Chapter 270: Proposal?!
Thinking about this, Yao Yan couldn't help but recall Zi Yan's father, Zhu Kun. He had been trapped in front of the cave of the Gu emperor Tuo She for nearly ten thousand years. He became the number one unfortunate figure in the original story. Not only did he lose his wife and child, but even his clan nearly collapsed. It wasn't until Hun Emperor opened the cave that he was able to escape. His situation was so miserable that it could not even be described as tragic.
One couldn't help but say, it was thanks to Hun Emperor. If it weren't for his obsession with breaking through to Dou Emperor, Zhu Kun would have probably died at the entrance of the cave.
If calculated, Zhu Kun seemed to owe Hun Emperor a favor.
Unfortunately, Zhu Kun wasn't a good dragon, and his mind was clear. In the original story, if it weren't for him being unable to enter the place of inheritance, nothing would have happened to Xiao Yan. He also knew the true intentions of Hun Emperor and the others. In the end, everyone was in competition to break through to Dou Emperor, making them rivals.
The only weakness of this old dragon was Zi Yan—he was a real "daughter slave"!
"Do you know why the Hun Clan established the Hun Hall?" Hun Emperor, unaware of Yao Yan's inner thoughts, took a sip of tea and, after a moment of pause, calmly looked at Yao Yan and said, slowly intending to tell him the truth about this world.
As the young clan leader of the Hun Clan, there were some things Yao Yan had to know. Only by understanding these truths could they be on the same page.
No matter what Yao Yan's previous identity was or his grudges with Hun Venerable, now that he had become the Hun Clan's young leader, he would have to walk the same path. Yao Yan's previous response had already confirmed to Hun Emperor the kind of person Yao Yan was.
Since he understood the survival of the fittest, it was impossible for him not to pursue power.
"…I don't know," Yao Yan shook his head, pretending to be confused.
"At the end of the day, it's all for the word 'Emperor'!" Hun Emperor paused for a moment, then continued, "Do you know why there has been no Dou Emperor appearing in the Dou Qi continent for ten thousand years? It's not because of a lack of cultivation resources, nor is it due to personal talent limitations, but because the path has been cut off!"
His tone grew heavier. "To become a Dou Emperor, one needs source energy, but for some unknown reason, since ten thousand years ago, no source energy has been born in the Dou Qi continent. All those at the peak of nine-star Dou Sheng can only wait helplessly for their lifespan to end."
"What is source energy?" Yao Yan asked.
Hun Emperor shook his head, clearly not knowing the answer himself. He calmly pointed to the dissipating spiritual energy around them and said, "Perhaps it's something like this spiritual energy—an energy that allows the body to transform again. Just like how a Dou Zun breaks through to Dou Sheng, the entire body undergoes a transformation. The same goes for breaking through to Dou Emperor!"
"Could it be that the Hun Clan established the Hun Hall to search for source energy?" Yao Yan asked, confused.
"Yes and no." Hun Emperor paused, then continued, "The Hun Hall was established to collect the origin of souls, which can be used to break through to the imperial Hun realm… This is the only realm in the Dou Qi continent that can come into contact with the imperial realm!"
"As an alchemist, you should understand what the imperial realm in the Hun realm means!"
"So, does that mean the nine-star Dou Sheng peak is the limit?" Yao Yan frowned slightly, speaking in a low, somewhat disappointed voice.
"No, ten thousand years ago, someone broke this rule. As soon as he was born, he forcefully broke through to become a Dou Emperor, and before he disappeared, he left behind a cave. You should have heard of him—Tuo She the Gu Emperor!" Hun Emperor's gaze suddenly became sharp as he spoke in a low voice. "To open the cave he left behind, one needs to gather all eight pieces of the Tuo She Gu Emperor jade fragments. These jade fragments are now held by the major imperial clans!"
"Unfortunately, they treat the fragments as treasures, but what they don't know is that without being able to open the cave, these fragments are just decorations—completely useless!"
As he finished speaking, a jade fragment appeared in his palm, emitting a faint strange glow. It was slightly different from the one Yao Yan had received before, but the material was exactly the same.
Hun Emperor pushed the Tuo She Gu Emperor jade fragment toward Yao Yan and casually said, "Since you have become the Hun Clan's young leader, this Tuo She Gu Emperor jade fragment will be under your control. If anything happens to me in the future, the Hun Clan will be led by you!"
"?!" Yao Yan almost lost his balance, his face full of astonishment. He hadn't expected Hun Emperor to say such a thing, and he struggled to keep himself composed.
"If Hun Feng becomes the young clan leader, I wouldn't trust the Hun Clan in his hands. But you are different. Without relying on the resources of the clan, you've grown to this point on your own. Your character and talent are exceptional. I trust the Hun Clan will be in good hands with you," Hun Emperor said sincerely, as if he were an amiable elder making his final arrangements.
"Clan leader, I… I am not fit for such a responsibility, and with my current strength, I don't know how to properly protect this jade!" Yao Yan stood up, alarmed, and quickly declined. He didn't even dare touch the jade fragment floating in front of him. If he hadn't known that he was carrying the other jade fragment, he might have thought Hun Emperor was testing him.
This was terrifying!
If he didn't know the plot and wasn't aware of Hun Emperor's true nature, he might have been deceived by Hun Emperor's kind appearance.
Could he accept the Tuo She Gu Emperor jade fragment?
Was this some kind of trap to use him as bait?
"Do you have no confidence in your future? You weren't like this when you were in the Blood Sacrifice World. As for strength, with your talent and the full support of the Hun Clan, it won't be long before you break through to Dou Sheng. It's only a matter of time before you surpass your teacher… As for not being able to protect the jade, heh, do you know who you are now?"
Hun Emperor smiled slightly, his tone calm, yet filled with an overwhelming dominance.
"You are the Hun Clan's young leader. With the jade in your hands, who would dare take it from you? If you lose it in another imperial clan's domain, they would flip the entire domain upside down just to return it to you!"
"Remember, you are the Hun Clan's young leader. From now on, you need not fear anyone. Even if the heavens fall, the Hun Clan will protect you. No one can cause you trouble in this world!"
"Keep this jade. It represents your identity and status!"
Yao Yan felt moved as he looked at Hun Emperor. For a moment, he didn't know what to say. If he didn't know the terrible things Hun Emperor would do in the future, he might have believed Hun Emperor was a great clan leader and might have been willing to serve him with his life!
A useless jade fragment had bought his trust. Truly, what a master of manipulation!
"I understand, clan leader!"
Yao Yan took a deep breath, seriously accepting the jade with both hands before placing it in his storage ring. Throughout the process, he was filled with unease, feeling that Hun Emperor was plotting something.
"No need to feel pressured. I'm not old yet. I can still shield you from the storm. The road ahead is long, so work hard."
"I will!"
Hun Emperor smiled and said, "Go wash up and rest for a few days. After that, come with me to meet an old friend."
Yao Yan nodded, cupped his hands, and then turned to leave. The entire experience felt like a dream, and he didn't understand what Hun Emperor was plotting.
After Yao Yan left, Hun Emperor's smile slowly faded, and he calmly looked at the chessboard, speaking softly, "Not bad, little guy."
"Why did you give him the jade fragment?"
A cold voice rang out, and a man dressed in black appeared in front of Hun Emperor, his eyes filled with doubt. It was clear that he didn't understand Hun Emperor's actions. The jade fragment was one of the keys to opening Tuo She Gu Emperor's cave. Such an important item shouldn't be given to someone who wasn't even a Dou Sheng.
Even if the other party had good talent, their strength was still too weak.
"Without all eight pieces, it's just a useless object. The plan still has some time to unfold. Before then, we need to keep the clans in check. Don't you think he's the perfect candidate?" Hun Emperor said with a smile, his voice soft.
"What are you planning to do?" Heavenly Devouring Flame asked in a low voice.
"I plan to propose to the Gu Clan using the jade fragment as a betrothal gift! Gu Yuan's daughter seems to be of a good age," Hun Emperor said with a hint of amusement in his eyes.
"..." Heavenly Devouring Flame fell silent.
But it had to be admitted that Hun Emperor's plan was quite good. This news alone would attract the attention of the various clans, and with Yao Yan's strange talent, once it was discovered that he possessed the bloodlines of the various clans, it would definitely cause trouble! At that time, they could push Yao Yan forward to attract attention.
"Isn't this too high-profile?" Heavenly Devouring Flame frowned. Compared to such a bold approach, it preferred to work in the shadows.
"It was going to happen eventually, just a bit earlier," Hun Emperor stood up slowly, his white clothes flowing in the wind. His voice remained calm, but it was filled with an imposing aura. "If unnecessary, I don't want to break ties with Gu Yuan. He's not someone easy to deal with, so for now, I'll just try to confuse him… I believe he won't remain indifferent. Even if he's not interested, those old fools in the Gu Clan won't let him have his way."
"He's always been so indecisive..."
The wind swept through the long hair of Hun Emperor, revealing his sharp profile. A faint smile curled at the corner of his lips, as though mocking his old friend.
...
...
Yao Yan wasn't yet clear about Hun Emperor's schemes. He occasionally glanced at the storage ring on his finger, feeling that it had become much heavier. As he stepped out of the mountain peak's range, a face formed from black flames appeared on his shoulder, grinning wickedly.
"Hehehe, is the little master upset? Did the clan leader scold you?"
"No, just feeling a bit pressured. Just now, the clan leader gave me the Tuo She Gu Emperor jade fragment to safeguard!" Yao Yan didn't hide anything and directly spoke to the Heavenly Devouring Flame. There was no need to hide anything.
As Hun Venerable had said, the name of the Hun Clan was the greatest deterrent. Even if he placed the Tuo She Gu Emperor jade in front of other imperial clans, no one would dare to touch it.
The Hun Clan wasn't like the declining Xiao Clan. The Hun Clan, in its prime, feared no force!
"Tuo She Gu Emperor jade?!"
Heavenly Devouring Flame was taken aback for a moment, then circled around Yao Yan, its large eyes full of disbelief. It hadn't expected Hun Emperor to give such an important item to Yao Yan. This made it hesitate in its earlier thoughts of taking over Yao Yan's body.
Nothing else, it was just afraid!
It hadn't anticipated that Hun Emperor would value Yao Yan so much. Was he perhaps Hun Emperor's illegitimate son?
"Hmm, why don't you enter the storage ring, Heavenly Devouring Flame, and keep an eye on it for me, in case anything happens?" Yao Yan raised his hand and spoke to Heavenly Devouring Flame. He certainly didn't dare to let it enter his body.
Its strength was such that even four or five-star Dou Shengs couldn't do anything about it, let alone Yao Yan.
"Okay~" Heavenly Devouring Flame agreed and transformed into black flames, flowing into Yao Yan's storage ring.
It easily found the Tuo She Gu Emperor jade inside the ring and began to examine it with curiosity. It even tried to make contact with it, but unfortunately, the jade fragment didn't react at all. It was as though it were a dead object, unaffected by Heavenly Devouring Flame's scorching flames.
Yao Yan watched coldly, ignoring it. Just getting Heavenly Devouring Flame into the storage ring was enough. It was better than having it follow him around secretly, unable to detect its movements. This was clearly not a good thing, especially with Heavenly Devouring Flame's intelligence so high.
Just as Yao Yan left the mountain peak, he saw Hun Venerable's figure. Hun Venerable hadn't gone far and had been waiting nearby. Once he saw Yao Yan, he came over.
Hun Venerable said nothing. He raised his hand and took Yao Yan away from the area.
Once they returned to the mansion, Hun Venerable sealed the space, then stared at Yao Yan seriously, speaking in a deep voice, "What did the clan leader tell you? Tell me everything!"
Yao Yan recounted the entire conversation, not changing a single word. He didn't understand the Hun Clan, and since he was still weak, he needed to rely on his cheap teacher to protect him until he could fly on his own.
"The clan leader gave you the Tuo She Gu Emperor jade?!" Hun Venerable looked at Yao Yan in disbelief. Clearly, he was also shocked, his eyes flashing with brilliance as his mind raced, wondering why the clan leader would do this.
Was it because he wanted to secure Yao Yan's loyalty?!
This didn't make sense, since Hun Emperor was still in his prime, with a long life ahead of him, and his plans were about to unfold... Yet, he entrusted the key to opening the cave to Yao Yan, not fearing any accidents?!
Hun Venerable didn't dare to ask for the jade. He knew better than to disobey Hun Emperor. He could only think about it privately but dare not act on it.
Even though Hun Emperor didn't interfere much, once he made a decision, no one in the Hun Clan could oppose him.
"Since the clan leader entrusted it to you, you should manage it well. As the clan leader said, you are the young clan leader now and are qualified to take charge of this item!" Hun Venerable said, slightly tempted. However, he didn't dare to take any rash actions. He left these words and turned to leave, intending to test the waters with Hun Emperor.
Yao Yan watched him leave, thinking for a moment, before collecting his thoughts and heading off to freshen up and rest.
As for the Tuo She Gu Emperor jade…
As Hun Emperor said, with the Hun Clan watching over him, he had no need to worry. Even if the heavens fell, Hun Clan would stand by him, so what was there to fear!
(END CHAPTER)
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