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Brilliant light burst from Qian Renhan's eyes, nostrils, mouth, and chest. The injuries he sustained during the battle with the Imperial-grade embryo pill and being pierced by the Void Devouring Flame were completely healed in an instant. Wave after wave of terrifying energy fluctuations began to radiate slowly from his body. The flame left inside him by the Void Devouring Flame was also forcefully expelled by the terrifying Dou Qi within his body before his chest fully healed.
Not only that, but Qian Renhan showed no signs of his body exploding from an energy overload. After being tempered by countless drops of ancient essence blood, the strength of his half-Emperor body was far beyond someone like Gu Yuan, who had merely enhanced his physique through cultivation.
Sensing the sudden and immense surge in Qian Renhan's aura, Gu Yuan and Hun Tiandi both changed expressions dramatically once again.
Qian Renhan's figure flickered and appeared before Zi Yan in an instant. With a flick of his hand, he captured a seven-star Demon Saint from the Soul Clan. Grabbing the opponent by the neck, he lifted him into the air as black Dou Qi surged forth, enveloping the Demon Saint's entire body.
Before everyone's shocked eyes, the once vigorous Demon Saint visibly aged at a terrifying rate. His skin shriveled, and moments later, he turned into a pile of white bones. In Qian Renhan's hand now hovered a blood-colored energy orb the size of a human head, radiating an intense life force.
With a gentle push of his palm, Qian Renhan transferred the life force from the orb into Zi Yan's body. Her mangled dragon body began to regenerate slowly—muscles reformed, and damaged dragon scales began to grow anew. Zi Yan's weakened life force gradually rose again.
Gu Yuan stared blankly and muttered, "Extracting life force… grafting life itself… Could this be a technique only available to a Dou Di?"
"Gu Yuan, run!"
Taking advantage of Qian Renhan healing Zi Yan, Hun Tiandi immediately fled, escaping toward the outer reaches of the Ancient Emperor's Domain. Gu Yuan, snapping back to his senses, also fled in a hurry. Otherwise, he would be the next to die.
Zhukun was awestruck. He finally understood how Qian Renhan had survived such serious injuries from fighting Gu Yuan and Hun Tiandi—and even grown stronger afterward. This must be the ability that allowed him to extract the life force of ancient magical beasts and use it to repair his body. The nine-grade golden pill Zhukun had given him had provided the necessary Dou Qi to support the process.
Qian Renhan absorbed the life force of several Dou Saints in quick succession, finally managing to fully heal Zi Yan.
"Senior Zhukun, Zi Yan's injuries are healed. She should wake up soon."
"Thank you." Zhukun breathed a sigh of relief. Zi Yan, his daughter, was the one he felt most guilty toward and cared about the most. If she died, he wouldn't know what reason he had left to live.
Qian Renhan had already begun refining the Imperial-grade embryo pill within his body. With a flick of his hand, an overwhelming aura that surpassed the heavens and earth radiated from him. This was the pressure unique to Emperor-level powerhouses. Though he hadn't fully broken through to Dou Di, by refining the embryo pill, he had stepped into the half-Emperor realm and was already brushing shoulders with the realm of Dou Di.
The humanoid Void Devouring Flame turned back into a ball of black fire and fell into his hand without any resistance.
"Why… Why? I refuse to accept this! Qian Renhan, I refuse to accept it! Tell me—where exactly did I lose?" The Void Devouring Flame was somewhat unhinged. He had calculated every possibility, and by all logic, he was supposed to be the next Dou Di.
"Void Devouring Flame, what you lost to… was the gap in information. Weren't you curious where my abilities came from?"
Zhukun perked up his ears at that, eager to listen. After all, Qian Renhan's abilities were just too monstrous.
"It's because I don't belong to this world."
"You're one of the ones sent by Tuoshe Ancient Emperor or the ancient Dou Dis to experience the lower realms of that other world? In that case… I truly lost fairly," the Void Devouring Flame said bitterly.
Qian Renhan shook his head and replied, "No. The world the ancient Dou Dis went to is one higher than the Dou Qi Continent. I, however, came from a world much lower than this one, making my journey here similar to theirs."
"What?!" The Void Devouring Flame's mind collapsed. If it had been a higher-dimensional being defeating him, he could have accepted it. But Qian Renhan came from an even lower world?
"Though my world was of a lower level, it possessed certain powers that would make even the Dou Qi Continent envious. Farewell, Void Devouring Flame!"
With another surge of black Dou Qi from Qian Renhan's palm, the last trace of the Void Devouring Flame's consciousness was wiped out. What remained was a clump of black fire, radiating mid-level nine-star Dou Saint strength, quietly burning—no longer able to attack or resist.
If left alone, the Void Devouring Flame would eventually regrow intelligence and become a new form of life over time.
But unfortunately, such a powerful flame was not something Qian Renhan would ever let go to waste.
"Let's go, Senior Zhukun."
Qian Renhan drew his finger through the air, tearing open a spatial rift. He stepped into the crack. Zhukun glanced once more at the distant Ancient Emperor's statue before carrying Zi Yan in and following. Once Zi Yan was settled, he would return to see if he could inherit the statue's legacy. The other members of the Taixu Ancient Dragon Clan quickly followed behind.
Meanwhile, the expected prosperity of the Soul Clan was nowhere to be seen. The Soul Realm was a sea of crimson, reeking of thick blood. Everywhere was stained in red, the scent of blood permeating the realm. Shadows filled the space—Dou Zongs roamed freely, Dou Zuns were plentiful, but not a single Dou Saint could be seen.
These Dou Zuns and Dou Zongs were descendants of the ancient Eight Clans, hailing from the Flame, Thunder, Soul, and Gu Clans.
At the heart of the Soul Realm was a massive blood pool nearly one hundred thousand zhang wide. The blood within it was thick and sticky. Floating in the pool were countless corpses and white bones—remnants of the Stone, Spirit, and Medicine Clans, and even some from the Flame, Thunder, Soul, and Gu Clans.
Suddenly, the Central Plains began to tremble. The sky dimmed. Everyone in the Central Plains looked up in horror. A massive cauldron appeared, suspended in the sky. Strangely, although it hovered in midair, only the cauldron's body could be seen—its opening was completely obscured.
Only Saints and above could understand why. Inside the cauldron existed an entirely separate world—a realm that only Dou Saint-level cultivators could hope to open.
"It's finally beginning… Qian Renhan is using the Soul Clan as the cauldron, the lives of countless beings as ingredients, and himself as the pill to accelerate the maturation of the Imperial-grade embryo pill. And when the pill is complete… that will be the moment he ascends to Dou Di!"
In the Central Plains' Xingyun Pavilion, Gu Yuan clenched his fists tightly. Lives used as ingredients—among them were millions of his own Gu Clan's people.
When Gu Yuan said this, everyone present gasped, their eyes filled with horror. A new Dou Di was about to be born.
"He's actually done it," Yao Chen sighed. He knew Qian Renhan's character all too well. Given a shortcut to reach Dou Di, Qian Renhan would never waste countless years gathering resources and painstakingly refining the embryo pill. In his eyes, the lives of all beings were utterly meaningless.
(End of Chapter)