Battle Through the Heavens: Xiao Yan, who was kidnapped to another world

Therefore, Xiao Yan stopped talking about asking Hei Qing to introduce the old man in front of him. He gently tapped Zi Yan's head to stop her from saying anything strange. The two of them stood silently to the side, waiting for the conversation between Hei Qing and the white-robed old man to continue.

“Even if she’s not a dragon-phoenix… her bloodline is definitely not something that can be explained by ordinary royalty,” Hei Qing also understood the meaning behind the white-robed elder’s words. “Although she is only a Dou Huang now, she can completely ignore the dragon’s might I release, and even has a faint tendency to counterattack…”

In the magical beast family, bloodline naturally has a crucial influence on strength. However, even so, it is extremely rare for Zi Yan, who is only a Dou Huang, to be able to ignore the dragon might released by Hei Qing, who is an eight-star Dou Zun. Not to mention that Hei Qing also said that only he himself felt the momentum of being suppressed.

Therefore, upon hearing Hei Qing's words and judging from the expression on Hei Qing's face that Hei Qing was absolutely serious when he said them, the white-robed elder suddenly waved his sleeve, and a soul transmission disappeared into the void and traveled into the distance.

Then, in the next moment, the space around the white-robed old man rippled slightly, and then an old man in a tight-fitting outfit with black and white hair appeared next to the white-robed old man.

The first thing the old man in the tight-fitting clothes did upon appearing was to glance at Xiao Yan and Zi Yan. He nodded at Xiao Yan, who was somewhat wary of him, before turning to the old man in white robes.

"what's up?"

"Elder Qi You." In response to the question from the old man in the martial arts attire, the white-robed old man first bowed and then completely repeated what Hei Qing had said earlier.

"Is that so?" After listening to what the white-robed elder said, Qi You looked at Hei Qing beside him and asked.

"Everything is exactly as Elder Zhuli said, without the slightest falsehood," Hei Qing replied respectfully, bowing with clasped hands.

"Is that so?" Qi You nodded, then shifted his gaze to Zi Yan. "Give me a drop of your blood."

Upon hearing this, Zi Yan decisively took a step back, hiding behind Xiao Yan. While hugging Xiao Yan's waist, she exposed half of her body, looking at Qi You warily with a look of rejection on her face.

After this series of actions, Qi You's expression remained unchanged, but Xiao Yan could vaguely sense that this Dou Sheng of the Taixu Ancient Dragon Clan seemed somewhat embarrassed...

"Ahem, Brother Hei Qing, could you please introduce these two elders to us?" Noticing Qi You's embarrassment, Xiao Yan coughed twice and said, "This is our first time on Dragon Island, and we are not very familiar with everyone's identities."

"Oh, right, right, look at my memory," Hei Qing quickly realized, chuckled twice and said, "This is Elder Zhu Li, the Third Elder of our Donglong Island."

The white-robed elder, Zhu Li, gave Xiao Yan and Zi Yan a kind smile.

"This is Elder Qi You, the Punishment Elder of our Donglong Island," Hei Qing then introduced.

Qi You also nodded to Xiao Yan and Zi Yan.

"Greetings, Elders," Xiao Yan said, bowing with clasped hands. "I wonder what Elder Qi You intends to do with Zi Yan's blood?"

“We need to confirm the evolution of her bloodline,” Qi Youmo said cryptically. “Although our Taixu Ancient Dragon clan’s bloodline will evolve into a dragon-phoenix after evolution… that only happens after the bloodline has fully evolved. If the bloodline has not fully evolved, it can still only be considered a Taixu Ancient Dragon.”

"Whether or not it has fully evolved will determine whether the medicinal herbs Zi Yan consumes need to be changed," Zhu Li added. "Although Elder Qi You is the Elder of Punishments, he is also the elder on Donglong Island who knows the dragon and phoenix the most. To determine whether Zi Yan's bloodline has fully evolved, Elder Qi You needs to make a complete judgment."

“Blood is the best way to determine this,” Qi You continued. “Ordinary blood will do. If you’re not willing to provide blood… hair will also work, but the amount needed might be quite large.”

After the two explained their previous actions one sentence at a time, their gazes fell on Zi Yan's face, who was hiding behind Xiao Yan, waiting for her answer.

"Wouldn't it have been better to just say it clearly earlier..." After muttering to herself, Zi Yan squeezed out a trace of blood from her fingertip and flicked it toward Qi You, but she still had no intention of stepping out from behind Xiao Yan.

Qi You held the drop of blood in his palm, gently rubbing it and carefully sensing it.

“It hasn’t fully evolved yet,” Qi You said after a moment. “Although it is still in the process of evolving, it cannot reach the level of a dragon-phoenix… After it grows up, it should be stronger than the old dragon emperor, but it may not be able to break through the limit and become a tenth-order magical beast.”

"You can sense that too?" Xiao Yan wasn't too surprised by Qi You's answer, but he was still somewhat astonished that Qi You could even sense that.

"Do you know about the Dragon-Phoenix Origin Fruit?" Qi You asked, looking at Xiao Yan.

"I've heard this name from Brother Hei Qing. Judging from the name, it's a medicinal herb that can help the Ancient Heavenly Phoenix and the Ancient Void Dragon evolve into Dragon-Phoenixes?" Xiao Yan nodded. "And I've heard... it has only appeared five times in the tens of thousands of years of history of the Dou Qi Continent?"

“Yes, it has only appeared five times, and only two of those five times were successfully absorbed,” Qi You nodded and said, “The first time was when the Heavenly Phoenix Clan obtained it. During that time, a super strong person appeared in the Heavenly Phoenix Clan. During that time, our Taixu Ancient Dragon Clan was completely suppressed by them until several hundred years later, when our Ancient Dragon Clan also obtained a Dragon Phoenix Origin Fruit.”

"Although these two super-powerful beings who absorbed the Dragon-Phoenix Origin Fruit ultimately perished in the bloody battle between our two races, they left behind many records while they were still alive, including information about the stages of bloodline evolution of my Ancient Dragon race after absorbing the Dragon-Phoenix Origin Fruit," Qi You continued after a pause, "According to that person, there are three stages in the process of my Ancient Dragon race evolving into a Dragon-Phoenix. Back then, he only stayed at the second stage, while Zi Yan... may become the first Ancient Dragon to step into the third stage."

"Is that so..."

After hearing this, Xiao Yan couldn't help but feel a little emotional. If he hadn't absorbed those dragon horns when he encountered them back then, perhaps Zi Yan could have become the first person to skip several stages and become a dragon-phoenix.

However, if Xiao Yan hadn't absorbed those dragon horns, he might not have been able to see Zi Yan at Canaan Academy.

"You seem... to be very disappointed?" Qi You looked at Xiao Yan with some curiosity and asked.

“It is indeed a bit of a regret,” Xiao Yan nodded and said frankly, “If we hadn’t absorbed the horns of the dragon and phoenix when we discovered them back then, perhaps Zi Yan could have become the first dragon and phoenix after the ancient era by absorbing the horns of the dragon and phoenix.”

"The horns of a dragon or phoenix?" Qi You frowned slightly. "Tell me more about it."

Xiao Yan readily agreed, and immediately repeated what he had said to Hei Qing a few days ago, including the origin of the Dragon-Phoenix Horn, the bloodline connection with Zi Yan, and the changes that the bloodline connection brought to him and Zi Yan.

"Is that so? That is indeed a pity..."

After listening to Xiao Yan's story, Qi You sighed deeply, his gaze still fixed on the pair of red jade-like dragon horns on Xiao Yan's forehead. His eyes flickered, as if he was considering whether to remove the dragon horns and leave them for Zi Yan to refine and absorb.

“Yes,” Xiao Yan sighed as if he hadn’t sensed Qi You’s thoughts, “and this bloodline link has the side effect of linking our lives together… maybe Zi Yan will die young because of my old age.”

If a human cannot break through to the Dou Di level, they can only live for a few thousand years at most. For magical beasts, especially those with noble bloodlines like the Taixu Ancient Dragon, a few thousand years is only a fraction of their lifespan. If they die at a few thousand years old, it is not much different from the premature death of an ordinary person.

"is it?"

Qi You nodded silently, as if he didn't understand the meaning of Xiao Yan's words, nor did he notice the increasingly wary and distrustful look in Zi Yan's eyes, nor did he notice the hesitant expressions of Zhu Li and Hei Qing.

"Can you accept the inheritance now?" Qi You, who looked down on everyone, asked Zi Yan.

"Isn't it too early to accept the inheritance now?" Zhu Li frowned and said.

"Early? I think it's late enough already!" Qi You sneered. "Zhu Li, you should know that Donglong Island is now..."

"Qi You!" Zhu Li roared, "You're just an Elder of Punishments!"

Upon hearing this, Qi You stiffened slightly and finally fell silent.

Seeing that Qi You did not continue speaking, Zhu Li breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Xiao Yan and Zi Yan apologetically, "I'm sorry to have made you laugh. Qi You has been the punishment elder for too long, and he has become somewhat... rigid and inflexible in many ways."

'Did he become so rigid and unsympathetic after serving as a punishment elder for so long, or was it precisely because he was rigid and unsympathetic that he became a punishment elder?'

After muttering to himself, Xiao Yan showed an understanding expression on his face, "I understand... However, whether or not to accept the inheritance depends on Zi Yan's thoughts... right?" He lowered his head and looked at Zi Yan.

"If it were up to me, I wouldn't want to accept any inheritance..." Zi Yan turned her head away, deliberately avoiding looking at Xiao Yan, and muttered something in a voice that everyone present could hear.

Upon hearing this, the people present were slightly embarrassed. After all, to be honest, they hadn't given Zi Yan any options other than accepting the inheritance; at most, they had given her more flexibility in the timing of accepting the inheritance.

"What was that old man trying to say?"

However, before Zhu Li and the others could say anything, Zi Yan turned around and asked the question.

"What?" Zhu Li was stunned.

"What was that old man trying to say?" Zi Yan repeated her question. "Donglong Island... that's the island we're on now, right? What happened to it? Is it about to collapse, or are some enemies about to attack?"

"...After the old Dragon Emperor disappeared, the Ancient Dragon Clan split into four parts, and Ancient Dragon Island also split into four, each wandering in the void." After a moment of silence, Zhu Li spoke up, "Every now and then, the four Dragon Islands would meet in the void, and at that time, there would inevitably be a battle. The island lords of the other three islands all wanted to unify the Ancient Dragon Clan of the Void, but the difference in their strength was not great. Therefore, even after so many years, the Ancient Dragon Clan of the Void is still in a state of division."

"So, the time for the next meeting of the four dragon islands is fast approaching?" Zi Yan pressed.

"About... seven or eight years," Zhu Li said after a brief moment of thought. "According to records, it takes at least five years to receive the inheritance. Qi You probably hopes that you will receive the inheritance as soon as possible, and then defeat the Dragon Kings of the other three Dragon Islands when you meet them again on Dragon Island, and reunify the Taixu Ancient Dragon Clan."

"Will it take at least five years?" Zi Yan nodded, then looked up at Xiao Yan. "When do you plan to devour the Three Thousand Burning Flames?"

"Probably... within a year," Xiao Yan thought for a moment and replied, "Why?"

"Just confirming the time," Zi Yan said vaguely, glossing over Xiao Yan's question before turning to Zhu Li. "I'll come back to receive the inheritance once he starts absorbing the Three Thousand Burning Flames."

So why choose that particular time period?

Neither Xiao Yan nor Zhu Li understood why Zi Yan insisted on waiting until Xiao Yan began to devour the Three Thousand Burning Flames before she was willing to return and accept the inheritance.

"The Three Thousand Burning Flames... is that the one from the Pill Tower?" Qi You suddenly asked from the side.

"Do you know of any other mature Three Thousand Burning Flames?" Xiao Yan's eyes lit up as he looked over.

“No, not at all,” Qi You calmly shook his head. “I know about that one because it was once raised by an elder of my clan.”

"what?"

“When that Three Thousand Burning Flames was still in its infancy, an elder of our clan discovered it. However, at that time, the Three Thousand Burning Flames was too weak, and taking it would be of no use. So the elder left a dragon seal inside the Three Thousand Burning Flames,” Qi You said slowly. “That dragon seal was a kind of insurance. It could ensure that even if the Three Thousand Burning Flames grew up, no one would be able to devour it until the elder returned and retrieved it.”

"So... that Three Thousand Burning Flames is considered to have an owner?" Xiao Yan's lips twitched slightly as he asked.

Chapter 372 Xiao Xuan

“If that elder were still alive, it would be plausible to say that the Three Thousand Burning Flames belong to someone,” Qi You said calmly. “However, according to the clan records, that elder completely disappeared during a space trip. After so many years, I think he is probably long gone.”

Logically speaking, the fact that the "owner" of the Three Thousand Burning Flames stored in the Pill Tower was no longer alive should be a good thing for Xiao Yan. However, looking at Qi You, who calmly stated that the elder's body had been completely destroyed, Xiao Yan was at a loss for words.

Even Zhu Li and Hei Qing looked at Qi You with some suspicion, wondering if there was any special meaning behind his words.

"Now that person is gone, how can Xiao Yan devour that Three Thousand Burning Flames?" Zi Yan didn't care at all whether there was any special meaning in Qi You's words and asked directly, "You said before that the dragon seal planted in that Three Thousand Burning Flames would protect it and prevent anyone from devouring it, right?"

Hearing Zi Yan's disrespectful words, Qi You's eyelids twitched slightly. Although he mentioned this in order to teach Xiao Yan the method of devouring the Three Thousand Burning Flames, wasn't your behavior of siding with Xiao Yan without any attempt at concealment a little excessive? You are the future Dragon Emperor!

"If you have a solution, Senior, I am willing to pay any price." Noticing Qi You's subtle expression, Xiao Yan quickly asked.

"You should be grateful that the elder left a dragon seal inside the Three Thousand Burning Flames back then, otherwise you wouldn't have had the chance to devour and absorb it."

Taking advantage of the opportunity offered by Xiao Yan, Qi You maintained his calm expression and spoke. Then, with a flick of his wrist, a small jade bottle appeared in his palm. Inside the bottle flowed a pool of dark golden liquid, from which a powerful dragon's might faintly emanated.

"This is..." Xiao Yan looked at Qi You with some confusion.

"This is the blood left behind by the Grand Elder before the Ancient Dragon Clan split," Qi You said. "When the Grand Elder left the Ancient Dragon Clan to wander in the void, he said that if the old Dragon Emperor returned or a new generation of Dragon Emperor appeared, he should notify him through this blood. However, before notifying the Grand Elder, it is not a problem to use this to plant a dragon mark on your hand. Extend your palm."

"The blood left behind by the Grand Elder before the split?" Xiao Yan asked with some doubt, but he stretched out his hand as Qi You had instructed.

"The Grand Elder is the strongest member of the Ancient Dragon Clan besides the Old Dragon Emperor. After the Old Dragon Emperor disappeared, many people advised the Grand Elder to temporarily serve as the Dragon Emperor until a new Dragon Emperor appeared or the Old Dragon Emperor returned, but the Grand Elder refused. He left a few drops of his essence blood for the previous Punishment Elder and then went to wander in the void." Qi You casually recounted the secret history of the Ancient Dragon Clan of the Void.

As Qi You spoke, a drop of dark golden blood rose from the jade bottle under his control and dripped into Xiao Yan's palm. Then, Qi You's hand seal suddenly changed, and the drop of dark golden blood flowed out, forming a strange rune in Xiao Yan's palm before disappearing.

"With this, I can devour and absorb the Three Thousand Burning Flames?" Xiao Yan asked curiously, feeling the dragon seal entering his body.

“If it were my blood, or the blood of the elders of Donglong Island that formed the dragon seal, it wouldn’t have this effect,” Qi You said, glancing at Zhu Li with some disdain. “But since it’s the blood of the Grand Elder, as long as the dragon’s might is activated when the Three Thousand Burning Flames are seen, the Three Thousand Burning Flames will lose its ability to resist.”

"Lost the ability to resist?" Zi Yan suddenly asked, "Then, does that mean Xiao Yan will be in no danger when he devours the Three Thousand Burning Flames?"

“There’s no such thing as a free lunch,” Qi You glanced at Zi Yan, who had suddenly asked the question, seemingly worried about Xiao Yan’s safety, and then continued, “Because of the Dragon Seal within it, the Three Thousand Burning Flames will be suppressed by a higher-level Dragon Seal. However, its true form is still a different kind of flame. Therefore, if you want to safely devour it, you will still need to prepare the necessary pills and rare and precious materials.”

Qi You looked at Xiao Yan with a serious expression and gave him some instructions.

Although Xiao Yan felt that Zi Yan's previous question was a bit off, he still nodded obediently in the face of Qi You's instructions, "Yes, the necessary pills have been prepared. I will not be careless in devouring the strange fire."

So far, Xiao Yan has devoured four different flames. Only when he devoured the Green Lotus Earth Core Flame and the Wind Fury Dragon Flame did he not encounter any problems. If he dares to be careless with such a 50% chance of something going wrong, he would be playing with his own life.

Afterwards, Qi You and Zhu Li took Xiao Yan and Zi Yan to the "warehouse" on Donglong Island. They filled Zi Yan's storage ring with medicinal herbs that would help her growth and gave all the eighth-order magic cores they had stored to Xiao Yan.

After doing all this, Qi You and Zhu Li escorted Xiao Yan and Zi Yan back to the Tianxing Mountain Range.

"Speaking of which, Hei Qing said that when he first met you, you tested him several times to see if he had any greed towards you... or rather, towards Zi Yan's bloodline?" Before leaving, Qi You thought of something, turned around, looked at Xiao Yan, and asked.

“After all, we haven’t had any contact with the Ancient Dragon Clan before, and we don’t know why Zi Yan was left in the Northwest Continent,” Xiao Yan said with a helpless smile upon hearing Qi You’s question. “To ensure Zi Yan’s safety, I have no choice but to probe her…”

“Yes, I know,” Qi You nodded. “However, what I want to know more is, if it weren’t Hei Qing who came, but people from the other three Dragon Islands, traitors who really wanted to devour Zi Yan’s bloodline… what would you do? The strongest person in the Starfall Pavilion is only a four-star Dou Zun, right?”

“If the newcomer’s strength is comparable to Hei Qing’s, I have a secret technique that can raise my strength to the level of an eight-star Dou Zun,” Xiao Yan hesitated for a moment before speaking, “It’s a secret technique that combines Dou Qi and soul power…”