A terrifying storm of annihilation swept across the medicinal realm, and those affected by its afterwaves found themselves, save for a few exceptionally powerful individuals, their bodies reduced to ash within an instant. The self-sacrificial explosion of a Seven-Star Battle Saint alone possessed true cosmic-scale devastation. "This old madman..." Facing the spreading storm of destruction, the soul-tribe warriors who had originally intended to intercept Xiao Yan were forced to withdraw hastily, even the stalwarts such as Hun Jing and Hun Yan could only now spin and retreat. The storm persisted for several minutes before gradually fading. As the destructive force dissipated, a colossal crater—spanning tens of thousands of li—appeared on the ground. At its depths, the darkness stretched endlessly, as if without an end, leaving Hun Yan and the others with their eyes slightly constricted by the sheer magnitude of destruction. The storm subsided, and Houn Jing and Houn Yan immediately turned their gaze toward where Xiao Yan and the others had fled. There, they only saw a spatial fissure slowly healing—yet the figures of Xiao Yan and his companions had vanished entirely, clearly having escaped through it. "Damn it!" Houn Jing's expression darkened as he muttered, then suddenly reached toward where the medicine and pill cultivator had self-exploded. A shimmering streak shot forth and materialized as an ancient jade in his palm—identical in appearance to the Tasho Ancient Emperor Jade held by Xiao Yan. Clearly, this was the ancient jade belonging to the Medicine Clan. "How did that young man get away?" Houn Xu's form appeared beside Houn Jing, his face serious. The ten thousand-fire elder and others had all been defeated by him, clearly lacking much resistance against a Seven-Star Battle Saint. Hun Jing held the ancient jade, lifting her eyelid to gaze at Hun Yan, who had arrived in an extremely disheveled state. Now, even Hun Yan himself was pale and clammy, surprised that despite his personal intervention, he still ended up looking so thoroughly defeated by Xiao Yan. "This young man truly possesses some talent—no wonder he has repeatedly humiliated our Hun Clan," Hun Yan said, his expression dark, though he did not hesitate to take responsibility. The destructive power Xiao Yan had unleashed earlier was beyond what even a typical Seven-Star Supreme Saint could achieve. According to their intelligence, Xiao Yan had never demonstrated such capabilities before. Thus, while it was unfortunate, it was far from amusing. "We must prevent them from escaping. Though we no longer fear the news reaching the Ancient Clan, Xiao Yan still holds a piece of the Tosheda Emperor's jade. If we secure that, we'll avoid future complications," Hun Xuzi remarked, frowning. Earlier, during the alchemy session, he had been outwitted by Xiao Yan, and now he certainly didn't want to see the latter escape unscathed. "First, let's handle the matter of the Medic Family. Our task is to gather the bloodline energies of the Medic Family. As for Xiao Yan and the others, hmph—how easy could it be? Outside the Medic Family's space, Huan Sha and Huan Tu are stationed, ready to receive messages. We must instruct them to send one of their own to intercept and eliminate Xiao Yan!" Huan Yan coldly stated. "Had it not been for Huan Sha and Huan Tu's need to assist the Void Lord in stabilizing the space seal, how could that young man have torn through the spatial rift and escaped at all..." "Agreed," Huan Jing nodded, gazing at the space filled with the scent of blood. A touch of cruel amusement flickered across his eyes. "With the bloodline energies of the Medic Family, we shall at least extend our family's existence for another thousand years. Should our plan succeed, the Clan Elder will become the first supreme master to reach the Emperor level in over a thousand years. At that point, the entire Qi Continent will fall under our rule—even the Ancient Clans will have to bow and submit." "This day could have arrived much earlier, yet it was all thwarted by the Xiao clan. The campaign that ultimately wiped out the Xiao clan came at a significant cost to our own lineage. During the final assault on Xiao Xuan, although we succeeded in killing him, the clan elder suffered severe injuries from his last, desperate counterattack. It took over a decade of recovery for him to regain his peak condition. Otherwise, we would not have needed to be so cautious about the Gu clan." Houn Xushi said, his tone filled with resentment. "The eradication of the Xiao clan was well worth it—this clan proved exceptionally difficult to conquer. Should they later ally with the Gu clan, they would indeed pose a serious threat to our Houn lineage, and thus must be eliminated. As for Xiao Xuan—even at his peak, the clan elder himself held him in high regard and deep apprehension. Such a foe cannot be allowed to remain." Houn Jing spoke solemnly, a flicker of fear passing through his eyes as he mentioned the name, as though recalling the awe-inspiring, devastating battle of that time. Hunyan produced a pill, swallowed it, and then fixed a cold, piercing gaze upon the lingering battles below, a cold smile spreading across his face. "It's time to gather the bloodline energies. With these bloodlines, the clan elder might be able to make further progress. That will be when the Hun clan truly begins to act!" "Well…," Xiao Yan bit his teeth, pressing his palm against the wound. Waves of rosy flame seeped into the injury, instantly causing a steady mist to rise, while strands of dark energy were forced out from the wound. After dissipating the corrosive qi trapped within the wound, Xiao Yan exhaled in relief, swallowed a pill, and then turned to gaze at the tranquil mountain range behind him. No one could have imagined that within this space of the mountain range, blood now flowed like rivers and bodies lay scattered everywhere. Compared to others, Yao Tian and Yao Ling appeared slightly more composed, though their eyes still brimmed with endless sorrow—on the surface, however, it was well concealed. Having endured such profound changes, both of them seemed to have matured considerably. "Master Xiao Yan, there is no way to repay your great kindness. Should the opportunity arise, Yao Tian will sacrifice his life to do so!" Yao Tian turned to Xiao Yan, deeply bowing and speaking with solemnity. Beside him, Yao Ling's gaze remained fixed on Xiao Yan, gently curving her body in a graceful bow. "Just live well. There's no need to repay anything. If it weren't for the elder members of the Yao clan who gave their lives in battle, no one would have escaped." Xiao Yan waved his hand, feeling a measure of sympathy for Yao Tian and the others. From today on, Yao Tian would no longer be the brightest star of the Yao clan—he would now have to rely on his own strength, just as Xiao Yan himself had. Whether or not the clan could be revitalized would ultimately depend on his own abilities. "What shall we do next?" Yao Elder sighed softly and asked. "The Xiong clan has been excessively brutal. Not only have they slain numerous senior monks and heads of major sects from the Central Plains, but this very incident will surely make the Xiong clan the target of widespread criticism. Yet, to the Xiong clan, these sects remain mere ants—barely noticeable. After a moment of thoughtful reflection, Xiao Yan said, 'I must go to the Ancient Clan. On this continent, only the Ancient Clan currently possesses the strength to challenge the Xiong clan. With such a development, they will certainly not remain passive. Only by uniting the Yan Clan and the Lei Clan can we hope to contain the Xiong clan. Otherwise, the other ancient races will inevitably face great calamities.' Given that the Xiong clan has been able to effortlessly drive the Yao Clan to extinction, even the Yan and Lei Clans would likely face the same fate. Naturally, should the Tianfu Alliance be involved, the outcome would be even more devastating. Despite their strengths, the Alliance still holds certain disadvantages when compared to these ancient races." Xiao Yan didn't believe the Hún clan would let the Tianfu Alliance go unpunished. Therefore, he had to act swiftly—otherwise, when the Hún clan launched its attack, the outcome wouldn't be much better than what he saw today. "Master, you two go back to the Alliance first. Arrange for the defense level to be raised to its peak. Transfer key personnel quietly, and have everyone remain cautious." Upon hearing this, Yàolǎ hesitated slightly before finally nodding. With his own strength, he could hardly offer much support while accompanying Xiao Yan—instead, he might even slow him down. "The Shénnóng Mountains are no longer safe either. I'll join you to the Tianfu Alliance. I've heard the old dragon from the Dan Tower is there too. It's been years since we last saw him—I'd like to meet him again." Shénnóng Elder hesitated briefly before suddenly speaking. The Hún clan had taken an interest in him as well, and if he were discovered alone, it would indeed be unfortunate. Hearing this, Xiao Yan was first startled, then greatly delighted. Not only was the Shen Nong elder himself a powerful six-star Battle Saint, but his skill in alchemy was also rare among peers. If he could take charge of the alliance, the alliance's strength would see a significant boost—something Xiao Yan naturally welcomed. "Yao Tian, you and your sister will come with me to the Ancient Clan. The matters of the Yao Clan will need you to personally explain to the elders there so they can believe. As for the others, let them all stay at the Heavenly Treasury Alliance for now. How does that sound?" Xiao Yan turned his gaze to Yao Tian and Yao Ling. "All according to Lord Xiao Yan's instructions," Yao Tian and Yao Ling exchanged glances and both nodded. Though their ages were not vastly different, they both knew in their hearts that, compared to the person before them, they still fell short. "Then let's go," Xiao Yan exhaled softly, his internal injuries also recovering significantly. Yet as soon as his words settled, his expression suddenly changed—he swiftly turned his gaze toward a distant mountain peak. There, a figure leaning against a massive tree, shoulders bearing a dark-red gho-head greatsword, stared with eyes like a sea of blood. "Ah, I sense it now," the figure seemed to sense Xiao Yan's gaze, a cold, fierce smile spreading across his face, instantly radiating an overwhelming aura of ferocity.