Old Servant Yao Nong

In an ancient void space, chaos reigned without light. From time to time, Spatial Distortion tore through the emptiness, spewing terrifying black flames. Wherever they passed, even space itself was silently devoured and destroyed, leaving behind constantly repairing spatial cracks. It was exceedingly bizarre.

Time seemed to have lost all meaning in this place.

At the very center, two figures sat cross-legged. Their bodies were both shrouded in black flames. One of them was Hun Xuzi, who had previously "spoken" with Yao Yan. However, compared to the wisp of Soul Body from before, this body was clearly his Main Body.

As the space before him split apart, a Soul Body wrapped in black flames entered his body. Only then did he slowly open his eyes, which were covered in black flames, a faint smile appearing at the corner of his lips.

"Did it succeed?"

Sensing the change in Hun Xuzi's mood, the other figure beside him spoke.

As the man spoke, the black flames throughout the Void Space became docile. They were no longer violent, and even emitted strange whimpering sounds, as though welcoming their master.

Black flames coiled around the man's entire body, while strange black runes covered his flesh. His eyes resembled Black Holes, radiating terrifying Devouring Power. Merely meeting his gaze gave one the illusion that their soul was about to be devoured.

This person was naturally the master of this space, as well as Nihility Devouring Flame, ranked second on the Heavenly Flame Ranking.

Facing him, Hun Xuzi's attitude became exceptionally respectful. He rose and smiled. "Yes, Void Lord. After plotting for a hundred years, we finally succeeded by sheer luck. That little fellow has already fused with the Spirit Devouring King's essence blood. As for whether he can perfectly inherit the Tunling Clan's talent, that will have to be tested in the future."

Hearing this, Nihility Devouring Flame remained calm, as though he did not care about the matter. His tone was cold. "Restrain yourself. Before the plan begins, do not stir up too much trouble."

As one of the most powerful beings in the world, he cared only about matters related to the Dou Di. He had no interest in Hun Xuzi's little hobby. Though the Tunling Clan was strange, it was ultimately just an Ancient Family that had been wiped out. He himself had long since mastered the Tunling Clan's abilities and knew perfectly well where its limits lay.

Besides, compared to his own ability to devour all things, the Tunling Clan's so-called talent of devouring other clans' Bloodline Power was truly not worth mentioning.

"Rest assured, Void Lord. I know my limits."

Hun Xuzi nodded in response.

Black flames flickered within Nihility Devouring Flame's eyes, and his voice carried a trace more emotion as he slowly asked, "Have you found any news of the Xiao Clan?"

The Tou She Ancient God Jade had been divided into eight pieces, each controlled by one of the Ancient Eight Clans. To this day, only the piece once held by the Xiao Clan remained unaccounted for, having vanished alongside the clan's destruction. They had initially thought it had fallen into the Gu Clan's hands, but the information they had gathered over the years revealed that the Gu Clan had not obtained the Xiao Clan's piece of the Tou She Ancient God Jade.

The Xiao Clan had been destroyed by the Soul Clan back then. Some surviving clansmen had fled under the Gu Clan's protection and relocated to a remote region of the continent. With so much time having passed, finding their traces now was undoubtedly like searching for a needle in the ocean.

"The Soul Hall's forces have already spread across the continent. If there is news, it will be sent back immediately. Still, rather than searching blindly like this, I believe it would be better to focus on the Gu Clan. The surviving Xiao Clan members escaped under the Gu Clan's protection back then. I Don't Believe the Gu Clan does not know where the Xiao Clan is!"

Hun Xuzi's eyes flickered as he spoke in a deep voice.

"It is already being arranged, but it will take time. Unfortunately, only Gu Yuan knows about this matter. Otherwise, it would not be so troublesome."

When Nihility Devouring Flame mentioned Gu Yuan, his expression darkened slightly. A Thousand Years Ago, Gu Yuan had beaten him so badly that he was nearly forced back into his original form. Even now, his body still ached faintly. It was the first time anyone had ever beaten him into such a state. Because of Gu Yuan, he had kept a far lower profile over the past thousand years.

Seeing Nihility Devouring Flame's darkened expression, Hun Xuzi immediately fell silent, because this matter was not easy to comment on.

Who had not gone through a hot-blooded youth? Especially a Strange Fire Spirit, whose temperament was naturally violent.

Nihility Devouring Flame had been just like that back then. He had even attempted to devour the Golden Emperor Sky Burning Flame possessed by the Gu Clan. At the time, the host of the Golden Emperor Sky Burning Flame was Gu Yuan's wife, and she was pregnant. The outcome was easy to imagine. After Gu Yuan's wife was severely injured by Nihility Devouring Flame, Gu Yuan, who arrived afterward, erupted.

Had Hun Tiandi not brought several Soul Clan Elders to rescue him, Nihility Devouring Flame would truly have been torn apart by the enraged Gu Yuan.

The incident had nearly sparked a war between the Gu Clan and the Soul Clan.

Fortunately, Gu Yuan was a relatively rational man. He always considered matters from every angle and hesitated to act. In the end, he feared that a war between the two clans would result in countless deaths and injuries, so the war never broke out.

Hun Xuzi had only uncovered such a secret over the past century. No one would have expected Nihility Devouring Flame to have such a past.

"Order the Soul Hall to continue searching. As for the Gu Clan, I will handle it personally."

Nihility Devouring Flame said coldly.

"Yes."

Hun Xuzi replied respectfully.

Elsewhere, Yao Yan had already sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion to cultivate. He was unwilling to waste even a shred of time. Every increase in strength was confidence for him to refuse beef in the future. Everything that had happened today had left him utterly lacking in security, with the feeling that his life and death rested in someone else's hands. He did not want to experience that feeling again.

Being treated like an experimental mouse felt absolutely terrible.

In a Fantasy World, strength was all that mattered!

However, compared to his previous cultivation, he was far more restrained this time. Only a thin layer of Heaven and Earth Energy covered his body, nowhere near as exaggerated as the previous Whale Swallow. Yao Yan had deliberately suppressed it rather than fully unleashing it. On one hand, he feared causing a phenomenon that would draw the attention of the Yao Clan Elders. On the other, he was following Hun Xuzi's advice not to rush into a breakthrough.

More than a breakthrough in strength, what he needed now was to familiarize himself with his current body and the power brought by every strand of Dou Zhi Qi.

Both Hun Xuzi's words and the teachings of the Elders at the Yao Clan school emphasized the importance of building a foundation. Blindly pursuing Cultivation Speed would only cut off one's future path. Only with a perfect foundation could one go farther in the future.

Yao Yan's foundation could now rival those monstrous geniuses with God Grade Bloodlines. What he needed to do was gain complete control over it.

It was like a Barrett sniper rifle. Its power was immense, but even a strong adult could not use it perfectly without sufficient experience and physical strength, and might even injure himself. Much less when the one wielding it was a youth.

"So this is what being a genius feels like?"

Yao Yan slowly opened his eyes, a trace of emotion in them as he murmured softly. Though he had long understood the importance of talent, only after truly obtaining it did he realize how vast the gap between geniuses and mediocrities truly was.

When he possessed a Rank 3 Bloodline, he had not been useless. He could even be considered above average. But compared to his current self... no, the two could not be compared at all.

When he cultivated in the past, especially during the Dou Zhi Qi stage when he nurtured his body, his body had a limit. Once that limit was exceeded, his body could not bear it. If he cultivated for too long, even his Meridians would be overwhelmed, forcing him to stop. But now, his body seemed capable of endlessly enduring the nourishment of Dou Zhi Qi.

"No wonder those monstrous geniuses remain at the Dou Zhi Qi stage for so long..."

Yao Yan pondered inwardly. At this moment, he understood clearly that if Xiao Yan had not received Yao Lao's aid in the Original Work, forcing him to nurture his body for several years, reaching Dou Emperor would have been the limit of his life. With worse luck, Dou Wang would have been his lifelong peak. This had nothing to do with vision; his foundation simply could not support more.

Then there was the uniqueness of the Flame Mantra. After Xiao Yan Devoured Exotic Fire, he reforged his body several times, and his talent and foundation had long undergone a qualitative transformation.

Just look at Na Ran Yan Ran. With her talent, she had ultimately reached only the Dou Zong realm, and that was because Yun Yun, her master, had worked tirelessly for her sake.

"But finding an excuse for this will not be easy."

Yao Yan frowned slightly and spoke in a low voice.

He currently had only First Stage Dou Zhi Qi, and he would remain in the Dou Zhi Qi stage for a long time to come. This could not be hidden from the Elders at the clan school. Once they turned their attention toward him, it would inevitably cause trouble. This made him want to take out the jade token and discuss it with that teacher.

If he had a choice, he would quite like to cultivate in the Soul Clan. After all, the Tunling Clan talent he had inherited was very suitable for a place like the Soul Clan.

Combined with his current talent, his strength would surely rise rapidly.

Unfortunately, Yao Yan did not want to shape himself into someone who pursued nothing but strength. No one liked an ungrateful wretch, even if he himself was one.

Han Feng had already demonstrated that perfectly.

"Knock, knock."

Just as Yao Yan was nursing a headache, a knock came from outside the room. It was not loud, but with an alchemist's Soul Power, even the slightest movement would be noticed.

Yao Yan's expression changed slightly. Ever vigilant, he did not go directly to the door. He did not even move, merely saying, "Who is it? I am refining medicine and cannot come out."

"Old Servant Yao Nong, ordered to come and deal with the young master's loose ends."

As a clear stream of Soul Power entered the room, a distinct voice sounded beside Yao Yan's ear.

"?!"

A flash of surprise crossed Yao Yan's eyes, because he knew Yao Nong. The man was the Clan Leader of a branch family in Pill Cauldron City. His strength was unknown, but he was definitely no weaker than a Dou Zong. Beyond that, he was also a Rank 6 Peak Alchemist. Yet he called himself an old servant. Clearly, Yao Yan's cheap teacher had already arranged everything for him.

You really are a qualified teacher. I almost feel embarrassed to keep resenting you... Yao Yan mocked himself inwardly. At the same time, he could not help but marvel at the Soul Clan's terror. They had infiltrated the Yao Clan to such a degree. He had no doubt that there were other spies within the Yao Clan, perhaps even with identities more outrageous than Yao Nong's.

No wonder Hun Tiandi and the others looked down on the great Ancient Families, even treating them as resources for breaking through to the Dou Di realm. It was not without reason.

None of them had any awareness of danger in peaceful times. What awaited them was inevitably destruction.

Only destruction!