Chapter 472

"Even the former Yellow Spring Demon Saint and the Pure Lotus Demon Saint, and the Bodhi Tree that still exists today—I would still feel worry and fear facing these topmost beings of the continent. It's only natural." Hun Tian Di made no effort to hide his weakness, as if speaking of an ordinary little matter.

"Not to mention Tuoshe Ancient Emperor."

Upon hearing the four characters "Tuoshe Ancient Emperor," the black-robed man beside him slightly narrowed his eyes, and within them flickered a trace of hatred, anger, and resentment.

"But there's no help for it—who could have foreseen we still lack the ability to refine the Primitive Pill into a finished product?" Hun Tian Di shook his head with a sigh, his eyes filled with helplessness.

Thud! Upon hearing Hun Tian Di's words, Hun Xu Zi suddenly collapsed to his knees, sweat beading on his forehead, his face pale with terror: "Your servant is incompetent! I beg the Clan Leader to punish me!"

It was hard to imagine that Hun Xu Zi—the Continent's Number One Alchemist, the Soul Clan's Dan Saint—would show such fear!

Hun Tian Di's eyes revealed a flicker of surprise, yet that surprise was saturated with icy coldness.

He quickly helped Hun Xu Zi to his feet, astonished: "Hun Xu Zi, what are you doing?"

"You've already done a great service by finding a Pill Alchemist with such talent. Should we ever obtain the Primitive Pill, we will still need your strength."

The black-robed man watched this scene and snorted coldly: "Hmph. Even if you can't refine a finished product, you still have other ways."

"I am the Soul Clan Clan Leader—how could I possibly do such a thing?" Hun Tian Di waved his hand dismissively.

But whether Hun Xu Zi or the black-robed man, both understood: if that day truly came, if the Primitive Pill was obtained and neither Hun Xu Zi nor Xiao Yan could refine it into a finished product, then there would be only one outcome.

They all knew: this man would do anything to become an Emperor.

Hum! At that moment, Xiao Yan, his body entirely encased in crystals, suddenly shuddered—blinding light erupted from within him, and a powerful invisible wave, like a storm, surged forth from his body, sweeping across the heavens and earth!

"Is this Líng Jìng Dà Yuánmǎn?" Xiao Yan felt the changes in his body, then turned his head toward a certain space—he had just sensed a momentary anomaly there.

He shook his head, dismissing the illusion, slowly stood up, and after a moment of feeling his new state, muttered to himself: "Not bad. Now I just wait for the Soul Clan's Adult Ceremony to begin."

No sooner had Xiao Yan spoken than the space he had sensed as odd began to warp slowly—and suddenly, a Soul Passage appeared before him.

"Huh? This is…"

"Enter. Through the Soul Path, you will reach the Soul Realm directly. Our Clan's Adult Ceremony is about to begin." A voice—Hun Xu Zi's—suddenly echoed from the space.

Xiao Yan froze, his expression strange. Coincidence? Just as I finished cultivating, it starts?

Xiao Yan didn't mind—it was perfect. He stepped forward into the Soul Passage and vanished. Of course, he never imagined that this Adult Ceremony had been delayed because of him.

In the mansion within the Soul Realm, Hun Tian Di watched Xiao Yan enter the Soul Passage and smiled with deep meaning.

"The Xiao Clan… truly fate is cruel. Who would have thought that a thousand years ago, the Xiao Clan was destroyed by my Soul Clan, and a thousand years later, the Xiao Clan's Young Clan Leader would come to our clan to attend the Adult Ceremony?"

"The whims of fate are truly amusing."

A flash of light—and the instant Xiao Yan stepped out of the Soul Passage, a wave of noisy commotion flooded his ears.

"Is this… the Soul Clan's City?" Xiao Yan stared at the bustling city before him, looking up at the blue sky and white clouds—hard to believe such lively scenes existed within the Soul Realm, the place that struck terror into all hearts!

Noise and clamor surged toward him. Before his eyes stretched countless towers and broad streets; above the sky, ancient palaces and divine pavilions floated and drifted.

The floating pavilions radiated dazzling aura, and Xiao Yan could even smell the scent of Elixirs and Medicinal Materials.

On the streets, carriages and horses jostled, crowds thronged—no different from any major city outside.

The only difference from cities on the Dou Qi Continent was that even the weakest here were at least Dou Masters—yet here, Dou Masters were mere commoners, doing menial labor, with not a trace of cultivation visible.

"These must be the Soul Clan's descendants—but their Dou Di Bloodline is so weak, I can barely sense it."

Xiao Yan couldn't help but smile bitterly. Even these descendants, with bloodlines so faint they were nearly undetectable, were stronger than him. They didn't even cultivate—and still reached Dou Master.

For this sudden appearance of a stranger who warped space, everyone paid no mind—not even a second glance. In this City of Corpses and Souls, warping space was a daily occurrence!

Pulling out his Soul Token, sensing its guidance, Xiao Yan didn't linger—he stepped swiftly toward the center of the City of Corpses and Souls, toward the vast Guang Chang radiating ancient Spiritual Soul energy.

To Xiao Yan's surprise, the entire City of Corpses and Souls had no guards at all—even the ancient Guang Chang had no barrier, no restrictions on entry or exit.

Not only were there no guards, but Xiao Yan nearly dropped his jaw: there weren't even seats! He saw only numerous powerful Soul Clan Disciples sitting cross-legged around the Guang Chang, casually, as if choosing any spot they liked.

"This Adult Ceremony is too casual…"

Xiao Yan felt a flush of embarrassment. Would the Gu Clan's Adult Ceremony be this lax too?

Xiao Yan didn't know that the Adult Ceremony should have begun ten days ago—but none of the participating disciples knew why it had been delayed, and so they simply sat and waited, unwilling to leave.

They sat cross-legged on the ground, cultivating, and dared not depart.

Xiao Yan, an outsider, was just as panicked! What was he supposed to do?

He, the Xiao Clan's Young Clan Leader, had sneaked into the Soul Clan's Adult Ceremony! What now? Online waiting! Urgent!

Weak and helpless, Xiao Yan tiptoed to a random corner, about to sit cross-legged—when a withered voice suddenly rang out from the Guang Chang.

"The hour has come. The Ceremony begins."

!!

Whoosh! In an instant, the vast, dark sea of Soul Clan Disciples clad in varied robes all rose to their feet, their expressions solemn, staring at the three elders at the center.

Facing these three elders, no matter how high their bloodline or how strong their cultivation, none dared make a sound—for all three were Soul Clan Elders, true Dou Sages!

"All Dou Sages… and this aura—it feels even stronger than the Third Heavenly Sovereign and Second Heavenly Sovereign." Xiao Yan, whose Soul Force had reached Líng Jìng Dà Yuánmǎn, could now faintly distinguish the strength of Dou Sages—even if he didn't yet know their exact star levels, he could tell their relative power.

Xiao Yan carefully observed the three Elders: the left elder held a strange compass; the right elder held a long box containing a black brush; the central elder held a small booklet.

"All descendants under fourteen years old who have reached Dou Spirit—step forward!"

Whoosh! Instantly, a vast crowd of Soul Clan descendants surged forward from the Guang Chang. Seeing hundreds, even thousands, Xiao Yan's eyes widened.

If the Xiao Clan's current Adult Ceremony followed the same tradition as the ancient Dou Emperor Family's, then the Adult Ceremony occurred once a year.

And these were all under fourteen—meaning some might be only ten, or even younger…

The first boy stepped before the elder holding the compass, placed his hand upon it—hum! A faint glow emitted, and two stars slowly rose. No matter how hard the boy strained, only two stars remained.

"Shi Qing, One-Star Dou Spirit, Two-Rank Bloodline—Unqualified."

Xiao Yan stared, dumbfounded. A One-Star Dou Spirit under fourteen…unqualified??

"Damn. When I was fourteen, I was still a Dou Practitioner." Xiao Yan now understood why Ling Quan was so arrogant—he himself had only reached Dou King at twenty. This truly was weak!

"Is the Dou Di Bloodline really that powerful…"

Then Xiao Yan witnessed something utterly absurd: young boys and girls with childish faces marched forward like a factory assembly line, each tested—but the vast majority failed, all with Two-Rank or Three-Rank bloodlines. He even saw one who had reached Dou King, yet his bloodline rank was only Three-Rank—and still deemed unqualified.

As for One-Rank Dou Di Bloodline—Xiao Yan guessed such a level was merely an ordinary genius on the Dou Qi Continent, unable to reach Dou Spirit by fourteen.

"This Dou Di bloodline does indeed cultivate quickly in the early stages, and with the Heavenly Energy in the Soul Realm being exceptionally dense, and no lack of Cultivation Methods or Dou Techniques, rapid progress is only natural."

After his surprise, Xiao Yan quietly observed: early speed didn't mean late speed; Ling Quan's bloodline rank was likely also high, which is why he reached Dou Huang so early—but later, he stalled; by the time he hit Dou Zong, his pace slowed, and Xiao Yan caught up.

"Duan Yong, One-Star Dou Ling, Third-Rank Bloodline—unqualified."

"Hun Lu, Six-Star Dou Ling, Third-Rank Bloodline—unqualified."

"Guo Dun, One-Star Dou Ling, Fourth-Rank Bloodline—qualified. Awarded silver Clan Mark."

Hearing the Soul Clan Elder's call, the Soul Clan descendants behind Guo Dun immediately emitted voices tinged with envy.

They didn't envy cultivation realms—only Dou Di bloodline! Because only with sufficient Dou Di bloodline could they become absolute powerhouses, and their cultivation speed would be extremely fast!

In Dou Emperor Families, bloodline rank was absolute. For descendants, even their surname didn't matter; as long as they received the Clan Mark, they became Soul Clan members—even if they didn't bear the surname Hun.

At these words, Guo Dun's eyes flickered with delight. He knelt on one knee, raised his head, and another Elder, holding a long box, wielded a jet-black brush, his arm dancing into afterimages as an arcane symbol appeared upon Guo Dun's forehead—a black mist erupted, radiating a unique energy fluctuation.

"So this is the Clan Mark," Xiao Yan thought, feeling like Liu Laolao entering the Grand View Garden for the first time.

With Xiao Yan's meager bloodline, he could not form a Clan Mark.

Xiao Yan had only heard that the Clan Mark was equivalent to an extremely powerful, side-effect-free Secret Technique, capable of activating the body's Dou Di bloodline to enhance combat power.

Ling Quan had used it before—indeed, it had boosted his strength.

The number of candidates kept dwindling. To Xiao Yan's eyes, though the descendants' cultivation rose swiftly—even seeing a Nine-Star Dou Wang with Fifth-Grade bloodline, making his eyes widen—he noted most were deemed unqualified; only five passed, four with Fourth-Rank bloodline, one with Fifth-Grade.

All of them had reached Dou Ling; some hadn't, like the former Soul Jade Cun, who, unwilling to accept his low bloodline rank, entered the Soul Path Trial hoping to elevate his Dou Di bloodline—and ultimately died horribly at Xiao Yan's hands.

Xiao Yan hadn't forgotten: in the square still sat several disciples seated in meditation—these weren't descendants, but true Soul Clan offspring, perhaps even sons or grandsons of Elders.

From several of these figures, Xiao Yan sensed overwhelming pressure; their cultivation realms exceeded Dou Zun, some even reaching Eight-Star Dou Zun—his sense of their power rivaled that of the Nine-Star Peak Dou Zun, Five Heavenly Elders.

And Xiao Yan guessed this wasn't even all the Soul Clan's young generation; they came not for the Clan Mark, but for promotion!

Dou Di bloodline cannot be cultivated to grow stronger—but cultivation can further awaken the bloodline within.

Of course, exceptions existed, like Xiao Yan himself, who had used a Blood Bottle to increase bloodline concentration.

Like the Xiao Clan's Adult Ceremony, those qualified to receive the Clan Mark gained the right to challenge other clan members—even unqualified ones—to demonstrate their strength and status.

"No wonder the Xiao Clan's Adult Ceremony was so complex—originally, it was like this. But after losing Dou Di bloodline, many things became useless."

Xiao Yan couldn't help but sigh. He'd always found his own Adult Ceremony's rituals strange; now he saw—they were ancient traditions, merely missing the Clan Mark step.

As Xiao Yan pondered, the lead Soul Clan Elder recorded the five qualified names and called out again.

As Xiao Yan pondered silently, the leading Soul Clan Elder on the Guang Chang recorded the names of the five qualified individuals and called out again.

This time, the Elder himself called the name—this difference signaled that Hun Gu had long since surpassed Fourth-Rank bloodline and already possessed a Clan Mark.

At the Elder's call, the now-empty square saw a figure in black robes rise swiftly, stepping on Space with a confident stride as he swept into the arena.

Hun Gu bowed respectfully to the three Elders; being personally called out was rare, and those so honored were unquestionably the elite of the Soul Clan's young generation.

Seeing six stars appear, even the lead Elder nodded, smiling: "Good. Nine-Star Dou Zong, Sixth-Grade Bloodline. Clan Mark upgraded to gold."

Hearing the Elder's announcement, the unqualified Soul Clan descendants let out murmurs of envy.

Sixth-Grade bloodline was like a divine gift—the rank they all dreamed of.

"Sixth-Grade... so mine will be gold too, when it's my turn?" Xiao Yan didn't understand—he only knew that to use Dou Di bloodline, one had to undergo the Adult Ceremony.

One after another, Soul Clan offspring stepped forward—all without exception possessed Sixth-Grade or higher bloodline; many were Dou Zun, and Xiao Yan even saw several with Eighth-Grade Dou Di bloodline, their cultivation at Eight-Star Peak Dou Zun—terrifyingly powerful.

"With my current cultivation, if Gu Yao reached Eight-Star with Eighth-Grade bloodline, I might truly not be able to defeat him."

Xiao Yan compared himself to this man, Hun Ya. Even without Soul Clan inherited Dou Techniques or the Clan Mark, just his cultivation and aura pressed Xiao Yan heavily.

The Gu Clan and Soul Clan were evenly matched—both the strongest Dou Emperor Families on the Dou Qi Continent.

"Before heading to the Ancient Realm, I need to raise my cultivation further. But where can I find a Heavenly Flame now?" Xiao Yan frowned. Including Mao Wu, he currently possessed eleven Heavenly Flames; the Phantom Poison Flame was with Xiao Yixian.

The Heavenly Flame Ranking had only twenty-three flames total; most were held by the Yan Clan and Yao Clan. The only one with any lead left was the Pure Lotus Demon Flame.

As Xiao Yan worried over how to raise his cultivation and waited for his name, suddenly a sinister, strange, evil black light shot from the square.

The entire square was engulfed in darkness; the black light surged skyward, darkening the very sky!

The entire Guang Chang was shrouded in this dark light, instantly growing dim, as a black beam shot skyward, darkening the Sky considerably!

"Divine Grade Bloodline!!"

"It's Soul Jade! That guy reached Divine Grade Bloodline!!"

"Kuang! He's like Young Clan Leader Hun Feng—both have Divine Grade Bloodline!"

Xiao Yan narrowed his eyes, watching the young man in the arena, smiling faintly—his features soft, his face always bearing a gentle smile.

Soul Jade slowly lifted his gaze toward a patch of Space—on the other side, a man with Divine Grade Bloodline wore a dark expression.

Like the Soul Sect, the Soul Clan valued only strength and Dou Di bloodline. Hun Feng became Young Clan Leader solely because he possessed Divine Grade Bloodline—not because he was the Clan Leader's son.

When a second Divine Grade Bloodline appeared in the clan, the Young Clan Leader's position became unstable.

Of course, to Xiao Yan, an outsider, he had no idea what Divine Grade Bloodline meant—he only sensed it sounded incredibly powerful!

Yet Soul Jade did not challenge Hun Feng—he knew his current strength wasn't enough to defeat him.

"Good. Very good. Next... hmm? Soul Sect, Ten Heavenly Elders?" The lead Elder glanced at the roster—the last name read: "Ten Heavenly Elders of the Soul Sect."

Hearing his name finally called, Xiao Yan felt a flicker of nervousness, then stepped through Space into the square.

"Ten Heavenly Elders? From the Soul Sect?"

"Hah. Only Three-Star Dou Zun. Looks like the Soul Sect is growing weaker."

Instantly, the Soul Clan disciples cast disdainful glances—like the Gu Clan, all Dou Emperor Families looked down on outsiders.

"You have no Dou Di bloodline," the Soul Clan Elder blinked, stunned. Even he was confused—why did the roster list a Ten Heavenly Elder of the Soul Sect? You have no Dou Di bloodline—what are you doing here?!

"You have no Dou Di Bloodline." The Soul Clan Elder also froze, stunned himself—how could the name of the Soul Palace's Heavenly Venerable appear on the roster if you have no Dou Di Bloodline? What are you doing here!

Xiao Yan pulled a Blood Bottle from his storage ring. As the bloodline appeared, the Soul Clan descendants outside the square all fixed their eyes on it with greedy stares.

Xiao Yan took a Blood Bottle out of his storage ring; when the Bloodline appeared, the Soul Clan Disciples outside the arena all cast greedy glances.