Chapter 1047: Xiao Yan and Xiao Xuan's First Meeting

Of course, the conflict with Xiao Yan involved not only the Soul Clan's Hun Kai and Hun Li.

This time, the two Thunder Clan members led by Mang Tianchi, upon seeing Xiao Yan, almost fought him before the Soul Clan could.

After their own elder earlier had inexplicably provoked trouble with Xiao Yan, they used the few days between the Ancient Clan's coming‑of‑age ceremony ending and Tian Mu opening to ask the leading Elder Mang Tianchi for the exact cause.

When they learned that Xiao Yan, that low‑born kid, the damn fool, actually dared to seize something of the Thunder Clan—

Because of the nature of Dou Qi and their cultivation methods, the already short‑tempered younger generation of the Thunder Clan immediately shouted that Xiao Yan must pay the price.

Especially after entering Tian Mu, if it weren't for Gu Xun'er helping to intimidate the Thunder Clan—

Xiao Yan could only hope that his ancestor Xiao Xuan would come to the rescue.

Of course, regarding this scene, the Yan, Shi, and Yao clans merely stood aside quietly to watch the spectacle, without taking part in the farce.

However, four months after they entered Tian Mu, just as in the original work, they encountered a massive energy storm on the second layer of Tian Mu.

Moreover, the passage to the third layer of Tian Mu was also blocked by solidified energy.

Faced with this situation, the members of each family inside Tian Mu had no choice but to unite and jointly break through the blocked passage.

However, after Hun Kai and Hun Li entered the third layer of Tian Mu, after an unknown conversation with the Thunder Clan, members of the two clans silently vanished from Xiao Yan and the others' perception.

"Those Soul guys suddenly disappearing together with the Thunder Clan—what on earth are they up to?"

Looking at the area that had become empty the moment he glanced away, Xiao Yan couldn't help feeling a hint of unease.

Although not long ago, by relying on the energy core within the energy entity inside Tian Mu, he had successfully ascended to the Six‑Star Dou Zun.

But those Soul Clan members are also not easy to deal with.

Their sudden disappearance now must involve some plot.

And his suspicion was soon confirmed.

Because on their way to Xiao Mu, the Thunder Clan, accompanied by one of its Dou Saint Ancestors, and the Soul Clan, with the energy entity formed by its two Dou Saint Ancestors, suddenly launched an attack.

After all, each of the great ancient races has many strong ones buried within Tian Mu.

And they, too, have likewise become energy entities residing inside Tian Mu.

At the same time, the Thunder Clan's Ancestor seemed to have made arrangements with the Soul Clan.

Both sides sent forces: one squad rushed straight at Xiao Yan, while another launched a sudden attack on Gu Xun'er.

They intended to snuff out the Ancient Clan's sole divine‑blood prodigy within Tian Mu.

"Bastard, if we survive this, Xiao Yan and your Soul Clan and Thunder Clan will be irreconcilable!"

Seeing the energy entity formed after the Thunder Clan Ancestor's death surge forward, Xiao Yan felt his heart turn to ash.

At the same time, Gu Xun'er, Gu Qingyang and the others, facing the two Soul Clan Dou Saint energy entities, also felt utter despair.

After all, the gap between a Dou Zun and a Dou Saint is simply too vast.

"Jie Jie, Gu Xun'er, even though you possess a divine‑blood lineage, I don't believe it; I've prepared so meticulously that you still can't get away this time!"

Hun Kai and Hun Li stood on a distant peak, their gazes toward the few people below filled with smug satisfaction.

Having prepared for such a long time to eliminate Xiao Yan and Gu Xun'er in one blow, he refused to believe he could fail.

"Hun Kai, Hun Li, I see you two don't intend to leave the Ancient Clan peacefully!"

Seeing those two smug ones, Gu Xun'er was so angry that her silver teeth were nearly crushed.

But regarding the current situation, even she was powerless.

"Snort!"

However, just as the attacks of the two Soul Clan Dou Saint energy entities and that Thunder Clan Dou Saint energy entity were less than half a foot from Xiao Yan and Gu Xun'er, they suddenly solidified.

"Who are you?"

Seeing their attacks suddenly solidify, the Dou Saint Ancestors of the Soul and Thunder clans' faces changed, and their angry shouts rang out instantly!

"It seems that within Tian Mu, some members of the Soul Clan still survive and have allied with the Thunder Clan, now colluding with the Soul Clan,"

Just as the two clans' Dou Saint Ancestors' angry shouts faded, a faint voice tinged with an ancient scent suddenly rose slowly in the space.

And as that voice sounded, the attacks of the Soul and Thunder clans' Ancestors instantly crumbled to dust.

"Xiao Xuan?!"

Hearing that voice, the two Soul Clan Dou Saints and the Thunder Clan Dou Saint energy entity's faces suddenly flushed with shock.

"Is that the Xiao clan elder who has always been overtaken by other ancient races?"

Hearing Hun Kai and Hun Li's startled cries, Xiao Yan's body trembled, and he couldn't help muttering to himself.

Just as his words left his mouth, Xiao Yan suddenly felt a strange surge ripple through his circulating bloodline.

Within this odd fluctuation, there seemed to be a faint sense of delight.

Immediately thereafter, under everyone's gaze, the void before Xiao Yan and the others inexplicably rippled with small undulations.

In an instant, a figure clad in light‑teal robes silently materialized, appearing before everyone's eyes.

Although the figure's appearance did not cause any celestial phenomena.

But everyone faintly sensed that this world seemed unable to endure even a single punch or kick from this person.

"Soul Clan, what a disgusting scent of bloodline."

After the figure materialized, it slowly lifted its head, revealing a face that was not particularly handsome but exuded a peculiar aura.

Its black hair was casually draped over its shoulders, and its ink‑black pupils, like black holes, were deep, filled with an unusual wisdom that exuded an intoxicating charm.

"Xiao Xuan!"

The two Soul Clan Dou Saint energy entities stared fixedly at that face from a thousand years ago that had dealt a severe blow to their clan, their eyes flashing with shock and fear.

Although they had once been Dou Saint masters with extremely formidable strength.

But the man before them had once stood at the pinnacle of the continent.

Looking across the entire continent, only a handful of people could match him.

With such a gap, how could they possibly defeat him?

As for that suddenly appearing figure, Hun Ya in the distance also had his legs somewhat trembling.

Although he had never before encountered that peerless expert who once dominated the continent, he had still heard some information about Xiao Xuan through various channels.

Facing this peak expert who had once heavily wounded their clan leader, he, a mere eight-star Dou Venerable, could probably be killed even if the opponent just farted.

"Senior Hun Diao, we are many, no need to be afraid!"

But soon, Hun Ya, having reacted, forced himself to calm down and called out to the senior of their Soul clan.

"That's right. Although Xiao Xuan's strength is great, he is also similarly suppressed by the Tian Mu; he cannot arbitrarily leave the tomb. Instead, he must leave the tomb only once every ten years. But now, since less than ten years have passed since his last emergence from the tomb, he certainly cannot appear!"

The ancient clan Dou Saint called Hun Diao took a deep breath, suppressing the fear in his heart, and cheered himself up.

"In other words, the Xiao Xuan before us is not here in person?"

Upon hearing this, another Soul clan Dou Saint energy body, as well as the Lei Zu Dou Saint, all had their eyes flash and exclaimed in delight.

"I'm afraid it's merely an image."

While speaking, the Soul clan Dou Saint called Hun Diao also unconsciously grew much bolder.

Although Xiao Xuan is formidable, it's impossible for him to scare the three of them away just by relying on an image!

Upon hearing that, the other Soul clan Dou Saint and the Lei Zu Dou Saint energy body all let out a great sigh of relief.

"Your eyesight does have some merit, but unfortunately your strength is too weak."

Regarding Hun Diao's analysis, the blue-clothed man merely gave a slight smile, then fixed his black pupils on the three Hun Diao before him.

He then lightly said: "But you few are really overestimating yourselves. Three initial-stage Dou Saints, in front of me, you don't even have the qualification to speak."

After his words fell, the blue-clothed man slowly raised his palm and gently grasped toward the two Soul and one Lei individuals.

"Shatter!"

As the blue-clothed man uttered that word from his mouth, Xiao Yan and the Gu clan members, etc., instantly saw the space within a radius of a thousand zhang completely collapse at that moment.

The next moment, an invisible gigantic hand of pitch-black color suddenly formed in the sky, then casually swatted at those three.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The pitch-black gigantic hand, over a thousand zhang in size, lightly patted down; in an instant, the land trembled violently like an earthquake.

One after another huge cracks spread rapidly from the ground, finally extending to a distant place.

Those three Dou Saint energy bodies from the Soul and Lei clans suddenly shuddered violently; without even uttering a cry, they exploded with a bang into a mass of nothingness.

However, when the two exploded into nothingness, the spreading residual force fiercely flung Hun Ya and the two Lei clan young geniuses away, finally sending them flying toward the distance.

As for this situation, Xiao Xuan merely glanced at the four people who had been flicked away, but did not intervene to stop them.

After all, in his eyes, these seven- or eight-star Dou Venerables were truly inferior even to ants, not worth pursuing.

Meanwhile, the gigantic hand in the sky heavily landed on the three led by Hun Diao, and then fell onto the ground.

"Rumble—"

In an instant, the earth trembled, large amounts of dust spread out, obscuring everyone's view.

After a moment, once the dust settled, Lin Feng and the others discovered a pitch-black abyss a thousand zhang wide and bottomless appearing before their eyes.

"Hiss!"

Gazing at the bottomless abyss, Xiao Yan and Gu Qingyang, etc., couldn't help but draw another breath of cold air.

Such terrifying destructive power, the strength of this person before us, is perhaps a bit too frightening.

Meanwhile, in the sky was that blue-clothed man, who after casually disposing of the Dou Saint energy bodies of the Soul and Lei clans, then turned around.

His gaze skipped over Gu Xun'er and Gu Qingyang, etc., and finally settled on Xiao Yan.

Faced with the blue-clothed man's gaze, the blood in Xiao Yan's body seemed to flow faster and faster in that instant.

For this feeling he had never experienced before, Xiao Yan suppressed his excitement and quickly raised his head to meet those black pupils.

After such mutual gaze lasted a while, the blue-clothed man's face gradually showed some smiles.

"The Xiao clan. Finally someone has come; my years of waiting were not in vain."

The blue-clothed man in the sky then moved, stepping through the void, slowly coming before Xiao Yan and speaking softly.

In that voice, there seemed to be a hint of relief and also a trace of liberation.

"Unworthy descendant Xiao Yan, I pay my respects to the ancestor!"

Upon hearing the blue-clothed man's words, Xiao Yan below could no longer suppress his excitement; he immediately knelt on one knee in the void and performed a grand salute toward him.

"Hehe, Xiao Yan, what a good name."

Looking at Xiao Yan kneeling with both knees, the blue-clothed man smiled slightly and quickly helped him up.

Next, he patted Xiao Yan's head and said softly: "From the moment you entered the Tian Mu, I sensed your presence. Without relying on bloodline, reaching six-star Dou Venerable at this age is quite impressive."

Hearing this, Xiao Yan felt a bit embarrassed and scratched his head.

He is no longer the ignorant youth of the past; he knows that the ancestor before him was once a figure of great renown.

Receiving such a good evaluation from him made him inevitably feel somewhat awed.

"Junior Gu Qingyang, I pay my respects to Senior Xiao Xuan!"

At that moment, Gu Qingyang, Xun'er, and others at the side also performed a respectful grand salute to Xiao Xuan.

After all, they clearly understood that this person before them, even if an elder or even the clan leader of the Gu clan came here, must be treated courteously; negligence is not allowed.

"The Gu clan people?"

Seeing this, Xiao Xuan's mouth corners curled up slightly as he gave a light chuckle.

Next, he glanced at Gu Qingyang, etc., and said as if pointing something out: "Your Gu clan seems not to have fully kept the agreement we made back then."

Upon hearing this, Gu Qingyang and the others immediately broke into a cold sweat on their foreheads, hurriedly saying: "Senior Xiao Xuan, this is only a few people in the clan; the clan leader has always upheld some agreements up to now. Moreover, Xiao Yan brother now possessing such strength, our Gu clan has also contributed greatly."

Regarding these people's words, Xiao Xuan did not delve deeper, but suddenly turned his gaze toward Xun'er at the side and said: "Your bloodline is very similar to Gu Yuan's!"

"Senior, Gu Yuan is indeed my father."

Upon hearing the senior's words, Xun'er immediately responded with a respectful salute.

While speaking, she couldn't help but glance at Xiao Xuan with her beautiful eyes, feeling a bit apprehensive.

Speaking of which, Xiao Xuan also counts as an elder of Xiao Yan, so she naturally didn't want their first meeting to cause him to hold any prejudice against her.

Although the Gu clan had stabbed the Xiao clan in the back many times.

"So it's that guy's daughter. No wonder she possesses the Gu clan's divine-grade bloodline."

Hearing that, Xiao Xuan lightly nodded.

Afterwards, his gaze suddenly swept over Xiao Yan and Xun'er.

Thinking back to their rather intimate actions on the way after entering the Tian Mu, he smiled meaningfully and said: "Although he painstakingly cultivated that divine-grade bloodline, in the end my Xiao clan got the benefit."

"Swish!"

As the former's words fell, a blush of shy crimson rose on Gu Xun'er's stunning cheek.

And just then, Xiao Xuan suddenly looked up at the sky, then lowered his gaze to the crowd below and said: "This is not a place for chat; go straight ahead, and there lies my tomb; we'll discuss details later."

"I have also waited a long time for this day."

With that faint voice fading, Xiao Xuan's figure instantly vanished from everyone's sight.

Seeing that, Xiao Yan naturally had no hesitation and immediately led Gu Xun'er toward Xiao Xuan's tomb.

And seeing that, the Gu clan party led by Gu Qingyang could only helplessly shake their heads and follow Gu Xun'er, their young lady, forward.

Since their location was not far from Xiao Xuan's tomb, within less than an hour Xiao Yan's group arrived before his tomb.

Next, Xiao Yan alone was led by Xiao Xuan into his tombstone, disappearing from everyone's sight.

And seeing Xiao Yan being taken away alone by Xiao Xuan, the Gu clan geniuses outside the tomb.

Except for Gu Xun'er, the others panicked terribly.

After all, these people also largely knew what happened back then.

And the Gu clan had originally used various underhanded tactics against the Xiao clan, looting their clan's stored treasures.

If these matters were told to Xiao Yan by Xiao Xuan, the latter might go berserk.

Then the lives of these people would be doomed!

Meanwhile, as Xiao Yan entered that stone monument which looked not luxurious but rather short and aged,

what appeared before him was a very ancient hall.

Seeing this, Xiao Yan couldn't help but feel a bit dazed.

He never expected that within that simple, unadorned stele lay hidden such a wondrous place.

This, is this the handiwork of a Dou Sheng expert?

At this moment, in the center of the hall ahead, Xiao Xuan stood with his hands behind his back, before him a pool of clear water visible to the bottom.

Within it, lot after lot of green lotus floated, exuding a faint fragrance that permeated the entire hall.

"After so long, could you tell me how the Xiao clan is faring now?"

Hearing the faint footsteps behind him, Xiao Xuan couldn't help but let out a soft sigh, his tone carrying a hint of unease.

Upon hearing that, Xiao Yan hesitated a moment, then spoke in a low voice: "The Xiao clan of old, after your fall, senior, had already ceased to exist; what remains now is merely a deeply declined Xiao family."

After his words fell, Xiao Yan organized his thoughts and then gave a detailed account of the various changes the Xiao family had undergone over these years, as well as his own experiences.

Even his cultivation of the Flame Scripture and his dealings with the Gu clan were not omitted.

After all, with Lin Feng's presence now, Xiao Yan differs from the original story, and his pressure has suddenly increased greatly.

Therefore, he craves strength too much.

However, recalling those events, Xiao Yan's heart also inevitably rose with a trace of sorrow and hatred.

If it weren't for those Soul clan bastards, he would have originally had a happy life.

And his teacher Yao Chen would not have suffered persecution from the Soul Hall and Han Feng, and would have ultimately been able to use the resurrection method attached to the Flame Scripture to restore his body.

As for him, he must still be dominating the Northwest Continent as a local overlord, or perhaps just arrived in Zhongzhou to make his mark.

Nor would he, as he does now under immense pressure, have to turn his schemes toward Lin Feng, eventually causing all these troubles step by step.

And as a day passed, when Xiao Yan's final words fell, Xiao Xuan then slowly nodded.

At the same time, his face showed no other emotion.

"The Xiao clan's decline to this extent exceeds my expectations, but at least some incense remains, and it has not reached utter despair."

After a long while, Xiao Xuan's voice slowly spread through the hall.

And his gentle voice, as if possessing some kind of power, allowed Xiao Yan, who was somewhat saddened by recalling these events, to calm down once again.

"However, your idea is correct; you possess that strange scroll capable of absorbing alien fires to boost strength. Therefore, it is undoubtedly wise to abandon the Xiao clan's former possessions you cannot obtain and exchange them for the cultivation resources you need for your own growth."

"After all, once your strength rises, those things can be gathered again gradually, accumulated, and used to rebuild the Xiao clan. But if your strength does not improve, even if you do not relinquish the Xiao clan's former possessions, the Gu clan will likewise not return anything to you."

While speaking, his tone also carried a hint of praise.

He then continued: "Moreover, your teacher is also not bad; although he initially used you, later he treated you sincerely. Especially that scroll capable of absorbing multiple alien fires to raise one's level and feeding back to the cultivator, it has also been of great help on your cultivation path."

Upon hearing that, Xiao Yan gave a wry smile and shook his head: "My teacher truly has no fault toward me, but I am still weak. Not to mention my several failed attempts to kill Lin Feng, I even lost troops and generals."

"Although my strength has now reached six-star Dou Zun, appearing as a lofty expert to ordinary people, in the eyes of the Soul clan, where experts are as numerous as clouds, I am nothing."

Having said that, Xiao Yan immediately raised his head to ask: "Ancestor, you back then could control three alien fires and create the secret technique Heavenly Fire Three Mysterious Changes; you must be very familiar with alien fires. Do you have any news of alien fires? I have now reached this level, and the alien fires useful to me have almost all been divided among the Yao, Yan, and Gu three clans."

"And as for the top-ranked wild alien fires, I currently know only the Pure Lotus Demonic Fire. But that thing, Xun'er helped me browse some Gu clan classics, discovering that the strong who entered before, even some Dou Sheng experts, ultimately vanished completely inside; it is truly not something a cultivator of my level can touch."

While speaking, Xiao Yan also couldn't help but shake his head bitterly.

The Flame Scripture, while greatly helpful to him, likewise imposes great limits, requiring too much alien fire.

"Mm, indeed, hearing your explanation, that fellow named Lin Feng is also no kind-hearted person, not easy to deal with. Moreover, he could defeat that little girl outside in the Gu clan's coming-of-age ceremony, which sufficiently shows his strength."

As he spoke, his tone also showed a hint of surprise.

And then he continued: "Back then, I did not have that wondrous technique from your teacher that could simultaneously control so many alien fires within the body without conflict."

"However, relying on my own strength, I forcibly brought under my control the ninth-ranked clan-inherited alien fire, the Three Thousand Yan Flame Fire, the eighth-ranked Red Lotus Karma Fire, and the twenty-first-ranked Yin Yang Double Flame, making them mine."

Speaking to this point, the former's tone also couldn't help but reveal a hint of pride.

After all, relying solely on one's own strength, without depending on any external object, one can control three different fires.

Moreover, among them, the two whose rankings are extremely high—there are hardly any such people on this continent.

"Hiss!"

Although he had already been mentally prepared, knowing that his ancestor possessed many kinds of different fire.

But upon hearing the names of those different fires now, he still couldn't help but suck in a breath of cold air.

Because the first two different fires his ancestor spoke of have rankings that are extremely high.

And being able to control those different fires without relying on any external object—such a method is simply unimaginable.

"But in the end, when I failed to advance to Dou Emperor, my battle qi went out of control and surged wildly; at the time I suffered severe injuries, I was ambushed by the Soul Heaven Emperor-led Soul Clan army. In the end, I detonated them all."