Chapter 29 Refining the Ancient Emperor's Inheritance

The middle-aged man looked at Xiao Yan with a complicated expression. After a long sigh, he finally nodded and said,

"In that case, I won't say more. Let's begin. Allow me to introduce myself—you seem not to know me. My real name is Liu Feng. I was once the deputy leader of Chaoyang Sect, one of the five major sects in the southwest, 1,500 years ago. Because of my unique skill, Tianjuebu, I was known as the Wind Emperor. Unfortunately, 1,200 years ago, my sect suffered a great disaster. Tens of thousands perished, and the remaining members scattered. In the end, only my Liu family survived. I confess, it was a grave mistake on my part."

At that, Liu Feng's expression darkened as memories of sorrow surfaced. He looked up at Xiao Yan and offered a reluctant smile before continuing,

"But I won't dwell on the past today. I will give you the inheritance I promised."

Xiao Yan's eyes brightened with excitement as he looked at Liu Feng. Liu Feng smiled slightly while his hand seals shifted continuously—mysterious finger seals forming one after another. The space before him twisted like water waves. Xiao Yan's expression grew increasingly animated; strength was what he valued most, and this opportunity thrilled him.

Suddenly, Liu Feng spoke as he continued making seals:

"Let me warn you: since I have just awakened after many years and this inheritance is fused with my remaining soul, it will be very difficult to separate it completely. The failure rate is high, so you must be prepared."

Without waiting for a reply, he refocused on the seals. Xiao Yan's expression turned serious, and he spread his soul power around Liu Feng to guard the process—knowing that failure here would be a tremendous loss.

Time passed slowly. Liu Feng's seals became increasingly complex, and his once-calm expression grew solemn. His solid form began to fade into an ethereal state as violent space fluctuations and a trace of terrifying aura emanated from him. The void trembled, and tiny spatial cracks spread out. Liu Feng's furrowed brows and solemn eyes as he concentrated on his seals made Xiao Yan's heart pound; he hadn't expected that simply extracting a legacy intact would be so difficult. Xiao Yan thought, I've really fallen into the hands of this old man!

Xiao Yan smiled helplessly and shook his head, stopping his thoughts to wait quietly for Liu Feng. An hour later, Xiao Yan slowly opened his eyes again. With a graceful movement, he stood before Liu Feng, a bright smile of relief on his lips and a spark of excitement in his eyes.

At that moment, Liu Feng's figure wavered erratically; his once-rosy face turned extremely pale. He looked exhausted—like an old man in his twilight years—but relief shone on his face as he spoke in a weak voice:

"I have met your expectations. At last, I succeeded. I hope this inheritance will help you."

Xiao Yan knew well how hard Liu Feng had struggled, so he said little in response. Instead, he turned his gaze to the fist-sized, light-blue energy ball suspended in the void before Liu Feng. The moment Xiao Yan saw it, he felt irresistibly drawn to it. His eyes shone as if he wanted to absorb the energy ball directly. Swallowing hard, his throat rolled as he marveled at the great gift that lay before him. Earlier, he had been nervous about whether he could secure the ancient Emperor Tianjue's inheritance—but now that it was within reach, his excitement was overwhelming.

Without much thought, the illusory palm formed by his concentrated soul power stretched forward, and a majestic surge of soul energy burst from his hand, instantly enveloping the energy ball. Xiao Yan's heart pounded as an overwhelming thrill surged from deep within him. Observing this, Liu Feng let out a dumb laugh; his pale face regained some color. He glanced at Xiao Yan's excited expression, smiled, shook his head, and his ethereal form slowly faded away into the void.

Xiao Yan then looked up at Liu Feng's disappearing figure, smiled at the energy ball in his hand, sat cross-legged in the void, and began to refine it.

After some time, Xiao Yan recovered from his excitement. He controlled his breathing and calmed his mind. Once he had adjusted his body and soul to an optimal state, Xiao Yan flipped his palm and swallowed the energy ball. With a distinct swallowing sound, his body—condensed by the power of his soul—suddenly burst forth with a dazzling green light that spread across the sky. The illusory world within the golden plaque collapsed in an instant, leaving only a small forest amid a vast void. A tremendous force rose within Xiao Yan's body; although his form was partially illusory, he could feel his body expanding. His soul power quickly withdrew, fleeing from the golden plaque.

"Boom!"

As Xiao Yan's soul power returned to his body, a powerful battle spirit burst out, forcing Liu Huabai and the Liu family's eldest elder to retreat quickly from the bamboo forest outside the library. Simultaneously, the fierce battle spirit transformed into a huge air wave that swept outward, reducing the bamboo forest to ruins as flying dust obscured the view. The force prevented anyone from entering; though people were uneasy, they could only wait outside, and the family members who had gathered were dismissed. Observing this, the clansmen could only suppress their curiosity and watch from afar.

The commotion outside was immense, and Xiao Yan's location was no exception. A violent, overbearing energy burst from his body, instantly darkening his expression with severity. At that moment, a fist-sized green energy ball floated slowly in Xiao Yan's cyclone. Though seemingly harmless, it pulsed with an intense energy that made the air around his meridians swell as if about to burst. Xiao Yan clenched his teeth, his face contorted in pain as he endured the severe energy waves. With determination, he swung his hand—originally on the golden inscription plaque—and a protective energy shield shot forth, enveloping him tightly. His body trembled from the pain, but he forced himself to steady his stance and looked inward; his expression turned solemn. Xiao Yan realized that his body was nearing its limit under the energy ball's assault. If not for the protection of his strange fire, he would likely have been gravely injured.

Seeing this, Xiao Yan rapidly circulated his Dou Qi to surround the energy ball. Layers of flame Dou Qi coalesced around the fist-sized cyan energy ball as all the strange fire within him surged forth, wrapping and refining it.

The strange fire burned the energy ball violently, yet the ball fought back, resisting the refining process for a long time. No matter how fiercely the strange fire burned, the energy ball remained unaffected—for it was an embodiment of positive energy that no one controlled. Eventually, the strange fire gained the upper hand, reducing the cyan energy ball to an egg-sized light-blue ball. Its terrifying energy was completely refined and absorbed, becoming a part of Xiao Yan's strength. His aura increased steadily, and it seemed that a breakthrough was imminent. Gu Lao had long told him that his current strength was around the peak of one and a half-star emperors, lacking only an opportunity to truly break through. Now, everything was ready; only the right wind was missing. The ancient emperor's inheritance would soon help Xiao Yan overcome his limitations—and the breakthrough would come naturally. Even if Xiao Yan were powerless to act, he could not stop his own growth.

Time in cultivation is fleeting. Half a month passed, and everyone waited impatiently. Even Liu Huabai, the head of the Liu family, and the great elders looked on with concern. They eventually gathered at the edge of the bamboo forest—a place now forbidden to all but the head of the family and a few others. They stood outside, frowning at the ruined bamboo forest, and in the distance, they saw a white light in front of the library in the forest's center. That was Xiao Yan, who Liu Huabai and Liu Xincheng had been eagerly awaiting for half a month. With a sigh and a shake of their heads, they returned. From the life-force emanating from Xiao Yan, they could tell he was still alive—but whether he could survive to refine the inheritance was uncertain.

Not long after, Xiao Yan's not-very-tall figure began to shake violently in front of the library deep within the bamboo forest. A surge of energy swept across all of Qingyang City as a fierce power burst from his body and rushed straight into the sky.

"Drink!"

Xiao Yan roared toward the sky—a domineering roar, like that of a dragon, which shocked the entire world.

Monsters within thousands of miles cowered on the ground, barely moving, their low growls a sign of subdued obedience. Even several magical beasts in the depths of the ancient forest slowly opened their eyes, their expressions somber with deep respect.

Xiao Yan's body trembled as a crisp sound of bones colliding was heard. He moved his hands and feet, laughed aloud, and flew from the ruins to meet Liu Huabai and the others who had arrived after hearing the roar.