Phew… After a long, intense stare at the altar, Xiao Yan finally took a deep breath, his face looking grim. With his keen eyes, he could clearly see that Zi Yan’s body was devoid of any signs of life. If it weren’t for the faint, familiar soul vibrations he could still sense, he would have believed that Zi Yan had perished.
“This is the manifestation of energy in solid form.” Beside Xiao Yan, Elder Zhulie sighed and said, “The energy from the Dragon-Phoenix Origin Fruit is too terrifying; it has solidified and filled every part of Zi Yan’s body. If she cannot absorb this energy, she will remain like this forever, becoming a living corpse.”
“You were too reckless,” Xiao Yan scolded, unable to hold back his frustration despite knowing the extreme power of the old man in front of him. If things went wrong, Zi Yan might really lose her life.
Elder Zhulie smiled wryly and shook his head but did not speak. He must have deeply regretted their actions.
“Xiao Yan, you shouldn’t blame Third Elder. The Dragon-Phoenix Origin Fruit is extremely rare, even to the ancient ethereal dragons. We don’t fully understand it, which is why this unfortunate situation occurred,” Hei Qing interjected.
“Were there previous successful absorptions of the Dragon-Phoenix Origin Fruit?” Xiao Yan asked suddenly, as if remembering something.
“Yes, but only twice. Once by the Heavenly Phoenix Clan, which resulted in the emergence of an extremely powerful figure. During that period, even the ancient ethereal dragons were completely suppressed. Fortunately, hundreds of years later, we ancient dragons obtained a Dragon-Phoenix Origin Fruit, allowing us to regain our advantage. However, in the last great blood battle between the two clans, both powerful figures with super bloodlines perished together.”
Since then, the Heavenly Phoenix Clan gradually disappeared, and the Dragon-Phoenix Origin Fruits ceased to appear. This time is the first I’ve ever seen one…”
“Only two successes…” Xiao Yan frowned, then sighed. He knew that it was pointless to dwell on the matter now. “How can we save Zi Yan?”
“The energy formed by the Dragon-Phoenix Origin Fruit is incredibly hard. Even I cannot break it,” Elder Zhulie said. “And if it is broken, the energy would be wasted…”
“Do we still need to worry about the energy?” Xiao Yan asked, frowning.
Ah, my dear friend Xiao Yan, you do not know the current situation of the ancient ethereal dragons. We are in dire need of a clan leader with royal blood who can maintain order.
“What happened? With the power of the ancient ethereal dragons, how could there be such a difficult situation?” Startled, Xiao Yan asked curiously.
Hesitating for a moment, Elder Zhulie finally gritted his teeth and explained, “My dear friend, you and the ancient ethereal dragons have a deep connection. I may as well tell you. The Ancient Dragon Island you see now is not the complete island, but only a quarter of the original…”
“A quarter?” Xiao Yan was stunned. Reacting quickly, he asked, “What about the other three parts?”
“After Zi Yan’s father disappeared, the ancient ethereal dragons split into four parts, and the Dragon Island also divided. Each part now wanders in the void,” Elder Zhulie explained. “In other words, the ancient ethereal dragons you see now are incomplete.”
Xiao Yan couldn’t help but gasp. Just a quarter of their power was already so frightening. How strong must the entire ancient ethereal dragon clan be?
“Every once in a while, the four dragon islands meet in the void. When that happens, conflicts inevitably arise. The lords of the other three islands all want to unite the ancient ethereal dragons, but the difference in strength is not significant, so the dragon clan remains divided.”
“Do the other three dragon islands also have ancient ethereal dragons with royal blood?” Xiao Yan asked softly. The ancient ethereal dragons clearly placed great importance on bloodline; it should be difficult for ordinary dragons to become true leaders.
“Sort of, but none have as pure a bloodline as Zi Yan,” Elder Zhulie said, shaking his head. “We are so eager for Zi Yan to absorb the Dragon-Phoenix Origin Fruit to facilitate her quick evolution. In the next meeting of the four islands, we hope to reunite the ancient ethereal dragons.”
“I see,” Xiao Yan thought, understanding why the ancient ethereal dragons had been so quiet. It wasn’t due to preference, but because of internal strife that left them unable to focus on external threats.
“If not for these internal divisions, how could the world allow the rise of the Heaven Demon Phoenix Clan and the Netherworld Poisonous Serpent…”
Elder Zhulie sighed, his tone showing disdain for the other two major clans. In the ancient times, only the ancestors of these clans could match the ancient dragons. What were these descendants with diluted bloodlines compared to them?
“I didn’t realize the ancient ethereal dragons had such secrets. But they sure kept them well. There are likely few on this continent who know the dragons are facing internal strife.”
“These matters, I hope you will keep secret, Xiao Yan. If it gets out, powerful forces with grudges against us might meddle,” Elder Zhulie said solemnly.
“Rest assured, Elder Zhulie. This secret will not be revealed,” Xiao Yan nodded, his expression serious. He turned his gaze back to the altar, “Since Elder Zhulie summoned me, you must think I can help Zi Yan, perhaps with my unusual flames?”
Xiao Yan believed that what made him valuable to the ancient ethereal dragons were his alchemy skills and the unusual flames within him. Though he was now an eighth-grade alchemic grandmaster, there were still better alchemists in the central plains. Therefore, the unusual flames were likely the key.
“Haha, indeed, Xiao Yan, you are worthy of your ancestor’s legacy,” Elder Zhulie said, smiling. “The energy crystals formed by the Dragon-Phoenix Origin Fruit are extremely hard. Even I cannot break them. Therefore, the only way to melt the crystals and push the energy into Zi Yan’s body is through the power of unusual flames.”
“But ordinary unusual flames won’t work. Only the top ten most powerful ones can handle it. Xiao Yan, you possess multiple unusual flames and can combine their powers, making you as potent as the sixth or seventh rank flames. You are capable of handling these energy crystals.”
“Though other powerful figures in the central plains also possess unusual flames, no one is both capable and trustworthy like you. That’s why we urgently sought you out.”
Understanding, Xiao Yan fell into deep thought. The Three-Thousand Purifying Flame alone met the criteria, let alone combined with other unusual flames.
“Elder Zhulie, please rest assured. For Zi Yan’s sake alone, I will do my utmost. Follow your instructions, and command me as you see fit,” Xiao Yan said earnestly.
Hearing this, Elder Zhulie’s smile grew wider. “If Xiao Xuan knew the Xiao Clan had such an outstanding descendant, he would be pleased…”
“Hehe, I think Xiao Xuan can’t compete with his descendant. He used the Xiao Clan’s bloodline to its fullest, but it led to the weakening of the subsequent generations. Xiao Yan, on the other hand, reached his achievements through his own efforts. Given enough time, surpassing Xiao Xuan is not impossible,” Hei Qing added, smiling.
Nodding, Elder Zhulie turned to Xiao Yan, “Don’t blame Xiao Xuan for using up the remaining bloodline power. He took a desperate gamble, hoping to break through to the Dou Sheng level to continue the family’s bloodline. Unfortunately, he underestimated the difficulty and ended up perishing with regret.”
Hearing their words, Xiao Yan felt a deep respect for his ancestor, even though he had never met him.
“Let’s not dwell on that. Xiao Yan, rest for a couple of days. I need to prepare some things, and then we’ll begin,” Elder Zhulie said, changing the subject.
“Alright,” Xiao Yan nodded, turning his gaze to the small, motionless figure on the altar. Clenching his fists, he whispered, “Zi Yan, don’t worry. I will save you…”
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