heavy responsibility over to Xiao Yan.

This peerless powerhouse, who astounded an era in his lifetime, dedicated all his remaining time and energy to the Xiao clan even after his fall. Even in his final moments, he chose to use his existence to secure a future for the Xiao clan.

The energy falling from the sky gradually thinned out, and eventually the sky returned to calm.

Qinglin sensed Xiao Yan's low spirits and remained silent for a moment. Unlike Xiao Yixian or Xun'er, she didn't understand Xiao Yan's inner thoughts and couldn't offer him comfort directly.

All she could do was quietly stay by Xiao Yan's side.

Time passed slowly, and the wind carrying a fishy smell blew across the lake. Xiao Yan finally stirred. He raised his hand and rubbed his temples with trembling fingers. When he opened his eyes again, although there were still bloodshot and swollen eyes, they had regained some clarity.

"Qinglin, search the surrounding area for any signs of our ancestors."

"No problem!" Qinglin understood how slim the hope was, but as long as Xiao Yan said he would look for it, she would go.

Although he knew that there was almost no hope, Xiao Yan still held onto a sliver of hope. If his ancestor had not truly perished, he would do anything to bring him back to life.

Unfortunately, this was just Xiao Yan's wishful thinking; they searched for a long time without finding any trace.

The more Xiao Yan searched, the stranger his expression became. Qing Lin, seeing his strange look, asked, "What's wrong, young master?"

"Something seems off."

"Um?"

Qing Lin remained outside the Heavenly Tomb, unaware of what had truly transpired, while Xiao Yan, through his Three Thousand Thunder Illusion Body, clearly witnessed everything. According to their ancestor's assessment, the pursuer was not some hidden super-powerful expert of the Soul Clan, but rather the true form of the Void Devouring Flame, ranked second on the Strange Flame Ranking. This news was incredibly shocking; no one had expected it to be not a hidden expert of the Soul Palace, but rather an incarnation of a Strange Flame.

What puzzled Xiao Yan was that not only could his ancestors not find any trace of him, but the Void Devouring Flame also showed no signs of anything.

After being processed by his ancestors, the Void Devouring Flame within his body was no longer connected to his original form, and Xiao Yan had no way of judging the specific situation of the Void Devouring Flame.

"Was it really blasted to pieces by that attack and then vanished along with everything else?"

Xiao Yan couldn't find any trace of the Void Devouring Flame, and he hadn't personally witnessed the specific situation after the Heavenly Tomb self-destructed, so he could only speculate at this point.

"Qinglin, let's stop looking."

Xiao Yan had to accept it—his ancestor Xiao Xuan had completely departed. No matter how long he searched here, or how long he grieved, he could not change this fact.

Xiao Yan gazed one last time at the empty sky, straightened his robes, and then solemnly and meticulously bowed, performing the most dignified salute. This salute was for that… loved one who had forever vanished into the annals of time.

After the ceremony, Xiao Yan had completely composed himself.

"We're going to the Northwest Region."

The lake water still rippled, gradually erasing all traces. Only the wind swept across the empty sky, like a long sigh, eventually dissipating into the deepening twilight.