Word Count: 2,151 Words

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  The great battle had ended, and the spectators from the Inner Academy all looked at one another in confusion. Each gnced around, perplexed.

  No one had anticipated such an abrupt ending, nor imagined it would conclude in such a manner.

  "Just now... what was that? How did they disappear all of a sudden?"

  "It seemed like teleportation. I've heard that in the Central Pins, there are Wormholes that can instantly transport people from one city to another."

  "Did you see what Dou Technique Xiao Yan used just now? It was amazing!"

  For a moment, countless discussions erupted within the Inner Academy. Many could only grasp the superficial aspects of what had transpired, as this battle had already surpassed the level most could comprehend.

  Whether it was the Dou God Bloodline, a High Di Css Dou Technique, or possessing three kinds of Heavenly Fmes and merging them into the Angry Buddha Lotus Fme—these things were like myths and legends to the Inner Academy students, most of whom were only at the Dou Spirit or even Dou Grandmaster realms, far beyond their understanding.

  In their eyes, all they could do was excim with awe: Wow, how powerful!

  Even Dou Kings like Lin Xiuya and Liu Qing couldn't fully comprehend the battle that had just unfolded. They only knew that if it had been them, Ling Quan could have killed them in an instant.

  Yet even such a formidable Ling Quan was defeated by Xiao Yan!

  Xiao Yan's solitary figure stood silently on the ground scorched bck by the Fire Lotus, casting a long shadow under the st rays of the setting sun.

  Although he had won, his back looked incomparably lonely, tinged with an inexplicable sorrow and grief.

  Zi Yan tilted her head, gazing at Xiao Yan's back as she murmured to herself, "Human emotions really are complicated."

  Many sharp-eyed individuals also noticed that Xun Er had departed Jia Nan Academy, and this battle likely erupted because she was leaving.

  "Let's go. Let him be alone for a while."

  "Sigh, Junior Sister Xun Er left Jia Nan Academy. This is probably quite a blow to Xiao Yan, as well as to the Xiao Cn and Xiao Hall."

  The setting sun was slowly disappearing, and night was about to fall. Everyone tactfully refrained from disturbing this 'broken-hearted' man, leaving him plenty of space.

  Xiao Yan remained fixed on the spot where Xun Er had vanished. No one knew what thoughts were churning through his mind.

  Darkness slowly engulfed the nd as the light faded. The area where Xiao Yan stood was soon overtaken by the night.

  When darkness completely repced daylight, and the entire Jia Nan Academy and Bck-Corner Region were shrouded in the bck of night, wisps of bck fmes slowly emerged from the charred ground at his feet.

  These bck fmes were the same color as the night, making them nearly imperceptible even upon close inspection.

  The bck fmes suddenly enveloped the space where Xiao Yan stood in the next instant. He remained completely calm despite being surrounded by bck fmes, for he knew exactly what this was.

  A Seed Fme of the Nihility Devouring Fme! And it wasn't the nascent Seed Fme he possessed, but a fully matured one.

  "Jie Jie Jie, quite an impressive Dou Technique indeed, using powerful Spiritual Strength to bance and merge Heavenly Fmes, causing them to collide and utilizing the properties between different Heavenly Fmes to create destruction."

  The bck fmes dispersed and darkness enveloped everything. The pce where Xiao Yan stood was no longer within the Inner Academy but in a nihility of space. The Nihility Devouring Fme had pulled him into the void.

  Wisps of bck fme ignited in Xiao Yan's eyes. Only when his eyes were enveloped by the bck fmes could he clearly see his surroundings.

  Xiao Yan gazed calmly into the distance and said in an even tone, "I thought your Hun Cn would keep hiding forever."

  Hun Huzi emerged from the darkness. He was not angered by the provocation and merely chuckled, "Jie Jie, although you do hold some value to my Hun Cn, it's not enough for us to confront the Gu Cn on your behalf."

  Xiao Yan had used the Soul Command Token given by Hun Huzi to make contact when the Gu Cn had appeared. From the information left by Xiao Xuan, he had learned something crucial: within the cave dwelling of the Tou She Ancient God was a Di Tier Embryonic Pill.

  Thus, Xiao Yan understood what the Hun Cn had been attempting to achieve, which was why he held some value to them.

  But just as he had surmised, the Hun Cn would not rush into war with the Gu Cn. Not only was his 'value' insufficient at the moment, but even if it were greater, the Hun Cn still would not fight the Gu Cn now.

  Naturally, he had never pinned his hopes on them.

  Hun Huzi looked Xiao Yan up and down and said, "Advancing from a 3-star Dou Practitioner to the strength of a Dou King in four years, and possessing multiple Heavenly Fmes... not bad."

  Advancing from Dou Practitioner to Dou King in four years, achieving one major realm per year—that speed was astonishingly terrifying not only in the Jia Ma Empire but even in Jia Nan Academy, the Bck-Corner Region, and the entire North-Western Region.

  But to Hun Huzi, this advancement speed was merely 'not bad.' Those lower-ranked Heavenly Fmes were even less appealing to him. They weren't worth comparing to fully cultivating a Seed Fme of the Nihility Devouring Fme.

  His eyes narrowed slightly, growing unfathomably deep as he muttered to himself, "Half-step to Perfected Mortal State..."

  However, the speed at which Xiao Yan's Spiritual Strength had improved genuinely surprised him.

  He naturally knew that Xiao Yan was cultivating only a very ordinary High Xuan Css Soul Training Method. Such a Soul Method could bring improvements, but not significant ones.

  Moreover, Xiao Yan hadn't even started cultivating a Soul Training Method four years ago. To be more precise, it was only three years ago that he obtained the right to cultivate one after passing the Hall of Souls' trial.

  Yet now, he had already reached the half-step to Perfected Mortal State!

  Such speed was considered remarkably fast even within the Hun Cn, which specialized in cultivating Spiritual Strength—not to mention that Xiao Yan cked an advanced Soul Training Method and didn't possess the Hun Cn's Dou God Bloodline.

  When Hun Huzi first encountered Xiao Yan, he hadn't even spared a gnce at the Bone Chilling Fme. Heavenly Fmes held no significance to him. He already possessed the strongest Seed Fme of the Nihility Devouring Fme. Gaining a second Heavenly Fme was meaningless to him, as he didn't cultivate the Fme Mantra.

  However, Xiao Yan's innately powerful Spiritual Strength had somewhat surprised him, which was why he had tossed him a Soul Command Token.

  As it turned out, he hadn't misjudged. Xiao Yan's Spiritual Strength had improved much faster than his Dou Qi cultivation. Compared to cultivating Dou Qi, his talent in cultivating Spiritual Strength was simply terrifying.

  "Jie Jie Jie, good, very good. Perhaps you truly have the potential to reach the Great Perfection of the Heavenly State, or even surpass it." The Hun Cn's goal was to turn the Di Tier Embryonic Pill into a complete pill, but Hun Huzi alone wasn't enough.

  If there were another alchemist with Spiritual Strength at the Great Perfection of the Heavenly State to assist him, the success rate could increase by at least twenty percent.

  Even within the Hun Cn, which specialized in cultivating Spiritual Strength, reaching the Great Perfection of the Heavenly State was extremely difficult. Moreover, one had to possess talent as an alchemist. Hun Huzi was the only one in the entire Hun Cn who met these strict criteria.

  After remaining silent for a long time, Xiao Yan's eyes suddenly sharpened, an indescribable determination fshing deep within them.

  No one could have predicted that a small change would lead to such a massive storm. The tempest caused by the fpping of a butterfly's wings could no longer be halted.

  Xiao Yan abruptly spread his five fingers like a sword and, in one swift motion, plunged his hand into his own abdomen!!

  Even Hun Huzi frowned; he couldn't comprehend what Xiao Yan was suddenly doing. But in the next instant, his expression changed dramatically. The fluctuation of his emotions even caused the surrounding space to shatter; his Spiritual Strength at the Great Perfection of the Heavenly State fractured the void.

  Because he saw that Xiao Yan had taken something out from within his own body.

  "The Tou She Ancient God's Jade!"

  Staring at the blood-stained ancient jade, even Hun Huzi, who had always dismissed Heavenly Fmes with disdain, couldn't help but have his breathing quicken. If even he, the Hun Cn's number one alchemist, couldn't control his emotions, one could imagine what the Tou She Ancient God's Jade represented.

  However, Hun Huzi quickly composed himself, his gaze like a torch fixed on Xiao Yan. For a moment, he couldn't figure out what Xiao Yan was up to.

  "So, the Ancient Jade wasn't taken away by the Gu Cn after all..." Hun Huzi wasn't surprised because he had already noticed some clues from the Ancient Jade.

  An extremely powerful force sealed this Ancient Jade. Spiritual Strength couldn't probe it. If he guessed correctly, this was a seal set by Xiao Xuan to prevent others from finding the Ancient Jade.

  No wonder the Gu Cn couldn't find the Ancient Jade even after turning the Xiao Cn upside down. Who would have thought that the successive Cn Heads of the Xiao Cn would hide the Ancient Jade within their own bodies!

  It was simply too crazy!

  "You actually brought out the Tou She Ancient God's Jade; then you must know what it represents." Hun Huzi was not in any hurry; the moment Xiao Yan took it out, the Tou She Ancient God's Jade couldn't escape.

  "The key to becoming a Dou God." The Life Fme quickly healed his wound. Xiao Yan toyed with the jade, his tone calm and indifferent.

  He had learned about the Xiao Cn's past from the Gate of Life and Death and naturally knew what the Tou She Ancient God's Jade represented. He also understood that when Ling Quan had referred to the 'key' earlier, he meant this very jade piece.

  The Tou She Ancient God's Jade was the key to opening the cave dwelling of the st Dou God, Tou She Ancient God, where a Di Tier Embryonic Pill was left behind.

  Whoever obtained the Di Tier Pill would become a Dou God!

  "Indeed, the key to becoming a Dou God. Jie Jie Jie, our Hun Cn wiped out your Xiao Cn back then for this piece of jade, yet now you're bringing it out." Hun Huzi spoke without reservation. He had already surmised that Xiao Yan must have learned about the events of the past and had obtained the Xiao Cn's inheritance.

  Xiao Yan took out a handkerchief, gently wiped away the bloodstains, and continued pying with the Tou She Ancient God's Jade in his hand. His eyes were as calm as still water, as if, in his view, this was just an ordinary piece of jade.

  "To the Gu Cn and your Hun Cn, this is the key to becoming a Dou God. But to the current Xiao Cn, it's nothing more than a death warrant."

  Xiao Yan casually tossed the Tou She Ancient God's Jade to Hun Huzi with a thud, as nonchantly as if he were throwing a coin.

  "One must gather all eight pieces of the Ancient Jade to assemble a complete one before being able to open the Tou She Ancient God's relic. A single piece of the Tou She Ancient God's Jade is worth less than a gold coin."

  Even Hun Huzi was momentarily stunned upon hearing these words. Indeed, Xiao Yan was right. An incomplete Ancient Jade not only had no value but would also bring fatal disaster.

  But! Faced with the temptation of becoming a Dou God, Xiao Yan could actually be so indifferent!

  "Jie Jie Jie, haha! Interesting. Even the currently weakest Ling Cn and Shi Cn are unwilling to give up the Tou She Ancient God's Jade. No one can resist the allure of becoming a Dou God."

  "That's right. An incomplete Ancient Jade is meaningless. But none of the Dou God Cns has the courage to forsake the hope of becoming a Dou God. Not even your ancestor Xiao Xuan could do that."

  A strange light fshed in Hun Huzi's eyes. Looking at Xiao Yan, who possessed such boldness, he revealed a rather twisted grin. "The Gu Cn looks down on you, but I, Hun Huzi—no, my Hun Cn admires you!"