Chapter 671: This Time

Xiao Yan looked at Yao Dan; now, Yao Dan bore no resemblance to the Clan Leader he had been during the Spirit Scripture Ceremony—his eyes bloodshot, his voice frantic.

Not far from Xiao Yan stood the Divine Farmer Elder, but everyone knew only Xiao Yan possessed the strength to lead their people to escape.

To preserve their bloodline, only Xiao Yan could aid the Yao Clan—and at this moment, he had no choice left; to save even a shred of their race's lineage, he was willing to self-detonate.

Gazing at Yao Dan's bloodshot eyes, Xiao Yan felt a slight tightness in his chest; no matter what, Yao Dan was a worthy Clan Leader. Seeing this scene, Xiao Yan's eyes also grew moist, yet he still said nothing.

"Clan Leader, let me stay! I'll fight these scum to the death!"

On Yao Tian's face, tears mixed with blood—he had watched his father be surrounded and slain by several Soul Clan elites; now, his only thought was to kill as many Soul Clan members as possible to avenge his father.

"Slap!"

No sooner had Yao Tian spoken than a palm struck his face hard—Yao Dan, grotesque and feral, roared like a beast: "What use are you fools staying behind? Countless clan members gave their lives in self-detonation to give you a chance to escape—do you deserve it?"

Yao Tian clutched his swollen face, biting his lip until blood dripped from the corner of his mouth; beside him, Yao Ling—the goddess-like figure among the Yao Clan's Young Generation—also had tears streaming down her cheeks; only after today's catastrophe did they realize they had merely been greenhouse flowers sheltered by their race.

At this moment, Yao Dan and the other Yao Clan disciples all turned toward Xiao Yan.

And it wasn't just the Yao Clan disciples who looked at Xiao Yan—even Hun Xu Zi, the Four Demon Sages, and even Void Devouring Flame regarded Xiao Yan faintly, waiting to see how he would answer Yao Dan's plea.

Xiao Yan slowly closed his eyes; after a moment, he opened them, glanced around, and sighed softly: "I'm sorry—I'm the Lord of the Soul Sect."

!!!!!!!!?

Yao Ling and others stared in utter disbelief—how could the Xiao Clan Clan Leader be the Lord of the Soul Sect? Didn't the Xiao Clan and Soul Clan share a blood feud?!

"I have no relation to the Soul Clan, and I won't strike against you," Xiao Yan said slowly.

Xiao Yan's words "won't strike against you" carried two meanings.

First: Though I am Lord of the Soul Sect, it is merely a transaction—like two companies collaborating on a project, or two nations forming an alliance; outside that agreed-upon arrangement, we remain independent, neither interfering in the other's affairs—so I will not assist the Soul Clan in other matters, nor will I strike when they're down.

Second: Nor will I offer aid.

Xiao Yan was moved, pitied the Yao Clan—even his own master was a Yao Clan disciple; to say Xiao Yan had some connection to the Yao Clan wasn't untrue.

But Yao Chen was dead.

When a man dies, his lamp goes out—all is but fleeting smoke. When Xiao Yan erected the tomb and made Yao Wan Gui kneel and apologize, he had already said: Let it end.

This time, Xiao Yan would not intervene.

The Xiao Clan's Dou Di Bloodline was gone; the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Jade was gone. As Xiao Clan Clan Leader and co-founder of the Yan Alliance, how could he let his own kin and friends be dragged into this vortex over the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Jade?

He had no reason to fight the Soul Clan for the Yao Clan.

After Xiao Yan confessed his identity, Yao Dan's aged eyes slowly closed, a tear of despair sliding down. He wasn't truly surprised—given Xiao Yan possessed a fragment of Void Devouring Flame, and Void Devouring Flame's true body resided within the Soul Clan, Xiao Yan's ties to the Soul Clan were clearly far from ordinary.

He simply hadn't expected Xiao Yan to be the Lord of the Soul Sect!

"Why must it be you? Why are you the Lord of the Soul Sect?!"

Xiao Yan looked at the heartbroken Yao Ling, offering no explanation—he hadn't anticipated the Soul Clan would strike the Yao Clan on the Spirit Scripture Ceremony day.

Perhaps Yao Ling had once dreamed that, when she faced danger, a hero would arrive riding on seven-colored clouds to rescue her; selfishly, she had hoped that hero would be Xiao Yan.

But fate is fickle—today, the savior the Yao Clan had relied upon turned out to be the Lord of the Soul Sect!

How could anyone accept such a reversal?

As Yao Clan disciples approached Xiao Yan, Hun Xu Zi and the Four Demon Sages paused, as if watching a play, making no move to attack.

Xiao Yan sighed, leapt lightly onto a mountain peak—just as he had said, the Yan Alliance was neutral; the Dou Di could care less who won.

In this tragic clan-annihilation battle, he became the sole "bystander."

Even the Soul Clan dared not trouble him.

Naturally, without Xiao Yan, the Yao Clan could only place their hopes on the Divine Farmer Elder, praying he could lead their bloodline to escape the Yao Realm.

The Yao Clan had become pigs to the Soul Clan—bled daily—and they would rather die with dignity!

Upon hearing Xiao Yan confess his identity, even the Soul Clan members were stunned—except for the Soul Clan Elders of Demon Sage rank and Hun Mie Sheng, none knew that the famed Xiao Clan Clan Leader, now the First Alchemist, also held the identity of Lord of the Soul Sect!

This guy's one of us?!

Behind the Four Demon Sages, the countless Soul Clan elites suddenly revealed murderous glares, sneering in response, then unleashing torrents of Dou Qi that surged skyward and rained down upon the ground below.

"Boom!"

Seeing the Soul Clan elites charge, a Yao Clan Elder's body suddenly blazed with blinding light—then, an extreme, violent energy exploded violently in the sky; several Soul Clan elites caught in the blast were directly struck, vomiting blood as they were thrown back.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

After the first Yao Clan elder self-detonated, it was as if the blood of countless Yao Clan members had been ignited—many warriors' bodies blazed with radiant light, then streaked across the sky like meteors, detonating simultaneously at one point.

"Boom! Boom!"

A terrifying Destruction Storm instantly flattened the entire mountain range; a chasm thousands of zhang wide spread like a spiderweb, and against this horrific wave of self-detonations, the space once sealed by Void Devouring Flame twisted again, faint cracks appearing.

Suffering the self-detonation of the Yao Emperor's lingering soul, even Void Devouring Flame was severely wounded, forced to revert to its Ling Clan form to devour Dou Di Bloodline for healing, weakening the Flame Sealing significantly.

"Continue!"

Seeing the space finally shift, Yao Dan's eyes lit with hope—but beneath that hope lay boundless sorrow. Who could have imagined that just one day ago, the Yao Clan had been peaceful—now, hundreds of thousands, even millions of descendants were slaughtered, clan members decimated, the threat of annihilation looming overhead—and their only option now was to use clan members' self-detonations to ensure their bloodline survived!

At his cry, more Yao Clan warriors unhesitatingly ignited their Dou Qi.

"Hmph." In the sky, Hun Jing let out a cold snort, flicking his sleeve—vast black qi flashed forth, forming a giant hand that flung away Yao Clan warriors attempting to self-detonate in that specific zone; thus, those who detonated elsewhere became useless sacrifices.

"Wanhuo!"

Seeing Hun Jing act, Yao Dan roared.

Nearby, the blood-splattered Wanhuo Elder shot upward—behind him, several other immensely powerful Yao Clan Elders followed, including Yao Wan Gui himself!

Their Dou Qi surged violently, their aura skyrocketing—this would be their final battle.

Xiao Yan watched the Wanhuo Elder—who had just sparred with him in Pill Alchemy—and the once-arrogant Yao Wan Gui, now burning their lives to defend their clan, and felt a pang of sorrow.

When the nest is destroyed, no egg remains intact.

"I'll hold them off," Hun Xu Zi sneered, seeing Wanhuo Elder and others using Secret Techniques to surge their Dou Qi—he moved instantly, appearing before Wanhuo Elder, his hand sweeping as Black Flame surged, and alone, he dragged Wanhuo Elder and his group into battle.

"Damn Soul Clan…"

"Divine Farmer Elder, I entrust our clan's descendants to you."

"Sigh, I will certainly do my best." The Divine Farmer Elder sighed inwardly, then glanced at Xiao Yan in the distance and shook his head helplessly.

"I will hold off Hun Jing and HunYan; the other Yao Clan Elders will help you tear open the space." Yao Dan wiped the blood from his face, his gaze sweeping one by one over Yao Tian and the others, his expression growing calm, and finally, he even smiled. He stomped his foot on the ground and shot forward, his Dou Qi boiling entirely, until he resembled a brilliant meteor streaking toward Hun Jing and HunYan in the sky.

"This madman."

Seeing Yao Dan charging at them with a suicidal rush, Hun Jing and HunYan's faces turned icy. Though both were Late Seven Star Dou Sheng, stronger than Yao Dan, they couldn't bear his utter disregard for death!

Instantly, heaven and earth darkened. Boom! Boom! Boom!

As Hun Jing and HunYan became locked in a brutal battle with Yao Dan, the numerous Yao Clan Dou Sheng Elders above the sky surged forth again, simultaneously detonating themselves in the same patch of space.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Amidst the trembling of the entire space, that region twisted more violently, threads of Black Flame Spiritual Energy Sealing Array Runes seeped out from the space, until finally, under the onslaught of that furious energy, it shattered open.

Boom! Boom!

Thunderous explosions rang continuously through the space; with each roar, a Yao Clan warrior detonated their Dou Qi, reducing themselves to dust—even their Spiritual Souls left not a trace.

The Divine Farmer Elder's group pushed their speed to the limit, racing desperately toward the area where the self-detonations were most concentrated; the Flame Sealing there had already been blown open, and tearing open the space rift was no longer difficult.

Behind the Divine Farmer Elder and the others, the powerful figures from the sects and factions followed closely behind; they understood that in this chaos, relying solely on their own strength, they could never escape successfully.

But the Soul Sovereign's goal was to slaughter all life in the Yao Realm, so they naturally could not allow the Divine Farmer Elder to lead Yao Tian, Yao Ling, and others away unimpeded. As soon as the group moved, the countless Void Swallowing Flame-formed Swallowing Spirits and Soul Sovereign warriors scattered across the mountains and plains immediately shifted their target, swarming down like a tidal wave to block the Divine Farmer Elder's party.

The Divine Farmer Elder hurled his medicinal staff, and instantly, a green Sea of Fire spread rapidly; within the flames, countless towering trees surged upward, their fiery branches coiling like vines around the approaching figures.

At this moment, a dark shadow suddenly appeared behind Xiao Yan—it was the Void Swallowing Flame.

"Spirit Flame, why aren't you going after it?" the Void Swallowing Flame asked.

Zzzz—no sooner had the words left his mouth than Xiao Yan's body flashed with Golden Thunder; a golden dragon coiled around him, and Xing Tian appeared simultaneously. An overwhelming Spiritual Pressure erupted from Xiao Yan.

Xiao Yan slowly turned his head toward the dark shadow behind him and said in a low voice: "I'm in a bad mood. The Soul Sovereign had better not provoke me, or I might change my mind."

Nine Mystical Golden Thunder at Seven Star Dou Sheng peak, combined with Xing Tian and the Three Infernal Flames—this aura made even the Four Demon Saints and Hun Xu Zi glance at Xiao Yan with a flicker of fear.

Xiao Yan possesses the power to alter the outcome!

Not even if all four Four Demon Saints appeared now could they possibly stop Xiao Yan at this moment!

"Truly terrifying." The Void Swallowing Flame's Clone shrugged, then vanished.

The Void Swallowing Flame was severely wounded by the residual soul of the Yao Emperor and now his power has plummeted.

Sensing the Void Swallowing Flame's disappearance, Xiao Yan retracted his Spiritual Pressure, looked up toward the Divine Farmer Elder's direction, and saw HunYan—one of the Four Demon Saints—having broken free from Yao Dan, now appearing before the group at an utterly terrifying speed, nearly in the span of a few breaths.

Even if Yao Dan burned his Spiritual Soul and Dou Di Bloodline to temporarily boost his power to Late Seven Star Dou Sheng, he could not possibly hold off two Four Demon Saints alone.

Blocked by HunYan, the Late Seven Star Dou Sheng, the Divine Farmer Elder and several Yao Clan Dou Sheng Elders launched a collective assault—but HunYan's strength was too great for the Divine Farmer Elder to resist.

Though Spirit Flame ranked Fifth, it was not known for destructive power and could not break through HunYan's blockade.

Xiao Yan slowly closed his eyes, unable to watch.

The gentle breeze from a butterfly's wings ultimately sparked a great storm that altered the timeline.

The early death of Yao Lao completely changed the Yao Clan's fate.

This time, Xiao Yan possessed the power to alter the Yao Clan's fate—but he did not intervene to save them.

This time, he was neutral.

This time, the Soul Sovereign faced no opposition.

(End of Chapter)