Chapter 361 The Ancient Jade of Tuoshe is Acquired

Xiao Yan arrived faster than Shen Wen had expected.

Only two days after the Pill Gathering ended, that dark-green-robed figure appeared at the gates of the Shen Residence.

Shen Wen was drinking tea in the Flower Hall.

Cao Ying leaned against a soft couch, her slightly bulging belly showing as she flipped through account books; Xiao Yi Xian sat nearby peeling oranges. Tang Huo'er and Dan Chen were nowhere to be seen, and the courtyard was unusually quiet.

When the doorman came to report, Shen Wen put down his teacup and stood up to greet him.

Xiao Yan stood outside the residence gates in a dark-green robe, with that pitch-black short ruler hanging from his waist.

His complexion didn't look great, with faint dark circles under his eyes; clearly, he hadn't slept well these past two days.

"Brother Shen," he greeted with a cupped-fist salute, his voice somewhat raspy.

Shen Wen nodded and stepped aside. "Come in and sit."

The two walked through the front courtyard and took their seats in the Flower Hall. A maid served tea and then retreated silently.

Xiao Yan picked up his teacup, took a sip, and set it down. His fingers traced the rim of the cup twice as he seemed to be considering how to start.

Shen Wen didn't rush him, leaning back against his chair and waiting.

"These past two days," Xiao Yan finally spoke, his voice low, "quite a few people have come looking for me."

Shen Wen raised an eyebrow.

Xiao Yan continued, "Some asked about the method for the Fusion of Heavenly Flames, some tried to probe my background, and there were several groups... following me in secret, only retreating after I discovered them."

He paused and looked up at Shen Wen, his gaze heavy with gravity. "I suspect they are people from the Hun Clan."

Shen Wen took a sip of tea and said in a flat tone, "That's normal."

Xiao Yan was startled.

Shen Wen set down his teacup and leaned back, his gaze falling on Xiao Yan's face. "Back then, you were just a nobody. Although the Hun Clan suspected the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Jade was on you, the Gu Clan and the other Emperor Clans were watching, so they didn't dare act lightly."

He paused and continued, "Making a move would mean an open confrontation, and they couldn't be certain the jade was definitely with you. But now—"

He looked at Xiao Yan, his tone becoming somewhat meaningful. "You emerged from that remote borderland and shone brilliantly at the Pill Gathering. Even the Yan Clan is envious of your method for the Fusion of Heavenly Flames."

"It's hard for the Hun Clan not to suspect that you've obtained the former Xiao Clan's Legacy."

Xiao Yan fell silent.

His fingers clenched and loosened, then clenched and loosened again, his Adam's apple bobbing.

Shen Wen was right.

When he was in the Northwest, the heavens were high and the emperor was far away; the Hun Clan's reach wasn't that long. Even if they suspected, they had no way to confirm it.

But now he stood on the stage of the Central Plains, under everyone's gaze. Those eyes hidden in the shadows could finally see him clearly.

"Regarding the Burning Technique," Xiao Yan said, his voice a bit dry, "I originally thought that as long as I didn't actively expose it, no one would know."

Shen Wen glanced at him. "Who could you possibly hide that fused flame you refined from?"

Xiao Yan was speechless.

He recalled the scenes at the Pill Gathering where the Heavenly Flames bowed their heads, the looks Huo Xuan and Huo Zhi gave him, and those people who came looking for him after the competition, probing him both openly and secretly.

He thought making a name for himself at the Pill Gathering was a good thing, but he hadn't expected that fame would bring more than just glory.

"The Three Thousand Burning Flame," Xiao Yan suddenly said, his tone tinged with bitterness, "was originally my greatest hope."

Shen Wen didn't respond.

Xiao Yan continued, "Before I came, I discussed it with my Revered Master. With my current level of the Burning Technique and Revered Master's Soul Power, subduing the Three Thousand Burning Flame would be dangerous, but not impossible."

He paused, looked at Shen Wen, and gave a bitter smile. "But the way you subdued it left me without even the desire to try."

Shen Wen took a sip of tea and remained silent.

Xiao Yan was right. The Three Thousand Burning Flame had been raised by the Void Ancient Dragon and had a Dragon Seal within its body; ordinary subdual methods were ineffective against it. However, Shen Wen had the dragon phoenix ancient armor, an existence of a higher level than the Void Ancient Dragon, so subduing it was naturally effortless.

For Xiao Yan, forget subduing it—just getting close to that thousand-zhang giant dragon would take immense effort.

"So," Shen Wen set down his teacup, his gaze falling on Xiao Yan, "what do you plan to do next?"

Xiao Yan was silent for a moment.

"Either I hunt down members of the Emperor Clans and seize their Heavenly Flames," he said calmly, though a flicker of ruthlessness passed through his eyes, "or... I set my sights on the Purification Lotus Demon Flame."

Shen Wen nodded without comment.

Hunting down members of the Emperor Clans was easier said than done.

The Medicine Clan, Yan Clan, Lei Clan—which one didn't have a Dou Sheng presiding over it and a profound foundation?

Xiao Yan was currently only a Dou Zong. Even with Yao Lao's help, trying to snatch a Heavenly Flame from the hands of an Emperor Clan was a pipe dream.

The Purification Lotus Demon Flame was his only choice.

"The Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Jade," Xiao Yan suddenly spoke, looking up at Shen Wen with a serious gaze. "Brother Shen, you said that thing is related to a Dou Di. I want to know, with my current strength, can I obtain it?"

Shen Wen looked into his eyes and was silent for a moment.

There was longing, unwilling resentment, and a kind of resolve born from being pushed into a corner.

"No," Shen Wen shook his head.

Xiao Yan's fingers clenched slightly.

Shen Wen continued, "The Tuoshe Ancient Emperor's Cave Abode requires all eight pieces of jade to be combined to open. The piece in your hand is only one-eighth. Even if you hold it, you won't be able to enter."

He paused and said flatly, "Furthermore, even if you could enter, the things inside are not something you can touch right now."

Xiao Yan fell silent.

Yao Lao's voice rang in his ears, tinged with bitterness. "He's telling the truth."

Xiao Yan took a deep breath, suppressing the roiling thoughts in his heart, and took an object out of his storage ring, placing it on the table.

It was a palm-sized jade piece, dark green all over, with a faint luster flowing on its surface.

The edges of the jade piece were slightly worn, showing its great age, but the ancient aura it faintly emitted made one not dare to underestimate it.

The Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Jade.

Shen Wen's gaze fell upon it and lingered for a moment.

Xiao Yan pushed the jade piece toward him. "Brother Shen, I'll use this to trade for the remnant maps of the Purification Lotus Demon Flame."

Shen Wen looked up at him.

Xiao Yan's gaze was calm, making him look like a completely different person from the resentful youth of a moment ago.

"I've thought it through clearly," he said. "The Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Jade is not only useless in my hands, but it's also a death warrant. The Hun Clan is watching it, the Gu Clan is watching it; sooner or later, I will die in some corner because of this jade."

"Rather than that, it's better to give it to someone who can use it."

He looked at Shen Wen and said seriously, "Brother Shen, I trust you."

Shen Wen didn't respond immediately.

He looked at the dark green jade piece on the table, then at Xiao Yan's earnest eyes, and suddenly smiled.

"You certainly have an open mind."

He took two scrolls of remnant maps from his storage ring, placed them on the table, and pushed them toward Xiao Yan.

Xiao Yan took them, unrolled them for a glance to confirm they were correct, and stored them in his storage ring. He stood up and gave Shen Wen a cupped-fist salute. "Brother Shen, I'll take my leave."

Shen Wen nodded. "Be careful. The Purification Lotus Demon Flame is not like the Three Thousand Burning Flame; that thing's demon flame spirit is not so easy to deal with."

Shen Wen sat in the Flower Hall, took another sip of tea, and fixed his gaze on the dark green jade piece on the table.

This kid Xiao Yan was actually more sensible than he had expected.

Keeping that jade in his hands would indeed be a death warrant.

By giving it to him, he could not only trade for the remnant maps of the Purification Lotus Demon Flame but also earn a favor.

Killing two birds with one stone.

Shen Wen set down his teacup and picked up the jade piece.

It felt warm and smooth in his hand, with a faint coolness. The luster flowing on the surface of the jade piece danced at his fingertips as if it were alive.

He closed his eyes and probed into it with his Soul Power.

A moment later, he opened his eyes, his eyebrows arching slightly.

Within this jade, a power was sealed.

It wasn't Dou Qi, nor was it Soul Power, but something even more ancient and more fundamental.

That power was slumbering, as quiet as a pool of stagnant water. But Shen Wen could sense that it was only asleep, not dead.

He thought of the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor's Cave Abode and the Old Dragon Emperor of the Void Ancient Dragon suppressed deep within it, Zhu Kun.

Zi Yan's father.

Shen Wen looked down at the jade piece in his palm, the corners of his mouth curling slightly.

The Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Jade required all eight pieces to be combined to open the Immortal Cave. However, he had the space ancestral talisman and the Gu Treasure Art, and his control over Space Power far exceeded that of ordinary people.

Combined with the power sealed within this jade, perhaps he wouldn't need to gather all eight pieces to find the entrance to the Immortal Cave.

Even if he couldn't get in, as long as he could contact Zhu Kun—

Shen Wen pondered for a moment, having formed a plan in his mind.

The dragon phoenix ancient armor glowed faintly within him, and a purple-gold light flowed down his arm, creating a subtle resonance with the jade piece in his palm.

This was the power Zi Yan had left him, proof of the Ancient Void Dragon Royal Clan Bloodline.

If Zhu Kun sensed this aura, he should know that his daughter was still alive and doing very well.

With that existence, who had one foot in the Dou Di realm, as a backer, he could act with a much freer hand in the Central Plains.