People fight and become emperors in advance

Chapter 268 Relics Appear
As the morning mist dissipated, the rosy glow spread over the mountaintops, and the sky became clear and transparent, as if washed clean.

Knowing that Little Fairy Doctor and the other women were not in danger, Chen Xiao was not in a hurry, even though he was traveling at top speed.

In comparison, curiosity outweighs curiosity.

After all, the northern part of the sky is neither small nor very big.

Chen Xiao had seen all the major and minor powers and families on the list, but none of them could cause any trouble.

Under these circumstances, Chen Xiao thought long and hard about what could possibly be the most likely reason for Little Fairy Doctor and others to crush the jade slip and inform him of such an important matter. He concluded that the Tianbei Ruins, which he had been searching for, were the most likely candidate.
"I hope I'm not mistaken..."

With anticipation, Chen Xiao increased his speed even further.

The constant travel was too tedious, so Chen Xiao had a thought and took out the jade bottle that sealed the souls of the Eight Heavenly Venerables from his storage ring.

After erasing the seal from the bottle opening, Chen Xiao flicked his finger, and a cluster of cold white flames immediately flew into it, greeting the Eight Heavenly Venerables in a friendly manner.

"Ahhh... Chen Xiao... what's wrong with you?"

Ignoring the Eighth Heavenly Venerable's angry rebuke, Chen Xiao chuckled and said, "Now, I'll ask you a question, and you answer it. Do you understand?"

"Hehehe, do you think I would tell you anything? Do you think you can let me go if I answer your question?"

Without the torment of the strange fire, the Eight Heavenly Venerables began to stubbornly deny everything again.

Chen Xiao smiled slightly, "Indeed, if you fall into my hands, you will surely die. However, I can make your death quicker."

Seeing the disbelief written all over the Eight Heavenly Venerables' distorted face, Chen Xiao didn't waste any words. A wisp of bone spirit cold fire floated into the jade bottle again, sealing the bottle before the Eight Heavenly Venerables could even scream.

Although the Bone Spirit Cold Flame does not have the same special restraint on the soul as the Fallen Heart Flame, it is still sufficient for processing soul bodies.

After traveling for two hours with his head down, Chen Xiao stopped pouring more strange fire into the jade bottle.

He wiped away the seal from the bottle opening and looked at the Eighth Heavenly Venerable's soul form, which was almost unrecognizable as human. Flames shot out from his fingertips.

"You...you want to know...what..."

That short sentence almost exhausted all of the Eight Heavenly Venerables' strength.

He didn't want to experience the agony of being burned by the strange fire fifty times.

Since the ending is already predetermined, it's better to die a quick and painless death, as Chen Xiao suggested.

"The first question: In Yellow Maple Valley, you said that the ancient clans and several other clans crossed the border first, and then the Soul Palace entered the Eastern Region to cause trouble. What do you mean?"

The Eight Heavenly Venerables' souls took a long time to recover before they began to answer intermittently.

"Literally, although my Soul Palace has been capturing souls on the continent, it has maintained a policy of non-interference with the territories of other ancient races. It's not that we're afraid of them, but that we don't want to create unnecessary trouble."

"But ever since that old fellow Yao Chen revealed the secret of the Soul Palace's collection of soul origins, the six clans have repeatedly opposed my Soul Palace. If it were just that, it would be fine, but they actually sent people to secretly and closely monitor the branch palaces and the Soul Clan."

"A few months ago, the Soul Palace transferred a batch of soul essences, but they were intercepted en route. The leader of the group was a Dou Sheng powerhouse from the ancient clan!"

"Because of this, the Soul Clan's higher-ups were furious and ordered the Soul Palace to enter the territories of the six clans to cause them some trouble. As long as their subordinates are in chaos, they will naturally not have much energy to monitor them."

Chen Xiao was stunned as he listened to the Eighth Heavenly Venerable's account.

These six clans really acted quickly.

And the Soul Clan was also quite patient!
Given the strength of the Soul Clan, if they were to really get serious, the powerful figures of the other six clans wouldn't stand a chance to monitor them; they'd be lucky if they weren't hunted down and killed.

This can be considered a case of ignorance being bliss.

"There must be more to it than that, right?"

"Of course not! The so-called six ancient races are nothing but birds of a feather with the Soul Clan behind my Soul Palace. In fact, these hypocrites are even more disgusting! Let me tell you something I personally experienced, and you might understand."

"Before I entered the Eastern Region, during a battle with the Pill Tower, I was almost killed by Tian Leizi. However, when Tian Leizi tried to pursue me, he was stopped by someone."

"It's not just me. In just half a year, there have been at least dozens of such cases. Thanks to the experts sent by the six clans to support the Pill Tower, if they hadn't repeatedly dragged our feet at crucial moments, even though my Soul Palace is powerful, it wouldn't have been able to withstand the attack of the Pill Tower, which was fully supported by the six clans!"

"Since the Soul Palace and the Pill Tower officially started their war, the Soul Palace has been collecting soul essence at a speed more than five times faster, and this is all thanks to the efforts of the six races!"

"They outwardly uphold justice, but they secretly hope this struggle will last as long as possible, ideally allowing the Soul Palace to collect enough soul essence to be divided among the six races, so that each race can cultivate an Emperor-level soul. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

"Anyway, the Soul Hall will bear the infamy. They all contributed their efforts to this struggle to settle scores with the Soul Hall, which will be a good story if it gets out."

"What do they care about the life or death of those ants?"

After listening to the Eighth Heavenly Venerable recount the whole story, Chen Xiao silently resealed it.

Previously it was just speculation, but now it has been confirmed. Chen Xiao felt that these ancient races truly lived up to the Eighth Heavenly Venerable's words: they were all birds of a feather!
Chen Xiao always felt that he was not a good person and was an egoist.

Just like the Soul Palace's soul essence, he would seize it whenever he could and use it without any psychological burden.

Even so, if he were allowed to stir up the situation in Central Plains, thereby helping the Soul Palace to collect soul essence more quickly and thus gain greater benefits…

Chen Xiao asked himself, he couldn't bring himself to do something so disgusting!
Taking a deep breath, Chen Xiao tore open the space and stepped out.

He had already entered the Dan Domain, and with a sweep of his gaze, he landed on an unfamiliar city at the edge of his vision.

After a moment's hesitation, Chen Xiao decided to delay and write a letter to Xuan Kongzi to verify the information.

The Eighth Heavenly Venerable's words are ultimately only one side of the story.

It is neither entirely unbelievable nor completely unbelievable.

After a fifteen-minute delay, Chen Xiao continued on his way.

When Chen Xiao left the Pill Domain and entered the Tianbei area, he keenly sensed the anomaly even before he went deep into it.

Along the way, large numbers of people rushed towards the depths of Tianbei, all in a hurry, wishing they could increase their speed tenfold or a hundredfold.

"Brother Li, why are you in such a hurry to call me out of seclusion?"

"Stop talking nonsense. I'm doing this for your own good. You can go into seclusion anytime, but if you miss this opportunity, you'll regret it."

"Tell me details."

"It's hard to explain in a short time, but all you need to know is that an ancient ruin has been discovered on the edge of the Northern Desert!"

As Chen Xiao traveled, his soul perception quietly emerged, and the conversations of these people confirmed his suspicions.

Indeed, it is an ancient relic from the northern lands that has appeared in the world!
Ancient ruins, as the name suggests, are things that have been passed down from ancient times. Those that can still leave traces after the passage of time must have been left by ordinary people, and many of them were even left by powerful warriors!
This is a consensus among all cultivators.

Therefore, every time an ancient relic is discovered, it will bring about a bloodbath.

After all, the allure of the items left behind by a Dou Sheng-level expert is enough to drive people crazy.

Take cultivation techniques as an example. The reason why many Dou Zun experts progress slowly or even make no progress at all is because they cannot obtain higher-grade cultivation techniques.

Among the ancient ruins left behind by these powerful warriors, there is a high possibility that they possessed the cultivation techniques they practiced during their lifetime, which would be a source of hope for reaching a higher realm!

Furthermore, anything is possible in ancient ruins.

For many people, even the slightest gain in combat skills, cultivation techniques, medicinal herbs, or elixirs can be a life-changing opportunity!

Therefore, even knowing the competition is fierce, and the chances of survival are slim, countless people still rush in like moths to a flame, willingly and happily. Having determined the cause of this turmoil, Chen Xiao no longer became distracted and devoted all his attention to traveling.

...

Zixiao Pavilion.

On the huge plaza beneath the Thunder Tower, squads of inner and outer disciples stood ready for battle.

In front of the square, Little Fairy Doctor calmly gave orders.

"Elder Yang, take a group of disciples to Ten Thousand Snake Gorge and inform the four elders of the Snake People that they should observe the situation and not rush into action. They should wait for the Pavilion Master to return before making a decision. After that, you will be stationed at Ten Thousand Snake Gorge to protect the Snake People and await orders."

"Yes!" An elder bowed and accepted the order, then led more than ten inner cabinet disciples away quickly.

With a large influx of powerful individuals into Tianbei, conflict is inevitable.

With Cai Lin already in seclusion and Chen Xiao out and not yet returned, the Snake-People Clan naturally needed to be looked after.

"Han Chi, you will lead a team of inner disciples to the Sand Shadow Mountains and await Qing Lin's instructions."

"Yes!"

"Iron Sword, seal off Qifeng Mountain for the time being. Except for people from Zixiao Pavilion, no one is allowed to enter or leave!"

"..."

With the issuance of orders, 99% of the people in the Zixiao Pavilion began to get busy.

It was also at dusk that Chen Xiao finally returned.

Upon entering Qifeng Mountain, Chen Xiao immediately noticed that the pavilion was sparsely populated, with at least half of the people missing.

Although some disciples came and went in a hurry, they were orderly and clearly acting on orders from higher-ups.

Seeing this, Chen Xiao didn't stop him and quickly went to the backyard.

Unlike the increasingly tense atmosphere outside, the backyard was peaceful and serene.

Two fiery red figures accompanied Yao Yao, and the three little ones huddled together playing, their clear laughter ringing out. None of them noticed Chen Xiao's arrival.

In front of a courtyard, Little Fairy Doctor and Cao Ying stood side by side, watching the three little ones playing, their smiles faint, whispering private words to each other.

Suddenly, a soft cough broke the harmonious scene.

Five pairs of eyes looked at it at the same time, each showing a different expression of joy.

"Daddy!"

"teacher!"

The three little ones were the first to arrive.

The changes in the external situation have nothing to do with them.

For them, there was only the joy of reuniting with their loved ones at this moment.

Chen Xiao couldn't bear to break the silence, so he looked at Little Fairy Doctor and Cao Ying who were walking over and gestured for them to wait a moment.

After talking with the three little ones for about ten minutes and calming them down, Chen Xiao then walked towards Little Fairy Doctor and Cao Ying.

"Xian'er, Ying'er, I heard some things about the ancient ruins on the way back, but I don't know much. Tell me more about it."

"Sister Fairy Doctor, please tell me. If there's anything I've missed, I'll help you fill it in."

Little Fairy Doctor nodded slightly and did not refuse. After a few words, she began to tell her story.

"You would never guess that this ancient ruin was actually discovered by Qinglin."

"Green scales?"

Chen Xiao was somewhat surprised; he truly hadn't expected this.

On the way back, he still thought it was thanks to Hei Qing.

"That's right. Before you left, didn't you ask Brother Hei Qing to bring those puppets back to Dragon Island to improve their rank? Brother Hei Qing was very fast. He brought all the puppets back in less than a month. Without exception, they all advanced to the Heavenly Demon Puppet rank. Now, our Purple Cloud Pavilion has nearly forty Dou Zun level combatants!"

"After Brother Hei Qing handed the puppets over to us, he continued to search for ancient ruins. Qing Lin was curious that day. Nine Dou Zong level puppets in formation could unleash power comparable to a one-star Dou Zun. What kind of power would nine Dou Zun level puppets in formation have?"

"Out of curiosity, she took the puppets into the Northern Desert to verify it, and had the puppets form an array to attack her. As a result, they reached the Sand Shadow Mountains on the edge of the desert. In the aftershocks of the intense battle, she realized that there was something unusual about the space there."

"Later, we asked Brother Hei Qing to go and check, and sure enough, the ancient ruins were hidden there!"

"Perhaps it was affected by the battle between Qinglin and the puppet that day. The spatial fluctuations there became abnormal and became more and more obvious every day. In just four or five days, even though we sealed off that space and set up many illusion arrays there, the news still leaked out."

"Is it a magical beast from the Sand Shadow Mountains?"

"It could be them, or it could be humans. The Sand Shadow Mountains are one of the larger magical beast mountain ranges near the Northern Desert. There are countless magical beasts in it, including many high-level ones, and powerful individuals often come and go. If they are not far away when spatial fluctuations occur, they may also be able to detect them." Little Fairy Doctor nodded helplessly.

This is truly impossible.

After all, no one knew it would be such a coincidence; there was absolutely no psychological preparation.

Moreover, the emergence of ancient ruins, though not announced server-wide like a celestial phenomenon, still causes a great stir and cannot be easily concealed.

However, Chen Xiao noticed a problem from Little Fairy Doctor's narration.

The owner of this ancient ruin was certainly not as powerful as the Array Master who created the False Heaven. This can be seen from the stability of the ruin.

Perhaps, without Qinglin's chance discovery, this ruin would have appeared on its own in a few hundred or a thousand years.

"After the news of the ruins spread, a large number of people from the northern lands have been flocking here every day. The flow of people has increased dramatically, and unfamiliar powerful figures can be seen everywhere. The Sand Shadow Mountains are even more crowded, and there is almost no place for magical beasts to stand."

“Qinglin, Venerable Tianhuo, and Brother Heiqing are all over there controlling the situation. It’s alright now that the ruins haven’t fully emerged, but once the space there stabilizes, the situation will probably get out of control in an instant.”

"I have informed the Snake-People clan and the various families and forces that have sided with the Purple Cloud Pavilion, telling them to remain calm and wait for your return before making a decision."

Chen Xiao nodded slightly. What's done is done; it wouldn't be so easy for him to have it all to himself this time.

Most importantly, this is a completely unfamiliar ancient ruin, unlike the ruin in the Beast Realm.

Chen Xiao's foresight is of no help whatsoever in exploring this ruin.

After a little deliberation, Chen Xiao quickly made a decision.

"Exploring ancient ruins is no small matter. It's good that the news has spread, as it can at least reduce our casualties. Since so many people are interested in these ancient ruins, why not let them explore the way?"

"Let's compete fairly! With the eight ancient clans out of the picture and the Soul Palace preoccupied with its own problems, we have nothing to fear from any competition with our current strength!"

Among all the ruins, there was only one thing that Chen Xiao valued most.

That is the recipe for the Spirit-Nourishing Powder!
This is the only remaining prescription on the mainland today, and it is the key to his completion of the subsequent expenses.

However, even if the formula falls into the hands of others, as long as it is not destroyed, Chen Xiao will have a way to find it!

Therefore, fair competition is fine!
(End of this chapter)