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

Yao Wangui's fingertips were almost touching the black cylinder, and the greed in his eyes grew even stronger—

In his view, as long as he could touch the source of the demonic fire, with the fire control secrets passed down from the Medicine Clan and his strength as a four-star Dou Sheng, he could seal the demonic fire into his body in the shortest time. At that time, even if others reacted, it would be too late. After all, he was one of the few people in the Medicine Clan in recent generations who had the ability to break through to the ninth-grade alchemy master level. With such a status, who would dare to kill him?

However, just as his fingertips were about to touch the black cylinder—

A terrifying shockwave that caused the heavens and earth to change color suddenly erupted from the depths of the earth!

boom!

A milky-white pillar of fire shot into the sky from the core of the earth formation without warning. The pillar of fire was incredibly fast, so fast that even Yao Wangui, a four-star Dou Sheng, did not have time to dodge. The pillar of fire struck his outstretched right hand with perfect accuracy.

"what--!"

Yao Wangui let out a piercing scream as he was blasted away by the force of the pillar of fire. He tumbled dozens of times in the air before barely regaining his footing. He looked down at his right hand, his pupils suddenly contracting—

The entire right hand, from the wrist down, has completely disappeared!

It wasn't burned, it wasn't charred, it was burned to nothingness, leaving not even ashes. The broken part was charred black, the flesh and veins were all carbonized, and you could even vaguely see the charred bones.

Yao Wangui's face turned deathly pale instantly, not from pain—a four-star Dou Sheng's willpower was enough for him to ignore this level of pain—but from fear.

He clearly sensed that the power of that pillar of fire was not simply the Pure Lotus Demon Fire, but an attack formed by the combined power of the entire Refining Heaven Ancient Formation. If he hadn't reacted quickly and retreated the moment the pillar of fire hit his body, it wouldn't have just been his right hand that was burned to ashes, but his entire body!

"This... how is this possible?!" Yao Wangui raised his head in disbelief, looking towards the core of the earth array.

The five-star Dou Sheng of the Medicine Clan and the Flame Clan stopped fighting at the same time, and together with Huo Yao, who had glanced at Yao Wangui with lingering fear, they looked towards the core of the earth formation.

There, Xiao Yan slowly stood up—

Although his face was somewhat pale, clearly indicating a great depletion of his soul power, his eyes were surprisingly bright, as if two flames were burning within them. He stood there quietly, without making any movement, yet he gave people the illusion that the entire world was under his control.

And indeed, that is the case.

The moment Xiao Yan completely took control of the Earth Array, he used the existing connection between the Earth Array and the Heaven Array to seize control of the Heaven Array in reverse.

Thus, the Refining Heaven Ancient Array, which the Pure Lotus Demon Flame had spent thousands of years refining and mastering, was completely in Xiao Yan's hands. Every node, every array pattern, and every bit of power of the entire array was under his control.

That pillar of fire just now was his warning to Yao Wangui by using the power of the great formation, or more accurately... his revenge against Yao Wangui!

"Xiao Yan!" Yao Wangui gritted his teeth, his voice filled with resentment, "You dare to lay a hand on me? Do you know the consequences of offending the Yao Clan?!"

Xiao Yan glanced at him with disdain. How could an old guy who was several hundred years old and was only an eighth-grade nine-color pill alchemist with a Dou Qi level of only four-star Dou Sheng be worthy of representing the Medicine Clan?

Yao Wangui was deeply stung by Xiao Yan's contemptuous gaze—

'A disciple of a discarded person, does he even deserve to look at me like that?!' He wanted to roar out loud, but he knew that in front of Xiao Yan, who had completely mastered the Refining Heaven Ancient Formation, he, a four-star Dou Sheng who was not good at fighting, was no match for Xiao Yan at all!

However, not everyone will back down because of the strength Xiao Yan has shown.

"interesting."

A deep voice slowly rose, carrying a hint of amusement and a touch of provocation.

Chapter 488 Countdown

The Soul Demon stepped out from the crowd. His steps were slow, but with each step, a chilling sense of oppression emanated from his body. His eyes were fixed on Xiao Yan, and the corners of his mouth were slightly upturned, revealing a meaningful smile.

"Xiao Yan, you don't actually think that just because you've taken control of this great formation, you can sit back and relax, do you?"

Before he finished speaking, the aura within the Soul Demon suddenly surged!

It was an extremely strange fluctuation of aura—soul power and battle qi intertwined and merged, forming a peculiar energy that existed between illusion and reality. This was a secret technique of the Soul Clan, a bloodline secret that only those with bloodlines of the eighth rank or above could cultivate. It could perfectly fuse the Soul Clan's innate powerful soul power and battle qi, unleashing strength far exceeding their own realm.

At the same time, a mysterious pattern slowly appeared between the brows of the Soul Demon.

The pattern was dark gold, with ancient and mysterious lines, as if it contained some kind of ancient power. It was the clan mark of the Soul Clan. The clan mark was a symbol of an ancient race, or it could be said to be a secret method of an ancient race that could enhance its own strength without loss.

With the two amplifications combined, the Soul Demon's aura surged at a visible speed, climbing until it was almost at the level of a mid-stage six-star Dou Sheng before finally stabilizing.

"hiss--"

Everyone present gasped in astonishment. There was a world of difference between a five-star Dou Sheng and a six-star Dou Sheng, but how could the Soul Clan's bloodline secret technique and clan emblem, combined, actually bridge this gap?!

"Xiao Yan, I know your trump card," the Soul Demon cracked his wrist, his voice carrying a condescending confidence. "The secret technique you cultivate can indeed boost your strength in a short time, but in your current state, even if you use that technique, what level can you reach? Mid-stage of a five-star Dou Sheng? Late stage?"

He paused, his smile deepening. "And I am now almost at the mid-stage of a six-star Dou Sheng. Even if Gu Si reveals his clan mark, he will at most reach the early stage of a six-star Dou Sheng. Even if he can fight me, how do you plan to deal with the Yan Clan and the Yao Clan? With this Refining Heaven Ancient Formation?"

The five-star Dou Sheng of the Yan Clan and the Yao Clan showed slight changes in expression, as if they wanted to indicate that they would not participate in the struggle between the Soul Clan and the Ancient Clan. However, after their gazes were focused on the sealed source of the demonic fire, they finally swallowed the words that were on the tip of their tongues.

Seeing that they seemed to have become the target of everyone's attacks, Xun'er, Zi Yan, and Gu Si quickly gathered around Xiao Yan, watching the others warily.

Xiao Yan frowned slightly as he looked at the Soul Demon, whose aura was overwhelming.

He frowned, not because he was wary of the Soul Demon's current strength; in fact, what truly puzzled him was something else—

According to his calculations, with his current strength, if he were to use that secret technique and reveal his clan mark, his strength could surge to the late stage of a six-star Dou Sheng, and might even reach the threshold of the peak of a six-star Dou Sheng. On the other hand, the Soul Demon, who also used the bloodline secret technique and revealed his clan mark, only managed to reach the level of a half-step six-star.

Moreover, Xiao Yan was only a three-star Dou Sheng, while the Soul Demon was already a powerful late-stage five-star Dou Sheng...

Therefore, it seems that the secret techniques he comprehended from Douluo Continent are vastly different from the bloodline secret techniques of the Soul Clan.

'Perhaps... there's also the help of the heavens.' Xiao Yan murmured to himself.

"Young Master Xiao Yan, how long can you control the Refining Heaven Ancient Formation?" While warily watching the Soul Demon, Gu Si's voice rang in Xiao Yan's ear, "Within the time you control the Refining Heaven Ancient Formation, you can..."

Gu Si couldn't continue speaking because Xiao Yan's aura was rapidly increasing at a visible speed, almost instantly breaking through the threshold of the four-star Dou Sheng and five-star Dou Sheng, and finally stopping when he barely suppressed the cultivation level that the Soul Demon was currently displaying.

Six-star Dou Sheng, mid-stage!

"Just as you all made up before..." Xiao Yan slowly spoke amidst the incredulous gazes of the crowd, "I obtained the inheritance of the Pure Lotus Demon Saint, which is why I was able to seize control of the Refining Heaven Ancient Formation before the Pure Lotus Demon Flame could react, and thus reach this level within the Demon Flame Space!"

Xiao Yan naturally knew that the secret technique he had deciphered from the Martial Soul Fusion Technique of Douluo Continent was stronger than the Soul Clan's bloodline secret technique. However, he did not believe that the Ancient Clan was a match for the Soul Clan at the moment. He also did not know whether the Soul Emperor, a powerful figure with Emperor-level soul power and the strength of a late-stage Nine-Star Dou Sheng, could temporarily break through the Dou Di realm with his secret technique if it were obtained. Therefore, he lied and claimed that he was able to do this because he had obtained the inheritance of the Pure Lotus Demon Saint.

It was obvious from the frozen expression on the Soul Demon's face and the slow retreat of the two five-star Dou Sheng from the Flame Clan and the Medicine Clan that Xiao Yan understood that they all believed his lie.

"Hahaha... Hahahahahaha!" Yao Wangui, clutching his mangled right arm, suddenly burst into laughter. "He obtained the inheritance of the Pure Lotus Demon Saint? Everyone here knows that the Pure Lotus Demon Saint died from the backlash of the Pure Lotus Demon Flame. Inheritance? He probably just found some fragment of the Refining Heaven Ancient Array somewhere..."

"No, that's not right. I remember the ancient clans possessed a complete diagram of the Heaven-Refining Ancient Array, didn't they? That's right, you must have learned and mastered the Heaven-Refining Ancient Array from the diagrams collected by the ancient clans, which is why it unexpectedly came in handy after entering the Demon Flame Space!"

Knowing that his right arm, which had been completely destroyed by the Refining Heaven Ancient Array, could not be restored, and that he had no chance of breaking through to the ninth-grade alchemist, Yao Wangui howled madly, wanting to expose Xiao Yan's lies and wanting to make Xiao Yan fall to the same level as him!

Xiao Yan ignored Yao Wangui's mad words and simply waved his sleeve. Suddenly, a strong light was released between the Heavenly Array and the Earthly Array. Just as the Soul Demon and the others were about to evade, the light twisted in mid-air and finally turned into a spatial tunnel.

"Two minutes," Xiao Yan's indifferent words reached everyone's ears, "You can consider whether to leave or stay here and die with him."

Although Xiao Yan did not name names in his words, everyone knew that the "he" he was referring to was Yao Wangui.

'Because Yao Chen was expelled from the Medicine Clan by him?'

Both the five-star Dou Sheng of the Yao Clan and the Soul Demon knew about Yao Lao's life experiences, so they instantly understood the 'cause of death' of Yao Wangui. It was precisely because of this that the Soul Demon became increasingly hesitant.

Although he could sense that Xiao Yan's aura was genuine, they were the Soul Clan! The Soul Clan who had almost completely wiped out the Xiao family's bloodline, and who had even kidnapped Xiao Yan's father to the Soul Realm, subjecting him to endless torture!

Xiao Yan actually agreed to let them go?

Even though Yao Wangui was the one who expelled Yao Chen from the Yao Clan hundreds of years ago, Xiao Yan was unwilling to let him go!

Chapter 489 Void Devouring Flame, Sub-Fire

Is this all the strength he has?

In a certain part of the Demon Flame Space, the Green Ox Shepherd Boy, who was hiding his figure, looked at the white-haired old man beside him with some curiosity.

"I don't know, but... it should be close enough, right?" Dan said uncertainly. "A three-star Dou Sheng with soul power that's almost at the Emperor level... is it really possible to do this?"

"...I never expected that he would actually obtain the inheritance of the Pure Lotus Demon Saint." After a brief silence, the Green Ox Shepherd Boy's gaze fell on the spatial passage opened by Xiao Yan. "No, I should say that no one could have imagined that the Pure Lotus Demon Saint of that year would actually be able to leave behind his inheritance."

Just as Yao Wangui said, the Pure Lotus Demon Saint died from the backlash of the Pure Lotus Demon Flame. After the Pure Lotus Demon Saint's demise, almost all the well-known forces, including the ancient races, came here to search for the possible legacy left by the Pure Lotus Demon Saint, but in the end, they all returned empty-handed.

No one expected that, with most of the famous forces from thousands of years ago now having lost their lineage, someone would appear who possessed the legacy of the Pure Lotus Demon Saint and was able to control the Demon Flame Space.

'Could that be considered a legacy?' Dan hesitated.

With strength equivalent to a Dou Di, he sensed a remnant soul within the fragment of the map when Xiao Yan obtained the first fragment, which Xiao Yan treasured.

Therefore, Dan, who was worried that the remnant soul's purpose was to possess Xiao Yan, paid special attention to Xiao Yan's condition when Xiao Yan had collected all the fragments of the map. Only after confirming that Xiao Yan could handle the remnant soul and that there was absolutely no possibility of him being possessed did he stop paying attention to Xiao Yan's situation.

Now Dan knows that the fragment of the painting is the remnant soul of the Pure Lotus Demon Saint, but he finds it hard to believe that the weak remnant soul, which seems to be on the verge of dissipating at any moment, is the remnant soul of the Pure Lotus Demon Saint.

"Forget about him," Dan stretched and said, "Let's go, let's go. Once this kid has devoured all the energy in the Pure Lotus Demon Flame and the Demon Flame Space, he'll be close to reaching the strength of a Nine-Star Dou Sheng. At that time, I won't have many happy days left!"

Upon hearing this, the Green Ox Shepherd Boy didn't offer any advice. After all, he knew that this 'older brother' was born to nurture Xiao Yan. When Xiao Yan's strength reached the Nine-Star Dou Sheng level, it would be time for this 'older brother's' true form to dissipate. However…

"After he leaves the Demon Flame Space, he'll also have the ability to refine Golden Cores, right?" After leaving the Demon Flame Space, Qingniu Shepherd Boy casually glanced at the Flame Clan and Medicine Clan members who seemed to be waiting for something, and said, "Golden Cores will be enough to preserve your consciousness, right?"

“That makes sense,” Dan said, rubbing his chin. “And all the shackles on me will be gone by then, which means… that will be the happiest time for me?” As he spoke, Dan’s eyes lit up.

"Hey, speaking of which, should I have him refine a human body for me after he comes out of seclusion?" Dan kept rambling on. "After being a pill for so many years, I'm actually quite eager to be human... Hey, don't go! I remember you often find a stillborn child and experience the life of an ordinary person. Tell me what your requirements are?"

Upon hearing the phrase "refining a human body," the Green Ox Shepherd immediately slipped into the void, attempting to escape Dan's incessant chatter. Unfortunately, with his strength as a six-star Dou Sheng, he was no match for Dan. Thus, he could only listen speechlessly as Dan rambled on about his potential future "life."

'If I'd known that Xiao Yan had the inheritance of the Pure Lotus Demon Saint, I wouldn't have come along…' the Green Ox Shepherd sighed inwardly. 'I was even thinking of taking his place if he couldn't act, but… sigh!'

Upon hearing Dan's vision for the future, which even included plans to marry a human, the Green Ox Shepherd sighed heavily.

……

As the last unrelated person left the Demon Flame Space, the spatial passage slowly closed, leaving only twelve people in the vast Demon Flame Space.

"Thank you, Soul Demon..."

"Noisy!"

Just as Yao Wangui dragged his crippled body to the side of Hunmo and the others, wanting to thank them, Hunmo suddenly flicked his sleeve, and a violent stream of Dou Qi sent him flying hundreds of feet away. Then, Hunmo calmly looked at Xiao Yan and said, "Don't force yourself. If you could maintain the strength of a mid-stage six-star Dou Sheng at all times, how could you possibly let go of our enemies from the Soul Clan?"

Hun Miesheng and the other two stood silently behind Hun Mo. After listening to Hun Mo's analysis, they all agreed that if Xiao Yan could maintain his strength at the mid-stage of a six-star Dou Sheng, he would never let go of the Hun Clan members who had almost caused the deaths of all of Xiao Yan's relatives. Therefore, they all stayed behind.

"...Ignorance." Xiao Yan, who thought the Soul Demon might still have something to offer but couldn't show his strength to others, remained silent for a moment before slowly uttering two words.

?

Xiao Yan's indifferent reaction gave Soul Demon a bad feeling—could it be that I guessed wrong?

However, before he could think further, Xiao Yan suddenly appeared in front of him, and then, before the Soul Demon could react, a punch slammed into his chest.

boom!

With a dull thud, Soul Demon and the three others who caught his body were sent flying backward.

"Six-star...peak?!?"

After being sent flying hundreds of feet backward, the Soul Demon finally came to a stop and cried out in terror, "Impossible! Absolutely impossible! If you have this kind of power, what reason do you have to make us leave?!"

"I'm quite grateful that you stayed behind," Xiao Yan said calmly. "After all, if I make a move, my strength as a six-star Dou Sheng peak, which I improved through a secret technique, will definitely be exposed, and I can't kill those people from the Yan Clan and the Yao Clan."