Chapter 266 - 266: The True Prologue is Now Over
Word Count: 2,297 Words
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Hun Huzi's admiration for Xiao Yan was genuine.
Xiao Yan could have continued hiding the Tou She Ancient God's Jade, leading the Hun Clan to believe it had been taken by the Gu Clan, thus diverting disaster toward them. After all, Gu Yuan and Xun Er both knew the Xiao Clan's location; if they had wanted the Ancient Jade, they would have taken it long ago.
No one would suspect that the current Xiao Clan could hide it from the Gu Clan.
Moreover, Xiao Yan knew clearly that the Tou She Ancient God's Jade was the key to entering the relic of a Dou God. Faced with the temptation of becoming a Dou God, no one could resist. Even Hun Huzi himself had considered hiding this piece of Ancient Jade.
Yet, Xiao Yan had decisively relinquished the Tou She Ancient God's Jade.
From a rational perspective, Xiao Yan had done nothing wrong. However, in the face of immense temptation, it was impossible for a person to remain entirely rational.
In response to Hun Huzi's words, Xiao Yan slowly said, "You're mistaken. I don't possess any such courage; I simply have pursuits beyond becoming a Dou God, that's all."
An unsightly smile gradually surfaced on Hun Huzi's withered face. He laughed, "Jie Jie Jie, I have a feeling that old fool Tong Xuan will regret not slapping you to death earlier."
Hun Huzi appeared behind Xiao Yan like a ghost, his deep voice echoing, "Although my Hun Clan destroyed your Xiao Clan, that was the Xiao Clan of a thousand years ago. If my Hun Clan produces another Dou God, I guarantee that no distinctions among Dou God Clans will remain in this world, and no one will obstruct your matter with that young lady of the Gu Clan."
Hun Huzi's bony finger lightly touched Xiao Yan's storage ring, and a simple, ancient token slowly floated out. His withered finger brushed the Soul Command Token, and immediately, with a buzzing sound, the token burst forth with a powerful and mysterious spiritual fluctuation!
The four characters for 'Heaven Grade Protector' on the back of the Soul Command Token gradually transformed and disappeared. Eventually, a single character, 'Zun' ('Honorable/Venerable'), emerged, occupying the entire token.
The 'Hun' ('Soul') character emblazoned on the token stirred to life; the entire character shifted and changed, writhing with demonic fluidity and otherworldly eeriness. A sinister aura emanated ceaselessly from the token's surface.
With the Soul Command Token floating above his palm, Hun Huzi said in a deep voice, "Come, join my Hun Clan. Rise again from where you fell."
Xiao Yan glanced at the Soul Command Token, his eyes narrowing slightly. He looked at Hun Huzi and sneered, "Aren't you afraid of my Xiao Clan's resurgence?"
Hun Huzi replied, "Jie Jie Jie, your Xiao Clan was defeated by my Hun Clan back then. If we're afraid even of the current Xiao Clan, what face would my Hun Clan have to achieve the Dou God position!"
"I'll pass on joining your Hun Clan, but... I look forward to our cooperation." A faint smile lifted the corners of Xiao Yan's mouth as he reached out and grasped the Soul Command Token with a snap.
Woo woo woo!!!
The moment he grasped the Soul Command Token, it suddenly erupted with ghostly howls. An icy cold yet powerful Spiritual Strength emanated from the token and instantly drilled into the depths of his soul.
Xiao Yan could clearly feel the terrifying Spiritual Strength enveloping him. A strange emotion spread throughout his heart. His soul was forming a connection with the Soul Command Token. This was a kind of soul imprint. This power was evil, cold, violent... and above all, powerful!
A black 'Hun' character appeared in his left eye but quickly concealed itself, hiding within his soul.
'So this is the ceremony to activate the Soul Command Token and join the Hun Clan...' Xiao Yan could now clearly sense his connection to this Soul Command Token. It truly belonged to him now. If he were to die, his soul could even be preserved within the token for thousands of years.
The Soul Command Token in his hand was likely more precious than ordinary tokens within the clan. Once activated, it was a supreme treasure! One could glimpse the depth of the Hun Clan's foundation from this alone.
Xiao Yan's Spiritual Strength benefited from that powerful force and fully stepped into the Perfected Mortal State, equivalent to the Spiritual Strength of a 7th-tier alchemist. As long as he could cultivate to the Great Perfection of the Mortal State, he could use the Spirit Heart Gathering Soul Technique to break through to the Soul State!
If the Gu Clan was a Dou God Clan equivalent to the Hun Clan, then the foundation possessed by the Gu Clan must be astonishing. No wonder even a mere Deputy Commander of the clan's guard squad dared to be so arrogant. With such a foundation, it was hard not to be arrogant.
If it were him, he could be even more arrogant than Ling Quan.
"Is that all?" Xiao Yan looked at Hun Huzi. He had handed over the Tou She Ancient God's Jade to the Hun Clan not only to prevent them from discovering that the Ancient Jade was still with the Xiao Clan, bringing unnecessary calamity, but also because he now needed powerful strength.
He had still lost, after all.
Four years of effort and desperate struggle had indeed allowed him to defeat Ling Quan, but in the end, he still didn't gain the Gu Clan's recognition. Elder Tong Xuan's head-shaking and sighing had pierced his heart like a sharp blade.
The Gu Clan still wouldn't approve of his and Xun Er's relationship. His strength was still far too weak.
A genius with potential was ultimately just that, potential. No one could say for certain whether that future would come to pass. Moreover, his potential hadn't even reached a level that would make the Gu Clan take notice.
Hun Huzi revealed a meaningful smile and chuckled, "Jie Jie Jie, greed is a good thing. Without greed, how can one make progress?"
"Regardless, you handed over this Ancient Jade. This can be considered a great merit. Speak, what is it that you desire?"
Back then, who knows how many clan members Hun Tiandi had sacrificed for this single piece of jade, how many Dou Venerates and Dou Saints had died. But in the end, they still didn't obtain it.
Hun Tiandi probably never imagined that a thousand years later, the Xiao Clan's Ancient Jade would still fall into the hands of the Hun Clan. And it was actually because of the Xiao Clan's allied clan, the Gu Clan.
How wondrous were the affairs of the world.
The corner of Xiao Yan's mouth curved upward slightly, the greed in his eyes completely unconcealed. Such desire for power was the most primal driving force for cultivators.
"Emperor Soul Technique."
A glint flashed through Hun Huzi's old eyes upon hearing the three words uttered. He asked in response, "Do you know what the Emperor Soul Technique is?"
Xiao Yan recalled the introduction he had seen earlier and said, "A cultivation method created by Emperor Hun. One soul extinguishes to give rise to ten thousand souls; ten thousand souls command the heavens. When cultivated to perfection, the soul shatters but does not perish, allowing fragmented pieces of one's soul to exist independently and bestow the will of the emperor upon all things in the world. This is the Emperor Soul Technique."
Hun Huzi slowly shook his head while his old eyes looked at Xiao Yan. He calmly said, "Your Xiao Clan has indeed lost too much. The reason Dou God Clans value the Dou God Bloodline is not only because it accelerates disciples' cultivation speed but, more importantly, because the Dou Techniques, Qi Methods, and Secret Techniques created by Dou Gods must be cultivated by those with Dou God Bloodlines, and only they can unleash their true power."
! ? ! !
"What you've seen is only the upper volume of the Emperor Soul Technique. The Emperor Soul Technique itself is not divided into upper and lower volumes; it was split because its cultivation requirements are extremely harsh."
"Even this split upper volume requires a Grade 6 Dou God Bloodline from the Hun Clan to cultivate. Even within the Hun Clan, only a few dozen people have completed cultivating the upper volume."
"The complete Emperor Soul Technique requires a Divine Grade Bloodline to cultivate. In the entire Hun Clan, only four people can cultivate it. The only one who has cultivated it to perfection is the Clan Head, Hun Tiandi."
Hun Huzi crooked his finger, and the God Seal Technique that Xun Er had given floated out from Xiao Yan's storage ring.
"This God Seal Technique of yours is merely a degraded version, something the Gu Clan modified from the genuine God Seal Technique over countless years. The authentic God Seal Technique also requires the Gu Clan's Dou God Bloodline to cultivate. This modified version was created to allow disciples with lower-grade bloodlines to cultivate it."
"The true God Seal Technique merges five seals into one, its might reaching the heavens and penetrating the earth. It is a supreme Dou Technique surpassing the Tian Class. Legend has it that in the ancient era of Myriad Emperors, Emperor Gu used the God Seal Technique to slay another Dou God. The God Seal Technique is a Dou God-slaying Dou Technique."
! ! ! ! ! !
Xiao Yan's pupils trembled in shock. He recalled that Xiao Xuan had desperately wanted to leave behind 'Breaking Through the Heavens,' and that unknown thing also required the Xiao Clan's Dou God Bloodline to cultivate!
"The Dou Techniques created by Dou Saints like the Yellow Spring Demon Saint and Pure Lotus Demon Saint during ancient times were already High Tian Class. If the creations of Dou Gods were merely Di Class, wouldn't that be laughable?" Hun Huzi lightly flicked the scroll, sending the so-called God Seal Technique scroll flying in front of Xiao Yan.
Even a casual creation by a Dou God couldn't be as low as Di Class.
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"This is the true difference in foundation between Dou God Clans and other clans and forces. Without a Dou God Bloodline, one's body simply can't withstand the power of these Qi Methods and Dou Techniques. Not only can one not cultivate them, but forcefully doing so is just courting death."
"The Tian Class may be the peak of the Dou Qi Continent, but for Dou God Clans who have touched that realm, the Tian Class is not the end."
Dou God Clans—not only did these clans possess small worlds created by Dou Gods, independent from the Dou Qi Continent, living in another space like the legendary Heavenly Court.
These clans' inheritances had been unbroken, passed down from the era of Myriad Emperors until now. They possessed the Qi Methods and Dou Techniques created by Dou Gods. What they had was the foundation of Dou Gods!
"If you wish, I can impart my lifetime of alchemy techniques to you, and even refine a tier 9 medicinal pill for you to further improve your alchemy talent..." Just as Hun Huzi was speaking, suddenly, black flames flashed in Xiao Yan's hand, and a jade bottle appeared.
Xiao Yan had grown smarter. He no longer stored truly important items in his storage ring but had Mao Wu, who possessed the Nihility Space, safeguard them.
For example, the Flame Mantra and this jade bottle.
Xiao Yan using the Seed Flame of the Nihility Devouring Flame to safeguard items and prevent Spiritual Strength from prying was something even Hun Huzi hadn't expected.
In just three short years, Xiao Yan had begun to grasp the initial abilities of the Seed Flame.
When the jade bottle appeared, a cold glint flashed through Hun Huzi's old eyes. He certainly knew what was contained within!
"Do you know that ahead lies an endless abyss?" Hun Huzi's eyes narrowed slightly. He roughly knew what Xiao Yan intended to do.
What the jade bottle contained was precisely that drop of blood Mao Wu had obtained from refining Yao Li.
Now, Xiao Yan naturally knew what this was—the Dou God Bloodline purified by the Nihility Devouring Flame.
Xiao Yan remained silent, but Hun Huzi had already seen the answer in his eyes.
—Enter the abyss!
With a grin, Hun Huzi turned his hand, and from his own Seed Flame of the Nihility Devouring Flame, he took out a dark scroll enveloped by countless souls, occasionally emitting ghostly wails. He flicked it lightly, and it flew toward Xiao Yan.
Xiao Yan didn't immediately open the scroll but stored it within the Seed Flame of the Nihility Devouring Flame. He currently lacked even the ability to open the Emperor Soul Technique.
"Jie Jie Jie, perhaps you resemble my Hun Clan more than my Hun Clan itself."
Hun Huzi's voice gradually faded away. Xiao Yan also returned to the Jia Nan Academy from the Nihility Space with a whooshing sound.
With Hun Huzi's strength, let alone being noticed, he didn't even leave a single trace. It was as if nothing had happened just now.
Xiao Yan slowly raised his head. The bright moon in the sky was particularly dim and lusterless tonight.
"Xun Er... wait for me."
[The Emperor Soul Technique alone is not enough to qualify you to cooperate with me.]
An eerie voice suddenly resonated in Xiao Yan's heart. Strangely, Xiao Yan was not alarmed upon hearing this voice. He slowly walked down the hillside.
"I know."
The subtle breeze caused by the fluttering of a butterfly's wings had now transformed into an apocalyptic hurricane that overturned the world line.