Word Count: 2,754 Words
******
After all, Cai Lin's Medusa Race had once lived within the Beast Region. That was precisely why she carried the Heaven Swallowing Python bloodline in her veins. Later, through Heavenly Flame refinement, she had undergone a bloodline regression, awakening the royal bloodline of the Heaven Swallowing Python: the Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python!
Cai Lin's goal had always been to lead her people back to the Yellow Springs Mountain Range and reclaim dominion over all serpent-type magical beasts. In essence, only one side could survive between the Snake-People Tribe and the Nine Serene Deep Ground Python Tribe.
The struggle for territory among magical beasts was always a fight to the death.
As for Xiao Yan, he cared nothing for whether the Nine Serene Deep Ground Python Tribe was the 'orthodox' serpent clan or what fate awaited them. He would naturally and unreservedly stand on his woman's side!
"By the way, Sister Ya Fei, don't exhaust yourself with work over the next half year. You should come with us to the trade fair," Xiao Yan said gently, glancing at Ya Fei as she sorted documents nearby.
Ya Fei's hands stilled. Her beautiful eyes brightened as she raised her head to look at him, surprise parting her crimson lips. "Me?"
"Mm. You understand trade fairs better than anyone." Xiao Yan nodded, catching the faint shimmer of unshed tears at the corners of her eyes.
Joy flickered through Ya Fei's gaze before a shadow of melancholy dimmed it again. She shook her head with a wistful smile. "I think it's best if I don't. My cultivation is too weak. If something dangerous happens, I'd only drag everyone down."
Managing the vast Miteer Auction House had long since taught Ya Fei how to read situations clearly. She understood better than anyone how important the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame's map fragment was to Xiao Yan. He would never give up on it.
If he couldn't buy it, he would definitely resort to taking it by force, even if that meant throwing the entire spatial trade fair into chaos. With her limited strength, she would be nothing but a burden.
Xiao Yan saw the sorrow in her eyes and sighed inwardly. He drew her into a warm embrace. "Sister Ya Fei, without you, the Yan Alliance could never have developed so rapidly. I never would have heard of the spatial trade fair, either. Stop treating yourself like dead weight. I, Xiao Yan, have never once thought that way."
Ya Fei bit her lower lip as a single tear escaped, dampening the fabric of his robe. A heartbeat later, she lifted her face, and a smile that mingled bittersweet sorrow and captivating allure bloomed on her features. "Alright then. I'll arrange everything at the auction house. But you'd better be prepared... I'm very, very good at spending money."
Her playful tone drew hearty laughter from Xiao Yan. "Hahaha! Perfect. Whatever Sister Ya Fei wants, I'll buy it all for you!"
After settling their arrangements, Xiao Yan departed. As for Hai Bodong, later rumors within the Yan Alliance said that Venerable Bing Hai had battled ice giants in a frozen purgatory for three days and nights before finally breaking through to Dou Venerate and tearing his way back through space.
Rather than heading directly to the small valley, Xiao Yan spent some time within the Yan Alliance, checking in on the Medicine Hall and the Xiao Clan. The alliance's alchemists naturally came under his purview. Fortunately, the Ye Clan hadn't done anything excessive. After delivering some pointed warnings, Xiao Yan provided detailed guidance on their alchemy techniques.
Though the Ye Clan's elders no longer held hope of reaching tier 8, Little Princess Yue Er and Xin Lan displayed genuine promise. With Xiao Yan's mentorship from an early stage, both had already begun to show real talent and stood a good chance of breaking through to tier 8 in the future.
The Xiao Clan still paled in comparison to the Dou God Clans. Apart from Xiao Yan himself, their strongest members were his second brother Xiao Li and cousin Xiao Ning, both of whom had reached the Dou Ancestor realm. They remained infinitely far from Dou Venerate, but at least it marked a promising beginning.
Twenty years remained until the Heavenly Tomb's next opening. Anyone who failed to reach Dou Venerate by then wouldn't even be able to withstand the Heavenly Tomb's oppressive aura, let alone enter the third layer.
As for Nalan Yanran, her diligence remained unchanged. Her only misfortune lay in the lack of a proper inheritance. The Misty Cloud Sect could no longer provide her any meaningful help, and Xiao Yan had no sword-path legacy to offer.
Her sole inheritance came from Yun Po Tian, yet she had already surpassed him entirely. She had even pushed his strongest technique, Wind's Peak Three Styles, to a fourth form of her own creation. Fused with a Heavenly Flame, its power now approached the Tian Class.
But for the moment, that was her ceiling. Without predecessors' guidance, further progress required long, painstaking exploration. Even Xiao Yan had first absorbed the experience of those who came before him, then begun walking his own road.
He had originally planned to refine a Venerate Ascension Spirit Pill to raise her cultivation by one star, but she politely declined. It was not for lack of desire, but because she intended to wait until she reached high-level Dou Venerate before using it.
"Hey, Xiao Lan! It's been too long!" Xiao Yan called out as he arrived at the Magic Beast Mountain Range and spotted a familiar figure.
Scree!!
A massive blue eagle tore through the sky with a shrill cry, swooping toward him with obvious excitement. Xiao Yan affectionately stroked its lustrous feathers. This blue eagle was no longer the Rank 1 magical beast from years past. In a blessed land like the small valley, further nourished by the medicinal herbs Little Fairy Doctor planted and occasionally fed it, Xiao Lan had already advanced to Rank 6 and even undergone a bloodline evolution.
It now reigned as emperor of these skies!
Xiao Yan smiled and vaulted onto the blue eagle's broad back. With another piercing cry, Xiao Lan spread its wings and shot skyward. In mere moments, they pierced through layers of cloud to arrive at a breathtaking paradise: Creation Valley!
Verdant peaks folded together like waves of green, mountain ranges rising and falling in rings that cradled the valley at their heart like a precious jewel.
The valley itself wasn't particularly vast or deep, yet through the combined efforts of Little Fairy Doctor and Xiao Yan, Creation Valley had truly earned its name. The land possessed its own spirit, and the surrounding natural energy had grown so dense it felt as though it could nurture a celestial being.
'A natural illusion formation has already taken shape.' Xiao Yan examined the cloud and mist pooling above the valley. It resembled the fog over the Heaven Eye Mountain Range's blood pool: Spiritual Strength was completely blocked, perception interfered with. Without special methods or Xiao Lan leading the way, any intruder would inevitably lose their sense of direction.
Within the valley, countless crystalline streams wove an intricate network across the terrain. These interlaced waterways formed their own water veins. They were far from ordinary clear springs. Each current carried a special energy that dramatically accelerated medicinal herb growth.
"You've returned."
Xiao Yan lowered his gaze just in time to see Little Fairy Doctor drawing water by a babbling stream. She looked up, saw him riding Xiao Lan, and a soft, serene smile spread across her face, so gentle and tranquil it seemed to illuminate the entire valley.
Little Fairy Doctor knew he had visited the Gu Realm, but her gentle, tranquil nature meant she would never intrude with questions. Competition and conflict were foreign to her peaceful heart, which remained as calm and accepting as still water reflecting clouds.
Yet she was far from naive. The woman who had survived alone in Qingshan Town, studied Saint Zhao Hua's legacy, and cultivated Creation Valley to such heights possessed exceptional intelligence hidden beneath her quiet exterior. Her warm smile was simply her way of welcoming him back without demanding explanations about his journey.
"Yes. I came to see whether the mistress of Creation Valley was home. If she wasn't, I was going to steal some herbs," Xiao Yan teased as he jumped down.
Little Fairy Doctor set down the bucket and shot him a glare. "The herbs in Creation Valley belong to you too."
Goo goo!!
At the mention of stealing medicinal herbs, Saint Zhao Hua's Pill Beast sprang out, staring warily at this habitual thief.
Moments later, it was subdued by a single pill from Xiao Yan.
Every time he came to the valley and saw Little Fairy Doctor's gentle presence, a deep calm settled over Xiao Yan's heart. He stepped up beside her and lightly brushed aside a silken strand of hair resting on her shoulder. "There's a spatial trade fair in half a year. I'd like you to come with me."
Little Fairy Doctor's surprise lasted only a heartbeat before she nodded without hesitation or inquiry. If Xiao Yan needed her to go, then she would go.
"You need herbs for alchemy, right? I'll take you to the medicinal forest," she offered.
"Mm. After we finish gathering the herbs, there's somewhere else I want to take you." Xiao Yan shook his head slightly.
"Where?"
"The Xiao Realm. The ancestral land of the Xiao Clan."
…
Three days later, deep within a deadly land known as the Ancient Wasteland Region on the Central Plains' northeastern border, space twisted and two figures stepped out of the distortion.
"So this is the Ancient Wasteland Region..." Little Fairy Doctor surveyed the bleak, desolate landscape stretching endlessly before them, and a grave light entered her eyes. Even she had heard of this place's infamous reputation.
Forbidden zone, cursed land, death ground—countless ominous names described it. Only by seeing it personally did she realize that reality was even harsher than the legends.
The Ancient Wasteland Region was one of the oldest places on the Dou Qi Continent and, at the same time, humanity's forbidden ground. The weather here was vicious, poisonous miasma hung heavy in the air, and ferocious beasts prowled everywhere. These weren't ordinary magical beasts; most were ancient breeds that had survived from primordial times. Some were in no way inferior to any current magical beast tribe apart from the Ancient Void Dragon Race. Even Heaven Demon Phoenix Tribe members who entered would face almost certain death.
These beasts were not only bloodthirsty and violently savage but also possessed terrifying strength. Though their intelligence might not be high, their raw power was enough to make even a peak Dou Venerate hesitate. Even such an expert couldn't claim he would definitely walk back out alive. This wasn't speculation but a truth forged from countless years of blood-soaked experience. Throughout history, many strong practitioners had tried to enter in search of treasure, only to disappear without a trace. Among them were no small number of the Central Plains' most renowned experts.
The reason the Ancient Wasteland Region had become what it was could be understood with a single phrase: this was the void's dumping ground, the graveyard of fallen Dou God Clans.
Dou Saints could open small worlds. The Pill Tower's Pill Realm was exactly such a creation. In the distant past, during the primordial era when Dou Gods had not yet vanished, the realms they forged floated within the void itself, much like the Gu Realm, Hun Realm, and Ancient Void Dragon Island.
In a sense, these realms did not truly exist on the Dou Qi Continent but in the cracks between spaces.
After the Dou Gods collectively disappeared, their clans declined for various reasons. Once those ancestral realms could no longer be maintained, they fell from the void and crashed down, gradually forming the Ancient Wasteland Region of today.
So this land became humanity's forbidden zone, a place crawling with ancient, terrifying beasts and warped environmental conditions shaped by the remains of fallen Dou God ancestral lands.
The Xiao Realm was among those cast aside, having fallen into a certain area of the Ancient Wasteland Region.
"This is the Xiao Realm." Having made a deal with Hun Tiandi, Xiao Yan had naturally left a soul imprint here, allowing him to use the Heaven Hall's soul passage to locate it.
In truth, the Xiao Realm had already fallen a thousand years ago and had, in many respects, merged with the Ancient Wasteland Region. Even Hun Tiandi likely couldn't distinguish the Xiao Realm's original borders anymore.
Yellow sand blotted the sky. Ferocious storms and lightning raged almost constantly. Poisonous mists and bizarre phenomena appeared without warning while savage beasts lurked everywhere. Even if Xiao Yan reached the Dou Saint realm, relocating or cleansing the Xiao Realm would prove extremely difficult.
Even so, he refused to abandon it. This place was likely the only remaining trace left by the Xiao Clan of old. Having given his word to the ancestor, he would do everything within his power to restore the Xiao Realm and bring it back into the light.
Only a Xiao Clan that possessed its ancestral land could truly proclaim to the Dou Qi Continent that the once-great Dou God Clan had returned!
Ruins still dotted the landscape, silent proof of the Xiao Clan's existence. With these, they could prove they were indeed a legitimate Dou God Clan!
"This land has died." Little Fairy Doctor bent down and scooped up a handful of yellow sand. It sifted through her fingers, dry and lifeless. Whether it could be saved at all was very much in doubt.
"Can you revive it?" Xiao Yan asked quietly. Bringing her here had not been a whim. Having inherited Saint Zhao Hua's Creation Saint Classic, Little Fairy Doctor was the only one with even a sliver of hope of bringing this dead earth back to life.
Little Fairy Doctor's delicate brows furrowed as she pondered in silence. After a long moment, she said, "I don't know. I've only grasped the surface of Saint Zhao Hua's skills. But I can try. First, though, we need to address the environment here."
The conditions in the Ancient Wasteland Region were brutally harsh. Survival here was extremely difficult. Even now, Xiao Yan and Little Fairy Doctor had to maintain Dou Qi defenses at all times to fend off spatial turbulence, violent storms, and sudden poisonous fogs.
A faint smile touched Xiao Yan's lips. He hadn't come unprepared. From his Nihility Space, he drew a white insect sphere.
The Ancient Wasteland Region wasn't just a death ground; it was also a treasure land. For certain special magical beasts, this harsh environment was a natural body-tempering paradise. Any beast that could survive here was extraordinarily powerful.
Back in the Heavenly Tomb, when Xiao Yan learned that the Ancient Devouring Insects could swallow energy storms and secrete energy crystals, he had immediately thought of the Xiao Realm's plight.
With the Ancient Devouring Insects, he could purify the storms here and, in time, create a protective barrier similar to the one around Gu Sacred City! They might even continuously produce energy crystals!
With energy crystals and habitable land both in hand, members of the Xiao Clan would be able to advance their cultivation far faster than ordinary people, even without the Dou God Bloodline!
This Little Clan Leader had truly poured his heart and soul into the Xiao Clan's revival!
At the very least, Xiao Xuan had not been wrong in his choice.
"These are Ancient Devouring Insects!" Instead of recoiling in fear at the insect sphere in Xiao Yan's hand, Little Fairy Doctor's eyes shone with excitement.
The Creation Saint Classic contained extensive records of the Ancient Devouring Insects. For a herb cultivator, they were an absolute boon. Their primary function was land reclamation, allowing one to create medicinal fields like enclosed greenhouses!
They could purify the environment and produce energy crystals at the same time!
She had never expected Xiao Yan to actually find the Ancient Devouring Insects, which had supposedly been extinct for countless ages!
Xiao Yan chuckled. With a mere thought, a low hum filled the air as countless Ancient Devouring Insects stirred to life within the sphere. Though the mother insect remained in deep slumber, Xiao Yan could use the second level of the Asura Soul Reaping Technique, the Asura Illusion Realm, to deceive them.