"Heh, there's no hurry. We can take our time. Sooner or later, we'll settle the score with Hun Tiandi."
Heaven Beyond, Xiao Tian Ce's residence.
As Xiao Tian Ce spoke, a terrifying gleam flashed in his eyes. It was not that he did not want revenge now, but that he felt revenge was something he had to take with his own hands to vent the hatred in his heart. Otherwise, there would be little point.
But he was no reckless brute. Hun Tiandi rarely left the Hun Clan these days, and the clan was teeming with experts. Charging in now to exact revenge would gain him nothing.
Rather than that, a gentleman could wait ten years for revenge. On the Dou Qi Continent, even a hundred or a thousand years would not be too late.
Once he had built up his strength in secret until he could rival Hun Tiandi, it would be time for Xiao Tian Ce to avenge that sneak attack all those years ago.
At that thought, Xiao Tian Ce looked at Xiao Qing and instructed her, "Qing'er, your strength has risen greatly, and you can now protect yourself.
"Your most important task now is to continue secretly expanding the influence of the Luo Network and the Heavenly Secret Pavilion. Once they grow into colossal powers on par with the Soul Hall, it will be time for us to show what we can do."
"I understand, Third Uncle. Please rest assured."
After Xiao Qing left, Xiao Tian Ce continued sorting through the things he had obtained from the Heavenly Phoenix Secret Realm.
Meanwhile, in the Hun Clan's Soul Realm.
Within a small pocket of space in the Soul Realm's forbidden grounds lay the dwelling of the Nihility Devouring Flame, ranked second on the Heavenly Flame Ranking. It was also known as the Voidless Realm.
At that moment, inside a thatched hut at its very center, a middle-aged man sat facing a mass of black flames and said with a smile, "Nihility, it seems you've completely recovered your former strength."
"Yes. Thanks to all the natural treasures you supplied, I was able to recover so quickly. What brings you here today? Is there something you want to discuss?" the Nihility Devouring Flame asked with a smile.
Though his features could not be made out, his hearty laughter could be heard.
"Indeed. I've received word that Xiao Xuan will attempt to break through to the Dou Di realm soon," the middle-aged man said gravely, his eyes revealing admiration and an inexplicable sense of dejection.
His admiration stemmed from Xiao Xuan's daring to lead the way. Despite the Dou Qi Continent having gone ten thousand years without a Dou Di, Xiao Xuan still dared to be the first to attempt the breakthrough. He could almost certainly be said to live up to his title as the foremost expert on the Dou Qi Continent.
His dejection was directed at himself. He stood alongside Xiao Xuan, Gu Yuan, and the others among the continent's topmost experts, yet he had never found such courage.
Naturally, the middle-aged man was none other than the Hun Clan's current strongest expert and clan leader, Hun Tiandi.
"So it's that man. If it's him, I can understand," the Nihility Devouring Flame remarked with a smile.
A hundred years ago, he had witnessed the bearing of Xiao Xuan, the foremost expert on the Dou Qi Continent. His formidable strength and peerless, commanding presence had left an indelible impression.
Now that Hun Tiandi had mentioned Xiao Xuan's impending attempt to reach the Dou Di realm, he was deeply shocked, yet he also felt that this was precisely the sort of thing that domineering man would do.
"Yes, an attempt to reach Dou Di!" Hun Tiandi could not help being overwhelmed with emotion.
After a long while, the Nihility Devouring Flame shook his head and sighed. "But unfortunately, he is doomed to fail, because this world no longer has the origin qi needed to break through to Dou Di.
"So no matter how astonishing his brilliance or how peerless his talent, he is destined to fail on this path."
"Oh? You don't think he can succeed either?" Hun Tiandi asked gravely.
"It's not a matter of doubting him. It's simply impossible. Before that old fellow Tou She Ancient God ascended, he took away all the origin qi in this world that could allow someone to become a Dou Di.
"Though I detest that old man, I have to admit that his words carry considerable authority.
"There is no longer any way to become a Dou Di. Unless we can find the cave mansion that old bastard Tou She Ancient God left behind, this world will never see another Dou Di," the Nihility Devouring Flame said with a sigh.
"I'd like to send him on his final journey! Do you think it's feasible?" Hun Tiandi asked with a cold smile.
Although those words carried no surging killing intent, the Nihility Devouring Flame still understood what Hun Tiandi meant.
Generally speaking, the vast majority of those who failed to break through to the Dou Di realm died from the backlash of the tremendous energy involved. Occasionally, however, someone of extraordinary brilliance would escape disaster after failing.
But regardless, even those fortunate enough to survive would suffer a period of physical weakness. Since Hun Tiandi wanted to send Xiao Xuan on his final journey, he had clearly decided to kill him during that vulnerable period after his failure.
"If that's what you want, I can help you. After all, you could be said to have saved my life. Besides, I'd like to witness such a man's bearing one more time before he dies," the Nihility Devouring Flame said with a smile.
"Very well. Continue cultivating over the coming days, and tell me if you need anything.
"Also, I've already ordered the clan to treat you as they would me whenever they see you. If you don't wish to remain here, you can take a stroll around the clan. We have a few rather remarkable juniors who might catch your eye." Hun Tiandi smiled, then slipped straight into space and vanished.
After he left, the smile on the Nihility Devouring Flame's face vanished instantly.
Though he was grateful to Hun Tiandi for saving him from Xiao Tian Ce back then, he also understood what Hun Tiandi was after. Was it not simply because he had once visited Tou She Ancient God's Cave Mansion, and Hun Tiandi wanted to learn its particulars from him?
Having witnessed Hun Tiandi's strength, he knew he absolutely could not resist him head-on. If Hun Tiandi refined him in a fit of rage, everything would be over.
Thus, he and Hun Tiandi had merely been putting on a show of cooperation all this time. Once his strength reached Hun Tiandi's level, he might well turn the tables and become the master instead of the guest.
Meanwhile, in Heaven Beyond.
After finishing his inventory of the spoils from the Heavenly Phoenix Secret Realm, Xiao Tian Ce could not help drawing in a sharp breath. The Ancient Heavenly Phoenix Clan truly lived up to its name. Even if Xiao Xuan poured the entire clan's resources into the effort, what he could obtain would scarcely differ from this bounty.
Ten Heaven Tier cultivation methods and Dou Techniques, hundreds of Earth Tier Dou Techniques and cultivation methods, and hundreds more high-level Black Tier cultivation methods and Dou Techniques comparable to Earth Tier Dou Techniques. To be honest, even the Xiao Clan did not possess so many.
Beyond these, there were two Ninth Grade Golden Pills, fifteen Ninth Grade Profound Pills, twenty-three Ninth-Grade Treasure Pills, and over a hundred Eighth-Tier Pills.
That was not even counting the various high-grade magic cores and medicinal ingredients. Any single ten-thousand-year-old medicinal ingredient taken outside would be a treasure that alchemists would scramble to seize.
In addition, there was one item among this haul that made even Xiao Tian Ce take notice: a scroll of a Spiritual Array Grandmaster's notes. It recorded not only how to cultivate as a Spiritual Array Master, but also hundreds of array diagrams ranging from first-grade Spiritual Arrays to grandmaster-level Spiritual Arrays.
It could be said that if this scroll found its way to the Great Thousand World, the plane above the Dou Qi Continent, it might stir up bloody winds and rains of slaughter among the major powers.
"Strange. How did records of Spiritual Array Masters appear in this world? Could a Dou Di have brought them back from the Great Thousand World ten thousand years ago?" Xiao Tian Ce murmured to himself, excited yet somewhat puzzled.
Could a cultivation method that did not belong to the Dou Qi Continent truly be practiced in this world?
My thanks to the three brothers, Kanshu Xinren, 2021****2106, and 2020****4560, for your tips. Wumeng is endlessly grateful. The updates have been rather lackluster this month, purely because I don't have any chapters saved up. I'm truly sorry.
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