Chapter 682: The Open Strategy

Xiao Yan looked at Yan Jin, the Clan Leader of the Yan Clan, with a hint of helplessness; he understood Yan Jin and the others' thoughts perfectly.

Now that Hun Tian Di possesses the Imperial Soul of Void Swallowing Flame, no one can find his whereabouts, let alone know when he will open the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Cave Mansion.

That means the next time we meet Hun Tian Di, he may already be a Dou Emperor, and then no one on the Dou Qi Continent will be able to stand against him.

And the Dou Emperor Families will become history.

Even if Hun Tian Di doesn't slaughter indiscriminately and eradicate all Dou Emperor Families, the territories of the Gu, Yan, and Lei Clans can no longer exist—they will become like the Xiao Clan a thousand years ago, displaced, their lineage severed, until their Dou Di Bloodline dries up and they end up just as the early Xiao Clan did.

For the Dou Emperor Families, this is equivalent to annihilation.

The Xiao Clan a thousand years ago and the Xiao Clan today are truly not the same thing—they lost their lineage entirely.

Xiao Yan understood them, yes, but asking him to gamble the future of the Yan Alliance? That was impossible.

"Forgive me, Clan Leader Yan," Xiao Yan shook his head. "My ambition lies not in becoming a Dou Emperor." This, perhaps, was the greatest difference between him, the transmigrant, and them.

Xiao Yan did desire to become a Dou Emperor, but not to the point of obsession; the Dou Di Bloodline was merely a means to enhance his strength.

Like the Yao Clan—they never once considered abandoning the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Jade, even in death, still willing to fight for it. For the Dou Emperor Families, without the Dou Di Bloodline, death is preferable.

Upon hearing Xiao Yan say his ambition lay not in becoming a Dou Emperor, Yan Jin and Lei Ying both stared in shock, unable to believe it—as if the very phrase were incomprehensible, for under current circumstances, aside from Hun Tian Di, Xiao Yan was the second most likely to become an Emperor!

Imagine: if Xiao Yan merely nodded, the Gu, Lei, and Yan Clans would throw all their strength behind him to fight the Soul Sovereign—defeat Hun Tian Di, and the Emperor title would be Xiao Yan's!

Such a colossal temptation—and Xiao Yan refused it without a moment's thought!

If it were them, they would have accepted without hesitation!

Even if the chance was slim, they would still gamble—because it was the Dou Emperor!

Only Gu Yuan placed a hand on Xiao Yan's shoulder, his face soft with tenderness: "With you, Xun Er, I, as her father, can finally rest easy."

Gu Yuan understood Xiao Yan well—in the choice between "spending everything to become a Dou Emperor" and "the safety of loved ones," he had chosen the latter.

A war with the Soul Sovereign would inevitably bring massive casualties; a Dou Emperor cannot resurrect the dead, and some losses Xiao Yan simply could not bear.

Especially now, with Yao Chen truly dead, Xiao Yan understood even more deeply how precious life was.

Seeing Gu Yuan rise to leave, Xiao Yan asked with a meaningful gaze: "Father-in-law Gu Yuan, you must have a second plan, right?"

Capture Xiao Yan, force Hun Tian Di to appear!

Though Xiao Yan's strength was already immense, before Gu Yuan he remained a weakling who couldn't even escape.

Xiao Yan was the most crucial component in Hun Tian Di's crafting of the Emperor Pill—without Xiao Yan, Hun Tian Di could never produce a finished Emperor Pill.

Upon hearing Xiao Yan's words, the atmosphere in the room grew tense. Though Lei Ying and Yan Jin had never discussed this plan with Gu Yuan, everyone knew it well—it was the last resort.

Hearing Xiao Yan's question, Gu Yuan looked up at the sky and chuckled: "Heh, before coming here, I entered the Heavenly Tomb and spoke with Xiao Xuan."

"If the tide of this world cannot be changed, then we must accept it calmly—even if you refuse to help Hun Tian Di craft his pill, his nature ensures he will still perform a Blood Sacrifice on his descendants and subjects, and still become an Emperor."

"Who knows? Becoming a Dou Emperor might not be a curse."

Gu Yuan turned to Xiao Yan and smiled: "Xiao Yan, if I fall in battle, bury me in the Heavenly Tomb—then I'll have Xiao Xuan for company."

With that, Gu Yuan swept his hand, tearing open Space, gave a nod toward Xun Er in the distance, and stepped into the Void Passage, returning to the Ancient Realm.

Gu Yuan and the other two were Clan Leaders of Dou Emperor Families—like Xiao Xuan, they would never give up until the final moment; to abandon their ancestral lands, their Dou Di Bloodline, and their ancestors' legacy was to prefer death.

"Brother Xiao Yan…"

Xiao Yan hugged Xun Er tightly and said: "It's not the worst case yet. I'm the top Alchemist on the Dou Qi Continent—even Hun Tian Di owes me some face."

Xiao Yan's return was a major event—not just for the entire Yan Alliance, but for the entire Dou Qi Continent, which was shaken to its core.

Everyone knew Xiao Yan had participated in the Yao Rite—and all who participated in the Yao Rite had vanished, the Yao Realm itself disappeared, and only Xiao Yan returned from it, naturally sparking countless speculations.

Some even believed Xiao Yan was the mastermind behind the Yao Realm's disappearance, which was why he alone survived.

After all, ordinary cultivators on the Dou Qi Continent had no right to know what truly happened at the highest levels.

Of course, Xiao Yan certainly wasn't the mastermind—but whether he was an accomplice was hard to say.

Xiao Yan paid little attention to the affairs of the Dou Qi Continent, for he needed to fully unravel the Eternal Calamity Poison.

Xiao Yan's Pill Alchemy had already reached the Ninth Rank Golden Pill level—he could even craft Dan Beasts like the Nine Mystical Golden Dragon—and with the Life Flame now in his possession, he might truly solve the problem of the Eternal Calamity Poison.

The Eternal Calamity Poison contained lethal toxins; even with the Dark Poison Flame's Poison Pills to absorb the poison, Xiao Yixian's body remained unchanged—carrying death, she could not bear life.

The Life Flame was a flame of life, brimming with immense Life Force—so Xiao Yan wondered if he could use the Life Flame's nature to neutralize the deathly toxicity of the Eternal Calamity Poison.

In Xiao Yixian's room

"We're old married couple now—why are you still covering up, Xiao Yixian?"

Xiao Yixian pulled the sheet over her snow-white body, blushing and giving Xiao Yan a reproachful glance: "You're just a perverted Alchemist."

Xiao Yan rubbed his nose, cleared his throat, and quickly defended himself: "It's the Flame's fault—you know that."

Xiao Yixian was speechless, slightly annoyed: "With your current strength, how could you possibly lose control of the Life Flame?"

Xiao Yixian was dumbfounded—Xiao Yan's Burning Scripture had reached Emperor Grade, his Soul Force was Imperial Soul—how could he still lose control of a harmless Life Flame and burn his clothes? Who was he fooling?

Xiao Yan looked at Xiao Yixian, curled up like a lamb in the bed's corner, wrapped in the blanket with only her little head peeking out, blushing shyly—and replied without a flicker of guilt: "It really isn't something I can control—the Life Flame clashed with the Dark Poison Flame inside you. I've already done my best suppressing the Flames so you wouldn't be hurt."

It was common knowledge that two Flames would clash inside the body; though Xiao Yixian's Cultivation Realm was strong—Two-Star Saint Late Stage—she still couldn't control the collision of the two Flames within her.

Xiao Yixian was an Eternal Calamity Poison body—her Qi was toxic, and Flames were inherently unsuitable for her.

"Besides, you've seen it before," Xiao Yan smirked, whispering slyly.

Hearing this, Xiao Yixian—who already had a thin skin—blushed crimson, her ears turning bright red; she grabbed the pillow beside her and hurled it at this big pervert!

Xiao Yan laughed, catching the flying pillow, leaping onto the bed, and yanking the blanket off Xiao Yixian, revealing the treasure within.

His hand instantly seized her jade hand, pulling her into his arms, and gazed down at the naked beauty in his embrace: "Stop fooling around—your Eternal Calamity Poison still holds many mysteries. We must first carve a new Meridian inside you, let the Life Flame flow through it, slowly transforming the poison body—I've never tried this before."

Xiao Yan placed his hand on Xiao Yixian's smooth abdomen and whispered: "Our child is still waiting to be born."

Hearing Xiao Yan's gentle words, Xiao Yixian's beautiful eyes slowly softened. She thought of how even Xun Er had given birth to Xiao Yi—and was already planning their next child—and naturally, she too longed to have a child with Xiao Yan.

Whoosh—the emerald flame slowly surged from Xiao Yan's body, enveloping both him and Xiao Yixian. A few whooshing sounds of burning fabric, and Xiao Yan's own clothes instantly turned to nothing.

Inside the Flames, Xiao Yan and Xiao Yixian embraced as they cultivated.

Under Xiao Yan's control, the Life Flame transformed into threads of immense Life Force, surging into Xiao Yixian's body—using the Burning Scripture's Qi to suppress the Dark Poison Flame's fury, while carving a new Meridian within the Eternal Calamity Poison body and injecting the Life Flame.

Now Xiao Yan cannot let the Origin Flame Seed of Life Flame remain inside Xiao Yixian's body, otherwise she would be unable to control the clash of the Infernal Flames.

Especially since the Nine Underworld Poison Flame possesses self-awareness; had Xiao Yan not suppressed it, the Qian Mu Ye Jing would have actively attacked Life Flame and driven it out. For now, Xiao Yan can only slowly alter the Eternal Calamity Body.

The pain of opening the meridians caused Xiao Yixian's body to tremble repeatedly; seeing Xiao Yixian's face twisted in pain, Xiao Yan's eyes filled with sorrow.

"Don't stop—I can still hold on," Xiao Yixian said, her lips pale.

Of course, even with Xiao Yan's abilities, he could not instantly alter the Eternal Calamity Body—he could only proceed slowly.

Yet after several days, the Xiao Realm welcomed guests once more.

In the hall of the Xiao Realm, Xiao Yan looked at the four before him with some confusion and said: "Didn't I already tell the Clan Leader of the Yan Clan and the Clan Leader of the Lei Clan? What is it you've come for this time?"

The visitors were Huo Zhi, Huo Xuan, Lei Dong, and Mang Tianchi.

Lei Dong pulled out an exquisite storage ring and said: "Clan Leader Xiao, I've come on my Clan Leader's orders to discuss allowing some of our Lei Clan members to take refuge within the Yan Alliance."

Xiao Yan was not at all surprised by the Lei Clan's request; his title as the First Alchemist of the Dou Qi Continent was indeed valuable, and it was no wonder the Yao Clan cared so much—these benefits were simply too great.

"Sigh, Xiao Yan, for the sake of Jia Nan Academy, please take in some of the Lei Clan's youths," Mang Tianchi said; his cultivation realm had slightly improved, reaching One-Star Dou Saint Early Stage.

Naturally, the former Dean who had once terrified the entire Black Horn Region now paled in comparison to Xiao Yan.

Xiao Yan took the storage ring; inside were several golden crystal stones, from which Xiao Yan could sense the power of Nine Mystery Golden Thunder!

Xiao Yan had heard that Lei Dong had once spent five years within the Lei Clan's Magic Thunder Pool and gained the power of Black Demon Thunder—meaning the Lei Clan must possess a Secret Realm similar to the Void Thunder Pool. These golden crystals were likely some of its Secret Treasures, containing considerable energy.

In addition, there were many precious Medicinal Materials and Nine-Stage Demon Cores inside.

"Clan Leader Xiao, we've come only to deliver these items—we don't know why," Huo Xuan shrugged; he was merely a messenger.

Huo Xuan pulled out a sacred scripture, formed a hand seal, and instantly the temperature in the hall surged violently. Xiao Yan frowned, staring at the scripture in Huo Xuan's hand. As Huo Xuan opened it, a rustling sound echoed, and three Infernal Flames, bound by fire chains within the scripture, appeared before Xiao Yan's eyes.

Delivering Flames!

The Eighth-Harmony Annihilating Flame at Rank Six, the Nine Nether Golden Ancestor Fire at Rank Seven, and the Volcano Stone Flame at Rank Seventeen.

The scripture in Huo Xuan's hand was no ordinary item—it was the Flame Emperor's Mystic Scripture, the peerless Cultivation Method left behind by the Yan Clan's Dou Emperor!

With Xiao Yan's current status and power, even the Fourth-Ranked Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame offered him little benefit, let alone the Sixth, Seventh, and Seventeenth.

Moreover, Huo Zhi had once exchanged a promise with Xiao Yan for Crimson Lotus Karma Flame—the Yan Alliance would protect certain Yan Clan youths to prevent their bloodline from being extinguished.

Thus, the Yan Clan had no need to do this.

At this moment, Cai Lin, seated beside Xiao Yan, furrowed her delicate brows, her gaze coldly fixed on the four who had come to deliver gifts.

This was not merely gift-giving—it was a conspiracy, or rather, an open one!

The stronger Xiao Yan became, the more uneasy Hun Tian Di would grow; with these three Infernal Flames plus the precious Golden Thunder Crystal Stone, combined with Xiao Yan's Pill Alchemy and the unique nature of the Swallowing Flame, he might indeed break through to One-Star Dou Saint—and even reach Nine Star Dou Sheng—in a short time.

If one counted the Eighth-Harmony Annihilating Flame at Rank Six, the Nine Nether Golden Ancestor Fire at Rank Seven, and the Volcano Stone Flame at Rank Seventeen, Xiao Yan had already acquired twenty-one Infernal Flame origins—even the Void Devouring Flame, he possessed a fragment of Heavenly Emperor Fire!

He was a perfect second Tuoshe Ancient Emperor!

At this moment, Xiao Yan lacked only Source Qi—he was nearly indistinguishable from Tuoshe Ancient Emperor!

The Yan Clan and Lei Clan had placed the Dou Emperor's entry ticket right before Xiao Yan's eyes, tempting him!

But this entry ticket would burn him alive!

Xiao Yan gently clasped Cai Lin's cool jade hand, signaling her not to act rashly.

Xiao Yan smiled and said to the four: "Dean, I, Xiao Yan, am not an ungrateful man. When I was young, I was fortunate to be nurtured by Jia Nan Academy and received the Falling Heart Flame."

"Moreover, the Yan Alliance openly accepts students. If the Dean has any suitable individuals willing to join the Yan Alliance, I, Xiao Yan, shall welcome them gladly."

Hearing Xiao Yan's words, Mang Tianchi finally exhaled in relief and nodded with satisfaction.

(End of Chapter)