Chapter 372: Xiao Yan, Who Lost His Dreams

"Finally, I've made it out of this hellhole, the Demon Fire Space." Xiao Yan stretched his limbs and took a deep breath, a long-lost sense of ease rising from the bottom of his heart.

"Xun'er, do you intend to return to the Ancient Clan now?" Afterwards, as if remembering something, Xiao Yan turned his head to ask the young girl in green standing elegantly behind him.

Xun'er nodded slightly. Looking closely, her elegant and ethereal face was tinged with a touch of womanly charm born of experience. Recalling the time spent in the Demon Fire Space, she could not help but feel a wave of shyness.

Seeing this girlish demeanor, even the steadfast Xiao Yan could not help but suddenly reach out and pull Xun'er into his embrace. Shy and flustered, she gently pressed her jade hands against his chest and complained slightly:

"Brother Xiao Yan, there are outsiders here!"

"Outsiders?" Xiao Yan was stunned. He turned his head and saw a group of figures not far away, standing as still as wooden chickens. Seeing their familiar attire and emblems, he became interested and smiled warmly:

"Are you people from the Heavenly Mansion?"

Being able to run into his own people immediately after emerging from the Demon Fire Space made Xiao Yan feel relieved, and his tone softened considerably.

"Yongnian, Captain of the Earth-rank squad of the First Grand Brigade of the Heavenly Mansion Alliance, greets the Young Mansion Master!" The leader bowed respectfully.

"Oh? You recognize me?"

Xiao Yan became curious. The Heavenly Mansion of the past did not have any so-called inner alliance, and these people were clearly new faces. It seemed the Heavenly Mansion had undergone significant changes in these two years.

The corners of Yongnian's mouth twitched imperceptibly. The black-robed youth appearing on the Demon Fire Plain, accompanied by a peerless beauty of breathtaking appearance, with an aura that was both obscure and terrifyingly powerful, and a cultivation level that was unfathomable—it was clear he was unaware of the changes in the Central Plains over the past two years. With all these signs, even if they hadn't met, it was enough to determine his identity.

What's more, their superiors had ordered them to imprint the Young Mansion Master's appearance into their minds as an instinct, so how could they fail to recognize him?

At this moment, Yongnian felt quite strange. On one hand, as the first members to encounter the Young Mansion Master, passing the news back to the Heavenly Mansion would undoubtedly be a great merit, and the contribution rewards would naturally be substantial.

But the timing of the Young Mansion Master's appearance was just too coincidental. Was his fate destined to be lonely?

However, with the Young Mansion Master present, Yongnian could not be too rude, and he quickly replied: "We are the personnel specifically sent by the Alliance to the Demon Fire Plain to wait for the Young Mansion Master to emerge from seclusion."

"Besides us, there are three other teams similar to ours stationed here as well."

Hearing Yongnian's explanation, Xiao Yan felt a warmth in his heart. He naturally understood that these people were likely sent by Yao Lao, specifically to pass the news of his return back to the Heavenly Mansion as soon as possible.

"What changes have occurred in the Central Plains over these two years? How is the Soul Hall?" Mentioning the Soul Hall, a sense of heroism rose in Xiao Yan's heart. Now that he had fused with the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame, his cultivation had reached the Six-Star Dou Sheng level, and his heart was unprecedentedly inflated—a mere Soul Hall, what was there to worry about!

He made up his mind that if the Heavenly Mansion's strength was insufficient, he would pull in reinforcements from his clan to completely erase the Soul Hall from the map of the Central Plains.

However, Yongnian's expression became even stranger. "The Soul Hall has already been destroyed."

"Destroyed?" Both Xiao Yan and the cold-natured Xun'er behind him were stunned, staring in astonishment at the source of the news.

If it weren't for the fact that he was certain the other party couldn't possibly deceive him about such an easily verifiable matter, Xiao Yan's first reaction might have been to blast them with his Exotic Fire.

"How was it destroyed? Who did it?"

"Teacher? Langya Pavilion? Or the Ancient Clan?"

Xiao Yan spoke rapidly, spitting out his guesses like a machine gun.

Xiao Yan was more inclined to believe it was the Ancient Clan. After all, the Soul Hall's backer was the Soul Clan; there were many who dared to strike at the Soul Hall, and some who had the ability to destroy it.

But he knew his own situation; the Heavenly Mansion's strength still had a significant gap compared to the Soul Hall. Unless a group of top-tier experts had joined the Heavenly Mansion in the last two years, the latter would only have the power to parry against the Soul Hall.

If the Heavenly Mansion and Langya Pavilion had joined forces, it might be possible, but one couldn't treat the Soul Clan, the backer behind the Soul Hall, as air. If their little brother was beaten, would the Soul Clan just stand by and watch?

Thinking it over, the only possibility was the Ancient Clan, whose strength on paper was on par with the Soul Clan.

However, the reply Xiao Yan received was Yongnian shaking his head.

"Neither?" Xiao Yan frowned, puzzled. Could it be that the Soul Hall had done too many wicked things and suffered divine retribution?

"The Soul Hall was destroyed by the Heavenly Mansion, Langya Pavilion, and the other Ancient Races excluding the Soul Clan together."

Regardless, this was the final explanation the allied forces gave to the outside world, and as an ordinary Dou Zun, this was naturally the version Yongnian had received.

"Hmm?" Xiao Yan's eyes widened. Today's news nearly shattered the rock-solid state of mind he had honed through years of life-and-death struggles.

Good heavens, what kind of heaven-defying, earth-shattering things had the Soul Hall done to provoke a group of giants on the Dou Qi Continent to join forces and wipe them out?

It was no wonder the Soul Clan didn't dare to intervene. With this lineup, let alone the Soul Hall, even the Soul Clan would be finished if they ran into them!

Eh...

Xiao Yan's expression changed abruptly; something didn't seem right!

"What about the Soul Clan?" He needed to confirm one thing.

Facts proved that the saying "blessings never come in pairs, but misfortunes never come singly" ultimately had its limitations. At least today, Xiao Yan heard a second piece of good news, one that could keep him happy for quite a while.

Feeling the Young Mansion Master's burning gaze, Yongnian swallowed involuntarily.

"The Soul Clan was also destroyed shortly after the Young Mansion Master entered the Demon Fire Space."

Xiao Yan only focused on this one sentence. As for the details of the war and the tragic experiences of the Shi and Ling clans that Yongnian went on to describe, they were completely excluded by Xiao Yan.

After understanding roughly everything that had happened in the Central Plains over the past two years, Xiao Yan was silent for a long time. Xun'er, who was with him, was no better; these messages were simply too stimulating, shocking enough to make one's scalp tingle.

After clarifying all the intelligence, the two left immediately. Before long, they appeared on a mountain peak. Looking at the magnificent scenery below, they were slightly distracted; the impact from just now was still a bit too much.

However, Xun'er recovered earlier than Xiao Yan. She gently tugged at his sleeve from behind and comforted him: "Brother Xiao Yan, aren't these good things?"

Xiao Yan came back to his senses and gave a bitter smile. "They are indeed good things."

"But..."

They were a bit too good!

He had worked himself to the bone for so many years, hunted by the Soul Hall more than once with nowhere to run, and the hereditary hatred between the Soul Clan and the Xiao Clan went without saying. With all these factors, Xiao Yan had always taken the destruction of the Soul Clan as his highest goal.

Now, this extremely difficult goal had been achieved by his elders ahead of time. He felt that he had become a salted fish that had lost its dreams.

Although Xiao Yan looked slightly decadent, Xun'er was not worried. With his temperament, it wouldn't take long for him to adjust easily.

Moreover, Xun'er deduced an even better piece of news from this. Her little face immediately returned to the icy appearance she showed outsiders, carrying a polite yet distant smile.

"Brother Xiao Yan, how did Senior Xiao Xuan get out of the Heavenly Tomb back then?"

"Xun'er knows nothing about it!"

Without needing Xiao Yan to explain, Xun'er could easily deduce that the trip to the Heavenly Tomb must have been a long-planned action by the Xiao Clan, and that even Xiao Yan had kept something from her.

Although Xiao Xuan's resurrection was a matter of great importance and a little concealment was understandable, Xun'er would not let this matter pass just like that.

Listening to Xun'er's clear and pleasant voice, Xiao Yan's heart skipped a beat. He hadn't thought it through when he concealed it back then, and it wouldn't be easy to handle now that the truth was out!

Feeling the increasingly heavy air pressure around him, Xiao Yan's mind raced. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him, and he spoke up:

"Xun'er, after we go back this time, shall I have my father propose marriage to the Ancient Clan?"

This move caught Xun'er off guard, and, thrown into a state of confusion, she stammered for a long time before finally managing to spit out a single word: "Okay!"

Along with her shyness, there was even more joy; at this moment, whether in terms of strength, talent, or family background, Xiao Yan could already be considered the pinnacle of the younger generation on the Dou Qi Continent, and absolutely no one in the Ancient Clan would dare to obstruct the marriage between the two.

Having experienced a long-distance romance, Xun'er was naturally overjoyed at this result.

"Then, niece Xun'er, please wait a moment; I, the Xiao Clan, will prepare the betrothal gifts immediately!"

A hearty, loud laugh came from behind the two of them.