Before Amon fought Emperor Grade Young Pill, the Stargate he opened leading outside the Ancient Emperor Cave was real and effective.
He also indeed did not carry the ancient jade fragments on him.
This action was to leave a glimmer of hope for Emperor Grade Young Pill, so that its will to resist would not be too resolute.
At the same time, not immediately activating the Celestial Worthy Law Body, but choosing to fight with conventional means, was because he was also unsure what role this forcibly used Law Body could play when facing Emperor Grade Young Pill.
His goal was to capture Emperor Grade Young Pill alive, not simply to kill it.
Therefore, before making the final strike, he needed to weaken it as much as possible and consume the opponent's energy.
Amon always assumed the enemy to be stronger than they were, trying to overestimate Emperor Grade Young Pill's strength and make more thorough preparations.
The result of doing so was satisfactory; the more thorough the preparations before the battle, the easier the battle, and the less suspense there was in the battle's outcome.
Amon naturally took down Emperor Grade Young Pill and began to assault the Emperor Realm.
Surging energy flowed through his body like a rushing river.
His body was like land after a long drought receiving sweet rain, greedily absorbing a certain special energy contained within it.
Under the nourishment of this special power, the Dou Emperor remnant body gradually completed itself, moving towards a true Dou Emperor body.
Every Worm of Spirit that made up his Law Body cheered with joy, and a feeling of life essence elevation naturally arose in his heart.
This transformation was a continuous process; his bloodline began to transform, and slowly transmitted through the rules of heaven and earth to every Worm of Spirit.
After Xiao Yan in the original work ascended to Dou Emperor, he was able to directly raise Xiao Xiao's cultivation to Eight Star Dou Saint. While the bloodline connection between a father and daughter is indeed close, how could it compare to the connection between a Worm of Spirit and Amon's main body?
It could be foreseen that when he completed his transformation, every clone would be able to exert terrifying strength.
At the same moment, Xiao Zhan's mood suddenly improved, an inexplicable joy filling his heart.
After a moment of confusion, he realized this joy came from the Worm of Spirit within his body.
"What are you happy about?" he couldn't help but ask.
"The Amon Clan has grown strong again, I am very happy, although this may also prove that my choice was not necessarily correct, and I may not be very suitable to be the clan leader of the Amon Clan, but as long as 'Amon' can grow strong, these are secondary."
Upon hearing this, the confusion on Xiao Zhan's face grew even stronger... Not suitable to be the clan leader of the Amon Clan... What did that mean?
"This is an internal change within my Amon Clan. Although the future development direction of our clan may be different, rest assured, our alliance with your Xiao Clan will continue even if I am no longer the clan leader... The next Amon will still acknowledge it."
A sense of urgency suddenly arose in Xiao Zhan's heart:
"Are you abdicating? Don't all members of your clan obey your commands? How can there be such a thing as abdication?"
Amon's gentle voice sounded in Xiao Zhan's mind:
"There are always exceptions... Occasionally, an Amon with differing opinions from mine will appear, otherwise, there wouldn't have been a traitor like Xiao Meng...
"In my opinion, these are all traitors, but if facts prove that the traitor's decision is correct and more beneficial to the overall development of the Amon Clan, then it's fine for the traitor to become the clan leader."
Xiao Zhan once again marveled at the Amon Clan's magical way of survival, and at the same time felt a hint of worry; such a change might not be a good thing for their Xiao Clan.
This worry also made Xiao Zhan realize more clearly that borrowing strength from others was ultimately not a long-term solution...
He had to quickly let Xiao Yan assault the Dou Emperor Realm... he thought to himself.
...
After shaking off the pursuit of Yan Jin and others, Xiao Yan quickly arrived at the depths of the Heavenly Tomb.
This time, he did not go to the location of Xiao Xuan's tombstone, fearing that the violent power of the Nether Lotus Demon Flame might damage the tombstone space.
He stopped at a distance from the tombstone.
Qing Meng had changed colour; forcibly swallowing the Nether Lotus Demon Flame was not easy for it.
There wouldn't be a problem in the short term, but over time, the purifying power of the Nether Lotus Demon Flame would continuously erode it.
After reaching a relatively safe area, it immediately spat out the Nether Lotus Demon Flame.
The pink Qing Meng looked as if it had been steamed, lying half-dead on Xiao Yan's bald head.
"Qing Meng, cheer up!" Xiao Yan lifted it from his head.
After lying on the ground for a while, it struggled to climb up, stumbling towards the Nether Lotus Demon Flame.
It gathered its spirits and shouted, "Meng!"
Xiao Yan used his soul power to create a Barrier for vigilance, then began to refine the newly acquired Heavenly Flame.
Qing Meng swallowed the Nether Lotus Demon Flame's origin fire seed again, firmly wrapping it with its own flame to prevent it from harming Xiao Yan's meridians during the refining process.
Xiao Yan took out the "Nine Nether Yellow Spring Pill" that Yao Chen had refined for him, and after taking it, waved to Qing Meng.
The latter, carrying the Nether Lotus Demon Flame, leaped onto his palm and then disappeared.
The cold air brought by the Nine Nether Yellow Spring Pill neutralized the heat emanating from the Nether Lotus Demon Flame. Because Qing Meng controlled the demon flame origin so well, Xiao Yan's body even became covered in frost, making him shiver.
Xiao Yan shivered while refining the Nether Lotus Demon Flame.
...
In the Soul Realm, in a secluded bamboo forest cottage, Hun Tiandi sat on a chair, playing with six irregularly shaped ancient jade fragments.
The ancient jade fragments felt warm and smooth to the touch, and while their colour and texture were good, they showed no signs of anything miraculous. At least at first glance, it was hard to connect them with Tuoshe Ancient Emperor's treasure.
Void Swallowing Flame, covered in black flames and strange runes, sat before him, his expression not looking very good, and he said in a low voice:
"I failed again; the Nether Lotus Demon Flame was taken by Xiao Yan."
"Xiao Yan? Xiao Zhan's son? He actually has the ability to snatch things from your hands?" A trace of surprise flashed across Hun Tiandi's face.
Void Swallowing Flame responded irritably:
"Emperor Realm soul... I don't know how he cultivated, but he's already a Five Star Dou Saint and possesses an Emperor Realm soul... If a bit more time passes, he might even be able to fight you."
Hun Tiandi pondered, "Perhaps it's Xiao Xuan's legacy... But we were indeed too careless to let him grow to this extent so smoothly.
"Perhaps we should have restrained him a little earlier... The overt strength of the Xiao Clan is already catching up to our clan.
"A Nine-Star Dou Saint early stage clan leader Xiao Zhan, three Eight Star Dou Saint late stage Elders, plus a Xiao Yan who possesses an Emperor Realm soul and is enough to rival an Eight Star Dou Saint...
"Heh heh, it's fortunate that they stood on our side this time. If they had allied with the Gu Clan again, like a thousand years ago, our plan might not have been able to proceed."
Void Swallowing Flame's gaze fell on the ancient jade fragments on the table, and he quietly asked, "When will the ancient jade be made whole?"
"I have sent Hun Zhang and Hun Qiu to discuss the matter of opening the Ancient Emperor Cave with Xiao Zhan. However, before Xiao Yan finishes refining the Nether Lotus Demon Flame, they probably won't agree so readily and will stall for time." Hun Tiandi's voice remained calm.
After a moment's pause, he continued, "You should quickly refine all the collected soul origins. I will wait for you to emerge before making the next move."
Void Swallowing Flame nodded.
...
In the Ancient Realm, Gu Yuan looked at Xun'er's corpse before him, his face ashen.
In the sky, elemental tides ebbed and flowed with his breathing, the light around him flickered erratically, and space constantly shattered and healed. The palpable killing intent seemed to lower the temperature by several degrees, and an uncontrollable fear from the soul arose in his heart.
"Speak, what exactly happened?" Gu Yuan's face contorted with ferocity, and he gritted his teeth as he spoke.
Gu Dao, with a bitter expression, braved himself to answer:
"It was the Soul Clan... They took advantage of your absence, Clan Leader, and dispatched elites to launch a sneak attack.
"During the chaotic battle, Hun Feng and Hun Yu ambushed the young lady, causing her to perish instantly. Additionally, Elder Gu Yang betrayed us and escaped with the fragments of the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Jade."
"Damn them... What a Hun Feng, what a Hun Yu, what a Gu Yang... I will make you pay the price." Gu Yuan's face was so grim it looked like it could drip water.
He forcibly suppressed his grief, composed himself, and quietly said, "Gu Lie, go gather everyone above Dou Ancestor in the clan and prepare for a decisive battle with the Soul Clan."
"Clan Leader, we cannot go to war out of anger. Should we not plan this more carefully?" an Elder advised.
"Shut up." Gu Yuan's calm voice came, and at that moment, everyone was as silent as cicadas in winter.
They could all feel the surging rage beneath that calm exterior.
...
In the Yan Clan, Yan Jin listened to his subordinate's report with a dark face, remaining silent for a long time.
After a long while, he finally said with some disbelief, "The Elder guarding the ancient jade actually betrayed us? The Soul Clan sent two Eight Star Dou Shengs to attack the clan grounds?"
"Absolutely true," Huo Yao replied.
"This is impossible! During the struggle for the Nether Lotus Demon Flame, besides Hun Tiandi, they had already dispatched one Nine-Star Dou Saint and two Eight Star Dou Shengs... How could they still have such fighting strength?" Yan Jin could hardly believe his ears.
"It might not be the Soul Clan... Their aura didn't have that chilling sensation of the Soul Clan." At this moment, an Elder said with hesitation.
Yan Jin recalled the mysterious figures he fought with Lei Ying and Gu Lie; their cultivation techniques and moves also didn't seem like those of the Soul Clan.
"Not the Soul Clan? Then who could it be?"
...
Lei Clan...
A dark-skinned, towering strong man sat in a spacious chair, lightning arcs flashing around him.
"The ancient jade is lost? We were tricked by Hun Tiandi..." Lei Ying's face showed displeasure, "Were none of the invaders left behind?"
"There were only four people who came, but they were all Seven Star Dou Shengs. Although we could repel them with our numerical advantage, killing them was very difficult," Lei Dong replied.
Lei Ying nodded and said, "I understand. The Soul Clan's ambition has been completely exposed. Gather our forces; prepare for an all-out war with the Soul Clan!"