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

"Unfortunately, for the Xiao clan, the best alliance target is the ancient clan."

"So, the Xiao Clan was defeated and lost everything," the Soul Emperor said with an indifferent smile, "while we still exist, and are even... stronger than ever."

The two stood in the middle of the crowd, talking without restraint, but the people around them seemed not to hear anything, unconsciously walking around their location towards the ancient holy city.

"I apologize for making this a laughing stock."

A moment later, Xun'er, with a hint of regret on her face, left Xiao Yan's embrace and then looked at the people behind Xiao Yan.

"No way," Little Fairy Doctor said with a faint smile. "Sister Xun'er hasn't seen Xiao Yan for a year, so it's understandable that she's overwhelmed with emotion. However, the people in Sister Xun'er's clan don't think that way."

During the years that Xiao Yan was in seclusion in the Star Domain, Xun'er came to the Pill Domain. Although there was some unpleasantness between Xiao Yi Xian and Xun'er when they first met, they were both cold on the outside but warm on the inside. After a period of contact, they came to accept each other.

That's why Little Fairy Doctor didn't make a move when the commanders of the Black Annihilation Army arrived through the air.

"Get out!"

Xun'er, who always appeared gentle in front of Xiao Yan, turned around and looked at the Black Annihilation Army commanders who had not yet arrived, and said softly.

“Miss…” one of them seemed to want to say something.

"I said..." Xun'er interrupted the man with icy eyes, "Step back!"

A terrifying aura erupted, landing precisely on several Black Annihilation Army commanders without harming any innocent bystanders. Almost simultaneously, the commanders shuddered.

"Yes!"

After a few reluctant responses, the commanders glanced at Xiao Yan, who was all smiles, before slinking off towards the main force of the Black Annihilation Army.

"Let's go, let's go to the city together!" Xun'er turned around with a smile after the annoying guys left.

"Ah."

Although to those unaware of the situation it might seem like he was living off a woman, Xiao Yan smiled and nodded without a care. However, before taking Xun'er's hand, his gaze fell on a certain spot in the square. "Xun'er, do you know who they are?"

Following Xiao Yan's gaze, Xun'er saw several black-robed figures standing in the crowd and frowned slightly, saying, "They are from the Soul Clan. The leader should be Soul Cliff, who is said to be one of the best among the younger generation of the Soul Clan."

"Soul Cliff..." After his gaze lingered on Soul Cliff, who was actually Soul Emperor in disguise, for a moment, and then glanced at Void Devouring Flame, Xiao Yan took Xun'er's hand and flew towards the Ancient Sacred City. "Those two should also be entering the Heavenly Tomb, right?"

“Soul Cliff is definitely one of them,” Xun’er said. Although her soul power was not as strong as Xiao Yan’s, Xiao Yan’s gaze as he examined the Void Devouring Flame was completely undisguised, so Xun’er knew who Xiao Yan was talking about. “But the other one… I’m not sure if it is.”

"When the time comes, stay away from them," Xiao Yan nodded slightly. "Little Fairy Doctor, you should also stay away from that Soul Cliff and the person next to him."

"They...are very strong?" Little Fairy Doctor looked at Xiao Yan with some surprise, actually getting him to say something like "stay away from them"...

Could it be that these two people have the strength of a five-star Dou Sheng or higher?

“Very strong,” Xiao Yan nodded heavily. “I even suspect that one of them is an avatar of the Soul Clan Chief…”

As he said this, Xiao Yan couldn't help but turn back to look at the location where the Soul Clan group was—

After smiling at Xiao Yan who had turned around, Soul Cliff and the unknown Soul Clan member beside him suddenly disappeared from Xiao Yan's perception, but in Xiao Yan's vision, the two people were clearly still standing in the same place!

'Above the Great Perfection of the Heavenly Realm?!'

Instantly, Xiao Yan broke out in a cold sweat. He had previously thought that these two people had only surpassed him in Dou Qi realm, while their soul power was at the same level as his, which was the Great Perfection of the Heaven Realm. But now, Xiao Yan was certain that the soul power realm of these two people was far more than just the Great Perfection of the Heaven Realm!

"...You actually have a hobby of intimidating a junior?"

Although he didn't know what Xiao Yan was thinking, Soul Emperor could clearly see the sudden widening of Xiao Yan's pupils. Therefore, Soul Emperor looked at the silent Void Devouring Flame beside him with great surprise.

“He gives me a… very bad feeling,” Void Devouring Flame didn’t answer Soul Emperor’s question, but frowned and stared intently at Xiao Yan’s departing figure. “I remember… the Soul Palace sent back a message that he devoured a lot of strange flames?”

"Wind Fury Dragon Flame, Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame, Netherworld Poison Flame, Sea Heart Flame, Fallen Heart Flame, and Three Thousand Burning Flames... that should be it, right?" After stroking his chin, the Soul Emperor said, "You're not worried that he'll devour you too, are you?"

After glancing at the Soul Emperor, who seemed to find his joke amusing, Void Devouring Flame fell silent.

"What if... I said yes?"

After a long time, the words of Void Devouring Flame, which did not sound like a joke, reached the ears of the Soul Emperor.

Chapter 445 The Declining Seven Clans

Soul Emperor turned around, looked at the solemn expression on Void Devouring Flame's face, hesitated briefly, and then smiled casually, "That's going to be difficult. In our current state, we are no match for Xiao Xuan in the Heavenly Tomb."

A thousand years ago, the Xiao clan gathered all its strength to try to push Xiao Xuan, the clan leader who was most likely to break through to the Dou Di realm in thousands of years, to the Dou Di realm. However, Xiao Xuan did not succeed in the end, and even perished because of the surprise attack by the Soul Clan.

But both Soul Emperor and Void Devouring Flame understood that Xiao Xuan had already taken half a step. Compared to Soul Emperor, whose strength had not improved for thousands of years, that half step was an insurmountable chasm. Soul Emperor even doubted that Xiao Xuan, who had taken that half step, could crush him at his peak as easily as crushing an ant.

Therefore, even today, the Soul Emperor still believes that leading the Soul Clan's experts to besiege Xiao Xuan when Xiao Xuan failed to break through to the Dou Di realm and was seriously injured was the most correct decision he ever made.

Now, although Xiao Xuan in the Heavenly Tomb cannot have all the strength he had in life, neither Soul Emperor nor Void Devouring Flame are here in their true forms. If they choose to make a move in the Heavenly Tomb, the chances of success may not be much higher than if they make a move against Xiao Yan in the Ancient Holy City. At least the two of them can confirm that Gu Yuan is still in the Ancient Realm. If they want to stop them, they will have to come out of the Ancient Realm first.

“...Just kidding. He doesn’t even have the qualifications to enter the space where the Pure Lotus Demon Flame is sealed right now,” Void Devouring Flame slowly closed his eyes, suppressing the restlessness in his heart. “By the time he has the strength to devour the Pure Lotus Demon Flame, our plan will have already succeeded.”

"If he possesses the bloodline of the Xiao clan," the Soul Emperor chuckled, "there are quite a few who, relying on the power of their bloodline, have become high-star Dou Zun in just a few years or even a decade. But there are those who, without any bloodline power, have become high-star Dou Zun in just a few years, and even whose soul power has reached the Great Perfection of the Heavenly Realm..."

To be honest, Soul Emperor didn't think he could replicate Xiao Yan's "miracle" without the help of bloodline power.

"Perhaps he will remain at the threshold of becoming a Dou Sheng for hundreds of years." After uttering this calmly, Void Devouring Flame slowly moved towards the Ancient Sacred City along with the flow of people.

"Perhaps," said the Soul Emperor, his eyes narrowing slightly.

*

"The Soul Clan Chief's... clone?"

To be honest, if it weren't Xiao Yan who said those words, Xun'er would have thought the person who said them was incredibly stupid. But because it was Xiao Yan who said those words, even though she thought it was absolutely impossible, Xun'er's expression still became serious.

"Why would you think that, Brother Xiao Yan?"

As Xun'er asked, she gently beckoned, and Gu Tongxuan, the half-saint elder of the ancient clan, came to their side, waiting respectfully.

"I don't know if there are any items on the Dou Qi Continent that can conceal one's aura before reaching the Great Perfection of the Heavenly Realm..."

At this point, Xiao Yan paused, judging from the expressions on Xun'er and Gu Tongxuan's faces that neither of them knew whether such a thing existed, before continuing, "At first, I could clearly sense the presence of the two of them, but after I turned around again, they did not exist within the range of my soul perception, yet they were still clearly standing in my field of vision."

In that instant, the hairs on everyone's heads stood on end, and their pupils constricted sharply. Although none of them except Xiao Yan had reached the Heavenly Realm level in terms of spiritual power, they still understood what the Great Perfection of the Heavenly Realm meant.

"Perhaps... there are wondrous objects on the Dou Qi Continent that can conceal one's aura in the face of a soul force at the Great Perfection of the Heavenly Realm, but..." Xun'er said slowly.

In the past, the Dou Qi Continent was home to countless races, with tens of thousands of powerful figures, including Dou Di and even those above Dou Di. There must have been many strange artifacts that could conceal one's aura. Even though most of them have been lost or have become ineffective over the past tens of millions of years, some have survived. Perhaps such artifacts exist in the treasure troves of ancient races.

However, in the end, what the ancient clan held this time was just an ordinary coming-of-age ceremony. Perhaps for the seven ancient clans, there was also the once-every-twenty-year opening of the Heavenly Tomb "event". For an ordinary ceremony, an ordinary "treasure hunt" for the seven ancient clans, they brought along rare items that were few in number in this era, and possibly only one in existence.

Even Xun'er couldn't afford such extravagance, let alone the fact that Hunya's status in the Soul Clan was only equivalent to the eight commanders of the Ancient Clan's Black Annihilation Army.

"I'll go back and report right away!" Gu Tongxuan said immediately, realizing the gravity of the situation.

“Let’s go back together. Those elders…” Xun’er frowned slightly, somewhat dissatisfied, when she mentioned those old-fashioned elders of the ancient clan. “Brother Xiao Yan, let’s go see Father directly. Even if those elders know your strength, they will turn a blind eye to it.”

"Mm." Xiao Yan nodded.

“Then I’ll stay in the Ancient Holy City for now,” Venerable Heavenly Fire, who had been silent for a while, suddenly said. “It’s not time to officially enter the Ancient Realm yet, is it? It’s necessary to leave someone behind to enter with the crowd when the Ancient Realm officially opens.”

Although judging from Xiao Yan and Xun'er's reactions, it seems inevitable that Xiao Yan will become the son-in-law of the Ancient Clan, the Yan Alliance didn't establish itself in the Central Plains solely through the Ancient Clan's influence. Maintaining a proper distance is still necessary.

As for whether Venerable Tianhuo was trying to keep the Flame Alliance and the Ancient Clan at a distance, or simply didn't want to get involved in Xiao Yan's family affairs, it's hard to say.

"Then I'll have to trouble Elder Yao!"

Eager to find out the true identity of "Soul Cliff" in the Ancient Sacred City, Xiao Yan didn't think much and directly agreed to Venerable Tianhuo's idea of ​​staying in the Ancient Sacred City. Then, he followed Xun'er into the passage to the Ancient Realm opened by Gu Tongxuan.

After Qinglin and Little Fairy Doctor stepped into the passage together, the passage that had opened to the astonishment of everyone in the Ancient Holy City slowly closed. As a result, most people's curious gazes shifted to Venerable Heavenly Fire.

"In short..." Bathed in the gazes of many, Venerable Tianhuo walked calmly into the crowd, as if he had no idea where the spatial passage he had just opened was connected to.

"...Let's find a place to rest first."

After Venerable Tianhuo disappeared into the crowd, on a pavilion, a woman with a burning flame mark on her forehead slowly withdrew her gaze, and then she saw the teasing expressions of several clansmen beside her.

"That person is a Dou Zun from the Yan Alliance." Before her fellow clansmen could speak, the woman said calmly.

"...So, the one who entered the Ancient Realm before was Xiao Yan from the Xiao Clan?" After a moment of astonishment, the middle-aged man among the four was the first to react.

"Looks like Xiao Yan is about to throw himself into the arms of the Ancient Clan?" The frivolous-looking man among the four raised an eyebrow and made an envious sound. "Tsk tsk, how wonderful, he's even being personally greeted by the daughter of the Ancient Clan."

“This Xiao Yan cultivated to become a Seven-Star Dou Zun without any bloodline power, he doesn’t seem like the kind of person who would marry into a family,” the last white-robed man shook his head slightly, “but I didn’t expect that you, Huo Zhi, would be interested in that Xiao Yan.”

“I am interested in his strange fire,” the woman said in a cool voice, “but… I did not sense the presence of strange fire on him.”

The woman frowned slightly. According to the information gathered by her clan, Xiao Yan should have absorbed and devoured a lot of strange flames, but she couldn't detect the presence of any strange flame on Xiao Yan.

“His soul power is very strong,” the middle-aged man explained. “Five or six years ago, he was able to refine an eighth-grade nine-colored pill. Although there has been little information about him in recent years, if nothing unexpected happens, his soul power has reached the level of the Heavenly Realm.”

"Such a young Heavenly Realm soul force?" The white-robed man was somewhat taken aback. "That Yao Zi from the Medicine Clan is only at the mid-Spirit Realm, isn't he?"

Yao Zi, also known as Yao Xingji, is a member of the Yao Clan. Although his name is very strange, he is among the top three in terms of strength and soul power among the younger generation of the Yao Clan, second only to Yao Tian, ​​the most outstanding member of the Yao Clan in the present era, and Yao Ling, who is rumored to be able to step into the soul level of the Emperor Realm.

"Human medicine?"

The middle-aged man was somewhat taken aback. He really didn't expect his son to compare Xiao Yan with the younger generation of alchemists from the Medicine Clan. "To be honest, the soul power of those ancient beings from the Medicine Clan who have lived for thousands of years may not be much stronger than that of Xiao Yan."

The middle-aged man's comments silenced the others completely.

"Speaking of which, it's surprising that the Spirit Clan hasn't even shown up this time." The middle-aged man knew he shouldn't continue to undermine the young man's confidence, so he quickly and casually changed the subject.

"What do you mean?"

Sure enough, once these words were spoken, the attention of the other two women, except for the woman who seemed uninterested in anything, was diverted.

"The Spirit Clan is in a much worse state now than the Xiao Clan was a thousand years ago... or rather, the Spirit Clan was actually far inferior to the Xiao Clan a thousand years ago, but the Xiao Clan's desperate gamble back then made everyone forget the fact that the Spirit Clan's patriarch at the time was nearing the end of his life," the middle-aged man chuckled. "A nine-star Dou Sheng who is nearing the end of his life, tsk tsk tsk..."

Although they knew that the information about this clan uncle came from the clan's ancient records, the two men, who had never heard of such things before, couldn't help but be amazed. They simply couldn't imagine that a nine-star Dou Sheng could have a time when he was about to die. They completely forgot that among the ancient families now, apart from the Ancient Clan and the Soul Clan, no other family had a nine-star Dou Sheng.

Chapter 446 The Heavenly Tomb Will Open

Knock knock knock—

Just as the middle-aged man was about to say something more, there was a knock on the door of the attic room where they were.

"who is it?"

The middle-aged man frowned slightly. Although his talent was not as good as that of some of the younger generation in the clan, he was already a one-star Dou Sheng at the age of over a hundred. Even so, he did not notice that someone had come to the door before the knocking sounded.

"Soul Clan, Soul Cliff," a light laugh echoed from outside. "You should all have guessed the identity of the man who followed that young lady of the Ancient Clan into the Ancient Realm, right? Do you need me to provide some information?"

The relationship between the Yan Clan and the Hun Clan was not good enough to exchange information, but the people present, especially the woman who inherited the clan's strange fire, were very interested in information about the Xiao Clan member who had become a Dou Zun in just a few decades despite not having any bloodline power.

"Please come in."

Hearing the sounds coming from inside, the Soul Emperor's lips curled up slightly. He glanced at the Void Devouring Flame beside him, then pushed open the door and went inside.

*