Chapter 7: The Old Servant Yao Nong
A boundless, ancient void—chaotic and lightless. Spatial distortions tore through it from time to time, spewing terrifying black flames. Wherever they passed, even space itself was silently devoured and destroyed, leaving behind constantly mending spatial rifts—strange and ominous.
Here, time seemed to have lost all meaning.
At the very center, two figures sat cross-legged, their bodies wreathed in black flame. One of them was none other than Hun Xuzi, who had previously "communicated" with Yao Yan. But unlike the fragment from earlier, this was clearly his true body.
As the space before him split open, a soul wrapped in black flame re-entered his body. Only then did he slowly open his flame-shrouded eyes, a faint smile curling at the corner of his lips.
"Success?"
Sensing the shift in Hun Xuzi's emotions, the other figure beside him spoke.
As the man's voice echoed, the black flames throughout the void grew calm, no longer violent. They even let out low, strange whimpering sounds, as if they were paying respect to their master.
The man's entire body was wrapped in black flames, covered in bizarre black runes. His eyes were like black holes, exuding a terrifying devouring force. Just looking into them gave the illusion that one's soul would be swallowed whole.
This was, of course, the master of this space—and the being ranked second on the heavenly flame list: Void Devouring Flame.
In his presence, Hun Xuzi became extremely deferential. Rising to his feet with a smile, he said, "Yes, Lord Void. After a century of planning, we've finally succeeded—barely. That boy has successfully fused with the Soul Devouring King's blood essence. Whether he can perfectly inherit the clan's talent remains to be tested."
Void Devouring Flame's expression remained indifferent, seemingly uninterested. His tone was cold: "Keep a low profile. Until the plan begins, don't cause unnecessary waves."
As one of the peak existences in the current era, he only cared about matters relating to the Dou Emperor realm. Hun Xuzi's little side projects didn't concern him. The Soul Devouring Clan might be strange, but they were still a destroyed ancient clan. He himself had long mastered their abilities and understood their limits.
Compared to his own power to devour all things, the Soul Devouring Clan's so-called bloodline devouring ability was unimpressive.
"Please rest assured, Lord Void. I know my place."
Hun Xuzi nodded respectfully.
Void Devouring Flame's eyes flickered with dark fire as he asked, "Any news from the Xiao Clan?"
The Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Jade had been split into eight pieces and distributed among the eight ancient clans. To this day, the piece that once belonged to the Xiao Clan remained unaccounted for. When the Xiao Clan was destroyed, it was assumed that the jade piece fell into the Gu Clan's hands. But years of investigation revealed that the Gu Clan never acquired it.
Back then, survivors from the Xiao Clan fled under the Gu Clan's protection to remote corners of the continent. After all this time, finding them would be like searching for a needle in a haystack.
"The Soul Hall's influence has already spread across the continent. If there's any news, we'll know immediately. But in my opinion, rather than searching blindly, we should target the Gu Clan directly. After all, they were the ones who helped the Xiao survivors escape. I don't believe the Gu Clan doesn't know where they are."
Hun Xuzi's eyes gleamed as he spoke in a deep voice.
"It's already being arranged. But it will take time. Unfortunately, only Gu Yuan knows the truth. Otherwise, this wouldn't be such a hassle."
Void Devouring Flame's expression turned dark as he mentioned Gu Yuan. A thousand years ago, he had been gravely wounded by the man—almost reduced to his original form. Even now, he could still feel the lingering pain. It was the first and only time he had ever been beaten so badly. Because of that, he had kept a low profile for centuries.
Hun Xuzi, seeing Void Devouring Flame's darkened mood, fell silent. There was no good way to respond.
Everyone has their youthful moments of arrogance—especially heavenly flame spirits, who are naturally aggressive.
Back then, Void Devouring Flame had tried to devour the Gu Clan's Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame. At the time, its host was Gu Yuan's wife, who was also pregnant. The result was predictable. After his wife was gravely wounded, Gu Yuan went berserk.
If not for Hun Tiandi and several elders from the Soul Clan arriving in time, Void Devouring Flame would have been torn apart on the spot.
That incident nearly caused all-out war between the Soul and Gu Clans.
Fortunately, Gu Yuan was a rational man—calculating and cautious. In the end, fearing the casualties of war, he suppressed his fury, and the battle never broke out.
It had taken Hun Xuzi nearly a hundred years to uncover this piece of history. No one would've guessed Void Devouring Flame had such a humiliating past.
"Have the Soul Hall continue the search. As for the Gu Clan, I'll handle them personally."
Void Devouring Flame's tone was icy.
"Yes, my lord."
Hun Xuzi responded respectfully.
…
Elsewhere, Yao Yan was already seated on his meditation cushion, cultivating. He didn't want to waste even a second. Every sliver of progress was another reason he wouldn't have to eat beef. The events of the day had shaken him—he now had no sense of security. He had tasted what it meant for his life to be in someone else's hands, and he never wanted to feel that way again.
Being treated like a lab rat… it was the worst.
In a xuanhuan world, only strength mattered!
Compared to before, his current cultivation was much more subdued. Only a thin layer of worldly energy enveloped him—not the massive, devouring spectacle from before. This was intentional. He was suppressing it—partly to avoid attracting the attention of the Yao Clan elders, and partly because of Hun Xuzi's advice not to rush.
More than a breakthrough, he needed to familiarize himself with his new body and every thread of Dou Qi it produced.
Both Hun Xuzi and the elders of the clan academy had emphasized the importance of foundational cultivation. Rushing blindly toward breakthroughs would only block the path ahead. Only with a perfect foundation could one walk far into the future.
Now, Yao Yan's foundation was on par with those possessing divine-grade bloodlines. His job was to master it fully.
Like a Barrett sniper rifle—powerful, but unless the shooter had enough experience and strength, they couldn't wield it properly. It might even backfire. And Yao Yan was still just a boy.
"So this… is what it means to be a genius?"
Yao Yan slowly opened his eyes, a trace of wonder in his expression as he whispered. He had always known talent mattered—but only after possessing it did he realize the gap between genius and mediocrity.
With his former Tier 3 bloodline, he hadn't been trash—he was actually upper-middle-tier. But compared to now… there was no comparison.
Back then, during his Dou Qi stage, his body had clear limits. Pushing past them brought pain, and training too long would strain his meridians. He would be forced to stop. But now, his body could absorb Dou Qi endlessly without resistance.
"No wonder those prodigies stayed in the Dou Qi stage for so long…"
Yao Yan mused. He now understood why, in the original story, if Xiao Yan hadn't had Yao Lao's help—forcing him to nourish his body for years—he'd never have reached beyond Dou King. Maybe not even that. This wasn't about perception. It was about foundations.
Then there was the Flame Mantra. After devouring heavenly flames, Xiao Yan's body was reforged multiple times—his talent and foundation transformed.
Take Nalan Yanran for example. Despite her talent and Yun Yun's help, she only reached Dou Sect.
"But… this kind of excuse is going to be hard to keep up."
Yao Yan frowned.
He currently only had one segment of Dou Qi—and he would likely remain at this level for a long time. The elders of the clan academy would notice, and that would bring trouble. He considered pulling out the jade token and discussing it with his teacher.
If given the choice, he wouldn't mind going to the Soul Clan to cultivate. His Soul Devouring talent was perfectly suited for that place.
Combined with his current potential, his strength would surely grow rapidly.
But he didn't want to make himself look like someone who'd abandon everything for power. No one liked a two-faced traitor—even if he was one.
Han Feng had already proven that.
Knock knock.
Just as Yao Yan was stewing in frustration, a knock came from outside. It wasn't loud, but with a soul force as sharp as an alchemist's, even the faintest sound was detectable.
His expression shifted. He didn't move or approach the door, just responded coldly, "Who is it? I'm refining pills. Inconvenient to come out."
"This old servant, Yao Nong, was sent to handle the aftermath for you, young master."
A wave of soul force entered the room, and a voice clearly rang in Yao Yan's ears.
"?!"
A flash of surprise crossed Yao Yan's face. He knew Yao Nong. The man was the head of a branch family in Danding City. His true strength was unclear—but definitely at least Dou Sect. He was also a peak Tier 6 alchemist. And now, he was calling himself a "servant"?
Clearly, his new master had already arranged everything.
A truly qualified teacher... I almost feel bad for hating you. Yao Yan chuckled inwardly, but he couldn't help marveling at how deeply the Soul Clan had infiltrated the Yao Clan. He didn't doubt there were even deeper plants—perhaps with more absurd identities than Yao Nong.
No wonder Hun Tiandi looked down on the ancient clans—and used them as stepping stones to reach the Dou Emperor realm.
He had a point.
Those who never prepared for danger in times of peace would inevitably be destroyed.
Destruction… was the only outcome.
(END CHAPTER)
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