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The aftermath of the explosion from the two Grade-Nine Treasure Pills in the sky slowly dissipated, revealing Gu Yuan's figure. His coarse r
The aftermath of the explosion from the two Grade-Nine Treasure Pills in the sky slowly dissipated, revealing Gu Yuan's figure. His coarse r
The aftermath of the explosion from the two Grade-Nine Treasure Pills in the sky slowly dissipated, revealing Gu Yuan's figure. His coarse robe was now reduced to tatters, barely clinging to his body. At his waist—where the explosion had occurred at point-blank range—flesh and blood were mangled, with a wound as large as a bowl's opening.
Gu Yuan's entire body emitted white smoke laced with an intense medicinal aroma. He spat blood from his mouth, his eyes locked onto Qian Renhan, burning with fury and killing intent potent enough to destroy worlds.
Qian Renhan sneered coldly and grabbed his dislocated shoulder with his left hand, forcefully snapping the bone back into place.
The power of a self-destructing Grade-Nine Treasure Pill was formidable. Even with Qian Renhan's mid-level Nine-Star Dou Saint physique, his fist—wrapped in Dou Qi from a mid-tier Heaven-rank battle technique—was skinned from the close-range impact. Let alone Gu Yuan, who had never focused on refining his physical body.
"Hahaha, Brother Gu, you're really not up to par! To think a greenhorn could injure you. Have all those years of revelry after the Gu Clan became the top of the Eight Ancient Clans drained your strength?" Soul Heaven Emperor mocked loudly while clashing with Zhu Kun. He knew very well how arrogant and proud Gu Yuan was. Being injured by Qian Renhan would definitely deal a heavy blow to his pride.
"Soul Heaven Emperor, shut your mouth! My affairs are none of your concern!" Gu Yuan shouted coldly. He raised a single finger at Qian Renhan as terrifying Nine-Star Dou Saint peak-level Dou Qi, along with the Dou Qi of heaven and earth from tens of thousands of miles around, surged toward him.
"It's been countless years since I last felt pain. For you to injure me is something you should be proud of."
"Gu Emperor…"
As the endless energy of heaven and earth converged on his fingertip, Gu Yuan uttered two words. Instantly, space within tens of thousands of meters vanished, replaced by a void. A massive finger, etched with strange markings, emerged slowly.
"Shattering Nirvana Finger!"
A voice of judgment resounded. As the gigantic finger descended, it seemed to pierce through the entire domain of the ancient Taixu Dragon Clan. In that moment, the world appeared to contain nothing but this finger.
Qian Renhan's ten-thousand-foot blood sword, forged from the will of his sword domain, shattered instantly upon contact with the finger. The explosion devoured the entire sword and engulfed Qian Renhan.
Gu Emperor's Shattering Nirvana Finger—the Gu Clan's strongest solo battle technique, the clan's defining skill, and one of the most powerful techniques on the Dou Qi Continent today.
With a thunderous roar, countless cracks of all shapes and sizes split the sky above Ancient Dragon Island. One by one, void lightning bolts struck down, and the island's internal spiritual energy leaked out through the cracks into the outer world.
In midair, Qian Renhan was soaked in blood. His back was mangled, and even the Asura Sword in his hand was riddled with cracks. Behind him lay a heap of shattered medicinal pills, ten broken wings reduced to bone fragments, and a pale green, incomplete ancient jade fragment.
"Tuoshe Ancient Emperor's Jade!" ×2
Both Gu Yuan and Soul Heaven Emperor showed expressions of surprise and joy.
Soul Heaven Emperor had no intention of holding back. He summoned another sea of blood to block Zhu Kun's energy cannon, shattered Zhu Kun's projection with a palm, and reached toward the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor's Jade.
"Don't even think about it, Soul Heaven Emperor!"
Gu Yuan also abandoned his attempt to kill Qian Renhan and lunged for the jade. The two peak Nine-Star Dou Saints clashed fiercely over it. Their all-out battle placed even more strain on the already crumbling spatial barrier of Ancient Dragon Island.
"Money makes the world go round. Zi Yan, now's the time—activate the Heaven-Transforming Array!"
Still in freefall, Qian Renhan kept his eyes closed. The terrifying injuries from Gu Yuan's attack made speaking difficult. However, as a cultivator at the peak of the Heavenly Realm and half a step into the Emperor Realm, his spiritual power remained intact. He used soul transmission to communicate with Zi Yan while Gu Yuan and Soul Heaven Emperor were distracted.
From the moment he obtained the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor's Jade, Qian Renhan began planning. He had predicted that Gu Yuan might appear during his and Zhu Kun's battle against Soul Heaven Emperor. His hunch proved correct—Gu Yuan came and struck at him.
So before heading to Ancient Dragon Island, Qian Renhan placed the jade and a pile of Grade-Seven and Grade-Eight pills into a not-so-sturdy storage ring.
When Gu Yuan unleashed his Shattering Nirvana Finger, it not only gravely injured Qian Renhan but also shattered the storage ring. The pills and jade inside spilled out. While even Grade-Nine pills couldn't withstand the residual force of a peak Nine-Star Dou Saint's ultimate attack and turned to powder, the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor's Jade—left behind by the Emperor himself—contained his power. How could a mere Dou Saint shatter something left by a Dou Emperor?
"But Qian Renhan, can your blood-soaked body withstand the energy influx from the Heaven-Transforming Array?" Zi Yan tore through space and caught Qian Renhan's wounded form, her beautiful eyes turning red with emotion, lips tightly clenched.
"Now's not the time to worry about that. If either Gu Yuan or Soul Heaven Emperor obtains the jade, the one left empty-handed will surely vent their fury on the Taixu Ancient Dragons—and you'll be the first target!"
"If we activate the Heaven-Transforming Array, we might still have a chance at survival. If we don't, we're all dead!"
"If I don't survive the battle due to the array's energy overload, go find Xiao Yan and follow him. You'll be safe."
While in seclusion at the Void Lightning Pool, Qian Renhan had pondered why Xiao Yan was known as the Child of Fate. Why he had a "plot armor" effect—turning every crisis into fortune, always surrounded by allies, founding organizations like the Xiao Sect, Flame Alliance, and Heavenly Court.
Eventually, Qian Renhan realized it wasn't that Xiao Yan was the Child of Fate, but that he had been chosen by the world itself—the Dou Qi Continent had bestowed immense destiny upon him.
All living beings must evolve and grow to survive. Otherwise, they face extinction. The Dou Qi Continent, as a world with its own consciousness, also seeks growth and longevity.
Cultivators draw energy from the world to grow stronger, but the world, in turn, needs to absorb resources from higher realms to evolve.
Above the Dou Qi Continent lies the Three Thousand Worlds. What does the continent lack compared to those higher realms? Origin Qi.
The Origin Qi once supplied by the Three Thousand Worlds was sealed off by the ancient Dou Emperors during the battle against foreign devils. Only Dou Emperors can break that seal.
What could possibly draw the world's attention to Xiao Yan? The Flame Mantra!
The complete Flame Mantra could allow Xiao Yan to inherit the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor's legacy, break through to the Dou Emperor realm, and open the channel to transfer Origin Qi back to the continent. And Xiao Yan harbors no evil intentions toward the world.
Thus, the Dou Qi Continent chose him, gave him destiny, and made him the Child of Fate—granting him his "plot armor" and near-miraculous luck.
That's why following Xiao Yan leads to prosperity. He is protected by the world itself because he cultivates the Flame Mantra.
To kill Xiao Yan? First ask whether the world itself agrees—don't forget, there's still Half-Emperor Xiao Xuan in the Heavenly Tomb.
(End of Chapter)