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Between heaven and earth, a wave of cold and darkness swept through the land. It was as if all the moisture in the air had frozen in an inst
Between heaven and earth, a wave of cold and darkness swept through the land. It was as if all the moisture in the air had frozen in an inst
Between heaven and earth, a wave of cold and darkness swept through the land. It was as if all the moisture in the air had frozen in an inst
Between heaven and earth, a wave of cold and darkness swept through the land. It was as if all the moisture in the air had frozen in an instant. Even the lava churning in the volcano below had solidified into an impenetrable layer of ice.
Yet, no one paid attention to this dramatic change in the environment. At this moment, every gaze was fixed on the enormous cauldron at the mouth of the volcano.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, a thin figure slowly rose from the giant cauldron. Apart from his head, his entire body was covered in countless purple-gold dragon scales. These scales wrapped tightly around him like armor. His five fingers resembled dragon claws, and with just a casual swipe, several spatial cracks appeared. His previously pale, long hair was now stained with a bloody hue. Each breath he took exhaled a thick stench of blood. Combined with his cold, blood-red eyes, he looked like a Shura returning from the depths of hell—a true embodiment of a demon.
"Dragon Phoenix Ancient Armor... It seems the Dragon Emperor granted our benefactor some Dragon Phoenix essence blood, allowing him to gain a trace of Dragon Phoenix bloodline. He's obtained a high-level innate battle technique from the Taixu Ancient Dragon clan's bloodline. At this point, perhaps only the old Dragon Emperor himself could rival our benefactor in physical strength across the entire Dou Qi continent," an elder of the Taixu Ancient Dragon clan exclaimed in admiration. His nerves, which had been tightly wound, finally relaxed. Qian Renhan had awakened. From now on, life would become much easier—at the very least, they wouldn't have to endure Ziyan's unpredictable fury anymore.
"Ahh—hoo…"
Qian Renhan held his head with one hand and exhaled a deep breath of turbid air. Glancing at the dragon-like scales on his body that resembled Ziyan's, as well as the medicinal cauldron filled with the scent of countless magical beast blood and dense pill fragrance, he could roughly guess how much the Taixu Ancient Dragon clan had sacrificed to save him during his near-death state.
Closing his eyes, his Dou Qi transformed into a simple black robe. With a mere thought, the purple-gold scales quickly retracted into his skin, vanishing with a wave of coolness. In a flash, he appeared before Ziyan, placed one large hand on her head, and began to ruffle her hair.
"Don't mess up my hair! I'm the Dragon Emperor of the Taixu Ancient Dragon clan!" Ziyan quickly moved her head away, baring her small tiger-like teeth, as if warning that she'd bite if he dared to do it again.
"Still such a childish temperament... truly never growing up," Qian Renhan muttered to himself with a shake of his head. Then, turning toward the surrounding elders of the Taixu Ancient Dragon clan, he offered a faint smile and said, "Thank you all for saving me with such effort."
"Not at all! We should be thanking our benefactor for retrieving the Dragon Phoenix Origin Fruit for the Dragon Emperor and saving the Taixu Ancient Dragon clan!" The elders were flattered and hurried to respond respectfully.
Inside the Dragon Hall, only Qian Renhan and Ziyan remained.
Qian Renhan asked, "What's the current situation on the continent?"
Ziyan gave a general summary: "Right now, the ancient Thunder and Flame clans have formed an alliance. The Yao clan has been completely annihilated by the Hall of Souls. The statuses of the Gu and Hun clans are unclear, but it's certain that Gu Yuan and Hun Tiandi haven't fully recovered from their injuries. Otherwise, they would've already launched another attack on the Taixu Ancient Dragon clan. As for the various major factions on the continent, they're all preparing for the imminent emergence of the Bodhi Ancient Tree."
"The Bodhi Ancient Tree..."
If one were to rank all the heavenly treasures of the Dou Qi continent, the Bodhi Ancient Tree would undoubtedly be in the top three!
In ancient texts, it is also known as the Tree of Wisdom and Reincarnation. It takes a thousand years to complete one growth cycle, and only after a hundred cycles does it reach maturity. Such an immensely long passage of time could erode anything, yet the Bodhi Ancient Tree exists outside of time itself. It is considered one of the oldest species on the continent.
Reportedly, the Bodhi Ancient Tree appears once every thousand years. Each appearance causes an enormous stir across the continent. Throughout history, many Dou Sheng-level powerhouses have perished fighting over it. Since then, for reasons unknown, no Dou Sheng has dared to challenge it again.
Having devoured the Yao Clan's patriarch, Yao Dan, Qian Renhan knew well that the reason Dou Shengs stopped targeting the Bodhi Ancient Tree was that its strength was unimaginably terrifying. It had the ability to contend with a Dou Di. In ancient times, it even teamed up with one to kill the Black-Clad Dou Di. Before dying, the Black-Clad Dou Di infused all his negative emotions into the tree, corrupting its temperament. Ever since, it would violently destroy any Dou Sheng-level expert who approached.
Otherwise, the Bodhi Ancient Tree's endless reincarnation cycles offered cultivation opportunities so powerful that someone like Xiao Yan—whose talent was only average by continental standards—could break through from Nine-Star Dou Zun directly to the peak of Nine-Rotation Dou Zun. For gifted individuals already capable of reaching Dou Sheng, it offered a near-miraculous opportunity to instantly rise by one full star. How could Dou Sheng experts not covet such fortune? The likes of Half-Saints and Dou Zuns wouldn't even get a chance.
"Negative emotions from a Dou Di?" Qian Renhan gave a faint smile. "If there's one thing in this world that nourishes me best, it's evil energy." Back when he was still at the Soul Emperor level, he evolved his Evil-Attribute Fallen Angel martial spirit by absorbing violent energies in the Slaughter City, ultimately advancing it to the Ten-Winged stage.
If the Bodhi Ancient Tree were still in its prime, he might not dare act rashly. But now, corrupted by negative emotions over countless years, its simple spiritual intelligence had started turning dark and sinister. In other words, the Bodhi Ancient Tree was slowly evolving into something evil under the Dou Di's emotional residue, and its strength had greatly declined.
Qian Renhan didn't know the current extent of the tree's power, but he was certain it no longer possessed the strength of a Dou Di. Otherwise, the Dou Qi continent wouldn't need a Chosen One to break through to Dou Di and shatter the barrier to the Great World to introduce source energy.
Even so, just to be safe—since there was still some time before the Bodhi Ancient Tree reappeared—Qian Renhan needed to increase his strength quickly. And when it came to untapped resources, the Gu Clan, which had absorbed most of the Xiao Clan's assets, stood at the top of the list.
Although the cultivation techniques of the ancient eight clans were all of late-stage Heavenly rank, they each leaned toward different specialties. The Yao Clan's techniques were aligned with alchemy, the Hun Clan with the soul, the Xiao Clan with fire, and the Yan Clan with explosive force. Among these, the Yao Clan's Emperor's Pill Scripture was the least combat-oriented.
The Gu Realm was located in the Eastern Region of Central Province. That region was home to many factions, almost all of which were considered affiliates of the Gu Clan. In fact, even many leaders of those forces were unfamiliar with the mysterious ruler of the Eastern Region. All they knew was that this sovereign possessed terrifying power. Becoming an affiliate of the Gu Clan was, for any power in the Dou Qi continent, equivalent to holding a license of immunity from death.
(End of Chapter)