Chapter 210: Emerging from Seclusion!
Within this primal chaos, time seemed to stagnate. Xiao Yan did not know how long he had been immersed here.
He only vaguely felt that the instant his consciousness merged into the chaotic light sphere, his body suddenly trembled. In the next moment, vast and boundless chaotic force surged towards him, transforming into a ray of chaotic light that slowly poured in through the top of his skull.
Boom!
As the vast energy poured in, Xiao Yan's physical body subconsciously circulated his cultivation method. Instantly, the flesh and blood within him trembled. Like a ravenous giant maw, with the help of the Heavenly Flames, it devoured and refined all the surging energy flooding into his body.
In merely a few dozen breaths, Xiao Yan faintly sensed that his cultivation had broken through a bottleneck.
Just like that, Xiao Yan's consciousness sat quietly within the primal chaos. It felt as if several decades had passed. His form remained as still as a boulder, not moving an inch. Even his breathing gradually weakened until it was nearly nonexistent.
Within the primal chaos, time was frozen. Only that chaotic light continued to pour endlessly into Xiao Yan through the top of his head...
This state persisted until a certain moment, when a change finally occurred.
One day, Xiao Yan's statue-like body seemed to tremble slightly. In the next instant, those eyes, which had been tightly shut for an unknown length of time, finally slowly opened at that moment.
Buzz!
The instant his eyes opened, a piercing light suddenly shot out from within them. That ray of light was indescribably dazzling; it actually pierced through the primal chaos itself, finally vanishing into the chaotic expanse.
Xiao Yan opened his eyes with a blank expression. His palm slowly clenched, feeling the surging, indescribable power within his body. His body shuddered slightly, as if countless thunderclaps were exploding within him.
"What is going on?" Xiao Yan stared at his own palm in shock. At this moment, he felt none of the joy of past strength increases. Instead, a deep fear and bewilderment rose in his heart.
This sudden surge in strength was simply too astonishing. One second ago, he had been someone who had just broken through to Dou Sheng with the aid of the bloodline power left behind by Xiao Xuan. The next second, he had actually successfully advanced to a five-star Dou Sheng—a full four-star increase! Moreover, his soul power had also broken through to Heaven Realm Great Perfection. All of this was simply far too abnormal.
"Oh no, what time is it now?" Suddenly, Xiao Yan jolted back to his senses. His strength had increased by four stars, so a long time must have passed. Then the Pill Tower, the Hun Clan, the Gu Clan...
Without time to think, he raised his hand and tore open a spatial rift. Lifting his foot, he vanished from this space.
Just after Xiao Yan left this space, the star beneath his feet was the first to collapse, disappearing without a trace, as if it had never existed.
The giant stars around him, which Xiao Yan had just seen containing Heaven Class Dou Techniques, also slowly dissipated. In the blink of an eye, the boundless starry sky vanished. The third floor of the Library Pavilion returned to its original appearance.
Compared to the second floor, the area of the third floor was not large. At a glance, it seemed quite spacious and empty.
In the four corners of this floor, dense halos of light shrouded the area. Outside those halos, space itself felt distorted. Clearly, everything here had been placed under special protection.
Around the room, over ten heritage crystals hovered in mid-air. At a glance, those crystals seemed filled with endless, profound runes, making them quite mystical.
But compared to the boundless starry sky Xiao Yan had just witnessed, everything now seemed so... ordinary.
Within a grand hall in the Pill Tower, several figures with terrifying auras sat cross-legged. After a long while, Yao Chen was the first to lose his composure. He looked at Xuan Kongzi beside him and asked, "Xuan Kongzi, is there still no news of Xiao Yan?"
"That day, after Xiao Yan entered the third floor of the Library Pavilion, for some unknown reason, we could no longer approach that place in the slightest. Even the Ancestor had no way," Xuan Kongzi looked at the anxious Yao Chen, was silent for a moment, then spoke in a deep voice.
"How could..." Yao Chen murmured somewhat dazedly upon hearing this.
"Yao Chen, don't worry. Xiao Yan is blessed by heaven; he'll be fine. Besides, the Ancestor said Xiao Yan might be receiving the inheritance of a predecessor. That may not be a bad thing!"
Xuan Yi stayed close to Yao Chen, gently comforting him, her usual reserved demeanor completely changed.
On Yao Chen's other side, a graceful and charming beautiful woman in a green palace dress also looked at Yao Chen with equally worried eyes.
"If the time comes and Xiao Yan still hasn't emerged, the Ancestor will take action. The urgent matter now is the alliance with the imperial clans and the decisive battle at the Heaven-Burial Mountain Range seven days from now," the Grand Elder silently swept his gaze over the crowd and slowly spoke.
"Jiang Yun once returned to the Pill Tower. He said that in a war between the four clans, Dou Shengs are the main combat force. He suggested that the alliance's Dou Shengs could go to the four-clan battlefield, while the remaining forces could sweep through the Soul Hall's remnants in the Central Plains." After hearing the Grand Elder's question, Xuan Kongzi organized his thoughts and slowly put forward a suggestion that subconsciously made everyone breathe a sigh of relief.
"This proposal is good. There should be a battlefield for the Saint level. The aftershocks of Dou Sheng battles are too terrifying; it's indeed not suitable for those below Dou Sheng to participate." Xuan Kongzi's suggestion received the approval of the majority.
"Then this matter is settled. In that case, who shall we send to contact the imperial clans?" The Grand Elder nodded, making the final decision, then continued to ask.
Instantly, silence fell within the great hall. They didn't really have any connections with those clans. Besides, dealing with those arrogant and haughty groups was not a good idea.
"I..." Just as no one spoke, Yao Chen, after struggling for a long time, finally gritted his teeth and stood up. However, before his words could finish, a clear and bright laugh, which made everyone's hearts jolt, cut him off.
"Leave the matter of the three clans to me to contact..." Within the great hall, Yao Chen's eyes suddenly lit up. His gaze turned towards the entrance, and his worried face slowly broke into an excited smile.
The sudden clear laughter also caused a momentary pause within the hall. Then, an instant later, all gazes in the hall abruptly swiveled towards the entrance. There, sunlight streamed down from the sky. A lean, slender figure slowly appeared under everyone's watchful eyes.
"Xiao Yan!"
The moment that figure appeared, the bodies of Xuan Kongzi, the Grand Elder, and the others within the hall trembled violently. Their faces were filled with expressions of utter disbelief, and exclamations of shock uncontrollably burst from their mouths.
"Xiao Yan, he is Yao Chen's disciple, Xiao Xuan's descendant?" Ancestor Huo Yun looked at Xiao Yan curiously. During this period, the most renowned prodigies in the Central Plains were undoubtedly Jiang Yun and Yun Yi. But when all else seemed silent, Xiao Yan had been closely following behind. Moreover, since he was Xiao Xuan's descendant, Ancestor Huo Yun paid extra attention to Xiao Yan.
"Bang!"
Yao Chen's mouth was also slightly agape, his eyes staring fixedly at the slowly approaching figure. The vast Dou Qi within his body directly erupted due to the fluctuations of his heart.
His eyes, from sheer excitement, had even become somewhat moist. During the month when Xiao Yan had been completely without news, he had worried constantly, every single moment.
His life had been tragic; it could be said that Xiao Yan was the person closest to him. If something had happened to Xiao Yan too, he didn't know what he himself might do.
Seeing Yao Chen's state, Xiao Yan's figure flickered slightly and instantly appeared before Yao Chen. Looking at Yao Chen's trembling form, he revealed a familiar light smile: "Teacher, I've made you worry..."
"Heh heh, you're back, it's good you're back..." Yao Chen forcibly collected his emotions. For the first time in half a month, a smile appeared on his face. His withered hand continuously patted Xiao Yan's shoulder as he repeated that one phrase over and over.
"Yao Chen, I told you Xiao Yan was blessed by heaven. Now you should believe it," Xuan Yi said, watching Yao Chen's demeanor. She smiled, wiping the traces of tears from the corner of her eyes, and spoke softly.
"Xiao Yan... wait... your strength???" The Grand Elder also walked over at this moment. Looking at Xiao Yan as if he'd seen a ghost, he cried out in shock.
Seeing the Grand Elder's loss of composure, everyone was taken aback. They looked Xiao Yan up and down for a moment, and then their expressions all shook.
"Did you... truly receive the inheritance of the Pill Tower Ancestor?" This "Pill Tower Ancestor" referred to a different entity than the current one. Yao Chen looked at Xiao Yan and suddenly blurted out.
Hearing this, Xiao Yan was slightly stunned, then immediately understood. Everyone had misunderstood, thinking the reason he'd stayed in the Library Pavilion so long was because he was receiving the Pill Tower Ancestor's inheritance. But...
But that wasn't it at all. He had no idea what his experience had been about. He had inexplicably gained such terrifying strength.
This matter was not easy to explain. Looking at the curious eyes of the crowd, he slowly nodded.
"You... you kid..." Seeing Xiao Yan personally admit it, everyone in the hall drew a sharp breath. They exchanged glances, seeing the shock in each other's eyes.
They all knew what kind of figure the Pill Tower Ancestor was—arguably the cultivator with the strongest alchemy skills below the Yao Emperor. Who wouldn't covet the inheritance of such a figure?
"Let's not dwell on my matters for now. There are seven days until the decisive battle. I'll head to the Gu Clan first to discuss things with them. The alliance here should also make early preparations," Xiao Yan said with a slight smile to the shaken crowd, speaking seriously.
"Good. Time is pressing. You go to the Gu Clan first. We'll organize the various divisions and monitor the every move of the Soul Hall in the Central Plains," Yao Chen slowly nodded, then said with a light laugh.
"Alright!"
Demonic Flame Space. It was as scorching as ever. In the sky above the magma sea, an enormous crystal cocoon hovered in mid-air. The cocoon's surface shimmered; occasionally, faint flickers of flame darted up, like sprites, full of spiritual energy.
Not far away, a lovely girl in green robes was gazing softly at the suspended giant cocoon. The searing heat in the surrounding space caused the girl no trouble whatsoever, a testament to her high cultivation.
Crack!
Finally, within the silence, a faint sound suddenly rang out. Qing Lin's gaze instantly shifted over.
On the surface of the crystal cocoon, a crack had slowly appeared. Following this first crack, more and more fissures gradually spread across the cocoon. Eventually, a large piece of the crystal cocoon fragment finally slid off from the top...
"Boom!"
As the crystal cocoon split open, a pillar of light, black and white in color, suddenly shot into the sky, finally transforming into a curtain of light that poured down from the distant heavens...
"Jiang Yun ge-ge..." Seeing the light pillar shooting into the sky, Qing Lin's face was written with surprised delight as she cried out.
"Qing Lin, I've kept you waiting..." From within the light pillar, an arm suddenly extended. Then, Jiang Yun's figure slowly walked out. He stretched his body mightily, and the bones throughout his body actually emitted a rumbling sound like thunder, echoing across the sky.
"No matter how long, Qing Lin will wait for Jiang Yun ge-ge!" Seeing Jiang Yun emerge, Qing Lin's figure flickered, instantly arriving beside him. She spoke with a gentle expression.
"Heh heh, let's go. All matters are settled. It's time to prepare for the coming storm."
Jiang Yun rubbed Qing Lin's forehead, watching as she comfortably narrowed her eyes, and smiled gently.
Qing Lin obediently nodded. She thought Jiang Yun was referring to the impending great battle at the Ancient Emperor's Mansion, when the Taixu Ancient Dragon Clan would no longer hide behind the scenes but would confront the victor among the three clans and the Hun Clan head-on.
However, only Jiang Yun knew in his heart that the great battle he spoke of was not the battle at the imperial mansion at all, but the even more terrifying threat of the Extraterritorial Evil Clan.
Recalling his experience absorbing the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame, a cold light flashed in Jiang Yun's eyes.
Why was it that on the Dou Qi Continent, only Nihility Devouring Flame and the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame had given birth to sentience and formed Flame Spirit Bodies?
It was because these two were formed from the Dou Qi Continent's own origin power. They were different from the other Heavenly Flames. The others were created after the original owner of the Myriad Flame Immortal Body fell, combining with the unique laws of the Dou Qi Continent.
This also resulted in the uniqueness of the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame and Nihility Devouring Flame, because a second identical flame would never be born from the world's origin.
The so-called Emperor Flame did not actually require devouring the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame and Nihility Devouring Flame. One only needed to gather the twenty-one other Heavenly Flames to forge the Emperor Flame and become first on the Dou Qi Continent's Heavenly Flame List.
The reason for this was that those twenty-one other Heavenly Flames were originally parts of a single whole. When gathered together, they could erupt with terrifying power.
And the other matter was the reason that had completely changed Jiang Yun's thinking.
It was that the Plane Spirit had chosen Xiao Yan between him and Xiao Yan. Logically, having refined the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame and obtained a portion of the Dou Qi Continent's origin power, the Plane Spirit should have been closer to him.
However, just like the Symbol Ancestor of the Tianxuan Continent, the Plane Spirit innately rejected outsiders. In the end, He still chose the "native-born" Xiao Yan.
Towards outsiders, He would act just as He did with the Symbol Ancestor—enticing them on one hand while remaining aloof and detached on the other. Faced with this kind of "cheap bone," Jiang Yun leaned more towards the approach of the Demon Emperor of Extinction. Won't submit? Then I'll beat you until you submit!
The Plane Spirit fancied itself lofty and supreme. He and Xiao Yan had no idea of the choice He had made. But all of this had been fully observed by Jiang Yun.
Since the Plane Spirit had chosen Xiao Yan, then it couldn't blame him for using... extraordinary means.
Thinking of this, just as he was about to step into the spatial passage, Jiang Yun's gaze swept across the sky.