Emperor-Realm Soul

News of the destruction of the Human Hall quickly spread throughout the Central Plains. Before the Soul Hall could react, Xiao Yan launched another attack on the Soul Hall. The Ancient Clan found Xiao Yan Xiao Yan and invited him to their Ancient Clan.

At the summit of the mountains, nine ancient figures stood suspended in mid-air, their black robes fluttering in the wind. Their gazes pierced through the layers of clouds, fixed on the ripples of void that stretched across millennia deep within the Sky Tomb barrier.

Gu Yuan stood with his hands behind his back, his fingertips trembling slightly within his sleeves, as if he were deducing some forbidden secret technique. "The Sky Tomb opens once every sixty years, and the time for a new round of opening has not yet arrived..."

He suddenly raised his eyes, his pupils shimmering like stars. "The Hun Clan is eyeing us covetously, so I will use the Ancient Emperor Bloodline as a catalyst to forcefully open the Heavenly Gate!"

Xiao Yan nodded, his black outfit fluttering even without wind.

He had long since mastered the rule that five days Sky Tomb were equivalent to one day outside—half a month outside was equivalent to only two years inside the tomb.

"Uncle Gu, there's no need for protection on this journey." Xiao Yan suddenly chuckled. "Apart from my ancestor Xiao Xuan, what in this tomb can harm me..." Before he finished speaking, his fighting Dou Qi transformed into a phantom of a blue dragon and spiraled upwards, causing spiderweb-like cracks to appear in the surrounding void.

Gu Yuan's pupils contracted slightly, and he suddenly swung his sleeves.

In an instant, the energy of heaven and earth flowed like ten thousand rivers into the sea, condensing into an energy vortex that blotted out the sky in the void.

With a sharp cracking sound, the ancient and unbroken Sky Tomb barrier was torn open by a crack over ten feet wide. Within, the chaotic energy surged and boiled, and the roars of ancient ferocious beasts could be faintly heard.

"Never forget our return!" Gu Yuan roared, his voice like thunder.

Without further hesitation, Xiao Yan turned around and gently stroked Xun'er's hair. The warmth lingered on his fingertips as he transformed into a stream of fire and rushed into the rift.

As his figure vanished, Gu Yuan slashed through the void with his fingers like a sword, and the spatial rift quietly closed like a healed wound. Only the fragments of Xun'er's clothes, tightly clenched in her fingertips, fluttered in the mountain wind.

Deep within the tomb realm, shrouded in gray mist, Xiao Yan burst forth, his bone wings unfurling and stirring up a thunderous roar.

He gazed at the familiar yet unfamiliar landscape beneath his feet, feeling as if he had been transported to another world. In the past, when he roamed the land as a Dou Zun, every place was a life-or-death trap; but now, stepping into this place, the Sky Tomb Gale that once terrified him was as gentle as a spring breeze.

"Ancestor Xiao Xuan ..." A brilliant flame ignited in Xiao Yan's eyes, and his vast soul power swept across the eight wastelands like a tidal wave.

Wherever it passed, countless energy entities trembled and prostrated themselves—they clearly sensed that this young body contained a terrifying pressure powerful enough to tear the heavens and earth apart.

Suddenly, several powerful auras awakened from the ground, and seven energy bodies at the Dou Sheng level burst forth from the earth, their bodies shrouded in the baleful aura of the ancient battlefield.

Before they could form a battle formation, Xiao Yan had already stepped into the Void Step. With each step he took, a lotus flower of Heavenly Flames, about ten feet in size, bloomed beneath his feet.

Upon taking the ninth step, the seven Dou Sheng simultaneously let out a mournful wail, their souls melting away like spring snow meeting the scorching sun.

"Even ants know to seek good fortune and avoid misfortune." Xiao Yan lightly flicked his sleeve, and the bone wings on his back suddenly vibrated, transforming him into a black lightning bolt that streaked across the sky.

Along the way, countless energy beings fled in terror, some even kneeling on the ground and sacrificing the essence of their life's energy.

Deep within the Sky Tomb, the altar forged from the remnants of stars is already in sight.

Xiao Yan stood atop the clouds, gazing at the ancient stone tablet floating above the altar. He suddenly recalled the young man who had wandered alone across the Dou Qi Continent a hundred years ago. How could he have imagined then that one day he would return to this forbidden place in such a manner?

As the lingering clouds swept across the dome of the Sky Tomb, Xiao Yan lightly touched the air with his toes, and with each flap of his bone wings, he soared a thousand feet away.

What was a perilous place that the group had to rush to in the simulation was now nothing more than a fleeting moment for him.

"Who dares to trespass on Blood Blade Territory!"

The sound of something tearing through the air suddenly ripped through the deathly silence, and the energy entities lurking in the chaotic rocky forest below all sprang up.

Nine soul shadows, each at the peak of the Nine-Turn Dou Zun, soared into the sky from the depths of the earth's veins. The weapons in their hands were imbued with a century's worth of resentment and malevolence. Yet, the moment they touched the black-clad figure, they all froze in mid-air—they clearly saw the strange phenomenon of burning the heavens and boiling the seas reflected in the brilliant flames dancing in Xiao Yan's eyes.

"Presumptuous!"

At the top of the blood-red stone pillar, a burly figure sitting cross-legged suddenly opened his eyes.

The crimson heavy armor clanged, and the Blood Blade in his palm hummed as it shot out, its blade leaving behind a hundred-foot-long crescent moon of blood.

However, this killing move, which was powerful enough to shatter the soul of Dou Sheng, melted away like spring snow when it touched three inches around Xiao Yan's body.

"When!"

The Blood Blade snapped back, half of its blade embedded in the stone pillar, the hilt still trembling incessantly.

Blood Blade Saint's pupils constricted as he stared at the young man who was slowly walking through the void. His blood energy surged and boiled uncontrollably.

A clear laugh pierced through the blood mist, Xiao Yan casually brushed away non-existent dust from his shoulder.

The restless energy entities below suddenly let out a shrill wail—the young man flicked his finger, and several clusters of Bone Spirit Cold Flame fell to the ground like meteors, incinerating several souls that attempted to launch a sneak attack into wisps of smoke.

The Blood Blade Saint suddenly sprang up from the stone pillar, his heavy armor clashing against the stone surface with a metallic clang. He stared at the faintly visible flame Sigil between Xiao Yan's brows, and a sense of horror rose within him.

"Gentlemen, please step back!"

The Blood Blade Saint suddenly roared, and a blood-red streak swept out from his sleeve, knocking all the surrounding energy bodies back a hundred feet.

When he turned around, his smile had changed to a fawning one, and the Blood Blade at his waist transformed into a scarlet cloak that fluttered in the wind. "Lord Xiao Xuan is currently in meditation at the core of the Sky Tomb. How about I clear the way for you, young friend?"

Xiao Yan nodded silently, his fingertips tracing the surging Heavenly Flames in his palm.

He naturally sensed three Half-Saint level energy entities lurking a hundred miles ahead, but the Blood Blade Saint's sensibility saved him the trouble—after all, he cared more about the help of Ancestor Xiao Xuan than about killing these ants.

Beneath the churning blood mist of the sky, cold sweat beaded on the forehead of the Blood Blade Saint.

He gazed at the Xuan Yi youth walking through the air ahead, his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed the words "Dou Sheng" back into his stomach— the Dou Qi flowing around this youth had actually resonated with the Sky Tomb Origin, and with each step he took, golden lotus patterns were imprinted in the void, clearly a sign that he had touched the threshold of the Emperor Realm!

"Lord Xiao Xuan once said a thousand years ago that anyone who holds the Clan Mark can exercise the authority of the Sky Tomb." The Blood Blade Saint suddenly stopped and bowed deeply to Xiao Yan. His Blood Blade moved without wind, drawing a scarlet blood path in the void.

A clear laugh came from behind the monument, Xiao Yan's pupils suddenly contracted.

A figure in a green robe stepped out from the stone tablet. The young man appeared to be only twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, yet his black hair was already streaked with stars. As his toes lightly touched the air, the entire Sky Tomb space trembled. The ancient ferocious beast phantoms that had been perched on the stone pillars all prostrated themselves on the ground, trembling in fear.

A hint of surprise flashed in Xiao Xuan's eyes, and he lightly tapped the air with his fingertips...

Xiao Xuan slowly stretched out his arms, and as his robes fluttered, the entire Sky Tomb space emitted a metallic clang. Eighty-one coiled dragon stone pillars trembled and rose from the depths of the earth's veins, their mottled bloodstains moving like living creatures, weaving into a dark golden cage in the void.

"Those who can enter this tomb were all those who shattered the heavens in their lifetimes." Xiao Xuan's voice, accompanied by wind and thunder, caused the thousands of energy entities below to tremble. "My remnant soul can no longer help you reach the pinnacle of martial arts, but this path of the soul... can still cleave a chasm for you!"

He suddenly turned his head to look at Xiao Yan, and the starry river in his eyes suddenly condensed into a needle-like cold light. Instantly, the mist in the entire Sky Tomb surged like boiling water, and the remnant souls of those Dou Sheng who had wandered for thousands of years all let out a mournful cry, as if a primordial beast was awakening from the depths of the earth.

"Today, I will use the Sky Tomb Origin as a guide to help you reach the Emperor Realm!" Xiao Xuan formed hand seals as if grasping at stars, the golden light emanating from his fingertips scorching the void. "However, the path to the Emperor Realm cannot be forced by human power; let us see your destiny!"

"Emperor Realm... Soul..." Xiao Yan's apple bobbed, feeling as if these three words weighed an ounce. From ancient times to the present, in the Dou Qi Continent, any being associated with the word "Emperor"—whether it was Dou Di powerhouse who Burn All Eight Wastes or Emperor Grade Pill that could reverse life and death—was like the blazing sun hanging high in the sky, causing all living beings to look up to them.

The Emperor-Realm Soul expert is more like a supreme secret pattern engraved deep within the laws of heaven and earth. Even though martial arts on the continent are now in decline, and the Heavenly Realm Great Perfection is the pinnacle, as far as Xiao Yan knows, only Gu Yuan and the Hun Tiandi have truly touched that forbidden realm!

He subconsciously clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white from the force. The bottleneck of the Heavenly Realm Great Perfection had trapped him for more than thirty years. Every time he tried to break through to the Emperor Realm, it was as if a ten-thousand-foot iceberg stood in the depths of his sea of consciousness. No matter how much he activated the Flame Mantra to temper his soul, that barrier remained unbreakable.

"Senior Xiao Xuan, is what you said... true?" Xiao Yan's voice was hoarse, his gaze fixed on the figure in green standing in the void. He clearly saw that golden blood was seeping from the other's brow—clearly a sign of burning the Soul Origin!

Xiao Xuan suddenly burst into loud laughter, a laugh imbued with the vicissitudes of a thousand years, "The Emperor Realm is difficult, but not a dead end!" He abruptly raised his hand, cleaving open the void to reveal a deep abyss behind it, churning with dark golden mist. "Do you know that the true nature of this Sky Tomb is actually..."

"Living creature!"

The moment those two words were uttered, the world seemed to lose its color. Xiao Yan's pupils shrank to pinpoints as he saw a writhing, dark golden sphere slowly rising from the bottom of the abyss. Its surface was covered with ferocious soul-patterned chains, each chain ending in Dou Sheng's head—the very spirits of the Xiao Clan who had fought alongside Xiao Xuan in the past!

"This is the Soul of the Sky Tomb, a being of heaven and earth formed from countless remnant souls since the tomb was opened." Golden flames surged from Xiao Xuan's fingertips, incinerating the approaching vengeful spirits into wisps of smoke. "It feeds on obsession, nourishes itself on remnant souls, and controls the Devouring Law— " He suddenly turned his head, his eyes swirling with starlight, "And today, I will take you..."

Xiao Yan felt his soul tremble violently, and countless roars of ancient powerhouses echoed from the depths of his consciousness.

Thousands of faces appeared on the surface of the dark golden sphere: the Soul Hall elders he had personally slain, Yao Chen's shrill screams during his imprisonment, and even Xiao Zhan being tortured in the Ancient Clan's punishment hall...

"Hold fast to your true self!" Xiao Xuan roared like thunder, his remnant soul suddenly transforming into a shower of golden rain that entered Xiao Yan's brow. "The Emperor Realm is not to be sought; only by severing three thousand obsessions can one glimpse the true form!"

Xiao Yan's apple bobbed, and his fingertips dug deeply into his palm. This was the first time he had glimpsed the outline of a creature in the space—the dark golden sphere of light floating above the abyss, its surface covered with tangled soul-patterned chains that were seeping out a scarlet blood mist, each wisp of mist condensing the roar of a remnant soul of Dou Sheng.

"The Dou Di who built this tomb... truly possessed unparalleled power." He gazed at the law runes flowing on the surface of the light sphere; those twisted seal scripts even bore a slight resemblance to the general outline of the Flame Mantra.

"Very strong." Xiao Xuan uttered two words, and ice crystals suddenly condensed in the void. His green robes fluttered without wind, and the starlight hanging from his hair condensed into a broken imperial crown on his head—this was clearly a sign that the remnant soul of Dou Di was about to dissipate!

Xiao Yan's pupils contracted sharply. For Xiao Xuan to be so serious, the creature sleeping within the sphere of light must have already touched upon the forbidden realm of the Soul Law.

"Behold my soul-slaying prowess!" Xiao Xuan suddenly leaped into the air, each step leaving a golden lotus mark in the void. The gray mist that permeated the Sky Tomb retreated instantly as if it had encountered its nemesis, revealing the thousands of remnant souls of Dou Sheng pierced by soul-pattern chains below—they all raised their heads in unison, their turbid eye sockets bursting with intense red light.

"Lord Xiao Xuan... is finally going to make his move!" The Blood Blade Saint suddenly shattered the bone blade in his hand, his withered body trembling with excitement. In this space distorted by the Devouring Law, all the energy beings had witnessed the tragic scene of their companions being dragged into the abyss by the Soul Pattern Chains.

A deafening roar of breaking chains echoed from the bottom of the abyss, and countless human faces emerged from the surface of the dark golden sphere. Xiao Yan clearly saw that one face bore a striking resemblance to Yao Chen, and was now uttering a silent wail with its mouth agape.

"Soul spontaneously combusting? Xiao Xuan, are you really going to be annihilated?" A crimson giant eye suddenly cracked open on the surface of the light sphere, and the power of law flowing within it actually rivaled the golden flames surrounding Xiao Xuan.

Xiao Yan was struck dumb. As Eighth-Rank Alchemist, he knew all too well what "soul spontaneous combustion" meant—it was igniting the primordial fire deep within one's sea of consciousness, using one's three souls and seven spirits as fuel to gain a moment of the Emperor Realm power. But the price was... eternal damnation!

"Ancestor!" Xiao Yan roared and took half a step forward, only to see Xiao Xuan raise his hand and press down, instantly turning the power of the laws of the entire Sky Tomb into shackles, firmly imprisoning him in place.

"I should have followed my clan a thousand years ago." The golden flame between Xiao Xuan's brows suddenly surged, its form resonating with the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame in Xiao Yan's sea of consciousness. "Now, using my remnant soul as bait to lure this wretch into the world, it can be considered a worthy death."

He pointed his fingers like a sword and pierced his brow, the spurting golden blood condensing into a ten-thousand-foot-long golden wheel in the air. As if sensing a deadly crisis, the sphere of light suddenly extended thousands of giant hands formed from remnant souls from the bottom of the abyss, but all of them vanished into thin air the instant they touched the golden wheel.

"Cut!"

Xiao Xuan's shout was like a thunderclap, his palm transforming into a blade that could scorch the heavens. The soul-patterned chains on the surface of the light sphere shattered inch by inch, and screams that shattered the starry river emanated from within—the wailing of countless remnant souls of Dou Di. Only then did Xiao Yan realize with shock that the light sphere was actually a monster formed from the resentment of powerful figures who had perished in the Sky Tomb throughout the ages!

"So the so-called Soul of the Sky Tomb... is actually a collection of obsessions!" He stared at Xiao Xuan's gradually transparent soul body, utterly shocked. What the ancestor burned was not just his soul, but also the last bit of fortune of the Xiao Clan.

"If you want to die, don't drag me down with you!"

The Soul of the Sky Tomb roared angrily, and the entire Sky Tomb trembled under its roar. With its giant mouth open, an invisible soul spear hundreds of feet long shot out, tearing through space and fiercely shooting towards Xiao Xuan.

"I will burn my soul; you cannot stop me."

Despite the resistance of the Soul of the Sky Tomb, Xiao Xuan remained calm.