While in Battle Through the Heavens, one can pre-appoint oneself as an emperor.

Chapter 416 One Year

The northernmost part of the vast world.

There once was a continent of flames here. In the past, continuous volcanoes stretched for hundreds of millions of miles, and the scorching heat surged and billowed, even dyeing the sky red. As far as the eye could see, there was only the scorching monotony.

However, since half a year ago, the landscape of this continent has undergone earth-shattering changes. One after another, supreme powerhouses gathered here, using their great power to completely overturn and transform this continent, so that in just half a year, eighty percent of the old appearance of the entire continent has been completely destroyed.

Looking at it again today, the once red land has transformed into a vibrant landscape, with beautiful mountains and clear waters, strange rivers and marshes, and all sorts of wonders and scenic spots, no longer as monotonous as before.

In the very heart of this continent, countless people worked together to create a magnificent city that rose from the ground and stood tall between heaven and earth in just six months, its imposing presence awe-inspiring.

This city is called Zixiao City, which is the foundation of Zixiao Palace!

Its city walls were forged from a rare and precious type of iron mixed with ten-thousand-year-old warm jade. They stood over a thousand feet tall and stretched as far as the eye could see. The walls were covered with countless spiritual seals and various strange runes. When sunlight shone down, the spiritual seals and runes would emit a faint purple-gold light, enveloping the entire magnificent city in an invisible protective shield. Even the raging fire spirit power in the world was tamed and transformed into a faint golden light that lingered around the city walls.

Of course, this is also because Zixiao City has not yet been fully completed, which is why these protective spirit arrays are manifested in the outside.

When Zixiao City is truly completed, these great formations will be like the shopping malls on the Shang Continent, concealing their immense divine power, remaining unassuming yet possessing an impenetrable foundation.

Just as the purple-gold spiritual light flowed around the city, a faint ripple suddenly appeared in the vast sky above Zixiao City, and the spatial folds trembled slightly.

Immediately, three figures emerged from the air, their robes fluttering in the wind. They were none other than Chen Xiao, Qing Yanjing, and Bodhi, who had returned from the Tianluo Continent.

Looking down at the magnificent city that was already taking shape, Chen Xiao's lips curled slightly, and a hint of approval flashed in his eyes.

With the Old Dragon Emperor, Gu Yuan, and others overseeing the construction, it certainly saved him a lot of trouble.

Qingyan stood quietly beside Chen Xiao, dressed in white, her gaze slowly sweeping over the city where she might live for a long time in the future. Her beautiful eyes reflected the purple and gold spiritual light flowing throughout the city, shining brightly.

Suddenly, she seemed to be somewhat moved, and said softly, "I am almost at the level of a Grandmaster of Spirit Arrays. Why don't you let me take charge of the protective spirit array of Zixiao City?"

In Qing Yanjing's view, being able to personally contribute to this future place of residence is a very meaningful thing.

Chen Xiao naturally had no objection to this and immediately nodded in agreement.

Without lingering in the air, he looked up at the magnificent, undulating palace complex in the city center and said softly, "Let's go in and take a look. I'll also introduce you to some of my old friends with Bodhi."

As soon as they finished speaking, the three of them slowly descended from the sky. Their powerful auras were completely concealed, and they did not reveal any pressure. However, their transcendent demeanor was still hard to hide.

Only then did the patrol team in the city spot the three figures in the distance. They immediately flew over, and upon seeing Chen Xiao's face, the wariness in their eyes vanished instantly. They bowed in unison, their voices strong and clear.

"Greetings, True Emperor!"

The sound waves surged and echoed from mid-air throughout the entire Zixiao City. The once bustling and noisy city fell silent for a moment, and everyone looked up, their eyes filled with awe and respect.

In the present day, everyone on the Purple Cloud Continent knows about the mysterious past of this True Emperor.

He ascended from the lower plane in just a few years, and then made great strides to become a Heavenly Supreme. He even crushed the War Emperor, who had reached this realm earlier, with overwhelming force.

This record alone is enough to make them yearn for it.

Fortunately, news of Chen Xiao's slaying of the Nine Corpse Heavenly Demon Emperor had not yet reached this area; otherwise, the awe in their eyes would have been even greater.

Chen Xiao raised his hand to support them, and a gentle yet profound spiritual energy spread out, steadily supporting all those who bowed in greeting. His voice was calm, yet every word clearly resounded throughout the entire city: "No need for formalities, just perform your duties."

Immediately, the three figures descended directly towards the magnificent palace in the city center without the slightest pause.

On the white jade square in front of the palace, more than twenty figures had already stood solemnly waiting upon hearing the sound.

Standing at the very front row were none other than the old Dragon Emperor Zhu Kun, Gu Yuan, Xiao Xuan, the Soul Emperor, the Pure Lotus Demon Emperor, the Yellow Spring Demon Emperor, and Chen Lin.

Standing behind them were the original top experts of this continent, all of whom had now been brought under the command of Zixiao Palace, and all of them possessed the cultivation level of Earthly Sovereign.

Their auras were deep and their eyes were intense as they gazed at the three figures slowly descending, their eyes filled with respect.

"True Emperor!"

"Father!"

As soon as the three of them landed on the white jade square, everyone immediately came forward to greet them, their voices steady and their manners impeccable.

Because of the occasion, Chen Lin's title was relatively formal.

Chen Xiao nodded slightly, then turned to lead Qing Yanjing to the front of the crowd, his gaze sweeping over the more than twenty figures standing solemnly in the square.

"This is Qing Yanjing. From now on, she will also live in Zixiao Palace. Jing'er is a top-notch spirit array master, only one step away from the Grandmaster realm."

He changed the subject and looked at the Pure Lotus Demon Emperor in the crowd, specifically instructing him: "Pure Lotus, from now on, you can consult Jing'er about all matters related to spirit arrays in Zixiao City, including the city's protective spirit arrays."

Of the ten people who ascended from the Dou Qi Continent together back then, all but Chen Xiao are present today.

After their reunion, Chen Xiao was able to sense their intentions while integrating the Zixiao Continent.

There's no need to say more about the Old Dragon Emperor and Gu Yuan; he's my father-in-law, definitely one of our own.

The same goes for his own son, Chen Lin.

In addition, Jinglian, Huangquan, Xiao Xuan, and Hun Tiandi also worked extremely hard.

However, their ideas were completely different.

Jinglian and Huangquan were both resurrected from the dead, with no attachments or ties. In addition, Chen Xiao owed them a debt of gratitude for their resurrection, so they truly regarded Zixiao Palace as their future home and were wholeheartedly devoted to it.

But Xiao Xuan and the Soul Emperor are interesting. They both have their own ambitions, and it's inevitable that they will establish their own independent factions in the future.

Moreover, the two of them had laid some groundwork in a very tacit way.

When the Soul Emperor left the Skull Demon Mountain on the Skull Continent, he looted their treasure trove completely, and the name of Xiao Xuan he left behind has long been exposed. If the Skull Demon Mountain hadn't been wary of Chen Xiao, they probably would have already come to kill him.

This matter was a pretext deliberately left behind by the Soul Emperor.

In this way, when Zixiao Palace officially establishes its power, Soul Emperor will have an excuse to say that he does not want to bring stain to Zixiao Palace or Dou Qi Continent because of himself, and he can calmly withdraw. This is much better than directly saying that he wants to establish his own sect and face the corpse.

Xiao Xuan's situation was actually quite similar. He had intentionally offended many powerful forces and experts, and his plans were exactly the same as those of the Soul Emperor.

This is also why the old Dragon Emperor did not help stop Xiao Xuan from escaping when they first met.

They're all seasoned foxes, they just see through things but choose not to say anything.

In any case, Chen Xiao had already said that he didn't care whether the two of them stayed or left, as long as they didn't do anything to harm Zixiao Palace or Dou Qi Continent.

Moreover, the old dragon emperor and the others were quite certain that even if the two of them set up their own business, they would not refuse if Chen Xiao really asked them to do something.

Or rather, they dared not refuse.

Under these circumstances, whether they stay or leave Zixiao Palace in the future makes no real difference to Chen Xiao.

Especially Xiao Xuan, he saved my life!

Back to the main topic—

After listening to Chen Xiao's introduction, the group of powerful figures present couldn't help but take a closer look at Qing Yanjing.

Among them, the Old Dragon Emperor and Gu Yuan exchanged a glance, as if urging each other to step forward and ask a few questions, but in the end they both shook their heads and smiled.

After all, they had stopped interfering in their daughter's affairs more than 20 years ago, not to mention Chen Xiao, who had long since left them far behind.

So, it's better to take it easy.

Chen Lin looked at Chen Xiao with some suspicion, only to see his father, with his thick skin, nod slightly in affirmation of his idea.

Immediately, although Chen Lin found it rather strange, he still respectfully bowed to Qing Yanjing as a formal greeting.

Qing Yanjing understood the meaning behind Chen Lin's bow. Even though she had prepared herself mentally before coming, she still felt her ears burning slightly. She could only raise her hand to help Chen Lin up, her eyes flickering.

Beside him, after introducing Qing Yanjing, Chen Xiao turned to look at Bodhi on his left, and said with a casual tone, "As for Bodhi, even if you have never met him, you must have heard of his reputation. I don't need to elaborate. You can get to know each other better in the future."

These words were naturally spoken to those supreme beings who had never seen Bodhi.

After giving a brief introduction to everyone, Chen Xiao raised his hand and waved, leading the group toward the main hall.

The return of Chen Xiao and his two companions, though only three people, significantly accelerated the construction of Zixiao Palace, with all preparations progressing at a visible pace.

Especially after several months, news from the ancient Heavenly Palace on the Tianluo Continent spread, and Chen Xiao's name once again swept across the entire Great Thousand World, pushing his reputation to a new height.

In a short time, many supreme and earthly supreme experts who admired its reputation flocked to it, and some continents in the surrounding area that did not have a Heavenly Supreme in charge also assessed the situation and came under the command of Zixiao Palace.

Among them was a top-tier force that Chen Xiao and Qing Yanjing were familiar with.

It was the Qingxue Palace where the two of them had stayed after returning from the lower plane.

In short, things seemed to be going smoothly at Zixiao Palace during this period, and everything was developing in a positive direction.

Time flies like an arrow; in the blink of an eye, a year has passed quietly.

That night, the darkness was as black as ink, enveloping Zixiao City in tranquility. However, the atmosphere inside Zixiao Palace was completely opposite to the silence of the night, revealing an undisguised fervor and restlessness.

The powerful figures from Zixiao Palace gathered in twos and threes, and while they talked, their eyes couldn't help but look towards the most magnificent hall, discussing it with great interest.

The same was true for the nine people, including Zhu Kun and Gu Yuan, who had ascended from the Dou Qi Continent. They had gathered early in a side hall, seemingly chatting casually, but the anxiety and anticipation between their brows were hard to conceal.

And all of this stems from one thing.

That is, Chen Xiao has already told them that he has moved the spatial node of Dou Qi Continent to the bottom of Zi Xiao Continent, and the dimensional passage will be opened soon to bring Xun'er and the others who are in Dou Qi Continent up!

Of the nine of them, apart from the Pure Lotus Demon Emperor, the Yellow Spring Demon Emperor, and the heartless Soul Emperor, the rest all had some attachments on the Dou Qi Continent. Now that they learned that the dimensional passage would be opened soon, they were naturally eager.

On the other side, Chen Xiao did not participate in the idle chatter of the Old Dragon Emperor and others. With a slight movement, he appeared in front of a grand hall deep within the Purple Cloud Palace.

This hall is different from others. The doors are engraved with intricate flame runes, and even before stepping inside, a scorching fire elemental energy rushes towards you.

Inside the hall was an entirely different world, with crimson light spreading in all directions, as if encompassing the entire volcanic range. The fire elemental energy was so dense that it was almost liquid, flowing slowly through the void.

This grand hall was specially built for Cao Ying. Its extremely rich fire spiritual energy can assist her in refining medicine to the greatest extent, reduce spiritual energy consumption, and make her achieve twice the result with half the effort.

Of course, Chen Xiao did not discriminate. There are six other uniquely styled halls like this in the Zixiao Palace.

However, apart from Qingyanjing's main hall, which is always filled with spiritual light, the other six halls are now empty, waiting for their future masters.

Chen Xiao's figure flashed by, like a meticulous inspector, checking each of the six empty halls thoroughly to ensure that every arrangement was flawless before nodding in satisfaction.

After emerging from the last main hall, he moved swiftly and appeared outside Qing Yanjing's main hall.

Chen Xiao stepped inside, and a light purple glow rippled within the hall. The spiritual seals and runes seemed to possess a spirit, moving aside without making a sound.

Soon, he arrived at the inner chamber and saw Qing Yanjing looking somewhat lost in thought.

"What are you thinking about? You seem so lost in thought."

It wasn't until she heard Chen Xiao's voice that Qing Yanjing came back to her senses.

When she looked up, she saw the hesitation and deliberation in his eyes. With that hesitant look, she knew without a doubt that he thought she was having second thoughts about meeting Cai Lin, Xiao Yi Xian, and the others.

As this thought crossed her mind, Qing Yanjing couldn't help but smile, her eyes filled with a mixture of reproach and certainty.

She parted her lips slightly, each word firm and resolute: "I am not an indecisive person. Once I make a decision, I will never regret it."

Chen Xiao paused for a moment, then chuckled and nodded, "I was overthinking it. I forgot that Jing'er has always been so opinionated and decisive."

Qing Yanjing's cheeks flushed slightly at his straightforward praise. She gave him a coquettish glare, then moved to the side, making room on the jade couch.

Chen Xiao sat down with pleasure, and Qing Yanjing leaned naturally against his side, resting her head lightly on his shoulder. Her spiritual threads seemed to possess a spirit, quietly wrapping around his sleeves, tenderly and affectionately.

As the two whispered to each other, the soft light in the bedchamber made their figures appear even more overlapping. After a long time of whispering sweet nothings, Qing Yanjing gently pushed Chen Xiao away, placed her delicate hand on his chest, breathed softly, her lips still flushed, and breathed slightly out of breath.

Before Chen Xiao could even ask about her momentary lapse in concentration, Qing Yanjing had already taken out a translucent white jade talisman.

She lightly twirled the jade talisman between her fingers, looked up at him, her beautiful eyes moist, filled with tender light and a hint of shyness, and chuckled softly, "Just now I wasn't thinking about Chen Xiao and the others' mother, but rather I received news from the clan that Maha Tian has officially taken the position of patriarch of the Maha Ancient Clan."