Breaking the Masked Man

With his current strength, the movement techniques and combat skills he cultivated back then are no longer sufficient for him. As for other combat skills, he has no plans for the time being. Combat skills are more about quality than quantity, and the day of his bloodline baptism is not far away. He has very little time left. If he wants to cultivate a Heaven-rank combat skill, it will take at least several months, which is simply not enough time.

“Young Master possesses several different flames within his body, and his soul power has also reached the Heavenly Realm… There is a movement technique that would be very suitable for Young Master. Please wait a moment.” As soon as Hun Yi finished speaking, his figure disappeared from the spot.

After waiting for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Hun Yi reappeared in front of Yao Yan and handed him two crimson scrolls.

Yao Yan thanked him and then scanned the two scrolls with his soul power. Immediately, two complex contents flooded into his mind: the secret technique of the Xiao Clan's clan emblem and the Myriad Fire Avatar.

The Xiao Clan's Clan Mark Secret Technique requires four steps. The first three steps are the same as ordinary secret techniques for enhancing battle qi strength. Even people who do not have the Xiao Clan bloodline can cultivate it. After activating this secret technique, one can greatly enhance their strength by relying on the strength of the flames within their body.

As for the final step, those who do not possess the bloodline of the Xiao clan cannot cultivate it!

This final step is the core of condensing the Xiao clan's runes; everything before it was just preparation.

After reading this secret technique, Yao Yan suddenly understood why Xiao Xuan was so anxious back then. His clansmen could only rely on this secret technique to improve their strength. How could they contend with other imperial clans and maintain their dominant position?

That number one spot isn't easy to get!

If they remain high above, that's fine, but once they fall, who knows how many people will be eyeing them? Even the ancient clans of yesteryear might be happy to see the Xiao clan perish. Rather than being devoured, they'd rather take a gamble!

Yao Yan closed his eyes and pondered for a while, digesting the method of condensing the Xiao Clan's clan patterns. Then he focused his attention on the Myriad Fire clone.

This movement technique is a Heaven-rank movement technique created by the Dou Di of the Yan Clan. As for why it appeared in the Soul Clan, that remains unknown... This movement technique is extremely powerful and extremely difficult to cultivate. Those with strength below Dou Zun are not even qualified to cultivate it, because this movement technique involves spatial teleportation!

According to the description of the combat skill, spatial teleportation is an ability that can only be controlled by those above the five-star Dou Sheng level, and this combat skill allows the cultivator to have a similar ability.

When fighting, you can freely move to the location of your own flames. When you reach the highest level of mastery, you can even condense a divine fire clone to fight against your enemy. You can use the divine fire clone to negate the enemy's attacks. In other words, you can transfer the enemy's attacks to the divine fire clone to avoid damage!

Just outrageous!

It's unbelievably strong!

A glint of light flashed in Yao Yan's eyes. Sure enough, none of the cultivation techniques and fighting skills that could be classified as Heaven-rank were simple. If one could master one of them, it would be no problem to challenge opponents of higher ranks during the Dou Zun period. Even during the Dou Sheng period, Heaven-rank fighting skills would greatly enhance one's combat power.

"What a magnificent Myriad Flame Clone Technique! No wonder it was created by the Flame Clan's Battle Emperor back then!" He took a deep breath and said in a deep voice.

This movement technique is probably one of the top-tier techniques even among Heaven-rank techniques.

“Young Master possesses the bloodline of the Yan Clan and is also surrounded by various exotic flames, so cultivating with it will surely be twice as effective with half the effort,” Hun Yi said slowly, seemingly quite familiar with Yao Yan’s situation.

"Elder Hun, do other imperial clans within my clan possess cultivation techniques, such as those of the Stone Clan or the Spirit Clan?" Yao Yan asked with some curiosity.

“Yes, if you need it, young master, this old servant can go and get it… However, the techniques and fighting skills of the Stone Clan and the Spirit Clan may not be suitable for you.” Hun Yi said unhurriedly.

"Then I'll trouble Elder Hun. I'd like to take a look!" Yao Yan said directly.

Hun nodded and disappeared from the alchemy room again. In a short while, he returned with more than a dozen scrolls of cultivation techniques and combat skills, which he then handed to Yao Yan. At the same time, he reminded him, "Young Master, it is best not to use these kinds of cultivation techniques and combat skills in front of other races, and even more so, do not spread them outside, otherwise there will be some trouble."

“I understand!” Yao Yan nodded. Hun Yi’s words implied that the origins of these techniques and combat skills were unknown, but this was exactly in line with his teacher’s personality.

Who told him to call Hun Xuzi? He loves to do 'sneaky' things.

Yao Yan then began to read with great interest, but the more he read, the stranger his expression became. The Stone Clan was one thing; this race had always relied on their physical strength for survival. The higher the concentration of their bloodline, the stronger their bodies. They were not heavily dependent on cultivation techniques and combat skills. However, the accompanying Devouring Heaven and Earth Technique was quite interesting. It could greatly strengthen the five internal organs and enhance the ability to absorb external energy. When cultivated to its greatest extent, nothing was unappetizing, and one could even directly devour rare and precious materials, including some special metals!

A family of true foodies!

The reason why Yao Yan's expression was strange was naturally the cultivation techniques and combat skills of the Spirit Clan. The Spirit Clan's cultivation technique was actually a dual cultivation technique, and it was a technique that had already entered the Heavenly Realm. It studied the Yin-Yang Dao of men and women, and the postures inside were all kinds of different. Even with the eyes of modern people, they would be speechless!

Clearly, that Spirit Clan Dou Di was not a proper Dou Di!

Meanwhile, the Elven race has a rather outrageous fighting technique that allows them to absorb the essence of any gender or race, absorbing everything about them... It seems quite ruthless!

"No wonder Hunxuzi said that the Spirit Clan had the most descendants!" Yao Yan's lips twitched, and for a moment he didn't know how to comment. He suddenly understood why the Spirit Clan was the first to be targeted by the Soul Clan. Strength was one aspect, but the large number of descendants was probably also a key factor!

If the Soul Clan wants to refine the perfect Emperor Pill, sacrificing millions of lives is inevitable!

Although the Elven race has difficulty procreation due to their unique physical constitution, their large population makes it possible for them to reproduce. When the population is large enough, the probability of reproduction will obviously not be a problem!

"Does the Spirit Clan really like dual cultivation?" Yao Yan couldn't help but look at Hun Yi in front of him and ask. His bewildered expression was just like that of a newbie who had just entered the Dou Qi Continent.

“The Spirit Clan has a unique physique, making it difficult for them to have offspring. It is said that this method was created by the Spirit Clan's Battle Emperor in order to have descendants. However, the specifics are unclear... But to this day, most of the core members of the Spirit Clan have cultivated this technique.” Hun Yi spoke truthfully, his tone completely calm, as if it were commonplace.

"…Awesome!" Yao Yan thought to himself. He hadn't expected the Spirit Clan to be so peculiar, a Dou Qi version of the Hehuan Sect!

Speaking of which, why didn't he reincarnate into the Spirit Clan back then...? Don't get me wrong, he just wanted to broaden his horizons.

"I absorbed the essence blood of the Spirit Clan's Dou Di, so I really need to study this technique carefully!" Yao Yan calmly put the Spirit Clan's technique into his storage ring, and solemnly explained.

Hun remained expressionless, seemingly uninterested. He was over a thousand years old and had seen it all. How could he not guess Yao Yan's little scheme? Besides, what young person doesn't enjoy such things? As long as one is aware of it, one shouldn't become too obsessed and delay one's own cultivation.

He even thoughtfully suggested, "Would you like me to arrange a few partners for dual cultivation with you, young master? With your cultivation level, the maids in the manor are too weak to be of any help to you."

Yao Yan fell silent after those words. After a moment, he shook his head and said, "I'm not interested for now. Let's talk about it later."

He's not that kind of person; he wouldn't be interested in most women.

There was a pause.

He asked with some curiosity, "Was that Spirit Clan chief male or female?"

"A woman!" Hun Yi raised his head slightly and glanced at Yao Yan. He hadn't expected Yao Yan, who was only a four-star Dou Zun, to have such great ambitions. He couldn't help but encourage her, "She is the only female patriarch among the major imperial clans. Currently, she is at the peak of a six-star Dou Sheng. If you work hard, young master, you might have the opportunity to talk to her about the path of dual cultivation in the future... She has never been married and is the youngest patriarch among the major imperial clans!"

Yao Yan nodded. He was indeed quite interested in the Spirit Clan and wanted to take a look, because if he didn't see them now, he wouldn't have another chance!

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 258 Bloodline Baptism Begins

In a void, a bright light suddenly appeared, followed by a surge of powerful purple-blue flames that spread in all directions, instantly covering the entire area. The endless flames resembled a raging sea of ​​fire.

In the center, Yao Yan sat cross-legged above the sea of ​​fire, like an emperor in the flames, controlling this world of fire.

"Wow~"

An invisible spiritual force spread out from between his eyebrows, and wherever it passed, the sea of ​​fire rippled.

at the same time.

Yao Yan, who should have been sitting cross-legged in the center, suddenly became blurred, as if his body had merged into space. He turned into a wisp of purple-blue flame and disappeared from the spot. When he reappeared, he was already standing at the edge of the sea of ​​fire.

"Terrifying! No wonder it's a Heaven-Rank Dou Technique created by a Dou Di!" Yao Yan thought to himself. Although he had only mastered it to a basic level, this technique, which was almost like spatial teleportation, was simply outrageous. He suspected that even Dou Sheng and below would not be able to sense how he moved his body.

If he is well prepared, even some weaker one- or two-star Dou Sheng might not be able to catch him.

However, this fighting technique is really difficult to cultivate and has extremely high requirements for the body. If the body's compatibility with space and flames is even slightly low, it will be impossible to teleport, let alone cultivate at a deeper level, especially the Divine Fire Avatar!

Compared to the initial mastery of the Flame Transfer Technique, the Divine Fire Clone is the most powerful aspect of this Heavenly Rank Battle Technique. Once condensed, it can transfer any attack from the enemy onto the clone, making the clone bear the brunt. Since the Divine Fire Clone has no physical form, as long as the opponent's attack does not exceed the limit of the Divine Fire Clone, it can remain invincible.

The most outrageous thing is that the number of divine fire clones is determined by how much flame you have in your body. Theoretically, there is no limit to the number. As long as your soul power is strong enough and you have enough flames, you can condense tens of millions of divine fire clones!

Furthermore, the stronger the flames, the stronger the divine fire clone that will be formed, and the more damage it can withstand.

This is the most powerful aspect of this Heavenly Rank Battle Technique. The previous teleportation technique was merely incidental, used to test the cultivator's compatibility with space and fire. If even the first step cannot be accomplished, there's no point in cultivating the Divine Fire Avatar later on.

If Yao Yan hadn't cultivated the Burning Technique and devoured the essence and blood of the Flame Clan and the Ancient Void Dragon, he might not have been able to master it so quickly.

Even so, it took him nearly three months to barely get to the point.

In contrast to the Myriad Fire Clone Technique, the cultivation of the Heavenly Fire Three Transformations was extremely smooth. He completed the cultivation without encountering any difficulties, and the improvement was also enormous. It could directly raise Yao Yan's strength from the peak of the four-star Dou Zun to the peak of the eight-star Dou Zun. The magnitude of the improvement was enough to make up for Yao Yan's weakness in the clan pattern.

With a slight movement of his mind, Yao Yan caused the sea of ​​fire in this void space to dissipate instantly. He then took out a jade tablet and, with the input of his battle qi, a portal appeared before him. He stepped into it, and as the portal vanished, the void world once again fell into an eerie silence.

……

After a moment of confusion, Yao Yan returned to the alchemy room. He glanced at the jade token in his hand, then put it away. This was the key to unlock the place where he had previously secluded himself. That void world was also created by Hun Xuzi himself, completely isolated from the outside world. Without the jade token, even a Dou Sheng whose strength was stronger than Hun Xuzi could not easily step into it.

Almost at the same time that Yao Yan walked out of the void world, a middle-aged man whose whole body was surrounded by black flames also walked out from the spatial portal next to him.

The newcomer was none other than Hun Xuzi. He smiled faintly and said, "If you don't come out of seclusion soon, I will have to force my way in."

"Master, rest assured, I have been keeping track of the date." Yao Yan looked at the visitor, cupped his hands in greeting, and said respectfully.

"I was afraid you'd forgotten!" Hun Xuzi said, then looked Yao Yan up and down and continued, "How was your seclusion? Did you gain anything?"

"It's alright... it should be enough to deal with him," Yao Yan said modestly.

"That's good. Let's go. They're almost all here. Only the master and disciple are left." Hun Xuzi nodded in satisfaction, raised his hand, and teleported Yao Yan away. He then flew towards the plaza, explaining the details of the bloodline baptism to Yao Yan along the way.

"Our clan's bloodline baptism is different from that of other clans. Ever since Lord Void joined the Soul Clan a thousand years ago, he used his Heavenly Fire to condense a blood sacrifice world, into which Soul Clan members who died in each generation were sent... After a thousand years of development, the bloodline power contained within it has become extremely rich, which is the real reason why our clan's bloodline has never dried up!"

"After you enter, you will be assigned to different places according to your different strengths, and a Void Devouring Flame Sub-Flame will appear in each of your bodies. This sub-flame is a derivative of the Void Lord's Emperor Flame!"

There was a pause.

Hun Xuzi revealed a playful smile, glanced at Yao Yan, and said in a low voice, "With the sub-fire within your bodies, as long as you kill the opponent, you can plunder their bloodline power... There is also a familiar creature within; killing it will yield blood essence, which also contains a certain amount of bloodline power!"

"Your strength has already reached the Dou Zun level. At that time, you will inevitably be facing the most outstanding geniuses in the clan!"

“A familiar creature?!” Yao Yan’s eyes flickered slightly, somewhat puzzled.

However, Hun Xuzi, the riddle-maker, didn't say anything more. After saying this, he took Yao Yan and flew towards the Imperial City Square. At this moment, the square was already packed with people, and countless powerful figures had gathered. The dark mass of people gave people a very shocking feeling. The younger generation who came to participate in the bloodline baptism had at least the strength of Dou Huang, and there were quite a few Dou Zun as well.

People who could be called geniuses or prodigies in the outside world are everywhere here.

This is the foundation of an imperial family!

However, what intrigued Yao Yan was that the Soul Clan did not seem to have invited other races to attend the ceremony. However, he quickly dismissed this idea. Given the Soul Clan's reputation, if it had really invited them, the people from other races might not have dared to come. If there was an opportunity to wipe out the powerful figures from all races in one fell swoop, he believed that the Soul Emperor would not let it go.

"You should go down too," Hun Xuzi said halfway down the road, then flew towards the high platform on his own.

Yao Yan nodded, then transformed into a streak of light and disappeared into the crowd below. As he landed, a vacuum zone several meters wide instantly appeared around him, and countless eyes turned to him, some filled with awe, some with envy, some with mockery, and some with jealousy…

Yao Yan ignored this and closed his eyes to rest. He had no interest in the Soul Clan people around him. A group of people who were not even Dou Zun in strength could not arouse his interest at all. Moreover, according to Hun Xu Zi, these people could not be assigned to him.

The Soul Clan's bloodline baptism is really a bit like raising a Gu worm. Relying on the unique power of the Void Devouring Flame, they wantonly plunder the bloodline power of others until they cultivate a true 'genius monster'!

But it really does fit the style of the Soul Clan—cruel enough!