Hundred-Year Phoenix Nirvana, Breakthrough to 200,000 Years Upon Emerging from Seclusion? Huang Yan: There's No Time! Suotuo City!

"Not bad."

Huang Yan gave a slight nod, affirming Dugu Bo's perceptiveness.

"In extraordinary times, we must take extraordinary measures.

Since Meng Shu and Chao Tianxiang already have an established foundation, we might as well take it over and put it to use."

If only time weren't so pressing.

With Huang Yan's means and resources, even if he had to do everything himself, he could still build a top-tier faction from scratch, given enough years.

But the thought left Huang Yan feeling rather helpless.

He was the clan leader of the Bright Phoenix clan!

Although here on Douluo Continent—and perhaps even across the entire Douluo Planet—he was very likely the last Bright Phoenix.

Yet as his cultivation continued to improve, Huang Yan became increasingly aware of something.

The blood flowing through his veins wasn't that of an ordinary Spirit Beast. It was the bloodline of a true divine beast!

Not long ago.

The very moment his cultivation officially broke through the hundred-thousand-year threshold,

an intense, instinctive yearning, rising from the depths of his soul and bloodline, had swept through his entire body like a storm.

That was Phoenix Nirvana!

As a Bright Phoenix bearing the bloodline of a divine beast, after breaking through the shackles of a hundred thousand years,

he had to heed the call of his bloodline and enter a state of slumber and transformation known as "Phoenix Nirvana," a state of profound mystery.

This was an incredible blessing!

As long as he completed the nirvana successfully, when he emerged from seclusion again,

Huang Yan's cultivation would undergo a terrifying transformation, leaping across the hundred-thousand-year divide and surging straight to the level of a two-hundred-thousand-year Ferocious Beast!

For any Spirit Beast, this was a heaven-defying opportunity, one they could only dream of—enough to drive them mad with desire.

But Huang Yan couldn't bring himself to be happy.

In fact, it gave him a splitting headache!

There was only one reason.

If he chose to heed his bloodline and enter seclusion in the form of Phoenix Nirvana,

the process of slumber and transformation would take at least a full hundred years!

A hundred years!

To a hundred-thousand-year Spirit Beast with its vast lifespan, a hundred years might be no more than a nap, gone in the blink of an eye.

But on the turbulent timeline of the present, it would be more than enough for the entire world to be turned upside down!

Forget a hundred years.

Huang Yan knew better than anyone that, if Douluo Continent continued along its current course,

even in another twenty years,

those so-called "Shrek Seven Devils" would probably have all inherited divine positions and flown up to the Divine Realm!

By then, the order of Douluo Continent would have been firmly set, and the radiance of the gods would blanket everything.

Even if he emerged from seclusion with two hundred thousand years of cultivation, how much of a splash could he make in a world watched over by the gods?

The day would be long gone!

That was precisely why Huang Yan felt time pressing so hard.

While he still had a little time to suppress the instinct of Phoenix Nirvana,

he had to act with the utmost decisiveness and lay out his own pieces in this age of fierce competition!

"This junior accepts your command!

I'll go at once and take Beast Academy, along with the Meng Family, for you!"

Dugu Bo knocked his head heavily against the ground, then sprang to his feet.

Reborn and vastly stronger, he was now full of confidence, his former dejection swept away.

Without the slightest hesitation, Dugu Bo transformed into a streak of emerald-green light.

He shot straight into the sky, left Sunset Forest, and went to carry out his first task after pledging his allegiance.

After watching Dugu Bo leave,

Huang Yan didn't sit idle either. He turned and disappeared once more into the depths of Sunset Forest.

Building a faction required manpower, but it also demanded vast resources and reserves to win people over and train loyal, fearless warriors.

And Soul Bones were undoubtedly the most tempting form of hard currency in the Soul Master World, the kind most likely to inspire unwavering loyalty!

Over the next few days, the despairing cries of high-level Spirit Beasts rang out from the depths of Sunset Forest now and then.

Relying on the terrifying strength of a hundred-thousand-year divine beast, Huang Yan began a precise "hunt" of the forest's high-level Spirit Beasts.

Of course, he didn't slaughter them indiscriminately and leave nothing behind.

Huang Yan knew full well that

if he wiped out every high-level Spirit Beast in Sunset Forest, creating a vacuum of power,

it would inevitably send shock waves through the entire Soul Master World.

If he attracted the attention of Spirit Hall or some other top faction,

and they sent powerful experts into Sunset Forest to investigate, the existence of the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well would most likely be exposed.

Although the Immortal Herbs and top-grade medicinal plants growing around the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well

had already been pulled up by Huang Yan, roots and all.

He hadn't left a single plant for those who came after him.

Still, the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well was his current lair on Douluo Continent, at the very least.

It was a rare cultivation paradise. How could he tolerate human Soul Masters coming to meddle with it and wreck the place?

So Huang Yan kept his hunting within strict limits.

He carefully controlled the numbers, targeting only some of the high-level Spirit Beasts and preserving the forest's outward appearance of danger and its ecological balance.

Several days later,

Huang Yan stopped hunting and stood atop a cliff, taking stock of what he'd gained on this trip.

Looking at the Soul Bones floating before him, each radiating a brilliant, multicolored glow, Huang Yan finally curled his lips into a satisfied smile.

Together with the five Soul Bones he had already collected,

the number in his possession had now officially reached double digits!

A full twelve Soul Bones!

If word got out, Soul Masters across the continent would go mad, and several kingdoms might even be plunged into rivers of blood!

Even more remarkably, of those twelve Soul Bones, only two were of thousand-year quality.

The other ten were Ten Thousand Year Soul Bones!

"With these Soul Bones in reserve, the next part of the plan will be much easier."

With a casual wave, Huang Yan put away all twelve priceless Soul Bones in his storage space.

Everything was ready.

Huang Yan lifted his head, no longer hesitating.

He kept his tall, slender human form.

A pair of dazzling Bright Phoenix wings suddenly unfurled behind him.

Boom—!

His wings beat hard, unleashing a deafening sonic boom!

As the wind howled, Huang Yan's figure turned into a golden streak that tore across the sky.

At a terrifying speed, he flew straight toward Suotuo City!

In no time,

Huang Yan had arrived outside Suotuo City.

He folded away his phoenix wings, changed into an inconspicuous black robe, disappeared into the night, and walked into the city.

Even though night had fallen, Suotuo City was still ablaze with lights, bustling with people.

The inns in particular were packed almost to bursting with young Soul Masters and their parents.

After releasing his spiritual power and making a few inquiries, a glint flashed through Huang Yan's eyes.

"So that's it... Tonight is the eve of Shrek Academy's enrollment!"

The timing was perfect!

If things followed their original course,

Tang San, Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, Zhu Zhuqing, and the rest of the so-called "main cast"

would probably already have gathered here in Suotuo City, getting ready for tomorrow's registration spectacle.

But they weren't Huang Yan's target right now.