Chapter 578

"Hm?"

Xiao Yan paused, his hand frozen mid-air, the eight-color Fire Lotus he had been about to throw at Yao Ming now held back.

This left Xiao Yan momentarily dumbfounded; along his journey, he had encountered all manner of people—like Chen Xian, son of the Xuanming Sect Master, who, after being defeated, resorted to pulling rank and scheming; or Feng Qing'er, who stubbornly refused to yield—but Yao Ming, a man who understood the times, was the first such talent Xiao Yan had ever met.

Yao Ming is doomed!

Although Yao Ming possessed the cultivation realm of Two-Star Dou Sheng late-stage, he had been sealed for too long and could not fully restore his power; now, he had only regained about six-tenths of his strength, just barely restored to Two-Star.

But with Xiao Yan's Xiao Clan Divine Grade Bloodline combined with the power of his Clan Mark, he could effortlessly elevate his Dou Qi cultivation by one star, even slightly surpassing Yao Ming's current cultivation level.

More importantly, Xiao Yan's Burning Art had already reached Heavenly Rank Advanced Grade!

A Heavenly Rank Advanced Grade cultivation method—what kind of concept was that! Even the Soul Sovereign's highest-tier reward method was only Heavenly Rank Intermediate Grade! The Soul Sovereign's leader, Hun Mie Sheng, cultivated a method no higher than Heavenly Rank Intermediate Grade—it could not go further.

The Soul Sovereign had several Heavenly Rank Advanced Grade soul cultivation techniques, but for Dou Qi methods, they likely didn't have any—or if they did, no more than three.

Cultivation methods were far rarer than Dou Techniques; this was precisely why, after reaching Dou Zun and Dou Sheng, crossing-rank battles became increasingly difficult—not only due to vast cultivation gaps, but because methods and techniques had already been perfected, making them nearly impossible to find across the entire Dou Qi Continent.

Especially now, with no Dou Di on the Dou Qi Continent, it meant no one could create a Heavenly Rank Advanced Grade cultivation method—not even Gu Yuan or Hun Tian Di could create one.

Just as a high-level Dou Zun could cultivate an Earth Rank Advanced Grade method, even a Nine Star Peak Dou Zun could hardly create one—it required a Dou Zun to create it, and the same logic applied here.

Heavenly Rank Advanced Grade cultivation methods were generally created by Dou Di, making them exceedingly rare.

But Xiao Yan had one!

Yao Ming, already a once-in-a-thousand-years genius of the Nine Underworld Earth Python Clan, possessed immense bloodline power, having spent centuries refining his body at the bottom of Jiu You Huang Quan, causing his bloodline to evolve further and his cultivation to reach Two-Star Dou Sheng—but even that bloodline power was only comparable to a strong Earth Rank Low Grade method, still far from Heavenly Rank Intermediate Grade, let alone Heavenly Rank Advanced Grade!

Yao Xiao Tian and Yao Ce were even weaker; otherwise, they wouldn't have been crushed by Cai Lin and the Nine-Headed Heavenly Snake.

The quality of Dou Qi between Xiao Yan and Yao Ming was vastly different—even without activating his Clan Mark, Xiao Yan, as a One-Star Dou Sheng, could easily overpower him; this was the qualitative transformation brought by method disparity.

Dou Sheng almost never could cross-rank battle—but Xiao Yan was an exception!

Xiao Yan glanced at Yao Ming and silently nodded; he liked those who understood the times.

The stronger the demonic beast, the keener its sense of danger; after exchanging a few blows with Xiao Yan, Yao Ming, the moment he saw the Clan Mark and the Fire Lotus, understood—he could never defeat Xiao Yan, even if he restored his full power.

It sounded unbelievable, but his beast instincts told him it was true.

"Yao Ming! What are you doing?!" roared Yao Ce, transformed into a dark red Sea Giant Python; he was already retreating step by step against the Nine-Headed Heavenly Snake, which even the Ancient Heavenly Snake King feared, let alone a Nine Underworld Earth Python like him, whose bloodline was merely derived from the Ancient Heavenly Snake.

The bloodline power gap was enormous.

Before Yao Ming could speak, Xiao Yan glanced at Yao Ce and said coolly, "Noisy."

With a sharp hiss, Xiao Yan, thinking, "Since it's already been brought out, don't waste it," flicked his finger; the eight-color Fire Lotus instantly spun at high speed, its beautiful flames dancing like dancers, then shot straight toward Yao Ce.

In an instant, Yao Ce's aged face twisted with terror; he immediately activated a strange beast technique, his body exploding into countless clones, opening rifts in Space to flee!

If Yao Ming truly abandoned them, the entire Nine Underworld Earth Python Clan would be doomed; they had released Yao Ming as a last gamble, hoping he could save them.

Seeing Yao Ce's escape beast technique, Xiao Yan smiled faintly; he possessed the Bodhi Heart, and though not yet fully refined, it already granted him some ability to see through illusions.

Xiao Yan's eyes flickered with a flash of emerald light; he narrowed them slightly, revealing a cold smirk—and the next second, the Fire Lotus flashed with a streak of black light, teleporting through Space as if instantly moving, appearing directly before one of the clones.

The instant the Fire Lotus appeared, the clone, indistinguishable from the others, suddenly showed a human-like expression of fear and shock—clearly, Xiao Yan had seen through it; this was the true body!

BOOM!! The explosion of the Buddha Fury Lotus was astonishing; before his eyes, everything seemed unreal, as if he had been thrust into another world.

First came a blinding white light, like a dozen suns rising at once, turning the entire sky white. Then, this white light coalesced into a colossal wave of Fire Lotus flames, spreading upward and extending far beyond.

In an instant, the clouds rapidly expanded outward, as if swallowing the entire Jiu You Huang Quan region into its belly.

Next came a deafening roar, as if the entire Huang Quan Shan Mai trembled; the shockwave surged forth, destroying countless plants and structures, engulfing the clones, spatial rifts, and even nearby Nine Underworld Snake Guards.

Then came a massive fireball, like a ferocious beast, clawing outward in all directions, reducing everything to ashes.

The scene was horrifying, as if witnessing the arrival of the apocalypse; the colossal airwave expanded at supersonic speed, sweeping everything away. Almost nothing could resist this power. In an instant, forests and vegetation were ripped up, reduced to ruins within moments.

Flames formed an utterly terrifying tapestry; all things vanished in the fire, nothing could withstand this heat. The temperature of the Fire Lotus was unimaginable.

At the instant of the Fire Lotus explosion, Yao Xiao Tian's face twisted in terror, his eyes wide, pupils dilated to their limits; his mouth slightly open, as if screaming—but no sound emerged.

Sweat beaded on his forehead; his entire body trembled, muscles taut—clearly, Xiao Yan's Fire Lotus far exceeded his imagination.

His cultivation, method, and Soul Force were countless times stronger than when he had faced Sky Scorpion Elder outside the Space Auction House; even this eight-color Fire Lotus was far more powerful than the eleven-color Fire Lotus that had instantly killed Sky Scorpion Elder!

With a snap, a charred black figure fell from mid-air; Yao Ce was not dead, but after being blasted by the eight-color Fire Lotus explosion, he had lost all combat capability, barely alive.

Yao Ce's face was contorted, showing extreme agony; his mouth opened, moaning continuously, his eyes either tightly shut or wide open from pain, his expression filled with terror and despair.

He begged Yao Ming for help, his eyes filled with a desperate longing for life, heavy with regret—he couldn't understand why Xiao Yan was so strong!!

Ordinary people needed at least a hundred years to advance from Dou Zun to Dou Sheng—and his power was countless times greater than a normal Dou Sheng!

Seeing Yao Ce's state, Yao Ming knew he was right—but even with psychological preparation, seeing a One-Star Dou Sheng late-stage like Yao Ce reduced to this by the terrifying Fire Lotus Dou Technique filled him with dread.

"A Heavenly Rank Intermediate Grade Dou Technique—and a top-tier one at that! So it's true! That's the Xiao Clan's Clan Mark! That family isn't extinct yet!" Yao Ming's heart churned like a storm; he had initially thought he'd mistaken it, since the Xiao Clan had been wiped out for so long.

On the other side, Yao Xiao Tian, locked in a bitter battle with Cai Lin, was filled with fear and unease; his gaze darted nervously, his breathing shallow and rapid, his chest as if crushed by a giant hand.

Cai Lin's bloodline suppression had reached the level of the King of the Devouring Heavenly Snake; for Yao Xiao Tian, with his diluted Ancient Heavenly Snake bloodline, it was like a commoner facing the Emperor—constantly suppressed.

Xiao Yan had just said he wouldn't spare him! Even the Elder couldn't escape him—how could anyone else?

Yao Xiao Tian's heart pounded faster; he felt like he was about to collapse, desperately trying to hold onto reason, but unable to control his emotions.

Not just Yao Xiao Tian—all the other Shou Yu warriors watching now felt speechless; even as bystanders, seeing this scene, everyone felt as if their throats were being squeezed, unable to utter a sound.

"Is this Xiao Yan of the Yan Alliance?"

"Damn, when Yao Ming appeared, I thought the Nine Underworld Earth Python Clan had already won."

Many nodded in agreement; that was a Two-Star Dou Sheng! Many in the crowd had imagined how this battle might end—some thought Yao Ming would ignore Yao Xiao Tian and leave alone; others imagined a cataclysmic clash ending in truce, or a brutal fight concluding with one side's defeat.

But no one—absolutely no one—expected Xiao Yan to end it with a single move!

And so swiftly!

"Big brother, save me! I know I'm wrong! Don't let them kill me! I'm your own brother!" Yao Xiao Tian collapsed to his knees, clasping his hands, bowing forward, his face filled with despair and pleading.

Xiao Yan's terrifying Fire Lotus power had utterly broken the will of the entire Nine Underworld Earth Python Clan; even the Nine Underworld Snake Clan members and Elders had lost the courage to resist.

After using the Fire Lotus, Xiao Yan remained as if nothing had happened—his Dou Qi showed no sign of depletion, as if he could unleash several more; one move had defeated the Dou Sheng Elder—how could they possibly muster the will to resist?

Watching the pleading Yao Xiao Tian, Yao Ming, though once filled with rage, now sighed; truly, this was Heavenly Dao Reincarnation—he had been betrayed and sealed beneath Jiu You Huang Quan for centuries by Yao Xiao Tian and Yao Ce.

But precisely because Yao Xiao Tian and Yao Ce offended someone they should never have offended, this situation arose.

"Heavenly Dao Reincarnation, you've come to this too." Yao Ming had no intention of saving them—even if he had wanted to, there was no way he could.

Yao Xiao Tian and Yao Ce didn't actually do anything wrong; had he known the Qi San Hua Tong had appeared, he too would have used every means to destroy it. And Yao Xiao Tian and his group didn't lose to the Qi San Hua Tong—they lost to Xiao Yan!

All their calculations, yet they never accounted for Xiao Yan!

Whether it was the life-saving talisman of the Pill Gathering Champion or his current overwhelming strength, it was Xiao Yan who truly crushed the entire Jiu You Di Ming Ying Clan!

In the end, neither Yao Xiao Tian nor Yao Ce escaped Xiao Yan and Cai Lin; they were ultimately sealed completely under the triple force of Xiao Yixian's Misfortune Poison, Qing Lin's Qi San Hua Tong, and Xiao Yan's Asura Spiritual Soul illusion, imprisoned at the bottom of Jiu You Huang Quan.

Once Qing Lin reaches Half-Sage realm, she will enslave the two of them—after all, though weak, they are still two Nine Rank Snake Race members; if she truly enslaves these two Nine Rank Snake Race members, Qing Lin will be utterly invincible!

Three Nine Rank Snake Race members, one of whom is the Nine-Headed Heavenly Snake!

With two thunderous booms, Yao Xiao Tian and Yao Ce, their Spiritual Souls sealed and their Dou Qi corroded by poison, slowly sank into Jiu You Huang Quan; only then did Xiao Yan and the others turn to Yao Ming.

Xiao Yan and his group's demands weren't just to eliminate Yao Xiao Tian and Yao Ce as the masterminds behind it all—they also demanded all the land, resources, Holy Land, and heritage of the Jiu You Di Ming Ying Clan, as well as the Huang Quan Blood Crystals of Jiu You Huang Quan.

Only then did they agree to spare the entire Jiu You Di Ming Ying Clan.

Yao Ming gazed deeply at Xiao Yan, then at Cai Lin, and said solemnly: "The Devouring Python… the era of the Jiu You Di Ming Ying Clan has truly ended."

With a tap of his staff, a pile of blood-red Huang Quan Blood Crystals appeared before Xiao Yan.

"These are the Huang Quan Blood Crystals—all that have formed at the bottom of Jiu You Huang Quan over the past few centuries have been taken by me. As for the Jiu You Di Ming Ying Clan's resources and sacred sites, I will have the Second Elder show you around later."

Victory and defeat determine all—on the Dou Qi Continent, no one speaks of humanitarian concern; here, only the strong rule.

Hearing Yao Ming's words, the tribal chieftains and Four Great Elders of the SnakeTribe all wore expressions of excitement, even dancing and cheering in celebration.

"We've finally returned!"

"Is this our ancestral homeland? So beautiful—far better than the Desert!"

"Long live the Queen!"

After countless years of warfare, Mei Du Sha's clan had finally fulfilled its mission; even her cold, domineering face now revealed a trace of relief, and she turned to Xiao Yan beside her, her beautiful eyes soft with affection: "Thank you, Xiao Yan."

Seeing this tenderness beneath her dominance, Xiao Yan was utterly transfixed. Cai Lin, already breathtakingly beautiful, now showed him a gentleness meant only for him—and his heart stirred.

Instantly, he pulled Cai Lin close, kissed her lightly, and said: "Between us, why speak of thanks? Whatever you need, I'll give you."

Hearing Xiao Yan's warm words, Cai Lin cast him a sultry glance, then, as if unsatisfied, leaned in and kissed him deeply—this kiss was tender, yet carried a hint of dominance.

(End of Chapter)