Chapter 558

Don't think Xiao Yan just looked cool taking on two at once with his fourth-transformation cultivation, for besides his enhanced physique, this was also because in this Bodhi Ancient Tree space, with the Bodhi Heart, he could not only harness the power of heaven and earth but also absorb a bit of the Bodhi Tree's strength to aid him.

But even so, the gap with a Semi-Saint was still immense, and Second Heavenly Sovereign Gu Yu was a high-level Semi-Saint, merely one step away from becoming a true Dou Saint.

The moment Second Heavenly Sovereign Gu Yu emerged from the space jade slip passage, he furrowed his brows—he had never met Xiao Yan before, yet strangely, Xiao Yan's tone and demeanor didn't seem like lies, and more importantly, no one in this world dared call him "Old Two," let alone Xiao Yan.

"Jiejiejie, Xiao Yan, have you gone mad with despair? This is Second Heavenly Sovereign Gu Yu, a Saint of the Soul Sovereign! If you want to claim kinship, try it in your next life!" Hun Yu let out a grotesque laugh, dismissing Xiao Yan's words as the ramblings of a man facing death.

Jiu Feng bowed respectfully to Saint Gu Yu and said, "Senior Brother, this man's methods are devious and cunning—act quickly, lest there be treachery!"

At this moment, Jiu Feng's gaze turned cruel as he stared at Xiao Yan; this barrier space had drained him of vast amounts of blood essence, and if he failed to obtain the Bodhi Heart or something else, his bloodline might even regress—so he must kill Xiao Yan!

"Elder Gu Yu, don't waste time with them—delay invites change. First seize Xiao Yan!" Hun Yu said grimly.

Gu Yu's eyes narrowed slightly; though leaning on his cane as if too old to walk, his gaze was as sharp as an eagle's, and the spiritual pressure of his high-level Semi-Saint cultivation twisted the very space around him as he growled, "Boy, I have no interest in what you mean—come with me back to the Soul Sovereign."

Boom! Gu Yu's Dou Qi transformed into a giant hand—a pitch-black palm tore through space and lunged straight for Xiao Yan.

As Gu Yu's hand closed in, Xiao Yan's Soul Force clearly sensed overwhelming pressure; though he possessed the Bodhi Heart, he had not yet refined it, and compared to this high-level Semi-Saint, the difference was truly immense.

Xiao Yan's lips curled slightly upward—he made no attempt to dodge, and even Gu Yu began to wonder if Xiao Yan had truly given up.

But! The moment Xiao Yan pulled out an object, Gu Yu's ancient eyes widened instantly, and the Dou Saint-powered hand halted dead in its tracks before Xiao Yan.

"You!! You!!"

Soul Token! Undoubtedly—the Soul Token of the Ten Heavenly Elders!

The instant Gu Yu saw the Soul Token, his scalp went numb, his whole body jolted as if struck by lightning—for in that moment, he understood many things.

"Ten Heavenly Elders! So this is who you are—the mysterious Tenth Heavenly Elder! No wonder, no wonder Old Three somehow obtained a Nine Revolution Heaven Changing Pill and rose from early to mid-Semi-Saint!"

"So it was because of you!"

The Soul Tokens of the Ten Heavenly Elders were unique—unlike ordinary Heavenly Elder Tokens, they bore serial numbers; Xiao Yan's clearly bore the number "10"—how could Gu Yu possibly miss it?

Moreover, he had no doubt it was fake, for Soul Tokens were bound to the Spiritual Soul—impossible to counterfeit!

As Second Heavenly Sovereign, Gu Yu knew certain things—he knew the Tenth Heavenly Elder was an Alchemist, directly promoted by the Soul Sovereign's Dan Saint, Hun Xu Zi, and he had even heard that this Tenth Heavenly Elder was not his disciple, but his equal in status!

Having lived countless eons, Second Heavenly Sovereign knew the waters here ran deep—he dared not probe further.

And now, Xiao Yan was the Tenth Heavenly Elder—his mind nearly exploded.

The Soul Sovereign—no, the Soul Clan—was planning something huge!

Second Heavenly Sovereign, Jiu Feng, and Hun Yu all knew Xiao Yan's deeds on the Dou Qi Continent—he wasn't merely the initiator of the Yan Alliance, but also the Champion of the Pill Gathering, a candidate for Pill Giant, an Eight Grade Peak Alchemist, and a super-genius who could enter Xiao Dan Ta at any moment.

Was this Hun Xu Zi 2.0?!

If collecting Soul Bodies was to gather Spiritual Soul essence and elevate Soul Realm, no one found fault—after all, the Soul Clan specialized in Soul cultivation; even Hun Yu hadn't broken through to Dou Saint, yet his Soul had already reached Heavenly Realm.

But now, the Soul Clan was cultivating another top-tier Alchemist—and this man was the Young Clan Leader of the Xiao Clan, their ancient enemy—this was deeply suspicious!

Some things just didn't bear scrutiny.

"That's a Soul Token! How could you possibly have our clan's token?!" Hun Yu's scalp went numb—he, as a Divine Grade Bloodline member of the Soul Clan, could feel the Soul Token was genuine!

At this moment, Jiu Feng was the most bewildered—what did this mean? Was he the only outsider here??

"Senior Brother, this man cannot possibly be from the Soul Clan—he's from the Xiao Clan!" Jiu Feng cried out urgently.

"Shut up!"

Boom! Gu Yu swept his hand—a terrifying streak of Dou Qi, like a colossal mountain, slammed into Jiu Feng, who had no sense of social nuance; even a casual strike from a high-level Semi-Saint was lethal, let alone Jiu Feng, who had already drained vast blood essence to seal the space.

Puh-puh-puh!! He spat out a mouthful of blood mixed with internal organs, instantly reverted to his true form, and collapsed on the ground, barely alive—Jiu Feng's eyes widened in utter confusion, unable to comprehend how this had happened!

"You!! Elder Gu Yu… this!" Hun Yu was now also flustered—what was going on here? Someone explain!

At this moment, Xiao Yan, floating in midair, felt no pity for Jiu Feng—he had tried to seize his Bodhi Heart and launched a surprise attack; even if Gu Yu hadn't acted, Xiao Yan wouldn't have spared him.

Xiao Yan's gaze turned to Hun Yu, his eyes glinting with a hint of ferocity.

"Ignorance is no excuse" was a lie for children—he had summoned Gu Yu here to kill him and take the Bodhi Heart. More importantly, Xiao Yan and Hun Yu had a conflict of interest: Hun Yu wanted the Bodhi Heart, and the Bodhi Heart was with Xiao Yan.

If it had been someone like Qiu Ping, merely causing minor trouble or mocking him, Xiao Yan might have spared him even if he bankrupted Hun Yu—but this was no longer mere troublemaking.

Seeing Xiao Yan fixate on Hun Yu, Gu Yu's expression shifted slightly as he said, "Tenth, Hun Yu is a Divine Grade Bloodline of the Soul Clan—if you kill him, you'll draw the ire of some ancient monsters even the Lord of the Soul Sovereign dares not offend."

"Lord?" Xiao Yan glanced at Gu Yu, then smiled with deep meaning: "Old Two, you're mistaken. I'm not from the Soul Clan—I'm the Young Clan Leader of the Xiao Clan."

"The one I traded with isn't Lord Hun Mie Sheng of the Soul Sovereign—compared to that man, this fellow, who only became a Divine Grade Bloodline thanks to Blood Bottles, is nothing. The Soul Clan could easily create another weakling like him."

Even without explicit words, Gu Yu understood exactly who Xiao Yan meant.

Hun Tian Di.

Xiao Yan had ties with Hun Tian Di—there must have been some agreement between them.

Divine Grade Bloodline was precious—even to the Soul Clan, which possessed the power of the Spirit-Eating King—but before the Imperial Pill Plan, such things were trash.

The Bodhi Heart wouldn't merely allow Xiao Yan to break through to Dou Saint; with its power to pierce illusions and focus the mind, it could even elevate his Pill Alchemy to Rank Nine!

Hun Yu had literally gone to his death by trespassing on Tai Sui's head.

Gu Yu's eyes darkened with gravity—this Xiao Yan showed no mercy to enemies whatsoever, decisive in slaughter, ruthless in eradication—more Soul Sovereign than the Soul Sovereign itself.

After a moment of contemplation, Gu Yu realized Xiao Yan wasn't bluffing—the name Hun Tian Di made the entire Dou Qi Continent tremble.

Hum! Gu Yu stepped forward into the space channel torn open by Hun Yu's jade slip—he no longer cared, and couldn't care. If Xiao Yan truly was the Tenth Heavenly Elder, the waters here ran too deep; even a Great Heavenly Venerable or Deputy Lord would have to flee.

Seeing Gu Yu prepare to leave, Hun Yu's face twisted in despair—two against one he couldn't win, so one against one would mean death even faster!

"Elder Gu Yu! Take me away! I'm the Soul Clan's Divine Grade Bloodline—I'll be the next Clan Leader!" Hun Yu's heart and liver trembled—he realized this space had already been sealed by Gu Yu!

Gu Yu merely cast a cold glance at Hun Yu, his face icy, saying nothing—Hun Yu had made the wrong choice; he couldn't afford to make the same mistake.

"No!!"

Outside, in the special space of the Bodhi Ancient Tree, the air reeked of blood—Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan and Soul Clan members lay dead, some poisoned, some electrocuted, others with their throats slit.

But the most common death was a pierced heart—a single strike to kill.

Gu Qingyang gripped the Yín Lóng Zhàn Jǐ, his blood aura thick, his Peak Peak Dou Zun spiritual pressure nearly crushing everyone present.

The one who had killed the most was Gu Qingyang, the Great Commander of the Gu Clan.

To think Gu Qingyang became Great Commander merely due to his Dou Emperor Bloodline Rank was a grave mistake—he was the very man who had once driven Xiao Yan to the brink of death.

"Miss, should I call for a clan elder?" asked Gu Xing, a burly man, pulling out a Space Jade Slip.

A true Dou Sheng powerhouse would never dare to casually descend into a place like the Manhuang Ancient Domain, or it would spark a great war; Half-Sage is already the limit, and this Space Jade Slip belongs to Tong Xuan.

Xun Er's eyes flickered with a hint of unusual color as she slowly shook her head. "No need. Brother Xiao Yan won't be harmed."

Hearing Xun Er's words, Cai Lin, who had just finished slaying a Heavenly Demon Phoenix, cast a glance at her. Xiao Yan had secrets best kept quiet, and now Cai Lin understood: Xun Er stood firmly by Xiao Yan's side.

Upon hearing this, Cai Lin gradually lowered her guard toward Xun Er.

Not long after these words were spoken, the massive Gu Huang Bell Shield shattered, and a gigantic corpse of a Heavenly Demon Phoenix plummeted from the sky, crashing to the ground with a thunderous thud, leaving a small crater.

Though it had reverted to its true form, many present could guess: this corpse of the Heavenly Demon Phoenix was Jiu Feng's!

"Tsk tsk tsk—you killed an Eight-Turn Dou Zun of the Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan? If the Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan finds out, they'll go mad." Gu Qingyang praised him repeatedly, staring at Xiao Yan, who stood atop the corpse, bearing only minor wounds.

Though Gu Qingyang had the strength to kill Jiu Feng, there was still Soul Jade present. Now Xiao Yan stood unharmed, having slain Jiu Feng—Soul Jade must be in even worse shape.

"Brother Xiao Yan, are you alright?" Xun Er approached, concerned.

"Don't worry, it's nothing." Xiao Yan smiled, gently stroking Xun Er's silken hair, saying no more—everything was understood without words.

"Where's Soul Jade?" Gu Hua glanced around, unable to find Soul Jade—or even the corpse.

Xiao Yan shrugged and smiled faintly. "He summoned a Heaven Lord from the Soul Sect. Couldn't beat him. Let him escape."

"Sssss!" A collective gasp swept through the crowd. The Heaven Lord summoned by Soul Jade must have been no ordinary being! Had Xiao Yan truly grown this strong!?

Only Heavenly Flame Zunzhe smiled. He too had become a Heaven Lord, his strength now at Star Eight, even with a chance to challenge a Nine Heavens Lord.

"But strange—why hasn't a Bodhi Seed appeared yet?"

After eliminating all enemies, everyone grew lively. Their purpose in coming to the Bodhi Ancient Tree was for Bodhi Seeds and Bodhi Heart. Since Xiao Yan had obtained the Bodhi Heart, shouldn't the Bodhi Seeds be distributed now?

Hearing this, all turned their gaze to the strange space, fixing their eyes on the projection of the Bodhi Ancient Tree. Looking up, the thousand-zhang Bodhi Ancient Tree stretched beyond sight, wrapped in emerald light—no Bodhi Seeds visible on its branches.

"Do we have to fly up and pick them ourselves?" asked Hai Bodong, puzzled.

As everyone wondered, a sudden hum echoed—the projection of the Bodhi Ancient Tree erupted in waves of emerald radiance, as if something was about to burst forth.

Seeing this, everyone immediately went on guard—except Xiao Yan, who sensed something, his eyes brightening with delight.

As they assumed defensive stances, faint muffled thuds emerged from within the Bodhi Ancient Tree. Then, one by one, emerald light dots shot out, scattering like petals from a celestial maiden, floating throughout the space.

"Bodhi Seeds!"

At the sight of these light dots, everyone froze—then a chorus of shocked cries erupted.

"They're all Bodhi Seeds!"

Not just Xiao Yixian and the others were stunned—even Xiao Yan himself was astonished. He had thought all Bodhi Seeds were consumed. There were still more!

Xiao Yan stared at the emerald light dots, unable to believe it: here, where Bodhi Seeds were priceless in the outside world, the Bodhi Ancient Tree had just spat out twenty at once.

Shhh shhh shhh~~~

Hearing the sound, Xiao Yan smiled, raising his hand. The floating green light dots, as if summoned, shot toward him in flashes—each one converging into his palm with a soft whoosh.

The Bodhi Ancient Tree even gave out year-end bonuses!

(End of Chapter)