Time flew by, and all the clans were busy preparing for the final Great War.
The entire the Central Plains was affected, and the shadow of war loomed over everyone's heads.
At Uncle Gu Yuan's instruction, the Gu Clan began to become active; they either attacked the Soul Hall or invited rogue cultivators or forces who had grudges against the Soul Hall.
As the strongest force in the Central Plains besides the Soul Hall, the Pill Tower also had to express its stance and join the Three Clan Alliance.
Their joining influenced the decisions of many people, and many who had received their favor rallied around them, becoming another important part of the Anti-Soul Clan Alliance.
After some thought, Yao Chen also announced his joining of this great alliance.
Uncle Gu Yuan did not show as much enthusiasm for Starfall Pavilion and the Yao Clan's joining; instead, he sent people to monitor them, subtly showing a sense of caution.
The news brought by the Lei Clan and the Yan Clan made him suspect that those masters, who did not resemble the Soul Clan, might be from the Xiao Clan.
Xiao Yu had a brief skirmish with Xiao Yan in the Ancient Realm before, displaying astonishing strength. This was enough to show that the Xiao Clan was hiding considerable strength; besides this explanation, he couldn't think of any other possibility.
Yao Chen, however, didn't think that much, assuming Uncle Gu Yuan was worried about the Soul Clan suddenly attacking Starfall Pavilion and that the people monitoring were for early warning.
He also didn't anticipate that the Xiao Clan would actually join forces with the Soul Clan.
In such an atmosphere, Xiao Yan emerged from his seclusion.
After refining the Nether Lotus Demon Flame, his strength increased to Six-Star Dou Saint; then, he refined the energy core left by Xiao Xuan, increasing to late Eight-Star Dou Saint, already one of the peak existences on the Dou Qi Continent, apart from Uncle Gu Yuan and Hun Tiandi.
At the cliff behind Starfall Pavilion, a spatial rift slowly opened. Xiao Yan walked out from it, his aura vast and profound, like a boundless ocean.
This oppressive aura was fleeting; he had also honed his control skills in the Heavenly Tomb, so besides the aura leakage when opening the Heavenly Tomb's gate, he could almost perfectly conceal it when not taking action.
The three dragon heads stared at him with curious eyes, and Xiao Huo, Xiao Yan, and Xiao Yi didn't find his aura just now particularly special.
They had experienced the vast and boundless pressure when Amon evolved and felt that this was the normal power an adult should possess.
"Ah..." The three sisters opened their mouths in unison, waiting to be fed.
Xiao Yan looked at these three little ones, and his mood also brightened, a rare look of joyful indulgence appearing on his face; he tossed an eighth-grade medicinal pill into each wide-open mouth.
He asked softly, "While Daddy was away, did you listen to Grandpa Yao?"
"Yes, yes, we were very obedient..." Xiao Huo replied.
Xiao Yan chimed in, "That's right, Grandpa Yao said it wasn't safe outside and told us not to run around, so we haven't left the Starcloud Mountain Range."
"We made many friends!" Xiao Yi said cheerfully.
Xiao Yan scanned with his soul power and noticed dozens of trembling five and Sixth-Rank magical beasts in the forest below the cliff, smiling faintly.
"You all play by yourselves; Daddy still has things to do," Xiao Yan said with a smile.
"Oh, oh..." The three didn't make a fuss; they were already used to it.
At least it was much better here than in the Heavenly Tomb, and they had magical beast friends in the forest; they weren't just each other...
"Oh, right... Daddy."
"What is it? Tell me, as long as Daddy can do it," Xiao Yan said with a doting expression.
"Where did Big Sister go? Mommy just left like that and never came back," Xiao Yi interjected.
Xiao Yan felt a pang in his heart, as if pricked by a needle, and the smile on his face subtly faded, becoming somewhat bitter.
He replied softly, "I will find her, don't worry, Daddy promises."
After parting with his daughters, he came to the main hall of Starfall Pavilion and found Yao Chen, who was handling affairs.
"Teacher, I've come out of seclusion!" he said respectfully.
Yao Chen asked, "What realm are you in now?"
"Eight-Star Dou Saint." Saying this, he slightly revealed a trace of his aura.
"Good, good, good..." Yao Chen's face showed indescribable satisfaction.
Then, his expression turned solemn, and he informed him about the recent situation; when he got to the end, his expression seemed to hesitate again.
Xiao Yan listened quietly, noticing Yao Chen's hesitation, and couldn't help but say, "Teacher, please speak freely."
Yao Chen still found it difficult to speak, giving him a heads-up: "Sigh... Then I'll say it, you need to be mentally prepared..."
Xiao Yan frowned, a bad premonition surfacing in his heart; he took a deep breath and said softly, "Teacher, please speak, I'm ready."
Yao Chen still hesitated; he looked at Xiao Yan and said, "Xun'er has passed away."
These five plain words, however, exploded in Xiao Yan's mind like a thunderclap. He felt a dizzying sensation and almost couldn't stand steadily.
An unspeakable sorrow enveloped him, making his aura uncontrollable, and a terrifying pressure covered the entire Starfall Pavilion. This naturally formed space almost collapsed under this pressure.
"What happened?" Xiao Yan asked, his eyes red.
Yao Chen organized his words and replied:
"It was the Soul Clan. While you were competing for the Nether Lotus Demon Flame, the Soul Clan sent people to raid the Gu Clan. During the chaotic battle, Hun Feng and Hun Yu jointly ambushed Xun'er, causing her demise."
"The two of them were extremely ruthless. By the time the other members of the Gu Clan wanted to rescue her, it was already too late; not even her soul remained."
Yao Chen only felt a blur before his eyes, and Xiao Yan was already gone.
He looked outside the house, where a small spatial rift was slowly healing.
"Sigh... I hope Little Yan Zi can withstand such a blow." He shook his head, feeling that his last disciple was truly ill-fated.
Xiao Yan frantically traversed the void, rushing towards the Ancient Realm.
As he approached the Ancient Realm, he ignored the warning posts around it and, at the fastest speed, rushed to the main entrance of the Ancient Realm.
"Stop." Black Nirvana King slapped out a palm without explanation.
At such a tense moment, rushing over so aggressively, he naturally regarded him as an intruder.
Perceiving the power contained within this palm, Xiao Yan paused involuntarily and likewise slapped out a palm.
The two collided in the void; Xiao Yan's figure remained motionless, while Gu Lie retreated several steps, stumbling.
The latter's face darkened, and he looked at the newcomer with a serious gaze. He immediately noticed the mercury-like flowing hair on the other's head.
After a moment of stunned silence, he asked in confusion, "Xiao Yan?"
He was horrified. Although Xiao Yan had been able to contend with him during the competition for the Nether Lotus Demon Flame, at that time, Xiao Yan relied on his Emperor Realm soul, and his Dou Qi cultivation was far inferior.
But how long had it been? He was already an Eight-Star Dou Saint. This cultivation speed was simply too astonishing, wasn't it?
"It's me, Senior Gu Lie, Xun'er... I want to see Xun'er," Xiao Yan immediately replied.
Gu Lie was silent for a moment, then reminded him, "Things are not as they used to be; don't make such a direct rush again, or you'll be treated as an enemy."
Then, he continued, "Follow me."
Xiao Yan nodded, following silently behind Gu Lie.
They arrived at an unremarkable mountain peak in the Ancient Realm, where a small farmhouse courtyard stood in a clearing surrounded by trees.
The two stopped at the courtyard gate. Gu Lie said, "Go in; the Patriarch is waiting for you."
Xiao Yan pushed open the door and entered the small courtyard. He immediately saw Uncle Gu Yuan, dressed in plain linen clothes, looking like an ordinary person.
At this moment, Uncle Gu Yuan's appearance had aged considerably; from his former middle-aged look, he now resembled a little old man past fifty, his hair already gray.
Beside Uncle Gu Yuan, there was a coffin surrounded by various fresh flowers; the coffin was not covered, and Uncle Gu Yuan was staring blankly at the figure within.
After Xiao Yan approached, he spoke in a hoarse voice, "You've come."
"Uncle, I've come."
"I thought Xun'er would definitely want to see you, so I haven't buried her yet," Uncle Gu Yuan's voice held an unconcealed sorrow.
Xiao Yan quickly walked over, bent down, and tremblingly extended his right hand to caress Xun'er's face.
The girl who used to smile at him was now a cold corpse; she would never smile at him again.
Tears streamed uncontrollably from his eyes, and Xiao Yan murmured softly, "Xun'er, I'm sorry, I came too late."
He held her cold hand and said in a hoarse, low voice:
"I will avenge you, Hun Feng, Hun Yu, I will personally send those two bastards to hell... And the Soul Clan..."
Xiao Yan held Xun'er's hand for a long time before letting go. He looked at Uncle Gu Yuan and asked, "Uncle Gu Yuan, is there really not even a trace of Xun'er's remnant soul left?"
Uncle Gu Yuan shook his head: "Hun Feng was extremely vicious, aiming to completely destroy Xun'er's soul... Perhaps he wanted to use this method to strike at my mentality. I have to say, he succeeded..."
At this moment, Uncle Gu Yuan completely lacked the demeanor of a peak expert on the Dou Qi Continent; he was just an ordinary father who had lost his daughter.
Xiao Yan had a sudden inspiration:
"Heavenly Tomb! Uncle Gu Yuan, can we place Xun'er in the Heavenly Tomb?"
"Perhaps she can live another life in an alternative way... With Xun'er's Dou Saint cultivation, she can maintain complete consciousness within the Heavenly Tomb."
Uncle Gu Yuan showed a hint of interest, but still said with some concern:
"The Heavenly Tomb is so desolate and silent, and the flow of time is so much faster than the outside world; the time we can spend with her there is very limited... Is it really good to let her live in that way?"
Xiao Yan quickly said, "I now have a certain degree of control over the Heavenly Tomb, making me half its master. I can stay with Xun'er for a long time inside...
"If I break through to Dou Emperor in the future and go to the Great Thousand World, I might be able to find a way to fully revive her."
A glimmer of surprise flashed in Uncle Gu Yuan's eyes, and he no longer hesitated:
"Then what are we waiting for? Quickly open the Heavenly Tomb!"