Chapter 541: Soul Jade of Space

Seeing Xiao Yan, whose clan mark glowed, several ancient monsters exchanged glances—they seemed to see again the legendary figure of old.

This Xiao Clan truly cannot be killed; they still managed to come back to life!

"Let's leave here first; you've expended a lot. If anything happens, it'll be troublesome," Cai Lin warned, scanning the surroundings.

Xiao Yan nodded, waved his hand, and opened a Void Passage. Though some hearts stirred with unease, Xiao Yan's terrifying Fire Lotus Dou Technique intimidated all directions.

Most importantly, Xiao Yan had killed a Nine-Turn Dou Zun. Whether Sky Scorpion Elder's power was strong or weak, he was at least an ancient monster who had lived for ages—yet he didn't even let out a cry before being instantly vaporized. Even a Half-Sage would hesitate, wondering if they could truly withstand the power of a Heavenly Rank Intermediate Dou Technique.

The outcome was as expected: seeing Xiao Yan and the others unharmed, Ya Fei sighed in relief, and Xiao Yan led everyone back to Jia Ma Empire.

Not long after returning to Jia Ma Empire, Xiao Yan gave Nalan Yanran the Soul Jade that could track Earth Scorpion and Human Scorpion, instructing her to go to Hua Sect.

Three days later, two female Half-Sages from Hua Sect, using Xiao Yan's Asura Soul-Chasing Mark, located the hidden Yunyu Sect within a Void Secret Realm and instantly reduced the two old devils—Human Scorpion and Earth Scorpion—to ashes, completely eradicating this evil sect.

Yun Yun and Nalan Yanran led Hua Sect disciples to rescue the Yunyu Sect disciples who remained unaware of the truth.

Hua Sect had long desired to destroy Yunyu Sect for its continual harm to women, but had never been able to locate its whereabouts.

This time, the Scorpion Demon Three Ghosts had truly met their match—they never imagined a Two-Turn Dou Zun could unleash such a terrifying Dou Technique, that the Xiao Clan still possessed a Clan Mark, and that it reached Divine-Star level.

In the end, Xiao Yan reaped rich rewards: not only did he confiscate all the Elixirs from the Scorpion Demon Three Ghosts, but he also obtained an Ancient Pill Beast resembling a white rabbit.

However, this Pill Beast's spiritual intelligence was far inferior to Tuan Tuan's, and it was still a long way from evolving into a Ji Pin Dan Yao. Under Xiao Yixian's pleading gaze, Xiao Yan did not eat it, but left it in Zao Hua Gu.

Unknowingly, Zao Hua Gu now held abundant Medicinal Materials and two Super Pill Beasts—it was nearly becoming a Dou Saint-level Secret Realm.

After handling all matters, Xiao Yan calmed his mind and, together with Cai Lin, pieced together the Residual Map of the Pure Lotus Demon Saint for careful study.

He let out a long breath; after years of collecting, all the Residual Maps were finally assembled—who could remain calm? Even Cai Lin beside him wore a grave expression.

The Pure Lotus Demon Saint was of immense importance; she had even set aside the matter of the Nine-Colored Original Stone.

Xiao Yan and Cai Lin exchanged glances and nodded; with a flick of their fingers, they drew forth a series of fragmented Ancient Maps from their rings, which floated before them.

Gazing at these fragmented, ancient-looking maps, Xiao Yan's eyes flared with excitement again; he rubbed his hands together, then carefully began piecing them together along their engraved patterns.

There were only four Residual Maps; after several comparisons of their textures, a complete Ancient Map gradually emerged under the gaze of Xiao Yan and Cai Lin.

When the final map settled into place, Xiao Yan exhaled deeply in relief, his burning gaze fixed on the map—then he froze. The completed map indeed showed a landscape pattern, but the pattern itself was utterly ordinary, offering no clear target or route—it looked entirely like a casually drawn Landscape Painting.

"Hm?"

Xiao Yan stared in bewilderment at the map's patterns; his mind grew increasingly restless, for the completed map gave him no useful information whatsoever.

Had he paid such a heavy price and spent over a decade just to obtain this piece of trash?

Seeing Xiao Yan's darkening expression, Cai Lin gently took his large hand in her soft Jade Hand; the cool, jade-like touch helped him regain some composure.

"Don't rush. The one who left this map would never mock future generations— we simply haven't discovered its secret yet," Cai Lin said.

Xiao Yan turned his head to look at Cai Lin; even she felt slightly uneasy under his gaze.

"Mm. Let's study it further."

Unfortunately, no matter how hard Xiao Yan tried, he could not decipher the map's secret—not even Mao Wu sensed anything unusual.

"Fine. At least we know the Pure Lotus Demon Fire's Demon Fire Space will appear in three years—we can join the Gu Clan or Soul Sovereign when they enter it," Xiao Yan sighed, but he wasn't anxious, for through Hun Tian Di's information, he had long known the Pure Lotus Demon Fire appeared once every thousand years.

And now, only three years remained until the next cycle.

"Have Ya Fei gather all Ancient Texts about the Pure Lotus Demon Saint—he was the previous master of the Pure Lotus Demon Fire; perhaps he knew something," Cai Lin said gravely. "The Pure Lotus Demon Fire is immensely powerful—you'll likely need to enter the Dou Saint Domain before you can refine it."

"Besides strength, you may need to prepare some Elixirs as well."

Three years! Three years remained for Xiao Yan to prepare thoroughly—after which, the Pure Lotus Demon Fire would reappear in the world.

Seeing Xiao Yan put away the Residual Maps, Cai Lin whispered: "To claim an Elemental Flame, you must handle two things: the Bodhi Ancient Tree and the Nine-Colored Original Stone. I'll go with you to fight for the flame."

Hearing Cai Lin would accompany him to fight for the flame, Xiao Yan looked at her helplessly—but saw on her exquisite face an unyielding authority.

Xiao Yan rubbed his nose and said: "Uh… the Demon Fire Space is a deadly place where Dou Emperor Families gather."

Cai Lin gave Xiao Yan a cold glance, making him shrink back—how dare a mere human question the Queen?

Cai Lin rose slowly, snorting: "Hmph. Within a year, I will lead my troops to attack the Nine Underworld Earth Snake and reclaim the Yellow Springs Mountain Range. There, I believe, lies the legacy of my Heaven-Swallowing Python Clan—enough to compensate for the Nine-Colored Original Stone's innate deficiencies."

How to compensate for the Nine-Colored Original Stone's deficiency—Cai Lin had already planned it: return to the former stronghold of the Tun Tian Mang Zong.

The Yellow Springs Mountain Range was not only the ancient nest of the Ancient Heavenly Snake, but also the ancestral home of the Heaven-Swallowing Python Clan. In the Wild Wasteland Era, the vast Yellow Springs Mountain Range was ruled by two Snake Races. Later, both the Heaven-Swallowing Python and Ancient Heavenly Snake went extinct, allowing the Nine Underworld Earth Snake Clan to seize it and expel the Mei Du Sha Clan.

In the following time, the Yan Alliance seemed to rest and recuperate, halting all activities—even Mei Du Sha Queen ceased appearing on the Yan Alliance's frontlines.

Not just the Yan Alliance—major Factions across Zhong Zhou also fell silent; even Dan Tower and Tianming Sect became dormant.

This mystery was soon answered: a piece of news swept across Zhong Zhou like a storm, then across the entire Dou Qi Continent.

The Bodhi Ancient Tree will soon appear in the Manhuang Ancient Domain!

Beneath those simple four characters—"Bodhi Ancient Tree"—Zhong Zhou trembled violently; even reclusive ancient monsters were blasted out of their seclusion by this earth-shattering revelation.

Though the Manhuang Ancient Domain was perilous, all danger stemmed merely from insufficient allure. This time, the lure of the Bodhi Ancient Tree was irresistible; thus, so-called Forbidden Lands lost all deterrent power. Dou Saint represented the pinnacle of this continent—countless powerhouses spent their entire lives striving for it. If even a sliver of chance could raise their odds, they would throw themselves into it without hesitation.

Even if it meant flying into the fire, they would not hesitate for a moment!

Clearly, the emergence of the Bodhi Ancient Tree would utterly stir up storms across Zhong Zhou!

And the Yan Alliance—or rather, Xiao Yan—undoubtedly held the advantage: Xiao Realm now lay within the Manhuang Ancient Domain, and he possessed a unique Soul Passage leading to Xiao Realm!

Who could have imagined that Xiao Yan's trade with Hun Tian Di for Xiao Realm would accidentally serve such a purpose? No matter where the Bodhi Ancient Tree appeared in the Manhuang Ancient Domain, Xiao Yan at least had a major base within it.

When Xiao Yan fought that Super Fierce Beast earlier, though he didn't defeat it, he drove it off. For beasts, this meant the territory now belonged to Xiao Yan—unless another beast sought to claim it, none would attack within.

Moreover, the Ancient Devouring Worm was no easy foe, and a Half-Sage-level Worm Mother still lurked there.

After Xiao Yixian's efforts over this period, the ten-li radius at the center of Xiao Realm had transformed completely.

Now, a massive Crystal Dome at Xiao Realm's center shielded against the Manhuang Ancient Domain's storms and Poison; the special ability of the Yang Ling Xuan Cao obtained from the Space Trade Fair had revived the land, forming a unique Oasis.

Though still merely a patch of grass, far from the vast Heavenly Energy-rich Blessed Lands of the Gu Clan, it was no longer barren.

"In such a short time, you've turned this lifeless wasteland into this?" Xiao Yan marveled at Xiao Yixian's formidable Medical Skill.

Not only could she heal people—she could heal the land itself.

Xiao Yixian's cheeks flushed slightly, embarrassed by Xiao Yan's praise; she gently brushed back her hair and smiled: "It's thanks to Master Xiao's generosity—without the Yang Ling Xuan Cao, restoring the land's vitality so quickly would've been impossible."

"Hahaha, just lucky."

Xiao Yan didn't waste more words—he had important matters to attend to: cultivating the Vajra Glazed Body and crafting a Space Soul Jade Slip.

Ordinary Space Jade Slips require a Half-Sage to craft; those capable of ignoring spatial distance are exceedingly rare, able to summon a Dou Sage.

But Xiao Yan wasn't going to make one of those—he lacked the power of a Dou Sage. He needed to craft a special Space Soul Jade Slip, to connect with the Xiao Realm's Soul Passage and teleport people here to the Xiao Realm.

Xiao Yan intended to use the Xiao Realm as a sanctuary—should he ever face an unsolvable threat, he could teleport into the Xiao Realm to escape.

Crafting this Space Soul Jade Slip wasn't difficult, because the Xiao Realm had long possessed an unbreakable, deeply hidden Soul Passage—he merely needed to link to it. And across the entire Dou Qi Continent, only one person could forge a Soul Passage piercing through the Manhuang Ancient Domain.

To him, the human Forbidden Land was no more than a backyard, easily entered and exited.

"Alright, the remaining time is for cultivating the Vajra Glazed Body."

After completing the Space Soul Jade Slip, Xiao Yan sat beside the Yang Ling Xuan Grass, sandalwood incense curling in the air, seated cross-legged upon the earth. He clenched his palm—and a dark golden Scroll appeared in his hand. Tilting it slightly, ancient characters, bold and firm, glowed along its side.

Vajra Glazed Body!

This was the Heavenly Rank body cultivation Dou Technique Xiao Yan needed—after all, relying solely on Eight Extremes Crash was wearing him out!

With a soft exhale, Xiao Yan pressed the Scroll to his forehead. His Heavenly Soul Initial Stage Soul Force surged wildly into the Dou Technique Scroll, absorbing its cultivation knowledge.

"Looks like I got lucky this time."

All Heavenly Rank Dou Techniques have prerequisites—but this Vajra Glazed Body wasn't as complicated as the Great Heaven Creation Palm; it didn't require special items to temper the palms. The only prerequisite for cultivating the Vajra Glazed Body was achieving the Transcendent Realm in physical strength—equivalent to the physique of an Eight-Tier beast.

Fortunately, Xiao Yan had long since reached this state within the Tian Feng Blood Pool. Combined with Zi Yan's Dragon Phoenix Essence Blood and six months of body tempering in the Thunder Pool, his physique was no weaker than that of a late-stage Eight-Tier beast.

Thus, Xiao Yan had not only met but far surpassed the prerequisites for the Vajra Glazed Body—naturally, his cultivation would be twice as effective.

"Vajra Glazed Body, Heavenly Tier Low Grade Dou Technique: transform the body into Vajra Glazed, invulnerable to blades, unbreakable by force. When perfected, the Vajra Glazed Body reaches nine Zhang nine Chi in height—the ultimate form. Golden Light illuminates the world; fists can shatter heaven, feet can split earth!"

Seeing the golden characters echoing in his mind, Xiao Yan felt the technique's righteous might and overwhelming dominance—it was purely a Dou Qi-based body-strengthening technique, essentially inflating the body with power.

Using the body to collide and resist attacks—but after studying its cultivation method, he couldn't help but admire: no wonder only a Dou Sage could create such a technique—it was truly formidable.

The Xiao Yan of today was no longer the boy from Wutan City who once burned the midnight oil, poring over notes passed down by the Medic Sovereign. After cultivating the Dragon Phoenix Ancient Armor, Xiao Yan deeply understood such techniques—even without guidance, he mastered them swiftly.

(End of Chapter)