Chapter 514

"Dragon Flame Fist!"

Xiao Yan's fist was wrapped in dragon scales, upon which six fused Different Flames burned as an ultra-powerful new Different Flame. Feeling the terror of this punch, Gu Qingyang no longer dared hold back—he was now at the point of risking his life!

At this moment, everyone's mind held only one thought: When you fought Gu Yao, you were holding back, you little brat!!

Second Commander Gu Hua felt Xiao Yan's invincibility at this moment; his heart raced like ten thousand galloping horses. He now realized Xiao Yan had said he could last ten punches only because of Xun Er's favor. Otherwise, like Gu Yao, it would've been one punch!

Even Gu Qingyang, who had unleashed his Nine-Star Dou Di Bloodline, stared in shock, his face pale with alarm—he had to fight with all his life to face this Xiao Yan!

Facing Xiao Yan's punch, Gu Qingyang gritted his teeth, let out a long roar, swung his Yín Lóng Zhàn Jǐ horizontally, lifted it with both hands, and braced directly against Xiao Yan's terrifying strike.

Boom! The Yín Lóng Zhàn Jǐ in Gu Qingyang's hands was an ancient legendary weapon forged by the Gu Clan in primordial times, made of astonishing materials—yet under Xiao Yan's punch, it was bent, as if unable to bear the force!

But this wasn't surprising—the newly fused six Different Flames likely rivaled Xun Er's Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame in power.

Forging weapons requires burning with Different Flames!

"So heavy!"

Gu Qingyang's heart trembled violently; he clenched his teeth, but Xiao Yan's punch was too fierce—even with both hands gripping the Yín Lóng Zhàn Jǐ, he couldn't stop it. He felt his arms would break!

Boom! The punch exploded, smashing through Gu Qingyang's defense and striking his chest directly. Dragon qi and Different Flames erupted inside him, tearing and raging through his body.

Puff! Puff! Puff!! Gu Qingyang spat huge gouts of blood, flying skyward like a kite struck by a storm.

Xiao Yan didn't hold back—he spread his Ancient Phoenix Wings and leapt into the air again. With a sharp whistle of displaced wind, he punched straight upward, chasing Gu Qingyang.

The Different Flame Dou Technique, fueled by six fused Different Flames, made Xiao Yan's Dragon Phoenix Ancient Armor unleash truly terrifying power. His punch descended like a colossal mountain peak crushing down, striking directly at Gu Qingyang—space itself seemed to cave in, and the sky trembled.

One punch could shatter all things.

Clang! Gu Qingyang's Dou Di Bloodline boiled to its limit; he roared, and his Yín Lóng Zhàn Jǐ blazed with blinding white light. Terrifying Dou Qi flooded into the spear, unleashing a Dou Technique—its thrust shot out like a True Dragon leaping into the sky, the spear's force howling.

"Dragon Spear Suppression!"

This was a Dou Technique similar to Flame Splitting Wave Ruler—it could only be activated through a weapon!

Gu Qingyang's spear instantly grew impossibly heavy, ready to directly clash with Xiao Yan's punch.

Boom! The full force of Xiao Yan's punch finally met head-on with Gu Qingyang's spear.

This time, Xiao Yan was blasted backward in staggered steps—Gu Qingyang's spear technique now had a recoil effect like the Gu Huang Bell Shield, bouncing part of the force back onto Xiao Yan.

Hum! Three Thousand Yan Flame rapidly repaired his internal injuries. Xiao Yan's eyes hardened, and he charged forward again, smashing his fist against the spear. Starfire sprayed, shooting skyward—terrifying Different Flames burned everything without fear.

"This Xiao Yan is too brutal! With Three Thousand Yan Flame, he's practically immortal! How can Gu Qingyang fight him?!"

Hearing his companion say this, Huo Xuan shook his head: "No, you're wrong. Xiao Yan is actually on the defensive—he's only holding his own against Gu Qingyang thanks to the Heavenly Flame Three Mystical Transformations Secret Technique and the Different Flames. Both the technique and the flames drain Dou Qi massively. If Xiao Yan doesn't end this quickly, he'll run out."

Xiao Yan cultivated the Heavenly Rank Intermediate Burning Scripture, so his Dou Qi was exceptionally strong—but even so, it couldn't sustain the continuous explosion of six fused Different Flames. Cultivation Realm always underpins combat power; fighting across levels is so difficult precisely because Dou Qi consumption is enormous.

Boom! Another thunderous crash echoed from above—this time, though Gu Qingyang blocked Xiao Yan's punch with his spear, he couldn't withstand the terrifying Different Flames and was blasted away, spitting blood.

Shhh! A stunning six-colored Fire Lotus instantly condensed in Xiao Yan's palm—its formation was astonishingly fast.

"Fire Lotus, go!"

The six-colored Fire Lotus shot through Space like a streak of light, appearing before Gu Qingyang. Seeing the terrifying power within the Fire Lotus, Gu Qingyang's eyes widened in shock—and then it exploded.

Boom! The Fire Lotus bloomed, unleashing merciless waves of flame that poured down instantly—endless Different Flames threatened to drown the entire Guang Chang. If not for the Protective Barrier, the entire plaza would've been incinerated. The power of Different Flames—anything touched turned to ash!

"What a terrifying Fire Lotus Dou Technique!"

Huo Zhi's beautiful eyes flickered with surprise: "He compressed the six Different Flames with Soul Force, then detonated them to create immense destructive power."

This sight left everyone stunned, drawing sharp intakes of breath.

"Will the Grand Commander lose?" Soon, some Black Smoke Army soldiers began doubting their lives—could the Gu Clan's Grand Commander, Gu Qingyang with Nine-Star Dou Di Bloodline, lose to someone with a discarded bloodline?!

Gu Zhen had long been speechless with shock. Whoever won or lost, he'd never believe in anything again! Could Dou Di Bloodline really be unimportant???

This Xiao Yan, fighting on equal footing with Gu Qingyang—who had Nine-Star Bloodline and was a First-Transformation Dou Zun—then in the same level, only Divine Grade Bloodline could possibly match him!

The flame waves slowly receded. The entire Yishi Guangchang was now unrecognizable—all the elegant stone pillars had been shattered into rubble, leaving a massive crater across the plaza.

Xiao Yan slowly landed on the Guang Chang, retracting his Ancient Phoenix Wings and Dragon Phoenix Ancient Armor. He was already at his limit. Great power always comes at a great cost—he now relied entirely on Three Thousand Yan Flame to hold himself together; otherwise, his body would've shattered long ago from such intense collisions.

The dust cleared. Gu Qingyang wasn't dead—but he was equally broken. His armor was torn and charred by Different Flames, his Yín Lóng Zhàn Jǐ dim and lifeless, blood streaming from his forehead, arms, and lips.

It was easy to imagine—just to withstand the Fire Lotus explosion, Gu Qingyang had expended enormous energy.

Seeing the hesitation in Gu Qingyang's eyes, Xiao Yan spoke: "You still have a trump card, don't you?"

Gu Qingyang's eyelid twitched. He sighed: "That technique…"

Xiao Yan smiled faintly: "Yes—the one created by the Dou Di, the technique that best represents your Gu Clan."

Hearing Xiao Yan's words, every member of the Gu Clan remembered one Dou Technique. Xun Er's beautiful eyes filled with worry, her fists clenched tight.

Xiao Yan was about to overturn the Gu Clan's heavens!

"Qingyang, use that technique," Tong Xuan Elder whispered from the void: "Don't worry—I'll watch. No one will die."

The latter part was addressed to both Gu Qingyang and Xiao Yan.

Gu Qingyang nodded, picked up his spear planted in the ground, sliced his palm lightly, then slowly formed a hand seal. The seal was known to almost all of the Gu Clan—even Xiao Yan knew it.

Emperor Seal Technique!

As Gu Qingyang formed the seal, the Clan Mark on his forehead glowed brighter and brighter. Tiny droplets of purple-gold blood, faintly shimmering with seven-colored light, seeped from his palm. The Mountain Splitting Seal, the Sea Upheaval Seal, the Earth Overturning Seal, the Sky Erasing Seal—when stacked together, the clouds above churned like a vortex, and the surrounding space twisted violently.

Finally, Gu Qingyang bit his tongue hard, exhausting every last bit of Dou Qi and Dou Di Bloodline within him—until he finally condensed the Ancient Emperor Seal!

"This is the true Emperor Seal Technique!"

Xiao Yan had also cultivated the Emperor Seal Technique. The first seal, Mountain Splitting, required Dou Wang to learn; the second, Sea Upheaval, required Dou Huang. When Xiao Yan reached the Ancient Emperor Seal, he understood—the true Emperor Seal Technique didn't correspond to Dou Qi cultivation level, but to the rank of Dou Di Bloodline.

To unleash the true power of Mountain Splitting, you needed Five-Grade Dou Di Bloodline; Sea Upheaval required Six-Grade; the strongest Ancient Emperor Seal could only be fully wielded by a Nine-Star Dou Di Bloodline user.

Without Dou Di Bloodline, the Emperor Seal Technique is Earth Rank Advanced Grade. With it… no one knows.

This is a peerless Dou Technique requiring Dou Di Bloodline!

Created by the Gu Clan's Dou Di powerhouse!

The Ancient Emperor Seal emitted a faint purple-gold glow. Gu Qingyang's face was deathly pale as he looked at Xiao Yan helplessly: "Xiao Yan, I haven't fully cultivated the Ancient Emperor Seal—I can only unleash one or two percent of its power… and I can't control its force."

A Dou Technique created by a Dou Di! Those six characters meant something now—something Xiao Yan had once not understood, but now understood perfectly.

This is a Dou Emperor Family—a clan that possesses the Dou Emperor Inheritance, wielding the power of a Dou Emperor!

A Dou Saint can create Heavenly Rank, even Heavenly Rank Advanced Grade, Dou Techniques—what about a Dou Emperor?

And this is merely a Nine-Star Dou Emperor Bloodline—what if it were Divine Grade? Xiao Yan did not dwell on the Divine Grade, for if he failed this trial, all else was meaningless.

Feeling the immense power of the Ancient Emperor Seal in Gu Qingyang's hand, even the Soul Sovereigns fell silent in prudence. After the Xiao Clan's destruction, the Gu Clan became their greatest rival.

Seeing the Ancient Emperor Seal appear, Xiao Yan understood: even the Eleven-Color Fire Lotus might not prevail. The Buddha Fury Lotus, which fuses Infernal Flames, relies on the Burning Scripture—it is a derivative Dou Technique of the Burning Scripture. The stronger the Burning Scripture, the stronger the Buddha Fury Lotus; a Heavenly Rank Intermediate may not win.

The Buddha Fury Lotus was a nascent Infernal Flame fusion Dou Technique he created based on the Burning Scripture—merely fusing two Infernal Flames could trigger an explosion of Heaven and Earth Power, generating immense force.

Thus, even with only a Dou Master's cultivation realm, as long as the Infernal Flames were in place, using the Buddha Fury Lotus could cause massive explosions—seriously wounding a Dou Emperor was no problem.

But the longer he advanced, the more the drawbacks of the Fire Lotus became apparent: Earth Rank Dou Techniques could stir Heaven and Earth Power; Heavenly Rank could draw in Heaven and Earth Power from ten li, even a hundred li around.

No matter how many Infernal Flames he gathered, they merely stacked up. The Buddha Fury Lotus he created in his youth was crude and simplistic. Now, at Heavenly Rank, Xiao Yan had long ceased refining new Infernal Flames; the Burning Scripture had stagnated at Heavenly Rank Intermediate for some time. In a sense, the Burning Scripture had halted—and with it, the Buddha Fury Lotus had fallen behind his current opponents.

They too possess supreme Dou Techniques and Cultivation Methods!

"Dou Emperor Bloodline truly is a wonderful thing—yet even you aren't the strongest of the Gu Clan." Xiao Yan turned his head and saw Xun Er's eyes filled with pleading, unwilling to see him hurt.

Though Xiao Yan now challenged Gu Qingyang across levels, even at equal rank, he might not defeat Xun Er—let alone that the Soul Sovereign had two Divine Grade Bloodlines, and Hun Tian Di himself—what terrifying realm was he in?

After smiling at Xun Er, he recalled something—and courage surged in his heart!

He had come to the Ancient Realm for one purpose!

Therefore, he could not lose here!!!

Xiao Yan's eyes flashed with resolve and Battle Intention; his hand seals formed like lightning. Seeing Xiao Yan's seals, even Tong Xuan in the Space above froze—he had never imagined Xiao Yan would unleash the Emperor Seal Scripture!

"Emperor Seal Scripture?!"

"No, impossible! Xiao Yan doesn't possess the Gu Clan's Dou Emperor Bloodline!"

"Something's amiss!"

In an instant, everyone's hearts jolted. Having watched the entire battle, all understood Xiao Yan—he never acted without reason!

"Dou Emperor Bloodline is indeed powerful—but it is merely a force that accelerates cultivation, offering you a shortcut." Xiao Yan's hand seal formed an Emperor Seal; he looked up at Gu Qingyang and smiled: "But those who always seek shortcuts lose the ability to forge new paths."

"And you of the Gu Clan are merely descendants of the Ancient Emperor. Even with his bloodline and power, you are not the Ancient Emperor—walking the same path will never make you one!"

BOOM BOOM!!! As Xiao Yan finished speaking, the heavens trembled and the earth shook—the entire Yishi Guangchang swayed as if a great earthquake had struck.

Elders of the Gu Clan who had not come to witness the Adult Ceremony burst from their cultivation grounds—Black Annihilation King and the Three Immortals of Gu Clan all rushed out, all gazing upward.

Above the Yishi Guangchang, directly above Xiao Yan's head, an extraordinary phenomenon occurred!

In the sky above the Yishi Guangchang, five fire beasts appeared—like sovereigns of a divine realm, each forged from flame, seated upon fire lotuses of different colors, all five beasts forming strange hand seals with their hands.

At that moment, sounds echoed from the sky, like music, stirring the hearts of all with fervor.

"This phenomenon—could a new Heavenly Rank Dou Technique be emerging?!!"

Seeing this phenomenon, all were stunned—even Gu Qingyang and Elder Tong Xuan were moved, gazing in awe. None had ever witnessed such a spectacle; all were rendered speechless.

"It's Xiao Yan! His Dou Technique!!"

At that moment, all turned to the Emperor Seal floating in Xiao Yan's palm. Only upon closer inspection did they realize: Xiao Yan's "Ancient Emperor Seal" was utterly unlike the original—it had fused the five Infernal Flames he used in the Five Wheel Fire Method!

Moreover, these five Infernal Flames didn't merely form the seal—they interwove and fused into a Sealing Array. Within this tiny seal lay intricate, exquisite complexity, exhausting every ounce of Xiao Yan's Dou Qi and Soul Force, leaving not a single particle of energy wasted—all condensed into one!

This was a new Dou Technique forged from Xiao Yan's entire life's insights—merging the Five Wheel Fire Method, the five seals of the Emperor Seal Scripture, and the Infernal Flame fusion principles of the Buddha Fury Lotus into one!

"Take this." BOOM! Xiao Yan slammed his right foot onto the ground; before everyone's stunned gazes, he charged toward Gu Qingyang, raised his right hand, and whispered to himself: "Fused Dou Technique—Flame Emperor Seal!"

Feeling the terrifying power of the seal, even Senior Half-Saint Elder Tong Xuan's scalp prickled. He flashed forward, snatching Gu Qingyang behind him. This strike—Gu Qingyang could not withstand it!!

Seeing Elder Tong Xuan appear, Xiao Yan seemed to have anticipated it—he smirked: "You're here again."

Hearing this, Elder Tong Xuan's heart was shaken by a storm. When Xiao Yan defeated Ling Quan, he had appeared. Now, Xiao Yan had defeated Gu Qingyang again!

Xiao Yan did not relent—he roared, slamming the Flame Emperor Seal down upon the Half-Saint. Tong Xuan hastily raised his palm to block, palm to palm.

"Brother Xiao Yan!!"

BOOM!!! A deafening explosion erupted—terrifying energy shattered, the world blazed brilliant, and in an instant, unimaginable power detonated!

As the explosion roared, boundless light burst forth—immense energy surged from Xiao Yan's Flame Emperor Seal, instantly engulfing Tong Xuan!

A terrifying stream of Infernal Flame energy shot skyward, piercing the Protective Barrier and striking the Heavenly Abyss of the Ancient Realm, then exploding into a rain of fire.

The light faded quickly, as if it had been pulled back. As a Senior Half-Saint, Tong Xuan could not possibly have failed to block Xiao Yan's attack—after all, the gap between Half-Saint and Dou Zun was nine transformations, and he was barely a step away from a One Star Dou Saint.

Yet even so, his arm turned charred black; his sleeve was entirely burned away, his skin scorched—he suffered serious injuries.

"He injured Elder Tong Xuan."

"This can't be—Elder Tong Xuan is a Dou Saint!"

Mang Tianchi, seeing this, swallowed hard, his heart in turmoil—this Dou Technique was even stronger than he imagined!

"If fully perfected… it might reach Heavenly Rank Advanced Grade! My god—a Dou Zun created such a technique!" Mang Tianchi was stunned—what kind of demon or monster was this?!

But Xiao Yan was far from unscathed—he had exhausted all his Dou Qi and Soul Force; the Three Thousand Yan Flame burned with only a faint flicker. His body was drenched in blood, especially his right hand, which had used the Flame Emperor Seal—now blackened like charcoal, sustained only by the Three Thousand Yan Flame.

At that moment, all stood silent, gazing at the frail man standing in the center—no one dared speak; only boundless reverence filled their hearts.

He, shattered the legend of Dou Emperor Bloodline!

He, accomplished it!

Overturned the heavens of the Gu Clan!

Yet Xiao Yan's heart held no joy of victory—only tension and unease.

Xiao Yan dragged his battered body step by step toward Xun Er; his voice soft but resolute: "I, Xiao Yan, came to the Ancient Realm not to defeat anyone."

!!!!

All listened in silence, not daring to speak, even breathing as lightly as possible.

"Nor to prove myself."

"Nor for the Heavenly Tomb's slot."

"I, Xiao Yan, came to the Gu Clan for only one thing."

Xiao Yan slowly took a Brocade Box from his storage ring; when he opened it, a snow-white butterfly lay inside.

Dan Beast! The Nine Revolution Heaven Changing Pill of Nine Color Pill Thunder!

"Xun Er, will you marry me?"

Xiao Yan had come to the Gu Clan for only one thing: to propose and take Xun Er as his bride. For all these years, this had been the greatest wish of the scarred man before her.

Hearing Xiao Yan's words, Xun Er's beautiful eyes filled with tears; she rushed forward one step and embraced him tightly, weeping uncontrollably against his chest.

"Yes."

She had always believed in him.

(End of Chapter)