Word Count: 3,224 Words
******
Zi Yan stood where she was and watched Xiao Yan flee. A trace of disappointment surfaced in her bright eyes.
She had grown up. She had already been Dragon Emperor for several years and had completely unified the Ancient Void Dragon Tribe. She was no longer the little girl she had once been, and there were some things she had gradually come to understand.
But her melancholy only lasted a moment before her spirits rose again. A sly, almost elfish glint flickered through her eyes.
No matter what, she was absolutely going to dump this Dragon Emperor position on someone else!
Being Dragon Emperor was far too miserable!
…
Cai Lin had already been waiting in the void passage. When she saw Xiao Yan flying toward her with a faint flush still lingering on his face, her eyes narrowed slightly and a teasing smile curved her lips. "The Dragon Emperor position of the Ancient Void Dragon Tribe is something the Northern Dragon King chased for thousands of years."
Xiao Yan shot her an exasperated look, well aware she was enjoying the show. He said helplessly, "Cai Lin, stop making fun of me. The Ancient Void Dragon Tribe has only just begun to recover. Everything is waiting to be rebuilt. On top of that, every major faction on the Dou Qi Continent is harboring its own ulterior motives right now. We'll already be fortunate enough if we can keep ourselves from being crushed by the coming tide. Who has the mind to think about anything else?"
Because their souls were closely linked, Cai Lin knew about the Di Pill Plan as well. She had already more or less guessed that what had happened to the Ling Clan and the Shi Clan was most likely the work of Hun Tiandi, or rather, the Hun Clan as a whole. And if the Xiao Clan's Tou She Ancient God's Jade was counted, then the Hun Clan had already gathered four pieces. Half of them.
There was no doubt that from this point onward, the Hun Clan would become even more frenzied and reckless in their hunt for the remaining ancient jades.
For a time, neither Xiao Yan nor Cai Lin could say whether discarding that ancient jade had been a blessing or a curse.
Xiao Yan had a premonition that it would not be long before something earthshaking occurred. To be precise, the Medicinal Ceremony was the signal. Hun Tiandi was simply waiting for Xiao Yan to step onto the stage.
A trace of worry surfaced on Cai Lin's face as well. No one could predict what would happen next, nor how far the consequences would spread. The Yan Alliance might be large, but before the coming storm, it was merely a lone boat upon a raging sea, unable to withstand too much wind or too many waves. If anything truly went wrong, the entire alliance could splinter apart, and the casualties would be devastating.
"Don't worry. I'll protect my home with everything I have." Xiao Yan gently took her slender hand in his and smiled. "You didn't come all the way to Dragon Island just to make sure I was safe, did you?"
Cai Lin had waited for him on Dragon Island for several days. That was clearly not out of mere worry. She had come because she had something to discuss.
She nodded slightly, retrieved a jade slip from her storage ring, and handed it to him. "The Yao Clan sent someone to deliver this. It's the jade slip for the Medicinal Ceremony."
Xiao Yan was not the least bit surprised. At present, he was widely acknowledged as the most renowned alchemy grandmaster on the Dou Qi Continent. He did not know whether some hidden, reclusive alchemist out there might surpass him, but at the very least, no alchemist within the Pill Tower possessed alchemy skills that could compare to his.
And every time the Medicinal Ceremony was held, the Yao Clan would invite the most formidable alchemists on the continent to participate. Officially, it was an event for exchange and mutual learning, but in truth, everyone knew it was simply the Yao Clan asserting its dominance over every alchemist across the Dou Qi Continent.
And the results always proved exactly that. Every champion of the Medicinal Ceremony had been a member of the Yao Clan. Over all these years, the Pill Tower had never once secured a victory against them. The champion of the previous ceremony had been none other than the current Yao Clan Head, Yao Dan.
Therefore, it was not at all strange for the Yan Alliance to receive an invitation. A Medicinal Ceremony without Xiao Yan's participation would hold no meaning whatsoever.
"Are you going to attend?" Cai Lin asked, her beautiful eyes fixed directly upon him.
Xiao Yan gave a small shrug. "Even if I didn't want to, I'd still have to go. That Di Pill Plan demands it... But before attending the Medicinal Ceremony, there's one more thing I need to finish first."
"Hm? You want to move the Xiao Realm into the Beast Region?" Cai Lin understood almost instantly. The only thing Xiao Yan had left to accomplish was the restoration of the Xiao Clan.
Xiao Yan nodded heavily. This was the promise he had once made to his ancestor, Xiao Xuan.
The Ancient Void Dragon Tribe had been unified. The Heaven Demon Phoenix Tribe had submitted. Even the Yellow Springs Mountain Range had been brought under his control. It was no exaggeration to say that the entire Beast Region now lay firmly in Xiao Yan's grasp.
Since that was the case, the Xiao Clan, the clan that had declined a millennium ago, the clan the world had forgotten for a thousand years, should at last return to the sight of all under heaven.
He had that kind of confidence!
…
Not long after Xiao Yan and Cai Lin emerged from the void passage, the Yan Alliance released another piece of news that sent shockwaves across the entire Dou Qi Continent.
Xiao Yan had returned!
In truth, rumors of his return had already been circulating among the upper echelons of the Dou God Clans for months. Xun Er and Little Fairy Doctor had both come back, and Xiao Yan's battle against the Northern Dragon King had been witnessed by the entire Ancient Void Dragon Tribe. There was no way to keep such news concealed. Some powerful factions had long since caught wind of it.
Even so, when the announcement was made official, the continent still erupted in a massive uproar.
After all, Xiao Yan had been trapped inside the Demon Flame Space. And yet he had managed to come out alive.
…
When Xiao Yan returned to the Ancient Wasteland Region and stepped into the Xiao Realm, he was stunned by the completely transformed realm before him. It was hard to imagine that such a place, overflowing with vitality, could exist within the harsh wilds of the Ancient Wasteland Region!
Rolling mountain ranges stretched across the land, winding rivers snaked through the valleys, and silver waterfalls cascaded down sheer cliffs. Everywhere he looked was a lush, unbroken expanse of vibrant green. A single deep breath of the crisp air filled his lungs with an overwhelming sense of life.
Anyone stepping into this place without knowing the truth would assume they had wandered into some ancient, sacred forest.
The Xiao Realm was not merely covered with grass, woodland, and trees. Eagles wheeled through the sky, beasts roamed the undergrowth, and ancient trees towered so high their crowns vanished into the canopy above. At the very center of the realm stood a single young sapling, radiating a dense and inexhaustible life force.
That was the effect of the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree branch they had planted here. The entire realm owed its flourishing vitality to the power bestowed by that one small cutting.
Although the sapling was still worlds apart from the true Bodhisattva Ancient Tree, cultivating and comprehending the Dao in its vicinity still offered tremendous benefits.
Xiao Yan lifted his head. A special crystalline wall of energy enclosed the entire Xiao Realm. It was an extremely powerful defensive barrier, formed and guarded by the Ancient Devouring Insects. Even a Nine-Change Dou Venerate would not be able to breach it easily, rendering the realm as secure as an iron fortress.
"Little Fairy Doctor, you're incredible." Xiao Yan could not hold back his admiration.
His alchemy might be formidable, but when it came to cultivating medicinal ingredients and plants, he was completely clueless. For the Xiao Realm to have reached its current state, the vast majority of the credit belonged to her.
Beside him, Little Fairy Doctor gently tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, a quiet, serene smile gracing her lips. "I didn't really do much. The purifying power of the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree's young branch did most of the work. It was what bestowed life upon the Xiao Realm's ruined land."
Xiao Yan naturally knew she was being modest. How could an ordinary person cultivate a branch of the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree so swiftly and so immaculately?
He reached out, taking her fair hand in his, and smiled. "Come. Show me around."
Little Fairy Doctor nodded lightly and led him on a tour across the entirety of the Xiao Realm.
"Golden Apricot Grass, Angelica Flower, Hundred Bug Leaf, Silver Dragon Small Fruit Tree..." Xiao Yan gazed at the medicinal fields stretching before him and drew a slow, deep breath. "These are the Xiao Realm's medicinal fields?"
"I set up a gathering formation across this mountain range," Little Fairy Doctor said with a nod. "It allows us to cultivate medicinal ingredients and spiritual fruit trees."
A clan needed more than just an inherited sacred ground; it also required blessed lands and resource sites. Only then could it truly be considered a complete, great clan.
As he followed her around, Xiao Yan could clearly see just how much effort she had poured into this place. Every detail had been thought through. Every need had been prepared for. Nothing had been overlooked.
"Little Fairy Doctor—"
Xiao Yan had just begun to express his gratitude when a slender, pale finger pressed lightly against his lips, stopping him.
"If this requires thanks, then considering you saved my life and helped me obtain Saint Zhao Hua's Creation Saint Classic, wouldn't I have to keep thanking you until tomorrow?" Little Fairy Doctor smiled softly and slowly shook her head.
The warmth and gentleness that were uniquely hers washed over him. Xiao Yan pulled her into his arms and held her close, his voice dropping to a tender murmur. "Little Fairy Doctor, having you is my blessing."
"Mine as well."
Only in a place entirely devoid of others did Little Fairy Doctor's courage truly surface. She took the initiative, wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing her soft lips to his. Her movements were still a little clumsy, still a little shy, but there was a quiet determination behind them that made them all the more captivating.
Xiao Yan smiled against her lips. Cupping her exquisite face in his hands, he returned the kiss with profound tenderness, slowly and carefully savoring her. His gentle coaxing parted her lips, and when his tongue slipped past to find hers, a small, breathless sound escaped her, muffled sweetly against his mouth.
That kiss left Little Fairy Doctor trembling from head to toe. A soft, spreading numbness rippled through her, and before long her delicate frame had gone pliant and yielding in his embrace. She clung to his neck, her body draped weakly against his broad chest, her beautiful eyes hazy with intoxication, her expression as alluring and languid as spring water.
Xiao Yan was, by now, a seasoned veteran in matters of the heart. Certain techniques of his were growing more formidable by the day.
Little Fairy Doctor's breathing had turned quick and shallow. She lifted her head from his chest and held his gaze for a long, quiet moment, her lips still flushed and slightly parted, her expression so devastatingly soft that it was impossible to look away.
Xiao Yan smiled and lightly flicked the tip of her nose. Then, without a word, he swept her off her feet and into his arms. She let out a startled little gasp, her hands instinctively clutching at his robes, but she did not resist. Her cheeks burned as she buried her face against the curve of his neck. He carried her deeper into the lush, untouched woods of the Xiao Realm, where the canopy of ancient trees wove together overhead into a secluded haven, shielding them from the rest of the world.
He had originally intended to give her a grand wedding, but just as he had expected, she refused. Little Fairy Doctor had no family of her own. She was an orphan. Combined with the nature of her Woeful Poison Body, she preferred a life that was peaceful, quiet, and ordinary.
She was the sort of woman who would choose to travel the world together rather than hold a formal ceremony.
Xiao Yan and Little Fairy Doctor remained in the uninhabited Xiao Realm for three full days. For those three days, setting aside the weight of the outside world, the two of them experienced what it truly meant to use the sky as their blanket and the earth as their bed, intimately and thoroughly savoring the unbridled beauty of nature together.
Only after those three days did Xiao Yan, still somewhat unsatisfied, use Mao Wu's power to uproot the entire Xiao Realm from the Ancient Wasteland Region, transplanting it to a location in the Beast Region where several earth veins converged.
This nexus of earth veins had originally been part of the Heaven Demon Phoenix Tribe's territory. Naturally, it now belonged to the Yan Alliance.
When the colossal Xiao Realm suddenly materialized within the Beast Region, it gave the surrounding magical beast factions a tremendous fright.
Not long after, Xiao Yan formally announced to the world that the Xiao Clan, the Dou God Clan that had fallen a thousand years ago, had officially returned!
…
Since the Xiao Clan had vanished for a full millennium, countless people across the Dou Qi Continent were utterly bewildered at first. Many did not even know what the so-called Xiao Clan was, wondering how yet another Dou God Clan had popped up out of nowhere.
Ya Fei had anticipated this exact situation long in advance. The moment Xiao Yan announced the Xiao Clan's return and formal revival, she launched a massive propaganda campaign. She had the glorious history of the Xiao Clan, along with the tale of how Little Clan Leader Xiao Yan had step by step brought the fallen clan back to prominence, written into a book.
The story spread like wildfire. Bards and storytellers began recounting the tale in empires and cities across the continent:
"It is said that a thousand years ago, there was a Dou God Clan known as the Xiao Clan..."
"To continue from last time, the final Clan Head of the Xiao Clan, Xiao Xuan, was an extraordinary figure! He was once a supreme expert who roamed the Dou Qi Continent unrivaled, his strength reaching a transcendent realm that surpassed the limits of the world. Alas, fate was cruel, and he was born at the wrong time..."
"Then, after a thousand years passed, the Ziwei Emperor Star appeared in the heavens! A streak of purple light descended from the sky and bathed a remote little city in the Jia Ma Empire known as Wu Tan City. And there, an infant was born in answer to destiny. His name was Xiao Yan!"
"And this Xiao Yan was truly formidable! At three, he understood poetry and song. At four, displaying wisdom beyond mortals, he began teaching himself alchemy. At five..."
In no time at all, under the masterful orchestration of the Golden Queen who commanded perhaps the greatest fortune on the entire Dou Qi Continent, the name of the Xiao Clan swept across the world like an autumn wind scattering fallen leaves.
The Dou God Clan that had lain silent for a millennium had once again returned to the eyes of all under heaven.
However... some of the contents of this 'promotional lore' were so exaggerated that even Xiao Yan felt his old face flush red upon reading them.
It was far too exaggerated!!
He had protested, of course, but his complaints were entirely ignored. Perhaps in Ya Fei's heart, Xiao Yan truly was as divine and omnipotent as an immortal.
"Even now, I can hardly believe our Xiao Clan once had such a glorious past." The Xiao Clan descendants who had relocated from Misty Cloud Mountain to the Xiao Realm were still struggling to digest it all.
The Xiao Realm's natural energy was so rich that it felt like a cultivation sanctuary. Three days had passed since their arrival, yet many of the clan members still felt as though they were dreaming.
Cultivate in a place like this, and even a pig could become a Dou King!
Even Xiao Zhan and the several elders had only ever known bits and pieces. They had heard Xiao Ding and Xiao Li mention that the Xiao Clan had once been powerful, but none of them had imagined it had once stood at such a height!
At its peak, it had been the absolute strongest force on the Dou Qi Continent! And Xiao Xuan himself had stood at the very pinnacle, only a single step away from the Dou God realm.
"The Little Clan Leader is incredible."
"What do you mean, Little Clan Leader? I heard from Sister Xiao Yu that Clan Head Xiao Zhan is preparing to pass the position to Little Clan Leader Xiao Yan. They're already arranging the handover ceremony."
"I heard they're even going to the Gu Clan to find some old ancestor to serve as witness."
…
Within one of the Xiao Realm's great halls, Xiao Yan, Xiao Zhan, Xiao Ding, Xiao Li, Xiao Yu, Xiao Mei, and the other senior members of the clan had all gathered together.
"Going to the Gu Clan is only proper." Xiao Zhan sat at the head of the hall and looked at Xiao Yan with unconcealed pride and satisfaction.
The First Elder nodded in agreement. "Xun Er and the Little Clan Leader have long since pledged themselves to each other. Although our Xiao Clan cannot yet compare to the Gu Clan, we must still ensure all the necessary formalities are carried out immaculately."
The Second Elder patted his chest and declared boldly, "Rest assured, Little Clan Leader! Everyone in the Xiao Clan, top to bottom, will make sure this matter is handled with enough grandeur to shake the entire Dou Qi Continent!"
Xiao Yan pressed his hands down to calm them. "This trip to the Gu Clan isn't just to bring back the bride. There's another matter I must discuss with them. We need to enter the Heavenly Tomb once more. I once promised our ancestor, Xiao Xuan, that I would absolutely let him witness the day our Xiao Clan is restored to its former glory."
The moment the name 'Xiao Xuan' was spoken, Xiao Chen, who had been sitting quietly to one side the entire time, suddenly trembled.