Chapter 840
The Soul Emperor Has His Eyes on Me
Three days passed in a flash, and the ancient clan held a solemn and grand funeral for Elder Gu Yang with the highest honors. The entire clan was present, and soft sobs filled the air as the whole clan bid farewell to this ancestral elder who had suffered injustice for many years with the utmost respect.
After the funeral rites were completed, the ancient clan gradually returned to its former order, with each member fulfilling their duties, and religious affairs, defense, and cultivation running smoothly again.
However, the truth that Elder Gu Yang was ambushed by the Soul Clan and had his physical body taken away has already sounded an alarm in the hearts of all members of the Ancient Clan. An invisible solemnity and vigilance quietly enveloped the entire Ancient Realm, adding a heavy sense of oppression to the once peaceful atmosphere.
Deep within the ancient tribe, in an elegant and tranquil courtyard, flowers and trees flourish, and a spiritual atmosphere pervades.
Xiao Ling stood under the corridor, gazing tenderly at Xun'er's graceful figure, and walked step by step toward the cultivation room.
The two parted softly, their words tinged with lingering emotions. Only after the exquisite door slowly closed, completely isolating them from the outside world, did he slowly withdraw his gaze.
Previously, Xiao Ling and Xun'er had participated in Elder Gu Yang's funeral from beginning to end.
Although Xun'er and this elder were not particularly close, she still felt heavy-hearted and depressed after witnessing the clan elder suffer injustice for many years and finally return to his hometown.
Xiao Ling had secretly hoped that since Xun'er broke through to the Dou Sheng realm, their relationship could become closer, allowing them to spend more time together and break down the barrier that had always existed due to their cultivation levels.
Unexpectedly, Elder Gu Yang's incident occurred midway through the journey, involving both infiltration and purges. The atmosphere throughout the clan was tense, making it far from the time for romance.
At the moment, Xiao Ling didn't want to be tactless and bring up that kind of thing. He could only let Xun'er go into seclusion and focus on refining the essence blood of the Yellow Spring Demon Saint, taking advantage of this opportunity to improve her cultivation.
"This whole mess is a classic case of shooting yourself in the foot..."
Thinking of this, Xiao Ling chuckled helplessly and shook his head gently.
He never expected things to develop to this point.
"Never mind."
With a soft sigh, Xiao Ling's eyes quickly regained their clarity, replaced by a resolute look.
"This harvest has been quite fruitful. I should go into seclusion for a while to cultivate and reflect."
……
In the spacious and tranquil cultivation chamber, the fragrance of sandalwood wafted gently, its delicate and elegant aroma instantly calming the mind and dispelling any restlessness.
In the center of the secret room, Xiao Ling sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, his long, steady breaths rising and falling slowly, gradually calming his previously chaotic emotions.
After a moment, he slowly opened his eyes, his gaze clear and bright.
He gently raised both palms, and on the palm of his left hand, a ball of pitch-black flame slowly rose and burned.
Within the flames, a violent and domineering devouring power surged and struggled, but was firmly suppressed by Xiao Ling's powerful battle qi, rendering it unable to move.
This ball of pitch-black flame was none other than the Void Devouring Flame Sub-Fire that he had forcibly seized from Hunfeng's body.
Now that everything is temporarily settled, he finally has some free time to completely refine this strange fire.
Compared to the remnants of the Void Devouring Flame obtained from Elder Mugu, this ball of flame before him was the original flame bestowed upon Hunfeng by the Void Devouring Flame itself. Its purity and power were no less than most of the strange flames on the Strange Flame Ranking.
Meanwhile, in Xiao Ling's right palm, a wisp of flame seemed to spontaneously ignite, echoing the flame.
The flames were not of an ordinary form; instead, they rose slowly like emerald liquid, their flow exuding a gentle yet vast vitality.
A sea of emerald-green liquid fire slowly spread out, and layers of thin mist rose gently. Within the mist, countless rare and exotic herbs quietly sprouted and stretched their branches and leaves, and an intensely rich life force instantly filled the entire secret room.
This strange fire, brimming with a rich life force, can be easily identified by anyone with a little experience at a glance from its unique shape and aura. It is none other than the Flame of Life, ranked fifth on the list of strange fires and known as the Flame of Longevity!
With its miraculous ability to cultivate all kinds of medicines and nourish life, the Flame of Life is the ultimate exotic fire that alchemists dream of, and it enjoys unparalleled prestige throughout the entire Dou Qi Continent.
As for why Xiao Ling was able to control such a treasure, the answer naturally comes from the system within his body.
Previously, he had broken through the two major bottlenecks of two-star Dou Sheng and three-star Dou Sheng in succession, accumulating two system draw opportunities. Although he only successfully drew once, the prize was this Flame of Life. Although this gain was not as good as the Soul Returning Pill that could revive people on the spot, it was enough to make him quite satisfied.
Right now, Xiao Ling naturally intends to absorb and refine both of these strange flames.
Without the slightest hesitation, he tossed the two strange flames, each with a different color and unpredictable power, into his stomach with a single gulp.
The moment the strange fire entered the body, violent energy instantly swept through the limbs and bones.
As soon as the Void Devouring Flame entered his body, it was like a ferocious beast breaking free of its shackles, rampaging wildly through his meridians and dantian. Its violent devouring power erupted wantonly, attempting to devour Xiao Ling's fighting spirit from the inside out, disintegrate his physical foundation, and completely devour him from the inside out.
In comparison, although the Flame of Life also subconsciously showed some resistance, it was far less violent and ferocious than the Flame of Nothingness.
Furthermore, this Flame of Life has only been incubated for a short time, and its energy intensity is far less than that of the Void Devouring Flame, posing no significant threat to Xiao Ling.
Xiao Ling had anticipated this dramatic upheaval within his body and had made thorough preparations. After all, the Void Devouring Flame possessed the power of a Dou Sheng, so he naturally dared not be careless in the slightest.
Just as the Void Devouring Flame was about to wreak havoc within his body, Xiao Ling's mind stirred, and his powerful and vast Dou Qi surged forth instantly, forming an impenetrable wall of copper and iron, first imprisoning the raging black flame within his meridians and temporarily suppressing its agitation.
Immediately afterwards, Xiao Ling's vast spiritual power surged suddenly in his Niwan Palace, and his natal talisman flickered with a faint light deep in his sea of consciousness. A bone-chilling, extremely cold aura slowly drifted out from his Niwan Palace, sweeping through his meridians and sweeping across his limbs and bones, instantly permeating his entire body.
With a thought, Xiao Ling controlled the terrifying chill to directly surround the two strange flames within his body.
Wherever the cold air passed, the flames of life instantly went silent. The already docile creature became completely docile, like a dormant spring, showing no further intention to resist.
The ferocious Void Devouring Flame, though still struggling and resisting desperately, had no chance to exert its bizarre devouring power, which was always invincible and capable of devouring everything, in the face of this extreme cold that froze everything.
A terrifying chill seeped into the core of the flames, greatly weakening the power of the Void Devouring Flame. The raging fire visibly subsided, and its struggles grew weaker and weaker until it could no longer stir up any waves.
After initially suppressing the Void Devouring Flame and the Flame of Life, Xiao Ling's lips curled up slightly, a relaxed smile playing on his lips.
Without further delay, he immediately activated the surging battle qi within his meridians, strictly following the unique circulation route of the Burning Flame Technique, slowly absorbing and refining the vast primordial power within the two strange flames using the technique's exclusive refining method. Sensing its power being slowly drawn away, the Flame of Life only struggled symbolically for a moment before succumbing as if deflated, allowing Xiao Ling to refine and absorb its flame essence bit by bit, without any further resistance.
In contrast, the Void Devouring Flame was enraged to the extreme, roaring wildly as it launched a counterattack, desperately trying to break free of its restraints.
However, all its ferocity and devouring power were completely suppressed and rendered ineffective in the face of that bone-chilling cold that seemed capable of freezing all domains. It could only watch helplessly as its own flame energy was gradually devoured, refined, and consumed by the Burning Technique, without any power to resist.
Logically speaking, refining a strange fire should be an extreme ordeal of being burned by raging flames, but at this moment, under the layers of cold air, Xiao Ling not only did not feel any burning sensation in his body, but instead felt cool and comfortable all over, and the heat disappeared.
This state was completely different from the torment and pain he had experienced when refining any other strange fire in the past, making it an extremely novel experience.
Because of the intense coldness within his body, a thin layer of crystalline frost quietly condensed on Xiao Ling's robes, hair, and even face, giving off a cool and strange luster in the quiet secret room.
……
Deep within the Soul Realm, a solitary cliff stands amidst the clouds, its mists never dissipating.
At the top of the cliff, a rattan chair gently sways, and a figure sits quietly on it, gently moving with the mountain breeze.
As you zoom in, you can see that the man is dressed in a simple gray-white outfit. He looks to be about thirty years old, with a tall and slender figure and a gentle and handsome face.
His eyes were exceptionally bright, deep as stars, seemingly able to see through all the illusions of the world and reach the hearts of men.
At first glance, he exudes an extremely refined and scholarly air. If he were to hold an ancient book in his hand, he would be no different from any other gentle and refined scholar.
However, don't be fooled by this refined and easygoing, gentlemanly appearance.
Beneath this seemingly harmless and gentle exterior lies a terrifying identity that intimidates the Central Plains.
He is none other than the current patriarch of the Soul Clan, the supreme expert at the peak of the Nine-Star Dou Sheng realm, the Soul Emperor.
Just then, fine ripples quietly appeared in the void above the cliff, and space distorted like water. A figure shrouded in black robes and exuding a sinister aura slowly stepped out from the void rift.
As soon as this person appeared before the Soul Emperor, he immediately knelt on one knee, clasped his hands in a respectful salute:
"Your subordinate, Hun Miesheng, greets the clan leader!"
"Extinction, rise."
The Soul Emperor didn't even raise his head; his gaze remained fixed on the scroll in his hand. His tone was calm and even, revealing no trace of joy or anger. His composed manner did not cause anyone to panic; instead, it made them feel as calm as a still mirror.
But Hun Miesheng dared not be negligent in the slightest, and immediately rose, bowed his head, and reported in a deep voice:
"Reporting to the clan leader, I have ascertained the situation of the young clan leader. Although I cannot know the specific details, I can confirm that the young clan leader must have encountered an unexpected incident on his way to the Desolate Ancient Domain to carry out the plan to annihilate the remnants of the Xiao family! Now, I'm afraid the situation is not optimistic."
Although Hun Miesheng didn't speak too bluntly, the meaning behind his words was already understood tacitly by both of them.
Soul Wind's journey to the Desolate Ancient Domain has ended without a trace, and his life force has been completely cut off. He is likely long gone, and his situation has deteriorated to the extreme.
The Soul Emperor spoke calmly, his gaze never leaving the pages of the book, and said in a low voice,
"Is that so? The Void Devouring Flame had already told me that the purple flame in Soul Wind's body had already shown abnormalities, so this outcome was somewhat expected."
Listening to the Soul Emperor's nonchalant tone, as if he were talking about a trivial matter, the fall of this young patriarch of the Soul Clan did not stir up the slightest ripple.
After reporting the news about Hun Feng, Hun Miesheng's throat bobbed slightly, and a hint of unease appeared on his face. He hesitated before speaking:
"Chief, I have another important matter to report."
"Oh?" Only then did the Soul Emperor shift his gaze from the pages of the book to Soul Extinction, his tone still calm. "What is it? Speak freely."
Hun Miesheng steadied himself before speaking in a deep voice:
"According to intelligence from our clan's spies planted within the Ancient Clan, not long ago, the Ancient Clan Chief Gu Yuan personally killed the Second Elder of the Ancient Clan's Ancestral Hall, Gu Yang, whose cultivation had reached the late stage of the Five-Star Dou Sheng realm."
The stated reason given was that the ancient sheep was no longer its true self, but had been forcibly possessed by a powerful member of our clan through soul possession. Gu Yuan's actions were to avenge the true ancient sheep elder.
As soon as he finished speaking, Hun Miesheng unconsciously swallowed again.
He had just learned about this from his informant; he himself was unaware that such a highly important mole was hidden among the upper echelons of the ancient clan.
If it weren't for this earth-shattering upheaval within the ancient clan, he would probably still be kept in the dark.
Upon hearing this news, the Soul Emperor's usually indifferent expression finally showed a slight fluctuation for the first time, but it only lasted for a moment before returning to calm.
"So we were exposed...?"
He murmured to himself, his fingertips lightly tapping the armrest of the wicker chair.
"Logically speaking, with the Void Devouring Flame technique, as long as Gu Yuan doesn't investigate repeatedly, there shouldn't be the slightest flaw revealed. What exactly caused it to be exposed... that's quite interesting."
Losing this most important pawn planted in the core of the ancient clan is a troublesome matter, even for someone as shrewd as the Soul Emperor. The Ancient Sheep, a pawn that required countless efforts from the clan to successfully plant, is now completely destroyed, undoubtedly a severe blow to their future plans to seize the Ancient Realm and plot against the Ancient Jade.
For some reason, at this moment, a handsome young face inexplicably appeared in the Soul Emperor's mind.
It was Xiao Ling.
Although he had never met Xiao Ling in person, he had already kept him in his heart when he learned that this remnant of the Xiao clan had broken through to the level of a two-star Dou Sheng in just over twenty years of cultivation.
At this moment, without any warning, the Soul Emperor suddenly thought of this person, and a strange intuition arose in his heart that this matter might be inextricably linked to this remnant of the Xiao family.
It sounds completely unfounded, but once the thought arises, it's impossible to shake it off.
The Soul Emperor slowly rose from the rattan chair, his robes fluttering, his gaze fixed on the direction of the Ancient Realm, a meaningful smile playing on his lips.
"Xiao Ling... is quite interesting."
"It's a pity the time isn't right yet, otherwise, I really would like to see for myself whether this upstart junior of the Xiao clan has any of the flair that Xiao Xuan possessed back then." (End of Chapter)