Chapter 548: All Set

"She's Qing Lin, a hybrid of SnakeTribe and human. Her mother was brutally killed in the Desert when she was twelve, and my brother and I found her. Back then, your brother thought you'd be shattered by Nalan Yanran breaking off your engagement, so he planned to raise her to be your child bride."

Xiao Yan naturally knew Qing Lin still remembered this "mission." Since Xiao Yan wasn't affected, Xiao Li and Xiao Ding naturally stopped mentioning these things to Qing Lin.

Later, when Qing Lin was taken away by Tian She Empire, the matter was naturally dropped. Now Qing Lin is the Holy Maiden of Yan Alliance's Tian She Empire, its sovereign—her status is extremely high. Even Xiao Ding and Xiao Li no longer gave it a second thought.

What Qing Lin meant by saying she had grown up—how could Xiao Yan not understand?

Xiao Yan's scalp instantly prickled, his whole body went limp, and for a moment, the Falling Heart Flame surged upward!

At that moment, Cai Lin's aura slowly approached. Sensing Cai Lin enter, Xiao Yan was instantly startled—this would be disastrous if Cai Lin saw!

"Qing Lin, get out of the water and change clothes first! Some things need… uh… careful deliberation!" Xiao Yan was momentarily at a loss for words.

Even in ancient times, taking a concubine required the wife's consent! If caught in the act, it would be a massive disaster!

With a splash, Xiao Yan lifted Qing Lin out of the Blood Pool; strands of bloodlike fluid slid down her smooth skin.

Xiao Yan kept his gaze straight ahead, quickly draped his own robe over Qing Lin, then plopped cross-legged onto the Blood Pool's edge, frantically activating the Vajra Glazed Body to guide the Blood Pool's energy in refining it.

When Cai Lin entered, she saw the entire Cave glowing golden and splendid, Xiao Yan's face grim, sweat the size of soybeans dripping incessantly from his forehead as if enduring excruciating body refinement.

As his wife, how could Cai Lin not know Xiao Yan? But she said nothing, slowly walking to Qing Lin's side—whose face was flushed, eyes filled with regret—and seeing her wearing Xiao Yan's robe, and nothing beneath it, how could she not know?

Cai Lin glanced at Xiao Yan, eyes closed in cultivation, then pulled out a set of clothes from her storage ring and whispered to Qing Lin: "Sister Qing Lin, please change your clothes first."

"Oh, Sister Cai Lin." Behind her, Qing Lin's rustling as she dressed came clearly—Xiao Yan naturally gave no reaction.

After changing, Qing Lin cast one long, soft look at Xiao Yan and said gently: "Young Master Yan, I shall withdraw to guard you."

"Mm. I'll absorb the Blood Pool's energy and come out soon—shouldn't take long." Xiao Yan kept his eyes shut, nodding slowly.

Cai Lin never spoke a word to Xiao Yan the entire time; she simply walked out of the Cave with Qing Lin.

Once he sensed the two had left the Cave, Xiao Yan felt as if granted a reprieve—in this bone-chilling Blood Pool, he'd actually broken out in cold sweat!

Too dangerous!

"If Cai Lin finds out, it'll be catastrophic… but how do I explain Qing Lin's situation?"

At that moment, Cai Lin's Soul Resonance reached him: "I approve of the matter concerning Qing Lin."

Sssss!!!

One day later, inside the Blood Pool, as more and more energy flooded into Xiao Yan's body, he crossed his legs and floated suspended within the pool, his entire form radiating blinding Golden Light, eyes tightly shut.

The Blood Pool's liquid had now decreased by nearly half; its crimson hue had faded considerably—clearly, during this day, the energy had been devoured in large part by Xiao Yan's voracious absorption.

Xiao Yan's Two-Turn Dou Zun cultivation realm was slowly rising, but that wasn't his main goal—refining the Vajra Glazed Body was.

Already at minor completion, nearing major completion, the Vajra Glazed Body now exploited the Blood Pool's power to push even further. He formed a hand seal, and his body began swelling.

"Vajra Glazed Body!"

As Xiao Yan's roar echoed from his throat, golden light erupted violently within him. Beneath this brilliant radiance, his body instantly swelled—one zhang, three zhang, five zhang, seven zhang, eight zhang!

As the roar rang out, his body, which had stopped expanding, surged upward again—directly reaching nine zhang nine!

Inside the Cave, a giant entirely forged of gold stood with both feet planted, an unstoppable, domineering aura bursting from his body. Finally, the giant bent his knees slightly, then slammed them down hard!

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

This brutal stomp sank the ground over ten meters deep. Xiao Yan's golden giant shot upward like a cannonball—shoo! —crashing violently into the Cave's ceiling. Then, in an instant, immense power tore through, carving out a massive tunnel. Xiao Yan, like a mole, shot through the mountain's body at lightning speed toward the summit!

Roar! His colossal golden body was clad in Dragon Phoenix Ancient Armor, hovering in the Sky. A breath choked in his throat—then finally erupted into a thunderous Dragon Roar, spreading far across the heavens.

"Xiao Yan has emerged from seclusion!"

"Such immense blood qi! Master Xiao Yan's physical strength has reached this level!"

"His cultivation speed is unmatched."

The elders of Hua Sect nodded in awe. Though Xiao Yan's cultivation realm hadn't risen much, his combat power had surged dramatically—this pace truly made others feel ashamed.

Xiao Yan retracted the Vajra Glazed Body, glanced at the remaining half of the Blood Pool, and prepared to collect it. The leftover half could be used by Cai Lin. They were old married couple—he figured she wouldn't mind using what he'd already used.

"Anything happen these past few days?"

Xiao Yan asked casually. Seeing everyone shake their heads, he smiled, then turned his gaze toward the depths of the Manhuang Ancient Domain, eyes narrowing: "We've wasted too much time. We must hurry to the Ancient Domain Platform—arriving too late won't do."

"Mm."

Cai Lin and the others nodded slightly. In these three days, nearly a dozen groups had passed by here—clearly heading toward the Ancient Domain Platform. By now, that place was surely teeming with experts.

"Let's go. No more delays—we'll charge straight there." Xiao Yan understood the urgency. He waved his hand, abandoning all caution, and aimed straight for the Ancient Domain Platform.

"The Ancient Heavenly Demon Snake's strength ranks among the top in the Manhuang Ancient Domain. If we encounter other Fierce Beasts, we can use its terrifying aura to blaze through quickly—avoiding trouble." Qing Lin summoned the Ancient Heavenly Demon Snake, and everyone climbed onto its back.

Under Qing Lin's control, the once ferocious Demon Snake now moved with perfect docility, showing no reaction as Xiao Yan and the others stepped on its back. When Qing Lin blew a whistle, thick Black Cloud erupted from its body, forming a dark cloud. The Demon Snake then rode this cloud, its body vibrating as it shot like lightning toward the depths of the Manhuang Ancient Domain.

Along the way, Xiao Yan sensed several beasts nearly as strong as the Ancient Heavenly Demon Snake nearby—but the Demon Snake was no easy target. After emitting a few roars, those super Fierce Beasts refrained from attacking.

The journey was smooth.

The Ancient Domain Platform, it was said, was once an ancient Battlefield, where colossal wars erupted, leaving countless powerful Fierce Beasts and human experts dead—creating the Manhuang Ancient Domain's unique environment.

Hence, this place carried a peculiar pressure, and precisely this pressure made it the only spot in the Manhuang Ancient Domain where Fierce Beasts dared not tread.

As Xiao Yan and the others neared the Ancient Domain Platform, they recalled the Demon Snake—its size was too great, too conspicuous. To avoid unnecessary trouble, they naturally retrieved it.

After flying another ten minutes toward the Ancient Domain Platform, a vast Guang Chang suddenly appeared before their eyes.

Staring at this Guang Chang suddenly appearing in the wilderness, Xiao Yan and the others were stunned. Only when they saw the dense crowds on the platform did they realize—this must be the so-called Ancient Domain Platform.

"Even with the Manhuang Ancient Domain's outer edges so perilous, so many still come here." Xiao Yan looked at the dense crowds—many of them were at the level of Sky Scorpion Elder, nearly half a step into Sage Emperor.

Even if they couldn't obtain the Bodhi Heart, just one Bodhi Seed would be enough to break through to half-Sage or even Dou Sage!

One could imagine: after the Bodhi Ancient Tree, the Dou Qi Continent would surely see many half-Sage experts emerge.

Yun Yun explained: "Many major factions preserve Ancient Texts that reveal ways to enter the Ancient Domain Platform."

"But beyond the Ancient Domain Platform lies true peril—scant records exist, and even half-Sage experts perish within."

"Mm."

Everyone nodded slightly at Yun Yun's warning. The first half was manageable for experienced factions—the real difficulty lay in the second half, the true death zone, where anything could happen.

Xiao Yan led Cai Lin and the others slowly into the Guang Chang, then headed toward its center.

Under normal circumstances, the Dou Emperor Family would not let slip such an opportunity. The Bodhi Heart and Bodhi Seed hold tremendous miraculous effects for those of the young generation who have reached Dou Zun Di Feng, and might even allow a new Dou Sage powerhouse to emerge.

Even if the Dou Emperor Family itself has the inheritance and means to break through to Dou Sage, they certainly don't have many, so they could not possibly let the Bodhi Ancient Tree slip away.

Moreover, how could Xun Er possibly fail to guess that Xiao Yan would come to vie for the Bodhi Ancient Tree.

Walking all the way into Guang Chang, their group, because of the fair and beautiful faces of Cai Lin, Yun Yun, Xiao Yixian and the other women, attracted quite a few strange gazes. The teams able to come here mostly possessed considerable strength, and people of all sorts were present. If they hadn't all kept a shred of reason, someone would likely have been unable to resist coming over to strike up a conversation. Nevertheless, some brazen gazes still caused Cai Lin and the others' cheeks to turn slightly icy.

Walking all the way in, Xiao Yan did not see anyone familiar, which made him somewhat surprised. Moreover, as he drew closer to the center of Guang Chang, he also noticed a problem: it seemed that the closer people or teams were to the center of Guang Chang, the stronger they were, while those on the outer edge were the weakest group. He wondered whether this arrangement was deliberate or accidental.

Soon, Xiao Yan passed through the crowd and arrived at the middle of the Ancient Domain Platform. His gaze swept across the Stone Platform, and an involuntary gentle smile appeared on his face.

Seeing that absolutely beautiful girl in green sitting cross-legged with her eyes closed always brought a tender look to Xiao Yan's eyes.

But when Xiao Yan arrived at the Ancient Domain Platform, without a doubt, a woman in a colorful dress noticed Xiao Yan's arrival even earlier than Xun Er!

The instant Xiao Yan entered the Ancient Domain Platform, at a high spot on the Stone Platform, a girl dressed in a colorful dress, her entire being suffused with a noble aura, suddenly seemed to sense something and opened her eyes.

Those gem-like beautiful eyes instantly turned toward the foot of the Stone Platform, and then her gaze locked onto that slender figure, and at once, a look of terror could not help but surface on her cheeks!

Her originally lovely face was instantly filled with fear, her body trembled instinctively, she tightly hugged herself, and her body seemed to have grown cold!

"Hm? Qing'er, what's wrong?" Discovering that Feng Qing'er's expression was somewhat off, the man with special colored pupils sitting beside Feng Qing'er asked gently.

This man with special colored pupils was the Young Clan Leader of the Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan, Jiu Feng!

Jiu Feng had even already been internally designated as the next Clan Leader. After all, the Clan Leader does not hold power forever; some families have terms, and once the term is up, one steps down to become a Supreme Elder, guarding the family.

But at this moment, Feng Qing'er's breathing had become somewhat rapid. The fear she had only just managed to forget for a moment surged up again, and she did not even hear what Jiu Feng beside her was saying.

Seeing that Feng Qing'er had ignored him, Jiu Feng had just been about to reach out and touch her when Feng Qing'er suddenly cried out: "Don't touch me!"

!?

Seeing the bewildered expressions of Jiu Feng and the surrounding Elders of the Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan, Feng Qing'er came back to herself. An Elder beside her hurriedly said: "Apologies, Young Clan Leader. Qing'er may be at a critical juncture in her Cultivation; touching her might cause a Bloodline clash."

"Oh, oh, no wonder. After all, the Bloodline power of little sister Qing'er is already no weaker than mine, only a hair's breadth away from returning to her ancestors. If she obtains the Bodhi Heart this time, she can successfully return to her ancestors and even surpass an ordinary ancient Heavenly Phoenix, possessing royal Bloodline."

Although Jiu Feng's tone carried gentleness, a wisp of killing intent was contained within those colored pupils.

He had indeed already been internally confirmed for the position of Young Clan Leader, but now a Feng Qing'er had suddenly appeared out of nowhere!

Feng Qing'er, who had obtained Xiao Yan's Elixir, although her Bloodline could not return to her ancestors and become an ancient Heavenly Phoenix, had still advanced considerably. After receiving the clan's top-tier inheritance, her Cultivation Realm had even reached Nine Star Peak.

If Jiu Feng's strength were not Eight-Turn Dou Zun, Feng Qing'er might have been the Young Clan Leader instead of the Holy Maiden!

One must know that the Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan never had the title of Holy Maiden to begin with; this was specially created for Feng Qing'er!

Feng Qing'er nodded apologetically to Jiu Feng, then secretly turned her gaze toward the center of Guang Chang, to Xiao Yan, whose eyes were tenderly looking at Xun Er.

Although Xiao Yan's eyes held no trace of her at all, her eyes were filled with Xiao Yan's figure!

(End of this chapter)