Chapter 476: Three-in-One, Asura Soul Severing Technique!

Xiao City is now a very important city for the Yan Alliance—or rather, the Xiao Clan—considered the third stronghold of the Xiao Clan, besides Wutan City and Jia Ma Sheng Cheng.

A cunning rabbit has three burrows.

Talented people are not necessarily loyal, but Xiao Clan disciples are different—they may be foolish, lacking talent, but they are certainly loyal to him.

Even Xiao Mei knows she cannot betray Xiao Yan or do anything harmful to the clan; at most, she's just a bit foolish, a bit slow, a bit lazy.

Many of those purged by Xiao Yan were intelligent, highly gifted individuals, even several former Alchemists of the Medicine Guild—clever, but disloyal.

Between foolishness and wickedness, Xiao Yan still chooses foolishness.

People like Ya Fei, with keen insight and brilliant intellect, are exceedingly rare. Sometimes, you still must manage things yourself.

Three days later, Xiao Yan no longer lingered; after all, he had more important matters to attend to—he came to Xiao City merely to make himself known, to let people know this Xiao Clan Young Clan Leader was still alive, not dead!

Black Horn Region, Peace Town.

"Every time I come here, it feels different," Xiao Yan walked down the streets of Peace Town, watching the bustling crowds and busy traffic, unable to help recalling his first time arriving in Peace Town.

This was where his fate changed.

Once again entering that alley, he reached the old shop with its crumbling sign, pushed open the wooden door with a creak—and it was as dim and dilapidated as ever.

But this time, Hun Lao Gui was not dozing off, nor sitting before the counter; even the display cabinets filled with precious items were gone, leaving only Hun Lao Gui alone.

"What, old ghost, have you finally realized this dump needs a renovation?" Xiao Yan teased.

Of course, he knew Hun Lao Gui had no intention of renovating. With his current Soul Force, Xiao Yan had finally seen clearly Hun Lao Gui's true strength: a Heavenly Realm Soul, and a Sage Emperor Cultivation Realm.

Whether it was a high or low level of Heavenly Realm, or how many stars of Sage Emperor—he didn't know, but it was certainly extremely, extremely strong!

Hun Lao Gui slowly turned around. He still looked the same, an elderly man on the verge of death—but this time, his eyes were no longer dull and lifeless; they had become deep, as if piercing through all things.

"Heavenly Realm Soul Force, Soul Sovereign Six-Star Dou Di Bloodline," Hun Lao Gui's eyes, barely containing a speck of black, fixed on Xiao Yan, seeing through him completely, and he offered a grim smile: "Your cultivation of the Asura Soul Severing Technique has reached perfection. Excellent."

Xiao Yan smiled and looked at Hun Lao Gui: "You once promised—if I broke through to Heavenly Realm Soul Force, you'd give me the true scroll of the Asura Soul Severing Technique."

Xiao Yan held out his hand toward Hun Lao Gui, shamelessly asking for the item, feeling not the slightest embarrassment.

Hun Lao Gui flipped his hand, and a scroll emitting three ominous hues—black, white, and gold—appeared in his grasp. The instant the scroll emerged, the Asura Shadow within Xiao Yan's shadow opened its eyes and stared at it.

When the Asura Shadow looked upon it, the scroll trembled slightly.

Seeing the scroll, Xiao Yan couldn't help swallowing hard, his eyes filled with greed.

Heavenly Rank Advanced Grade! Those four words alone could drive everyone on the Dou Qi Continent mad!

When Xiao Yan first saw it, he sneered—he thought it nonsense, because practicing the Asura Soul Severing Technique brought a fatal calamity; had he not been stubbornly resilient and saved by the Yin-Yang Xuan Dragon Pill, he'd have died long ago. And the cultivation threshold was Heavenly Realm Soul Force—he'd been only in the Spirit Realm then, so he felt nothing.

But now! Xiao Yan had truly reached the Heavenly Realm, and acquired the Soul Sovereign's Six-Star Dou Di Bloodline—his mindset was entirely different now.

Was absorbing a Strange Fire not dangerous? He was already in the Heavenly Realm! A voice inside Xiao Yan urged him: Master it now—master it, and you'll be invincible.

Xiao Yan cleared his throat twice, walked slowly toward Hun Lao Gui, and feigned calmness: "Cough, cough—if you're looking to pass on your legacy, I'll reluctantly take on this task for you."

Just as Xiao Yan was about to take the scroll, a surge of Soul Force slammed him back.

"Hey! Hun Lao Gui, what's your meaning? You pull it out just to mock me? Fine—if you won't give it, forget it! Take your Dou Technique to your coffin with you!" Xiao Yan cursed Hun Lao Gui.

"Jie jie jie," Hun Lao Gui grinned, baring his teeth, his eyes fixed on Xiao Yan: "Boy, crafting a Heavenly Rank Advanced Grade Soul Technique requires not only perfect cultivation, but immense Soul Force and time. Do you think I'd give it to you for free?"

Xiao Yan gave Hun Lao Gui a massive side-eye, utterly speechless—he knew full well there was no such thing as a free lunch, but he'd hoped for at least a free breakfast!

A Heavenly Rank Advanced Grade Dou Technique was priceless; if forced to assign a value, it might equal a Nine Grade Profound Pill.

But he couldn't even refine a Nine Grade Pill now, and he had zero Soul Points—he was utterly destitute!

"I'm broke, zero Soul Points. Hun Lao Gui, just say it—what's your condition? If I can do it, I'll agree. If not, we part ways." Xiao Yan spread his hands, looking utterly unbothered.

Then make your offer.

"Jie jie jie," Hun Lao Gui's eyes narrowed slightly, a sharp glint flashing as he asked: "Have you met Hun Tian Di?"

Xiao Yan's heart jolted. He studied Hun Lao Gui, frowned, and said: "I've met him—what do you want?"

"I want you to use the Asura Soul Severing Technique to fight him."

At these words, Xiao Yan's heart trembled. Had he not met Hun Tian Di, he might have braved it—but now, after meeting him, any bravado would be fake.

Xiao Yan still had some self-awareness.

"Hun Lao Gui, you're not asking me to…" Xiao Yan stared at Hun Lao Gui in shock—was the Soul Sovereign deeply divided?

Hearing this, Hun Lao Gui sneered coldly: "Do you think I want to betray my clan?"

Xiao Yan nodded—how else to explain it? You, a Soul Sovereign, teaching an outsider to challenge your own Clan Leader—what are you trying to do?

"I will never be a traitor to the Soul Sovereign," Hun Lao Gui's gaze hardened, burning with unwavering resolve.

That left Xiao Yan baffled—then what the hell are you after?

"Then do you have a personal grudge against him?"

Hun Lao Gui shook his head: "It's not hatred. I'm merely one of the countless bones beneath his feet."

At this, Xiao Yan understood: Hun Tian Di became Clan Leader by defeating countless Soul Sovereign prodigies—and Hun Lao Gui was one of them.

"Years ago, I fought him and lost—but in that battle, I surpassed my limits, gained a sliver of insight, and thus created this true Asura Soul Severing Technique, surpassing the original version," Hun Lao Gui's eyes dimmed with nostalgia and passion, as if reliving that battle.

This complete version of the Asura Soul Severing Technique was created by Hun Lao Gui—or rather, he evolved it!

Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed: "To create a Heavenly Rank Advanced Grade Soul Technique, Hun Lao Gui's cultivation must be extraordinarily high. Yet even he was defeated by Hun Tian Di—Hun Tian Di truly deserves his title as the pinnacle of the Dou Qi Continent. Truly terrifying."

"After I fully perfected the Asura Soul Severing Technique, Hun Tian Di had already reached Imperial Soul. I knew I could never attain Imperial Soul in this lifetime—but you can," Hun Lao Gui looked at Xiao Yan; he knew of the Imperial Pill Plan, and knew Xiao Yan was the chosen one.

To refine an Emperor Pill, one must possess Imperial Soul—the Soul Sovereign will surely help Xiao Yan break through to Imperial Soul.

Hearing this, Xiao Yan understood what Hun Lao Gui wanted: he wanted to prove his own creation.

He could never break through to Imperial Soul himself—but Xiao Yan could. He wanted to see what his technique would look like at its peak.

As for defeating Hun Tian Di, Hun Lao Gui never believed Xiao Yan could win—he only asked Xiao Yan to challenge him, not to defeat him.

He wanted to see whether his Soul Technique had the merit to challenge!

Xiao Yan looked at Hun Lao Gui and realized: all Soul Sovereigns carried an obsession—Hun Tian Di's obsession with becoming Emperor, Hun Lao Gui's obsession with comparing his technique to Hun Tian Di's.

Perhaps this intense obsession is the very foundation of the Soul Sovereign—essence of the Spiritual Soul.

Xiao Yan fell into deep thought; after all, challenging Hun Tian Di was an extremely dangerous endeavor. If Xiao Yan believed that reaching Imperial Soul status was enough to defeat Hun Tian Di, then he had a brain damaged by a slamming door.

Xiao Yan struggled intensely—how could this NPC's quest be so dangerous!

But the reward was also extremely generous.

Hun Lao Gui was utterly unfazed, for he knew a man like Xiao Yan could never pass up a Heavenly Rank Advanced Grade Dou Technique—he, too, harbored an inner pursuit of overwhelming power.

If Xiao Yan lacked the ability to cultivate it, he wouldn't bother saying more. But when the technique truly lay before him, ready to be cultivated, he would take the risk!

Xiao Yan possessed the daring heart unique to true powerhouses!

"Fine, I accept."

With a sharp *shuuu*, the complete Asura Soul-Cutting Technique cultivation scroll floated before Xiao Yan. Seeing Hun Lao Gui's smug, "I knew it" expression, Xiao Yan felt a surge of annoyance.

"Jie jie jie," Hun Lao Gui chuckled. "The Soul Sovereign aren't some petty families from the Dou Qi Continent—we have ways to establish Soul Contracts."

"Pfft. I, Xiao Yan, operate on trust." Xiao Yan sneered. When had he ever broken a promise? He always kept his word.

What a petty mind, judging a noble heart.

Xiao Yan didn't hesitate. He immediately opened the Heavenly Rank Advanced Grade Soul Technique. Instantly, a torrent of overwhelming Soul Information surged into his mind, followed by two strange souls—one golden, one black—slipping into his shadow.

More precisely, into the center of the Asura Shadow's forehead!

"Hou hou!!" With a deep *buzz*, the Asura Shadow erupted into frenzy, madness, and agony—agony that instantly synced with Xiao Yan's own Spiritual Soul!

He felt as if the Asura Shadow was being torn apart, as if its body was splitting open to birth two more Asuras!

Xiao Yan gritted his teeth, his Soul Force surging wildly. *Zong! * From the center of his Soul Body's forehead appeared a strange golden rune!

That was the Soul Sovereign's Dou Di Bloodline!!

As the golden rune emerged, Xiao Yan's Soul Force instantly grew stronger, more resilient.

Sitting cross-legged, Xiao Yan no longer cared about anything else—he immediately followed the cultivation method in the scroll, directing his Soul Force as the Emperor Soul Scripture activated. Infinite Soul Force surged like a mad flood into the Asura Shadow.

The Asura Shadow, radiating three-colored light, became a bottomless void, endlessly draining Xiao Yan's Soul Force. Had Xiao Yan not cultivated the Emperor Soul Scripture, possessed a Heavenly Realm Soul, and had Hun Lao Gui previously gathered vast quantities of Soul Light Clusters in his shop, he would have been completely drained by this technique!

To Xiao Yan, this technique felt like something only a madman could have created—and only a madman could cultivate it.

Soul-Shattering Reincarnation: No destruction, no rebirth!

Hun Lao Gui watched silently as Xiao Yan, his entire body radiating three-colored light, remained still. His eyes were calm. If Xiao Yan couldn't even enter the first stage, there was no point discussing cultivation.

Countless Soul Light dots and streams of Spiritual Energy were absorbed by Xiao Yan. Time passed second by second—just to reach the entry stage, he spent a full month!

"Hou hou hou!!!" *Sssshhh! * From the depths of the Shadow Abyss, the Asura Shadow's back suddenly split open—four arms burst forth from within its body.

*Zong! * Golden light blazed brilliantly. From the shadow's right side, another body grew—a body of pure sanctity, radiating blinding golden Saint Light, exuding an aura of supremacy above all beings, a Saint invincible.

On the left side, the new body was utterly ordinary—its form like white jade, devoid of noble Saint Light or ominous Demon Qi, merely plain, like an ordinary mortal.

The only similarity between the two new bodies was that both kept their eyes tightly shut, and both were faint, ethereal—nothing compared to Xiao Yan's fully cultivated Evil Ghost Body.

Slowly, Xiao Yan, still seated cross-legged, opened his eyes and looked down at the Shadow Abyss below him—where the Three Heads Six Arms Asura now stood.

*Zeng! * The two closed-eyed figures suddenly opened their eyes. The golden figure's eyes were golden Saint Pupils; the white jade body's eyes were black pearls, just like a human's.

One body, three heads, six eyes—all stared directly at Xiao Yan. That gaze sent a chill down his spine and made his scalp tingle.

When you gaze into the Shen Yuan, the Shen Yuan gazes back.

What disturbed Xiao Yan most was that all three heads and six arms of the Asura looked exactly like him.

It was as if there were three versions of himself—the most identical, naturally, was the white jade body: a perfect replica!

Imagine being stared at by such a being—could your scalp not go numb?

"Hmph!" *Hu! * Eleven Strange Fires instantly fused. In an instant, the entire space twisted and melted—a cosmic force descended, crushing down.

Did he really think Heavenly Venerable of Yan was a fraud?!

Including the Yinming Poison Fire on Xiao Yixian's body, Xiao Yan had refined twelve Strange Fires. Of all the Strange Fires in the world, ten Heavenly Venerables alone possessed twelve!

Feeling the peerless power of the fused Eleven Strange Fires, even Hun Lao Gui's eyes narrowed.

*Hu! * Suddenly, flames erupted from the Shen Yuan. The Eleven Strange Fires turned the entire abyss into a hellfire, relentlessly burning the Asura Shadow.

Feeling the overwhelming might of the Strange Fires, the newly formed Asura slowly closed its eyes.

Hun Lao Gui was slightly surprised—he hadn't expected Xiao Yan to suppress it so easily.

Xiao Yan waved his hand, sealing the Shadow Abyss shut. Though he could now suppress it with Fused Strange Fire, this was still a Heavenly Rank Advanced Grade Soul Technique—if he couldn't acquire more Strange Fires, the Burning Scripture might not hold it back!

"The Buddha gave his flesh to feed the hawk—this technique is about cutting one's soul to feed the Asura." Xiao Yan felt wary. It resembled him because it absorbed his Soul Power, thus taking his form.

Now that his strength had grown, he still held the upper hand. He looked at Hun Lao Gui and said flatly: "Don't tell me you never trained it yourself."

Xiao Yan detected no similar aura emanating from Hun Lao Gui.

"Jie jie jie," Hun Lao Gui chuckled. "I trained it. But I failed the final trial—and that's why I ended up like this."

When Xiao Yan reached full mastery of the Evil Ghost side, he too faced a trial—he barely survived by luck. The other two sides also carry trials, especially the third.

"But it's strong," Hun Lao Gui said with a smile.

Xiao Yan said nothing. Could a Heavenly Rank Advanced Grade Soul Technique not be strong?

"The inheritance of a Dou Emperor Family is truly formidable—almost always stronger than techniques of the same rank." The more he encountered, the more he realized how deep the roots of these ancient Dou Emperor Families truly were.

Any single Dou Technique from them could crush the strongest techniques on the Dou Qi Continent—though they were far harder to cultivate.

"But to unleash its true power, my Cultivation Realm is still too weak." Even Soul Techniques require not just Soul Force, but also Dou Qi cultivation as support.

Soul Force alone isn't enough—after all, when others cast Dou Techniques, their Soul Force isn't zero! Higher cultivation raises Soul Force too—just not as dramatically as Dou Qi.

To unleash the true power of Soul Techniques, Xiao Yan's own cultivation couldn't remain low.

"If there's nothing else, I'm leaving." Xiao Yan paid no more attention to Hun Lao Gui. His goal had been achieved. Now, his only focus was the Heavenly Tomb, opening soon—he finally had the means to venture into the Ancient Realm.

The danger of the Ancient Realm would be no less than that of the Soul Realm. With the Soul Sovereign, Xiao Yan at least had some value—but the Ancient Realm was different. He had direct conflicts of interest with the Gu Clan.

Watching Xiao Yan leave, Hun Lao Gui smiled faintly and murmured: "The technique I created won't be inferior to a Dou Emperor's inheritance!"

Xiao Yan hadn't considered one thing: Hun Tian Di's cultivated techniques and Cultivation Methods were naturally those left behind by the Soul Emperor.

Hun Lao Gui wasn't challenging Hun Tian Di—he was challenging the Soul Emperor's inheritance!

In the wormhole space, Xing Tian gripped the silver boat and flew toward the Yan Alliance.

"Less than two years left," Xiao Yan clutched the Jade Card given by Xun Er, calculating the time—the opening of the Heavenly Tomb was drawing ever closer.

"Though my Soul Force has reached the Heavenly Realm, who can guarantee the Gu Clan's Dou Di Bloodline doesn't possess some special power? The Soul Sovereign's Dou Di Bloodline enhances Soul Force—what about the Gu Clan?"

Ling Quan was merely at the bottom, and he didn't even bear the Gu surname—what true talents of the Gu Clan might hold was beyond Xiao Yan's estimation.

"Three-Star Dou Zun isn't enough—I need to rise further. Elixirs, Secret Realms—in these two years, I must strengthen even more."

"Xun Er, wait for me—just two more years. Then I'll make every person in the Gu Clan know your judgment was right!"

(End of Chapter)