The Factions Conference, Storms in the Ruins

The Central Plains Alliance headquarters stood on the former site of the Soul Hall Main Hall. The ancient fortress, weathered by a thousand years of wind and rain, had been restored after the great battle. Dense purification runes covered its black walls, and lingering warmth from the Mysterious Yellow Earth-Core Flame seeped through the cracks in the stone, lending a trace of warmth to anyone who approached.

Xiao Yan stood atop the fortress's highest archer tower, overlooking the bustling square below. Leaders of factions from across the Central Plains arrived one after another. Wang Yue of the Wang Family stood on the eastern side with her family's younger disciples. In the year since they had last met, she had successfully broken through to Dou Zong, and the Wang Family emblem embroidered on her black robes gleamed in the sunlight. The Yao Clan delegation surrounded Yao Qing Lin, whose emerald-green figure stood out sharply in the crowd. The elders beside her carried steady, composed auras; clearly, their cultivation had also advanced over the past year.

"Elder Xiao Yan, the Sixth Elder requests your presence in the council chamber." A Soul Hall disciple respectfully climbed the archer tower and offered him a black token. It was the Honorary Elder token the alliance had specially made for Xiao Yan, carved with the image of the Heaven-Burning Flame to commemorate his achievements in purifying the Otherworldly Demons.

Xiao Yan accepted the token, its chill seeping into his fingertips. "Understood." He turned and descended the tower. Alliance members bowed along his path, their eyes filled with admiration. The Four-Star Dou Emperor who had fought through blood on the frozen wasteland a year ago had become an expert capable of contending with veteran Dou Zongs. Such a transformation was enough to make anyone take notice.

Inside the council chamber, the Sixth Elder was discussing something with several core alliance members. Everyone rose to greet Xiao Yan as he entered. Liu Changkong laughed heartily and stepped forward to clap him on the shoulder. "Brother Xiao Yan, you're finally here. We were just discussing the Ancient Ruins." He handed over a Jade Slip. "This is the account of the ruins recorded in Soul Hall's ancient texts. They supposedly hold secrets about the origins of the Otherworldly Demon Hall."

Xiao Yan accepted the Jade Slip and swept his soul power through it. The record stated that the Ancient Ruins lay in the Endless Sea at the far southern reaches of the Central Plains. They had been a battlefield between humans and Otherworldly Demons in ancient times. Within them lay not only the legacies of fallen experts, but also the sealed remnant soul of the Otherworldly Demon Hall's first hall master. "A sealed remnant soul?" Xiao Yan frowned slightly. "Aren't you worried that opening the ruins will release him?"

The Sixth Elder sighed. "That is precisely why we've been hesitating. But the ancient texts say the first hall master wasn't a pure Otherworldly Demon. He was a human Dou Sheng corrupted by them. If we can find a way to purify him, we might finally unravel the secret of their corruption." He looked at Xiao Yan with expectation in his eyes. "Your Yellow Mystic Flame may be our only hope."

Xiao Yan pondered for a moment. "I can try, but we must prepare for every possibility. If anything goes wrong, we destroy the ruins immediately." The Sixth Elder nodded. "That was our intention as well. Aside from the alliance's core members, younger disciples from the major families will also enter the ruins. It will be a good opportunity for them to gain experience."

As they spoke, a commotion arose outside the council chamber. A Soul Hall disciple hurried inside, his expression grave. "Elder, remnants of the Ye Family are causing trouble outside the fortress. They demand to see Elder Xiao Yan, or they'll detonate the demonic qi inside them!" Everyone's expression changed sharply. Although the Ye Family had been destroyed in the great battle, its remaining diehard loyalists had stayed hidden in the shadows. No one had expected them to appear now.

"I'll take a look." Xiao Yan rose and headed outside, the Yellow Mystic Flame quietly gathering in his palm. He had a premonition that the appearance of the Ye Family's remnants was no coincidence. Perhaps it had some connection to the Ancient Ruins.

In the square outside the fortress, alliance guards surrounded a disheveled middle-aged man. Pitch-black demonic qi coiled around his body, and madness glittered in his eyes. He was Ye Zhong, captain of the Former Ye Family Head's personal guard. "Xiao Yan! You finally dared to come out!" The sight of Xiao Yan drove Ye Zhong into an even greater frenzy. "I'll avenge the family head! I'll avenge the Ye Family!"

Xiao Yan frowned slightly at the dense demonic qi enveloping him. "The demonic qi has already eaten away at your mind. Even if you kill me, you can't save the Ye Family." Ye Zhong burst into wild laughter. "Save it? I don't need to save it! The Otherworldly Demon Lord has promised me that if I kill you, I can rebuild the Ye Family!" He tore open his robes, exposing a sinister demon mark on his chest. "This is the power the Otherworldly Demon Lord granted me. Today, you'll taste its might!"

As his words fell, the demon mark erupted with blinding black light. Ye Zhong's body swelled, his bones crackling, and before long he had transformed into a demonized monster thirty feet tall. His aura had actually reached mid-Dou Zong! "Die!" The monster roared and lunged at Xiao Yan, its pitch-black claws sweeping forward with enough force to rend space.

Rather than retreat, Xiao Yan advanced, and the Yellow Mystic Flame erupted. Golden fire surged toward the monster like a tide, dissolving the pitch-black demonic qi wherever it passed. "Aah-!" The monster screamed in agony as its swollen body shrank at a speed visible to the naked eye. Xiao Yan seized the opening and swept the Heavy Sword across, striking the demon mark on his chest with perfect precision.

The demon mark shattered instantly. Ye Zhong's body returned to normal, and the madness gradually faded from his eyes, replaced by relief. "Thank you... release..." He pulled a Jade Slip from his robes and tossed it to Xiao Yan, then breathed his last.

Xiao Yan caught the Jade Slip and swept his soul power through it. His expression changed sharply. It contained a shocking secret: the Ye Family had not willingly colluded with the Otherworldly Demons. They had been controlled by the remnant soul of the Otherworldly Demon Hall's first hall master! The so-called spatial rift had actually been a trap laid by the remnant soul to break his seal. The Ancient Ruins, which were about to open, were his true target!

"This is bad!" Xiao Yan turned and rushed toward the council chamber. "The ruins are a trap! The first hall master's remnant soul wants to use our strength to break his seal!" Seeing his anxious expression, everyone in the chamber rose to ask what had happened. After hearing Xiao Yan's explanation, the Sixth Elder's face grew grave. "It seems we still underestimated the Otherworldly Demon Hall's schemes."

Liu Changkong gritted his teeth. "Then are we still going to the ruins?" Xiao Yan nodded. "Yes! But we need to change the plan. Not only must we stop the remnant soul from breaking the seal, we must seize the chance to purify him completely." He looked at everyone, determination shining in his eyes. "This may be our only chance to uproot the Otherworldly Demon threat."

The Sixth Elder considered it for a moment. "Very well! We'll do as Brother Xiao Yan says. We'll adjust our deployment immediately and have Soul Hall's Dou Sheng Experts follow us in secret. At the first sign of trouble, they'll act." Everyone nodded and began making preparations at a feverish pace.

Three days later, the Central Plains Factions Conference officially began. Tens of thousands of alliance members gathered in the square, and when the Sixth Elder announced that they would open the Ancient Ruins, thunderous cheers erupted. Xiao Yan stood on the raised platform, watching the excited crowd below, yet a faint unease lingered in his heart. Ye Zhong's Jade Slip had mentioned that the remnant soul had already corrupted numerous high-ranking alliance members. These people would very likely sabotage them from the shadows inside the ruins.

After the conference ended, the expedition to the ruins officially set out. Xiao Yan traveled with Yao Qing Lin and Wang Yue. The three formed a small team, allowing them to look after one another and respond to unexpected dangers. Their voyage across the Endless Sea was far from peaceful. Several waves of sea beasts corrupted by demonic qi attacked along the way, but Xiao Yan's Yellow Mystic Flame purified them all with ease.

"The entrance to the ruins is just ahead." Yao Qing Lin pointed toward an island floating on the sea. An enormous stone gate stood at its center, engraved with the same runes as those on the Otherworldly Demon Scale. Xiao Yan probed with his soul power and sensed an immensely powerful aura hidden beyond the gate, more terrifying than those of all twelve hall masters combined.

"Be careful, everyone. It may be more dangerous inside than we expected," Xiao Yan warned, the Yellow Mystic Flame blazing in his palm. As the stone gate slowly opened, an ancient, desolate aura washed over them, as though it had crossed the barriers of time and space to carry them back to that distant age of raging war.

Inside the ruins stood an enormous palace, its walls painted with murals of the ancient war. In one scene, a human Dou Sheng clad in golden armor battled a massive Otherworldly Demon. The demon's face bore a striking resemblance to Ye Zhong's demonized appearance. "Is that the Otherworldly Demon Hall's first hall master?" Wang Yue pointed at the Dou Sheng in the mural, surprise flashing in her eyes.

Xiao Yan nodded. "It seems the ancient records were right. He was originally a human expert." Studying the mural closely, he noticed that the Dou Sheng wielded a longsword burning with golden flames, which shared a remarkable similarity with his own Yellow Mystic Flame. "Could there have been flames capable of purifying demonic qi even in ancient times?"

Just then, a disturbance arose deep within the palace. Everyone looked over warily, only to see countless dark figures emerging from cracks in the walls. They were alliance members controlled by the remnant soul! Eerie green light gleamed in their eyes as they lunged forward like walking corpses.

"There really are traitors among us!" Xiao Yan roared. The Yellow Mystic Flame erupted, forming a golden barrier that burned the foremost dark figures to ash. Yao Qing Lin and Wang Yue immediately joined the fight. The Clear Resonance Sword and the Wang Family's heavy sword moved in perfect coordination, swiftly clearing away the dark figures around them.

But the dark figures kept multiplying, and several among them were even Dou Zong experts. Xiao Yan knew they could not afford to become bogged down in battle. "Everyone, break through toward the palace's core! Only by finding the remnant soul's true form can we free them from his control!" At his words, everyone immediately gathered together and charged deeper into the palace.

The murals along their path grew increasingly clear, and their contents increasingly shocking. It turned out that the first hall master had not been corrupted by an Otherworldly Demon. To research a way to purify demonic qi, he had willingly merged with the Otherworldly Demon Origin. As a result, he had lost control of his mind and founded the Otherworldly Demon Hall. "He originally wanted to save the world..." Yao Qing Lin gazed at the murals, conflicting emotions flickering in her eyes.

A thought stirred in Xiao Yan's mind. "Perhaps a trace of his reason still remains. If we can awaken him, we might obtain the ultimate method for purifying demonic qi." He quickened his pace, the Yellow Mystic Flame clearing the way ahead. Like a searchlight, its golden blaze illuminated the darkness deep within the palace.

At last, they reached the palace's core-an enormous altar. At its center, a half-human, half-demon apparition was slowly taking shape. It was the remnant soul of the Otherworldly Demon Hall's first hall master! His eyes were tightly closed, and golden and black auras coiled around him. Clearly, he was undergoing some kind of transformation.

"Now!" Xiao Yan roared. The Yellow Mystic Flame became a golden spear and thrust toward the remnant soul. Just before it struck, the remnant soul suddenly opened his eyes, a glimmer of clarity flashing within them. "At last... I have awaited... the purification flame..."

The golden spear stopped before the remnant soul without inflicting any harm. His spectral form slowly dispersed, revealing a translucent crystal beneath it. A wisp of pure soul energy was sealed inside. "This is... my... origin..." The remnant soul's voice echoed through the palace. "Merge with it... and you will... master... ultimate purification..."

Xiao Yan hesitated, then reached out to touch the crystal. It instantly became a streak of light and flowed into his brow. Countless pieces of information exploded in his mind: the origins of the Otherworldly Demons, the nature of demonic qi, the ultimate mysteries of purification... The Otherworldly Demons were not an alien species at all, but manifestations of humanity's negative emotions. The key to purification was not destruction, but guidance.

"So that's how it is..." Understanding dawned on Xiao Yan. The Yellow Mystic Flame underwent an astonishing change in his hand. A thread of black energy appeared within the golden fire, and the two colors intertwined to form an entirely new kind of energy. "This is... true purification power..."

With his realization, the controlled alliance members throughout the palace began coming to their senses, the eerie green light gradually fading from their eyes. The Sixth Elder, Liu Changkong, and the others breathed sighs of relief. As they watched the changes taking place within Xiao Yan, admiration filled their eyes.

When everyone emerged from the ruins, the skies over the Endless Sea had cleared. Sunlight spilled across the water, setting the waves shimmering. Xiao Yan stood at the bow, sensing the new power within him, his heart brimming with emotion. This expedition had not only unraveled the secret of the Otherworldly Demons, but also brought a qualitative leap in his strength. The evolution of the Yellow Mystic Flame gave him the confidence to confront any corruption caused by demonic qi.

"Next, it's time to clear out the remaining Otherworldly Demons in the Central Plains once and for all." Xiao Yan gazed into the distance, determination shining in his eyes. Yao Qing Lin and Wang Yue came to his side. The three exchanged smiles and flew toward the Central Plains Continent. Their legend continued.