Chapter 860: Fire Spirit Continent

Xiao Yan sighed inwardly, gazing at the endless universe: "The Burn Scripture requires gathering all strange fires of the world, so it's destined that only one person can cultivate it—even without you, I will surely claim the Fire Spirit Clan's Divine Fire, and the Fire Spirit Clan won't let me go."

"You can't escape."

Conservation of energy.

Xiao Yan wasn't unfamiliar with those who had cultivated the Burn Scripture—he himself had a fool of a senior brother, Han Feng, who was one of them.

Back then, Han Feng had already obtained the Sea Heart Flame, yet he schemed for years to seize the Falling Heart Flame of Jia Nan Academy, and it was precisely because of the strange fire that he clashed with Xiao Yan.

So Xiao Yan had long understood: those who possess the Burn Scripture must inevitably collide, for the world's strange fires are fixed. Just as the Dou Qi Continent could never birth two Emperor Flames, its power could at most allow the Burn Scripture to reach Emperor Grade High—never surpassing Emperor Grade.

The Great Thousand World is the same. Though vastly stronger than the Dou Qi Continent, it still cannot produce a Sovereign-grade strange fire. The Five Elements Spirit Soil is a supercontinent, yet even the Fire Realm only birthed strange fires equal to Emperor Flames.

Imagine—if ten Emperor Flames could evolve the Burn Scripture to the Supreme Sovereign level, how many Emperor Flames would be needed to reach Sovereign level? A thousand? Ten thousand?! How could there possibly be so many?!

The Fire Spirit Clan claims to have gathered all strange fires of the Great Thousand World, yet could only condense one Supreme Sovereign-grade Divine Fire.

Now, Void Swallowing Flame and Pure Lotus Demonic Flame both rest in Xiao Yan's hands. Tuoshe Ancient Emperor originally intended to open the Dimensional Embryo, so he didn't kill Void Swallowing Flame or Pure Lotus Demonic Flame—but he never expected Xiao Potian and others to leave behind a sealing, leaving Tuoshe Ancient Emperor thwarted, even unable to take Void Swallowing Flame and Pure Lotus Demonic Flame with him.

Of course, it's also possible Tuoshe Ancient Emperor left them deliberately.

But regardless, the Great Thousand World's strange fires cannot sustain two Burn Scripture cultivators. The Burn Scripture's evolution has already reached its limit at the Legendary Divine Technique level; to evolve further, one must continue refining new strange fires and seize them all.

When two Burn Scripture cultivators both reach Legendary Divine Technique level, it means nearly all strange fires of the Great Thousand World have been claimed—the few remaining are either still immature or too weak to be worth consuming.

"The Burn Scripture seems to stretch from the Primordial to the Ultimate—only one person can reach the Ultimate," Void Swallowing Flame said slowly.

"First, settle a few other matters, then we go to the Fire Spirit Clan to find Tuoshe Ancient Emperor."

One month after Xiao Yan's emergence as a Supreme Sovereign, Xiao Yan spent this time enjoying familial bliss on the Dou Qi Continent and handling its affairs.

After all, Xiao Yan had once promised to bring some people into the Great Thousand World to develop on Ning Tian Continent.

Taking away a group of people means the Dou Qi Continent's strength will decline—especially since Nalan Yanran, Yun Yun, Qing Lin, and others will leave, leaving the Dou Qi Continent without even a single Dou Emperor.

"Big brother, these are three Breakthrough Emperor Pills I refined, made by drawing Source Qi from beyond the Celestial Sky. They increase the chance of breaking through to Dou Emperor—decide who gets them." Xiao Yan pulled out three brocade boxes; refining Breakthrough Emperor Pills was now effortless for him.

The difficulty lay in extracting the thin Source Qi from the Celestial Sky—but luckily, Xiao Yan possessed Divine Realm Soul Force, so it wasn't hard. These pills are for those who won't leave the Dou Qi Continent, ensuring it won't be left without even a Dou Emperor.

Xiao Ding now understood: breaking through using Source Qi, in a sense, was another path—using Source Qi to break through would cause one's realm to drop to Ninth Rank Supreme upon entering the Great Thousand World, because the Source Qi cultivation system conflicts with that of the Great Thousand World.

Even Xiao Yan himself had dropped to Ninth Rank Supreme Peak; his internal Source Qi was eventually absorbed by the Evil God Asura Spirit Body.

"Don't worry, third brother—we'll take care of Father and the Xiao Clan," Xiao Ding nodded firmly.

Xiao Li slapped Xiao Yan's shoulder hard: "Go fight out there with peace of mind—behind you, your brother and I stand guard. The Dou Qi Continent and the Xiao Clan will always welcome you home."

"I understand, second brother," Xiao Yan smiled faintly and gave a slight nod.

"Hahaha! How can cultivators like us be so sentimental? Come! Tonight, we don't use our cultivation—let's drink until we collapse!"

"Hahaha! Drink! Until we collapse!"

Even deep into the night, the Xiao Clan Courtyard remained brightly lit, echoing with the laughter of these three brothers.

Early the next morning, before the Life and Death Gate of Yun Lan Sect, thousands stood lined up—some high, some low in cultivation, but all had completed the transformation from Dou Qi to Spiritual Energy.

The highest among them was not the Elder Zhao, who had reached Five-Pin Sovereign, but Lei Dong, the Young Clan Leader of the Lei Clan!

Xiao Yan hadn't expected this—Lei Dong had originally intended to stay on the Dou Qi Continent, hoping to break through to Dou Emperor.

But a year ago, Su Ji had left him with psychological trauma, and he ultimately decided to follow Xiao Yan to Ning Tian Continent.

"Xiao Yan brother, everyone is assembled," Ya Fei walked up to Xiao Yan holding the Roster.

This time, not only Nalan Yanran and others would go to the Great Thousand World—Ya Fei and Xiao Yu would also go to Ning Tian Continent. Ning Tian Continent had become the transit point from the Dou Qi Continent to the Great Thousand World, like a newbie village of the Great Thousand World.

Xiao Yan knew Ya Fei's management skills well, and Xiao Yu was primarily responsible for overseeing the Xiao Clan disciples. The largest group heading to the Great Thousand World was naturally the Xiao Clan disciples; Xun Er and Xiao Yixian were still undergoing Dimensional Purification, so Xiao Yu led the Xiao Clan.

"Mm." Xiao Yan nodded, then changed his hand seals and swept his hand—dense streams of Sovereign Spirit Liquid flew out of a Jade Bottle.

Tens of millions of Sovereign Spirit Liquids merged into the Life and Death Gate, activating a Teleportation Spirit Array. Xiao Yan pulled from the Void Space an Ancient Ship of Sacred Artifact grade, tossed it into the Teleportation Spirit Array—and the tiny ship instantly swelled into a colossal warship.

"Wow, what a magnificent cosmic warship!"

"No wonder Xiao Yan His Majesty—such effortless grandeur!"

"To follow His Majesty is the honor of our lives!"

Xiao Yan looked down at the elite talents carefully selected, and said solemnly: "Fellow citizens of the Dou Qi Continent—board the ship!"

"Yes!!"

Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—figures leapt onto the warship, standing on the deck. Even Hai Bodong, Yao Heavenly Flame, Su Qian, the Elder of Jia Nan Academy, the Qian Bai Elders, and the Grand Elder of Dan Tower were aboard, all gazing longingly at the Great Thousand World.

"I never thought—I, Hai Bodong, would one day fly beyond the Dou Qi Continent," Hai Bodong marveled at his own life. Once, he was merely a Dou Emperor of the Jia Ma Empire, even imprisoned by Mei Du Sha and nearly dying in the Desert.

Decades ago, in a map shop in Mo City of the Jia Ma Empire, Hai Bodong had no idea that decades later he'd become the revered "Stock God" of the Dou Qi Continent—and now, he still didn't realize that in the future he'd become the Ice Sovereign feared throughout the Great Thousand World. The wheel of fate had begun to turn!

"Xiao Yan, is Nalan Yanran staying on the Dou Qi Continent?" After everyone boarded the Ancient Ship, Xiao Yu noticed Nalan Yanran still standing atop Yun Lan Mountain, gazing far away, not preparing to board, and asked curiously.

"She has other matters to attend to—she won't go to Ning Tian Continent." Hearing this, Xiao Yan stood on the ship and met Nalan Yanran's gaze, nodding slightly with a faint smile.

Hearing Xiao Yan had other plans, Ya Fei and Xiao Yu said nothing more.

Xiao Yan stood in the endless Space, gazing down at his fellow citizens embarking for the Great Thousand World, and said solemnly: "You are not my subordinates. Once you reach the Great Thousand World, you have your own freedom—but I hope you remember: you all come from the same place."

"From the Dou Qi Continent!"

"I, Xiao Yan, see you off!"

Xiao Yan activated his Spiritual Power, turned away from his homeland, and led the Ancient Ship forward, guiding it toward Ning Tian Continent.

After Xiao Yan left, the entire Dou Qi Continent didn't sink into low morale—it became even livelier, for this was only the first group. The Life and Death Gate would open again after intervals, like Dan Tower's Pill Gathering.

"Next time the Life and Death Gate opens, I'll pass the Trial—I'll go to the Great Thousand World too!"

"Of course! Get to cultivating!"

"Only insufficient cultivation—need to lay a solid foundation first."

A wave of cultivation swept across the entire Dou Qi Continent.

Nalan Yanran, clad in silver moon-white robes, held the Black Sword, standing atop the peak of Yun Lan Mountain, gazing far off at the direction where Xiao Yan had vanished.

After Xiao Yan departed, Nalan Yanran pulled from her bosom a Jade Talisman—inside it rested a fragment of the Demon Emperor's soul: naturally, the remnant of the fallen Xuan Shi Emperor.

Nalan Yanran's destination in the Great Thousand World was not Ning Tian Continent—but the Great Thousand Palace.

The Great Thousand Palace requires at least an Earth Supreme to join, and Nalan Yanran has just reached Lower Earth Supreme.

Of course, if Nalan Yanran, a Lower Earth Supreme, were to trade a fragment of a Demon Emperor's soul for Execution Demon Points, the commotion would be immense—even Xiao Yan could not imagine it.

"Really, they always send me to run errands," Nalan Yanran muttered, though her lips unconsciously curled upward.

Nalan Yanran was not only going to the Great Thousand Palace to exchange Execution Demon Points, but also to search for other Saint Pupils; with her status as an Execution Demon Master, finding information about the Domain Beyond demons would naturally be easier.

Xiao Yan had already informed Nalan Yanran about the Saint Pupils and the Domain Beyond demons, proving he had granted her his complete trust—no one would dare spread such secrets otherwise.

"Wait, Master, Master should be coming out of seclusion soon."

"Heh."

Thus, the Dou Qi Continent sank once more into stillness—though when its name reappeared in the Great Thousand World, it would be a hundred years later.

Huo Ling Da Lu, located in the southeast of the Great Thousand World, was a famed continent within it. Like the Ice Spirit Continent in the northwest, this land had not always borne this name; a thousand years ago, the Fire Spirit Clan seized control of it and renamed it Huo Ling Da Lu.

At that time, the leader of the Fire Spirit Clan was the current Fire Spirit Ancestor—only during that war did the Great Thousand World learn that the Fire Spirit Clan had produced a Heaven Supreme; the Fire Spirit Ancestor's name then echoed throughout the Great Thousand World, and the Fire Spirit Clan once again became a Supreme Faction.

Huo Ling Da Lu was exceptionally unique—a continent suspended within flames, visible from afar as a vast expanse rising above fire, as if constantly scorched.

It possessed the most bountiful fire-element Spiritual Energy; for those cultivating fire-element Cultivation Methods, this was a treasureland, where cultivation yielded double results with half the effort—no wonder the Fire Spirit Clan had chosen it.

As far as the eye could see, the land was dotted with volcanic peaks, clouds glowing crimson like burning clouds, and occasional eruptions spewing forth.

Such a land, within sight, radiated an ancient, primordial aura—as if every peak, every colossal mountain, burned with unbearable heat.

There were rumors that Huo Ling Da Lu was not truly a continent, but the skeletal remains of an ancient, peak-stage fire-element Supreme Divine Beast—though this was merely legend, its truth unknown.

But regardless, Huo Ling Da Lu was now the Fire Spirit Clan's stronghold; though the Five Elements Spirit Soil had reformed, the Five Spirit Clans had not yet relocated back—they still had much to deliberate.

Fire Spirit City, located at the center of Huo Ling Da Lu, was one of the oldest cities on the continent, existing since ancient times, and now served as its capital, drawing countless cultivators daily—especially those cultivating fire-element methods.

Within Fire Spirit City, any fire-element resource or Medicinal Material imaginable could be found; if you could not find a fire-element resource here, it could not be found anywhere in the Great Thousand World.

"This is Fire Spirit City—truly, no wonder it is ruled by the Fire Spirit Clan; the fire-element Spiritual Energy here is extraordinarily abundant."

At this moment, within Fire Spirit City, a figure clad in black robes moved through the city, marveling at the bustling Fire Spirit Clan.

Upon entering Fire Spirit City, noise and clamor surged at him; countless buildings stretched before him, most peculiarly constructed with bricks and timber that emitted wisps of flame—seen from afar, the houses appeared to be on fire, strangely odd.

On the streets, carriages and horses jostled, figures thronged; cultivators pressed shoulder to shoulder, sweat pouring down in this place.

Yet the black-robed figure walked freely through the crowded streets, as if passersby deliberately avoided him—no one touched him.

"Hey brother, first time in Fire Spirit City? Come take a look—our Huo Ge is the number one Shang Cheng in Fire Spirit City; if you can name a fire-element resource, we have it. Come in and see!"

The black-robed man glanced at the shopboy, then turned his head toward the shopfront, slowly lowering his Hood to reveal his signature smile and asked: "Do you really have every kind of fire-element resource?"

"Of course! Huo Ge ranks among the top two in Fire Spirit City—name anything you want."

"Then do you have any Strange Flames?" Xiao Yan smiled and asked.