Battle Through the Heavens: The Holy Sun Immortal Venerable

Chapter 322 Discussing Devouring

Sensing the terrifying aura emanating from Lin Ran, the Blood Blade Saint acted decisively and began leading the way for Lin Ran without the slightest hesitation.

Guided by the Blood Blade Saint, Lin Ran reached the deepest part of the Heavenly Tomb without any hindrance, and finally found an ancient tomb reef on a desolate plain.

The ancient stone tablet stood alone in this dark area, lonely and desolate, as if it would last forever.

Lin Ran gazed at the ancient stone tablet. Even after countless years, the tablet still exuded an indescribable aura. This aura was not strong, but it still caused Lin Ran's soul to tremble uncontrollably.

"Junior Lin Ran greets Senior Xiao Xuan!"

Lin Ran spoke slowly, his voice resounding throughout the entire plain.

Once familiar with it, a wave of soul energy emanated from the stone tablet, transforming into a figure.

The figure, dressed in light blue robes, appeared silently.

The appearance of the figure did not cause any unusual phenomena in the heavens and earth, but Lin Ran could sense the raging storm hidden beneath the calm water.

A soul at the Emperor Realm—how terrifying!

"Nine-Star Dou Sheng... Great Perfection of the Heavenly Realm..."

The figure emerged, raised his head, revealing a face that wasn't exceptionally handsome, but always gave off a unique charm.

Her black hair cascaded down her shoulders, and her pair of jet-black eyes were like black holes, deep and filled with an unusual wisdom, exuding a captivating charm.

His gaze fell on Lin Ran, his brows furrowed slightly, and his tone was calm: "At this age... I never expected that such a peerless genius would emerge from the Dou Qi Continent... Crimson Sun, fierce, domineering, but I don't sense the aura of our ancient races on you."

"This junior is indeed not a descendant of the eight ancient clans, but I have married Xun'er, the daughter of Uncle Gu Yuan, so I can be considered half a member of an ancient race." Lin Ran paused slightly.

"Gu Yuan's son-in-law?"

Upon hearing Lin Ran's words, Xiao Xuan's tone changed noticeably: "That guy is actually so lucky to have a son-in-law like you?!"

"Cough cough cough, this junior is unruly and does not deserve such praise from Senior Xiao Xuan."

"Excessive modesty is nothing but hypocrisy. At just over twenty years old, to possess the cultivation of a mid-stage Nine-Star Dou Sheng and the soul realm of the Great Perfection of the Heavenly Realm—such achievements are almost unprecedented and unparalleled. What praise is undeserved?"

Xiao Xuan spoke calmly, "However, I am curious about your cultivation level. What brings you to this Heavenly Tomb? Could it be that you also wish to improve yourself, like the descendants of those ancient races?"

Her calm and easygoing personality, coupled with a touch of nonchalance, made Lin Ran take notice.

If Origin Qi existed in this world, how far could this prodigy who failed to break through to the Dou Di realm despite gathering the power of his entire clan have achieved?

"Senior Xiao Xuan is too kind. I have come today for your sake."

Lin Ran sighed softly and gave Xiao Xuan a general account of the current situation, also mentioning the current state of the Xiao clan.

"The threat of the Soul Clan has not yet been eliminated. We have come to the Heavenly Tomb to find a way to revive Senior Xiao Xuan."

"If you, sir, were to intervene, even the Soul Clan would likely be unable to cause any trouble!"

As Lin Ran finished speaking, the vast Heavenly Tomb fell into a deathly silence.

After a long silence, Xiao Xuan let out a melodious sigh: "When I failed to break through to the Dou Di realm by gathering the bloodline power of the entire clan, I had already foreseen the current predicament of the Xiao clan. Since you have been able to protect a portion of the Xiao clan's descendants and prevent the continuation of my Xiao clan's bloodline, it is already a great favor. I should help you out of both sentiment and reason."

"But it's impossible for me to be resurrected."

"You should be able to sense it too, right? Right now, I'm just a remnant soul, or even less than that, in some ways. If it weren't for the strangeness of the Heavenly Tomb and my own Emperor-level soul, I probably would have vanished into nothingness long ago. Resurrection would be utterly impossible."

Upon hearing this, Lin Ran's face showed disappointment, but he still couldn't give up.

"Is it really absolutely impossible?"

"Well, at least I don't know how I can be resurrected. Perhaps the legendary Dou Di powerhouse can do it," Xiao Xuan said with a carefree smile.

"A Battle Emperor..."

Lin Ran gave a wry smile.

"Heh, don't bother with me, a dead man."

Xiao Xuan smiled and shook his head, looking at the young man in front of him with a hint of emotion in his expression: "Without relying on the power of bloodline, you have been able to achieve such success. Your talent and ability are the strongest I have ever seen. When I say that you are unprecedented and unparalleled, I am not just saying it casually."

"The Soul Clan possesses the abilities of the Spirit Devouring Clan, which is indeed somewhat unexpected. However, with your alliance with Gu Yuan, along with the power of the other ancient races, even if the Soul Clan has any plans, the difficulty will be extremely high, so you don't need to worry."

"Alas, that is true, but has Senior Xiao Xuan ever heard that the strongest defense often crumbles from within?"

Lin Ran shook his head and said, "Our alliance seems unbreakable at the moment, but what about in a few years, a decade, or a hundred years?"

"Even if our alliance remains strong a hundred years from now, the Soul Clan can use the power of the Devouring Spirit Clan to silently replace a person's inner essence. If the situation of the Spirit Clan and the Stone Clan recurs, and the Soul Emperor gathers countless bloodline powers to break through to the Dou Di realm, we will probably be powerless to reverse it..."

"What you said makes a good point..."

Hearing Lin Ran's words, Xiao Xuan nodded, but then shook his head and said, "However, it is impossible for Soul Emperor to break through to Dou Di unless he gathers the eight ancient jades, finds the legendary Tuoshe Ancient Emperor's cave, and opens it. Perhaps only then can he break through to Dou Di by inheriting the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor's legacy."

"Hmm?" Lin Ran frowned slightly: "What makes you say that, Senior Xiao Xuan?"

"Because I've done it before!"

Xiao Xuan gently revealed everything he had been so persistent and hardworking about: "On this Dou Qi Continent, if you count the time, it has probably been ten thousand years since a Dou Di powerhouse has appeared again. No one knows what happened. In ancient times, although Dou Di powerhouses were the strongest in the world, they were real beings. But now, that level only exists in legends."

"The events of ancient times are beyond our knowledge, and no one understands why it is so difficult to cultivate to the Dou Di level now... Back when I reached the peak of the Nine-Star Dou Sheng, I tried to break through to that elusive level, but in the end, I still failed. However, in those repeated failures, I did make a discovery."

"What discovery?" Lin Ran's spirits lifted.

"Back then, with my strength, I was capable of truly challenging the Dou Di level. However, every time I was about to break through that barrier, a feeling of emptiness would emerge from the depths of my soul."

"This feeling of emptiness made me realize that I seemed to be missing something in the process of breaking through to the Dou Di level."

Xiao Xuan pursed his lips, his expression somewhat serious: "Although I don't know exactly what that thing is, it must be extremely important. If we can obtain it, breaking through to the Dou Di realm should not be an exaggeration."

Upon hearing this, Lin Ran pondered for a moment before suddenly speaking.

"I've heard about this as well."

Looking at Xiao Xuan's curious expression, Lin Ran said in a deep voice, "I once encountered the Yellow Spring Demon Saint in the inheritance stele of the Nine Netherworld Python Clan. He also said that the current Dou Qi Continent seems to be lacking something, and it is this lack that has prevented any strong person from breaking through to the Dou Di level for ten thousand years."

"The Demon Saint of the Underworld..."

Xiao Xuan suddenly realized: "If it is that being, then this statement is true."

The Yellow Spring Demon Saint was once a Great Saint who had one foot in the Dou Di level. His strength had truly reached the level of creating something from nothing!

"That missing thing might be some kind of object, but I think it's more likely a peculiar kind of energy."

"This energy should have existed in ancient times, but now it is becoming increasingly scarce or even disappearing completely..."

A glint of wisdom flashed in Xiao Xuan's eyes as he looked at Lin Ran and said, "I call this crucial energy Primal Emperor Qi. Only by possessing this Primal Emperor Qi can one truly break through that barrier and become the strongest being in this world!"

"Primal Imperial Aura..."

Lin Ran muttered, "So, does that mean the Dou Qi Continent doesn't have any primordial Emperor Qi anymore? No matter how much one cultivates, the peak of the Nine-Star Dou Sheng is the true limit, and no more Dou Di powerhouses will be born in the future?"

"If that's the case, then the Soul Clan isn't much of a threat. But the Soul Emperor firmly believes that the Ancient Emperor Tuoshe's cave can help him break through. Could it be that the cave contains primordial imperial energy?"

"I don't know if the ancient emperor Tuoshe's cave has any primordial imperial energy, but I do know that there is an imperial-grade pill that is still in its infancy in that cave, and that is the target of the Soul Emperor."

"Back when the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Jade was not yet separated, Gu Yuan, Hun Tiandi, and I all obtained a lot of information from the ancient jade. However, before I could fully decipher the information within the ancient jade, the eight ancient clans were thrown into turmoil and fought each other, which ultimately led to the ancient jade being divided into eight parts."

Xiao Xuan said in a deep voice, "To refine Emperor-grade pills, you also need the primordial Emperor Qi that I mentioned. Without this, even the most skilled alchemist is like a clever cook without rice."

"That nascent pill should contain a trace of Origin Qi. After all, without Origin Qi, it is impossible to condense an Emperor Pill. Soul Emperor must have been planning to reverse the process in order to seize the Origin Qi in the Emperor Pill and use it as the key to break through to Dou Di."

"In the end, the Soul Emperor will inevitably make a move against you, since you possess the last fragment of the ancient jade that he desires."

Xiao Xuan spoke calmly, then changed the subject: "The ancient jade of the Xiao clan is with you, isn't it?"

Lin Ran paused for a moment, then made no attempt to conceal it. With a flick of his wrist, a crystal-clear ancient jade appeared in his hand.

"When the Xiao family was destroyed by the Soul Clan, I took in the surviving descendants of the Xiao family. The descendants of the Xiao family were grateful and gave me this thing."

"However, I have never taken it out. Even if the Soul Emperor were to court death, he probably wouldn't be able to find this ancient jade."

"You've got the timing right, but your thinking is wrong." Xiao Xuan shook his head: "There is actually an extremely weak connection between the ancient jade pieces. The Soul Emperor has six ancient jade pieces in his possession, and he fought against you and Gu Yuan at the same time. That weak connection must have been infinitely strengthened. Therefore, the Soul Emperor may already know that the ancient jade pieces are in your possession."

"What?!"

Lin Ran was shocked; this was no faking it.

He had originally thought that as long as he didn't take out the ancient jade, the Soul Emperor would never be able to collect all eight pieces in his lifetime, but now it seems...

"But you don't need to worry too much. At worst, it's just another fight. With your strength, what is there to fear?"

"My strength... is still far inferior to that of the Soul Emperor," Lin Ran sighed.

Although he was able to defeat Void Devouring Flame, Soul Emperor's strength was clearly above Gu Yuan's. If Soul Emperor could break through one or two more levels, then he and Gu Yuan would probably really be no match for each other.

"There's no need to be so nervous."

Xiao Xuan patted Lin Ran on the shoulder and said, "I quite like you, little guy. If you were in my generation, I would definitely make sure you rivaled me."

Upon hearing this, Lin Ran couldn't help but shake his head with a wry smile.

If he had traveled back to Xiao Xuan's era, he probably wouldn't be doing as well as he is now.

After all, in this era, he can rely on his foresight to continuously improve himself.

In Xiao Xuan's era...

He'll probably be killed by some random passerby before he even gets a chance to make a move.

Xiao Xuan stood up, looked into the distance at the hazy space, and suddenly smiled, saying, "Little guy, although I can't help you deal with the Soul Clan, I can still give you a great opportunity."

"good fortune?"

Lin Ran was taken aback and looked at Xiao Xuan with some doubt, clearly not understanding what he meant by this "fortune".

But at this moment, his heart was tense.

is coming……

"The Heavenly Tomb does not bury ordinary people; the countless remnant souls here were all powerful figures in their previous lives."

"Your strength is nearing its limit, and I can't offer much more help. However, I can still assist you in the realm of the soul."

Xiao Xuan smiled, his hands outstretched as if pressing down on the entire Tianmu Tomb.

"This deformed place should never have existed in the first place; I've wanted to erase it for a long time..."

At this point, Xiao Xuan turned his head to look at Lin Ran, and his soft voice echoed throughout this world. In the Heavenly Tomb, all the energy bodies suddenly trembled.

"I, the soul of the Heavenly Tomb, will assist you. As for whether you can break through to the Great Perfection of the Heavenly Realm and advance to the Emperor Realm, that depends entirely on your own destiny!"

"An Emperor, an Emperor-level soul?!"

Lin Ran stared blankly at Xiao Xuan, who had a smile on his face, her excitement barely contained.

He entered the Heavenly Tomb specifically for the soul of the Heavenly Tomb, but he never expected that even though he wasn't a descendant of the Xiao clan, the soul was willing to help him!

(End of this chapter)