After sending Zhu Kun back, Xiao Yan departed from Jia Nan Academy. Contrary to what he had originally said, he didn't head straight to the imperial capital of the Jia Ma Empire. Instead, he returned to Wu Tan City and spent a few days there before officially setting out with the women.
From Wu Tan City, they traveled to Qingshan Town, then crossed the Magic Beast Mountain Range. He even found the small valley where he had once lived with Xiao Yixian. The Tager Desert, Medusa's Temple, Rock Desert City... Xiao Yan retraced the steps of all the places he had once visited, as if savoring the experiences of his early journeys.
Along the way, he didn't move particularly fast, but neither was he slow. It wasn't quite sightseeing, nor was it urgent travel. This strange rhythm made Zi Yan and the others puzzled. The goal was clearly to reach the imperial capital of the Jia Ma Empire, yet Xiao Yan didn't seem concerned with the destination at all. Had he… forgotten?
No one could understand just how complicated Xiao Yan's emotions were at this moment. He had been to all these places not just once, but in his previous life, his current one, and again during the Path of Reincarnation. Each time, the experiences were completely different, and the insights he gained varied greatly.
To others, "reincarnation" might be some vague or mystical concept. But for Xiao Yan, it was real—something he had truly undergone. Step by step, as he walked again through these places, he could feel the insights of his past life, this life, and the Path of Reincarnation slowly merging within him. Along with it, his soul power quietly grew.
Although Xiao Yan had the memories of three lives, the events and emotions of each differed vastly. Even though they existed within the same soul, there had always been a distinct sense of division. If not for his immense soul strength forcibly suppressing this unnatural fracture, he would've already fallen into madness from the conflicting memories.
But now, that fracture had vanished completely.
Xiao Yan understood very well that everything he had gone through—every life—was real. He had experienced them all personally. But they no longer needed to be a burden. It was time to let go. Whether it was the Wrathful Demon Saint or the Flame Emperor, those identities belonged to the past. Now, in this world, there was only one Xiao Yan.
When he finally arrived at the imperial capital of the Jia Ma Empire, less than a month remained before the Three-Year Agreement. As he passed through the city gates, a strange feeling welled up in his chest, as if he had just walked through another cycle of reincarnation. Looking around at the familiar scenery, he chuckled softly and murmured, "Imperial Capital… I'm back."
Buzz!
At that exact moment, deep within his sea of consciousness, a strange new Symbol began to form. It appeared dim and subtle at first, but if one looked closely, they would see that its patterns were outlined by a swirling, gray energy. As it pulsed gently, even the entire soul sea rippled in response.
The ninth Ancestral Symbol—the Temporal Ancestral Symbol—had finally taken form.
And in the instant it did, Xiao Yan clearly felt his soul power surge to a new height. The Spirit of the Ancestral Stone quickly offered an explanation.
Ancestral Symbols were divine objects born of heaven and earth and naturally possessed spiritual awareness. Normally, when an Ancestral Symbol formed, it would draw energy from the world around it, and upon completion, it would return that energy to the world as a form of repayment. However, the Temporal Ancestral Symbol had formed inside Xiao Yan's soul avatar, drawing its energy directly from him. So its return was given to him as well.
Although soul realms at the Emperor Rank didn't have clear subdivisions like other ranks, Xiao Yan estimated that if they did, his soul power should now be at the late stage of the Emperor Rank. After all, ever since reaching this level, he had obtained countless boosts.
Just the soul of Hun Tiandi—also at the Emperor Rank—had served as a massive supplement. Not to mention the infinite loops of essence from the Heavenly Tomb, which had further fueled him. Additionally, his breakthrough to Dou Di and the refining of eight other Ancestral Symbols had also elevated his soul strength. Now with the formation of the Temporal Ancestral Symbol, his soul realm had risen by at least two more tiers.
Still, Xiao Yan was underestimating his own progress. With the way he had been ruthlessly absorbing the essence of the Heavenly Tomb, his soul power had grown far beyond what he thought…
'In that case, let's test this Symbol's power a little.' Xiao Yan smiled at the gray Symbol floating in his soul sea, then quickly activated the Temporal Ancestral Symbol. Instantly, a mysterious, formless ripple spread from the center of his brow.
In just a breath, that ripple had enveloped the entire Dou Qi Continent.
In the blink of an eye, every living creature on the continent—without exception—froze in place. Even Gu Yuan and Zhu Kun, both peak Dou Shengs, were immobilized. Each one became like a lifelike statue, eerily still.
The world remained frozen for several full minutes before the stasis lifted. Yet none of the affected people even realized anything had happened. Only Gu Yuan and Zhu Kun vaguely sensed something off, but unable to find any abnormalities, they dismissed it as mere illusion.
"This Temporal Ancestral Symbol really is heaven-defying..." Xiao Yan couldn't help but sigh in awe. Previously, when he used time power, it consumed the energy he had stored internally. Once it was used up, he couldn't use it again. But now that he had the Temporal Ancestral Symbol, all he needed to do was inject soul power, and time power would be generated—stronger and more stable than ever before.
The only downside was that the Symbol consumed massive amounts of soul energy. But with Xiao Yan's current strength, it wasn't an issue. Just now, freezing the entire Dou Qi Continent for several minutes had only cost him one-tenth of his soul power. If he limited the effect to just one nation, he'd have enough time to shoot hundreds of time-stop films.
Still, Xiao Yan knew well that the only reason he could freeze the entire continent so easily was because his power now towered above all others. There was no one on the Dou Qi Continent capable of challenging him. Once he stepped into the Great Thousand World, this technique would likely lose much of its effectiveness.
But in high-level combat, even a brief moment could decide the victor. And the Temporal Ancestral Symbol was far more than just time stop.
Of course, for now, there was no need to use such measures on the Dou Qi Continent.
Xiao Yan lifted his gaze, looking toward Yunlan Mountain in the distance. A faint smile curled on his lips.
'The Three-Year Agreement is almost here. I wonder… what level is that woman at now?'
At that very moment, Nalan Yanran had just broken through to the Da Dou Shi level. She was training with all her might, preparing for the upcoming duel.
(End of Chapter)
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