At this very moment.
There was a note of disbelief in Xiao Xun'er's voice, but it was also brimming with pride.
Xiao Yan smiled faintly and reached out to ruffle her hair.
"It's all thanks to your Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame, Xun'er."
"Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to break through so quickly."
Xiao Xun'er shook her head and buried her face in his chest, her voice gentle. "That's mostly because you're amazing, Brother Xiao Yan. Anyone else wouldn't even be qualified to touch the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame!"
At that,
Xiao Yan felt warmth in his heart and tightened his arms around her.
This girl...
He had clearly helped her so much, yet she made it sound as if she were the one who'd benefited, and somehow she'd become even more dependent on him?
Could this... be the subtle influence of the Yin-Yang Great Demon Life-Cultivation Method?
"Xun'er."
He spoke softly.
"Hmm?"
"Your cultivation..."
Xiao Yan lowered his head to look at her, a note of concern flashing in his eyes.
"How does it feel?"
Xiao Xun'er paused for a moment, then closed her eyes and sensed the condition of her body.
A moment later, she opened her eyes, her face alight with delight.
"Brother Xiao Yan!"
Her voice turned joyful.
"What?!"
"Xun'er's cultivation... actually broke through to Dou Wang!"
"And..."
She held out her small hand. A wisp of golden flame appeared in her palm.
Though the flame was not as powerful as the one in Xiao Yan's palm, it was pure and solid, utterly unlike its previous violent, uncontrollable state.
"I've completely mastered the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame!"
Xiao Xun'er's voice brimmed with joy, and her eyes grew slightly red.
The pain of the Heavenly Flame rebelling against her, which had plagued her for years, had vanished completely. From now on, she would never again have to endure that agony of being consumed by fire!
And...
The Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame could now unleash its true power in her hands!
Thanks to Xiao Yan, Xiao Xun'er had finally gained control over the portion of the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame within her ahead of time, and her Divine Grade Bloodline had improved along with it.
Under these circumstances, she had crossed straight from Dou Spirit Realm to Dou Wang Realm!
Her rate of advancement was undoubtedly far faster than in the original story.
"Thank you, Brother Xiao Yan..."
Xiao Xun'er looked up, her eyes filled with gratitude and joy.
Xiao Yan smiled and shook his head.
"What are you thanking me for?"
"This is the result of your own efforts, too."
He paused, his tone turning serious.
"But..."
"Xun'er, it seems the Dou Di Bloodline inside you has also been activated to a considerable degree?"
Xiao Xun'er paused, then nodded.
"Mm... I can feel it too, Brother Xiao Yan. My bloodline power is much stronger than before."
Xiao Yan pondered this.
It seemed that the Yin-Yang Great Demon Life-Cultivation Method had not only granted him the power of the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame and the enhancement of the Ancient Clan's bloodline, but had also activated the deeper bloodline power within Xiao Xun'er in return.
So this was the benefit of the Dual Cultivation Method?
It actually improved both of them!
"That's good."
Xiao Yan smiled and ruffled her hair.
"From now on, you won't have to worry about the Heavenly Flame anymore."
Xiao Xun'er nodded and buried her face in his chest, her voice gentle.
"Mm."
"From now on, I'm staying by your side, Brother Xiao Yan. I'm not going anywhere."
Xiao Yan laughed, but let her have her way.
Sunlight filtered through the Ten Thousand Soul Banner's barrier and fell upon them, gilding them in a faint golden glow.
At that moment—
The young man sat suspended in midair, the girl nestled in his arms.
The scene was as beautiful as a painting.
"By the way, Brother Xiao Yan, do you know that the Ancient Clan sent me to the Xiao Family for the sake of an object called the Tou She Ancient God Jade?"
Xiao Xun'er suddenly remembered something and brought it up herself.
"The Tou She Ancient God Jade? You mean this?"
Xiao Yan's thoughts stirred. He nodded and, without hesitation, took out the Tou She Ancient God Jade.
Xiao Xun'er nodded at the sight. "That's right, it's this! It looks like you've already obtained some of the opportunities hidden within it, Brother Xiao Yan."
"This Tou She Ancient God Jade is divided into eight pieces. Only when all eight fragments are brought together can they open the Dou Emperor Cave Mansion and obtain the Dou Di Inheritance..."
"The Ancient Clan has been searching for this jade fragment all along, but they haven't found a single trace of it in a thousand years!"
After she finished speaking,
Xiao Xun'er saw that Xiao Yan showed no surprise at all. She couldn't help sighing inwardly. Just as she'd thought, Brother Xiao Yan had probably learned something about the Xiao Family's roots through some means.
"Brother Xiao Yan... I know the Ancient Clan's actions were dishonorable. So if you resent them and want to demand an explanation, I won't stop you."
"Of course, deep down, I still hope that one day you'll spare the Ancient Clan."
In Xiao Xun'er's eyes, with Xiao Yan's monstrous talent, his eventual advancement to Dou Emperor was all but certain. She was still of the Ancient Clan's bloodline, after all. Even though she favored Xiao Yan more, she truly didn't want the Ancient Clan to disappear entirely.
At that,
Xiao Yan was secretly impressed. As expected of the Yin-Yang Great Demon Life-Cultivation Method. He hadn't expected Xiao Xun'er to take this stance: even if he went after the Ancient Clan, she wouldn't try to stop him.
After thinking for a moment,
Xiao Yan smiled faintly and spoke in an even tone. "Don't worry. If they know what's good for them, I'll give them one chance for your sake!"
"But if they keep scheming in secret and harbor ill intentions, then don't blame me for showing no mercy!"
"Xun'er, I'm afraid you don't understand."
"Given what the Ancient Clan has done to the Xiao Clan over the past thousand years, even grinding the entire Ancient Clan to dust wouldn't be enough to vent my hatred!"
Hearing Xiao Yan's words, Xiao Xun'er paused and looked up, curiosity and confusion in her eyes. "Brother Xiao Yan, what exactly happened between the Ancient Clan and the Xiao Clan?"
There it was!
He'd been waiting for her to ask.
Xiao Yan chuckled inwardly.
Perhaps the Ancient Clan's actions had been so "despicable" that Gu Yuan hadn't even told Xiao Xun'er about his "agreement" with Xiao Xuan, much less about the Xiao Clan's past glory or Xiao Xuan's existence...
In the original story, Xiao Xun'er only learned the secrets from a thousand years ago after entering the Ancient Clan later on and meeting Xiao Xuan's remnant soul.
If he told Xiao Xun'er about all this ahead of time, she would probably become even more "opposed" to the Ancient Clan!
Xiao Yan didn't answer right away. Instead, he held out his hand, a wisp of reddish-gold flame appearing in his palm.
As the flame flickered, it illuminated their faces, one moment bright and the next dim.
"Do you know what the Xiao Family used to be?"
Xiao Xun'er blinked. After a moment of thought, she replied softly, "I know the Xiao Family was once one of the Ancient Emperor Clans..."
"No."
Xiao Yan cut her off, his gaze profound.
"Not just one of them. It was the strongest of the Eight Ancient Clans!"
"The Xiao Clan was the strongest?"
Xiao Xun'er's body trembled violently, disbelief filling her eyes.
As far as she knew, the Xiao Clan had once been an Emperor Clan, but she'd thought it must have been a very weak one.
After all!
If it was the strongest among the Eight Ancient Clans, why had it fallen into such a state?
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