Kapitel 83: Chapter 83: You Gather Allies, I Gather Allies!
At this moment, beside Yun Yi, as a black scroll disintegrated, a black flame suddenly appeared.
Space rippled, a vortex slowly took shape, and immediately, from within the vortex, a somewhat slender hand reached out, propped against the top of the vortex, and a figure slowly emerged.
The figure wrapped in pitch-black flames waved his hand, shattering Gu Yuan's attack, and laughed eerily while looking at Gu Yuan in mid-air.
"Hmph!" Seeing Gu Yuan just trying to eliminate him, Yun Yi's expression turned cold.
"Void Devouring Flame!"
Gu Yuan looked at the figure shrouded in black flames and said softly, "I didn't expect that not only did my earlier strike not stall your cultivation, but it actually helped you progress further!"
"If I had known, I should have finished you off back then."
"Hehe, Gu Yuan, you overestimate yourself. It's true you defeated me back then, but to completely destroy me, I'm afraid you don't have that capability!" Hearing Gu Yuan's words, the figure's black flames surged and he laughed eerily.
In fact, Gu Yuan did not have the ability. To destroy fire spirits of the level of Void Devouring Flame and Purifying Lotus Demonic Flame, unless a Dou Emperor personally intervened, even a saint like the Purifying Lotus Demonic Saint could only deprive them of their intelligence, not destroy them.
"Moreover, thanks to your favor, if it weren't for this thousand-year seclusion, I wouldn't have reached the level of Nine-Star Dou Saint!"
At this, the gaze of Void Devouring Flame toward Gu Yuan revealed a hint of malice.
A Nine-Star Dou Saint, one of the most elite beings in this world. The Soul Clan already had a clan leader at the late stage of Nine-Star Dou Saint. After the battle between the Soul Clan and the Xiao Clan, the Soul Heavenly Emperor was severely injured, leading everyone to believe that the Soul Clan's strength had greatly diminished.
With the Soul Clan and Xiao Clan either annihilated or weakened, the Gu Clan stood as the premier emperor clan in the world, which was both the pride of every member and Gu Yuan himself. He had taken the top position without a single soldier, wasn't that enough to be proud?
Now that Void Devouring Flame claimed his actions allowed him to become a Nine-Star Dou Saint, didn't that mean the Soul Clan had two Nine-Star Dou Saints?
Such power already surpassed the Gu Clan, causing the self-proclaimed leader of the emperor clans, Gu Yuan, to wonder how to proceed.
"It's only the early stage of Nine-Star Dou Saint. If the opportunity arises, I will seal you permanently."
The ridicule in Void Devouring Flame's words did not escape Gu Yuan's ears. His face darkened as he looked at the opposing figure.
"Heh, you might never get that chance!" Void Devouring Flame chuckled.
"Father!" From the moment Gu Yuan and Void Devouring Flame appeared, the situation spiraled out of control. Originally thinking her father could easily resolve the matter, Gu Xun Er didn't expect Yun Yi to have equally strong support.
This made Gu Xun Er anxious! If the two started fighting, the entire Wutan City, or even the Jia Ma Empire, would be in ruins. What about Xiao Yan?
Hearing his daughter's cry, Gu Yuan sighed inwardly. Despite all his calculations, he never expected to lose his daughter over an ancient jade piece.
Could this be the consequence of growing up without the education of the emperor clan?
He only hoped that upon returning to the clan, the young talents there could make Xun Er forget Xiao Yan. To Gu Yuan, Xiao Yan and Xun Er could never belong together—they were from two different worlds.
"Gu Yuan, is this your daughter?"
Void Devouring Flame's eyes suddenly fixed on Gu Xun Er with great interest. This familiar bloodline, aside from Gu Yuan, could belong to no one else.
Being watched by a Nine-Star Dou Saint, even someone as composed as Gu Xun Er felt a chill in her heart and hid behind Gu Yuan.
"Void Devouring Flame!"
Gu Yuan's face turned icy. Eyes locked on Void Devouring Flame, the vast energy of heaven and earth roared behind him, connecting the skies and the earth. From afar, it looked like an endless tidal wave of energy, continuously crashing.
"Gu Yuan, this won't scare me!"
Facing the energy tide that could crush a Seven-Star Dou Saint, Void Devouring Flame remained calm. With a wave of his hand, he gathered an energy tide of his own. The two waves collided and vanished into nothingness.
"Ugh!" With a muffled groan, Void Devouring Flame stumbled back half a step. Though close, Gu Yuan had the upper hand in their clash.
A late-stage Nine-Star Dou Saint with an emperor-level soul—Void Devouring Flame was completely surrounded. Even the powerful combat abilities of a fire spirit couldn't bridge the gap.
"Void Devouring Flame, hand over Yao Chen!"
"Hmph!"
With a cold snort, knowing he couldn't prevail alone, Void Devouring Flame threw the transparent soul to the side, took a deep look at Gu Yuan, grabbed Yun Yi, and stepped into the dark vortex behind him.
Now wasn't the time to make Gu Yuan an enemy. When he achieved emperor-level soul, able to silently devour the Spirit and Stone Clans, that would be the end of the Gu Clan.
Watching the two depart, looking at the nearly shattered soul in front of him, Gu Yuan turned to Gu Xun Er and said gently, "Xun Er, we should go!"
"But Xiao Yan ge-ge…" Suddenly, seeing Gu Yuan slightly frown, Gu Xun Er sighed and nodded, "Yes, father."
"However, please save Yao Chen senior."
As long as Xun Er was willing to return, this small request wouldn't be denied by Gu Yuan. Gently nodding, Gu Yuan took out a storage ring, placing Yao Chen's soul inside, and then retrieved a vial of fragrant medicinal liquid, which began to awaken the soul force within.
With a flick, the ring landed perfectly in the unconscious Xiao Yan's hand!
"Xiao Yan ge-ge, this is the last thing Xun Er can do for you. Xun Er always believes that once you recover, you'll become a strong figure on the continent. Xun Er will wait for you!"
Gu Xun Er looked back reluctantly at the unconscious boy, the reluctance in her eyes causing Gu Yuan's heart to thump.
Glad that Xun Er did not push further, she turned and stepped into the spatial passage Gu Yuan had created.
"Xun Er, seems like your years in the Xiao Clan were not in vain."
"The Xiao Clan's life, Xun Er will never forget!"
"Indeed, a happy childhood isn't wasted."
"By the way, about the Xiao Clan's ancient jade…"
"Father, Xun Er never saw the ancient jade in all these years at the Xiao Clan. It must have been lost over the centuries."
"Ah!"
"Perhaps it's for the best, the ancient jade would only bring disaster to the Xiao Clan. It's better lost."
"Rip——"
In an unknown forest, a spatial rift opened, and Void Devouring Flame appeared with Yun Yi.
Void Devouring Flame looked at Yun Yi and asked puzzled, "How could Gu Yuan's daughter be at such a remote place?"
"That's the territory of the Xiao Clan in Wutan City. It was there that I found Yao Chen," Yun Yi replied plainly.
"Xiao Clan?"
"Xiao?" Seemingly reminded of unpleasant memories, Void Devouring Flame shuddered, recalling a legendary figure from the past.
He bore the same surname, dominating an era. That battle was earth-shattering, crippling millennia of the Soul Clan's accumulation, all caused by that man.
It almost led to the defeat of the Soul Heavenly Emperor. Back then, he was only an Eight-Star Dou Saint and had faced that man, deeply understanding his power.
His thoughts shifted, and Void Devouring Flame sneered.
"Heh, Gu Yuan's scheming well. Back then, the remnants of the Xiao Clan were taken in by the Gu Clan, and now he's sending his daughter to the Xiao Clan. What is Gu Yuan plotting?"
Yun Yi's words stirred a reaction in Void Devouring Flame for the first time, his eyes revealing outright contempt for Gu Yuan.
Why would Gu Yuan send his daughter to the declining Xiao Clan? Simply for the Xiao Clan's ancient jade. It certainly wasn't to show friendly relations between the two clans.
Stop joking, who was it for anyway? Before Gu Yuan appeared, who even knew the Xiao Clan had a "good brother" in the Gu Clan!
To show other emperor clans? Don't be ridiculous. Even the Soul Clan hunting the Xiao Clan didn't know they had survivors. The other emperor clans knew even less.
This hypocritical stance made Void Devouring Flame, who already disdained Gu Yuan, look down on him even more. Aside from his cultivation, what else did Gu Yuan have to stand among the top five elite of the past?
"Since we've discovered the Xiao Clan's existence, should we take the ancient jade?" Yun Yi turned to Void Devouring Flame, suggesting a tempting move.
Void Devouring Flame's heart raced, tempted, but he quickly calmed down and said somberly, "Incomplete ancient jade is no different from a roadside stone. Now that we know where the Xiao Clan is, that piece of ancient jade will be ours sooner or later."
"Besides, Gu Yuan's daughter stayed at the Xiao Clan for so many years and didn't find the jade. With his temper, he wouldn't have let her stay if she had. If not found, we shouldn't act rashly and push Gu Yuan to desperate measures."
Having endured for a millennium, Void Devouring Flame chose to proceed with caution. He and the Soul Heavenly Emperor had waited this long, a bit more time wouldn't hurt.
"What are your plans now? After obtaining the Bone Chilling Flame, will you return to the clan with me?"
With the decision made, Void Devouring Flame turned to Yun Yi, eyes seemingly penetrating the sinister flame within him, smiling.
"No, I think the outside world is better for my growth." Unsurprisingly, Yun Yi declined Void Devouring Flame's suggestion.
Yun Yi's words caused a brief pause in Void Devouring Flame's demeanor before he regained composure and amiably said, "That's fine. Only through trials can one reach higher peaks and climb to greater heights!"
Void Devouring Flame departed, taking the news of the Xiao Clan back to the Soul Clan, informing the Soul Heavenly Emperor.
The Soul Heavenly Emperor showed no reaction; even his own ancient jade was lost among numerous items in his storage ring. An easily obtainable but risky piece of ancient jade held no allure for him.
Everything was in place; they awaited Void Devouring Flame's achievement of the emperor-level soul!
Retrieving his gaze from the closing dark rift, Yun Yi felt the Bone Chilling Flame within him.
Ranked eleventh on the list of different fires, suffering Yao Chen's refinement and endless trials had greatly weakened its energy.
To Yun Yi, it seemed no different from the Fallen Heart Flame he absorbed initially; at best, it could increase his strength by two or three stars, which felt like a waste.
"No matter, this is something Jiang Yun needs to worry about!"
Finding no clear answers, Yun Yi shrugged, scanning the surroundings to confirm his location. His dark Dou Qi wings formed behind him, and with a swoosh, he turned into a dark streak, vanishing into the night.
As Yun Yi, Gu Xun Er, and the others departed, the commotion in Wutan City finally attracted the experts from the Jia Ma Empire.
The aura of divine power exceeded everyone's imagination; even Dou Sect fell short. What in this small Wutan City drew such powerful figures?
Jia Ma Empire! Saint City of Jia Ma! Imperial Palace!
Compared to before, Jia Xing Tian had grown even older, his eyes revealing an air of decay, as if a man near death, ready to fall at any moment.
"Cough, cough... Troubled times indeed!"
Gazing at the report in his hand, Jia Xing Tian's eyes showed a touch of melancholy. He grew increasingly worried about the future of the Jia Ma Empire.
"What merit does my small Jia Ma Empire have to deserve so many great figures visiting?"
Clutching his aching chest, Jia Xing Tian spoke with a desolate tone, recalling the terrifying young man from a few days ago, his heart filled with dread.
A sixteen or seventeen-year-old peak Dou Wang. What had his own cultivation been at sixteen? A few-star Dou Zhe?
"Great-grandfather, your injuries haven't healed yet, I told you not to read these documents! I can handle these matters."
A somewhat reproachful voice sounded, and a graceful figure appeared at the gate.
Dressed in a high-quality dark purple robe, with delicate features and a tall figure exuding innate nobility and coldness, a slim waist was accentuated by a purple belt, highlighting her curvaceous form.
The young woman around twenty radiated the peak of her charm, her reserved gaze filled with helplessness as she looked at Jia Xing Tian.
"It's Yeyue!"
"Great-grandfather is fine."
Seeing Yeyue, Jia Xing Tian felt a bit guilty but grew serious in her reproachful gaze and said, "Yeyue, great-grandfather knows his own body. These medicines can't cure me. Now that the empire is on the brink of crisis, I'm sorry that the burden has fallen on you."
"Great-grandfather, don't say that. Chairman Fa Ma said you'll recover!"
Shocked by Fa Ma's words, Yeyue's expression softened as she gently chastised Jia Xing Tian.
"Here, drink your medicine first!" She retrieved the bowl of medicinal liquid from Jia Xing Tian, her eyes briefly catching the report, causing her hands to tremble slightly.
"You saw it, didn't you!"
Downing the medicine in one gulp, Jia Xing Tian inquired nonchalantly.
"Yes!"
Seeing Yeyue's nod and thinking of Mu Chen and Nalan Jie who were injured more severely than himself, Jia Xing Tian felt even more uneasy.
He could say that Yun Yi's previous battle had crippled the leadership of the Jia Ma Empire.
"Yeyue, I want to send you and Yue'er to Canaan Academy!"
Setting aside his worries, Jia Xing Tian looked at Yeyue seriously. In this generation, Yeyue and Yeyue were the most outstanding talents—one scholarly, one martial. Should anything happen to the royal family, their presence could offer hope.
"Great-grandfather, send Yue'er. I'm not going anywhere!" Yeyue hesitated momentarily while collecting the medicine bowl. Shaking her head firmly, her calm voice concealed unwavering determination.
"Sigh—"
"Poor child!"
With a helpless sigh, Jia Xing Tian spoke sorrowfully.
"Great-grandfather, don't be so negative. Perhaps this crisis will be your breakthrough to Dou Sect," Yeyue encouraged Jia Xing Tian with a smile, displaying no pessimism despite the situation.
"Dou Sect, huh!"
"Easier said than done!"
Jia Xing Tian was momentarily stunned, then chuckled dryly, ending in helplessness and discontent.
AUTORENGEDANKEN 
Geriatric_Vibes
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