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In the endless void, thunder raged, and thousands of silver-white lightning bolts, like dancing dragons and snakes, illuminated the boundless darkness.
The black lightning in the center of the thunder pool had disappeared; all those Dark Demonic Thunders had been absorbed by the dark-skinned man, who resembled an iron tower, sitting cross-legged in the depths of the thunder pool.
Suddenly, he opened his eyes, and a terrifying aura that made space tremble spread out. Under this power, for a moment, the dragons and snakes stopped dancing, and various energies in the void flowed backward.
"Hahahaha…" Lei Ying let out a hearty laugh, his laughter like thunder, even drowning out the continuous booming of the lightning.
Nine-Star Dou Saint… After thousands of years, he finally took this step!
The cultivation technique used by the Lei Clan had a special property: it could enhance the quality of one's Dou Qi by absorbing lightning. The more powerful the lightning, the greater the enhancement it brought.
The Nine Profound Golden Lightning was the strongest known lightning, but unfortunately, Lei Ying had never had the chance to see it until he discovered this secret realm in the void.
After refining the Nine Profound Golden Lightning, the quality of his Dou Qi improved, and the energy it contained allowed him to advance even further.
"It's a pity, it's still a bit too late… Given the current situation, even with the strength of an early-stage Nine-Star Dou Saint, it's still not enough."
A hint of worry was etched between his brows.
While the Soul Clan was dangerous, wasn't the Gu Clan equally dangerous?
If the allied forces defeated the Soul Clan, would Gu Yuan, unchecked, become the next Hun Tiandi?
His gaze drifted into the depths of the void, and he murmured softly:
"Nether Lotus Demon Flame… If Yan Jin gets the Nether Lotus Demon Flame, he'll probably also have a chance to break through to Nine-Star Dou Saint. Then, with the two of us combined, we might be able to contend with Gu Yuan."
…
In the Heavenly Tomb, Xiao Yan broke through to Five-Star Dou Saint after consuming the Ninth-Rank Mysterious Pill he had refined.
He vaguely felt that his current strength should have surpassed Hun Xunzi's during the Yao Ceremony, but it was hard to say for sure… After all, it was just a vague feeling, and they hadn't truly fought.
At this stage, advancing further would be incredibly difficult. Without some fortuitous encounter, relying solely on normal cultivation, it might take decades or even a century to advance by a single star.
Xiao Yan looked at his left index finger, where a dark, ancient storage ring rested. This was Xiao Xuan's final legacy; he had chosen to die, sealing his energy core within this ring.
Even for the current Xiao Yan, the energy within the ring was too vast when his spirit power seeped into it. Although with his Emperor Realm spirit power, he was confident he could control this energy core after breaking the Sealed Artifact and absorb its energy without too much waste.
However, this would take a considerable amount of time.
The Nether Lotus Demon Flame was about to appear, and he couldn't guarantee that he could absorb it before it descended.
The Nether Lotus Demon Flame was one of the few opportunities that could certainly greatly increase his strength, and Xiao Yan didn't want to give it up.
After a moment of thought, he made a decision. He would first emerge to contend for the Nether Lotus Demon Flame, and then refine this energy core.
He took out four pieces of ancient map fragments.
Looking at one of the fragments, a nostalgic expression appeared on his face.
It was acquired at an auction, at the Little Fairy Doctor's instruction, and ultimately not given to the Venerable Elder of the Soul Hall, but kept for him.
"Little Fairy Doctor…" Xiao Yan's heart twinged slightly. Although there was sorrow, it wasn't the same heart-wrenching feeling as before.
The experiences in the Hundred Lives Reincarnation had diluted his feelings for his other confidantes, but his feelings for Xiao Meng had grown even stronger.
Xiao Yan felt this might be related to Amon, perhaps he used some means to interfere with the Enlightenment of Bodhi, or perhaps it was simply because this Enlightenment of Bodhi carried his aura, and Xiao Meng, being of the same clan as him, frequently appeared in the illusion…
Of course, it might also have nothing to do with Amon, but simply because Xiao Meng was the one who most captivated his heart and soul… Not only did he have feelings cultivated since childhood, but also a man's responsibility and a sense of guilt.
He composed himself and placed the four ancient maps together. At the connecting edges of the ancient maps, a hazy glow emerged, and the maps merged into a single, complete map.
It floated before Xiao Yan, and the symbol representing the Nether Lotus Demon Flame on the map glowed with a pink light.
"Is this where the Nether Lotus Demon Flame is located… But this doesn't seem to be a secret among the major forces; Teacher already knew the news of the Demon Flame's impending descent… This map shouldn't just be a map, right?" Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed slightly.
He swept it with his spirit power and discovered a clue.
Just then, the map suddenly contracted, transforming into a beam of light that shot towards Xiao Yan's forehead.
Naturally, Xiao Yan would not allow something with an unknown effect to enter his mind. In the original work, he had no way to stop it and could only let it happen, but now it was different.
Vast spirit power surged out, forming an indestructible spirit power Barrier in front of him, firmly blocking the beam of light and preventing it from advancing an inch.
After a stalemate for a moment, the beam of light seemed to give up, transforming back into an unfurled map.
Just as Xiao Yan was about to reach out and put it away, the map suddenly burst into brilliant light, and a phantom figure, dressed in white robes, with a lotus imprint on his brow and a handsome face, slowly emerged.
"Nether Lotus Saint?" Xiao Yan immediately guessed the identity of this phantom.
The phantom of the Nether Lotus Demon Flame observed Xiao Yan for a moment, then said in surprise:
"Emperor Realm spirit power? Truly, the younger generation is formidable… Originally, this map was my contingency plan to deal with the Nether Lotus Demon Flame and prevent it from harming the Central Plains, but since you yourself possess the strength to subdue it, it seems I've been overly cautious."
Xiao Yan bowed as a junior and said:
"Senior, you may not know, but it has been ten thousand years since your era. In all this time, no one can say what stage the Nether Lotus Demon Flame has reached now.
"I once witnessed the second-ranked Void Swallowing Flame; he already possessed the strength of a Nine-Star Dou Saint, with monstrous power and unmatched arrogance…
"If Senior has any methods to deal with the Nether Lotus Demon Flame, please enlighten me."
"Void Swallowing Flame? You've actually seen the Void Swallowing Flame?" The Nether Lotus Saint's eyes showed surprise.
After a pause, he continued: "The Nether Lotus Demon Flame was Sealed by me in the Demon Flame Space, limiting its growth in strength, so it shouldn't have reached that point…
"Just take this map with you. As for whether it will be useful then, that's up to fate."
Xiao Yan nodded and respectfully said, "Thank you, Senior."
The map transformed into a beam of light and disappeared into Xiao Yan's storage ring.
Glancing at the storage ring on his right index finger, a hint of wariness appeared in Xiao Yan's eyes.
With a thought, he tore open space and returned to the back mountain of Starfall Pavilion.
What greeted his eyes was a massive dragon head.
Xiao Yan couldn't recognize which one it was; aside from Xiao Xiao's aura being clearly stronger than the other three, Xiao Huo, Xiao Yan, and Xiao Yi were almost indistinguishable.
"Daddy!" The giant dragon opened its mouth wide, looking as if it was waiting to be fed.
Xiao Yan: "..."
Looking at the dozens of feet wide mouth, Xiao Yan was silent for a moment, then found a seventh-grade medicinal pill from his storage ring and threw it in.
Xiao Huo closed her mouth, a look of enjoyment on her face.
"Any news of Xiao Xiao?" Xiao Yan asked.
"No, Big Sister doesn't know where she went." Xiao Huo's tone was slightly downcast; this was the first time they had been separated since birth.
After a long silence, she couldn't help but ask, "Daddy, is Mommy really never coming back?"
"She will come back, I promise. Even if I have to search the entire Great Thousand World, I will find a way to bring her back," Xiao Yan said with a solemn expression.
This was a promise, and even more, an oath.
"Mm…" Xiao Huo's low spirits came and went quickly. She said cheerfully:
"Grandpa is looking for you… He said something, um, some lotus is about to appear."
A smile appeared on Xiao Yan's face: "Is it the Nether Lotus Demon Flame?"
"Yes, yes, yes, it's the Nether Lotus Demon Flame!"
Xiao Yan arrived at the front of Starfall Pavilion's mountain range. Yao Chen stood in the square, hands behind his back, gazing into the distance.
"Teacher."
Yao Chen stroked his beard, his expression one of indescribable satisfaction… Xiao Yan had just broken through, and his Dou Qi hadn't been perfectly contained, so Yao Chen could also sense his strength.
"You have far surpassed your teacher. The student surpasses the master; this is my pride."
Xiao Yan dared not be negligent and immediately said, "Every achievement of mine contains a part of Teacher's hard work. Xiao Yan's success today is entirely due to Teacher's nurturing."
Yao Chen's smile grew wider. He knew that this was also inseparable from Xiao Yan's own talent, effort, and luck. His guidance was just one of many factors that led to Xiao Yan's success…
What pleased him most was Xiao Yan's grateful heart, which was countless times stronger than that beast Han Feng's.
He chuckled and handed Xiao Yan a jade bottle exuding a cool aura:
"This is the 'Nine Yin Yellow Spring Pill' I refined for you. It should provide some assistance in subduing the Nether Lotus Demon Flame… There's not much more I can do for you. The path ahead is yours to walk alone."
Xiao Yan took the pill and said in a deep voice, "I will certainly not disappoint Teacher's expectations."
"Oh, right, do you know the location where the Demon Flame will descend?" Yao Chen changed the subject and asked.
Xiao Yan replied, "I've gathered the ancient maps, and they show information about the Demon Flame's descent."
Yao Chen shook his head: "This time is different, perhaps due to the influence of the power of heaven and earth. The entire Demon Flame Space is constantly moving northward; it will likely descend on the Northern Continent."
"Is that so…" Xiao Yan didn't pay too much attention. For a Dou Saint, traveling from the Central Plains to the Northern Continent wouldn't take much time.
…
On the Northern Continent, the temperature of the formerly grassy plains continuously rose, and some areas had already caught fire.
The White Snake Tribe was in a state of panic; they didn't know what was happening. Seeing the plants dehydrated and withered by the high temperature, and feeling the scorching heat in the air, everyone's hearts were clouded with gloom.
"We can't go on like this," Bai Lin said with a grave expression, standing on the city wall, which was taller than ever before.
"Bai Qing, go organize the tribe to migrate. Although I don't know what's happening, this place is no longer suitable for us to live."
"Sister Bai Lin, where do we go then?" Bai Qing, positioned slightly behind and to her left, was somewhat uneasy.
She had been the chief of the White Snake Tribe and had governed it for quite some time, but this was the first time she had encountered such a disaster.
Bai Lin said with a slightly hurried tone, "Anywhere is fine, but we can't stay here and wait for death!"
However, just then, the sky suddenly cracked open, and milky white flames descended from above.
Bai Lin's pupils contracted violently. Looking at the approaching firelight, an extreme sense of crisis surged into her heart.
Intense light enveloped everything, and terrifying high temperatures vaporized everything. The vast grassland was transformed into a desert.
Layers of starlight illuminated, and within the starlight, Bai Lin and Bai Qing put on monocles on their right eyes, and their figures also disappeared from their original positions, escaping the terrifying high temperature brought by the Demon Flame's descent.
Not far from where the Demon Flame Space impacted the ground, an Amon appeared in mid-air, adjusting his monocle, a smile playing on his lips:
"Bringing Cai Lin here back then did leave some traces, but now, those traces are gone too…"
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