Chapter 374 Gu Yuan Comes to the Door

Half a year passed in the blink of an eye.

Shen Wen sat cross-legged in the Quiet Room, his aura as calm as still water, with the phantoms of eight ancestral talismans slowly rotating behind him, merging with his breath.

The Fighting Qi in his body surged like a river, becoming more condensed with every cycle completed.

He opened his eyes and exhaled a long breath of turbid air.

Two-Star Dou Sheng.

In half a year, he had gone from the Early Stage of One-Star Dou Sheng to the middle stage of Two-Star Dou Sheng.

This speed, in the eyes of outsiders, was already at the level of a Prodigy.

Many Dou Shengs might spend their entire lives without being able to take this step, yet he had completed it in just half a year.

But Shen Wen himself was not satisfied.

His talent, his resources, and his cultivation speed would be enough to make anyone wake up laughing in their dreams.

But he was different; he had to face Hun Tiandi, the Hun Clan, and that behemoth that had occupied the pinnacle of the Fighting Qi Continent since ancient times.

Two-Star Dou Sheng was not enough.

He looked down at his hand, palms spread, as a cluster of purple-gold light slowly emerged.

That was the Dragon-Phoenix Power, which intertwined with the power of the eight ancestral talismans in his body to form a completely new and unprecedented power.

For the past half year, besides cultivating, he had spent his time in the Pill Tower's medicine garden, pondering the refinement of Ninth Grade Pills.

Those rare medicinal ingredients collected from various places were refined into pills furnace by furnace; some he took himself, some were for the girls and his subordinates, and some were stored for emergencies.

The difficulty of refining a Ninth Grade Pill was much greater than he had anticipated.

Even with Old Man Shennong teaching him personally, and the boost from the bodhi heart and Seven Apertures Exquisite Heart, his success rate for forming pills was still pitifully low.

It was considered good if one furnace out of ten succeeded.

But the effect of every Ninth Grade Pill was enough to tempt anyone.

Every single one was priceless, and each was a part of his foundation.

Shen Wen withdrew his thoughts, stood up, and stretched his limbs.

Half a year had passed, and the powers he had obtained from various places within his body—

dragon phoenix ancient armor, Chaos Dragon Scales, Undying Phoenix Heart, Desolate Ancient Saint Body, and Azure Heaven Hegemon Body—

Had completely merged into one. Those powers were no longer fighting individually but were like a precision machine, with every part operating in its position, cooperating and enhancing each other.

He closed his eyes and reviewed his current combat strength from beginning to end in his mind.

Ancestral Talisman Three Mysterious Transformations; all eight ancestral talismans had been incorporated into the system.

Flame Talisman Transformation, Ice Talisman Transformation, Devouring Transformation, Space Transformation, Darkness Transformation, Life-Death Transformation, Lightning Transformation, and Primordial Transformation.

With the eight transformations stacked, his combat strength could skyrocket to Eight Star Dou Sheng in a short time.

After gathering the Nine Secrets, the operation of those enhancement methods became smoother, and the consumption was even smaller.

The Zhe Secret made his recovery speed astonishingly fast, the Qian Secret made his perception reach a terrifying level, and the Xing Character Secret made his speed so fast that even high-level Dou Shengs could hardly catch him.

He had already cultivated all Ten Great Fierce Beast Arts to Major Achievement.

True Dragon, True Phoenix, Kunpeng, Thunder Emperor, Qilin, Taotie, Chaos, Jiuyou, Sky Horn, and True Hou.

The power of the ten beast arts intertwined in his body, ready to be summoned at any time.

There was also the Heavenly Emperor Fist, Great Desolation Heaven Imprisoning Hand, Yellow Springs Three Techniques, dark holy scythe, qiankun ancient formation disk, primordial stone tablet, heavenly disk of annihilation...

Shen Wen opened his eyes and clenched his fists.

If he encountered Hun Xuzi again now, he was confident he could keep the man there.

Not by relying on the assistance of several Dou Shengs, but by his own power.

Shen Wen stood up and pushed the door open.

In the Flower Hall, Cao Ying was sitting on a soft couch holding Shen Yunlong, Xiao Yi Xian was peeling oranges nearby, Dan Chen was engrossed in a Pill Formula, and Tang Huo'er and Qing Lin were nowhere to be seen.

Sensing his aura, Cao Ying looked up and scanned his face.

"You broke through?"

Shen Wen sat down beside her and reached out to take Shen Yunlong.

The boy was almost a year old now, fair and chubby, with round, dark eyes staring at Shen Wen.

"Two-Star Dou Sheng." Shen Wen pinched Shen Yunlong's little face, and the boy grinned, revealing a few tiny teeth.

Xiao Yi Xian handed over a peeled orange and asked softly, "What do you plan to do next?"

Shen Wen took the orange, took a bite, and leaned back in his chair.

Wait.

It was no use being anxious.

"Wait," he said. "What is meant to come will eventually come."

Just as he finished speaking, he suddenly put down his teacup and looked toward the manor gate.

"Someone is here." He looked at Xiao Yi Xian. "Go and welcome them."

Xiao Yi Xian put down the orange in her hand, stood up, and asked casually, "Who?"

"Xiao Xun Er."

Xiao Yi Xian's steps paused, and a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes.

Xiao Xun Er had visited several times, but Shen Wen had never asked her to go out and welcome her before.

At most, he would have the gatekeeper lead her in to sit in the Flower Hall for a cup of tea before she left.

She glanced at Shen Wen.

That black-robed figure was still leaning against the back of the chair with a calm expression, but his body, which had been leaning back slightly, now sat up a bit straighter.

Xiao Yi Xian had a guess in her mind; she didn't ask further and turned to leave the Flower Hall.

She walked through the front courtyard and pushed open the manor gate.

Standing outside was indeed Xiao Xun Er, wearing a light green dress, her long black hair like a waterfall, her face elegant and clear.

There was no one else beside her; she stood alone below the steps, her expression calm.

"Miss Xiao." Xiao Yi Xian stepped aside slightly. "Please come in."

Xiao Xun Er nodded slightly and followed her through the front courtyard into the Flower Hall.

Shen Wen sat in the main seat, his gaze passing over Xiao Xun Er to land behind her.

"Clan Chief Gu, coming here alone, aren't you worried about that fellow Hun Tiandi?"

Xiao Yi Xian took a seat nearby, thinking to herself that it was as she expected.

Xiao Xun Er, the Young Miss of the Gu Clan, was no longer worth Shen Wen personally rising to welcome.

What he valued was likely only the one behind Xiao Xun Er.

Behind Xiao Xun Er, a figure stepped out from the void.

It was a middle-aged man with a refined face, dressed in a grey-white robe, standing with his hands behind his back, his aura as restrained as an ordinary person's.

But those eyes were as deep as an abyss, as if they could see through everything.

Gu Yuan.

His gaze fell on Shen Wen; after watching for a moment, he suddenly smiled.

"Truly a youthful talent."

He sat in the guest seat, his tone tinged with emotion. "If only I had insisted on an alliance through marriage between you and Xun'er back then."

Shen Wen waved his hand. "Eh, don't."

He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said casually, "Your daughter has someone in her heart; I have no wish to butt in."

He never had any interest in Xiao Xun Er to begin with.

If they had grown up together as childhood friends, there might have been some affection.

But to jump in halfway and steal Xiao Yan's girl, he couldn't do such a thing.

As for Cai Lin, Xiao Yi Xian, and the others, they were people he originally had no intersection with, so it wasn't a matter of stealing.

Gu Yuan naturally knew who Xiao Xun Er liked and did not continue that topic.

He leaned back and looked at Shen Wen, suddenly speaking, "You seem to have quite an understanding of the Emperor Clans..."

He frowned slightly.

The Ancient Emperor Clans on the Fighting Qi Continent, tracing back to their source, are all continuations of the Dou Di Bloodline.

A Dou Di with the surname Shen—he had never heard of one.

Shen Wen smiled slightly. "Not much."

Gu Yuan stared at him and continued, "But among the past Emperor Clans, there was no Shen Family."

"Is this world only the Fighting Qi Continent?" Shen Wen put down his teacup, his tone flat. "Then where did the previous Dou Dis go?"

Gu Yuan's pupils contracted slightly.

Did this mean Shen Wen was not from the Fighting Qi Continent?

He thought of those ancient legends about the world beyond, of secrets that even the Emperor Clans knew little about, and countless thoughts surged in his mind.

Shen Wen tapped the table, not letting Gu Yuan continue.

"Clan Chief Gu, I presume you didn't come here today just for small talk."

Gu Yuan suppressed the shock in his heart and took a deep breath.

"I have come today because I want to ask about the Hun Clan."

Shen Wen leaned back, his fingers lightly tapping the armrest.

"The Hun Clan... Clan Chief Gu, you have fought the Hun Clan for so many years; do you still not understand them?"

Gu Yuan shook his head.

"The Medicine Clan and Yan Clan said that you know the circumstances behind the disappearance of the Spirit Clan."

He paused, his brow furrowed. "But while the Hun Clan is said to have quite some research into Souls, why would they kill the Spirit Clan? To capture the Spirit Clan's Souls?"

Shen Wen picked up his teacup, took a sip, and put it down.

"Naturally, it was for the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Jade."

He looked at Gu Yuan, the corners of his mouth curling slightly. "And... does Clan Chief Gu remember the Spirit Devouring Clan?"

The Flower Hall fell silent for a moment.

Gu Yuan's pupils shrank violently, his body leaned forward slightly, and for the first time, a look of shock appeared in those eyes as deep as an abyss.

"Spirit Devouring Clan..." he repeated in a low voice, his tone carrying a suppressed tremor. "Of course I remember."

That was an ancient race that had already disappeared into the long river of history.

In that era, the Spirit Devouring Clan possessed strength that stood above all Dou Di families; no single power could contend with them.

They slaughtered other races at will, seizing Bloodline Power to sustain themselves. Such actions enraged all the ancient races, and ultimately, the Spirit Devouring Clan was annihilated by a coalition of the Fighting Qi Continent's major powers.

"The last Clan Chief of the Spirit Devouring Clan was killed by the Hun Clan of that time." Gu Yuan looked up at Shen Wen. "This is not a secret among the Emperor Clans."

Shen Wen picked up his teacup, took a sip, and put it down.

"Then does Clan Chief Gu know who ended up devouring that corpse?"

Gu Yuan's brow furrowed slightly.

Shen Wen didn't beat around the bush and said flatly, "The Void Swallowing Flame."

Gu Yuan's pupils shrank slightly.

Shen Wen continued, "It can devour Emperor Clan Bloodlines to sustain the Hun Clan's own Emperor Clan Bloodline."

He leaned back and looked at Gu Yuan. "Forget the Spirit Clan; behind every one of those Emperor Clans that gradually disappeared, there was the shadow of the Hun Clan."

The Flower Hall fell silent for a moment.

Gu Yuan was silent for a while, then slowly leaned back against the chair, emotions churning in his deep eyes.

"If that's the case, then it makes sense."

His voice was low, carrying a hint of self-mockery. "Back then, among the Emperor Clans, the Hun Clan's Dou Dis were much weaker than our Gu Clan's. Yet they managed to endure for so long..."

He paused and looked up at Shen Wen, his gaze becoming serious.

"Since that's how it is, why don't we join forces? Have the Void Ancient Dragon Emperor join us, and we shall kill that fellow."

Shen Wen smiled slightly and shook his head.

"The Old Dragon Emperor is merely my father-in-law; I cannot command him."

He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said casually, "Furthermore, Hun Tiandi has the help of the Void Swallowing Flame. Two Nine-Star Dou Shengs might not be enough to deal with him."

Gu Yuan's brow furrowed as he was about to speak, but Shen Wen raised his hand to stop him.

He knew more than Gu Yuan.

Hun Tiandi not only had the trump card of the Spirit Devouring Life-Extinguishing Array in his hand, but the Void Swallowing Flame had also left a mark in the Hun Clan's Bloodline.

If pushed too hard, the Void Swallowing Flame could completely devour the entire Hun Clan, at which point it could also reach the Peak Nine-Star Dou Sheng level.

Two Peak Nine-Star Dou Shengs against two Peak Nine-Star Dou Shengs—the outcome would be unpredictable.

And what he needed was simply time.