Chapter 273: Heart Stirred
Yao Yan never expected Hun Emperor to play such a game, telling such a massive lie so easily, and from the expressions of Gu Yuan and the others, it was clear that even the high-ranking members of the Gu Clan had been deceived. However, it was understandable, as Yao Yan himself was living proof, and the Gu Clan 's Three Immortals were free to investigate him.
People always tend to believe their own eyes, especially when they have personally investigated and uncovered the truth!
Currently, Gu Xun'er had not yet grown or displayed perfect talent, and the only thing to look forward to was that she was the direct daughter of Gu Yuan, with a bloodline that was surely not low and might even reach the divine level in the future.
But no matter how much people hoped for it, that was all in the future. Right now, Gu Xun'er could not compare to Yao Yan, not even if her bloodline reached the divine level. Yao Yan, with his five Dou Emperor bloodlines, was already a genius beyond the scope of divine bloodlines!
Hun Emperor's words earlier were quite persuasive, but the Gu Clan had to consider the situation: if the other clans were convinced by the Hun Clan and decided to support Yao Yan's breakthrough to Dou Emperor, how should the Gu Clan respond? Could they really go to war against them?
That would clearly be the most foolish choice and result!
As for cooperating... What position would the Gu Clan have in such an alliance? Would they really hand over the Gu Clan 's Gu jade so easily?
Yao Yan did not have the Gu Clan 's Dou Emperor bloodline, and even if he became a Dou Emperor, the Gu Clan would gain no benefits. But if there were a marriage, it would be a different story. If Gu Xun'er married Yao Yan, their future children would be linked to the Gu Clan , turning the two families into mutual beneficiaries.
This was why the Gu Clan 's Three Immortals were swayed by Hun Emperor's suggestion!
The possibility of peacefully opening the Tuo She Gu Emperor's cave while benefiting the Gu Clan was a tempting offer that they could not refuse. The only thing to worry about was Gu Yuan's stance. Gu Yuan had always cherished his daughter, and for that reason, he had stopped many elders from pushing for early training, hoping to give her a complete childhood.
Gu Yuan did not need to look at the Three Immortals' expressions to know that they were already swayed. In fact, even he himself was tempted, but as Gu Xun'er was his daughter, he could not trade her for such a thing.
"I will not trade my daughter unless she is willing!" Gu Yuan said after a moment of silence.
"Why do you see marriage as a transaction? This is beneficial to all the great imperial families, and it could open the Tuo She Gu Emperor cave, revealing the secrets of the Dou Emperor path." Hun Emperor raised his brow and spoke slowly, "You must know in your heart whether this child is worthy of your daughter!"
"Your daughter is the Clan Leader's daughter. You don't think she can marry an ordinary man, do you? Among all the younger generations of the imperial families, there is no one who can compare to Hun Yan. He is calm and not arrogant like most young geniuses. He is a perfect match!"
"Do you believe that if I release his news, every clan will send their direct daughters to marry him?"
"I came to the Gu Clan , offering the Gu jade as a dowry to give you face. If you truly refuse, then pretend I never came. Just don't regret it in the future... When the day comes that the other clans cooperate with our clan, how will you respond? Think about it for yourself!"
As Hun Emperor continued, his tone grew colder, and by the end, it seemed like he was issuing an ultimatum, clearly unwilling to say more.
Gu Yuan's expression darkened as he hesitated. He didn't want to force his daughter into a marriage for these reasons, but reason told him that agreeing with Hun Emperor was the right choice, even if he regretted it later!
"The union between the two clans and the Tuo She Gu Emperor jade is not something that can be settled in a few words. Our clan needs time to discuss it." Gu Dao saw Gu Yuan's hesitation and sighed inwardly. He stepped forward to negotiate with Hun Emperor, not wanting to outright reject the proposal.
Hun Emperor ignored Gu Dao's attempts and calmly looked at Gu Yuan, speaking in a deep voice, "Gu Yuan, I'll give you a month to decide. If you refuse, I won't come again!"
With that, he waved his hand, shifted the surrounding space, and took Yao Yan away from the Gu Clan 's domain.
Gu Yuan and the Three Immortals did not stop him. They knew he came with no ill intentions. If they had forced him to stay, it would have sparked a conflict between the two clans. As for whether the Hun Clan could send reinforcements... for a Dou Sheng, time and distance no longer mattered.
"Clan Leader!" As Hun Emperor left, Gu Dao and the others looked at Gu Yuan, hoping to discuss the matter.
Before they could speak, Gu Yuan interrupted them, his voice low and heavy, "I promised Xun'er's mother that I would take care of her... I cannot use her as a tool for marriage!"
"Clan Leader, we have all watched Xun'er grow. We would never treat her as a mere tool for marriage!" Gu Dao said in a solemn tone, then continued, "But as Hun Emperor said, among the younger generations of all the imperial families, no one can match Hun Yan. If Xun'er can marry him, it may not be a bad thing!"
Gu Yuan furrowed his brow and slowly spoke, "We will investigate him thoroughly first."
The Three Immortals exchanged glances, not saying more. They nodded and left to arrange the investigation. After all, everything said so far was just Hun Emperor's word. They needed to thoroughly investigate who Hun Yan truly was before making a decision.
Once everyone had left, Gu Yuan stood alone at the cliff's edge, gazing into the distance, murmuring to himself, "Hun Emperor... if there is a chance to become an Emperor, would you give it up?"
He did not believe that Hun Emperor would be so selfless!
But Hun Emperor's words were convincing, and Gu Yuan could find no flaw. He even had an ominous feeling that Hun Emperor was scheming something, though he had no proof, just a gut instinct, a feeling he had for his old friend!
...
...
The space shifted, and in a blur, Yao Yan found himself back in the Hun Clan's domain with Hun Emperor.
They had only left for the time it took to drink a cup of tea, but they had already discussed matters involving both clans. Hun Emperor wore a broad smile, and he looked at Yao Yan, reminding him, "The Heavenly Devouring Clan's ability should not be used when there are too many people around. Also, for now, avoid the Dou Emperor bloodlines of the Thunder Clan and the Gu Clan ... You already possess the bloodlines of five Dou Emperors. If you absorb those, it will be difficult to explain to others. Right now, it's best to keep it this way. You can use it to gain support from the other clans and force the Gu and Thunder clans to bow down."
He smiled faintly, clearly pleased with how things were progressing. It seemed like everything was going according to plan. Hun Emperor had already orchestrated the situation, and before carrying out the plan, he was manipulating the clans as he wished.
A great lie!
A perfect lie that every clan would be satisfied with!
But, alas, a lie is still a lie. Because there was no Emperor's secret in the Tuo She Gu Emperor cave, only an incomplete Dou Emperor pill. To refine it fully, massive energy would be needed, and the Dou Qi continent no longer had the resources for it.
In other words, the Dou Qi continent could no longer sustain the complete formation of an Emperor Pill!
If that wasn't the case, Tuo She Gu Emperor would not have left behind this half-finished product. To fully refine it, the most extreme method would be required—blood sacrifice!
Sacrificing billions of lives to nourish the Emperor Pill and complete its formation!
As Hun Emperor thought about this, a cold, blood-red light flashed deep in his eyes. His great formation had been set, and the Hun of the Void Devouring Flame had entered the Emperor realm. All that was left were the jade fragments of Tuo She Gu Emperor and the sacrifices.
The blood sacrifice across the continent would make too much noise, so he would start with the imperial clans!
Yao Yan nodded slightly and asked, "Do you think the Gu Clan will agree to this?"
"This choice has only one option. The Gu Clan has no choice but to cooperate unless they are willing to face pressure from the other clans... If Gu Yuan refuses, I'll take you to marry into the other clans. With your talent, they won't hesitate!" Hun Emperor smiled confidently.
"I'm not the King of Ducks!" Yao Yan thought sarcastically but obediently responded, "I'll follow the Clan Leader's arrangements."
"This is also for you. If the Tuo She Gu Emperor's cave is opened, you'll be the first to know about the path to becoming an Emperor. Other clans will also support your breakthrough to Dou Emperor... So, focus on your cultivation, the future belongs to the younger generation!" Hun Emperor said gently.
"I understand!" Yao Yan nodded heavily.
"Go cultivate~" Hun Emperor waved his hand, moving Yao Yan back.
...
"Did the Clan Leader call for you?"
Once Yao Yan returned to the mansion, he heard the voice of Tian Zi Huo. His mischievous face appeared, closely inspecting Yao Yan. Tian Zi Huo was curious about what made Yao Yan so special that the Hun Clan Leader called for him multiple times. After all, Tian Zi Huo had only seen Hun Emperor twice when it entered the Hun Clan with Void Lord.
Yao Yan fixed his gaze and noticed he had returned to the small courtyard. Hun Yi had already left, and only Tian Zi Huo was there. Clearly, Tian Zi Huo had no way to interfere with Hun Emperor's actions.
"The Clan Leader and I talked about the marriage," Yao Yan succinctly replied and then asked, "How did things go with Hun Yi?"
"He's already called for you. He's in the front hall, go see him yourself." Tian Zi Huo said as it turned into a wisp of black flame and disappeared into Yao Yan's space ring, not asking if Yao Yan was willing.
Void Devouring Flame, the darling of space!
Yao Yan ignored Tian Zi Huo. Until he reached Three-Star Dou Sheng, he wasn't planning on refining it recklessly. The intelligence of the fire was too high, and it would certainly resist if he tried to consume it using the Burning Decision technique. That backlash could be overwhelming, so he had to be cautious.
He had worked hard to reach this point and couldn't afford to fail due to carelessness.
Moreover, Cai Lin and the others were waiting for him!
Hun Emperor's scheme might not be a bad thing for Yao Yan. Now that he had calmed down, he realized that there were benefits to it. Forgetting everything else, the Gu Clan 's Golden Emperor's Heaven Flame alone was worth selling his body for, not to mention Gu Xun'er... If he said he had no interest, that would be deceiving himself.
"Let's take it step by step, focus on breaking through to Dou Sheng first!" Yao Yan thought to himself as he turned to head to the front hall. He intended to meet Hun Jue and establish his own influence within the Hun Clan.
No matter what happens in the future... or even if he eventually has to split from the Hun Clan!
Since his father was from the Hun Clan, he had the right to inherit it. Now that he was the Hun Clan's Young Leader, he had to consider the future of the Hun Clan. Hun Emperor was leading them down a path of no return, and Yao Yan had to set things right.
However, Hun Jue's abilities still needed time to be verified!
...
Front hall.
Yao Yan met Hun Jue, the one who had made a name for himself in the Blood Sacrifice World. Hun Jue's strength hadn't seen a significant breakthrough and was still at the peak of One-Star Dou Zun. His eyes were soft, with a scholarly air. As soon as he saw Yao Yan, he bowed, "Hun Jue, greetings to the Young Clan Leader!"
"Small person? A peak One-Star Dou Zun can hardly be considered a small fry." Yao Yan gestured for him to sit down and talk.
"A Dou Zun might be a big deal in the outside world, but within the clan, they are just average and lack much influence... It's the Dou Sheng who are the real powerhouses, the ones who can make the rules!" Hun Jue maintained his calm demeanor and slowly spoke about his understanding of the world.
Everything was relative, and once you became a Dou Sheng, you'd realize that Dou Shengs were just a bit bigger ants... Yao Yan recalled the description from the original story, where, facing the Tuo She Gu Emperor's statue inheritance, the Dou Emperor pressure emanating from it directly forced Gu Yuan and Zhu Kun to kneel, unable to move.
Dou Emperors were the true strongest in this world.
But even Dou Emperors seemed ordinary in the Grand World; there were still the Supreme, Earth Supreme, and Sky Supreme stages above them!
Yao Yan even suspected there was a level beyond Sky Supreme!
Because Sky Supreme relied on the power of the Sky Ranking and hadn't reached the realm of transcending everything...
Yao Yan smiled and didn't continue the topic. He looked at Hun Jue and softly said, "Do you know why I summoned you alone?"
"The Young Clan Leader is a newcomer to the Hun Clan, without a foundation here. If you are to lead the Hun Clan in the future, you will need our help to handle the mundane matters!" Hun Jue said, his attitude very humble.
"Perhaps not just the Hun Clan~" Yao Yan smiled meaningfully but didn't say more.
Hun Jue's eyes flashed slightly. A smart person would catch on quickly, and he didn't ask further. Some things were better left unknown too soon, and since Yao Yan had just become the Young Leader, his position was still not solidified, and time was needed.
"I'm an Eighth-Rank Senior Alchemist. I can refine any pill below Ninth-Rank, please spread the word." Yao Yan gave Hun Jue a task.
Hun Jue was slightly stunned, clearly not expecting Yao Yan to have such high alchemical skills. He then thought of the benefits this would bring and immediately bowed to Yao Yan, "Don't worry, Young Clan Leader. Within three days, this news will spread throughout the entire domain!"
(END CHAPTER)
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