People fight and become emperors in advance

Chapter 284 Zi Yan's Strength

As dawn broke and the morning breeze blew, the sounds of friendly sparring echoed across the open square.

Looking around, besides the Zixiao Pavilion disciples dressed in uniform, there were also quite a few snake people with long snake tails.

"Have all the snake people of Tagor migrated here?" On the high platform, Chen Xiao looked at the flower snake following behind him.

"Reporting to the Pavilion Master, about 30% of the eight tribes are still there, mostly the elderly and children. We asked Her Majesty the Queen before, and she said that they would be allowed to come over after the tribes migrate to the Beast Domain," Flower Snake replied truthfully.

Since the Snake People moved to Ten Thousand Snake Gorge, Cai Lin has delegated authority to the four elders and no longer interferes in the affairs of the Snake People.

However, she was, after all, the queen of the snake people, and she couldn't just ignore everything. When the snake people had important decisions to make, they would also consult Cai Lin's opinion.

“That’s good. Cai Lin has considered things very carefully. With the Central Plains in such a chaotic state, it’s really not a good thing for clansmen without the ability to protect themselves to come to the Central Plains. I sensed yesterday that there is a Dou Zong powerhouse in the Snake-People Clan. Which elder has broken through?”

"It's the Fourth Elder. Thanks to the resources given by the Pavilion Master, the overall strength of the Snake-People race has increased several times. However, apart from Her Majesty the Queen, our race still has a gap in the Dou Zong realm. The four elders have been in seclusion. A few months ago, the relatively younger Fourth Elder finally broke through. Besides the Fourth Elder, the Grand Commander is the one with the best chance of breaking through!"

Chen Xiao nodded slightly. Besides the four elders who were at the peak of the Dou Huang realm, the Snake-People also had a commander who had been in seclusion and whose presence was extremely low. Chen Xiao also had some impression of him.

If this person also breaks through, then two Dou Zong powerhouses wouldn't be too bad in Zhongzhou.

"Go find Ying'er later and take back ten Breakthrough Pills and ten Imperial Pills. In the battle against the Soul Palace, all Snake-People of Battle Emperor rank and above can accompany you. These pills can be offset by your merits after the battle."

Now that Zixiao Pavilion and Soul Palace are completely at odds, even if Chen Xiao doesn't take the initiative, he will still be targeted by Soul Palace.

In this kind of struggle, Dou Zun level experts are the main force, Dou Zong level experts are just cannon fodder, and Dou Huang level experts are just minor characters who can only deal with the small fry under the Soul Palace.

Chen Xiao brought the snake people along, not expecting them to achieve anything; he was simply looking for a legitimate excuse to take care of them a little.

"Thank you, Pavilion Master!"

Chen Xiao waved his hand, ignoring Hua She'er, and strode towards the main hall.

Although it was still early, the main hall was already packed with people.

Those sitting on the left, apart from the super strong Da Ziyan, are all Dou Zun!

Qinglin, Little Fairy Doctor, Venerable Heavenly Fire, Venerable Iron Sword, and Hei Qing who came to join the fun.

On the right, Cao Ying was in charge. Given her special status, no one would object to her sitting at the very front.

Below Cao Ying were Hai Bodong, Qiu Cheng, and other elders of the Dou Zong sect.

"Pavilion Master!"

"Please sit down, there are no outsiders here today."

Seeing that everyone was about to get up, Chen Xiao raised his hand and pressed down, then walked up to the main seat with a smile.

After sitting down, Chen Xiao glanced around before slowly speaking.

"Because of the ruins, Qinglin and I have been away from Zhongzhou for more than half a year. Yesterday, I learned some things from Ying'er and summarized them roughly. Please fill in any omissions."

"Let's start with the Hall, the Pagoda, the Temple, the Valley, and the Pavilion."

"The struggle between the Soul Palace and the Pill Tower has lasted for more than a year now. It seems to be a battle between these two forces, but in fact it is a contest between the Soul Clan and several other ancient races. The so-called common people of Zhongzhou are insignificant in the eyes of these ancient races. Even the Pill Tower is just a slightly larger pawn, let alone us."

"Therefore, although we have been drawn into this struggle, we will not take sides with either of them, and we must act according to our own rules!"

There are no secrets that stay hidden forever. After so much time has passed, anyone with a bit of sense could see through the schemes of those ancient races, let alone the Purple Cloud Pavilion, which has close ties with the Pill Tower.

Thanks to this, Chen Xiao didn't need to explain much; everyone present understood the reason and nodded in agreement.

Deep down, they also felt immense resistance to the schemes of those ancient races.

It would be best to avoid associating with them.

"Let me tell you about our natural allies."

“The Heavenly Nether Sect has long sided with the Soul Hall. In the ruins, Qing Lin and I even killed their Vice Sect Master Liu Cang, as well as two Dou Zun. These are the Soul Hall's henchmen, so there's no need to consider them.”

"The Flower Sect is still observing, but some people within the Flower Sect have close ties with the Medicine Venerable of the Pill Tower, so there's no need to worry that they will turn against us. If Yao Chen can make a trip at the right time, he will most likely become an ally."

"As for the three valleys, the reclusive Yin Valley is beyond discussion, and the Ice River Valley has already fallen apart after the Ice Venerable's death. Although it has sided with the Soul Palace, it is not a cause for concern."

"As for Burning Flame Valley, Tang Zhen is a rather upright person. I even saved him once in the ruins, which is an asset!"

"It's even simpler with the Four Directions Pavilion. Although the Myriad Swords Pavilion still hasn't sided with either side, as long as it maintains this attitude and doesn't cause trouble while we're fighting the Soul Palace, it'll be fine."

"As for the Yellow Springs Pavilion, in the ruins, the Yellow Springs Venerable said that he would follow the lead of my Purple Cloud Pavilion. I heard that when Xi Xi was a month old, he personally came to Qifeng Mountain and gave a generous gift. Since he is sensible and is going against the Soul Palace this time, let's take him with us."

"In conclusion, although the Soul Palace is powerful, our strength is no less than theirs, at least in the Dou Sheng realm."

"In a few days, I will make a trip to the Pill Tower to discuss with the three giants how to completely eradicate the Soul Palace as quickly as possible!"

After hearing what Chen Xiao said, everyone in the hall nodded in agreement.

The situation in Zhongzhou is roughly as described now, and Chen Xiao's account is complete.

“As long as the Dou Sheng level experts don’t intervene, eliminating the Soul Palace isn’t difficult. However, there are indeed Dou Sheng level experts stationed in the Soul Palace’s three halls: Heaven, Earth, and Man. They might not care about the small skirmishes at the Dou Zun level, but if the Soul Palace is pushed to the brink, facing them will be inevitable.”

"Not only that, when the situation gets completely out of control, the Soul Clan behind the Soul Palace may also send a Dou Sheng to forcibly intervene. Although the possibility is only 20% or 30%, we must be on guard. After all, the Soul Palace never follows the rules, and neither does the Soul Clan behind them."

"In addition, there are some ancient races such as the Ancient Clan. The quick elimination of the Soul Clan is not the result they want to see. They may also intervene. However, these ancient races have to maintain appearances on the surface. They may cause trouble, but the possibility of them actually attacking us is not high."

"At the Dou Sheng level, as far as I know, there is only one Grand Elder of the Lesser Pill Tower within the Pill Tower. As for the Pill Tower Ancestor, his whereabouts are unknown, and no one knows where he is."

"So, we need to be more prepared. Ziyan, what's your current strength?"

This was the second time Chen Xiao had asked this question.

The difference is that this time it's more formal.

Seeing everyone's gazes turn to her, Zi Yan, who was swaying back in her chair, couldn't help but sit up straight, her expression becoming more serious, though she couldn't hide her smugness.

"Late stage of Five-Star Dou Sheng".

"However, realm is not entirely equivalent to strength. With the advantages of my Taixu Ancient Dragon clan and some techniques taught by that old guy, I am invincible below the sixth star, and I can also fight at the sixth star. As for the seventh star, I can only turn around and run away."

Zi Yan became more and more smug as she spoke, completely ignoring the astonished gazes of everyone in the hall.

With such strength, they certainly have the right to be arrogant!
After a long silence, as everyone slowly digested this rather shocking news, the most excited person was none other than Hei Qing.

With Zi Yan's strength, the unification of Dragon Island is just around the corner!
He could already imagine the scene when the four dragon islands met again in the void, and the three dragon kings were about to launch an attack, but were instead suppressed with a flick of their wrists.

"Besides me, the First Elder also broke through to the Three-Star Dou Sheng realm some time ago, and the Second Elder is also a Dou Sheng powerhouse, but only at the late stage of the One-Star Dou Sheng realm." Knowing that she was not joking, Zi Yan showed off for a moment before replying seriously.

Chen Xiao glanced at her again, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

When he emerged from seclusion yesterday, he felt that his rapid rise from an eight-star Dou Zun to the peak of a nine-turn Dou Zun was already quite remarkable, but now, compared to Zi Yan…

Sure enough, this girl is the one who's cheating the most!

One Dragon-Phoenix Origin Fruit is almost enough to qualify her for the Continental Peak Tournament.

Chen Xiao took a deep breath to calm his complicated emotions.

In the current situation, the stronger Zi Yan is, the greater the help she can provide.

This is a good thing!

Even if the Soul Clan were to disregard the unwritten rules, it would be highly unlikely that they would send a Dou Sheng of six stars or higher to the battlefield.

Even among the Soul Clan, there aren't many powerhouses of this caliber. Each one is a trump card, and they are kept hidden until the Millennium Plan is launched and until the final battle.

"Very good, in that case we don't need to worry too much about the Dou Sheng level! We will definitely eliminate the Soul Palace before the Pill Gathering!"

Everyone nodded slightly, knowing Zi Yan's strength, which boosted their confidence as if they had received a powerful stimulant.

With the overall strategic direction determined, the next step involves numerous details.

From early morning until noon, the group gradually left the main hall.

Zi Yan stayed behind until the end, and only after seeing that there was no one else in the hall did she say, "Chen Xiao, how about sending Yao Yao and the others to Dragon Island? Yao Yao and Xi Xi have jade slips left by Sister Xun'er, but Qing Huan and Xing Yao don't. Although Zi Xiao Pavilion is safe, once we leave, we can't hold off a Dou Sheng expert for too long. Better safe than sorry."

In comparison, Donglong Island is now considered absolutely safe.

The other three Dragon Islands no longer pose a threat.

Even for the powerful figures of the Central Plains, including those from ancient races, finding Donglong Island is not easy.

After a moment's thought, Chen Xiao nodded in agreement.

"Xixi is too young. Let Ying'er take Dantang with her. Dantang can't be of much help on the front lines. They can just focus on refining medicine on Dragon Island."

“That’s feasible. Donglong Island has accumulated a huge amount of medicinal herbs over the years. If the Pill Hall moves there, they can help clear out the inventory in their spare time, and they can also practice their skills at will. It’s a win-win situation!”

Zi Yan's eyes lit up, and she readily agreed.

"By the way, the old Dragon Emperor mentioned before that he wanted to recall the elders of the Ancient Dragon Clan who had left. Besides him, only you have the potential to do so. Do you have any leads on this matter?"

Chen Xiao had not forgotten this matter.

If we can recall some of the ancient dragon clan elders, the mere Soul Hall is nothing to worry about.

We could even turn our attention to those ancient races.

To achieve this, it wouldn't be necessary to recall all the departed ancient dragon elders; simply restoring three or four tenths of their peak strength might be enough to rival the weaker ancient races.

When this matter was mentioned, Zi Yan's expression became slightly more serious.

"I talked to him before I came out of the ancient emperor's cave, and I had some clues, but the time was not right."

Seeing Chen Xiao looking at her with a puzzled expression, Zi Yan continued, "The void space is vast and boundless, and no one knows exactly how big it is. The elders also don't know where they are. Therefore, it's not easy to summon them back. We need to use some special methods. I plan to wait until the other three dragon islands meet with the East Dragon Island and then use their help to complete the task. Consider it their last chance to play a role. It will also be a good opportunity to resolve the matter of the ancient dragon clan all at once."

Upon hearing this, Chen Xiao nodded slightly, "It's good that you have a plan."

After chatting for about half an hour, Chen Xiao finally pushed away the Dragon Emperor who had somehow sat on him and took out the jade bottle that sealed the Eighth Heavenly Venerable and the Sixth Heavenly Venerable from his storage ring.

"Why keep these souls? Let Sister Cao Ying refine them into Heavenly Demon Puppets. Using their souls and bodies as materials, the result will probably be a Heavenly-level Heavenly Demon Puppets."

Just as Chen Xiao removed the seal from the bottle, Zi Yan's voice rang out, reaching the ears of the Eighth and Sixth Heavenly Venerables, startling them both.

"Chen Xiao! Killing someone is just a matter of beheading them. I've told you everything you wanted to know. What more do you want!"

The Eighth Heavenly Venerable spoke first, staring at Chen Xiao from inside the bottle.

This was his last act of defiance.

He would rather be turned into a puppet than have his soul scattered on the spot.

Unfortunately, they are now powerless to control their own lives; even dying is difficult for them.

Meeting the gaze of the Eight Heavenly Venerables, Chen Xiao smiled slightly and said, "That depends on whether you cooperate or not. I have one last thing I want to know. If you give me the answer I want, I don't mind giving you a quick death. Zixiao Pavilion already has quite a few puppets. One more or one less won't make a difference."

As he spoke, Chen Xiao handed the jade bottle containing the souls of the Six Heavenly Venerables to Zi Yan.

“We will interrogate them separately. I need to know the locations of all the branch halls of the Soul Palace, how they transfer the essence of the soul, how often they do it, and so on.”

Zi Yan wasn't stupid. Hearing Chen Xiao say that, she immediately understood what he meant. With a mischievous smile, she took the jade bottle and disappeared from the spot in a flash.

Seeing this, the Eighth Heavenly Venerable finally understood why Chen Xiao had kept him alive until now, and why he hadn't inquired about this crucial secret before.

Although the contact between the Eighth and Sixth Heavenly Venerables, who are both Heavenly Venerables of the Soul Palace, is not as frequent as outsiders imagine, they still understand each other quite well.

The Six Heavenly Venerables have very soft bones!

Knowing that if the confession differed, he would likely be turned into a Heavenly Demon Puppet, the Eighth Heavenly Venerable sighed deeply, resignedly closed his eyes, and only opened them after a long while.

Without any further interrogation from Chen Xiao, she immediately began to recount the whole story.

"The Soul Palace has three Heavenly Gang Palaces (Heaven, Earth, and Man) and twenty-four Earthly Fiend Palaces, which can also be called branch palaces, scattered throughout the Central Continent."

"Even I haven't been to all the branch halls. The branch halls I know of, including the one in the Lost Soul Mountains, number eighteen in total: one deep in the Heavenly Fiend Mountains, one in Black Wind Valley, and one in the Soul Devouring Abyss..."

"Before the matter of collecting the soul essence is exposed, every ten years we will transfer the soul essence and send it to the three palaces of Heaven, Earth and Man."

"After the destruction of the branch temple in the Mountain of the Dead Souls and the news of it being leaked, the temple master ordered the immediate transfer of the soul essence. After that, it was done once every three months, each time escorted by two elders from the respective branch temple. We, the Heavenly Venerables, would go to the handover with the temple master's spatial jade slip to prevent any unforeseen circumstances."

"But with so many branch halls and such frequent relocations, we can't possibly attend to everything. That's why those ancient races were able to succeed."

"After my soul essence was stolen twice, the Palace Master was furious and immediately ordered us to enter the territory of these ancient races. That's why I temporarily went to the Eastern Region and then fell into your hands."

"So much time has passed, whether the Soul Palace has changed or not is unknown."

(End of this chapter)