Chapter 525: Natural Progression

Eleven flames of varying colors and forms erupted from Xiao Yan's body.

The ultimate purpose of Xiao Xuan's Heavenly Flame Three Mystical Changes was to harness the power of celestial infernal flames, stirring the Dou Emperor Bloodline within the body, filling it, and elevating its rank.

But!

"As is well known," one person can possess only one infernal flame within their body; otherwise, like the Flame Lord, two infernal flames will clash internally.

Only someone like Yan Jin, the Yan Clan Leader—who himself is a high-level Sage Emperor and has cultivated the Clan's Flame Emperor Mystic Scripture—can forcibly fuse the Nine Nether Golden Ancestor Fire and Volcano Stone Flame through his immensely powerful Fire Control Power.

Or, like Xiao Xuan in his lifetime, only with Imperial Soul Force and Nine Star Peak cultivation could three infernal flames coexist within the body.

But Xiao Xuan himself likely never imagined that such a miraculous Cultivation Method as the Burning Scripture existed, allowing infernal flames to peacefully coexist—and even fuse—within the body!

Even less could he have imagined that Xiao Yan possessed eleven infernal flames!

A strand of brilliant, blinding Clan Mark light erupted from Xiao Yan's forehead—the light was a dazzling seven-color hue!!

If the Dou Emperor Bloodline is a mutated human bloodline, then with eleven infernal flames combined with the Xiao Clan bloodline left by Xiao Xuan, Xiao Yan's Dou Emperor Bloodline has reached Divine-Star level!

The seven-color light clashed with the Golden Light of the Asura Soul-Cutting Technique; Xiao Yan's eyes remained tightly shut, his face twisted in agony as he persisted and resisted.

In the Blood Pool inheritance, Xiao Xuan had left behind some of his pre-death Dou Qi energy; Xiao Yan naturally knew he couldn't absorb too much at once, but letting most of that excess energy go to waste would be a pity, so he decided to use this power to help himself endure the tribulation.

Thus, over the past year and a half, Xiao Yan used the two Dou Sage energy cores, combined with one and a half years of cultivation, finally bringing the second face to Perfect Completion—and thereby attracting the second tribulation!

Both Xiao Xuan and Xun Er realized that Xiao Yan had cultivated an extremely powerful and peculiar Soul Technique, but its cultivation was bizarre—it caused the cultivator to endure tribulations!

"Xiao Yan is using the excess energy to help himself endure the tribulation." Xiao Xuan's expression grew grave; he had never seen such a Soul Technique—not even when facing Hun Tian Di, whose Soul Techniques lacked this!

"Brother Xiao Yan." Xun Er clenched her hands tightly; the two forces were now locked in a stalemate, neither yielding to the other.

Xiao Xuan frowned and said gravely: "Something's wrong—Xiao Yan's Spiritual Soul aura is growing calmer and calmer!"

"Soul Illusion Realm! Xiao Yan has been pulled into his own Soul Illusion Realm by his Soul Technique!"

Xiao Yan hadn't expected that the so-called joy and pleasure of the second tribulation would trap him in his own illusions, sinking deep into a fantasy world of his own making!

Inside the Soul Illusion Realm, Xiao Yan constantly resisted the boundless desires rising from within his heart; this Soul Illusion Realm sought to bewitch him, filling him with a floating, ethereal sensation that would trap him forever if he let go.

A sensation beyond words rose in Xiao Yan's heart—the very thing he desired most deeply; if he merely opened his mind, he could possess everything he ever wished for. The piercing craving and itching were impossible to resist—not even by Dou Qi cultivation alone!

Seeing Xiao Yan's agony and struggle, Xun Er gritted her teeth and charged toward him without hesitation, willingly entering the Shen Xiu Illusion Realm.

"Xun Er, leave quickly." Xiao Yan struggled to open his eyes; if Xun Er also fell into the illusion, she would be trapped in eternal slumber, lost forever within the fantasy he had created.

This was self-trapping—there was no possible escape!

Xun Er cupped Xiao Yan's face in both hands, her beautiful eyes filled with endless tenderness as she whispered: "When Brother Xiao Yan didn't leave me before, how could I ever leave Brother Xiao Yan again?"

Seeing her gentle expression and hearing her words, a warm current flowed through Xiao Yan's heart as he recalled that day.

They gazed into each other's eyes as Xun Er leaned forward and kissed Xiao Yan's cheeks with both hands still cupping his face.

ZZZZ! The Golden Light surged intensely—but strangely, the second Asura face ceased its shrieking, its mouth and eyes slowly closing. Crack! The Three-Faced Asura Statue twisted grotesquely; the sacred face became the primary face, opening its arms like an angel to enfold Xiao Yan and Xun Er.

The once fanged, grotesque second face had softened.

Resolved!?

Seeing this, even Xiao Xuan shook his head and chuckled helplessly; perhaps Xiao Yan's greatest fortune was this girl beside him.

With a wave of his hand, Xiao Xuan erected a Barrier and departed the Tomb Mansion, leaving the two alone.

With half a year remaining of the three-year Heavenly Tomb period, Xiao Yan and Xun Er only awoke as the tomb's time neared its end.

"Sigh, I never expected you'd be the one who gained the most in cultivation."

In the water pool within Xiao Xuan's Tomb Mansion, Xiao Yan submerged himself entirely, staring at Xun Er seated in meditation nearby, the word "envy" written plainly on his face.

The excess inheritance energy was beyond Xiao Yan's capacity to absorb, and the second level of the Asura Soul-Cutting Technique had already reached Perfect Completion; by sheer accident, it was absorbed entirely by Xun Er.

Watching Xun Er's aura stabilize at Second-Transformation Peak Dou Zun, Xiao Yan was utterly envious.

The Heavenly Flame Three Mystical Changes could only elevate the Dou Emperor Bloodline's rank during battle; otherwise, it remained unchanged. That meant Xiao Yan could not enjoy the innate talents, comprehension abilities, or physical enhancements granted by the Dou Emperor Bloodline—he couldn't compare at all to Xun Er's pure, natural Divine-Star lineage.

In merely half a year, Xun Er had fully refined the excess energy—three times faster than Xiao Yan!

Even Hun Lao Gui probably never imagined Xiao Yan would overcome the second face's tribulation in this manner.

In truth, overcoming the second face's tribulation was simple: if one had something in reality they could not bear to part with—something the illusion could never satisfy—then the Shen Xiu Illusion Realm would be powerless.

But while this sounds easy, possessing such a precious thing has nothing to do with cultivation level—it either exists, or it doesn't.

And Xun Er was the anchor that pulled Xiao Yan out of the illusion; in a sense, she had rescued him from it.

"First-Transformation Peak Dou Zun, Heavenly Flame Three Mystical Changes completed, plus Perfect Completion of the second level of the Asura Soul-Cutting Technique—if I face Gu Qingyang again, I should be able to defeat him easily." Xiao Yan assessed his strength; the Heavenly Tomb had granted him immense growth, explaining why those from Dou Emperor Families were so powerful.

Of course, this was also the last legacy of the Xiao Clan; the path ahead to Dou Sage still lay solely in Xiao Yan's own hands.

Soon, Xun Er's cultivation stabilized completely, leaving only a single step between her and Third-Transformation Dou Zun.

Seeing Xiao Yan's slightly resentful expression, Xun Er covered her mouth and giggled softly, her beautiful eyes filled with tenderness; she stepped lightly upon Space and gently sank into the water pool.

Xiao Yan instantly stiffened—he hadn't expected Xun Er to be so bold!

Seeing Xiao Yan's shocked expression, Xun Er's flawless pink cheeks flushed faintly, yet she did not stop; her clothes soaked through, she leaned against Xiao Yan's shoulder.

As the warm water soaked her garments, Xun Er's alluring curves were fully revealed; in an instant, spring blossomed throughout the Tomb Mansion, a mesmerizing sight that even Xiao Yan's Falling Heart Flame showed signs of igniting.

Xun Er's proportions were perfect, like the golden ratio—neither an inch too much nor too little.

Xiao Yan knew he couldn't act on this now; he hastily changed the subject: "Xun Er, you mustn't do this again—what if there's danger?"

"But when I was four, Brother Xiao Yan didn't care about his own danger—if not for you, I might already be dead." Xun Er spoke softly.

Hearing again about when she was four, Xiao Yan could only shrug; she had mentioned it many times before.

When Xiao Yan was four, it had been his fourth year on the Dou Qi Continent; that year his mother died, leaving him the Bone Flame Ring. Soon after, Xun Er was sent by Gu Yuan to the Xiao Clan Courtyard.

That night, while Xiao Yan was halfway through his cultivation in the courtyard, he suddenly heard Xun Er's pained moans and rushed into her room.

There he saw Xun Er curled up on the bed, her entire body wrapped in golden flames, writhing in agony.

Xiao Yan, newly transmigrated to the Dou Qi Continent, had no idea what infernal flames were—he simply reacted instinctively to put out the fire. By sheer accident, the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame and the Bone Spirit Cold Fire within the Bone Flame Ring triggered an infernal flame reaction; the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame surged into the Bone Flame Ring, shattering the Spiritual Soul Sealing left by the Medic Sovereign!

This accidental chain of events weakened the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame, relieving Xun Er's pain, while simultaneously breaking the Bone Flame Ring's seal, allowing Xiao Yan to receive the Medic Sovereign's inheritance prematurely.

At the time, unaware of anything, Xiao Yan simply thought the cool, icy Bone Flame Ring had some special ability to ease Xun Er's pain, so he wore it and mimicked the massage techniques he'd seen on TV in his past life, trying to soothe her suffering.

But now, recalling it again, Xiao Yan understood the full story.

The Heavenly Flame Three Mystical Changes can temporarily enhance the Dou Di Bloodline; if one had been nurtured by an Alien Flame since childhood, the Dou Di Bloodline could be subtly strengthened—and it was precisely this slight enhancement that allowed Xun Er, who already possessed a high Dou Di Bloodline, to break through the Ninth Rank and attain the Divine Grade Bloodline.

As for why Gu Yuan sent Xun Er away from the Gu Clan, perhaps it was because he did not wish his daughter to bear the weight of the clan's burdens, to endure such suffering for the clan's future, nor to be raised as a monster—so he deliberately brought her to the remote Xiao Clan.

But unexpectedly, the Flame Sealing of the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame developed some flaws, causing a trace of it to leak out.

Had the Medic Sovereign not died then, perhaps absorbing even a trace of the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame might have revived him.

Unfortunately, this world has no "what ifs."

It was likely during that incident that Xiao Yan left a deep impression on Xun Er's heart, for at that time, even a tiny bit of the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame could have reduced him to ashes.

"Xun Er… I didn't know back then how dangerous Alien Flames were."

Before Xiao Yan could finish speaking, Xun Er extended her jade finger to press against his lips; with a splash of water, her body pressed tightly against him and she whispered softly: "No matter what, Brother Xiao Yan is Xun Er's hero."

"And Xun Er knows that even if you knew it was dangerous, you still would have come to save me."

Xiao Yan rubbed his nose—he had no rebuttal. In truth, even ordinary flames were already dangerous back then, yet he had still rushed without hesitation into the fire to save her.

This trait of being warm-hearted—Xiao Yan had never changed.

Xun Er listened to Xiao Yan's heartbeat, slowly lifting her head, her beautiful eyes fixed on her beloved: "Brother Xiao Yan, after leaving the Heavenly Tomb, Xun Er must undergo the clan's inheritance, and I won't be able to stay by your side."

Xun Er's voice carried sorrow; originally, she hadn't even needed to enter the Heavenly Tomb—the Gu Clan possessed many such inheritances, and as a Divine Grade Bloodline bearer with the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame, countless inheritances awaited her.

But Xun Er insisted on entering the Heavenly Tomb just to stay beside Xiao Yan. The Heavenly Tomb's slots were originally reserved for four—exactly matching the Four Grand Commandants—there was no slot for Xun Er.

Xiao Yan merely smiled faintly, gently pinching her nose: "Ya Tou, you've already stayed with me for three years."

Xun Er smiled sweetly, her beautiful eyes flickering with a strange glint: "Brother Xiao Yan, if there's a chance later, introduce me to Cai Lin."

!!!?

Xiao Yan suddenly stiffened, his heart fluttering in panic—he didn't know what to say.

Seeing Xiao Yan's flustered expression, Xun Er laughed: "With your current strength, your lifespan is long—having three wives and four concubines isn't strange at all."

"Besides, Senior Brother Xiao Xuan instructed you to revive the clan—every last trace of the Xiao Clan's Dou Di Bloodline rests on you."

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If Xiao Xuan heard Xun Er say that, he'd probably be stunned—he never said to revive the Xiao Clan this way! You've just redefined the very meaning of "revive the clan"!

Xiao Yan swallowed hard, his throat bobbing; as a Transmigration, his past life had lasted only a few decades, youth vanishing in the blink of an eye—he simply hadn't adjusted yet.

With Xiao Yan's current strength, even if he stopped cultivating and lived in a daze, he'd still live at least a thousand years without issue!

A thousand years! If he didn't cultivate, a thousand years could accomplish so much!

Xun Er wrapped her arms around Xiao Yan's neck, softly whispering: "When Xun Er reaches the Sage Emperor… then… Brother Xiao Yan, you'll have to stay by my side then."

Hearing Xun Er's words, Xiao Yan couldn't bear it—his Falling Heart Flame rose and burned; even without activating the Heavenly Flame Three Mystical Changes, he felt his Dou Di Bloodline boiling within him!

Sensing Xiao Yan's surging affection, Xun Er understood certain things, and her cheeks flushed crimson like apples.

In a certain sense, they were already betrothed—even the wedding date had been set (Sage Emperor). Some things were bound to follow naturally!

(End of Chapter)