Courting Death, Suppression

Time slowly passed. Talents emerged one after another across the Central Plains Continent, each displaying their own brilliance.

In the fifth year, after meditating beneath the Samsara Ancient Tree for many years, Xiao Wu finally broke through and officially advanced to a One-Star Dou Saint.

Within the Xiao Clan, quite a few Dou Zuns also advanced to Half-Saints.

Where there was success, there was naturally failure. Some arrogant people comprehended Samsara beneath the Ancient Tree and experienced the myriad states of life. In the end, they simply got themselves killed.

The Ancient Tree was useful not only to Dou Zuns, but even to Dou Saints. Thus, some Dou Saints also directly got themselves killed.

Fortunately, not every Dou Saint was completely extinguished. Some were still sent into the Heavenly Tomb by Xiao Xuan.

Others succeeded. Some advanced on the spot, while others were on the verge of advancement.

After this lesson, the Ancient Tree had practically become a forbidden treasure of the Xiao Clan.

Having a treasure but being unable to use it, able only to stare at it—what else could that be but forbidden?

Anyone who wished to go there in the future would have to proceed with utmost caution, prepared to die and determined to succeed or perish.

In the tenth year, the Central Plains was shaken. The founder of Dan Tower, one of the strongest experts on the continent, was heavily injured by Pill Lightning while attempting to refine a Ninth-Rank Golden Pill once more, and died.

The Golden Pill had also transformed into human form, possessing the cultivation of a peak Seven-Star Dou Saint, and took charge of Dan Tower.

Soon afterward, rumors spread that the ancestor of Fenyan Valley had failed in his secluded attempt to break through to Dou Emperor, suffered severe injuries, and died.

The deaths of two Peak Dou Saints threw the people of the Central Plains into panic.

Within the Ancient Emperor Hall of Ancient Saint City, Gu Yuan's gaze turned profound after receiving the news, and he muttered to himself.

"What a fine scheme, Xiao Xuan. Hun Tiandi... was it one of you two?"

In the Void of the Hun Realm, a middle-aged man in white stood quietly, as though nothing in the world could shake his composure.

Before long, space rippled. Another existence, likewise a Nine-Star Dou Saint, tossed two jade pieces from his hand toward him.

"Take them. These are the Ancient Emperor Jades you painstakingly plotted for.

I only hope that you remember your promise and do not go back on your word to me."

At the sight of the two Ancient Jades, a flicker of delight crossed Hun Tiandi's normally impassive face.

Including the one from the Hun Clan, he had already gathered three pieces in his hands.

"Rest assured, Xu Wu. So long as what you said is true and the First Heavenly Flame is within the Ancient Emperor Cave Abode, I will certainly help you devour it.

As for me, I only want the Emperor Pill that can help me advance to Dou Emperor."

Within a Side Hall of the Eight Desolations Divine Hall, Xiao Li stood there for a long while after hearing the news.

Then he sighed. "The victor becomes king, the loser becomes a bandit.

What a pity. Even after establishing such a vast foundation, it still falls far short of the ancient clans.

Hun Tiandi's methods truly are extraordinary."

In Sound Valley, Xiao Yao remained unperturbed after hearing the news and continued doing whatever he had been doing.

Those two fellows had indeed become swollen with pride. Over the years, they had targeted Sound Valley more than once.

Had Sound Valley not kept itself apart from worldly conflicts, he might have had to step into the open.

Although this had nothing to do with him, once those two grew fully fledged, it would be inevitable for them to strike at the Xiao Clan.

Unless the Xiao Clan was willing to hand over the Emperor Jade to them.

Several hundred years later, Xiao Xuan returned to the secret realm of the Xiao Realm and saw the Plane Embryo once again.

Though he had yet to become a Dou Emperor, with the support of his powerful soul, his strength might not have been weaker than a Dou Emperor's.

His Divine Soul wrapped around the Plane Embryo in an attempt to refine it. At first, he had no idea where to begin, but eventually, he gained something.

Streams of light spread from his body, their other ends sinking into the Void.

Beneath the vast heavens, black tribulation clouds churned, blotting out the sea of stars. Endless crimson lightning carried the aura of Destruction as it roiled through the clouds above the secret realm, transforming into countless divine abilities that struck at Xiao Xuan, crimson lightning crashing onto his body.

This fellow was truly audacious beyond measure. He actually harbored the delusion of refining the Plane Embryo and replacing the Heavenly Dao with his own Dao.

Forcibly refining this world would naturally provoke its frenzied backlash.

Crimson lightning of Destruction surged, transforming into blades of Destruction that carried supreme majesty as they sought to execute Xiao Xuan.

At first, his body could still withstand it. After some time, however, it was directly extinguished, leaving behind only his Immortal Divine Soul and Primordial Spirit.

Boom...

An invisible fluctuation spread through the entire cosmos. Those within the Xiao Realm, the Central Plains, and the various ancient clans—every Dou Saint—felt an irresistible pressure. When they tried to investigate, they coughed up blood, their auras weakening as all their divine abilities were sealed.

Could it be a Dou Emperor? For a time, the major forces across the continent speculated without end.

Above a black ocean suffused with an aura seemingly dating back to the beginning of ancient times, terrifying lightning rose, while countless Universe Oceans formed and perished around him.

Buzz!

Brilliant light erupted from Xiao Xuan's Primordial Spirit. Endless divine radiance surged as a Faxiang spanning millions of miles manifested, and Wuji Dao Patterns emerged from his brow, spreading across his entire body.

All divine light converged, leaving behind only pure Dao intent—unyielding and relentless, refusing to rest until death.

One breath, two breaths...

The starry sky began to tremble violently. Earth, water, wind, and fire fell into chaos, and the rivers of stars revolved unpredictably.

Terrifying Void rifts spread through the starry sky, merging, spreading, merging, deadlocking...

The deadlock lasted far too long—so long that several hundred years passed. During that stalemate, Xiao Xuan's Primordial Spirit received even greater tempering, becoming more refined and more powerful.

Though he had not refined the Plane Embryo, he had gained its aura and seized one hundred-millionth of its control.

The laws of heaven and earth manifested beneath him, condensing into a golden lotus that supported his form. Behind his head, an Order Divine Wheel slowly turned, harmonizing with the Dao rhythms of the cosmos.

My Dao is the Heavenly Dao. He opened his eyes, his gaze flowing through the starry sky and landing upon the edge of the world, at the end of the great sea.

"Hahaha... Heaven truly favors me!

So what if it is a Dou Emperor? I can still suppress one!

Urgh... fuck... Plane Embryo, how underhanded!"

Xiao had gotten carried away. Greedy and never satisfied, he was directly restrained and suppressed by the Plane Embryo.

In other words, unless he was rescued, his consciousness could only remain trapped in the depths of this Void for thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, of years.

The instant Xiao was suppressed, the two avatars that had been hiding outside both spat out blood and immediately began cursing.

This was what happened when you courted death. He had not enjoyed his carefree, invincible days properly and insisted on seeking death instead.

Why didn't you just fly up to heaven? You actually dared to set your sights on the Plane Embryo. Did you really think you were something special?

He had originally wanted to risk everything to save him, but the main body's will immediately transmitted a message: wait and see.

Xiao Li had no choice but to quietly leave the Eight Desolations Divine Hall, return to the Xiao Clan, and restore his original appearance.

Using the spatial research of recent years, he broke through the barriers of the Heavenly Tomb and retrieved the souls of those Xiao Clan elders who had passed away there.

"Patriarch? Has the time come?"

A Five-Star elder immediately asked, while the others also looked delighted.

Because the Patriarch had said that when they met again, it would be the time of death.

Xiao Li said, "The time has come. Within a hundred years, a new emperor of the Xiao Clan will emerge.

Go!

Samsara!"

As the Samsara Secret Art was unleashed, aided by the interference of that audacious main body, several soul masses vanished from the Xiao Realm and flew beyond its borders.