Chapter 557: Boundless Benevolence

Xiao Yan walked forward slowly, hands clasped behind his back; from afar, he appeared as if emerging from the Ancient Tree, bearing the Bodhi Ancient Tree itself, a greenish glow radiating from his body.

Even those who had never seen the Bodhi Heart understood: Xiao Yan had definitely obtained the Bodhi Heart! The Bodhi Heart was inside Xiao Yan!!

"You!! You obtained the Bodhi Heart!" Jiu Feng's colorful pupils widened in terror; he possessed the Seven-Colored Demon Phoenix Eyes, and his bloodline was nearly reverted to that of the ancient Heaven Phoenix. His cultivation realm was already Eight-Turn Dou Zun, just a step away from achieving Sage status!

Aren't birds and trees meant to go together?! Why him?! What right does he have?!

"Impossible! How could the Ancient Tree choose you?!" Even Huan Yu, who had always worn a smile, could no longer maintain composure—his face darkened with anger.

He was of Divine Grade Bloodline! Why should a fallen Dou Emperor Family's Young Clan Leader obtain the Bodhi Heart?! It should have been his!

Seeing the two men in furious distress, Xiao Yan felt a surge of satisfaction. His expression turned solemn, and he declared with righteous grandeur: "What can I do? The Ancient Tree saw that my bones were extraordinary, my heart embraced all under heaven, and I possessed a heart of boundless benevolence. Unable to watch the countless beings of the Dou Qi Continent continue suffering under your oppression, it specially bestowed upon me the Bodhi Heart to roam the world and rescue all living things from fire and water."

Hearing Xiao Yan's words, even Xiao Yixian, with her tranquil nature, couldn't help but stare in shock at the showy Xiao Yan.

You want to save all living beings?! Just don't go molesting every woman under heaven and we'll thank the heavens!

Cai Lin gave Xiao Yan a flat look—she'd never seen anyone so shameless. Compared to your Pill Alchemy, your skin is even more invincible!

Among those present, only Qing Lin had been brainwashed by Xiao Yan and believed his words, nodding in approval toward her Young Master—her beautiful eyes shimmered with worship.

Of all these words, Xiao Yan probably only got "boundless benevolence" right—his love truly was vast.

Huan Yu's gaze flickered slightly, then suddenly turned to Jiu Feng. The two exchanged a glance, each seeing cold intent in the other's eyes, then subtly nodded their chins.

Boom—two thunderous sounds echoed as, at the nod of their chins, Huan Yu and Jiu Feng suddenly moved, transforming into two black streaks that shot forward with lightning speed, each unleashing their full Dou Qi in a devastating palm strike aimed straight at Xiao Yan.

Judging by their actions, they clearly intended to kill Xiao Yan and seize his Bodhi Heart!

"Huan Yu, how dare you!"

Huan Yu growled, "Xiao Yan, hand over the Bodhi Heart, and I'll spare your life!"

"Hand over the Bodhi Heart, and my Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan will leave immediately!" Jiu Feng shrieked. Who wouldn't want the Bodhi Heart?!

Facing their combined assault, Xiao Yan's lips curled slightly. Thump—a violent heartbeat erupted from within him. Now, Xiao Yan seemed to possess two hearts; the Bodhi Heart throbbed fiercely, and a stream of emerald life essence surged from a newly formed special meridian inside him.

Xiao Yan swiftly formed a hand seal, and golden light exploded outward—but unlike before, when he used the Diamond Glazed Body, he did not grow to ninety-nine feet tall. He remained his original size, yet his body turned the color of glazed crystal.

Having been refined by the essence of the Bodhi Ancient Tree, Xiao Yan's Diamond Glazed Body surpassed even Perfect Completion. The compression of ninety-nine feet of energy made him resemble the invincible golden body of a martial arts novel—bronze skin, iron bones.

Hum—a greenish pattern flowed along the Diamond Glazed Body; this was the extra meridian granted by the Bodhi Heart, adding a living beauty to the Diamond Glazed Body.

"Get lost!"

Xiao Yan unleashed his Four-Turn Dou Qi, clenching both fists, and slammed twin punches directly at Huan Yu and Jiu Feng.

Boom—boom—the fierce palm strikes collided with Xiao Yan's fist strikes, producing a muffled thud. Xiao Yan's cultivation was only Four-Turn; Huan Yu was Six-Turn, Jiu Feng Eight-Turn—clearly overwhelming him.

But before the smug smiles on Huan Yu and Jiu Feng's faces could form, they suddenly felt an extraordinarily terrifying force erupting from the point of impact, flooding the entire space.

Boom!! Huan Yu and Jiu Feng's faces turned pale—terrible power instantly blasted them flying backward. Two against one, and they'd been knocked back by Xiao Yan!

"Supernatural, saintly physical strength!" screamed a Dou Zun Elder of the Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan in terror.

Feeling Xiao Yan's physical strength surge dramatically, Cai Lin's eyes widened in astonishment. As a beast, she understood: a beast's power lies in its physical strength.

Eight-Rank physical strength is called Supernatural; Nine-Rank? Naturally, it's Saintly.

Of course, powerful physical strength doesn't mean one can rival a true Dou Saint—and Xiao Yan hadn't yet reached Nine-Rank physical strength. He was merely close.

Thud—thud. Jiu Feng and Huan Yu, blasted backward, stared in utter terror. What rotten luck did Xiao Yan have?! He got the Bodhi Heart, and now, in just a few days, his body had been refined into something so terrifying!

Jiu Feng, an Eight-Turn Dou Zun of the Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan, a pure-blooded beast, had stronger physical strength than any of his kind!

"So strong!"

Xun Er and the others gazed at Xiao Yan, their eyes filled with delight—he had gained an immense fortune!

"Attack! If Xiao Yan refines the Bodhi Heart, our Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan will face utter annihilation!" Jiu Feng shrieked. Immediately, over a dozen Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan members, still wounded, prepared to surround and assault Xiao Yan.

Huan Yu's eyes narrowed. He growled, "We cannot let another Xiao Xuan arise. We must crush him now!"

The Soul Sovereign's Dou Zuns all moved in unison.

"Hmph. Others fear your Soul Sovereign, but my Gu Clan does not." Gu Qingyang sneered, drawing his weapon and preparing to counterattack.

The Yan Alliance and the Flower Sect also flew forward to intercept the Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan.

"Let me handle these two." Seeing Xun Er about to fly in to help, Xiao Yan smiled and whispered to her.

Xun Er's eyes softened. She nodded—she understood Xiao Yan's nature—and locked onto a powerful Soul Sovereign warrior.

"Kill!!" Jiu Feng unfurled his Yao Huang Wings, fully unleashing his Eight-Turn Dou Zun aura, his bloodline power boiling, his blood qi surging.

Huan Yu's eyes narrowed, revealing a cruel glint. He formed a hand seal, and a chilling Soul Force erupted from his body—his Divine Grade Bloodline fully activated. His Soul Force surged to the mid-Heavenly Realm, and his cultivation rose from Six-Turn Peak to Eight-Turn!

"This Divine Grade Bloodline is truly remarkable—it boosted not only Soul Force but also raised his cultivation by over one turn." Xiao Yan shook his head, yet his eyes showed no trace of fear.

"Too bad. Two Eight-Turns still aren't enough." Feeling Huan Yu and Jiu Feng's auras, Xiao Yan smiled and shook his head.

Hum—the Xiao Clan Totem appeared, the Seven-Colored Clan Mark exploding violently. Patterns of the Clan Mark spread across Xiao Yan's body. But strangely, upon closer inspection, beside the Seven-Colored Clan Mark, due to the Bodhi Ancient Tree's meridian, it appeared as if an eighth color had been added—now an Eight-Colored Clan Mark!

Xiao Yan's Dou Qi cultivation also instantly surged—from Four-Turn to Eight-Turn—with even greater amplification!

"Divine Grade! You!! How could the Xiao Clan possess Divine Grade Bloodline?! It's the Three Profound Flames Transformation!" Huan Yu cried out, recalling a secret technique created by Xiao Xuan.

Both Jiu Feng and Huan Yu unleashed Heavenly Rank Low Grade Dou Techniques.

"Soul Annihilation Palm!"

As the wailing from the palm imprint grew more agonizing, Huan Yu roared. The pitch-black palm imprint shot forward like thunder, hurtling toward Xiao Yan.

Though small in size, the black palm imprint contained terrifyingly cold and immense Dou Qi. Clearly, Huan Yu understood: against Xiao Yan's greatly enhanced power, failure to unleash everything meant certain defeat.

"Heavenly Demon Phoenix Seal!"

Jiu! A black ancient Heaven Phoenix emerged from Jiu Feng's palm, transforming into a massive seal that slammed down with crushing force!

Xiao Yan mentally shouted: "Dragon Phoenix Ancient Armor! Fusion of Infernal Flames!"

The Ten Thousand Beast Spirit Flame, Three Thousand Yan Flame, and Yin-Yang Twin Flames instantly fused. After fusion, Xiao Yan's Dragon Phoenix Ancient Armor seemed to come alive—a purple-gold True Dragon surfaced on the armor, radiating overwhelming Dragon Might.

"Infernal Flame Diamond Fist!"

Xiao Yan advanced instead of retreating, his Ancient Phoenix Wings unfurling as he shot forward like a stream of Infernal Flame light toward Jiu Feng and Huan Yu.

His right fist condensed, then exploded into a Sea of Fire—the flames and light radiating from his fist instantly illuminated the entire space, blinding all with their dazzling brilliance.

The terrifying heat warped the light itself.

With this punch, Xiao Yan did not merely condense his Heavenly Flame, but also his immense physical strength and the Life Force of the Bodhi Ancient Tree within this space!

All these powers gathered at once into Xiao Yan's right fist.

With a booming crash, the sound drowned out all else—like a movie abruptly muted. The two directly facing Xiao Yan's punch, Jiu Feng and Soul Jade, remained deaf for a long while, their ears as if utterly destroyed.

A punch that burns the heavens, unbreakable as diamond! In that instant, the power of this punch reached its absolute limit—unless a Sage Emperor appeared in person, even a beginner Semi-Sage must avoid its edge!

Under this punch, even a Dou Zun could not resist.

Under this punch, Jiu Feng's Heavenly Demon Phoenix Seal shattered instantly. Even though it was the Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan's most prideful offensive beast technique, carrying all of Jiu Feng's blood qi, it still could not withstand Xiao Yan's punch.

As for Soul Jade's Soul-Annihilating Palm, it needed no further comment—Heavenly Flame was the ultimate counter to such specters and demons; these ghosts, upon touching the most yang Heavenly Flame, were instantly incinerated to ash, purified beyond redemption.

With one punch, the seal shattered, the palm broken—terrible Heavenly Flame flooded the sky and earth, engulfing Jiu Feng and Soul Jade completely.

Two thuds rang out. In the instant the Soul-Annihilating Palm and Heavenly Demon Phoenix Seal shattered, Jiu Feng and Soul Jade were blasted from the sky and slammed hard onto the ground, cratering it with a massive, deep pit!

With the Bodhi Ancient Tree's power, even if Soul Jade used his Clan Mark to enhance his strength, he still could not stop it!

Who cares if you're the Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan's Young Clan Leader, or the Soul Sovereign's Divine Grade Bloodline? With the Bodhi Heart's enhancement, in this space, he was supreme!

As the flames faded, Jiu Feng and Soul Jade were not dead—but many parts of their bodies were burned to tatters, bones exposed, clearly suffering severe injuries.

In his true form, Jiu Feng's colorful eyes glared at Xiao Yan with unwillingness—by Xiao Yan's current strength, he had no way to resist.

"Brother Jiu Feng, can your colorful eyes block space?"

"Brother Soul Jade, are you trying to summon a clan elder?!"

Soul Jade nodded. This was the only way to kill Xiao Yan!

Jiu Feng's gaze hardened as he stared at Xiao Yan—his heart already burned with hatred for him. He could not bear that his forbidden possession had become Xiao Yan's, nor could he accept that Xiao Yan was stronger than him!

"Fine!" Jiu Feng slammed his palm against his chest, spitting out a dark red essence-blood, then formed a hand seal and roared: "Colorful Eye Gu Huang Bell Shield!"

Wum!! The seven-colored strange pupils in Jiu Feng's eyes erupted with light—a massive black ancient Heaven Phoenix image appeared, opened its mouth, swallowed the dark red essence-blood, and seemed to temporarily revive.

"Ancient Heaven Phoenix?"

The Ancient Heaven Phoenix spread its wings, and its enormous wings instantly enveloped Xiao Yan, Jiu Feng, and Soul Jade.

"Brother Xiao Yan!"

"Trouble! The Soul Sovereign is summoning a clan elder!"

"Miss, should we call Elder Tong Xuan?" asked Gu Hua.

Xun Er's beautiful eyes flickered with unusual light—she knew well Xiao Yan's alliance with the Soul Sovereign, then shook her head: "No. First, kill these Soul Sovereigns, then break the Demon Phoenix Bell Shield."

Seeing Xiao Yan enclosed within, Cai Lin, Xiao Yixian, and the Heavenly Flame Elder all wore strange expressions.

Inside Jiu Feng's sealed space, Soul Jade smirked at Xiao Yan: "Hahahaha! Xiao Yan, no matter how strong you are, you cannot surpass a Sage Emperor!!"

Crack! Soul Jade instantly shattered the Space Jade Slip—the space around them violently twisted, becoming a prison.

A space fissure spread outward, finally forming a pitch-black spatial void. From within, a titanic aura surged like a storm.

"Cough, cough… Soul Jade, I didn't expect even you couldn't handle that Xiao Clan brat."

As a pale, withered hand reached out, a hoarse, coughing old voice slowly emerged from the fissure. Then, an elderly man in gray robes stepped slowly from the rift, appearing before Xiao Yan, whose expression had turned strange.

The elder was hunched, leaning on a skull-topped cane, his sunken eyes glowing with two faint green flames, radiating a sinister, eerie aura.

"Something unexpected—otherwise I wouldn't have used the Space Jade Slip," said Soul Jade, frowning at the elder's words, then glaring coldly at Xiao Yan: "He has the Bodhi Heart inside him!"

"Oh?"

Hearing this, the elder named Gu You paused slightly, then his green-glowing eyes fixed on Xiao Yan. A strange smile crept across his dry face: "Didn't expect this brat to have such fortune."

Seeing Gu You appear, Xiao Yan awkwardly rubbed his nose and said: "It's been a while, Brother Two."

(End of Chapter)