Chapter 293: Xun'er, I want to establish my authority by dealing with Old Man Gu Yuan.
The next day, warm sunlight streamed into the room, cutting through the morning mist and landing softly on the floor.
Inside the quiet room, Xiao Yan, who had been cultivating cross-legged, slowly opened his eyes. A sharp, divine light flashed within them before retracting.
His gaze fell upon a figure sitting cross-legged in front of him. This figure looked exactly like him, down to the last detail, and a strange, profound fluctuation emanated from it.
"This Three Lives Emperor Scripture is truly extraordinary!"
[Inorin's Note: The Three Lives Emperor Scripture is a crossover cultivation technique from the chat group, allowing the user to cultivate multiple incarnations, or "lives," simultaneously.]
A satisfied smile touched Xiao Yan's lips as he observed his work.
The technique, uploaded by a chat group member named Lin Feng, allows one to cultivate three separate incarnations, all of which cultivate together and share their comprehension with the main body.
After cultivating this technique, Xiao Yan's cultivation speed had increased exponentially. It was like having multiple versions of himself training 24/7.
Unfortunately, however, the difficulty of cultivating this technique was extremely high.
Even with his talent and Dou Saint-level soul, he had only managed to successfully cultivate one incarnation so far. But one was already a game-changer.
Now, his main body focused on cultivating the Great Five Elements Technique to improve his Dou Qi cultivation.
This incarnation, on the other hand, was dedicated to cultivating complex mental and spiritual techniques, such as the Taiyi Soul Art and the Great Origin Technique.
[Inorin's Note: These techniques, like the Great Five Elements Technique, are powerful cultivation arts obtained from the crossover chat group, far surpassing most techniques on the Dou Qi Continent.]
Both bodies progressed simultaneously. His strength and foundation were advancing by leaps and bounds every single day.
Leaving his incarnation to continue its cultivation, Xiao Yan stood up, the bones in his body letting out a series of crisp, powerful cracking sounds. He walked out of the room and began to stroll around the elegant manor prepared for him by the Ancient Clan.
This manor was clearly for high-status guests. Besides him, there were many other well-known powerhouses from the Central Plains staying here, all invited for the ceremony.
However, those so-called powerhouses—mostly Dou Zuns of various ranks—were nothing special in Xiao Yan's eyes. He could suppress them all with a single thought.
It is worth mentioning that Xiao Yan had used the past few days to inquire about some information. Specifically, details regarding the commander of the Black Annihilation Army whose cultivation he had crippled yesterday.
[Inorin's Note: The "Black Annihilation Army" (Hēi Yān Jūn) is one of the Ancient Clan's most elite military forces, known for its arrogance and power.]
That commander's name was Ling Quan!
This felt like a bit of a fated encounter.
If Xiao Yan remembered correctly from the "original plot" he had long since diverged from, this Ling Quan had been a persistent annoyance, repeatedly opposing him and looking down on him.
He truly didn't cripple the wrong person. In fact, he felt he'd been merciful.
Besides this news, there was another, more important piece of news concerning Gu Xun'er.
She had personally and publicly admitted their relationship at an official Elder's meeting, facing down the opposition herself.
Xiao Yan's heart warmed at the thought. This was indeed something Xun'er would do. She was never a damsel in distress; she was a fighter.
A few days passed in a flash, and soon it was time for the Ancient World's spatial gate to open.
A massive clamor erupted in Ancient Sacred City. Xiao Yan left the manor, his expression calm, and followed the surging crowd of experts toward the center of the city.
There, an exceptionally clear, mirror-like lake sat, so vast that one couldn't see its end.
The area around the lake was already occupied by numerous figures, all looking at the lake with anticipation. Above the lake's surface, armored figures stood ramrod straight on the air, holding spears, their auras formidable.
"Everyone, the Ancient World is about to open!" An Ancient Clan Elder, his cultivation at the Half-Saint realm, projected his voice over the crowd.
"The Ancient World is vast, so please do not wander around recklessly after entering to avoid getting lost!"
[Inorin's Note: A "Half-Saint" (Bàn Shèng) is a rank between a 9-Star Dou Zun and a 1-Star Dou Saint, a true powerhouse in the world.]
"After entering the Ancient World, someone will greet you and guide you to the center of the Ancient World, where the ceremony will be held."
He then mentioned several other precautions.
After he finished giving these instructions, the mirror-calm lake suddenly began to ripple.
A terrifying spatial fluctuation permeated the air, so intense that the space itself seemed to warp. Then, an extremely brilliant pillar of light, thousands of feet wide, shot up from the center of the lake into the sky, punching a hole through the clouds.
"The spatial gate to the Ancient World has opened. Everyone, please enter!" The Half-Saint Elder smiled slightly and gestured to the pillar of light.
As his words fell, the crowd surged. Figures constantly flickered, transforming into streaks of light as one expert after another flew into the massive gate.
Seeing this, Xiao Yan took a single, unhurried step forward. His body blurred and reappeared at the gate's entrance, and he then entered the Ancient World.
This was the true base of the Ancient Clan. And Gu Xun'er was in there, waiting for him.
...
A green tide surged across a boundless azure sky. A moment later, a spatial fluctuation spread, and a pitch-black gate, the other side of the pillar of light, appeared out of thin air.
One figure after another passed through this spatial gate and arrived in this new, ancient world.
The instant he arrived, Xiao Yan took a deep breath.
The energy here was far denser and purer than anywhere else on the Dou Qi Continent.
"A space opened up like this can be said to be a separate world... a small plane of existence," Xiao Yan mused internally.
"With my current 5-Star Dou Saint strength, I can also easily tear open a space... but this has nothing to do with the Spatial Dao!"
[Inorin's Note: A Dou Saint (Dòu Shèng) gains the ability to tear space for travel. A high-level Dou Saint, like Xiao Yan, can create a small, stable "pocket dimension," which is what the Ancient World is.]
He was not mistaken. He could easily tear the continental space to create a 'small world' like this one.
However, this was a mechanical, brute-force issue. It had nothing to do with true creation or true mastery of the Spatial Dao.
The created space was just a bubble, attached to the Dou Qi Continent. It had nothing to do with himself; it was just a cage he built.
True creation, or the true Spatial Dao...
The opened space should belong to oneself. It would be a part of his own power, a 'Divine Kingdom' that could change with his thoughts.
It would be a world that could provide endless assistance to him.
Wherever he went, that world would follow, hidden within him.
It would not be like the Ancient World—a fixed location, attached to the Dou Qi Continent, forever stuck in one corner.
"Although Dou Saints and Dou Di's control space through a 'brute force' mechanism and not by truly mastering the Spatial Dao... no matter what, this does involve the fundamental changes of space."
Xiao Yan's eyes brightened with a new idea.
"If I can use this advantage, use my Dou Saint power to carefully comprehend the laws of this space..."
"I may have a chance to master the true Spatial Dao in the future! That would be a huge advantage when I travel to other worlds."
Xiao Yan secretly pondered in his heart. He had already begun to think about his future path.
He was now at the 5-Star Dou Saint Realm. In this world, he was only one major step away from the legendary Dou Di (Emperor).
Once he made a breakthrough to Dou Di, he would have reached the absolute end of the cultivation path in the Dou Qi Continent.
He had to consider how to proceed after becoming a Dou Di.
Would he ascend to the 'Upper Realm' that the ancient texts spoke of?
Or would he simply use the chat group's power to go to other members' worlds to cultivate, like Meng Qi's vast universe or Luo Feng's cosmic sea?
Xiao Yan needed to make a choice.
While he was deep in thought, a muffled thunder rumbled in the distant sky. A large, singular dark cloud surged towards the newly arrived guests.
As it drew closer, everyone saw it was not a cloud at all, but a massive, floating warship of the Ancient Clan, covered in complex arrays and insignias.
"Distinguished guests, please board the ship!" A voice came from the warship.
After some hesitation, a few people cautiously flew up and landed on the warship's deck.
Xiao Yan was no exception. He casually boarded the warship, and the group smoothly traveled towards the Ancient Sacred Mountain Range.
This was the true base, the heart of the Ancient Clan.
Xiao Yan originally thought he would encounter some difficulties, some arrogant young masters or protective elders looking for trouble.
But unexpectedly, no one bothered him along the way. The journey was completely peaceful.
He realized he had been a bit presumptuous.
He had already displayed his full Dou Saint cultivation back in Ancient Sacred City. Who would dare to bother him?
A Dou Saint. This was a very special Realm.
For clans like the Ancient Clan, their Dou Di Bloodline was still strong, allowing them to easily produce powerhouses.
However, the Dou Di Bloodline was also a powerful limitation.
Relying on the Dou Di Bloodline, one's cultivation could, at most, reach the Peak of Dou Zun.
In the Ancient Clan and other ancient Imperial Clans, there was an abundance of Peak Dou Zun powerhouses.
But Dou Saints...
Were very, very few.
Countless Peak Dou Zuns spent their entire lives stuck at that final bottleneck, unable to step into the Dou Saint domain.
Knowing that Xiao Yan was a Dou Saint—and such a young one at that—how could anyone in the Ancient Clan dare to bother him?
Dou Zun and Dou Saint. A difference of one character, but a world apart.
As the warship approached the mist-shrouded, divine mountain range, Xiao Yan's heart suddenly pounded. He looked towards a specific mountain peak.
On that distant mountain peak, an ethereal green shadow flickered in and out of view.
Even from such a great distance...
Xiao Yan felt a deep-seated longing that resonated in his very soul.
In that distant place, their eyes met. Across the vast expanse of mountains, space and time seemed to freeze in that single moment.
"Distinguished guests of the Ancient Clan, please follow me!"
The leading Elder spoke, then moved his body and flew towards a cluster of magnificent buildings. That was the area where the Ancient Clan received guests.
Many people on the warship followed him and headed there.
However, Xiao Yan did not move. Instead, he remained on the deck, gazing intently at that figure from afar.
After a moment, the figure moved. She stepped on the clouds, her skirt fluttering, like a true Fairy from the Nine Heavens, with an ethereal grace, coming on the clouds!
Looking at the suddenly appearing woman in green, countless eyes from the warship and the surrounding mountains were cast upon her, all filled with deep admiration and awe.
The woman wore a light green dress, her long, ink-black hair loosely tied, flowing in the wind. She appeared refined and otherworldly.
Her face was so beautiful that it made the world seem to dim in comparison.
A pair of captivating, bright eyes, revealing a sense of etherealness and intelligence.
She was, simply put, a peerless beauty on earth.
"Xiao Yan Ge-ge!"
[Inorin's Note: "Ge-ge" (哥哥) means "older brother," but is used here as an affectionate term for a close male friend or lover, similar to "Oppa" in Korean.]
Under the gaze of countless people, the woman smiled brightly. Her smile was like a blooming flower that melted the ice. Her body flickered, and she instantly appeared before Xiao Yan.
A soft, longing voice sounded in Xiao Yan's ear.
Xiao Yan was not polite. He wasted no time.
In front of everyone, he immediately stepped forward and pulled her fiercely into his embrace, wrapping his arms tightly around her slender waist as if she were a treasure he'd finally reclaimed. He buried his face in her fragrant hair, inhaling the scent he had missed so dearly.
"Little girl... you're getting more and more beautiful," he murmured, his voice thick with emotion.
...
"Hiss—! Who is this kid? How dare he openly flirt with the Ancient Clan's little princess on Ancient Clan territory...?"
"Keep your voice down, are you tired of living? That man is a Dou Saint powerhouse!"
"A Dou Saint? Such a young Dou Saint? Which power does he belong to?"
"I don't know... but I heard he seems to be called... Xiao Yan."
"His surname is Xiao. Could he be from the Xiao Clan? But... didn't the Xiao Clan decline long ago?!"
A murmur of shocked discussion spread, and everyone couldn't believe what they were seeing.
Damn it.
To directly and possessively embrace the Ancient Clan's little princess, their jewel, right on their doorstep...
This was too bold!
This was the equivalent of sleeping in your girlfriend's room on your first visit to your in-laws' house!
Good, good, good.
You wait right there.
I'll go to the kitchen and get you some knives!
...
The outsiders were surprised and amused.
The Ancient Clan members, however, were almost fuming.
The many "sycophants"—the young geniuses of the Ancient Clan—saw their goddess-like, elegant Xun'er displaying such a delicate, blushing woman's charm in front of Xiao Yan. They gnashed their teeth, their hearts shattering.
They wished they could rush up immediately and tear Xiao Yan to pieces.
But they didn't dare.
Xiao Yan's Dou Saint cultivation was a primordial mountain pressing down on them, suffocating their courage.
They could only hope, deep in their hearts, that the Elders or the Clan Chief of the Ancient Clan would dislike Xiao Yan.
They prayed that their leaders would fiercely teach this arrogant brat a lesson.
...
At this very moment.
Gu Yuan, the very Clan Chief whom the Ancient Clan members were thinking about, was observing this entire scene from the deepest part of the realm.
His face was dark.
Damn it!
As soon as he arrived, he started putting his hands all over my precious little cabbage!
You're courting death, kid!
And his own little cabbage...
Damn it! As soon as he arrived, you flew right into his arms? Can't you be a little more reserved?
Where was that cold, aloof attitude you show to all the other young men, keeping them a thousand miles away? You're giving it away too easily!
Gu Yuan suppressed the overwhelming urge to act several times.
Now was not the time.
Although he was absolutely determined to teach Xiao Yan a lesson...
No matter what, he had to first figure out this kid's true background and power.
Gu Xun'er had told him that Xiao Yan's combat power far surpassed his own.
Regarding this statement...
Gu Yuan didn't believe it at all. He was a 9-Star Dou Saint!
There were vast differences between Dou Saints.
Xiao Yan was a kid who had entered the Dou Saint Realm at most one or two years ago.
How could he possibly contend against someone like him, who had been immersed in the 9-Star Dou Saint Realm for tens of thousands of years?
Did this kid not understand the value of a Late-Stage 9-Star Dou Saint?
Did he not understand the value of being one of the undisputed five supreme powerhouses of the entire Dou Qi Continent?
However, this Xiao Yan did have some tricks up his sleeve to have reached the Saint realm so young.
Gu Yuan decided to clarify the situation before acting.
Let him be arrogant for a little longer.
...Dare to touch Xun'er with both hands? Damn it, I'll break both your hands later!
...
"Xiao Yan Ge-ge, walk with Xun'er?"
Gu Xun'er, still blushing from the embrace, smiled brightly at Xiao Yan.
Xiao Yan nodded, his own smile soft. He knew Gu Xun'er's intentions.
Xun'er coming out to greet him personally was not just because she missed him.
It was more about showing her unyielding determination to all the Ancient Clan members.
The two of them walking together, hand-in-hand, was equivalent to an official, public announcement.
It was just like this now, and it had been just like this in the past.
In the "original work," when he had only been at the Dou Zun Realm and came here, she had also been just as brave, standing against everyone for him.
Back then, Gu Xun'er had endured immense pressure just to be with him.
And now, he would never let her suffer any grievance again.
Suffering grievances when he came with the Dou Zun Realm... that was because he was weak.
But still suffering grievances when he came with the Dou Saint Realm?
Then wouldn't this Dou Saint cultivation be for nothing?
Suffering grievances when I came without a chat group...
Still suffering grievances when I came with a chat group...
Then wouldn't this chat group have been for nothing too?
Xiao Yan openly, and with a hint of defiance, took Gu Xun'er's hand: "Hehe, since that's the case, let me see what's so special about this Ancient Clan of yours."
The two walked off the warship, side-by-side, towards the sacred mountain range ahead.
The moment the two walked off the warship, dozens of extremely powerful, cold gazes swept back and forth over Xiao Yan.
These weren't just gazes; they were spiritual probes, combined mental attacks. They carried an extremely strong pressure, as if the surrounding space had solidified, trying to force him to his knees.
"Hmph!"
Xiao Yan's expression darkened instantly. He let out a cold snort.
It was not just a sound. It was an invisible wave of Soul Power, tyrannical and vast, that spread out with a rumbling sound.
"Pfft, pfft, pfft!"
In the shadows of the void, dozens of hidden Elders suddenly grunted. Their faces went pale, they coughed up blood, and their souls trembled. They instantly suffered heavy injuries and fell out of their concealed spaces, revealed for all to see!
"Presumptuous! Do the Elders of this clan still know courtesy?"
Gu Xun'er's cold voice rang out at the sight, her face frosty.
"Attacking a guest of our Ancient Clan as soon as you meet them? Those who don't know might think our Ancient Clan is full of barbarians!"
She hadn't expected that these stubborn old fellows, even knowing Xiao Yan had Dou Saint cultivation, would still dare to try and intimidate him!
Upon hearing Gu Xun'er's sharp words, those injured Elders swayed, and their internal injuries became even more painful from sheer anger.
Although their secret intimidation was indeed wrong...
But Young Miss, look...
Who exactly is the one suffering the loss here?
We're the ones coughing up blood from being beaten, not him!
Xiao Yan didn't continue to act. He just stood there, hiding behind Gu Xun'er with a faint smile, watching her vent her anger for him. It was a pleasant feeling.
After Gu Xun'er thoroughly reprimanded and dismissed these humiliated elders, she then turned to Xiao Yan, her expression instantly softening as she said sweetly:
"Xiao Yan Ge-ge, don't be angry. Many people in the Ancient Clan don't know your true talent and are opposing me being with you!"
Xiao Yan smiled upon hearing this: "It's fine. I didn't suffer any loss!"
Then the two smiled at each other and continued walking forward.
Gu Xun'er led Xiao Yan to a quiet bamboo house in a secluded part of the mountains, where someone Xiao Yan knew well was waiting.
"Elder Ling!"
Xiao Yan greeted the old man with a respectful bow.
[Inorin's Note: This is Ling Ying, a Dou Huang (later Dou Zun) who was assigned by the Gu Clan to secretly protect Xiao Yan in the past, on Gu Xun'er's orders.]
This was the value of the Ancient Clan's "first Dou Huang."
Even Xiao Yan, now a 5-Star Dou Saint, still respectfully addressed him as "Elder Ling."
Ling Ying looked at the descending Xiao Yan with a complex, gratified smile and then exclaimed: "I truly didn't expect Young Master Xiao Yan to grow to such an extent in less than ten years..."
Ling Ying had secretly protected Xiao Yan back in the Jia Ma Empire.
At that time, Xiao Yan was just a hot-headed, talented youth trying to wash away the humiliation of a broken engagement.
But in the blink of an eye...
He had become a Dou Saint powerhouse, a being Ling Ying could only look up to.
Xiao Yan smiled upon hearing this: "I still have to thank Elder Ling for his protection back then!"
"I was just following the Young Miss's orders..." Ling Ying waved his hand.
"Young Miss has put in a lot of effort to be with Young Master Xiao Yan. To gain more say in the clan and to buy you time, she has almost always been in harsh seclusion, improving her bloodline…" the old man continued, sighing.
"Elder Ling..." Gu Xun'er called softly, shaking her head at Ling Ying, signaling him to stop talking.
Ling Ying smiled at the sight: "I'm just an old man like this, always unable to control my mouth..."
Xiao Yan smiled faintly, his gaze fixed on Gu Xun'er's stunningly beautiful face. He held her hand tightly: "You've worked hard, Xun'er. But from now on, I'll bear all of this. I will resolve all the pressure from your clan."
"I know that even now, there are still some voices in the Ancient Clan that question me. But I've thought it through..."
He paused, a dangerous glint in his eye. "To catch the bandit, first catch the king."
"I plan to kill a chicken to warn the monkeys. I will establish my authority by dealing with someone, so that there will be no more voices in the Ancient Clan opposing our being together!"
Gu Xun'er felt the warmth and confidence from his hand. A blush appeared on her face, and she asked curiously: "Xiao Yan Ge-ge, who... who do you want to establish your authority with?"
Xiao Yan lightly coughed twice, his expression turning serious.
"Old Man Gu Yuan!"
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