Separation

Separation

Cascades of sweat instantly soaked Xiao Yan's shirt, and an unspeakable terror shrouded his heart.

"This brat doesn't understand what the Gu Clan Chief means," Xiao Yan said, bracing himself.

"Little fellow from the Xiao Tribe, for the sake of your ancestors, I will teach you a lesson. Never try to play tricks in front of a Dou Saint, because a Dou Saint's mastery and perception of heaven and earth have reached an extremely terrifying level. The tiny bit of soul fluctuation you produce when playing tricks cannot be hidden," Gu Yuan said faintly.

A breeze swept past, and the bamboo forest suddenly quieted down. For the first time, Xiao Yan understood what the gap in cultivation really meant, and he could not help but smile self-deprecatingly as his desire to grow stronger increased by another fraction.

"Thank you for the guidance, Gu Clan Chief. Just now, this junior was truly overestimating his capabilities," Xiao Yan cupped his fists and bowed, convinced and submissive.

"Since you are being honest now, speak. What do you want to exchange with me for the Tou She Ancient Emperor Jade?" Gu Yuan asked indifferently.

Matters had reached this point, and naturally Xiao Yan would not beat around the bush anymore. Everyone was an adult—well, even if he wasn't technically an adult in this lifetime yet, there was no need to play those empty games.

"Xiao Yan dares to be bold, and wishes to ask Gu Clan Chief for three things."

"Speak, what are they?"

"A cultivation technique, Dou Skills, and a Heavenly Flame!" Xiao Yan said.

"A cultivation technique, alchemy inheritance, and a Heavenly Flame?" Gu Yuan smacking his lips, said, "You little fellow really know how to ask. A cultivation technique and Dou Skills can serve as the foundation for the rise of your entire Xiao Tribe, while a Heavenly Flame can ensure that your Xiao Clan produces an expert, as even the weakest Black Yellow Flame can secure a Dou Emperor."

"Gu Clan Chief flatters me. This junior is merely showing a bit of cleverness," Xiao Yan said modestly, while simultaneously holding out a piece of ancient jade with both hands. "This is our Xiao Clan's Tou She Ancient Emperor Jade. Please examine it, Gu Clan Chief."

Gu Yuan's pupils shrank sharply, and his breathing grew somewhat heavy; even he could not maintain his composure in front of the Tou She Ancient Emperor Jade.

Whoosh! A current of air swept past, and the Tou She Ancient Emperor Jade appeared in Gu Yuan's hand. Gu Yuan gazed at the ancient jade in his hand with burning eyes, just like a lecherous ghost who hadn't seen a woman in a hundred years suddenly laying eyes on a naked celestial maiden.

After a long time, Gu Yuan sighed and said, "What a pity, there are only these two pieces."

"Kid, is the Heavenly Flame you want for yourself?" Gu Yuan turned his head and asked Xiao Yan.

"Yes," Xiao Yan replied.

"Heh, you little fellow really have the nerve. A mere Dou Fighter dares to covet a Heavenly Flame. Judging by your appearance, you shouldn't be unaware of how terrifying a Heavenly Flame is. How do you plan to subdue it?"

"This junior has no way, so I can only ask Gu Clan Chief for help," Xiao Yan said as a matter of course.

Gu Yuan was slightly stunned. "Such a thick-skinned brat. Very well, this Clan Chief is in a good mood today, so I'll be a good person to the end and send you all the way to the west. Take it."

With that, Gu Yuan waved his large sleeve, and a crimson flame appeared out of thin air, rapidly rushing toward Xiao Yan.

By the time Xiao Yan reacted, the crimson flame had already drilled into his body and vanished.

"What was that just now?" Xiao Yan asked somewhat blankly.

"That is the Volcanic Rock Flame, ranked seventeenth on the Heavenly Flame Ranking. I have already sealed it inside your body, and I will pass on a cultivation method to you so that you can use it to absorb and refine the Heavenly Flame within the seal. However, the seal can only last for five years. Five years from now, if you are still unable to handle it on your own, you will have to leave it to fate," Gu Yuan said. Following that, two more rays of light flew past, and two jade slips appeared in Xiao Yan's hands.

"These are the cultivation technique and Dou Skills you wanted: the Earth Tier high-tier attribute-free Blazing Sun Heart Sutra and an Earth Tier Dou Skill. Do you have any other questions?" Gu Yuan asked.

"Uh, there shouldn't be any problems, but this junior has one more doubt," Xiao Yan said doubtfully, "Did Gu Yuan Clan Chief know beforehand that I would ask for a Heavenly Flame?"

Xiao Yan truly felt puzzled by this. Cultivation techniques and Dou Skills aside, how could a Heavenly Flame be produced so easily?

"What's wrong? It's just a seventeenth-ranked Heavenly Flame, nothing more than having just crossed the threshold of a Dou Ancestor. Our Gu Clan's treasury has eighty if it doesn't have a hundred of this level of Heavenly Flame; I just casually grabbed one over. Why would you think like that?" Gu Yuan asked with some perplexity.

"Uh, aren't Heavenly Flames unique?" Xiao Yan asked, somewhat awkwardly and bewilderedly.

"Who told you Heavenly Flames are unique? Aside from the top three Heavenly Flames, no unique Heavenly Flames exist, let alone ones outside the top ten like the Volcanic Rock Flame. At the end of the day, it's only at the Dou Ancestor or Dou Emperor level of might—how could it possibly be unique?" Gu Yuan said.

"So that's how it is." Sudden realization dawned upon Xiao Yan. He had always wondered why places as small as the Jia Ma Empire and the Black-Corner Region had so many Heavenly Flames; it turned out this thing wasn't rare at all. Of course, to say it was rare, it was still very rare—after all, the Gu Clan's treasury only had a hundred or so of them.

"If there are no problems, you may head down. I will have Gu Kong, who brought you here, send you back." Without even waiting for Xiao Yan's reply, Gu Yuan took a single step and vanished from the spot in the blink of an eye.

Gazing at the bamboo forest where Gu Yuan had disappeared, Xiao Yan felt a deep emotion in his heart, This is a Dou Saint! I will reach this level sooner or later!

Immediately afterward, he put the two jade slips containing the Dou Skills and cultivation technique into his Storage Ring, turned around, and left along the path he had come.

"Xiao Yan-gege!" The moment Xiao Yan stepped out of the courtyard gate, Xun'er, who had been guarding outside all along, excitedly pounced over, wrapping her arms around Xiao Yan's neck and hanging entirely on his body.

Sensing the soft, delicate body in front of him, the adolescent physique that had already begun developing caused Xiao Yan—who had practiced abstinence for over a decade and was currently in a period where various desires were sprouting—to become somewhat distracted. The fighting spirit that had just arisen was almost thrown to the back of his mind. But having the experiences of two lifetimes after all, Xiao Yan quickly snapped back to his senses. Xiao Yan, oh Xiao Yan, how can you be like this? Just how old is Xun'er? You are far too depraved!

While scolding himself in his heart, Xiao Yan set Xun'er down from his body.

By this time, Xun'er also came to her senses regarding how bold her actions had been. Her little face turned flushed red as she lowered her head, not daring to look at Xiao Yan.

She had never acted so boldly before! It was just that this time she had been far too worried about Xiao Yan. Although Xiao Yan was meeting her own father, she wasn't some ignorant little girl who naively thought Gu Yuan was a good person who would treat Xiao Yan kindly.

In truth, just as Xun'er thought, the reason Gu Yuan traded with Xiao Yan was not because of the Tou She Ancient Emperor Jade, but nine-tenths because Xiao Yan was Xun'er's playmate, and one-tenth because he was the descendant of an old friend, making it improper for him to directly rob him. Of course, this also included the fact that Xiao Yan's demands were not excessive; if Xiao Yan had asked Gu Yuan to guarantee him direct entry into the Dou Saint realm, one could see whether Gu Yuan would flip out or not.

"I'm sorry, Xun'er, for making you worry," Xiao Yan said gently, rubbing Xun'er's small head.

"As long as Xiao Yan-gege is fine, it's okay." Xun'er's little face grew even redder, and she forcibly changed the subject. "How was it, Xiao Yan-gege? Did you get any good things from Daddy?"

"Hehe, thanks to Xun'er's blessings, Xiao Yan-gege obtained an Earth Tier high-tier cultivation technique, a Dou Skill, and a Heavenly Flame this time!" Xiao Yan said somewhat smugly.

"Ah~ is that all." To his surprise, upon hearing this, Xun'er looked somewhat dissatisfied.

"Cough cough, Xun'er, this is already not a small amount. You must know that taking these outside, even a Dou Venerable might not be able to pull them out," Xiao Yan said with some shame.

"How can you compare these? You must know that the Tou She Ancient Emperor Jade is connected to a Dou God's opportunity; no matter what, it should be exchanged for the net worth of a Dou Saint," Xun'er still felt somewhat unreconciled. However, Xiao Yan didn't dare let Xun'er continue talking; if she kept going and let Gu Yuan know that his own daughter's heart was leaning so far outward, he would definitely tear him apart.

"Alright Xun'er, let's not talk about this. We are about to separate very soon, so let's talk about something else," Xiao Yan said.

"Separate? Why? Does Xiao Yan-gege not want Xun'er anymore?" Xun'er suddenly opened her eyes wide, her face losing its flush as she asked in some panic.

"How could I not want Xun'er? It's just that Xun'er originally went to the Xiao Clan because of the Tou She Ancient Emperor Jade. Now that the Tou She Ancient Emperor Jade has arrived at the Gu Clan, Xun'er naturally has to return to the clan as well," Xiao Yan said in a somewhat gloomy tone. He was also deeply reluctant to part with this little girl who had followed behind him for several years.

"No! I don't want to! I want to follow Xiao Yan-gege!" As she spoke, tears fell in a rush like broken threads of pearls. Xun'er tightly hugged Xiao Yan, as if afraid he would run away.

Gazing at the heartbroken beauty in his arms, Xiao Yan felt an even greater reluctance within his heart, but he knew he could not take Xun'er away with him—otherwise, Gu Yuan would definitely not let him off.

"Stop crying, Xun'er." Xiao Yan gently wiped away the tears on Xun'er's face. "I promise you, in twenty years at most, I will definitely return to the Gu Clan to find you. Believe me, Xun'er," Xiao Yan promised Xun'er.

"Twenty years... Will Xiao Yan-gege still remember Xun'er after twenty years?"

"I will!" Xiao Yan said firmly. "As long as the heavens still exist and the earth remains, I will definitely come back to find Xun'er!"

"Xiao Yan-gege." Xun'er was somewhat stunned. It was the first time she had ever seen Xiao Yan-gege looking so resolute, and in a daze, all worries about whether Xiao Yan could cultivate to a level where he was qualified to enter the Gu Clan were forgotten. She unconsciously believed that he truly could accomplish it. At that moment, a feeling different from the usual childhood affection toward an older brother brewed within Xun'er's heart for the very first time.

Cough!

A cough pulled Xiao Yan and Xun'er out of the previous atmosphere. It was none other than the Dou Saint who had brought Xiao Yan to the Gu Clan—Gu Kong.

In truth, Gu Kong had been here all along, but he simply hadn't made a sound. After all, in his view, they were just two little kids with nothing to be vigilant about. As a result, he hadn't expected these two to go further and further overboard, and he simply couldn't hold it in anymore.

"Miss Xun'er, the time is getting late. Xiao Yan must return to the Xiao Tribe," Gu Kong said.

"I know! You don't need to remind me!" Xun'er said angrily, her jade foot fiercely stamping against the ground.

"Alright Xun'er, this is the last time we'll see each other; I don't want to see you looking angry." Xiao Yan cupped Xun'er's face with both hands and gently rubbed it.

"Mn. Xiao Yan-gege, you must come back to find Xun'er, okay?" Xun'er held back her tears and forced out a smile.

"Mn, I promise you," Xiao Yan replied.