Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Reappeared

At the bottom of the mountain ravine, it was bitterly cold. A small stream rushed through the place. Thick mist hung in the air, making it seem like an immortal realm. Yet despite the lack of sunlight, lush vegetation grew here in abundance, an exceedingly strange sight.

A man in black robes lay on a patch of grass. He was Xiao Yan. It was strange that he had fallen from such a great height without suffering any injuries.

Only after a long while did Xiao Yan gradually awaken. He shook his head, then began surveying this strange place.

"Little fellow, I do not have much time left. Do not think of anything right now. Follow my instructions, and I will take you to find that little girl." A voice unexpectedly sounded in Xiao Yan's mind.

"Senior Tuoshe Ancient Emperor, is that really you?" Xiao Yan asked in delight.

Tuoshe Ancient Emperor had been the last Dou Emperor of the Battle Qi Continent ten thousand years ago. All manner of legends surrounded him, yet very few knew his true origins.

Before Tuoshe Ancient Emperor became a Dou Emperor, the Battle Qi Continent seemed to have gone more than ten thousand years without producing one. Yet one day, Tuoshe Ancient Emperor suddenly emerged from nowhere and declared that he had become a Dou Emperor. Several peak Nine-Star Dou Saints joined forces to fight him, only to be utterly crushed.

Tuoshe Ancient Emperor became famous in a single battle.

Yet Tuoshe Ancient Emperor had come swiftly and vanished just as swiftly. Around a month after that great battle, Tuoshe Ancient Emperor appeared to be preparing to refine an emperor-grade medicinal pill on the Battle Qi Continent. However, for some unknown reason, all news concerning Tuoshe Ancient Emperor vanished overnight.

On that day, Tuoshe Ancient Emperor left behind a piece of jade known as the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Jade. It was said that holding this jade would not only open Tuoshe Ancient Emperor's cave abode, but also reveal that blank stretch of history concerning him.

This news spread from ten to a hundred, from a hundred to a thousand. Many great Lineages of that time joined the war to seize the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Jade. Yet in the end, the jade split into eight pieces, falling into the hands of the eight great Lineages: Soul, Ancient, Xiao, Thunder, Flame, Medicine, Stone, and Spirit.

However, a thousand years later, Tuoshe Ancient Emperor's cave was discovered, and people found that half-finished emperor-grade medicinal pill. Yet even Xiao Yan, the Flame Emperor and Tuoshe Ancient Emperor's inheritor, knew nothing of Tuoshe Ancient Emperor's affairs.

A generation of Dou Emperor burst forth like the wind, then vanished without a trace like the wind.

But Xiao Yan had no time to dwell on any of that. He believed Tuoshe Ancient Emperor would not harm him. The most important thing now was to find Xiao Yuting as quickly as possible.

A Dou Emperor's vision was unaffected by darkness. Under Tuoshe Ancient Emperor's guidance, Xiao Yan traversed one path after another before arriving at a relatively dense forest.

The moment Xiao Yan entered the forest, he saw Xiao Yuting. She was undoubtedly fortunate—she had landed in a tree instead of falling directly to the ground, thus avoiding being smashed to pieces.

Xiao Yan hurriedly rescued Xiao Yuting and examined her injuries. Although she had suffered some wounds from that person's self-destruction, none had harmed her vital areas.

Xiao Yan took off his black robe and draped it over Xiao Yuting's delicate, curvaceous body. By then, her clothes were already tattered beyond recognition, and her hands bore several scratches from branches. Looking at Xiao Yuting, Xiao Yan helplessly shook his head. She was so weak, yet she still insisted on showing off.

Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Reappeared

Xiao Yan fetched some water and wiped her face before using an Otherworldly Flame to kindle a small fire. The environment here seemed to be disturbed by some strange force, but the Otherworldly Flame could break through that interference. The flames brought a trace of warmth. Within that warmth, Xiao Yuting fell asleep, her breathing even and steady. Only then did Xiao Yan let out a sigh of relief.

"Little fellow, now that you are done, do you want me to give you some more time to finish everything you have not done?" A teasing voice sounded in his mind.

"Ancient Emperor, when did you appear?" Xiao Yan sat down beside Xiao Yuting and voiced his question to Tuoshe Ancient Emperor.

"This is merely my avatar. While you were falling just now, I expended the last of my strength to save your life. Otherwise, did you think you could still be sitting here listening to me speak?" Tuoshe Ancient Emperor said.

Xiao Yan felt warmth rise in his heart. In this unfamiliar world, he had run into walls everywhere he turned. Now, at last, there was someone willing to help him. Xiao Yan was deeply grateful to Tuoshe Ancient Emperor.

"Xiao Yan thanks the Ancient Emperor for saving my life. If there is anything you need done, simply command me. Xiao Yan will certainly give it everything he has and will not fail your expectations," Xiao Yan said.

"All right. I was already a useless man to begin with. Being able to save your life can be considered a stroke of fortune from our shared study of the Flame Formula. Now that you have come to the World-Creation Continent, there are some things I can tell you," Tuoshe Ancient Emperor said to Xiao Yan.

"The Ancient Emperor seems to know this World-Creation Continent very well. Why is that?" Xiao Yan asked curiously.

"Did someone tell you that the flame you possess is Heavenly Fire rather than an Otherworldly Flame?" Tuoshe Ancient Emperor did not answer Xiao Yan's question, instead asking something seemingly unrelated.

"Yes, they did say that my Otherworldly Flame was Heavenly Fire, though it seemed to lack a measure of spirituality. But when the Flame Formula broke through to the emperor tier, the Otherworldly Flame absorbed Emperor-Origin Qi and became much stronger than before," Xiao Yan said.

"It seems you truly carry a trace of her aura. Still, that is good. Perhaps the road ahead of you will be easier to walk." Tuoshe Ancient Emperor seemed to be reminiscing about something.

"She... who is she?" Xiao Yan asked.

"Qingcheng." Tuoshe Ancient Emperor grew somewhat agitated when he spoke that name.

"Qingcheng? Who is that? You must be mistaken," Xiao Yan said. He did not believe he had any connection to such a stranger.

"I will tell you, but before that, do you know what I am?" Tuoshe Ancient Emperor asked.

"Aren't you Tuoshe Ancient Emperor?" Xiao Yan replied.

"I mean the form I took before becoming a Dou Emperor," Tuoshe Ancient Emperor said.

"Rumor has it that the Ancient Emperor was a kind of flame. As for whether that is true or not, I do not know," Xiao Yan said helplessly.

"That is right. I am actually a kind of flame—the Tuoshe Emperor Flame, ranked last, twentieth, on the World-Creation Continent's Heavenly Fire Ranking," Tuoshe Ancient Emperor said.