149: Chapter 149 The Final Step! The Pool of Myriad Souls' Origin!

The atmosphere in the great hall became subtle after Hun Tiandi finished speaking.

The clan leaders looked at each other, and unhidden hesitation and doubt appeared in the eyes of many.

Contributing the power of their bloodline origin was not as simple as offering a few chests of treasures or a few scrolls of Dou Techniques.

The bloodline origin was the foundation of each clan's heritage; every bit extracted would take years, if not decades, for it to recover.

Now, they were being asked to hand it over to a young man to pave his way to the Emperor Realm.

The cost was simply too great.

More importantly, even if they paid such a price, could this young man, who was only in his early thirties, really reach that step?

No one had become a Dou Di on the Fighting Qi Continent for ten thousand years.

Even the exceptionally talented Xiao Xuan had fallen; what right did Hun Feng have to succeed?

After a brief silence, Ice River, the Valley Master of Ice River Valley, was the first to speak.

He stood up, cupped his hands toward the four people in the main seats, and spoke in a tone that was polite yet carried undeniable skepticism: "Young Master Hun, it is not that I do not trust you, but this matter concerns the thousand-year foundation of my Ice River Valley."

"Although you are already a Nine-Star Dou Sheng, everyone here knows how high the threshold between a Nine-Star Dou Sheng and a Dou Di is."

"For ten thousand years, countless talented individuals have been stuck at this step."

"Even Senior Xiao Xuan of the Xiao Clan, who gathered the strength of his entire clan, fell."

"What makes you confident that you can cross this chasm?"

"If you cannot provide everyone here with a convincing reason, please forgive me for being unable to agree."

His words were polite enough, but everyone present understood the meaning: empty words carry no weight.

A few medicinal pills or some soul origin could not buy the bloodline power that each clan guarded as their last resort; this deal was not worth it.

Following Ice River, several heads of small and medium-sized factions chimed in, their eyes filled with the same questions.

Although Yan Jin and Lei Ying had already expressed their willingness to stand with the Hun Clan, they also remained silent, looking at Hun Feng, clearly waiting for an answer that would help them make up their minds.

Hun Feng slowly stood up from the main seat, his gaze sweeping over the faces in the hall, some hesitant, some expectant.

He did not speak immediately, but instead walked to the center of the hall with his hands behind his back.

The blood-colored flames of the Heaven-Slaying Flame spread out behind him, and nine fiery halos rotated silently.

The pressure of his mid-stage Emperor Realm Soul enveloped the entire hall like an invisible tsunami, allowing everyone present to truly feel the terrifying strength that was on a completely different level from their own.

His mid-stage Nine-Star Dou Sheng aura was released without reservation, and the air in the hall seemed to stagnate under this pressure.

"Do you all believe that this Fighting Qi Continent is the end of cultivation?"

His voice was not loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears.

"Where did the Dou Dis of the ancient era go? Why did Tuoshe Ancient Emperor disappear? Have all the predecessors who entered the Emperor Realm fallen?"

The hall was deathly silent.

No one on the entire continent could answer this question.

Hun Feng turned to face the crowd, his voice suddenly raised a notch: "They did not fall; they left."

"Above this Fighting Qi Continent, there is a broader world—the Great Thousand World."

"After the Dou Dis of the ancient era broke through to the Emperor Realm, they all shattered the plane barrier and went there."

"The Great Thousand World contains an energy higher than the Emperor Qi Origin—Source Qi."

"That is the foundation upon which Emperor Realm experts rely."

"The reason no one has become a Dou Di on the Fighting Qi Continent for ten thousand years is not because of a lack of talent or weak cultivation techniques, but because the Emperor Qi Origin was exhausted at the end of the ancient era."

As soon as these words were spoken, the hall was in an uproar.

Great Thousand World, plane barrier, Source Qi, Emperor Qi Origin—these terms were like heavy bombs dropped into the minds of everyone present, leaving them dizzy.

Yan Jin opened his mouth, Lei Ying widened his bell-like eyes, and even the usually composed Gu Dao leaned forward involuntarily.

"After those Dou Di experts of the ancient era fell, their Emperor Origins did not completely annihilate but were dispersed into the various clans of later generations along with their bloodline inheritances."

"The bloodline flowing in the body of every clan leader here carries a trace of the Emperor Origin fragments."

"These fragments are insignificant on their own and far from enough to support someone in reaching the Emperor Realm, but if these dispersed origin fragments can be re-collected and fused, it is possible to recreate a complete Emperor Qi."

"And as long as there is complete Emperor Qi, combined with peak Nine-Star cultivation and an Emperor Realm Soul, one can condense an Emperor Frame and step into the Emperor Realm."

He stood in the center of the hall, the blood-colored light of the Heaven-Slaying Flame casting his shadow long and stretched against the hall wall.

He recounted the bloodlines of his wives one by one—the Nine-Colored Sky Swallowing Python, the God-Grade Bloodline of the Gu Clan, the blood-attribute Dou Qi of the Hun Clan, the Calamity Poison Body, the inheritance of the Flower Sect, the Demon Phoenix Bloodline—these were all the cornerstones of his path to the Emperor.

Now he was only one last step away from the Emperor Realm, and this step required gathering the strengths of all parties, requiring the purest bloodline origin power of each clan to be injected into the Myriad Soul Origin Pool to help him condense complete Emperor Qi.

After he broke through to the Emperor Realm, he would use the power of a Dou Di to break the plane barrier and guide the Source Qi of the Great Thousand World into the Fighting Qi Continent.

At that time, all clans that had contributed their bloodline origin would receive a great opportunity during the Source Qi infusion, prospering together and heading to the Great Thousand World.

The words he had said to Gu Yuan in the Ancient Emperor Hall had been fulfilled step by step over the years, and now only the final step remained.

The hall was silent for a long time.

If anyone else had said these words, the clan leaders present would have probably treated them as a story.

But coming from Hun Feng, the weight was completely different.

He was already a mid-stage Nine-Star Dou Sheng and a mid-stage Emperor Realm Soul in his early thirties, and his wives, who possessed top-tier bloodlines, had also made rapid progress in their cultivation—these were facts before their eyes that no one could refute.

And that ancient prophecy confirmed by the ancestral notes of the Gu Clan added weight to his path to the Emperor.

Yan Jin stood up from his seat and walked to the center of the hall, cupping his hands solemnly toward the four people in the main seats.

His voice was hoarse but every word was powerful: "The Yan Clan is willing to contribute the Burning Heaven Bloodline Origin to help Young Master Hun shock the Emperor Realm."

"I have lived for most of my life, and my cultivation has been stuck at a bottleneck with no further progress."

"If you can truly open the plane barrier and introduce Source Qi, I would also like to see what that Great Thousand World looks like."

Lei Ying also stood up and cupped his hands: "The Lei Clan is willing to contribute the Thunder Bloodline Origin."

"What I, Old Lei, admire most in this life are people with guts."

"Since you are willing to bet your life on the path to the Emperor, I, Old Lei, dare to bet the future of the Lei Clan on it."

Zi Yan had already expressed her stance and just nodded vigorously.

Feng Tianyu also stood up again, his tone carrying a hint of emotion, saying that the Heavenly Demon Phoenix Bloodline Origin was already prepared.

Nalan Yanran, representing the Flower Sect, said that her master was the Young Mistress of the Hun Clan, so the Flower Sect would naturally give its full support.

With the clear stance of the Yan and Lei clans, the remaining small and medium-sized factions also followed suit.

Contributing bloodline power was indeed a major matter that would hurt their foundations, but it was far better than being liquidated by the Hun Clan or retaliated against by Xiao Yan in the future.

Ice River, however, did not speak.

He remained silent for a long time, and finally bowed slightly, saying that the heritage of Ice River Valley was not easy to come by and the bloodline origin truly could not be handed over.

He was willing to offer all the remaining Ice Spirit Essence collected in the valley to the Hun Clan.

He kept his eyes lowered as he said this, not daring to meet Hun Feng's gaze.

There were a few other factions that chose to retain their bloodline like him; they were all ancient sects that had been passed down for thousands of years and regarded their bloodline as more important than their lives.

The elders of the Pill Tower also looked troubled; they were not an ancient race and had no bloodline power to contribute, so they could only promise to give their full support in medicinal pills and herbs.

Hun Feng did not make things difficult for them, just nodded slightly.

Everyone had their own choices, and he would not force them.

Hun Tiandi slowly stood up from the main seat, his eyes, deep as the void, sweeping over the representatives of the factions that had not expressed their stance.

His tone was as flat as if he were stating the weather, but it made those people's backs turn cold: "Since you are unwilling, the Hun Clan will not force you."

"Just do not regret today's decision in the future."

"Walk slowly, we will not see you out."

Those sect leaders turned pale, bowed, and hurriedly exited the hall.

Ice River walked at the end, stopped at the door, seemingly wanting to look back and say something, but finally shook his head and disappeared into the shadows outside the door.

More than 70% of the factions remained in the hall.

Gu Yuan solemnly swore on behalf of the Gu Clan, Zi Yan solemnly swore on behalf of the Void Ancient Dragon, Yan Jin solemnly swore on behalf of the Yan Clan, Lei Ying solemnly swore on behalf of the Lei Clan, Feng Tianyu solemnly swore on behalf of the Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan, and Nalan Yanran solemnly swore on behalf of the Flower Sect.

Together with the other small and medium-sized factions, dozens of decision-makers in the hall cupped their hands and swore simultaneously—today the alliance is formed, to advance and retreat together, to share life and death.

The day Young Master Hun ascends to the Emperor Realm will be the day we all head to the Great Thousand World together.

This meeting lasted from evening until late at night before it was declared over.

The decision-makers of the various factions left one after another, and the main hall became quiet again.

Only Hun Tiandi, Void Swallowing Flame, Gu Yuan, and Hun Feng remained in the hall.

Gu Yuan put down the tea cup that had long since gone cold in his hand, and a trace of faint relief appeared in his gaze as he looked at Hun Feng.

He said that when this kid said those things in the Ancient Emperor Hall back then, he thought it was just a young man who didn't know the immensity of heaven and earth.

Now looking back, it seemed that his old bones did not have as good an eye as his daughter.

Hun Feng laughed and said that his father-in-law was overpraising him, and that Xun'er didn't believe it at the time, only believing it slowly later.

Gu Yuan shook his head and said that Xun'er was better than him—it took him a thousand years to figure it out, while she figured it out in less than half a year.

Hun Tiandi interrupted the reunion of the two in-laws.

He said that the bloodline origins contributed by all parties would be injected into the Myriad Soul Origin Pool early tomorrow morning, and told Hun Feng to spend time with his wives tonight.

He did not know when Xiao Yan would receive the inheritance in the cave, and Hun Feng could not delay too long either.

He had spent a hundred years in seclusion in the Myriad Soul Origin Pool to break through to the peak Nine-Star, and with Hun Feng's God-Grade Bloodline and Emperor Realm Soul, his speed would only be faster than his.

But even so, it would not be less than a few years.

During these years, they would hold the fort in the outside world, so Hun Feng could just focus on his seclusion.

Hun Feng nodded and didn't say much more.

It was already late at night when he stepped out of the main hall and walked toward the East Courtyard.

The night wind brushed through the branches and leaves of the dark-leaf osmanthus, blowing a few leaves onto the stone table.

All six wives were still awake, and several lamps were lit beside the stone table.

He leaned against the corridor pillar and watched them for a moment before speaking, saying that he was going to the Myriad Soul Origin Pool for a few years of seclusion.

Xiao Yan had entered the Ancient Emperor Cave, so he had to hurry as well.

He would leave the affairs of the family to them for these few years.

Yao Yao put her bone whip on the stone table, her peach-blossom eyes flashing with her usual cunning, telling him to go with peace of mind, as she would be there to take care of the family, and when he came out, the daughters would definitely have grown taller.

Medusa leaned on the soft couch, flipping through a letter, still in her cold and calm tone, only saying to be careful in everything.

Gu Xun'er whispered that she would let her father watch over the Gu Clan so he would have no worries.

Xiao Yi Xian did not say much, only softly saying she would pray for her husband every day.

Yun Yun straightened his collar, her movements very light and slow, saying that they were home, so he should not worry.

Cao Ying held her daughter and raised Hun Muying's little hand to wave at him, saying the little girl was saying goodbye to her father.

Hun Muxiao was so sleepy that her eyelids were fighting, but she insisted on staying awake, refusing to go to sleep, insisting on waiting for her father to come out.

Hun Feng reached out and rubbed her head, and she looked up and asked when he would be back.

Hun Feng thought for a moment and said it should not be more than three years—within three years, he would definitely break through to peak Nine-Star and condense Emperor Qi, then shock the Emperor Realm.

Hun Muxiao blinked, stretched out her little finger to make a pinky promise with him.

Hun Feng smiled, also stretched out his little finger to pinky promise her, saying it was a deal.

The next morning, the bloodline origins contributed by the various factions were sent into the Myriad Soul Origin Pool one by one.

It was a forbidden area located in the deepest part of the Soul Realm, sealed layer by layer by a nine-layered soul pattern formation.

The pool gathered the soul origins of experts and the essence of ancient Dou Di Bloodlines collected by the Hun Clan for tens of thousands of years.

When the bloodline origins of the various clans were injected into the pool, the entire formation trembled slightly, and the majestic energy surged in the pool like a boiling golden ocean.

Hun Feng stood by the pool and looked back—his six wives stood in the distance watching him, Yao Yao waved her fist at him, and Medusa nodded slightly at him.

He withdrew his gaze, took a deep breath, and stepped into the pool resolutely.

The pool water submerged his knees, waist, chest, and finally swallowed him whole.

The golden light slowly closed over the surface of the pool, completely enveloping his figure.

The door to the Myriad Soul Origin Pool closed slowly behind him, and the nine-layered soul pattern formation began to operate again, completely isolating this forbidden area from the outside world.

Hun Feng sat cross-legged at the bottom of the pool, feeling the energy around him that was so thick it was almost liquid, and slowly closed his eyes.

In the original story, Xiao Yan became a Dou Di three years after entering the Ancient Emperor Cave, and it shouldn't be less than a few years for him either.

However, he was not in a hurry.

Outside, there were Hun Tiandi, Void Swallowing Flame, and Gu Yuan, three Nine-Star experts holding the fort, and there was the alliance backing of Zi Yan's Void Ancient Dragon, Feng Tianyu's Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan, Yan Jin's Yan Clan, and Lei Ying's Lei Clan, as well as his six wives watching the East Courtyard waiting for him to return.

He didn't know how far Xiao Yan could go in the Ancient Emperor Cave, but he knew that his path to the Emperor was paved step by step, not by luck.

Next, it would depend on who stepped into that realm first.