Battle Through the Heavens: Xiao Yan, I am your second master.

"Clan mark? Could it be that what Yun'er saw when my brow itched that day was the clan mark? Let's try it. Heavenly Fire Three Transformations: First Transformation, Yang Fire Transformation; Second Transformation, Yin Fire Transformation; Third Transformation, Demonic Flame Transformation!"

Xiao Li decisively activated the Heavenly Fire Three Transformations. After using the Heavenly Fire Three Transformations this time, a strange rune appeared again between Xiao Li's eyebrows.

No one knew why Xiao Li was activating the Heavenly Fire Three Transformations. They noticed a peculiar rune appearing between Xiao Li's eyebrows, which puzzled them.

Xiao Kong's eyes lit up with joy as he pointed to Xiao Li's brow: "Look, this is the clan mark."

Regarding Xiao Kong's cultivation level after his resurrection, I think he's about at the mid-stage of a five-star Dou Sheng. Yin Sheng is indeed a seven-star Dou Sheng, but the Yin Yang Reversal Pill of grade eight and eight colors and his essence blood at the initial stage of the ninth rank are holding him back.

Moreover, the differences between each level of Dou Sheng are huge. It is unrealistic to reach the Seven-Star Dou Sheng level with just a physical body. Once you reach the high-level Dou Sheng, it is very difficult to improve unless you have a treasure of the level of a Ninth-Grade Profound Pill.

Therefore, I think the mid-stage of the Five-Star Dou Sheng realm is most suitable. Anyway, there's still room for improvement, so there's nothing to worry about. Once Xiao Li reaches the Ninth-Rank Alchemist level, he can refine targeted pills to help Xiao Kong recover.

Chapter 157 Cultivating Clan Marks

"Li, is this what I saw last time? So it's called a clan mark?" Yun Yun took out a bronze mirror and handed it to Xiao Li.

Xiao Li took the bronze mirror and looked at himself, staring at the rune between his eyebrows: "A clan mark?"

Xiao Kong nodded: "It is indeed a clan mark, but your clan mark was forcibly activated through the Three Transformations of Heavenly Fire, so it is very unstable and incomplete. I will teach you how to activate the clan mark."

Unfortunately, the final step of the Heavenly Fire Three Transformations is to draw the clan emblem. At that time, I only studied the first three transformations, and I suppose only the clan leader knows this final step.

However, I have other methods for drawing clan markings. Our Xiao clan's markings have nine strokes, while the markings on your forehead have only two strokes, which is quite good.

"Listen carefully as I explain, and you two girls over there, listen carefully to how you draw the clan crest."

Xiao Kong began to teach Xiao Li and the Pei sisters how to draw their clan crests.

The difficulty of cultivating the clan mark was completely beyond Xiao Li and the Pei sisters' expectations. They originally thought that it would be a piece of cake for the three of them, who were powerful Dou Zun, to cultivate it, but they did not expect it to be so troublesome.

The seemingly simple strokes require an incredibly demanding level of skill and control in terms of fighting spirit. No wonder Ancestor Xiao Kong said that back in the days of the Eight Great Families, the geniuses of the Xiao Clan were often stronger than those of the other imperial clans.

Perhaps it's because of the Xiao clan's tradition that the Dou Di of other imperial clans left their clans with many good things, such as high-level Heaven-rank cultivation techniques and high-level Heaven-rank fighting skills.

The Xiao clan, however, was different. Apart from Emperor Xiao keeping a copy of his own preferred cultivation techniques and fighting skills, the rest of the techniques left to the Xiao clan were all low-level Heaven-rank.

In order to prevent the Xiao clan from running out of resources, the Xiao clan's powerful members throughout the ages have been able to create powerful Heaven-rank techniques and fighting skills. For example, Xiao Xuan created a high-level Heaven-rank fire-attribute technique that was unique to him, as well as the secret technique Heavenly Fire Three Transformations that complemented the technique.

Xiao Kong also created his own advanced Heaven-rank cultivation techniques and advanced Heaven-rank combat skills.

The original Xiao clan's inherited cultivation method was the low-level Heaven-rank "Berserker Saint Mirror". After that, they had to try to create their own cultivation method, which was a long process and there was even a possibility that they could not create it.

However, clansmen who can create their own Heaven-Rank Battle Techniques are extremely powerful! For example, Xiao Xuan, the cousin of the clan leader a thousand years ago, once defeated countless opponents with his self-created ultimate technique, "Sky Slash," but he mysteriously disappeared afterward.

Even when Xiao Xuan went to look for it himself, he couldn't find it.

Ultimately, the Xiao Clan's strength depends on their own cultivation. However, this strength is also a limitation, since not everyone can create their own cultivation techniques and fighting skills. But those who can create cultivation techniques and fighting skills are all exceptionally talented individuals!

The clan crest of the Xiao clan originated from Xiao Li and the Pei sisters.

Time flies, and ten months have passed in the blink of an eye.

In a secret room, Xiao Li sat upright. A strange purplish-red rune could be seen between his eyebrows. The rune looked very complete, and upon closer inspection, it had nine strokes.

Xiao Kong stroked his beard and said, "I didn't expect this child to activate the clan mark in just seven months. He's really amazing. Perhaps it's because he's an alchemist and has extremely strong control over battle qi."

Now he wants to use the insights gained from drawing his clan's markings to break through again and reach the Six-Star Dou Zun level. He's truly a talented little guy, but it's a pity he doesn't have the bloodline of a Dou Di, preventing him from unleashing the power of his clan's markings to their peak.

Having observed Xiao Li over this period of time, Xiao Kong realized that Xiao Li's talent was truly exceptional. If he were a thousand years ago, Xiao Li would definitely be considered to have a divine bloodline.

"Hehe, perhaps this child wouldn't have had a divine bloodline a thousand years ago. His bloodline might not have been high. After all, the Xiao clan's bloodline had already been depleted back then. If this child had been in a thousand years ago, he probably wouldn't have had such a good environment to cultivate."

Xiao Kong whispered that the bloodline of the imperial clan is supreme, and even the Xiao clan is no exception. Although the bloodline ranking is not as strict as that of other imperial clans, it is a consensus that an excellent Dou Di bloodline is definitely more powerful than an ordinary Dou Di bloodline.

A genius like Xiao Li would only appear once every few hundred or even a thousand years in the Xiao clan.

Xiao Kong watched as Xiao Li's battle aura fluctuated, indicating that he was about to break through. Xiao Kong then turned to look at the Pei sisters, Pei Yuhan and Pei Yurou.

"These two girls are quite talented. They have already sketched eight strokes of the clan's inscription in ten months. Their talent is quite remarkable. It seems that heaven has not forsaken our Xiao clan."

Xiao Kong sighed, looking at the three people who kept moving forward in front of him, and the Xiao family members who were working hard to cultivate in the Northwest Continent. One after another, young faces appeared in Xiao Kong's mind.

"That's right, that's how my Xiao clan should be. No matter what difficulties or setbacks we face, we must confront them head-on. Perhaps this is what our ancestor Emperor hoped for. Hehe, I never thought that this old man, who's almost in the grave, would only just realize this now."

"Hehehehehehehehehe." Xiao Kong said self-deprecatingly. He was very sad about the destruction of the Xiao clan, but he was also very glad that the Xiao clan had successors. Xiao Li, the Pei sisters, Xiao Ting, Xiao Lin and a series of other little ones in the Xiao clan were all working hard.

As the patriarch, he cannot be weak.

After ten months of recovery, Xiao Kong has completely taken control of his physical body, and his internal fighting spirit has recovered to about 70-80%. His current cultivation level has also recovered to the peak of the five-star Dou Sheng. In less than two years, Xiao Kong will be able to recover to the six-star Dou Sheng.

However, further advancements require time to hone one's skills. After all, at the Dou Sheng level, each minor advancement is extremely difficult. Fortunately, Xiao Kong started over and cultivated to the late stage of the Eight-Star Dou Sheng without any bottlenecks.

All he needs to do is restore his fighting spirit to that level, which will take about 30 to 50 years for Xiao Kong to recover to his peak condition.

. . . . . .

Northwest Continent, Gama Empire

Wutan City, Xiao Family

“Grandpa, there have been quite a few people spying on the family these days,” Xiao Lin said, frowning.

Standing before Xiao Lin, the tall, white-haired, and white-bearded Xiao Ting frowned deeply.

"I've already detected them; they're all Dou Huang level experts. There was a two-star Dou Zong who appeared before, but he escaped. These people have strange auras and should be from the Soul Hall."

Li'er told me about the Soul Hall's ranking system. The Douhuang level should be the lowest level of the Soul Hall's Soul Envoys, while that two-star Douzong should be a Soul Hall Protector, a Human-level Protector.

Besides these soul messengers, there were other people near the Xiao family residence, who appeared to be members of the royal family.

Xiao Ting recounted the auras he had sensed over the past few days. He also created a spatial barrier, making it impossible for anyone other than a Dou Zun expert to overhear his conversation with Xiao Lin.

"The royal family? Could it be that the royal family has sided with the Soul Palace?" Xiao Lin asked in surprise.

"Who knows? You saw Hai Bodong defeat Jia Xingtian before, and then fight the Dou Zun in the capital. You couldn't get involved at all. If you were the ruler of the Jia Ma Empire, would your Jia Ma Empire be disregarded by others?"

"Then a powerful person comes and tells you that he can give you power. What would you choose?" Xiao Ting said, clenching his fist.

"Then I'll go and kill Jia Xingtian, and that will end it all!" Xiao Lin said, clenching his fist. He was now a Dou Zong expert. After a long period of reflection and sparring with his grandfather Xiao Ting, he suddenly decided to go into seclusion one day.

After a year of seclusion, Xiao Lin emerged as a Dou Zong expert, adding another powerful member to the Xiao family.

Since Xiao Lin was preparing to let Xiao Zhan succeed him as clan leader after breaking through to the Dou Zong realm, he announced to the outside world that he was going into seclusion.

Xiao Ting shook his head: "No need, it's easy to alert them. But we'll deal with these spying people. Lin'er, you go and deal with the bugs around the house, and I'll deal with the ones in Wutan City."

"it is good!"

Xiao Ting and Xiao Lin acted simultaneously, swiftly eliminating those spying within Wutan City.

. . . . . .

Gama Holy City, Royal Palace

In a deep, secret room,

At this moment, an old figure sat cross-legged in the center of the secret chamber. The old man was dressed in a hemp robe and exuded an extremely powerful aura. However, the old man's face was gloomy.

"Hehehe, Jia Xingtian, how is your Dou Zong power?"

Chapter 158 Still at the Peak

A strange laugh rang out, followed by a cloud of black mist appearing behind the old man.

That's right, this old man is Jia Xingtian. At this moment, he has accepted the power of the Soul Palace and taken two Breakthrough Pills to become a Dou Zong powerhouse.

"Many thanks to Protector Wu and Protector Chi for their guidance. I will remember it forever," Jia Xingtian said, bowing to the black mist.

"From now on, you can't call her Protector Chi anymore. She's an elder now, so you should address her respectfully when you see her, understand?" Protector Wu said calmly.

"A Venerable Elder?! A Dou Zun expert!" Jia Xingtian gasped in shock.

"That's right. Elder Chimei has gained the appreciation of the Palace Master and successfully advanced to the Dou Zun level. Elder Chimei is now the head of the Northwest Continent, and the Palace Master has specially arranged for three elders to assist her."

"And since you're an informant personally placed by the Elder, he'll likely come looking for you soon. You'd better do a good job; if he's in a good mood one day and rewards you, you'll be getting a great deal."

The hoarse voice of the Protector of the Wu River came, as if celebrating the arrival of Xing Tian.

"Thank you for informing me, Protector Wu. I will certainly dedicate myself to the Soul Palace." Jia Xingtian clasped his hands in a fist salute to the shadowy figure.

Beneath the black mist, Protector Wu sneered: "Hmph, you think you can serve the Soul Palace wholeheartedly as a mere pawn? Heh, what a piece of trash. You wasted two Breaking Sect Pills to become a Dou Zong. If it weren't for Elder Chi Mei's order, this sect wouldn't have bothered with a piece of trash like you."

Let's deal with the Gama Empire matter slowly from now on. While monitoring the Xiao family, let Jia Xingtian launch a war against foreign powers and collect more souls. We can't forget about achievements; after all, I am a subordinate of Elder Chimei.

I can't embarrass her. If I handle this matter well, the Palace Master will appreciate me, and I'll be set for life. If I surpass Chimei, hehehe, Chimei always acts so arrogant.

"I'd love to see you pleading and begging at my feet, hehehe."

Just as Protector Wu was fantasizing about his meteoric rise to power, Jia Xingtian suddenly stood up, startling Protector Wu.

"What are you doing?" Protector Wu said, somewhat annoyed.

"It's time to settle accounts. The Gama Empire has been peaceful for too long. A major purge would be a good thing for our royal family. The Yunlan Sect, the Mittel family, and that Xiao family, hehe."

Jia Xingtian left in an instant, and only then did Protector Wu react, roaring in fury.

"What an idiot! Who does he think he is? Does he think he can do whatever he wants just because he broke through to the Dou Zong realm? Hmph, let him go. He'll learn better from his mistakes."

Protector Wu is waiting here, waiting for that fool to return in a sorry state.

Since Protector Wu is in charge of the Jia Ma Empire, he naturally needs to understand the local forces of the Jia Ma Empire. The strong people in the Jia Ma Empire include Yun Shan of the Yunlan Sect, Hai Bodong of the Mittel family, and an unknown Dou Zong of the Xiao family.

The Xiao family cannot be touched right now. There are people from the ancient clans watching over them. If the ancient clans are attracted, the plan will be exposed. The Xiao family can only be monitored and we will wait for an opportunity to act.

As for the Yunlan Sect and the Mittel family, the Yunlan Sect has a Dou Zong level expert named Yun Shan. Protector Wu once secretly went to Yunlan Mountain to investigate, but was almost discovered.

Protector Wu was certain that Yun Shan possessed strength no less than a four-star Dou Zong, equivalent to a Earth-level Protector of the Soul Palace. He, Wu Ying, was merely a Human-level Protector and could not defeat him.

The Ice Emperor Hai Bodong of the Mittel family is said to have defeated Jia Xingtian before. Hai Bodong was an eight-star Dou Huang at the time and defeated Jia Xingtian, who was at the peak of Dou Huang.

Protector Wu curled his lip: "Being defeated by someone of a higher level, what a waste. If Jia Xingtian, this pawn, is ruined, who should we turn to? The Jia Ma Empire is truly useless, with only a few Dou Wang families ruling and dominating."

"We don't even have a Dou Huang. Maybe we should get some puppets from the neighboring empires? I remember the Izumo Empire is under the command of Protector Tie, and there's also the Golden Goose Empire and the Mulan Empire. We should talk to them."

. . . . . .

The Mittel family,

Hai Bodong, dressed in a blue robe, walked out of his seclusion room and happened to run into Mittel Tengshan.

"Tengshan, have you had any problems lately?" Hai Bodong asked.

"There's no problem, everything is as usual. It's just that after the Xiao family moved to Wutan City, our pill sales have decreased significantly, and our monthly revenue has dropped considerably," Teng Shan replied truthfully.

"Hey~ You saw it that day too. Go and make some arrangements with the Mittel Auction House branch in Utan City. Even though the Xiao family is in Utan City, we still need to maintain good relations."

Hai Bodong waved his hand and said.

"Yes, I understand. I'll handle this personally, Elder Hai. By the way, Elder Hai, have you not yet broken through to the Dou Zong realm?" Teng Shan inquired.

Hai Bodong shook his head: "It's not that easy. Although I've cultivated to the peak of Dou Huang and touched that barrier, I don't feel like I've broken through. I probably need to settle down for a while."

"I see. It's a pity I'm still just a Battle King," Teng Shan sighed.

"Hmm?" Hai Bodong suddenly looked up at the sky, his expression immediately becoming serious.

"What's wrong, Elder Hai?" Tengshan asked.

"Hai Bodong, come out and fight!" came an old, slightly hoarse voice.

Hai Bodong's expression was solemn: "Jia Xingtian, how did that old ghost break through to the Dou Zong level? That shouldn't be the case. Could someone be helping him? Let me go and take a look."

"I'm entrusting the Tengshan family to you. Have the Shadow Guards on alert, and immediately send someone to Wutan City to invite Xiao Ting. It is I, Hai Bodong, who am requesting his assistance."

Mittel Tengshan immediately bowed and said, "Understood, Elder Hai, shall we go to Yunlan Sect?"

Hai Bodong shook his head: "The capital is very close to Yunlan Sect. That old man Yunshan probably already knows. I'm going."

Hai Bodong spread his battle qi wings behind him and flicked his right hand, and a dark blue spear twelve feet long appeared. The spear exuded a strong chill.

Hai Bodong arrived at high altitude, where Jia Xingtian was already standing with his hands behind his back, looking unfathomable.

“Jia Xingtian?” Hai Bodong looked at Jia Xingtian in front of him. The aura emanating from him was undeniable; he was indeed a Dou Zong powerhouse.

"Hehe, old man Hai, it's been years since I last saw you. How come you're still at the peak of the Dou Huang realm? I'm in a good mood today and would like to spar with you," Jia Xingtian sneered.

"Heh, I don't know what method you used to break through to the Dou Zong level, but don't think that you can show off in front of me just because you've broken through to the Dou Zong level. You've only just entered the Dou Zong level and are still in the adjustment period."

"He's not even a one-star Dou Zong. If I seriously injure him, his cultivation level might drop." Hai Bodong sneered.

"Hmph, today I'll smash your mouth!" Jia Xingtian waved his hand, and a huge, earth-yellow bird charged towards Hai Bodong.

"Xuan Bing Long Xiang!"