Chapter 524

"Ancestor!"

Xiao Yan's heart leapt in shock! If Xiao Xuan lost all his Dou Di Bloodline, he would ultimately become a slave of the Heavenly Tomb—possibly even descending to the state of the soulless, mindless wraiths of the second or even first layer!

Xiao Xuan slowly raised his hand, revealing a sorrowful smile. "When I was dying, I exhausted every last ounce of strength to preserve just a faint trace of Dou Di Bloodline, sealing it with countless methods—all for this day, waiting for my descendants to arrive."

"Whether you possess Soul Sovereign Dou Di Bloodline or have made any transaction with the Soul Sovereign, as long as you sincerely protect and revitalize our clan, I will die without regret."

Gazing at the increasingly aged Ancestor, whose eyes now glimmered faintly with renewed light, Xiao Yan's heart ached—he could sense the immense burden this ancestor, once famed throughout the Xiao Clan for his extraordinary talent, had borne for the entire race.

"I am the eternal sinner of the Xiao Clan—let my fate be your warning!" Xiao Xuan roared. The clear pool water, as crimson light surged into it, turned ever more blood-red; soon, a thick stench of blood spread from within, and an extremely terrifying, strange power slowly radiated outward.

Standing beside the pool, Xiao Yan felt that strange, terrifying power—and felt no discomfort whatsoever. Instead, his own bloodline surged rapidly, and faintly, he seemed to hear voices of desperate, joyful longing.

"Brother Xiao Yan!"

Sensing the terrifying energy waves emanating from the space within the stone tablet, Xun Er could no longer remain outside.

Seeing it wasn't Xiao Yan in danger, Xun Er exhaled in relief, watching Xiao Xuan slowly extract his own Dou Di Bloodline, her eyes filled with sorrow.

Xiao Xuan's strength and spiritual pressure rapidly weakened. After all, Xiao Xuan had been dead for a thousand years—like Hun Tian Di, he wasn't even a Soul Body, merely a combination of Soul Information and the Heavenly Tomb's unique energy.

Only the unique nature of the Dou Di Bloodline had allowed Xiao Xuan to retain a sliver of strength and memory—those Dou Di Bloodlines were his SpiritFlesh.

Now, Xiao Xuan was being stripped of his sinews and skin—his agony was unimaginable.

About an hour later, Xiao Xuan finally ceased this act; his face visibly aged, his soul fluctuations greatly diminished.

Xiao Yan stared at the blood pool. Though it appeared full, the actual amount of Dou Di Bloodline contained within was minimal. After all, when Xiao Xuan fought Hun Tian Di, he had already self-detonated his body and Soul Body—these few traces of Dou Di Bloodline were what he had fought to preserve with his life.

"Within the Dou Di Bloodline remain some of my former Dou Qi, and the true cultivation method of the Heavenly Flame Three Mysteries Transformation. Enter the blood pool and inherit the last remnants of the Xiao Clan's power." Xiao Xuan, weakly emerging from the pool, spoke to Xiao Yan.

Xiao Yan took a deep breath, his gaze instantly hardening with resolve—he knew accepting this inheritance meant shouldering this responsibility.

Seeing the firmness in Xiao Yan's eyes, Xiao Xuan smiled with relief. He didn't know how much Xiao Yan had endured along his path, but that look was genuine.

"Brother Xiao Yan, be careful." Hearing Xun Er's concern beside him, Xiao Yan nodded slightly, then without further hesitation, stepped forward and entered the blood pool, slowly walking to its center.

The instant Xiao Yan entered the pool, it erupted violently—fine threads of crimson energy, like flying needles, lashed toward his body, violently piercing his pores and surging wildly inside.

Sudden, excruciating pain turned Xiao Yan's face pale; he involuntarily gasped in a sharp breath. But he had endured such agony many times before during his refining of Strange Flames.

Xiao Yan's veins bulged as he sat cross-legged in the blood pool, letting the Dou Di Bloodline scour his body—even finding the will to activate the Burning Scripture, beginning to refine the Dou Qi within the bloodline. He knew he must not fall asleep—otherwise, all this would be wasted.

Beside the pool, Xun Er bit her red lips, her jade hand clenching involuntarily, her heart aching with pity.

Seeing Xun Er's anxious expression, Xiao Xuan nodded inwardly. Though the Gu Clan had broken their contract, misfortune had brought unexpected fortune.

This agony lasted nearly a month before Xiao Yan finally absorbed all the Dou Di Bloodline—but this was only the beginning. He still needed to fully integrate the Dou Di Bloodline into his own bloodline and inherit the Dou Qi energy left behind by Xiao Xuan.

Seeing Xiao Yan's suffering cease and his bloodline begin to merge, his emaciated body slowly regaining vitality, Xun Er finally exhaled in relief.

But at that moment, an unexpected change occurred!

With a thunderous boom, the churning blood pool suddenly froze—then a deep explosion rang out, spraying blood mist. A strange purple-gold light emerged from within Xiao Yan, deliberately halting the crimson threads!

The sudden turn startled Xun Er and Xiao Xuan, both snapping open their eyes and staring in shock.

Xiao Xuan stared at the purple-gold light, then gritted his teeth and growled: "It really is the Dragon Phoenix Bloodline."

When Xiao Yan first entered the Heavenly Tomb, Xiao Xuan had been watching him closely—he had seen the Dragon Phoenix Ancient Armor on Xiao Yan's body—but since such artifacts were so exceedingly rare, even Xiao Xuan had overlooked it, assuming it was merely some Defensive Dou Technique Xiao Yan had cultivated.

The Dragon Phoenix, even in the most ancient Wild Wasteland Era, were the supreme, invincible beasts—more terrifying than fully formed Nine-Headed Heavenly Snakes, the sovereign kings among demons, and exceedingly rare, with almost no records.

The Dragon Phoenix were not a race—their bloodline could not be passed down. Xiao Xuan had never imagined Xiao Yan could obtain something so precious; and this Dragon Phoenix Essence Blood appeared incredibly pure!

"Will it affect Brother Xiao Yan?" Xun Er frowned.

"If the Dragon Phoenix Bloodline's resistance cannot be eliminated, the Xiao Clan's bloodline power cannot merge into Xiao Yan's body. Forcing it would only severely injure him." Xiao Xuan frowned, troubled—this Dragon Phoenix Bloodline power was equally formidable, capable of rivaling true Dou Di Bloodline. Though neither the Dou Di Bloodline nor the Dragon Phoenix Bloodline within Xiao Yan were yet powerful, their clash would not be trivial.

Yet at that moment, another change occurred.

Xiao Yan suddenly opened his eyes, instantly forming hand seals and activating the Emperor Soul Scripture—his Heavenly Realm Soul Force exploded outward. A splashing sound erupted as two demonic claws emerged from the blood pool, as if rising from the Nine Underworld Shen Yuan.

Not only the claws—whirring, a streak of golden light bloomed, and a pair of arms forged like gold slowly appeared.

Xiao Xuan's heart jolted, his scalp prickling—he knew instantly that Xiao Yan was using the Emperor Soul Scripture, the Soul Sovereign's Dou Di Cultivation Method! Though this was not the complete Emperor Soul Scripture, far weaker than what the Soul Sovereign's top experts wielded.

Xiao Yan didn't just possess Soul Sovereign Dou Di Bloodline—he had also cultivated the Emperor Soul Scripture!

As the Three-Faced Asura Statue appeared, the Soul Sovereign's Dou Di Bloodline was liberated—the forehead of the statue revealed the Soul Sovereign's Clan Mark!

Seeing this, Xun Er showed no surprise—as if she had already guessed.

BOOM BOOM BOOM!! With the addition of the Soul Sovereign's Dou Di Bloodline, three powers clashed—where two would collide, Xiao Yan now formed a tripod balance, mutually restraining each other!

Xiao Xuan clenched his fists—the Soul Sovereign's Dou Di Bloodline… this was what he hated most. Yet now, to save Xiao Yan, he must fuse all three.

Fusing the Xiao Clan's Dou Di Bloodline with the Soul Sovereign's Dou Di Bloodline—what a feeling this was for Xiao Xuan.

GULP GULP—suddenly, the Yin-Yang Flames transformed into a Yin-Yang fish, flying out from Xiao Yan's body and arriving beside Xiao Xuan. The Life Flame spat out a memory projection.

【Is the Xiao Realm in your possession?】

Though the Yin-Yang Fish could not record all of Hun Tian Di's details, Xiao Xuan knew perfectly well who had made the transaction with Xiao Yan.

From the Yin-Yang Fish's recording, Xiao Xuan saw the ruined Xiao Realm—and Xiao Yan's willingness to sign a Soul Contract with Hun Tian Di to reclaim the ancestral lands of the Xiao Clan.

Xiao Xuan sighed, watching Xiao Yan struggling to maintain balance.

"Alas, the old Xiao Clan is utterly fallen. Some things must change. I hope, under your hands, the new Xiao Clan will awaken with renewed Life Force."

Xiao Xuan formed hand seals, pouring a powerful Soul Power into Xiao Yan's body. With Xiao Xuan's aid, under Xiao Yan's control, the three bloodline powers formed a triangle, each occupying one corner, mutually restraining.

This mutual standoff lasted a month before all bloodline powers finally ceased their turmoil and reabsorbed into Xiao Yan's heart.

As the triangle merged, Xiao Yan's body shuddered violently—but thankfully, the crystal-like triangle, though seemingly solid, mysteriously dissolved directly into his heart, settling at its center, emitting streams of purple-red light that made his heartbeat stronger.

"Fate… I never imagined that after a thousand years, this would happen… I don't know if it's blessing or curse." Xiao Xuan shook his head helplessly. Now, none of this could be stopped—he was already dead; how events unfolded, he had no power to influence.

The storm stirred by a butterfly's wings had long since thrown this world into chaos.

After balancing the bloodline powers, Xiao Yan slowly closed his eyes, continuing to receive the inheritance.

Time flew. In the silent, ancient hall, one and a half years slipped away. During this time, Xun Er spent most of her days in cultivation—this place held the most concentrated energy in the Heavenly Tomb; even without extracting the Hunting Energy Bodies, her Cultivation Realm steadily advanced.

As for Xiao Xuan, he had not left the blood pool's side for these one and a half years, watching as the pool gradually cleared under Xiao Yan's absorption, a faint smile of satisfaction appearing on his face—this was the only Xiao Clan inheritance he could now offer Xiao Yan.

"It's coming."

Three days later, Xiao Xuan suddenly turned his gaze toward Xiao Yan's direction, and Xun Er slowly rose to her feet—Xiao Yan was finally emerging from seclusion!

"His aura is surging wildly!" Suddenly, Xiao Xuan's face twitched as he spoke.

No sooner had Xiao Xuan finished speaking than Xiao Yan abruptly opened his eyes, let out a long roar, and a vast aura erupted from his body—then, that aura began to skyrocket at a terrifying speed.

"Nine-Star Peak Dou Zun, First Transformation, Second Transformation, Third Transformation, Fourth Transformation!!"

Xiao Yan's Cultivation Realm rose at breakneck speed; in mere moments, it surged upward violently!

Yet seeing Xiao Yan's Cultivation Realm rise so rapidly, Xun Er and Xiao Xuan could not help but grow anxious—if Xiao Yan lost control, he would lose himself, his Dou Qi would become dangerously unstable, and his future breakthrough to Dou Sage might be ruined!

If he could not even break through to Dou Sage, how could he ever revive the Xiao Clan?

Xiao Xuan's face grew tense beyond measure—Xiao Yan was the Xiao Clan's last hope; if Xiao Yan failed, the Xiao Clan would be utterly finished!

"Brother Xiao Yan, hold fast to your true heart," Xun Er's eyes filled with anxiety, her Jade Hand clenched tightly.

"Xiao Yan, you are the hope of the Xiao Clan—do not lose yourself."

Perhaps Xun Er and Xiao Xuan's prayers were answered, or perhaps Xiao Yan had never intended to rise so far—when he reached Sixth Turn Dou Zun, his aura suddenly plummeted like a rollercoaster.

Fifth Turn, Fourth Turn, Third Turn, Second Turn, First Turn—he dropped back to Nine-Star Dou Zun, then rose again, but this time his Cultivation Realm climbed far more slowly.

Seeing Xiao Yan regain control of his true heart, Xiao Xuan finally exhaled in relief—thankfully, Xiao Yan had not been greedy; he had held firm to his core.

Yet Xiao Xuan had vastly underestimated this Xiao Yan!

When Xiao Yan's power stabilized at First-Transformation Peak Dou Zun, the second face of the Asura statue behind him—dull for a year and a half—suddenly opened its eyes.

Wyyyyaaaaaaaaaa! That sacred, peerless second face suddenly opened its mouth and emitted a piercing shriek—its jaws bristled with sharp fangs, its eyes grotesque and terrifying; the two Dou Sage energy cores it had absorbed over the past year and a half now unleashed a blinding, eye-searing light from within!

"What is this!" Xiao Xuan was stunned—this was nothing like an ordinary Spiritual Dou Technique!

Xiao Yan was not ungreedy—he was the Heavenly Venerable of Yan, Water Without Leak!

In an instant, Xiao Yan formed a hand seal, channeling all the excess energy to suppress the calamity brought by the second face—he would complete the cultivation of the second face of the Asura Soul-Cutting Art here, endure this trial, and fully attain Great Perfection!

"Heavenly Flame Triple Transformation—Clan Mark, appear!"

Xiao Yan roared, and instantly, all eleven Infernal Flames within him erupted without restraint—their extreme heat vaporized the entire pool in an instant, and even Xiao Xuan's mansion began to crack under the pressure of the eleven Infernal Flames!

"Eleven Infernal Flames!!" Xiao Xuan's face turned pale—Xiao Yan possessed far more Infernal Flames than he had ever imagined!!

Three Infernal Flames were Xiao Xuan's limit—not the limit of the Burning Scripture!!