Chapter 697: Great Thousand World

Xiao Ding and Xiao Li smiled happily; seeing Xiao Yan's slightly awkward expression, they knew that even as an Emperor, Xiao Yan was still Xiao Yan—their third brother.

"Xiao Yan." At that moment, Hun Tian Di walked slowly forward, his gaze fixed on Xiao Yan—he had a pact with Xiao Yan.

The agreement to forge an Emperor Pill had been changed to forging a Breakthrough Emperor Pill, since he had not obtained the Imperial Grade Embryonic Pill.

Seeing Hun Tian Di approach, many instinctively went on guard.

With a hum, Xiao Yan flipped his hand, and a cluster of Black Flame appeared in his palm—within the Black Flame was sealed a special kind of energy.

Source Qi!

Inside the statue of Tuoshe Ancient Emperor, besides all his legacies, there was also Source Qi. The Emperor Flame seed was sealed within Mao Wu's body, and Xiao Yan had not yet refined it.

Seeing the Source Qi, Hun Tian Di's eyes narrowed; whether it was Tuoshe Ancient Emperor or the Great Thousand World, what Hun Tian Di cared about most was still becoming an Emperor.

"Rest assured—I, Xiao Yan, am not a man who breaks his word. Give me one month, and I will deliver the Breakthrough Emperor Pill to the Soul Realm." Xiao Yan smiled slightly; for this "unlucky" warlord Hun Tian Di, Xiao Yan had no deep feelings—he had always maintained a transactional relationship with the Soul Sovereign.

And Xiao Yan was a man who kept his promises.

After nodding, Hun Tian Di led all members of the Soul Sovereign away from the Black Horn Region and returned to the Soul Realm.

Not long after, the Stone Clan and Ling Clan, who had been captured by the Soul Sovereign, were not subjected to Blood Sacrifice; the descendants whose spiritual cores had been absorbed and the weaker-blooded youths were all released by the Soul Sovereign. The Ling Clan and Stone Clan suffered worse than the Yao Clan—almost none of their members retained a Dou Di Bloodline above Six-Grade, and all experts above Dou Zun had been sacrificed.

Although the Yao Clan fared slightly better than the Ling and Stone Clans, barring unforeseen circumstances, the Dou Di Bloodline would gradually vanish, and the next generation would have few such bloodlines, becoming an ordinary family in no time.

One month later, a terrifying spiritual fluctuation emerged from Space, and the Sky was instantly drowned in blood-red, as if the heavens themselves were bleeding—an eerie sight, with a stench of blood seeping down from above.

Thick clouds of blood covered the sky of the Dou Qi Continent; the air reeked of a nauseatingly dense stench of blood, while the earth turned crimson, sticky blood staining Zhong Zhou like a realm of demons.

The sea of blood churned, and a vortex emerged from within it; then, a colossal crimson lotus slowly rose from the blood sea.

Upon the lotus sat a figure, his blood-red hair cascading like a waterfall, some strands even dipping into the blood sea, floating upon it like a demon spreading its wings.

Yet this strange phenomenon came swiftly and vanished just as quickly; many knew what it meant—it was clearly Hun Tian Di becoming an Emperor.

Strangely, after becoming a Dou Emperor, Hun Tian Di's Soul Sovereign did not boldly appear on the Dou Qi Continent; instead, they vanished like Hidden Sects, with almost no Soul Sovereign disciples ever seen roaming the continent.

Not to mention Hun Tian Di himself—he seemed to have vanished entirely, no one knowing what he was doing.

And during this month, the name "Dou Emperor, Xiao Yan!" echoed across every corner of the Dou Qi Continent—a name revered by countless people, regarded by many as a divine presence.

The Yan Alliance was ultimately disbanded. The Jia Ma Empire became the largest human empire on the Dou Qi Continent; the Miter Guild spread across the entire continent as the largest merchant association; the Yun Lan Sect and Hua Sect became the two largest sects on the Dou Qi Continent.

As for the Xiao Clan and the Snake Emperor Empire, there was no need to elaborate.

Even though Xiao Yan had no ambition to dominate the Dou Qi Continent and the Yan Alliance had been disbanded, the Yan Alliance as an organization would leave a profound mark in the history of the Dou Qi Continent.

Not long after Hun Tian Di became a Dou Emperor, Xiao Yan appeared in the Heavenly Tomb.

Xiao Yan still had matters unresolved.

"You—you've become a Dou Emperor, Xiao Yan!!" Seeing Xiao Yan approach, Xiao Xuan's face showed astonishment mixed with joy, tears of excitement filling his eyes.

He had actually done it! Done what he himself had failed to accomplish!

Not only had he revived the Xiao Clan—he had become a Dou Emperor!!

Seeing his ancestor Xiao Xuan's agitated state, Xiao Yan nodded firmly and said: "Descendant Xiao Yan has not disgraced your expectations."

"Good! Good!" Xiao Xuan gripped Xiao Yan's shoulders tightly, overcome with emotion, even pinching himself hard to confirm he wasn't hallucinating from too long in the Heavenly Tomb!

"Tell me everything." Xiao Xuan seized Xiao Yan's arm, and the two sat cross-legged on the ground. Xiao Yan had become an Emperor, but Xiao Xuan's first question was not about reviving himself—he wanted to know the current state of the Xiao Clan, whether the Dou Di Bloodline had been reactivated.

Xiao Yan nodded and began recounting everything that had happened after his final entry into the Heavenly Tomb.

When Xiao Yan spoke of Hun Tian Di gathering all the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Jades, even Xiao Xuan frowned. Then, upon learning that Tuoshe Ancient Emperor was an outsider from beyond, and that beyond the Dou Qi Continent lay a primordial realm called the Great Thousand World, Xiao Xuan was left speechless with shock.

"No wonder—I felt strange when I first obtained the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Jade; it carried news of an Imperial Grade Embryonic Pill, as if deliberately luring us into competition. And yet, this was the key to Tuoshe Ancient Emperor's Cave Mansion—how could it be so easily shattered and split precisely into eight fragments?"

"It seems Tuoshe Ancient Emperor revealed the location of the Imperial Grade Embryonic Pill through the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Jade to all Dou Emperor Families, yet concealed the details of his legacy. He deliberately let Xu Wu Tian Yan and Jing Lian Yao Huo escape, sending them to seek out worthy successors, then selecting the ultimate victor."

As an outsider sees clearly, Xiao Xuan had once been one of the main contenders in this struggle; now, hearing Xiao Yan's explanation, he realized he himself had been one of Tuoshe Ancient Emperor's potential heirs.

In fact, the entire Dou Qi Continent had been an "Emperor Trial"—only the final victor who gathered all eight Jades could enter the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Cave Mansion. Yet Tuoshe Ancient Emperor left behind his legacy, and the light released by the legacy would suppress those who had cultivated the Burning Scripture, thereby selecting the true inheritor.

At this moment, Xiao Xuan looked solemnly at Xiao Yan and said: "If I'm not mistaken, the Emperor Flame seed you obtained… should be able to connect to this so-called Great Thousand World!"

Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed slightly, and he gave a slight nod—he had thought the same.

Mao Wu was now in slumber, refining the Emperor Flame seed; once successful, he would very likely establish a connection to the Great Thousand World. Remember, Tuoshe Ancient Emperor was an alien flame from the Great Thousand World, and though this Emperor Flame seed had absorbed the power of twenty-two other flames, its essence originated from the Great Thousand World.

Thus, through the Emperor Flame seed, one could connect to the Great Thousand World!

At this moment, both Xiao Xuan and Xiao Yan fell silent, uncertain whether they should reopen the link between worlds.

Remember, fifty thousand years ago, the Emperors of the Dou Qi Continent severed this connection and purged all Source Qi, unwilling to let anyone on the Dou Qi Continent become an Emperor.

Do not become an Emperor. Do not seek Source Qi. That was Ancestor's warning.

Disregard the elder's words, and you'll suffer the consequences.

Don't you listen to your Ancestor?

But now there's another problem: the Dou Qi Continent has become vastly weaker than before.

Compared to the ancient era when Emperors and divine beasts roamed freely, Dou Emperor Families thrived, and masters abounded, today's Dou Emperor Families are little more than barren lands.

Just compare the Xiao Clan of Wutan City to the Soul Sovereign.

Ancestor severed the link fifty thousand years ago—who knows what the current situation is? Perhaps things have changed.

Before Tuoshe Ancient Emperor appeared, there had been no outsiders from beyond; Tuoshe Ancient Emperor himself only fell from the heavens thousands of years ago and became an Emperor. Though Xu Wu Tian Yan, Jing Lian Yao Huo, and other flames deeply hated Tuoshe Ancient Emperor and wished to flay him alive.

Yet Tuoshe Ancient Emperor, aside from absorbing the flames, caused no destruction to the living beings of the Dou Qi Continent; instead, he left behind his legacy and the Imperial Grade Embryonic Pill.

From this, he was not evil.

Without Source Qi infusion, not only have people weakened, but the Heavenly Energy of the Dou Qi Continent itself has become far weaker than in ancient times—now, even forging a Nine Grade Profound Pill is extremely difficult due to severe lack of Heavenly Energy!

Thus, Xiao Yan was deeply conflicted, unsure what to do.

Moreover, Xiao Yan had a premonition: if he reopened the Source Qi channel, unpredictable events might occur.

"Ancestor, I believe we should reopen the connection." After a moment of thought, Xiao Yan said seriously.

"If your goal is to revive me, it is unnecessary." Xiao Xuan looked intently at Xiao Yan, speaking solemnly.

With the current medicinal materials and resources of the Dou Qi Continent, it is impossible to revive Xiao Xuan. The Dou Qi Continent simply cannot forge a second Emperor Pill to resurrect him.

The medicinal materials produced on the Dou Qi Continent today are poor; even a ninth-rank Golden Pill is hard to obtain, let alone an Imperial Grade Pill.

Although Xiao Xuan has a remnant spiritual soul, this remnant is like a spiritual soul imprint; without the Heavenly Tomb, Xiao Xuan would have long since vanished.

The Heavenly Tomb was created by a mysterious Ancient Dou Emperor, and to revive Xiao Xuan, an Imperial Grade Pill is absolutely necessary.

That Dou Emperor, like other Dou Emperors, disappeared fifty thousand years ago.

"It's not just to revive you, Ancestor, that I seek to connect with the Great Thousand World," Xiao Yan said. "Fifty thousand years ago, all the Dou Emperors on the Dou Qi Continent didn't just sever their ties with the Great Thousand World—they also purged all remaining Source Qi from the Dou Qi Continent, to prevent anyone from becoming a Dou Emperor."

"But now, there are two Dou Emperors on the Dou Qi Continent, and this restriction has already been broken," Xiao Yan sighed. It wasn't his time to worry anymore—he had already done it, so what could he do now?

Even if it's a mistake, he could only see it through to the end.

Xiao Xuan looked at Xiao Yan's gloomy face, laughed heartily, and slapped his shoulder. "Hahaha, you're a Dou Emperor now, and still looking so downcast? Compared to the unknown Great Thousand World or reviving me, you have something far more important to do right now."

"Huh?" Xiao Yan's face showed confusion. What had he missed?

"Hahaha, it's time you started expanding the Xiao Clan."

!?

I need to rewatch The Great Overlord these days—it's been too long since I last saw it, and many of the settings need refreshing; updates will be fewer.