"Create a Dou Di realm from scratch?!"
Everyone was once again utterly stunned. Zhu Kun hurriedly tried to dissuade him. "Young friend Xiao Ze, you absolutely mustn't! The path to becoming a Dou Di is fraught with danger. Though the Ancient Emperor's legacy is powerful, forcibly absorbing the Emperor's Origin could very well cause it to assimilate you—or even make you explode! Besides, no one has ever tried to create their own path to Dou Di. Everyone has followed in the footsteps of those before them. This is far too risky!"
"Uncle Zhu Kun, don't worry."
Confidence gleamed in Xiao Ze's eyes.
"I don't intend to simply copy the Ancient Emperor's path. I'll draw on his Emperor's Origin, combine it with Flame Mantra's heaven-defying properties and the power of my twenty-two Heavenly Flames, and forge a path to Dou Di that belongs to me, Xiao Ze."
He turned to Gu Yuan. "Uncle Gu Yuan, I'll have to leave the allied forces in your and Uncle Zhu Kun's hands for now. Hun Tiandi will need time to recover. The day I prove my Dao will be the day he dies!"
Gu Yuan looked at the resolve in Xiao Ze's eyes. Though he was worried, he understood that this was the only way to eliminate the threat Hun Tiandi posed once and for all.
He nodded firmly. "Rest assured, young friend Xiao Ze. The entire allied force will protect you while you cultivate! If you can prove your Dao and become a Dou Di today, then from this day forward, we'll follow your lead and protect the Dou Qi Continent!"
"Thank you." Xiao Ze smiled faintly, then turned toward the Ancient Emperor Stone Statue. The Chaos Heaven Burning Flame surged around him, rising ten thousand zhang into the sky, while the auras