Chapter 502: Crisis from Beyond the Heavens

Dou Qi Continent, Xiao Clan.

In the spacious Xiao Clan courtyard, a tall banyan tree, thick enough for several people to embrace, stretched its branches and leaves to the fullest; sunlight filtered through the layers of lush canopy, forming spots of light on the floor.

Under the shade of the tree, a young man in black robes lay on a rocking chair with his eyes closed, swaying leisurely.

Outside the courtyard, a woman in a long cyan dress, exuding a gentle and intelligent aura, walked into the courtyard carrying a fruit platter, quietly approached the man in black, and gently placed the platter on the low table beside him.

Observing the man's slightly furrowed brows in his sleep, she paused for a moment, then reached out her fair, slender, and soft jade hand, wanting to smooth them out.

"Hmm!?"

Suddenly, a large hand grabbed the soft jade hand without warning, causing the woman to let out a cry of surprise; before she knew it, the man's tightly closed eyes had already opened, and he looked at the person before him with a smile in his eyes.

After trying to pull her hand away a few times to no avail, the woman gave up the idea, let the man hold it, and asked in a soft tone:

"I've seen you looking troubled lately; has something happened?"

Hearing this, the man was startled, then smiled indifferently,

"What could possibly happen to me?"

"Yun'er, don't forget, your husband is now an Imperial-level powerhouse."

"How could there be anything in the current Dou Qi Continent for me to worry about?"

The man speaking was none other than Xiao Yan, and the woman he called Yun'er was the former Yunlan Sect Master, Yun Yun.

Having received Xiao Yan's denial, Yun Yun did not continue to press for the truth, but instead, a sense of worry accumulated in her heart.

Recently, Xiao Yan's subconscious abnormal behavior had not escaped the notice of Yun Yun, who was his partner and possessed a delicate mind.

Even today, when faced with her inquiry, Xiao Yan still chose to conceal the truth, which made Yun Yun vaguely sense just how dangerous the secret hidden by the former was.

Afterward, the two shared a moment of tenderness; after Yun Yun left, Xiao Yan's expression changed instantly, and he muttered to himself:

"What on earth is going to happen?"

Several months ago, he, who could face any danger with indifference due to his increased experience, had felt a palpitation for the first time in a long while; the key was that this feeling from the unknown had not faded with time, but had instead grown increasingly intense, until it was noticed by Yun Yun just now.

After pondering for a moment, Xiao Yan stood up immediately, and with a slight movement of his body, he entered the back mountain of the Xiao Clan, where the Xiao Realm was located.

"Why is a little fellow like you willing to come to my dull and serious Ancestral Hall?"

Regarding Xiao Yan's arrival, Xiao Xuan poured a cup of tea and asked, quite puzzled.

Hearing this, Xiao Yan gave a wry smile; it seemed that his past disparaging remarks about the Ancestral Worship Hall being too serious had reached the ears of his ancestor Xiao Xuan, and he was holding a grudge.

But he did not dwell on this, instead asking with a slightly solemn expression:

"I wonder if the ancestor has noticed any abnormalities recently?"

"Hmm?"

Xiao Xuan, who was about to taste his tea, stopped his movements, his eyes narrowed slightly; he put down the teacup, his tone turning heavy,

"You have this feeling too?"

Xiao Yan's expression changed slightly,

"The ancestor is the same?"

Finally, the expressions of the two became surprisingly unified, as grim as water,

"I thought it was my imagination, but since you have similar feelings, it seems things are not simple!"

Xiao Xuan said in a grave tone.

"Let's go, let's go see those old friends; if they are the same as us, then..."

Xiao Xuan shook his head,

"Perhaps we should make plans early."

With a casual swipe, he tore open a spatial rift, and the two stepped inside.

The other end of the spatial rift connected to the Ancient Clan; the moment Xiao Yan appeared, Gu Yuan noticed it immediately, and linking it to the strangeness in his heart recently, he had a certain guess.

"You two wouldn't visit without a reason; it seems something major is about to happen, right?"

"You noticed it too?"

The solemnity on Xiao Xuan's face deepened; Gu Yuan's proactive welcome and straightforward words made his heart sink a little further.

"It seems I am not the only Emperor!"

The next instant, a purple-gold dragon claw reached out from the space, tearing open a gap, and the figure of Zhu Kun stepped out from the rift; after receiving the news from Xiao Yan and the other, Zhu Kun had rushed to the Ancient Clan without stopping to meet with them, just in time to encounter this scene.

The four looked at each other in silence, all seeing a deep chill in each other's eyes.

"This time, something truly major is going to happen to the Dou Qi Continent!"

Decades had passed since Xiao Yan became an Emperor; a few years after he attained the Imperial rank, he tore open the seal that had locked the Dou Qi Continent, introducing Source Qi into the continent, and as a result, three new Imperial-level powerhouses were born.

However, at this moment, four Imperial-level powerhouses felt a crisis descending simultaneously; it could not possibly be a mere illusion, but a premonition of a crisis—a crisis sufficient to affect the entire Dou Qi Continent.

"It seems we need to re-establish an alliance."

Central Plains, Langya Pavilion.

In the secret chamber, Great Elder Ye Jianxin sat cross-legged with his eyes closed; a cyan-green longsword floated quietly in the empty space before him, occasionally shooting out invisible sword Qi into the surroundings, shredding the space where the sword was located.

A thin, imperceptible thread connected the sword and the person, their auras gradually merging, with a trend toward becoming one.

The body of the sword's master was enveloped in an aura as vast as an abyss; if anyone else were here, they would surely be surprised to find that the other's strength was already infinitely close to that supreme realm of the Dou Qi Continent.

Suddenly, Ye Jianxin's brows furrowed slightly, and a faint snapping sound reached his ears; the thread connecting the sword and the person snapped abruptly.

"Pfft!"

Helplessly opening his deep, ink-black pupils, Ye Jianxin smacked his lips in dissatisfaction,

"It is still too early!"

Then he gave a wry smile,

"You fellow, I don't know how much further you'll leave me behind the next time we meet."

Even though Xiao Han had been missing without a trace, for the people of Langya Pavilion who had long been accustomed to this, the former had merely been trapped in some ruin once again; when he appeared again, he would surely possess a shocking advancement, and of this, Ye Jianxin was equally convinced.

Just then, Ye Jianxin lifted his eyelids, and a message-transmitting Jade Talisman floated before him; after closing his eyes to perceive it, a look of confusion immediately appeared, and after tidying up slightly, he left the secret chamber.

When Ye Jianxin arrived at the meeting hall, a sparse number of Elders from Langya Pavilion were sitting at the scene, with the Second Elder, Yunlei Jingling, Jingtian Lin Jing, and juniors such as Xiao Wu prominently in their seats; Yi Huang, located at the head of the table, could not help but reveal a smile upon seeing the familiar figure, and said in a relaxed tone:

"The Great Elder coming out of seclusion is very timely; there is just something to discuss."

"Has your cultivation improved again?"

Feeling the subtle pressure emanating from Ye Jianxin, Yi Huang showed a look of joy.

"Your Soul Power has also become much stronger!" Ye Jianxin nodded slightly, not denying it.

"Why bring up the alliance suddenly? Could it be that those things have appeared?"

Skipping the interlude, as soon as he sat down, Ye Jianxin asked in a deep voice.

Decades ago, the immense pressure from the Soul Clan prompted the Ancient Race and some super forces in the Central Plains, including Langya Pavilion, to form an alliance.

To this day, the Dou Qi Continent has given birth to Imperial powerhouses again, and thanks to the nourishment and enhancement of the Source Qi brought by Xiao Yan, the overall energy of the Dou Qi Continent is now several times greater than it once was, and the difficulty of breaking through has also been greatly reduced; over the decades, the strength of latecomers has grown rapidly, many powerhouses trapped at bottlenecks have broken through one after another, and the power of major forces has increased explosively.

Combining the above, the only reason that could make Ye Jianxin feel that an alliance is reasonable is that the Evil Clan has made a comeback.

"I don't know."

However, Yi Huang shook her head, giving an answer that shocked everyone.

"You don't know?"

Ye Jianxin was stunned, his tone astonished.

"According to the news sent by senior Xiao Xuan, recently, all of them, the Imperial powerhouses, simultaneously felt that a crisis is approaching."

Yi Huang frowned deeply,

"It is suspected to be from outside the Dou Qi Continent."