Chapter 1367: Peak of the Eight-Star Dou Zun!

Outside the Blood Pool, Xiao Yan and Xuner’s eyes were fixed intently on Xiao Yan, their faces filled with seriousness and tension. “Xiao Yan, you mustn’t lose your senses…”

Xiao Yan gripped his hands tightly, murmuring continuously under his breath.

“Bang!”

Amidst Xiao Yan’s incessant mumbling, a strange thud suddenly resounded within Xiao Yan’s body. In an instant, they saw his face turn an intense purple. As Xiao Yan’s expression changed, his soaring aura began to rapidly diminish.

“Whew…”

Feeling Xiao Yan’s rapidly weakening aura, Xiao Yan and Xuner heaved a sigh of relief. Thankfully, Xiao Yan managed to maintain his composure in the face of such overwhelming power.

Xiao Yan’s aura diminished swiftly, plummeting from its peak at the Nine Star level to around Six Star in just a few minutes. Of course, this Six Star was incomparably different from the level Xiao Yan had previously reached. Though the tiers were the same, there was a nearly qualitative difference.

“This guy, he really suppressed it hard, but it will rebound…”

Xiao Yan smacked his lips, not expecting that Xiao Yan would suppress his aura from the peak of Nine Stars back to Six Stars…

Just as Xiao Yan pondered this, Xiao Yan’s aura, which had been reduced to Six Star, began to rebound again. However, the speed of this rebound was clearly much slower, controlled by Xiao Yan.

Six Star… Seven Star… Peak Seven Star… Eight Star… Nine Star…

The aura gradually rose, finally settling back at the Nine Star level, without further rising to the peak.

When Xiao Yan’s aura reached the Nine Star level, his face changed once more. The newly-risen aura was forcefully compressed, but this time, the compressed aura could not be lowered past the peak of Seven Stars.

“The energy is too dense, so there’s still some rebound. But this should be the last time.”

Feeling Xiao Yan’s fluctuating aura, Xiao Yan nodded slightly. From the current situation, everything seemed to be under Xiao Yan’s control, which made him feel much more at ease. Xiao Yan’s performance this time was highly satisfactory.

Xuner also nodded with a smile. Although the energy Xiao Yan absorbed was enormous, it also caused his fighting spirit to become unstable. Only through multiple compressions and consolidations could the internal fighting spirit return to its former solidity.

“Bubble…”

In the clear pool, bubbles continuously emerged. After a brief pause, Xiao Yan’s aura finally started to rise again. In less than five minutes, he easily broke through the Seven Star level and reached the Eight Star level. Finally, he stabilized completely at the peak of the Eight Star level.

“Peak Eight Star…”

Feeling the stabilization of Xiao Yan’s aura, Xiao Yan and Xuner breathed a sigh of relief. An increase of two stars, thankfully, was within Xiao Yan’s control. Amid the sudden surge, Xiao Yan found the most suitable balance.

When Xiao Yan’s aura fully stabilized, his closed eyes, shut for over a year and a half, finally began to flutter. A moment later, under the watchful gaze of Xiao Yan and Xuner, his eyes snapped open!

“Swish!”

His eyes opened, releasing two beams of violet-red light like solid lightning, shooting out from Xiao Yan’s eyes and instantly pulverizing one of the supporting stone pillars in the hall.

The brilliant light lasted for a moment before gradually subsiding. Yet, Xiao Yan’s originally black eyes now had a faint tinge of violet-red, giving them a rather eerie appearance.

“Whew…”

A hot, turbid breath seeped out of Xiao Yan’s throat. Feeling the never-ending, ocean-like abundant fighting spirit within his body, a profound sense of satisfaction welled up inside him. Then, a long, dragon-like and phoenix-melodic roar erupted from his mouth.

“Roar!”

The roar reverberated through the ancient hall, shaking the space and causing it to tremble violently.

“Haha, exhilarating!”

The roar faded after lingering for a while. Xiao Yan laughed loudly, slapping the water surface as he darted out, landing lightly beside the Blood Pool. His body stood straight, emitting a terrifying, overwhelmingly powerful aura like a storm.

“Congratulations, Brother Xiao Yan,” Xuner smiled.

Xiao Yan stretched with a smile, casually grabbing at the air, creating a visible indentation in the space. Feeling the vast, immense power within him, Xiao Yan was confident that even without using any battle techniques, he could defeat that ancient demon within twenty moves!

At the peak of Eight Star Dou Zun, he was now truly on par with the young geniuses of the ancient races like the Ancient Demon and Ancient Huahua!

“Thank you, Ancestor!”

Xiao Yan turned to the aged Xiao Yan, sweeping his sleeves and kneeling down. Even without considering seniority, Xiao Yan deserved this bow for his sacrifice in preserving the Xiao Clan’s lineage and waiting countless years alone.

Xiao Yan smiled warmly, helping Xiao Yan up. “There is hope for the revival of the Xiao Clan. My long wait was worth it. Still, you should thank your little girlfriend. Without her help, you wouldn’t have been able to fuse the three bloodlines.”

Xiao Yan paused, turning to the smiling Xuner, who slowly shook her head. Her meaning was clear—she didn’t want to distinguish their contributions too much. A warm feeling welled up in Xiao Yan’s heart; having a woman like her, what more could he ask for?

“Xiao Yan, the seed of a new bloodline has been planted deep within your heart. You must protect it well; it will be the key to reaching the Emperor Realm.”

Xiao Yan’s face grew serious. “If you can reach the Emperor Realm, the discarded bloodlines in the clan members will regain vitality, and be even stronger than before!”

“This is the true and only hope for the revival of the Xiao Clan…”

Xiao Yan nodded silently, touching his chest. He could vaguely sense the strong, powerful beat of his heart. Each beat seemed to cause a wave of energy to ripple through his body.

“Also, be very cautious of the Soul Race. I have dealt with them many times. They are very mysterious and bizarre. Even during the Xiao Clan’s prime, we could only manage a stalemate with them. Among the Eight Ancient Clans, the Xiao Clan was once the strongest, followed by the Gu Clan, but the Soul Clan was the most mysterious.”

“Based on my conjectures, the Soul Clan might be even stronger than the Gu Clan.”

Xiao Yan’s face grew serious. During the battle between the Xiao and Soul Clans, even with numerous allies, the Xiao Clan gained little advantage, which speaks to the Soul Clan’s strength. Moreover, the Soul Clan, despite its long history, never seemed to suffer from bloodline depletion, a mystery that troubled Xiao Yan, who never found an answer.

Hearing this, Xiao Yan and Xuner’s expressions shifted. Xuner knew the Gu Clan’s strength well. Despite the battles between the Gu and Soul Clans, the Gu Clan usually won. Thus, hearing that the Soul Clan might be stronger than the Gu Clan was difficult to accept.

“The Gu Clan is indeed the most stable of the Eight Clans, but the Soul Clan is too mysterious. There are probably few who truly understand them.”

Xiao Yan sighed, seeing their furrowed brows. He waved his hand and said, “Be careful until you reach the Dou Sheng stage. With the Tu She Gu Emperor Jade, the Soul Clan will definitely come after you…”

Xiao Yan nodded, knowing that whether due to the enmity between the two clans or personal reasons, the Soul Clan would not let him off easily. But this was no reason for him to retreat. As long as the end was not yet reached, he would never yield, even to the most mysterious of the Eight Clans—the Soul Clan!

“You’ve been in the Heavenly Tomb for two years, and you have nearly a year left. Use this time to train and adapt to your newfound strength.”

Xiao Yan patted Xiao Yan’s shoulder, then handed him a scroll marked with various flame patterns.

“This is the complete version of the Heavenly Fire Three Mystical Changes. It includes the final step. If you master it, you can cultivate the clan symbol, and, combined with the bloodline powers, you can unleash its full potential.”

Hearing this, Xiao Yan’s eyes locked onto the scroll, burning with fervor. Finally, the complete Heavenly Fire Three Mystical Changes was in his hands.