Chapter 269: The Hun Emperor
Almost the moment Yao Yan finished speaking, Hun Feng 's unwilling voice sounded again: "Fine, we'll fight again when we reach the Dou Sheng realm!"
At the Dou Zun level, he was indeed no match for Yao Yan. He still couldn't understand how Yao Yan had tempered his body to this extent at the Dou Zun realm. But once they entered the Dou Sheng realm, his body would undergo a transformation, and at that point, he would not be crushed like today!
Yao Yan met Hun Feng 's gaze and nodded slightly, accepting the challenge without showing any mockery, despite no longer seeing him as a worthy opponent.
He knew his own situation. After breaking into the Dou Sheng realm, his cultivation speed should not slow down; in fact, it might even increase. When that time came, Hun Feng would not even be able to catch a glimpse of his back. The gap would widen further.
The only opportunity Hun Feng had to defeat him had been wasted by him.
If he had teamed up with Hun Crag earlier, when Yao Yan was still only a five-star Dou Zun, he surely would not have been able to crush his opponent so easily.
After devouring the multi-armed monster, Yao Yan's foundation had grown to an extremely terrifying level. The various Dou Emperor bloodlines within him had been enhanced to a very high degree, possibly even reaching the so-called divine level.
Unfortunately, his current situation was too complicated to make any clear distinctions.
"Let's call it a day. Since my descendant has lost, I will no longer fight for the position of young clan leader." Hun Yuan Tian didn't look at Yao Yan but instead focused on an empty space, his elderly face showing a hint of seriousness as he spoke in a deep voice.
"Haha, it seems the elder is very pleased with my disciple." A booming laugh echoed as black flames swirled. Hun Venerable, wrapped in the Heavenly Devouring Flame, emerged from the space.
It was evident that the Hun Clan's Chief Alchemist had been watching the battle all along, and many other powerful Hun Clan figures were hiding in the shadows.
After all, this battle would decide the future leader of the Hun Clan!
Although Hun Emperor was still in his prime, in this world, there were no guarantees. If he wanted to break through to Dou Emperor, it would not be easy. A failure could mean death. This was why the Hun Clan had suddenly decided to select a new young clan leader.
It was to prepare for any potential failure!
The Hun Clan didn't want to follow the same path as the Xiao Clan!
Hun Venerable was in high spirits at the moment. As the Hun Clan's Chief Alchemist, he held an elevated position. Now, his disciple had decisively defeated Hun Feng , the recognized number one genius of the Hun Clan, increasing his prestige. He couldn't suppress the smile at the corner of his mouth.
"Quite impressive… the future of the Hun Clan indeed lies in the hands of these young people." Hun Yuan Tian nodded slightly, looking at Yao Yan with some emotion.
Compared to these vibrant young people, someone like him, who had been dead for nearly a thousand years, clearly couldn't support the Hun Clan for much longer.
With his words, he raised his hand and led Hun Feng away. Hun Feng 's chest wound was severe; Yao Yan's punch had pierced through his right chest, and the force had even damaged his internal organs. If not treated promptly, it could leave lasting repercussions, severely hindering Hun Feng 's future growth.
Hun Venerable didn't care about Hun Feng 's situation. He had always looked down on the "little madman." At this moment, he regarded Yao Yan like a treasure, carefully examining his body. "Such a terrifying talent. I never expected you to control the abilities of the Heavenly Devouring Tribe to this extent. You even devoured the entire Heavenly Devouring warrior…"
He had attempted to cultivate similar abilities in the past, but all had failed. None had reached the level of Yao Yan, which was truly inconceivable. It was impossible to replicate.
But it no longer mattered…
A perfect creation always required some luck, and clearly, his luck had been excellent.
"Master!" Yao Yan humbly bowed to Hun Venerable.
"Well done!" Hun Venerable patted Yao Yan's shoulder and promised, "As a reward, I will do my best to help you break through to Dou Sheng and help you gather the various Dou Emperor bloodlines... I wonder how far your body will transform in the end."
Hun Venerable was genuinely curious.
Typically, a nine-turn Dou Zun would need to go through a semi-Sage process to break into the Dou Sheng realm, as it was a level of transcendent power. Upon breaking through, every inch of their body and Hun would undergo a transformation. The most noticeable symbol of this was the metamorphosis of the bones into jade!
Similarly, the higher their Hun and physical realm in the early stages, the faster the transformation would be, and the more resources it would require!
However, Hun Venerable was not worried. As the Chief Alchemist of the Hun Clan, he had enough resources to support Yao Yan's growth. If necessary, they could even take the resources by force. If it came to it, they could even start a war with the Spirit Clan to nourish Yao Yan's growth.
He had never dared to think this way before, but now that Yao Yan had become the young clan leader, as long as his growth continued, everything would be possible.
"Thank you, Master!" Yao Yan's eyes brightened, and he smiled, quickly replying.
"Let's go, I'll take you to meet the clan leader." Hun Venerable's tone shifted, and with a wave of his hand, he warped the space and took Yao Yan out of the Blood Sacrifice World. With Yao Yan's current strength, there was no need for him to remain in the Blood Sacrifice World anymore. The remaining "training resources" weren't even enough for him to use.
The major resources had already been consumed.
Hun Emperor?
Yao Yan's heart sank slightly. It wasn't the name itself, but the Hun Clan leader was far too powerful. The final big boss in the original story, he was a ruthless and ambitious figure. In pursuit of the final outcome, he could sacrifice the entire Hun Clan for his goal.
Unfortunately, fate didn't go as planned. Thousands of years of schemes were undone by a rejected young man, someone who had cultivated for less than fifty years, overthrowing them all.
Perhaps everything was destined from the start.
His mind raced as the scene before him slowly became clearer. The blue sky, the white clouds leisurely drifting, was a stark contrast to the oppressive atmosphere of the Blood Sacrifice World. It was a beautiful mountain peak, with green grass and a light breeze. The dense energy of the world had condensed into a mist, resembling an immortal paradise.
Not far away, a scholarly man, around thirty years old, sat at a stone table under a pine tree. There was a chessboard on the table, and a small stove beside it, brewing tea. The man was leisurely studying a chess manual, occasionally making a move, until Hun Venerable and Yao Yan arrived.
The scholarly man paused for a moment, then continued to make his move before speaking, "Is it over? Looks like Hun Feng lost."
"Yes, clan leader," Hun Venerable replied respectfully.
Yao Yan, standing beside Hun Venerable, also bowed and stood silently. He didn't look at the clan leader but remained humble. He always remembered that he was weak, and that weaklings should never show off in front of the strong. Not everyone was inclined to help juniors—most would crush them without a second thought.
Yao Yan lowered his head but clearly felt a gaze on him. There was no aura, but the feeling was very distinct.
"Should I call you Yao Yan or Hun Yan?"
The calm voice rang out.
"Hun Yan!" Yao Yan replied firmly. Since his father was from the Hun Clan, there was no problem with taking the Hun surname. He had no psychological burden about it.
"Go ahead and refine some pills. This little one will stay with me for now. His talent is good. Since he has already become our young clan leader, as the clan leader, I naturally must cultivate him. I'll also take him to meet an old friend," Hun Emperor said softly.
Hun Venerable didn't dare speak further. He exchanged a glance with Yao Yan and then vanished.
Once Hun Venerable left, Yao Yan felt an immense amount of pressure. Facing Hun Emperor, he truly felt uncertain. It reminded him of the first time facing Hun Venerable. There was an indescribable sense of helplessness. Ultimately, it was because his strength was too weak—too weak to even stand in front of such figures.
"Come, sit." Hun Emperor waved at Yao Yan casually. "Do you know how to play chess?"
Yao Yan obediently walked over and sat across from Hun Emperor. He looked up and saw Hun Emperor's face clearly. There was no sinister, villainous look—on the contrary, he was extremely scholarly and approachable. His bright eyes seemed to see through everything as he gazed kindly at Yao Yan.
Yao Yan was taken aback and then replied, "I'm not very good."
"Not good? You can learn. There's nothing in this world that you're born knowing how to do. Just like cultivation, no one is born a strong person. You've made it this far, so it can't have been easy… Hun Venerable is not a good teacher, but you've come this far mostly on your own," Hun Emperor said, pouring tea as if speaking to an ordinary person, giving Yao Yan a cup filled with fragrant tea.
"…" Yao Yan gave a dry smile, unsure how to respond.
Hun Venerable's cramming-style education had really tested his acceptance and talent. If his mental abilities hadn't been up to par, he wouldn't have reached this point.
"Your teacher has cultivated many disciples, but most of them failed. Either their alchemy stopped at eighth grade, or their Dou Qi cultivation stalled at Dou Zun… and that's for those with decent talent. Those with poor talent didn't even reach Dou Zong." Hun Emperor lightly shook his head with a laugh, as if complaining, expressing his dissatisfaction with Yao Yan's teacher.
After a pause, he raised his cup toward Yao Yan, saying, "Try this. This tea tree I've cultivated for a thousand years. The leaves brewed in this water can nourish both the Hun and blood, and even Dou Shengs can benefit from it."
Yao Yan took a sip after hearing this. As the tea slid down his throat, he felt a surge of spiritual energy spread throughout his body. He trembled slightly, surprised. This tea didn't contain any energy—only the purest spiritual energy from the world. The effects of spiritual energy needed no explanation.
Only a few, including Hun Emperor, could do such a thing—gathering spiritual energy from the world to nourish a tea tree. What extravagance!
"Your Hun realm has reached the late stage of the Heavenly Realm. You should be able to sense the special nature of the spiritual energy. It seems to point directly to the source, like the root of this world, from which all things are derived, including everything in this world," Hun Emperor said slowly.
As he spoke, he raised his hand, and strands of spiritual energy began to gather, forming a milky-white orb in his palm.
Under his control, the orb of spiritual energy began to evolve, transforming into various powers—wind, fire, lightning, and more—constantly changing at an astonishing speed. It seemed that Hun Emperor had reached a profound level of mastery over spiritual energy.
Incredible… Yao Yan couldn't describe it any other way. Hun Emperor's talent was terrifying. He was playing with spiritual energy like it was a mere toy!
Unfortunately, without source energy, one could never break through to Dou Emperor!
These spiritual energies were probably flawed and different from the vast world's energy.
"You're also an alchemist. What do you think spiritual energy is?" Hun Emperor asked, as if discussing philosophy, casually chatting with Yao Yan.
In this world, the most common use of spiritual energy was by alchemists. Almost all high-level pills required this energy, and it was indispensable for Hun advancement.
"I suspect that the energy of the world is derived from spiritual energy. Perhaps in Gu times, spiritual energy was the dominant energy in this world. Over time, as spiritual energy grew thin, it gradually became the energy of the world," Yao Yan said, understanding Hun Emperor's thoughts and revealing some information after a brief pause.
"An interesting theory," Hun Emperor said, surprised, then chuckled lightly.
But was it just an interesting theory? It might be the truth of the lower realms!
Yao Yan thought to himself. If Hun Emperor had been born in the vast world, he would have surely become a supreme being. Unfortunately, he was born in Dou Qi Continent, where his growth was severely restricted by the lack of source energy, almost to the point of despair.
Hun Emperor continued, "What do you think of the Hun Clan?"
His gaze was calm and penetrating, as if he could see through the heart. He quietly watched Yao Yan, waiting for his answer, as if this answer would determine Yao Yan's future.
"The world's evaluation of the Hun Clan is quite poor, but in my view, that's just the impotent rage of the weak against the strong," Yao Yan said after a brief silence, meeting Hun Emperor's gaze. "A clan that wants to develop needs a lot of cultivation resources. This world has always been one of the survival of the fittest. If you don't grow stronger, the stronger ones will devour you!"
"Survival of the fittest… You see things clearly. That's good!" Hun Emperor smiled upon hearing this, openly showing his appreciation for Yao Yan.
Seeing things clearly doesn't necessarily mean one can accept it… Yao Yan sighed inwardly. He understood the rule of survival of the fittest, but he couldn't bring himself to reach out to innocent people, like casually blood-sacrificing a continent or even blood-sacrificing loved ones. Hun Emperor had already become a demon, ruthless and heartless, only seeking to break through to Dou Emperor, willing to sacrifice everything for it!
But he could understand. Having been stuck at the nine-star Dou Sheng for a thousand years, the suffering was unimaginable to outsiders. If there were no hope, it would be fine, but hope was in the hands of various clans!
(END CHAPTER)
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