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"—Whoosh!"

Just as everyone was filled with doubt and surprise, the black banner standing on the ground moved again.

However, this time it did not emit that soul-chilling suction force. With just a slight tremor, it was pulled out of the ground on its own and then transformed into a swift black light. Under the gaze of countless eyes, it flew straight to the other side of the Strange Fire Plaza and was finally firmly caught by a hand.

"Everyone, my brother Xiao Yan is currently absorbing the essence of the strange fire here and cannot be disturbed by outsiders. Please do me a favor."

Zhu Chen raised his eyes, his gaze calmly sweeping over Gu Yuan and the others in the distance, whose expressions varied, and slowly began to speak.

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly throughout the entire Strange Fire Plaza.

Everyone looked at each other.

They only knew that Zhu Chen was exceptionally strong and could contend with the Void Devouring Flame.

Unexpectedly, he possessed such a magical treasure.

It was only at this moment that Gu Yuan and the others realized something.

This group of seemingly mysterious experts, led by Yao Chen, is actually led by a young man who is unfathomable, yet possesses a rare treasure!

The fact that the opponent could fight head-on with the Void Devouring Flame without being at a disadvantage means that their strength must be at the level of a nine-star Dou Sheng.

Add to that this precious banner that even the Soul Emperor could take away...

Of all those present, perhaps only Gu Yuan and Zhu Kun could rival him.

"Just who is this kid? I've never heard of him before."

Gu Yuan's mind raced.

As the patriarch of the ancient clan, he had to consider more things than others.

Today, the Soul Emperor was executed, and the Soul Clan's top forces were almost wiped out by that banner.

The power structure of the Battle Continent is likely to undergo a major change soon.

Xiao Yan possesses the bloodline of the Dou Di and is a descendant of Xiao Xuan. Now that he has obtained this good fortune, his future is bound to be limitless.

If their ancient clan continues to maintain good relations with them, they certainly won't suffer any losses.

"Father, Brother Xiao Yan, he..."

At this moment, Xiao Xun'er suddenly tugged at Gu Yuan's sleeve from behind.

Gu Yuan turned around and saw his daughter looking at him with a pleading expression.

"Sigh~, daughters are gone once they grow up!"

Gu Yuan sighed inwardly, but he had already made up his mind.

On his own, his daughter was in love with Xiao Yan, and as her father, he couldn't very well separate the two lovers.

As far as I'm concerned, the Xiao clan and the Gu clan have been friends for generations, and he and Xiao Xuan even addressed each other as brothers back then, their friendship was very deep.

The Xiao clan has been in decline for many years, but now a descendant like Xiao Yan has emerged who is expected to revive the clan's glory. He also has a group of mysterious and powerful allies by his side. If the ancient clan can take this opportunity to continue to be on good terms with him, they will definitely benefit immensely in the future.

It would be unwise to antagonize them now for the sake of these strange fire sources.

Having figured this out, Gu Yuan's expression softened considerably.

He solemnly cupped his hands in the direction of Zhu Chen and said, "Young friend, rest assured, since my nephew Xiao Yan is at a critical moment, I will not allow anyone to disturb him."

After saying that, he turned to the three ancient immortals behind him and gave the order: "Three elders, you take people to protect the perimeter of the square. Make sure that Xiao Yan successfully absorbs the strange fire. No one is allowed to approach!"

"Yes, patriarch!"

The three immortals of the ancient clan responded in unison, and immediately led a group of powerful members of the ancient clan to disperse to various parts of the square.

Seeing Gu Yuan's stance and the fact that he directly dispatched powerful figures like the Three Immortals of the Ancient Clan to protect them, the last remaining thought of the other members of the Eight Ancient Clans to seize the source of the Strange Fire amidst the chaos was completely extinguished.

Gu Yuan was the most powerful among them. Now that this old fox had chosen to back down, if they dared to show their faces again, they might be the next target of that black banner that could devour the Heavenly Emperor's soul!

"Since Brother Gu Yuan has made such a statement, then my Yan Clan will not join in this fun. We, the Yan Clan, will relinquish the strange fire here." Yan Jin spoke first, immediately expressing his stance to Zhu Chen.

"My Thunder Clan is the same."

Although Lei Ying was unwilling, he had no choice but to go with the flow given the current situation.

With the Flame Clan and Thunder Clan expressing their stance, the other clan leaders of the eight ancient clans also chose to step aside.

Zhu Kun stood beside Zi Yan, looking at the people of the eight ancient clans, his eyes completely unmoved.

He had been trapped here for thousands of years due to the machinations of Emperor Tuoshegu, and had long been disgusted with the so-called inheritance of the Dou Di.

Now that he has been reunited with his long-lost daughter, this kinship is far more precious to him than any inheritance.

“Child, these strange flames are useless to you. What do you want? I will find you something better in the future.”

Zhu Kun looked down at Zi Yan and said, his face full of doting affection.

"Well, let's leave these strange flames to Xiao Yan. His alchemy skills have improved, and he can continue to refine delicious pills for me in the future."

Zi Yan nodded obediently.

She had no interest in the strange fire, but was simply curiously watching Xiao Yan's aura rise steadily.

Zhu Kun smiled faintly, then looked up at Zhu Chen and said, "I have been trapped here for thousands of years. Today I am able to see my beloved daughter and I am grateful to all of you for helping me escape. I will remember this kindness. I can tell you some of the secrets of this ancient emperor's cave."

As he spoke, he pointed to the deeper darkness behind the Strange Fire Plaza: "Although the source of the Strange Fire here is good, it is not the true core of the inheritance of the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor. The true inheritance here is a 'Prime Emperor Pill,' which is located in the deepest part of this cave."

"what?"

"A fledgling Emperor-grade elixir?"

"Does such a thing really exist in this world?"

Zhu Kun's words were like a thunderbolt, stirring up huge waves in the hearts of Gu Yuan and the others.

A burning passion has been rekindled in the eyes of many.

Imperial-grade embryonic elixir!

That is an unparalleled divine object that can create a Dou Di!
In comparison, these sources of strange fire seem insignificant.

Lei Ying and Yan Jin exchanged a glance.

They both saw the urgency and determination in each other's eyes.

"go!"

Yan Jin let out a low shout and, without hesitation, led the Yan Clan members to speed off in the direction Zhu Kun pointed!

"Let's go too!"

Not to be outdone, Lei Ying and the Lei Clan quickly followed suit amidst flashes of lightning.

Seeing this, the Spirit Clan, Stone Clan, and other forces were unwilling to fall behind and set off to follow closely behind.

In the blink of an eye, the once bustling Strange Fire Plaza was now empty except for the ancient clan members and Zhu Chen and his group.

"Gu Yuan, aren't you going to compete for that Emperor-grade embryonic pill?"

Seeing that Gu Yuan hadn't gone deep into the cave with the people from the eight ancient clans, Zhu Kun asked him curiously.

"If obtaining a nascent Emperor-grade pill were so easy, Brother Zhukun, you would have already gotten your hands on one long ago, wouldn't you?"

Gu Yuan glanced at Zhu Kun without showing any emotion and said calmly, "If I'm not mistaken, that Emperor-grade embryonic pill should also be an extremely dangerous thing!"

Zhu Kun stroked his long beard, about to say something, when he heard another voice suddenly ring out from nearby: "You guessed right, that Emperor-grade embryonic pill has already taken human form, and its cultivation is even higher than yours and Zhu Kun's."

...(End of chapter)