Zi Yan Had Shrunk Again

As Xiao Yuan rushed into the light, his vision, after a moment of blurriness, suddenly became bright. The view in front of him was no longer the monotonous silver; lush greenery and mountains once again filled his field of vision.

"This is."

High in the sky, Xiao Yuan stared in astonishment at the landmass that had appeared before him. In fact, describing it as an island would be more accurate. The island was vast, and above it hung a pale silver, bowl-shaped light shield, enveloping the entire island. But when he looked beyond the shield, Xiao Yuan was stunned. Outside lay a chillingly Void Space. This island was actually suspended in the void!

"What a grand gesture!"

Even Xiao Yuan couldn't help but gasp at this sight. Although the island's area couldn't compare to the spaces opened up by those Dou Sheng Expert, it was far more secluded. The Void Space was a place that even Dou Zun expert dared not venture into casually. Setting up one's dwelling place here would be extremely safe. No wonder there was so little news about the Void Ancient Dragon in Central State; it turned out they all lived in this Void Space.

"Come with me."

Hei Qing's gaze swept across the area below, then he waved his hand and landed first on a certain spot on the island, followed closely by Xiao Yuan and Qing Lian.

"Young Master, the atmosphere here is terrifying," Qing Lian whispered beside Xiao Yuan.

Xiao Yuan nodded slightly. He could also vaguely sense that there were many extremely powerful and subtle auras on this Dragon Island. It seemed that they should all be powerful beings of the Void Ancient Dragon Clan. This discovery made him speechless. As expected of a top-tier existence in the Beast Realm, he had never seen so many powerful auras in all these years. Moreover, he was able to detect them. Xiao Yuan believed that there must be some auras on this Ancient Dragon Island that even he could not perceive. These were the truly terrifying existences.

The two followed Hei Qing as they descended towards a giant peak in the center of the island. Along the way, they encountered several figures who looked like inspectors, but when they saw Hei Qing, they stopped and glanced at Xiao Yuan and Qing Lian with surprise before retreating.

At the summit of the giant peak, Xiao Yuan and his two companions slowly descended. Just as their feet touched the ground, a figure in white robes silently appeared before them.

"Hei Qing greets the Third Elder."

Upon seeing the white-robed elder before him, Hei Qing cupped his hands in greeting, then pointed to Xiao Yuan behind him and said, "This is Zi Yan's friend, Xiao Yuan."

"Hehe, don't blame us for being rash in calling our young friend Xiao Yuan here in such a hurry."

Upon hearing this, the white-robed elder smiled slightly and addressed Xiao Yuan.

"This is the Third Elder, Zhuo Li."

"Zhuo Li. Zi Yan is my friend. She's in trouble, so of course I had to come."

Although the old man in front of him had a kind face, Xiao Yuan dared not be negligent. He felt an unparalleled pressure from the old man, which seemed to directly affect his soul. If his soul power had not been strong, he probably would not have been able to speak.

"Zhuo Li Elder must have reached the level of Half-Saint. The Void Ancient Dragon Tribe the Void is indeed full of hidden talents."

Feeling this oppressive aura, Xiao Yuan's eyes twitched involuntarily, and he thought to himself.

Zhuo Li Elder smiled, stroked his snow-white beard, and his calm eyes suddenly glanced at Qing Lian behind Xiao Yuan. He was immediately taken aback and said with some surprise:

"This is... the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils? And that scent... it's actually Ancient Sky Serpent?"

As he finished speaking, Zhuo Li Elder's expression of surprise deepened, and he asked with some doubt:

"I never imagined that the soul of Ancient Sky Serpent still exists in this world."

Qing Lian glanced cautiously at Zhuo Li Elder in front of her and nodded slightly. It is said that there was a battle between the Ancient Sky Serpent and the Void Ancient Dragon in ancient times. Now that the two have met, the soul of the Ancient Sky Serpent in her body immediately fluctuated strangely. However, she tried her best to suppress it. Although the Ancient Sky Serpent is strong, this is the territory of the Void Ancient Dragon. If that guy were to run out, he would probably be smashed into mincemeat by the many powerful members of the Void Ancient Dragon.

"Hehe, little girl, don't be afraid. The Ancient Sky Serpent Tribe no longer exists, and those ancient grudges have long been settled. However, the souls of the Ancient Sky Serpent are inherently ferocious and extremely difficult to control. You should be careful not to be controlled by them instead."

Zhuo Li laughed.

"Um."

Qing Lian nodded slightly. With the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils and Xiao Yuan's previous punishment of the Tian She's soul, the Ancient Sky Serpent's soul was now much more obedient.

"Zhuo Li Elder, is it a problem with the Dragon Phoenix Origin Fruit?"

Xiao Yuan hesitated for a moment, but finally couldn't help but speak.

Upon hearing this, Zhuo Li was taken aback for a moment, then smiled wryly and said, "My young friend was right."

"The Dragon Phoenix Origin Fruit is a rare treasure that grows with an extremely low probability only after absorbing the bloodlines of the Ancient Dragon and the Heavenly Phoenix. This fruit can modify the bloodline of either the Ancient Dragon or the Sky Phoenix Tribe, allowing one to combine the strengths of both and ultimately possess the true bloodline of a demon beast king."

Zhuo Li Elder continued.

"Ever since Zi Yan brought back the Dragon Phoenix Origin Fruit, we've discussed it and decided that she should bear this power. Firstly, she has royal blood, and once she reaches maturity, she will become the new king of the Ancient Dragon Clan. Such blood is most suitable for her to possess. Secondly, she is young, highly malleable, and can easily absorb the Dragon Phoenix Origin Fruit."

At this point, Zhuo Li Elder couldn't help but give a wry smile, saying, "But the result was still somewhat unexpected. The energy of the Dragon Phoenix Origin Fruit was too strong, and Zi Yan's body was completely unable to absorb such terrifying energy, which ultimately led to the energy materializing."

"Yes, I had some idea of this when I came. Take me to see Zi Yan."

Xiao Yuan nodded and said.

"Okay, come with me."

Zhuo Li Elder saw that Xiao Yuan seemed unsurprised, and even had expected it, and suddenly felt that he couldn't quite understand the young man in front of him.

However, with important business at hand, he quickly turned and headed toward a stone hall on the mountain peak, with Xiao Yuan following closely behind.

Following behind Zhuo Li, the group wandered through the stone hall for a while before finally stopping deep inside. The hall was built of huge stones, and in the center of the hall was a towering altar. At this moment, a petite figure lay silently on the top of the altar.

Now, Zi Yan had transformed back into a child, and a strange crystalline layer, resembling ice crystals, covered every part of her body.

Xiao Yuan's soul perception was released in an instant. The powerful soul force, carrying a terrifying pressure, startled Zhuo Li Elder to the side.

"Alright, I know what to say. You all stay outside and protect her. I will help Zi Yan refine and absorb all of this energy."

After discovering that Zi Yan's body had shrunk and that the fire seed left in her body was able to protect a large part of her meridians, Xiao Yuan breathed a sigh of relief and turned to Zhuo Li Elder.

"Young friend, are you confident?"

Zhuo Li Elder lit up with joy upon hearing this.

"It's similar to alchemy, don't worry."

Xiao Yuan's current soul power is enough to refine even Rank 8 Pill from the Nine-Colored Pill Tribulation Lightning, though he lacks the skill. If his level were not insufficient, he could even try refining Rank 9 Pill with his soul power.

While the Dragon Phoenix Origin Fruit is indeed rare and precious, it is impossible to say that Xiao Yuan is helpless against it!

Hearing Xiao Yuan say this, Zhuo Li Elder's smile broadened, and he sighed, "If Xiao Xuan knew that the Xiao Clan would have such outstanding members after him, he would probably be smiling in his grave."

"Hehe, I don't think Xiao Xuan can compare to this descendant. He used the power of the Xiao Clan bloodline to its fullest extent back then to reach that level, but it also caused his descendants to completely lose their bloodline. But Xiao Yuan has reached this level through his own abilities. Given enough time, it's not impossible for him to surpass Xiao Xuan."

Hei Qing laughed.

Hearing this, Zhuo Li smiled and nodded, then looked at Xiao Yuan and said, "Don't blame Xiao Xuan for exhausting the last remaining bloodline power of the Xiao Clan family. He wanted to go all out back then. If he could break through to the Dou Di, the bloodline power of the Xiao Clan could continue, and the Xiao Clan family would become an Ancient Race like the Ancient Clan. Unfortunately, he underestimated the difficulty of breaking through to the Dou Emperor Realm, which is why he ended up with a regretful and tragic end."

"Our Ancestor did their best."

Xiao Yuan shook his head.

"Hehe, let's not talk about that anymore, young friend Xiao Yuan. You should rest for the next two days. There are some things I need to prepare first. Once they're ready, we'll get started!"

Zhuo Li didn't dwell on the topic, and then changed the subject with a smile.

"Two days? That's too long. Are there any volcanoes on Dragon Island? Once I take Zi Yan there and leave, we can begin. This matter cannot be delayed."

Xiao Yuan frowned upon hearing this.

The seed of fire he left in Zi Yan's body is constantly being suppressed by those energy crystal layers. The longer it goes on, the smaller the area that the seed of fire can protect becomes.

"It's better to make preparations properly. Our clan's situation isn't very good, and there are many things that need to be arranged."

Zhuo Li shook his head and insisted.

"Alright, we need to be quick. The sooner we start, the better for Zi Yan."

Xiao Yuan sighed and said.

For the rest of the time, Xiao Yuan and Qing Lian stayed on Ancient Dragon Island, while Zhuo Li Elder was busy preparing to refine the energy crystal layer for Zi Yan. Fortunately, while he was busy, he also instructed Hei Qing to treat the two well. After resting for a night, Zhuo Li Elder finally appeared in front of Xiao Yuan with a solemn expression.

"Young friend Xiao Yuan, please follow me."

Zhuo Li said something to Xiao Yuan, then turned around and led the way, with Xiao Yuan quickly following behind.

Following Zhuo Li directly to the depths of Dragon Island, Xiao Yuan noticed that the atmosphere on Dragon Island seemed much heavier today. In the usually empty sky, one or two figures would occasionally streak across, their wary eyes scanning the void beyond.

"Although we have done a good job of keeping it a secret, Zi Yan is too important to the Ancient Dragon Clan, so we can't afford any mistakes. Therefore, the defense of Dragon Island has reached the highest level today."

After listening to Zhuo Li's explanation along the way, Xiao Yuan finally understood.

As they flew deeper into Dragon Island, Xiao Yuan keenly sensed that the energy in the world here was gradually becoming increasingly intense.

The flight lasted for nearly ten minutes before Zhuo Li Elder in front gradually slowed down. Xiao Yuan followed his gaze and looked ahead. In the depths of the mountain, there was a huge mountain peak with a concave top. A column of blazing white smoke rose from it.

Clearly, regardless of whether Dragon Island had volcanoes before, it does now, at least from today onwards.

At the crater, a giant cauldron, entirely emerald green, floats. Through the cauldron, one can see Zi Yan's petite body floating within it.

"Young friend Xiao Yuan, the Fire Attribute Energy here is extremely concentrated. Using a Heavenly Flames Heavenly Flames here will enhance its power," Zhuo Li Elder said, pointing to the giant cauldron with a somewhat solemn expression. "However, the Heavenly Flames is too domineering, so it requires extremely excellent control to refine the energy crystal layer without burning Zi Yan. With your current abilities, young friend Xiao Yuan, you should be able to do that, right?"

"Um."

Xiao Yuan nodded slightly. He had already reached a level of consummate skill in controlling flames, so he was naturally quite confident.

Seeing this, Zhuo Li Elder breathed a sigh of relief, pointed to the surrounding mountains, and said:

"During this period, the powerful members of the Void Ancient Dragon Tribe and I will personally oversee this place and will ensure that nothing interferes with you."

Xiao Yuan looked in the direction Zhuo Li Elder pointed. With his extraordinary senses, he indeed sensed many extremely powerful auras hidden within the surrounding mountains.

"Furthermore, refining the Dragon Phoenix Crystal Layer is no easy task, so it will be a time-consuming process, and the consumption of Dou Qi will be extremely terrifying." With that, Zhuo Li Elder clenched his fist, and a white jade bottle appeared in his hand. After rubbing it slightly, he handed it to Xiao Yuan, saying, "Inside are five drops of ancient Ancient Dragon Essence Blood that I personally refined. It possesses extremely vast energy, not only capable of instantly restoring one's battle Dou Qi, but also having a miraculous effect of tempering muscles and bones. If your battle Dou Qi becomes insufficient during the refining process, consume one drop."

Although Xiao Yuan himself had a profound foundation and was confident that he did not need to replenish his Dou Qi midway, he still thought it would be a waste not to take this essence blood!

"Very well then, I shall begin!"

Xiao Yuan smiled as he accepted the white jade bottle. In a flash, he transformed into a streak of light and appeared outside the giant cauldron above the volcano, sitting suspended in mid-air.