Chapter 4: The Soul Devouring Clan
The things the Soul Clan played with were, as expected, utterly deranged.
Yao Yan stared at the object floating in the man's palm, feeling a sudden chill throughout his body. A revulsion rose from his very bloodline—as if he'd just seen a pile of densely packed insect eggs in his own home, a primal instinct urging him to destroy them.
That was exactly how Yao Yan felt right now.
He didn't know what this thing was, but given who brought it out, it definitely wasn't anything good. He didn't believe for a second that his deceased father had truly been this man's so-called "registered disciple." Someone who wielded a heavenly flame like the Void Devouring Flame had to be a peak Dou Venerate, or even a Dou Saint.
Would such a man have a Dou King as a disciple?
What a joke!
Yao Yan thought through countless things, but none of it showed on his face. Instead, he looked terrified, staring at the blood-colored, egg-like orb and asking involuntarily, "W-What is this? Why do I feel like it's dangerous? My body's starting to feel... uncontrollable."
"Jie jie... little one, have you ever heard of the Soul Devouring Clan?"
The middle-aged shadow let out a strange laugh, like a hungry wolf showing its fangs, his tone eerie as his eyes gleamed while watching Yao Yan.
Yao Yan shook his head blankly, though inwardly his heart sank. In the original story, the Soul Devouring Clan was an ancient race with the terrifying ability to devour the bloodlines of other clans. They were ultimately consumed by the Void Devouring Flame. According to the story's descriptions, this race resembled the evil beings from beyond the Great Thousand Worlds.
"The Soul Devouring Clan was one of the ancient races. A thousand years ago, the major ancient families joined forces to wipe them out. That drop of blood essence in my hand is what remains of them. If you can fuse with it successfully, you may inherit the Soul Devouring Clan's talent—the power to devour the bloodlines of other races. You should know what that means."
The man's eyes flickered with intense light, and the black flame around him trembled slightly as his mood lifted. This had always been one of his long-planned gambits.
A thousand years ago, the Xiao Clan's patriarch, Xiao Xuan, once tried to gather the clan's Dou Emperor bloodline power to break the shackles and reach the Dou Emperor realm, but failed. However, his efforts gave the Soul Clan an idea. With the help of the Void Devouring Flame, they managed to recreate the Soul Devouring Clan.
The only flaw: the recreated versions were all mindless, incapable of being cultivated—useful only as tools.
"…"
Yao Yan fell silent once again, though on his face he feigned greed and desire as he stared at the blood essence in the man's palm.
Damn it. He was a mere Six-Star Dou Practitioner, just a twelve-year-old kid, and he was already being dragged into this crap—forced to deal with a peak Dou Venerate or higher.
At this point, Yao Yan had no doubt: if he didn't cooperate, he'd face complete obliteration—down to the last trace of his soul.
Why did the Soul Clan always send weaklings after Xiao Yan, yet throw final bosses at him from the very start?
This was pure bullying!
And he used to think staying in the Yao Clan was a pretty good deal—getting a head start on most people. Now, he regretted everything.
"Of course, the fusion process is extremely dangerous. If you fail, your body and soul will be devoured by the blood essence. Even if you barely survive, you'll lose your Yao Clan bloodline and even that impressive soul power of yours."
The man watched Yao Yan's greedy gaze and offered a "kind reminder."
Naturally, this was a lie. If the fusion failed, Yao Yan wouldn't survive at all. Not even a single thread of soul would remain!
"Has anyone ever succeeded?"
Yao Yan's expression dimmed slightly as he asked with a frown.
"Many have tried. Not one has survived."
The man shook his head with mock regret. But he didn't bother to lie—there was no need. He continued, "You'll have to weigh the risks yourself. As I said, all I offer is a choice. You may refuse—if you're content to remain ordinary."
He was confident Yao Yan wouldn't refuse. Especially those born into Dou Emperor clans with low bloodline rankings—he understood their desperation for power better than anyone.
He had chosen Yao Yan precisely because he was the child of a Soul Clan and Yao Clan union. While Yao Yan's Soul Clan bloodline was faint, his father was indeed a true Soul Clan descendant. A child of two Dou Emperor bloodlines was rare and highly valuable—a reason worth gambling on.
Of course, the real reason was that experimental subjects like this were hard to find. When one showed up, he had to give it a try.
You've got to be kidding me… Yao Yan cursed again in his heart, emotions nearly exploding—but he had to suppress it and keep playing along.
In this moment, he craved power more than ever.
He wanted to be the one stuffing this blood into the other guy's mouth for testing—not the one being forced to swallow it.
"If my strength improves, would the success rate go up?"
Yao Yan's mind worked rapidly, trying to stall. He didn't think of himself as the protagonist who could gamble and win this kind of bet. It was far too reckless. He had been reborn into a world like Dou Po—he wanted more than just a brief, blazing life.
He was only twelve. He wanted to see the vast world. He wanted to meet all the beautiful women from the original story…
"No. In fact, the stronger you are, the harder it becomes to fuse. In the end, it would just be reduced to nothing."
The man shook his head with regret. He'd clearly tried before. Who didn't want an ability that could devour others' bloodlines? The Soul Clan had similar methods now, but they required the Void Devouring Flame's aid—which wasn't ideal.
What he really wanted was a living being who could perfectly inherit the Soul Devouring Clan's power.
"…If I were to fuse with it, what would I need to prepare?"
Yao Yan showed a conflicted expression. After a long pause, he stared at the man with a hint of madness and asked in a low voice.
If he couldn't say no, then he might as well "enjoy" the ride!
He knew very well—he had no right to refuse.
Don't be fooled by how "generous" the man sounded. Just the words "Soul Devouring Clan" were taboo in the entire Dou Qi Continent. The moment the man told him about it, his fate was sealed. Whether he cooperated or was forced into fusion, it didn't matter.
With the man's power, just a wisp of soul would be enough to erase him from existence.
"Swallow it. Just don't resist."
The man wasn't surprised by the question. No one could resist the temptation of that blood. He raised his hand and offered the egg-like blood essence to Yao Yan, his eyes gleaming with excitement and anticipation.
Few things could still stir his emotions—this human experiment was one of them.
He had tried many races—even magical beasts and beast clans. Soul Clan and Yao Clan had relatively low bloodline rejection, likely because both races' bloodlines primarily strengthened the soul.
Yao Yan was the child of both—making him theoretically the perfect match.
Yao Yan took the blood essence wrapped in black flame. The black flame was like the void—without any heat, and completely undetectable to soul perception, as if it merged with the very space around them. He took a deep breath, then looked at the man and asked calmly, "May I ask Master's name?"
"I am Hun Xuzi."
"Master, are you from the Soul Clan?"
"That's right. So was your father. Unfortunately, he fell in love with a girl from the Yao Clan. You should know what kind of relationship the Soul and Yao Clans have. For your mother, your father abandoned his name and family. What a laughable choice!"
Hun Xuzi snorted coldly, clearly disgusted by the matter.
Hun Xuzi—the Soul Clan's chief alchemist. A Seven-Star Dou Saint at early stage. A Grandmaster of Tier 9 Profound Pills. He once disguised himself to study at the Pill Tower, becoming a disciple of the Little Pill Tower's master. Later, he colluded with the Soul Clan to assassinate his teacher. This led to a major war between the Pill Tower and the Hall of Souls.
Master... if I survive this, I will surely inherit your legacy… Yao Yan, for once, didn't even feel like getting angry. He looked down at the black flame-wrapped blood in his hand, clenched his jaw, and swallowed it in one gulp.
This is life. You never know when disaster will strike.
If I can't fight it... then I'll enjoy it.
(END CHAPTER)
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