Chapter 630

While Xiao Yan and the other two were absorbing the Demon Fire's energy within the Demon Fire Space, beginning their harvest, the outside world had already been turned upside down.

In the first year after the Demon Fire's descent, the grand spectacle of that day still remained a topic of lively conversation for many.

A year is neither long nor short, yet much had still occurred in Zhong Zhou.

Not long after the Demon Fire's descent, because Xiao Yan had been trapped within the Demon Fire Space for a full year, his fate unknown, the Yan Alliance's prestige had greatly declined.

After all, the Yan Alliance's current status was largely due to Xiao Yan, the Pill Gathering Champion. Though the Yan Alliance's overall strength was strong, without Xiao Yan, it still lagged behind the One Hall One Tower.

Moreover, since Xun Er was also trapped within the Demon Fire Space, this meant the Yan Alliance's ties with the Gu Clan had been severed, naturally stirring the ambitions of many.

After all, the Yan Alliance's territory was simply too vast, occupying countless inherited treasure sites—places like the Tian Shan Xue Chi and Jiu You Huang Quan were numerous within their control.

Especially in Shou Yu, the Snake Empire had nearly monopolized half of its territory. Though Cai Lin and Qing Lin were both extraordinarily powerful, Qing Lin, due to issues with her Qi San Hua Tong, was nearing Dou Saint status and had been sealed away by Cai Lin and the Nine-Headed Heavenly Snake together.

With only Cai Lin left, she could not patrol everywhere, so she could only guard the Snake Empire, while Zi Yan had returned to East Dragon Island to further cultivate, plotting to launch a full-scale offensive against the Three Great Dragon Islands once Xiao Yan emerged, to unify the Dragon Islands entirely.

Precisely because of this, many forces on the Dou Qi Continent were tempted, beginning to slowly nibble away at the Yan Alliance's territory—and among them, the most active was none other than the Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan!

After all, some cards were hidden ones; under normal circumstances, Feng Qing'er was the strongest Holy Maiden of the Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan, and with a Two-Star Dou Saint Late Stage Phoenix among them, the clan's speed in seizing territory and secret realms was extremely rapid.

Especially the plain where the Demon Fire Space had originally descended, now called the Demon Flame Plain. Due to the Demon Fire, a mineral called Demon Fire Stone had appeared across the plain—this stone contained extremely faint Demon Fire energy, making it a coveted land contested by many factions.

Naturally, the Yan Alliance also wished to claim this land, but unfortunately, even Xiao Yixian had entered the Demon Fire Space, leaving the Yan Alliance with only two Dan Beasts and Xiao Chen as Dou Saints. Xiao Chen refused to involve himself in such matters, and the Dan Beasts obeyed no one except Xiao Yan and Xiao Yixian's orders, remaining holed up in Zao Hua Gu to guard it.

Suddenly, the Yan Alliance's external strength plummeted, its status began to decline, and even its territory started shrinking—Tian Huo Zunzhe and Hai Bodong alone were simply insufficient.

Of course, while engaging in fierce battles with various factions, Cai Lin and the others had not forgotten to constantly monitor the site where the Demon Fire had originally descended—but each time they probed, it only deepened their disappointment. After a full year, the space showed not the slightest disturbance; had it not been for Cai Lin's unique spiritual bond with Xiao Yan and her bloodline connection with Zi Yan through the special Dragon Seal, even they might have believed Xiao Yan had already perished within.

Yet, one year after Xiao Yan and the other two were trapped in the Demon Fire Space, a shocking message swept across the entire Dou Qi Continent.

The Stone Clan, another of the Ancient Dou Di Families, had mysteriously vanished entirely after the Ling Clan—every descendant and clan member within the Stone Realm had disappeared, as if they had collectively relocated.

Instantly, everyone felt a faint sense of strangeness enveloping Zhong Zhou.

The Stone Clan, one of the Ancient Eight Tribes, may not have had the same renown as the Gu Clan or the Soul Sovereign, but none of the Eight Tribes were simple; the Stone Clan had always been low-key, and few rumors about them ever surfaced in Zhong Zhou—but being low-key did not mean being weak. In fact, the Stone Clan's combat power was remarkably strong, far exceeding the first vanished Ling Clan; their ranks were filled with powerful figures, and their foundations were exceedingly deep.

Yet such a super-faction with immense depth vanished overnight, mysteriously disappearing—just imagining this sent chills through the heart.

The Stone Clan's disappearance mirrored the Ling Clan's exactly: before vanishing, their space had suddenly sealed shut, and when it reopened, the hundreds of thousands of clan members and descendants had vanished entirely, not a single soul remaining.

As waves of powerful figures entered the Stone Clan's space and gazed upon the eerily lifeless void, a cold dread rose from their soles to their hearts—what terrifying entity could have erased the existence of hundreds of thousands? And among these hundreds of thousands were the Stone Clan's top-tier experts—individuals who, on Zhong Zhou, could make the sky and earth tremble with a single stomp.

Yet even the Stone Clan, with such formidable strength, had been utterly erased from this world.

The disappearance of the Stone Clan swept across Zhong Zhou like a whirlwind, leaving every faction stunned by the shocking news; those with sharp instincts sensed something deeply wrong—these Ancient Tribes were all immensely powerful, having endured for tens of thousands of years since the primordial age, yet within this brief span of less than ten years, two tribes had vanished without a trace.

One disappearance might be coincidence, but two? It was surely no accident—especially since both vanishances followed identical methods, making it clear the force behind the erasure of the Ling and Stone Clans was the same individual—or the same faction.

But a troubling problem followed: on this continent, only two factions were known to be capable of silently erasing Ancient Tribes like the Ling and Stone Clans—the Soul Sovereign and the Gu Clan.

Instantly, suspicion and doubt turned toward these two factions. The Soul Sovereign offered no statement, as was their usual style, but the Gu Clan found themselves troubled: their relations with other Ancient Tribes had been quite good, but after the disappearances of the Ling and Stone Clans, ties immediately grew awkward; the remaining tribes had clearly begun to harbor suspicion and wariness toward them, and even past regular exchanges had been severed.

To counter the Gu Clan and the Soul Sovereign, the last three remaining tribes of the Ancient Eight—Yao Clan, Lei Clan, and Yan Clan—announced an alliance one month after the Stone Clan's disappearance, publicly calling themselves the "Three Tribes Alliance."

And they completely abolished the old agreement forbidding Five-Star Dou Saints from intervening, beginning to actively engage in the conflicts of the Dou Qi Continent.

Perhaps to leave behind some contingency plans, the Three Dou Emperor Families began competing for key resource sites across the Dou Qi Continent; though they had not yet dispatched Dou Saints to fight, the vast majority of Dou Saints remained stationed in their own realms as a precaution.

But even Dou Huang and Dou Zong, with the advantage of Dou Di Bloodline, were utterly unmatched by ordinary cultivators. When the descendants of the Dou Emperor Families walked the Dou Qi Continent again, everyone finally understood why those families valued Dou Di Bloodline so dearly.

To ordinary cultivators, Dou Di Bloodline was a complete dimensional crushing advantage—only a handful of geniuses could possibly resist it.

The Soul Hall remained as before: you fight your battles, I continue hunting Spiritual Souls. Especially Yao Clan disciples now walking the Dou Qi Continent became prime targets for the Soul Hall.

If you can't beat them at the same level, then beat them with a higher level.

The emergence of the Yao Clan naturally dealt a heavy blow to the Dan Tower's Alchemists; though the Yao Clan had declined, their Dou Emperor Inheritance remained intact, and with the boost of Dou Di Bloodline, Yao Clan disciples were indeed far superior to ordinary Alchemists.

Just as Yao Clan disciples proclaimed the Dan Tower had no one and challenged all its young generation, two individuals dealt them a crushing blow—both under thirty, they forged Elixirs that summoned Eight-Color Pill Lightning, shocking the entire Dou Qi Continent.

These two were naturally Cao Ying and Dan Chen—but what stunned people even more was that after defeating the Yao Clan's young Alchemists, they declared they were no longer Dan Tower Alchemists; they had left the Dan Tower over a year ago and joined the Yan Alliance, now serving as Alchemists in the Yan Alliance's Pill Hall.

This caused the once-forgotten name "Yan Alliance" to erupt into prominence once more.

And the Yan Alliance, like a spring coiled tight, after a year and a half of silence, began to shake the Dou Qi Continent: first came Cao Ying and Dan Chen, two young, powerful Eight Grade Alchemists, defeating the Yao Clan's Alchemists; then Tian Huo Zunzhe, using the Bodhi Pill left behind by Xiao Yan, ascended to the initial Half-Saint realm.

From Tian Huo Zunzhe, he became Tian Huo Saint.

Coincidentally, the Yan Alliance's period of silence had clearly been for gathering strength—like a high jumper, one must first bend down to leap higher.

When Xiao Yan had departed, he had left behind several Bodhi Pills and numerous Eight Grade Elixirs; at that time, Nalan Yanran had been in seclusion absorbing the blessings from the Bodhi Ancient Tree, and all the Elixirs had been in Yun Yun's possession.

One and a half years after Xiao Yan and the other two entered the Demon Fire Space, a peak of the Hua Sect suddenly saw ten thousand flowers dance in the wind, and clouds and rosy hues rolled down from the sky—a staggering Saint Might spread throughout the entire Hua Sect.

Below the peak, a young woman clad in a Silver Moon Robe gazed up at the summit, her beautiful eyes filled with profound joy—this woman in the Silver Moon Robe was naturally Nalan Yanran, Sect Master of the Yun Lan Sect.

After two years of seclusion, she had fully absorbed all the blessings granted by the Bodhi Ancient Tree, and with additional Elixirs and resources, though she had not broken through to Dou Saint, she had reached Nine-Turn Dou Zun.

"Master."

Nalan Yanran gazed up at the peak, where the woman surrounded by ten thousand flowers and swirling clouds was none other than Yun Yun, the Sect Master of the Hua Sect and her master.

After refining Hua Po Po's Dou Qi, Yun Yun's cultivation had long since reached Nine-Turn Dou Zun; upon hearing Xiao Yan had entered the Demon Fire Space and his fate was unknown, she had immediately entered seclusion, determined to break through to Dou Saint.

Now, with the aid of the Bodhi Pill and the Hua Sect's inheritance, Yun Yun had skipped the Half-Saint stage entirely and broken through to One Star Dou Saint. The Bodhi Pill doubled the chance of direct breakthrough to Dou Saint, and this was a Bodhi Pill refined by Xiao Yan using the Mystic Flame Cultivation Technique.

The Saint Might receded, the mist dispersed, and a fragrant breeze arrived—before she appeared, her beauty and grace were already felt.

"Congratulations, Sect Master, on your breakthrough to Dou Saint!" At that moment, every disciple of the Hua Sect, whether on any mountain or among the Elders, rose instantly, hands at their sides, and bowed respectfully.

Yun Yun was the Hua Sect's first true Dou Saint, surpassing Hua Xianzi and Qing Xianzi to become the Hua Sect's undisputed number one.

A graceful figure appeared atop the peak—dark fragrance drifted among the clouds, petals fluttered like shadows, and in the blink of an eye, she stood before Nalan Yanran.

Yun Yun was tall and slender, her long hair tied up, her eyes carrying a unique gentleness, soothing like water.

At this moment, she wore a pale pink robe, cinched at the waist, outlining her perfect curves—her voluptuous figure made countless onlookers swallow hard.

Such a beautiful woman, noble and poised, radiating the vibrant energy of spring flowers—exquisitely lovely. Hua Po Po's choice of Yun Yun had not been without reason.

After completing the Hua Sect's highest-level Cultivation Method, when Yun Yun stood on the ground, flower shadows would occasionally appear; even as she walked, flower shadows followed—each step seemed to cause fresh blossoms to sprout beneath her feet, as if chased by flowers.

"Yanran, has he sent any word?" Yun Yun asked softly.

The Yan Alliance now had three main strongholds: Cai Lin guarded Shou Yu and Huang Quan Shan Mai, Hai Bodong and Tian Huo Saint guarded Jia Ma Empire and the Northwest Region, and in the heart of Zhong Zhou, the Yan Alliance's main base was naturally guarded by Nalan Yanran and Yun Yun, the two master and disciple.

Hearing Yun Yun's question, Nalan Yanran's previously joyful expression darkened; she shook her head gently. "No news yet."

Hearing Nalan Yanran's words, Yun Yun let out a soft sigh; though they believed Xiao Yan would surely come to no harm, nearly two years had passed, and concern and longing could not be avoided.

Seeing the gloom in Yun Yun's eyes, Nalan Yanran grew irritated, stomped her foot, and said, exasperated and anxious: "Really, that guy always disappears for years at a time—hmph, doesn't he know he makes people worry?"

"Alas, the Demon Flame matter isn't his fault." Yun Yun offered a bitter smile, then turned her gaze toward the Demon Flame Plain, fell silent for a moment, and said: "Now that I've emerged from seclusion, what do Ya Fei and the others plan to do?"

Hearing Yun Yun bring up serious matters, Nalan Yanran instantly shed her annoyance, a sharp blade-like intent flashing in her eyes as she said coldly: "Over the past two years, Zhong Zhou has seen many events—since the truce between the Three Clans Alliance and the Dou Emperor Family has been dissolved, the Dou Qi Continent has grown chaotic."

"Many reclusive factions have emerged, and powerful groups and warriors have risen. Master, since you've emerged from seclusion, the Yan Alliance wants to reclaim territories that were seized."

At this, Yun Yun fell silent for a while, her delicate brows slightly furrowed; her own nature was gentle and kind—she had never struck Xiao Yan dead even when he treated her so harshly, which proved it.

"Mm. Since the Hua Sect has merged with the Yun Lan Sect, according to the Yan Alliance Covenant established by Xiao Yan, we bear the duty to protect our Alliance Lines."

(End of Chapter)