At that moment, sunlight spilled softly across the courtyard of Xiao Mansion as Xiao Fan strolled out of his room.
He stood straight as a pine, his black robe fluttering gently in the breeze. The fine patterns embroidered on it shimmered faintly in the sunlight.
Xiao Fan was handsome, with sharp brows and bright eyes, and an air of carefree confidence.
Voices of discussion rose throughout the clan.
Xiao Yu was elated. Excitement lit up her alluring face.
She had heard that a burly man had died at the Jialie Clan's estate, which meant that the Jialie Clan must have been behind everything that happened yesterday.
Her voice rang out, crisp and sweet, brimming with satisfaction.
"Hmph! The Jialie Clan really kicked a hornet's nest this time!"
Meanwhile, in the solemn Xiao Clan Council Hall, Xiao Zhan and the elders sat together in discussion.
Xiao Zhan furrowed his brows and spoke gravely. "That expert from yesterday couldn't have been a Dou Ling. Dou Lings are strong, but not strong enough to silently wipe out so many people from the Jialie Clan. The only possibility is a Dou Wang!"
He had not even considered a Dou Emperor, a level above that. An expert like that would only need to say the word, and countless people in the Jia Ma Empire would gladly lay down their lives for him.
As he spoke, his fingers unconsciously tapped against the tabletop.
The other elders, unusually, did not contradict Xiao Zhan. Their faces were just as solemn.
After all, an expert like that could wipe out the Jialie Clan in a single night—and do the same to the Xiao Clan.
Listening to the clan members' discussions, Xiao Fan yawned and pondered to himself.
He murmured, "Now that I have enough strength, it's time to establish a force of my own. I can't keep fighting all alone."
Otherwise, he would have to handle everything himself. That was beneath him!
But what kind of force should he establish?
He thought of the force Ye Fan had founded in Shrouding the Heavens... Wasn't it called the Heavenly Court?
In Shrouding the Heavens, the Heavenly Court Ye Fan established was vast, one of the top forces in that world.
As its master, Ye Fan had proven his Dao through strength, breaking the curse that prevented the Sacred Body from becoming an emperor. He became the Heavenly Emperor, possessing peerless strength and commanding countless powerful subordinates.
"Excellent. Then I'll establish the Heavenly Court. I shall be the future Heavenly Emperor: Heavenly Emperor Xiao!"
The corners of Xiao Fan's lips curled into a confident smile.
At that very moment, Xiao Yan, in the Xiao Clan Back Mountain, heard the news too. He knew without even guessing that his Brother Fan had done it.
In a quiet patch of woods in the back mountain, Yao Lao chuckled as he used Xiao Fan as an example.
"Little Xiao Yan, you'd better hurry up. Otherwise, the gap between you two will only keep growing."
Yao Lao's voice held a teasing note, along with high hopes and a touch of pride.
Over the past few days, he had taught Xiao Yan the Flame Mantra, Eight Extremities Collapse, and other Dou Techniques.
Xiao Yan had been training hard. With the support of the Storage Ring Xiao Fan had given him and medicinal baths prepared without regard for cost, he had already recovered to the fourth segment of Dou Qi.
The Storage Ring also contained a wisp of Amethyst Flame. By using the Flame Mantra to absorb it, he would lay the foundation for his alchemy skills.
Every day, Xiao Yan trained until he was utterly exhausted before allowing himself to rest.
Xiao Yan gritted his teeth and swore to himself, "I'll catch up to him, no matter what!"
Xiao Xun'er had heard the news too, and she was puzzled.
She hadn't even asked Elder Ling to act. So how had the Jialie Clan been wiped out?
In the shadows, Elder Ling spoke gravely. "Miss, an incredibly terrifying expert appeared yesterday. I didn't dare show myself."
Elder Ling's face was full of reverence. His weather-beaten features looked especially solemn.
Others might not have sensed that aura, but as a Dou Emperor himself, he could feel it.
Xiao Xun'er was startled. Elder Ling had been raised by the Ancient Clan since childhood and had seen countless experts from the clan.
For him to call someone incredibly terrifying...
Xiao Xun'er couldn't help asking, "Was it a Dou Zong or a Dou Zun?"
As soon as she said it, she felt the question was a little inappropriate.
How could an expert of that level possibly come to a tiny place like Wutan City, let alone target a minor clan?
Elder Ling spoke again. "No. It was a Dou Emperor."
"Though he was a Dou Emperor, his aura was unbelievably terrifying."
That feeling had been more terrifying than even the Dou Zongs and Dou Zuns of his clan. He had felt as insignificant as an ant, without the slightest desire to resist.
Elder Ling's voice trembled slightly, as though the memory of that terrifying aura still left him shaken.
At this, a thoughtful look appeared on Xun Er's peerlessly beautiful face.
That burly man had provoked Brother Xiao Fan yesterday, only to be killed. Could it be that the expert was connected to Brother Xiao Fan?
A flicker of suspicion and speculation passed through her bright eyes. Could a powerful force be backing Brother Xiao Fan?
Or perhaps... the Xiao Tribe hadn't truly fallen into decline?
Maybe it still had forces hidden in the shadows?
Several days later.
Xiao Fan continued bragging at a bustling inn, packed with people. "This time, though, I'll tell you about another great emperor. My confidante, the Ruthless Empress."
He wore a white robe embroidered with cloud patterns at the hem, a jade belt around his waist. He stood tall in the middle of the inn.
"In the boundless cosmos, there was a force called the Ascension Divine Dynasty."
As soon as Xiao Fan finished speaking, the noisy inn fell silent. Everyone held their breath, afraid to miss a single word.
Time itself seemed to stop in the inn. Only Xiao Fan's voice echoed through the air.
The place was filled with the faint scents of wine and food, while the oil lamps on the walls flickered with a dim, yellow glow.
"The Ruthless Empress was born in a small village during the Desolate Era. From childhood, she and her older brother relied on each other. Their lives were poor, but warm."
Everyone listened, enthralled.
"After the Ascension Divine Dynasty abducted her brother, the Ruthless Empress embarked on the path of vengeance. At first, she lacked the resources to cultivate. But relying on her own talent and thirst for power, she struggled to grow stronger."
"To grow stronger quickly, she created the Heaven-Swallowing Demonic Art, a cultivation method so shocking it defied belief. It could devour the essence of other cultivators to strengthen its user. This method sent shock waves through the cultivation world, inspiring awe and fear in equal measure."
The crowd gasped and began whispering among themselves. "Could a cultivation method like that really exist? That's incredible!"
"Unbelievable!"
Even Xiao Yan, who had mingled among the crowd to slack off instead of cultivating for once, couldn't help clicking his tongue.
He'd thought these things were stories Brother Fan had made up.
But now... some of it seemed to make sense?
Wasn't the Flame Mantra he was cultivating a method that could evolve?
Then it wasn't impossible that some peerless genius might create a cultivation method capable of devouring all things, right?
Just then, Yao Lao's voice came from within his ring. "Little Xiao Yan, could your big brother really be an emperor reincarnated? Otherwise, how could he know so many ancient secrets?"
Xiao Yan shook his head with a wry smile. How would I know...?
Wasn't Brother Fan a transmigrator, just like me?
Could he really have been an emperor before he transmigrated? And had that world just happened to have a Blue Star too?
Xiao Yan couldn't help remembering the times he and Brother Fan had talked about Blue Star as children. Thinking back... though they had both transmigrated from Blue Star, the places they remembered had only been similar.
So had Brother Fan really started his cultivation journey on Blue Star, then swept across the ages and reached the Emperor Realm?
And after reincarnating, had he lost all his cultivation? Was that why Brother Fan had made such astonishing progress—as someone who was cultivating anew?
The more Xiao Yan thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. Somehow, he was beginning to believe it...
[Beep! The person of great destiny, Xiao Yan, and the Soul Venerable were thoroughly duped, rewarding 100,000 bragging points!]