Word Count: 2,855 Words
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Eleven Heavenly Flames erupted from within Xiao Yan, each a different color and shape, transforming into myriad manifestations of raw power.
The ultimate purpose of the Skyfire Three Mysterious Change, as created by Xiao Xuan, was to harness the power of Heavenly Flames to make the Dou God Bloodline boil and replenish itself, thereby elevating its grade.
But!
As everyone 'knew,' a person could only host a single Heavenly Flame within their body. Any more would cause a fierce internal conflict, as had happened to Venerable Tian Huo when two Heavenly Flames battled within him.
Only an expert like Yan Jin, Clan Head of the Yan Clan, who was not only a high-level Dou Saint but had also cultivated his clan's Fire Emperor Profound Canon, could forcibly merge two flames like the Nine Serene Gold Rock Flame and the Fire Mountain Rock Flame through sheer, overwhelming control.
Another exception was Xiao Xuan in his prime, who, thanks to his Emperor State soul and peak 9-star cultivation, could permit three Heavenly Flames to coexist within him.
Even Xiao Xuan could never have imagined that a Qi Method as miraculous as the Flame Mantra could exist in this world, a technique that allowed not only the peaceful coexistence of multiple Heavenly Flames, but even their merger!
More unthinkable still was that Xiao Yan possessed eleven of them!
A dazzling, seven-colored light burst from Xiao Yan's forehead, manifesting his Clan Mark with a radiance so brilliant it stung the eyes!
If the Dou God Bloodline was indeed a mutated human bloodline, then with eleven Heavenly Flames and the Xiao Clan bloodline inherited from Xiao Xuan, Xiao Yan's own Dou God Bloodline had already reached the Divine Grade!
The seven-colored light and the golden glow of the Asura Soul Reaping Technique clashed violently, neither yielding to the other. Xiao Yan's eyes remained tightly shut, his face twisted in agony as he endured and resisted with every fiber of his being.
He knew he couldn't absorb all the Dou Qi energy his ancestor had left behind in the blood pool inheritance at once. But wasting the vast surplus seemed utterly foolish. He had therefore made a calculated decision: he would use that excess power to brave his tribulation!
Over the past year and a half, Xiao Yan had refined the two Dou Saint energy cores. Combined with his diligent cultivation during that time, he had finally brought the second face of his Asura statue to perfection and, in doing so, triggered its second tribulation.
Both Xiao Xuan and Xun Er could see it clearly. Xiao Yan was cultivating a Soul Technique of astonishing power and peculiarity, one whose cultivation would even draw down a tribulation upon its user!
"He's using the excess energy to help himself weather the tribulation." Xiao Xuan's expression grew grave. He had never seen a Soul Technique like this before; not even the techniques wielded by Hun Tiandi were of such a strange nature!
"Xiao Yan ge-ge..." Xun Er's hands clasped tightly as she watched the two powers contend, neither giving an inch.
Suddenly, Xiao Xuan's brows knitted together. "Something's wrong. Why is Xiao Yan's soul aura growing increasingly tranquil?"
"A soul illusion! He's been pulled into a soul illusion by his own Soul Technique!"
Xiao Yan hadn't anticipated this. The so-called 'joy and ecstasy' of the second tribulation was a cruel deception, ensnaring him in an illusion and trapping him in a world conjured from his deepest desires!
Inside the soul illusion, he struggled desperately against the boundless longing welling up from the depths of his heart. The illusion assaulted him with blissful, intoxicating sensations that threatened to swallow him whole. It felt as though he could float away on clouds of pure euphoria if he just surrendered, lost forever in its embrace!
An indescribable feeling rose, a yearning for everything he truly desired. A whisper seemed to promise that if he loosened his defenses, all his wishes could be his. The gnawing ache of desire and the maddening itch in his soul were nearly irresistible; no amount of Dou Qi could quell them!
Xun Er's heart clenched with unbearable pain as she watched Xiao Yan writhe in torment, his face contorted in silent agony. She bit her lip hard, then lunged forward without hesitation and plunged herself directly into the Asura illusion!
"Xun Er, get away!" Xiao Yan's eyes snapped open for an instant, panic blazing through the haze as he sensed her presence. If she fell into the same trap, she would sleep forever, locked inside a world of her own making.
This was a pit dug for oneself, an inescapable snare, yet she would not let him face it alone!
The moment Xun Er entered the illusion, her eyes sealed shut, but her hands groped blindly through the air until they found his face. She cradled it with infinite tenderness, her voice a gentle whisper that cut through the chaos of his mind. "Xiao Yan ge-ge never abandoned me then; how could Xun Er ever leave you now?"
Her words sent warmth cascading through Xiao Yan's heart, and memories of that distant day rushed back to him.
Their bodies instinctively drew together. Xun Er cupped his cheeks and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips.
BOOM!
Golden light exploded with unprecedented intensity. Yet strangely, the second face of the Asura statue abruptly ceased its shrieking, its mouth and eyes slowly closing. With a soft crack, the three-faced statue's body twisted bizarrely. The sacred first face rotated to the front, spreading its arms like a heavenly angel to enfold Xiao Yan and Xun Er in a protective embrace.
The second face, once filled with razor-sharp fangs and monstrous ferocity, softened into an expression of gentle serenity.
It's resolved?!
Even Xiao Xuan shook his head and let out a helpless laugh. Perhaps the greatest fortune this young man had ever found was the young lady standing before him now.
With a sweep of his hand, he established a barrier around the tomb and quietly took his leave, giving the pair their privacy.
…
Only half a year remained of the Heavenly Tomb's three-year duration. It was not until the very end of this period that Xiao Yan and Xun Er finally awoke from their secluded state.
'Sigh, who would have thought that the one whose cultivation improved the most would be you, little miss.'
Xiao Yan lounged in the water pool within Xiao Xuan's tomb, gazing at Xun Er as she sat cross-legged in meditation nearby. The word 'jealousy' might as well have been written across his face.
He had been unable to absorb the surplus energy from the inheritance. Now that the second level of his Asura Soul Reaping Technique had reached perfection, it was no longer needed. By some quirk of fate, all that leftover energy had ended up being absorbed by Xun Er instead.
Watching her aura stabilize at the peak of a Two-Change Dou Venerate made Xiao Yan feel envy beyond words.
The Skyfire Three Mysterious Change could only temporarily raise his Dou God Bloodline's grade during battle. In peaceful times, everything reverted to normal. This meant the heightened talents, insights, and physical transformations that came with an advanced bloodline were things Xiao Yan couldn't enjoy day-to-day. He was worlds apart from Xun Er's pure, natural Divine Grade bloodline.
In just half a year, she had fully refined all the excess energy, three times faster than he could have managed!
Even Hun Lao Gui would never have guessed that Xiao Yan would survive the second face's tribulation in such a manner.
In truth, passing the second tribulation was deceptively simple. As long as one possessed something in the real world they couldn't bear to part with, something the illusion could never truly provide, the Asura illusion became powerless. But this was easier said than done. Possessing such an anchor had nothing to do with cultivation strength. You either had it or you didn't.
Xun Er had been the anchor that allowed Xiao Yan to break free. In a sense, she had pulled him from the illusion's depths.
'A peak One-Change Dou Venerate, the Skyfire Three Mysterious Change complete, and the second level of the Asura Soul Reaping Technique perfected... If I faced Gu Qing Yang again, I could defeat him without breaking a sweat.' Xiao Yan took stock of his strength. The Heavenly Tomb had granted him an incredible boost. No wonder those Dou God Clans produced such powerhouses.
Of course, this was the Xiao Clan's final legacy. The road to becoming a Dou Saint was one Xiao Yan would have to walk alone.
Soon, Xun Er's cultivation fully stabilized, leaving her just a single step away from reaching Three-Change Dou Venerate.
Noticing Xiao Yan's faintly aggrieved expression, she covered her mouth and laughed softly. Her beautiful eyes sparkled with warmth as she stepped lightly through the air and slipped gracefully into the pool beside him.
Xiao Yan's entire body went rigid, his breath catching in his throat. This little elf was too bold!
Xun Er's cheeks bloomed with a delicate pink at his startled reaction, but she didn't back away. Instead, she moved closer, letting her robes soak through as she leaned against his shoulder.
The warm water clung to her garments, turning the fine fabric into a second skin that revealed every exquisite curve of her figure. Her robes outlined the gentle swell of her chest, the elegant line of her waist, and the graceful curves of her hips with tantalizing clarity.
The wet silk emphasized her lithe, perfectly proportioned body. She was neither too slender nor too voluptuous. Every inch of her seemed designed to drive a man to distraction, from the delicate arch of her collarbone to the way the clinging fabric highlighted her feminine silhouette.
For a moment, the entire tomb seemed to bloom with the warmth of spring. The air grew suffused with an alluring charm that threatened to ignite even his Fallen Heart Flame.
Xiao Yan felt his throat go dry as heat surged through his veins. However, he retained enough presence of mind to change the subject. "Xun Er, you shouldn't take such risks. What if something dangerous had happened?"
"But when we were four, Xiao Yan ge-ge didn't care about his own safety either. If not for you, I might have died." Xun Er's voice was as soft as silk.
The mention of that time made Xiao Yan shift uncomfortably. Xun Er had brought up that incident countless times before.
It had been four years after his reincarnation on the Dou Qi Continent. His mother had passed away that year, leaving him the Bone Flame Ring. Not long after, Gu Yuan had sent Xun Er to live at the Xiao Clan compound.
That fateful night, he had been practicing in the courtyard when her pained moans pierced the quiet. He had rushed into her room to find her small body curled up in agony, wrapped in golden flames.
Having just arrived in this world, how could Xiao Yan have known anything about Heavenly Flames? He had simply rushed to put out what he thought was an ordinary fire. By a twist of fate, the Gold Emperor Incinerating Heavenly Flame reacted with the Bone Chilling Flame in the Bone Flame Ring, surging into it and shattering the soul seal Venerable Yao had left behind!
This bizarre accident weakened the Gold Emperor Incinerating Heavenly Flame, easing Xun Er's pain while simultaneously unsealing the ring and granting Xiao Yan early access to Venerable Yao's legacy.
Clueless at the time, he had only thought the cool ring possessed some special power. Wearing it, he had used massage techniques recalled from television shows in his past life to ease her suffering.
Only now did he understand the full chain of events.
The Skyfire Three Mysterious Change could temporarily elevate a Dou God Bloodline. But if nourished by a Heavenly Flame from childhood, even small, gradual improvements could nudge an already high-grade bloodline like Xun Er's past the ninth grade, allowing her to attain a Divine Grade bloodline.
As for why Gu Yuan had sent her away, perhaps he hadn't wanted his daughter to bear the clan's crushing burden or be raised like some kind of monster, so he had deliberately brought her to the remote Xiao Clan.
He simply hadn't foreseen the problem with the seal on the Gold Emperor Incinerating Heavenly Flame, which had allowed a small amount to leak out.
Had Venerable Yao's soul not already perished, that wisp of Gold Emperor Incinerating Heavenly Flame might have been the very thing to reignite his life.
But there were no 'what ifs' in this world.
That incident had clearly left an indelible mark on Xun Er's heart. After all, a mere trace of the Gold Emperor Incinerating Heavenly Flame could have reduced the young Xiao Yan to ashes.
"Xun Er... actually, I didn't know how dangerous Heavenly Flames were back then..."
Before he could finish, Xun Er pressed a delicate finger to his lips. Water rippled as she shifted closer, her body pressing warmly against his. "It doesn't matter. No matter the reason, Xiao Yan ge-ge will always be Xun Er's hero."
Her eyes held absolute faith as she gazed up at him. "Besides, Xun Er knows that even if Xiao Yan ge-ge had known the danger, you still would have rushed to save me."
Xiao Yan rubbed his nose, unable to deny her words. Even ordinary fire would have been deadly at that age, yet he hadn't hesitated for a moment.
That warm-heartedness was something he had never lost.
Xun Er nestled against him and pressed her ear to his chest to listen to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. The tribulation they had just faced together was in itself a profound affirmation.
Just as she had been the anchor that allowed him to break free from the Asura's illusion, he had been hers. As she plunged into the abyss of desire, she had not been lost because her deepest desire was already real.
After a long moment of comfortable silence, melancholy colored her voice. "Xiao Yan ge-ge, after we leave the Heavenly Tomb, Xun Er must accept the clan's inheritance. I won't be able to stay by your side."
In truth, she had never needed to enter the Heavenly Tomb. The Gu Clan possessed many inheritances of their own, and with her Divine Grade bloodline and the Gold Emperor Incinerating Heavenly Flame, countless legacies already awaited her.
She had insisted on coming solely to remain by his side. The Heavenly Tomb had originally reserved just four spots for the Four Great Generals; there had been no place allotted for her until she forced the issue.
Xiao Yan smiled gently and pinched the tip of her nose. "Silly girl, you've already given me three precious years of your company."
Xun Er's smile bloomed, though something else flickered in her eyes. "Xiao Yan ge-ge, when the opportunity arises... you should introduce me to Cai Lin."
!!!?
A jolt went through Xiao Yan. His entire body went rigid as panic crashed through him, his mind going utterly blank.
Xun Er laughed melodiously at his flustered expression, her fingers tracing idle patterns on his chest beneath the water. Yet her voice carried a note of serious contemplation. "Given your current strength and the long life it grants, having three wives and four concubines isn't unusual..."
"Besides, Senior Xiao Xuan entrusted you with revitalizing the clan. The Xiao Clan's Dou God Bloodline rests entirely with you now."
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If Xiao Xuan could have heard those words, he might have been struck speechless. He had certainly never intended 'revitalize the clan' to be interpreted in quite that manner!
Gulp. Xiao Yan swallowed hard. In his past life, he had lived merely a few short decades. He truly hadn't adjusted to this world's different reality yet. With his current strength, even if he ceased all cultivation, he would still live for at least a thousand years!
A thousand years! The possibilities of what could be accomplished in such a timespan were virtually limitless!
And Xun Er was actually allowing him to...!
Xun Er wrapped her arms around his neck and spoke in a voice as soft as a summer breeze. "But when Xun Er reaches the Dou Saint realm, then... Xiao Yan ge-ge will belong to me completely."
The combination of her words, their closeness, and the intimate atmosphere proved too much for Yan Tianzun to resist. The Fallen Heart Flame within him erupted like a volcano, burning hot and fierce. Without activating the Skyfire Three Mysterious Change, he could feel his Dou God Bloodline boiling in his veins!
Xun Er's face turned as red as a ripe apple when she sensed the rising tide of his desire. Her breath quickened, and she found herself leaning closer even though she knew they shouldn't.
In a sense, they were already engaged. They had even set a wedding date—when she reached Dou Saint. Yet with separation stretching before them and the intensity of their feelings, some things simply fell into place naturally.