The eight ancient clans of old, excluding the Xiao clan that fell first, the Gu and Hun clans should be the strongest. Following them were the Yan and Lei clans, whose ancestral energies had never waned over the years, making them rich in talent—though still not quite matching the Gu and Hun clans, they far surpassed the Yao, Shi, and Ling clans. Perhaps precisely because of this, the Yan and Lei clans had not been extinguished first by the ancient Hun clan. "The one seated at the leftmost position is the chieftain of the Yan Clan, Yan Jin..." The two quietly slipped into the hall and, at a secluded spot, Xun'er gently pointed to a middle-aged man seated at the leftmost position and spoke softly. Xiao Yan's gaze followed Xun'er's gesture, and he saw a middle-aged man dressed in a crimson robe sitting regally on the high seat. The man appeared to be in his forties, with a rugged appearance; his eyebrows were a deep crimson, resembling two flames burning steadily. What was more striking was his eyes—completely red, as if set with two flaming gemstones. As he scanned the room, the air itself seemed to warm up, as though the very atmosphere had been gently heated. "This man's aura is smooth and concealed, and when I sense him, he feels just like a steady, gentle flame—truly remarkable. Yet, there's something strange about him..." Xiang Yin said, his expression serious. In his spiritual perception, the middle-aged man appeared as a flame, but one that was neither intense nor blazing—rather, calm and balanced. It was precisely this calmness that made Xiang Yin so serious. What puzzled him was that he detected a scent familiar to him—something he had sensed before—within the body of the Flame Clan's chief. "Don't let his appearance of being only in his forties deceive you—he's actually a very old creature, possibly living for centuries." Xun'er smiled lightly and added, "Xiang Yin, the Flame Clan chief has mastered flame control to an extraordinary degree. As my father mentioned, within his body reside two unique flames: one is the Volcanic Stone Flame, ranked 17th on the List of Unique Flames, and the other is the Nine-Deep Golden Ancestral Flame, ranked 7th." "Oh?" The Nine-Depth Golden Ancestral Flame has also ended up in the hands of the Flame Clan...” Xiao Yan arched an eyebrow, musing, “So, does he also possess a fusion of hetero-flames within him?” “Yes,” Xun'er smiled, “The newly formed hetero-flame resulting from the fusion of the Nine-Depth Golden Ancestral Flame and volcanic stone flame, though not as powerful as your Pure Lotus妖Fire, can still hold its own against my Golden Emperor's Burning Heaven Flame. Xiao Yan’s ability to blend various hetero-flames stems from the uniqueness of his cultivation technique, whereas the Flame Clan’s leader has achieved this fusion purely through his mastery over flame—merely by skillfully integrating two distinct hetero-flames. The difficulty involved is truly considerable. Xiao Yan was slightly moved—this was the first time he had seen someone successfully merge hetero-flames without relying on the Burn Technique. He was well aware of the difficulty involved; even with his current strength, it would be quite challenging for him to forcibly unify two hetero-flames solely through his own abilities, given how strongly the hetero-flames tended to erode one another. "Indeed, the leader of the Yan Clan is no ordinary person..." Xiang Yan sighed softly, having to admit just how impressive Yan Jin's abilities were. Yet he also understood that combining two different types of hetero-fires might already be the limit of the latter's capabilities. Should a third type be added, and unless he himself had reached the level of a Battle Emperor, he might very well be engulfed by the flames. To mention someone like Xiang Yan, who had successfully fused six different hetero-fires—well, that was even more extraordinary. "Leying is exceptionally combative; it's said that he once fought against the elder Xiao Xuan, though he was ultimately defeated..." Xun'er smiled gently and said. "Oh?" Xiao Yan's eyes also flashed with surprise. Such a distant event—he naturally had no knowledge of it. Yet the elder Xiao Xuan had been nearly the strongest being in this realm, and Leying had dared to challenge him. It seems the claim of his combative nature is indeed true. "Xun'er," as Xiao Yan and Xun'er were conversing quietly in the corner, a figure suddenly slipped in from outside, calling softly to her. When Xiao Yan and Xun'er turned around, they found it was Gu Hu, the second deputy commander of the He Yan Army, who had once accompanied them into the Heavenly Tomb. "What's wrong?" Xun'er looked at him with some curiosity. "Hehe..." Gu Hu first offered an awkward smile to Xiao Yan and Xun'er, then frowned and said, "I'm here to bring reinforcements." Both Xiao Yan and Gu Hu were taken aback, staring at Gu Hu in surprise, clearly puzzled by his words. "It was all caused by those members of the Lei Clan. As soon as they arrived at the Gu Clan, they started acting restless, deliberately provoking several of my elite Black Yen soldiers to fight them. But those Lei Clan members weren't up to the task—they became agitated and were thoroughly defeated, looking utterly embarrassed." Gu Hu rubbed his hands, offering a wry smile. "I know their temperament well, but when our senior officers are personally involved and our troops suffer such defeats, it's hard to ignore the impact. So, we stepped in and managed to drive those instigators back." Xiao Yan couldn't help but chuckle at this. "Drive them back, isn't that simple? After all, they're guests. Do you really expect to chase them down and fight them? I'm sure your father and the Lei Clan chief are well aware of all this. They merely don't see it as something worth their immediate attention—since it's just a matter of the younger generation." Xun'er gave him a look of mild disapproval. "Yes, we could have just sent them back, but they weren't satisfied— they called in reinforcements and defeated both me and Gu Xing, Gu Yao... It's rather embarrassing, to be beaten at one's own doorstep. After all, I'm one of the Four Grand Commanders of the Black Annihilation Army." Ancient Hua's expression was somewhat subdued. "This should have been handled by Qingyang Brother—he's the Grand Commander of the Black Annihilation Army, the top leader of all of you." "Even Qingyang Brother was defeated by him. Otherwise, I wouldn't have come to you." Ancient Hua hesitated before finally offering a wry smile. "Oh?" Hearing this, Xiao Yan and Xun'er were momentarily moved. Now Qingyang was a two-star Battle Saint, and yet someone from the younger generation of the Lei Clan had managed to defeat him? "Perhaps... it's that one?" Xun'er's delicate brows suddenly furrowed. "Hmm..." Gu Hu nodded with a look of frustration. "I never expected that person to have grown so strong now." "Who is that person?" Xiao Yan asked curiously. "Lei Dong—the most outstanding prodigy in the Lei Clan over the past few centuries. He spent five years in the Lei Realm's Magmatic Thunder Pool, one year longer than Lei Ying achieved when he was young. While the Lei Clan's collective nurturing certainly played a role, his abilities and talent are unquestionable. In fact, the Lei Clan has already planned to groom him as their next clan leader." Xun'er said after a moment's thought. Xiao Yan nodded slightly, surprised to learn that the Lei Clan had such a promising young generation. Indeed, the Lei Clan must have solid roots. "Also... the Lei Clan once proposed a marriage alliance with the Gu Clan, and at that time several elders expressed their support. However, due to certain circumstances, the proposal was temporarily put on hold. The two main figures involved in the unfulfilled engagement were myself and Lei Dong." "Xun slightly sighed with a sense of helplessness. "Huh...," Xiao Yan was taken aback, not expecting this to be someone who had failed in trying to take his wife. "Xun, although that man is quite aggressive, after all, this is the ancient clan. If we simply let him go now, I'm certain he'll be teased endlessly whenever he meets the Lei clan members in the future." Gu Hu rubbed his hands and chuckled, "So, wouldn't it be better if Xun stepped in and gave him a little push?" "Boring, just empty posturing," Xun glanced at him coldly, speaking with quiet disdain. "Heh, if you don't wish to step in, then why not have Xiao Yan's brother-in-law step up and give our He Yan army a face? Though currently, Xiao Yan's brother-in-law has even earned the approval of the clan chief, we have many brothers in our He Yan army. When you two get married, we'll certainly make it a grand celebration." Upon hearing this, Gu Hu didn't rush, but instead turned his gaze directly to Xiao Yan and smiled. "You...," hearing this, Xun'er's cheeks instantly flushed crimson, then pouted, saying, "It seems your target isn't me, but Xiao Yan brother after all..." Guhua chuckled and fixed her gaze warmly on Xiao Yan, smiling, "How about it, Xiao Yan? Shall we take a look at the younger generation of the Lei Clan's talents? Qingyang brother is currently holding them up." Under Guhua's earnest gaze, Xiao Yan couldn't help but smile, a special feeling stirring within him. Having spent so much time dealing with the elder immortals, he had almost forgotten his own age—by now, he should be just like Guhua and the others, at the peak of his career, full of vigor and confidence. "Alright, count on you," he said, "Lead the way. I'd like to see just what abilities that man who failed to claim my wife truly has."