Chapter 779

Xiao Potian looked down at Xiao Yan; sometimes, breaking the mold is what sparks miracles. And now, the butterfly effect has already emerged.

With one punch, the figure of Xiao Potian—who once, fifty thousand years ago, was one of the Ten Great Original Dharma Bodies who saved the Great Thousand World—slowly vanished completely.

Xiao Potian had left behind his Spiritual Sense solely to prevent the Cycle Six Leaf Grass from being stolen; now that Xiao Yan had cultivated the Dou of the Void Piercing Dharma Body, his mission was fully accomplished.

The ancient Ten Great Original Dharma Bodies bearers had all perished in their battle against the Heavenly Demon God; it was their desperate sacrifice that finally gave the Immortal Emperor the chance to seal the Heavenly Demon God.

Otherwise, the Heavenly Demon God possessed power surpassing that of a Heaven Supreme—just like on the Dou Qi Continent, no matter how many Dou Sages gathered, none could defeat a Dou Emperor; sacrifice was inevitable.

The Five Great Original Dharma Bodies of the Great Thousand World each left their legacies within the Five Spirit Stone Clans, while Xiao Potian left word of the Original Dharma Body's whereabouts on the Dou Qi Continent and here.

As if sensing something, Xiao Xuan in the Heavenly Tomb suddenly knelt on both knees toward Wan Zhu Lin and bowed deeply, crying out: "Honorably see off Ancestor."

Xiao Yan likewise bowed deeply; even Xiao Yixian, Xun Er, and Cai Lin—the three Xiao Clan daughters-in-law—bowed as well.

"Honorably see off Ancestor."

Xiao Potian was not only the true Ancestor of the Xiao Clan, but he had also lent his aid; out of duty and gratitude, he deserved to be seen off.

After that punch, the Spirit Array obscuring Ning Tian Continent from the Ten Thousand Imagery Tower vanished; the Teleportation Spirit Array beyond the heavens and other surveillance arrays from factions on distant continents also disappeared. Countless cultivation experts turned to look at the Ning Tian Bamboo in Wan Zhu Lin—only to see the Zhu Bamboo still standing there, like a divine pillar piercing the sky, piercing through the clouds.

Wan Zhu Lin remained utterly silent, still the domain of the Soul Palace, still the forbidden zone of Ning Tian Continent—as if nothing had ever happened.

Seeing this, many couldn't help rubbing their eyes; many felt it was all a dream, unreal, as if everything just now had been a fantasy.

"Pinch my thigh." Even some experts couldn't help telling those beside them; then came a sharp pain—they knew this wasn't a dream!

Looking at the Ten Thousand Imagery Tower obliterated by that punch, the wreckage of countless Ancient Ships and Divine Towers, everyone finally understood this wasn't a dream—the projection of the Western Heaven War Emperor from the Western Heaven Palace had truly been obliterated by a single punch!

"So does this mean the Soul Palace won this dual-palace struggle?"

"Of course! Don't you see who's standing in the sky? That's the Flame Sovereign!"

"But it's not certain—the Ten Thousand Imagery Tower and Purple Mountain Sect were merely vassal factions of the Western Heaven Palace, not even core members, and the Western Heaven War Emperor didn't even appear in person."

"That's true, but how can you be sure the Soul Palace doesn't have a Heaven Supreme? The Flame Sovereign isn't even their leader."

Although the battle had ended, Ning Tian Continent sank once more into an extremely prolonged silence; for a long time afterward, countless cultivation experts—even those from neighboring continents—dared not make a sound, and, exaggerating slightly, not even a breath dared be taken.

During this period, Ning Tian Continent was utterly peaceful; fewer factions came to inquire about Wan Zhu Lin and the Heavenly Tomb, and no one dared lay a hand on either place again.

More accurately, Ning Tian Continent had now become a forbidden zone—even the Western Heaven War Emperor had been humiliated.

The Soul Palace had clearly torn the veil with the Western Heaven Palace; no one else wanted to get tangled in this mess.

Of course, for Xiao Yan and his group, this was a timely rain—they could now claim many spoils.

This was a Earth Supreme's sect faction; even though Ancestor's punch had shattered much, some Supreme Grade Divine Artifacts, quasi-Sacred Artifacts, and Sacred Artifacts still remained.

But cleaning up the battlefield? That was naturally left to Old Dragon Emperor Zhu Kun—the master of treasure hunting!

After evolving into a Divine Beast, Zhu Kun's power had grown stronger and his Life Force more vigorous; he had once been a middle-aged man, but now he was directly transformed into a Zhu Kun in his early thirties!

Xiao Yan and the others entered the third layer of the Heavenly Tomb; Xiao Yan learned many things from Ancestor, matters concerning certain individuals.

"The North Desert Hill at the heart of the Great Thousand World—the Lord of Immortality's Ten Thousand Tombs?" Xiao Xuan's eyes sharpened; his resurrection was tied to one of the Great Thousand World's top factions?

Xiao Yan nodded and said: "Yes. Ancestor Xiao Potian once mentioned to me that at the heart of the Great Thousand World, at North Desert Hill—the site of the final battle between the Domain Beyond and the Great Thousand World—there are clues to revive Grand Ancestor Xiao Xuan. But that place is also where the Heavenly Demon God was sealed."

The location where the Heavenly Demon God was sealed was undoubtedly the Great Thousand World's highest secret; only a few major factions knew of it. Even now, many in the Great Thousand World believed the Domain Beyond had been entirely wiped out and the Heavenly Demon God was dead.

In truth, the Domain Beyond still thrived in the Great Thousand World, though now reduced from once dominating half the world to hiding only within corrupted continents, waiting for a chance to strike back, everywhere seeking Lower Planes to seize the Plane Embryo.

And the leader of the Domain Beyond, the Heavenly Demon God, had not died—he was merely sealed, and the sealing site lay at the heart of the Great Thousand World: North Desert Hill.

"The ones tasked with guarding the Heavenly Demon God's seal are the direct subordinates of the Immortal Emperor: the Tomb Guardians," Xiao Yan continued. "According to Ancestor, the master of the Heavenly Tomb was not a Dou Emperor from his era, but one born after he left the Dou Qi Continent, so he knew little about the Heavenly Tomb's master."

"But the leader of the Tomb Guardians in the Ten Thousand Tombs—the Lord of Immortality—cultivated the Immortal Dharma Body, ranked twelfth. Though not one of the Ten Great Original Dharma Bodies, it is among the strongest after the Originals, possessing extremely unique power."

Why the Immortal Emperor did not pass on his Eternal Undying Body to his direct lineage but instead gave it to the Magic Core Spirit Clan remains unknown—there may be unspeakable secrets within.

"Only the Ten Thousand Tombs may hold the method to revive Grand Ancestor Xiao Xuan," Xiao Yan said solemnly, his expression grave.

North Desert Hill, in the ancient era, was once a vast, endless supercontinent known as North Desert Continent—one of the supreme supercontinents, capable of rivaling the Shen Shou Continent.

In the ancient era, North Desert Continent was far from barren; it was nearly the most prosperous and powerful region in the Great Thousand World.

But when the Domain Beyond invaded the Great Thousand World, the Great Thousand World steadily retreated; later, in the final battle between the Domain Beyond and the Great Thousand World, the Immortal Emperor and the Heavenly Demon God clashed on North Desert Continent. That battle shattered the supercontinent entirely; the remaining land became today's North Desert Hill.

North Desert Hill is sealed off by the Immortal Emperor's direct descendants—the Tomb Guardians—who forbid all outsiders from approaching. Naturally, such a dangerous place is one even Heaven Supremes dare not lightly enter, so no one wishes to go.

Upon learning what North Desert Hill truly was, everyone fell silent; it was a place even Heaven Supremes refused to enter, and it held the seal of the Domain Beyond's leader—could the Heavenly Demon God kill everyone here with a single sneeze?

And the Tomb Guardians were mysterious and unfathomable; the Ten Thousand Tombs was the Great Thousand World's top faction, far stronger than the Western Heaven Palace.

"Xiao Yan, you have more important things to do. That place is not one you should risk yourself in," Xiao Xuan said sharply, his gaze piercing Xiao Yan.

"But—" Xiao Yan hadn't finished speaking when Xiao Xuan raised his hand to stop him: "If you still regard me as your ancestor, then let me decide this time. Listen to me: your most urgent task now is to seek the Flame Spirits, not to help me resurrect."

"The Dou Qi Continent's seal has been lifted; no one knows when the Domain Beyond will discover it—even some factions in the Great Thousand World are no longer safe. The Plane Embryo holds deadly allure for a Perfect Earth Supreme."

"Your most urgent task is to reach Perfect Earth Supreme as soon as possible, then construct a Heavenly Gateway to return to the Dou Qi Continent and seize the Plane Embryo to break through to Heaven Supreme. Only when you break through to Heaven Supreme will the Dou Qi Continent be secure. You shouldn't waste time on me."

Everyone present, including Xiao Yan himself, understood Xiao Xuan's words were sound. Xiao Yan's greatest need now was Flame Spirits; he had completed the Dou of the Void Piercing Dharma Body and possessed Earth Supreme combat power, but this was far from his limit—he needed Flame Spirits, needed to seize the power of heaven and earth.

By refining Flame Spirits through the Burning Scripture, then fusing them, he could allow the Flame Spirits of the Dou Qi Continent to absorb the heavenly and earthly power of the Great Thousand World; through the Burning Scripture's fusion, other Flame Spirits would merge into Great Thousand World Flame Spirits, enabling them to consume Spiritual Energy and grow, rather than Dou Qi.

Flame Spirits, like humans, can cultivate—but the Flame Spirits of the Dou Qi Continent feed on Dou Qi!

"Don't worry—I'll go with Xiao Xuan to North Desert Hill," Gu Yuan laughed heartily, clapping Xiao Yan on the shoulder.

"Father!" Hearing Gu Yuan was going to such a dangerous place, Xun Er's heart tightened; she was about to dissuade him when Gu Yuan raised his hand to stop her: "Xun Er, I've lived over a thousand years. A thousand years ago, for the sake of the clan, I abandoned many things. Now the Gu Clan has Qingyang as Clan Leader, you've grown up, have a husband and child, and with Xiao Yan here, I'm at ease."

"It's time for me to choose my own path."

Hearing Gu Yuan's words, Xun Er could say nothing more. Gu Yuan had once been Clan Leader of the Gu Clan, but now that the Dou Qi Continent was at peace, he was no longer Clan Leader—he was merely Gu Yuan!

"Xiao Xuan, for a thousand years, because of the clan's decisions, I've done many things against my conscience, leading the Xiao Clan to its ruin. Fortunately, Xiao Yan has talent. Now, I, Gu Yuan, will risk my life to stand by you—I will surely help you resurrect!" With a sharp clang, Gu Yuan seized Zhang Shan's Sacred Artifact sword, his eyes flashing with sharp resolve.

At this moment, Gu Yuan seemed to have grown young again, his bearing bold and free, like a swordsman setting out on a journey across the world; he no longer wished to rely solely on Xiao Yan. Since they had come to the Great Thousand World, why not take a risk?

"Hahaha, good, Brother Gu Yuan! Once, because of clan affairs, we could never unite openly. That brief period of training was truly precious. Today, let us join hands once more!" Xiao Xuan was no man obsessed like Hun Tian Di; without the Gu Clan's treatment, Xiao Yan might never have grown into a Dou Emperor.

As the saying goes: when heaven bestows a great task upon a man, it first torments his spirit, exhausts his body, starves his flesh, impoverishes his means, and disrupts his actions. Without the Gu Clan, Xiao Yan might never have become a Dou Emperor.

Hearing this, Xiao Yan understood Xiao Xuan's deep intentions and realized he could not stop it. Xiao Xuan had once shouldered the entire Xiao Clan alone during its darkest hour—such a man carried adventure and battle deep in his bones.

"Since it is your own will, Ancestor, your humble descendant Xiao Yan can only wish you a safe journey." As one matter ended, Cai Lin beside them said: "Then we head to Shang Zhi Da Lu—their once-in-a-decade auction is about four months away."

As the date drew near, more and more treasures were revealed for the auction—this auction would surely cause a sensation.

Xun Er glanced at Xiao Yixian, who stood quietly beside them, and said: "There might be a Secret Treasure here that Xiao Yixian needs—to cure her Eternal Calamity Poison."

Hearing Xun Er's words, Xiao Yixian smiled lightly and shook her head: "Don't worry about my Eternal Calamity Poison."

At this, Xiao Yan's expression turned grave as he recalled the cultivation method for the Eternal Calamity Poison Body that his Ancestor had granted him—like all primordial physical forms, to cultivate it into a Supreme Body, special items were required.

For example, the foundational Great Sun Imperishable Body of the Eternal Unchanging Body required Nine Yang Divine Herbs, Void Great Sun Fruits, and Imperishable Divine Leaves. To cultivate the Eternal Calamity Poison Body into a Supreme Body, two things were needed: first, vast quantities of poisons to activate the poison body, just as Xiao Yan had absorbed all his Dou Qi to cultivate his Dou Qi Body.

But the Eternal Calamity Poison Body did not require Dou Qi—it required poison.

The second was the Flower of the Other Shore. This special divine flower was said to grant the ability to traverse life and death; consuming it could protect the Spiritual Soul from perishing. When condensing the Eternal Calamity Poison Body, one must swallow massive amounts of poison—the poison's explosive power could even kill the user themselves.

Even if the body of one with the Eternal Calamity Poison Body could not be poisoned to death, the Spiritual Soul would rot—thus the Flower of the Other Shore was needed to protect the Spiritual Soul.

But this divine flower, like the Cycle Six Leaf Grass, was not recorded in any texts; only Xiao Potian and Xiao Yan had mentioned it—this divine flower appeared in red and blue hues, growing only at the boundary between extremely dense death energy and life energy, a most peculiar divine flower.

Now, Xiao Yan and Xiao Yixian could only pray that the Flower of the Other Shore would be auctioned on Shang Zhi Da Lu.

"But funding is a problem. This auction will likely attract many Earth Supreme Factions, and we're broke right now." At this, Xun Er's delicate face flushed slightly—this princess, from birth until now, had felt the word "broke" for the first time!

Although Xun Er had inherited the entire Treasure Hall from the Ningzhu Array Master, containing hundreds of millions of Supreme Spirit Liquids, all of them had high Cultivation Realms, and their cultivation consumed millions or even tens of millions of Supreme Spirit Liquids. Xun Er also needed vast amounts of Supreme Spirit Liquids to accelerate her Spirit Array cultivation—otherwise, how could she have advanced so quickly?

Speaking of money, Xiao Yan had always been poor. He asked: "Looks like we need a quick way to earn money. Impersonating the Dan Shen Clan and ancient Wancao Yuan's Elixirs can bring profit, but my current Pill Alchemy isn't fast enough. Any suggestions?"

Xiao Xuan said: "Search for Ruins. Sell the Treasures you find."

"But we don't have much time. Even with Zhu Kun guiding us, reaching Shang Zhi Da Lu won't take long—but we have at most four months."

Gu Yuan raised his hand and said: "Inherit the family fortune."

?!

"But the family fortune is gone." Xiao Yan chuckled and shook his head—he wished he could.

At this moment, Zhu Kun, returning from outside, raised an eyebrow and said: "We can steal."

"Eh, steal from where?"

Xun Er smiled lightly: "Rob those leaving the auction."

"Huh?"

Xiao Yixian said: "Poison and assassinate."

"Mm!"

Cai Lin's beautiful eyes turned to Xiao Yan, speaking with complete confidence: "Start a war."

"Huh!!!!!!?"

Xiao Yan was speechless—were these people really this way to get rich on the Dou Qi Continent?! This was just like the Soul Hall!

But Cai Lin was right—Zhu Kun and Xing Tian returned from outside with a large pile of Secret Treasures, all left behind by the Wanshang Tower Disciples, essentially war spoils.

Among them were many Supreme Grade Divine Artifacts and even quasi-Sacred Artifacts—such as massive spaceships and Divine Towers, special Divine Weapons that could shrink or expand and traverse Void Passages across the heavens.

The most valuable, of course, was Wan Sanqian's relics. Xiao Potian likely knew Xiao Yan was poor and needed startup capital, and among his own belongings, only the Cycle Six Leaf Grass felt too embarrassing to leave—so Wan Sanqian's body and Divine Soul were shattered, but the Storage Space hidden within his Supreme Sea remained intact.

Even Wan Sanqian's Supreme Sea was preserved—a Earth Supreme's Supreme Sea contained immense energy. Though this energy couldn't be used directly, it had other uses.

After refining an Earth Supreme's Supreme Sea, one could obtain a substance called Spiritual Spirit Liquid, which could help a Nine-Pin Sovereign break through to Earth Supreme—equivalent to a natural Supreme Pill.

The Heavenly Tomb could absorb the energy of Supreme Seas, transforming it into special energy, for the Heavenly Tomb was sentient.

"Let's leave Wan Sanqian's Supreme Sea in the Heavenly Tomb. With the Heavenly Tomb's power, Gu Yuan, your father-in-law, should find it easy to break through to Earth Supreme—then our journey to the North Desert Hill will be safer."

"As for the other items from Wanshang Tower and some Treasures from the Ningzhu Array Master's inheritance, we can sell them on Shang Zhi Da Lu to raise some funds."

Cai Lin and the others agreed with Xiao Yan's plan—the auction didn't require Supreme Spirit Liquids; Exchange Offer was acceptable.

Just as Xiao Yan and the others were preparing to head to Shang Zhi Da Lu early and sell their war spoils, Xin Zhangsheng's Spirit Array communication responded. Remember, Xin Zhangsheng and the others had been sent by Cai Lin to track the Fire Spirit Clan and seek news of the Strange Flames!

First chapter: five thousand words. Don't wait for the second—today I'm going out and don't know if I'll have time.

The Q-version artwork for Xiao Yixian's Role Glory Level 3 reward has been made—I'll post it in a bonus chapter when I get the chance.

(End of Chapter)