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

"Hun Xuzi is a Golden Core alchemist..." After a brief hesitation, Xiao Yan continued, "Although I'm not 100% confident I can refine a Golden Core on my first try right now, I'm 100% confident I can refine one independently within three years at most, if the Medicine Clan also has Golden Core alchemists..."

If three Golden Core alchemists work together, there is even a certain probability that they can refine an Emperor-grade pill. Even if the three cannot trust each other, they can still refine a half-finished Emperor-grade pill back into an Emperor-grade pill.

It was precisely because of Xiao Yan's words that Gu Yuan made up his mind:

"...During this time, I will contact the patriarchs of the Thunder, Flame, Medicine, Stone, and Spirit clans and ask them to keep an eye on the Soul Clan's movements. At least until the Soul Emperor contacts you to make a deal, we will not allow him to obtain any ancient jade!"

Looking at Gu Yuan, who spoke these words with such unwavering resolve, Xiao Yan instinctively opened his mouth, but ultimately remained silent.

Although he was not the patriarch of these races, he understood that the Soul Race and the Ancient Race were equally untrustworthy to them. Unless the Soul Race completely broke off relations and directly invaded one of the races' small worlds, it was absolutely impossible for these races to join forces with the Ancient Race!

'At least, the Ancient Clan has a Nine-Star Dou Sheng,' Xiao Yan thought to himself, giving Xun'er, who was leaving the mountain with him, a helpless smile. 'Even if the other five clans are wiped out, the Soul Clan can only collect a maximum of seven Ancient Jade pieces.'

Xiao Yan was indeed worried about the safety of the ancient jade preserved by the ancient clan, but after learning that the two elders of the ancient clan guarding the jade were both at the late stage of the five-star Dou Sheng level and were ancient relics who had been guarding the jade for hundreds of years, he felt relieved.

'It's impossible that these two late-stage five-star Dou Sheng experts were actually spies for the Soul Clan hundreds of years ago, right? There's no secret method on the Dou Qi Continent that allows one to know hundreds of years in advance whether someone can break through to Dou Sheng. Besides, two late-stage five-star Dou Sheng... even within the Soul Clan, that would be considered extremely high-ranking, wouldn't it?'

After shaking off such somewhat comical thoughts, Xiao Yan knocked on the door of the Lei Clan group. Although he was unsure whether the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor's cave actually existed below Canaan Academy, relocating Canaan Academy as soon as possible was definitely not a bad thing.

*

"Got it?" Above the chaotic Stone Realm, Void Devouring Flame casually glanced at Soul Slaughter, a powerful expert at the late stage of Seven Star Dou Sheng.

"Got it!" Soul Slaughter presented a jade piece to Void Devouring Flame, grinning as he said, "The Stone Clan is indeed much stronger than the Spirit Clan!" At least, the strongest Spirit Clan member hadn't left any marks on him, while the Stone Clan's patriarch had at least required some effort to capture him alive.

"After they are all alive, you will take them back to the Soul Realm," Void Devouring Flame instructed after accepting the ancient jade. "Be quick and efficient. The few Stone Clan members who are still with the Ancient Clan will be back soon. Once they return, seal off the Stone Realm completely."

"Yes!" Soul Slaughter nodded with slight regret, after all, the earliest he would take action against the Medicine Clan was several years later.

"All information about you has been exposed."

Upon returning to the Soul Realm, Void Devouring Flame heard the Soul Emperor's slightly mocking voice.

"He dares to send back messages right after the Heavenly Tomb incident ended?"

Void Devouring Flame frowned. He knew that as long as he showed his face, it would be impossible to block information about him. But he never expected that the spy who was placed in the Ancient Clan would be so bold. The Heavenly Tomb had just ended, and Xiao Yan had just reported the information to Gu Yuan. Now he dared to send a message back!

“It’s another one,” Soul Emperor smiled nonchalantly. “A little guy who recently broke through to the Dou Sheng level. He was eager to show off, and then Gu Yuan discovered him. It’s good news, I guess.”

“…Indeed,” Void Devouring Flame nodded, “The exposure of this piece of trash will only make the ancient clans trust the Dou Sheng who broke through hundreds of years ago even more. They will find it difficult to fully trust the newly promoted ones, even if they are completely ancient clansmen.”

“So, apart from Gu Yang, the other spies will gradually expose themselves in recent years,” Soul Emperor raised a cup of wine, “but you… haven’t you remembered the exact location of Tuoshe Ancient Emperor’s cave yet?”

“Someone has tampered with my memories!” As he said this, a ruthless glint flashed in Void Devouring Flame’s eyes. “However, I am very certain that as long as we collect all eight ancient jades, no matter where that cave is, we will be able to find it!”

"Then so be it," the Soul Emperor chuckled. "Once you've extracted all the bloodline power from the Spirit and Stone races, have Soul Extinction go to Xiao Yan to make a deal. I suppose he doesn't want to see his father being raised in the Soul Realm forever."

"You're so kind," Void Devouring Flame looked into the distance, where a Dou Huang named Xiao Zhan was nervously being served by several Dou Zong maids. "Don't you need to place any restrictions on him?"

“There’s no need,” Soul Emperor waved his hand. “The Five Emperors broke through the void… We might need Xiao Yan’s help in the future.”

As he spoke, Soul Emperor's gaze fell on Void Devouring Flame, who was pondering who had touched his memories. Since Void Devouring Flame dared to serve him so "loyally," it meant that Void Devouring Flame also had a way to become a Dou Di. Therefore, he wanted to know who would have the last laugh between Void Devouring Flame and Xiao Yan.

'But... a seal related to the life and death of the continent?' The Soul Emperor downed his drink in one gulp. 'It seems that an extremely large number of possessors of evil energy are sealed within that fifth level...'

The Soul Emperor really wanted to meet the race that controlled the evil energy, but with that Cang Qiong guarding that seal, even if he broke through to the Dou Di level, he would never be able to get close to that seal, right?

"So, what realms lie beyond the Dou Di?" The Soul Emperor poured himself a glass of wine. "I really want to know soon."

It was precisely because the Soul Emperor wanted to learn about the scenery above the Dou Di realm as soon as possible that the Soul Clan wiped out the Spirit Clan and the Stone Clan in just half a year. It was also because they wanted to learn about the scenery above the Dou Di realm as soon as possible that the Soul Clan had to restrain their claws and take away the last few ancient jades at the most critical moment.

Meanwhile, Gu Yuan was still arguing with the elders of the ancient clan, all in order to contact the other clans as soon as possible and tell them about the Soul Clan's ambitions.

Chapter 458 Leaving the Ancient Realm

The following day, as the morning light began to spill over the vast and boundless space, the mountain range, which had been silent all night, came alive once more. The sound of wind cutting through the air filled the air, and several enormous warships hovered in mid-air, surrounded by rolling dark clouds.

"Xun'er".

As Xiao Yan, Xun'er, Little Fairy Doctor, and Qing Lin emerged from the bamboo house, Gu Yuan's voice reached their ears.

"Father?" Xun'er frowned slightly, looking at Gu Yuan's solemn expression, somewhat puzzled.

"After discussions within the clan, it has been decided that you must not leave the Ancient Realm in the coming years." Gu Yuan smiled apologetically at Xiao Yan before speaking with a serious expression.

"Because of the Soul Clan?"

“No, it’s the Spirit Race,” Gu Yuan shook his head, denying Xiao Yan’s guess, “The Spirit Realm is closed!”

Xiao Yan and the others were all stunned for a moment, then Xun'er quickly reacted and explained to the three of them, "Unless we encounter a cataclysmic event that wipes out our clan, our seven clans will never close the small world!"

“This time, the Spirit Clan didn’t simply shut down the Spirit Realm,” Gu Yuan added. “Last night, we finished negotiating with the Elder Council. To show respect for the Spirit Clan, I went to inform them to pay attention to the Soul Clan’s future movements. However, in the space where the Spirit Realm was originally located, I was unable to sense its existence. If nothing unexpected happens, the Spirit Realm has completely concealed its existence while completely shutting down communication with the outside world!”

"...Could it be that the small world where the Spirit Race resides has completely collapsed?" After a brief moment of contemplation, Xiao Yan proposed a hypothesis, "With the Void Devouring Flame's ability to devour everything, it's not impossible for it to completely devour a small world, is it?"

“I thought of that at first, but I ruled out that possibility in the end,” Gu Yuan explained softly. “Although the Spirit Realm has weakened a lot in the last thousand years, and the Void Devouring Flame has the strength of a nine-star Dou Sheng, it is by no means easy to devour the Spirit Realm without making a sound. After all, a race like ours still has the foundation to severely injure a nine-star Dou Sheng!”

Moreover, when I visited the Soul Clan half a year ago, the Void Devouring Flame was right beside the Soul Emperor. Even if both it and the Soul Emperor possessed Emperor-level soul power, it would be impossible for them to maintain their full combat strength when they created soul clones. Furthermore, in the six months that followed, the clan had been closely monitoring the Soul Realm, but apart from the daily comings and goings of Soul Hall personnel, none of the five-star Dou Sheng or higher powerhouses, led by the Soul Emperor, had ever left the Soul Realm.

Gu Yuan's words were very convincing, but Xiao Yan felt that something was wrong. However, with his current strength and vision, he couldn't really put his finger on what was wrong.

"What if... the Soul Clan decided to attack the Spirit Clan before the Soul Emperor entered the Heavenly Tomb?" A moment later, before boarding the warship, Xiao Yan turned around, looked at Gu Yuan, and asked via telepathy.

"What reason would they have to act back then?" Gu Yuan countered. "It wasn't until the Heavenly Tomb opened that the Soul Emperor learned it held secrets beyond the Dou Di realm. It wasn't until his soul avatar was destroyed that he was certain the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor's cave truly contained a half-finished Emperor Pill. Before that, even if this half-finished Emperor Pill was only 'possible' to him, was it really possible for him to become an enemy of the Spirit Race for a half-finished Emperor Pill that was merely 'possible'?"

'Why is it impossible?' Xiao Yan really wanted to ask that question back.

However, seeing Gu Yuan's confident gaze, Xiao Yan silently took back his words. After all, he had only met the Soul Emperor once, while Gu Yuan had been fighting against the Soul Emperor for nearly a thousand years.

After bidding farewell to Xun'er, Xiao Yan and his companions boarded the warship. At the same time, a figure walked through the air towards him.

"What is it?" Upon noticing that the visitor was a member of the Yao Clan, Xiao Yan's expression instantly turned cold. He asked indifferently, still remembering Venerable Feng's instructions from more than half a year ago. Xiao Yan couldn't possibly give a friendly look to someone who was likely jealous of Elder Yao.

Seeing Xiao Yan's indifferent demeanor, Yao Xingji, who came as the representative of the Yao Clan, was even more displeased. He didn't dare to say much to Xiao Yan, who had become a seven-star Dou Zun more than half a year ago, not to mention that the elders of the clan had told him that the two women beside Xiao Yan had at least the strength of a nine-star Dou Zun. So, he simply flicked his finger, and a jade slip made entirely of jade flew towards Xiao Yan.

"This is an invitation to the Medicine Clan's clan ceremony... Don't frown so much. Your teacher knows what it is. Go back and give it to him. I believe he will come," Yao Xingji said calmly.

After receiving the jade slip, which was as green as jade, Xiao Yan stared at Yao Xingji for a moment, then put the jade slip into his storage ring and cupped his hands in thanks to the latter: "Thank you."

"I was unable to compete with you in alchemy this time, but I hope there will be an opportunity next time." Yao Xingji returned the greeting, and then, without saying anything more, he moved swiftly and boarded a warship.

Soon, several warships slowly started up and left the ancient realm under the watchful eyes of many.

"Young Master Xiao Yan, where are we now..." After leaving the Ancient Realm, Qing Lin turned around, intending to ask Xiao Yan where they were going next, but then noticed Xiao Yan's suddenly furrowed brows.

"Elder Yao, this time I'll have to trouble you to return to Starfall Pavilion alone." After a moment, Xiao Yan sighed and looked at Venerable Tianhuo who had come to his side, and said.

"What trouble have you run into this time?" Heavenly Flame Venerable asked curiously, looking at Xiao Yan's slightly relaxed brows.

“In as little as three days, Donglong Island will reunite with the other three Dragon Islands,” Xiao Yan said with a slightly helpless smile. “And Donglong Island… or rather, Zi Yan has only barely become a one-star Dou Sheng.”

If Zi Yan possessed the strength of a two- or three-star Dou Sheng at this moment, with the pressure of her Dragon-Phoenix bloodline, she could at least force the three Dragon Kings to retreat, if not easily defeat them. As for the Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan Chief, who possessed the strength of a five-star Dou Sheng in the late stage, she would be easily defeated by Zi Yan. However, Zi Yan is currently only a one-star Dou Sheng. With the pressure of her bloodline, she can at most fight the three Dragon Kings to a draw, and she is completely unable to deal with the Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan Chief, who possesses the strength of a five-star Dou Sheng in the late stage.

"Do we need to ask for help?" The Heavenly Flame Venerable, whose expression turned serious after Xiao Yan had explained the situation on East Dragon Island and the strength of the other three Dragon Islands and the Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan, asked.

"The three of us—me, Little Fairy Doctor, and Qing Lin—are enough," Xiao Yan said with a confident smile. "Although I am only a third-level Dou Zun now, anyone who wants to defeat me would have to be at least a late-stage five-star Dou Sheng from one of the seven ancient clans!"

The effects of the fusion technique of soul power and battle qi gradually weakened as Xiao Yan's battle qi level increased. A seven-star Dou Zun combined with his perfected Heavenly Realm soul power allowed Xiao Yan to directly confront a five-star Dou Sheng in the early stages. However, with his current strength as a three-turn Dou Zun, he could at most defeat an ordinary five-star Dou Sheng in the late stages, and could only go toe-to-toe with a five-star Dou Sheng from one of the seven ancient clans in the late stages.

After all, with the power of their bloodline, a late-stage five-star Dou Sheng from the seven ancient clans is roughly equivalent to an early-stage six-star Dou Sheng in the outside world.

"Approximately, after reaching the Seven-Star Dou Sheng realm, this secret technique will only allow me to contend with late-stage Eight-Star Dou Sheng. Once I become a Nine-Star Dou Sheng, this technique will at most allow me to advance half a level, enabling me to fight against mid-stage Nine-Star Dou Sheng, right?"

After roughly determining the future effects of this secret technique, Xiao Yan looked at Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin with an urging gaze. When they first came out, his Dou Qi level was not the weakest among the three, but during the three years in the Heavenly Tomb, his Dou Qi improvement was completely inferior to that of Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin. It can only be said that they are worthy of the Calamity Poison Body and the Jade Serpent Three-Flower Pupil!

"In front of me, anyone whose strength does not exceed one-star Dou Sheng is no different from an ordinary person." Under Xiao Yan's urging gaze, Little Fairy Doctor smiled helplessly and revealed her current strength: one-star Dou Sheng.

"Although I can't directly control the Ancient Void Dragon," Qing Lin also revealed his current strength, "with my current peak Ninth Revolution strength, I still have no problem influencing Ancient Void Dragons below the Five-Star Dou Sheng level in battle using the Azure Serpent Three-Flower Pupil!"

The Heavenly Flame Venerable, a mere five-star Dou Zun, whose full power was roughly equivalent to that of an ordinary seven-star Dou Zun, looked at the three of them and then decisively turned and left.

"This is an invitation to the Medicine Clan's ancestral ceremony. I'll trouble Elder Yao to give it to my teacher when you get back!" Then, before he could even leave, Venerable Heavenly Fire was asked to do another favor by Xiao Yan.

"understood!"

Chapter 459 Blood Transformation Evil Array

In the majestic hall, a middle-aged man dressed in a dragon robe sat in the main seat, his right hand resting on the armrest, supporting his head, while his left hand casually played with a golden key. His eyes were slightly vacant, as if he were pondering some philosophy of life.

A moment later, three middle-aged men entered the main hall one after another. After noticing the middle-aged man who had been waiting for a long time in the main seat, one of the middle-aged men with a slightly gloomy face said coldly, "Zhu Zhi, what do you want now?"

Zhu Zhi, the culprit who instigated the split of the Taixu Ancient Dragon Clan, proclaimed himself the Northern Dragon King after occupying North Dragon Island. The Dragon Kings of the three major Dragon Islands (North, South, and West) and the patriarch of the Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan gathered on North Dragon Island at his invitation, waiting for the four Dragon Islands to unite and kill the "Current Dragon Emperor" who emerged from East Dragon Island and claimed to be the daughter of the previous Dragon Emperor.

"As expected, you're the most impatient one, Zhu Yin!"

The Northern Dragon King Zhu Zhi smiled slightly, and with a gentle flip of his left hand, the golden key in his palm spun in an arc of light before being instantly absorbed into his storage ring and disappearing without a trace.

Raising his eyes, he continued unhurriedly, "My niece Ziyan emerged from seclusion a few days ago—a one-star Dou Sheng." He paused slightly, as if savoring the weight of the news, "For my niece Ziyan's age, she truly deserves to be called a prodigy."

Although they had considered from the beginning of their alliance that if they did not take the initiative, the new Dragon Emperor who had evolved into a Dragon Phoenix would have a very high probability of breaking through to the Dou Sheng realm, the three of them could not help but feel a little surprised when they actually heard these words from Zhu Zhi's mouth.

“This is the real dragon and phoenix,” the middle-aged man Zhusi, wearing a crown, shook his head slightly as if to hide his surprise. “Give her another year or two, and my niece Ziyan will completely surpass us, won’t she?”

The three Dragon Kings can be considered to have royal blood from the Ancient Dragon Clan of the Void, but if they were to face a Dragon-Phoenix that had reached the third stage recorded in their ancestral texts, their bloodlines would only become a hindrance. As for Huang Tian, ​​the patriarch of the Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan...

Even if he was an ancient celestial phoenix, he was only on the same level as the three great dragon kings, not to mention that he was just a mere celestial demon phoenix, only fit to be food for the ancient dragon of the void.

“That junior doesn’t have any more time!” Zhu Yin snorted coldly.

"I don't care about the time," Huang Tian knew that his identity as the Heavenly Demon Phoenix was of no concern to the others. If he weren't a late-stage Five-Star Dou Sheng, he wouldn't even be worthy of being invited. So he didn't echo the words of the South and West Dragon Kings, but simply looked at Zhu Zhi indifferently, "Just a One-Star Dou Sheng. Didn't we already make contingency plans? Couldn't we just send someone to notify us? Why did we have to come here?"

“Who…” Zhu Yin frowned, looking at Huang Tian with displeasure.

“Of course it’s not just about my niece Ziyan,” Zhu Zhi interrupted Zhu Yin with a light laugh. Then, he changed the subject, leaned forward slightly, and said to Huang Tian in a highly persuasive tone, “Brother Huang Tian, ​​has your Heavenly Demon Phoenix clan never thought of… leaving the Beast Domain?”

"Leave the Beast Realm?"

Not to mention Huang Tian, ​​even Zhu Yin and Zhu Si looked at Zhu Zhi with surprise—

Why would their beast clan want to be trapped in this cramped place called the Beast Realm? If only a few dozen clansmen leave, it will be fine, but once the number of people leaving the Beast Realm exceeds a hundred, "envoys" from the seven ancient clans will come to "inquire" about the situation.

If there is a suitable reason, that's fine. But if there isn't a sufficient reason, when those clansmen who left the Beast Domain can return, and how many can return, is not something they can decide for themselves!

“That’s right, none of our three families can defeat any of the seven ancient clans, but… what if we unite?” Zhu Zhi didn’t care about the three men’s looks of disbelief, and simply asked lightly, “Don’t you think so, Demon Clan Chief?”

"Yeah?"

As soon as Yao Xiaotian, the current patriarch of the Nine Netherworld Python clan, entered the main hall, he heard Zhu Zhi's ambitious words. Then he saw three powerful figures whose auras were many times stronger than his, following Zhu Zhi's gaze. While cursing inwardly, he smiled awkwardly.

"The demon clan leader is still as fond of joking as ever."

To prevent Zhu Yin and Huang Tian from expressing disdain for the Nine Netherworld Python Clan, Zhu Zhi preemptively spoke up, "Among the seven ancient clans, the Soul Clan and the Ancient Clan are the strongest. However, these two clans are opposed to each other. As long as we don't stand against them, we have a good chance to occupy parts of the Central Plains while the two clans are fighting..."

Over the next few minutes, Zhu Zhi relentlessly criticized the seven ancient races, calling them utterly worthless, such as the Flame and Thunder races being brainless, the Medicine race being powerless, and the Stone and Spirit races being stupid, as if the three great magical beast families could actually snatch food from the seven ancient races if they joined forces.