Chapter 454: Ancient Dragon Island

"What, you're not satisfied? Then come hit me."

Xiao Yan crossed his arms, staring coolly at this so-called Blood Asura. A half-step Dou Zun dared call himself an Asura?

"Dou Zun!?" As Xiao Yan unleashed his Dou Zun spiritual pressure, everyone was stunned, some even screamed.

But half a year ago, Xiao Yan was only a Six-Star Dou Zong! How could he become a Dou Zun in just half a year!

Referee, report him—he's cheating!

"From Six-Star Dou Zong to Dou Zun in half a year?! Am I dreaming?" At this moment, countless people turned pale; if Xiao Yan had been a Nine-Star Dou Zong before, they might have accepted his breakthrough.

But before he entered, he was only a Six-Star Dou Zong!

"He's become a Dou Zun." Cao Ying, who had just arrived behind him, her beautiful eyes shimmered with surprise—most people didn't know Xiao Yan's current cultivation realm.

They had assumed that after Heavenly Flame Zun returned to Sheng Dan Cheng, Xiao Yan had no Dou Zun protecting him; otherwise, the Xuan Ming Sect wouldn't dare provoke him even with ten thousand lives.

But they didn't understand Xiao Yan—when he confidently let Heavenly Flame Zun return to hold the Yan Alliance and assist Cai Lin in reclaiming its territory, it meant his power was already on par with Heavenly Flame Zun's.

"Though he's just newly entered Dou Zun, yes—Xiao Yan is a genuine One-Star Dou Zun, and his Dou Qi is exceptionally thick, not like someone who forcibly broke through with pills." Qiu Ling's Grand Elder was stunned too—could the Three Thousand Yan Flame really bring such benefits!

"Big Brother Xiao Yan... so powerful." Dan Chen clapped gently; she felt her worry had been pointless—now, with Xiao Yan's strength and reputation, she truly wasn't afraid of the Tian Ming Sect.

Seeing Xiao Yan's breakthrough to Dou Zun, Yi Chen—who had already turned pale—now looked purple-faced, his expression drastically changing.

Don't be fooled—the half-step between Half-Step Dou Zun and Dou Zun is a vast chasm.

Xiao Yan had once promised his Ancestor Xiao Xuan to revive the Xiao Clan, to return it to Zhong Zhou, and make those Dou Emperor Families look at them with respect!

To achieve this goal, the Yan Alliance must at least surpass the Two Sects.

Xiong Zhan and Xing Tian pressed Chen Tiannan into constant retreat; two against one, Chen Tiannan had no chance of winning, let alone coming to aid Yi Chen.

"Xiao Yan, I can withdraw. I can let you settle your affairs with the Xuan Ming Sect—"

Before Yi Chen finished speaking, Xiao Yan cut him off: "Stop with all this 'this and that.' Don't treat me like a three-year-old. There's no reconciliation between me and the Xuan Ming Sect—only one side can surrender, or be erased. The Xuan Ming Sect is your Tian Ming Sect's third-tier branch; who's right or wrong doesn't matter."

"On the Dou Qi Continent, the strong rule, right?"

Xiao Yan had been reborn for nearly twenty-seven years—he was already a "native." On the Dou Qi Continent, talking about right and wrong was meaningless.

If the Xuan Ming Sect had merely insulted Xiao Yan or competed with the Yan Alliance for profit, those were matters of interest, solvable through interest.

But now it was clear: Chen Tiannan sought nothing less than vengeance—he would not rest until Xiao Yan was dead. If Xiao Yan killed the Xuan Ming Sect's Sect Master, it meant a full-scale war with the Tian Ming Sect.

It was a dead end.

If someone had to die in this dead end, then Xiao Yan would send the Tian Ming Sect to their grave.

A soft hum—suddenly, purple-black flames erupted around Xiao Yan, speckled with faint starlight.

"Three Thousand Yan Flame! Xiao Yan has truly refined the Three Thousand Yan Flame!"

"My god, such overwhelming spiritual pressure—refining a Heavenly Flame really has this many benefits!"

"Pfft, can you even find a Heavenly Flame? And even if you did, wouldn't you die trying to swallow it?"

Seeing the Three Thousand Yan Flame rising from Xiao Yan, countless Alchemists couldn't help but feel admiration. They all carried special fire seeds, but most were Beast Fires—not only because they couldn't find Heavenly Flames, but even if they did, only the brave dared swallow them.

As always, Xiao Yan slowly extended one finger, his expression calm and emotionless: "One strike. If you survive, I let you go."

Feeling the searing heat radiating from Xiao Yan, Yi Chen wasn't stupid. Xiao Yan's spiritual pressure was overwhelmingly powerful, utterly unlike those pill-dependent Alchemists—even more terrifying than many One-Star Dou Zuns!

Yi Chen was a man who walked the razor's edge—he was acutely sensitive to life and death. In that instant, he bit his tongue, spat out a mouthful of blood, which turned into a blood mist that wrapped his body, forcibly piercing through Space to escape.

Seeing Yi Chen choose to flee, Xiao Yan merely smiled faintly. His Dou Qi still surged at high speed—but strangely, he ignored him entirely, turning his head to lock onto Chen Tiannan!

Yi Chen might be arrogant, but he hadn't attacked Xiao Yan—no grudge existed between them. But Chen Tiannan was different; Xiao Yan's original target had always been him.

Seeing Xiao Yan fixate on him, Chen Tiannan's entire body turned cold, as if the God of Death had locked onto him—his scalp prickled, a fierce sense of crisis surged!

Wuuuuh! At that moment, a Dragon Roar echoed from within Xiao Yan—so similar to the cry of the Three Thousand Yan Flame!

A wave of Dragon Might radiated from Xiao Yan's body; his Dragon Qi exploded. He sucked in sharply, his chest swelling instantly, recalling the Dragon Breath Zi Yan had once used.

Some had already turned the roar of the Void Ancient Dragon into a Dou Technique—could its Dragon Breath be turned into one too?

Xiao Yan roared inwardly: "Heavenly Flame Dou Technique—Three Thousand Dragon Flame!"

Roar! Boom! Xiao Yan spat out violently—a thin thread of purple-black Three Thousand Yan Flame, no thicker than a fist, shot toward Chen Tiannan with destructive power that even Qiu Ling's Grand Elder feared.

The terrifying flame was compressed to its limit; all the terrifying Dou Qi of the Burning Scripture poured into the Three Thousand Yan Flame. At this moment, Xiao Yan resembled a living Void Ancient Dragon.

Everyone heard only a deafening boom—then saw the flame jet from Xiao Yan's mouth, streaking straight into the sky like a True Dragon's breath, instantly locking onto Chen Tiannan mid-air and surging toward him.

This flame beam, piercing the heavens, was immensely powerful—it instantly burned Space into nothingness, capable of shattering all things. The ground beneath Xiao Yan melted away instantly; a violent storm blasted the surrounding spectators back.

Such a spectacular sight left everyone gaping—no one had expected Xiao Yan to possess such a technique! His Fire Control Power was insane!

Only Xiao Yan could wield a Heavenly Flame with such mastery—because it required more than just a Heavenly Flame; it demanded utterly supreme Fire Control Power, something only the Burning Scripture could achieve.

Moreover, when the Three Thousand Dragon Flame surged forth, his Soul Force instantly locked onto Chen Tiannan—so in that instant, no matter how Chen Tiannan dodged, even opening a Space Wormhole, he couldn't escape—the flame would pierce through Space and strike him anyway.

No escape possible!

Chen Tiannan's face turned ashen—he frantically activated Space-based defenses.

In that instant, brilliant light erupted—everyone heard a thunderous boom as the overwhelming flame pierced through the sky like a spear and slammed directly into Chen Tiannan.

The immensely powerful Three Thousand Yan Flame poured down like a heavenly waterfall, instantly engulfing Chen Tiannan's entire body.

"So strong!"

Seeing the flame instantly pierce Chen Tiannan's defenses and swallow him whole, the overwhelming torrent of fire made many imagine—in such a torrent, Chen Tiannan would be lucky to survive, let alone keep half his body intact.

"No wonder he's the Pill Gathering Champion—the Yan Elder Giant's Fire Control Power probably rivals Chairman Xuan Kongzi and Chairman Tian Leizi."

This scene delivered a massive shock—especially the flame's upward surge, as if it had shattered the sky itself. Many experts and prodigies felt that if they'd been struck by such flame, they'd be reduced to dust, even bone fragments gone.

"Cough, cough." The flames dissipated; Xiao Yan coughed twice—though the Dou Technique was powerful, his throat burned fiercely.

Xiao Yan turned his head toward Zi Yan beside him, raising an eyebrow—as if asking: How was that? Did I copy it well?

"You didn't even reach one-tenth." Zi Yan snorted.

Thud! A charred body plummeted from the sky. Remember, Xiao Yan wielded the Heavenly Rank Mid-Level Burning Scripture and was a One-Star Dou Zun using the ninth-ranked Three Thousand Yan Flame.

Fighting a Two-Star Dou Zun while one rank lower was no problem—and Chen Tiannan had already been overwhelmed by Xing Tian and Xiong Zhan, with no time to prepare defenses—he was defeated in a single strike.

The dutiful Xing Tian carried the barely breathing, charred corpse of Chen Tiannan to Xiao Yan's side.

Xiao Yan dared not retrieve his Soul Token from the Dan Tower; right now, his Soul Token was stored in the Void Space, afraid of being discovered by powerful cultivators.

"Elder Qiu Ling, what punishment is meted out to those who cause trouble in Sheng Dan Cheng?" Xiao Yan held his hands behind his back, as if defeating a One Star Dou Zun was beneath notice.

Hearing Xiao Yan call him, Qiu Ling finally snapped to attention—he understood Xiao Yan's meaning at once. With a sweep of his hand, the guards of Sheng Dan Cheng surrounded the disciples of Xuan Ming Sect.

"Those who cause trouble in Sheng Dan Cheng shall be sent to the Pill Field for three years of labor! Take them all away!"

Xiao Yan nodded, his gaze deep as he stared at a point in the sky—Yi Chen watched from afar, daring not to approach.

"Yan Alliance… this boy cannot be left alive; otherwise, he will surely become a great threat in the future." Yi Chen's eyes narrowed. The Yan Alliance was now unstoppable, having fully swallowed the Ice River Valley's territory. In fact, several cities once under Xuan Ming Sect now bordered the Yan Alliance's sphere of influence.

Without further delay, Yi Chen departed, rushing back to Xuan Ming Sect.

Sensing Yi Chen's departure, Xiao Yan soon retracted his gaze. If Xuan Ming Sect truly intended to wage war against the Yan Alliance, it was not necessarily a bad thing.

Expansion of power inevitably invites resentment from other factions; a battle is inevitable.

"Big Brother Xiao Yan… you… you're leaving, aren't you?" As all settled, Dan Chen, whose Soul Force was highly sensitive, timidly tugged at Xiao Yan's robe and asked hesitantly.

Hearing Dan Chen's words, Cao Ying's beautiful eyes also turned toward Xiao Yan.

Xiao Yan smiled faintly, stroking Dan Chen's small head. Feeling the warmth from his palm, Dan Chen—who had only ever felt the temperature of gloves—instinctively pressed her head against his hand like a kitten.

"I must leave eventually; I still have things to do." Xiao Yan understood why Dan Chen clung to him—no one in her family had ever given her such warmth.

Cao Ying hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward in her high heels, her alluring figure advancing slowly, and asked: "Will you come back to Sheng Dan Cheng?"

"Of course I will. I haven't even entered the Xiao Dan Ta yet. But my current strength is insufficient, so I declined Elder Kong Kong's invitation." Xiao Yan shrugged. He would definitely return—just not when.

"Big Brother Xiao Yan, let's see who gets into the Xiao Dan Ta first." At the mention of Spirit Refining, Dan Chen displayed a battle intention unlike her usual demeanor—even facing Xiao Yan, she believed she could surpass him.

"Giggles, little sister Dan Chen, you lost to me at the Pill Gathering. If anyone enters the Xiao Dan Ta first, it'll be me." Cao Ying laughed sweetly, yet her eyes held battle intent—she and Dan Chen had always been rivals.

That bone-melting giggle drew many glances; the elegant Cao Ying naturally stirred a flicker of desire in many men's eyes.

Xiao Yan couldn't help but appraise the enchantress, nodding slightly—her seductive charm was truly astonishing.

"Elder Qiu Ling, please convey my greetings to the several Hall Heads. I have matters to attend to and cannot linger longer. May we meet again by fate." Xiao Yan bowed, then waved farewell to them.

Xiong Zhan, with Zi Yan, smashed open a Space Wormhole with a single palm strike. Then Xiao Yan stepped into the wormhole and vanished.

Thus, Xiao Yan's Pill Gathering journey came to a perfect end.

After leaving Sheng Dan Cheng, within the Space Channel, Xiao Yan no longer held back—he waved his hand and Black Flame surged forth, swallowing both Chen Tiannan and Xing Tian into the Void Space.

After all, Zi Yan and Xiong Zhan were present; Xiao Yan trusted Zi Yan, but still kept reservations about Xiong Zhan.

Inside the Void Space, Xing Tian tossed Chen Tiannan's corpse aside and sat quietly to one side.

"Meow!" A black cat holding a Soul Token emerged from the space, Mao Wu licked his tiny paw; his claws touched the Soul Token, and instantly, a thicker Hun Chain than before shot out from the token—with a *puff*—stabbed into the barely alive Chen Tiannan.

"Aaaah!!" A scream erupted from within Chen Tiannan's body—though his flesh remained still, a strange force tugged violently, attempting to drag his Spiritual Soul from his physical form.

"You!! You're using a Hun Chain—you're a尊 of the Soul Sovereign!!" Chen Tiannan's Soul Body writhed under the pull, but already gravely wounded and near death, even as a Two Star Dou Zun, he could not resist the Hun Chain's force—his Soul Body was slowly being ripped from his body.

Hearing Chen Tiannan's question, Xiao Yan outside sighed and shook his head: "Every time, someone asks this."

Of course, this time Xiao Yan did not personally answer his question.

"Meow meow meow!" Mao Wu stood on his hind legs, wagging one finger as if to say, "You're wrong—now I'm a Tian Zun, meow!"

The outcome was, of course, no surprise—this was the Void Space belonging to Xu Wu Tian Yan, existing between Space and reality, impossible to escape. Especially since Chen Tiannan had been nearly killed by Xiao Yan's Black Flame Dou Technique; capturing the Soul Body of a Two Star Dou Zun was effortless.

Xiao Yan had great use for these Soul Bodies; his Dou Di Bloodline was only half-full—he still needed enough Soul Points to exchange for the remainder.

Although Xiao Yan did not know the entrance to the Ancient Dragon Clan's territory, he at least knew it lay within Shou Yu—and Shou Yu lay even higher than Zhong Yu. Even if Xiong Zhan reverted to his true form, possessing a trace of Ancient Dragon blood, he would still need to travel a long distance.

During this time, Xiao Yan naturally began cultivating the Tai Yi Soul Art. Though far inferior to the Emperor Soul Art, it was still vastly superior to the Spiritual Heart Soul Gathering Art.

Xiao Yan's Soul Force was nearly at the Late Stage of the Spirit Realm; he must raise it to the Late Stage of the Spirit Realm before attending the Soul Sovereign's Adult Ceremony.

After eating the Pill Medicine Sugar Pill Xiao Yan had crafted, Zi Yan comfortably curled up on Xiong Zhan's soft bear back and fell asleep—beasts cultivate by seeking Medicinal Materials, then sleeping to digest them.

Time passed second by second; soon three days had passed. Finally, Xiao Yan's party arrived in Shou Yu.

The instant they entered Shou Yu, Zi Yan, who had been sleeping, suddenly stood up, her eyes sharpening as she said sternly: "Big guy, stop."

Hearing Zi Yan's voice, Xiao Yan emerged from his cultivation and asked: "Zi Yan, what's wrong?"

Zi Yan said nothing, slowly closing her eyes. Suddenly, a faint purple glow emanated from her body, and a soul-shaking Dragon Might surged forth from within her.

The moment the Dragon Might appeared, Xiong Zhan instinctively lowered his head, prostrating himself on the ground, trembling uncontrollably, daring not to meet Zi Yan's gaze as the Dragon King. Even the Dragon Qi within Xiao Yan trembled, and the Three Thousand Yan Flame in his Nai Ling shrank slightly.

Had Xiao Yan not possessed an immensely powerful Soul Force and the Heavenly Rank Intermediate Burning Scripture, he might have knelt too.

With a *snap*, Zi Yan opened her eyes—and instantly, the entire space shattered like an earthquake, inch by inch. Then, a silver-hidden Void Passage appeared!

"A hidden Void Passage?! This is the entrance to the Ancient Dragon Clan!" Xiao Yan's expression changed slightly. No wonder no one could find the entrance to the Ancient Dragon Clan's Dragon Island—it was hidden within the Void itself!

Inside the spatial fissure lay a strange passage filled with faint silver light, stretching toward an unknown end. Under Zi Yan's guidance, Xiao Yan and Xiong Zhan sped rapidly through the passage.

"No wonder the Ancient Dragons—they can construct such a long-distance, highly concealed Space Channel."

Gazing at the surrounding Void Passage, Xiao Yan felt a surge of awe—such ability was beyond even the reach of ordinary Dou Zun Di Feng cultivators. Only Dou Sages or Ancient Dragons who had mastered Space Power to a divine degree could achieve this.

Merely by this ability to conceal a passage, the Ancient Dragon Clan deserved to stand at the pinnacle of beasts.

Let me clarify the original timeline. In the original work, after the Pill Gathering, Xiao Yan went to rescue Yao Lao, then fought the Zhai Xing Tian Zun, was severely wounded, and fell into a coma for a year before breaking through to Dou Zun. This story takes place within that year.

(End of Chapter)