Chapter 768

Weapons are not necessarily better the stronger they are; the stronger the weapon, the harder it is to control, requiring vast amounts of energy, and mishandling it may even drain the user dry.

Ordinary Sacred Artifacts possess the power to destroy heaven and earth; typically, only Earth Supremes can control them—using one at the Supreme level would instead harm the user.

Xun Er slowly extended her hand, her jade hand gently lifting the exquisite brush; the brush felt light as a feather in her grasp. With a soft hum, the moment the Silver Phoenix Sacred Pen touched her hand, a surge of spiritual energy radiated outward, and gradually, Xun Er began to understand certain information.

The Sacred Artifact has automatically recognized its master!

Seeing this, Xiao Yan was stunned speechless—he had destroyed the Spiritual Soul left behind by Tuoshe Ancient Emperor, seized the Henggu Chi seed within the statue, and it took Mao Wu years to erase its markings and devour it!

And now, everyone is fighting to seize it—why can Xun Er receive automatic recognition from the Sacred Artifact?!

This isn't fair!

As if sensing Xiao Yan's frustration, Xun Er smiled gently and said: "Brother Xiao Yan, this Silver Phoenix Sacred Pen is a High-Rank Sacred Artifact, but it is not a weapon—it is more like a tool to assist in arranging Spirit Arrays, not meant for battle."

"Moreover, the inheritance of Ningzhu Array Master consists of the three Array Scrolls and this massive Celestial Cube—the Wood Square Array Plate."

Xiao Yan frowned, looking around this space; they were no longer in Space, but inside this enormous cube—and this giant Celestial Cube was itself a special Array Plate!

"Originally, Ningzhu Array Master's inheritance should have required recognition of the Spiritual Consciousness, then inheriting the Silver Phoenix Sacred Pen and the Wood Square Array Plate; this Array Plate contains an Inheritance Spirit Array, sealing away a portion of Ningzhu Array Master's Cultivation Realm."

"But now, you'll probably have to improve gradually on your own." Xun Er mimicked Xiao Yan's gesture, helplessly shrugging her shoulders.

┓(`)┏

Forcibly seizing an inheritance naturally has drawbacks: forcibly taking it only grants access to the treasures within, but the energy and any entities with Zi Zhuo Yi Shi left by the master cannot be inherited—you must first erase the markings left behind.

The Silver Phoenix Sacred Pen left no Spiritual Soul imprint, but the Wood Square Array Plate, its paired tool, did not; normally, the heir would gain recognition, enter the Inheritance Spirit Array, inherit Ningzhu Array Master's power, and be taught the three Array Scrolls within the Chuan Cheng Kong Jian.

Had that happened, Xun Er's Cultivation Realm would not have reached Ningzhu Array Master's former level, but reaching Upper Earth Supreme and Divine-Star Spirit Array Patriarch would have been no problem.

But an accident occurred.

Just like Xiao Yan himself—he mastered the Burning Sky Incantation on his own, essentially stealing the knowledge, so his Burning Sky Incantation only resembles the original; he never inherited the legacy knowledge of the Ancient Emperor Tuoshe.

"Sigh, those Great Thousand World people are truly despicable, discriminating against us from the Lower Plane," Xiao Yan feigned anger—he had no affection whatsoever for the powerhouses of the Great Thousand World; Array Master Ningzhu and Ancient Emperor Tuoshe were the same.

"These three Array Scrolls are all Divine-Star Array Scrolls, extremely difficult, but I have confidence—once I break through to Earth Supreme, learning them won't be hard."

"By the time I reach Earth Supreme, I should be able to fully master them—just a little later." Xun Er's beautiful eyes flickered with quiet confidence; even without the permission of the Inheritance Spiritual Consciousness, acquiring the sealed spiritual energy was merely a matter of time.

Xun Er was like this—when beside Xiao Yan, she often concealed her brilliance, content to remain unnoticed. But when she chose to unleash her radiance, it blazed brilliantly, astonishing even Xiao Yan with her terrifying talent.

"Hahaha, Xun Er is so dazzling, my eyes are going blind," Xiao Yan teased. "Come on, Xun Er—you should be able to collect the entire Wood Square Array Plate, right?"

Xun Er nodded lightly, gripping the Silver Phoenix Sacred Pen, and with a single sweep of the brush, countless Spiritual Seals flew out. Though she could not obtain the full inheritance, the Spiritual Consciousness had been destroyed—this place was now ownerless—and with the Silver Phoenix Sacred Pen recognizing her as master, she could naturally control everything here.

With a whirl of shifting stars and twisting heaven and earth, the space around Xiao Yan and Xun Er rapidly transformed; soon, a strangely shaped Array Plate floated in Xun Er's hand. The entire plate resembled the character "ten," as if the Celestial Cube had been opened.

Clearly visible within the Array Plate was a small sacred palace, and at each of its four corners lay unique Flame Sealing Spirit Arrays—presumably the spiritual energy sealed by Ningzhu Array Master.

Even sealed by the Spirit Array, Xiao Yan's Soul Force could still sense terrifying fluctuations from the four corners; had Xun Er not temporarily suppressed the Divine Array for an instant, allowing Ningzhu Array Master's Spiritual Consciousness to activate this power, the outcome might have been very different.

Xun Er's expression turned slightly disappointed as she sighed: "It's a pity there's nothing here that Brother Xiao Yan needs."

Xiao Yan shrugged, also feeling a touch of regret: "It doesn't matter—there's so much Supreme Spirit Liquid here, plus countless Pill Formulas, Ancient Texts, Scrolls, and other Treasures—enough to break through to Earth Supreme. Then, finding the Henggu Chi and Cycle Six Leaf Grass won't be difficult."

"We've only just arrived in the Great Thousand World—this is already a great start."

No sooner had Xiao Yan finished speaking than Xun Er's expression changed abruptly—her eyes narrowed, her lips parted slightly in surprise, and she hurriedly said: "Brother Xiao Yan, the Cycle Six Leaf Grass needed for your Supreme Body cultivation may be on Ning Tian Continent!"

"Hm?" Xiao Yan turned his head toward Xun Er's delighted face, then suddenly realized something—he frowned and said: "Of course! Since Ancestor created the Dou Po Cang Qiong Body, he must have known that the first step of cultivation requires not only immensely powerful Dou Qi, but also Cycle Six Leaf Grass."

After conquering the Western Realm, Xiao Yan had ordered Xin Zhangsheng and others to relentlessly search for information on Cycle Six Leaf Grass—but the result? Not only had no one found it, no one even knew what it was used for—there was no record whatsoever.

Such a precious Heavenly Material and Earthly Treasure might never be encountered in a lifetime.

"Yes, so when you broke the Flame Sealing back then, the guiding light from your Body's Technique wasn't merely pointing you toward the Great Thousand World—it was the Xiao Clan's Dou Emperor guiding you to find the Cycle Six Leaf Grass," Xun Er nodded, her eyes gleaming; if Cycle Six Leaf Grass grew anywhere, it had to be here!

Hearing Xun Er's reminder, Xiao Yan was struck like thunder—he suddenly understood, and looked sharply around them. They were now standing atop the Ning Tian Bamboo, nearly flying beyond Ning Tian Continent into the heavens.

When Xiao Yan looked down, his heart trembled violently—he understood at last!

"No wonder—I thought it strange that Ning Tian Bamboo had been cut down; it wasn't Ningzhu Array Master who cut it—it was cut long before! Those ruins aren't left by Ningzhu Array Master—they were already here before he passed away!" Xiao Yan stared again at the broken ruins in the Bamboo Grove.

When Xiao Yan and Xun Er first arrived at this grove filled with Medicinal Materials and Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, they had seen the ruined structures and assumed they were traces left by Ningzhu Array Master before his death.

But now, upon closer inspection, something felt off.

Ningzhu Array Master died from fatal injuries—he himself possessed the Wood Square Array Plate, complete with the sacred palace; he had no need to rebuild anything, and indeed, he passed away within the Wood Square Array Plate, leaving only his Spiritual Consciousness, while his physical body, corrupted by Demon Qi, had shattered itself before death.

Even if Ningzhu Array Master had built structures out of boredom, those structures had completely collapsed—as if destroyed—and how could he suddenly destroy his own belongings?

Only when Xiao Yan carefully examined the ruins again did he realize: the architectural style was not of the Great Thousand World, but of the Dou Qi Continent—and extremely ancient, resembling the ruins he had seen in the Xiao Realm!

When Xiao Yan and Xun Er stood again at the entrance, gazing at the Bamboo Grove before them.

The entire valley was exquisitely serene, filled with lush green trees and winding vines, and the entire gorge was permeated with Spiritual Energy that lingered endlessly.

Such a place, no matter how you looked at it, was perfect for spiritual cultivation and nurturing Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures.

"Now I finally understand why I felt strange when we first entered—this place, untouched for thousands or even tens of thousands of years, couldn't possibly grow only Medicinal Pills-level herbs," Xiao Yan scanned the surroundings again; as an Alchemist, he knew that with such concentrated energy, there should be far more than just ninth-rank Spiritual Pills' main ingredients—there wasn't even a single Divine Pill's main ingredient. This was abnormal.

Any such precious place must contain a great treasure!

Xun Er nodded in agreement: "Ningzhu Array Master didn't come here to pass away—he came to save himself. But in the end, he never found what he needed, and so he perished."

The grove was dotted with numerous pools, and interwoven streams formed a single, intricate water vein.

"This Ning Tian Bamboo has been cut for countless ages, rooted in Ning Tian Continent's Spiritual Vein for so long, yet never regrown—likely because Cycle Six Leaf Grass was planted here, absorbing its nourishment and preventing its rebirth."

Ning Tian Bamboo was deeply entwined with Ning Tian Continent's Spiritual Vein, its age immeasurably ancient—tens of thousands of years old at least.

"Brother Xiao Yan, how do we find Cycle Six Leaf Grass?"

Xiao Yan fell silent for a moment, murmuring as if to himself: "Dou Qi will guide us."

When Xiao Yan shattered the dimensional Flame Sealing on the Dou Qi Continent, it was Dou Qi that had guided him to the Great Thousand World!

With a soft thud, Xiao Yan sat cross-legged on the ground, focused his mind, and silently activated the technique of his Supreme Body. With a hum, a hazy Supreme Body appeared behind Xiao Yan, also sitting cross-legged, mirroring his posture exactly.

With a rustling sound, the thick Dou Qi surrounding the Supreme Body slowly spread outward—and strangely, here, Dou Qi did not merge with Spiritual Energy; instead, it gradually absorbed the surrounding Spiritual Energy and transformed it into Dou Qi!

Streams of Dou Qi released from the Supreme Body, rippling like waves across a lake, expanding outward from Xiao Yan in all directions.

With a sudden hum, as the Dou Qi waves spread, Xiao Yan—who had been sitting cross-legged on the ground—suddenly plunged downward, vanishing into the earth!

He had been sitting perfectly still—then, as if the ground beneath him had vanished, he fell straight down and disappeared.

"Brother Xiao Yan!!" Xun Er's heart tightened, her face instantly paled, her beauty drained of color.

In the Great Thousand World, there are too many uncertainties; no one can say whether this is good or bad.

Fortunately, Xiao Yan disappeared for only a moment before reappearing—yet now he stood on an open patch of ground one hundred meters away.

"Xun Er, return and rejoin Cai Lin and the others. Have everyone choose suitable Divine Arts to cultivate, and sell off anything useless. It seems entering the location of the Cycle Six Leaf Grass requires Dou Qi." Xiao Yan slowly rose to his feet, turning to look at Xun Er behind him.

This secluded valley must conceal an extremely hidden alternate space—one even a Earth Supreme in Full Completion cannot find; likely not even a typical Heaven Supreme could locate it. Only those possessing Dou Qi may enter.

Aside from Xiao Yan, Xun Er, Xiao Yixian, Cai Lin, and all the others had already converted their Dou Qi into Spiritual Energy. Only Xiao Yan, having cultivated the Dou Qi Body Method, had stored his Dou Qi without converting it.

In other words, if you abandon Dou Qi after arriving in the Great Thousand World, you will forever lose all connection to this legacy!

It also shows that when Xiao Potian first came to the Great Thousand World, he steadfastly maintained his cultivation of Dou Qi, relentlessly seeking breakthroughs.

Seeing Xiao Yan unharmed, Xun Er realized she was only a burden here, causing him worry, and nodded firmly: "I understand, Brother Xiao Yan. Xun Er will wait here until you return with the legacy."

With a single step of teleportation, Xun Er left Ning Tian Bamboo. She now held a vast quantity of Sovereign Spirit Liquid and needed to deliver it to the others first. Not only had Gu Yuan's Cultivation Realm dropped to Nine-Pin Sovereign after converting to Spiritual Energy, still far from peak, but even Cai Lin now required massive resources to evolve her Bloodline.

Moreover, without doubt, the hidden space here can be entered only by Xiao Yan—only he, who possesses Dou Qi!

After watching Xun Er depart, Xiao Yan immediately gathered his mind, his gaze fixed on the distance. From afar, Xiao Yan appeared one hundred meters away—but in truth, he was now within another space entirely.

"It seems entering the treasure land left by Ancestor isn't so simple. No wonder even the Ningzhu Array Master couldn't find the correct location." Xiao Yan shook his head. Even his own kin were guarded against.

"But here, I'm no longer suppressed by the Great Thousand World." Xiao Yan's lips curled upward, a flash of brilliance in his eyes. The next second, he activated his will—a long-missed power surged through his body, a terrifying heat instantly filling his Eight Extraordinary Meridians, every single vein.

Burning Art, activate!

Boom—Boom—Boom!!! Instantly, a power he had long missed flooded his entire body.

"Phew, the emptiness in my body was unbearable. Dou Qi truly brings peace." Xiao Yan exhaled deeply, clenching his fists—the power of the Dou Emperor had returned once more.

At this moment, Xiao Yan gazed into the distance. Terrifying Dou Qi began to surge. He formed a hand seal, his Imperial Soul Force transforming into a sharp blade, carving a path before him.

The blade, forged from fused Soul Force and Dou Qi, relentlessly cleaved through Space. Only Dou Qi could split this Space—even a Heaven Supreme could not sever it.

After walking for an unknown length of time, a glow suddenly appeared before him—emanating from a strangely shaped plant.

Xiao Yan now stood within a barren white space—he had entered the alternate dimension, a world that did not exist within the Great Thousand World and was unaffected by its forces.

At this moment, Xiao Yan faced away from the Great Thousand World, his gaze fixed upon the Cycle Six Leaf Grass.

This six-leaf grass was strange—it was not the common three-leaf variety. Its six leaves resembled six sharp blades fused together, divided like veins.

"This six-leaf grass is a miracle." As an Alchemist who had once refined Emperor Pills, Xiao Yan could not help but sigh in awe upon seeing it.

"No wonder there are no records—its very birth is a miracle. It can transform all forms of power." Xiao Yan's eyes sharpened. This six-leaf grass had absorbed Spiritual Energy for countless years, yet not a trace of Spiritual Energy or Dou Qi remained within it—a miraculous, wondrous plant.

After observing for a while, Xiao Yan did not immediately pluck it. Instead, he smiled meaningfully: "Ancestor, won't you teach me how to harvest this thing?"

At some unknown moment, a man had appeared behind Xiao Yan!

When Xiao Yan turned, he saw the man smiling at him. Without needing to guess, this man must be the Founder of the Xiao Clan—and the first Dou Emperor of the Dou Qi Continent: Xiao Potian!

Xiao Potian stood tall and powerfully built, his muscles firm, not an ounce of excess fat. His skin, weathered by countless battles and sun-baked into a healthy brown, radiated vitality. His facial features were sharply defined, his deep eyes gleaming with confidence and decisiveness; his high nose bridge and prominent jaw gave him an aura of strength tempered with gentleness.

His hair was cut short and neat, like a military officer's—neither too long nor too short, just right. His hair color matched Xiao Yan's: natural black. His pupils were like black pearls. His ears were proportionate, with clearly defined lobes, adding to his refined appearance.

Xiao Potian stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his expression confident. His posture and movements brimmed with power and leadership. Clearly, he often wore a confident smile, radiating warmth and approachability—even though Xiao Yan had never met him before, he felt a surge of reverence and admiration.

"You are not of this world."

Xiao Potian spoke. Xiao Yan froze, then nodded: "I am a Transmigration. I came from a blue planet."

(End of Chapter)