Staring at the magnificent lotus-shaped crystal floating above the raging flames, Xiao Yan could not help but feel a surge of excitement. On the current Dragon Qi Continent, the so-called Primordial Qi had long since vanished, signifying that no one would ever reach the level of Dragon Emperor. With Houn Tian Di now possessing an Emperor-grade Ju Dan, he had gained the opportunity to step into the Emperor tier. As for Xiao Yan and his allied forces, their sole hope rested entirely on the ancient Emperor's legacy. Currently, there were only two paths to attain the rank of Dragon Emperor—through the Emperor-grade Ju Dan or the ancient Emperor's lineage—since only these two sources still preserved the last two traces of Primordial Qi in the world. "My legacy requires steadfast resolve; as long as my mind remains unshaken, it shall never fade!" The ancient Emperor, Tuo She, smiled gently at the excited Xiao Yan, then lightly tapped his finger. The radiant flame lotus drifted slowly downward, finally hovering gently upon Xiao Yan's forehead. “Huh…” Xiao Yan took a deep breath, quickly steadying his mind, and with firm resolve, banished every stray thought. “Hum-hum!” The flame lotus emitted a strange luminescence, then slowly descended, piercing straight through Xiao Yan’s scalp and settling into his brain. “Boom!” As the flame lotus entered his body, Xiao Yan’s entire form instantly turned crimson. An overwhelming surge of energy spread through him at an astonishing pace—within mere moments, his meridians swelled and bulged, radiating intense, tearing pains. Sweat poured forth like a rushing stream from every pore of his body. Within just a few breaths, his frame shrank dramatically; his once lean and slender body now resembled that of a thin, almost skeletal monkey, barely holding onto flesh. As sweat poured down like a waterfall, Xiao Yan's face was streaked with pain, his features twisted by the intense agony. Emperor Tuo She, observing this scene, remained calm—should he fail even the most fundamental stage, the very notion of receiving the inheritance would be nothing short of comical. Deep within the flames, Xiao Yan's body trembled violently. At one moment, his eyes suddenly snapped open, and both of them exploded into torrents of blood mist. "Boom!" With his eyes bursting, explosions echoed across his body—then, the powerful force of the inheritance surged forth, literally bursting Xiao Yan's form apart. Upon seeing this, Emperor Tuo She's brow slightly furrowed. This was precisely when the inheritance began. Yet, if Xiao Yan failed to accomplish what he had promised, not only would the inheritance fail, but his physical body and even his soul would suffer severe injuries. … "Have I failed?" Xiao Yan's soul gazed upon the spreading blood mist, feeling waves of weakening emanating from deep within. That sensation stirred a growing urge to drift off into sleep. Yet just as that urge began to rise, Xiao Yan suddenly snapped back to full awareness. He knew now that he stood at an extreme moment of peril—should he succumb to sleep, even his soul would gradually fade into the vast cosmos. "My body is too frail to withstand the power of inheritance. But now that my body has been destroyed, how can I absorb the energy?" Xiao Yan's soul coalesced into a translucent orb. At this point, he faced a dilemma: without a physical form, he could not absorb the inherited power, yet crafting a new body required numerous intricate steps—steps he simply did not have the time to undertake now. "As long as my heart remains firm and my resolve endures, my soul shall not perish." The soul glow flared wildly, yet at this critical moment, the tension and astonishment in Xiao Yan's heart unexpectedly subsided. A phrase spoken by Tu She the Ancient Emperor earlier suddenly came back to him, and he felt a sudden clarity. As Xiao Yan experienced this epiphany, the soul glow he had transformed into suddenly intensified, pulsing with vibrant radiance that seemed to emanate from within his soul. Upon closer inspection, it was clear that this radiance was none other than the lotus seed of flame. As these brilliant glimmers poured forth, the previously spreading blood mist suddenly began to retract strangely, then performed a miraculous transformation—flying swiftly and coalescing, wrapping itself around the soul glow. Within mere moments, it had once again solidified into a living, tangible body. With the body reformed, Xiao Yan felt a surge of joy. He could sense that this newly formed body was notably stronger than the one that had existed before. "In the midst of destruction, continuously gathering and shaping a new, living form to adapt to that inherited power..." Xiang Yan's eyes sparkled, a hint of excitement flickering across his gaze. However, this excitement did not last long. From within the lotus seed of flame, a force once again surged forth—so potent that even the heavens trembled. "Boom!" Under the impact of this force, the newly coalesced body of Xiang Yan exploded into blood mist, and this time, even his soul endured intense pain. "As long as the heart remains firm, it shall never perish!" With this realization, Xiang Yan no longer panicked. He steadied his mind and spirit, remaining utterly still, unaffected by any disturbance. As Xiang Yan's mind and soul grew increasingly unified, the blood mist that had exploded coalesced once more, forming within moments a new body—stronger than the one before. "Thud! Thud! Thud!" Amid the raging flames, a series of deep, resonant sounds echoed, as Xiao Yan's body continuously underwent cycles of condensation and explosion, flowing seamlessly in a perfect loop. Observing this scene, Todsha the Ancient Emperor smiled gently and nodded—this young man clearly possessed a high level of insight; it was no surprise that he had achieved such progress at his age. What was truly remarkable, however, was his unyielding resilience and steadfast determination. "I suppose my mission is drawing to a close," Todsha the Ancient Emperor murmured, his tone carrying a subtle sense of relief. … Time passed swiftly during cultivation—without realizing it, a year had already slipped away so quickly. Throughout this year, Xiao Yan endured countless self-explosions and subsequent revivals. Under this relentless cycle, even with his extraordinary tenacity, his consciousness had grown hazy—only a firm core of mental clarity remained, steadfastly guarding his soul, driven by a single, unyielding resolve that gradually enabled his body to adapt to the inherited power. Yet, this arduous cultivation seemed to have no end—self-explosion and revival endlessly repeated. A year at Tianmu, for the Continent of Qi, equated to just over two months. During these two months, the Central Region experienced profound unrest. Due to the vast array of arrays established by the Hún Clan, which enveloped the entire region, the Central Region became a land where entry was possible but exit was impossible—a realm of death. Once clear and blue skies now swirled with thick clouds of blood. Sunlight filtering through these blood clouds cast a dim, somber glow upon the land, creating an atmosphere of profound weight and oppression. The scent of blood permeated every corner of Zhongzhou. At regular intervals, countless streaks of blood radiated from the vast blood clouds covering the region, and wherever these streaks touched the land, countless corpses lay scattered, rivers of blood flowed. This was a true catastrophe! At first, when confronted with the Hún Clan's actions, countless sects and power factions expressed profound anger. Yet when, after spontaneously uniting and preparing to launch an assault on the great array, they were cut down by a streak of blood that pierced heaven and earth, killing six-sevenths of them, that anger transformed into fear. Only now did they fully grasp the ruthless and formidable nature of the Hún Clan's strategies. Faced with the recurring streaks of blood that descended upon them, washing the land in blood, numerous sects were compelled to relocate their entire establishments. Their new homes, naturally, were the headquarters of the Tianfu Alliance. At this time in the Central Plains, only the region encompassing the headquarters of the Heavenly Treasury Alliance could withstand the erosion of those streaks of blood! Consequently, within less than a month, the vast expanse of several ten thousand miles around the Heavenly Treasury Alliance was densely populated by people, with black masses of individuals filling every corner. The entire Central Plains now faced widespread chaos. Faced with the numerous sects and power factions seeking refuge, the Alliance had no choice but to unite its many strong members and jointly deploy a massive defensive shield covering an area of ten thousand miles within the Alliance's territory. Yet even thus, within this defensive sphere, the space remained insufficient. Numerous sects and power factions, striving to preserve their own safety zones, had to clash with one another, engaging in fierce battles that resulted in significant casualties. However, even the allied forces could not intervene—what they had achieved was already their utmost effort. Under the constant threat of death, order itself had completely collapsed. And as time passed, what deepened everyone's despair was that the aura within the blood cloud grew ever more fierce and turbulent—everyone knew that when the demon emerged from the cloud, it might mark the very end of the Central Province! Yet no one could stop this unfolding crisis; all they could do was watch helplessly as the bloodiness in the sky grew ever denser. The blood cloud veiled the sun—wreaking a great calamity upon the Central Province!