Chapter 718

"You want to take the Heavenly Tomb to the Great Thousand World?" Hun Tian Di was slightly startled, but quickly understood and said: "You want to revive Xiao Xuan?"

Xiao Yan did not conceal it, directly affirming: "The creator of the Heavenly Tomb was also a Dou Emperor; though I don't know why he created it, he likely intended to preserve his lingering soul and seek a chance at resurrection."

The Heavenly Tomb is like a special coffin—even a soul fragment not even worthy of the name becomes a spiritual light and survives in a unique form upon entering the Heavenly Tomb.

"Even the ancient Dou Emperor who created the Heavenly Tomb could not revive the lingering souls within it, proving that Dou Qi Continent lacks such means. Moreover, the Heavenly Tomb is peculiar: as long as my body and soul separate, and my soul hides within the Heavenly Tomb, I can create the illusion of death—even a Dou Emperor cannot detect it." Xiao Yan smiled faintly—he intended to fake his death and enter the Great Thousand World, deceiving Tuoshe Ancient Emperor!

Xiao Yan did not know what powers Tuoshe Ancient Emperor possessed, but if he himself were dead, Tuoshe Ancient Emperor would only assume that Hun Tian Di had killed Xiao Yan after becoming a Dou Emperor, then departed for the Great Thousand World.

This trick of deceiving heaven and crossing the river secretly—brilliant!

The methods available on Dou Qi Continent cannot revive Xiao Xuan, but the Great Thousand World might hold the opportunity—and perhaps the Dou Emperor who created the Heavenly Tomb left some clue there.

Xiao Yan's eyes carried a faint smile as he looked at Hun Tian Di and said softly: "You wouldn't mind, would you?"

Hearing Xiao Yan's slightly provocative words, Hun Tian Di first froze, then smiled and shook his head: "I have already become an Emperor. Your Xiao Clan's affairs are none of my concern."

"Becoming a Dou Emperor is merely the beginning," Xiao Yan said, his tone carrying subtle meaning.

Hun Tian Di cast a glance, saying nothing.

"Since you have no objections, the transaction is settled," Xiao Yan said.

"An Imperial Grade Pill—I doubt any Dou Emperor could resist such a temptation." Hun Tian Di could obtain an Imperial Grade Pill simply by helping Xiao Yan clear the way—any Dou Emperor would accept such a deal.

"I'll notify you when it's time to open it."

With that, Xiao Yan tore open Space and stepped away from the Soul Realm.

Not long after Xiao Yan left, a shadow slowly emerged from behind Hun Tian Di—it was none other than Hun Lao Gui!

"You've already opened the things left by our Ancestor, haven't you?" Hun Lao Gui, hunched over, slowly approached Hun Tian Di. In the past year, Hun Tian Di hadn't merely secluded himself to stabilize his cultivation.

"What lies behind the Gate of Death?" The Gate of Death, created by a Dou Emperor, was once possessed by Hun Lao Gui himself, who gained certain opportunities from within it and thus perfected the Asura Soul-Slicing Art.

Hun Tian Di clasped his hands behind his back, gazing at the heavens with a deep expression, calmly saying: "Who knows?"

"Hehe, you're still the same," Hun Lao Gui's voice was hoarse, then he let out a sinister laugh: "Jiejiejie, I thought you'd open the passage and go to the Great Thousand World alone—never expected you'd agree to him."

Hun Tian Di shook his head: "I don't have the coordinates of the Great Thousand World. Even if I can tear open the heavens, without coordinates, I cannot reach the Great Thousand World."

Hun Lao Gui's lips curled upward—he naturally didn't believe Hun Tian Di's lies.

"Regardless, you are now Clan Leader of the Soul Sovereign and have become a Dou Emperor—the Soul Sovereign is yours. But let me warn you: that boy isn't nearly as naive as he appears." Hun Lao Gui's eyes flashed with sharpness; his relationship with Xiao Yan was peculiar—not master and disciple, but both he and Hun Xu Zi harbored hidden agendas.

Yet in the end, whether it was him, Hun Xu Zi, or even Hun Tian Di, none had anticipated: they never imagined Xiao Yan would become an Emperor, nor that Hun Tian Di would too—and neither had clashed.

After a moment of thought, Hun Tian Di nodded in agreement: "Whether he gained Zhu Kun's aid by befriending the Dragon Emperor of the Ancient Dragon Clan through sheer luck, or through meticulous planning—he truly emerged victorious in the end."

"This boy is no ordinary one."

In truth, Hun Tian Di's plan had never deviated: the Imperial Grade Embryonic Pill and Tuoshe Ancient Emperor's inheritance should have been his—but Zhu Kun had ruined everything.

From a broad perspective, Xiao Yan seemed merely lucky—just happened to meet Zi Yan. But Hun Tian Di didn't believe in luck; no coincidence is truly random—too many coincidences are inevitable outcomes.

Yet there are things he may never see.

At this moment, Xiao Yan, having left the Soul Realm, arrived at the Ancient Realm—after all, the Heavenly Tomb still resided there. Of course, Xiao Yan could have seized it back, but the Gu Clan was Xun Er's maternal family, and now the Heavenly Tomb served as a training ground jointly held by the Gu and Xiao Clans, just as in ancient times.

Xiao Yan had no reason to care whether the Heavenly Tomb rested in the Ancient Realm or the Xiao Realm; with his current strength, no one could detect his entry—not even Gu Yuan.

"You want to take the Heavenly Tomb into the Great Thousand World?" Xiao Xuan, upon hearing Xiao Yan's words, showed a look of puzzled disbelief.

Xiao Yan sat on the ground, facing his Ancestor Xiao Xuan, and nodded: "Yes. This Heavenly Tomb is remarkably Shen Mi Zhi Yi—it might even withstand some Space Turbulence. Crossing Space requires a space vessel; we need some kind of transport."

"I originally planned to use the Heavenly Flame Square inside Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Cave Mansion, but when he activated the Henggu Chi, I blew up the statue along with it."

Xiao Yan couldn't help but grimace helplessly—the Square had fallen from the heavens like a spaceship, but the Buddha Fury Lotus spared no one—it had all been obliterated.

"Taking the Heavenly Tomb isn't a problem, but relying on Hun Tian Di to guide you—you think you understand him, yet an Imperial Grade Pill alone may not move him. He won't serve anyone," Xiao Xuan said, his expression grave and concerned; Hun Tian Di's scheming was too profound—Xiao Xuan admitted he was outmatched.

"Hehe, Hun Tian Di probably longed to open the passage to the Great Thousand World—he's just doing this as a side benefit," Xiao Yan's eyes flickered with unusual light; he now understood Hun Tian Di better than even Xiao Xuan.

Xiao Xuan's expression turned astonished, his brows furrowed: "He has no sense of Tuoshe Ancient Emperor's flame seed—how can he reach the Great Thousand World?"

Xiao Yan spread his hands: "Ancestor, our Xiao Clan has passed down a secret oral technique called 'Break the Heavens.' The Soul Sovereign is as ancient as our clan—surely the ancient Soul Emperor didn't leave nothing behind?"

!!?

"The Soul Sovereign likely possesses something related to the Great Thousand World—or perhaps many Dou Emperor Families do, but their descendants never became Emperors."

"The ancient Dou Emperors couldn't have been so foolish. If some accident occurred and a Dou Emperor arose on Dou Qi Continent, they'd surely leave guidance for their descendants."

Xiao Yan recalled the Yao Clan's mysterious protective array—the array contained the lingering soul of a Yao Emperor, a true Dou Emperor who retained some memories.

If the Yao Clan had produced an Emperor this time, their protective array's lingering soul would have been the perfect guide—perhaps even a Dou Emperor's power could restore much of its memory.

But the Yao Clan was ultimately destroyed, and the Yao Emperor's lingering soul failed to stop Xu Wu from swallowing the flames.

Xiao Yan had visited the Yao Realm, but the protective array had indeed been destroyed—no lingering soul remained, nor any Dou Emperor-related artifacts.

According to Xu Wu, the same was true when attacking the Ling Clan and Stone Clan—they too possessed Dou Emperor-level trump cards and relics left by their Emperors.

But since the Ling, Yao, and Stone Clans never produced an Emperor, those relics remained useless.

Yet the Soul Sovereign—also has one: the Gate of Death!

All four Gates of Death were created by ancient Dou Emperors, and the Soul Sovereign also possesses the Zhan Di Array—an Emperor Array—impossible for a Dou Saint to forge.

Xiao Yan knew the Gates of Death could form a Death Realm array, but what lay beyond the Gates—he truly did not know.

Xiao Yan wasn't foolish enough to believe the Gates of Death were merely a giant 'storage ring' storing death energy. Anything created by a Dou Emperor must carry deeper meaning—the Gates of Death are far from simple.

Yet the Gates of Death likely require a Soul Sovereign Dou Emperor to unlock their true secrets.

Now that Hun Tian Di has become an Emperor, his seclusion for ten days is almost certainly devoted to deciphering the secrets within the Gates of Death.

After becoming an Emperor, Hun Tian Di immediately concealed the entire Soul Realm—this is definitely suspicious!

After hearing Xiao Yan's analysis, Xiao Xuan pondered deeply, his mind churning with memories, then finally shook his head: "Our Xiao Clan's Dou Emperor left no relics—not even our protective array was created by our founding Dou Emperor. The only thing he left was the 'Break the Heavens' technique."

"What about the other three clans?" Xiao Xuan asked.

Xiao Yan replied: "Each of the three clans' protective arrays holds something—but only their own bloodline Dou Emperor can open them. I can destroy them, but I cannot unlock them."

Only the Xiao Clan is unique: what was left isn't a treasure, but an oral technique passed down from Clan Leader to Clan Leader. Xiao Yan realized the importance of this 'Break the Heavens' technique, so he didn't even tell his father or two elder brothers.

Xiao Xuan rose and patted Xiao Yan's shoulder, smiling faintly: "Now you're Clan Leader of the Xiao Clan—I'm done with these troublesome matters."

Xiao Yan looked at Xiao Xuan, who was planning to be a hands-off boss, his face full of helplessness as he gave a bitter smile. "Ancestor, you—"

"Hahaha, I've already toiled for a thousand years, it's time I let go. Besides, Hun Tian Di has already become an Emperor; the matters of my generation can be considered settled." Xiao Xuan stood up and walked out of the cave dwelling, leaving a parting remark: "You still need to be Refining the fire seed, right? Do it here. Although you're already a Dou Di, the passage of time in the Heavenly Tomb is still effective on you."

Xiao Yan gazed at Xiao Xuan's departing back, and not long after, withdrew his gaze.

"It's also time for you to awaken." A glint of sharpness flashed in Xiao Yan's eyes, his expression solemn. With a mere thought, a clump of jet-black flame floated before him.

This clump of flame was Mao Wu, who was currently Refining the Emperor Flame fire seed. One could clearly see that within the black flame there was still a small, multi-colored spark burning.

Sneaking in one more chapter.