Chapter 728

At the center of the hull lay a circular control array, which, from its exterior, appeared enormous—its diameter at least fifty to sixty meters. The ship had taken three years to build, and its internal arrays reached Emperor rank, sufficient to withstand the support of Dou Emperor-level Dou Qi.

This colossal vessel before them was, in fact, the pinnacle of current Dou Qi Continent technology, combining the highest-level arrays, forging techniques, and Space techniques.

After all, this was built on Xiao Yan's orders, with resources supplied by the Gu Clan, the Ancient Dragon Clan, and even the Soul Sovereign—truly, it could be said to embody the entire Dou Qi Continent's resources.

"Hmph, I won't need long to reach Nine Star Dou Sheng," Nalan Yanran sniffed, then stole a glance at Xiao Yan, her beautiful eyes filled with reluctance.

Her current strength was already decent; if the Great Thousand World's passage opened and the Dou Qi Continent received energy replenishment, Nalan Yanran might truly reach Nine Star Dou Sheng.

And the next step after Nine Star Dou Sheng was Dou Emperor.

"We'll see when you get there," Xiao Yan chuckled, turning to Yun Yun beside him. "If the Great Thousand World is safe, I'll bring you back."

"Take care of yourself—if you encounter danger, return to the Dou Qi Continent," Yun Yun said, her expression brimming with worry.

"Hahaha, if I encounter danger, then the entire Dou Qi Continent is in danger," Xiao Yan laughed, a flash of confidence on his face. This wasn't just confidence in his own strength—it was also meant to give those left behind on the Dou Qi Continent some reassurance.

As Xiao Yan took his leave, a presence suddenly descended from the sky—its power equal to Xiao Yan's. At its appearance, every face present grew solemn.

Hun Tian Di!

Xiao Yan turned to see Hun Tian Di materialize before them—he still wore a long white robe, its wide sleeves light and soft, clinging to his frame and making him appear slender and delicate, radiating an elegant, ancient scholar's aura.

Since becoming an Emperor, Hun Tian Di seemed even younger—his eyes like polished lacquer, casting a gentle glow over his face. He wore a simple yet ornate jade crown, harmonizing perfectly with his attire, enhancing his extraordinary bearing.

Walking through Space, his steps were light, as if treading solid ground, his posture graceful and composed.

Give him a brush or a book, and he would be an ancient scholar journeying to the capital for the imperial exams.

Of course, no one present believed Hun Tian Di's inner nature matched his appearance.

"Right on time," Xiao Yan grinned, stepping directly before Hun Tian Di and sizing him up. "Your power seems to have improved—looks like your Ancestor left you quite a bit."

Xiao Yan was the only one here bold enough to ignore Hun Tian Di so openly.

Hun Tian Di paid no mind, glancing up at the Gu Clan's airship and murmuring in admiration: "It is said that in ancient times, the Gu Clan excelled in controlling spatial power, possessing Void-Shuttles that even Dou Emperors marveled at. Now I see—it's true. This is an excellent Void-Shuttle."

Hearing Hun Tian Di's praise, Gu Yuan could not smile.

Hun Tian Di scanned the surroundings and naturally understood how many would be traveling to the Great Thousand World.

"Since everyone is assembled, there's no time to waste," Hun Tian Di said, fixing Xiao Yan with a flicker of unusual expression.

Xiao Yan, who possessed all the Unique Fires, could burn the heavens!

At these words, Xiao Yan's playful demeanor vanished—he grew serious and solemn.

Over these past years, Xiao Yan had fully mastered the Henggu Chi.

Boom! The instant Xiao Yan's expression changed, an overwhelming, scorching spiritual pressure erupted from his body—twenty-two Unique Fires burst forth from his dantian!

The moment the Unique Fires appeared, the Heavenly Energy of the Ancient Realm boiled violently—the Ancient Realm's protective barrier shattered instantly, utterly incapable of withstanding Xiao Yan's aura.

Fortunately, the Gu Clan had already dismantled the barrier in advance; otherwise, the Ancient Realm would have been devastated.

Feeling the immense power of Xiao Yan's aura, Hun Tian Di's eyes narrowed slightly, a hint of gravity appearing.

"This is Dou Emperor power!"

"So strong—it's countless times greater than peak Dou Sheng!"

"An invincible force!"

Xiao Yan stepped forward, ascending into the sky, his gaze locked on the sky of the Dou Qi Continent. He could see the continent sealed by immense power, hidden from discovery—a seal jointly cast by ancient Dou Emperors.

Xiao Yan knew the ancient Dou Emperors had created this seal for protection—but when Tuoshe Ancient Emperor infiltrated from the Great Thousand World, that protection had already been rendered useless. The Dou Qi Continent must now rely on itself; its ancestors could no longer shield it.

At this thought, Xiao Yan activated his will—the twenty-two Unique Fires instantly fused! A thunderous boom shook the entire Dou Qi Continent. In the instant of fusion, the entire sky darkened, for a flame hotter and brighter than the sun appeared!

The entire Dou Qi Continent trembled beneath this boundless Emperor Might!

Emperor Flame—the Emperor-ranked flame forged from the fusion of twenty-two Unique Fires!

Xiao Yan now possessed two Emperor-ranked flames: Emperor Flame and Emperor Dark Flame.

Xiao Yan was currently using only Emperor Flame—not even his full strength.

"Emperor Flame!" In the Dou Qi Continent, ancient monsters who had lived for millennia gasped in horror, their legs buckling as they collapsed onto the ground.

At this moment, Xiao Yan wielded Emperor Flame—the multicolored flame seemed capable of burning the world, filling all who beheld it with dread.

"It's His Majesty Xiao Yan! What is he doing?!" At the sight of Emperor Flame, everyone, without exception, felt awe and reverence—many knew that only one person could control all Unique Fires.

When a Dou Emperor wields Emperor Flame, the power is terrifying, chilling beyond measure—this combat strength was nearly unmatched among all Dou Emperors throughout history.

At this moment, in the heavens, Xiao Yan activated the Burn Scripture, channeling Dou Qi—Emperor Flame coalesced into shape, forming a colossal, sky-spanning ruler before all eyes.

The Henggu Chi was now larger and more terrifying than when Tuoshe Ancient Emperor had wielded it.

"Is His Majesty going to destroy the entire Dou Qi Continent?!"

"Oh my god! Help! The end of the world!"

"Wait—doesn't it feel like His Majesty is trying to split the heavens?"

Xiao Yan gripped the void, recalling the opening stance of Flame-Partitioning Wave-Cutting Ruler. He had trained this technique endlessly—now, it came as naturally as breathing.

"Henggu Chi! Unique Fires Burn the Heavens! Break!"

Xiao Yan roared, swinging downward with all his might—Boom! A ten-thousand-zhang pillar of fire shot skyward. Where Emperor Flame flowed, all things burned. Crack! The sky seemed to melt, revealing vast stretches of Space!

The Emperor Flame beam cut through—nothing could resist it. Even ancient Dou Emperors below Third-Rank would have been incinerated in an instant.

Even though the strike targeted the heavens far above the Dou Qi Continent, every person on the continent felt as if they themselves were burning—their Dou Qi seemed to ignite within them.

"Too terrifying!" Yan Jin, Clan Leader of the Yan Clan, trembled violently, his face pale. "A single drop of Emperor Flame can burn an entire realm—it could destroy the entire Yan Realm!"

Boom!! At that instant, the fire beam struck the heavens—some invisible protective barrier blocked the attack.

The collision's thunderous shockwave shook the Dou Qi Continent, warped Space, and even caused noticeable tremors in the Dragon Island floating in Space.

Yet at this moment, Xiao Yan smiled, stepping forward.

As Xiao Yan's foot came down, the sky flickered erratically.

Boom! Boom! Boom!!! A series of thunderous roars echoed as the heavens trembled and the Dou Qi Continent shook—some ancient sealing array began to crack, tear, and shatter. Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack! The celestial dome fractured like shattered glass, revealing countless jagged gaps.

The instant the gaps appeared, the first to sense the anomaly—besides Xiao Yan and Hun Tian Di—were Gu Yuan and Zhu Kun.

"Source Qi?!" Zhu Kun cried out in shock!

The Source Qi that had long since vanished from the Dou Qi Continent was also the key to advancing into a Dou Di level powerhouse!

The entire world fell silent at this moment. Zhu Kun and Gu Yuan stood with their mouths agape, their hearts churning like monstrous waves. When the dome of the Sky shattered, they distinctly felt that the strength which had stagnated for over a thousand years now showed signs of stirring and rising!

"Gulp…"

The two men's gazes blazed with incomparable fervor as they stared at the Sky. From the depths of their Spiritual Soul came an extremely intense throbbing — a throbbing that told them: if they wanted even greater power, they must head to that vaster, stronger Great Thousand World!

This mere trace of Source Qi was naturally not enough to break through to Dou Di. After all, the passage had not yet been opened; this faint Source Qi was merely drifting through the cosmos, nothing more than scraps compared to the true Source Qi.

Boom! Fire-light burst apart like fireworks, transforming into an endless Sea of Fire. The Emperor Flame raged like ocean waves, madly incinerating the firmament. As the Emperor Flame burned on and on, the Protective Barrier — which had sealed the Dou Qi Continent for fifty thousand years, laid down by the vanished ancient emperors — was finally burned away.

The Emperor Flame burned on, like paper catching fire, consuming without cease.

Like plants receiving nourishment, every plant and all the Heavenly Energy across the entire Dou Qi Continent was replenished in that instant. From now on, refining a Nine Grade Profound Pill would no longer be such agony, nor would one have to fight over Heavenly Energy.

In the future, although it would still be difficult for the Dou Qi Continent's powerhouses to break through to Dou Di, reaching Nine Star Dou Sheng would be far easier than before.

In the past, cultivating a Heaven Grade Cultivation Method was enough to reach Nine Star Dou Sheng. But now, the two Clan Leaders of the Yan Clan and Lei Clan were cultivating methods passed down from a Dou Di, and yet they still only stood at the Eight-Star Dou Sheng level.

"Huff…"

Xiao Yan exhaled deeply. Within his pitch-black eyes, calm for many years, a fiery heat now welled up; the blood that had once cooled seemed to be boiling over at this very moment.

"An ending is, indeed, also a kind of beginning." Xiao Yan's gaze grew solemn as he looked out into the boundless dark cosmos beyond the sky. He had already sensed, not far from the Dou Qi Continent in the heavens beyond, the traces of two passages — they must be the passage to the Great Thousand World that had once been destroyed, and the passage in the Manhuang Ancient Domain that led to the Shen Shou Continent.

(End of Chapter)