Chapter 542: Factions Converge

To cultivate the Vajra Glazed Body, one must integrate Dou Qi into the bones, SpiritFlesh, and skin in a unique manner—a process demanding extreme physical conditions.

"Similar to the Dragon Phoenix Ancient Armor."

The Dragon Phoenix Ancient Armor transforms blood qi into ancient armor, forming a protective layer on the skin's surface, perfectly compatible with the Vajra Glazed Body.

Pushing aside distractions, Xiao Yan exhaled slowly through his mouth, closed his eyes, and began attempting to cultivate the so-called Vajra Glazed Body according to the method recorded in the Scroll.

Shortly after Xiao Yan closed his eyes, golden light suddenly erupted from his body; as the golden light surged, his physique rapidly swelled, as if inflating, with faint sounds of bones twisting quietly emerging.

This expansion, intensifying with the golden light's depth, accelerated swiftly—in less than half a minute, Xiao Yan's height had nearly doubled, appearing like a miniature giant, while his once-pale skin now turned a dark gold hue.

Xiao Yan's body expanded roughly twice its size, then ceased growing; the golden light gradually dimmed, and his body shrank rapidly, returning to its original form in the blink of an eye.

With a hum, Three Thousand Yan Flame and Yin-Yang Dual Flame surged forth, merging into a single Three-Color Strange Fire that guarded Xiao Yan like a dragon, repairing his shattered bones.

"Sigh, body-strengthening Dou Techniques aren't meant for humans."

Xiao Yan's lips trembled—if not for Yin-Yang Dual Flame and Three Thousand Yan Flame, he'd have been killed by the pain!

"Continue."

With a silent sigh, Xiao Yan closed his eyes again; golden light erupted once more, his body swelling, shrinking, swelling again, shrinking again—while simultaneously, his body kept tearing, breaking, then healing.

Xiao Yan didn't know that if the Dou Sage who created the Vajra Glazed Body saw this, he'd likely be stunned with bulging eyes—others expand their bodies incrementally, lest they explode, but Xiao Yan expanded by inches, even several inches at a time.

But this wasn't surprising; refining Strange Flames inherently brings subtle benefits, continuously altering Xiao Yan's physique, and with Three Thousand Yan Flame and Yin-Yang Dual Flame—the perfect tools for body refinement—he was exceptionally suited to the Vajra Glazed Body.

Soon, half a month passed, and thanks to Three Thousand Yan Flame, Yin-Yang Dual Flame, and his reckless cultivation, Xiao Yan achieved Minor Completion of the Vajra Glazed Body in just half a month!

"Vajra Glazed Body, Dragon Phoenix Ancient Armor—activate!"

Xiao Yan, seated cross-legged, suddenly opened his eyes; with a hum, a blinding golden light and a Dragon Roar erupted, and his body began expanding, becoming golden and crystalline like forged Vajra Glazed material, then a primordial purple-gold ancient armor covered his form.

Xiao Yan clenched his fists; a powerful force surged through his body—he now felt like the invincible heroes in martial arts novels.

"Hahaha, excellent!" Boom boom boom—Xiao Yan slammed his fists together, producing crisp, resonant sounds; at this state, facing Gu Qingyang's true Emperor Seal Technique again, he could likely endure it directly without serious injury!

Hearing the commotion, Xiao Yixian, who had been absorbing poison mist in the Manhuang Ancient Domain, rushed back; seeing Xiao Yan's minor success, she was naturally delighted.

With a hum, Xiao Yan exhaled slowly, releasing the body's expanded state, gradually shrinking back to normal.

Yet before Xiao Yan could greet Xiao Yixian, he saw her face filled with terror, cheeks flushed crimson, lips trembling—as if she'd seen something horrifying.

"Hm?" Xiao Yan looked down—he'd spent half a month enduring constant tearing and shattering of his body, and had completely forgotten that while his body returned to normal, his clothes did not.

Xiao Yan screamed: "Ah! You pervert!"

Not only did he play the rogue, but he turned the tables—Xiao Yixian's Eternal Calamity Poison Body nearly erupted! Are you even human?!

"You!! You're the pervert!" Xiao Yixian spun around instantly, but from her beautiful eyes, it was clear certain images would haunt her for life.

After dressing, Xiao Yan walked behind Xiao Yixian, who was still lost in thought, wrapped his arms around her slender waist, and smiled: "Now we're even—you've seen me too."

Xiao Yixian was utterly astonished—what twisted logic! How could this be the same?!

Xiao Yixian bit her red lips, then punched Xiao Yan's chest, exasperated: "Don't you dare play the rogue again! If—if you do it again, I—I—"

For a moment, Xiao Yixian couldn't think of what to threaten.

Seeing Xiao Yixian's shy yet furious expression, Xiao Yan couldn't help but chuckle.

But unfortunately, Xuan Huang Flame had redirected its Qi Circulation elsewhere—no time remained for Xiao Yan and Xiao Yixian to flirt; an ancient, primordial aura suddenly spread across the entire Manhuang Ancient Domain.

An extraordinarily pure qi surged like waves from the Sky, rapidly expanding outward; anyone who inhaled this pure qi saw the same image arise in their mind's depths.

It was an ancient, towering tree—a wisdom-filled aura radiated from the Ancient Tree!

And this, was the legendary Bodhi Ancient Tree!

At that moment, Zhong Zhou erupted completely!

Xiao Yan and Xiao Yixian in the Manhuang Ancient Domain sensed it most clearly.

"It's still some distance from Xiao Realm," Xiao Yixian said gravely.

"Yes, but still within the effective range of the Space Soul Jade Slip." The Jade Slip's range was naturally limited, but fortunately, they were still inside it.

Both instantly calmed, exchanged glances, nodded, and departed Xiao Realm through the Soul Passage, returning to Yan Alliance.

This time, Xiao Yan planned to bring Yan Alliance's Dou Zun experts—such as Hai Bodong and Heavenly Flame Zunzhe—since Xiao Realm now served as a safe haven, at least guaranteeing their lives.

When Xiao Yan and Xiao Yixian returned to Jia Ma Empire, they saw the entire Yan Alliance force assembled and ready to depart.

Besides the strongest, Cai Lin and Qing Lin, Heavenly Flame Zunzhe had also advanced to Eight Star Peak Dou Zun after receiving one Chengzun Spirit Pill from Xiao Yan; during this time, he'd been refining the Five Wheel Fiery Method using the Array Diagram Xiao Yan obtained from the Space Trade Fair, though half a month was still insufficient.

Besides these three, naturally there were Nalan Yanran and Hai Bodong; though both were only One Star Dou Zun, they were still Dou Zun, and with the Space Soul Jade Slip, their survival was assured.

"What's happened in Zhong Zhou over the past half-month?" Xiao Yan asked Ya Fei.

"All expected events—nearly every major Faction has deployed its elite; top-tier factions with Peak Dou Zun are heading to the Manhuang Ancient Domain. Lately, many have sent advance teams, but results have been poor—most can't even enter the outer edges of the Manhuang Ancient Domain," Ya Fei said quickly. "Rumors say even Tianming Sect and Nine Underworld Earth Snake Clan will go, though the Nine Underworld Earth Snake Clan may be searching for the Ancient Heavenly Snake's Ruins."

"What about the Void Ancient Dragon Clan?" Xiao Yan thought of Zi Yan—wondering if she'd fully refined the Dragon Phoenix Origin Fruit.

Ya Fei shook her head: "No word from the Void Ancient Dragon Clan."

Xiao Yan wasn't discouraged—for the Void Ancient Dragon Clan, no news was the best news.

"But Dou Emperor Families will likely appear," Ya Fei said; many turned to Xiao Yan, while Cai Lin's expression grew strangely uneasy.

If she met Xun Er, what identity should she assume?

After all, her relationship with Xiao Yan had been a twist of fate.

Hearing this, Xiao Yan coughed lightly—he felt a flicker of panic, but as the saying goes, even an ugly woman must meet her in-laws; this couldn't be avoided. Once Xun Er reached Dou Sage, she could freely leave Ancient Realm.

Xiao Yan and Xun Er had agreed: once Xun Er reached Dou Sage, she'd come to Jia Ma Empire to meet Xiao Zhan (his father)! They'd meet eventually—avoiding it would only make things more awkward.

"Cough, uh—take this Jade Slip. When you reach the Manhuang Ancient Domain, if danger arises, crush it—you'll be teleported to a safe location." Xiao Yan handed out the Jade Slips.

When it came to Nalan Yanran, Xiao Yan smiled: "That Heavenly Rank Dou Technique is expensive—don't waste my two Chengzun Spirit Pills. At least bring me back one Bodhi Seed."

Hearing this, Nalan Yanran gritted her teeth, raised her fist as if to strike him—everyone else got theirs for free, but she had to earn hers!

"Hmph, don't worry—I won't owe you a single bit!" Nalan Yanran snatched the Jade Slip, snorted, and hugged the Jing Ling Bai Hu, refusing to acknowledge the man.

Bringing people into the Manhuang Ancient Domain wasn't without reason—Xiao Yan, as an Alchemist, desperately needed Bodhi Seeds, the primary herb for brewing Bodhi Pills. To compete for the Bodhi Heart, he might not have time to gather Bodhi Seeds—he needed others to secure them.

Naturally, the more people, the better.

"Sister Ya Fei, I'm counting on you to watch over the Yan Alliance; if you encounter something you can't handle, crush this space jade slip." Xiao Yan handed Ya Fei Zhu Li's space jade slip.

For this journey to the Manhuang Ancient Domain, Xiao Yan had summoned all the Dou Zun powerhouses of the Yan Alliance; he was naturally eager for the Bodhi Heart—with it, his breakthrough to Dou Sheng would be far easier.

"I understand. Brother Xiao Yan, be careful."

Although the number of people in this team wasn't large, they were already extremely formidable; with so many working together, even if they encountered a Half-Sage, Xiao Yan had confidence he could defeat them.

The Manhuang Ancient Domain was naturally very far from the Yan Alliance, so even with Xiao Yan using Void Swallowing Flame to warp Space, it took nearly six days to arrive.

During this journey through the Space Channel, Xiao Yan's group occasionally sensed Dou Zun powerhouses opening space pathways heading in the same direction—clearly, these people's target was also the Manhuang Ancient Domain; this discovery made Xiao Yan sigh lightly.

The Ancient Treasure Pavilion truly had a clever plan—they leaked the news early, drawing countless people rushing there; that place was famed as a human Forbidden Land.

But the four words "Liu Di Cheng Sheng" were too tempting—even Xiao Yan couldn't resist.

Man Huang Zhen was the human City closest to the Manhuang Ancient Domain, but normally few lived here, and due to the domain's fearsome reputation, even fewer came; thus, this town was almost always desolate. But now it was different: the emergence of the Bodhi Ancient Tree had drawn countless people, transforming the once-silent town into a wildly bustling place—its noisy clamor could faintly be heard miles away.

After arriving at the town, Cai Lin and Qing Lin went out to meet the intelligence unit of the Yan Alliance that had arrived earlier, gathering information on what had happened during this time.

But when Cai Lin and Qing Lin returned, their expressions were grim.

"What's wrong?" Xiao Yan asked.

"The Manhuang Ancient Domain has become far more dangerous than before," Cai Lin said, frowning slightly. "Not long ago, when the Bodhi Ancient Tree emerged, a team of many Dou Zun powerhouses attempted to reach it and seize the advantage."

"None survived. The strongest among them, it was said, was a Star Seven Dou Zun—but even he died horribly."

At Cai Lin's words, even Xiao Yan's expression changed—he couldn't escape even as a Star Seven Dou Zun?! What kind of horror had they encountered?!

Xiao Yixian said, "It seems the emergence of the Bodhi Ancient Tree has stirred up some beast Factions within the Manhuang Ancient Domain."

The others nodded in agreement; powerful clans did exist within the Manhuang Ancient Domain. Though the Bodhi Ancient Tree couldn't evolve beast Bloodlines, it still brought great benefits to beasts—they naturally also wanted the Bodhi Heart.

Fortunately, Xiao Yan hadn't chosen to travel from the Xiao Realm to the Bodhi Ancient Tree; otherwise, he likely couldn't have endured it.

"A large force will enter tomorrow. We can follow behind them," Cai Lin said.

Xiao Yan lightly tapped his fingers on the table—this Manhuang Ancient Domain must have strange peculiarities; to truly reach its depths, one must remain calm at all times.

"Yes, the three Factions of the Ancient Treasure Pavilion must have calculated this—they deliberately drew all the Factions of Zhong Zhou to storm the Manhuang Ancient Domain together, dispersing the beasts' attention," Xiao Yan nodded in agreement.

It was like termites surviving—only by sticking together could they possibly break through the Manhuang Ancient Domain.

"By the way, where's Yun Yun? Hasn't she arrived yet?" Xiao Yan asked Nalan Yanran.

Although Yun Yun had officially joined the Hua Sect and become its Sect Master, the Yan Alliance and the Hua Sect were allies; if the Hua Sect could support this incursion into the Manhuang Ancient Domain, it would be ideal.

After all, the Hua Sect still had two Half-Sage powerhouses.

Nalan Yanran gave Xiao Yan an exasperated look, then remembered something from the Hua Sect, her lovely face flushing red as she said, "My master will arrive tomorrow—she plans to enter with the large force."

(End of Chapter)