Chapter 610: All Races Converge (Beginning of Month, Requesting Monthly Tickets)

Hearing the softness in Cai Lin's voice, Yun Yun couldn't help but pause—in her mind, the Medusa Queen had always been more domineering and coldly heartless, never this gentle.

But Yun Yun also knew why: she was no longer just the queen of the Snake People Empire, no longer just Xiao Yan's wife, but also the mother of two children.

Yun Yun's gaze, rare in its firmness and sharpness, nodded and said, "Rest assured—not just me, but everyone in the Yan Alliance will fight to protect them."

Yun Yun's eyes glanced at Xiao Xiao, then unintentionally drifted toward Xiao Yan in the distance. Just then, Xiao Yan turned back—their gazes met, and Xiao Yan's eyes flickered with a hint of unusual emotion.

If back then in the Mo Shou Shan Mai, in that cave, or when the Wan Shou Ling Huo had surged with primal instinct, he had let himself go a little more, and the Wan Shou Ling Huo had held out a little longer, maybe now he wouldn't have just two children.

That memory, even for Xiao Yan, could not be suppressed.

Xiao Yan pulled out several elixirs from his space ring, among them none other than the Bodhi Great Restoration Pill and various precious Eight Grade Pills.

Seeing Xiao Yan once again offering her a flood of elixirs—as if compensating—Yun Yun's eyes held a hint of reproach and said, "I don't want elixirs."

"Even if you don't, your idiot disciple needs them."

Yun Yun gave Xiao Yan a sultry, sideways glance—this man, since the Hua Sect, seemed to have mastered the secret: he knew how to use Nalan Yanran to persuade her.

But she couldn't deny—it worked.

Cai Lin, who had fused her soul with Xiao Yan's, how could she not know about the mess between Xiao Yan and Yun Yun? But those events happened before she met him, so she had no right to say much.

At that moment, suddenly, heaven and earth changed color again—throughout the entire realm, a powerful energy surge erupted, and then countless strange mists spread from the void, faintly accompanied by the sound of waves rising from the heavens and earth.

Xiao Yan's Soul Force swept across the entire space—he couldn't help but complain internally: this Demon Fire's descent was so blatantly obvious!! What the hell was the point of all the effort he'd put into collecting the Ancient Maps?!

Not just Zhong Zhou—even the entire Dou Qi Continent must know by now.

At that moment, Xiao Yan's Soul Token received a Soul Information: 【Within three days, the Demon Fire will appear.】

The Soul Information also contained coordinates of a plain—that must be where the Jing Lian Yao Huo would descend.

Shhh! After receiving the Soul Information, several streaks of light shot rapidly from all corners of the Jia Ma Empire, flashing a few times before appearing beside Xiao Yan—it was Xiao Yixian and the others.

"The Demon Fire is about to descend," Xiao Yixian said, her expression grave as she landed beside Xiao Yan.

"This Jing Lian Yao Huo truly causes a sensation," Zi Yan frowned as well—according to her Tai Xu Gu Long clan's records, the Tai Xu Gu Long had once attempted to seek the Jing Lian Yao Huo in the void, but nearly fell victim to its tricks, and had since held deep caution, never again pursuing it.

Xiao Yan nodded—he suspected that starting tomorrow, countless strong cultivators would rush toward the place where the Jing Lian Yao Huo would descend. Even though many knew they lacked the ability to subdue it, all clung to that fluke mindset: whoever could obtain and refine the Jing Lian Yao Huo would see their power surge uncontrollably; in battle, even opponents far superior in rank could be easily defeated. The temptation was immense.

"When do we leave?" Xiao Yixian asked.

Hearing this, Xiao Yan hesitated slightly, about to speak—when his expression suddenly changed. He snapped his head upward, gazing toward the northwest in the night sky—far off, a brilliant light erupted, radiating an extreme, terrifying infernal heat. The ripples spread outward, covering an unknown range—even here in the Yan Alliance, people still felt a scorching heat rising from within their hearts.

"Is this… the power of the Demon Fire?!"

Xiao Yixian and the others all wore grave expressions—the Demon Fire hadn't even emerged yet, and merely its residual waves could make one feel scorching heat from within, stirring unease and irritability!

Xiao Yan's gaze hardened—his Heart Fire of the Fallen Heart Flame erupted, instantly swallowing the emotional disturbance stirred by the Jing Lian Yao Huo.

Though the Jing Lian Yao Huo ranked third, even its distant residual waves could be barely resisted by the Fallen Heart Flame—if they entered the Demon Fire Space, it would be another matter entirely.

"Let's leave now. The location is known. Regardless, we must get there first and assess the situation." Xiao Yan's eyes flickered slightly, then he spoke firmly.

The Demon Fire seemed eager to emerge—surely all factions with interest in the Jing Lian Yao Huo had already begun moving toward it. They too must arrive swiftly—even if they didn't rush to act, they needed to see the situation clearly first.

Xiao Yixian and the others nodded, saying nothing further. Xiao Yan immediately summoned Mao Wu. This time, Mao Wu was utterly different—his cat eyes glowed with an odd light, and the Black Flame on his body subtly trembled with unease.

On the Dou Qi Continent, the number one Spiritual Flame remained mysterious and unknown, while the second-ranked Xu Wu Tong Yan and the Jing Lian Yao Huo carried a hint of hostility toward each other—both deeply wary of the other.

"This journey is perilous. If you encounter danger beyond your strength, retreat immediately. Even if you fail to obtain the Demon Fire, it doesn't matter—your survival comes first." Xiao Yan spoke firmly—these people weren't just the Yan Alliance's elite; they were also those tied to him.

He didn't want any of them to be harmed.

But Cai Lin and the others merely nodded lightly—their feelings differed from Xiao Yan's. Xiao Yan had done too much for them; this time, it was their turn to risk themselves for him.

"Alright then. Remember—don't get hurt!"

Seeing the unspoken "words" in their eyes, Xiao Yan understood their resolve. He said no more, waved his hand, and immediately used the special power of the Xu Wu Tong Yan Tian Zi Huo to tear open space, swiftly leaving the Yan Alliance and racing like a storm toward the coordinates left by Hun Mie Sheng.

As the Yan Alliance began to move, across Zhong Zhou, major sects and powerful factions each sent forth swarms of figures—flying through the sky with howling winds, one group after another, all sharing the same target: the northwest of Zhong Zhou.

Within a single night, all of Zhong Zhou was thrown into turmoil.

Yet… Xiao Yan still didn't know that a careless remark he'd made years ago, and an accidental act two years prior, had triggered a butterfly effect—sending this Demon Fire expedition spiraling into uncontrollable chaos.

A butterfly's gentle wingbeat had stirred a massive storm—one that would influence the future of the entire Dou Qi Continent, even reaching beyond it.

Space twisted—threads of Black Flame burned in the empty void. Five figures emerged from the void passage—naturally, Xiao Yan and the others.

"Is this the plain where the Demon Fire is about to descend?" Xiao Yixian frowned slightly—she sensed her Spiritual Flame Poison Pill trembling faintly within her. Even though the Jing Lian Yao Huo hadn't emerged yet, still sealed away, merely approaching it evoked caution.

When a Spiritual Flame appears, all other flames bow. Likewise, among Spiritual Flames themselves, there is hierarchy.

As the second-ranked Spiritual Flame, the Jing Lian Yao Huo—a peerless flame that can only manifest once in the world—even Xu Wu Tong Yan held deep wariness toward it. The two were nearly equal, or perhaps truly without difference—calling them equals wasn't wrong.

Xiao Yan lifted his gaze toward the distant horizon—blinding light, like a blazing sun, poured forth relentlessly. As they drew closer, waves of terrifying infernal heat struck them. Even though all five here were Dou Sheng, many were drenched in sweat.

"It hasn't even fully emerged… No wonder it's the Jing Lian Yao Huo. Even its residual heat makes Dou Zun cultivators above the Sixth Star struggle to resist."

"Xiao Yan, there are over a dozen teams around us—including some Half-Sheng and even Dou Sheng. Their target is clearly the Jing Lian Yao Huo. This time, it's truly a monumental struggle." Zi Yan's beautiful eyes swept the surroundings, then spoke casually.

In terms of sheer quality, their group was the strongest contender.

The Nine-Colored Swallowing Sky Python, the Tai Xu Gu Long Emperor, the Qi San Hua Tong, the Eternal Calamity Body, plus Xiao Yan himself—a monster—combined, their strength could sweep across all of Zhong Zhou.

Xiao Yan nodded slightly. Along the way, they'd indeed encountered many teams with the same goal—but he hadn't taken them seriously. Though their strength wasn't weak, trying to compete with them for the Jing Lian Yao Huo was still far too foolish.

"Our real rivals are the Ancient Dou Di Family—they've been watching the Jing Lian Yao Huo for a thousand, maybe ten thousand years."

Xiao Yan gazed toward the distant horizon, the thought crossing his mind, then he waved his hand again and said, "The space here is disrupted by the Demon Fire's power. Let's go."

Five figures shot forward, racing toward the coordinates given by Hun Mie Sheng—even Mao Wu, with the Xu Wu Tong Yan Tian Zi Huo, couldn't tear space freely within a thousand li of the Jing Lian Yao Huo; one misstep would invite its attack.

The Heavenly Emperor Fire is not the true body—it cannot match the Jing Lian Yao Huo.

A thousand li was nothing to Xiao Yan and the others—this was even with them slowing down, moving cautiously, each step covering a thousand li.

Though they'd prepared mentally, when Xiao Yan and the others arrived, they were still stunned by the sight before them.

"This place must have once been a thriving mountain range."

The lush mountains were gone—only a milky-white desert remained. A terrifying infernal heat rose from the desert, warping the space within a thousand li.

This infernal heat made even Nine-Star Dou Zun sweat profusely. Many Dou Zun who had eagerly come hoping to scavenge saw this scene, felt this heat, and immediately realized: without Half-Sheng power, they couldn't even enter the Demon Fire Space—not even enough to sip the broth or pick up scraps.

Mao Wu, perched on Xiao Yan's shoulder, lifted his head with a grave expression. The sky, which should have been empty, now looked as if it had been ripped open—a gaping hole—through which streams of milky-white light leaked out.

"The Demon Fire Space has cracked; the Pure Lotus Demon Fire has not yet emerged—this is merely a slight leakage from the Demon Fire Space."

At this moment, Xiao Yan couldn't help but wonder: why had the Pure Lotus Demon Saint sealed the Pure Lotus Demon Fire in the first place?

For an owner of Strange Fires like Xiao Yan, Strange Fires were as much a part of him as his arms and shoulders—bound to him like brothers, sharing life and death with him; if one day he truly faced old age and death, he would surely release all his Strange Fires, giving these brothers the finest final resting place.

How could one possibly seal a Strange Fire for a thousand or ten thousand years?

Naturally, Xiao Yan had searched all the Ancient Texts concerning the Pure Lotus Demon Saint, yet he found no explanation for why the Pure Lotus Demon Saint had sealed the Pure Lotus Demon Fire.

He only knew that the Pure Lotus Demon Saint was an extraordinarily powerful cultivator, whose Cultivation Realm reached the heavens and pierced the earth; according to the Soul Sovereign's records, the Pure Lotus Demon Saint's strength was undoubtedly at the very peak of the Dou Qi Continent, no weaker than the Yellow Spring Demon Saint—both were among the supreme beings. The Soul Sovereign had once recorded that even the Soul Clan Clan Leader at that time dared not oppose him.

Once, the Pure Lotus Demon Saint used the power of the Pure Lotus Demon Fire to unleash a Dou Technique called Nightmare Mist, plunging over a million people in a City into an illusion; when the mist finally dispersed, they discovered that a hundred years of life had been nothing but a fleeting dream—utterly terrifying.

But because the era was so distant, there were hardly any records left, and since the Pure Lotus Demon Saint had no family or Faction to carry on his legacy, details about him had become obscure.

Not long after Xiao Yan and the others appeared above this Desert, sounds of tearing wind came from all directions; figures arrived and halted far from the ruptured space, gazing at the milky-white Desert with awe—they all knew that before this, the land had been a thriving mountain range full of vitality.

"Judging by this appearance, to obtain the Pure Lotus Demon Fire, one must enter that space," Cai Lin said after watching the space for a long time.

"Yes, this isn't urgent. Inside that space, danger is certain. We few aren't qualified to be the first to step forward—let others go first," Xiao Yan shook his head with a faint smile. Hun Tian Di had promised to aid him—so naturally, the Soul Sovereign should lead the vanguard.

Even Xiao Yan, who possessed eleven Strange Fires, felt a strong sense of danger within that space.

Speak of the devil and he shall appear—just as Xiao Yan thought of the Soul Sovereign, they arrived.

While Xiao Yan and the others waited in silence, the space suddenly writhed; thick black mist poured forth like a flood, and a terrifying aura, chilling to the bone, quietly spread, instantly drawing every gaze in the heavens and earth.

Under the eyes of all, every gaze turned toward the source of the black mist; after a moment, the mist slowly dispersed, revealing several figures slowly emerging into view.

Naturally, it was the Soul Sovereign group led by Hun Mie Sheng—besides Hun Mie Sheng, even Hun Feng, the last Divine Grade Bloodline of the Soul Sovereign, was present.

Xiao Yan narrowed his eyes, smiled toward the distance, and said, "It seems other Dou Emperor Families have arrived too—truly watching each other closely."

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(End of Chapter)