Emperor Flame Awakens: The Three-Clan War and Bloodline Shackles

Purple-black mist billowed over the heart-flame pool in the Xiao Clan ancestral grounds. Xiao Feng sat cross-legged on a stone platform at its center, twenty-four Heavenly Flame fragments circling him like stars around the moon. He circulated the Burning Heaven Technique, and the Emperor Scale patterns resonated with the Heavenly Flames. The pool evaporated in the scorching heat, revealing an ancient formation left behind by Xiao Xuan at the bottom.

"The flames are ready." Xiao Zhan stood at the entrance, holding the Xiao Zhan Blade. The blade reflected his sons' silhouettes. "Don't get greedy. Fuse three Heavenly Flames first."

Xiao Feng nodded and flicked his fingers. The Fallen Heart Flame, Ancient Spirit Cold Flame, and Green Spirit Earth Core Flame flew into the formation. The three Heavenly Flames collided violently, and the resulting energy storm cracked the rock walls. Xiao Yan sprang into action, turning the Flame Emperor Fire into chains to stabilize the formation's edges. Their Dou Qi gathered in the pool, forming a yin-yang fish pattern.

Ding! The host has fused three Heavenly Flames, triggering a Devour System bonus. Acquired "Burning Heaven Three Profound Transformations: Extreme"!

Before the system's prompt had faded, Xiao Feng felt scorching liquid seep from his pores—the sign that impurities were being refined away. When he opened his eyes, his pupils had turned purple and black, and his Dou Qi flickered around him, distorting the space.

"Peak Dou Zong?" Xiao Zhan's hand trembled slightly around the hilt of his blade. The Xiao Clan had not produced a Dou Zong powerhouse in nearly a thousand years, yet Xiao Feng had crossed five levels of cultivation at just ten years old.

"It's still not enough." Xiao Feng stared at the remaining Heavenly Flame fragments. "Hun Dan's system lets him leap across realms in an instant. Only by fusing with the remnant soul of the Emperor Flame can I stand against him."

Xiao Yan jerked his head up. "Third Brother, do you know how dangerous that is? Our ancestor died trying to force a fusion with the Emperor Flame!"

"But we have the Devour System." Xiao Feng took out the Dou Saint Experience Card. "Each use grants Dou Sheng-level soul power, enough to suppress the rejection. He looked at Xiao Zhan, his gaze steely. "This is the only path for the Xiao Clan to rise again."

Xiao Zhan was silent for a long while, then retreated to the edge of the formation. "I'll protect you. If anything unusual happens, I'll stop it immediately."

When the remnant soul of Xiao Xuan's Emperor Flame merged with the formation, the entire ancestral ground shook violently. Xiao Feng felt a burden of millions of pounds pressing down on him. His Emperor Scale cracked bit by bit, exposing new golden patterns beneath. Xiao Yan crushed a Breakthrough Pill and forced his Dou Qi up to Peak Dou Wang, doing everything he could to stabilize the formation.

"Hold on!" he shouted. "Your soul power is breaking into the Heavenly Realm!"

Just then, a Soul Clan scout Soul Insect breached the defenses and transmitted the scene to Hun Dan's crystal ball. Hun Dan, who had been in seclusion, opened his eyes. Apprehension flashed across them. "Xiao Xuan's Emperor Flame? Impossible!"

"My lord, the Xiao Clan's fusion of the Heavenly Flames is nearly complete!" A Blood Soul Hall elder knelt before him. "Should we activate the Blood Sacrifice Soul Array?"

Hun Dan stared at Xiao Feng's image in the crystal ball and smiled sinisterly. "No need. Send word to Hun Tiandi. The seal at the Xiao Clan ancestral grounds is about to open—invite the Gu Clan and Thunder Clan to join the feast."

At the Gu Clan's sacred grounds, Gu Yuan watched the Heavenly Flame fluctuations on the horizon. The Progenitor Ancient Jade glimmered faintly. "Xiao Xuan's aura has appeared again. Could the Xiao Clan really have an heir to the Emperor Flame?" He summoned Gu Tianyi. "Saddle the horses. We're going to the Star Fall Mountain Range!"

At the Thunder Clan's Thunder God Hall, Lei Yao toyed with the Soul Clan's jade slip, his lips curling in disdain. "Hun Dan wants to use us as his blade? Fine. Let's see what the Xiao Clan brat is made of." Behind him, Thunder Clan disciples stood ready to depart, lightning leaping across the Thunder God Hammer.

Back at the Xiao Clan ancestral grounds, Xiao Feng's fusion had entered its final stage. The remnant soul of the Emperor Flame and the Heavenly Flame fragments melded into a chaotic-colored fire. The system prompt rang like thunder:

Ding! Fused with the remnant soul of the Emperor Flame. Acquired "Dou Di Bloodline: Awakening"!

Warning! The spatial barrier has ruptured. Enemy forces have invaded!

Xiao Yan sensed the disturbance first. He stared at the reflection of the approaching powerhouses in the pool and gripped the Heavy Xuan Ruler. "Third Brother, the Gu Clan and Thunder Clan are both here—and... Hun Dan!"

Xiao Feng rose to his feet, the Emperor Flame dancing in his palm. The pool evaporated completely. He looked up at the sky, a cold smile lifting the corners of his mouth. Xiao Zhan gripped the Xiao Zhan Blade. The Fire Pattern Steel along its edge glowed a dark red. "Activate the mountain-protection formation! No one is disturbing my son's breakthrough today!"

The clouds over the Star Fall Mountain Range were dyed purple by the Heavenly Flames. At the foot of the mountain, Gu Yuan's Griffin Legion faced off against the Thunder Clan's Thunder Cavalry. Hun Dan stood atop the Soul Clan's Bone Dragon, the System Terminal flashing red in his hand. "Xiao Feng, even if you fuse with the Emperor Flame, you won't escape this inescapable net. The Xiao Clan is doomed!"

Chapter 19: Three-Clan Encirclement: Dou Zong Might and Bloodline Backlash

The stone gate to the ancestral grounds exploded. Xiao Feng strode through the air, chaos-colored flames coiling around him. His purple-black gaze swept over the three clans' forces at the foot of the mountain. His crushing presence slammed down like a great hammer, grinding the rocks within a hundred yards to dust.

"Peak Dou Zong?!" Gu Tianyi cried out, nearly dropping his battle blade. Though he was a young prodigy of the Gu Clan, he was only a Dou Ling. How could he withstand such pressure?

Gu Yuan's expression turned grave as he rose into the air. "A descendant of Xiao Xuan—you certainly are impressive. But do you know that fusing with the Emperor Flame without permission will bring the wrath of Heaven and Earth upon you?"

"Spare me the nonsense!" Lei Yao sprang into the air with the Thunder God Hammer in hand. "The Thunder Clan is here for one thing: the Heavenly Flames!" Lightning burst from the hammer, forming a hundred-yard thunder dragon that lunged at Xiao Feng.

Xiao Feng flicked a finger. A wisp of Emperor Flame shot out and burned the thunder dragon to nothing. Lei Yao's pupils contracted. A casual strike had broken his Profound-grade Dou Technique. Just how powerful was this boy?

"The Gu Clan and Thunder Clan are being used by someone else," Xiao Feng said, his voice booming like a bell. "The Soul Clan is the real mastermind. Why not join me to fight our common enemy?"

Before Gu Yuan could answer, Hun Dan's Bone Dragon had already closed in. Hundreds of Soul Clan secret arts gathered into black streaks and shot toward Xiao Feng. He swept out a sleeve, and the Emperor Flame became a shield. The black streaks vanished on contact, while the flames burned a gaping hole in the Bone Dragon's wing.

"Xiao Zhan! You failed to discipline your son!" Hun Dan shrieked from behind the Bone Dragon. "Today, I'll show you the might of the Soul Clan's blood sacrifice!"

The Blood Sacrifice Jade Slip in his hand erupted in blinding red light. A blood-red array suddenly rose around the Xiao Clan ancestral grounds. Countless Soul Clan incantations swam through the air, forcibly draining the Dou Qi from the Xiao Clan disciples.

"Damn it! It's the Blood Sacrifice Soul Array!" Xiao Zhan swung his blade at the barrier, but it was like striking empty space. "This array uses the Xiao Clan's bloodline as its anchor. Only the clan leader's blood essence can break it!"

Xiao Feng's eyes turned blood-red. The Emperor Flame surged several yards higher as his bloodline boiled. "Father, lend me your strength!" He opened his palm. Xiao Zhan resolutely sliced his own palm, and his blood essence fused with the Emperor Flame, burning a crack into the barrier.

"Xiao Yanzi, get the clan members out!" Xiao Feng roared. "I'll hold them off!"

Xiao Yan nodded and swept the Heavy Xuan Ruler across. The Flame Emperor Fire drove back the approaching Soul Clan cultivators. He turned to help Xiao Zhan, only to see his father suddenly stagger and fall. Black blood seeped from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth—the blood essence he had just offered had been struck by the formation's backlash, and he had been poisoned by a Soul Clan curse!

"Father!" Xiao Yan's pupils contracted. A Fire Lotus swelled uncontrollably at his fingertips. "I'll kill you all!"

The boy's Dou Qi surged wildly. His Flame Emperor Bloodline ran completely amok, and a twelve-foot-tall Fire Lotus phantom appeared behind him, illuminating the entire mountain range like daylight. Gu Yuan was shocked. "He's awakened the Flame Emperor Bloodline? Retreat!"

Hun Dan was just as startled. He hurriedly ordered the Bone Dragon to take flight, but Xiao Yan raised his hand and unleashed the "Flame Splitting Wave-Devouring Ruler." The ruler's light came crashing down, wrapped in the fury of the Flame Emperor Fire, and cleaved the Bone Dragon cleanly in two!

"Impossible..." As he fell, Hun Dan brought out the Soul Clan's treasure, the Spirit Devouring Bead. But Xiao Feng caught him by the throat in midair, and the Emperor Flame crawled from his fingertips into Hun Dan's sea of consciousness.

"Get back into your system!" Xiao Feng roared. "The Xiao Clan isn't yours to covet!"

Hun Dan let out a bloodcurdling scream, and his form dissolved into motes of light. Just then, Xiao Zhan's voice came from behind. "Feng'er, watch out!"

Xiao Feng turned and saw Gu Yuan and Lei Yao attacking together. Both were at the Nine-Star Dou Wang peak, and their moves showed signs of a coordinated assault. He summoned the Heavenly Demon Wings to retreat, but a wave of dizziness washed over him. The side effects of fusing with the Emperor Flame had finally caught up with him, and his soul power ebbed away like the tide.

"I'll spare you for today!" Gu Yuan saw Xiao Feng's unstable aura and signaled Lei Yao to withdraw. "But the Gu Clan won't let the matter of the Heavenly Flames go."

Watching the three clans' forces retreat, Xiao Feng finally could hold on no longer and dropped to one knee. Xiao Yan hurried to support him, only to see the Emperor Scale patterns rapidly dimming. His world-shaking power had vanished like a flower blooming briefly before fading.

"Third Brother, how are you?"

Xiao Feng shook his head and looked toward where Xiao Zhan had been. His father was being carried into the ancestral grounds by the elders, his face pale as paper. He clenched his fist until his nails pierced his palm. "I was careless... The Soul Clan's scheme won't catch us off guard again."

The system prompt rang at just the right moment:

Ding! The host has fused with the Emperor Flame for the first time. Acquired the "Bloodline Suppression" talent (damage against Soul Clan cultivators +30%).

Warning! Emperor Flame backlash has caused the host's cultivation to fall to Early Dou Wang. Three months of rest are required for recovery.

Xiao Yan ground his teeth. "That Hun Dan must have counted on us being weak after the fusion. Third Brother, we have to grow stronger as soon as possible, or else..."

"I understand." Xiao Feng stood and looked toward the depths of the Star Fall Mountain Range. "Old Ancestor Gu Xuan once said that a fragment of the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Jade lies at the range's heart. If we can gather all seven, we can summon the true body of the Emperor Flame. Then the Soul Clan won't stand a chance."

Xiao Yan nodded, flames igniting on the Heavy Xuan Ruler in his palm. "Then let's go. Sooner or later, the Soul Clan will pay for the Xiao Clan's blood with their own."

In an inner room of the ancestral grounds, Xiao Zhan slowly opened his eyes. He gazed at the Xiao Zhan Blade beside his bed and murmured, "Uncle Xuan, in the end, the burden of the Xiao Clan will fall on these two children's shoulders..."

Chapter 20: Star Fall Secrets: The Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Jade and Devouring the Starry Sky

Three months later, beside a magma lake deep in the Star Fall Mountain Range, Xiao Feng sat cross-legged with twenty-four Heavenly Flame fragments arranged around him in the Big Dipper Array. He circulated the Burning Heaven Technique. Though the Emperor Scale patterns had not fully recovered, they had gained a steadier, weightier quality.

"Third Brother, are you ready?" Xiao Yan stood by the lakeshore, holding the Heavy Xuan Ruler, his gaze bright. "According to the ancient records, the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Jade Fragment is at the bottom of the magma lake."

Xiao Feng nodded. A Heavenly Flame shot from his fingertip and traced the Xiao Clan crest across the lake's surface. The water roiled, revealing a stone gate in the depths. Four ancient characters were engraved upon it: "Gate of Emperor Flame."

"Watch out for the formation," Xiao Feng warned. "Our ancestor Xiao Xuan couldn't get inside back then, so there must be something hidden here."

The two stepped through the stone gate, only to find the chamber empty except for a jade slip resting on a stone platform in the center. Just as Xiao Yan was about to touch it, the slip burst with blinding light, and countless images flooded into their minds. They showed Xiao Xuan's failed attempt to break through to Dou Di.

"My descendants, if you see this jade slip, you must have awakened the Emperor Flame Bloodline." Xiao Xuan's phantom appeared. "There are seven fragments of the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Jade, scattered among the Ancient Eight Clans. The Soul Clan has two of them, so be especially wary."

The scene shifted, revealing Hun Tiandi holding two black jade fragments, a sinister smile tugging at his lips. Xiao Feng clenched his fists until his nails cut into his palms. "Hun Tiandi..."

"Remember, all seven jade fragments are needed to summon the true body of the Emperor Flame." Xiao Xuan's phantom faded. "And do not act rashly. The Soul Clan's Soul Hall has spread across the continent, and within it..."