Among all the ancient clans caught in the great war, the ones living most comfortably were none other than the rulers of the Beast Region — the Ancient Void Dragon Tribe.
Having unified the Beast Region, the Ancient Void Dragon Tribe's foundation ranked just beneath the Hun Clan and Gu Clan. Even the Lei and Yan Clans fell short of their might. They possessed the power to shatter the balance of war and, if necessary, retreat into the Void at will.
Thus, they had become a faction neither side dared to provoke. According to the intelligence Liu Xi gathered, many strong experts had even fled into the Beast Region, seeking refuge under the protection of the dragons.
At the very least, for now, while the war between the ancient clans engulfed the entire Central Plains, none dared extend its flames into the Beast Region.
Liu Xi wandered through the lands of the Central Plains, witnessing with his own eyes the brutal war raging between the Hun Clan and the Four Clan Alliance. The combatants struck without mercy, every strike aimed to kill.
The battlefields were drenched in blood — countless Dou Zongs and Dou Zuns reduced to mere cannon fodder. Only those at the Half Saint level and above could decide the outcome of a war.
The Hun Clan's powerhouses fought ruthlessly. Instead of retreating when outmatched, many chose to die charging straight into enemy ranks, detonating their own souls in suicidal attacks.
After every battle, the collection of souls followed — not only from the fallen enemies but even from their own side. Liu Xi's sharp mind quickly grasped the reason behind it.
It was all for the Void Devouring Flame.
He had stripped the Hall of Souls of their stockpiled soul essence; thus, the Void Devouring Flame might still have not reached the Emperor Realm Soul level. To unleash its devouring might to the fullest, it required stronger souls. Without them, even that Heavenly Flame would find its refinement of millions of bloodlines slowed considerably.
That, Liu Xi surmised, was the true reason behind the Hun Clan's declaration of war — to feed the Void Devouring Flame with soul essence.
Liu Xi had no intention of interfering. Whenever he encountered a battle, he simply bypassed it. Though he held in his hands the lives of the ancient clans' heirs, to stand as their equal, he first needed enough strength to negotiate from the same height.
He had visited the Pill Tower. The First Elder of the Small Pill Tower had proven to be quite wise; with only a 2-Star Dou Saint cultivation, he had wisely avoided involving himself in the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame affair. As a result, the Pill Tower had suffered almost no loss.
Well — except that the old Pill Tower Ancestor had been "temporarily detained" by Liu Xi himself.
Protected by Dou Saints and secretly shielded by Xiao Yixian's influence, the Pill Tower had retracted its forces to Holy Pill City and, surprisingly, remained untouched by the chaos.
Liu Xi did not reveal himself. Appearing openly would have only brought trouble upon the Pill Tower, given how many people he had "borrowed power" from to strengthen himself.
He also traveled to the Burning Flame Valley. With the 2-Star Dou Saint Ancestor Huo Yun overseeing the sect and a lack of ambition to interfere in worldly matters, the valley had survived unscathed.
Meanwhile, Ice River Valley, foolishly arrogant and always provoking trouble, had been utterly destroyed by Burning Flame Valley. The Venerable Bing had been slapped to death by Ancestor Huo Yun himself.
Liu Xi hadn't yet made an appearance, but he had already set his sights on the Nine Dragon Lightning Flame within Burning Flame Valley. There was still some old friendship there — he planned to discuss it properly when the time came. Whether the Ancestor Huo Yun was sensible or not would determine his fate.
Sound Valley had gone into complete seclusion. Perhaps due to its already faint presence, it had been all but forgotten in the chaos.
Liu Xi felt relieved. The valley's mistress and her daughter were both acquaintances of his — he sincerely hoped they could live peacefully, hidden from this bloody storm.
As for the Wind Lightning Pavilion, Ten Thousand Sword Pavilion, and Yellow Spring Pavilion — under the leadership of Venerable Lei — they had all fled to the Beast Region for safety.
With even Dou Zuns now reduced to expendable pawns, these three sects had wisely banded together to seek protection beneath the Heaven Demon Phoenix Tribe's wings.
When Liu Xi heard of this, he chuckled. That old Lei fellow truly had foresight — seeing the hopelessness of the war, he wasted no time in escaping to the Beast Region.
Over the course of a month, Liu Xi wandered through the Central Plains. Everywhere he went, he saw ruin — corpses littering the roads, sects in ashes, the once-flourishing heart of the continent now nothing but desolation.
In this age of chaos, he witnessed countless acts of cruelty: massacres, pillaging, violation… the ugliest faces of humanity laid bare before his eyes. Before the countless corpses and broken lives, Liu Xi's heart grew heavy.
He saved those he could and slaughtered those deserving of death — not for fame or righteousness, but to keep his heart at peace.
Yet even he knew — his hands could only save a few. This calamity, born of the Hun Clan's madness, could only end with the Hun Clan's destruction.
Liu Xi was no hero. But if the chance came, playing the part of one might not be so bad.
He returned to the Beast Region.
The Beast Region was no longer what it once had been. At its borders, 7th Rank Magical Beasts stood guard atop every mountain, forming a defensive line as solid as steel.
Legions of beasts massed across the frontier — an endless army of armored monsters whose very bodies formed a tide of destruction, ready to sweep away any who dared intrude.
Deep in the Void, on the Ancient Dragon Island, Liu Xi arrived.
His return immediately stirred the island. Zi Yan, Xiao Yixian, Qing Lin, and several massive "lightbulbs" — the Three Dragon Commanders: Zhu Bei, Zhu Yu, and Zhu Fei — all came to greet him.
Inside the main hall, the three elders regarded Liu Xi with astonishment. Just a year ago, he had been only a 4-Star Dou Saint. Now, he was a 7-Star Dou Saint.
Such absurd progress made even these old dragons feel as though they had lived their centuries in vain.
What's more — they could feel from Liu Xi an overwhelming pressure unlike anything they'd ever experienced. It did not stem from his Dou Qi, but from the depths of his soul — a sacred, divine presence that made even the Late 8-Star Dou Saint Zhu Bei's heart tremble.
"Master Liu's growth is truly astounding," Zhu Bei said in awe. "The Ancient Void Dragon Tribe owes you much."
Liu Xi's return meant another high-level Dou Saint stood among them — a monumental advantage in the ongoing chaos between the ancient clans.
"Dragon Emperor," Zhu Bei continued excitedly, "our opportunity has come! Both the Hun Clan and the Gu Clan alliance are courting us for support. I believe we can use this to demand the Ancient Jade — once we have it, we can welcome our Old Dragon Emperor's return!"
Zi Yan's smile faded. She straightened, thoughtful, then turned to Liu Xi. "Big Brother, what do you think?"
Liu Xi shook his head slowly. Seeing their confusion, he calmly explained:
"First, every ancient clan treasures their Ancient Jade. Unless they're truly desperate, none will hand it over easily. If we try to collect them ourselves, we'll be making enemies of all the ancient clans. That's not wise."
"Second, rescuing the Old Dragon Emperor doesn't require us to gather the jades personally. If someone else collects them, the result is the same."
"The simplest way," Liu Xi said, his tone serene but firm, "is to stir the waters — push the others to complete the collection, then reveal the location of the Ancient Emperor's Cave Mansion. Once it opens, we follow in their wake. The Old Dragon Emperor will be freed, and once the Ancient Jade holders fall, even the cave's fortune won't escape our grasp."
(End of Chapter)
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