Chapter 652: Xiao Clan, Revival! (4000 Characters)

Watching Xiao Yan leave, Zi Yan's beautiful eyes couldn't help but grow faint with disappointment; she had grown up now, had been Dragon Emperor for years, had fully unified Ancient Dragon Island, and was no longer the little girl she once was—some things had gradually begun to dawn on her.

But she quickly shook it off, her eyes flashing a mischievous glint.

She would rather die than give up this Dragon Emperor's throne! Being Dragon Emperor was too hard!

At that moment, Cai Lin, waiting in the Void Passage, saw Xiao Yan flying toward her with a flushed face; she narrowed her eyes slightly and smiled: "The Dragon Emperor's throne of the Void Ancient Dragon Clan—that's something the North Dragon King has pursued for thousands of years."

Xiao Yan gave Cai Lin an exasperated look, her face full of amusement, and said: "Cai Lin, stop teasing me. The Void Ancient Dragon Clan has just begun to revive—everything is in ruins. And now, every family on the Dou Qi Continent has their own hidden agendas. We're lucky just to survive the coming tide of fate without being shattered—how could we possibly have the heart to think of anything else?"

Xiao Yan and Cai Lin shared a spiritual bond; Cai Lin knew of the Imperial Pill Plan, so she could roughly guess that the Ling Clan and Stone Clan were likely behind the scenes, orchestrated by Hun Tian Di—or rather, the Soul Sovereign. Add to that the Tuoshe Ancient Jade in Xiao Clan's possession, and the Soul Sovereign now possessed four of the six Ancient Jades—half already.

Without doubt, the Soul Sovereign would grow even more frantic and reckless in collecting the Ancient Jades.

For a moment, neither Xiao Yan nor Cai Lin knew whether discarding the Ancient Jade had been a good or bad move.

Xiao Yan had a premonition: it wouldn't be long before something major happened. More precisely, the Pill Competition was the signal—Hun Tian Di was waiting to watch Xiao Yan perform.

Hearing this, Cai Lin's expression also darkened with worry; no one could predict what would come next or how far-reaching its impact would be. Though the Yan Alliance was large, in this tide of fate, it was but a tiny boat—unable to withstand the storm. Should anything happen, the entire Yan Alliance would shatter into pieces, possibly suffering catastrophic losses.

"Don't worry—I'll fight to protect my home." Xiao Yan gently took Cai Lin's jade hand and smiled: "You came to Dragon Island for more than just to confirm my safety, right?"

Cai Lin had waited for Xiao Yan on Ancient Dragon Island for several days—this clearly wasn't out of concern for him, but because she had something to ask him.

Cai Lin nodded lightly, pulling a jade slip from her storage ring and handing it to Xiao Yan: "This was delivered by the Yao Clan—it's the jade slip of the Pill Competition."

Xiao Yan wasn't surprised at all; as the most renowned Grandmaster Alchemist on the Dou Qi Continent, he didn't know if any hidden hermit alchemists surpassed him—but at least, right now, no alchemist from Dan Tower could match his pill alchemy.

Each Pill Competition invited the strongest alchemists on the Dou Qi Continent, ostensibly for exchange and learning, but everyone knew it was really the Yao Clan's way of putting all alchemists on the continent in their place.

And the result was always the same: the Yao Clan always claimed the Champion title. For years, Dan Tower had never once defeated the Yao Clan—and the previous Pill Champion was none other than Yao Dan, the current Yao Clan Leader.

So it was no surprise that the Yan Alliance received the invitation; a Pill Competition without Xiao Yan's participation would be meaningless.

"Will you participate in the Pill Competition?" Cai Lin's beautiful eyes locked onto Xiao Yan, her red lips parting to ask.

Xiao Yan shrugged. "I don't want to, but I have to. Before the Imperial Pill Plan, there's one thing I must finish first."

"Hm? You want to move the Xiao Realm to Shou Yu?" Cai Lin immediately understood—the only task Xiao Yan hadn't yet completed was the restoration of Xiao Clan.

Xiao Yan nodded firmly. It was the promise he had made to his Ancestor, Xiao Xuan. Now that the Void Ancient Dragon Clan was unified, the Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan had submitted, and the Huang Quan Shan Mai had been conquered, Shou Yu was entirely under Xiao Yan's control.

If so, then Xiao Clan—the fallen clan of a thousand years ago, forgotten for a millennium—was finally ready to reappear before the eyes of the world.

He had the confidence to do it!

Not long after Xiao Yan and Cai Lin stepped out of the Xu Kong Zhi Di, the Yan Alliance issued another earth-shattering announcement across the entire Dou Qi Continent.

That was the news of Xiao Yan's return!

In fact, rumors of Xiao Yan's return had been circulating among the elite of the Dou Emperor Families for months—after all, Xun Er and Xiao Yixian had both returned, and the entire Void Ancient Dragon Clan had witnessed Xiao Yan's battle against the North Dragon King; the news couldn't be hidden.

Many powerful factions had also managed to confirm it.

Still, when the news finally broke, the Dou Qi Continent was rocked all over again.

After all, Xiao Yan had been trapped in the Demon Fire Space—and yet he had survived.

When Xiao Yan returned to the Manhuang Ancient Domain and arrived at the Xiao Realm, he was stunned by its transformation. It was hard to believe such a vibrant place existed within the Manhuang Ancient Domain!

The territory of the Xiao Realm featured rolling mountains, winding rivers, cascading waterfalls; as far as the eye could see, lush greenery stretched endlessly. Taking a deep breath, the air was crisp and pure, brimming with life.

Those who entered the Xiao Realm without knowing its origin might have thought they had stepped into an ancient sacred forest.

The Xiao Realm wasn't just grass, forests, and trees—it teemed with soaring eagles and roaming beasts, towering ancient trees, and especially at its very center, a sapling radiating intense Life Force.

That was the effect of the sapling from the Bodhi Ancient Tree; the entire scene of the Xiao Realm owed itself entirely to that single small branch gifted by the Bodhi Ancient Tree.

Though the sapling was worlds apart from the true Bodhi Ancient Tree, cultivating or seeking enlightenment near it brought immense benefits.

Xiao Yan looked up and saw the entire Xiao Realm enveloped in a special energy crystal barrier—a powerful protective barrier guarded by Ancient Devouring Worms, impregnable even to Nine-Turn Dou Zun, making the Xiao Realm as solid as a fortress.

"Xiao Yixian, you're incredible," Xiao Yan couldn't help but exclaim.

Xiao Yan's pill alchemy was indeed formidable, but he knew nothing about planting medicinal herbs—the reason the Xiao Realm had become what it was today was almost entirely due to Xiao Yixian's efforts.

Beside him, Xiao Yixian gently tucked her hair behind her ear and offered a quiet smile: "I didn't do much. Most of it was the purification power of the Bodhi Ancient Tree's sapling, restoring life to the barren land of the Xiao Realm."

Xiao Yan knew she was being modest—no ordinary person could have nurtured the Bodhi Ancient Tree's sapling so quickly and so well.

Xiao Yan took Xiao Yixian's jade hand in his own and smiled: "Come on, show me around."

Xiao Yixian nodded lightly and led Xiao Yan on a tour of the entire Xiao Realm.

"Golden Apricot Grass, Angelica Flower, Hundred Insect Leaves, Silver Dragon Fruit Tree…" Xiao Yan gazed at the Pill Field before him, took a deep breath, and murmured: "This is the Xiao Realm's Pill Field?"

Xiao Yixian nodded: "I set up an array here to gather the earth veins, allowing medicinal materials and spirit fruit trees to grow."

A clan needed more than just a legacy sacred site—it needed blessed lands too, to truly qualify as a great clan.

As Xiao Yan followed Xiao Yixian, he could see she had poured immense effort into the Xiao Realm—every detail considered, every problem anticipated.

"Xiao Yixian," Xiao Yan was about to speak words of gratitude, when a slender white finger pressed gently against his lips, silencing him.

"If you must thank me for this, then what about when you saved my life and helped me seize the Zao Hua Scripture from the Sage Emperor? Would I be thanking you until tomorrow?" Xiao Yixian smiled faintly and shook her head.

Feeling Xiao Yixian's unique gentleness and stillness, Xiao Yan pulled her into his arms and whispered softly: "Xiao Yixian, having you is my blessing."

"Mine too."

In places with no one else around, Xiao Yixian's courage would swell; she was very forward, wrapping her arms around Xiao Yan's neck and pressing her ruby lips to his, kissing him gently. Though her movements were awkward, they were bold, persistent, and utterly unafraid.

Xiao Yan smiled softly, cradling her face, kissing her tenderly, his touch gentle as silk.

Xiao Yixian, whose courage was usually small but who pretended otherwise, felt her soul lift—waves of tingling shivered through her entire body, making her delicate frame go limp.

For a moment, she clung to Xiao Yan's neck, melting against his chest; the beauty before him was now dazed, eyes glazed, her allure as soft as spring water.

Xiao Yan, after all, was now a seasoned lover—his skills had grown increasingly refined.

Xiao Yixian, lying atop Xiao Yan's chest, breathed unevenly, slowly lifting her head to look at him—her expression was utterly captivating.

Xiao Yan gently flicked her delicate nose. He had originally planned to give Xiao Yixian a wedding—but as expected, she had refused. After all, she had no living relatives; she was an orphan. And because of her Eternal Calamity Poison body, she preferred quiet, simple, uneventful lives.

She was the kind who would choose to marry while traveling.

Xiao Yan and Xiao Yixian spent three days in the uninhabited Xiao Realm, during which they experienced what it meant to make the sky their blanket and the earth their bed—truly savoring the beauty of nature.

Only then, reluctantly, did they use Mao Wu's power to relocate the entire Xiao Realm from the Manhuang Ancient Domain to a convergence point of earth veins in Shou Yu.

This nexus of earth veins was originally the territory of the Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan, and now naturally belongs to the Yan Alliance.

When the vast Xiao Realm suddenly appeared in Shou Yu, it terrified the Magical Beast Families of Shou Yu greatly.

Not long after, Xiao Yan officially announced to the world: the Dou Emperor Family, the Xiao Clan, has returned after a thousand years!

The Xiao Clan had vanished for a thousand years; many on the Dou Qi Continent were initially baffled, unaware of what this so-called Xiao Clan was, and how a Dou Emperor Family had inexplicably reappeared.

Ya Fei had known this would happen from the start, so when Xiao Yan publicly announced the return and revival of the Xiao Clan, she began promoting it, writing a book detailing the glorious history of the Xiao Clan and how the Young Clan Leader Xiao Yan had gradually revived the fallen clan.

It spread wildly—poets and storytellers tirelessly recited it across every nation and city.

"Once, a thousand years ago, there was a Dou Emperor Family named the Xiao Clan."

"Continuing from last time, the last Clan Leader of the Xiao Clan, Xiao Xuan, was no ordinary man—he once dominated the Dou Qi Continent as an unparalleled powerhouse, his strength reaching a realm beyond heaven and earth. Alas, he was born in the wrong era."

"Then, after a thousand years, a purple star appeared in the heavens; a thread of Purple Light descended from the sky, illuminating a small, obscure city in Jia Ma Empire called Wutan City, where a baby was born under this omen—his name was Xiao Yan."

"And this Xiao Yan was incredibly powerful—he understood poetry and music at three, possessed extraordinary wisdom and taught himself Pill Alchemy at four, and at five—"

Under the operations of Ya Fei, the Gold Queen who possessed the greatest wealth on the Dou Qi Continent, the name of the Xiao Clan swept across the entire continent like an autumn wind clearing fallen leaves.

The Dou Emperor Family, the Xiao Clan, which had lain dormant for a thousand years, returned once more into everyone's sight.

Yet some of this "marketing copy" made Xiao Yan's face flush with embarrassment.

Too exaggerated!!

Xiao Yan had protested, but his protests were ignored; perhaps in Ya Fei's eyes, Xiao Yan truly was as divine as a god.

"I still can't believe our Xiao Clan had such a past," said the Xiao Clan disciples, who had moved from Yun Lan Mountain to the Xiao Realm, still unable to accept it.

Feeling the Heavenly Energy in the Xiao Realm so thick it resembled a Secret Realm, the Xiao Clan disciples still felt like they were dreaming after three days.

Here, even a pig could reach Dou Wang.

Even Xiao Zhan and the several Elders had only heard fragments—they'd heard Xiao Ding and Xiao Li mention the Xiao Clan had once been powerful, but never imagined it had been this powerful!

At its peak, it was the supreme power on the Dou Qi Continent; Xiao Xuan was the ultimate powerhouse, just one step away from becoming a Dou Emperor.

"The Young Clan Leader is truly incredible."

"What Young Clan Leader? I heard from Xiao Yu that Clan Leader Xiao Zhan plans to pass the leadership to Xiao Yan, and is now preparing the succession ceremony."

"I heard it's supposed to be… supposed to be going to the Gu Clan to find some Ancestor as a witness."

At this moment, in a vast hall within the Xiao Realm, Xiao Yan, Xiao Zhan, Xiao Ding, Xiao Li, Xiao Yu, and other high-ranking members of the Xiao Clan gathered together.

"Going to the Gu Clan is indeed appropriate," said Xiao Zhan, seated at the head, smiling warmly at Xiao Yan.

The Senior Elder nodded in agreement: "Xun Er and the Young Clan Leader have long been betrothed in secret. Though our Xiao Clan is no match for the Gu Clan, we must still uphold proper ceremonial decorum."

The Second Elder patted his chest and declared with grandeur: "Young Clan Leader, rest assured—the entire Xiao Clan will make this event so spectacular it will shake the entire Dou Qi Continent!"

Xiao Yan lowered his hand and said: "This journey to the Gu Clan is not only for the wedding—it is also to negotiate with the Gu Clan for permission to enter the Heavenly Tomb. I once promised Ancestor Xiao Xuan that I would show him the day our Xiao Clan is restored."

Upon hearing the name Xiao Xuan, Xiao Chen, who had been sitting quietly aside, trembled involuntarily.

(End of Chapter)