Chapter 311

This voice brimmed with supreme divine authority, striking fear into the soul; hearing it, one could not help but bow in reverence.

It goes without saying that the former leader of the Swallowing Soul Clan, known as Swallowing Grudge, was no weakling—likely a Saint—until his clan was annihilated and he was relentlessly hunted down by the Ling Clan to this very place.

Though he barely escaped death, who could have imagined that after clinging to life for a thousand years, just as he regained a sliver of strength, he encountered this ill-omened Nether Poison Venerable?

By devouring the Nether Poison Venerable, he doomed himself—crushed beneath the dual poisons of the Nether Poison Venerable's Self-Detonation and the Netherworld Poison Flame, he became this monstrous, half-human husk.

When he saw the Nether Poison Venerable appear, the hatred in his eyes could not be concealed.

Suddenly, Xiao Yan's eyelid twitched; his foot instantly erupted with thunderous lightning—BOOM—the ground beneath Xiao Yixian cracked open, and countless tiny Swallowing Soul Clan members surged forth.

SHH! A flash of thunderlight—Xiao Yan, whose Soul Force had already sensed the threat, activated Three Thousand Thunder Steps in advance; the technique, nearly perfected, vanished like lightning, and Xiao Yan seized Xiao Yixian, evading the ambush.

"Tch, this old undead bastard is ruthless!" Xiao Yan cursed aloud—how could a leader of the Swallowing Soul Clan resort to ambush? He feigned rage at the Nether Poison Venerable's willpower, but his true target had always been Xiao Yixian.

Unfortunately, he vastly underestimated Xiao Yan's vigilance; from the moment the Nether Poison Venerable's will appeared, Xiao Yan had already sensed it.

It now appears as if the situation mirrors the Shou Zhong of the Ten Thousand Beast Spirits—us, plus the Netherworld Poison Flame of the Nether Poison Venerable's will, confronting the Swallowing Soul Clan—but in truth, it's nothing like that.

Now it's a three-way stalemate: the Nether Poison Venerable's will appears solely because of Xiao Yixian's Eternal Calamity Poison Body—like a command program, it activates only when it detects the Eternal Calamity Poison Body.

The last time Xiao Yixian saw the Netherworld Poison Flame was when she activated her Eternal Calamity Poison Body and poisoned a Poison Sect Elder.

This time, the same thing happened: Xiao Yixian activated her Eternal Calamity Poison Body and awakened the Nether Poison Venerable's will.

But the Nether Poison Venerable is no good man—his sole aim is to utterly exterminate the Swallowing Soul Clan.

There is only one way to kill Swallowing Grudge: Xiao Yan knows it, the Nether Poison Venerable knows it, Swallowing Grudge himself knows it, and Xiao Yixian knows it too.

That is the ultimate destruction: the Misfortune Poison Explosion!

When the Nether Poison Venerable self-detonated, he knew that even with the power of his acquired Misfortune Poison Body and the Netherworld Poison Flame, he could not fully eradicate Swallowing Grudge—so he infused his lifetime's Poison Dou Qi into a Toxic Miasma, sealed his will within the Netherworld Poison Flame, and waited for the true Innate Calamity Poison Body to appear.

Once Xiao Yixian absorbs the Netherworld Poison Flame and the Toxic Miasma's poison, the resulting Misfortune Poison Explosion won't just kill a One Star Dou Zun—it could kill even a High-Level Dou Zun.

Such is the terror of the Eternal Calamity Poison Body: even in Zhong Zhou, it is a forbidden constitution; once a Misfortune Poison Explosion occurs, it can instantly obliterate a Dou Zun sect, leaving the land barren for centuries.

Thus Xiao Yan has kept his focus entirely on Xiao Yixian—because both these entities want her dead!

Swallowing Grudge snorted coldly, not pausing his assault; a buzzing hum filled the air as countless tiny Swallowing Soul Clan members flew out from his body, intent on devouring Xiao Yixian before her Eternal Calamity Poison Body fully formed.

If Xiao Yixian dies, nothing can kill it—once it wipes out everyone here and escapes, it can lie dormant for decades, then return stronger, even seize the title of Swallowing Soul King and revive the Swallowing Soul Clan!

Then the entire Dou Qi Continent will once again kneel before the Swallowing Soul Clan!

"Flame Splitting, Swallowing Wave Ruler!"

Facing the black, tiny Swallowing Soul Clan members, Xiao Yan held Xiao Yixian with his left hand and swung his Black Heavy Ruler with his right—terrifying Azure Lotus Earth Core Fire surged forth as a wave of flame toward the black horrors.

Xiao Yan's eyes hardened; he let out a cold snort, his terrifying Soul Force instantly forming an invisible soul-sword: "Hmph! Soul Sever! Don't think you're dead and I can't cut you down!"

A soul-sword slashed, severing the Soul Information between the Netherworld Poison Flame—or the Nether Poison Venerable—and Xiao Yixian; Xiao Yan stared coldly down at the motionless Nether Poison Venerable.

Though he didn't know what information the Nether Poison Venerable transmitted to Xiao Yixian, he would never let her self-detonate her Eternal Calamity Poison Body!

"Xiao Yan—"

"No! We came here to cure your Eternal Calamity Poison Body, not to let you die!" Xiao Yan cut her off with iron resolve.

Xiao Yixian's beautiful eyes flickered; she gripped Xiao Yan's hand with gentle but firm pressure.

"Spirit Flame Dou Technique—Beast Soul Descent!"

"Spirit Flame Dou Technique—Dead Flame Annihilation!"

"Mountain Splitting Seal!"

"Four-Colored Buddha Fury Lotus!"

BOOM BOOM BOOM!!! Xiao Yan's Dou Qi surged forth like a man possessed—but against the Dou Zun-level Swallowing Soul Clan, all his techniques, capable of obliterating Dou Huang and even killing Dou Zong, were blocked.

Had Swallowing Grudge not been wary of the motionless Nether Poison Venerable waiting for Xiao Yixian to fully activate her Eternal Calamity Poison Body and absorb his Netherworld Poison Flame, he would have killed Xiao Yan and Xiao Yixian long ago.

Even the Heavenly Rank Burning Decree could not sustain such reckless outpouring of Dou Techniques!

"Hey, Hun Xu Zi! Damn it, if I die, you'll never find another Spirit Refiner!" Xiao Yan sent a Soul Message via his Soul Token—but it vanished like a stone into the ocean, unanswered.

"Damn!" BOOM—Xiao Yan and Xiao Yixian joined forces in defense, yet were still blasted away. ROAR—a lion's bellow echoed as Little Lion King shot through the sky in a streak of purple light, catching the flying duo.

"Wuuu! Bastard! Get away from me!"

Suddenly, purple light blotted out the sky—a colossal purple dragon coiled above, Zi Yan's eyes blazing with fury as a dragon claw the size of a mountain descended from above.

BOOM—the Scorpion Mountain, master of the Ten Thousand Scorpion Sect, whose soul had been consumed and controlled by Swallowing Grudge, was instantly pulverized into pulp by Zi Yan's unleashed Bloodline Power; the dragon claw struck, shattering the earth, splitting rivers and mountains!

Without Xiao Yixian's aid, the Poison Sect Sect Master and his four companions, having hunted every cultivator in this land, finally discovered the hidden Zi Yan.

Seeing Zi Yan and Void Swallowing Flame exposed, Xiao Yan's face darkened—even the last path had been cut off!

Wuuu!! At this moment, Zi Yan roared like a mad dragon, unleashing the full power of the Grand Void Dragon Clan—her true form's destructive force was staggering, holding her own even against the Poison Sect Sect Master, a Dou Zong.

"Hmm? A cub of the Grand Void Dragon Clan! Hahaha! Fortune favors me indeed! If I can obtain the SpiritFlesh of the Grand Void Dragon Clan, I am one step closer to full resurrection!" Seeing Zi Yan transform into the Grand Void Dragon, Swallowing Grudge's human face on a worm-body twisted into a grotesque grin.

ZZZZZZ—the Swallowing Soul Clan members chasing Xiao Yan instantly turned, swarming like a black cloud toward Zi Yan!

"Zi Yan! Watch out!"

Zi Yan clenched her dragon fangs, swung her tail in a divine dragon's strike to sweep aside the Poison Sect Sect Master—then a deep rumbling echoed from her belly; purple flame suddenly gushed from her lips!

Wuuu ROAR!!

At this moment, from afar, the colossal purple divine dragon coiled in the sky let out a furious roar—immense quantities of True Dragon power coalesced, the power of the strongest creature on earth!

A purple Dragon Breath shot down from a thousand feet above—seen from afar, it resembled a sword of heaven, ready to judge the world.

Though Zi Yan was only Sixth Rank, she was a Sixth Rank Grand Void Dragon! Even Xiao Yan didn't know Zi Yan could breathe Dragon Breath!

Zi Yan's full-power Dragon Breath instantly drowned countless Swallowing Soul Clan members; even though they could devour Dou Qi and ignore defenses, the Grand Void Dragon Clan's ultimate technique could still annihilate them!

The purple Dragon Breath surged straight through the Swallowing Soul Clan army—beneath this annihilating breath, the world seemed to vanish into nirvana; blinding light engulfed the space, obscuring all sight—as if this Dragon Breath had returned everything to primordial chaos.

BOOM!! A mushroom cloud more terrifying than the Buddha Fury Lotus erupted skyward; a hurricane of searing heat swept across the land, ripping up the earth!

Xiao Yan was stunned—were all Grand Void Dragon Clan members this powerful?! If measured by Dou Technique tiers, this was unquestionably Heavenly Rank—not merely comparable to it like the Five Wheel Flame Method, but truly, authentically Heavenly Rank!

SSSSS—BOOM—Zi Yan's entire body was shrouded in purple mist, rapidly shrinking; that single strike had drained every ounce of her power—even Sixth Rank, that technique was a life-or-death move.

"Grand Void Dragon Clan—if you reached Seventh Rank, you might break the Space Lock and I couldn't stop you. But alas, you're only Sixth Rank!" Swallowing Grudge's eyes darkened—this Grand Void Dragon Clan member seemed far stronger than ordinary ones!

But the stronger Zi Yan became, the more excited it was!

Xiao Yan flew Xiao Yixian to Zi Yan's side, took his Alchemist Long Robe from his storage ring, draped it over the unconscious Zi Yan, and placed her atop the Lion King, whose entire body was drenched in blood.

Xiao Yan firmly gripped Xiao Yixian's Jade Hand, afraid that if he let go, she would rush forward to agree to absorb the Netherworld Poison Flame and then Self-Detonate.

Far away, Ling Tian saw Xiao Yan utterly helpless and already imagined a scene where he swallowed the Ling Clan's power to devour all of Xiao Yan's Bloodline, then claimed it for himself. "Kill him! Take his Dou Di Bloodline and give it to me! Heeheehee, as a Dou Wang you already possess such strength—your Bloodline must be formidable!"

If he knew Xiao Yan's Dou Di Bloodline was so weak it could be ignored, he'd have no idea what to think.

Zong!! Although Zi Yan instantly destroyed a vast number of Swallowing Flames, those tiny Swallowing Flames were like insects—massive Swallowing Resentments opened their mouths, and suddenly another wave surged forth, whooshing.

A dense swarm of black dots transformed into a tornado rushing toward them!

This was the terrifying aspect of the Ling Clan: the more Bloodline they devoured, the stronger the Bloodline power they consumed, the more of these tiny Swallowing Flames they could produce!

Xiao Yan gritted his teeth, pushed the Burning Decree to its extreme, and instantly the Heaven and Earth Power within a radius of dozens of li surged wildly—he became the center of an Energy Vortex!

And at that moment, another cluster of pitch-black flame emerged from within Xiao Yan's body, surging from behind to encircle him.

"Hm? This is..."

Miao!!! ~o(=∩ω∩=)m

As the crisp sound of the Swallowing Flame's sub-flame faded, the countless Black Flames suddenly began to split apart!

Slowly, countless spherical objects, resembling embryonic eggs, descended. Each sphere was wreathed in Black Flame, and faint streaks of blood-red light seeped quietly from the Black Flame clouds, slipping into those embryonic eggs.

Boom! Boom! As the blood-red light surged in, the dense swarm of Black Flame embryonic eggs suddenly exploded. At once, piercing, shrill screams echoed across the Sky—countless Black Flame shadows rained down like a storm, then furiously surged toward the mountains below.

Seeing the dense swarm of Black Flame shadows hurtling down from the Sky, not only Xiao Yan and the others, but even the Swallowing Resentments' faces turned pale.

Because those were clearly Ling Clan members! How could Black Flame possibly split into Ling Clan?

"What is this?!"

Jiji!! The last two Swallowing Flames collided head-on; the tiny Swallowing Flames bit each other, devouring each other's SpiritFlesh—but neither could consume the other, neither could overcome the other!

Yet although Mao Wu had produced fewer Swallowing Flames, strangely, those Swallowing Flames covered in Black Flame seemed to have slightly stronger devouring power.

"Y-you have the power of our Clan's King! W-what are you?!" The Swallowing Resentment's face turned drastically pale as he sensed it—after thousands of years, what had happened in this world? What was this Black Flame? Why could it split into the power of a Ling King?!

Xiao Yan suddenly trembled violently—Mao Wu was a sub-flame, not the original body. He didn't know why this was happening, but now, in the darkness of despair, Mao Wu brought him a glimmer of hope!

"Master Yao, dare you gamble with this young man?" Xiao Yan took two Pills from his storage ring—one was the highest-quality Dou Wang Pill he had ever crafted, the other was the Imperial Heaven Pill!

At this moment, Xiao Yan's Burning Decree spun like a mad thing—he intended to forcibly break through to Star Eight, then use the Pills to surge straight past the Dou Huang realm!

Although Xiao Yan didn't know how this so-called Ling King power worked, what if it had some miraculous effect?

"Hahahaha! I've died before—what's left to fear?!"

No sooner had the Heavenly Flame Elder finished speaking than Xiao Yan grinned, and without hesitation, he swallowed both Pills. Immediately, a powerful energy surged within him, tearing through his Meridians with agonizing pain.

The Heavenly Flame Elder also held nothing back, pouring all his Soul Power into Xiao Yan.

"Return!" Xiao Yan commanded inwardly, and the Swallowing Flames split from Mao Wu obediently returned into his body.

Huhuh! Instantly, boundless Void Swallowing Flame erupted from Xiao Yan's entire body. All other Strange Flames fused together and flowed along the path of the Heavenly Flame Three Mysteries Transformation.

With the Pills' power, Xiao Yan's Cultivation Realm surged again—from halfway to Dou Zong, straight upward!

"Let's devour it!"

~o(=∩ω∩=)miao!

"Asura Soul-Cleaving Art—Chen Yuan!"

(End of Chapter)