"The Spirit-Devouring Clan..." When Xiao Yan uttered these three words, the lines of Gu Yuan's face subtly trembled. He then took a deep breath, his gaze sharp and intense as he fixed it on Xiao Yan, asking, "Why do you ask this?" "Shouldn't Granduncle Gu know of the Spirit-Devouring Flame?" Xiao Yan said. "Yes, I once fought against the Spirit-Devouring Flame and severely wounded him. After that, I've heard no more from him—presumably he was recovering." Gu Yuan nodded. Xiao Yan raised a brow, taking a quiet breath of astonishment at Gu Yuan's strength. In the Medicine Realm, he had personally witnessed the Spirit-Devouring Flame's prowess—even when the entire Medicine Clan mobilized its strength to summon the remnants of the Medicine Emperor's soul, the Flame had shattered them. He hadn't expected such a formidable Spirit-Devouring Flame to have once been seriously defeated by Gu Yuan. Xiao Yan's gaze met that of the medicinal spirit beside him, and he began to recount in detail what had transpired within the realm of medicine—among which was the emergence of the Devouring Spirit Clan, formed from the essence of the Void Devouring Flame. "Impossible! How could the Void Devouring Flame evolve into the Devouring Spirit Clan?" A senior elder exclaimed in disbelief as soon as Xiao Yan finished speaking. "Uncle Gu, what exactly is the Devouring Spirit Clan?" Xiao Yan furrowed his brows, looking toward Gu Yuan, whose own brows also tightened in concentration. "The Devouring Spirit Clan is a rare race from the ancient times. According to ancient records, this clan once stirred up countless upheavals and bloodshed across the Continent of Qi." "Gǔ Yuán sighed lightly, speaking with serious tone: "It is well known that the inheritance of ancient races relies entirely on the vitality of their bloodline. Should this bloodline fade away, the race would then become no different from ordinary people. In general, every ancient race eventually experiences a period of bloodline depletion—provided, of course, that no Supreme Battle Emperor-level强者 emerges within the race during its course." Xiao Yan nodded silently. The Xiao clan had ultimately been extinguished by the Hún clan precisely because of the fading of its bloodline vitality. Amid the vast expanse of heaven and earth, countless wonders inevitably arise—among them is the Yinling Clan. They possess an exceptionally formidable ability: the power to absorb and consume the ancestral bloodlines of other ancient races, thereby extending the duration before their own bloodlines fade. In ancient times, to ensure the continuous survival of their own race, the Yinling Clan turned their attention to other ancient races, initiating a great calamity across the Continent of Qi. In this upheaval, numerous ancient races were utterly extinguished, and their ancestral bloodlines were entirely claimed by the Yinling Clan. "The actions of the Devouring-Spirit Clan undoubtedly enraged all the other ancient races, prompting many of them to form alliances and unite against the Devouring-Spirit Clan..." "That era was the age of the Devouring-Spirit Clan's dominance; their strength far surpassed that of any single race. Yet, despite their formidable power, they could not withstand the combined might of the numerous ancient races. Ultimately, the Devouring-Spirit Clan was destroyed, and the surviving members scattered, pursued relentlessly by all. From then on, the Devouring-Spirit Clan never recovered and gradually faded from the world, eventually disappearing entirely from memory." As he spoke, Gu Yuan's eyes suddenly narrowed slightly, and he said slowly, "I recall that the last chieftain of the Devouring-Spirit Clan was slain by the Spirit Clan." "Ah?" Hearing this, several people in the hall exchanged glances, visibly surprised. "It seems as though, since then, the Yinling race has completely vanished from the world, yet the Houn race... appears to have endured right up to the present day." Ancient Yuan's eyes sparkled, as if he had just recalled something. "Could it be that the Houn race is, in fact, the Yinling race?" Xiao Yan said, hardly believing it. "That's unlikely. According to ancient records, the Yinling race once launched an attack on the Houn race, but was ultimately repelled. Perhaps... the Houn race received something from the last chieftain of the Yinling race, which enabled them to withstand the passage of time and survive all the way to today." Ancient Yuan said slowly. "Chief, I wonder if you remember—after the rare appearances of Supreme Qi Masters on the Continent of Qi gradually ceased, the ancient races one after another began to decline or vanish. In some cases, their fates were particularly strange. Now that I think about it, this is remarkably similar to what the Shilu and Linlu races experienced." Ancient Dao said, his expression serious, suddenly speaking. "You mean... those ancient races didn't simply fade away naturally, but were actually extinguished by the Spirit Race?" Gu Yuan said. "Over tens of thousands of years, those ancient races must have undergone countless cycles of replacement. Yet each time, it seems only the Spirit Race has remained untouched—its bloodline strength as if boundless. This may seem strange not only to me, but to others as well. However, due to the Spirit Race's consistently enigmatic nature, even attempting to investigate them has proven futile. Now, hearing Xiao Yan's account, we can no longer help but suspect that the Spirit Race might possess the same ability as the Spirit-Eating Race..." "If that's truly the case, then perhaps we've ended up being like a steady source of bloodline nourishment—caged and maintained by the Spirit Race." Gu Yuan's expression grew slightly somber. His voice echoed slowly throughout the hall, sending a sudden chill through every listener. "It doesn't have to be that terrifying for the Hu Clan. Even if they truly possess the same abilities as the Tong Ling Clan, they wouldn't be capable of confining us like that. Otherwise, the former Hu Emperor would have been utterly defeated by Xiao Xuan back then." Ancient Yuan smiled calmly. Seeing his composed demeanor, the elders in the hall slightly eased their breaths. "Since Xu Niu Tan Yan has now appeared, it's clear his injuries have fully healed. That explains precisely why the Hu Clan has been able to evade our surveillance." Ancient Yuan gently traced a circular motion with his fingers before the air, then grasped it in his hand, saying, "Because he has absorbed the entire space into his body." "Whoa—" Several people in the hall gasped, stunned—could a human truly absorb an entire space into their body? "He isn't just a human..." Gu Yuan smiled calmly, yet a glint of cold intensity shimmered in his eyes. "We haven't faced each other in so many years. It seems his mastery of the power of absorption has grown ever more refined—back then, he simply couldn't execute such feats." "As for what Xiao Yan mentioned—about the Void Absorbing Flame transforming into a member of the Thirsting Spirit Clan—perhaps he is, in fact, the unseen force behind the Thirsting Spirit Clan's enduring legacy." "Did the Grand Elder mean that the Void Absorbing Flame absorbed the last living leader of the Thirsting Spirit Clan, thereby gaining this extraordinary ability?" A white-haired elder, standing beside the ancient path, spoke with a slightly raspy voice. "Exactly. Otherwise, I can't think of any other way the Thirsting Spirit Clan could have acquired that ability." Gu Yuan nodded, his gaze slightly lowered, a cold, decisive resolve passing through his eyes. This Void Absorbing Flame posed an overwhelming threat to their ancient lineages—something had to be done to eliminate him. Within the grand hall, silence had settled in—everyone remained quiet, none of them expecting the Hún clan to still harbor such treasures, especially the presence of the formless and devouring, which weighed heavily upon them. The Hun clan now already holds four ancient jade pieces, and as for the remaining four, they will surely make every effort to secure them. Once they open the ancient abode of Tu She, the Emperor of the Qi Dynasty, they may very well uncover the secret of ascending to the Emperor of Battle. At that point, no one on the Battle Qi Continent will be able to stand against them—the very lives of all would hinge upon the Hun clan's single decision. Xiao Yan fixed his gaze on Gu Yuan, speaking solemnly. Unaware of the urgency they now faced, the Hun clan's method of steaming frogs in warm steam was gradually siphoning away their strength. Should this trend continue, the most tragic scenario might unfold. Gǔ Yuán's face was still as calm as still water, and no one knew what he was thinking. The other elders of the Gǔ clan remained silent as well. Though the current developments had caused them concern, if they truly decided to go to war with the Hún clan... it would undoubtedly be an extremely devastating conflict—one they might win, or one they might lose. Win, and they would survive; lose, and they would be utterly useless. Such a decision—this very choice—was something even a figure as strong as Gǔ Yuán would find difficult to make so swiftly. Xiao Yan suddenly raised his voice, causing several elders to subtly tremble and turn their gaze toward the medicinal spirit standing beside him. The latter’s face was filled with sorrow—his race had been destroyed, his people scattered, his once-unshakable pride now entirely gone. One by one, the elders’ eyes shifted toward Gu Yu, the eldest, as if awaiting his decision. Under the weight of so many gazes, Gu Yu slowly exhaled, lifted his head, and looked at Xiao Yan with a smile. "Good boy—your determination is truly commendable. Send messengers to the Yan and Lei clans, summoning their chieftains, and let us jointly discuss our survival."